Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

ANNOTATIONS on the GREEK TEXT.

Verle 41. Ανιππεύολος.

THE Poet under the imagery of this word paints the Sun riding in his chariot, and performing his diurnal revolution: As the expreffion in regard to time is indefinite, it may equally relate to the early rifing of the Sun, and to the elevation in his meridian altitude: Dr. Mufgrave is therefore mistaken in referring it to the latter, rather than the former, and in fuppofing that any amendment is neceffary: Brodeus explains it, Sole in orbe curfum fuum conficiente, ac hemif phærium noftrum afcendente. (In. Eurip. Annot. p. 100.)

Verfe 83. Ηλιος ἤδη λάμπει.

The conftruction, fays Heath, requires us to read λís: I fee no neceffity for it, for if άue may not be used in an active fenfe, as explained by Brodæus, Facit ut currus ejus fulgeat, I would point the first line with a comma, and render the version of the paffage in the following manner;

Ecce currus fplendidi quadrigarum,

Jam fol fulget per terram.

* Not, in Trag. Græc. p. 135.

2 Id. p. 101.

[blocks in formation]

The αψίδες are defined by Hefychius τὰ κύκλα τῶν τρόχων, or the circumference of the wheels: And aida is here used by Euripides to express the circular orb of the fun's chariot: Thus in his Hippolytus he fays,

Αψίδα πέτρῳ προσβάλων ὀχήματος. (V. 1233.)

And in a fragment of our Poet, preferved by Longinus', Apollo in his addrefs to Phaeton applies it to his chariot as here, Αψίδα σὴν κάτω διήσει. In regard to the word ἡμέραν Reiske interprets it as an adjective, mortalibus cupitum, pay diem: This fenfe will fave

2

instead of the fubftantive

the neceffity of those emendations, mentioned both in the Notes of Barnes and Musgrave.

Verse go. Πέταται.

Here Dr. Musgrave, calling Trala a word of no authority, proposes to alter it into Tétela; but I find the former word in a fimilar fenfe of volat, twice ufed by Ariftophanes in his Birds: It alfo occurs in the Anthologia *,

Ἡμῖν δ ̓ ἐ πέταται τῦτο τὸ παιδάριον.

And it is regularly derived from Trapa, which is to be found in the Lexicon of H. Stephens. (Vol. I. p. 1723.)

1 De Subi. fest. 15.
3 Aves. V. 4 & 575•

2 Animad. ad Eurip. p. 145.

4 L. I. C. 7.

Verfe 98. Στόμα τ' ἔυφημον.

The folemnity of this expreffion among the Greeks, correfponds to the favete linguis among the Romans: It implies a facred regard in the language of Antient Devotion: The Græcians were remarkably attentive to this important circumftance, that no inaufpicious ill-omened word fhould escape the unguarded lips of the votary on any folemn act: Thus Callimachus awfully proclaims in his hymn to Apollo,

Εὐφημεῖτ' αἴον]ες ἐπ ̓ Απόλλωνος αοιδή. (V.17.)

And when Horace affumes the majestick charecter of the confecrated Priest of the Muses, he exclaims

Favete linguis. (Carm. 1. 3. Od. 1. v. 2.)

But the following paffage from Cicero is the beft illuftration of this fubject; Neque folùm deorum voces Pythagorei obfervitaverunt, fed etiam hominum, quæ vocant omina; quæ majores noftri, quia valere cenfebant, idcirco omnibus. rebus agendis, Quod bonum, fauftum, felix, fortunatumque effet, præfabantur: rebufque divinis, quæ publicè fierent, ut faverent linguis imperabatur. De Divin, l. 1. c. 45. f. 102.

Thus Ovid,

Linguis animifque favete,

Nunc dicenda bono funt bona verba die.

See alfo my Note on (V. 1189.) and the Baccha of our Poet. (V. 70.)

Verse

Verfe 101. Ἰδίας.

Inftead of this word Dr. Mufgrave conjectures, that we ought to read días propitious; because he afferts, that it would be extraordinary, if the minifters, here addreffed by Ion, did not speak to those, who came to confult the Oracle, propriâ linguâ, in their own native tongue: But the term idías emphatically alludes to the act of the fubordinate priests expounding and decyphering into their proper acceptation the equivocal responses of the Pythian Priestess: Thus Brodæus ' obferves, Datum enim oraculum, quod et plurimum obfcurum ancepfque erat, explicabant facerdotes.

Verfe 120. Μυρσίνας ἱερὰν φόβαν.

The word poco is here governed by 781; fo that there is no neceffity for the emendation of Heath into pose, who afferts it is neceffary for the fake of the conftruction. (Not. in Trag. Græc. p. 135.)

Verfe 138. Τὸν δ ̓ ὠφέλιμον.

The alteration proposed by Dr. Mufgrave into rò d' wphupoy, and his tranflation of the paffage, appears to me far inferior to the obvious acceptation, which implies, that Ion confiders his Benefactor Apollo as his Father: And as Þórbe Þ6168 may refer to marέpos, I fee no abfolute neceffity for the emendation of Heath into Poov. (Id. p. 135)

In Eurip. Annot. p. 101. See alfo my Preliminary Effay, p. 24.

3

Verle

Verfe 166. Παρά τε πτέρυγας.

This paffage is undoubtedly corrupt, fince the fentence obviously requires a verb instead of the prepofition Tag. It was corrected by Scaliger into repaye guyas in the fense of prætervolare; but Dr. Mufgrave questions (and I think with reafon) whether this expreffion would be Greek: He therefore proposes another alteration into zege agita, which he builds on the authority of the words of 1os in Aristophanes, applied to a Bird; but this I apprehend is not sufficient to establish the compound word zegarów, which is no where to be found: The Editor in his Supplement feems himself to abandon it, for he fuggefts another emendation, "A à játte lepuyas, ah, ah, alas plaude: This appears to me equally exceptionable as the former, fince neither the word or phrase is proved to admit of this interpretation: The natural reading appears to be Aig Te guyas tolle pennas, which I offer as my conjecture.

τε

2

[blocks in formation]

The common interpretation of this paffage tranflates suvalas nidum, as a substantive, and nagpapas as an adjective, implying ex feftucis factum, or a neft made of pieces of ftraw. But uvalas, as fynonymous with u, has no authority to fupport it; and it is used, as an adjective, not as a fubftanVol. 3. P. 533.

* Aves, v. 574.& 575.

« AnteriorContinuar »