ANNOTATIONS on the GREEK TEXT. Verfe 41. Ανιππεύονλος. 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. Ἥλιος ἤδη λάμπει. The conftruction, fays Heath', requires us to read ññí: I see no neceffity for it, for if λáμя may not be used in an active fense, as explained by Brodæus 2, Facit ut currus ejus fulgeat, I would point the first line with a comma, and render the verfion 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. The αψίδες are defined by Hefychius τὰ κύκλα τῶν τρόχων, or the circumference of the wheels: And aida is here used by Euripides to exprefs 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 1, 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, instead of the substantive μpav diem: This sense will save the neceffity of thofe emendations, mentioned both in the Notes of Barnes and Mufgrave, Here Dr. Mufgrave, calling érala a word of no authority, proposes to alter it into ; but I find the former word in a fimilar fenfe of volat, twice ufed by Ariftophanes in his Birds: It also occurs in the Anthologia*, Ἡμῖν δ' ' πέταται τ8το τὸ παιδάριον. And it is regularly derived from Trapa, which is to be found in the Lexicon of H. Stephens. (Vol. I. p. 1723.) • De Subl. fest, 15. 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 should 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 αοιδῇ. (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 Bacche of our Poet. (V. 70.) Verle tor. Ιδίας. 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 addressed by Ion, did not fpeak to thofe, 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 refponfes of the Pythian Priestefs: Thus Brodæus obferves, Datum enim oraculum, quod et plurimum obfurum ancepfque erat, explicabant facerdotes. Verfe 120. Μυρσίνας ἱερὰν φόβων. The word pay is here governed by ryys; fo that there: is no neceffity for the emendation of Heath into pa, who afferts it is necessary for the fake of the conftruction. (Not. in Trag. Græc. p. 135.) Verfe 138. Τὸν δ ̓ ὠφέλιμον. The alteration propofed by Dr. Mufgrave into rò d' pinepov, and his tranflation of the paffage, appears to me far inferior to the obvious acceptation, which implies, that Ìon confiders his Benefactor Apollo as his Father: And as Þó may refer to aτépos, I fee no abfolute neceffity for the emendation of Heath into Pov. (Id. p. 135) In Eurip. Annot. p. 101. See alfo my Preliminary Effay, p. 24. 3 Verle Verfe 166. Παρά τε πλέρυγας. This paffage is undoubtedly corrupt, fince the fentenée obviously requires a verb instead of the prepofition mapa. It was corrected by Scaliger into πάραγε πέρυγας in the fenfe of prætervolare; but Dr. Mufgrave questions (and I think with reafon) whether this expreffion would be Greek: He therefore propofes another alteration into mapa agita, which he builds on the authority of the words or in Aristophanes, applied to a Bird; but this I apprehend is not fufficient to establish the compound word Tapasów, which is no where to be found: The Editor in his Supplement feems himself to abandon it, for he fuggefts another emendation, TA a fátt? I 2 cuyas, 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 Alps Ts guyas tolle pennas, which I offer as my re πλέρυγας conjecture. The common interpretation of this paffage tranflates suvalas nidum, as a fubftantive, and nagpapa's as an adjective, implying ex feftucis factum, or a neft made of pieces of straw. But uvalas, as fynonymous with u, has no authority to fupport it; and it is used, as an adjective, not as a substan* Vol. 3. P-533. * Aves, v. 574 & 575 |