Apparet domus intus, et atria longa patescunt;
Apparent Priami et veterum penetralia regum,
Armatosque vident stantes in limine primo.

At domus interior gemitu miseroque tumultu
Miscetur, penitusque cavae plangoribus aedes
Femineis ululant; ferit aurea sidera clamor.
Tum pavidae tectis matres ingentibus errant,
Amplexaeque tenent postes atque oscula figunt.
Instat vi patria Pyrrhus; nec claustra, neque ipsi

485

490

486. Gemitu, tumultu. 143.-488. Ferit sidera clamor, 239.

Custodes sufferre valent; labat ariete crebro
Ianua, et emoti procumbunt cardine postes.
Fit via vi; rumpunt aditus, primosque trucidant.
Immissi Danai, et late loca milite complent.
Non sic, aggeribus ruptis cum spumeus amnis
Exiit oppositasque evicit gurgite moles,

Fertur in arva furens cumulo, camposque per omnes
Cum stabulis armenta trahit. Vidi ipse furentem
Caede Neoptolemum geminosque in limine Atridas;
Vidi Hecubam centumque nurus, Priamumque per aras
Sanguine foedantem, quos ipse sacraverat, ignes.
Quinquaginta illi thalami, spes tanta nepotum,

496. Cf. Lucr. I. 281 seq.:

Et cum mollis aquae fertur natura repente

Flumine abundanti, quam largis imbribus auget

Montibus ex altis magnus decursus aquai,
Fragmina coniciens silvazam arbustaque
tota,

Nec validi possunt pontes venientis aquai
Vim subitam tolerare.

Add to this Orl. Fur. XVIII. 154:
As waters will sometime their course
delay,

Stagnant, and penned in pool by human
skill,

Which, when the opposing dyke is broke away,

Fall, and with mighty noise the country fill.

501. Centum nurus. This has been best explained as including the daughters and the daughters-in-law, fifty each. Cf. Inductive Studies, 66.

Per aras. Read in the light of 1. 550. 503. Quinquaginta thalami. Cf. Homer (Il. VI. 319):

And then he came to Priam's noble

455

500

hall,

Barbarico postes auro spoliisque superbi,
Procubuere; tenent Danai, qua deficit ignis.
Forsitan et, Priami fuerint quae fata, requiras.
Urbis uti Captae casum convulsaque vidit
ng houst

et medium in penetralibus hostem,
Arma diu senior desueta trementibus aevo
Circumdat nequiquam umeris, et inutile ferrum
Cingitur, ac densos fertur moriturus in hostes.
Aedibus in mediis nudoque sub aetheris axe
Ingens ara fuit iuxtaque veterrima laurus,
Incumbens arae atque umbra complexa Penates.
Hic Hecuba et natae nequiquam altaria circum,
Praecipites atra ceu tempestate columbae,
Condensae et divûm amplexae simulacra sedebant.
Ipsum autem sumptis Priamum iuvenalibus armis
Ut vidit, Quae mens tam dira, miserrime coniunx,
Impulit his cingi telis? aut quo ruis? inquit.
Non tali auxilio nec defensoribus istis

Tempus eget; non, si ipse meus nunc adforet Hector.
Huc tandem concede; haec ara tuebitur omnes,

Aut moriere simul. Sic ore effata recepit
Ad sese et sacra longaevum in sede locavit.
Ecce autem elapsus Pyrrhi de caede Polites,

504. Cf. Milton (P. L. II. 3):

Or where the gorgeous East, with richest hand,

Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold.

521. Istis is here used in a depreciative, if not a contemptuous, sense.

522. Compare with Hector's own words

505

510

515

520

525

in Aeneas' vision (1. 291). Cf. also Dryden (An. Mir. 529 seq.):

The prince unjustly does his stars

accuse,

Which hinder'd him to push his fortune

on;

For what they to his courage did refuse,
By mortal valor never must be done.

506. Requiras, 209.509. Arma, 126. 510. Umeris, 97. Ferrum, 126. — 511. Cingitur, 215. Moriturus, 213. 520. His telis, 126. 521. Auxilio, 131. - 522. Adforet, 197.526. Polites, 71.

Unus natorum Priami, per tela, per hostes
Porticibus longis fugit, et vacua atria lustrat

Saucius illum ardens infesto vulnere Pyrrhus

:

Insequitur, iam iamque manu tenet et premit hasta.
Ut tandem ante oculos evasit et ora parentum,
Concidit, ac multo vitam cum sanguine fudit.
Hic Priamus, quamquam in media iam morte tenetur,
Non tamen abstinuit, nec voci iraeque pepercit:
At tibi pro scelere, exclamat, pro talibus ausis,
Dî, si qua est caelo pietas, quae talia curet,
Persolvant grates dignas et praemia reddant
Debita, qui nati coram me cernere letum
Fecisti et patrios foedasti funere vultus.
At non ille, satum quo te mentiris, Achilles
Talis in hoste fuit Priamo; sed iura fidemque
Supplicis erubuit, corpusque exsangue sepulcro
Reddidit Hectoreum, meque in mea regna remisit.
Sic fatus senior, telumque imbelle sine ictu
Coniecit, rauco quod protinus aere repulsum
Et summo clipei nequiquam umbone pependit.
Cui Pyrrhus: Referes ergo haec et nuntius ibis
Pelidae genitori; illi mea tristia facta

Degeneremque Neoptolemum narrare memento.
Nunc morere. Hoc dicens altaria ad ipsa trementem
Traxit et in multo lapsantem sanguine nati,
Implicuitque comam laeva, dextraque coruscum

547-50. The sang-froid of these words is indescribable.

550 seq. Falconer thus graphically alludes to Priam's death (Shipwreck III.): So pierced with anguish hoary Priam gazed,

530

535

540

545

550

When Troy's imperial domes in ruin

blazed;

While he, severest sorrow doom'd to feel, Expired beneath the victor's murdering steel.

534. Voci iraeque, 99. 536. Curet, 175. 540. Satum, 112.542. Sepulcro, 103.

-

Extulit ac lateri capulo tenus abdidit ensem.
Haec finis Priami fatorum; hic exitus illum
Sorte tulit, Troiam incensam et prolapsa videntem
Pergama, tot quondam populis terrisque superbum
Regnatorem Asiae. Iacet ingens litore truncus,
Avulsumque umeris caput, et sine nomine corpus.
At me tum primum saevus circumstetit horror.
Obstipui; subiit cari genitoris imago,
Ut regem aequaevum crudeli vulnere vidi
Vitam exhalantem; subiit deserta Creüsa,

554. Haec finis Priami fatorum. This passage has been uniformly rendered, "This was the end of Priam's fortunes (or fates)," making fatorum a partitive genitive limiting finis. There seems much ground, however, for a different rendering. Understand vitae with finis, and make fatorum a predicated subjective genitive with erat understood (Inductive Studies, 81). The passage would then mean, "This end (of life) was of (i. e. decreed by) the fates of Priam." It thus becomes another expression for the same thought expressed in hic exitus sorte tulit, a duplication of expression in which Vergil often indulges (Inductive Studies, 242). Again finis is often used to denote the end of life; cf. Horace (Odes, XI. 1):

Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi

Finem di dederint.

Cf. also Dies Irae, last line:

Gere curam mei finis.

Further, it is not in accord with Vergil's own teaching to say that a man's "fates" end with this life. They are much more far-reaching. They are fixed and known

555

560

553. Lateri, 100.556. Populis terrisque, 136.