BOOK IV

This portion of the _Æneid_ was written when the memory of Antony and Cleopatra was still fresh, and many traits of royal, imperious Dido seem suggestive of the Egyptian queen. Cf. Shakespeare’s _Cleopatra_, and Chaucer’s _Legend of Good Women_.

[169] 74:8. =Dawn-goddess.= Aurora, with Phœbus’ torch. Apollo is constantly identified with the sun-god.

[170] 75:3. =Erebus.= God of darkness, son of Chaos and brother of Night. Synonymous with darkness, especially that of the underworld.

[171] 76:5. =Lyæus.= Bacchus. As the god that makes men unbend and frees them from care, he is called Father Lyæus.

[172] 78:9. =Hymen.= God of marriage.

[173] 79:24. =Fame.= Cf. Bacon, _Fragment of an Essay of Fame_. “The poets make Fame a monster. They describe her in part finely and elegantly, and in part gravely and sententiously. They say, look how many feathers she hath, so many eyes she hath underneath; so many tongues; so many voices; she pricks up so many ears. This is a flourish; there follow excellent parables; as that she gathereth strength in going; that she goeth upon the ground, and yet hideth her head in the clouds, that in the day-time she sitteth in a watch-tower, and flieth most by night; that she mingleth things done with things not yet done, and that she is a terror to great cities.”

[174] 79:31. =Cœus.= One of the Titans; was father of Latona.

[175] 80:34. =Mæonian cap.= Mæonia, part of Lydia, Asia Minor. Since Lydia and Phrygia were adjacent, Mæonian = Phrygian = Trojan.

[176] 81:15. =The laws.= Rome, the world’s lawgiver.

[177] 83:18. =Mænad.= Mænads, or Bacchantes, women worshipping Bacchus in wild and orgiastic fashion in the woods or on mountain slopes of Cithæron.

[178] 84:19. =Elissa.= Dido.

[179] 84:31. =Grynean.= Refers to oracle of Apollo at Gryneum.

[180] 89:29. =Hecate.= Diana, moon-goddess, is identified with Hecate, also moon-goddess. As goddess of cross-roads, Hecate was called Trivia, and is represented by three statues standing back to back. Hecate is especially a goddess of the underworld and of witchcraft.

[181] 90:28. =Laomedon.= The father of Priam. He was notorious for his trickery and broken promises. Hence Trojans in a derogatory, scornful sense were termed race of Laomedon.

[182] 91:38. =Tithonus.= Son of Laomedon, husband of Aurora.

[183] 95:10. =Iris.= Goddess of the rainbow, the messenger of Juno.

[184] 95:14. =Proserpine.= Daughter of Ceres, wife of Pluto, and hence queen of underworld.