XVI

scribere saepe aliud cupiens delabor eodem;†ipsa locum per se littera nostra rogat.†seu tamen effectus habitura est gratia, seu me35dura iubet gelido Parca sub axe mori,semper inoblita repetam tua munera mente,et mea me tellus audiet esse tuum;audiet et caelo posita est quaecumque sub ullo(transit nostra feros si modo Musa Getas),40

33 aliud cupiens] uolens aliudI|| delabor] dilaborL||34 uix sanus; seclusit Merkel (1884)|| 34 ipsa locum ... rogat] inque locum ... redittemptauit Tarrant|| per se littera ... rogat] pro se tristia ... rogant [uelpetunt]temptaui|| per se ... rogat] per se ... petitunus Heinsiiper se ... facitunus Heinsiipro se ... facitHeinsius|| 35 me] nosM2ul|| 37 munera] carminaF1munereF2ulnominaF3ul, ut uid|| 38 mea] tuaH|| me] te(F1)|| audietFHITaudiatBCML|| 39 audiet] audiatL|| estom M|| ullo] illoMac, sicut coni Bentley|| 40 transit nostra feros] transierit seuosT

teque meae causam seruatoremque salutismeque tuum libra norit et aere magis.

41 seruatoremque] seruṭatoremqueMseruataremqueL|| 42 meque] nequeC|| tuum libra norit et aere magisBarberinus lat. 262ul(Lenz), F3? (m̅ = magis)tuum libra norit et aere minusBCMHILT(libraexlibaI) tuum libra norit et aere datumF1|| suum [libra norit et aere] minusF2ul[tellus ... quaecumque ...] meque, tuum libra, nouit, et aere, minusGronouius,Obs.II imeque tuum libra norit et aere tuumHeinsiustuae libra norit et aere manusRappold (Owen 1915)tuae libra norit et aere domustemptaui; cf SuetAug61 1

Inuide, quid laceras Nasonis carmina rapti?non solet ingeniis summa nocere dies,famaque post cineres maior uenit. at mihi nomentum quoque, cum uiuis adnumerarer, erat.cum foret et Marsus magnique Rabirius oris5Iliacusque Macer sidereusque Pedo,et, qui Iunonem laesisset in Hercule, Carus,Iunonis si iam non gener ille foret,quique dedit Latio carmen regale, Seuerus,et cum subtili Priscus uterque Numa,10

ad inuidumB2MI2ad inimicumH2|| 1 carmina] carmiaM|| 3 uenit. atscripsiuenit etBCMFILTuenietH|| nomen] uotoH (noto?)|| 4 tum] tuncF|| uiuis] uiuusH|| erat] eatCac|| 5 cum foret etFHTcumque foretBCMIL|| RabiriusMFIsabiriusBCrabariusTrabirtiusHrabilinusLSabelliusBarth,Adu.xxxvii 10 (Burman)|| 6 Iliacusque] iliacusH|| sidereusque] sidere/usqueBCecropiusqueBentley; cf x 71 'cum Thesea carmine laudes'||pedoM2c|| 7 Iunonem laesisset] iunonem lesissentBac, ut uidlesisset iunonemM|| Carus] karusB|| 8 Iunonis] iunonisqueH|| si iam] siamC1|| gener ... foretBCMFHT (foretM1c)neger foretLforet genusI

quique uel imparibus numeris, Montane, uel aequissufficis, et gemino carmine nomen habes,et qui Penelopae rescribere iussit Vlixemerrantem saeuo per duo lustra mari,quique suam †Trisomen† imperfectumque dierum15deseruit celeri morte Sabinus opus,ingeniique sui dictus cognomine Largus,Gallica qui Phrygium duxit in arua senem,

11 imparibus numeris] imparibus[spatium septem litterarum]hisH|| 12 sufficis, et] sufficisMac|| 13 Penelopae] penelopiHpenolopeCI|| 13 solinusH2(gl)in marg|| 15 TrisomenC (trisom̅)trisomemB1trosenēLtrionēFtroinēItrozenenMtroezenTtr****mHtroilemB2Troezenaquidam apud MicyllumTymelentemptauit HeinsiusThressen[=Hero] M. Hertz (Lenz)ChrysenRoeper (Riese)TroesminEhwaldTroesmenOwenSinatroncen['Parthorum regis nomen'] Bergk,Opusc.I 664 prosuam t. || imperfectumque] imperfectamqueHimperfectumI1interruptumqueBergk|| 16 deseruit] destituitBergk|| Sabinus] salinus(M1)TsoliusF2ul|| 17 dictus] dignusI|| 18 Gallica] galliaM1|| duxit] dixitM1|| arua] armaB1?ulHI

quique canit domito Camerinus ab Hectore Troiam,quique sua nomen Phyllide Tuscus habet,20ueliuolique maris uates, cui credere possescarmina caeruleos composuisse deos,quique acies Libycas Romanaque proelia dixit,et Marius scripti dexter in omne genus,Trinacriusque suae Perseidos auctor, et auctor25Tantalidae reducis Tyndaridosque Lupus,

19 domito ... ab Hectore] domitam ... ab hectoreFM2uldomitam ... ab herculeGothanus II 121, saec xiii (André), probante Korn|| Camerinus] cam̅inusTcaminusF|| 20 sua nomen Phyllide Tuscus] fata nomen pillide tuscusCsua tuscus phillide nomenLsua nomen Phyllide FuscusHeinsius ('nomen magis Romanum')|| 21 ueliuolique] ueiiuoliqueC|| uates] nomenMerkel ad Ibin p. 377 (Owen)|| possesBCMHILTpossisF, fort recte|| 23 quique] cuiqueC|| proelia] pretiaC|| dixit] salustiusM2gl|| 24 Marius scripti] marius scriptorCscriptor mariusB|| 24 dexter] promptusM, fort in rasP|| 25 TrinacriusqueBCFLtinacriusqueITtenar*squeHeticiusqueM|| Perseidos] perseidisBCIPeneidosEhwald (=Daphnes)|| auctor ... auctor] auctor ... actorHactor ... actorF|| et] setF2|| Tyndaridosque] tyndaridisqueMI

et qui Maeoniam Phaeacida uertit, et unePindaricae fidicen tu quoque, Rufe, lyrae,Musaque Turrani tragicis innixa coturnis,et tua cum socco Musa, Melisse, leuis;30cum Varius Gracchusque darent fera dicta tyrannis,Callimachi Proculus molle teneret iter,

27 Maeoniam] meonidēH|| PheacidaLpheacidaM2cpheatidaIpheicidaHecaeidaB1aeacidaChetaterāFhecateidaTecateidaB2|| et uneHLB2et uneM2cet unaITet uniB1Cin anguemF; 'latet aliquid'—Burman|| 28 lyrae] l*rȩCac|| 29 Musaque] uisaqueC|| 29 TurraniBCMLTturaniFItiranniHThoraniHeinsius|| tragicis] gtragicisT|| innixa] innexaT||30 (in ras?) add C2|| 30 et tua] ipsequeC2|| socco] socioC2, ut uid|| MelisseMFB2mel isseB1molisseILmolasseTmeloseHmolesseC2(malesselegunt Lenz, André) || leuis] leuiHOthob. lat. 1469, saec xv (Tarrant), sicut coni Heinsius|| 31 VariusLTB2uluariisCuarusB1MFHI|| Gracchusqueedd olimgraccusqueT, probante Ehwaldgra*ccusqueBgracusqueHILgratusqueCMF|| 31 darent] daretFparent(B1)C|| tyrannisBC, sicut coni HeinsiustyranniMFHILT|| 32 Proculus] proculuusMpro cuiusB2cprochiusC

†Tityron antiquas Passerque rediret ad herbas,†33aptaque uenanti Grattius arma daret,

33 locus desperatus. 'haec nec Latina sunt, nec satis intelligo quid sibi uelint'—Heinsius

Tityron antiquas Passerque rediret ad herbasB1C(PasserqueexpasserqueRiese)titirus antiquas et erat qui pasceret herbasHILT(titirus: tiarusIac) (pasceret: diceretL)[tityron antiquas] et erat qui gigneret [herbas]B3ultitirus eternas caneret qui procreet herbasF(procreet: pasceretF2ul)titirum et antiquas recuṣbasse referret ad umbrasM[tityron antiquas] recubasse refertur [ad herbas]B2Tityron aprica recubantem pangeret umbraHeinsius (Korn)Tityron aprica recubasse referret in umbraHeinsius (Korn)Tityron apricus recubasse referret ad umbras [uelundas]Heinsius (Korn)Tityrus antiquis armentaque pasceret herbisWithof (Korn)Tityrus antiquas pastorque rediret ad herbasKornTityrus antiquas rursus reuocaret ad herbasMadvig (Adu. crit. II praef)Tityrus antiquas capras ubi pasceret herbasMadvig (Adu. crit. II 105)Tityrus apricans, ut erat, qui pasceret, herbasBergk (Opusc. I 667)Tityron Andinasque esset qui diceret herbasRoeper (Korn)Tityron antiquas pastorem exciret ad herbasOwen (1915)Tityron antiquas carmenque referret ad herbasSchneiderhan (Lenz)Tityron antiquas Passer reuocaret ad herbasLuck

33 antiquas] eternasFintactasuelac uacuasuelac uiridesRiese|| 34 aptaque ... arma] altaque ... armaMarmaque ... aptaI|| uenanti] uenatiCuenandiF2ul|| GrattiusBuecheler e cod illius poetae (RhM 35 [1880] 407)gratiusCFLTgraciusBMHI

Naiadas Satyris caneret Fontanus amatas,35clauderet imparibus uerba Capella modis,cumque forent alii, quorum mihi cuncta referrenomina longa mora est, carmina uulgus habet,essent et iuuenes quorum, quod inedita cura est,appellandorum nil mihi iuris adest40(te tamen in turba non ausim, Cotta, silere,Pieridum lumen praesidiumque fori,

35 NaiadasC. P. Jonesnaiadas aHLI2nayades aMTnaidas aBCFI2|| Fontanus] fontusanusMmontanusH, ut uid|| 38 longa mora] mora longaL|| uulgus habet] uulgus habentHIacfama tenetT||39-40 spurios putat Williams|| 39 essent et iuuenes]quid proessentC, incertumet iuuenes essentH|| iuuenes quorum, quodinterpunxiiuuenes, quorum quodedd|| curaunus Thuaneus Heinsii (=Parisinus lat. 8256 uel 8462)causaBCMFHILT|| 41 tamen in] tanta inM1Ltamen eHeinsius|| 42 lumen] numen'editi aliquot'—Burman|| praesidiumque fori] praesidiumque meumH1; uide HorCarmI i 2

maternos Cottas cui Messallasque paternos,Maxime, nobilitas ingeminata dedit),dicere si fas est, claro mea nomine Musa45atque inter tantos quae legeretur erat.ergo summotum patria proscindere, Liuor,desine neu cineres sparge, cruente, meos.omnia perdidimus; tantummodo uita relicta est,praebeat ut sensum materiamque mali.50[quid iuuat extinctos ferrum demittere in artus?non habet in nobis iam noua plaga locum.]

43 maternos] fraternosB1CH|| Cottas] coctasL|| cuiom FIL|| MessallasqueBCMmessalosqueILmessalinosqueHTmessalanosqueF|| 44 MaximeB1CMpc, sicut coni BurmanmaximaMacFHILTB2|| ingeminata] cui geminataF|| 46 legeretur] regereturBCpcregareturCac|| 47 proscindere] procindereFacpraescindereTdiscindereI|| 48 neu] necIFneH|| 49 relicta] retentaT, ut uid (retn̅ta)|| 50 ut] ut caTac||51-52 spurios puto|| 51 demittereBerolinensis Diez. B. Sant. 1, saec xiii (Lenz), Laurentianus 36 2, saec xv (Lenz), editio princeps Bononiensis (Lenz)dimittereBCMFHILT|| artus] albisC(astusLenz; André dubitanter) || explicit liber ouidii de ponto fe li ci ter sint bona scribenti sint uita salusque legentiBexplicit liber ouidii de pontoCexplicit liber publii·o·n·de pontoMexplicit ouidius de ponto uade sed incultus qualem decet exulis esseFexplicit o de pontoHhic liber explicit gratia christo deturL

EPISTVLARVM EX PONTO LIBER QVARTVS.The precise title of these poems is uncertain. The one mention Ovid makes of the poems' title is of little assistance: 'inuenies, quamuis non est miserabilis index, / non minus hoc illo triste quod ante dedi' (EPI i 15-16). The earliest manuscript of the poems, the ninth-centuryHamburgensis scrin. 52 F(extant to III ii 67), gives no title at the start of the poems, but has 'EX PONTO LIBER ·II· EXPLICIT' at the end of the second book. Later manuscripts generally call the poems theDe PontoorEpistulae de Ponto. The original name was probably not present in the archetype; these titles were perhaps invented with the aid of the first distich of the first poem: 'Naso Tomitanae iam non nouus incola terrae / hoc tibide Getico litoremittit opus'. Heinsius strongly preferredEx PontotoDe Ponto('nihil magis inscitum aut barbarum hac inscriptione'), citing in its support the first line ofTrV ii 'Ecquid, ute Pontonoua uenit epistula, palles'. In realityexanddeare equally acceptable Latin (CicAttXV xxvi 5;FamXIV xx), butEx Pontois the title found in the oldest manuscript of the poems and has become usual since Heinsius' time; in the absence of further evidence it may be allowed to stand.

Heinsius made two other suggestions for the poems' title. The first,Pontica, seems best suited for a poem describing the geography of the area around Tomis or the characteristics of its inhabitants. His second suggestion,Epistulae Ponticae, is attractive, but without any particular probability.

Sextus Pompeius,consul ordinariusin AD 14, is the most illustrious of Ovid's correspondents in theEx Ponto; patron of Valerius Maximus, he was related to Pompey the Great (SenBenIV 30 2) and to Augustus (Dio LVI 29 5). For discussions of his career, see SymeHO156-62, Pauly-Wissowa XXI,2 2265 61, and DessauPIRP 450. He is the recipient of four poems in the fourth book, but is nowhere mentioned in the first three books of theEx Ponto. Since Pompeius helped Ovid during his journey to exile (v 31-38), their relationship must have been of long standing; clearly Pompeius had indicated to Ovid his preference not to be mentioned in his verse, even after it had become clear to most of Ovid's friends that being named by him would carry no penalty. InEPIII vi, Ovid exhorts a timid friend to allow him to name him; there is no indication, however, that the poem was addressed to Pompeius.

Ovid seems to have been best served in exile by those of his friends who were of no particular eminence. InTrIII iv 3-8 & 43-44 he complains not only of the treatment he has received from Augustus, but also of the lack of assistance from those of his friends most in a position to help. Once Sextus Pompeius had indicated he was willing to be named publicly, Ovid could not ignore the influence that a man of such position could bring to bear; hence the number of poems addressed to him in the fourth book.

Ovid starts the poem with an elaborate assertion of his past and present desire to mention Pompeius in his verse (1-22), and then briefly recounts the services Pompeius has rendered to him, and will continue to render (23-26). The reason he is confident that Pompeius will continue to assist him is that Pompeius' past assistance has been such that he is now, in effect, Pompeius' creation, and brings glory to him in the way that great works of art do for their creators (27-36).

1. DEDVCTVM.'Composed'.Deducereis often used in reference to the drawing of fibres from the wool on the distaff and the shaping of the thread (Catullus LXIV 311-14). From this meaning derive the two senses the word can have when referring to poetry, 'composed' and 'finely spun, delicate'. The first sense is seen here and atTrI i 39,EPI v 13, and atTrV i 71 'ipse nec emendo, sed ut hicdeductalegantur', and the second atEclVI 4-5 'pastorem, Tityre, pinguis / pascere oportet ouis,deductumdicere carmen', wheredeductum ... carmenrepresents the Μοῦσαν ... λεπταλέην of CallimachusAetiaI 24; Servius comments on the metaphor from spinning. It has been suggested thatMetI 4 'ad mea perpetuumdeducitetempora carmen' shows this meaning as well; see KenneyOuidius Prooemians51-52.

HorEpII i 225 'tenui deducta poemata filo' stands somewhere between the two senses.

2. DEBITOR ... VITAE.See v 33-36 (Ovid's letter speaking to Pompeius) 'te sibi, cum fugeret, memori solet ore referre / barbariae tutasexhibuisse uias, / sanguine Bistonium quod non tepefecerit ensem, / effectum cura pectoris esse tui'. The passage suggests that Pompeius supplied Ovid with a bodyguard for his journey overland from Tempyra to Tomis, either in an official capacity—Dessau suggests (PIRP 450) that Pompeius might have been proconsul of Macedonia—or, more probably, from his Macedonian estates, for which Dessau and Syme (HO157) cite xv 15.

3. QVI.Williams' CVI is possibly correct; the line would then refer to thetitulusof the poem in a published text.

3. SEV NON PROHIBES.'If you do not try to prevent'. The context makes it clear that Pompeius will not in fact prevent Ovid from mentioning Pompeius in his poem. This conative sense is much more commonly found with the imperfect than with the present; the only way it can be dispensed with in this passage is ifcuiis read and, as Professor R. J. Tarrant suggests,prohibestaken to refer to the later inclusion of the poem in a published collection.

4. ACCEDET MERITIS.Pompeius' even allowing Ovid to name him would count as a favour. Nowhere in the poem does Ovid specify why Pompeius might prefer not to be named.

4. ACCEDET MERITIS HAEC QVOQVE SVMMA TVIS.'This sum will be added to the favours you have done me'. Professor J. N. Grant points out to methe technical terms of finance used in the passage:debitor ... accedet ... summa. I once thought thatsummawas equivalent in sense tocumulus('addition') atEPII v 35-36 'hoc tibi facturo, uel si non ipse rogarem, /accedat cumulusgratia nostra leuis', but have found no parallel for this sense ofsumma.

5. TRAHIS VVLTVS.'Frown'—compare iii 7 'contraxit uultum Fortuna', viii 13-14 'ei mihi, si lectis uultum tu uersibus istis / ducis',AmII ii 33 'bene uir traxit uultum rugasque coegit', andMetII 774 'ingemuit uultumque una ac [Housman: ima adcodd] suspiria duxit'.

5-6. EQVIDEM PECCASSE FATEBOR, / DELICTI TAMEN EST CAVSA PROBANDA MEI.'Yes, I shall certainly confess my guilt, but the reason for my offence is one that necessarily wins approval'. Ovid uses the correct legal terminology; compare CicMur62'fateturaliquis sepeccasseet sui [Halm: cuiueleiuscodd]delictiueniam petit'. Other instances in Ovid ofpeccasse fateriat hexameter-ends areAmIII xiv 37,MetIII 718, VII 748 & XI 134, andEPII iii 33.

For Ovid's close acquaintance with the law see at xv 12 (pp 434-35).

7. NON POTVIT MEA MENS.CompareTrV ix 25-26 'nunc quoque se, quamuis est iussa quiescere, quin te / nominet inuitum, uix mea Musa tenet'.

8. OFFICIO.Used again of Ovid's writing of verse-epistles atTrV ix 33-34 'ne tamenofficiomemoris laedaris amici, / parebo iussis—parce timere—tuis'.

8. OFFICIO ... PIO.The words similarly combined atTrIII iii 84 andTrV vi 4 'officiique pium ... onus'. The adjective ('loyal') is a favourite term of commendation in the poems of exile, applied tofides(TrV xiv 20,EPIII ii 98), coupled withmemor(TrIV v 18, V iv 43), or used to characterize the inseparable friends of myth such as Theseus and Pirithous (TrI ix 31) or Castor and Pollux (TrIV v 30).

9.IN.B's AB is possibly correct,ab istismeaning 'to judge by them, on the basis of their evidence'. Professor R. J. Tarrant cites Prop III iii 38 'ut reora facie, Calliopea fuit'.

11. ALII VELLEM CVM SCRIBERE.The line confirms that Ovid was not at liberty to name Sextus Pompeius in his poems even after he had begun the composition of the first three books of theEx Ponto.

Ovid similarly indicates his frustrated desire to name his correspondent atTrIV v 10 'excidit heu nomen quam mihi paene tuum' and atEPIII vi 1-2 'Naso suo (posuit nomen quam paene!) sodali / mittit ... hoc breue carmen'.

11. VELLEM CVM.Boffers CVM VELLEM, which I take to be a simple corruption to prose word-order. It is however the reading printed by Owen; and it could be argued thatcum uellemis the correct reading, and was altered touellem cumfor metrical reasons. Lucretius and Catullus were fond of placing a spondaic word in the fourth foot of the hexameter; in the Augustan age practice altered, and the pattern was generally avoided; compareAenI 1 'Arma uirumque cano,Troiae quiprimus ab oris'. It was, however, permitted occasionally, especially when the previous foot ended in a long monosyllable (Platnauer 20-22). Scribes quite often alter such lines so as to remove the spondaic word from coinciding with the fourth foot; an instance of this can be seen at line 7 'non potuit mea mens quin esset grata teneri', whereHoffers the scribal alterationesset quin. For a full discussion see Housman 269.

13. MENDIS.This is probably a form ofmendumrather than ofmenda; compare CicII VerII 104 'quid fuit istic antea scriptum? quodmendumista litura correxit?' andAttXIII xxiii 2 ' tantum librariorummendatolluntur'. I have found no earlier instance in verse ofmendummeaning 'error' in this sense; Ovid in his poems of exile uses the terms of his craft more readily than any of his predecessors.

14. VIX INVITA FACTA LITVRA MANV EST.Vixgoes withfacta; André seems to take it withinuita('ma main l'effaçait presque à regret').

15. VIDERITis a complete sentence meaning 'let him look to himself'. Compare the following examples: 'nona terebatur miserae uia;"uiderit[scDemophoon]" inquit / et spectat zonam pallida facta suam' (RA601-2), '"uiderit! insanos" inquit "fateamur amores"' (MetIX 519), 'cur tamen est mihi cura tui tot iam ante peremptis? /uiderit! intereat, quoniam tot caede procorum / admonitus non est' (MetX 623-25), 'uiderit! audentes forsque deusque iuuat' (FastII 782), 'uideris! [cod Ambrosianus G 37 sup (saec xiv), sicut coni Heinsius:uideritcodd plerique] audebo tibi me scripsisse fateri' (EPI ii 9). The idiom is found with an expressed subject atAAII 371 'uideritAtrides: Helenen ego crimine soluo' andAAIII 671-72 'uideritutilitas: ego coepta fideliter edam: / Lemniasin gladios in mea fata dabo'. It is clearly derived from the use ofuiderit'look after, take care of' with an expressed object, as atHerXII 209-11 'quo feret ira sequar! facti fortasse pigebit— / et piget infido consuluisse uiro. /uideritista deus qui nunc mea pectora uersat!'. Althoughuideritin these passages clearly has a jussive sense, it is probably future perfect in origin, sinceuidero'I shall look after' is quite frequent in Terence and Cicero: see Martin on TerAd437 'de istoc ipse uiderit' andOLD uideo18b.

15. AD SVMMAMmeans 'in short' or 'to sum up', and is used to introduce a recapitulation of what has just been expressed or concluded. The line should therefore be taken as the end of a debate which Ovid has had with himself. For the idiom, Ehwald (KB45) cites CicAttVII vii 7, XIV i 1, HorEpI i 106 'ad summam, sapiens uno minor est Ioue, PetroniusSat37 5 'ad summam, mero meridie si dixerit illi tenebras esse, credet', 37 10, 57 3 & 9, 58 8 (in all these passages the narrator's neighbour at table is the speaker) and 71 1 (Trimalchio speaking). Professor R. J. Tarrant cites SenApoc11 3 'ad summam, tria uerba cito dicat et seruum me ducat'.

AD SVMMVM is the reading ofLandTand is printed by Burman (who punctuatesuiderit ad summum) and Merkel (ad summum dixi).OLD summus8b gives only one instance ofad summum, where it means 'at most' (Scribonius Largus 122). The phrase does not seem appropriate to the present context.

15. IPSE(FTP) is so much better in sense ('althoughhemay object') than the ILLE of most manuscripts that I have followed all previous editors in accepting it.

16. HANC.This, the reading ofHandI(perhaps recovered by conjecture), must be preferred to HA (AH, A), the reading of the other manuscripts, since without itlicet ipse queraturwould have to be linked touiderit, which seems awkward. The corruption ofhāctohais not difficult, especially in view of the followingpudet; compareMetIX 531 'pudet, a pudet edere nomen'.

17. SI QVID EA EST.'If it really exists'. The affirmation would be 'est aliquid Lethe'; compare Prop IV vii 1 'Sunt aliquid Manes: letum non omnia finit'.

17. HEBETANTEM PECTORA.I have found no other instance in Ovid of this transferred sense ofhebetare, but compareAenII 604-6 'omnem quae nunc obducta tuenti / mortalis hebetat uisus tibi ... nubem eripiam' andAenVI 731-32. The transferred sense is found at Celsus II i 11 'Auster aures hebetat ... omnis calor ... mentem hebetat'; compare as well PlinyNHXVIII 118 '[faba ...] hebetare sensus existimata' and SuetCl2 'animo simul et corpore hebetato'.

Oblitusin 18 indicates thatpectusis virtually equivalent to'mind' or even 'memory'. In Ovid it often has the sense 'poetic feeling', as at xii 16 'pectus habere neger'.

17. LETHEN.CompareTrIV i 47-48 'utque soporiferae biberem si pocula Lethes, / temporis aduersi sic mihi sensus abest'.

21. ETcan be construed, as connecting with the precedingnec; compareFastVI 325 'neclicetetlongum est epulas narrare deorum'. SED should however possibly be read, the word contrasting with the precedingnecas at ii 15-16 'nec tamen ingenium nobis respondet ut ante, /sedsiccum sterili uomere litus aro'. The error could easily be induced by the finalsof the precedingputes; compareMed55-56 'par erui mensura decem madefiat abouis/ (sed[uaret] cumulent libras hordea nuda duas)'.

21. LEVIS HAEC ... GRATIA.'This unimportant expression of gratitude'. The same use ofleuisatEPII v 35-36 'hoc tibi facturo, uel si non ipse rogarem, / accedat cumulus gratia nostra leuis'.

21. HAEC MERITIS REFERATVR GRATIA.Similar phrasing atMetV 14-15 'meritisne haec gratia tantis / redditur?',TrV iv 47 'plena tot ac tantis referetur gratia factis',EPI vii 61 'emeritis referenda est gratia semper', andEPIII i 79-80 'nec ... debetur meritis gratia nulla meis'.

23. NVMQVAM PIGRA FVIT NOSTRIS TVA GRATIA REBVS.Wheeler rightly points out Ovid's play in 21-23 on the varying senses ofgratia(thanks),gratus(grateful), andgratia(favour, kindness).

26. FERETQVEis Heinsius' correction for the REFERTQVE of the manuscripts (REFERTB1, REFERTAC); it is made necessary by the followingfiducia tanta futuri. Owen, Lenz, and André reportferetqueas the reading of the thirteenth-centuryCanonicianus lat 1, but Professor R. J. Tarrant, who has examined the manuscript, informs me that it in fact readsrefertque.

For the pattern compareTrIII viii 12 'quae non ulla tibifertque feretquedies' andTrII 155-56 'per superos ... quidanttibi longadabuntque/ tempora'.

The corruption was natural enough, particularly in view of such passages asFastVI 334 'errantesfertque refertquepedes',TrI vii 5-6 (to a friend who owned a ring with Ovid's portrait) 'hoc tibi ... senti ... dici, / in digito qui mefersque refersque[codd: ferasqueHeinsius] tuo', andTrV xiii 29 'sicferat ac referattacitas nunc littera uoces'.

28. QVOD FECIT QVISQVE TVETVR OPVS.'Everyone protects the work he has created'. This is hardly a commonplace of ancient poetry, and the catalogue which follows of famous works of art does not serve to illustrate it.

29-34.Ovid's description of the works of Apelles, Phidias, Calamis, and Myron was influenced by Propertius' catalogue of artists at III ix 9-16; in particular, he imitates 10-12 'exactis Calamis se mihiiactat equis; / in Veneris tabula summam sibi poscit Apelles; / Parrhasius parua uindicat arte locum', and 15 'Phidiacus signo se Iuppiter ornat eburno'. Professor E. Fantham points out to me the inclusion of Apelles, Calamis, and Myron as canonical figures in a catalogue of artists at CicBrut70 and of all four in a similar catalogue at Quint XII x 6-9.

29. VENVS.Ovid is speaking of the famous Aphrodite Anadyomene painted by Apelles (fourth century BC) in Cos; hence the epithetCoilater in the line—Apelles was in fact from Colophon. Ovid had probably seen the picture in Rome, for Augustus brought it there from Cos (Strabo XIV 2 19; PlinyNHXXXV 91).

Ovid refers to the painting atAmI xiv 33-34 andTrII 527-28. AtAAIII 223-24 (quoted in the next note) Ovid seems to be describing a cut gem copied from the painting.

30. AEQVOREO MADIDAS QVAE PREMIT IMBRE COMAS.Imbredepends onmadidas.Premitis equivalent toexprimit, as is shown byAAIII 224 'nuda Venus madidasexprimitimbre comas'. Forexprimeretaking as object that out of which something is pressed or squeezed see Celsus IV 24 and PlinyNHXXIX 31.

The Romans would not have foundaequoreo ... imbrestrange. Although the primary transferred sense ofimberwould be rain-water, it is used of sea-water as early as EnniusAnn497-98 Vahlen'ratibusque fremebat / imber Neptuni', and without defining qualifier atAenI 123.

31. ACTAEAE= the metrically difficultAtheniensis. The word is generally confined to high poetry (EclII 24,MetII 554 & 720, VI 711, VII 681 & VIII 170), but its first occurrence is in prose, at NeposThras2 1 'hoc initium fuit salutis Actaeorum'; some manuscripts readAtticorum, which may be right.

31. VEL EBVRNA VEL AEREA CVSTOS.There were at Athens two famous statues of Athena sculpted by Phidias: 'Phidias ... fecit exebore auroque[Mayhoff: aequecodd] Mineruam Athenis quae est in Parthenone stans, exaereuero ... Mineruam tam eximiae pulchritudinis ut formae cognomen acceperit ['was named the Minerva Formosa']' (PlinyNHXXXIV 54); the second, less famous statue is described at Pausanias I 28 2.

Heinsius' note is something of an oddity. He begins by reading AVREA for the AENEA of most manuscripts, takinguel eburna uel aurea custosto refer to the chryselephantine statue in the Parthenon, 'sed altius consideranti locum apparet de duplici statua Mineruae agi, altera eburnea, altera aenea'.Aeneatherefore continued to be the accepted reading until 1873, when Haupt (Opuscula584) pointed out that it was unmetrical, and restoredaerea, found in some manuscripts.

The inverse error occurs atHerVI 32, where most manuscripts have the unmetricalaeripedesforaenipedes. But Merkel, followed byPalmer, considered 31-38 an interpolation; andaeripedesmay have been what the interpolator wrote.

32. PHIDIACA ... MANV.Ovid is recalling Prop III ix 15 'Phidiacus ... Iuppiter'. For the Latin poets' use of a personal adjective for the genitive of the noun, see Austin's interesting note onAenII 543Hectoreum.

33. VINDICAT VT CALAMIS LAVDEM QVOS FECIT EQVORVM.'As Calamis lays claim to the praise given his horses'. Calamis, a sculptor of the fifth century BC, was particularly famous for his statues of horses; see PlinyNHXXXIV 71 'habet simulacrum et benignitas eius ['Praxiteles' generosity is seen in one of his statues']; Calamidis enim quadrigae aurigam suum imposuit, ne melior in equorum effigie defecisse in homine crederetur. ipse Calamis et alias quadrigas bigasque fecit equis sine aemulo expressis'.

33. QVOS FECIT EQVORVM.Similar instances of hyperbaton at 28 'quod fecit quisque tuetur opus',MetIV 803 'pectore in aduerso quos fecit sustinet angues', andFastVI 20 'tum dea quos fecit sustulit ipsa metus'.

34. VT SIMILIS VERAE VACCA MYRONIS OPVS.TheCowof Myron (late fifth century BC) was his most famous work. Praise of the statue's lifelike appearance was a stock theme of Hellenistic writers of epigram; it appears from PlinyNHXXXIV 57 that the poetry written about the statuewas as notable as the statue itself. Thirty-six poems of the Palatine Anthology deal with the theme (IX 713-42 & 793-98). Ausonius wrote eight epigrams on the same subject (EpLXVIII-LXXV), of which I quote LXVIII as a typical example of what both the Greek and Latin epigrams are like:

Bucula sum, caelo['chisel']genitoris facta Myronisaerea: nec factam me puto, sed genitam,sic me taurus init, sic proxima bucula mugit,sic uitulus sitiens ubera nostra petit.miraris quod fallo gregem? gregis ipse magisterinter pascentes me numerare solet.

The statue was in Athens during Cicero's lifetime (II VerrIV 135); Ovid is likely to have seen it during his visit to the city (TrI ii 77). He would certainly have seen the four statues of cattle sculpted by Myron which Augustus placed in his temple of Apollo, and which Propertius described: 'atque aram circum steterant armenta Myronis, / quattuor artificis, uiuida signa, boues' (II xxxi 7-8).

35. VLTIMA.'Smallest, least important'. For this rare sense compare HorEpI xvii 35 'principibus placuisse uiris non ultima laus est',Cons ad Liuiam44 'ultima sit laudes inter ut illa tuas', Vell Pat I 11 1, and the other instances cited byOLD ultimus9.

35. SVM('I am not the least of your possessions') seems unobjectionable enough; most editors have, however, accepted PARS from theexcerpta Politiani.

36. MVNVS OPVSQVEis a Latin phrase with the general meaning of 'creation'. It is used in this sense at CicTuscI 70 'haec igitur et alia innumerabilia cum cernimus, possumusne dubitare quin iis praesit aliquis uel effector ... uel ... moderator tantioperis et muneris?',NDII 90,OffIII 4 'nulla enim eius ingenii [scAfricani] monumenta mandata litteris, nullumopusotii, nullum solitudinismunusextat', andMetVII 435-36 (to Theseus) 'quodque suis securus arat Cromyona colonus, /munus opusquetuum est'.

Cornelius Severus (Schanz-Hosius 268-69 [§ 317]) was one of the most famous poets contemporary with Ovid; of him Quintilian said 'etiam si uersificator quam poeta melior ['even if his facility outruns his inspiration'], si tamen (ut est dictum) ad exemplar primi libri bellum Siculum perscripsisset, uindicaret sibi iure secundum locum [scafter Virgil]' (X i 89). The elder Seneca quoted with approval Severus' lines on the death of Cicero, as the finest lament produced on the subject (SuasVI 26: Winterbottomad locrefers to a commentary by H. Homeyer,Annales univ. Saraviensis [phil. Fak.]10 [1961], 327-34).EPI viii was addressed to a different Severus: in the third and fourth lines of the present poem, Ovid expresses his embarrassment at having addressed no poem to Severus previously, and in the earlier poem no mention is made of the addressee's poetry.

The poem is an apology to Severus for Ovid's not having sent a poem to him before; he offers two excuses for the omission. In the first fourteen lines, he flatters Severus by saying that so good a poet hardly needs to receive verse from someone else; in the twenty-four lines that follow he describes how his poetry, because of the conditions at Tomis, is now less abundant and of poorer quality than before. The subject is one Ovid had employed before:TrIII xiv, a request for indulgence to Ovid's verse, andTrV xii, a reply to a friend who had urged him to write more poetry, treat the same topic in much the same way. The theme is similar to that of Catullus LXVIII1-40, where the poet explains that his brother's death has caused his lack of interest in poetry.

In 39-46 Ovid moves to the somewhat discordant topic (which serves however to re-emphasize his misery at Tomis) of how he continues to write poetry to take his mind off present evils, a theme he had used several times before, most notably inEPI v. He ends the poem with a request that Severus send him some of his recent work (47-50).

1. QVOD LEGIS.Similar beginnings to verse-epistles atHerIII 1 'Quam legisa rapta Briseide littera uenit',TrV vii 1,EPI vii 1-2 'Littera pro uerbis tibi, Messaline, salutem /quam legisa saeuis attulit usque Getis', andEPIII v 1 'Quam legisunde tibi mittatur epistula quaeris?'.

Compare as wellHerX 3-4 'Quae legisex illo, Theseu, tibi litore mitto / unde tuam sine me uela tulere ratem'. This poem has suffered from two separate interpolations at its beginning. Certain manuscripts start the poem with the distich 'Illa relicta feris etiam nunc, improbe Theseu, / uiuit et haec aequa mente tulisse uelis', which is universally condemned; but the formulaic nature of 3-4 suggests that 1-2 'Mitius inueni quam te genus omne ferarum, / credita non ulli quam tibi peius eram', found in all manuscripts, is a second interpolation. Micyllus was the first to see this; a recent discussion at Kirfel 69-70.

1. VATES MAGNORVM MAXIME REGVM.Severus apparently wrote a poem dealing with pre-Republican Rome, to judge from xvi 9 his most famous work: 'quique dedit Latio carmen regale, Seuerus'. Heinsius took thetwo passages as meaning that Severus was a writer of tragedy, citingTrII 553 'et dedimus tragicis scriptum regale cothurnis'; compare as well HorSatI x 42-43 'Pollio regum / facta canit pede ter percusso ['in iambic trimeter']'. Heinsius' suggestion is possible enough, but since Seneca and Quintilian speak of Severus as an epic poet and there is no mention of the stage in this poem, it should be rejected.

Similar language is used of epic poetry atEclVI 3 'cum caneremregeset proelia' and Prop III iii 1-4 'Visus eram ... reges, Alba, tuos etregum factatuorum, / tantum operis, neruis hiscere posse meis'.

1. REGVM.VATVM (M1FIL) is a conscious or unconscious attempt to extend the etymological figure seen inmagnorum maxime.

5-6. ORBA TAMEN NVMERIS CESSAVIT EPISTVLA NVMQVAM / IRE PER ALTERNAS OFFICIOSA VICES.Other mentions of what was clearly an extensive prose correspondence between Ovid and his friends atTrV xii 1-2 andEPI ix 1-2.

6. OFFICIOSA.'Attentive'. The preface to Martial XII gives a good illustration of the sense: 'consequimur ut molesti potius quam ut officiosi esse uideamur'.

Officiosusoccurs five times in theEx Ponto, but only four times in the rest of Ovid's poetry.

9-10.Aristaeus was famous for his beekeeping (VirgilGIV 315-558). Bacchus was the god of wine, and Triptolemus had disseminated the knowledge of grain-farming (MetV 646-61). Alcinous might seem astrange companion to these three, but evidently Homer's description of Alcinous' orchard (OdVII 112-31) made a strong impression on the Latin poets. From Ovid compareAmI x 56 'praebeat Alcinoi poma benignus ager' andMetXIII 719-20 'proxima Phaeacum felicibus obsita pomis / rura petunt', from Propertius III ii 13 'nec mea Phaeacas aequant pomaria siluas', and from VirgilGII 87 'pomaque et Alcinoi siluae' 'the fruit-trees of Alcinous'.

9. BACCHO VINA FALERNA.Heinsius preferredM's BACCHO VINA FALERNO. But the passage he cited in its support, Silius III 369-70 'Tarraco ... uitifera, et Latio tantum cessura Lyaeo' is not in fact parallel:Lyaeothere stands foruino, and the passage means 'Tarraco, rich in vines, conceding priority to Latin wine alone'. Ovid wished to balance the hexameter with the pentameter, and used a standard epithet to fill out the metre.

10. ALCINOO.Note the quadrisyllable ending, and compareEPII ix 41-42 'quis non Antiphaten Laestrygona deuouet? aut quis / munifici mores improbetAlcinoi?'. In his later poetry Ovid shows a steadily increasing willingness to allow his pentameters to end with words other than disyllables. Every pentameter of the amatory poems and the first fifteenHeroidesends in a disyllable. Two quadrisyllabic endings occur in the later books of theFasti: V 582fluminibusand VI 660funeribus. In the first five books of theTristiathere are eight such endings, in the first three books of theEx Pontothere are seven, while in the fourth book there are no less than fourteen instances ofquadrisyllabic endings: nearly as many as in all the rest of Ovid's corpus put together.[18]'Sermo magis etiam quam illic [scin theTristia] ... neglectus est et degenerauit' Riese remarked, but it can reasonably be doubted that a poet of Ovid's facility would break the rule of the disyllabic ending except by choice. A moderation of the rule became general: the author ofHerXVI-XXI (whom I do not believe to have been Ovid) allowedpudicitiae(XVI 290),superciliis(XVII 16), anddeseruit(XIX 202) (Platnauer 17); a count of pentameters in Martial V shows the proportion of non-disyllabic endings at 20%—the shorter the poem, the more freely they are admitted. Quadrisyllable endings are frequent in the metrically strict Claudian.

Ovid admitted quadrisyllable endings more freely if they were proper names. Of the twenty-one quadrisyllable verse-endings in theEx Ponto, six involve proper nouns: II ii 76Dalmatiae, ix 42Alcinoi, the present passage, IV iii 54Anticyra, viii 62Oechalia, and ix 80Danuuium. Professor E. Fantham points out to me that Ovid follows Propertius' similar practice: 42 of the 166 quadrisyllable pentameter endings in Propertius are proper names (Platnauer 17).

The fifteen other instances in theEx Pontoof quadrisyllabic pentameter-endings are II ii 6perlegere, ii 70imperium, iii 18articulis, v 26ingenium, III i 166aspiciant, IV v 24officio, vi 6alterius, vi 14auxilium, ix 48utilitas, xiii 28imperii,xiii 46ingeniis, xiv 4inuenies, xiv 18ingenio, xiv 56imposuit, and xv 26auxilium.

For Ovid's use of trisyllabic and pentasyllabic endings, see at ix 26tegeret(page 294) and iii 12amicitia(p 181).

11. FERTILE PECTVS HABES.CompareTrV xii 37-38 'denique non paruas animo dat gloria uires, / etfecundafacitpectoralaudis amor'.

11. INTERQVE HELICONA COLENTES.Poets are also described as being on Parnassus atTrIV i 50, x 23 & x 120. Helicon is the goal of poets at HorEpII i 218 (cited at 36).

12. PROVENITcontinues the agricultural metaphor offertile pectus. Forprouenire= 'grow', seeAAIII 101-2 'ordior a cultu: cultis bene Liber ab uuis / prouenit',FastIV 617 'largaque prouenit cessatis messis in aruis', andNux10; for the metaphorical sense seeAmI iii 19-20 'te mihi materiemfelicemin carmina praebe— /prouenientcausa carmina digna sua' andHerXV 13-14 'nec mihi dispositis quae iungam carmina neruis /proueniunt'.

Foruberius ... prouenitcompare CaesarBGV 24 'eo anno frumentum in Gallia propter siccitatesangustius prouenerat'.

13. MITTERE AD HVNC CARMEN.Burman printed without comment MITTERE CARMEN AD HVNC, the reading of Heinsius'fragmentum Louaniense. It seems to be a mere normalization of the hyperbaton; the elimination of the elision (mittere ad) may have been a factor as well.

13. AD HVNCindicates that Ovid cannot have addressed these words in the first instance directly to Severus, but must here be recollecting his earlier thoughts. I have therefore placed the line in quotation marks.

15. NEC TAMEN.'This was the principal reason; a second reason, however, was that ...'

15. INGENIVM= 'poetic talent', as often. Compare viii 66, xvi 2,TrIII vii 47,EPII ii 103,EPII v 21 (quoted at 20uena pauperiore),EPII v 26, andEPIII iv 11.

15. RESPONDETintroduces the agricultural image of 18 'sed siccum sterili uomere litus aro', for the word here means 'yield'.OLDrespondeo8c cites for the literal sense VirgilGII 63-64 'truncis oleae melius, propagine uites / respondent', Columella II 1 3 'humus ... magno faenore ... colono respondet', Col III 3 4; for a transferred use see SenEpLXXXI 1 'non respondeant [scbeneficia] potius quam non dentur'.

16. SICCVM ... LITVS ARO.Proverbial for a useless activity. See Ottoharena4 and compareTrV iv 47-48 'plena tot ac tantis referetur gratia factis, / nec sinet ille [Ovid] litus arare boues'.

Steriliis transferred by hypallage fromlitus;siccumserves no purpose beyond providing a balancing epithet.

17. VENAS EXCAECAT, the reading of most codices, is obviously correct as against the VENAS CVM CAECAT ofBCHL. Ovid usesexcaecareagain atMetXV 270-72 'hic fontes natura nouos emisit, at illic / clausit ... flumina prosiliunt autexcaecata[uarexsiccata] residunt'.

17. IN VNDISis probably corrupt; if it is retained, from the context it must mean 'in the water of springs' (Professor A. Dalzell). Williams suggests 'in the case of water', marking the analogy withpectora sic mea sunt limo uitiata malorumin 19.

Forundisas a corrupt hexameter ending, compareMetXV 276 'redditur Argolicis ingens Erasinus in aruis [codd: in undisSenNQIII 26 4]',MetVIII 162 'liquidus Phrygiis Maeandros in aruis [uarliquidis Phrygius ... in undis]', andMetXIV 155 'sedibus Euboicam Stygiis emergit in urbem [uarsedibus euboicis stigiis emersus ab undis]'.

The line seems to have passed without comment until Merkel's second edition: 'in undisminus bene positum uidetur; temptabamhiulcas,quod expressisset Statius Theb. VIIII 450hiulcis flumina uenis Suggerit['he (the river Asopos) opens his springs wide and adds his streams']'. There seems no obvious reason, however, for Ovid to define the springs as 'gaping'.

Madvig conjectured INVNDANS, the corruption of which would be easy; butuenasseems more in need of a modifier thanlimus—Professor R. J. Tarrant suggests APERTAS or AQVARVM, Professor A. Dalzell IN ARVIS.

Professor Tarrant also suggests to me thatin undiscould well have originated as a gloss onuenas.

18. LAESAQVE.There seems no reason to replace this with Merkel's LAPSAQVE ('flowing back'?), which even seems to contradict the sense ofresistit.

The same sense oflaesusatAmIII vii 32 'deficiunt laesi carmine ['spell'] fontis aquae'.

20. VENA PAVPERIORE.The same image of Ovid's poetic talent atTrIII xiv 33-34 'ingenium fregere meum mala, cuius et ante / fons infecundusparuaque uenafuit' andEPII v 21-22 'ingenioque meo,uenaquodpauperemanat, / plaudis, et e riuo flumina magna facis'.

23. DA VENIAM FASSO.As a poet himself, Severus would be particularly shocked at Ovid's admission he has virtually ceased to write poetry. Similar phrasing at III ix 45-46 'confesso ignoscite, docti: / uilior est operis fama salute mea'.

23. FRENA REMISI.'I have let go of the reins' = 'I have stopped writing poetry'; for the sense, compareAenVII 599-600 (of Latinus) 'nec plura locutus / saepsit se tectis rerumque reliquit habenas'.

The metaphor of the poet as driver is found as early as Bacchylides (V 176-78) and Pindar (OlVI 22 ff). A full list of Greek and Latin passages is included in Henderson's note onRA397-98; the image is particularly frequent in Roman didactic poetry, beingfound even at Columella X 215-16. See as well KenneyNequitiae Poeta206. In Ovid the image is found atAAI 39-40 & 264, II 426, III 467-68 & 809-10,RA397-98,FastI 25-26, II 360, IV 10, and VI 586. The only instances I have found that are not from Ovid's didactic verse are the present passage and xii 23-24 'tu bonus hortator, tu duxque comesque fuisti, / cum regerem tenera frena nouella manu'.

24. DVCITVR.'Is formed, written'. The same sense atMetI 649 (of Io) 'littera... quam pes in puluereduxit' andMetX 215-16 'AI AI / flos habet inscriptum, funestaquelittera ductaest'.

25. IMPETVS ILLE SACER.'The famous divine impulse'. Similar phrasing atFastVI 5-6 'est deus in nobis; agitante calescimus illo: / impetus hic sacrae semina mentis habet'.

25. VATVM PECTORA NVTRIT.Nutrithere seems to mean 'sustain'. Its usual transferred sense is 'cause to grow', as at III iv 26 (the only other passage I have found where the verb is used of poetry) and HorCIV iv 26.

27. VIX VENIT AD PARTES ... MVSA.'My Muse with difficulty performs her functions'.Partesin the sense of 'theatrical role' (TerPh27) early acquired the extended sense of 'role', 'function', or 'duty'. Burman cites as parallelsAmI viii 87 'seruus etad partessollers ancilla parentur' andNux68; compare as wellAAII 546 'cum, tener,ad partestu quoque, somne, uenis' andEPIII i 41-42 'utque iuuent alii, tu debes uincere amicos, / uxor, etad partesprima uenire tuas'.

27. SVMPTAE ... TABELLAE.CompareMetIX 523-25 'scribit damnatquetabellas... inque uicemsumptasponit positasqueresumit'.

29. NE DICAM.I have found no other instance of the expression in verse, but it is common in Cicero (Kühner-Stegmann II i 825).

30. NVMERIS NECTERE VERBA.'Bind words to metre'. I takenumerisas a dative; no close parallel presents itself, but compareAenIV 239-40 'pedibus talaria nectit / aurea'.

33. NVMEROSOS ... GESTVS.CompareAmII iv 29 'illa placetgestu numerosaque bracchiaducit',AAII 305 'bracchiasaltantis, uocem mirare canentis', and Prop II xxii 5-6 'siue aliquis molli diducit candidagestu/ bracchia, seu uarios incinit ore modos'. Heinsius thought GRESSVS (I1PF3ul) possible as well, citing VarroLLIX 5 'pedesmaleponereatque imitari uatias ['bow-legged men'] coeperit', Martianus Capella IX 909 'licet pulchris rosea numeris ac libratispassibusmoueretur', and Maximianus (6th century)ElIII 27 'suspensos poneregressus'. But the strong manuscript authority forgestusand the parallels in Ovid mark it as clearly preferable togressus.

33. PONERE.The verb seems strange, but Burman cited in its support Val Max VIII vii 7 'Roscius ... nullum umquam spectante populogestum, nisi quem domi meditatus fuerat,ponere[codd: promereE. Schulze] ausus est'.

35-36. LAVDATAQVE VIRTVS / CRESCIT.For this commonplace of ancient literature seeOttoars3 and compareRA393 'nam iuuat et studium famae mihi creuit honore',TrV xii 37-38 'denique non paruas animo dat gloria uires, / et fecunda facit pectora laudis amor',EPIII ix 21 'scribentem iuuat ipse fauor minuitque laborem', Prop IV x 3, and CicTuscI 4.

36. IMMENSVM GLORIA CALCAR HABET.The same metaphor atTrV i 75-76 'denique nulla mihi captatur gloria, quaeque / ingeniisstimulos subderefama solet',EPI v 57-58 'gloria uosacuat; uos, ut recitata probentur / carmina, Pieriis inuigilate choris', and HorEpII i 217-18 'uatibus adderecalcar/ ut studio maiore petant Helicona uirentem'.

Immensumseems rather strange; I have found no good parallel for it.

37. HIC MEA CVI RECITEM ... CARMINA.A constant complaint of Ovid in exile. CompareTrIII xiv 39-40 'nullus in hac terra, recitem si carmina, cuius / intellecturis auribus utar, adest',TrIV i 89-90, andTrV xii 53 'non liber hic ullus, non qui mihi commodet aurem'. Perhaps it is significant that Ovid does not complain in the present passage that he has no books available: certainly he must have had a substantial library at hand when he composed theIbis.

38. BARBARVS HISTER.The same phrase in the same position (leaving space for the disyllable) atEPIII iii 26 'et coit astrictisbarbarus Histeraquis'.

Histerwas the name of the lower course of the Danube (PlinyNHIV 79). Ovid uses the metrically convenientHisterfifteen times in theEx Ponto, as against two instances only ofDanuuius(IV ix 80 & x 58).

38. OBITDamstéHABETcodd. In support ofobitDamsté cited x 22 'gentibus obliqua quasobitHister aqua' (MnemosyneXLVI 32). As Professor R. J. Tarrant points out, the only meaning that can be attached toquasque alias gentes barbarus Hister habetis 'the other people that live in the Danube'; he comparesHerVI 135-36 'prodidit illa patrem; rapui de clade Thoanta. / deseruit Colchos; me mea Lemnos habet' andAenVI 362 (Palinurus speaking) 'nunc me fluctus habet'.EPIII ii 43-44 'nos ... quos procul a uobis Pontus et [uarbarbarus] Hister habet', cited by Lenz in support ofhabet, is not a good parallel in view of the different subject (Pontus et Histerinstead ofHisteralone).

Lenz citedTrII 230 'bellaque pro magno Caesare Caesar obit' for a varianthabet; Professor Tarrant cites another instance of the corruption atMetI 551-52 'pes modo tam uelox pigris radicibus haeret, / ora cacumen obit'.

39. MATERIA= 'means' (OLD materia8).

41. NEC VINVM NEC ME TENET ALEA FALLAX.The same statement atEPI v 45-46 'nec iuuat in lucem nimio marcescere uino, / nec tenet incertas alea blanda manus'. For Ovid's temperance, compareEPI x 30 'scis mihi quam solae paene bibantur aquae'.

Me tenetin the present passage should perhaps be translated 'holds my attention' (OLD teneo22) rather than 'attracts' (Wheeler).

41. VINVM.For wine as a diversion from sorrow, compare Tib I ii 1 'Adde merum uinoque nouos compesce dolores' (with Smith's note) and Tib I v 37 'saepe ego temptaui curas depellere uino'.

42. TACITVM TEMPVS.Similar phrases atAAII 670 'iam ueniettacitocurua senecta pede',FastVI 771 'tacitis... senescimus annis',TrIII vii 35-36 'senectus / quaestrepitus passu non facienteuenit',TrIV vi 17 'tacitopede lapsa uetustas' andTrIV x 27 'tacitopassu labentibus annis'.

43. QVOD CVPEREM.AtEPI viii 39-62 Ovid, having detailed the urban pleasures he has lost, speaks of his agricultural pursuits in Italy, and laments that this diversion is not available to him at Tomis. The two passages add personal meaning to his description atMetXIV 623-34 of Pomona's gardening and his prescription atRA169-98 of agriculture as a diversion from an unhappy love-affair.

43. SI PER FERA BELLA LICERET.CompareEPII vii 69-70 'tempus in agrorum cultu consumere dulce est: / non patitur uerti barbarus hostis humum' andEPIII viii 6 'hostis ab agricola uix sinit illa [scloca] fodi'. AtTrIII x 57-66 Ovid gives a vivid description of what could happen to the farmers of Tomis in a raid.

44. NOVATA= 'restored to fertility through ploughing'. Ovid more commonly usesrenouare, as atTrV xii 23-24 'fertilis, assiduo si non renouetur aratro, / nil nisi cum spinis gramen habebit ager',AmI iii 9,MetI 110 & XV 125,FastI 159, andTrIV vi 13.

45. RESTANTis not strictly logical, but a similar attraction of number is confirmed by metre atTrI ii 1 'Di maris et caeli—quid enim nisi uotasupersunt?'; RESTAT (IP) must therefore be rejected.

Similar confusions occur in the manuscripts atMetXIV 396 'nec quicquam antiqui [Berolinensis Heinsii: antiquumcodd plerique] Pico nisi nominarestant' andTrIV x 85 'si tamen extinctis aliquid nisi nominarestant'.

47. TV, CVI BIBITVR FELICIVS AONIVS FONS.For the image of the poet drinking from Hippocrene see Prop III iii 5-6 'paruaque tam magnis admoram fontibus ora, / unde pater sitiens Ennius ante bibit'. Both here and at II x 25 Propertius speaks of Hippocrene as the spring of epic poetry specifically.

47. FELICIVS.'With happier result'; compareIbis559 'nec tibi, si quid amas, felicius Haemone [=quam Haemoni] cedat'.

47. AONIVS FONS.Platnauer (13) cites only four instances from the elegiac poets of hexameters ending in monosyllables: Prop II xxv 17 'amor, qui',AmII ix 47 'Cupido, est', the present passage, andEPIV ix 101 'quibus nos'. Ehwald and Levy compareMetV 573 'quae tibi causa fugae, cur sis, Arethusa, sacerfons'. The coincidencesuggests that in both passages Ovid was recalling a line-ending from an earlier poet. Alternatively, Professor E. Fantham suggests to me that Ovid may here have deliberately created an awkward line-ending so as to mock himself and bear out his claim of waning inspiration.

47-50.Ovid returns to the subject of his poem's opening, Severus' poetry.

48. VTILITER ... CEDIT.Similar phrasing atEPII vii 19 '[iam liquet ...] obseruare deos ne quid mihicedat amice'.

49. MERITO.'With justification'; Severus' previous service to the Muses has brought him fame and not, as in Ovid's case, disaster.

50. HVC ALIQVOD CVRAE MITTE RECENTIS OPVS.A similar request atEPIII v 29-30 (to Cotta Maximus) 'quod licet, ut uidear tecum magis esse, legenda [Burman: legendouelloquendocodd] / saepe precor studii pignora mitte tui'.

50. CVRAE= 'poetic toil', as atTrII 11-12 'hoc pretiumcurae[fragmentum Treuirense (saec x): uitaecodd plerique] uigilatorumque laborum / cepimus',EPI v 61 'cur ego sollicita poliam mea carminacura?', andEPIII ix 29. At xvi 39 andTrII 1 the word means 'product of poetic toil'.

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