Pharsalia [108]
and Magnus' threats, and Rome I knew,
Not Ptolemaeus. But we spare the boy:
Pass by the murder. Let the princeling know
We give no more than pardon for his crime.
And now in honour of the mighty dead,
Not merely that the earth may hide your guilt,
Lay ye the chieftain's head within the tomb;
With proper sepulture appease his shade
And place his scattered ashes in an urn.
Thus may he know my coming, and may hear
Affection's accents, and my fond complaints.
Me sought he not, but rather, for his life,
This Pharian vassal; snatching from mankind
The happy morning which had shown the world
A peace between us. But my prayers to heaven
No favouring answer found; that arms laid down
In happy victory, Magnus, once again
I might embrace thee, begging thee to grant
Thine ancient love to Caesar, and thy life.
Thus for my labours with a worthy prize
Content, thine equal, bound in faithful peace,
I might have brought thee to forgive the gods
For thy disaster; thou had'st gained for me
From Rome forgiveness."
Thus he spake, but found
No comrade in his tears; nor did the host
Give credit to his grief. Deep in their breasts
They hide their groans, and gaze with joyful front
(O famous Freedom!) on the deed of blood:
And dare to laugh when mighty Caesar wept.
ENDNOTES:
(1) This was the Stoic theory. The perfect of men passed after
death into a region between our atmosphere and the heavens,
where they remained until the day of general conflagration,
(see Book VII. line 949), with their senses amplified and
rendered akin to divine.
(2) A promontory in Africa was so called, as well as that in
Italy.
(3) Meaning that her husband gave her this commission in order
to prevent her from committing suicide.
(4) See Book VIII., line 547.
(5) See line 709.
(6) This passage is described by Lord Macaulay as "a pure gem of
rhetoric without one flaw, and, in my opinion, not very far
from historical truth" (Trevelyan's "Life and Letters", vol.
i., page 462.)
(7) "... Clarum et venembile nomen
Gentibus, et multum nostrae quod profuit urbi,"
quoted by Mr. Burke, and applied to Lord Chatham, in his
Speech on American taxation.
(8) That is, liberty, which by the murder of Pompeius they had
obtained.
(9) Reading "saepit", Hosius. The passage seems to be corrupt.
(10) "Scaly Triton's winding shell", (Comus, 878). He was
Neptune's son and trumpeter. That Pallas sprang armed from
the head of Jupiter is well known.
(11) Cnaeus.
(12) Compare Herodotus, ii., 16: "For they all say that the earth
is divided into three parts, Europe, Asia and Libya." (And
see Bunbury's "Ancient Geography", i., 145, 146, for a
discussion of this subject.)
(13) Citron tables were in much request at Rome. (Comp. "Paradise
Regained", Book iv., 115; and see Book X., line 177.)
(14) Alluding to the shield of Mars which fell from heaven on
Numa at sacrifice. Eleven others were made to match it
("Dict. Antiq.") While Horace speaks of them as chief
objects of a patriot Roman's affection ("Odes" iii., 5, 9),
Lucan discovers for them a ridiculous origin. They were in
the custody of the priests of Mars. (See Book I., 666.)
(15) I.e. Where the equinoctial circle cuts the zodiac in its
centre. -- Haskins.
(16) Compare Book III., 288.
(17) See Book V., 400.
(18) 1st. For his victories in Sicily and Africa, B.C. 81; 2nd.
For the conquest of Sertorius, B.C. 71; 3rd. For his Eastern
triumphs, B.C. 61. (Compare Book II., 684, &c.)
(19) Over whom Marius triumphed.
(20) Phoreus and Ceto were the parents of the Gorgons -- Stheno,
Euryale. and Medusa, of whom the latter alone was mortal,
(Hesiod. "Theogony", 276.) Phorcus was a son of Pontus and
Gaia (sea and land), ibid, 287.
(21) The scimitar lent by Hermes (or Mercury) to Perseus for the
purpose; with which had been slain Argus the guardian of Io
(Conf. "Prometheus
Not Ptolemaeus. But we spare the boy:
Pass by the murder. Let the princeling know
We give no more than pardon for his crime.
And now in honour of the mighty dead,
Not merely that the earth may hide your guilt,
Lay ye the chieftain's head within the tomb;
With proper sepulture appease his shade
And place his scattered ashes in an urn.
Thus may he know my coming, and may hear
Affection's accents, and my fond complaints.
Me sought he not, but rather, for his life,
This Pharian vassal; snatching from mankind
The happy morning which had shown the world
A peace between us. But my prayers to heaven
No favouring answer found; that arms laid down
In happy victory, Magnus, once again
I might embrace thee, begging thee to grant
Thine ancient love to Caesar, and thy life.
Thus for my labours with a worthy prize
Content, thine equal, bound in faithful peace,
I might have brought thee to forgive the gods
For thy disaster; thou had'st gained for me
From Rome forgiveness."
Thus he spake, but found
No comrade in his tears; nor did the host
Give credit to his grief. Deep in their breasts
They hide their groans, and gaze with joyful front
(O famous Freedom!) on the deed of blood:
And dare to laugh when mighty Caesar wept.
ENDNOTES:
(1) This was the Stoic theory. The perfect of men passed after
death into a region between our atmosphere and the heavens,
where they remained until the day of general conflagration,
(see Book VII. line 949), with their senses amplified and
rendered akin to divine.
(2) A promontory in Africa was so called, as well as that in
Italy.
(3) Meaning that her husband gave her this commission in order
to prevent her from committing suicide.
(4) See Book VIII., line 547.
(5) See line 709.
(6) This passage is described by Lord Macaulay as "a pure gem of
rhetoric without one flaw, and, in my opinion, not very far
from historical truth" (Trevelyan's "Life and Letters", vol.
i., page 462.)
(7) "... Clarum et venembile nomen
Gentibus, et multum nostrae quod profuit urbi,"
quoted by Mr. Burke, and applied to Lord Chatham, in his
Speech on American taxation.
(8) That is, liberty, which by the murder of Pompeius they had
obtained.
(9) Reading "saepit", Hosius. The passage seems to be corrupt.
(10) "Scaly Triton's winding shell", (Comus, 878). He was
Neptune's son and trumpeter. That Pallas sprang armed from
the head of Jupiter is well known.
(11) Cnaeus.
(12) Compare Herodotus, ii., 16: "For they all say that the earth
is divided into three parts, Europe, Asia and Libya." (And
see Bunbury's "Ancient Geography", i., 145, 146, for a
discussion of this subject.)
(13) Citron tables were in much request at Rome. (Comp. "Paradise
Regained", Book iv., 115; and see Book X., line 177.)
(14) Alluding to the shield of Mars which fell from heaven on
Numa at sacrifice. Eleven others were made to match it
("Dict. Antiq.") While Horace speaks of them as chief
objects of a patriot Roman's affection ("Odes" iii., 5, 9),
Lucan discovers for them a ridiculous origin. They were in
the custody of the priests of Mars. (See Book I., 666.)
(15) I.e. Where the equinoctial circle cuts the zodiac in its
centre. -- Haskins.
(16) Compare Book III., 288.
(17) See Book V., 400.
(18) 1st. For his victories in Sicily and Africa, B.C. 81; 2nd.
For the conquest of Sertorius, B.C. 71; 3rd. For his Eastern
triumphs, B.C. 61. (Compare Book II., 684, &c.)
(19) Over whom Marius triumphed.
(20) Phoreus and Ceto were the parents of the Gorgons -- Stheno,
Euryale. and Medusa, of whom the latter alone was mortal,
(Hesiod. "Theogony", 276.) Phorcus was a son of Pontus and
Gaia (sea and land), ibid, 287.
(21) The scimitar lent by Hermes (or Mercury) to Perseus for the
purpose; with which had been slain Argus the guardian of Io
(Conf. "Prometheus