"For feasts like these would quit the mountain's soil,
And snatch an hour from customary toil." Badham.
[732] Fabios. Q. Fabius Maximus Rullianus, censor A.U.C. 449, obliged his colleague, P. Decius, to allow him to administer his office with all its pristine severity.
[733] Fabricios. Cf. ad ix., 142.
[734] Testudo. Cf. vi., 80, "Testudineo conopeo;" xiv., 308, "ebore et lata testudine."
"Which future times were destined to employ,
To build rare couches for the sons of Troy." Badham.
[735] Vile coronati. Henninius suggests vite. The ass, by browsing on the vine, and thereby rendering it more luxuriant, is said to have first given men the idea of pruning the tendrils. Cf. Paus., ii., 38. Hyg., F., 274. The ass is always found, too, in connection with Silenus.
[736] Nescius.
"Till at the soldier's foot her treasures lay,
Who knew not half the riches of his prey." Hodgson.
[737] Phaleris: xvi., 60. Florus says Phaleræ were introduced from Etruria together with curule chairs, trabeæ, prætextæ, etc. Vid. Liv., xxxix., 31. Plin., vii., 28, 9, says Siccius Dentatus had 25 phaleræ and 83 torques. Sil., xv., 254. Cf. Virg., Æn., ix., 359. Suet., Aug., 25; Ner., 33.
[738] Venientis. Supposed to be a representation of Mars hovering in the air, and just about to alight by the sleeping Rhea Sylvia. The god is armed, because the conventional manner of representing him was by the distinction of his "framea" and "clypeus." See Addison's note in Gifford.