The Last Poems of Ovid

by Ovid

73. VETAT ILLE PROFECTO. 'I am quite certain that he does not allow ...'

74. TRANQVILLI ... TEMPORIS implies sed non temporis aduersi.

75. CONDITVR A TE. Ovid does not elsewhere use a person as the object of condere, although at Tr II 335-36 he uses a person's achievements as object: 'diuitis ingenii est immania Caesaris acta / condere'.

76. TANTVS QVANTO L TANTO QVANTVS B^acCFHIT^pc TANTVS QVANTVS M^2c TANTO QVANTO B^pcT^ac QVANTO TANTVS fort legendum. The transmitted reading, tanto quantus, can be construed: Professor E. Fantham translates 'a man so great as should have been sung with this mighty style'. This however subordinates Theseus to Albinovanus, while the purpose of the line is to emphasize Theseus' greatness. Tanto quanto is generally printed: it is acceptable enough (compare EP II ix 11-12 'regia, crede mihi, res est succurrere lapsis, / conuenit et tanto, quantus es ipse, uiro'), but is very weakly attested, and does not explain the transmitted reading. I have printed L's tantus quanto; quanto tantus might also be read.

76. QVANTO ... ORE. For os 'grandness of utterance' Professor R. J. Tarrant compares Am II i 11-12 'ausus eram, memini, caelestia dicere bella ... et satis oris erat'.

78. INQVE FIDE THESEVS QVILIBET ESSE POTEST. For the use of mythological figures as character types, compare RA 589 'semper habe Pyladen aliquem qui curet Oresten' and Martial VI xi 9-10 'ut praestem Pyladen, aliquis mihi praestet Oresten. / hoc non fit uerbis, Marce: ut ameris, ama'.

79-82. Professor R. J. Tarrant points out to me how the example of Theseus balances the comparison with Ulysses at the start of the poem. Earlier Ovid argued against a difference of scale between his own case and the mythic figure's: here he insists on it.

79. HOSTES ... DOMANDI. For lists of these enemies, see Her II 69-70 'cum fuerit Sciron lectus toruusque Procrustes / et Sinis' and the Athenians' hymn of praise to Theseus at Met VII 433-50.

79. CLAVAQVE. For Theseus' club see Her IV 115-16 (Phaedra to Hippolytus) 'ossa mei fratris claua perfracta trinodi / sparsit humi' and Her X 77 'me quoque, qua fratrem, mactasses, improbe, claua'. Ovid mentions the club of Hercules about a dozen times.

80. VIX ILLI. For uix 'with difficulty' OLD uix 1 cites Fast I 508 'uix est Euandri uixque retenta manu'.