45. SVA DONA. Compare Her XII 203 (Medea to Jason) 'dos mea tu sospes' and Sen Med 142 'muneri parcat meo [=uitae suae]' & 228-30.
46. SIC FVERIT VESTRAE CAVSA PERACTA VIAE. 'So you will have carried out the reason for your journey'. The same sense of causa at Met VI 449-50 'coeperat aduentus causam, mandata referre / coniugis' and of peragere (always with mandata as object) at Met VII 502, XI 629 & XIV 460, Fast III 687, and Tr I i 35-36 'ut peragas mandata, liber, culpabere forsan / ingeniique minor laude ferere mei'.
Professor E. Fantham points out to me that Ovid may here be playing on a second sense of causam peragere, 'end a speech [in court]', for which see Met XV 36-37 'spretarumque agitur legum reus ... peracta est / causa prior ['the case for the prosecution'—Miller], crimenque patet' and Her XXI 152.
VI. To Brutus
Of the Brutus to whom this poem is addressed nothing is known beyond what Ovid here tells us. He was an advocate, by Ovid's testimony an eminent one (29-38), and had been among the few who stood by Ovid at the time of his exile (23-26). The collection of Ex Ponto I-III was apparently dedicated to him, since the first poem of the first book and the last poem of the third book are addressed to him, but the two poems fail to give any further information on him or on his relationship to Ovid.
Ovid starts the poem with the reflection that he has now spent five years at Tomis (1-6). Fortune has tricked him: Fabius Maximus died before he could appeal to Augustus, Augustus before he could pardon Ovid (7-16). He hopes that the poem he has written on the apotheosis of Augustus will win him pardon; Brutus' fine qualities guarantee that he shares Ovid's wishes (17-22). The poem ends with a eulogy of Brutus' character and an assurance of Ovid's eternal gratitude to those friends who stood by him (23-50).
1. QVAM LEGIS. See at ii 1 quod legis ([p 162]).
3-4. SED TV QVOD NOLLES, VOLVIT MISERABILE FATVM; / EI MIHI, PLVS ILLVD QVAM TVA VOTA VALET. For the play on nolle/uelle and the thought of 4, compare Met IX 757-58 'quodque ego, uult genitor, uult ipsa socerque futurus, / at non uult natura, potentior omnibus istis'.
5. QVINQVENNIS. Ovid often mentions the time he has spent in exile: see Tr IV vi 19-20 (AD 10) 'ut patria careo, bis frugibus area trita est, / dissiluit nudo pressa bis uua pede', Tr IV vii 1-2 'Bis me sol adiit gelidae post frigora brumae, / bisque suum tacto Pisce peregit iter', Tr V x 1-2 (AD 11-12) 'Vt sumus in Ponto, ter frigore constitit Hister, / facta est Euxini dura ter unda maris', EP I ii 25-26 (AD 12-13) 'hic me pugnantem cum frigore cumque sagittis / cumque meo fato quarta fatigat hiemps', EP I viii 27-28 'ut careo uobis, Stygias detrusus in oras, / quattuor autumnos Pleias orta facit', EP IV x 1 (AD 14) 'Haec mihi Cimmerio bis tertia ducitur aestas', and EP IV xiii 39-40 'sed me iam, Care, niuali / sexta relegatum bruma sub axe uidet'.