29. MARTE FORENSI. Similar metaphor for the lawcourts at Fast IV 188 'et fora Marte suo litigiosa uacent', Tr III xii 17-18 'ludis / cedunt uerbosi garrula bella fori' and Tr IV x 17-18 'frater ... fortia uerbosi natus ad arma fori'. According to Ovid real wounds were suffered in the forum at Tomis: 'adde quod iniustum rigido ius dicitur ense, / dantur et in medio uulnera saepe foro' (Tr V x 43-44).
30. POSSE TVO PERAGI VIX PVTET ORE REOS. Similar language at Tr I i 23-24 'protinus admonitus repetet mea crimina lector, / et peragar populi publicus ore reus'. Peragere refers to the prosecution of a defendant carried to its end, but does not imply success for the prosecutor: see Pliny Ep III ix 30 and Ulpian Dig XLVIII v 2 1 'non alias ad mulierem possit peruenire, nisi reum peregerit [sc adulterii]; peregisse autem non alias quis uidetur, nisi et condemnauerit'.
31. QVAMVIS PVGNARE VIDENTVR BMFH. Given the dependent pugnare, it seems hardly possible to read the VIDETVR given by the other manuscripts. The same problem arises at Met VIII 463-64 'pugnant materque sororque, / et diuersa trahunt unum duo nomina pectus', where the manuscripts divide between pugnant and pugnat; for an unambiguous parallel, see Her XIX 173 'nunc, male res iunctae, calor et reuerentia pugnant'.
Heinsius further suggested deleting est from the preceding scilicet eiusdem est 'cum tribus libris', but the change in number does not seem unduly harsh.
32. SVPPLICIBVS FACILEM. See on iv 30 faciles in tua uota, and compare Am II iii 5-6 (to his girl's eunuch) 'mollis in obsequium facilisque rogantibus esses, / si tuus in quauis praetepuisset amor' and Her XVI 197-98 'da modo te facilem, nec dedignare maritum ... Phrygem'.
Ovid is here indirectly referring to his own situation: compare EP III iii 107-8 'at tua supplicibus domus est adsueta iuuandis, / in quorum numero me precor esse uelis'.
33. LEGIS VINDICTA. 'The exacting of punishment on behalf of the law'. The law has been broken, and therefore demands retribution; Brutus acts on its behalf. For the sense of the genitive compare Val Max I 1 ext 3: (Dionysius of Syracuse committed many acts of sacrilege, but punishment was visited on him after his death in the form of his son's ignominious career) 'lento enim gradu ad uindictam sui diuina procedit ira tarditatemque supplicii grauitate pensat'.
33. LEGIS ... SEVERAE. Seuerae here serves as a standard epithet and has no such special force as at EP III iii 57-58 'uetiti ... lege seuera / credor adulterii composuisse notas'.
34. VERBA VELVT TAETRVM SINGVLA VIRVS HABENT. The same image at EP III iii 105-6 'ergo alii noceant miseris optentque timeri, / tinctaque mordaci spicula felle gerant'.
34. TAETRVM R. J. Tarrant TINCTV Ehwald TINCTVM codd. Tinctum is impossible: if the word were used, it would have to go with uerba. Compare Ibis 53-54 'liber iambus / tincta Lycambeo sanguine tela dabit', Ibis 491 '[tamque cadas domitus ...] quam qui dona tulit Nesseo tincta ueneno', EP III i 26 'tinctaque mortifera tabe sagitta madet', and EP III iii 106 'tinctaque mordaci spicula felle gerant'. Ehwald's tinctu is linguistically and palaeographically somewhat better than Merkel's tinguat: for similar corruptions compare Fast III 612 'flet tamen admonitu motus, Elissa, tui', where many manuscripts read admonitus, and Tr I iv 9 'pinea texta sonant pulsu [Rothmaler: pulsi codd], stridore rudentes'. Even so, 'Each of your words carries poison, as though it had been dipped in it' seems awkward. For Professor Tarrant's taetrum compare Lucretius I 936 'absinthia taetra', Dirae 23 'taetra uenena', and Hal 131 'nigrum ... uirus'.