19 domito ... ab Hectore] domitam ... ab hectore _FM2ul_ domitam ... ab hercule _Gothanus II 121, saec xiii (Andre), probante Korn_ Camerinus] caMinus _T_ caminus _F_ 20 sua nomen Phyllide Tuscus]

fata nomen pillide tuscus _C_ sua tuscus phillide nomen _L_ sua nomen Phyllide Fuscus _Heinsius ('nomen magis Romanum')_ 21 ueliuolique]

ueiiuolique _C_ uates] nomen _Merkel ad Ibin p. 377 (Owen)_ posses _BCMHILT_ possis _F, fort recte_ 23 quique] cuique _C_ proelia]

pretia _C_ dixit] salustius _M2gl_ 24 Marius scripti] marius scriptor _C_ scriptor marius _B_ 24 dexter] promptus _M, fort in ras_ _P_ 25 Trinacriusque _BCFL_ tinacriusque _IT_ tenar*sque _H_ eticiusque _M_ Perseidos] perseidis _BCI_ Peneidos _Ehwald (=Daphnes)_ auctor ... auctor] auctor ... actor _H_ actor ... actor _F_ et] set _F2_ Tyndaridosque] tyndaridisque _MI_

et qui Maeoniam Phaeacida uertit, et une Pindaricae fidicen tu quoque, Rufe, lyrae, Musaque Turrani tragicis innixa coturnis, et tua cum socco Musa, Melisse, leuis; 30 cum Varius Gracchusque darent fera dicta tyrannis, Callimachi Proculus molle teneret iter,

27 Maeoniam] meonidE _H_ Pheacida _L_ PHEAcida _M2c_ pheatida _I_ pheicida _H_ ecaeida _B1_ aeacida _C_ hetaterA _F_ hecateida _T_ ecateida _B2_ et une _HLB2_ et unE _M2c_ et una _IT_ et uni _B1C_ in anguem _F; 'latet aliquid'--Burman_ 28 lyrae] l*rae _Cac_ 29 Musaque] uisaque _C_ 29 Turrani _BCMLT_ turani _FI_ tiranni _H_ Thorani _Heinsius_ tragicis] gtragicis _T_ innixa] innexa _T_ _30 (in ras?) add C2_ 30 et tua] ipseque _C2_ socco] socio _C2, ut uid_ Melisse _MFB2_ mel isse _B1_ molisse _IL_ molasse _T_ melose _H_ molesse _C2_ (malesse _legunt Lenz, Andre_) leuis] leui _H_ _Othob.

lat. 1469, saec xv (Tarrant), sicut coni Heinsius_ 31 Varius _LTB2ul_ uariis _C_ uarus _B1MFHI_ Gracchusque _edd olim_ graccusque _T, probante Ehwald_ gra*ccusque _B_ gracusque _HIL_ gratusque _CMF_ 31 darent] daret _F_ parent _(B1)C_ tyrannis _BC, sicut coni Heinsius_ tyranni _MFHILT_ 32 Proculus] proculuus _M_ pro cuIus _B2c_ prochius _C_

*Tityron antiquas Passerque rediret ad herbas,* 33 aptaque uenanti Grattius arma daret,

_33 locus desperatus. 'haec nec Latina sunt, nec satis intelligo quid sibi uelint'--Heinsius_

Tityron antiquas Passerque rediret ad herbas _B1C_ (Passerque _ex_ passerque _Riese_) titirus antiquas et erat qui pasceret herbas _HILT_ (titirus: tiarus _Iac_) (pasceret: diceret _L_) [tityron antiquas] et erat qui gigneret [herbas] _B3ul_ titirus eternas caneret qui procreet herbas _F_ (procreet: pasceret _F2ul_) titirum et antiquas recus.basse referret ad umbras _M_ [tityron antiquas] recubasse refertur [ad herbas] _B2_ Tityron aprica recubantem pangeret umbra _Heinsius (Korn)_ Tityron aprica recubasse referret in umbra _Heinsius (Korn)_ Tityron apricus recubasse referret ad umbras [_uel_ undas] _Heinsius (Korn)_ Tityrus antiquis armentaque pasceret herbis _Withof (Korn)_ Tityrus antiquas pastorque rediret ad herbas _Korn_ Tityrus antiquas rursus reuocaret ad herbas _Madvig (Adu. crit. II praef)_ Tityrus antiquas capras ubi pasceret herbas _Madvig (Adu. crit. II 105)_ Tityrus apricans, ut erat, qui pasceret, herbas _Bergk (Opusc. I 667)_ Tityron Andinasque esset qui diceret herbas _Roeper (Korn)_ Tityron antiquas pastorem exciret ad herbas _Owen (1915)_ Tityron antiquas carmenque referret ad herbas _Schneiderhan (Lenz)_ Tityron antiquas Passer reuocaret ad herbas _Luck_

33 antiquas] eternas _F_ intactas _uel_ ac uacuas _uel_ ac uirides _Riese_ 34 aptaque ... arma] altaque ... arma _M_ armaque ... apta _I_ uenanti] uenati _C_ uenandi _F2ul_ Grattius _Buecheler e cod illius poetae (RhM 35 [1880] 407)_ gratius _CFLT_ gracius _BMHI_

Naiadas Satyris caneret Fontanus amatas, 35 clauderet imparibus uerba Capella modis, cumque forent alii, quorum mihi cuncta referre nomina longa mora est, carmina uulgus habet, essent et iuuenes quorum, quod inedita cura est, appellandorum nil mihi iuris adest 40 (te tamen in turba non ausim, Cotta, silere, Pieridum lumen praesidiumque fori,

35 Naiadas _C. P. Jones_ naiadas a _HLI2_ nayades a _MT_ naidas a _BCFI2_ Fontanus] fontusanus _M_ montanus _H, ut uid_ 38 longa mora] mora longa _L_ uulgus habet] uulgus habent _HIac_ fama tenet _T_ _39-40 spurios putat Williams_ 39 essent et iuuenes] _quid pro_ essent _C, incertum_ et iuuenes essent _H_ iuuenes quorum, quod _interpunxi_ iuuenes, quorum quod _edd_ cura _unus Thuaneus Heinsii (=Parisinus lat. 8256 uel 8462)_ causa _BCMFHILT_ 41 tamen in] tanta in _M1L_ tamen e _Heinsius_ 42 lumen] numen _'editi aliquot'--Burman_ praesidiumque fori] praesidiumque meum _H1; uide Hor _Carm_ I i 2_

maternos Cottas cui Messallasque paternos, Maxime, nobilitas ingeminata dedit), dicere si fas est, claro mea nomine Musa 45 atque inter tantos quae legeretur erat.

ergo summotum patria proscindere, Liuor, desine neu cineres sparge, cruente, meos.

omnia perdidimus; tantummodo uita relicta est, praebeat ut sensum materiamque mali. 50 [quid iuuat extinctos ferrum demittere in artus?

non habet in nobis iam noua plaga locum.]

43 maternos] fraternos _B1CH_ Cottas] coctas _L_ cui _om FIL_ Messallasque _BCM_ messalosque _IL_ messalinosque _HT_ messalanosque _F_ 44 Maxime _B1CMpc, sicut coni Burman_ maxima _MacFHILTB2_ ingeminata] cui geminata _F_ 46 legeretur] regeretur _BCpc_ regaretur _Cac_ 47 proscindere] procindere _Fac_ praescindere _T_ discindere _I_ 48 neu] nec _IF_ ne _H_ 49 relicta] retenta _T, ut uid (retNta)_ 50 ut] ut ca _Tac_ _51-52 spurios puto_ 51 demittere _Berolinensis Diez. B. Sant. 1, saec xiii (Lenz), Laurentianus 36 2, saec xv (Lenz), editio princeps Bononiensis (Lenz)_ dimittere _BCMFHILT_ artus] albis _C_ (astus _Lenz; Andre dubitanter_) explicit liber ouidii de ponto fe li ci ter sint bona scribenti sint uita salusque legenti _B_ explicit liber ouidii de ponto _C_ explicit liber publiionde ponto _M_ explicit ouidius de ponto uade sed incultus qualem decet exulis esse _F_ explicit o de ponto _H_ hic liber explicit gratia christo detur _L_

COMMENTARY

=EPISTVLARVM EX PONTO LIBER QVARTVS.= The precise title of these poems is uncertain. The one mention Ovid makes of the poems' title is of little assistance: 'inuenies, quamuis non est miserabilis index, / non minus hoc illo triste quod ante dedi' (_EP_ I i 15-16). The earliest manuscript of the poems, the ninth-century _Hamburgensis scrin. 52 F_ (extant to III ii 67), gives no title at the start of the poems, but has 'EX PONTO LIBER II EXPLICIT' at the end of the second book. Later manuscripts generally call the poems the _De Ponto_ or _Epistulae de Ponto_. The original name was probably not present in the archetype; these titles were perhaps invented with the aid of the first distich of the first poem: 'Naso Tomitanae iam non nouus incola terrae / hoc tibi _de Getico litore_ mittit opus'. Heinsius strongly preferred _Ex Ponto_ to _De Ponto_ ('nihil magis inscitum aut barbarum hac inscriptione'), citing in its support the first line of _Tr_ V ii 'Ecquid, ut _e Ponto_ noua uenit epistula, palles'. In reality _ex_ and _de_ are equally acceptable Latin (Cic _Att_ XV xxvi 5; _Fam_ XIV xx), but _Ex Ponto_ is the title found in the oldest manuscript of the poems and has become usual since Heinsius' time; in the absence of further evidence it may be allowed to stand.

Heinsius made two other suggestions for the poems' title. The first, _Pontica_, seems best suited for a poem describing the geography of the area around Tomis or the characteristics of its inhabitants. His second suggestion, _Epistulae Ponticae_, is attractive, but without any particular probability.

I. To Sextus Pompeius

Sextus Pompeius, _consul ordinarius_ in AD 14, is the most illustrious of Ovid's correspondents in the _Ex Ponto_; patron of Valerius Maximus, he was related to Pompey the Great (Sen _Ben_ IV 30 2) and to Augustus (Dio LVI 29 5). For discussions of his career, see Syme _HO_ 156-62, Pauly-Wissowa XXI,2 2265 61, and Dessau _PIR_ P 450. He is the recipient of four poems in the fourth book, but is nowhere mentioned in the first three books of the _Ex Ponto_. Since Pompeius helped Ovid during his journey to exile (v 31-38), their relationship must have been of long standing; clearly Pompeius had indicated to Ovid his preference not to be mentioned in his verse, even after it had become clear to most of Ovid's friends that being named by him would carry no penalty. In _EP_ III vi, Ovid exhorts a timid friend to allow him to name him; there is no indication, however, that the poem was addressed to Pompeius.

Ovid seems to have been best served in exile by those of his friends who were of no particular eminence. In _Tr_ III iv 3-8 & 43-44 he complains not only of the treatment he has received from Augustus, but also of the lack of assistance from those of his friends most in a position to help.

Once Sextus Pompeius had indicated he was willing to be named publicly, Ovid could not ignore the influence that a man of such position could bring to bear; hence the number of poems addressed to him in the fourth book.

Ovid starts the poem with an elaborate assertion of his past and present desire to mention Pompeius in his verse (1-22), and then briefly recounts the services Pompeius has rendered to him, and will continue to render (23-26). The reason he is confident that Pompeius will continue to assist him is that Pompeius' past assistance has been such that he is now, in effect, Pompeius' creation, and brings glory to him in the way that great works of art do for their creators (27-36).

=1. DEDVCTVM.= 'Composed'. _Deducere_ is often used in reference to the drawing of fibres from the wool on the distaff and the shaping of the thread (Catullus LXIV 311-14). From this meaning derive the two senses the word can have when referring to poetry, 'composed' and 'finely spun, delicate'. The first sense is seen here and at _Tr_ I i 39, _EP_ I v 13, and at _Tr_ V i 71 'ipse nec emendo, sed ut hic _deducta_ legantur', and the second at _Ecl_ VI 4-5 'pastorem, Tityre, pinguis / pascere oportet ouis, _deductum_ dicere carmen', where _deductum ... carmen_ represents the [Greek: Mousan ... leptaleen] of Callimachus _Aetia_ I 24; Servius comments on the metaphor from spinning. It has been suggested that _Met_ I 4 'ad mea perpetuum _deducite_ tempora carmen' shows this meaning as well; see Kenney _Ouidius Prooemians_ 51-52.

Hor _Ep_ II i 225 'tenui deducta poemata filo' stands somewhere between the two senses.

=2. DEBITOR ... VITAE.= See v 33-36 (Ovid's letter speaking to Pompeius) 'te sibi, cum fugeret, memori solet ore referre / barbariae tutas exhibuisse uias, / sanguine Bistonium quod non tepefecerit ensem, / effectum cura pectoris esse tui'. The passage suggests that Pompeius supplied Ovid with a bodyguard for his journey overland from Tempyra to Tomis, either in an official capacity--Dessau suggests (_PIR_ P 450) that Pompeius might have been proconsul of Macedonia--or, more probably, from his Macedonian estates, for which Dessau and Syme (_HO_ 157) cite xv 15.

=3. QVI.= Williams' CVI is possibly correct; the line would then refer to the _titulus_ of the poem in a published text.

=3. SEV NON PROHIBES.= 'If you do not try to prevent'. The context makes it clear that Pompeius will not in fact prevent Ovid from mentioning Pompeius in his poem. This conative sense is much more commonly found with the imperfect than with the present; the only way it can be dispensed with in this passage is if _cui_ is read and, as Professor R.

J. Tarrant suggests, _prohibes_ taken to refer to the later inclusion of the poem in a published collection.

=4. ACCEDET MERITIS.= Pompeius' even allowing Ovid to name him would count as a favour. Nowhere in the poem does Ovid specify why Pompeius might prefer not to be named.

=4. ACCEDET MERITIS HAEC QVOQVE SVMMA TVIS.= 'This sum will be added to the favours you have done me'. Professor J. N. Grant points out to me the technical terms of finance used in the passage: _debitor ... accedet ... summa_. I once thought that _summa_ was equivalent in sense to _cumulus_ ('addition') at _EP_ II v 35-36 'hoc tibi facturo, uel si non ipse rogarem, / _accedat cumulus_ gratia nostra leuis', but have found no parallel for this sense of _summa_.

=5. TRAHIS VVLTVS.= 'Frown'--compare iii 7 'contraxit uultum Fortuna', viii 13-14 'ei mihi, si lectis uultum tu uersibus istis / ducis', _Am_ II ii 33 'bene uir traxit uultum rugasque coegit', and _Met_ II 774 'ingemuit uultumque una ac [_Housman_: ima ad _codd_] suspiria duxit'.

=5-6. EQVIDEM PECCASSE FATEBOR, / DELICTI TAMEN EST CAVSA PROBANDA MEI.= 'Yes, I shall certainly confess my guilt, but the reason for my offence is one that necessarily wins approval'. Ovid uses the correct legal terminology; compare Cic _Mur_ 62 _'fatetur_ aliquis se _peccasse_ et sui [_Halm_: cui _uel_ eius _codd_] _delicti_ ueniam petit'. Other instances in Ovid of _peccasse fateri_ at hexameter-ends are _Am_ III xiv 37, _Met_ III 718, VII 748 & XI 134, and _EP_ II iii 33.

For Ovid's close acquaintance with the law see at xv 12 (pp 434-35).

=7. NON POTVIT MEA MENS.= Compare _Tr_ V ix 25-26 'nunc quoque se, quamuis est iussa quiescere, quin te / nominet inuitum, uix mea Musa tenet'.

=8. OFFICIO.= Used again of Ovid's writing of verse-epistles at _Tr_ V ix 33-34 'ne tamen _officio_ memoris laedaris amici, / parebo iussis--parce timere--tuis'.

=8. OFFICIO ... PIO.= The words similarly combined at _Tr_ III iii 84 and _Tr_ V vi 4 'officiique pium ... onus'. The adjective ('loyal') is a favourite term of commendation in the poems of exile, applied to _fides_ (_Tr_ V xiv 20, _EP_ III ii 98), coupled with _memor_ (_Tr_ IV v 18, V iv 43), or used to characterize the inseparable friends of myth such as Theseus and Pirithous (_Tr_ I ix 31) or Castor and Pollux (_Tr_ IV v 30).

=9.= IN. _B_'s AB is possibly correct, _ab istis_ meaning 'to judge by them, on the basis of their evidence'. Professor R. J. Tarrant cites Prop III iii 38 'ut reor _a facie_, Calliopea fuit'.

=11. ALII VELLEM CVM SCRIBERE.= The line confirms that Ovid was not at liberty to name Sextus Pompeius in his poems even after he had begun the composition of the first three books of the _Ex Ponto_.

Ovid similarly indicates his frustrated desire to name his correspondent at _Tr_ IV v 10 'excidit heu nomen quam mihi paene tuum' and at _EP_ III vi 1-2 'Naso suo (posuit nomen quam paene!) sodali / mittit ... hoc breue carmen'.

=11. VELLEM CVM.= _B_ offers CVM VELLEM, which I take to be a simple corruption to prose word-order. It is however the reading printed by Owen; and it could be argued that _cum uellem_ is the correct reading, and was altered to _uellem cum_ for metrical reasons. Lucretius and Catullus were fond of placing a spondaic word in the fourth foot of the hexameter; in the Augustan age practice altered, and the pattern was generally avoided; compare _Aen_ I 1 'Arma uirumque cano, _Troiae qui_ primus ab oris'. It was, however, permitted occasionally, especially when the previous foot ended in a long monosyllable (Platnauer 20-22).

Scribes quite often alter such lines so as to remove the spondaic word from coinciding with the fourth foot; an instance of this can be seen at line 7 'non potuit mea mens quin esset grata teneri', where _H_ offers the scribal alteration _esset quin_. For a full discussion see Housman 269.

=13. MENDIS.= This is probably a form of _mendum_ rather than of _menda_; compare Cic _II Ver_ II 104 'quid fuit istic antea scriptum? quod _mendum_ ista litura correxit?' and _Att_ XIII xxiii 2 ' tantum librariorum _menda_ tolluntur'. I have found no earlier instance in verse of _mendum_ meaning 'error' in this sense; Ovid in his poems of exile uses the terms of his craft more readily than any of his predecessors.

=14. VIX INVITA FACTA LITVRA MANV EST.= _Vix_ goes with _facta_; Andre seems to take it with _inuita_ ('ma main l'effacait presque a regret').

=15. VIDERIT= is a complete sentence meaning 'let him look to himself'.

Compare the following examples: 'nona terebatur miserae uia; _"uiderit_ [_sc_ Demophoon]" inquit / et spectat zonam pallida facta suam' (_RA_ 601-2), '"uiderit! insanos" inquit "fateamur amores"' (_Met_ IX 519), 'cur tamen est mihi cura tui tot iam ante peremptis? / _uiderit_!

intereat, quoniam tot caede procorum / admonitus non est' (_Met_ X 623-25), '_uiderit_! audentes forsque deusque iuuat' (_Fast_ II 782), '_uideris_! [_cod Ambrosianus G 37 sup (saec xiv), sicut coni Heinsius_: uiderit _codd plerique_] audebo tibi me scripsisse fateri'

(_EP_ I ii 9). The idiom is found with an expressed subject at _AA_ II 371 '_uiderit_ Atrides: Helenen ego crimine soluo' and _AA_ III 671-72 '_uiderit_ utilitas: ego coepta fideliter edam: / Lemniasin gladios in mea fata dabo'. It is clearly derived from the use of _uiderit_ 'look after, take care of' with an expressed object, as at _Her_ XII 209-11 'quo feret ira sequar! facti fortasse pigebit-- / et piget infido consuluisse uiro. / _uiderit_ ista deus qui nunc mea pectora uersat!'.

Although _uiderit_ in these passages clearly has a jussive sense, it is probably future perfect in origin, since _uidero_ 'I shall look after'

is quite frequent in Terence and Cicero: see Martin on Ter _Ad_ 437 'de istoc ipse uiderit' and _OLD uideo_ 18b.