^{page 313 note 1} Vergili Opera (Oxford Classical Texts, 1900).Google Scholar

^{page 313 note 2} Aeneidea, iii (Dublin, 1889), 92.Google Scholar

^{page 313 note 3} e.g. Page, Aeneid, I-VI (London, 1894); Goelzer, in the Bude edition;Google ScholarWilliams, , Aeneid, Book V (Oxford, 1960). Williams, following Hirtzel, prints -que in his text, but prefers in his commentary.Google Scholar

^{page 313 note 4} Henry, So, op. cit., pp. 94–95. Cf. Servius ad loc.: ‘minus firmum ad celeritatem‘.Google Scholar

^{page 313 note 5} Mackail, So, Aeneid (Oxford, 1930), note ad loc.;Google ScholarConington, , Vergili Opera, ii (1872), note ad loc.; Papillon, Virgil, ii, note ad loc.Google Scholar

^{page 313 note 6} As do, for example, Page and Williams in their commentaries.

^{page 313 note 7} We could suppose that Helymus, suffering from wounded hero's pride, might in a fit of pique consider withdrawing from the race, but this gravely weakens the force of the passage, and I cannot accept it.

^{page 313 note 8} Note ad loc.

^{page 313 note 9} In the context of a race, relinquere will naturally suggest leaving a competitor behind, but taken closely with ambiguum, which describes its unexpressed object, the sense ‘leave doubtful’ is most natural. Cf. aut quod in ambiguo verbum iaculata reliquit, Lucr. 4. 1137. This sense is accepted by and has apparently caused no difficulty to those who read .

^{page 314 note 1} In the reverse order, of course, the expression is normal. One can ‘draw level’ with a man and then ‘pass’ him, but one cannot ‘pass’ a man and then ‘draw level’ with him. There remains the possibility that Virgil has reversed the proper order of the clauses by hysteron proteron (for which see especially Norden, , Aeneis VI, p. 379). But see also my discussion of this question on pp. 316 ff., where I have argued that hysteron proteron is not a literary ornament which may be used for its own sake; it is much less common in Virgil than has been supposed, and where it does occur, it must be regarded as a licence justified by the creation thereby of a special poetic effect.Google Scholar

^{page 314 note 2} Conington (note ad loc.) says: ‘It could not be said that in a context like this the two cases could be represented except as alternatives.’ I venture to disagree.

^{page 314 note 3} Confirmation is perhaps to be found in Aen. 5. 308–4, where we are told that, in addition to the gift which all competitors received, Aeneas offered three prizes for the first three place-getters. Thus, although the reading gives satisfactory sense, the passage loses point, for it centres our attention on the difficulty of decision between Helymus and Diores. But these two are competing for fourth place, for which there is no prize; consequently the judges would not be concerned to decide which of them was in front.Google Scholar

^{page 315 note 1} ambiguum is to be construed not as a neuter adjective standing as a noun, but as agreeing with an unexpressed object, e.g. exitum certaminis