Fasti. Ovid

fingit lingua corpora bina sua.

      Marte satos scires; timor abfuit: ubera ducunt,

        Nec sibi promissi lactis aluntur ope. 420

      Illa loco nomen fecit; locus ipse Lupercis.

        Magna dati nutrix praemia lactis habet.

      Quid vetat Arcadio dictos a monte Lupercos?

        Faunus in Arcadia templa Lycaeus habet.

      Nupta, quid exspectas? non tu pollentibus herbis, 425

        Nec prece, nec magico carmine mater eris.

      Excipe fecundae patienter verbera dextrae:

        Jam socer optatum nomen habebit avi.

      Nam fuit illa dies, dura quum sorte maritae

        Reddebant uteri pignora rara sui. 430

      Quid mihi, clamabat, prodest rapuisse Sabinas,

        Romulus—hoc illo sceptra tenente fuit—

      Si mea non vires, sed bellum injuria fecit!

        Utilius fuerat non habuisse nurus.

      Monte sub Esquilio, multis incaeduus annis 435

        Junonis magnae nomine lucus erat,

      Huc ubi venerunt, pariter nuptaeque virique

        Suppliciter posito procubuere genu.

      Quum subito motae tremuere cacumina silvae,

        Et dea per lucos mira locuta suos, 440

      Italidas matres, inquit, sacer hircus inito!

        Obstupuit dubio territa turba sono.

      Augur erat: nomen longis intercidit annis:

        Nuper ab Etrusca venerat exsul humo.

      Ille caprum mactat. Jussae sua terga puellae 445

        Pellibus exsectis percutienda dabant.

      Luna resumebat decimo nova cornua motu,

        Virque pater subito, nuptaque mater erat.

      Gratia Lucinae: dedit haec tibi nomina lucus,

      Aut quia principium tu, dea, lucis habes. 450

      Parce, precor, gravidis, facilis Lucina, puellis,

       Maturumque utero molliter effer onus.

      Orta dies fuerit: tu desine credere ventis,

        Perdidit illius temporis aura fidem.

      Flamina non constant: et sex reserata diebus 455

        Carceris aeolii janua laxa patet.

      Jam levis obliqua subsedit Aquarius urna.

        Proximus aetherios excipe, Piscis, equos.

      Te memorant fratremque tuum—nam juncta micatis

        Signa—duos tergo sustinuisse deos. 460

      Terribilem quondam fugiens Typhona Dione,

        Tunc quum pro coelo Jupiter arma tulit,

      Venit ad Euphraten comitata Cupidine parvo,

        Inque Palaestinae margine sedit aquae.

      Populus et cannae riparum summa tenebant, 465

        Spemque dabant salices, hos quoque posse tegi.

      Dum latet, intonuit vento nemus. Illa timore

        Pallet, et hostiles credit adesse manus;

      Utque sinu natum tenuit, Succurrite Nymphae,

        Et dîs auxilium ferte duobus, ait. 470

      1

      [Greek: Akronyx, akronychia, to akron taes nuktos].

      2

      See the Cambridge Philological Museum, No. V. p, 474.

      3

      Certus undenos decies per annos

      Orbis ut cantus referatque ludos.

HORACE CAR. SEC. 21.

      4

      It is for this reason that in my note on I. 1, I have called the Latin year a solar one, for such it was when Ovid wrote.

      5

      On the subjects treated of in this section, see Niebuhr on the Secular Cycle, in his History of Rome, and Scaliger de Emendatione Temporum.

      6

      That this is by no means improbable is evident from the circumstance, that the name of the intercalary month, Mercedonius, is to be found in no Latin writer. It would be unknown to us, if Plutarch had not chanced to mention it.

      7

      Jana was the moon, and from Dea Jana (pronounced Yana), was made Diana.

      8

      Endo or indu, was an old form for in. It may still be seen in the fragments of Ennius and in Lucretius.

      9

      Macrob. Sat. I. 16.

      10

      Liv. ix. 46.

      11

      At Rome, in 1772, by Fogginius.