NOTE II.--_On the shortening of final o in Latin poetry._

The fact that in Latin the accent was generally thrown back caused a strong tendency to shorten long final vowels. The one that resisted this tendency best was _o_, but this gradually became shortened as poetry advanced, and is one of the very few instances of a departure from the standard of quantity as determined by Ennius. There is one instance even in him: _Horrida Romuleum certamina pango duellum_. The words _ego_ and _modo_, which from their frequent use are often shortened in the comedians, are generally long in Ennius; Lucretius uses them as common, but retains _homo_, which after him does not appear. Catullus has one short _o_, _Virro_ (89, 1), but this is a proper name. Virgil has _sci0_ (_Aen._ iii. 602), but _ego, homo_, when in the arsis, are always elided, _e.g. Pulsus ego? aut; Graius homo, infectos. Spondeo_ which used to be read (_Aen._ ix, 294), is now changed to _sponde_. _Pollio_ is elided by Virgil, shortened by Horace (O. II. i. 14). He also has _mentio_ and _dixero_ in the _Satires_ (I. iv. 93, 104). A line by Maecenas, quoted in Suetonius, has _diligo_. Ovid has _cito, puto_ (_Am._ iii. vii. 2), but only in such short words; in nouns, _Naso_ often, _origo, virgo_, once each. Tibullus and Propertius are stricter in this respect, though Propertius has _findo_ (iii. or iv. 8 or 9, 35 Manilius has _leo, Virgo_ (i. 266), Lucan _Virgo_ (ii. 329), _pulmo_ (iii. 644), and a few others. Gratius first gives the imperative _reponito_ (_Cyn._ 56); Calpurnius, in the the time of Nero, the false quantities _quando ambo_, the latter (ix. 17) perhaps in a spurious eclogue; so _expecto_. In Statius no new licenses appear. Juvenal, however, gives _vigilando_ (iii. 232), an improper quantity repeated by Seneca (_Tro._ 264) _vincendo_, Nemesianus (viii. 53) _mulcendo_, (ix. 80), _laudano_. Juvenal gives also _sumito, octo, ergo_. The dat. and abl. sing. are the only terminations that were not affected. We see the gradual deterioration of quantity, and are not surprised that even before the time of Claudian a strict knowledge of it was confined to the most learned poets. [br][br]NOTE III.--_On parallelism in Virgil's poetry._[p] There is a very frequent feature in Virgil's poetry which we may compare to the parallelism well known as the chief characteristic of Hebrew verse. In that language the poet takes a thought and either repeats it, or varies it, or explains it, or gives its antithesis in a corresponding clause, as evenly as may be balancing the first. As examples we may take-- [p] (1) A mere iteration: [p] "Why do the nations so furiously rage together?[br] And why do the people imagine a vain thing?" [p] (2) Contrast:[p] "A wise son maketh a glad father:[br] But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." [p] This somewhat rude idea of ornament is drawn no doubt from the simplest attempts to speak with passion or emphasis, which naturally turned to _iteration_ or _repetition_ as the obvious means of gaining the effect. Roman poetry, as we have already said, rests upon a primitive and rude basis, the Greek methods of composition being applied to an art arrested before its growth was complete. The fondness for repetition is very prominent. Phrases like _somno gravidi vinoque sepulti; indu foro lato, sanctoque senatu_, occur commonly in Ennius; and the trick of composition of which they are the simplest instances, is perpetuated throughout Roman poetry. It is in reality rather rhetorical than poetical, and abounds in Cicero. It scarcely occurs in Greek poetry, but is very common in Virgil, _e.g. _: [p] "Ambo florentes aetatibus, Arcades ambo,[br] Et cantare pares, et respondere parati."[br][br] Similar to this is the introduction of corresponding clauses by the same initial word, _e.g. ille_ (_Ecl._ i. 17):[br][br] "Namque erit _ille_ mihi semper deus: _illius_ aram[br] Saepe tener nostris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus.[br] _Ille_ meas errare boves..."[br][br] Instances of this construction will occur to every reader. Frequently the first half of the hexameter expresses a thought obscurely which is expressed clearly in the latter half, or _vice versa, e.g._ (G. iv. 103): [br][br] "At quum incerta volant, caeloque examina ludunt."[br][br] Again (_Aen._ iv. 368):[br][br] "Nam quid dissimulo, aut quae me ad maiora reservo?"[br][br] at times this parallelism is very useful as helping us to find out the poet's meaning, _e.g._ (_Aen._ ii. 121):[br][br] "Cui fata parent, quem poseat Apollo."[br][br]_z_ancienthistory_z_);

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