τοὺς δὲ μέθ ̓ ὁπλότατος γένετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης, δεινότατος παίδων· θαλερὸν δ' ἤχθηρε τοκῆα. γείνατο δ ̓ αὖ Κύκλωπας ὑπέρβιον ἦτορ ἔχοντας, Βρόντην τε Στερόπην τε καὶ ̓Αργην ὀμβριμόθυμον, 140 [οἱ Ζηνὶ βροντήν τ ̓ ἔδοσαν τευξάν τε κεραυνόν.] οἱ δ ̓ ἤτοι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιοι ἦσαν, μοῦνος δ ̓ ὀφθαλμὸς μέσσῳ ἐνέκειτο μετώπῳ. [οἶδ ̓ ἐξ ἀθανάτων θνητοὶ τράφεν αὐδήεντες· Κύκλωπες δ ̓ ὄνομ ̓ ἦσαν ἐπώνυμον, οὖνεκ ̓ ἄρα σφέων 140. ἀστερόπην καὶ ἄργην όμβριμόθυμον Μ. 141. ἔδωκαν Μ. 142. οἳ δή τοι M, Ald. 143. μέσῳ Μ. 145. ἔειν Ald. 137. ἀγκυλομήτης, σκολιὰ βουλεύων, 'crafty.' Cf. Opp. 48. Craft, according to the Greek idea, was a virtue.— γένετο, scil. ἐκ Γαίας καὶ Οὐρανοῦ. In il. viii. 479 we find Iapetus and Cronus confined in the darkness below the earth. 138. ἤχθηρε, “he disliked. Some modern critics, after Ruhnken, enclose this verse in brackets as spurious, and made up from v. 155, σφετέρῳ δ' ἤχθοντο τοκῆϊ. The Schol. says that Aristarchus objected to θαλερόν, which means 'vigorous,' in reference to the numerous offspring of Uranus. The meaning perhaps is, that Cronus disliked not so much his father, as his father's fecundity, as oppressive to Gaea, whose part he took, v. 159, 168. These monsters, says Sir G. W. Cox (Folk-lore, p. 178), are doubtless the lightning-flashes which plough up the stormy heaven. He remarks that the affinity with the Cyclopes of the Odyssey is distant, although it may be traced. Both probably were in their origin cloud-gods, and the Cyclopes were called shepherds from the clouds gathering on mountain-tops. The “one eye," and the extinction of it, can only mean the sun in the forehead of the sky, obscured by dark clouds. 141. Goettling regards this verse as spurious, and he is probably right. It is feeble, and is the kind of expletive (παραπληρωματικὸν) line that the grammarians were fond of adding. Cf. inf. 286. Eur. Alc. 5, τέκτονας δίου πυρὸς Dr. Flach retains κτείνω Κύκλωπας. 142. οἱ δ ̓ ἤτοι Goettling and Hermann with two MSS. for oἳ δή τοι. For this verse Crates the grammarian gave, doubtless from an ancient recension, another, οἱ δ ̓ ἐξ ἀθανάτων θνητοὶ τράφεν αὐδήεντες, to avoid the apparent diffculty of making the Cyclopes, who were mortal and slain by Apollo, (Eur. Alc. init.) τἄλλα θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιοι. But this need not imply further resemblance than that of strength and stature. They were, in fact, a sort of demigods, like to the gods in form and might, except the peculiarity of the one eye, but yet mortal. Goettling places the verse attributed to Crates after v. 143, and regards it, with the two following, as belonging to another recension, in which the three verses (οἵδ ̓ ἐξ—μετώπῳ) stood in place of vv. 1423. For μοῦνος δ ̓ ὀφθαλμός, which ought to mean only an eye, Schoemann reads ὀφθαλμὸς δὲ ἕεις. 145. εις, if genuine (which is doubted by Curtius, Gr. Et. 567), is formed on the analogy of ἐέρση for ἕρση, ἔεδνα for ἕδνα, ἐέλδωρ for ἕλδωρ &c. If so, we should probably read ees, without the aspirate. The passage however is suspected, for ὄνομ ̓ ἐπώνυμον comes very awkwardly after the plural Κύκλωπες ἦσαν. Perhaps ἐπώνυμοι. Indeed, this reading is supported by Etym. M. in v. Κύκλωπες, where ἔσαν οὔνομ ̓ ἐπώνυμοι is given. In Od. vii. 54, 'Αρήτη δ ̓ ὄνομα ἐστὶν ἐπώνυμον, it might be questioned κυκλοτερής ὀφθαλμὸς ἕεις ἐνέκειτο μετώπῳ· ἰσχύς τ' ἠδὲ βίη καὶ μηχαναὶ †ἦσαν ἐπ ̓ ἔργοις.] ἄλλοι δ ̓ αὖ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο 145 150 τρεῖς παῖδες μεγάλοι *τε καὶ ὄμβριμοι, οὐκ ὀνομαστοὶ, Κόττος τε Βριάρεώς τε Γύης θ', ὑπερήφανα τέκνα. τῶν ἑκατὸν μὲν χεῖρες ἀπ ̓ ὤμων ἀΐσσοντο ἄπλαστοι, κεφαλαὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ πεντήκοντα ἐξ ὤμων ἐπέφυκον ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν. ἰσχὺς δ ̓ ἄπλητος κρατερὴ μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ εἴδει. 146. μηχαναὶ ἦν ἐπὶ Γέργοις ? (cf. 321) 150. Γεκατὸν 151. Γεκάστῳ whether ἐπώνυμος was not the original reading. 146. The combination of personal strength, violence, and craft in their doings (ἐπ ̓ ἔργοις) implies that which was irresistible by any human means. Compare inf. v. 153, μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ εἴδει. As ἔργοις here has no digamma, this verse is probably in some way corrupt. Perhaps ἦν ἐπὶ ἔργοις. See inf. v. 825. 148. The τe was inserted by Hermann.—οὐκ ὀνομαστοί. Perhaps not to be named,' as Cerberus is our φατειὸς, inf. 310. But it is a difficult expression, perhaps like the Latin nefandus, implying something portentous. Schol. οὓς οὐ δύναταί τις ὀνομάσαι, ἀντὶ τοῦ δεινοί. Goettling compares πατρὸς δυσωνύμου in v. 171, and explains it, “ is, cui a forma et ab ingenii natura infelix nomen recte inditum est.” But the comparison does not hold good; for πατὴρ δυσώνυμος merely means a father who does not deserve the name. Cf. Aesch. Cho. 183, μήτηρ οὐδαμῶς ἐπώνυμον φρόνημα παισὶ δύσθεον πεπαμένη. 149. For Γύης most of the old copies give Γύγης, in which the short t seems doubtful. Ovid however recognises the latter form, Fast. iv. 593, Quid gravius victore Gyge captiva tulissem, Quam nunc, te caeli sceptra tenente, tuli ? 153. Γείδει 149. Γύγης M, Ald. ἄπλατος Ald. Also Horace, Od. ii. 17, 14, ‘centimanus Gyges,' and iii. 4, 69. These are very ancient names, and what they symbolised is altogether uncertain. Possibly the three primitive seasons : at least, Γύης might refer to ploughing, Βριαρεὺς to the severity of cold. Or perhaps, air, water, and land, as Homer calls Βριαρεὺς Αἰγαίων, Il. i. 404. Buttmann in his Lexilogus suggests that Γύης may be derived from γυῖον, α limb. Van Lennep supposes they represent the warring of elemental powers, such as earthquakes and mighty deluges. 150-3. These verses occur again inf. v. 671, and one of them (152) also Opp. 149. Scut. 76.—ἀΐσσοντο ‘nimbly moved, were ever in rapid motion. Hom. Il. vi. 509, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαῖται ὤμοις άΐσσονται. Ibid. xxiii. 628, οὐδ ̓ ἔτι χεῖρες ὤμων ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἐπαΐσσονται ελαφραί. Soph. Οed. Col. 1261, κόμη δι' αὔρας ἀκτένισσος ᾄσσεται.—ἄπλατοι, ‘unapproachable, is Gaisfords reading. Goettling gives ἄπλαστοι, which he compares with πρόσπλαστοι, (a false reading for πρόσπλατοι,) in Aesch. Prom. 735, but prefers to derive from πλάσσειν, so as to mean misshapen. Van Lennep thinks ἄπλαστος tracted from ἀπέλαστος. We have a con 155 ὅσσοι γὰρ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο, [δεινότατοι παίδων, σφετέρῳ δ' ἤχθοντο τοκῆϊ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ τῶν μὲν ὅπως τις πρῶτα γένοιτο] πάντας ἀποκρύπτασκε, καὶ ἐς φάος οὐκ ἀνίεσκε, Γαίης ἐν κευθμώνι, κακῷ δ ̓ ἐπετέρπετο ἔργῳ Οὐρανός· ἡ δ ̓ ἐντὸς στοναχίζετο Γαία πελώρη στεινομένη· δολίην δὲ κακὴν ἐπεφράσσατο τέχνην. 160 αἶψα δὲ ποιήσασα γένος πολιοῦ ἀδάμαντος τευξε μέγα δρέπανον καὶ ἐπέφραδε παισὶ φίλοισιν. 158. Γέργῳ 157. ȧvínoke Ald., M. different word, ἄπλητος, ‘unapproach able, from πελάω, just below.—ἐπέφυκον seems a true imperfect from the secondary present πεφύκω. See Scut. Η. 228.ἐπὶ εἴδει, i. e. Γείδει. Cf. v. 146. 154. ὅσσοι γάρ. The γὰρ refers to v. 147; the three giants were born afterwards, because at first Uranus had concealed his progeny within the earth. But vv. 155-6 seem to interrupt the sense and connexion; and the ellipse of ἦσαν after δεινότατοι is hardly according to epic use. The explanation of the Scholiast is manifestly wrong; ὅσοι γὰρ δεινότατοι τῶν παίδων τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς Γῆς ἦσαν, ἐμισοῦντο ὑπὸ τῶν προτέρων παίδων, τουτέστιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, οἳ καὶ τῷ σφετέρῳ τοκῆι ἤχθοντο. Rather the sense is, For of all who were born of Earth and Uranus, these were the most formidable sons.' There is however too much reason to fear that this verse was patched up from v. 138,—itself probably a spurious verse. Dr. Flach reads ὅσσοι δ' ἂρ and οὗτοι δεινότατοι, neither of which is satisfactory. Schoemann, p. 64, gives Overbeck's correction οὗτοι for ὅσσοι, and τούτων for καὶ τῶν. It may be suggested that the original verses thus: ὅσσι γὰρ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο ἐξ ἀρχῆς, τῶν μέν τις ὅπως πρώτιστα γένοιτο κ.τ.λ.—ἀποκρύπτασκε, se. Οὐρανός. The a belongs to κρυπτάζω, ran as ῥίπτασκε from ῥιπτάζω. We have this a in κρυπτάδιος. See on Scut. Herc. 480. 160. στεινομένη, being straitened for room, wanting space. Cf. Il. xxi. 220. For ἐπεφράσσατο Goettling would read ἐφράσσατο, because Hesiod does not usually shorten a vowel before φρ, θρ. But who will believe that in v. 632, οἱ μὲν ἀφ ̓ ὑψηλῆς Οθρυος Τιτῆνες ἀγανοί, there is synizesis in "Οθρυος ? And we have προπεφραδμένα in Opp. 655. He compares however Od. iv. 529, δολίην ἐφράσσατο τέχνην. 161. ἀδάμαντος. It has been suggested on Opp. 147, that the old celts or cutting-implements and axe-heads made of basalt, greenstone, or traprock, may here be meant. In all ages and countries stone knives seem to have been preferred for religious ceremonies. It is difficult to conceive that with the early poets àdáμas was a synonym of σίδηρος. It is true that δρέπανον was a curved or hooked knife, like our sickle, and like it also was καρχαρόδον, roughly toothed or serrated, which features would be more easily given by a metal. Anyhow, the poet says the material was now first created.-Apollonius Rhodius, in alluding to this passage of Hesiod, as προτέρων ἔπος, iv. 985, speaks of the event as one of the τὰ ἄρρητα of ancient mythology. εἶπε δὲ θαρσύνουσα, φίλον τετιημένη ἦτορ· 165 Ως φάτο· τοὺς δ ̓ ἄρα πάντας ἕλεν δέος, οὐδέ τις αὐτῶν φθέγξατο· θαρσήσας δὲ μέγας Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης άψ αὖτις μύθοισι προσηύδα μητέρα κεδνήν· Μῆτερ, ἐγώ κεν τοῦτό γ ̓ ὑποσχόμενος τελέσαιμι 170 ἔργον, ἐπεὶ πατρός γε δυσωνύμου οὐκ ἀλεγίζω ἡμετέρου· πρότερος γὰρ ἀεικέα μήσατο ἔργα. Ὣς φάτο· γήθησεν δὲ μέγα φρεσὶ Γαῖα πελώρη. εἶσε δέ μιν κρύψασα λόχῳ· ἐνέθηκε δὲ χειρὶ ἅρπην καρχαρόδοντα· δόλον δ ̓ ὑπεθήκατο πάντα. ἦλθε δὲ Νύκτ ̓ ἐπάγων μέγας Οὐρανὸς, ἀμφὶ δὲ Γαίῃ ἱμείρων φιλότητος ἐπέσχετο καί ῥ' ἐτανύσθη πάντῃ· ὁ δ ̓ ἐκ λόχοιο πάϊς ὠρέξατο χειρὶ 163. Γειπε 166. ἀξεικέα μήσατο Γέργα 165. πείθεσθε πατέρος γε Μ. πατρός γε Ald. 171. πατέρος Μ. 173. γήθησε δὲ Ald. λόχοιο (not λοχοῖο) Μ. 167. ἕλε δέος 178. πάξις 175 170. γε om. Μ. 178. λοχείο Αld. 165. πατρός κε. So Goettling and 177. ἐπέσχετο, “stretched, ἐπετάθη. Van Lennep after Hermann, with one The passive use of this aorist (unless it MS., for πατέρος γε. Without rev, the be here the middle, viz. ἑαυτὸν, or a hortative subjunctive Towμea would present oxw be assumed) is remarkbe required. The sense is, ‘It may be able. In Eur. Hipp. 27, καρδίαν κατές that we shall avenge,' &c. Cf. inf. v. σχετο ἔρωτι δεινῷ, Monk gives κατεί170.—πρότερος γὰρ κ.τ.λ. The Greek χετο. But in Od. iii. 284, we have ὡς ὁ notion of retributive justice always μὲν ἔνθα κατέσχετ' ἐπειγόμενός περ ὁδοῖο. turned on the question, who was the Eur. Heracl. 634, φροντίς τις ἦλθ ̓ aggressor, the τὸ ἄρχειν ἀδικίας. οἰκεῖος, ᾗ συνεσχόμην (συνειχόμην and συνισχόμην Elmsley). Photius, ἔσχετο. ἐπεσχέθη. 168. Κρόνος. The youngest, but the most formidable of the former offspring of Uranus, sup. 137. 171. δυσωνύμου. See on v. 148. Here perhaps it means, wrongly called by the name of Father;' as Aesch. Cho. 182, οὐδαμῶς ἐπώνυμον—μητρός. 178. λοχεοῖο Gaisford, Van Lennep, λοχοιο Goettling, with several MSS. Others give λοχοῖο and λόχοιο. The latter is the reading of the Bodleian MS. Barocc. 60 (Μ). The Schol. compares θυρεός, ‘a door-stone. But the true reading (or rather pronunciation) is probably λόκχοιο, according to the Aeolic use, as in σκύπφος, ἔκχος, βράκα σκαιῇ, δεξιτερῇ δὲ πελώριον ἔλλαβεν ἅρπην, μακρὴν, καρχαρόδοντα, φίλου δ ̓ ἀπὸ μήδεα πατρὸς 180 ἐσσυμένως ἤμησε, πάλιν δ ̓ ἔρριψε φέρεσθαι ἐξοπίσω. τὰ μὲν οὔτι ἐτώσια ἔκφυγε χειρός· ὅσσαι γὰρ ῥαθάμιγγες ἀπέσσυθεν αἱματόεσσαι, πάσας δέξατο Γαία· περιπλομένων δ ̓ ἐνιαυτῶν γείνατ' Ερινὓς τε κρατερὰς μεγάλους τε Γίγαντας, [τεύχεσι λαμπομένους, δολίχ ̓ ἔλχεα χερσὶν ἔχοντας,] Νύμφας θ ̓ ἃς Μελίας καλέουσ ̓ ἐπ ̓ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν· μήδεα δ ̓ ὡς τοπρῶτον ἀποτμήξας ἀδάμαντι 185 182. Γετώσια 179. ἔλαβεν Αld. Μ. 185. ἐρίνος Μ. given in Ald. 188. 181. ἤμεσε (gl. ἀπεθέρισε) Μ. χος, ἔπφις, &c. See the note on Aesch. Cho. 1038. On the same principle, the reading in ll. xxiii. 851, κὰδ δ ̓ ἐτίθει δύο μὲν πελέκεας δέκα δ ̓ ἡμιπέλεκκα, may originally have been δέκα δ ̓ ἡμιπελέκεα, the k being doubled in pronouncing it, as in κυνοκέφαλλος. Το likewise Il. xiii. 612, ἀξίνην εὔχαλκον, ἐλαΐνῳ ἀμφὶ πελέκκῳ.—ὠρέξατο, sc. αὐτοῦ, οι τῶν μηδέων, ‘aimed at him with outstretched hand,' ' grasped him. Cf. I. iv. 307. xxiii. 99.—μήδεα, the same as μέζεα, Opp. 512. 6 181. πάλιν ἔρριψε κ.τ.λ., ' threw them behind him to be carried away backwards. The syntax probably is, ἔρριψε ἐξοπίσω, πάλιν φέρεσθαι. We may however translate, and back he threw them to be carried away behind. This was done in getting rid of any unclean thing, as the impious libations in Aesch. Cho. 90, στείχω, καθάρμαθ ̓ ὡς τις ἐκπέμψας, πάλιν δικοῦσα τεῦχος ἀστρόφοισιν ὄμμασιν.—φέρεσθαι, cf. v. 190. This story of the mutilation was very famous in an age when men began to inquire if gods could really be guilty of such atrocities. See, for instance, Cic. De Nat. Deor. ii. 24, § 63. 182. ἐτώσι ̓ ἅμ' ἔκφυγε Dr. Flach, to avoid the hiatus. 184. ἐδέξατο 186. Omitted in LM, but μήδεα θ' Ald. ἀδάμαντον Ald. 183. Photius, ῥαθάμιγγες ῥανίδες· ἢ ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν ἵππων κονιορτός. οἱ δὲ σταγόνας. Il. xi. 536, ἀφ ̓ ἱππείων ὁπλέων ῥαθάμιγγες. 184. Goettling gives πᾶσας ἐδέξατο with two MSS. See on v. 60. 186. This verse is wanting in the two Bodleian MSS. and is enclosed in brackets by Goettling, as probably added by a rhapsodist from il. xviii. 510, where τεύχεσι λαμπόμενοι occurs. Hermann thinks that a later poet would have attributed a different sort of armour to the giants. 187. Μελίας. The name is from μελία, an ash-tree, and seems similar to Δρυάδες. Apoll. Rhod. ii. 2, ὅν ποτε νύμφη τίκτε, Ποσειδάωνι Γενεθλίῳ εὐνηθεῖσα, Βιθυνὶς Μελίη. Or it may have contained the root μeλ, care, as in Μέλισσαι.—ἐπὶ γαῖαν, see on v. 95. 188. ὡς τοπρῶτον κ.τ.λ. The sense appears to be, that the members were carried about for a long time by the sea in the same condition as when they were cut off; but at last white foam began to arise from them, and so Aphrodite was born. For the vulg. μήδεά θ' Goettling and Van Lennep rightly give μήδεα δ' with Barocc. 60 (M). They both also follow Wolf in |