XI. BACCHUS.

This piece is imitated from Ovid, Met. iv. II ff. It also contains reminiscences of Ovid, De Arte Am. i. 541; Catullus, lxiv. 225.

L. 1. Thyonée Thyoneus, i.e. son of Thyone, another name of Semele.

L. 2. Dionysius, Evan, Iacchus, Lenaeus, names of Bacchus. The origin of the first three is obscure, while Lenaeus is from [Greek: lêmos], a wine-press.

L. 9. étoilé. The fur of the lynx is spotted.

L. 11. aux axes de tes chars. Lat. axis (Fr. axe) is properly Fr. essieu (from Lat. axiculus), Eng. axle which has also been sometimes replaced by axis. (The O. E. word was ax (æx), related to Lat. axis.) But here axe is used, as in Latin, for roue, i.e. 'wheel.' See also note p. 65, XI, l. 2.

L. 17. Et le rauque tambour. Et does duty for ainsi que.

L. 18. Les hautbois tortueux--'tibia curva' Tibul, ii. I. 86.--les doubles crotales:, crotals, or crotala, are a sort of castanets. They are called doubles because they consisted of two little brass plates, or rods.