The Works of Virgil

This page consists of parchment with text inscribed in late antique Rustic Capitals. A modern circular archival stamp from the Vatican Library is visible in the center, overlaying the ancient Latin script. The parchment shows significant aging, with some staining and irregular edges.

THE GEORGICS

BOOK III

When the fourth summer has been received, three years being completed,
Let him soon begin to wheel in the circle original: "gyrum"; a training exercise where the horse is led in circles to develop flexibility and rhythm. and to sound with regular steps,
And let him bend the alternating folds of his legs This refers to the rhythmic "tucking" or bending of the joints during a trot or gallop.,
And let him be as one who is toiling; then let him challenge the breezes in the race.
Then, flying through the open spaces as if free from the reins,
Let him scarcely place his topmost footprints on the surface of the sand.
Just as when the dense North Wind original: "Aquilo" has come down from the Hyperborean From the Greek "Hyperboreoi," referring to a mythical land "beyond the North Wind," used here to signify the extreme, cold north. borders,
And broods over the Scythian The vast, cold steppes of modern-day Russia and Ukraine, associated in antiquity with fierce winds and nomadic horsemen. winters and scatters the dry clouds;
Then the tall crops and the waving fields
Shudder with gentle blasts, and the tops of the forests
Give out a sound, and the long waves press toward the shores.
He [the horse/wind] flies, at once sweeping the fields and sweeping the plains.
From here, he will either sweat at the goals of the Elean original: "Elei"; referring to Elis, the district in Greece where the Olympic games were held. course and the greatest
Spaces of the field, and cast bloody foam from his mouth,
Or he will better bear the Belgic chariots original: "Belgica esseda"; a two-wheeled war chariot used by the Celts, which Virgil suggests a well-trained horse can pull with ease. on his soft neck.
Then at last, let their great bodies grow with thick fodder original: "farragine"; a mixed grain mash used to bulk up livestock.,
Only once they are broken in; for if allowed before they are tamed,
They will lift up great spirits, and once caught, they will refuse
To endure the flexible whip and to obey the hard jagged-bits original: "lupatis"; literally "wolf-teeth bits," which were horse bits with sharp, jagged protrusions used to control headstrong animals..