Vestalis, a younger son of Cottius, monarch of a small kingdom in the Alps (see at 29 [p 253]), was _primipilaris_ of the legion of the area (perhaps the _V Macedonica_). He had just been named administrator of the region around Tomis (see at 1); as an important local official, he was a natural choice as recipient of one of Ovid's letters. The poem starts with a description of the harsh climate of Tomis, to which Vestalis along with Ovid can now testify, and of the savagery of the inhabitants (1-12). This serves as a bridge to a compliment to Vestalis on being named _primipilaris_ (13-18), and to the main body of the poem, a long and rather conventional description of how Vestalis led the final attack in the recovery of Aegissos (19-52). In the concluding distich Ovid declares that he has rendered immortal the deeds of Vestalis. =1. ORAS= (_CI_) seems more suited to the nature of Vestalis' command than VNDAS, the reading of the other manuscripts. After _Euxinas_, corruption from _oras_ to _undas_ would be very easy, the inverse less so. Ovid does not elsewhere use _Euxinae orae_, the usual substantives with _Euxinus_ being _aquae_, _mare_, _fretum_, and, closest in meaning, _litus_, for which see iii 51 'litus ad Euxinum ... ibis', _Tr_ V ii 63-64 'iussus ad Euxini deformia litora ueni / aequoris', and _Tr_ V iv 1. =2. POSITIS ... SVB AXE= in effect acts as a single adjective meaning 'northern'; _axe_ plays a subordinate role and so does not require an epithet. The phrasing may be based on Accius 566-67 Ribbeck2 '[ora ...] _sub axe posita_ ad Stellas septem, unde horrifer / Aquilonis stridor gelidas molitur niues'. _Lycaonio ... sub axe_ at _Tr_ III ii 2. =3. ASPICIS EN PRAESENS.= Compare ix 81-86, where Ovid invites Graecinus to ask his brother Flaccus, recently stationed in the Pontus, about conditions of life in the area. =3. IACEAMVS.= 'Lie suffering': similarly used at _EP_ I iii 49 'orbis in extremi _iaceo_ desertus harenis', I vii 5, II ix 4 & III i 85 'ut minus infesta _iaceam_ regione labora'. =4. FALSA ... QVERI.= Perhaps a common phrase: Professor R. J. Tarrant cites Sallust _Iug_ 1 '_Falso queritur_ de natura sua genus humanum'. =5-6. ACCEDET ... FIDES.= 'People will believe'. Compare Cic _Diu_ I 5 'Cratippusque ... isdem rebus _fidem tribuit_, reliqua diuinationis genera reiecit' and Tac _Germ_ 3 4 'ex ingenio quisque _demat uel addat fidem_' 'each can believe or disbelieve this according to his disposition'. =5-6. NON IRRITA ... FIDES= = _rata fides_, a phrase meaning 'trustworthiness', _rata_ having no special force. Compare _Met_ III 341 'prima _fide_ [genitive] ... _ratae_ temptamina', _Tr_ I v 49-50 'multa credibili tulimus _ratamque_, / quamuis acciderint, non habitura _fidem_', and _Tr_ III x 35-36 'cum sint praemia falsi / nulla, _ratam_ debet testis habere _fidem_'. Note the hyperbaton in all these passages.