That is to substitute an exemplification for a definition (one of the commonest errors committed by philosophically uneducated lexicographers): _rubeus_, being the adjective derived from _rubus_, may denote the being in any relationship to its principle, not merely that of artificial construction; here it specifies the kind of twig, namely that of a bramble. That the bramble twigs are made into a wicker basket hardly seems a problem, and would not even if it were the material and not the form--the shape and function--that defined the _fiscina_: Latin poetry is not governed by principles of informational economy.I am having some difficulty deconstructing a line in Georgics I. It is 266 "nunc facilis rubea texatur fiscina virga".
In my dictionaries 'rubeus' is given as 'made from bramble',
On _facilis_ see David Wray, 'What Poets Do: Tibullus on "Easy" Hands', _Classical Philology_, 98/3 (July, 2003), 217-50.
Leofranc Holford-Strevens -- *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Leofranc Holford-Strevens 67 St Bernard's Road usque adeone Oxford scire MEVM nihil est, nisi ME scire hoc sciat alter? OX2 6EJ
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