Invitent croceis halantes floribus horti : Ipse thymum pinosque ferens de montibus altis, Atque equidem, extremo ni jam sub fine laborum Quoque modo potis gauderent intyba rivis, NOTES. 109. Croceis floribus. Saffron flowers appear to be put here for odorous flowers in general. Halantes: in the sense of spi ntes. 111. Priapi. Priapus was fabled to have been the son of Bacchus and Venus. He was worshipped principally at Lampsacus, a city of Mysia Minor, near the Hellespont. Hence the epithet Hellespontiacus. The statue of Priapus was usually placed in gardens to protect them from thieves, and to fray away birds. Hence he is called, custos furum atque avium. The meaning appears to be: that the bees should be invited by such gardens as deserve to be under the protection of Priapus. Custos: in the sense of abactrix. See Ecl. vii. 33. 112. Thymum. This is not our common thyme, but the thymus capitatus, which grows in great plenty on the mountains in Greece. The Attic honey was considered the best, on account of the excellence of this thyme, which is found in abundance near Athens. 114. Duro labore: with the hard labor of transferring them from the mountains, and planting them around the hives. 115. Irriget: he should sprinkle, or pour the friendly water upon them-he should be careful to water these plants when thus transplanted, that they might flourish the more, and afford more abundant food for from sailing. On the approach to land, they take in, or furl their sails. 118. Pingues hortos. Some gardens among the ancients were much celebrated, especially those of the Hesperides, of Adonis, of Alcinoüs, &c. 119. Pasti. Pæstum was a town of Lucania, where the rose bloomed twice in a year; in September and May. Hence the epithet bifer. 120. Intyba: plu. endive, or succory. Potis rivis: in refreshing streams. 121. Apio: with parsley. This herb was called apium, from apes, because the bees were fond of it. Some take it for smallage or celery. 122. Cucumis tortus: the cucumber, creeping along the grass, swells. This is a Sera: concise. but beautiful description. an adj. neu. plu. used as an adv. in imitation of the Greeks; in the sense of serò. 123. Narcissum: the narcissus of the ancients is the herb we now call daffodil. Comantem: in the sense of florentem. Acanthi: Acanthus, the herb bears-foot. 125. Ebaliæ. This was the city of Tarentum in the eastern part of Italy, so called from Phatantus, a native of Ebalia, or Laconia, who rebuilt it. It was once inhabited by the Lacedemonians. 126. Galesus: a river in Calabria, falling into the gulf of Tarentum. It is called niger, either, on account of the depth of its waters, or of its banks being shaded by trees. Flaventia: yellow with ripening grain. Arva is understood. 127. Corycium. Either the name of the old man, or an adj. taken from the place of his nativity. Corycus was the name of a Jugera ruris erant; nec fertilis illa juvencis, mens rarum 1 139. Ergò idem senex erat primus abundare 141. Erant illi tiliæ, atque 134. Ille erat primus Primus vere rosam, atque autumno carpere poma: talia me commemoranda NOTES. mountain, and city of Cilicia in Asia Minor. Pompey made war upon the Cilicians; some of whom he brought and planted in Calabria near Tarentum. The old man here mentioned, might have been one of them. Relicti: barren-neglected, not worth tilling. Dr. Trapp renders it hereditary; left him by his ancestors. 128. Nec illa seges fertilis: nor was that land fit for ploughing, nor suitable for pasture, nor proper for the vine. Fertilis: in the sense of apta, or commoda. 129. Seges. This word most commonly signifies the crop after it is sown and coming forward to maturity. Here it means the soil or land itself. 130. Albaque lilia circùm : the white lilies were most celebrated, and the best known among the ancients. 131. Verbenas: the herb vervain. It was highly esteemed by the Romans. Premens: in the sense of plantans. Vescum papaver: the white poppy, called rescum, esculent, or eatable; because its seeds were roasted by the ancients, and eaten with honey. 137. Comam: in the sense of frondes. Hyacinthi. This is the reading of Heyne and Vossius, and of several ancient manuscripts. It appears to be approved of by Valpy, although he adopts the common reading, acanthi. Heyne leaves out tum, which is also retained by some editors. 139. Ergò idem primus. Having mentioned the advantage, which a diligent cultivation of his fields brought to the old Co 130 135 140 145 rycian, particularly in the culture of bees, he returned to his main subject. He was the first to abound, &c. Fatis: in the sense of fœcundis. 141. Favis: the comb-those cells which contain the honey. Tilia: the linden, or lime-tree. 142. Quotque pomis, &c. The meaning is, that as many blossoms as his fertile trees put forth in the spring, so much fruit they had in autumn. There were no false blooms, neither did they fail to bring all to maturity. Poma is to be supplied with matura. The word properly means apples, but it is used for all kind of fruit: as in the present case. 144. Distulit ulmos: he planted (transplanted) his elms in rows. Seras. Rumus says, tarde crescentes, slow growing. But the poet may mean, far grown, or sufficiently grown to be fit for transplanting; as he observes with respect to the other trees here mentioned. This is the opinion of Davidson and Valpy. 145. Spinos. Spinus, is the sloe tree. These were sufficiently grown to produce fruit; and the plane tree, to afford a considerable shade, before he transplanted them. 147. Iniquis spatiis: narrow bounds-insufficient room. 149. Nunc age. The poet now proceeds to treat of the polity of the bees-the method of depositing their honey-the regu lar management of their affairs-their obedience to their sovereign, &c. Addidit, expediam: pro quâ mercede, canoros Curetum sonitus crepitantiaque æra secutæ, Urbis habent, magnisque agitant sub legibus ævum ; NOTES. 150. Expediam: in the sense of describam. Pro quâ mercede. According to fable, Saturn intending to devour his infant son Jupiter, he was concealed by his mother among the Curetes, or Corybantes, her priests, the sound of whose brazen armour and cymbals, as they revelled, prevented his cries from betraying him to his father. It is said that Melissus was then king of Crete, whose daughters, Melissa nourished Jupiter with the milk of a goat and honey. Hence arose the story of his being nourished by a goat called Amalthea and bees, Melissa being the Greek name for bees. For which reason, the goat was translated to the heavens, and his horns given to the nymphs, with this quality added to them, that whatever they should ask for, should flow from them plenteously and for the service, which the bees rendered on this occasion, they were endowed by Jupiter with an extraordinary degree of sagacity and wisdom, as a reward. 152. Dictao: an adj. from Dicte, a city and mountain in Crete. On this mountain, it is said, Jupiter was brought up. 153. Consortia : in the sense of communia. 154. Agitant: in the sense of ducunt. The poet here speaks of the bees as living in a regular, and well organized society. 155. Certos penates: in the sense of fixas domos. 157. Experiuntur: they practise or use. 158. Victu: for victui. See Ecl. 5, 29. Invigilant: watch over-have the care of providing. Pacto fædere: in the sense of certa lege. 159. Exercentur: in the sense of laborant. Septa: the enclosures of their hives. 160. Narcissi. The flower of Narcissus, or daffodil, forms a kind of cup in the middle, which is supposed to contain the tear of the youth Narcissus, who pined away with the love of himself. See Ecl. ii. 48. 163. Educunt adultos fœtus: they nourish or tend upon their young, till they are full grown or, they lead forth their full grown young. Servius prefers the former sense: as also Ruæus. 164. Liquido: in the sense of puro. Nectare: nectar here, evidently, is to be taken for honey-the purest, and most refined part of it. 166. Aquas: in the sense of pluviam. 168. Fucos: the drones, a lazy herd. These are bees that make no honey. They have no stings, and they do not assist the others in their labors. Præsepibus. See note, verse 104. supra. 169. Opus fervet: the work glows-it goes on briskly. 170. Cùm properant Cyclopes. The Cyclops are said to have forged the thunderbolts of Jove. To this the poet alludes. This comparison of the bees in their labors, with those workmen of Jupiter in their shops, has been censured by some. Properant: in the sense of fabricantur. 172. Alii accipiunt: simply: some blow the bull-hide bellows. Lacu: in the trough of water. 177. Haberdi mella 178. Oppida sunt curæ grandævis : Accipiunt, redduntque alii stridentia tingunt 181. Plenæ quoad cru- Crura thymo plenæ : pascuntur et arbuta passim, ra thymo Et glaucas salices, casiamque, crocumque rubentem, 175 180 184. Est omnibus una Omnibus una quies operum, labor omnibus unus. quies Manè ruunt portis, nusquam mora: rursus easdem 185 Vesper ubi è pastu tandem decedere campis 185. Rursus, ubi vesper admonuit easdem decedere apes esse tempus tandem Admonuit, tum tecta petunt, tum corpora curant. el vento NOTES. 175. In numerum: they raise their arms in regular order, making a sort of harmony with the strokes of their hammers. Jamblicus informs us that the sound of the smith's hammer led Pythagoras to invent the monochord, an instrument for measuring the quantities, and proportions of sounds geometrically. 177. Cecropias: Attic, or Athenian bees, so called from Cecrops, the first king of Athens. The Attic honey was much celebrated. 178. Quamque suo munere: each one in his own office-department. 179. Dædala: an adj. from Dædalus, a very ingenious artificer of Athens. The word, as here used, signifies any thing artificial, or curiously and ingeniously wrought. 180. Minores: in the sense of juniores. 181. Plena crura. The hairiness of the legs of the bee is favorable to the retention of the juices, which they collect from the flowers. 132. Rubentem: yellow, or of a golden hue. Ruæus says, rufum. 183. Ferrugineos: purple-dark red. 184. Operum: in the sense of ab opere. Una: one and the same rest. 188. Oras: this Rumus interprets by vestibulum. Mussant: they buzz-they make a buzzing noise. 189. Thalamis: in the sense of cellis. 190 195 190. Suus: in the sense of proprius. Ruæus says, conveniens. 191. Stabulis. See note, verse 104. supra. 192. Euris. Eurus, the east wind, here put for wind in general: the species for the genus. 193. Aquantur. This verb appears to be used in the sense of the middle voice of the Greeks: they water themselves. This manner of expression is common with the poet. Rumus says, hauriunt aquas. 195. Saburram: ballast. This is some ponderous substance, as sand, gravel, iron, &c. that light vessels usually take on board to render them steady. 198. Nec indulgent, &c. This account of the production of bees here given by the poet, is justly exploded. It is found that no animal is produced without the concurrence of the sexes. However as this method was the general received one among the ancients, the poet might very well adopt it, whatever his own opinion might have been upon the subject. Pliny says of the bees: Foetus quonam modo progenerarent, magna inter eruditos, et subtilis quæstio fuit: Apum enim coitus visus est nusquam. This, however, modern philosophers have solved in a satisfactory manner. They have found that the laboring bees are of neither sex; that the In Venerem solvunt, aut fœtus nixibus edunt. Prætereà regem non sic Ægyptus, et ingens His quidam signis, atque hæc exempla secuti, NOTES. drones alone have the male organ of generation, and that the monarch is of the female sex. She is wholly employed in the increase of her family, laying several thousand eggs every summer, in each of which is hatched a small white worm, which in due time, changes itself into a drone or bee. Concubitu: for Concubitui. See Ecl. v. 29. 199. Nec solvunt: nor do they debilitate their bodies in lust. Segnes: in the sense of inertes vel inutiles. Edunt: in the sense of parturiunt. Nixibus: by labor, or tra vail. 200. Foliis: from the leaves of flowers. 201. Parvos Quirites: they raise up a king, and little subjects. The bees are here called Quirites, by meton. taken from the Romans, who were sometimes called Quirites from Romulus, who was also called Quirinus.See Æn. 1. 274. 204. Dedêre: in the sense of amiserunt. 207. Septima Estas. Aristotle informs us that bees live six, and sometimes seven years; but if the swarm subsists nine or ten years, it is considered fortunate. 208. At, in the sense of tamen. 210. Ægyptus. The name of the country put, by meton. for the inhabitants. The Egyptians were very great admirers of their monarchs, many of whom they deified. 211. Lydia: a country of Asia Minor, proverbial for its wealth, and the grandeur of its kings. Populi Parthorum: simply, the Parthians. They are said to have been so submissive to their king, as to kiss his feet, and to touch the ground with their lips, when they approached him. Hydaspes: the name of a river put, by meton. for the inhabitants of the country, through which it flowed. There have been various opinions and conjectures with a view to reconcile the poet with matters of fact. Hydaspes is a river of India, and falling into the Indus, forms one of its branches. How it could be called Median, with any propriety, does not appear. There might have been a small river by that name, rising in Media, to which the poet alludes. Mr. Davidson thinks the river Choaspes, which rises in Media, and passes through the province of Susiana, near Susa, one of the capitals of the Persian empire, is intendea. However this be, poets do not always confine themselves to historical or geographical precision. 212. Observant: in the sense of veneran tur. 213. Fidem: in the sense of societatem. 214. Crates: the structure or fabric. 215. Custos: in the sense of præses. 216. Denso fremitu: with loud buzzing or humming. 220. Haustus: in the sense of spiritus. |