105. Spatium cœli pateat. Damætas here proposes a very intricate riddle. Various have been the conjectures to solve it. It is most generally thought that the place in tended is the bottom of a well, from whence the space of the heavens appears no broader than its mouth, which in the general may be taken for three ells.

107. Flores nascantur inscripti. Without solving the riddle of Damætas, Menalcas proposes this one, and it is an equal match for his. The solution of it is all conjecture. It is generally supposed that the hyacinth is the flower alluded to. Nomina inscripti: inscribed as to the names of kings or with the names of kings. See Ecl. I. 55.

108. Non nostrum: it is not in my power

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110

109. Et tu es dignus vitulâ, et hic.

110. Quisquis aut metuet dulces amores, aut experietur amaros amo

res.

to settle, &c. Est is to be supplied. Paiœmon declares his inability to determine the controversy between them; but pronounces them both worthy of the prize.

110. Metuet dulces: shall fear successful love-shall fear that it would not be lasting. Experietur amaros: shall experience disappointed love-love not returned or reciprocated.

111. Claudite. This is a beautiful line: shut up your streams, O swains, the meads have drunk enough. It is a metaphor taken from rivers refreshing the meadows through which they pass; to music and poetry, delighting the ear, the fancy, and the judgment. It implies that it was time to cease their song; they had given sufficient proofs of their skill in music.

merates ten: The Delphica, Erythræa, Cumaa, Samia, Cumana, Hellespontica, Libyca, Persica, Phrygia, and the Terburtina. Of these, the one most noted was the Cumaan. She seems to have been the same that the Greeks called Erythræa, from the circumstance of her being born at Erythræ in Ionia, of the Lesser Asia; from whence she removed to Cuma, in Italy. Carminis: in the sense of vaticinii.

5. Magnus ordo. Some suppose that the poet here hath reference to the great Platonic year; of which Claudius says, Ch. 1 of the sphere: Omnia, quæcunque in mundo sunt, eodem ordine esse reditura, quò nunc cernuntur. This would embrace the period of 25,920 of our years; when the equinoxes will have made the circuit of the ecliptic, and the same stars, which describe the equator, tropics, and polar circles, by the diurnal motion of the earth, will describe them over again. Ruæus, however, is of a different opinion, and very justly understands by magnus, great and illustrious; implying that the period of which the poet spake as then commencing, should be distinguished by great and illustrious characters. Sæclorum, by syncope for sæculorum. Sæculum properly signifies the period of a hundred years. It is also used to denote an indefinite period, as in the present instance.

6. Virgo. The poet here means Astræa, the goddess of justice, the daughter of Jupiter and Themis. See nom. prop. under Astræa. Saturnia regna: the reign of Saturn. According to fable, Saturn was the son of Calus and Terra, or Vesta. Cœlus confined in Tartarus all his sons, except Saturn; who with the assistance of his mother, banished his father, and set his brothers at liberty. He succeeded to the kingdom by the consent of his brother Titan, on the condition that he should raise no male offspring. He accordingly devoured his sons as soon as they were born. But when Jupiter was born, his wife Rhea, or Ops, unwilling to see all her sons perish, concealed him; giving to her husband a stone in room of the child, which he devoured, without discovering the cheat. In the same way she preserved Neptune and Pluto.

Titan being informed that his brother had broken the terms of their contract, made war upon him, and made both him and his wife prisoners; they were, however, soon

5

8. Tu modò, casta Lucina, fave nascenti puero, sub quo ferrea gens primum desinet, ac aurea gens surget toto 10 mundo.

set at liberty by Jupiter. But Saturn did not long remain mindful of this favor. He conspired against him to dethrone him, and possess the empire himself. Upon this, Jupiter banished him from heaven. He came to Italy, which was afterwards called Latium, from the circumstance of its being the place of his concealment; from the verb lateo. Janus, who was then king, received him with hospitality, and made him partner in his kingdom. Saturn employed his time in civilizing his subjects, teaching them agriculture, and the several arts and sciences. His reign was so mild, so beneficent and virtuous, that it came to be denominated the Golden Age, to intimate the happiness and tranquillity which then were enjoyed. The Silver Age succeeded, when men began to degenerate, and their peace to be disturbed by feuds and animosities. The Brasen Age followed, when avarice and licentiousness took possession of the heart. To this succeeded the Iron Age, when the world became sunk into a general and total depravity. These four ages are much spoken of by the poets, but particularly the first. By this time men had become so wicked and degenerate, that they were all destroyed by a deluge, which took place in the reign of Deucalion, king of Thessaly. He and his wife Pyrrha were the only survivors.

8. Fave nascentt puero: favor, or be propitious to the infant boy. Nascens does not refer here so much to his birth, as to his infant years. As Lucina had safely brought the child into the world, it is the desire of the poet that she should continue her attention and regard to him during the dangers of infancy.

9. Gens in the sense of atas.

10. Casta Lucina. Lucina was the goddess supposed to preside over child-bearing, and called Lucina from lux, because through her means children were brought to see the light. This office was attributed both to Juno and Diana; the latter of whom is the one here meant, as appears from Tuus jam regnat Apollo: now thy Apollo reigns.This hath led some into a singularity. By Apollo they would understand Augustu and by Lucina his sister Octavia. Virgn was fond of complimenting his prince, but there can be no necessity of such an interpretation here. Ruæus understands it of Apollo himself, who may be said to reiga,

O Pollio.

bocause it is now manifest that his predictions are true. Apollo was the god, under whose influence the Sibyls were, when they prophesied, or gave out their oracles.

Apollo was the son of Jupiter and Latona, and brother of Diana. Juno, in order to vent her rage against Latona, sent the scrpent Python, to vex and torment her. She was unable to find a place where she could be delivered of her children in peace, till Neptune, taking pity on her, raised the island Delos, where she was safely delivered of Apollo and Diana at a birth. As soon as he was born, Apollo slew the serpent Python, from which circumstance he is sometimes called Pythius. He was accounted the god of medicine, music, poetry, and eloquence, all of which, it is said, he invented. His son Esculapius being killed by Jupiter for raising the dead, he in turn slew the Cyclops, who had made the thunderbolt that slew him. Jupiter being much enraged at this piece of conduct, banished him from heaven, and deprived him of his dignity. He came to Admetus, king of Thessaly, and hired himself as a shepherd, in which employment he served nine years. Hence he is sometimes called the god of shepherds. Apollo was amorous, and had many children. His worship was very general. At Delphi, Delos, Claros, Tenedos, Patara, &c. he had celebrated oracles. He had several names: Pythius, already mentioned; Delius, from the island Delos, where he was born; Cynthius, from Cynthus, the name of a mountain on the same island; Paan, from a Greek word which signifies to strike, or wound, in allusion to his killing the Python ; Delphicus, from Delphi, in Phocis, where he had his most famous temple and oracle; Clarus, &c. He was called Phabus, or Sol, in heaven. There were several among the ancients, who went under the name of Apollo. Cicero mentions three, besides the son of Jupiter and Latona.

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as magnus ordo sæclorum, verse 5, supra. Pollio. A very distinguished Roman. He arrived to the highest honors that the people could bestow. He was appointed Præfectus of Hispania Ulterior by Julius Cæsar. On some occasion or other, being in Cis-alpine Gaul, he became acquainted with Virgil, for whom he conceived a very high regard,and recommended him to Mecenas, who was then at Rome. A way was thus opened to our poet for the recovery of his lands. In the year of Rome, 714, Pollio was ap pointed consul, and in the following year he triumphed over the Partheni, a people of Illyricum, who adhered to the party of Brutus and Cassius. He wrote the history of the civil wars, and was both a poet and orator. He died in the eightieth year of his age, and in the year of Rome, 757.

13. Siqua vestigia, &c. The poet here alludes, most probably, to the perjury of Laomedon, king of Troy; to which the Trojans attributed their misfortunes and calamities. See Geor. I. 502; or to the civil wars which were carried on between Cæsar and Pompey. Or lastly, to the death of Julius Cæsar, who was slain by Brutus in the senate house; which was the cause of a second civil war, between Brutus and Cassius on the one part, and Octavius and Anthony on the other. It terminated in the ruin of the Republic, and in the establishment of the Empire.

14. Irrita: being effaced, or done away, will free the earth, &c. Irrita, of in negativum, and ratus; agreeing with vestigia.

15. Ille accipiet vitam: he shall partake the life of the gods, &c. Here is an allusion to the Golden Age, when, the poets say, the gods had familiar intercourse with men, and dwelt on the earth. That happy period was again about to return.

12. Magni menses. Servius and Pomponius think we are to understand the months of July and August, because they bore the names of Julies and Augustus. But we are undoubtedly to understand the magni menses here, in the same manner and sense,