Mutabit merces: omnis feret omnia tellus. Non rastros patietur humus, non vinea falcem : 40 rice, jam 43. Sed aries ipse in Ipse sed in pratis aries jam suavè rubenti pratis mutabit vellera Murice, jam croceo mutabit vellera luto: jam suavè rubenti muSponte suâ sandyx pascentes vestiet agnos. 46. Parcæ concordes Talia sæcla suis dixerunt, currite, fasis stabili numine fatorum Concordes stabili fatorum numine Parcæ. dixerunt suis fusis, O Aggredere, ô, magnos, aderit jam tempus, honores, talia sæcla, currite. Clara Deûm soboles, magnum Jovis incrementum ! magnum incrementum Aspice convexo nutantem pondere mundum, Jovis, aggredere mag- Terrasque, tractusque maris, cœlumque profundum : Aspice venturo lætentur ut omnia sæclo. clara soboles Deûm, nos honores : 45 50 55 53. O ultima pars () mihi tam longæ maneat pars ultima vitæ, tam longæ vitæ maneat Spiritûs et, quantùm sat erit tua dicere facta! mihi, et tantùm spiritûs, Non me carminibus vincet, nec Thracius Orpheus, quantum Nec Linus huic mater quamvis, atque huic pater adsit, Orphei Calliopea, Lino formosus Apollo. Pan etiam Arcadiâ mecum si judice certet, Pan etiam Arcadiâ dicat se judice victum. Incipe, parve puer, risu cognoscere matrem : NOTES. 42 Lana discet, &c. Nor shall the wool learn to counterfeit various colors. 44. Murice. Murex, a sea-fish of the shell kind. It is said to have been of great use among the ancients for dying purple. Hence, by meton. put for the purple color itself. Croceo: an adj. from crocum, or crocus, saffron. Luto: the Lutum was an herb used in dying yellow. Hence the color itself, by meton. Modern botanists describe it under the name of luteola, wild-woad, and dyer's weed. It is used in coloring both wool and silk. Mutabit: shall tinge, or dye. 45. Sandyx: the scarlet color-vermilion. 46. Fusis: to their spindles. 47. Parca. They were the daughters of Erebus and Nox, and said to be three in number: Clocho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They were supposed to preside over the birth, life, and death of mankind. The first was represented as presiding over the moment of birth, and holding a distaff in her hand; the second, as spinning out the events and actions of human life; the last as cutting the thread of it with a pair of scissors. They were considered powerful goddesses, and were worshipped with great solemnity. Stabili numine: in the fixed purpose or decree. Clara. Some copies have cara.Magnum incrementum : great son of Jove. 48. Aggredere. Ruæus says accede. 50. Aspice mundum: see the world with its globous mass or load, nodding (reeling to and fro) both the land, &c. Dr. Trapp takes convexo pondere in the sense of converi 60 ponderis, and connects it with mundum, and not with nutantem, as is commonly done. For he observes, that it is impossible for the earth to reel to and fro or nod, with its own weight or load. He chooses, therefore, to understand it of the load of its guilt and misery: mole malorum, vitiorumque; but rejoicing at the happy change about to be introduced, which is expressed in the next line: omnia lætentur sæclo futuro. Some explain the words, aspice mundum, &c., look with compassion upon a world, nutantem mole malorum vitiorumque: laboring and oppressed with a load of guilt and misery. Ut: in the sense of quomodo. 55. Non vincet. Non appears to be used in the sense of nullus. No one shall excel me in singing, neither Thracian, &c. 56. Linus. He was the son of Apollo and Terpsichore, one of the muses. He was an excellent musician, and the preceptor of Orpheus and Hercules. He is said to have been killed by the latter, by a stroke of his lyre, because he laughed at his singing. Quamvis mater Calliopea adsit, &c. Although the mother Calliopca should assist this Orpheus; and fair Apollo, the father, should assist this Linus. Orphei: a Greek dat. of Orpheus. 59. Arcadia judice: Arcadia being judge. Arcadia was an inland country of the Peloponnesus, famous for its excellent pastures. The whole of it was sacred to Pan. See Ecl. ii. 31. 60. Risu cognoscere, &c. Begin, sweet boy, to know thy mother by her smiles. Matri longa decem tulerunt fastidia menses. NOTES. 63. Nec Deus dignatus est hunc mensâ kind to the child. But upon the nature or extent of the threat, commentators are not agreed. It is generally thought that reference is here made to verse 15, where the babe was promised divine honors: ille ac cipiet vitam Deorum; and lest he should fail of it, the poet urges him to smile upon his parents, that in turn they might smile upon him. For, on whom his parents have not smiled, him hath a god neither honoured with his table, nor a goddess with her bed. Thus Dr. Trapp. QUESTIONS. What does Justin Martyr say of her residence? Who was Saturn? What is said of him? Whence did Latium derive its name? How did Saturn employ his time after his banishment to Italy? How many ages do the poets mention before the deluge in the reign of Deucalion? Describe those ages? Who was Apollo? What is said of him? What did he then do? Where were his most celebrated oracles? What were his names? Who was Pollio? To what honors did he arrive? Was it through his means that Virgil recovered his land? In what way? To what age did he live? Who were the Parca? How many in number? What was their supposed office? ECLOGA QUINTA. MENALCAS, MOPSUS. THE subject of this excellent pastoral is the death of some eminent person under the character of Daphnis. But concerning the person intended, there have been various conjectures. It is most probable the poet had in view Julius Cæsar, who was killed in the senate-house by Brutus; and afterwards enrolled among the Roman deities. By Menalcas, we are to understand Virgil; and by Mopsus, some poet of reputation, who probably had been Virgil's pupil. Rumus thinks it was written when some games or sacrifices were performed in honor of Caesar. The scene is beautiful, and adapted to the subject. The shepherds sit on the verdant grass in the awful gloom of a grotto, overhung with wild vines. The pastoral is properly divided into two parts-the Lamentation at his death, and his Deification, or Apotheosis. 1. Mopse, quoniam ME. CUR non, Mopse, boni quoniam convenimus ambo, convenimus una, Tu calamos inflare leves, ego dicere versus, ambo boni; tu bonus Hic corylis mixtas inter consedimus ulmos? inflare leves calamos, ego bonus dicere versus; Mo. Tu major: tibi me est æquum parere, Menalca cur non consedimus hic Sive sub incertas Zephyris motantibus umbras. inter ulmos mixtas cory- Sive antro potiùs succedimus: aspice, ut antrum lis? 5. Sub imus umbras incertas motantibus, 6. Aspice ut sylves Sylvestris raris sparsit labrusca racemis. 5 ME. Montibus in nostris solus tibi certet Amyntas. Mo. Quid si idem certet Phoebum superare canendo? ME. Incipe, Mopse, prior, si quos aut Phyllidis ignes, 9. Idem. Amyntas certet Aut Alconis habes laudes, aut jurgia Codri. tris labrusca sparsit 11 NOTES. 1. Boni: skilful-expert. An adj. agree- tree, it put forth leaves. Ignis: by meton. ing with nos, understood. love; also the object loved. 4. Major. Thou art the older or it may archer of Crete. mean, my superior, in singing. 5. Umbras: shades. By meton. put for the trees causing them. Incertas: waving -moving to and fro. 1. Sylvestris labrusca. Simply, the wild vine. Raris racemis: with thin bunches of grapes -its bunches scattered here and there. 10. Si habes aut quos ignes: if you have oither any loves of Phyllis, or, &c. She was the daughter of Lycurgus, king of Thrace, and fell in love with Demophoon, the son of Theseus, king of Athens, on his return from the Trojan war. He went home to settle some business, and tarrying longer than the time appointed for their nuptials, Phyllis, imagining herself reglected, hung herself, and was changed into a leafless almond-tree. Demophoon afterwards returned, and on his embracing the 11. Alconis. Gen. of Alcon, a celebrated He aimed an arrow so truly at a serpent, entwined around the body of his son, that he killed him without injuring the child. Jurgia Codri: the strife or contentions of Codrus. He was the son In a war with the Lacedemonians, it was of Menander, and the last king of Athens. given out by an oracle that victory should be on that side, whose king was slain. In the mean time the enemy had given strict charge not to hurt the Athenian king. Being informed of this, as well as of what the oracle had given out, Codrus put on the habit of a peasant, went among the enemy, raised a quarrel, and suffered himself to be slain. As soon as this was known, the Lacedemonians were panic-struck, and the Athenians obtained a complete victory. This noble sacrifice of himself for the good of his country, so endeared his name to them, that they considered no person worthy to succeed him. Incipe: pascentes servabit Tityrus hædos. ME. Lenta salix quantùm pallenti cedit olivæ, Mo. Sed tu desine plura, puer: successimus antro. Atque Deos atque astra vocat crudelia mater. 25. O Daphni, non 26 ulli pastores egere pas Frigida, Daphni, boves ad flumina : nulla neque amnem NOTES. 15. Modulans alterna notavi: tuning, or singing them alternate, I wrote them down. Experiar: I will try attempt. Carmina: verses. 17. Saliunca: the herb lavender. Puniceis rosetis: to red rose-beds: or by meton. the red rose. Puniceus, sometimes written Phaniceus, an adj. from Phænicia, a country lying along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, including Tyre and Sidon, famous for its purple or red color. The same word is used for an inhabitant of Carthage, because that city was founded by a colony from Tyre, or Phoenicia. 20. Daphnim extinctum: Daphnis slain, or cut off by a cruel death. This circum stance applies very well to the case of Julius Cesar, who was slain unexpectedly, receiving no less than twenty-three wounds with the dagger. 22. Cùm mater complexa: when the mother embracing, &c. Cerdanus understands by mater the wife of Cæsar, who a little before his death dreamed her husband was stabbed in his breast. Ruæus understands Rome, and Dr. Martyn Venus. Vocat, &c. She calls the gods and stars cruel-she blames the gods and cruel stars. Vocal, Dr. Trapp takes for vocabat, where the sense evidently determines it. 25. Amnem: in the sense of aquam. 26. Nulla quadrupes. Ruæus thinks the poet hath in his view a passage in Suetonius. Speaking of the prodigies which preceded the death of Cæsar, he says: Proximis diebus equorum greges, quos in tra 30 tos boves jiciendo Rubicone flumine consecrâral, ac vagos et sine custode dimiserat, comperil pertinacissimè pabulo abstinere, ubertimque flere. In this case, by quadrupes, we are to understand equus, a horse. Libavit: drank -tasted. 27. Panos leones: African lions. Ptenos: in the sense of Punicos, vel Africanos. Carthage was the principal city of Africa.Hence by synec. it may be put for Africa in general. Being founded by a colony from Phenicia, its inhabitants were called Pani, as well as Carthaginienses. These lions are mentioned, either because they were the most savage, or because Africa abounded in lions, and other savage beasts. 23. Interitum: in the sense of mortem. Feri: wild-uncultivated. 29. Armenias: an adj. from Armenia, an extensive country of Asia, abounding in tigers. Curru, for currui, the dat. case. Nouns of the fourth declension sometimes formed the gen. in uis, and when the gen.. was contracted into ús, the dat. was sometimes contracted into u. Many instances of this contraction we find in Virgil and other writers. 30. Thiasos. Thiasus, a kind of dance. The word is of Greek origin. 31. Intexere lentas hastas, &c. To wreath, or entwine limber spears, &c. Rumus interprets intexere, by induere. 32. Ut vilis est decori arboribus: as the vine is for an ornament to the trees, as the grapes, &c. The words sunt decori arc to be supplied. Ut gregibus tauri, segetes ut pinguibus arvis ; 34. Sie tu eras omne Tu decus omne tuis: postquam te fata tulerunt, decus tuis Ipsa Pales agros, atque ipse reliquit Apollo. 36. In sulcis, quibus Grandia sæpe quibus mandavimus hordea sulcis, grandia Infelix lolium, et steriles nascuntur avenæ. Pro molli viola, pro purpureo narcisso, Carduus et spinis surgit paliurus acutis. mandavimus hordea, sæpe Spargite humum foliis; inducite fontibus umbras, 40 43. Ego Daphnis ja- Daphnis ego in sylvis, hinc usque ad sidera notus; cio hic in sylvis, notus Formosi pecoris custos, formosior ipse. hinc ME. Tale tuum carmen nobis, divine poëta, Nec calamis solùm æquiparas, sed voce magistrum. 45 50. Tamen nos dice- Nos tamen hæc quocunque modo tibi nostra vicissim 50 mus hæc nostra carmina Dicemus; Daphninque tuum tollemus ad astra ; Daphnin ad astra feremus: amavit nos quoque Daphnis. Mo. An quicquam nobis tali sit munere majus ? Et puer ipse fuit cantari dignus, et ista ME. Candidus insuetum miratur limen Olympi, 58. Ergo alacris vo- Ergò alacris sylvas et cætera rura voluptas, NOTES. 34. Tu omne decus tuis: so thou wast all the ornament to thy friends. Tuis: to thy fellow swains. Virgil represents Daphnis, whoever he be, as a swain and shepherd. 35. Pales. See Geor. iii. 1. Apollo. He is considered here under the character of the god of shepherds. See Ecl. iv. 10. 36. Hordea: barley, here put for any kind of grain; the species for the genus. 37. Infelix lolium: the hurtful cockle. 38. Narcisso: the flower Narcissus, of which there are two kinds, the white and the purple. See Ecl. ii. 46. 39. Carduus: the thistle. Paliurus: a species of thorn. It abounds in Italy. 42. Carmen: an epitaph, or inscription. 45. Tale tuum carmen. The elegance and sweetness of this and the two following lines are not to be equalled, unless by the answer, which Mopsus returns in verse 82, et sequens. Es! is to be supplied. 47. Restinguere, &c. To allay thirst in a purling rivulet of sweet water in the summer heat. This is a most beautiful comparison. Nothing could give a livelier idea of the charms of his music, and the melody of his song. 48. Magistrum: the master. It appears from this, that Mopsus had been a pupil of Menalcas, and much esteemed by him. 55 49. Alter ab illo: the next from him-the next in fame after him. 50. Quocunque modo: in some manner or other as well as I can. 52. Daphnis, &c. As we are to understand Virgil under the character of Menalcas, it is urged that Daphnis cannot be Julius Cæsar, because Virgil was little known in his time. But Ruæus explains it of the Mantuans in general, who, with the other inhabitants of Cis-alpine Gaul, were cherished and protected by Cæsar. 53. An quicquam sit: can there be any thing more acceptable (majus) to me than such an employment? 54. Puer ipse. Servius infers from this that Daphnis cannot be Julius Cæsar, since he was 56 years old when he was killed. Ruæus understands it of his being lately enrolled among the gods. But this is an unnecessary refinement, and the objection of Servius will be of no weight, when it is considered that Virgil speaks of Daphnis under the character of a shepherd, or swain. See 43 and 44, supra; and puer is the word generally used to denote either. 56. Candidus: white-clothed in white. This is an emblem of divinity; white being the color assigned to the celestial gods, as black is to the infernal gods. Insuetum: a |