esse

cis omnes alios

34. Prolixaque mea barba sunt tibi odio.

mala

21. Manalios versus: Mænalean, or pastoral verses-such as used to be sung on mount Mænalus in Arcadia. It was sacred to Pan. By reason of its pleasant groves, and whispering pines, it was much frequented by shepherds, where they sang their loves. The poet personifies the mountain, and makes it listen to the songs of shepherds.

22. Loquentes: whispering-tuneful. 24. Qui primus: who first, &c. See Ecl. ii. 31. Inertes: in the sense of inutiles.

27. Gryphes: griffons. They were fabulous animals, having the body of a lion, and the wings and beak of an eagle.

28. Dama timidi: the timid deer. Ad pocula: in the sense of ad aquam, vel potum; by meton.

29. Incide faces. It was a custom among the Romans to lead the bride to the house of her husband with lighted torches before her. These torches were pieces of pine, or some unctuous wood, which were cut to a point, that they might be lighted the easier. It was usual to have five of these torches. Hence ducere uxorem, came to signify, to marry a wife; it is said of the husband: nubere viro, to marry a husband; this is said of the wife.

30. Sparge nuces: scatter nuts. It was a custom among the Romans at nuptials, for the husband to throw nuts, &c. upon the floor, that the boys and the rest of the company might divert themselves in gathering them. Hesperus deserit Oetam tibi: the evening star is leaving Oeta for you. Oeta was a mountain, or rather range of mountains, of great height, in Thessaly. The inhabitants of Attica and Beotia being to the

25

31

35

40

eastward, would observe the stars retiring or settling behind it. Hence, as it respected them, the expression is the same as saying, the evening star is setting, and consequently the evening somewhat advanced; which would not be an unpleasant circumstance to the new-married couple.

34. Hirsutum supercilium: my rough, or shaggy eyebrows. There could be no ground of complaint against Nisa for not loving these, and his long beard. These surely possess no charms. But as Dr. Trapp observes, the ground of his complaint lay in this: that her cruelty and scorn had so disheartened him, as to render him negligent of his outward appearance.

35. Mortalia: things done by mortals. This line is both beautiful and pathetic.

37. In nostris sepibus: in our enclosures gardens, fields. This and the four following lines are extremely delicate, and show the hand of a master. The circumstances here enumerated, the age of the young shepherd, his being just able to reach the boughs, his officiousness in helping the girl and her mother gather the fruit, and his falling in love with her at the same time, are so well chosen, and happily expressed, that we may consider this passage as one of those happy and delicate touches which characterize the writings of Virgil. Roscida. By this we are to understand, Heyne observes, that the apples were wet with the dew of the morning. This will determine the time of the day, when they took their walk into the orchard.

39. Alter annus, &c. Lit. another year after the eleventh had just then taken me→ I had just entered my twelfth year.

41. Ut vidi, ut, &c. How I gazed, how I languished, how a fatal delusion carried me away! Nothing can exceed this line in tenderness of expression. The me malus abstulit error, represents him as snatched from himself, deprived of his reason and judgment, and lost in wonder and admiration, while he surveyed her beauteous form, and attractive charms. It also conveys to us a just idea of the nature of love, which is often delusive, deceptive, and unsuccessful, as was the particular case of Damon. Error: in the sense of insania, vel amor, says Heyne. Malus: fatal-unhappy.

44. Ismarus, &c. Ismarus and Rhodope were two very wild and rocky mountains in Thrace. Garamantes. These were a savage people inhabiting the interior parts of Africa. Hence they are here called extremi.

45. Edunt: plainly for ederunt, by Enallage; and that in the sense of produxerunt or genuerunt.

47. Matrem. Medea, the daughter of Etes, king of Colchis, a famous sorceress. She fell in love with Jason, one of the Argonauts, and by her directions and assist ance, he obtained the golden fleece. She married him, and returned with him to Thessaly. He afterwards repudiated her, and married Creusa, the daughter of the king of Corinth. In revenge for which, she slew the children, whom she bore him, before his eyes. See Ovid. Met. 7. Docuit: in the sense of impulit.

48. Commaculare: in the sense of polluere. 50. Improbus: wicked-impious. 52. Nunc lupus ultrò, &c. Now may the wolf of his own accord flee from the sheep; the hard oaks, &c. As if he had said: now

45 45. Edunt illum in duris cotibus, puerum nec nostri generis, nec nostri sanguinis

48. Tu, O mater eras quoque crudelis: eras ne 50 mater magis crudelis, an ille puer magis improbus ille puer erat improbus; sed tu, O mater, quoque eras crudelis.

55

60. Habeto tu hoc extremum munus tui mo60 rientis amatoris

the natural course of things may be changed. The most unlikely and unnatural things may take place, since a woman is found capable of such unfeeling and cruel conduct. 53. Alnus: the alder-tree. Narcisso: the

flower daffodil. See Ecl. ii. 46.

54. Myrica:

shrubs-tamarisks. The word is sometimes taken for pastoral poetry. Sudent: in the sense of stillent. Electra pinguia: rich amber.

55. Tityrus sit Orpheus, &c. May Tityrus become an Orpheus;-Orpheus in the woods, and an Orion among the dolphins. Orion was a famous lyric poet of Lesbos, who, on his return home from Italy with great wealth, was cast into the sea by the sailors for the sake of his money. A dolphin that had been charmed with his music, it is said, took him on his back, and carried him safe to Tanarus, a town on the southern promontory of the Peloponnesus. For Orpheus, see Ecl. iii. 46.

58. Omnia vel medium, &c. Let all things become even the middle of the sea-the deep sea. Since I must perish, let all the world be drowned. Vivite: elegantly put for valete.

59. Specula: the top, or summit. It properly signifies any eminence which commands a prospect of the country around it, Aërii montis. This may allude to the famous rock in Arcadia, called the lover's leap; from which, those, who threw themselves into the sea, were cured of their love.

60. Deferar. This appears to be used in the sense of the Greek middle voice, which generally hath a reflex signification: I will throw myself.

quæ

63. Nos omnes non

Experiar sensus.

Nihil hic nisi carmina desunt.

65

70

versa

et

75

80

81. Sic Daphnis emolliatur nostro

83. Ego uro hanc

63. Pierides: the Muses. They were so called from Pieria, where, it is said, they were born. See Ecl. iii. 60.

64. Effer aquam. Here Alphesibœus personates some enchantress, who by charms and magic rites endeavors to make Daphnis in love with her. The words are supposed to be addressed to her servant maid Amaryllis, mentioned verse 78, infra.

65. Verbenas. A species of plant or herb called vervain, much used in magic operations. It is sometimes taken for all kinds of herbs used in such rites. Mascula. By this we are to understand the strongest and best kind of frankincense.

66. Ut experiar: that I may try to turn away the sound mind of my spouse: i. e. throw him into a violent passion for me, causing him to lose his reason and judgment. Conjur, here means an intended or expected husband. By it we are to understand Daphnis, who it seems had left her for some other mistress. Sacris: rites, or ceremonies.

67. Carmina: charms-a solemn form of words; to which the ancients attributed great efficacy.

70. Circe. The name of a famous sorcercss. See En. vii. 10.

71. Cantando: ger. in do, of the verb canto. Ruæus says: dum incantatur: while the incantations or magic rites are performing.

73. Triplici colore: with triple color. The ancients had a great veneration for the number three. This was thought the most

perfect of all numbers, having regard to the beginning, the middle, and the end. Diversa diversified-various.

74. Circumdo: in the sense of circumligo. 78. Veneris: in the sense of amoris. Modò: in the sense of nunc.

80. Ut hic Limus, &c. The sorceress made two images or figures, one of mud (limus) to represent herself; the other of wax (cera) to represent Daphnis. The former would naturally harden, and the other melt in the same fire. It was the rcceived opinion that as the image melted and consumed, so did the person it represented melt and dissolve into love, losing all his cruelty and hardness of heart toward his mistress; while she, who was represented by the other figure, would grow harder, and more indifferent to the object of her love.

82. Sparge molam: break, or scatter the salt-cake. The mola was a kind of cake much used in sacrifices. It was made of the flour of grain that grew the same year, highly seasoned with salt. It was placed upon the forehead of the victim, and upon the fire. Incende: burn the crackling laurels with bitumen. The laurels were burnt to consume the flesh of Daphnis, on whose account these rites were performed. The cake was crumbled upon his image, or upon the victims in sacrifices. Such was the nature of these ridiculous rites.

83. Malus Daphnis: cruel Daphnis burns me; I burn this laurel upon Daphnis-upon his image. By burning the effigy of a per

85

85. Utinam talis amor occupet Daphnim, qualis, cùm bucula fessa quærendo juvencum per nemora, atque altos lu89 cos, procumbit

95

89. Teneat Daphnim 95. Mæris ipse dedit has herbas

96. Enim plurima venena nascuntur in Ponto. Ego vidi Mærin ipsum sæpe fieri lupum his venenis, et condere se sylvis; vidi illum sæpe 101 excire

son magically, it was thought that they burnt the person himself; or that some how or other, he was affected in a similar manner. 85. Jurencum: the bull. Talis. Here is an ellipsis of the words, occupat juvencam, or some other of the like import, to make the sense complete.

87. Ulva: a kind of sedge, or meadowgrass. Some copies have herba.

88. Perdita: wretched-desperate; without hope of finding the object of her search. Nee sera nocti, &c. She is so intent upon the object of her love, that she thinks of nothing else she thinks not of returning home, even though it be late at night. De cedere sera nocti: to yield or give place to the late night.

89. Mederi: to cure him.

91. Ille perfidus, &c. That perfidious (shepherd) formerly left these clothes with me, as the dear pledges of himself. It appears hence that Daphnis had pledged his love to her, but afterward violated his word. This justifies the use of the word conjux, as applied to him, verse 66.

92. In ipso limine: in the very threshold, or entrance. Servius thinks we are to understand the entrance of the temple of Vesta; others, of Daphnis' own house. But it is better to understand it of her own house, for it appears that here she performed her magic rites.

93. Mando: in the sense of committo. Hæc pignora: these pledges owe Daphnis to The clothes that a person once wore, or any thing that belonged to him, were

me.

105

thought to be very efficacious in enchantments. Accordingly she lays much stress upon them; she is sure they will bring him home to her. One part of these magic rites was to bury the clothes of the lover under the threshold, to constrain him to return.

95. Ponto. Pontus, an extensive country in Asia Minor, bordering upon the Euxine sea. It abounded in poisonous herbs. Mithridates, king of Pontus, rendered his country notorious by the long and bloody wars which he maintained against the Romans. He was, however, at last overcome by Pompey the Great. Venena: magic plants. Those of a poisonous quality were considered the most efficacious, and were particularly sought for, and required in all enchantments.

101. Fer cineres. The most powerful, and usually the last efforts of the enchanter, were to throw the ashes of the magical sacrifice over the head backward into running water. Servius says, this was done that the gods might catch the ashes without being seen, as they were unwilling to show themsclves, unless on extraordinary occasions.

102. Ne respexeris: in the sense of ne respice.

103. Aggrediar his, &c. With these ashes I will assail Daphnis. Nihil and nil are often used as simple negatives, in the sense of non: he does not regard the gods, &c. In other words, he does not regard his solemn promises made in the presence of the gods; he regards not my charms.

105. Aspice. This and the following line