Nunc age, naturas apibus quas Jupiter ipse
Addidit, expediam: pro qua mercede, canoros
Curetum sonitus crepitantiaque æra secutæ,
Dictæo cæli regem pavere sub antro.

150

Solæ communes natos, consortia tecta

Urbis habent, magnisque agitant sub legibus ævum;

Et patriam solæ, et certos novere penates :

155

Venturæque hyemis memores, æstate laborem

Experiuntur, et in medium quæsita reponunt.
Namque aliæ victu invigilant, et fœdere pacto
Exercentur agris: pars intra septa domorum
Narcissi lacrymam, et lentum de cortice gluten
Prima favis ponunt fundamina: deinde tenaces
Suspendunt ceras: aliæ, spem gentis adultos
Educunt fœtus: aliæ purissima mella
Stipant, et liquido distendunt nectare cellas.
Sunt, quibus ad portas cecidit custodia sorti :
Inque vicem speculantur aquas, et nubila cæli :
Aut onera accipiunt venientum, aut agmine facto
Ignavum fucos pecus a præsepibus arcent.

160

165

Fervet opus, redolentque thymo fragrantia mella.

Ac veluti, lentis Cyclopes fulmina massis
Cum properant, alii taurinis follibus auras
Accipiunt redduntque, alii stridentia tingunt
Æra lacu gemit impositis incudibus Ætna:
Illi inter sese magna vi brachia tollunt
In numerum, versantque tenaci forcipe ferrum.
Non aliter, si parva licet componere magnis,
Cecropias innatus apes amor urget habendi,
Munere quamque suo. Grandævis oppida curæ,
Et munire favos, et dædala fingere tecta.

At fessæ multa referunt se nocte minores,
Crura thymo plenæ ; pascuntur et arbuta passim,
Et glaucas salices, casiamque, crocumque rubentem,
Et pinguem tiliam, et ferrugineos hyacinthos.

that they are expelled by the
labouring bees. Some affirm
that the drones are the males,
and that, after the work of ge-
neration is over, they are driven
from the hive by these ama-

zons.

Ac veluti, &c.] The poet compares the labour of the bees to that of the Cyclops, in forming thunderbolts; and then speaks of the various offices which are assigned to these political insects in their republic, and the cautions which they use in defending themselves against rising winds.

In numerum.] That is, in a certain order, making a sort of harmony with the regular strokes of their hammers of different weights.

Cecropias.] The poet calls he bees Cecropias, from Ce

170

175

180

crops king of Attica, where the honey was famous.

Grandævis oppida curæ.] This passage is taken from Aristotle, who observes, that the older bees work within doors, and thence become more hairy; but that the younger sort go abroad, and therefore are smoother.

Crura thymo plenæ.] The hairiness of the bees legs serves to retain the juices which they gather from flowers.

Crocumque rubentem.] The petal of the saffron flower is purple, but the three divisions of the style, which are the only part in use, are of the colour of fire.

Ferrugineos hyacinthos.] There are many flowers commonly known in gardens under the name of hyacinth, but none of them agree with the description

190

Omnibus una quies operum, labor omnibus unus.
Mane ruunt portis; nusquam mora: rursus easdem 185
Vesper ubi e pastu tandem decedere campis
Admonuit, tum tecta petunt, tum corpora curant.
Fit sonitus, mussantque oras et limina circum.
Post, ubi jam thalamis se composuere, siletur
In noctem, fessosque sopor suus occupat artus.
Nec vero a stabulis pluvia impendente recedunt
Longius, aut credunt cælo adventantibus Euris;
Sed circum tutæ sub manibus urbis aquantur,
Excursusque breves tentant, et sæpe lapillos,
Ut cymbæ instabiles fluctu jactante saburram,
Tollunt: his sese per inania nubila librant.

which we find of this flower among the poets, who represent it as having the letters A I inscribed on its petals. The poets feign that the boy Hyacinthus, who was unfortunately killed by Apollo, was changed by that deity into a hyacinth, which therefore was marked with these notes of lamentation to express Apollo's grief. It is also feigned, that the same flower arose from the blood of Ajax, when he slew himself; those letters being half the name of that hero. We are told, that the flower in question was shaped like a lily, was of a red colour, and was marked with the letters A I. Virgil calls it, in this place, ferrugineus, and in the third eclogue he calls it suave rubens. Hence we can only gather, that the colour of this flower is a deep shining red. I take the epithet ferrugineos, in this place, only to express the deepness of the colour.

195

I am pretty well satisfied, that the flower celebrated by the poets, is what we now are acquainted with under the name of lilium floribus reflexis, or martagon, and perhaps may be that very species which we call imperial martagon. The flowers of most sorts of martagons have many spots of a deeper colour; and sometimes I have seen these spots run together in such a manner, as to form the letters AI in several places.

Omnibus una quies, &c.] This passage is taken from Aristotle, who says, that in the morning they are all silent, till one of them calls the rest up with two or three hums: then they all go out to work. And when they return, they are at first tumultuous, but grow more quiet by degrees, till at last one flies buzzing round the rest, as if it commanded silence, upon which they are all immediately quiet.