ECLOGA QUINTA. MENALCAS, MOPSUS. THE subject of this excellent pastoral is the death of some eminent person under tae 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. Ruus thinks it was written when some games or sacrifices were performed in honor of Cæsar. 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. nos 1. Mopse, quoniam ME. CUR non, Mopse, boni quoniam convenimus ambo, convenimus unà, 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 Phœbum 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. 10. Si habes aut quos ignes: if you have either 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 auptials, Phyllis, imagining herself reglected, nung herself, and was changed into a eafless almond-tree. Demophoon afterwards returned, and on his embracing the love; also the object loved. 11. Alconis. Gen. of Alcon, a celebrated archer of Crete. 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 cf Codrus. He was the son of Menander, and the last king of Athens. In a war with the Lacedemonians, it was 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 Lacedeinonians 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. Extinctum Nymphæ crudeli funere Daphnim Flebant: vos coryli testes et flumina Nymphis : Cùm, complexa sui corpus miserabile nati, Atque Deos atque astra vocat crudelia mater. Non ulli pastos illis egêre diebus 25. O Daphni, non 26 ulli pastores egere pas Frigida, Daphni, boves ad flumina : nulla neque amnem Interitum, montesque feri sylvæque loquuntur. 30 tos boves 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 circumstance applies very well to the case of Julius Cæsar, 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. Vocat, 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, quas in tra jiciendo Rubicone flumine consecrârat, ac vagos et sine custode dimiserat, comperit pertinacissimè pabulo abstinere, ubertimque flere. In this case, by quadrupes, we are to understand equus, a horse. Libavit: drank -tasted. 27. Pœnos leones: African lions. Panos: 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 ûs, 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. Ruæus interprets intexere, by induere. 32. Ut vitis est decori arboribus: as the vine is for an ornament to the trees, as the grapes, &c. The words sunt decori are to be supplied. Ut gregibus tauri, segetes ut pinguibus arvis; 34. Sie tu eras omne Tu decus omne tuis: postquam te fata tulerunt, Ipsa Pales agros, atque ipse reliquit Apollo. decus tuis mandavimus 36. In sulcis, quibus Grandia sæpe quibus mandavimus hordea sulcis, hordea, sæpe 35 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, 45 50. Tamen nos dice- Nos tamen hæc quocunque modo tibi nostra vicissim 50 mus hæc nostra carmina Dicemus; Daphninque tuum tollemus ad astra; 58. Ergo alacris voluptas tenet sylvas Daphnin ad astra feremus: amavit nos quoque Daphnis. Mo. An quicquam nobis tali sit munere majus ? 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. Est 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 nalcas, 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 Rumus 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. Rumus 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. Intuetum: a Nec lupus insidias pecori, nec retia cervis NOTES. part. of insuesco, unaccustomed, referring to his being but lately deified. Lymen Olympi: the threshold of heaven. There were several mountains by the name of Olympus. The most distinguished, however, was one in Thessaly, near the confines of Macedonia; the top of which arose above the clouds. Hence the poets feigned it to be heaven, the seat of the gods. 60. Insidias: plots. This word hath no singular. Retia: neu. plu. toils-snares. Meditantur: devise, or prepare. 61. Amat otia, &c. This expression seems to allude to the clemency of Cæsar toward his enemies, for which he is much celebrated by Cicero and others. 62. Jactant: in the sense of emittunt. 63. Intonsi: uncultivated-wild. 64. Deus ille. Divine honors were decreed to Julius Cæsar by the Triumviri, in the year of Rome 712, Lepidus and Plancus being consuls. From this time, Octavius began to be called the son of a god. 65. Aras. Ara was an altar dedicated both to the gods above, and to those below. Altare was a high altar, and dedicated to the gods above exclusively. Felix: propi tious-kind. 68. Crateras: acc. plu. of crater, a large cup, or bowl. This word is purely Greek. Statuam: in the sense of offeram. 69. Hilarans convivia, &c. Cheering or making merry the feasts with much wine. Bacchus, the god of wine, was the son of Jupiter and Semele. He was educated, according to some, in the island of Narus, one of the Cyclades, under the care of the nymphs Philia, Coronis, and Clyda; and while asleep was carried off by some mariners, all of whom he changed into dolphins, except the pilot, who showed him some tenderness and regard. Bacchus is celebrated as a warrior. He marched into India at the head of a large army composed of men and women, all inspired with a divine fury, and armed with the thyrsus, cymbal, &c. His conquests were easy-the people submitting wherever he came, without resistance. Pentheus, king of Thebes, refused to acknowledge his divinity, and forbade his subjects to pay adoration to him; and even ordered Bacchus himself to be seized and cast into prison. But the doors opened of their own accord, as if refusing to contain him a prisoner. Whereupon the king became enraged, and ordered the whole band of Bacchanals to be destroyed. But this was not carried into effect. Pentheus became desirous to see the celebration of the Orgies, or feasts of Bacchus. For this purpose, he concealed himself on mount Citheron, whence he could see all their ceremonies. But being discovered, the Bacchanals fell upon him. His mother was the first who attacked him, and was followed by her two sisters, Ino and Autone, who immediately tore him in pieces. See Ovid. Met. Lib. 3. Silenus, the preceptor of Bacchus; who Midas, king of Phrygia, had entertained desired him to ask any thing he might please, and it should be granted him.— Whereupon he asked that whatever he might touch should be converted into gold. vinced of his imprudent choice; for his food This was granted. But he was soon conthe point of perishing with hunger, when he became gold in his mouth, and he was on besought Bacchus to take back his gift; he readily did so, and directed him to wash in the river Pactolus, whose sands were converted into gold. The festivals of Bacchus, called Orgia, Bacchanalia, or Dyonisia, were introduced into Greece by Danaus and his daughters, from Egypt. The panther was sacred to him, because in his expedition to India, he was covered with the skin of that animal. The fir-tree, the yew-tree, the fig-tree, the ivy, and the vine, were all sacred to him. Bacchus had several names: Liber, Bromius, Lyæus, Evan, Thryonæus, Iacchus, &c. He is represented as drawn in a chariot by a tiger and a lion, accompanied by Pan, Silenus, and the other satyrs. Bacchus, by meton. is frequently put for wine, as in the present case. 71. Arvisia vina que Vina novum fundam calathis Arvisia nectar. Cantabunt mihi Damætas, et Lyctius Ægon : sunt 79. Ut Agricole fa- Saltantes Satyros imitabitur Alphesibous. cient vota quotannis Hæc tibi semper erunt; et cùm solennia vota Baccho Cererique, sic Reddemus Nymphis, et cùm lustrabimus agros. facient ea tibi Dum juga montis aper, fluvios dum piscis amabit, 81. Quæ, quæ dona reddam Dumque thymo pascentur apes, dum rore cicada, 82. Nam neque sibi- Semper honos, nomenque tuum, laudesque manebunt. lus venientis Austri ju- Ut Baccho Cererique, tibi sic vota quotannis vat me tantùm ; nec litora Agricolæ facient: damnabis tu quoque votis. percussa fluctu tam ju- Mo. Quæ tibi, quæ tali reddam pro carmine dona? Nam neque me tantùm venientis sibilus Austri, Nec percussa juvant fluctu tam litora, nec quæ Saxosas inter decurrunt flumina valles. vant me; nec flumina vant mc. NOTES. 71. Arvisia vina: Chian wine. Arvisia: an adj. from Arvisus, a promontory of the island Chios, in the Archipelago, famous for its good wine. Novum nectar: nectar was properly any kind of pleasant wine, or other liquor. Hence the poets feigned it to be the drink of the gods. Novum: goodexcellent. The wine here offered was to be as good as nectar-good or excellent nectar. See Ecl. iii. 66. 72. Lyctius: an adj. from Lyctus, a city of Crete. 73. Sultantes Satyros: leaping or wonton satyrs. The Satyri were demi-gods of the country, the origin of whom is not well known. They were of a hideous form, and generally distinguished themselves by their riotous and wanton demeanor in the orgies of Bacchus, which they generally attended. The Romans cailed them indis criminately Fauni, Panes, and Szivani. Alphesibaus. See Ecl. 8. 75. Lustrabimus. Lustro may here be taken in the sense of circumeo, to go around or encompass; or of purgo, to cleanse or purify by sacrifice; or it may comprehend both. For it is agreed by all, that the poet ath a reference to what is called the sacrificium ambervale, spoken of Geor. i. 345, which see. Circumimus campos cum hostia, says Ruæus. Reddemus: in the sense of solvemus. 79. Cereri. Ceres was the goddess of husbandry, the daughter of Saturn and Ops, and mother of Proserpine by Jupiter, whom Pluto carried off while she was gathering flowers in the plains of Enna, in Sicily: The loss was grievous to Ceres, who sought her both day and night; when at length she found her veil near the fountain of Cyane. She could obtain no information of her daughter, till the nymph Arethusa told her that she was carried off by Pluto. Upon this, she immediately ascended to `ven, and demanded of Jupiter the resto 75 80 ration of her darling child. He endeavored to reconcile her to Pluto as a son-in-law; but to no purpose. At length he consented that she should be restored, provided she had eaten nothing in the dominions of the ravisher. Ceres repaired immediately to the infernal regions, and found she had eaten the seeds of a pomegranate, found in the Elysian fields. IIer return, therefore, was impossible: but Jupiter consented that she might pass six months of the year with her mother on earth, and the remainder with Pluto. During all this time, the cultivation of the earth had been neglected. To repair the loss which mankind sustained by her absence, Cercs went to Attica and instructed Triptolemus, the son of Celeus, in all that pertained to agriculture. Ceres is supposed to be the same as the Egyptian Isis, and her worship to have been brought into Greece by Erechtheus about 1426 years before Christ. She is supposed to be the same as Tellus, Cybele, Berecynthia, &c. The Romans paid her great veneration, and her festivals were generally celebrated for eight days in the month of April. Ceres, by meton. is often put for bread grain, &c. 80. Damnabis tu, &c. Thou shalt also bind them to their vows-thou shalt grant the requests of those, who ask. The propriety of this mode of expression will apwho asked any thing of a God, virtually, pear, when it is considered that the person if not directly, promised or vowed something in return; and if his requests were granted, then he became condemned, and judicially bound to the performance of his promise or vow. And the god, when he granted any petition or request, was said to condemn, or bind the promiser to pay his |