Naples, after Virgil had begun to write the Georgics, commemorates his grief. It consists of an introduction, 1-8; an account of the sympathy that things inanimate, as well as shepherds and gods, felt for him, 9-30; the mournful strains of Gallus himself, 31-69; and the concluding declaration of Virgil's affection for the deserted lover. GALLUS. EXTREMUM hunc, Arethusa, mihi concede laborem: Quae nemora, aut qui vos saltus habuere, puellae 6 5 10 15 1. Extremum. This was intended to be the last eclogue, but the seventh was subsequently written. Arethusa was a nymph of Sicily, the native country of Theocritus: cf. Ecl. 7, 21.-2. Legat, may read,' in order that she may feel remorse for having deserted Gallus. Lycoris was the mistress whom Gallus had lost.-3. Dicenda, 'to be indited.-4. Sic, if you do so:' cf. Ecl. 9, 30, with note thereon.5. Doris amara, the salt sea.-6. Sollicitos amores, anxious unquiet course of love.'-7. Attondent = depascunt, feed' or 'browse' on.— 8. Surdis, to a heedless audience.' Respondent, re-echo.' 10. Indigno, unrequited,' or 'unworthy of him,' such as Lycoris was unworthy of.-11. Nam neque. Aganippe, for you were not on any of the summits of Parnassus, or Pindus, or at the fountain of Aganippe on Helicon, your usual haunts.-12. Moram fecere, 'detain (you). Aonie='Aovín, the Greek form. Aonia was an ancient poetic name of Boeotia. The è of Aonie being in the arsis, is not elided.15. Maenalus and Lycaeus are mountains of Arcadia, the scene of the sufferings of Gallus.-16. Nec poenitet.. 'you need not be ashamed of the character of a shepherd, for even Adonis,' &c.-19. The form .... Uvidus hiberna venit de glande Menalcas. Omnes 'unde amor iste,' rogant, ‘tibi?' Venit Apollo: 20 25 30 Arcades. O mihi tum quam molliter ossa quiescant, 35 Certe, sive mihi Phyllis, sive esset Amyntas, Seu quicumque furor-quid tum, si fuscus Amyntas ? 6 40 upilio for opilio is adopted here for the sake of the measure.-20. Uvidus, 'drenched' with rain. Hibernā, collected in winter,' or used for winter food.-23. Horrida castra, the camp bristling with arms,' or 'the hardships of the camp.-24. Agresti capitis honore, his rustic diadem:' Silvanus was represented crowned with fennel and lilies. -25. Ferulas. This is a large species of our common fennel, and grows to the height of about six feet. Of it, the shepherds in Apulia make walking-staffs, which are very light; and the Roman schoolmasters used it for correcting their pupils (Juvenal, 1, 15).—27. Ebuli, 'dwarf-elder.' Minio, 'minium,' or the sulphate of mercury;' the Greek zábag was our vermilion' or 'cinnabar.' The purest was obtained from the silver mines of Sisapo, in Spain. The river Minius (now Miño or Minho) is said to have taken its name from this mineral.-28. Ecquis erit modus? Where will this end?-29. Nec lacrimis crudelis Amor, &c., no more can love be satisfied with tears than meadows with,' &c.-31. At indicates that his grief was not removed by what the gods had said. Tamen, yet' though I have derived no consolation from what the gods have said to me, I do find some in the consideration, O Arcadians, that my woes may become the burden of your songs. Cf. Ecl. 7, 5, as to the musical fame of the Arcadians.-33. O mihi tum quam molliter, &c., O then how softly would my bones repose!'-38. Furor causa furoris, the cause of my madness; that is, love: cf. cura, ignis, flamma.-40. As willows and vines are rarely found growing together, Forbiger understands the vines to have been growing on an eminence, whose base was 6 6 Serta mihi Phyllis legeret, cantaret Amyntas. Hic nemus; hic ipso tecum consumerer aevo. Spicula; tanquam haec sit nostri medicina furoris, 60 6 6 It surrounded with willows.-42. With the characteristic inconsistency of a lover in distraction, he now addresses Lycoris, supposing that if he were in Arcadia he could secure her affections among such delights as these.-43. Ipso aevo, by old age itself,' or 'my whole life.' -44. Nunc, but now as I am;' that is, not being an Arcadian.45. Tela inter media, among surrounding weapons.'-46. Nec sit, &c., 'would that I could only disbelieve it; that is, 'would that it were not too true.'-48. Sola, thou alone,' separated from me.' qualifies Lycoris and not frigora; so does dura in verse 47.-50. Ibo, &c., 'I will depart hence and form into pastorals the verses which I have translated from Euphorion' (of Chalcis in Euboea) on the subject of Apollo and the Grynean oracle. See Ecl. 4, 72.-51. Pastoris Siculi, Theocritus.' Modulabor: see note on Ecl. 5, 14.-52. Certum est (mihi) malle pati, I am resolved to prefer enduring my passion (meos amores). Spelaea σπήλαια Ξ spelunca. 54. Amores, the passion of love,' Voss.-55. Mixtis Nymphis inter nymphas, 'surrounded by the nymphs.' Lustrabo peragrabo, I will range,' wander over.'-56. Acres, fierce.'-58. Mihi videor, I can fancy that I am.'-59. Partho and Cydonia are merely ornamental epithets, as the Parthians and the Cretans were the nations most famous for archery. Cornu by metonomy for arcus corneus, the material for the thing formed of it. The most ancient bows were made of the horns of goats (Hom. I. 4, 105).-60. Coming slightly to himself, he says: "I am planning these things as if they or aught else were a remedy for my passion.' Sit, 'the use of the bow' (= rò Tožeúely) is the nominative to sit. The common reading is sint, understanding the = = = 6 6 Aut deus ille malis hominum mitescere discat! 65 70 75 reference to be to the bow and arrows themselves.'-61. Deus ille discat, 'Cupid could learn ;' that is, 'could begin to do what he had never yet been known to do.'-63. Ipsa; that is, which once preeminently delighted me.' Concedite, farewell,' or 'depart,' 'retire,' 'you are of no avail.'-65. Frigoribus mediis, 'in the depth of winter.' The Hebrus was celebrated as the scene of the death of Orpheus.66. Sithonias, Thracian,' from Sithone, a city of Thrace.-67. Quum moriens liber aret, &c., when the sapless bark withers on the lofty elm.'-68. Versemus, tend.' Versare odev, to drive from pasture to pasture.' Sub sidere Cancri, under the sign; that is, the tropic of Cancer.-69. Omnia vincit Amōr. He now hastily concludes, that since love conquers everything,' there is no use struggling against Him; 'I may as well yield.' 6 6 70. The poet, seeming to forget that he had at first invoked Arethusa, now addresses the Muses in general.-71. Gracili hibisco, 'of slender mallows' twigs.' See Ed. 2, 30.-72. Maxima, most acceptable,' of very great value in the eyes of.'-74. Se subjicit, shoots up' (from beneath).-75. Gravis, injurious.'—76. Umbrae, ‘a dense shade.' -77. Ite domum: cf. Ecl. 7, 44. AENEIDOS LIBRI SEX. LIBER I. THIS is an Epic poem, of which the title AENEIS is derived from Aeneas (Aiveías), the hero of it. Its professed object is to celebrate the adventures of Aeneas in search of a settlement, while sailing from Troy, after the destruction of that city-his final landing in Italy-his triumphant struggle with his enemies, and with his rival, Turnus, in that country, leaving him free to marry Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus, king of the Latins, and to found Lavinium, the mother city of Rome. It is supposed by many that Virgil had a further object-to exalt his great patron, Augustus, whose character and martial deeds, according to this view, he shadows forth in the person of Aeneas. There can be no doubt that he intends to gratify the pride of the Romans, by embodying in heroic song the legends that told of their descent from gods and heroes. The legends of Aeneas followed by Virgil develop themselves in the course of the poem. It is proper to observe that they materially differ, in many respects, from Homer's account of the same hero. The first Book may be thus divided:-Proposition of the subject, with address to the Muse, 1-11. Causes of Juno's hatred towards Aeneas, 12-33. Her feelings when, in the seventh summer of his wanderings, she sees him sailing from Sicily to Italy, his destined home, 34-49. Her plans to prevent his reaching Italy, by persuading Aeolus to sink or disperse the fleet, 50-80. The consequent storm, in which one of the ships is lost, and the rest are scattered, 81-123. The interference of Neptune to calm the storm, 124-156. Aeneas, with seven out of twenty ships, lands on the coast of Africa, 157-222. Conversation between Jupiter and Juno regarding the fate of Aeneas and his posterity, 223-296. Mercury sent down to render Dido, queen of Carthage, friendly to Aeneas, 297-304. Interview between Aeneas and Venus, at first in the guise of a huntress, 305-409. He proceeds to Carthage, along with Achates, both rendered invisible by Venus, 411-420. Description of rising Carthage, 421-436. Aeneas |