lia levi limo. Explent collectumque hæc ipsa ad munera gluten 45. Tamen tu et cir- Tu tamen et levi rimosa cubilia limo est, aut Saxa sonant, vocisque offensa resultat imago. Quod superest, ubi pulsam hyemem Sol aureus egit Purpureosque metunt flores, et flumina libant 55. Hinc ille lætæ, Summa leves. Hinc nescio quâ dulcedine lætæ, nescio quâ dulcedine Progeniem nidosque fovent: hinc arte recentes NOTES. tracted from them, by meton. Oras: the margin, or edge, of their hives. Valpy takes fuco et floribus, by Hendiadis, for fuco floreo. 40. Ad hæc ipsa munera: in the sense of ad hos ipsos usus. 41. Lentius: an adj. of the com. deg. (of lentus) agreeing with gluten: tougher than, &c. 43. Sæpe etiam fovêre: they have even cherished their families in caverns dug under the earth. Several manuscripts have fodêre, but fovêre is the best. Ruæus has fodere. He interprets the passage thus: aperuerunt sibi domum sub terra. But it is not necessary to suppose that the bees dug these caves or cells for themselves, any more than that they prepared their cells in the pumice stone, or cavities in the trees, for their reception. Davidson, Heyne, and Heinsius, read fovêre. Larem. See Geor. iii. 344. Penitus: in the sense of profundè. 45. Cubilia: in the sense of alvearia. Unge: smear, or plaster all around. Fovens: cherishing-keeping them warm. 48. Cancros. Crabs and lobsters, it is well known, in boiling, pass from a dark or brown, to a red color. Hence the epithet rubentes. Alla paludi. The poet advises not to place the hives near marshy or fenny places, which afford no stones or bridges, on which the bees may rest, if occasion should require. 49. Gravis: stinking. Pulsu: by the stroke of the voice. 50. Imago vocis: the image of the voice being struck, rebounds; i. e. where an echo is heard. This is always the case when the pulses or waves of air, put in motion by some 40 45 50 55 stroke or concussion, meet with an obstacle, and are reflected, or turned back, so as to make an impression on the ear. This the poet calls the image of the voice. 51. Quod superest. The poet now proceeds to speak of the food, the swarming, and the battles of the bees; and to give directions how to appease the fury of their contests, and bring them back to the hive. 52. Sub terras: under the carth-to the southern pole. This is a beautiful circumlocution to express the return of summer. The seasons are opposite, on the opposite sides of the equator, beyond the tropics. When it is summer on the north, it is winter on the south, and vice versâ. This is occasioned by the motion of the earth in its orbit, making an angle with the equator of 23° 28'. 54. Purpureos. The poet frequently uses purple for any gay color. Metunt: in the sense of carpunt. 55. Leves libant: and lightly taste or sip. Dulcedine: in the sense of delectatione. 56. Fovent: cherish-grow fond of. Nidos: either the apartments formed in the hive for the purpose of depositing their young, or simply, the hives themselves. 57. Excudunt. they form the fresh or new made wax. This is a metaphor taken from the smith, who is said (excudere) to strike, or hammer out the instrument of iron which he forms. The bees are here compared in their labors to the Cyclops, laboring at the anvil. 59. Suspexeris agmen emissum: when now you shall see the swarm issuing from the hives, &c. Nare: in the sense of volare. Obscuramque trahi vento mirabere nubem ; Sin autem ad pugnam exierint (nam sæpe duobus NOTES. 60. Trahi: in the sense of ferri. Obscuram: a dark cloud of bees. 63. Melisphylla: balm-gentle. It is an herb, of which bees are very fond. It is thought to be the same that was sometimes called apiastrum by the Romans. Cerintha: the honey-suckle. The poet calls it ignobile gramen, because it was common. It abounds in a sweet juice, like honey. 64. Cie linnitus: make, or excite a ringing. The effect of the sound of brass upon the swarm is very great. It is the most effectual means to stop them in their flight, and collect them into the hive. Some have attributed this to fear, others to pleasure. But more probably it confounds the sound of their queen, or leader; and being without command or direction, they fall or settle upon the first place they meet. Matris: Cybele was the mother of the gods-the same as Rhea, or Ops. At her sacrifices, cymbals were always used. 65. Medicatis sedibus: prepared seats, or places for them to light upon. 66. Cunabula: in the sense of recessus, vel alvearia. 69. Trepidantia: eager-anxious. 70. Præscisere: in the sense of præsentire. 71. Canor in the sense of strepitus, vel sonitus. Morantes: those that are behind. Increpat: rouses-urges on. 73. Trepida: eager-hurrying. Pennis: in the sense of alis. 75. Ipsa prætoria. In the Roman camp, the tent of the commanding officer was called Prætorium; hence, by meton. put for the cells of the royal bees. Densæ miscentur: they are crowded thick. 77. Sudum ver: a clear spring day. Ruæus says, serenum tempus. Campos patentes : the fields of air open-unobstructed by wind or clouds. 78. Concurritur: in the sense of concurrunt. 79. Glomerantur. This verb hath a reflex signification here, like the middle voice of the Greeks: they form themselves into a great circle. Mixta: in the sense of commista. Aut hos, versa fugâ victor dare terga subegit. Verùm ubi ductores acie revocaveris ambos : est 85 90 (Nam duo sunt genera) hic melior, insignis et ore, 92. Genera apum: hic Et rutilis clarus squamis: ille horridus alter Desidiâ, latamque trahens inglorius alvum. Ut binæ regum facies, ita corpora plebis. Namque aliæ turpes horrent, ceu pulvere ab alto Cùm venit, et terram sicco spuit ore, viator Aridus: elucent aliæ, et fulgore coruscant, 95 99. Corpora lita sunt Ardentes auro, et paribus lita corpora guttis. 106. Nec est magnus labor prohibere eos At cùm incerta volant cœloque examina ludunt, NOTES. 89. Ne prodigus obsit: lest the prodigal should be an injury to the rest, either by consuming their food himself, or by setting an example of sloth and gluttony. 90. Aula: in the sense of alveari. 91. Alter erit ardens, &c. The poet here mentions the different kinds of bees. There are more particularly two: the red, which are the smaller ones, and the dark, or various, which are the larger. The red ones are the best. Squalentibus: a part. of the verb squaleo, (from squama:) it signifies any thing resembling the scales of fish, or serpents, in roughness or shape. It also signifies any thing filthy or unseemly, in any respect whatever. Ardens: shining with spots rough with gold-resembling the form of scales, and glittering like gold. Rumus interprets it by asperis. 92. Ore: in the sense of forma. 95. Facies: in the sense of forma. The verb sunt is to be supplied. Plebis. This is the reading of Heyne, and of Valpy after him. The common reading is gentis. 96. Namque aliæ: for the one look foul, 100 105 or dirty, as when, &c. Terram: in the sense of pulverem. 97. Coruscant: sparkle with brightnessgleaming with gold; and their bodies are covered over with equal spots-spots, equal in size and proportion. 100. Soboles in the sense of genus. Also cali: in the sense of anni. Hine: from these bees. 102. Liquida: in the sense of pura. 103. At cùm volant. Here the poet prescribes the means of preventing the bees from deserting their hives. 104. Favos. Virgil uses no less than eleven different words to express the hive: cunabula, cubilia, stabula, præsepia, caveœ, tecta, alveare, favus, domus, sedes, and ædes For this diversity of style, he is remarkable. By this means he avoided a disagreeable repetition. Frigida. This Servius explains by empty, or inactive, in opposition to what is afterward said of their activity: opus fervet. 105. Prohibebis: in the sense of revocabis. 107. Altum iter: an aërial journey. 108. Aut vellere signa: or to move the standards to decamp. It was a phrase among the Romans. When they pitched their camp, they stuck their ensigns, or standards, into the ground before the pretorium, or general's tent; and pulled them up again when they decamped: so the bees. The metaphor is beautiful. Invitent croceis halantes floribus horti : Ipse thymum pinosque ferens de montibus altis, Atque equidem, extremo ni jam sub fine laborum NOTES. 109. Croceis floribus. Saffron flowers appear to be put here for odorous flowers in general. Halantes: in the sense of spi ntes. He 111. Priapi. Priapus was fabled to have been the son of Bacchus and Venus. was worshipped principally at Lampsacus, a city of Mysia Minor, near the Hellespont. Hence the epithet Hellespontiacus. The statue of Priapus was usually placed in gardens to protect them from thieves, and to fray away birds. Hence he is called, custos furum atque avium. The meaning appears to be: that the bees should be invited by such gardens as deserve to be under the protection of Priapus. Custos: in the sense of abactrix. See Ecl. vii. 33. 112. Thymum. This is not our common thyme, but the thymus capitatus, which grows in great plenty on the mountains in Greece. The Attic honey was considered the best, on account of the excellence of this thyme, which is found in abundance near Athens. 114. Duro labore: with the hard labor of transferring them from the mountains, and planting them around the hives. 115. Irriget: he should sprinkle, or pour the friendly water upon them-he should be careful to water these plants when thus transplanted, that they might flourish the more, and afford more abundant food for the bees. 116. Atque equidem: and indeed, unless I were furling my sails, now in the conclusion of my labors, &c. These are fine lines, and lead us to wish that the poet had enlarged upon the subject of gardening. Traham vela. This is a metaphor taken from sailing. On the approach to land, they take in, or furl their sails. 118. Pingues hortos. Some gardens among the ancients were much celebrated, especially those of the Hesperides, of Adonis, of Alcinoüs, &c. 119. Pasti. Pæstum was a town of Lucania, where the rose bloomed twice in a year; in September and May. Hence the epithet bifer. 120. Intyba: plu. endive, or succory. tis rivis: in refreshing streams. Po 121. Apio: with parsley. This herb was called apium, from apes, because the bees were fond of it. Some take it for smallage or celery. 122. Cucumis tortus: the cucumber, creeping along the grass, swells. This is a concise. but beautiful description. Sera: an adj. neu. plu. used as an adv. in imitation of the Greeks: in the sense of serò. 123. Narcissum: the narcissus of the ancients is the herb we now call daffodil. Comantem: in the sense of florentem. Acanthi: Acanthus, the herb bears-foot. 125. baliæ. This was the city of Tarentum in the eastern part of Italy, so called from Phalantus, a native of balia, or Laconia, who rebuilt it. It was once inhabited by the Lacedemonians. 126. Galesus: a river in Calabria, falling into the gulf of Tarentum. It is called niger, either, on account of the depth of its waters, or of its banks being shaded by trees. Flaventia: yellow with ripening grain. Arva is understood. 127. Corycium. Either the name of the old man, or an adj. taken from the place of his nativity. Corycus was the name of a Jugera ruris erant; nec fertilis illa juvencis, Nec pecori opportuna seges, nec commoda Baccho 130. Tamen hic pre- Hic rarum tamen in dumis olus, albaque circùm mens rarum 139. Ergò idem senex erat primus abundare 141. Erant illi tiliæ, atque Lilia, verbenasque premens, vescumque papaver, 134. Ille erat primus Primus vere rosam, atque autumno carpere poma: talia me commemoranda NOTES. mountain, and city of Cilicia in Asia Minor. Pompey made war upon the Cilicians; some of whom he brought and planted in Calabria near Tarentum. The old man here mentioned, might have been one of them. Relicti: barren-neglected, not worth tilling. Dr. Trapp renders it hereditary; left him by his ancestors. 128. Nec illa seges fertilis: nor was that land fit for ploughing, nor suitable for pasture, nor proper for the vine. Fertilis: in the sense of apta, or commoda. 129. Seges. This word most commonly signifies the crop after it is sown and coming forward to maturity. Here it means the soil or land itself. 130. Albaque lilia circùm : the white lilies were most celebrated, and the best known among the ancients. 131. Verbenas: the herb vervain. It was highly esteemed by the Romans. Premens: in the sense of plantans. Vescum papaver : the white poppy, called vescum, esculent, or eatable; because its seeds were roasted by the ancients, and eaten with honey. 137. Comam: in the sense of frondes. Hyacinthi. This is the reading of Heyne and Vossius, and of several ancient manuscripts. It appears to be approved of by Valpy, although he adopts the common reading, acanthi. Heyne leaves out tum, which is also retained by some editors. 139. Ergò idem primus. Having mentioned the advantage, which a diligent cultivation of his fields brought to the old Co 130 135 140 145 144. Distulit ulmos: he planted (transplanted) his elms in rows. Seras. Ruæus says, lardè crescentes, slow growing. But the poet may mean, far grown, or sufficiently grown to be fit for transplanting; as he observes with respect to the other trees here mentioned. This is the opinion of Davidson and Valpy. 145. Spinos. Spinus, is the sloe tree. These were sufficiently grown to produce fruit; and the plane tree, to afford a considerable shade, before he transplanted them. 147. Iniquis spatiis: narrow bounds-insufficient room. 149. Nunc age. The poet now proceeds to treat of the polity of the bees-the method of depositing their honey-the regular management of their affairs-their obedience to their sovereign, &c. |