Into how many classes were the Roman deities divided? Of these, how many were called Consentes? Why were they so called? What were these sometimes called? Were they very numerous? From what is the word probably derived? How many were there of that name? Who introduced her worship into Italy? By whom were her mysteries introduced among the Romans? LIBER SECUNDUS. THE subject of this book is the cultivation of the several kinds of trees.The poet describes with much judgment the soils proper for each: and after giving a variety of excellent precepts for the management of the vine, the olive, &c. he digresses into the praises of Italy; and concludes with a panegyric upon a country life. 1. Hactenus cultus cecini 8. Tingeque mecum nudata crura novo mus to, cothurnis direptis. "HACTENUS arvorum cultus, et sidera cœli: Principio arboribus varia est natura creandis. ima nemorum, quæ frondet Jovi, atque quercus, quæ habitæ sunt NOTES. 2. Necnon also. Two negatives have the force of an affirmative in Latin and English. 3. Virgulta: shrubs, or underbrush; here put for trees in general. Tardè crescentis oliva. The olive is of a very slow growth. Some say it is a hundred years in growing. 4. Lenæe: Lenæus, a name of Bacchus, from a Greek word signifying a vine-press. Adsis, is to be supplied, or some word of the same import. 5. Ager gravidus: the field heavy with the produce of the vine. Autumno: the season for gathering grapes and other productions of the earth, put, by meton. for the grapes themselves. Floret: in the sense of maturescit. The fields do not bloom in autumn, but with propriety they may be 5 10 15 said to ripen. Pampineo autumno: the produce of the vine-grapes. 9. Cothurnis. The cothurnus was a kind of high-heeled shoe, worn by Bacchus. Re ference is here made to the custom of tread ing out the grapes with their feet. The co- nista: the broom. Populus: the poplar tree, of which there are three kinds. 13. Salicta: willow-grounds; by meton. the willows. 16. Esculus: a species of oak, sacred to Jupiter. The Esculus was a mast-tree, and abounded in Dodona, in Epirus, where there were oaks said to have given out oracles; to which here is an allusion. spring up Pullulat ab radice aliis densissima sylva: suckers? Haud dubitat terræ referens mandare cacumen. Nil radicis egent aliæ: summumque putator Quin et caudicibus sectis, mirabile dictu, Et sæpe alterius ramos impunè videmus NOTES. 17. Sylva: here means the suckers, that shoot up under, and near the trunk of the parent tree. 18. Cerasis to the cherry-trees. Laurus. This tree is called Parnassian, because it abounded on mount Parnassus. It was sacred to Apollo. 19. Subjicit se: shoots itself up. 21. Sylvarum fruticumque: trees and shrubs. 22. Viâ: by practice, or experience. Sunt alii: there are other methods of producing trees, which, &c. The poet proceeds to enumerate the methods of raising the several kinds of trees, which he reduces to seven. 1. By planting the shoot or scion. 2. By burying the stump or stock in the earth. 3. By burying the stake or trunk split at the bottom. 4. By the layer. 5. By planting in the earth a bough or twig taken from the top of the tree. 6. By planting the trunk or stalk of the tree, deprived of its root and branches. This succeeds very well with the olive-tree. 7. By grafting or transferring a branch or scion of one tree into another. 23. Plantas: the shoots or scions from the body of the mother tree. 24. Obruit stirpes: another buries the stocks in the ground, and stakes split in four parts at the lower end, and poles, the wood being sharpened into a point. 26. Alia sylvarum: other trees of the wood-simply, other trees. Ruæus says, alie arbores. Propaginis. The propago was the layer, or branch of the parent tree, bent down and fastened in the ground, until it 35 took root, firm enough to support itself; and was then severed from it. This was about the third year. Arcus: the arches, or curved figures of the layers, or branches so bent down. 27. Viva plantaria: living shoots to be put in their own earth-not cut off as in other cases, but suffered to grow to the parent tree for a time. Defodi, or a word of the like import, is understood. 29. Referens mandare: to commit the topmost shoot to the earth whence it sprang. Summum cacumen: the highest shoot, or branch. Referens mandare, simply for mandare, says Heyne. 30. Caudicibus: Caudex, is properly the body of the tree distinguished from the root, as truncus is the body distinguished from the top or head. 32. Impunè: without injury. Alterius: in the sense of unius. Arboris is understood. 33. Vertere: for verti, the active for the passive, by enallage: or, vertere se in ramos alterius arboris. 34. Corna lapidosa: the corneil trees, which naturally produce a stony hard fruit, by being grafted, will produce the plumwill redden with plums. 37. Neu segnes terræ jaceant. Dr. Trapp renders these words: let not your lands lie idle. Ne terræ sint inutiles, says Ruæus. But the connexion is better preserved by rendering it: let not your barren lands lie neglected or unimproved. Ismara: neu. plu. a mountain in Thrace. Tuburnus: a mountain in Campania, fertile in olives. Tuque ades, inceptumque unà decurre laborem; 39. Tuque, Mecenas, O decus, ô famæ meritò pars maxima nostræ, ades, decurreque incep- Mæcenas, pelagoque volans da vela patenti. tum laborem unà me- Non ego cuncta meis amplecti versibus opto: cum: tu, O decus, Non, mihi si linguæ centum sint, oraque centum, meritò maxima pars nosFerrea vox: (ades, et primi lege litoris oram. træ famæ In manibus terræ non hic te carmine ficto, Atque per ambages et longa exorsa tencbo. 43. Non possem amplecti ea, si sint mihi 47. Arbores quæ tollunt se suâ sponte exit sterilis 40 45 50 55 Sponte suâ quæ se tollunt in luminis auras, Infœcunda quidem, sed læta et fortia surgunt. Quippe solo natura subest. Tamen hæc quoque si quis Inserat, aut scrobibus mandet mutata subactis, Exuerint sylvestrem animum: cultuque frequenti, In quascunque voces artes; haud tarda sequentur. 53. Et illa arbor que Necnon et sterilis quæ stirpibus exit ab imis, Hoc faciet, vacuos si sit digesta per agros: Nunc altæ frondes et rami matris opacant, Crescentique adimunt fœtus, uruntque ferentem. Jam, quæ seminibus jactis se sustulit, arbos Tarda venit, seris factura nepotibus umbram: Pomaque degenerant, succos oblita priores : Et turpes avibus prædam fert uva racemos. Scilicet omnibus est labor impendendus, et omnes 63. Sed oleæ respon- Sed truncis oleæ meliùs, propagine vites Cogendæ in sulcum, ac multâ mercede domandæ. vites de propagine, et Respondent, solido Paphiæ de robore myrtus, Plantis et duræ coryli nascuntur, et ingens dent meliùs de truncis; myrtus NOTES. The object of the poet is to persuade the farmer not to neglect his rugged and barren lands, and suffer them to lie useless; for, by culture, he may render them profitable to him. He adduces the case of Ismarus and Taburnus, which, though naturally rugged and barren, had become, by cultivation and proper attention, very productive. Baccho is here put for the vine. 39. Decurre. Here we have a beautiful allegory, drawn from the sailing of a ship. The verb decurro signifies to sail before the wind-to sail with a prosperous gale. Laborem: the work or task, viz. the Georgics, which he begun at the request of Mecenas. 41. Da volans, &c. And flying, spread the sails to the opening sea-accompany me through this great work, which spreads before me like an open sea, expanding on every side. Some copies have volens. 45. Ficto carmine: in the sense of fabuloso poëmate. 46. Ambages et longa exorsa: preambles, and tedious introductions. 50. Scrobibus subactis: in trenches prepared for the purpose. Mutata: transplanted-removed from their native soil. 52. In quascunque artes, &c.: in the sense of in quocunque modo, vel via tractes. In whatever mode you may require, says Valpy. 60 65 For 56. Adimunt fœtus: and take away the fruit from it growing up, and starve it while bearing. The poet's meaning appears to be this: that the sucker, which springs up from the root of the parent tree, will be fruitful and productive, if transplanted into open ground, and arranged in proper rows. while it remains, the leaves and boughs of the parent tree will overshadow it, and prevent it from bearing fruit as it grows up: or, if it should bear fruit, it will be pinched and small, by being deprived of the rays of the sun and proper nourishment. 57. Jam: here is used in the sense of porrò, or præterea. 60. Uva: the grape; by meton. for the vine. Prædam: as a prey for birds-only fit for birds. 62. Multa mercede: with much labor, or expense. 63. Olea respondent, &c. The olive is raised or propagated better from the stump; the vine from the layer; the myrtle from the solid wood; the hazle, the ash, the poplar, and the oak, from the scion, or young shoot. 64. Paphic: Venus, so called from Paphos, a city of Cyprus, where she was particularly worshipped. The myrtle was sacred to her. Respondent: in the sense of proveniunt, vel ornuntur. Ash tree Fraxinus, Herculeæque arbos umbrosa coronæ, Aut rursum enodes trunci resecantur, et altè Miraturque novas frondes, et non sua poma. Prætereà genus haud unum, nec fortibus ulmis, Nec salici, lotoque, nec Idæis cyparissis : NOTES. 66. Umbrosa arbos: the poplar-tree. It was sacred to Hercules. He wore a crown made of the leaves of this tree, to the infernal regions. 67. Glandes: properly acorns; by meton. the oaks that bore them. Chaonii patris: Jupiter; so called because he had a temple, and was splendidly worshipped at Dodona, a town of Chaonia in Epirus. The oak was sacred to him. 68. Visura. This is said of the fir-tree, because ships were built of its timber. Marinos casus: in the sense of periculæ maris, 69. Arbutus inseritur: the arbute or strawberry-tree is grafted with the shoot or scion of the nut-tree. 70. Platani. The plane tree affords a large and pleasant shade, but bears no fruit. It is therefore called sterilis. However, says the poet, even this has been made to bear apples by being grafted. 73. Imponere oculos: to inoculate. Oculus is the bud which is enclosed or put in the bark of the tree to be inoculated. Inserere: to ingraft. Nec modus, &c. Neither is the method of ingrafting and inoculating one and the same-they are different pro cesses. 76. Sinus angustus: a small slit or gash, made in the bark of the tree, (where the bud was putting forth,) for the purpose of receiving the graft. 77. Docent: they teach it to grow up, or incorporate itself with the moist bark. Liber is the inward part of the bark of the tree; Cortex, the whole bark, or rind. 70 75 81 85 71. Fagus incanuit flore castaneæ, ornusque incanuit albo flore pyri 79. In solidum lignum 78. Aut rursum. Having described the process of inoculation, the poet gives us that of ingrafting. Truncus: the body of the tree, properly after the top and branches are cut off. This is split, and the graft put into the fissure. He seems to prefer this mode of cultivating trees, inasmuch as they soon come to maturity. Nec longum tempus (says he,) et ingens arbos: it is not a long time, and the mighty tree, exiit, hath shot up to the skies. There is a peculiar elegancy in the use of the perfect tense here. 80. Planta: grafts, or scions of fruitbearing trees. 82. Poma non sua: that is, poma non sui generis. 84. Idæis Cyparissis: to the Idæan Cypresses. There were two mountains by the name of Ida, the one in Phrygia, the other in Crete; the latter is here meant. 86. Orchades. The poet here mentions three species of olives: the orchades, a round olive, a word derived from the Greek; the radii, an oblong olive; the pausia, an olive of a bitter taste, so called from pavio, says Columella, because its chief use was for oil; to obtain which, it was brayed or beaten. 87. Sylva Alcinoï: the orchards of Alcinous, king of the Phæaceans. They were celebrated by the poets. 88. Crustumiis: to the Crustumean pears, so called from Crustumium, a town in Tuscany, whose pears were much esteemed; they were of a reddish cast. Syriis pyris. These were so called, because they were brought from Syria. They were also called 99. Est Argitis minor Non eadem arboribus pendet vindemia nostris, 95. Sunt purpurea, Purpureæ, preciæque: et quo te carmine dicam uva, cui 102. Et, te, O bumaste, cum tuis tumidis race- cies sunt, nec quæ Transierim, Rhodia; et tumidis, bumaste, racemis. 90 95 100 105. Quem numerum Sed neque, quàm multæ species, nec nomina quæ sint, qui velit scire, idem ve- Est numerus: neque enim numero comprendere refert. lit discere quàm multæ arenæ Libyci æquoris Quem qui scire velit, Libyci velit æquoris idem Discere, quàm multæ Zephyro turbentur arenæ ; turbentur NOTES. Tarentina, and were of a blackish cast. Some think them to be the Bergamot pear. Volemis: to the Volemian pears. These were so called from the circumstance of their filling the palm of the hand; from vola. The surculus, or shoot, of all these was different. 89. Arboribus: in the sense of vitibus. 90. Methymnao: an adj. from Methymna, a city of Lesbos, an island in the Egean sea, famous for its vines. 91. Thasia: an adj. from Thasus, an island in the Egean sea. Mareotides: an adj. probably from Mareotis, a lake near Alexandria, in Egypt. Some take it from a place of the same name in Lybia, in the confines of Egypt. These latter (ha) required a rich soil; the former (illa) a light soil. 93. Psythia: an adj. agreeing with vitis, understood. Its derivation is uncertain. It is probably from the name of some town in Greece, where that species of vine flourished. Utilior passo: better for passum, or sweet wine. This was made of raisins or dried grapes; from the word patior: quòd" solem aut ignem patitur. Lageos. This was a species of grape, deriving its name from a Greek word signifying a hare, because it resembled the color of that animal. Tenuis: subtle or penetrating. Quòd facilè ebrietatem inducit, says Servius. 95. Purpurea, preciæque. These are both adjectives, and agree with vites, or more probably with uva, understood. Precio: early ripened-ripened before other grapes. 96. Rhætica: a grape, so called from Rhetia, a country bordering upon Italy on the west. Cellis Falernis: with the Falernian wine. Cellis: the cellars; by meton. for the wine in them. Falernis: an adj. from Falernus, a mountain in Campania, celebrated for its good wines. 105 97. Ammineæ vites. There are various conjectures concerning this vine, but nothing certainly known. It produced excellent wine-firmissima vina, strong, and of good body. 98. Quibus et Tmolus: to which both Tmolus, and Phanæus himself, the king of vine-bearing mountains, rise up in sign of respect-they yield the pre-eminence to the Amminean vine. Assurgit, as here used, is highly metaphorical. It conveys to our minds the idea of one mountain rising up to another in token of respect, and yielding to it precedency. Tmolus: a mountain in Lydia, famous for its wines. Phanaus: another mountain in the island Chios, in the Egean sea, celebrated for its wines. 99. Argitis: a species of the grape, probably derived from a Greek word signifying white, or from Argos, a city of the Pe loponnesus. 100. Tantùm fluere: to yield so much juice. 101. Mensis et Dis secundis. The first table or course was composed of meats. The second of fruits, and what we generally call desserts. At this second table or course there were libations made to certain gods. Secundis is generally connected with Dis. It is, however, better to connect it with mensis: it will then be: the Rhodian wine is acceptable to the second table or course, and to the gods that were then invoked— acceptable, or fit for libations. 102. Rhodia: an adj. from Rhodus, a famous island in the Mediterranean sea. Bumaste: the bumastus was a species of grape, whose clusters were swollen out, like the udder of a cow. It is derived from the Greek. 103. Quàm: in the sense of tam. |