So, in thy prefence, smoother run She promis'd (vainly promis'd) to bestow The hours, and brighter fhines the fun. Duncombe. Immortal life, exempt from age and woe. Pope. Aureom et amabilem he looks upon as fynony Ver. 24. The Greek is, yes dinzoingiv, two hundred ages: an age, according to the common computation, is thirty years; thus Mr. Pope understands the word yet in the first book of the Iliad, fpeaking of the age of Neftor, Two generations now had pafs'd away, Wife by his rules, and happy by his fway. Ver. 32. See Idyl. 9. ver. 48. and the note. Ver. 40. At Megara, a city of Achaia, between Athens and the Ifthmus of Corinth, was an an mous: The Greeks have xgurn Apgedira, and Vir-nual feftival held in the fpring, in memory of gil, Venus aurea, Aureus hanc vitam in terris Saturnus agebat. Georg. B. 2: 538. Ver. 21. yw, thus in the Odyssey, B. 5. CaIyplo fays of Ulyffes, the Athenian hero Diocles, who died in the defence of a certain youth whom he loved: whence there was a contention at his tomb, wherein a garland was given to the youth who gave the sweeteft kifs. Potter's Arch. cb. 20. IDYLLIUM XIII. HYLAS. THE ARGUMENT. Ir the feverity of critics will not allow this piece the title of a pastoral, yet as the actions of gods and heroes used to be fung by the ancient herdimen, we may venture to affirm that our author intended it as fuch. It contains a relation of the rape of Hylas by the nymphs, when he went to fetch water for Hercules, and the wandering of that hero, and his extreme grief for the loss of him. Love, gentle Nicias, of celeftial kind, Of chiefs a valiant band, the flower of Greece, Or night the plaintive chickens warn'd to reft, When careful mothers brood, and flutter o'er the nest: That, fully form'd and finish'd to his plan, Renown'd for virtue, or heroic fame, 20 Their hafty meal; fome raise the spacious bed 40 51 60 The Naiads feiz'd his hand with frantic joy, near. As when the hungry lion hears a fawn Fierce from his covert bolts the favage beaft, Hi, weary way through woods and pathlefs brakes; And wifh'd his prefence with the morning light: NOTES ON IDYLLIUM XII. Theocritus addreffes this Idyllium, as he did the eleventh, to his friend Nicias, a Milesian phyfician. Ver. I. Infuevit pater optimus hoc me, &c. Ver. 18. Thus Bion, Ην δ' ανέρος ες μετρον έλθης. Ver: 21. Idyl. 2. Alter erit tum Tiphys et altera quæ vehat Argo Ver. 27. The Cyanean ifles, or Symplegades, are two fit all iflands near the entrance of the Euxine, or Bla k Sca, in the mouth of the Straits of Conftantinople over against one another; at fo fmall a diftance, that to a fhip palling by they appear but one; whence the poets fat cied, that they femetimes met, and came together, therefore called them concurrentia faxe Cyanes. Juvenal, Sat. 15, 19. See alio igl. 22 ver. 29. Ma. B. 7. S. Hor. B. 1. Sat. 4. Ver. 14. The Greek is atumimmo; Dr. Spence very juftly obferves that the poets are very inconfiftent in their defcriptions of Aurora, particularly in the colour of her horfes; here they are white, whereas Virgil represents them rose coloured, “rofeisberoes, “ delectos heroas;" fee ver. 21. Aurora quadrigis." . 6. 535. and B. 7. 26. Aurora in rofeis fulgebat lutea bigis." The best critics have ever thought, that confiftency is required in the most unbounded fictions: if I miftake not, Homer is more regular in this, as in all ⚫ther fictions, Efay on the Odyey. Ver. 21. The Pleiades rife with the fun on the twenty-fecond of April, according to Columella. Ver. 33. The Argonauts were fifty two in nurther: Pindar calls them the flower of failers, Theocritus, the flower of heroes and Virgil, chefn Ver. 42. The Greek is Baruv gu, which there is great reafon to believe is the carex acutu of Virgil, Frondibus hirfutis, et carice paftus a urâ. Georg. B. 3.231. On prickly leaves and peinted rushes fed. Wart Ovid applies the fame epithet to the juncus acutâ cafie janci. The word comes from Bar, an ox, and a to cut; fo called, because the leaves of this plant are fo fharp, that the tongue and lips of oxen who are great lovers of it, are wounded by it. S.e Butemus in Miller. Ver. 43. The Greek is Kuzun zekideviov. And every wood, and every valley wide,' Xλespov & adiavrov, Capillus Veneris. Ver so. The Greek is, Erns ayeusis; as it Antoninus has given us an explanation of the is dificult to determine what plant Theocritus circumftance of Hyla's name being fo often rehere means, I have rendered it lindweed, or convol-peated, which is fo particularly infifted on by the swar, which feems an exad tranflation of skirevns. Ver. 55. The Greek is. Hra o Negos STUKS TOTN Tikrgandie apocev; instead of TOTH, Pierfon reads poets: "Hercules," fays he, "having made the which is probably right, being the fame word which Appollonius Rhodius makes ufe of, when treating of the fame fubject. See-b. I. ver. 1234. Αυταρ εγώ ως τα πρώτα ροῳ ἐν καλπιν έρεισε. Ver. 73. This fimile feems to have pleafed AVer. 59 Hylas falling into a well, was faid to pollonius fo well, that writing on the fame fubbe inatched away by the Nymphs. Ovid, fpeak-ject, the Rape of Hylas, he has imitated it twice; ing of Phaton, has fomething very fimilar to this pallage. fee bock 1. ver. 1243, &c. Ovid alfo had it in Tigris ut, auditis diverfâ valle duorum IDYLLIUM XIV. CYNISCA'S LOVE, THE ARGUMENT, ACHINES being in love with Cynifea, is defpifed by her, the having placed her affections on Lycus. fchines accidentally meets with his friend Thyonichus, whom he had not feen of a long time, and tells him his lamentable tale, and that he is determined to turn foldier. Thyonichus advifes him to enter into the fervice of Ptolemy Philadelphus, on whom he bestows a fhort but very noble enco nium. ESCHINES AND THYONICHUS. ALL health to good Thyonichus, my friend. May the fame bleffing ichines attend. I fee you feljom.-Thy Well, what ails you now? Afebines. All is not well with me.- -Thy You therefore grow A poor Pythag'rift late I chanc'd to meet, Pale fac'd, like you, and naked were his feet; He came from learned Athens, as he faid, And was in love too-with a loaf of bread. #fcbines. You jeft but proud Cynifca makes me fad ; Nay, I'm within a hair-breadth raving mad. Thyonicbus. Such is your temper, fo perverfe you grow, I and Cleunicus and the Greek agreed What, are you mute?' I faid-a waggish guest, 40 "Go court fome other with those tender tears." She rofe, and gathering in a knot her veft, Flew fwiftly; as the fwallow from her neft, Beneath the tiling fkims in queft of food, pafs'd. Where'er her feet, where'er her fancy led; Yet in love's flames our neighbour Simus burn'd, May all that's good, whate'er you with, attend What is his character? Thy. A royal fpirit, furrounded with various apartments; therefore it probably means the inner court. Ver. 20. The Greek is, Bußaev over, which Athenæus, B. 1. chap. 28. allows to be Phoenician wine. Ver. 28. Quid mihi tunc animi credis, germane, fuisse ? Ver. 55. The literal interpretation is, " And now twenty and eight, and nine, and ten days are paft, to-day is the eleventh, add two more, and there will be two months.' A fimilar but more perplexing method of numeration we meet with in the 17th Idyl. ver. 95. Ver. 62. The Megareans entertaining a vain conceit that they were the most valiant of the Grecians, inquired of the oracle if any nation ex Ver. 30 That is, Auxov, Wolf," her sweet-celled them: the conclufion of the answer was, heart. -Lupi Marim videre priores. Ec. 9.54. On which Dr. Martyn obferves, that a notion obtained among the ancient Italians, that if a wolf faw any man first, it deprived him of his voice for the prefent; but, fays he, Theocritus gives this fory a contrary turn; as if the feeing a wolf, inftead of being feen by him, made a perfon mute.' The doctor, and likewife Mr. Warton, did not obferve our author's double meaning, viz. that As fignified not only a wolf, but was likewife the Dame of Cynifca's lover. Ver. 82. To this noble encomium of Ptolemy Ver. 36. Marav eis andra gerar," quod de iis di- by the Sicilian poet, I fhall briefly show the facebatur, quorum conjuges impune cum aliis fole-vourable fide of his character, as it is given by the bant; quique hanc contumeliam leni et pacato animo ferebant." Heinfius. Æn. I. 324. Clofe, in a knot, her flowing robes the drew. Pitt. Ver. 48. Virgil has plainly borrowed this fimile | from our author, though Mr. Warton fays he is obliged to Apollonius for it: it is not improbable but that Virgil's may be the copy of the copier. Nigra velut magnas domini cum divitis ædes Pervolat, et pennis alta atria luftrat hirundo, Pabula parva legens, nidifque loquacibus escas, Et hunc porticibus vacuis, nunc humida circum Stagna fonat. n. B. 12. hiftorians. He was a prince of great learning, and a zealous promoter and encourager of it in others, an induftrious collector of books, and a generous patron to all thofe who were eminent in any branch of literature. The fame of his generofity drew feven celebrated poets to his court, who, from their number, were called Pleïades: these were Aratus, Theocritus, Callimachus, Lycophron, Apollonius, Nicander, and Philicus. To him we are indebted for the Greek tranflation of the fcripture, called the Septuagint. Notwithftanding his peculiar tafte for the fciences, yet he applied himself with indefatigable industry to bufinefs, fudying all poflible methods to render his fubjects happy, and raise his dominions to a flou473rifhing condition. Athenæus called him the richeft of all the princes of his age; and Appian says, that he was the most magnificent and generous of all kings in laying out his money, so he was of all the moft skilful and induftrious in raifing it. He built an incredible number of cities, and left fo many other public monuments of his magnificence, that all works of an extravagant taste and grandeur, were proverbially called Philadelphian As the black (wallow, that in queft of prey, Pitt. Virgil has spun this fimile into more than four lines, whereas Theocritus comprehends it in two. Ver. 54. A proverb signifying that he will not return works. Ver. 90. Univer. Hift. Hor. Epod. 13. Hiüj |