65 Hal not the Céan mufe extoll'd their name, 70 All human fame is by the mufes fpread, And heirs confume the riches of the dead. Ye 'tis ap eafter task, when tempefts roar, 1 count the waves that ceafeiefs lash the fhore: 'Tis eafter far to bleach the Ethiop foul, Than turn the tenor of the mifer's foul. Corfe on the wretch, that thus augments his store! And much poing, may he with for more! 80 1 ftill prefer fair fame, with better fenfe, And, more than riches, mens benevolence. And yet, ahs! what guardian fhall I choose, What princely chief to patronize my mufe? In perilous paths the race of poets rove, Iutious their fate, without the aid of Jove. Lill the fun rolls glorious in the skies; And fature victors in the race will rife: 100 Where Illus' tomb near Simois' ftreams remains. 120 NOTES ON IDYLLIUM XVI. This little piece abounds with fo many beauties and graces, that it is with great propriety ftyled Arts, or, the Graces. Hiero. the fubject of s prem, was the fon of Hierocles, one of the Deltendants of Gelon the fi:ft king of Syracufe. Hiero fucceeded to the throne of Syracufe 265 years before Chrift. He was remarkable for his Verdant attachment to, and generous friendship or the Romans. Ver. 2 In like manner Horace fays, Oem virum, aut heroa, lyrâ, vel acri Tibia fumes celebrare, Clio? Or will the choose to strike the lyre Devoted to the gods in hymns of praife? Ver 5. Quis tibi Mæcenas? quis nunc erit aut Proculeius, Aut Fabius? quis Cotta iterum? quis Lentulus alter? Juv. Sat. 7. 94. All thefe great men were celebrated for their generofity and liberality to the Muses. Ver. 7. Nemo cibo, nemo hofpitia, te&oque juvabit. Ver. 9. The protection of princes is the greateft incentive to the diligence of poets, and often of more avail than the infpiration of Apollo," Et "fpes & ratio ftudiorum in Cæfare tantum." Juvenal says, Tædia tunc fubeunt animos, tunc feque, suamque Bur, Greene. Ver. 17. Illiberal perfons were faid to hold their hands in their bofoms. Ver. 20. The Greek is awwrsewn yovu uvapa, My leg is further off than my knee. I would not recollect an English proverb more correspondent to the original than what I have fubftituted; the Romans have one fimilar, Tunica pallio proprior. My waistcoat is nearer than my cloak. Ver. 23. Priores Mæonius tenet Sedes Homerus. Ver. 25. Nullus argento color eft, avaris Abditæ terris inimice lamnæ Crifpe Sallufti, nifi temperato Splendeat ufo. Plaut. Pope. Ver. 53. Simonides, a native of Céos, an island in the Agean Sea. He was a moving and a paffionate writer, and fucceeded chiefly in elegies : he gained as much honour as he gave by his poems on the four celebrated battles at Marathon, TherHor. B. 4. Ode 9. mopyla, Salamis and Platea. Hor. B. 2. Ode 2. Ver. 34. Here are fome admirable precepts for focial life; fome of them feem to be borrowed from Homer's Odyssey, B. 15. which I shall give in Mr. Pope's verfion. True friendship's laws are by this rule exprest, Welcome the coming, fpeed the parting guest. Which he has adopted in his imitation of the 2d fatire of the 2d book of Horace. Ver. 38. The fenfe of the original is, " Like "fome ditcher, who by labouring hard with his "fpade, has rendered his hands callous." Ver. 59. These were Sarpedon and Glaucus = Cycnus, the fon of Neptune, was flain by Achilles, and turned into a fwan: Hefiod, according to the Scholiaft, defcribes Cycnus with a white head. Ver. 65. Thus Horace, -Multorum providus urbes, Et mores hominum infpexit, latumque per æquor, Ver. 69. It is here worth obfervation, that after the enumeration of these great heroes, Theocritus does not forget his paftoral capacity, or omit to mention the fwineherd Eumæus, and the neatherd Philotius. See Homer's Odyssey. Hor. B. 2. Ode 3. Or tell the billows, as they beat the shores, Ver. 88. Thus Virgil: Alter erit Tiphys, et altera quæ vebat Argo Another Tiphys fhall new feas explore, Ver. 96. Thus Virgil, -FleAuntque Lalignas Umbonum crates En. B. 7. 632. Ver. 115. In foribus laxos fufpendit aranea caffes. Ver. 119. Thus Ovid; Virg. Georg. 4. 247. -Ubi dicitur altam And for the shield the pliant fallow bend. Pitt. High on his head the crefted helm he wore. Pitt. Ver. 99. As yzg, Znu xudisi warsg x. 7. λ. This verfe is an imitation of that of Homer; Αι γαρ Ζεν το πατες καὶ Αθηναίη καὶ Απολλον. Sa pater ille deum faciat, fic altus Apollo. Virg. En. 10. 875. So may great Jove, and he, the god of light. Pitt. Ver. 100. Thefe deities were worshipped by the Syracufians. Ver. 102. A lake not far from Syracufe. Ver. 104. Thefe were the Carthaginians, who ufed frequently to invade Sicily. Ver. 105. The Greek is agituaras, numerabiles, eafy to be told, which is clegantly used for a few: Horace has the fame expreffion, "Quo * fane populus numerabilis, utpote parvus. 46 Art. Poet. 206. Ver. 110. Thus the Pfalmift, " That our flocks may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fireets;" that is, in their pastures or walks; or, may they increafe fo as not only to fill our pastures, but the streets of our villages. Ver. 114 Sole fub ardenti resonant arbufta cicadis. Virg. Ecl. 2. Met. 4. 57. -Where proud Semiramis, for ftate, Rais'd walls of brick magnificently great. Eufden. Ver. 125. By the Graces are meant the Muses: Eteocles was the elder fon of Oedippus by Jocafta: he is faid to have firft facrificed to the Mufes at Orchomenos: whence they are called the Eteoclean Deities, or Graces. Homer mentions the river Minyas. Iliad, B. II. Soft Minyas rolls his waters to the main. Thefe delights if thou caft give, Mirth, with thee I mean to live. Рорв. There is a beautiful paffage in my friend Mr. William Whitehead's excellent poem called, "The Danger of Writing Verfe," which I fhall beg leave to transcribe, as the fubject is the fame with this Idyllium, and the laft line refers to our next poem, "The Encomium of Ptolemy:" complaining that the great fhowed no regard to the Mufes, he says, Yet let ev'n these be taught in myftic rhyme, 'Tis verfe alone arrefts the wings of time. Faft to the thread of life annex'd by fame, A fculptur'd medal bears each human name: O'er Lethe's ftreams the fatal threads depend, The glittering medal trembles as they bend; Clofe but the fhears, when chance or nature calls, The birds of rumour catch it as it falls; A while from bill to bill the trifle's toft, The waves receive it, and 'tis ever loft. But fhould the meaneft fwan that cuts the stream, Confign'd to Phoebus, catch the favour'd name, Safe in her mouth she bears the facred prize, To where bright Fame's cternal altars rife : 'Tis there the Mufe's friends true laurels wear, There Egypt's monarch reigns, and great Auguftus there. *Ptolemy Philadelphus. IDYLLIUM XVII. PTOLEM Y. THE ARGUMENT. TEEOCRITUS rises above his pastoral style when he celebrates the praises of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the fon of Ptolemy Lagus and Berenice: he derives his race from Hercules; enumerates his many cities; defcribes his immenfe treasures, and though he extols him for his military preparations, he commends his love of peace: but above all he commemorates his royal munificence to the fons of the Mules. WITH Jove begin, ye nine, and end with Jove, Vhene'er ye praise the greatest god above: But if of nobleft men the fong ye caft, Let Ptolemy be firft, and midft, and last. Heroes of old, from demigods that sprurg, 20 And where fhall I commence? new themes arife, Thence, when the nectar'd bowl his love infpires, How Berenice fhone! her parents pride; Virtue her aim, and wisdom was her guide: Sure Venus with light touch her bosom preft, Infufing in her foft ambrofial breast Pure, conftant love: hence faithful records tell, 40 Let their wild thoughts on joys forbidden roam : To thee 'twas owing, gentle, kind and good, Or Charn, the grim ferryman of hell; To Peleus brought Achilies, bold and brave: 60 Him power, and wealth, and happiness attends: No king e'er own'd fuch boundlefs wealth before. His peaceful fubjects ply at eafe their toil, 13 His hands the thighs for holy flames divide, 150 160 NOTES ON IDYLLIUM XVII. The common title of this Idyllium is "The Encomium of Ptolemy." Heinfius makes no doubt but that the infcription fhould be fimply Ptolemy:" for Theocritus had written two poerns, one was called "Ptolemy," the other "Berenice;" the first celebrated the virtues of that illuftrious monarch, the fecond thofe of his reyal mother, who at that time was enrolled a mong the gods. For Ptolemy's character, fee Idyllium XIV. and the note on verfe 82. Ver. 1. The Greek is, Ex Ass agxausola, which are the very words with which Aratus begins his poem called Phænomina: as Theocritus and Aratus were intimate friends, and flourished nearly at the fame time, though the Sicilian bard was older, it is hard to fay which borrowed from the sther: Virgil has, A Jove principium, Musæ. Ecl. 3. With thee began my fongs, with thee fhall end. Ver. 4. Milton has, Wart. On earth join all ye creatures to extol Milton has greatly improved this by adding, and without end;" as he is celebrating God, and Theocritus only a man, Ver. 8. Ver. 25. Pitt. Sic Jovis interest Ver. 26. The Greek is, Alavaros de xaλEUUTIS Ver. 30. Julius, a magno demiffum nomen Jülo. n. 1.288. Ver. 31. Purpureo bibit ore nectar. Hor. B. 3. 0. 3. Ver. 33. Thus Ovid. Met. B. 3. 165. ސ -Nympharum tradidit uni Armigera jaculum, pharetramque arcufque retentos. Ver. 45. Ptolemy made his fon Philadelphus partner with him in the empire. Carmine Di fuperi placantur, carmine manes. Hor. B. 2. Ep. 1. Verfe can the gods of heaven and hell appeafe. Ver. 49. The Greek is, Pridiai de yore, which is Ver. 16. Ptolemy Lagus was one of Alexander's wrong tranflated," faciles quidem partusfunt," their captains, who upon that monarch's death, and the births are easy; whereas it should be rendered, as divifion of his empire, had Egypt, Libya, and that Cafaubon rightly obferves," their births are easily part of Arabia which borders upon Egypt, allotted "to be judged of," viz. that they are adulterous; to his fhare: but at the time of his death, he held the latter part of the verfe explains the former, feveral other countries, which are enumerated be-Pridias de yoval, Tizva d' &TOT' saxoTa car, “their low. See ver. 97, &c. Ver. 11. "births are eafy to be judged, for the children do "not refemble their father." The ancients ima Quos inter Auguftus recumbens. Hor. B. 3. O. 3. gined thofe children not to be legitimate whe TRANS, II. I |