Vocem animumque deo fimilis: date lilia, plenis,
Pierides, calathis, tantoque affurgite alumno.
Unus hic ingenio praeftanti gentis Achivae
Divinos vates longe fuperavit, et arte,

Aureus, immortale fonans: ftupet ipfe, pavetque
Quamvis ingentem miretur Graecia Homerum.
Haud alio Latium tantum fe tempore jactat.
Tunc linguae Aufoniae potuit quae maxima virtus
Effe fuit, caeloque ingens fe gloria vexit
Italiae fperare nefas fit vatibus ultra :

Chelfey, 5 June,

1749.

PUBLII

VIRGILII

MARO NIS

BUCOLICORUM

MEL.

ECLOGA PRIM A.

TITYR U S.

MELIBOEUS, TITYRUS.

TIT

ITYRE, tu patulae recubans fub MEL. You, Tityrus, lying
under the fhade of a spreading
tegmine fagi
beech,

NOTES.

1. Tityre tu patulae, &c.] After the battle at Philippi, wherein Brutus and Caffius were overthrown by Auguftus Caefar and Mark Anthony, in the year of Rome 712, Auguftus returned to Italy, in order to reward the foldiers by dividing among them the lands belonging to feveral cities. But thefe not being fufficient to fatisfy the avarice of the foldiers, they frequently tranfgreffed the bounds affigned them, and feized on the lands belonging to the neighbouring cities. Thofe injuries caufed

the inhabitants, both old and young, to flock in great numbers to Rome to feek for redrefs. We may gather, from a paffage in the ninth Eclogue, that Cremona was one of the cities given to the foldiers, and that Mantua, happening to be fituated near Cremona, the inhabitants of that territory were involved in. the calamity of their unhappy neighbours. It is faid that among the reft, Virgil being difpoffeffed of his eftate, went to Rome, where being prefented to Auguftus he was gra A

ciously