Nor barve 1 yet put my lips to Necdum illis labra admovi, fed condita fervo. them, but keep them laid up. We may obferve from what has been faid concerning this moft juftly celebrated mathematician, and from the whole tenor of his writings, that his genius led him almost entirely to mechanicks. I do not remember the leaft hint in any author, of his having applied his knowledge in aftronomy to agriculture. Therefore I cannot think his being the friend or difciple of Conon, is a fufficient reafon to fuppofe him to be the perfon intended. It feems more probable, that thofe are in the right, who affign the place to Aratus. He was born at Soli or Solae, a city in Cilicia, and flourifhed in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, and Antigonus Gonatas king of Macedon. He was purfuing his ftudies at Athens, when Antigonus fent for him. He was present at the mariiage of that monarch, with Phila the daughter of Antipater, was much esteemed by them, and lived at their court till the time of his death. His davoμive, a poem, Φαινομένα, which is ftill extant, has been famous through all ages. We may conclude, that it was of great authority among the Greeks, from St Paul's quoting part of a verfe from this poem, in his oration to the Athenians; Τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμὲν. "For we are alfo his offspring." Cicero indeed feems to say, in his first book de Oratore, that Aratus was ignorant in aftronomy; but at the fame time he allows, that he treated of that fubject excellently in verfe; Si conftat inter doctos, "hominem ignarum aftrologia, or 66 واء 7 natiffimis atque optimis verfibus, "Aratum de caelo ftellifque dixiffe.” Nay he himself tranflated Aratus into Latin yerfe. He was tranflated alfo into Latin by Germanicus Cae-i far, and Avienus, and the number of his Scholiafts and Commentators is very great. Even Virgil himself has tranflated feveral lines from this Greek Poet, and inferted them in his Georgicks, as may be seen in the notes on that part of our author's works. Now, as Aratus has defcribed the feyeral conftellations, in his poem, with the prognosticks of the weather, he answers exactly to the character, which the fhepherd gives of the philofopher, whose name 1 he Si ad vitulam fpectes, nihil eft quod pocula laudes. If you confider the beifer, the cups are of small value • MEN. You shall not get off MEN. Numquam hodie effugies, veniam, quocum to day: I will engage with you. que vocaris. NOTES. For fev'n continued months, if fame irenew; 1 By Strymon's freezing freams he sate alone, J The rocks were mov'd with pity to his moan: Trees bent their heads to hear him fing his wrongs, m Molli... acantho.] The acanthus is fpoken of at large, in the note on ver. 123. of the third Georgick. But it may not be amifs to fay fome!! thing in this place, concerning the epithet vypos, which Theocritus beflows on the Acanthus, and Virgil renders mollis. It properly fignifies maift or liquid, which cannot be the fanfe in this place: but it is also used figuratively by the Greeks, to exprefs foft or bending, in which fense the pos of Theocritus, and the mollis of Virgil is here to be underfood, The vo Pliny, in the defcription of his garden has an expreffion very much to this purpose ; Acanthus in plano mollis, et, pene "dixerim, liquidus." And a little afterwards, "Poft has acanthus hinc inde lubricus et flexuofus." Hence we may obferve, that both Greeks and Romans were inclinable toufe fluid, foft, and bending, in the fame fenfe. 546. Orphea.] See the note on ver. 454. of the fourth Georgick.) Sylvafque fequentes.] Thus allo our Poet, in the fourth Georgick; Septem illum totos perhibent ex Rupe fub aëria deferti ad Strymo- "Fleviffe, et gelidis haec evoluiffe Fierce tygers couch'd around, and loll'a their fawning tongues," Thus alfo Horace; DRYDEN. "Aut in umbrofis Heliconis oris, "Haemo; "Unde vocalem temere infecutae "Orphea fylvae, "Arte materna rapidos morantem "Fluminum lapfus celerefque ven<< tos, Blandum et auritas fidibus canoris " Ducere quercus." Audiat hace tantum vel qui venit, ecce, Palaemon: Dokut let him bejudge, ubuisă. coming along obt it is Pa laemon. "Diis genitus vates, et fila fonan→→ tia movit; m. s "Et fuccin&ta comas, hirfutaque "vertice pinus; "Grata Deum matri.h "Adfuit huic turbae metas imitata cupreffus," s '' '' A bill there was; a plaine upon that bill; Which in a flowrie mantle flourishi stille Yet wanted fhade. Which, when the Gods defcent Sate downe, and toucht his well tun'd inftrument, A fhade receiv'd, Nar trees of Chaony, The poplar, various oaks that pierce the fky, Soft linden, fmooth-rinde beech, unmarried bayes, The brittle hafel, afh, whofe fpeares we prayfe, Unknottie firre, the folace fhading planes, Rough chefnuts, maple flect with dif ferent granes, Streame-bordering willow, lotus loving lakes, Tough boxe whom never fappie Spring for fakes; The flender tamarisk, with trees that beare, 3 A purple figge, nor myrtles abfent Straight fervice trees, trees dropping pitch, fruit red Arbutus; thefe the reft accompaned. Izwill take care, that "your Efficiam pofthac ne quemquam voce laceffas, Of Bacchus and his revellers, the 66 race Of that wild rout, that tore the Thracian bard "In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears To rapture, till the favage cla Both harp and voice; nor could Heinfius found fequaces inftead of fequentes, in one of his manufcripts; but fequentes is certainly better, which represents the trees in the very action of following Orpheus I 47. Necdum illis, &c. Here Dâmoetas repeats the very words of Menalcas, that he may not allow him any fuperiority. 48. Si ad vitulam fpectes, &c.] In this line Damoetas anfwers that of Menalcas, Menalcas had affirmed that his cups were of far greater value, than the cow which his adverfary had offered. Here Damoetas, answers, that he would stake two cups, in no degree? inferior to his; but at the fame time declares, that they are far inferior* in value to the cow, which he offered at first.ly Specles.... laudes.] Pierius found fpectas and laudas, in the Lombard manufcript, and fpectas in the Medicean. 23 49. Nunquam hodie effugies, &c.] Damoetas had firft provoked Menalcas to a trial of fkill: but now Menalcas challenges him; and that he may not get off, accepts of the wager, on his own terms. Appeals' to a neighbour, who happened to pafs by, and proposes him for judge of the controverfy between them. We must obferve, that Damoetas' had clofed his fpeech, with a contempt of the cups which Menalcas had offered, affirming, that they were by no means to be put in competition with a good cow. Menalcas anfwers brifkly, that this fhall not ferve him, for an excufe; for though his father, and particularly his ftepmother, would require an exact account of all the cattle from his hands; yet he was fo fure of victory, that he would venture a good cow, that Damoetas might have no pretence to decline the controverfy, or to say that the prize "Verum id quod multo tute ipfe was not worth contending for. fatebere majus." Veniam |