When I offer a beifer for the Cum faciam vitula pro frugibus, ipfe venito. fruits of the earth, do you come yourfelf The thirteenth Elegy of Ovid's third book de Triftibus, is on his birth-day, wherein he laments, that being banished into fuch a difmal country, it is not in his power to celebrate the day with fuch folem nities as ufual; the wearing of a white garment, crowning the altar with flowers, and offering frankincenfe, and holy cakes; La Cerda thinks Damoetas defires Iolas to fend her to him, as an agreeable prefent, because it was the cuftom alfo to fend presents on those occafions. But it feems more probable, that he invites her as a friend. Iola.] Iolas may be fuppofed to be the father of Phyllis. He 77. Cum faciam vitula, &c.] The fhepherd invites Phyllis to a merry entertainment; but her father to a more folemn feast. means the Ambarvalia, in which they offered facrifice for the fuccefs of the corn. This folemnity is beautifully defcribed by our Poet in the first Georgick. See ver. 339. Faciam.] Facere fignifies to facrifice, and the victim is put in the ablative cafe: thus faciam vitula in the paffage before us fignifies to facrifice a heifer. La Cerda juftly obferves, that rem facram, or fome fuch words, must be understood after faciam, in confirmation of which, he produces a quotation of Livy, which comes up fully to the purpofe; «Omnibus divis rem divi¿nam thure, ac vino feciffe." Da Vitula.] We may obferve, that this Eclogue began with a reproach, that Menalcas threw upon his adverfary, that he was only a hireling, that fed the flocks of others. moetas, being ftung with this obloquy, takes occafion more than once, to represent himself as a man of property. He offered at first to ftake a heifer, which Menalcas was unwilling to anfwer, becaufe the herd MEN. Phyllida amo ante alias: nam me difcedere flevit: Et, longum formofe vale, vale, inquit, Iola. NOTES. herd was not his own, but his father's. Here again Damoetas fets forth his own ability, and brags of offering a heifer, at the Ambarvalia, which was a facrifice peculiar to wealthy perfons: for the poorer fort contented themselves with offering a lamb, as we find in Tibullus; "Vos quoque felicis quondam, nunc "pauperis horti "Cuftodes, fertis munera veftra "Lares. "Tunc vitula innumeros luftrabat "caefa juvencos, "Nunc agna exigui eft hoftia CC magna foli. "Agna cadet vobis, quam circum ruftica pubes "Clamet, io meffes, et bona "vina date." Ipfe venito.] He treats Iolas, the father of Phyllis, with much refpect, inviting him to the Ambarvalia, a folemn facrifice, to which every one was obliged to come with the ftricteft purity, as we read alfo in Tibullus ; "Quifquis adeft faveat: fruges luf 66 tramus et agros, "Ritus ut a prifco traditus ex tat avo. "Bacche veni, dulcifque tuis e cor"nibus uva "Pendeat, et fpicis tempore "cinge Ceres. 66. MEN. O lolus, I love Phyllis above all others; for fhe wept at my departure, and faid farewel, my Dear, a long fare wel.. Luce facra requiefcat humus, re"quiefcat arator, "Et grave fufpenfo vomere ceffat opus. "Solvite vincla jugis: nunc ad "prefepia debent Plena coronato ftare boves capite. "Omnia fint operata Deo: non "audeat ulla "Lanificam penfis impofuiffe 566 manum. "Vos quoque abeffe procul jubeo: "difcedat ab aris "Cui tulit hefterna gaudia nócte "Venus. "Cafta placent fuperis: pura cum ❝ vefte venite, "Et manibus puris fumite fontis aquam. 78. Phyllida amo, &c.] Menalcas, in anfwer to Damoetas's pretending to invite Phyllis on his birth-day, declares, that he loves her above all others; and calls Iolas to witnefs, with what tenderness fhe took her leave of him. Me difcedere flevit.] For dif ceffum meum flevit, a Grecifm.. 79. Longum formofe vale, vale, inquit.] Longum vale, and aeternum vale, are Grecifms frequently ufed. Servius takes notice, that the laft fyllable of the fecond vale is fhort, becaufe it comes before a vowel, as in Te Corydon o Alexi. Iola.] Servius takes Iolas to be another name for Menalcas; fo that DAM. A wolf is a dread- DAM. Trifte lupus ftabulis, maturis frugibus imful thing to the folds, rain to the ripe corn, winds to the trees to me the anger of Amaryllis. bres, Arboribus venti, nobis Amaryllidis irae. 80 MEN. Rain is a delightful MEN. Dulce fatis humor, depulfis arbutus hoedis, thing to the feed, arbutes to the weaned kids, NOTES. that, according to him, we thould interpret this line, inquit, O formofe lola, vale, longum vale. Marolles is of the fame opinion for he tranflates it, adieu mon bel Iolas. But Ruaeus has given a much better interpretation. Iola, fays he, is "not a word fpoken by Phyllis to Iolas, but by Menalcas to Iolas. "For as Damoetas had before ad"dreffed himself to Iolas, faying "O lolas, fend Phyllis to me fo σε now Menalcas alfo addreffes him"felf to the fame perfon, O Islas, I love Phyllis." Here we may agree with the Criticks, that the victory belongs to Menalcas. Damoetas endeavours to obtain the affe&tion of Phyllis by an invitation; but Menalcas has already gained it. Befides there is a greater tendernels and delicacy in the latter couplet than in the former. 80. Trifte lupus ftabulis, &c.] Damoetas, finding his rival to have the advantage, with regard to Phyllis, turns the difcourfe to another miftrefs, and declares nothing is more terrible in his opinion, than the anger of Amaryllis. Menalcas anfwers, that nothing is fo delightful to him as Amyntas. The first couplet feems to be an imitation of fome verfes in the Bouxoriaclaí of Theocritus; Lenta falix foeto pecori, mihi folus Amyntas. Mufam: Thus alfo Horace ; NOTES. "Impune tutum per nemus ar butos "Quaerunt latentes, et thyma de viae "Olentis uxores mariti." See the notes on ver. 148. of the firft Georgick, and ver. 300. of the third. Depulfis fignifies weaned, a lacte being understood, which is expreffed in the seventh Eclogue, bending willows to the pregnant cattle, Amyntas alone to m DAM. Though my fong is ruftick, yet Pollio likes it. unkindness of Amyntas, and in the other fpeaks of the grief of Phyllis, both melancholy images. Yet this learned Gentleman gives the preference to Menalcas on both, these eccafions. In the prefent cafe they may juftly be efteemed equal, ona representing how much he dreads the difpleafure of Amaryllis; and the other how much he esteems the favour of Amyntas. Nay Virgil himself feems to be of this opinion'; for at the clofe of this Eclogue, he makes Palaemon determine, that he who gives a good defcription of Depulfos a lacte domi quae clau- his diffidence in love is equal with deret agnos." Varro ufes depulfus alfo for being weaned; "Čum depulfi fint agni a "matribus." La Cerda thinks the fhepherds are equal, in thefe couplets: but Catrou, according to cuftom, affirms that Menalcas has the advantage. "The images, " fays he, which Menalcas here "presents to the mind, are more "agreeable than those of his ad"verfary. A wolf, unfeasonable "rains, and tempeftuous winds are "the ornament of Damoetas's dif"courfe. In that of Menalcas, હૃદ we have favourable rains, and an "agreeable nourishment to the "flocks." 'Accerding to this way of reasoning, Menalcas ought to be esteemed inferior to Damoetas, in the two preceding contentions, in one of which he complains of the him, who defcribes well his happy fuccefs in the fame paffion; 84. Pollio amat noftram, &c.] Damoetas introduces a new fubject, and boasts that Pollio is fond of his poetry. Menalcas lays hold on this occafion, to celebrate Pollio, as being a Poet himself. C. Afinius Pollio was a Poet, Orator, and Hiftorian, and a great patron of Poets, especially of Virgil and Horace. He was chofen Cònful, in the year of Rome 714. The next year he had a triumph decreed him, for his victory over the Dal matians, at which time Ruaeus fuppofes this Eclogue to be written, because Ye Muses, feed a beifer for your Pierides, vitulam lectori pascite veftro. reader 85 Sad prifoners guard, and glory of the bar, The Senate's oracle, and great in war, Whofe faith and virtue all proclaim; To whom the German triumph won Eternal fame, And never-fading glories of a crown? The grounds and vices of our wars, And impious arms that flow'd The great Triumvirate, And their leagues fatal to the Roman ftate; A dangerous work you write, and tread O'er flames by treacherous afhes hid; Yet this you write, and give to fame A lafting monument of our father's Shame : But hold thy mourning Mufe, for bear |