and let bim yoke foxes, and Atque idem jungat vulpes, et mulgeat hircos. milk be-goats. NOTES. there was fuch a, fpice or perfume, in high efteem among them, and that, it came from the eaftern parts of the world. Therefore, when Damoetas wifhes that Pollio's friends may gather Amomum from brambles, he makes a fecond allufion to the happiness of the Golden Age. Thus we find again in the next Eclogue'; "Amomum." Uπónippov, Evades ixaves. The fame υπόκιῤῥον, ἐνῶδες author fpeaks of a worfe fort from Media, and another from Pontus. Ruaeus quotes this defcription of Diofcorides. But thefe words "In Affyria, "Armenia, Ponto, et Media op"timum" are not juft; for Diofcorides does not mention Armenia, and fays exprefsly that the Amomum from Media, which grows in moift Affyrium vulgo: nafcetur. and plain places, is lefs efficacious; Τὸ δὲ μηδικὸν διὰ τὸ ἐν πεδίοις καὶ ἐν ἐφύδροις τόποις ύεσθαι αδυνατώτερον. 90. Qui Bavium non odit, &c.] Pliny feems to fpeak of it as a cluf- Menalcas changes the fubject, from ter from an Indian vine; though, the admirers of Pallio to his de he fays others are of opinion, that tractors; and as Damoetas had it is a fhrub like a myrtle, a fpan wifhed all happiness to the former high, that it is gathered with the fo he expreffes the greateft detefta root, and is very brittle; that the tion of the latter.. "We feel beft fort is like the leaves of the plainly, fays Catrou, what forti pomegranate-tree, not wrinkled, "of oppofition there is between and of a reddifh colour; and that "the two couplets of Damoetas it grows alfo in Armenia, Media, and Menalcas. The former and Pontus; "Amomi uva in ufu "eft, ex Indica vite labrufca; ut alii exiftimavere, frutice myrtuofo, palmi altitudine; carpitur"que cum radice, manipulatim. manipulatim. "leniter componitur, protinus fragile. Laudatur quam maxime “Punici mali foliis fimile, nec ru653 gofis, colore ruffo.... Nafcitur.. "et in Armenia parte, quae vo"catur Otenae, et in Media, et in " wifhes the friends of Pollio, as a "reward for their good-will, equal: "honours to thofe which had been "decreed to this illuftrious Roman. "Pollio had been Conful, and had "obtained a triumph for his con"queft of Dalmatia. The fecond " wishes all thofe, who do not de" fpife the verfes of Bavius, as a "punishment for their ill tafte, may "efteem thofe of Maevius, a worse "poet ftill. But, in fhort, what relation is there between Bavius and Pollio, between a hero and "a bad poet? And if there is "none, where are the laws of the "Amoebean Eclogue? A paffage Ponto." It has been a matter of great queftion among the modern writers, whether we are at prefent" acquainted with the true Amomum of the Ancients. It is fufficient for our prefent purpose to know, that DAM. Qui legitis flores, et humi nafcentia fraga, ,,,!, NOTES. plained: DAM. Ye boys, that gather flowers, and ftrawberries, that grow on the ground, 66 "of Symmachus may perhaps clear, that Pollioni has flipt into the text of "up this dark place, which the in-, Symmachus by mistake, and that terpreters have not we ought to read Publio only; for "Non idem honor, fays Symma- there was, it seems, one Publius, a "chus, in pronuntiandis fabulis, player, who is there opposed to Am"P. Pollioni, quam Bavio fuit, bivius, another player, who is men"neque par Acfopo et Roffio fama tioned in another epiftle of Symma"proceffit. Here this author puts chus. Cicero alfo mentions Am"Pollio and Bavius in competition,, bivius Turpio, an actor, in his book " and feems to give the preference, de Senectute. In truth, all that is Co to Bavius. They were both faid about Bayius by the Commen66 poets, and compofed dramatic tators is doubtful: and I believe we pieces. Each of them had his know no more of him at present, partifans; but Virgil was for Pol- than what Virgil has told us; that lio, his benefactor. In this Ec- he was a very forry poet; and that "logue, he makes a furious attack he died in the year of Rome 720, upon the rival of his friend. in Cappadocia, according to the "He would have thofe, who efteem chronicle of Eufebius; Olymp. ❝ him, be accounted ftupid enough « CLXXXIX. 3. M. Bavius Poto be guilty of the groffeft ab-eta, quem Virgilius Bucolicis "furdities. I know, that in the laft editions of Symmachus, the text has been altered, and that they read Ambivio inftead of Bavio. But what right had they "to put Ambivius with Pollio? ❝was it not more natural to follow "the old editions, and to join Polσε lio with Bavius, as Virgil has "done?" But Burman fhews plainly enough that the paffage in Symmachus, on which Catrou grounds his criticifm, is either corrupted, or not to the purpofe. The Pollio there mentioned is, even according Catrou's quotation, P. Pollio. Now our Pollio 66 not P. Pollio but C. Afinius Pollio, and it has been proved that there was no fuch perfon as Publius Pollio' in the whole Afinian family. It is more probable, was notat, in Cappadocia moritur." As for Maevius, we know rather more of him; for Horace, as well as Virgil, has taken care to tranfmit his name to pofterity. The Lyric poet prays heartily, that he may be fhipwreckt, and vows a facrifice to the ftorms, if they will but deftroy him ; "Mala foluta navis exit alite, "Ferens olentem Maevium "Ut horridis utrumque verberes ❝latus, "Aufter, memento Auctibus. Opima quod fi praeda curvolittore 14 That flie from bence, a cold Snake lies Frigidus, O pueri! fugite hinc, latet anguis in herba. bid in the grass. NOTES. 66 66 σε ແ man "'Tis pleafant to fee the Poet dafb-. "ing two Dunces against one ano-> ther, to make port for himself and, "his reader. We may be fure they were not only dull, but en-.. "vious and malicious fcriblers; Var-. "gil had certainly been abufed by,,. them; otherwife he, who was the most candid, and beft-natur'd in the world, would not have "been fo fevere upon them." Here, I cannot agree with this ingenious gentleman, that Virgil bad certainly. been abufed by them, in which cafe, it would have been more fuitable to his candour and humanity, to have taken no notice of them. The of fence, which they had committed, was certainly againft Pollio, who, was Virgil's friend, and a man of the greatest merit. What Menalcas faid would have been no answer at all to the former couplet, if thefe, bad Poets had not been enemies to Pollio. Before we quit thefe ancient dunces, I would beg leave to confider, whether what Virgil has, faid of them is not capable of a bet ter interpretation, than that which, is generally received; "Let him, "who does not hate Bavius, be punished with liking the poems. "of Maevius." Wherein does the punishment confift? It would indeed be a punishment to a perfon of good tafte, to be obliged to read bad poetry; but furely it can be none to him that likes it. We know that both Bavius and Maevius were contemporary with Virgil: perhaps Bavius was the older of the two, and MEN. Parcite oves nimium procedere: non bene ripae NOTES. and his verfes allowed without difpute to be ridiculously bad. Let us fuppofe then, that Maevius was the adverfary of Pollio the fatire in this cafe will be very plain, and ftrongly levelled against Maevius. The fenfe then will be, that none, can bear the poetry of Maevius, but fuch as are fo fenfelefs as to like the wretched verfes of Bavius. This fenfe feems to me more delicate, and more like Virgil. We may strengthen this interpretation by confidering an almoft fimilar circumftance. We are told that Settle was once a rival of the famous Dryden, and had a ftrong party on his fide. If any friend of Dryden would have fhewed his contempt of that unworthy antagonist, could he have done it better than by naming fome incontestably bad Poet, fuch as Withers, for inftance, and faying, "Let him that does not hate Withers, ad"mire Settle?" Would not the fatire, in that cafe, be more delicate, and ftrong, than if that friend had named two of Dryden's antagonists, and faid, "Let him that does not "hate Blackmore, admire Settle ??? There is no great matter of fatire in naming two Poets together, who are neither of them in esteem. But to compare a Poet, who has many admirers, with another that has pone, is treating him with ridicule and contempt. We may conclude therefore, that Maevius had his admirers, and that Virgil, being incenfed against him for abufing his MEN. Ye fbeep, forbear to go farther, it is not fafe to truft the bank: friend Pollio, was refolyed to fhew his contempt of him, by telling him he was no better a poet than Bavius. Dryden has translated this line most strangely ; "Who hates not living Bavius, let him be "Dead Maevius, doom'd to love "thy works and thee:".. 2 Where this famous tranflator discovered, that Maevius was dead, when this Eclogue was written, I cannot imagine. 91. Atque idem jungat, &c.] Here Menalcas fays, that fuch as can like the poetry of Maevius, are capable of employing themselves in the groffeft abfurdities. 92. Qui legitis flores, &c.]" In "these and the following couplets, "the fhepherds feem to be grown friends: they do not fting one "another, as before; but only op"pose one sentence to another; in "which they appear to me to be al"ways equal. The allegories, "which fome have imagined, do not please me. Damoetas ad"monishes the boys, to avoid the "flowers of the meadows, where "fnakes lie hid: Menalcas warns the fheep to keep from the banks "of the rivers, where there is danger." LA CERDA. 66 Servius understands this allegorically. He fays it is a hint to the Mantuans, who lived among armed foldiers, that were as dangerous as the ram himself is even now Creditur: ipfe aries etiam nunc vellera ficcat. 95 drying bis fleece. DAM. O Tityrus, keep the DAM. Tityre, pafcentes a flumine reice capellas: goats back from the river: NOTES. fo many ferpents. Vives interprets it, You that study the liberal arts, avoid this venemous Poet." Catrou thinks it is a metaphor taken from the country; to fhew the danger of thofe paffions, which captivate the heart. He understands love to be the fnake in the grafs. If this paffage must be understood allegorically, I fhould rather follow the interpretation of Vives, because it continues the fubject of the preceding couplet. But I believe it But I believe it would be better, with La Cerda, to understand these verfes literally. ¡Humi nafcentia fraga.] This epithet humi nafcentia is very pro per; it expreffes the manner in which strawberries grow; for the plants, which bear them trail upon the ground, and are therefore more likely to conceal ferpents. drawn fword, and pursued him, till he threw himself into the "Mincius, and fwam to the far"ther bank." Dr Trapp is of opinion, that "to put the ram for "the fhepherd, however allegorical " it may be, is not very natural: "and there is little agreement, fays "he, between falling into a river "accidentally, and leaping into it “' "defignedly." Catrou thinks the allufion to love is ftill carried on, and that the meaning of this couplet is, that love is a flippery fhoar, from which we may eafily fall headlong into the torrent, if we do not carefully avoid the brink. I believe we had better keep to the literal interpretation. Non.] Daniel Heinfius has nam inftead of non, which furely muft be a mistake. etiam fua in one manufcript. 95. Etiam nunc.] Burman finds couplets continue the fubjea of 96. Tityre pafcentes, &c.] Thefe taking care of the flocks.. Servius |