see did she look upon me, and Refpexit tamen, et longo poft tempore venit. come after a long time. Since, 30 Amarylis poffefes me, Galatea Poftquam nos Amaryllis habet, Galatea reliquit. bas left me. For I must con- Namque, fatebor enim, dum me Galatea tenebat, fefs, that whilft Galatea beld Nec fpes libertatis erat, nec cura peculi. me, I bad neither bope of liberty, મુor cart of gain, } r NOTES. under inextricable difficulties in explaining their author; which might eanly be avoided by allowing, that the, Poet's characters are general, and not intended to be perfonal. 31. Poftquam nos Amaryllis, &c.] The allegorical Commentators fancy that the Poet meant Rome by Amaryllis, and Mantua by Galatea. Politian pretends that Amaryllis was the fecret name for Rome. But, La Cerda justly obferves, this contradicts itfelf for if it had been the Poet had offended against religion, by pronouncing the name, which it was unlawful to reveal. Befides, no ancient author whatsoever has ventured to inform us what this fecret name was. La Cerda feems to incline to the opinion of Fabius Pictor and Nannius, who tell us, that the Argeus campus, which is inclofed by the feven hills, was rendered uninhabitable by the inundations of the Tiber; but that, on offering facrifices to Vertumnus, the waters returned into their channel. Hence Rome was called Amaryllis from the gutters, by which the waters were carried off, quapis fignifying a gutter. But La Cerda him felf thinks this may poffibly be too far fetched, and that the Poet may intend no more than to call Rome by the name of a fictitious fhep, herdefs. Ruaeus looks upon thefe opinions as trifles, and justly rejects the allegorical interpretation for the following reafons. 1. As the Poet has twice mentioned Rome expressly, and by it's proper name, in this Eclogue, what could induce him to call it fometimes Rome and fometimes Amaryllis? 2. He diftinguishes Galatea from Mantua alfo, when he fays, that whilft he was a flave to Galatea, he had no profit from the cheeses which he, made for the unhappy city. 3If we admit the allegory, that verfe Mirabar quid moefta deos, &c. is inextricable, 4. Servius has laid it down as a rule, in the life of Virgil, that we are not to understand any thing in the Bucolicks figuratively, that is, allegorically. Galatea reliquit.] Many of the Commentators will have this to be what, they call an Euphemifmus, or civil way of expreffing what would otherwife feem offenfive. They affirm that Galatea did not forfake Tityrus, but Tityrus Galatea. This is ftill upon a fuppofition that Galatea is Mantua; but as we reject that interpretation, the Euphemifmus becomes unworthy of our confideration. ·33. Peculi.] It is used for Pe culi. Peculium is commonly unt derftood to fignify the private ftock, which a flave is permitted to enjoy, independent of his mafter. Plautus, in his Cafina, ufes it to exprefs the feparate purfe of a wife, made up without the husband's knowledge; Nam "Clam virum, et quod habet, par"tum ei haud commode'ft, "Quin viro aut fubtrahat, aut ftupro invenerit.?? Cicero ufes it for the property of a flave, in his Paradoxa; An eo«rum fervitus dubia eft, qui cupiditate peculii nullam conditionem "recufant duriffimae fervitutis ?" of Many other paffages are quoted by the Commentators, to fhew, that peculium means the ftock of a flave; whence they infer, that Virgil ufes it in this place, to exprefs that Tityrus was in a state of fervitude. It muft be confeffed, that the word is moft frequently used in this fenfe; but there want not inftances to prove that it alfo fignifies the property a freeman, or, as I understand it in the paffage now before us, Gain. Petronius Arbiter, in his eighth chapter, uses it in a ludicrous fenfe, to exprefs what every man may certainly call his own. Horace, in his Art of Poetry, has the very words cura peculi, in the fame fenfe that I have given them here; “—At haec animos aerugo et cura " peculi "Quum femel imbuerit, fperamus carmina fingi Poffe linenda cedro, et laevi fer<< vanda cupreffo?"? Though many a victim went from my folds, Have been devoted thus to rust and gain, Be capable of high and gen'rous thoughts? Lord Rofcommon. 34. Septis.] Servius tells us, that fepta fignified thofe places in Can fouls, who by their parents from the Campus Martius,' which were their birth, fenced in, for the people to give and many a fat cheese was Pinguis et ingratae premeretur cascus urbi, preed for the unhappy city, NOTES.. their votes; and that because these fepta refemble fheep-folds, or ovilia, the words are often put one for another. Thus in this paffage, feptis is ufed for ovilibus; and on the contrary in Lucan, "Et miferae maculavit ovilia "Romae." And Juvenal, But this pointing is followed in very few editions. Burman indeed feems to approve of it on the authority of Servius, and Fabricius, but he has preferved the common pointing. Ingratae urbi.] Mantua: but fome doubt may arife, why Mantua is called ingrata, and what is meant by that epithet. It is commonly used to fignify either unplea fing or ungrateful. In the former - Antiquo quae proxima furgit fenfe we find it in the fecond ❝ovili." Aeneid: ་་་ "Sed quid ego haec autem nequic quam ingrata revolvo:" where Servius interprets it, nec vobis placitura, nec mihi gratiam conciliantia. In the latter fenfe it feem's to be ufed in the tenth Acneid; But I think it more probable, that partis fiant, dicam." Here it is very plain, that Varro ufes the word for what we call fences. He fays there are four forts of fepta, or fences: the firft he defcribes to be a quick hedge; the fecond a dead hedge; the third a ditch and bank; and the fourth a wall. 35. Pinguis.] Servius thinks it better to make pinguis agree with victima than with cafeus, fo that thefe lines fhould be pointed thus>> "Quamvis multa meis exiret victima feptis Refpicit ignarus rerum, ingratufque falutis." But ingratus fignifies alfo unhappy, fad, or melancholy; as in the fixth Aeneid: Flebant, et cineri ingrato fupre}: ma ferebant;' where Servius interprets it, Trifti; ut gratum laetum aliquid dicimus. Thus alfo in the fifth Book of Lucretius, we find ........ "At nifi purgatum 'ft pectus, quae "proelia nobis, Pinguis, et ingratae premeretur "Atque pericula tune ingratis in ❝cafeus urbi." "finuandum;.. Nonunquam gravis aere domum mihi dextra redibat, et my right hand newer returned MEL. Mirabar, quid moefta Deos, Amarylli, vocares; NOTES. which Creech interprets, At nifi animi naftri fint purgati, quat tumul tibus agitaremur, quae pericula nos miferos, manerent. Thus alfo Horace, "Ingrata mifera vita ducenda eft," us. 66 MEL. I wondered, Ama. 37 ryllis, what made you forrow. ful, and invoke the Gods; bame full of money. wife be obfcure, and produce manufcripts in confirmation of "that reading. They do not want Amarylli.] The allegorical interpreters are at fuch a lofs to make fenfe of this verfe, that they are obliged to find an error in it, and that we ought, inftead of Amarylli to read Galatea. Accordingly we find Galatea inwhich Defprez interprets Vita mifera truded into fome editions. La Cerda infortunato pratrahenda eft tibi. I bas not altered the text here, though believe it is in this laft fenfe, that we he feems very well inclined to it. are to understand the paffage before "Some, fays he, read Galatea, We do not fee any reafon, why" thinking the fenfe would otherVirgil fhould call Mantua, ungrate ful. Tityrus carried his cattle and cheefe thither to fell, and if he did not bring his money home with him, it was his own fault to fpend fault to fpend it. Nor is there any evident reafon, why he should call it unpleafing, unlefs, as Burman interprets it, because it was filled with foldiers. But there appears an evident reafon, why he fhould call it unhappy; for it was fo in it's fituation, fuffering on account, of it's nearness to Cremona, as the Poet himself intimates in the ninth Eclogue; "Mantua, vae miferae nimium cina Cremonae." reafon for this emendation: for Meliboeus, as appears from the "whole courfe of this Eclogue, ૬. pretends to know nothing about "Auguftus or Rome; nay Tity rus informs him of them. There "fore, how fhould he, who knew 66 nothing of Rome, hear of her complaints? how fhould he fee "her apples? how fhould he hear the complaints of the trees and fountains there? All these make against Amaryllis; but plead viftrongly for Galatea, that is, for "Mantua, whofe, complaints >> "Mantuan fhepherd, may well, be 37. Mirabar, &c.] Meliboeus feems by this laft difcourfe of Tity rus, to have found out, the amour between him and Amaryllis, with which he was not acquainted before;, and therefore wondered whofe ab fence it was that Amaryllis las mented. fuppofed to know. And indeed "he fpeaks as about fomething pre fent, and of the country about "Mantua, which he has before his σε eyes, when he fays, haec arbuste "vocabant te. Befides, Tityrus bine "aberat makes for Mantua, not for Rome: for no, body can be and for whom you fuffered your Cui pendere fua patereris in arbore poma. apples to bang fo long upon their trees. NOTES. "faid to be abfent from a place "where he never was." It is plain, that this learned Commentator was led into all this perplexity merely by his being blinded with Allegory. But Catrou goes more foundly to work, and boldly reftores, as he calls it, Galatea to the text. "The reader will be furprised, "fays he, to find Galatea here in❝ftead of Amaryllis. I confefs "that most of the modern editions "have Amarylli; but I have not "fubftituted Galatea without au"thority. Several manufcripts, as La Cerda affirms, and feveral "ancient editions, read Galatea in«ftead of Amaryllis. Befides, the "edition printed at the Louvre, "from manuscripts, has reftored "Galatea in the text. Hereby all "the difficulties vanifh, and all the obfcurity clears up. If we re"tain Amarylli, and mean thereby "the city of Rome, would it be probable, that Meliboeus fhould know what paffed there, he who "perhaps had never ftirred out of his own village? Could Virgil's "father have caufed fo much grief "there by his abfence? He was a "man of no diftinction, who went "to feek credit at Rome, and was "not regarded there, at least not with any inquietude. Nor is it "more natural to imagine, that a "perfon is here meant for whom "Tityrus, that old man with a "white beard had an inclination. "He was not of an age to form ryllis and Galatea are always "meant Rome and Mantua, the "whole work becomes uniform, "and attains it's end, without giv"ing any change to the mind." By the confeffion of these allegorical interpreters themselves, their whole interpretation falls to the ground, unless we read Galatea for Amaryllis: but there does not feem fufficient authority for that reading; which feems to have been utterly unknown to Servius, Pierius, Philargyrius, and other most celebrated Commentators; and to have been invented only to fupport the imagination, that Amaryllis was Rome, and Galatea was Mantua. We muft therefore fubfcribe to the opinion of the learned Ruaeus, who judicioufly obferves, that the fenfe is very plain, if we do not confound curfelves with allegory. "Tityrus, fays he, has caft off Galatea, loves Amaryllis, and goes to Rome. Amaryllis being left at |