Mor. What if be fould MOP. Quid fi idem certet Phoebum fuperare capretend alfo to excel Apollo in Singing? nendo? MEN. Begin first, my Mop- MEN. Incipe, Mopfe, prior, fi quos aut Phyllidis fus, whether you will fang the flames of Phyllis, or the praifes ignes, of Alcon, or the quarrels of Aut Alconis habes laudes, aut jurgia Codri, ༩ IN OTES. 10 Catrou understands this fpeech of Menalcas to fignify, that he would have Mopfus begin, that he may bẹ able to judge between him and Amyntas; and paraphrafes Incipe Mopfe prior thus; "A fin que je " "puiffe juger de vous et de lui, chantez-moy de vos vers, et com זי mencez le premier." But this cannot be the fenfe, because when Mopfus, in the next fentence, repeats his difpleasure at being com-' pared with Amyntas, Menalcas immediately replies, that, in his judgment, Amyntas is far inferior to Mopfus. 9. Phoebum fuperare.] Catrou, imagines, that Virgil himself is here, meant under the name of Phoebus, an arrogance very inconfiftent with the modeft character of our Poet. He obferves, that "the character of Amyntas was drawn in the "fecond Eclogue. He infolently pretended to equal his mafter. "He was envious of the flute, "which was bequeathed to him, "invidit ftultus Amyntas. Here he "carries his confidence to fuch a length as to defy Phoebus himfelf, that is, Virgil." The Poet might mean the fame perfon under the name of Amyntas, in both Eclogues; but it does not thence appear, that he meant. Cebes, or indeed, that fuch a perfon existed. 10. Incipe, Mopfe, prior, &c.]tainment, as he was returning from Menalcas, perceiving that he had the Trojan war. Demophoon beoffended Mopfus, by comparing him ing obliged to go to Athens, to fetwith Amyntas, drops the difcourfe, tle his affairs there, promifed to reand defires him to fing firft, pro- turn foon and marry her. "But pofing at the fame time fome fub- when he was unexpectedly detained jects for his poetry. Mopfus chooses beyond the appointed time, Phyllis rather to fing fome verfes, which in defpair hanged herfelf. See the he had lately made, and tells Me- Epiftle of Phyllis to Demophoon in nalcas, that when he heard them, Ovid, he might judge, whether there was any comparison between him and Amyntas. Menalcas endeavours to pacify his anger, and declares, that in his opinion Amyntas is far inferior to him. ་ Phyllidis ignes.] Phyllis was the daughter of Lycurgus, king of Thrace, and fell in love with Demophoon, the fon of Thefeus, by Phaedra, having given him enter Incipe: pafcentes fervabit Tityrus hoedos. NOTES: fplit a hair with the point of his "dart; and stick an arrow with❝out a head on the point of a sword "or fpear. When his fon was affaulted by a dragon, he fhot an "arrow at him fo dextroufly, as "to wound the ferpent, without "hurting his fon." SERVIUS. Jurgia Codri.] Codrus, the fon of Melanthus, was the laft king of the Athenians. When his country was invaded by a powerful army, and the Oracle at Delphi had foretold, that the victory fhould fall to that people, whofe king fhould be flain; the enemy gave strict command to their whole army, that every one fhould abftain from hurting Codrus. But this generous -prince, difguifing himself in the habit of a fhepherd, took occafion to quarrel with fome of the enemies foragers, by which means he loft his life, and preferved his country. Thus I collect the ftory from Velleius Paterculus and Valerius Maximus, who differ very little in their relation of it. Paterculus fays thefe enemies were the Lacedaemonians, Valerius Maximus does not name them, and Justin says they were the Dorians. Paterculus exprefsly mentions the quarrel; "Depofita veste “ regia, pastoralem cultum induit, "immixtufque caftris hoftium de induftria, imprudenter, rixam "ciens, interemptus eft." Valerius Maximus fays he wounded one of the foragers, and thereby provoked him to kill him; "Depofitis in fignibus imperii, familiarem cul Begin, and Tityrus fhall tend the feeding kids. L "tum induit, ac pabulantium hof tium globo fefe objecit, unum"que ex illis falce percuffum, in "caedem fuam compulit." Thus, though this author does not mention the word quarrel, yet it is plain from his account, that Codrus fought to pick a quarrel with the foragers, by wounding one of them, and thereby loft his own life. Ci cero, about the latter end of his first book of Tufculan Queftions, mentions his throwing himself into the middle of his enemies in disguise, and the prediction of the Oracle, that the death of the king would be the prefervation of the country; 4 Codrum, qui fe in medios immifit hoftes, famulari vefte, ne poffet agnofci, fi effet ornatu re"gio: quod oraculum erat datum, "fi rex interfectus effet, victrices "Athenas fore." The fame author, in his Confolation, informs us farther, that Codrus was deified by the Athenians, for his piety to his country ; - "Quid vero illae, omnis plane doctrinae omnifque "fapientiae parentes, 'Athenae? nonne Codrum regem fuum, ob pietatem in patriam, meritaque illa, quibus excelluit, magno confenfu in deos retulerunt ?" Codrus is celebrated also by Horace; "Codrus pro patria non timidus "mori.' J. Some Criticks however will have Phyllis, Alcon, and Codrus, to be only paftoral names, to which opi MOP. Nay, I would rather MOP. Immo haec, in viridi nuper quae cortice try thofe verfes, which I lately wrote on the green bark of a fagi, beeck, and fung and play'd al- Carmina defcripfi, et modulans alterna notavi, ternately and then bid Amyn- Experiar: tu deinde jubeto certet Amyntas. tas contend with me. NOT-E S. nion Ruaeus alfo feems to incline. There was alfo, according to Servius, a famous Poet named Codrus, contemporary with Virgil. He is mentioned with applaufe, in the feventh Eclogue, "Nymphae, nofter amor, Libe thrides: aut mihi carmen Quale meo Codro, concedite; proxima Phoebi "Verfibus ille facit." But it feems much more probable, that the Poet alluded to the feveral ftories above-mentioned. 12. Pafcentes fervabit Tityrus hoedos.] Thus Theocritus, in the firft Idyllium; - Τάς δ' αίγας εγὼν ἐν τῷδε να μευσω. 13. Cortice fagi.] It was the ancient cuftom in Italy, to write on the barks of trees, as it was in Egypt to write on the papyrus, a fort of rufh, from which the word paper is derived. Pliny, amongst the ufes, to which the barks of trees were applied, mentions, that fpies ufed to write on them their intelligences to Generals. He also fpeaks of fome religious ufes of the bark of beech-trees: "Cortex et 15 "demiifque faciunt, atque prae"texta tuguriorum. Scribit in re"centi ad duces explorator, inci"dens literas a fucco. Necnon in quodam ufu facrorum religiofus "eft fagi cortex. Sed non durat "arbor ipfa.", 14. Modulans alterna notavi.] I have tranflated this, according to the interpretation of La Cerda "Cum ea modulatus fum, notavi alterna, id eft, alternatim, vie "delicet, inflans jam fiftulam, jam 66 canens carmen. Itaque alter"natio hic refertur jam ad flatum calami, jam ad fonitum ovis." 15. Tu deinde jubeto certet Amyntas.] Catrou thinks this a ftrong confirmation of his fyftem. " Do but give attention, fays he, to thefe expreffions, jubeto certet "Amyntas, and you will perceive a mafter, who commands. Ce"bes and Alexander were at once "the flaves, and the difciples of "Virgil." But it is certain, that jubea is not always used for commanding like a master, as may be proved from many inftances taken from Virgil. I fhall only felect a few, where Catrou himself renders it otherwife. In the fourth Eclogue, we read, MEN. Lenta falix quantum pallenti cedit olivae, NOTES. Here jubeant fignifies no more than to caufe, as Catrou has juftly tranflated it; Elle nous portera encore "à courir les mers, et à cultiver la "terre." In the fecond Aeneid, Capys, and fome other wife men are faid to advife, that the horse fhould be thrown into the fea, for it is plain it was not in their power to command it; "At Capys, et quorum melior fen"tentia menti, "Aut pelago Danaum infidias, fuf"pectaque dona "Praecipitare jubent.' Thus alfo Catrou tranflates it; "Capys de fon côtè, et avec luy toutes les meilleurs tétes du pays étoient d'avis, ou qu'il falloit jet❝ter à la mer le trompeur et dangereux préfent d'une nation arti"ficieuse." Thus alfo, in the third Aeneid, when the companions of Aeneas are terrified by the Harpies, and are in no condition to affume a power of commanding, jubent is ufed, which there fignifies no more than to endeavour; MEN. As much as the bends ing willow is inferior to the pale olive, as much as the bumble faliunca Puniceis humilis quantum faliunca rosetis: to the scarlet roses, NOTES. sc Dardanidis, ipfumque trahunt in Ὅσσον παρθενική προφέρει τριγάμοιο moenia regem :" and yet even here Catrou thinks jubent means no more than they propofe or defire; « La crainte excita la difcorde parmi les citoyens, et « les partagea en divers fentimens. "Les uns veulent qu'on livre les ર portes aux Troyens, qu'on les reçoive dans la ville, et qu'on traîne le Roi, malgré luy, fur les remparts." Thus we fee that, even in the opinion of this learned Critick himself, jubeo does not al ways fignify to command as a mafter. Therefore his. fyftem is not confirmed by this expreffion; nor is it proved, that Amyntas, much lefs that Mopfus was the flave of Menalcas. Thus the words in question probably mean no more than bid Amyntas contend with me, or let Amyntas contend with me, neither of which expreffions fignifies any power in Menalcas of commanding Amyntas. This is agreeable alfo to the apology, which Menalcas immediately makes, with a ceremony not ufually obferved by masters to their flaves. **** 16. Lenta falix quantum, &c.] There is a comparifon like this, but much more prolix, in the Arns of Theocritus; The moft remarkable property of the willow is it's flexibility, whence it is called lenta: the epithet pallenti is no lefs proper to the olive; for it's leaves are of a yellowish green colour. The fhape of the leaves of thefe two trees is not very different; but the ufe of the olive is greater, beyond all comparison. 17. Humilis faliunca.] The Saliunca is a plant not certainly known at prefent. It is either the fame with the Nardus Celtica, or else entirely unknown. Some are of opinion, that they are the fame, others |