Et foliis lentas intexere mollibus haftas. NOTES. « fufi fugatique non fuperfuiffent, "nifi in eum locum confugiffent, ex quo erant egreffi." Now the Dionyfia or Liberalia could not be and to cover bending spears with tender foliage. ἑσπέραν αφίκειο, ετιμήθη, The Pas rilia or Palilia was obferved on the twenty-firft of April. Hirtius alfo tells us, that young Pompey's head was brought to Caefar, on the twelfth of April. "Ad convallem autem atque exefum locum ut "fpeluncam Pompeius fe occultare "coepit, ut a noftris non facile in "veniretur, nifi captivorum indi"cio. Ita ibi interficitur. Quum "Caefar gradiebatur Hifpalim, pri"die Id. Aprilis caput allatum, et "populo datum eft in confpectum." Thus we have the concurrent teftimonies of Hirtius and Plutarch, that this victory was obtained on the very day of a feftival of Bacchus ; and of Hirtius and Dio, that it was fome time before the end of April. Now there is not any feftival of Bacchus at that time of the year, in the Roman Calendar, except that of March 17; which muft therefore be the Dionyfia of Plutarch, the Liberalia of Hirtius, and the day of Caefar's victory. It is therefore far from improbable, that Caefar might few fome particular regard to Bacchus, fince he had obtained one of his moft confiderable victories on a day facred to that deity; nor is it very improbable, that when Anthony was drawn in a chariot, with the thyrfe, and other infig the fame feftival with the Bacchanalia, which we read of in Livy; for the Hiftorian tells us, they were at first celebrated three times in the year, and afterwards five times in a month; but we know that the Liberalia was an annual feftival, obferved on the feventeenth of March. The country folemnity, of which Catrou speaks, was in autumn, in the time of vintage, a very different season from that of the Liberalia. But fince many confound the feveral feafts of Bacchus tagether, as if they were but one, I fhall beg leave to make a few obfervations, whereby it will appear, that the battle of Munda could not have been on any other feftival of Bacchus, than that which was celebrated in March. Dio Caffius fays exprefsly, that Caefar was obliged to march against Pompey's fons in winter; MET JE TAUTA AUTÓS TE αναῤῥωσθεὶς, καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα ἐπακολουθήσαντά οἱ προσλαβών, ἠναγκάσθη καὶ ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι πολεμῆσαι; and that the news of the victory at Munda was brought to Rome the evening before the Parilia; and that facrifices were therefore offered on that festival; Tare yag Пapínania of Bacchus, he might do it in Τα τε γὰρ Παρίλια ἱπποδρόμια αθανάτων, οὔτοιγε καὶ δια imitation of his great mafter Caefar. τὴν πόλιν, ὅτι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔκτιστο αλλα διὰ τὴν τοῦ Καίσαρος νίκην, ὅτι ἡ ἀγγελιά αὐτῆς τῆ προτεραίᾳ τα πρὸς Armenias tigres.] They used to yoke tygers, το draw the chariot of Bacchus. Julius Caefar obtained a great victory over Pharnaces, king of Pontus, As the wine is an ornament to Vitis ut arboribus decori eft, ut vitibus uvae, trees, as clusters to the vines, as bulls to the berds, as corn to Ut gregibus Tauri, fegetes ut pinguibus arvis; the fruitful fields; so waft thou Tu decus omne tuis: poftquam te fata tulerunt, the whole glory of thy friends: Ipfa Pales agros, atque ipfe reliquit Apollo. after the fates took thee away, even Pales, and Apollo themselves for fook the fields. NOTES. 35 Pontus, a country bordering on Ar- elms by which it is supported. Thus menia. 1. Baccho.] Pierius obferves, that the printed editions generally have Baccho, but that it is Bacchi in all the ancient manuscripts. 31. Et foliis lentas, &c.] This is what they called a thyrse: it was a fpear twisted round with branches of Vine and Ivy; which those, who affifted at the folemnities of Bacchus, used to carry in their hands, leaping and finging at the fame time. 32. Vitis ut arboribus, &c.] This beautiful paffage is truly paftoral, and far exceeds one of the fame kind in the eighth Idyllium of Theocritus ; Τῷ δρυῒ ταὶ βάλανοι κόσμος, τα μα λίδι μᾶλα· Τῷ βοὶ δ ̓ ἃ μόσχος, τῷ βωκόλῳ αἱ βόες αὐταί. "Acorns the oaks, and grafs com"mends the plain; Fat calves do grace the cows, and 6.6 COWS the fwain." Philips; "Te quoque, magna Pales, et te, "memorande, canemus "Paftor ab Amphryfo." See the note on that paffage. This desertion of the fields by the goddess of fhepherds and the god of mufick and poetry is a figurative expreffion of the grief of the fhepherds for the lofs of Daphnis. They were fo afflicted, that they neglected the care of their fheep, and had not Grandia faepe quibus mandavimus hordea fulcis, Often in thofe furrows, in Infelix lolium, et fteriles dominantur avenae. NOTES. not fpirits to fing, in which their chief diverfion confifted. 36. Quibus.] Pierius found quidem in fome ancient manufcripts. 37. Infelix lolium, &c.] This line occurs again in the firi Georgick, ver. 154. See the note. But Pierius obferves, that dominantur is to be found only in the printed copies of this Eclogue, it being na/cuntur in all the ancient manufcripts that he had feen. He obferves, that it is dominantur indeed in the Georgicks, where the verfes are more numerous, than in the Bucolicks. 38. Pro molli viola.] The foftneis and delicacy of this fweet flower is opposed to the sharpness of the prickly plants mentioned prefently after. Pro purpureo marcifo.] There is a fpecies of white daffodil, with a purple cup. See the note on ver. 122. of the fourth Georgick. Purpureus is allo frequently uled for any bright or beautiful colour ; though very different from what we now call purple. 39. Spinis furgit paliurus acutis.] There has been fomne controverf, among the modern writers, concerning the paliurus of the Ancients. Theophraftus, lib. I. c. 5. tells us it is a thrub ; Φρύγανον (it ought to be θάμνος) δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ ρίζης και πολύστέλεχες, καὶ πολύκλαδον, οἷον βάτος, Παλίουρος. In cap. 8. he fays it is which we have fown plump barley, the unhappy darnel and the awild oats prevail. For the foft violet, for the purple daffo dil, the thiftle arifes, and the paliurus with pointed thorns. prickly, and joins it with the bramble; ὁ δὲ βάτος καὶ ὁ Παλίουρος ακανθώδη. In lib. 3. c. 4. he fays it grows in the plains ; τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις, μυρίκη, πτελέα, λεύκη, ιτέα, αἴγειρος, κρανεία, θηλυκρανεία, κλήθρα, δρυς, λακάθη, αχράς, μη λέα, ὀσ]ρύα, κύλαστρον, μελία, Πα λίουρος, ὀξυάκανθα, ἄκανθος. In c. 17. he tells us it bears three or four feeds in a fort of pod, that the feed has an oiliness like that of flax, that it grows in the fame places with the bramble, and that the leaves fall of every year; Ὁ τε Παν λίουρος ἔχει διαφοράς, ἅπαντα δὲ ταῦτα καρποφόρα· καὶ ὅγε Παλίουρος ἐν λοβῷ τίνι τὸν καρπὸν ἔχει, καὶ ὑπερ τῶν φύλλων, ἐν ᾧ τρία ἢ τέταρα για νεται· χρῶνται δὲ αὐτοῖς πρὸς τοὺς βῆχας οἱ ἰατροὶ κόπλοντες· ἔχει γὰρ τίνα γλισκρότητα και λίπος, ὥσπερ τὸ τοῦ λίνου σπέρμα· φύλαι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐφύδροις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ξηροῖς, ὥστ περ ὁ βάτος, οὐχ ̓ ἧττον δὲ ἔστι τὸ δέν δρον παρυδρον φυλλοβόλον δὲ καὶ οὐχ ̓ ὥσπερ ἡ ράμνος αείφυλλον. Diofco rides and Pliny fay little more of the Paliurus, than that it is a well known, prickly thrub. Columella, when he gives directions about making a quick hedge, recommends the strongest thorns, fuch as the bramble, Paliurus, and white thorn ; " Ea fint vaftisimarum fpi 66 narum, ΤΟ Spread the ground with leaves, Spargite humum foliis, inducite fontibus umbras, 40 ye shepherds, and form a fhade Paftores: mandat fieri fibi talia Daphnis. over the fountains: Daphnis commands fuch things to be done for him. NOTES. common 66 "Be ancient manufcripts. But he fays it narum, maximeque rubi, et pa"liuri, et ejus, quam Graeci xuvórbarov, nos fentem canis ap"pellamus." If we confider thefe quotations well, we can hardly doubt, that the Paliurus of the Ancients is the Rhamnus folto fubrotundo, fructu compreffo C. B. which is cultivated in our gardens under the name of Chrift's thorn; and is fuppofed to be the thorn, of which the crown was made, that was put upon our Saviour's head. This fhrub grows abundantly in Italy in uncultivated places, and is very in the hedges, for the ftrength of it's thorns makes a very good fence. It ufually bears about three feeds, which are inclofed in as many cells, and covered with a fungous hufk. Thus it agrees with all that is faid of it by the ancient writers; there being " Caeruleis moeftae vittis, utraque no exception to be made, except that the feeds do not grow in a pod. But Theophraftus does not call it abfolutely a pod, but a fort of a pod, v λwew rivi; and indeed Aweos is ufed by the Greek writers in many other fenfes, though it does most properly and generally fignify what we call a pod. 40. Spargite humum foliis.] It was a custom among the Ancients, to scatter leaves and flowers on the ground in honour of eminent perfons; and fome traces of this cuftom remain among us at prefent. Inducite fontibus umbras.] Pierius found this reading in most of the Stant Manibus arae, cupreffo." But this learned Critick might have read in Varro's fifth book de Lingua Latina, that the Romans had a Feftival called Fontinalia, on which they crowned the fountains with garlands; " Fontinalia a fonte, quod "is dies feriae ejus. Ab eo autem Et tumulum facite, et tumulo fuperaddite carmen. MEN. Your fong, O NOTES. Raife alfo a monument, and add a verfe to the monument: I Daphnis am celebrated from thefe woods even to the fkiess 45 the shepherd of a beautiful flock; but more beautiful myfelf. divine Poet, is no less delightful to me, Pope has imitated this paffage, in rural employments of the fhepherd his fourth Paftoral; Daphnis; but Virgil reprefents his Daphnis, as a perfon, whofe fame had reached up to heaven. 44. Formafi pecoris cuftos, &c.] Catrou is of opinion, that this mention of the beauty of Daphhis agrees very well with Virgil's brother, who was a young fhepherd. But he thinks it a cold compliment to Caefar, who was fifty-fix years old, when he was murdered, an age, when men do not use to be admired for their beauty. But we are to confider, that if Julius Caefar was the fubject of this Eclogue, he is all along reprefented under the character of a fhepherd; that nothing is more frequent than to speak of great rulers as fhepherds; and in the last place, that this hero is defcribed by the Hiftorians as having a very comely perfon. We may therefore very well understand, this expreffion of his being more beautiful himself than his beautiful flock, to mean, that Julius Caefar ruled the greateft nation in the world, and that he himfelf was the moft excellent perfon among them. 45. Tale tuum carmen, &c.] Menalcas greatly commends the Poetry of Mopfus; and modefty offers to fing fome yerfes, which he himself had compofed on the fame fubject. Virgil feems in this place to have The Greek Poet mentions only the had in his view the following verfes in |