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quae

thee every grove fhall fing: nor Te nemus omne canet: nec Phoebo gratior ulla eft, is any page more pleafing to Phoebus, than that which bears Vari praefcripfit pagina nomen. the name of Varus in it's front. Pergite, Pierides, Chromis et Mnafilus in antro Proceed, ye Mufes: The young Chromis and Mnafilus

NOTES.

8. Agreftem tenui, &c.] See the notes on ver. 2. of the fecond Eclogue. 9. Si quis tamen, &c.] "Though "Apollo has deterred me from defcribing your actions in heroic verfe yet if any one fhall read thefe Bucolicks, he fhall find your name fcattered in the woods, or paftoral writings: and it is thus fcattered every where, becaufe I know, that no writings are more pleafing to Phoebus, than thofe which have your name prefixed. And indeed the ninth Eclogue makes frequent mention of Varus." RUAEUS.

Ruaeus affirms, that the adding of
the furname of Varus to this Quin-
tilius Cremonenfis, is a mere fiction
of the Grammarians, and not coun-
tenanced by any ancient author.
But whether his furname was Varus
or not, it does not appear, from any
thing that has been faid of him, that
he ever fhone in war nay we may
conclude that he did not; fince
Horace, in the Ode on his death,
has not faid a word of his military
glory. Having now inquired into
the character of all thofe, who have
been fuppofed to be the Varus here
intended, I cannot help being of
opinion, that it is Quintus Atius"
Varus, mentioned before, who
ferved under Julius Caefar, with
fuch reputation, in the Gallic war,
and adhered to him in the civil war;
unless any one will fhew, that he
died before the time of writing this
Eclogue, a fact, which I have not
been able to difcover...

13. Pergite Pierides, &c.] The Poct now proceeds to the fubject of his Eclogue, and relates how two fhepherds, or perhaps fatyrs, with a nymph, found Silenus afleep, and bound him, to obtain a fong, which he had often promised, and as often deceived them..

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7. Et triftia condere bella.] Some Commentators have fancied that this epithet triftia alludes to the fatal war in which Quintilius Varus perifhed. But, as has been already obferved, it was not any war at all; for he vainly attempted to govern" the perfon of Silenus. the Germans by laws, and not by arms and as for the action in which he fell, it did not deferve the name of a battle, being a mere flaughter. Befides this action, fuch as it was, happened several years after the death of Virgil,

Servius tells us, that "Virgil "here defigns to set forth the Epicu

rean Philofophy, which both "Virgil and Varus had learned un"der Siro; and that he introduces

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Siro fpeaking, as it were under "the By Chro"mis and Mnafylus, he means "himself and Varus; to whom " he adds a girl, to fhew the "full Epicurean doctrine, which "teaches, that nothing is perfect "without pleasure." In the life of Virgil alfo, which is afcribed to Do

natus,

Silenum pueri fomno videre jacentem,

NOTES.

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"Virgil, Says Catrou, when he was afraid his family would be "turned out of their eftate at An"des, endeavoured to find a re"treat for his parents. He caft his

eyes upon a farm, that Syro "had in the country; and there το upon made an Epigram, the La"tin and elegance of which difcover the hand of Virgil." Indeed the Commentators are so well agreed about this ftory of Syro, that it may feem prefumptuous to doubt of it. That there was an Epicurean philofopher of that name, in Virgil's time, is certain: Cicero, in an Epiftle to Trebianus, mentions him with refpect, as his friend;

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"Haec praedicatio tua mihi. valde grata eft, eaque te uti facile patiar, cum apud alios, tum mehercule apud Syronem noftrum "amicum. Quae enim facimus, ea "prudentiffimo cuique maxime "probata effe volumus." The fame author, at the latter end of his fecond book de Finibus, fpeaks of him as a very good and learned man; "Credo Syronem dicis et "Polydemum, cum optimos viros, Κε tum doctiffimos homines.' I will not therefore attempt to contradict this received ftory, that Virgil had ftudied the Epicurean philofophy under this Syro. But I do not believe, that the Varus, to whom this Eclogue was dedicated, ftudied under him at the fame time. Varus was probably at that time in Gaul, with Julius Caefar. But, not to infift any longer on that argument, I cannot be perfuaded, that Virgil would represent this excellent perfon in fuch a condition, as Silenus is here placed before us, drunk, and afleep; and this not once by accident; for it was his conftant cuftom, ut femper; his garland tumbled off his head, and a heavy flaggon, battered with often falling, hanging up near him. Such a defcription of an Epicurean philofopher might have been made by an enemy of that fect: but the Epicureans themselves difclaimed fuch debaucheries. Virgil therefore, who, at leaft in his younger days, favoured the Epicurean doctrines, cannot be imagined to defcribe the Tearned

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Syro

baving his veins diftended, as Inflatum hefterno venas, ut femper, Iaccho. 15 ufual, with the wine of the preceding day.

NOTES:

Syro in a manner fo contrary to the avowed principles of Epicurus. As for the Epigram quoted by Catrou; fuppofing it to be written by Virgil, which the most learned Criticks deny; it feems rather to prove, that Silenus is not intended to represent Syro. The philofopher is there reprefented as having lived in a small houfe; with a poor bit of land, not fufficient to tempt the avarice of the foldiers; and yet to have thought himself rich in the poffeffion of it, This does not agree with the character of a man, who indulged himfelf in daily riots and debaucheries. It is abundantly more probable, that "Virgil did not intend to reprefent any perfon whatfoever under the character of Silenus: but that he rather alluded to an old fable, which Servius has related from Theopompus: "This ftory of Silenus is not feigned by Virgil, but taken "from Theopompus. He relates, that Silenus being dead drunk was feized by fome fhepherds of king Midas and bound; that afterwards, his bands flipping off "fpontaneously, he anfwered feve"ral queftions of Midas concern

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ing Natural Philofophy and An"tiquity." Aelian alfo, in the eighteenth chapter, of the third book, quotes this conference of Midas with Silenus from Theopompus. Ovid, in the eleventh book of the Metamorphofes, mentions Bacchus having loft his tutor Silenus, who was taken drunk by

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Serta procul tantum capiti delapfa jacebant:

NOTES.

of nature, and traditions of the Ancients. We need not therefore look farther for any other meaning in this Eclogue, than that the Poet, having a mind to treat of thefe fubjects, puts them in the mouth of Silenus, whom he feigns to be treated by two young perfons, in the fame manner as he was in Phrygia, Chromis et Mnafylus.... pueri.] Thefe are generally thought to have been Satyrs. Servius feems to think the word pueri to be used in this place, because the Sileni, before they grow old, are Satyrs. I rather believe they were fhepherds; because we find in the old ftory, quoted from Theopompus, that they were country people, who bound Silenus, and carried him to Midas.

14. Silenum.] Aelian tells us, that Silenus was the son of a nymph: and that he was of a nature inferior to the gods; but fuperior to mortals: Νύμφης δὲ παῖς ὁ Σιληνὸς οὗτος, Θεοῦ μὲν ἀφανίστερος τὴν φύσιν, ἀνθρώπου δὲ κρείτ7ων καὶ θανάτη ἦν. We may gather from the verfes juft quoted from Ovid, that he was the tutor and companion of Bacchus. He is spoken of alfo, in the fourth book of the Metamorphofes, as one of the attendants of Bacchus, old, drunk, reeling, and scarce able to his afs; upon

fit

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Flis garland being fallen from bis bead, lay just by,

"Quique fenex ferula titubantes 66 ebrius artus

"Suftinet, et pando non fortiter "haeret afello."

The fame Poet, in the third book of his Fafti, defcribes this old deity in a ridiculous fituation. Bacchus, it seems, after his conqueft of India, paffed through Thrace, where his attendants, making a great clang with their brazen arms, drew vaft numbers of bees after them, which Bacchus confined in a hollow tree, and fo difcovered the ufe of honey. Silenus and the Satyrs, having tafted of this new delicacy, fought all over the woods for more. The old deity, hearing the buzzing of bees in a hollow elm, faid nothing to his companions, having a mind to keep the honey to himfelf. He jogged his afs flowly on to the tree, and leaning against it, began to plunder the hive; when the bees rufhed out upon him, and ftung his mouth, and his bald pate. In this condition poor afs kicked him; which made him old Silenus tumbled down, and his call aloud for help. The Satyrs ran laughing, to fee him limp about, to his affiftance, and could not help laughed heartily, and cured his old with his fwollen lips. Bacchus alfo tutor's face, by daubing it over with mud:

—— Tu bijugum pictis infignia « Jamque erat ad Rhodopen, Pan

❝ fraenis

"Colla premis lyncum: Bacchae

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gaeaque florida ventum: "Aeriferae comitum concre

"Satyrique fequuntur.;

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and bis beavy flaggon bung by Et gravis attrita pendebat cantharus anfa. it's battered car.

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Quaque movent fonitus aera, "fequuntur apes. Colligit errantes, et in arbore "claudit inani, """Liber: et inventi praemia mel

❝lis habet. "Ut Satyri laevifque fenex tetigere "faporem ; Quaerebant flavos per nemus 66 omne favos.

"Audit in exefa ftridorem exami"nis ulmo:

"Adfpicit et ceras diffimulatque

"fenex.

"Utque piger pandi tergo refidebat afelli;

66

"Applicat hunc ulmo, corticibufque cavis. "Conftitit ipfe fuper ramofa ftipite "" nixus:

"Atque avide trunco condita mella petit.

Millia crabronum coëunt, et ver❝tice nudo

"Spicula defigunt, oraque fumma

notant.

"Ille cadit praeceps, et calce feri66 tur afelli: "Inclamatque fuos, auxilium60 que rogat. "Concurrunt Satyri, turgentiaque ❝ora parentis "Rident: percuffo claudicat ille cc genu.

"Ridet et ipfe deus; limumque in

"ducere monftrat. "His paret monitis, et linit ora ❝luto.

"Melle pater fruitur: liboque in"fufa calenti

66

Jure repertori candida mella "damus."

15. Ut femper.] Thefe words exprefs the perpetual drunkenness of Silenus.

Iaccho.] One of the names of Bacchus. It is here put for wine.

16. Procul tantum.] Servius interprets it just by, and quotes a paffage from the tenth Aeneid, where he thinks procul fignifies near:

Modo prope, id eft, juxta. Nam ideo intulit tantum capiti delapfa, * ut oftenderet non longius provo"lutam coronam, ut eft X. Aen. "836. procul aerea ramo dependet." According to La Cerda, this paffage fhould be thus tranflated; only his garlands being fallen from his head lay at a distance. This learned Commentator obferves, that among the Ancients, the wearing of a garland was a mark of drunkennefs, which he confirms by fome quotations from Plautus; 66 Capiam mihi coronam "in capite, affimilabo me effe e"brium ;" and "Cum corona "me derideto ebrius ;" and "Quid "video ego, cum corona ebrium "Pfeudolum tuum ?" and 66 Quae "ifthaec audacia eft, te fis inter"diu cum corolla ebrium ince"dere?" But it was a ftill greater mark of drunkenness, to have the garland fallen from the head. For this he quotes Ovid;

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"Ergo

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