fiftance. But Circe, being in love with Glaucus, refolved to get rid of 'Scylla. She poifoned the water where Scylla used to bathe; fo that as foon as the went in up to the middle, the found her lower parts furrounded with barking monsters. Scylla being affrighted, ran away, not imagining there monfters to be part of herfelf, and was turned into a dangerous rock, in the freight be tween Sicily, and the continent. of Italy. See ver. 420. of the third Aeneid, and the latter end of the thirteenth, and beginning of the fourteenth books of Ovid's Metamorphofes.

76. Dulichias vexaffe rates, &c.] The Poet here alludes to a paffage in the twelfth Odyfley ;

and to bave torn the fearful mariners, alas! zeith fea-dogs, in the deep gulph?

Chiefs of renown ! loud ecchoing

6. fhrieks arife;

I turn, and view them quivering "in the fkies;

They call, and aid with out« ftretch'd arms implorer anis In vain they call thole arms are « ftretch'd no more.

As from fome rock that over

hangs the flood,

"The filent fifher cafts th' infidious 46 food,

« With fraudful care he waits the q finny prize,

« And fudden lifts it quivering to "the fkies:

«So the foul monfter lifts her prey 4 on high,

1.

"So pant the wretches, ftruggling in the fkie;

"In the wide dungeon fhe devours « her food,

σε

And the fel trembles while the "churns the blood; S4

σε Worn

Dulichias.] Dulichium is one of those islands in the Ionian fea, called Echinades. It lies over against the mouth of the river Achelous, and was fubject to the dominion of Ulyffes.

Véxaffe.] We are informed by Aulus Gellius, that fome ancient Grammarians, among whom was Cornutus Annaeus, in their comments on Virgil, found fault with this word, as being ill chofen and mean. They thought it applicable only to trifling uneafineffes; and not ftrong enough to exprefs fo great a mifery, as the being devoured by a horrid monfter. But that learned Critick affirms it to be a very ftrong word; and thinks it was derived from vehere to carry, which expreffes force; because a man is not in his own power, when he is carried. A man who is taken up, and carried away by violence, is properly faid to be vexatus. For as taxare is a much stronger word than tangere, from which it is derived; jač tare than jacere; and quaffare than quatere; fo is vexare alfo more forcible than it's primitive vehere. And

80

though in common fpeech, one who is incommoded by fmoak, wind, or duft, is faid to be vexatus; yet we are not to relinquifh the original and proper fenfer of the word, as it was used by the Ancients. He confirms this by a quotation from an oration of Cato, where fpeaking of the greateft calamity that ever Italy endured, he makes ufe of the verb vexa; Quumque Hannibal ter

ram Italiam laceraret atque vex"aret ;" and another from the fourth oration of Cicero against Verres ; "Quae ab ifto fie fpoliata

atque direpta eft, ut non ab hofte aliquo, qui tamen in bello religi onem et confuetudinis jura re"tineret, fed ut a barbaris praedonibus vexata effe videatur."

3

for the banks of the Eurotas, when he was in love with Hyacinthus ;

Orbis "In medio pofiti caruerunt carmine Delphi, Dum deus Eurotan, immunis tamque frequentat "Sparten."

The Eurotas feems to have been a favourite river of both Apollo and Diana; for we read in the first Aeneid,

Qualis in Eurotae ripis, aut per juga Cynthi,

* Exercet Diana choros."

Fufitque edifcere lauros.] The banks of the Eurotas are faid to abound with bay-trees. Hence perhaps Apollo was fancied by the Ancients to be more particularly, fond of this river, than of any other. Pope has imitated this verfe, in his fourth Paftoral;

Thames heard the numbers, as
he flow'd along,
And bade his willows learn the
"moving fong."

"Much of his race though fteep, o fufpenfe in heav'n "Held by thy voice, thy potent voice he hears,

"And longer will delay to hear thee << tell

"His generation, and the rifing birth

"Of nature from the unapparent "deep."

ECLOGA

F

1. Forte fub arguta, &c.] In this Eclogue is represented an amebean contention between two fhepherds, Corydon and Thyrfis. They are defcribed fitting under a tree, in company with Daphnis, who feems to have been appointed to judge between them. Meliboeus, happening to pass that way, in queft of a goat that had ftrayed, is fpied by Daphnis, who calls him, and infifts on his ftaying to hear the difpute. The whole affair is related by Meliboeus.

The Commentators, according to custom, are divided concerning the perfons, whom Virgil is here fuppofed to reprefent under the feigned names of Daphnis, Melibocus, Corydon, and Thyrfis. Servius fays, that Daphnis is the Sicilian fhepherd, fpoken of in the fifth Eclogue, whom he now calls a Diviner, which he thinks is confirmed, by his telling Meliboeus, in the way of Divination, that his goats are fafe; Caper tibi Jalvus et boedi. Vives takes the whole Eclogue to represent a famous contention at Rome between two poets, at which Virgil was

1

prefent: he therefore fuppofes Daphnis to be one of Caefar's learned friends, Meliboeus to be Virgil, and Corydon to be one of Virgil's friends; either Gallus, Varus, or Pollio. Some will have Corydon to be Virgil, and Thyrfis one of his contemporary poets and rivals. La Cerda is pofitive, that the Poet feigns a contention between himself and Theocritus, whom he reprefents under the character of Thyrfis. Ruaeus is of opinion, that Corydon may be either Gallus, or Pollio; Thyrfis one of his rivals; Daphnis a common friend and Meliboeus Virgil himself. Catrou will have it, that the two contending fhepherds are Cebes and Alexander, Meliboeus is either Maecenas or Pollio; and Daphnis Virgil himself. Thus, according to thefe various opinions, Daphnis may be either the ancient fhepherd of Sicily, or one of Caefar's learned friends, or a friend of Gallus and Pollio, or Virgil himfelf: Meliboeus may be either Virgil, Pollio, or Maecenas: and Corydon may be either Gallus, or Varus, or Pol lio, or Virgil himself, or one of