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his scholars. Here we may, obferye that Virgil is fuppofed to be represented under any of the four characters, except that of Thyrfis. It might with equal reafon have been fuppofed, that Virgil intended to reprefent a contention between himfelf, and either Pollio, Gallus, or Varus; that he meant himself by Thyrfis, and therefore, out of complaifance, gave the victory to his patron. But in truth, I believe he did not intend to defcribe any particular perfon, in this Eclogue; but only to imitate Theocritus: for there is not any paffage in the whole poem, that feems to allude to any private character. The fubject is wholly paftoral; and the verfes of the two contending fhepherds relate entirely to their own rural affairs, to their own friendships, and to their own amours..>

Arguta.] Servius interprets it canora, ftridula. Nothing is more frequent with the poets, than to fpeak of the whispering or murmuring of trees. Thus Theocritus, be gins his firft Idyllium;

Ilice.] Caftelvetrius, as he is quoted by Burman, affirms that neither holm-oaks, pines, junipers, nor.cheftnuts grow in the Mantuan. It is hardly to be imagined, that Virgil could be ignorant of the trees that grew in his own neighbourhood. Our learned Ray, whofe authority in this cafe is worth that of a hundred grammarians, affirms, that the holm oak is common in moft of the provinces of Italy; "In Hetruria aliifque Italiae provinciis, praefertim ad mare inferum, inque Gallia Narbonenfi, et Hifpania, "in fylvis, collibus, et campeftri

bus maritimis paffim et copiofe "provenit." The fame author obferved the pine in great plenty in feveral parts of Italy; particularly near Ravenna, where there is an entire large wood of these trees, extending itself to the fea-fide. He tells us alfo, that chestnuts abound in Italy. He does not indeed particularly mention the juniper as an Italian plant; but he feems to speak of it as growing in all parts of Europe. However, if we will believe Matthiolus, a learned Italian Bo ranift, the juniper is very common in his country; Major et minor

juniperi fpecies in pluribus Italiae "locis reperitur. Tufcia urbanas alit, quae in proceram arborem affurgunt: vifunturque hae frein agro noftro Senenfi; quarum fructus fylveftribus et "craffior et dulcior habetur."

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quentes

2. Compulerantque greges, &c,] This is an imitation of the begin

Thyrfis the foeep, and Corydon the goats diftended with milk. Both were in the flower of their age, both Arcadians

dians to fignify, that they were the Arcadians were famous for bed ftrong lufty young fellows; because ing robuft and hardy. Ruaeus thinks they were either really Arcadians, or rather like Arcadians in the art of finging; because the scene is inot laid in Arcadia; but in the Cifal

Mincius, not far from Mantua. Catrou is of opinion, that, as Cebes and Alexander were flaves brought from a foreign country, Virgil took the liberty of feigning them to be Arcadians; because they were equal in fging to the Arcadians, a peo ple fo much celebrated by the Poets. Arcadia is well known to be an inland country of Peloponnefus. It was famous for it's excellent pasturage, vaft numbers of herds and flocks, and it's extraordinary worship of the god Pan, to whom a famous temple was erected in Tegea. This deity was faid to have invented the fhepherd's pipe; and the Arcadians were famous for their fkill in mufick. They are faid to have been taught by Arcas, the son of Califto by Jupiter, to build cóttages, to cloath themselves with the fkins of beafts, and to live on acorns, beechmaft, and other food of the fame kind. This rendered them a very hardy and ftrong people; and made them able to repel the violence of their neighbours, when they invaded them.

6. Huc.] So Pierius found it in the Medicean manufcript: though he prefers hic. Heinfius alfo and Burman found buc in feveral manufcripts. In the Milan edition 1481, and that of Lyons,^ 1517, in folio, and in the Paris editions in 4to, 1540 and 1541, and in the London edition by Pynfon it is hic, which reading alfo is admitted by Pulman, Heinfius, Mafvicius, Ruaeus, Cuningam, and Catrou. But Aldus, Robert Stephens, Guellius, La Cerda, and Burman read buc; as I find it also in the folio editions, of Venice 1562 and Paris rboo, and in the Antwerp edition of 1543.

Dum teneras, &c.] The mention of defending the myrtles from the cold has occafioned fome trouble to the Commentators, in fet tling the time of year, in which this Eclogue is faid to be written. Servius fays, fome understand this paffage in the plain and obvious fenfe of the words: others, who affirm it was in fummer, understand dum defendo a frigore to mean, I am covering them against the future cold: others understand it to fignify dum mihi defenfaculum praepare myrtos a frigore, that is, quae funt fine frigoribus. Surely this laft interpretation is as harfh as can be imagined. La Cerda prefers that of covering them against the future cold; because the greenness of the banks, the growing of the reeds, the buzzing of the bees, and the fhade of

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as we read Ovium teneròs depellere foetus, in the firft Eclogue. For my own part, I do not fee any reafon to suppose the text to have been corrupted, or any difficulty in under- · ftanding this paffage according to the plain meaning of the words. It is well known, that the Myrtus communis Italica C. B. or common Myrtle, grows plentifully in Italy, efpecially on the coaft of the Tyrrhene fea; but even in Italy it does not love cold, efpecially when planted in gardens; Myrti montes non amant quin et frigidos oderé "tractus" fays Matthiolus. These myrtles of Meliboeus were young and tender, and therefore ftood in need of fhelter: and it is plain, that a cool feafon is intended, by the words a frigore. The argument drawn from the fhade of the

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