Quale meo Codro, concedite: proxima Phoebi 661 NOTES. as you have inspired my Codrus: be makes fuch as are next to the verjes of Phoebus: from Paufanias feems full to his purpofe; for that author calls it the Libethrian mountain, and fays there are ftatues upon it of the Muses, and of the Libethrian Nymphs.: Κορονείας δὲ σταδίους ὡς τεσσεράκοντα ὄρος απέχει το Διβήθριον, αγάλματα, δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ Μουσῶν τε καὶ Νυμφῶν ἐπίσ xλnoív ioli An&píwv. Ruaeus feems nefia; "Theffaliae annexa Mag"nefia eft, cujus fons 'Libethra." Pomponius Mela feems alfo to fpeak of Libethra as a fountain; "Ter❝rae interiores claris locorum no“minibus infignes, pene nihil ig« nobile ferunt. Hinc non longe "eft Olympus, hic Pelion, hic “ Ofa, montes gigantum fabula "belloque memorati: his Mufarum parens domufque Pieria: hic no-to think it a fountain, on the au"viffime calcatum Graio Herculi thority of Solinus, and renders Nym"folum, faltus Oeteus: hic facro phae Mufes. Catrou fays "The nemore, nobilia Tempe : hic Li"bethra, carminumque fontes ja"cent." Solinus alfo mentions Libethrus, a fountain of Magnefia; Sed ne tranfeamus praefidium poetarum, fons Libethrus et ipfe Magnefiae. eft." Servius fays Libethrus is a fountain of Boeotia, where the Mufes were worshipped; and that the Poet calls them Libethrides from that fountain, juft às they might be called Hippocrenides from the fountain Hippocrene. He adds, from Varro, that the Nymphs are the fame with the Mufes, the reafon of which is, that the motion of water is mufical. Vibius Sequefter mentions Libethros a fountain of Boeotia, and Libethris a mountain of "Aetolia. La Cerda contends, that the Libethrian Nymphs are different from the Mufes; in confirmation of which he quotes Strabo and Paufanias. As for Strabo, the paffages above quoted from that author feem rather to prove, that they are not different: but the quotation いい Nymphs of Boeotia are called Li"bethrides: By thefe Nymphs we "ought perhaps to understand the "Mufes; to whom a cave in Boe"otia, called Libethrum was con"fecrated." Thus, according to thefe various authors, Libethrum, Libethra, Libethrus, or Libethris, may be either a cave, a mountain, or a spring, either in Boeotia, Magnefia, or Aetolia. In this great variety of opinions, I believe it will be fafeft to abide by the authority of Strabo, who, in who, in two different places, affirms Libethrum to be a cave. By what he has faid of it, we may question, whether it was a cave in the mountain Helicon itself, or another hill in that neighbourhood, in which this facred cave was to be found. If we take the latter fenfe, we fhall make Strabo agree with thofe, who call Libethrum a mountain and thus the Libethrian cave will be a cave in the mountain Libethrum, of Boeotia, near Helicon. We have feen that Pliny T places or if we cannot all do all things, Verfibus ille facit: aut fi non poifumus omnes, NOTES. from his calling him my Codrus; and that Virgil thought him a good poet; because he fays, he makes verfes next to thofe of Apollo. All thefe expreffions are put into the mouth of Corydon, to whom he affigns the victory at laft; and therefore we may believe, that what he fays is conformable to the opinion of Virgil himself. Juvenal fpeaks of one Codrus, as a forry poet, at the beginning of his first Satire; places the fountain Libethra in Magnefia; but he does not fay a word of it's being facred to the Mufes; nor do they seem ever to have made their habitation either in Magnefia or Aetolia. There might poffibly be a fountain called Libethra in Magnefia, as well as a mountain 'called Libethrum in Boeotia: for we find there was not only the mountain Helicon in that country; but also a river of the fame name in Macedonia. Hence the other Geographers may eafily be fuppofed to have confounded the Magnefian fountain with the Libethrian mountain or cave; and to have ascribed to one what belongs to the other. -We may therefore venture to conclude, that the Libethrian Nymphs are no other than the Muses; and that they were fo called from a cave in Libethrum, a mountain of Boe-Telephus? aut fummi plena jam otia, which, as well as Helicon, was confecrated to those deities. Semper ego auditor tantum ? .66 nunquamne reponam, Vexatus toties rauci Thefeïde "Codri? Impune ergo mihi recitaverit ille 14 togatas, "Hic elegos? impune diem confumpferit ingens margine libri "Scriptus, et in tergo, nec dum Shall I but hear ftill? never pay that Vex'd with hoarfe Codrus Thefeis o're Hic arguta facra pendebit fiftula pinu. NOTES. "Lectus erat Codro Procula mi "nor, urceoli sex, "Ornamentum abaci: nec non et "parvulus infra Cantharus, et recubans fub eo❝ dem marmore Chiron, Jamque vetus Graecos fervabat ads " cifta libellos, *Et divina Opici redebant cat chalke mina műrés. Nil habuit Codrus, quis enim "negat? et tamen illud - Perdidit infelix totum nil: ultiτε mus autem my fbrill pipe fhall bang upon the facred pine. Aerumnae cumulus, quod nu-Pollio etipfe facit nova carmina." "dum, et fruftra rogantem Nemo cibo, nemo hofpitio, tec 66 31. “ toque juvabit.” Shorter than's dwarfe-wife Godrus had a bed, Item, fix little jugs on's cupboards head; Item, beneath it stood a two eard pot By Chiron's herbal: laftly he had got A cheft with fome Greek authors, where the fierce Barbarous mice gnaw'd never dying verse. Who knows not Codrus nothing had? Aut fi non poffumus omnes, &c.] This paffage feems to be very obfcure; and the Commentators give us very little light into it. Servius only refers us to a like expreffion in the eighth Eclogue; and thinks he ought to have faid aut fi ego non poffum. The fenfe of the paffage in the eighth Eclogue is this; The Poet having related the verfes of Damon, calls upon the Mufes to relate thofe of Alphefiboeus, because we cannot all do all things; non omnia poffumus omnes. It feems therefore to be a proverbial expreffion, of our not being able to do every thing of ourfelves, without the affiftance of a Deity. It is agreed by general confent, that, by hanging his pipe on a pine, is meant that he will relinquifh his art. But then, why should he for ever give over finging, if he cannot equal his friend Codrus, whom he allows to be second to Apollo? La Cerda inT 2 terprets THYR. O ye Arcadian THYR. Paftorès hedera crefcentem ornate poëThepherds, adorn with iny fome rifing poet, tam NOTES. terprets fi non poffumus omnes to mean, if I cannot afpire to the dignity of fo great a verfe but then why does he fay omnes, when he means only himfelf? Ruaeus paffes it over without any remark; and only renders it fi non omnes poffumus id affequi: that is, if we cannot all obtain it: but who are thefe all? Marolles translates it ου fi tous tant que nous fommes, ne pouvons y parvenir." Catrou understands Corydon to mean, if it is a favour that the Mufes do not grant to any one: ou, fi c'eft une "faveur que vous n'accordez "perfonne:" but then how does omnes fignify any one? W. L. tranflates it, 66. 66 a 25 I believe at laft we muft confider non poffumus omnes, as the fame proverbial expreffion with non omnia poffumus omnes, that is, we cannot do every thing without the affiftance of a Deity, or by our own strength. According to this conftruction the fenfe, will be this: "O ye Mufes "infpire me to write fuch verfes "as Codrus; or elfe, if, as we "commonly fay, we cannot all do "every thing, that is, if you re"fufe your affiftance, and I cannot "perform this by my own ftrength, "I will hang my pipe here on the "facred pine, that is, I will never attempt to make any more "verfes." 66 24, Sacra pendebit fiftula pinu.] "Or if wee cannot all fo happy It was a cuftom amongst the An "bee." cients, when they gave over any employment, to devote their inftruments, and hang them up in fome facred place. To this custom Horace alludes, when he fays... "Nunc arma defunctumque bello "Barbiton hic paries habebit." Thus alfo Propertius; "Pendebatque vagi paftoris in arbore votum. ' "Garrula fylveftri fistula facra "deo." that the beart of Codrus may Arcades, invidia rumpantur ut ilia Codro. NOTES. "Et fuccincta comas, hirfutaque "Me doctarum hederae praemia vertice pinus ;: "Grata deum matri. "Cybeleïus Attis f } frontium® Siquidem: "Diis mifcent superis.” "Exuit hac hominem truncoque Vinduruit illo." ·25. Paftores bedera, &c.] It is Accipe juffis the general opinion of the Com-"Carmina coepta tuis; atque hancmentators, that Thyrfis fpeaks here "fine tempora circum رد σε pere lauros." བས The ivy with yellow berries is faid by Pliny to be the fort ufed in the crowns of poets. See the notes on ver. 39. of the third Eclogues and ver. 258. of the fecond Georgick. Servius fays the poets are crowned with ivy, as if they were dedicated to Bacchus; because the poetical fury is like that of the Bacchanalians; or perhaps becaufe ivy is ever green, as good poetry deferves eternity. A late witty writer has faid," that ivy is a juft emblem of a Court-poet; because it is creeping,, dirty, and dangling. in contempt of Codrus, whom Co-Inter victrices bederem tibi ferrydon had extolled. But I rather think, that Virgil intended a complement to that poet, in these lines of Thyrfis, as well as in thofe of his Antagonist. The complement is more direct in the former and more oblique in the latter. Cory don declares his poetry to be next to that of Apollo, and invokes the Mufes to affift him in writing after the fame manner Thyrfis does not in the leaft difpute the goodness of his poetry; but calls on the Arca dian fhepherds, to inftruct fome young poet to write in fuch a man ner, as to become the envy of Codrus. Thus, though Thyrfis, in oppofition to his antagonist who had mentioned Codrus as his friend, wifhes fome future poet may equal, or perhaps exceed him; yet he thereby tacitly confeffes, that he is fuperior to all present poets. Hence it is plain, that Virgil contrives, with great elegance, to make the friend and enemy of Codrus concur in his praise. |