exercife your rural Mufe with a Sylveftrem tenui Mufam meditaris avena: fender pipe. NOTES. name of Tityrus among the Laconians. This laft quotation is erros neous; for the words of Servius are, "Laconum lingua Tityrus dicitur "aries (not hircus) major, qui gre gem anteire confuevit.' I be lieve the first reafon is the true one'; and that Virgil had no farther mean cioufly received, and restored to his poffeffions. It is reasonable to think, that fome of his neighbours, if not all, obtained the fame favour: though the Commentators feem almost unanimous in representing Virgil as the only Mantuan, that met with fuch good fortune. This is the fubject of the firft Eclogueing, than to borrow the name of The Poet introduces two fhepherds a fhepherd from Theocritus. under the feigned names of Meliboeus and Tityrus; of whom the former reprefents the unhappy Mantuans, and the latter those who were restored to their eftates: or perhaps Tityrus may be intended to reprefent Mantua, and Meliboeus Cremona. Meliboeus begins the dia logue with setting forth the miferies of himself and his neighbours. 1.Tityre.] La Cerda produces three reafons, why the name of Tityrus might be applied to an Italian fhepherd 1. Because the Poet imitated Theocritus, who gave that name to a fhepherd in the third Idyllium. 2. Because a pipe made of reeds was called Tityrinus in Italy. 3. A fhep herd might be properly fo called, as the word fignifies dancing, an exerçife much in ufe among fhepherds; ἐκ τῶν τελερισμάτων, οἷς χαίρουσι ΣαTupo, fays Aelian. To thefe be adds a fourth reafon; that Tityrus fignifies a Goat in the African language, whence the name has. been afcribed to thofe who feed them. He concludes with obferving, that Servius only fays that the greater he-goats are called by the I have already faid, that the Commentators generally agree, that the Poet intended to defcribe himself under the feigned name of Tityrus. But to this opinion I think fome material objections may be oppofed. The Poet reprefents his Tityrus as an old man. In ver. 29. hementions his beard being grey. In ver. 47. Meliboeus exprefsly calls Tityrus an old man, Fortunate fenex, which words are repeated in ver. 52. Now Virgil could not call himfelf an old man, being under thirty, when he wrote this Eclogue, in which he calls Auguftus juvenis, who was but feven years younger than himfelf: and at the end of the Georgicks he tells us exprefsly, that he wrote it in his youth: audaxque juventa Tityre te patulae cecini fub tegpod mine fagi.” Certent et cycnis ululae fit T tyrus Orpheus "Orpheus in fylvis; inter delphi 66 nas Arion," If Virgil had called himfelf Tityrus in the firft Eclogue, he would hardly have used the fame name afterwards for a mean or contemptible perfon. 1. Fagi.] La Cerda contends, that the Fagus is not a Beech, but a fort of Oak or Efculus; and quotes feveral authorities to fupport his opinion. This mistake has arifen from an imagination that the Fagus is the fame with the @nyas of the Greek writers, which is indeed a fort of Oak. But the defcription, which Pliny gives of the Fagus, can agree with no other tree, than that which -we call a Beech.. Fagi glans nuclei fimilis, triangula cute in"cluditur. Folium tenue, ac leviffimum, populo fimile." •212... Sylveftrem.] Quintilian, lib. 9. cap. 4. reads. Agreftem. It is generally allowed to have been a flip in Quintilian's memory; this reading not being countenanced by the authority of any manufcript. La Cerda endeavours to prove, that We leave the borders of our tountry, and our fweet fields. Virgil always ufes Sylvae, when he fpeaks of Shepherds, and Agri, when he is treating of Husbandry. But this argument is not good: for in a few lines below we find, "Ludere quae vellem calamo per mifit agrefti?" And in the fixth Eclogue Agreftem tenui meditabor atun dine mufam." We fly our country; whilft you, Nos patriam fugimus: tu, Tityre, lentus in umbra Tityrus, lying at cafe in the the beautiful Amaryllis. fbade, teach the woods to refund Formofam refonare doces Amaryllida fylvas. TIT. O Meliboee, Deus nobis haec otia fecit. TIT. 0 Meliboeus a God Namque erit ille mihi femper Deus: illius aram bas given me this quiet. For ! fhall always efteem bim as a God: NOTE S. "Upon a flender reed thy Silvan 66 lays." 2. Avena.] "The musical inftru<< ments used by fhepherds were at "first made of oat and wheat"ftraw; then of reeds, and hol low pipes of box; afterwards of "the leg bones of cranes, horns of "animals, metals, &c. Hence they are called avena, ftipula, ca"lamus, arundo, fiftula, buxus, ❝tibia, cornu, aes, &c." RUAEUS. 5 Amaryllida.] Those who underftand this Eclogue in an allegorical fenfe, will have Amaryllis to mean Rome. See the note on ver. 31. 6. O Meliboee, &c.] Tityrus informs his neighbour, that his felicity is derived from a God, complimenting Auguftus with that name. Deus.] The Poet flatters Auguftus, by calling him a God, some years before divine honours were publickly allowed him. Otia. Servius interprets it fecurity or felicity. La Cerda will have it to mean liberty. Ruaeus renders it quies. Lord Lauderdale tranflates it, This foft retirement; Dryden, Thefe blefings; and Dr Trapp, This freedom. In the fifth Eclogue our Poet ufes otia for peace or eafe; * Nec lupus infilias pecori, nec retia cervis 5 Saepe tener noftris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus. Ufque adeo turbatur agris. En ipfe capellas a tender lamb from my folds fball often flain bis altar. He bas permitted my kine to feed at 10 large, as you fee, and myself to un-play what I bave a mind on my rural pipe. MEL. I do not envy you indeed, but rather wonder; feeing there is fo great a disturbance all over the country.. NOTES. nion among the Ancients, that doing good elevated men to divinity. Tityrus therefore, having received fo great a benefit from Auguftus, de-' clares, that he fhall always efteem him as a God. If divine honours had then been ascribed to Auguftus, the Poet would not have mentioned him as a Deity peculiar to himself; erit ille mihi femper deus. But it is no great wonder, that the Poet fhould flatter Auguftus with the title of a God; fince Julius Caefar, whofe adopted fon he was, hads already received divine honours, a chapel being dedicated to him in the Forum, about ten months before the decifive battle at Philippi. 7. Illius aram, &c.] Pope has imitated this, in his fourth Paftoral; "To thee, bright Goddefs, oft a lamb fhall bleed, "If teeming ewes increase my "fleecy breed." 9. Errare.] Id eft, pafci, fays Servius. It is certain, that by errare the Poet cannot mean to woan der or ftray, in one fenfe of the word, which fignifies to go aftray, or be loft. Therefore, fore: to avoid ambiguity, I have tranflated it to feed at large, which is the true meaning of the word. Our Poets frequently use tray in the fame fenfe: thus Milton; "Ruffet lawns, and fallows grey, "Where the nibbling flocks do "ftray." Lord Lauderdale has tranflated errare in the full fenfe of wandering, or going aftray; "Do you not fee my cattle wand'ring roam "At their own pleasure, yet come "fafely home? "He 'tis that fuffers them to ga "aftray." Dryden's translation is better; "He gave my flocks to graze the flow'ry plain." II. Non equidem invideo, &c.] Meliboeus, apprehending that Ti tyrus might imagine he envied his does not, but only wonders at his good fortune, affures him, that he enjoying peace in the midft of the greateft confufions and disturbances, and concludes with inquiring, who that God is, from whom his tranquillity is derived. “ 12. Turbatur. Pierius found turbamur in fome ancient manufcripts. Servius found the fame reading; but juftly prefers turbatur. Quintilian alfo reads turbatur, in a quotation of this paffage ; and it is generally received by the editors. A 3 13. Pro Lo! I drive my goats being Protinus.aeger ago! hanc etiam vix, Tityre, duco. quite fick myself; and am bard ly able, my Tityrus, to drag this along. NOTES. felf has ufed protinus or protenus in other parts of his works. The ge "Protinus aërii mellis caeleftia dona, Exequar." And in the fecond Aeneid; "Protinus ad fedes Priami clamore vocati" 13. Protinus. Servius reads protenus, and interprets it porro tenus, id eft, longe a finibus. Pierius ob-neral fignification of it is immediateferves that most manufcripts have ly, next, or prefently afterwards. protinus; but that it is protenus in Thus it is used in the fourth Georthe Oblong and Medicean manu- gick: gick: raw 5 ordb fcripts. He obferves, that Caper makes a difference between them, making protenus an adverb of place, and protinus an adverb of time, Nonius Marcellus interprets protinus, valde. In the Medicean manufcript, according to the edition printed at Florence in 1741, it is protinus. The fame reading is in the Paris edition of 1541. But in that of 1540, under the care of Suffannaeus, it is protenus. In the Venice edition by Aldus, in 1576, it is proti nus. Rob. Stephens reads protenus. In the old edition, printed by Pynfon, it is protinus, as alfo in the Milan edition of 1539, and in the Antwerp edition of 1543. But in that of 1540, itis protenus. La Cerda reads protinus; but Heinfius, and after him most of the editors have protenus. Dr Trapp contends for protenus, in the fenfe which Ser-Protinus aërias Phaeacum abfconyius gives it; and accordingly tranLates this paffage, consiou Where Servius roads protinus, and interprets it ftatim; as he does alfo in another paffage of the fame hook t Sic fatus fenior, telumque imbel "le fine ictu in Conjecit rauco quod protinus aere repulfum.” In the fame fenfe it is ufed in the third Aeneid; etdimus arcès."[ And in the fourthge 190 "Lo! I far hence my goats, juftine 66 fainting drive... દ Protinus ad regem cursus detorbiov.quet Tarbam. And in the fifth w Protinus Aeneas celerit certare fagittashe "Invitat, qui forte velint.". And |