when. I shall be permitted to Ille dies, mihi cum liceat tua dicere facta 51. relate thy actions! NOTES. N ་་ "not prefented to Caefar, after his " to the two ancient authors of Virexpedition to Dalmatia. I allow, "gil's life, one in verse, and the "that all his Eclogues were pub- other in profe, that the Poet was lifhed before that time. It is It is known at Rome before the Ecmore probable, that Virgil com logue of Tityrus, and according "pofed this, or at least that he de- to Tiberius Donatus, that he "dicated it to Octavian, when the "was in the fervice of Auguftus. "defeat of Brutus and Caffius was "He might therefore dedicate this "published at Rome. Virgil, like "Eclogue to him, after the battle "a good courtier, celebrates the of Philippi, that is, fome months conqueror, even before his arri" before his father had his farm at “val in Italy, cat the time when it "Andes restored. By this fyftem, $6 was not known exactly which which is not to be found elfeway he would return.: Here fomewhere, the ancient and modern will afk, how it can be fuppofed, "that this Eclogue is prior in time "to that which is placed at the "head of the editions? For Octa ❝vian, after the battle of Philippi, was upon his march toward Rome, "in December 712, and the diftri "bution of the Mantuan lands was ༦༩ not made till 713. For my part, "I fee no difficulty in maintaining, that Virgil compofed fome of "his Eclogues, before that which begins with Tityrae tu patulae, &c. I have elsewhere anfwered the difficulties on that fubject. The general mistake, that Vir gil reprefented himself under the Tityrus of the firft Eclogue, has occafioned another. It has been imagined, that the Poet did not know either Rome or Auguftus, $ till after the diftribution of the Mantuan lands. For my part, as I have difcovered the father of Virgil, under the perfon of Ti * tyrus, I am at liberty. I fee no reafon not to believe, according 14 interpreters are reconciled, and a light is given to the first verses of "this Eclogue." Burman treats this fyftem of Catrou, as a mere fiction; and thinks, that nothing is more natural, than to fuppofe, that Pollio was then marching at the head of his army into Dalmatia : whence the Poet makes a doubt, whether he had yet paffed the Timavus, and got beyond Iftria, and from thence marching along the coaft of Illyricum, had penetrated into Dalmatia. Hence the Poet foretels the happy event of the war, and prophefies, that the day is at hand, when he fhall be enabled to celebrate both his great actions, and his fublime poems. This opinion of Burman appears to me much the most probable, and the most agreeable to the history of thofe times. As for the two triumphs of Pollio, mentioned by Scaliger, the firft is related merely on the authority of Servius, who probably means the fame Dalmatian war, which all 1 agree En erit, ut liceat totum mihi ferre per orbem, Shall I ever be permitted to praife through the whole world thy poems, NOTES. agree to have been in the year after Pollio's Confulfhip, and places it by miftake, in the year before it. What Velleius Paterculus mentions, was acted chiefly about Altinum; for it was by poffeffing that country, that Pollio hindered Caefar's foldiers, who were coming out of Macedon, from entering into Italy. Had he proceeded into Illyricum at that time, and bufied himself in the fiege of Salonae, as is pretended, he had done very little fervice to Anthony, or differvice to Auguftus. We must therefore agree with Ruaeus, that the time of writing this Eclogue was not when Pollio had held the Venetian territory for Anthony; but that, if it was dedicated to him, it muft have been at the time of his victories over the Dalmatians, and other people in thofe parts. Thus far however we may differ from Ruaeus, that it was not at his return from Dalmatia, but when he was upon his march into that country. The expreffions which our Poet ufes, of longing to celebrate his actions, feem to relate rather to his fetting out with good omens, at the beginning of a war, than to his returning crowned with fuccefs. As for the fyftem of Catrou, he feems to make his chief objection against Pollio, that the words a te principium tibi definet, are more applicable to Auguftus, than to Pollio: but it does not appear, that Virgil began his Eclogues with Auguftus, fince that learned Critick himself contends that 1 1 the Tityrus was not the firft Eclogue of our Author. This objection fhall be farther confidered, in the note on that paffage. That this Eclogue was not dedicated to Auguftus, after he had conquered the Dalmatians, is allowed by Catrou it remains therefore to be confidered, whether it can with any probability be fuppofed, that it was dedicated to him, when he was returning from the battle of Philippi. We find in Dio, that Auguftus did not crofs the Timavus in his return to Italy; for then he must have come the whole journey by land but that he came by fea: for the Hiftorian tells us exprefsly, that he was fo fick in his voyage, that it was reported at Rome, that he was dead Καίσαρ δὲ ἐς τὴν Ἰταλίαν αφωρμήθη καὶ αὐτὸν ἡ νόσος ἔν τε τῇ πορεία και ἐν τῷ πλῷ ἰσχυρῶς ἐπίεσεν, ὥστε καὶ θανάτου δόξαν τοῖς ἐν τῇ Ρώμη πα XV. Appian alfo tells us exprefsly, that Caefar's greatest dan ger was at Brundufium; whence it appears, that he returned to Rome, directly by fea from Dyrrachium, the nearest way he could; paffing and neither marching through Illyricum, nor coafting along the fhoar of that country: Kairap de is THU Ρώμην ἐπανίοντι ἥ τε νόσος αὖθες ήκε μαζεν, ἐν Βρεντεσίῳ μάλιστα ἐπικιν δύνως, καὶ φήμη διήνεγκεν αὐτὸν καὶ Teava. Here then was no great encouragement for Virgil to dedicate his poem, to one, of whom he εν had ubicb alone are worthy of the Sola Sophocleo tua carmina digna cothurno! 10 bufkin of Sophocles? NOTES. had more realon to queftion whether he was dead or alive, than whether he was returning home by land or by fea. Befides, it is well known, that as foon as the battle at Philippi was over, Auguftus and Anthony made an agreement, that the latter fhould march into Afia, and the former fhould return directly into Italy, and take the care of dividing the promised lands among the veterans. This would require a quick difpatch; and it muf be imagined, that Auguftus would come the ncareft way to Rome, and not think of failing all round the Illyrian coaft, much lels of paffing by land through the whole length of that barbarouς country, and entering Italy by Venetia, which he muft do, if he croffed the Timavus; and fo come quite round the whole Adriatick. These things being confidered, with fome others, which will be mentioned in the following notes, we fhall make no difficulty to affirm, that the person to whom this Eclogue is addreffed, was Pollio, and that it was, when he was at the head of his army, marching into Il, lyricum, at the latter end of the year 714; or beginning of 715, when L. Marcius Cenforinus, and C. Calvifius Sabinus were Confuls: for in this year we find, according to Dio, that Pollio quelled an infurrection of the Parthini, a people bordering on Dalmatia: Teriγιγνομένω, ἐν ᾧ Λουκιός τε Μάρκιος και Γάιος Σαβίνος υπάτευσαν ἐγένετο μὲν καὶ Ἐναυρίοις τοῖς Παρθι νοῖς κίνησις καὶ αὐτὴν ὁ Πωλίων μα χαις ἔπαυσεν. : mavi.] Strabo fays, that in the very Seu magni fuperas jam faxa Tiinmoft part of the Adriatick fea, Timavum is a remarkable temple, which has a port, an elegant grove, and feven fprings of fweet water, which forming a broad and deep river, run prefently into the fea Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ μυχῷ τοῦ ̓Αδρίου καὶ ἱερὸν τοῦ Διομήδους ἐστὶν ἄξιον μνήμης, τὸ Τίμαυον λιμένα γὰρ ἔχει, καὶ ἄλσος εὐπρεπές, καὶ πηγὰς ζ ποτα μίου ὕδατος εὐθὺς εἰς τὴν θάλατταν ἐκπίπτοντος, πλατεῖ καὶ βαθεῖ πο rap. Our Poet, in the first Aeneid, defcribes the Timavus, as rufhing down from a mountain with great violence, through nine mouths; "Antenor potuit, mediis elapfus "Achivis, . "Illyricos penetrare finus, atque in 66 "tima tutus "Regna Liburnorum, et fontem "fuperare Timavi ; "Unde per ora novem, vafto cum murmure montis, "It mare proruptum, et pelago premit arva fonanti.” 66 A te principium; tibi definet: accipe juffis NOTES. 7. Sive oram Illyrici legis aequoris.] Illyricum, Illyris, or Illyria, is that whole country, which lies on the Northern fide of the Adriatick, oppofite to Italy. It is commonly divided into two regions, Liburnia on the Eaft, and Dalmatia on the West. Lego is ufed for keeping near the coaft at fea, in the fecond Georgick; Primi lege littoris oram." Burman is of opinion, that it may as well be meant of marching by land near the fhoar. En erit unquam.] See the note on ver. 68. of the firft Eclogue.. 10. Sola Sophocleo, &c.] Sophocles the Athenian was esteemed the prince of Tragick poetry. He is faid to have been the firft, who introduced the cothurnus or bufkin, which was a kind of boot, reaching up to the calf of the leg, and having thick foals of cork, to make the actor appear taller than his natural fize. This paffage is paffage is a ftrong proof, that Pollio is the perfon here intended. It appears fufficiently, that this great perfon was a writer of Tragedies from the following lines of Horace, addreffed to Pollio; be meant, ftrain hard to make him a poet and a writer of tragedies. But the only authority they are able to produce, is that of Suetonius, who mentions his writing a tragedy called Ajax. But even Suetonius feems to think the Emperor was but a forry, poet; and fays exprefsly, that though he began his Ajax with much fpirit, yet he found his ftile to flag in fuch a manner, as he went on, that he deftroyed his play: Poëticam fummatim attigit. Unus liber: reftat fcriptus ab eo hexa "metris verfibus, cujus et argu"mentum et titulus eft Sicilia. Ex"tat alter aeque modicus Epigrammatum, quae fere tempore bal"nei meditabatur. Nam tragoe "diam magno impetu exorfus, non fuccedente ftylo, abolevit: quaerentibufque amicis quidnam Ajax ageret, refpondit, Ajacem fuum in fpongiam incubuiffe." It is hardly probable, that Auguftus had begun this tragedy before the battle of Philippi: for he was too young for fuch an attempt, when Julius Caefar was murdered; and from that time to the battle of Philippi, he does not feem to have been at leifure to make verfes. Some will have tua carmina to mean, not the verfes of Auguftus, but the verses "Paulum feverae Mufa Tra- written in his praife; which is a very forced interpretation. "goediae "Defit theatris: mox, ubi publicas 11. A te principium tibi definet.] This is the expreffion, which is thought to be a full proof, that the patron of this Eclogue is Auguftus. Thofe, who will have Auguftus to The Tityrus, the firft Eclogue ce lebrates accept the verses which were Carmina coepta tuis, atque hanc fine tempora cireum begun by thy command, NOTES. devoted to Gallus, and we need only take up the common tradition, that the Silenus was publifhed before the death of Cicero, and fuppofe lebrates Auguftus, and the Aeneid, the laft of our poet's works, is alfo written in honour of him. Catrou, is under a neceffity of not allowing the Tityrus to be the firft Eclogue, that to be the first attempt of our 1 because it could not be written be- Poet; and we fhall have as good a fore the divifion of the lands; and proof in behalf of Gallus, as any confequently, if that was the firft, that has been produced in favour of the Pharmaceuttia could not poffi Auguftus. Catrou himself thinks bly be dedicated to Auguftus, when we ought not to reject the common he was returning from Philippi. He tradition, that the Silenus was read therefore fuppofes, either that this in the theatre; and that Cicero was the first or elfe that Virgil al- cried out Magnae fpes altera Romae. Judes to fome other poem dedicated Now we may remember, that Galto Auguftus, which he did not think lus was celebrated with great, eleworthy of being preferved. I agree gance in that poem. Therefore, if with the learned father, that fome that story be true, the Silenus was of the Eclogues were written be- probably the very firft of thefe comfore the Tityrus. It is very pro- pofitions; and confequently they bebable, that the Alexis, the Palae gan and ended with Gallus. Thus mon, and the Daphnis were all we fee, that this argument proves written before it. But it is by no either nothing or too much. Our means probable, that this, which is old tranflator W. L. in his note on allowed, by the general confent of this paffage, explains it thus the Commentators, to be the finest began this kind of Paftoral verfe, of all the Eclogues, except the Polat thy command, and will ceafe Jio, fhould be the first attempt of our Poet. As for any other poem, dedicated to Auguftus, and after wards fuppreffed, it is a mere conjecture, without any foundation, and therefore does not require to be confidered. But if it is neceffary to take the expreffion before us in the ftricteft fenfe, that Virgil really began and ended with the fame patron; it might with more probability be afferted that it was meant only of the Eclogues; and then Gallus will be the perfon. It is certain, that the laft Eclogue was I to goe on in this kinde likewife, any farther, when it shall please thee to command." This interpretation might be admitted; but in truth, this expreffion of beginning with any one and ending with him, was no more than a high comple41 ment amongst the Ancients. In the ninth Iliad, Neftor prefaces a speech to, Agamemnon in the, following manner; O most august Atrides, "O king of men, Agamemnon! "In thee will I end, in thee will I "begin; because thou art king over many people, and Jupiter has |