Shall I ever after a long time En unquam patrios longo poft tempore fines, 68 wondering bebold the borders of my country, NOTES. Onpaios Europos Ev TO: but does not fay a word of the river. To conclude; fince it appears evidently, from the authors above quoted, that there was a city in Crete called Oaxus; and as there was probably a river of the fame name; we may conclude, that Virgil did not with out good reafon place this river in Crete. I must not however omit an objection of Eobanus, who thinks the quotation from Apollonius, inftead of ftrengthening the argument in fupport of which it is produced, entirely fubverts it. He obferves, that the firft fyllable of Oaxes, in Virgil, is fhort, whereas it is long in Apollonius; whence he infers that they are not the fame. If any one shall think this merits any attention I would defire him to confider, that in the very next verse, the first fyllable of Britannos is fhort, whereas it is long in Lucretius'; Nam quid Britannum caelum "differre putamus. 'ent, than any hiftory now extant. Paupèris et tuguri congeftum cefpite culmen, Poft aliquot mea regna videns mirabor ariftas? NOTES. and the roof of my poor cottage formed of turf, and my own 70 realms after fome years? following manner; "As the Poet "has already faid indefinitely, longe "poft tempore, it is a contradiction to add after fome years, which "contracts the expreffion to a fhort "and in a manner definite time. "For if it is never, and not after a "long time, how can it be after "fome years? Befides this expref"fion, many beards are paft, for "many fummers, feems to be parti"cular and filly; juft as if any one "fhould fay many clusters are past, "for many autumns. Nor am I at "all moved by the authority of "Claudian, who ufes decimas emen fus ariftas for decem annos. There"fore Germanus will have the par"ticle post to fignify only the order " of time, which makes the fhep"herd to fpeak thus; Shall I ever "wonder at only a few fraggling "beards appearing in my once flourish"ing field? As if he should say, "Shall I never, nor after a long "time, feeing the borders of my country, feeing the roof of my poor cottage thatched with turf, feeing my realms, wonder at the appearance of only a few straggling "beards? Or more clearly, Shall I never be allowed the small fatif"faction, hereafter to fee, hereafter 66 66 66 to wonder at the deformity of my "field? For he prefumes, that he "fhall never return to the borders "of his country, to his roof, to his "realms; and therefore shall never wonder at the thinness of his corn. This explication is con " "firmed Shall the impious foldier poffefs Impius haec tam culta novalia miles habebit? thefe fo well cultivated fields? NOTES. "firmed by the three following "verfes; in which the fhepherd "complains, that his fields and ❝ cultivated lands will be deformed "by the impious foldier, and his "corn wafted by a Barbarian, "which is nothing elfe, than that "only a few ftraggling beards will "remain. For what elfe can be expected, when the fields are in the "poffeffion of a foldier and a Bar"barian?" To thefe objections may be answered, that there is no contradiction between after a long time and after fome years. Surely any man may call fome years of banishment, with the lofs of his eftate a long time. That Meliboeus does not fay he fhall never fee his country, or he shall not fee it after a long time; but makes a question whether he fhall ever be permitted to return; at the fame time expreffing fome little hope, that it may come to pafs, as was obferved in the note on ver. 68. That there is no impropriety in ufing beards for years, it being very natural for a countryman to measure time by harvefts. The beards are a very confpicous part of the bearded wheat, which was the only fort known to the Roman husbandmen. Hence we very frequently find arifta put for the corn itself, as in the first Georgick, “Chaoniam pingui glandem muta"vit arifta. And And 66 "At fi triticeam in messem, robusta- The beard, fays Varro, is called firft fign of the ripeness of the wheat, and confequently of the harvest: hence it is no harsh figure in Poetry, to use the firft confpicuous fign of harveft to exprefs the harvest itself. Meffis is ufed for fummer in the fifth Eclogue; "Ante focum fi frigus erit; fi meffis in umbra:" 66 and nothing is more frequent among Ne gravidis procumbat cul- faid to lie hid among the beards or help 75 Barbarus has fegetes? En quo difcordia cives NOTES. help being of Dr Trapp's opinion, that this interpretation is ftrangely abfurd. 71. Novalia.] See the note on ver. 71. of the firft Georgick. 12. Barbarus has fegetes.] Heinfius, as he is quoted by Burman, feems to approve of a different pointing in this and the preceding verse ; Impius haec tam culta novalia miles habebit Barbarus has fegetes! 73. Perduxit.] Pierius found perduxit in the old Vatican, and Lombard manufcripts, and produxit in the Roman, Medicean, and fome other manuscripts. Heinfius, and after him Burman reads produxit, but perduxit, is the common, and most approved reading. En queis confevimus agros.] Pierius fays it is his nos confevimus agris in the Roman manufcript, and highly approves of this reading. Burman obferves, that it is confevimus in Stephens's edition of Pierius, which Mafvicius made ufe of; but that it is confuevimus in the Brescia edition, which indeed feems to agree better with what Pierius fays, than confevimus. Catrou contends vehemently for confuevimus instead of confevi a Barbarian thefe lands? Lee whither difcord has brought cur miferable citizens! See, for whom we bave fown thefe fields! Now, Meliboeus, ingraft your pears, and plant your Vines in rows. Go, my goats, go my once happy cattle. all no more fee you afar off, banging down from the bulby, no more, my goats, I mus, and accordingly translates these words Malheureufes compagnes que l'habitude nous avoit rendu fi cheres. For this reading he depends upon the authority of an edition printed at Bafil in 1586. But Burman obferves, that the expreffions used in the Bafil edition are all copied from Pierius, without owning his name. 74. Infere nunc.] This is an "ironical apoftrophe, of Meliboeus "to himself, wherein he expreffes "his indignation at his having be"ftowed fo much vain labour in "cultivating his gardens and vines " for the use of Barbarians. Nunc " is a particle adapted to irony. "Thus Juvenal, "I nunc, et ventis vitam com"mitte RUAEUS. 手 fball you pluck from my band Florentem cytifum et falices carpetis amaras. ter willows. TIT. But yet you may reft bere this night with me NOTES. ral manufcripts, and in Arufianus. 79. Cytifum.] See the note on 80. Hic tamen, &c.] Meliboeus 80 "Erramus pelago totidem fine fi"dere noctes." And in the fixth, "Noctes atque dies patet atri janua "Ditis." And, In the Milan editions of 1481 and the whole night. We have feveral "Veftibulum infomnis fervat noctef que diefque." Tibi quam noctes feftina diefque "Urgebam." Poteris.] |