Florentes ferulas et grandia lilia quaffans. Pan deus Arcadiae venit, quem vidimus ipfi Sanguineis ebuli baccis minioque rubentem. 25 Shaking his flowering ferula, and great lilies. Pan the god of Arcadia came, whom we Jaw ourselves, glowing with the berries of blood-red dwarf-elder, and vermillion, NOTES. was a woman of fuch a character as to be ready to run away with any foldier, or idle fellow whatsoever; "Thy darling miftrefs will a fol66 diering go, "And follow any fool thro' rain or fnow." 24. Sylvanus.] See the note on ver, 20. of the first Georgick. 25. Florentes ferulás.] The ferula or fennel giant is a large plant, growing to the height of 6 or 8 feet, with leaves cut into fmall fegments like those of fennel, but larger. The stalk is thick, and full of a fungous pith, whence it is used by old and weak perfons to fupport them, on account of it's lightnefs. The pith is even at this time ufed in Sicily, as tinder is by us, to catch fire; whence the poets feigned, that Prometheus ftole the celeftial fire, and brought it to earth, in a hollow ferula. The flowers are yellow, and grow in large umbells, like thofe of fennel. Ferula is by fome derived a ferendo; because it bears, or fupports old men; by others a feriendo; because it was ufed by the ancient schoolmafters, to ftrike their fcholars on the hand. Hence the modern inftrument, which is used for the fame purpose; though very different from the ancient ferula, and capable of giving much greater pain, is called by the fame name. A willow ftick would bear a much nearer refemblance. See 26. Pan deus Arcadiae.] the notes on ver. 31. of the fecond Eclogue, and ver. 58. of the fourth. 27. Sanguineis ebuli baccis.] The Ebulus, Dwarf-elder, Wall-wort, or Dane-wort, is a fort of Elder, and very like the common Eldertree, but differs from it effentially, in being really an herb. It commonly grows to the height of about a yard. The juice of the berries is of a red purple colour. It has obtained the name of Dane-wort among us, because it is fabled to have fprung from the blood of the Danes, when those people were maffacred in England. It is found chiefly in church-yards. See the note on ver. 22. of the fixth Eclogue. Minio.] Minium is the native cinnabar, or ore, out of which quickfilver is drawn. Minium is now commonly used to fignify red lead: but we learn from Pliny, that the minium of the Romans was the miltos or cinnabari of the Greeks; "Milton vocant Graeci minium "quidam cinnabari." This was the Vermillion of the Ancients, with which they used to paint the images of their gods, and the bodies of their triumphant generals. According to Pliny, Verrius proved, from feveral authors of unqueftionable authority, that the face even of Jupiter himself was anciently painted Will there be no moderation? Ecquis erit modus? inquit: amor non talia curat. fays be: love does not regard Nec lachrymis crudelis amor, nec gramina rivis, fuch things as thefe. Neither is cruel love fatisfied with tears, Nec cytifo faturantur apes, nec fronde capellae. 30 nor grafs with rivulets, nor Triftis at ille. Tamen cantabitis, Arcades, inquit, bees with cytifus, nor goats Montibus haec veftris: foli cantare periti with browse. But Gallus thus mournfully Arcades. O mihi tum quam molliter offa quiefcant, expreffed himself; 0 Arcadi ans you however fball fing these things on your mountains, C Arcadians, who alone are skilled in fing. ing, O bow foftly will my bones reft, NOTES. with minium, and that Camillus was painted with it when he triumphed. He affirmed alfo, that it was added to the ointments used at the triumphal fuppers, even in his time; and that the cenfors took particular care, to have the image of Jupiter miniated. Pliny owns himfelf ignorant of the cause of this cuftom: but he fays, it is certain, that at the time when he lived, the Ethiopians had it in great requeft, that their nobles were coloured all over with it, and that it was the colour commonly ufed for the images of their gods. 28. Ecquis.] La Cerda reads et quis, and contends for this being the true reading: but Heinfius, according to Burman, found ecquis in the Medicean manufcript; as we find it in almost all the manufcripts and printed copies, 30. Cytifo.] See the note on ver. 431. of the fecond Georgick. 31. Triftis at. ille tamen, &c.]" Gallus turns his difcourfe to the Arcadian fhepherds; expreffes his defire of being recorded by them; and wishes that he himfelf had been in no higher station than they. 32. Soli cantare periti Arcades.] "Polybius, lib. 4. fpeaks at large σε concerning the delight of the Ar"cadians in Mufick: for he fays, "that fcience is ufeful to all men, "Maenalus argutumque nemus pi"nofque loquentes "Semper habet." LA CERDA, 33. Quiefcant.] Pierius fays it is quiefcent, in the Indicative mood, in fame' if your pipe fhall bereafter fing 35 been one of you, and either a my paffion! And I wish I had Veftra meos olim fi fistula dicat amores! NOTES. some ancient manufcripts: but he is better pleased with quiefcant, in the Optative mood, as he finds in the Roman and Medicean manufcripts. Catrou however approves of quief cent. 35. Atque utinam ex vobis, &c.] The Poet takes feveral occafions, to let the reader know, that though he had represented his friend Gallus, as a fhepherd, in this Eclogue, yet he was a perfon of a fuperior character. He at first made an apology for the liberty he had taken with him; now he makes him with that he had been in the humble ftation of an Arcadian fhepherd; whence it appears, that he was a perfon of a much higher rank; and a few lines afterwards, we find he was really a man of war. This conduct was neceffary, as the Poet chofe to defcribe Gallus under his true name. he made use of a fictitious name, he would have been at liberty, to preserve the paftoral character entire through the whole Eclogue. Had 36. Vinitor.] Some understand this to mean a Pruner: but furely that 'cannot be the fenfe here; for the ripe clusters are not pruned. W. L. understands it to mean a Gatherer; keeper of your flocks, or a gu therer of your ripe clusters! Amyntas, or any other had been Surely, whether Phyllis, or my flame; what if Amyntas is brown? "Or your ripe tidy clusters fet to "gather." The Earl of Lauderdale takes it to be a Pruner ; "I wish like some of you I had "been bred "To prune the vine, or tend the "fleecy herd.". And Dr Trapp; "O! had kind fortune made me 66 one of you, "Keeper of flocks or pruner of the "the vine." 37. Certe five mihi, &c.] If Gallus had been fo happy as to have been born an humble Arcadian fhepherd, he had never known the falfe, though beautiful Lycoris. He might eafily have obtained fome rural. beauty, unpractifed in the deceitful arts of more polite nations; who, though lefs fair, might not however have been void of charms; as flowers of the darkeft colours are not always contemptible. 38. Quid tum fi fufcus, &c.] We find pretty nearly the fame fentiment in the fecond Eclogue; " Quamvis 1 vialets are fwarthy and bya Et nigrae violae funt, et vaccinia nigra : cintbs are fart by; they would Mecum inter falices lenta fub vite jaceret. bave fat with me among the 40 willous, under the bending Serta mihi Phyllis legeret, cantaret Amyntas. vine: Phyllis would bave ga. Hic gelidi fontes, hic mollia prata, Lycori: thered garlands for me, and Hic nemus, hic ipfo tecum confumerer aevo. Here are cool fountains, bere Nunc infanus amor duri me Martis in armis are foft meadows, O Lycoris: here are woods: here could I have spent all my days with you. Noza raging love detains me in the arms of cruel Mars, Amyntas would have fung. ,, NOTES. See the notes on ver. 183. of the fourth Georgick, and on vaccinia nigra leguntur, ver. 18. of the fecond Eclogue. 42. Hic gelidi fontes, &c.] Gallus now tells Lycoris in the moft paffionate manner, how happy they might both have been in the quiet enjoyment of a paftoral life; whereas her cruelty has driven him into the dangers of war, and expofed herself to unneceffary fatigues. 43. Ipfo aevo.] Burman explains these words to mean old age. Thus the fenfe will be this; If you had not been cruel, I fhould not have died of this tormenting paffion, in the flower of my youth; but fhould have decayed gradually, as age came on, in the enjoyment of your com pany. 44. Nunc infanus amor, "The fenfe is this; Here, if you "liked it, we might both live quiet " and fecure; now, becaufe of your cruelty, we are both mife rable for my paffion drives me "through despair to expofe myfelf "to the dangers of war, because I "am defpifed by you and your "love of another carries thro' you "dangerous roads, in fevere wea "ther, into a frozen climate." RUAEUS. Duri me Martis in armis, &c.] "Gallus afcribes that to his paffion "and defpair, which he did out of duty or ambition. If we may "give credit to the fragment of "an Elegy, which Aldus Manu"tius, the fon, found in a Venetian manufcript, under the name of Gallus, we should know exactly, " in what part of the world he was "then in arms. Thefe are the "words of the Elegy; "Pingit et Euphratis currentes mollius undas, "Victricefque aquilas, fub duce "Ventidio. "Hence we learn, that Gallus was 66 at that time in the army of Ventidius, who was warring against "the Parthians on the banks of the "Euphrates. But unfortunately it &c.]" is certain, that this fragment is " of Tela inter media atque adverfos detinet hoftes. 45 amidst darts and adverse foes. NOTES. "of later date, and was never "written by Gallus. We may "however make a reflection on this "piece. This author, who has "pretended to counterfeit Gallus, "did not want learning. At least "he feems to have formed a good "conjecture, when he placed Gal"lus in the army of Ventidius. "This general was really warring “ against the Parthians, in the years "of Rome 715, and 716, when "Virgil was compofing this Ec"logue. It is plain alfo from the "paffage under confideration, that "Gallus was at that time in an ar<< my. Probably it was in the "Eaft, for Gallus afterwards ob"tained the government of Egypt, " as a man who knew the counWe may therefore con"jecture, with the falfe Gallus, "that the true Gallus was at that "time warring against the Parthiunder Ventidius." CATROU. It appears to me very strange, that this learned Critick fhould ground his conjecture on a passage in an author, whom he himself allows to be fpurious. If Virgil had intended to describe Gallus at war with the Parthians, I believe he would have written averfos inftead of adverfos; their averse manner of fighting being so very remarkable a circumftance, and what he himself alludes to in the third Georgick; 66 ans Fidentemque fuga Parthum, ver"fifque fagittis." Thus alfo Ovid; "Teiaque ab averfo quae jacit hof❝tis equo." Nor does it feem probable, that Gallus, who was a great favourite of Auguftus, would ferve in Parthia under Ventidius, who had always been an enemy to him, and had openly taken the part of Fulvia againft him. I rather believe, that Gallus kept near his patron, and affifted him in the wars with Sextus Pompey, which began about the time when this Eclogue is generally fuppofed to have been written. Ruaeus places it in 716, a year in which Gallus might eafily complain of being detained by the arms of cruel Mars. In that year, Menecrates was fent by Pompey to ravage the coaft of Campania; and was flain by Menas, in an engagement with Calvifius Sabinus near Cumae. Auguftus, who was then at Rhegium, made an attempt to pafs over into Sicily; but was beaten back, with great lofs, by Apollophanes, and obliged to keep on the continent of Italy, whilft Pompey was entire mafter of the fea, and plundered the coaft at his pleasure. But it appears, from the paffage under confideration, not only that Gallus was in arms, but also that Lycoris had followed an army beyond the Alps, when this Eclogue was written. Therefore it is to no purpose, to find in what army Gallus was engaged, unless we can fhew, that there was any army fent over the Alps at the fame time. Now |