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Quam dives pecoris nivei, quam lactis abundans. 20 bow rich in eattle as white an fnow, how abounding in milk.

NOTES,

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to be accounted the Liguftrum of Virgil, on account of it's name being derived from binding, a ligando from the pure whiteness of it's flower; and from it's being at the fame time a contemptible weed, Hence Corydon might, with great propriety, admonith Alexis not to truft too much to his fair complexion, fince the whiteft of all flowers fell to the ground without being gathered. We may alfo with good reafon fufpect, that our Privet, is not the plant intended, because the flowers are not fair enough, and yet are too sweet to be rejected with contempt. But it weighs fomething on the other fide, that Pliny has called the Liguftrum a tree in two different places. For though he might mistake, in thinking it to be the fame that grew in Egypt and in the Eaft; and might not be exact with regard to the place of it's growth yet he could not eafily be ignorant, whether what they called Liguftrum in Italy was a tree, or a vile weed, and peft of the gardens. Nor is that argument to be wholly flighted, which is taken from, the ancient name, Liguftrum being preferved in fome measure in the modern Italian Guiftrico. In conformity to the moft common opinion, I have tranflated it Privet; but if any one would change it for Bindweed, I fhall not greatly contend with him.

De Marolles tranflates it Privet; "Les fleurs blanches du troëfne "tombent en un moment." Lord Lauderdale tranflates it only "The

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I play fuch tunes as Dircaean Canto, quae folitus, fi quando armenta vocabat, Amphion ufed,

And in the fourth Aeneid,

NOTES.

Velleribus niveis et fefto fronde "revinctum;"

and in the fixth,

I

"lor albus, cum fit optimus, tum etiam eft utiliffimus.'

21. Mille meae Siculis, &c.] He mentions Sicily in this place, because that ifland was famous for fheep; perhaps alfo, becaufe Theocritus, the father of paftoral poetry, was of

"Omnibus his nivea cinguntur tem that country. This, and the fol

"pora vitta.

Therefore, in this place, it feems beft to join nivei to pecoris, rather than to lactis, because it is more particularly exprefive of the beauty of the former, and has not once

been added to the latter by Virgil.

Befides our Poet himfelf, in the third Georgick, gives particular direction, to choose white fheep for the flock; and is fo nice in this point, that he will not fuffer the ram to have a black tongue, for fear he should occafion dufky fpots in his offspring;

"Continuoque gregis villis lege

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"mollibus albos. "Illum autem, quamvis aries fit "candidus ipfe, Nigra fubeft udo tantum cui lin66 gua palato, "Rejice, ne maculis infufcet vellera pullis "Nafcentum: plenoque alium circumfpice campo."

This, he fays, was the very art, which Pan ufed, to obtain fleeces as white as fnow; Munera fic niἐσ veo, &c," as above. Columella alio extols the white sheep; "Co

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22. Lac mihi non aeftate novum, non frigore defit.] Servius obferves, that Virgil excels Theocritus in this place, who does not speak of milk, but of cheese. For there is nothing extraordinary in having cheese all the year round: but to be always fupplied with new milk, or calaftrum, in winter as well as fummer, is a great excellence. Some other Commentators agree with Servius, in taking lac novum in this place for coloftrum or coloftra, which

Amphion Dircaeus in Acteo Aracyntho.

NOTES.

is the beeftings, or firft filk that comes after the animal has brought forth. Thus Columella; "Sed "prius quam hoc fiat, exiguum "emulgendum eft, quod paftores "coloftram vocant:" and Pliny ; "Sicuti de lactis ufu. Utiliffimum "cuique maternum. Concipere "nutrices exitiofum eft: hi funt "enim infantes qui coloftrati appel"lantur, denfato lacte in cafei fpe"ciem. Eft autem coloftra prima a partu fpongiofa denfitas lactis." It is much esteemed in the country, by many people; and that it was fo by the ancient Romans, we may gather from the following paffage in the Poenolus of Plautus ;

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when be called bis berds, on the rocky boar of Aracynthus.

from the theep. He juftly obferves, that the new milk mentioned in the fifth Eclogue is the fame, because he fpeaks of it's frothing;

"Pocula bina novo Spumantia lacte 66 quotannis.'

The new milk mentioned in this quotation is for a facrifice and we find from another paffage in Virgil, that the milk used on those оссаfions was warm from the dug. It is in the facrifice for Polydore, in the third Aeneid, where he defcribes it as both warm and frothing;

"Inferimus tepido fpumantia cym→ "bia lacte."

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Nor am I void of beauty for Nec fum adeo informis: nuper me in littore vidi, 25 Ilately faw myself on the boar,

NOTES.

"poftea concipiunt, fiunt vegrandes, "atque imbecillae. Ovis praegnans "eft diebus CL. itaque fit partus * exitu autumnale cum aër eft mo"dice temperatus, et primitus ori"tur herba imbribus primoribus évocata." The fetting of Arcturus was then reckoned to be at the latter end of May or beginning of June; and the fetting of the Eagle at the latter end of July. Therefore the time of yeaning, which is the only poffible time to have beeftings, must be from the latter end of October, or beginning of November to the latter end of December; and that it is in the winter season is confirmed alfo by Columella, who Tays a lamb is the only animal, that is conveniently brought into the world in winter: "Solufque ex omSolufque ex om"nibus animalibus bruma nafcitur." Hence it appears, that lac novum cannot fignify coloftra, which is to be had only in winter; because it was certainly made ufe of in facrifices, which were offered in the beginning of fummer, as were those at the obfequies of Polydore and Anchifes mentioned already. To these we may add the Ambarvalia, which were celebrated a little before harveft, when there was no coloftra to be met with. The Poet may perhaps allude to the extraordinary fertility of the fheep in Italy, which, as he has told us himself in the fe

cond Georgick, breed twice in a

year;

Bis gravidae pecudes."

F

But even then, we can hardly underftand him to mean beeftings in this place; unless we imagine, that Corydon contrived fo well, as to have one or other of his sheep yean almoft every day. This however must be obferved, that whether we understand beeftings in this place, or milk warm from the dug, which last I think much the most probable, yet thofe Editors are greatly miftaken, who place the comma after aeftate, pointing the verse thus:

"Lac mihi non aeftate, novum non "frigore defit."

By this they would infinuate the Poet's meaning to be, that Corydon boasts of having milk in the fummer, and even new milk in winter; as if the wonder was, that he fhould have it in winter: whereas it has been abundantly fhewn, that winter was the very time for having new milk, in whatsoever fenfe it may be taken.

Servius mentions fomebody under the name of Virgilio-maftix, by which I fuppofe he means Bavius or Maevius, who cenfured this verfe, after having pointed it wrong himfelf, after this manner;

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Cum placidum ventis ftaret mare: non ego Daphnim,

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when the calm fea was not dif turbed by the winds. I should not fear Daphnis,

thou

in the eightieth, "Hear, fhepherd of Ifrael, thou that leadeft Jofeph like a fheep." We find an allufion alfo to this cuftom, in the tenth chapter of Saint John's Gofpel: "He that entreth not by the door into the fheepfold, but "climbeth fome other way, the

up fame is a thief and a robber: but "he that entreth in by the door,

Συρίσδεν δ ̓ ὡς οὔτις ἐπίσταμαι ὧδε " is the hepherd of the theep. Το

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Si quando armenta vocabat.] This expreffion of calling the cattle feems to be taken from the manner of the ancient fhepherds, who did drive their sheep before them, as the cuftom is now; but went first calling them, and playing on their pipes; and the fheep readily followed them. We have frequent allufions to this cuftom in the Holy Scriptures. Thus, in the book of Exodus, Mofes is faid to lead the flock of Jethro his father-in-law. In the twenty-third Pfalm we real, "The Lord is my thepherd: there« fore can I lack nothing. "shall feed me in a green pafturë, "and lead me forth befide the wa"ters of comfort." Thus alfo in the seventy-feventh; "Thou led* deft thy people like heep by the "hand of Mofes and Aaron:" and

He

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"him the porter openeth, and the "fheep hear his voice, and he calleth "his own fheep by name, and leadeth "them out. And when he putteth "forth his own fheep, he goeth be

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fore them, and the heep follow "him, for they know his voice. And a ftranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of ftrangers." 24. Amphion Dircaeus in Actaeo Aracyntho.] Amphion and Zethus the fons of Jupiter and Antiope the daughter of Afopus, built the walls of Thebes, which had seven gates, and fortified them with towers, according to Homer;

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Τὴν δὲ μετ ̓ ̓Αντιόπην ἴδον Ασωποῖο θύγατρα,

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