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mubich Dameetas formerly gave Fiftula, Damoetas dono mihi quam dedit olim:

NOTES.

..really governs a dative cafe. But
σε this we are now upon is utterly
« unnatural, and ungrammatical.
« I am therefore clearly of opinion
<with those who take Hibiscus (and
ef that it may be fo taken De La
"Cerda fhews) for a large plant or
"little tree, out of which wands
may be made. And then all is
plain; compellere, drive them" radices."
"with a wand of Hibiscus. 'Tis
"only a Metonymia materiae, con-
<tinually used not only in Poetry,
"but in common difcourfe. Bet
«fides, Virgil no where mentions
"this Hibifcus, whatever it be, as

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food for cattle: that baskets are "made of it, he informs us in the "haft Eclogue the only place, except this, in which he mentions "it. Or if it does here mean fuch food; I fhould take it thus, com "pellere, i. e. congregare, for fo "the word is fometimes ufed, en "tice them, or draw them toge "ther with its not drive them to it. This would be good fenfe "and good grammar."

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καλοῦσι, μαλάχης ἐστὶν ἀγρίας ἔιδος
Φύλλα περιφερῆ ὥσπερ κυκλάμινος,
X VOX EXCEL DE AUDos podoεides"
καυλὸν δίπηχυν ρίζαν δὲ γλίσχρον
ἔγχνοα· ἔχει ἄνθος ῥοδοειδὲς
λευκὴν ἐνδοθεν ονόμασται δὲ Αλ
Jaía, dia to woṛvandès xy weaú-
Xpnotov άurns. Palladius alfo has
"Althaeae, hoc eft, Ibifci folia et
But it is not cer-
tain, either that Hibiscus is the
fame with Althaea, or that the Al-
thaea of the Ancients is the very
fame plant that we now call marfh-
mallow. Pliny expressly fays, the
Ibifcus is a fort of parfnep, being
more flender; "Hibifcum a pafti.
"naca gracilitate diftat, damnatum
"in cibis, fed medicinae utile:"
and again," Paftinacae fimile hi-
"bifcum, quod molochen agrian
"vocant.'
The fame
fame author
fpeaks of the Althaea in another
place, and makes it a fort of mal-
low, with a large leaf, and a white
root: "In magnis laudibus Malva
"eft utraque, et fativa et fylveftris,
"Duo genera earum, amplitudine
"folii difcernuntur. Majorem
"Graeci Malopem vocant in fa-
❝tivis.

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The Hibifcus, or Ibifcus is generally allowed to be the fame with the Althaea, on the authority of Alteram ab emolliendo Diofcorides, who fays, "The Alventre, dictam putant Malachan. thaea, which fome call Ibifcus, is "E fylveftribus, cui grande folium a fort of wild mallow, with et radices albae, Althea vocatur, "round leaves, like thofe of Cyab excellentia effectus a quibufclamen, and woolly. The flowerdam Ariftalthea." Theophraf" is like a rofe, the stalk two cu"bits high, and thegroot is white "on the infide. It is called A "thaea on account of it's many vir"tues:" 'AλJaía, o de 'ICíoxo

tus is often quoted, as fpeaking of the Hibiscus, which I believe muft have been taken from the Latin tranflation, in which Aaia is rendered Ibifcus by Gaza, for I cannot

Ecl. II.Ver. 31.

Et dixit, moriens: Te nunc habet ifta fecundum.

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NOTES.

find it any where in the original. He fays the Althaea has a leaf like mallow; but larger, and more woolly, a yellow flower, and a fruit like mallow : Ἔχει δὲ ἡ ̓Αλθαία Φύλλον μεν ὅμοιον τῇ Μαλάχη πλὴν μείζον καὶ δασύτερον· τοὺς δὲ καυλοὺς μαλακοὺς ἄνθος δὲ μήλινον, καρ πὸν δὲ διον μαλάχη. But neither this description, nor that which was quoted from Diofcorides, agrees with our marsh-mallow. For the leaves are not round, as Diofcorides describes it; nor is the flower yellow, as we find in Theophraftus. Some indeed pretend to read μéλavov inftead of μήλινον : but though μέλας and niger are used for feveral red flowers; yet I believe pale flowers, fuch as thofe of the marfh-mallow, are never fo called. Others think the Abutilon is the Axaía; but the flower of the Abutilon has not the appearance of a rofe, which it ought to have, according to Diofcorides, nor has it the fruit of the mallow, according to Theophraftus. Therefore I will not affirm any thing pofitively concerning either the Althaca or the Hibifcus, nor will I venture to differ from those learned men, who take them to be one plant, and the fame with our marfh-mallow. But this I may dare fay, that Scaliger had no authority to affirm, that the ancient husbandmen purged their cattle with marfh-mallows; of which I do not find the least hint in any of the writers on agriculture. Therefore I agree with thofe, who

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when he died, faying, you nez are the fecond pollellor of it.

think it means here only a little fwitch, to drive the kids.

31. Mecum una, &c.] Burman obferves, that this line is wanting in one copy; and that in another it is Meque una, which makes the fence to be, You shall drive the flock, and at the fame time imitate Pan in finging me, or rather, you fhall imitate me in finging Pan. But he thinks the common reading is as good.

Imitabere Pana canendo.] "You "fhall play on the pipe with me, "after the example of a Deity. "For Pan is the God of the coun66 try, formed after the fimilitude "of nature. Hence he is called "Pan, that is, Univerfal: for he

has horns in likeness of the rays "of the fun, and of the horns of "the moon: his face is red, in "imitation of the aether: he has

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Damoetas fpake; and footi Dixit Damoetas: invidit ftultus Amyntas.
Amyntas envied

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Pan curatores, oviumque We find allo, in the famie Poem,

"magiftros :"

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that when Mercury fed sheep in Ar- cadia, he fell in love with a nymph, and married her; that the brought forth Pan, at whofe courtenance being affrighted the ran away but that Mercury was exceedingly de-' lighted with him, and wrapped him up in a hare's tkin, and carried him to the manfion of the Gods, and

fewed him to Jupiter and the reft, who admired him very much, efpecially Bacchus, and called him Pan, because he rejoiced all their hearts.

Καὶ ῥ ̓ ὅγ ̓ ἐς ̓Αρκαδιήν πολυπίδακα ρ μητέρα μήλων

Ἐξίκετ ̓ ἔνθα δὲ ὁι τέμενος Κυλλήνιον

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