Eheu, quid volui mifero mihi? floribus Auftrum NOTES. I leave out et between pruna and honos, on the authority of Pierius, who obferves it to be wanting in the Roman, Lombard, and Medicean manufcripts, and to have been inferted by another hand, and with a different ink in the reft. However most of the Editors admit et in this place. It is rejected by Mafvicius, Catrou, Cunningham, and Burman. • Honos erir buic quoque pomo.] It is the general opinion of the Commentators, that this refers to the plums juft mentioned. The fenfe therefore is; that as Amaryllis was fond of chestnuts; fo Alexis delights in plūms; and on that account plums shall be efteemed a noble fruit. Alail brach ther tobat bave I faida There is a thought like this, in the feventh Eclogue, where it is faid, that though Her cules loves the poplar, Bacchus the vine, Venus the myrtle, and Apollo the bay; yet fince Phyllis admires the hazle; the hazle fhall be preferred to them all: and sid ɔ si utiqt "Populus Alcidae gratiffima: vitis "Iaccho t, 3 min shoot "Formofae myrtus Veneri: fua " laurea Phoebooky srit " Phyllis amat corylos: illas dum Phyllis amabit, Nec myrtus vincet corylos, nec laurea Phoebi." 54. Laurid Myrte] See the notes on ver. 306. of the first Georgick. 56. Rufticus es, Corydon, &c.] This Eclogue concludes with a beautiful mixture of various paffion. Corydon, having just expatiated on the plenty of gifts which he was preparing for Alexis, on á fudden seems to fall into despair. He reflects on the meanness of his own condition, and on the little value of his prefents, in comparison with what the more I have foolishly expofed my flow Perditus, et liquidis immifi fontibus apros. ers to a fouthern blaft, and let in the bears to my clear springs. NOTES. Hence they infer, that we ought, more wealthy Iolas had in his power ་་ Es Pierius fays it is eft in the Roman manufcript; and certet in the next verfe, instead of certes. 57. Tolas.] Nannius, as he is quoted by La Cerda, will have Iolas to be put for Auguftus. Catrou tells us it is Mecaenas. "Alexander, fay's be, belonged to Me caenas, and Maecenas is here 66 meant under the name of Iolas. Virgil forefaw, the difficulty he fhould have in obtaining this "flave. Perhaps the only method " he took of afking for him, was by this beautiful Eclogue." Eheu.] Mufonius, and after him Burman, contends, that the first fyllable of cheu is fhort; to confirm which, they produce the following verfe of Terence; "Eheu quam pingui, macer eft "mihi taurus in arvo." "Ferreus eft eheu quifquis in urbe "manet." A Achilles Statius indeed fays it is bea; heu, in the Vatican manufcript. Quid volui mifero mihi ?] Ruacus mentions three different' interpretations of this paffage I. That of Ludovicus Vives: I am pouring forth my verfes to deaf ears; just as if I had exposed my flowers to be torn by the winds, and let in the dirty fwine to trample in my clear fprings. 2. That of Nannius; I have ruined my flourishing affairs by this paffion. He confirms this opinion by the two proverbs of the flowers and the fwine, and by these expreffions which follow foon af ter; Quae te dementia cepit? Semiputata tibi, &c. 3. That of Abra mus; What have I said unawares? Quaefo, quid de te tantum me- I have mentioned Iolas and his more 66 ruifti cheu." powerful gifts. Should Alexis hear this, Alas! whom do you fly thus Quem fugis, ah demens! habitarunt dii quoque madly Proven the Gods have in 60 fylvas, babited the woods, and Dar. danian Paris alfo. Let Pallas dwell in the towers, which fhe berfelf bas erected. The fierce liones purfues the wolf; the wolf the kid; and the wanton kid the flowering cytlus: thee Corydon pursues, 0 Alexis: Te Corydon, O Alexi: trahit fua quemque voluptas. Afpice; aratra jugo referunt fufpenfa juvenci, 66 every one is drawn on by bis dear delight. See how the bullocks bring back the ploughs, bung upon the yeak, NO TE S. this, he will certainly prefer my more dangerous rival, which will be as deftructive to me, as if I had expofed my flowers to the fouthern blafts, and my clear fprings to the fwine. La Cerda is of the fame "Quod Phoebum decuit, quem non 61. Dardaniufque Paris.] Paris, faid to have fed fheep on the mountain Ida. Pallas.] Pallas is faid to have been the inventor of building, opinion with Abramus, and ob- the fon of Priam king of Troy, is ferves, that Corydon compares Alexis to flowers and clear fprings, and Iolas to a ftormy wind and a wild boar. But Dr Trapp, on the contrary, makes the flowers and fprings to be the former peace of Corydon's mind, and the winds and boar to be his paffion for Alexis. " Among the feveral interpretations, Jays « he, of there allegorical and proverbial expreffions, I chufe this: "By my folly in indulging this mad paffion I have raised a tempeft in my breaft, which before was "quiet, confounded and ruined my "affairs, which before. were well managed, flourishing, and fuc"cessful." 60. Habitarunt dii quoque fyluas.] Thus Ovid; 1 63. Torva leaena lupum, & Thus Theocritus; 'Α αιξ τὸν κύτισον, ο λύκος των αιγα γέρανος τώροτρον, ἐγὼ δ ̓ ἐπὶ τὸν μεμάνημαι. and the festing fun doubles the Et fol crefcentes decedens duplicat umbras: increafing shadows; yet am I fearched by love; for what Me tamen urit amor, quis enim modus adfit amori? measure is there in love? Ab Ah Corydon, Corydon, quae te dementia cepit! Corydon, Corydon, into what Semiputata tibi frondofa vitis in ulmo eft. madness art thou fallen! Thy mine bangs balf pruned on the leafy elme NOTES. the reapers fitting down to their repast, and the cicadae chirping in the thickets; all which circumftances, having an immediate relation to the country, are mentioned with great propriety. In like manner he now defcribes the clofe of the day by the oxen bringing back the plough, and by the increafe of the Thadows. These words aratra jugo - suspensa allude to the manner of bringing the plough home, when the labour of the day is over. It is then drawn backward; and as the fhare does not then enter the ground, the labour of drawing it is inconfiderable; and fo it may be faid to be only just hung upon the yoak. Horace allo has alluded to this cuftom of draw ing the plough Backwards, and mentions it among the pleafures of the Country togoogwo pounging A 70 Majorefque cadunt altis de mon"tibus umbrae." Pierius found difcedens in fome ancient manufcripts; but he thinks decedens to be the genuine reading. 68. Me tamen urit amor.] This is a ftrong expreffion of the vehemence of Corydon's love. He has juft obferved, that it is now the 'I' cool time of the evening, notwithftanding which he is fill fcorched by his furious paffion. He feems to tell us, that the fire within him is fo great, that he should not have imagined the cool evening to approach, if he had not feen the oxen returning from their work, and obferved the fhadows to increase. 69. Ah, Corydon, Corydon, &c.] The fhepherd begins at laft to perceive the folly of his paffion; and to lament his error in having neglected his neceffary affairs. This "Has inter cpulas, ut juvat paftas veife is plainly taken from one in moves oves "Videre properaritet Videre fellos vomerem inverfum HOAWAK boves "Colla trahentes languido." 72 plon ") 2011 IPA 17 167 Sal crefcentes decedens duplicat umbras.] This defcription of the evening by the length of the fhadows is very fuitable to paftoral poetry. The firft Eclogue ends with the fame image the Cyclops of Theocritus; Quin tu aliquid faltem, potius quorum indiget ufus, Think rather of fome necessary .1. NeOnTHE S. bufinefs, and weave your offers with soft rufbes. You will 91 find another Alexis, if this dif dains you. 72. Detexere.] Servius interprets it Multum texere, finire, perficere; for he fays de in compofition fignifies augmenting. ་་ 73 Invenies alium, &c.] Thus Theocritus; Ευρήσεις Γαλάτειαν ἴσως καὶ καλλίον accufation of neglect cannot relate 66 ponere, fed etiam truncum cir"cumfodere, et quicquid frondis "enatum fuerit, alternis annis aut "ferro amputare, aut aftringere, "ne aemula umbra viti noceat." 71. Quin tu aliquid faltem.] Terence has an expreffion, in the An dria, not much unlike this; Here Polyphemus comforts bimself with the hope of finding another Galatea, even more beautiful than her, who has used him with fo much difdain. Corydon mentions only the finding another Alexis, without faying whether more or lefs beautiful. Lord Lauderdale interprets it, that another Alexis will be more kind; What if Alexis should disdain thee ftill, If he's not kind, thou'lt meet with others will." |