713.

Year of the parties to meet at Gabii; that. they might deRome termine the difputé, Caefar came at the time ap÷ pointed but Fulvia, and Lucius neglected to appear; wherefore the veterans decided in favour of Caefar, and refolved to affift him.

714.

Thus a new civil war brake out in Italy; which was put an end to by the ruin of Fulvia and Lucius, in' the next year, when Cneius Domitius and Caius Afinius Pollio, the great patron of Virgil, were created Confuls. The war was carried on after the following manner;

Caefar left Lepidus, with two legions, to defend Rome; whilft he himfelf marched against the enemy, who was strengthened by great numbers of thofe who hated the Triumvirate, and by the old poffeffors of the lands, who abhorred the intruding foldiers (). Lucius had two legions at Alba, that mutinied against their tribunes, and feemed ready to revolt. Both Caefar and Lucius haftened toward them but Lucius reached them firft; and by many gifts and promifes regained them. Furnius was marching with a good body, to the aid of Lucius; when Caefar fell upon his rear, and obliged him to retreat to Sentia; whither he did not care to follow him that night, for fear of an ambush. But the next morning Caefar befieged him and his army in the town. In the mean time Lucius marched directly to Rome, fending three parties before him, which entered the city with wonderful celerity: and he himself followed, with the main body of his army, his cavalry, and gladiators, and being received by Nonius, who guarded the gate, he added his foldiers to his own forces: whilft Lepidus made his cfcape to Caefar. Lucius called an affembly of

(i) Appian. de Bell. civil. lib. 5.

the

714.

the people; and gave them hopes, that Caefar and Year of
Lepidus would foon: be punished for the violences Rome
which they had committed when they were magi-
ftrates; and that his brother would gladly lay down
his unlawful power, and accept of the legitimate
office of Conful, instead of the lawless rule of a ty-
rant. This difcourfe gave a general fatisfaction ;
and being faluted Imperator, he marched against
Caefar. In the meantime Barbatius, who was
Quaeftor to Mark Anthony, being difmiffed by him
for fome offence, told the foldiers, that Mark An-
thony was angry with thofe, who warred against
Caefar, and their common power: fo that many
being deceived by him, went over to Caefar. Lu-
cius marched to meet Salvidienus, who was return-
ing with a confiderable force to Caefar: Pollio and
Ventidius followed him at the fame time, to inter--
rupt his march. But Agrippa, who was a great
friend to Caefar, being afraid that Salvidienus might
be furrounded, feized upon Infubres, a country very
commodious for Lucius; whereby he accomplished
his defign of making him withdraw from Salvidie-
nus, Lucius turned his arms against Agrippa; and
was now followed in the rear by Salvidienus: and
being thus difappointed, he endeavoured to join with
Pollio and Ventidius. But now both Salvidienus
and Agrippa attended upon him in fuch a manner,
that he was glad to fecure himfelfe in Perufia, a
city well fortified, but not very well furnished with
provifions. Here the two Generals befieged him;
and foon after Caefar came up; fo that the place
was blocked up by no less than three armies, which
were alfa continually receiving reinforcements;
Whilft others were fent to hinder Pollio and Ven-
tidius from coming to his relief. Fulvia beftirred
herself

d 4

Rome

Year of herself violently, and commanded all the Generals, to raise the fiege. She alfo raised a new army, 714 which the fent to Lucius, under the command of

Plancus, who routed one of Caesar's legions by the way. But neither Ventidius nor Pollio were in much hafte to march; because they were not fure of the real inclination of Mark Anthony: and when. Caefar and Agrippa went about to hinder their conjunction: they both retreated; one to Ravenna, and the other to Ariminum, Caefar returned to. the fiege, and compleated his works; and kept fo ftrict a guard, that no provifions could by any means be brought into the town. Lucius made feveral vigorous fallies; but without fuccefs, being always beaten back with lofs. At length, being reduced to great extremities by famine, he yielded himself and his army to the mercy of Caefar, who pardoned them, and took the foldiers into his own pay. He intended to give the plunder of the towns to his army; but he was prevented by one, Ceftius, who fet his own houfe on fire, and threw himfelf into the flames, which spread on all fides, and foon re+ duced that ancient city to afhes; leaving only the temple of Vulcan ftanding. The other Generals, who were friends of Anthony, either retired before Caefar, or came over to him; fo that he became poffeffed of all Gaul

This feems to be the time, when Caefar reftored Virgil to his lands: for it does not feem to have been in his power before. We may well believe, that now Virgil took the opportunity of fulfilling the promife, which he had made to Varus, in his Moeris, of exalting his name to the fkies, if he would preferve Mantua. This he performed, by compofing one of his fineft Eclogues called Silenus:

1

which is dedicated to Quintus Atius Varus (k), who Year of had ferved under Julius Caefar in Gaul and Ger- Rome 714. many, with fingular courage, and conduct; and perhaps in this war against Lucius Anthony; tho' he is not particularly named by the Hiftorians now extant. To thefe actions of his Virgil seems to allude, when he says,

-----------Super tibi erunt, qui dicere laudes, Vare, tuas cupiant, et triftia condere bella.

This Eclogue was probably written at the command of Varus: for the Poet fays expreffly, that he does not write it without being commanded (/). Virgil seems to have been elevated with the joy of repoffeffing his eftate; and to have been strongly moved by a fenfe of gratitude to his benefactor. For, in the dedication of this Eclogue, he breaks out into a rapture; and tells his patron, that every tree and grove fhall refound his name; and that Apollo himfelf cannot be more delighted with any poem, than that which is inscribed to Varus (m). We may obferve, that Virgil writes this Paftoral, to oblige his patron, rather than to indulge his own inclination. He was ambitious of exerciling his genius in the higher forts of poetry: but as he had fhewn, in his Moeris, how capable he was of excelling Theocritus, in Paftoral poetry; it is highly probable, that Varus infifted on his writing this fixth Paftoral. He hints at this himself, that he would willingly

1

(k) See the note on ver. 6. of the fixth Eclogue.
(Non injuffa cano.
Ibid. ver. 9.

(m)

Te noftrae, Vare, myricae,
Te nemus omne canet: nec Phoebo gratior ulla est,
Quam fibi quae Vari praefcripfit pagina nomen.

Ibid. ver. 10, 11, 12.

Year of have made war the fubject of his Poetry: but that Rome he was restrained from choofing a lofty fubject; and: 734 ordered to keep within his paftoral sphere (n). We

1

may reasonably believe; that Varus was an Epicurean and that Virgil in compliment to him, made that Philosophy the subject of his poem. It would have been improper to have made a fhepherd run through a whole fyftem of Philofophy: he therefore takes advantage of a famous. ftory, that the old demi-god Silenus was found drunk and afleep, by fome fhepherds, who carried him bound to king Midas; where he gave anfwers to feveral questions relating to Philofophy. Virgil therefore avoids the cenfure of putting into the mouth of a herdman things above his capacity, by introducing two fhepherds, who with the affiftance of a Nymph, catch Silenus in one of his drunken fits, and compel him to give them a long promised fong. The old Deity fings a fuccinct account of the Natural and Moral doctrine of Epicurus; the formation of the world from Atoms; and the neceffity of avoiding pertur bations of the mind. Here he takes an opportunity of paying a very fine compliment to Cornelius Gallus, another favourite of Caefar; representing him as a pattern of Epicurean wisdom, retiring from the distractions of the times, and amusing himself with Poetry Gallus is wandering on the banks of Permeffus; when one of the Mufes conducts him to the. Aonian mountains and introduces him to the court of Apollo. The whole affembly rifes to do honour to this great man, and Linus prefents him with the

(n) Cum canerem reges et proèlia, Cynthius aurem
Vellit et admonuit: paftorem, Tityre, pingues
Pafcere oportet oves, deductum dicere carmen.,
Ibid. ver. 3, 4, 5..

i