grove, Rome 714. pipe of old Hefiod, with which he is to fing the Year of honours of the Grynean grove, facred to Apollo. Gallus about that time wrote a poem on this wherein he imitated the ftile of Hefiod. Virgil therefore elegantly commends this poem, when he fays Gallus will cause this grove to become the favourite of Apollo (0). Caefar did not remain long in quiet, after the compleat victory, which he had obtained over Lucius and Fulvia (p). This turbulent Lady fled to her husband, and incited him to make war upon Caefar. Anthony, inflamed with rage, fteered his course to Italy; and began a moft furious and dangerous war. But the news of the death of Fulvia, whom he had left fick at Sicyon, coming opportunely, gave a favourable opportunity of fettling a peace between these mighty rivals. Cocceius, a common friend to both, went between them, and projected a reconciliation; the Conful Pollio appearing on the part of Anthony, and Maecenas on the part of Caefar, to arbitrate the differences between them. The arbitrators propofed, that as Fulvia the wife of Anthony was juft dead, and Marcellus alfo, the hufband of Octavia, half fifter to Caefar; Octavia fhould be given in marriage to Anthony (9). This being agreed to, caused an univerfal joy and the whole army expreffed their joy by fhouting, all that day, and the following night. Octavia was with child at the time of this marriage. Therefore, as this great Lady, who was alfo a perfon of a moft unfpotted character, was the cement of fo bleffed a (0) His tibi Grynaei nemoris dicatur origo : Ne quis fit lucus, quo fe plus jactet Apollo. Ibid. 72, 73. (p) Appian, lib. 5. Dio, lib. 48. notes on the fourth Eclogue. (q) See the peace, Year of peace, and union between the two great Triumvirs, Rome who were upon the point of tearing the world in 714 funder by their divifions; Virgil was not backward f in teftifying his joy for fo happy an event. The Sibylline Oracles had foretold, that a child was to be born about this time, who fhould rule the world, and establish perpetual peace. The Poet ingeniously fuppofes the child with which Octavia was then pregnant, to be the glorious infant, under whofe rule mankind was to be made happy; the Golden Age was to return again from heaven; and fraud and violence was to be no more. This is the fubject of that Eclogue, of which the ufual title is Polfio. In this celebrated Poem, the Author, with great delicacy, at the fame time pays his court to both the chiefs, to his patron Pollio, to Octavia, and to the unborn infant. It is dedicated to the great Pollio by name, who was at that time Conful (r) and therefore we are fure of the date of this Eclogue; as it is known, that he enjoyed that high office in the year of Rome 714. Many Criticks think the ftile and fubject of this Eclogue too high, to deferve the name of a Paftoral. But that the Author himself intended it for a Paftoral is very plain; because at the very beginning he invokes the Sicilian Mufes (s). But as he intended to offer this poem to fo eminent a perfon, as a Roman Conful, he thought, that fome attempt fhould be made to foar above the common level of Paftoral writing and that if a rural poem was offered to a Conful, it ought to be compofed in fuch a manner, (r) Teque adeo decus hoc aevi, te Confule, inibit (s) Sicelides Mufae paulo majora canamus. Ibid. ver. I.. as as to be worthy of the ear of fo great a magi- Year of Atrate (t). Yet he does not lofe fight of the coun- Rome try: the goats, the cows, and the sheep have their 714.. fhare in these bleffings of peace; and the fpontaneous plants, which are to fpring up at the renova tion of the golden age, are fuited very well to Paftoral Poetry. Caefar and Anthony now made a new partition of the world: all toward the Eaft, from Codropo→ lis, a town of Illyricum within the Adriatick, being affigned to Anthony; and all toward the Weft to Caefar (u). Africa was left to Lepidus': and the war with Sextus Pompey was to be managed by Caefar; and the Parthian war by Anthony. Each of them fent armies, under the command of their refpective friends into different parts of the world: amongst whom it appears, that Pollio was fent into that he obtained a triumph Illyricum; for it appears for his victory over the Parthini, a people in that part of the world, at the latter end of the year of Rome 715. It was during this march of Pollio, 715. that Virgil published his Pharmaceutria, which is dedicated to that noble perfon (w). This beautiful Eclogue was partly written in imitation of one under the fame name in Theocritus. It confifts of two parts; the first of which contains the complaints of a fhepherd, who was defpifed by his mistress; and the fecond is full of the incantations used by a forceress to regain the loft affection of her lover. It feems probable, that Pollio had engaged Virgil in an attempt to imitate the Papuaxeurpia of (t) Si canimus fylvas, fylvae fint Confule dignae. Ibid. ver. 3. (u) Appian. de Bell. Civ. lib. 5. (w) Tu mihi, feu magni fuperas jam faxa Timavi: Sive oram Illyrici legis aequoris. Ecl. VIII. ver. 6, 7. Year of Theocritus, before ther began his march: for the. Rome Poet fays expreffly, that these verfes were begun by 715 his command (x). He celebrates his patron in a most elegant and polite manner and as Pollio was (x) A te principium; tibi definet: accipe juffis (1) And, Ibid. ver. 11, 12. En erit unquam Ibid. ver. 7, 8, 9, 10. Atque hanc fine tempora circum Inter victrices hederam tibi ferpere lauros." Ibid. ver. 12, 13 (z) Paftorum Mufam, Damonis et Alphefiboei, Ibid. ver. 1, 2, 3, 4. (a) Haec Damon: vos, quae refponderit Alphefiboèus, Ibid. ver. 62, 63. taste, tafte, and as most of them are pointed out in the Year of Notes, need not be particularly mentioned in this Rome place. d to eho sit busq The year 16 paffed without any publiek tranfi 716, action of note, except the power which Sextus the fon of Pompey acquired by fea, who became fo famous by his naval exploits, that he was believed to be the son of Neptune. Nor is it certain, that Virgil compofed any of his Eclogues this year however, as the Meliboeus is the only Eelogue; › of which we cannot afcertain the date; we may form a conjecture, that it was written this year, which muft otherwife have paffed without any apparent exertion of our Poet's genius. ...The next year began with the march of M. Vip 717. fanius Agrippa, one of the new Confuls into Gaul; to quiet an insurrection there. Agrippa was fuc cessful, and was the second Roman, who croffed the Rhine with an army (b). But the depredations of Pompey were fo great, that Caefar was impatient for his return: that he might overfee the maritime business; and give directions for the building of fhips in all the ports of Italy. It must have been in this year, that Virgil compofed the laft of his Eclogues, which bears the title of Gallus; the fubject of which is the paffion of that Poet for Lycoris (c), who had left him to run away with fome foldier, who marched over the Alps (d) As Agrippa was the first Roman, after Julius Caefar, who croffed (b) Dio, lib. 48.9 272. ༈°་ (c) Extremum hunc Arethufa mihi concéde laborém. Pauca meo Gallo, fed quae legat ipfa Lycoris, Ecl. X. ver. 1, 2, 3. ·(d)· 1 Perque nives alium, perque horrida caftra fecuta eft. Tua cura Lycoris Ibid. ver. 22, 23. |