Year of

Auguftus, being chofen Conful the eleventh time, Rome together with Calpurnius Pifo fell into fo dangerous 731. a fickness, that his life was defpaired of: but An

tonius Mufa, his phyfician, whom he had made
free, cured him by cold bathing, and drinking cold
water (p). Mufa was loaded with rewards for this
cure, by Auguftus and the Senate, and had leave
given him to wear golden rings: and not only he,
but all the reft of the Faculty, were for the future
exempted from paying taxes.
But Mufa's reputa-
tion was foon diminished by the death of
young
Marcellus, who, being treated exactly in the fame
manner, died under his hands. This Marcellus
was the fon of Octavia, the darling fifter of Au-
guftus, by her former husband. He feems to have
been the child, with whom she was pregnant, at
the time of her marriage with Mark Anthony;
and the expected infant, under whofe influence Vir-
gil promised the bleffings of the golden age in his
Pollio (q). He was greatly beloved by Auguftus,
was his nearest male relation, and had married his
only daughter Julia: he was univerfally lamented,
and his body was carried with great pomp and fo-
lemnity to be burnt in the Campus Martius. It
must have been foon after this, that Virgil finished
the fixth Aeneid; at the latter end of which that

Quod fi Threicio blandius Orpheo
Auditam moderere arboribus fidem,
Non vanae redeat fanguis imagini
Quam virga femel horrida

Non lenis precibus fata recludere,
Nigro compulerit Mercurius gregi.
Durum, fed levius fit patientia

Quicquid corrigere eft nefas. Lib. 1. Ode 24.

(p) Dio, lib. 53.

fourth Eclogue.

(q) See the note on ver. 8. of the

youth

youth is celebrated. The Poet reprefents his hero Year of
Aeneas defcending into the Elyfian fhades, to re- Rome
ceive inftruction from his father. Old Anchifes 731.
entertains his fon with a review of his pofterity,
which gives the Poet an opportunity to mention the
greateft perfons, and actions of the Roman people.
Laft of all, Anchifes points out the great Marcel-
lus, who had been five times Conful; he mentions
his offering up the opima fpolia, for having flain
Virdumarus, a German king, in fingle fight, the
victory which he obtained by his celerity, his put-
ting the Carthaginians to flight, his conquering the
Gauls, and his being the third Roman, who ob-
tained the honour of making an offering to Fere-
trian Jupiter (r):

Sic pater Anchises; atque haec mirantibus addit :
Afpice, ut infignis fpoliis Marcellus opimis
Ingreditar, victorque viros fupereminet omnes.
Hic rem Romanam magno turbante tumultu
Siftet eques: fternet Poenos, Gallumque rebellem:
Tertiaque arma patri fufpendet capta Quirino.

Aeneas having feen this future hero, takes notice of
a youth, of extraordinary beauty, who being clad
in fhining arms, attends upon the great Marcellus.
He asks whether the youth is his fon, or one of his
glorious pofterity. Anchifes pours forth a flood of
tears, and in a moft pathetic manner foretels what
immenfe grief will be occafioned by the death of
this illuftrious youth, who would have performed
actions equal to those of his great ancestor, if he
could have broken through the hard decrees of fate:

(r) Aen. lib. VI. ver. 854, &c.
£ 3

Atque

Year of
Rome

731.

Atque hic Aeneas, una namque ire videbat
Egregium forma juvenem et fulgentibus armis;
Sed frons laeta parum, et dejecto lumina vultu
Quis, pater, ille virum qui fic comitatur euntem?
Filius? anne aliquis magna de ftirpe nepotum ?
Quis ftrepitus circa comitum! quantum inftar in
ipfo eft!

Sed nox atra caput trifti circumvolat umbra.
Tum pater Anchifes lacrymis ingreffus abortis :
O nate, ingentem luctum ne quaere tuorum :
Oftendent terris hunc tantum fata, neque ultra
Effe finent. Nimium vobis Romana propago
Vifa potens, fuperi, propria haec fi dona fuiffent.
Quantos ille virum magnam Mavortis ad urbem
Campus aget gemitus! vel quae Tyberine videbis
Funera, cum tumulum praeterlabere recentem!
Nec puer Iliaca quifquam de gente Latinos
In tantum fpe tollet avos: Nec Romula quondam
Ullo fe tantum tellus jactabit alumno.

Heu pietas! heu prifca fides! invictaque bello
Dextera! non illi quifquam fe impune tuliffet
Obvius armato feu cum pedes iret in hoftem,
Seu fpumantis equi foderet calcaribus armos.
Heu miferande puer! fi qua fata afpera rumpas,
Tu Marcellus eris. Manibus date lilia plenis :
Purpureos fpargam flores, animamque nepotis
His faltem accumulem donis, et fungar inani
Munere.

Virgil is faid to have read the fixth Aeneid to Auguftus, in the presence of Octavia, who fainted away, when he pronounced the words Tu Marcellus eris; and afterwards made the Poet a prefent of ten Seftertia (s) for every line, amounting in the

(5) Eighty pounds, fourteen fhillings and feven pence fterling.

whole

whole to above two thousand pounds fterling. The Year of reward was great: but the verfes were Virgil's.

Rome

732.

The Ethiopians, who inhabit the inner part of 731. Africa, which lies above Egypt, being led by their Queen Candace, invaded Egypt, and plundering all before them, penetrated as far as the city Elephantina (t). But when they heard, that Caius Petronius the governour of Egypt, was marching against them, they retreated: but being purfued by Petronius, they were overtaken, and driven into their own country, where he deftroyed fome of their towns, and compelled Candace to fue for peace. To this victory Virgil feems to allude, in the fixth Aeneid (u), where he mentions the conquefts of Auguftus being extended even beyond the torrid

zone:

fuper et Garamantas et Indos

Proferet imperium: jacet extra fidera tellus
Extra anni folifque vias, ubi caelifer Atlas
Axem humero torquet ftellis ardentibus aptum.

In the mean time, Auguftus went into Sicily; and during his abfence there were great tumults about choofing Confuls (w): hereby he was convinced, that it was not yet fafe, to truft the government again in the hands of the people. At the beginning of the year, Marcus Lollius was the fole 733. Conful; because they reserved the other place for Auguftus: but when he refused the office, Quintus Lepidus was chosen in his room. When he had settled the affairs of Sicily, he proceeded to Greece: and thence proceeded to Samos, where he spent the winter.

(t) Dio, lib. 54. (u) Ver. 794, &c. (w) Dio, lib. 54.

Year of
Rome

In the fpring, he marched into Afia, where he rewarded and punished every province according to 733 it's defert. Phraates being afraid of his arms, reftored the ftandards and captives, which had been taken by the Parthians. His march against these people is alluded to in the feventh Aeneid (x): Sive Getis inferre manu lacrymabile bellum, Hyrcanifve, Arabisve parant; feu tendere ad Indos, Auroramque fequi, Parthofque repofcere figna.

At this time Auguftus, was fo dreaded by the Eaftern Nations; that they all fought his favour and the very Indians who had before fent Ambaffadors to him (y), now entered into a league of peace, and fent him many prefents (x). Caefar gloried of having fubdued these nations by his authority, against whom the Roman armies had hitherto fought in vain. To this fuccefs therefore our Poet feems to allude, in the second Georgick (a), when he fays, that Auguftus difarmed the Indians by his arts of government:

Te maxime Caefar,

Qui nunc extremis Afiae jam victor in oris,
Imbellem avertis Romanis artibus Indum.

It could not well have been before this time, that
Virgil wrote that beautiful imagination of his erect-
ing a temple to Auguftus, which he intended to
adorn with a sculpture of his victories (b):

(x) Ver. 604.

(y) Eufebius fixes the time of the Indians fending their Ambaffadors to be in the year 728. "Ol. CLXXXVIII. 3.

Indi ab Augufto per legatos

"amicitiam poftularunt." Eufeb. Chron.

&c.

(z) Dio, lib. 54.

(a) Ver. 170, &c.
(b) Georg. III. ver. 261,