In foribus pugnam ex auro folidoque elephanto
Gangaridum faciam, victorifque arma Quirini:
Atque hic undantem bello, magnumque fluentem
Nilum, ac navali furgentes aere columnas.
Addam urbes Afiae domitas, pulfumque Niphaten,
Fidentemque fuga Parthum, verfifque fagittis,
Et duo rapta manu diverfo ex hofte trophaea;
Bifque triumphatas utroque ab littore gentes.

The Gangarides were a people of India, living near
the Ganges; and the Niphates is a mountain and
river of Armenia. There are indeed fo many
paffages in the Georgicks, which could not have
been written before this time; that we may eafily
conclude, that the Poet put the laft hand to this
Poem, in the year of which we are speaking: It
is also far from improbable, that the conclufion was
written at the fame time:

Haec fuper arvorum cultu pecorumque canebam,
Et fuper arboribus: Caefar dum magnus ad altum
Fulminat Euphraten bello, victorque volentes
Per populos dat jura, yiamque affectat Olympo.

:

Virgil had now brought his celebrated Aeneis to a conclufion but it wanted much of the perfection, to which he intended to bring it. He therefore proposed to travel into Greece, where Auguftus then was, in order to finish it at his leifure. But meeting him at Athens, as he was returning to Rome, he determined to come back with him; when he was fuddenly feized by a dangerous fickness, which was increased by his voyage. He landed at Brundufium (c), where he died, on the twenty-fecond day

Year of

Rome 734.

735.

Rome

735.

Year of of September, when he had almost compleated his fifty-fecond year. His bones were carried to Naples, and buried in a monument erected at a finall diftance from the city. The Infcription was dictated by himself, as he lay on his death-bed, and is thus translated by Dryden :

I fung Flocks, Tillage, Heroes: Mantua gave
Me life, Brundufium death, Naples a grave (d).

In his laft will, he ordered his Aeneis to be burnt,
because it was not finifhed to his mind; but Au-
guftus would not suffer it to be deftroyed (e). Then
he left it to Tucca and Varius, with this condition,
that they should not make any additions; or even
fill
up those verses which he had left imperfect (f).

(d) Ol. CXC. 2. Virgilius
Brundufii moritur, Sentio Sa-
turnino, et Lucretio Cinna
Confulibus. Offa ejus Nea-
polim tranflata in fecundo ab
urbe miliario fepeliuntur, ti-
tulo iftiufmodi fuprafcripto,
quem moriens ipfe dictaverat :

"Mantua me genuit, Calabri
66 rapuere, tenet nunc
Parthenope: cecini Paf-
"cua, Rura, Duces."
Eufeb. Chron.

With this Donatus alfo agrees.
(e) Divus Auguftus carmina
Virgilii cremari contra tefta-
menti ejus verecundiam vetuit:
majufque ita vati teftimonium
contigit, quam fi ipfe fua car-
mina probaviffet. Plin. lib. 7.
сар. 30.

Donatus

Quum morbo oppreffus adventare mortem videret, petivit oravitque a fuis amiciffimis impenfe, ut Aeneida, quam nondum fatis elimaflet, abolerent. Aul. Gell. lib. 17. cap. 10.

(f) Anno vero quinquagefimo fecundo ut ultimam manum Aeneidi imponeret, ftatuit in Graeciam et Asiam fecedere, triennioque continuo omnem operam limationi dare, ut reliqua vita tantum philofophiae vacaret. Sed, cum aggreffus iter, Athenis occurriffet Augufto, ab Oriente Romam revertenti, una cum Caefare redire ftatuit. Ac cum Megara, vicinum Athenis oppidum, vifendi gratia peteret, languorem nactus eft: quem non intermiffa navigatto auxit, ita ut gravior indies, tandem Brun

Donatus relates the following verses of Auguftus Year of himself on this occafion;

Ergone fupremis potuit vox improba verbis
Tam dirum mandare nefas? Ergo ibit in ignes,
Magnaque doctiloqui morietur Mufa Maronis?
Sed legum fervanda fides: fuprema voluntas
Quod mandat, fierique jubet, parere neceffe eft.
Frangatur potius legum veneranda poteftas,
Quam tot congeftos noctefque diesque labores
Hauferit una dies.

And these also of Sulpicius Carthaginienfis;

Jufferat haec rapidis aboleri carmina flammis
Virgilius: Phrygium quae cecinere ducem.
Tucca vetat, Variufque fimul : tu, maxime Caesar,
Non finis, et Latiae confulis hiftoriae.
Infelix gemino cecidit prope Pergamus igni,
Et pene eft alio Troja cremata rogo.

It is no wonder, that fo much care fhould be taken in preserving the Aeneis, imperfect as it is;

difium adventarit: ubi diebus paucis obiit, decimo Cal. Octob. C. Sentio, Q. Lucretio Coff. Qui cum gravari morbo fefe fentiret, fcrinia faepe et magna inftantia petivit, crematurus Aeneida: quibus negatis, teftamento comburi juffit, ut rem in emendatam, imperfectamque. Verum Tucca et Varius monuerunt, id Auguftum non permiffurum. Tunc eidem Vario, ac fimul Tuccae, fcripta fub ea conditione legavit, ne quid adderent quod a fe

editum non effet, et verfus
etiam imperfectos, fi qui erant,
relinquerent. Donatus.

Eufebius alfo mentions Va-
rius and Tucca being employed
in correcting the Aeneis, on
condition of not adding any
thing. "Ol. CXC. 4. Va-
"rius et Tucca, Virgilii et
"Horatii contubernales, Poe-
"tae habentur illuftres: qui
"Aeneidum poftea libros.
" emendarunt fub ea lege, ut
"nihil adderent."

Rome 735

735.

Year of fince it is no less than the Hiftory and Panegyrick Rome of Auguftus Caefar and the People of Rome. The Romans were fond of being thought to defcend from the Trojans, who came from Troy, under the conduct of the great Aeneas: and the Julian family derived their pedigree from Afcanius, who was furnamed Iulus, the eldeft fon of that Hero. The fettling therefore of the Trojans in Italy is the fubject of the whole Poem: he frequently takes occafion to mention them as the ancestors of the Romans: he always declares Aeneas to be the fon of Venus: and he introduces Jupiter himself foretelling the great victories and the deification of Julius Caefar (g).

Nafcetur pulchra Trojanus origine Caefar,
Imperium Oceano, famam qui terminet aftris,
Julius, a magno demiffum nomen Iulo.
Hunc tu olim coelo fpoliis Orientis onuftum,
Accipies fecura: vocabitur hic quoque votis.

Jupiter, in the fame fpeech relates the hiftory of the
Trojan fucceffion, in Italy: that Aeneas, having
fubdued his enemies in that country, fhall build La-
vinium, and reign there three years that his fon
Afcanius, furnamed Iulus, fhall fucceed him, reign
thirty years, and transfer the regal feat from Lavi-
nium to Alba: that his pofterity shall reign_there
three hundred years; till the priestefs Ilia fhall bear
twins to Mars: that Romulus fhall be fuckled by a
wolf; build a city facred to Mars, and call the peo-
ple Romans from his own name. The god then
declares, that thefe Romans fhall know no bound
of their empire: that Juno fhall lay afide her en-
(g) Aen. I. ver. 290, &c.

mity, and concur with him in fupporting the Ro- Year of man people, the lords of the world; and that the Rome Trojan race fhall conquer their ancient enemies the 735. Greeks, and reign over them (b).

His ego nec metas rerum, nec tempora pono:
Imperium fine fine dedi. Quin afpera Juno,
Quae mare nunc terrafque metu coelumque fatigat,
Concilia in melius referet; mecumque fovebit
Romanos rerum dominos, gentemque togatam.
Sic placitum. Veniet luftris labentibus aetas,
Cum domus Affaraci Phthiam clarafque Mycenas
Servitio premet, ac victis dominabitur Argis.

In the fixth book, Anchifes, in the Elyfian fields,
shews to Aeneas his future fon Sylvius Aenaeas, the
youngest of his children by Lavinia. From him the
Alban kings defcend, Procas, Capys, Numitor, and
Sylvius Aeneas. These princes, he tells us founded
Nomentum, Gabii, Fidena, Collatia, Pometia,
Caftrum Inui, Bola, and Cora. Numitor, the
father of Ilia, is accompanied by his grandson Ro-
mulus, the son of Ilia by Mars, under whose influ-
ence Rome arrives at vaft power. Among these
great Romans, Anchifes calls upon Aeneas, to ob-
ferve the noble Julian family, efpecially Auguftus
Caefar, under whofe reign all the bleffings, promised
to that mighty state, shall be united.

En hujus, nate, aufpiciis illa inclyta Roma
Imperium terris, animos aequabit Olympo;
Septemque una fibi muro circumdabit arces.
Felix prole vitum: qualis Berecynthia mater
Invehitur curru Phrygias turrita per urbes,
(b) Ibid. ver. 261, &c.

Laeta