735.

his candour (t), and his piety (u). Propertius ce Year of lebrates the writings of our Poet, declares that his verses are worthy of Apollo; and shews the great expectation, that there was of the Aeneis, by faying that Virgil was about a work, which was to exceed the Iliad (w). Orid alfo, speaking to Au

guftus,

Fufcus, et haec utinam Viscorum laudet uterque
Ambitione relegata te dicere poffum,
Pollio; te Meffala tuo cum fratre; fimulque
Vos Bibuli, et Servi; fimul his te, candide Furni;
Complures alios, doctos ego quos et amicos
Prudens praetereo : quibus haec, sint qualiacumque,
*Arridere velim: dolíturus, fi placeant spe
Deterius noftra,

Sat. lib. 1. 10.

(1) Plotius, et Varius Sinyesfae, Virgiliusque

Occurrunt: animae quales neque candidiores
Terra tulit; neque queis me fit devinctior alter.
O, qui complexus, et gaudia quanta fuerunt ;
Nil ego contulerim jucundo fanus amico.

Sat. lib. 1.5 (u) Multis ille bonis flebilis occidit:

Nulli Aebilior, quam tibi Virgili
Tu fruftra pius, heu non ita creditum
Pofcis Quintilium Deos.

Lib. 1. Ode 24. (w) Me juvet besternis positum languere corollis,

Quem tetigit jactu certus ad offa deus :
Actia Virgilium cuftodis littora Phoebi,

Caefaris et fortes dicere poste rates,
Qui nunc Aeneae Trojani suscitat arma,

Jactaque Lavinis moenia littoribus.
Cedite Romani fcriptores, cedite Graii :

Nescio quid majus nafcitur Iliade.
Tu canis umbrofi subter pineta Galesi

Thyrfin, et attritis Daphnin arundinibus :
Utque decem poffint corrumpere mala puellam,
Miffus et impreffis hoedus ab uberibus.

&

Felix,

Year of guftus, calls Virgil his happy author of the Aeneis (x): Rome In another place, he calls that poem the brightest 735 work of all Italy (y); and in a third, he declares

, that the Pastorals, Georgicks, and Aeneids of Virgil will be read as long as Rome shall continue sovereign of the world (2); which prophecy has been abundantly verified; for the works of Virgil still maintain their superiority; though the Roman Empire has been dissolved above a thousand years. I Thall conclude the life of our great Poet with the following lines of the celebrated Vida;

Extulit os facrum foboles certiffima Phoebi
Virgilius, qui mox veterum squalore situque
Deterso, in melius mira omnia retulit arte,
Felix, qui viles pomis mercatus amores :

Huic licet ingratae Tityrus ipse canat.
Felix, intactum Corydon qui tentat Alexin

Agricolae domini carpere delicias.
Quamvis ille fua laffus requiescat avena,

Laudatur faciles inter Hamadryadas.
Tu canis Ascraei veteris praecepta poëtae,

Quo feges in campo, quo viret uva jugo.
Tale facit carmen docta testudine, quale
Cynthius impofitis temperat articulis.

Lib. 2. Eleg. 34 (*) Et tamen ille tuae felix Aeneidos auctor

Contulit in Tyrios arma virumque toros,
Nec legitur“ pars ulla magis de corpore toto,

Quam non legitimo foedere junctus amor.
Phyllidis hic idem, teneraeque Amaryllidis ignes.

Bucolicis juvenis luserat ante modis.

Trif. I. 2.

(y) Et profugum Aenean, altae primordia Romae,
Quo nullum Latio clarius extat opus.

Art, amat, lib. 3. (z) Tityrus, et fegetes, Aeneiaque arma legentur

Roma triumphati dum caput orbis erit.

Amorum, lib. I.

Rome

Vocem animumque deo fimilis : date lilia, plenis, Year of
Pierides, calathis, tantoque affurgite alumno. 1

735. Unus hic ingenio praestanti gentis Achivae * Divinos vates longe superavit, et arte,

Aureus, immortale fonans : ftupet ipse, pavetque
Quamvis ingentem miretur Graecia Homerum.
Haud alio Latium tantum fe tempore jactat.
Tunc linguae Ausoniae potuit quae maxima virtuş
Effe fuit, caeloque ingens se gloria vexit
Italiae : fperare nefas fit vatibus ultra :

Chelsey, 5 June,

1749.

PU B L I I VIRGI L I I

Μ Α R 0 NIS BUCOLICORUM

ECLOGA PRI MA.

TI TYR U S.

MEL.

TTO

MELIBOEUS, TITYRUS.
'ITYRE, tu patulae recubans sub Mer. Tou, Tityrus, lyingi

ander tbe fhade of a spreading tegmine fagi

beech,

NOTES.

1. Tityre tu pátulae, &c.] After the inhabitants, both old and young, the battle at Philippi, wherein Bru- to Aock in great numbers to Rome tus and Caffius were overthrown by to seek for redress. We may gaAugustus Caesar and Mark Antho- ther, from a passage in the ninth ny, in the year of Rome 71

712, Au- Eclogue, that Cremona was one of gustus returned to Italy, in order the cities given to the soldiers, and to reward the soldiers by dividing that Mantua, happening to be fitu. among them the lands belonging to ated near Cremona, the inhabitants several cities. But these not being of that territory were involved in fufficient to satisfy the avarice of the the calamity of their unhappy neighsoldiers, they frequently tranfgreffed bours. It is said that among the the bounds assigned them, and seized rest, Virgil being dispoffefred of his on the lands belonging to the neigh- estate, went to Rome, where being bouring cities. Those injuries caused presented to Augustus he was gra

A

ciously