cord:

for my own part, I fhould give the reference to the couplet of Damoes; though it may be faid, in faour of Menalcas, that he has nfwered as well as it was poffible him to do, when his adverfary ad affumed a patron above all imiMtion. Thus perhaps a candid idge will be loth to beftow the itory on Damoetas; feeing it ould not be expected that Menalcas hould perform an impoffibility. But yet it must be allowed, that Damoetas, being to fpeak firft, had right to take advantage of it, which he has done with fuccefs, and

is therefore fuperior to his adverfary. 64. Malo me Galatea, &c.] The fhepherds having celebrated the deities, whofe patronage they claim, proceed next to the mention of their loves. Damoetas boasts of the wantonnefs of his Galatea, who throws an apple at him, and then runs away to hide herfelf, but wishes be unfeen. In anfwer to this, Meat the fame time, that she may not

nalcas boafts of the fondness of his

"

Amyntas, who comes fo often to him, that his very dogs are ace quainted with him.

These two couplets are an imitation of the fame number, in the matus fays fifth Idyllium of Theocritus. Co

Βάλλει καὶ μάλοισι τὸν αιπόλον & Κλε Τὰς αἴγας παρελῶντας καὶ ἀδι αρίστας αδύ τι

ποππυλιάσει,

It must however be allowed, that the copy is fuperior to the original, The Commentators difcourfe, with much thew of learning, on thefe apples which Galatea throws at her lover; but I believe Virgil intended no greater mystery, than to defcribe naturally the little wantonnefs of a country girl, who endeavours to make her lover take notice of her, and then runs away and hides, herfelf, hoping at the fame time, that he will not be very dull at difcover ing her. Horace, who was better verfed in thefe affairs, than moft of the learned Criticks, has alluded alfo to thefe little coquettries,

66. At mihi fefe offert, &c.] Menalcas urges the conftant affection of his Amyntas, in oppofition to the levity of Galatea. Servius obferves, that this is ftronger than what Menalcas has faid, according to the law of Amoebean poetry.

67. Delia. Some understand this to mean Diana; but it would be a prefumption in a fhepherd to reprefent a Goddefs fo familiar with him, as to be acquainted with his dogs. It feems more reafonable to think it was a fervant-maid, or one at leaft of the family.

Catrou is of opinion that Menalças here has the advantage again, or is at least equal. " Galatea, fays "he, beftows on one a mark of "her affection, by throwing apples

at him. Amyntas gives a greater to the other, by offering himfelf to his friend of his own açcord. The image of the fhep"herdefs running away, and yet "being willing to be feen, is ele

66

་

gant and eafy. That of the dogs "of Menalças, which always "know Amyntas, and caress him, "has fomething in it agreeable and natural."

I believe, the reader will be more inclinable to prefer the couplet of Damoctas. The defcription of Galatea's behaviour is wonderfully pretty and natural; and more to be liked than the forward fondnefs of Amyntas. Milton makes it an excellence in Eve, that he was not obvious, not obtrusive. Mr Pope feems to be of the fame opinion;

for

of notavi

DAM. I bave provided a prefent for my Venus: for I bave marked the place, subere the lofty ring-doves have built their neft.

Meae Veneri.] It is no unufual thing with the Greek and Roman writers, to ufe Venus for a mistress. 69. Aëriae.... palumbes.] The palumbes or palumbus of the Latin writers, and the Párra or Parra of the Greeks, is our ring-dove, or queeft, called alfo in the North, cufhat. It differs from the common pigeon, or dove, in being larger; and having white spots on each fide of the neck, like a collar or neck

a

lace, whence it is called palumbus torquatus, and by us ring-dove. Ariftotle, in the thirteenth chapter of the fifth book of his Hiftory of Animals, fays" There are feveral "fpecies of the pigeon or dove "kind. One fort is called πελειάς, "which is fmaller than the com

mon pigeon, and hard to tame:

it has blackifh feathers, and it's "feet are red and rough; for "which caufes it is never bred in "houfes. The Parra is the largest

fort of all, and the next is the "oivas; this is a little bigger than

the common pigeon: and the et leaf of all is the τρυγών;” Τῶν δὲ περιστεροειδῶν τυχάνει πλείω ὅλα τὰ γένη· ἔστι γὰρ ἕτερον πελειὰς καὶ περισ τερά· ἐλάτων μὲν οὖν πελειάς· τιθασε σὸν δὲ γίνεται μᾶλλον ἡ περιστερά· ἡ ἐρυθρόπουν, καὶ τραχύσουν, διὸ καὶ δὲ πελειὰς καὶ μέλαν και μικρὸν καὶ οὐδεὶς τρέφει μέγιστον μὲν οὖν τῶν τοιούτων ἡ φατία ἐστὶ, δεύτερον δὲ ἡ H 4

οἶνάς·

"

lecta

οἶνάς· αυτη δὲ μικρῷ μείζων ἐστὶ τῆς περιστερᾶς· ἐλάχιστον δὲ τῶν τοιούτων ἡ τρυγών." The πελείας is probably our rock-pigeon, which is fmall, of an af-colour, and breeds on the rocks. The olvas is our stock-dove or wood-pigeon, which has purple feathers, as if ftained with wine, whence it is called oivás and vinago. The rpuy is the turtle-dove, and the Qala is the ring-dove. Thefe laft build in high trees, whence Virgil calls them aëriae. The amorous difpofition of doves, and their reputed conjugal fidelity, make them a proper prefent from a lover to his miftrefs, Propertius feems to have meant our ring-dove by his columba torquata

"Sed cape torquatae, Venus O re

gina columbae

"Ob meritum ante tuos guttura

"fecta focos."",

$70

We fee here, that Theocritus fays apples fimply without any epithet; and perhaps Virgil might mean no more by golden, than to exprefs the excellence of the apples. It is however the general opinion of the Cri ticks, that fome particular fruit, different from what we call fimply apples, is intended. Some will have citrons to be the fruit in queftion: but they were not planted in Italy, Poet himself, in the fecond Geor till long after Virgil's time. Our guifhing of countries by their trees, gick, where he speaks of the distinmakes the citron peculiar to Media.

Therefore this fruit cannot be the golden apple, which the fhepherd gathered in a wood, fylveftri ex arbore letta. Much leis can it be the orange, as Catrou has tranflated it, making it to be gathered alfo from a wilding; "C'étoit dix oranges, que j'avois cueillies fur un Sauva→ geon." So far was the orange. from

gathered from a wild trees tomorrow. I will fend him as many more.

བས་ ་་

in thofe days, that the fruit itself was wholly unknown to the Ancients. The more general opinion of the learned is, that thefe golden apples are quinces, which fome affirm to have been fpoken of by the Ancients under the name of melimela, being fo called from their yellow co lour like honey. But Pliny fays exprefsly, that the melimela were named from their having the taste, not the colour, of honey; "Muftea a celeritate mitefcendi, quae nunc melimela dicuntur a fapore "melleo." Thus alfo Martial,

"

"inibi et in hortis, et in vinetis, et in "viridariis eorum frequentiffime vi"funtur arbores. Sylveftre alterum, "alterum domefticum, Sylveftres ❝fponte nafcuntur in collibus, et maritimis locis, et aridis." Thus far it agrees with the golden apples, which either grew on a wild tree, or were gathered in a wood, fylveftri ex arbore. Let us now confider the defcription, which Ovid gives of the golden apples, with which Hippomenes won Atalanta, in the tenth book of the Metamorphofes ; "Eft ager, indigenae Tamafenum "" nomine dicunt; "Telluris Cypriae pars optima: "quem mihi prifci "Sacravere fenes: templifque ac"cedere dotem "Hanc juffere meis. Medio nitet "arbor in arvo; "Fulva comam, fulvo ramis cre"pitantibus auro.

९

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"Hinc tria forte mea veniens decerpta ferebam

"Aurea poma manu."

A field there is, so fertile none, thro

all

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