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let boney flow for him, and let Mella fluant illi, ferat et rubus afper amomum, the rough bramble bear spices.

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equal; Damoetas excelling in the firft, fecond, and fourth, and Me, nalcas in the third, fifth, and feventh; for they were equal in the fixth; as they will also appear to be in the remaining part of this contention.

88. Qui te, Pollio, amat, &c.] Damoetas, unwilling to fall fhort of his adverfary, in the praises of Pollio, expreffes the higheft regard for him, and wishes that all, who love him, may reach the fame honours. Menalcas, on the other fide, expreffes the ftrongest deteftation of the detractors from that great man.

Veniat quo te quoque gaudet.] Here no doubt veniffe must be understood, according to Servius, who adds, that the Poet alludes to the Confulfhip, which Pollio óbtained, after having taken Salonae, a city of Dalmatia: though others affirm, that -the victory over the Dalmatians was in the year after the Confulfhip. Burman differs from his predeceffors, and fays" he does not well under"ftand what Servius, and the rest "after him mean, about the Con

"fulfhip of Pollio, and veniffe be"ing understood, which he thinks "they can hardly prove. But, " fays he, it appears from the fol"lowing couplet, that Damoetas

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here cenfures the arrogance of "Menalcas, who endeavoured in a manner to make himself equal "with Pollio, by faying Pollio a"mat noftram, &c. to which he (6 now answers, that Damoetas, "who loves Pollio, ought to be "endued with that poetical genius, "for which he hears Pollio to be "celebrated, and ought to have "honey flow, that is, be mafter of

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a honey eloquence, and able to 66 treat of the moft difficult fub"jects, with the greatest sweetnefs." Then he feems to think that we ought to read veniat quo te quoque laudet, taking quo to be used for ut, and interprets it, may he come to fing your praises, and may be be furnished with all eloquence. I muft confefs myfelf to be as much at a lofs to understand this learned Critick, as he is to understand Servius and his followers. I do not fee how, it appears from the following cou plet, that Damoetas here cenfures the arrogance of Menalcas; nor was it Menalcas, but Damoetas himself, that faid Pollio amat noftram, &c. nor can I comprehend, how it can be an answer to that arro

gance to say, "That Damoetas,

who loves Pollio, ought to be "endued with the fame poetical "genius." His words are, "Sed "ex fequenti Menalcae difticho ap"" paret

MEN. Qui Bavium non odit, amet tua carmina

Maevi:

NOTES.

paret Damoetam hic perftrinxiffe "arrogantiam Menalcae, qui fe "fere Pollioni aequare voluerat, di"cendo, Pollio amat noftram, &c. "cui nunc refpondet, Damoetam "illum, qui Pollionem amat, de"bere etiam inftructum effe facul"tate illa poëtica, qua Pollionem "celebrari audit, &c." It is to be hoped, that this learned Critick will explain this paffage farther, in fome future edition. His taking quo for ut, and inferting laudet for gaudet feems violent; for he does not fay, that he is countenanced in this reading, by fo much as one fingle manufcript. To conclude, I do not fee it neceffary, to fuppofe, that the paffage before us alludes to the civil or military honours of Pollio it may poffibly aim at thofe only, which he had acquired as an author.

89. Mella fluant illi.] Burman, as was obferved in the preceding note, interprets this to mean Eloquence. It feems rather to allude to the happiness of the Golden Age, in which the Poets feign, that honey dropped from oaks. Thus we read in the next Eclogue;

"Et durae quercus fudabunt rof

"cida mella."

See the note on ver. 131. of the firft Georgick.

Ferat et rubus afper amomum.] Rubus is without doubt the Bramble, or Blackberry-bufh.

MEN. Let bim, who does not bate Bavius, love thy 90 verfes, 0 Maevius:

Servius fays the Amomum is an Affyrian flower; to prove which, he quotes thefe words of Lucan; "Vicinae meffis amomum." The Earl of Lauderdale tranflates this paffage,

"Who loves thee, Pollio, all those "bleffings share "Sweet Honey yields, or Myrtles "which thy hedges bear."

Dryden renders it Myrrh;

"Let Myrrh instead of Thorn his "fences fill."

Dr Trapp tranflates it Spices, and Catrou des parfums. Theophraftus, tells us, that fome fay the Amamum is brought from Media, and others from India; Τὸ δὲ καρδάμωμον και ἄμωμον, οἱ μὲν ἐκ Μηδείας οἱ δ ̓ ἐξ 'Iuda. Diofcorides fays "it is a "little fhrub, with branches bend"ing and turning, like a clufter of

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grapes. It has a fort of flower, "fmall, and resembling a stock"gilliflower. "gilliflower. The leaves are like "thofe of bryony. That from' "Armenia is accounted the beft,' "which is of a goldifh colour, has "reddifh ftalks, and a very fweet « {mell;” Αμωμον ἔστι Θαμνίσκος διονεὶ βότρυς, ἐκ ξύλου ἀντιμπεπλέγ μενος ἑαυτῷ· ἔχει δὲ τι καὶ ἄνθος, μια κρόν, ὡς λευκοΐου· Φύλλα δὲ βρυονία ὅμοια· κάλλιστον δὲ ἐστὶ τό ἀρμένιον, χρυσίζον τῇ χρόᾳ, ἔχον τὲ τό ξύλον

I 3

ὑπόκιῤῥου,

and let bim yoke foxes, and Atque idem jungat vulpes, et mulgeat hircos. milk be-goats.

NO TE S..

dóxippov, svades inavas. The fame author fpeaks of a worfe fort from Media, and another from Pontus. Ruaeus quotes thisdefcription of Diofcorides. But thefe words "In Affyria, "Armenia, Ponto, et Media op"timum" are not juft; for Diofcorides does not mention Armenia, and fays exprefsly that the Amomum from Media, which grows in moist and plain places, is lefs efficacious; Τὸ δὲ μηδικὸν διὰ τὸ ἐν πεδίοις καὶ ἐν ἐφύδροις τόποις φύεσθαι αδυνατώτερον. Pliny feems to fpeak of it as a clufter from an Indian vine; though, he fays others are of opinion, that it is a fhrub like a myrtle, a fpan high, that it is gathered with the root, and is very brittle; that the beft fort is like the leaves of the pomegranate-tree, not wrinkled, and of a reddish colour; and that it grows alfo in Armenia, Media, and Pontus; " Amomi uva in ufu eft, ex Indica vite labrufca; ut alii exiftimavere, frutice myrtuofo, palmi altitudine: carpitur"que cum radice, manipulatim leniter componitur, protinus fra❝ gile. Laudatur quam maxime "Punici mali foliis fimile, nec rugofis, colore ruffo.... Nafcitur "et in Armenia parte, quae vo"catur Otenae, et in Media, et in "Ponto." It has been a matter of great question among the modern writers, whether we are at prefent acquainted with the true Amomum of the Ancients. It is fufficient for our prefent purpose to know, that

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there was fuch a fpice or perfume, in high efteem among them, and that it came from the eastern parts when of the world. Therefore, Damoetas wifhes that Pollio's friends may gather Amomum from brambles, he makes a second allufion to the happiness of the Golden Age. Thus we find again in the next Ecloguei «‹

Affyrium vulgo nafcetur "Amomum.'

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90. Qui Bavium non odit, &c.] Menalcas changes the fubject, from the admirers of Pollio to his detractors; and as Damoetas had wifhed all happiness to the former; fo he expreffes the greatest deteftation of the latter. "We fee "plainly, fays Catrou, what fort "of oppofition there is between "the two couplets of Damoetas The former wifhes the friends of Pollio, "reward for their good-will, equal "honours to thofe which had been

and Menalcas.

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as a

decreed to this illuftrious Roman. "Pollio had been Conful, and had “obtained a triumph for his con"queft of Dalmatia. The fecond "wishes all thofe, who do not de"fpife the verfes of Bavius, as a "punishment for their ill tafte, may "efteem thofe of Maevius, a worfe " poet ftill. But, in fhort, what "relation is there between Bavius and Pollio, between a hero and a bad poet? And if there is none, where are the laws of the "Amoebean Eclogue? A paffage of

DAM. Qui legitis flores, et humi nafcentia fraga,

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NOTES.

"of Symmachus may perhaps clear "up this dark place, which the in"terpreters have not explained: "Non idem honor, fays Symmachus, in pronuntiandis fabulis, "P, Pollioni, quam Bavio fuit, neque par Acfopo et Roffio fama "proceffit. Here this author puts "Pollio and Bavius in competition, "and feems to give the preference "to Bavius. They were both poets, and compofed dramatic pieces. Each of them had his "partifans; but Virgil was for Pol"lio, his benefactor. In this Ec"logue, he makes a furious attack upon the rival of his friend. "He would have thofe, who efteem him, be accounted ftupid enough "to be guilty of the groffeft ab"furdities. I know, that in the "laft editions of Symmachus, the "text has been altered, and that "they read Ambivio inftead of "Bavio. But what right had they to put Ambivius with Pollio? "was it not more natural to follow "the old editions, and to join Pol"lio with Bavius, as Virgil has "done?" But Burman fhews plainly enough that the paffage in Symmachus, on which Catrou grounds his criticism, is either corrupted, or not to the purpofe. The Pollio there mentioned is, even according Catrou's quotation, P. Pollio. Now our Pollio was not P. Pollio but C. Afinius Pollio, and it has been proved that there was no fuch perfon as Publius Pollio in the whole Afinian family. It is more probable,

DAM, Te boys, that gather flowers, and ftrawberries, that grow on the ground,

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that Pollioni has flipt into the text of Symmachus by mistake, and that we ought to read Publio only; for there was, it feems, one Publius, player, who is there oppofed to Ambivius, another player, who is mentioned in another epistle of Symmachus. Cicero alfo mentions Am bivius Turpio, an actor, in his book de Senectute. In truth, all that is faid about Bavius by the Commentators is doubtful: and I believe we know no more of him at prefent, than what Virgil has told us; that he was a very forry poet; and that he died in the year of Rome 720, in Cappadocia, according to the chronicle of Eufebius; "Olymp. "CLXXXIX. 3. M. Bavius Po"eta, quem Virgilius Bucolicis "notat, in Cappadocia moritur.

As for Maevius, we know rather more of him; for Horace, as well as Virgil, has taken care to tranfmit his name to pofterity. The Lyric poet prays heartily, that he may be fhipwreckt, and vows a facrifice to the ftorms, if they will but deftroy him;

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flie from bence, a cold Snake lies Frigidus, O pueri! fugite hinc, latet anguis în herba. bid in the grafs.

NOTES.

That curfed fhip, that flinking Mae" "Tis pleafant to fee the Poet dafh

vius bore,

With an ill omen left the fhore; South-wind, befure you raise the Swelling tides,

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"ing two Dunces against one ano"ther, to make fport for himfelf and "his reader. We may be fure "they were not only dull, but en

And foutly beat her feeble fidesvious and malicious fcriblers; Vir

Then if I fee thee fpread a dainty dish
To hungry fowl, and greedy fish,
A goat and lamb fhall then my vows
perform,

And both fhall die to thank the
Storm.

The works of thefe Poetafters have
not reached to our times, and pro-
bably did not furvive their authors:
fo that we must rely wholly on Vir-
gil's teftimony for their character.
This great Poet's declaring again't
them has caufed their names to be
always mentioned with contempt,
and ridicule. Pope, in his Dunciad,
has placed Bavius in Elyfuum, on the
banks of Lethe, where he is em-
ployed in dipping the fouls of the
dull, before their entrance into this
world;

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"gil had certainly been abused by

them; otherwife he, who was "the moft candid, and beft-natur'd

man in the world, would not have "been fo fevere upon them." Here I cannot agree with this ingenious gentleman, that Virgil had certainly been abufed by them, in which cafe, it would have been more fuitable to his candour and humanity, to have taken no notice of them. The offence, which they had committed, was certainly againft Pollio, who was Virgil's friend, and a man of the greatest merit. What Menalcas faid would have been no answer at all to the former couplet, if these bad Poets had not been enemies to Pollio. Pollio. Before we quit thefe ancient dunces, I would beg leave to confider, whether what Virgil has faid of them is not capable of a better interpretation, than that which is generally received; "Let him "who does not hate Bavius, be "punished with liking the poems "of Maevius." Wherein does the punishment confift? It would in

Of folid proof, impenetrably deed be a punishment to a perfon

dull."

"The wonderful fatirical fharp"ness of these lines, Qui Bavium non odit, &c. fays Dr Trapp, is likewife known to a proverb.

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of good tafte, to be obliged to read bad poetry; but furely it can be. none to him that likes it. We know that both Bavius and Maevius were contemporary with Virgil: perhaps Bavius was the older of the two,

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and

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