ferve, by the invocation of Lucina here, that the child was not yet born.

Tuus jam regnat Apollo.] Apollo was the brother of Diana, which feems to be the caufe why tuus is here used, thy own Apollo, that is, thy brother Apollo. Servius fays, the Poet here alludes to the laft age, which the Sibyl had faid, fhould be under the Sun; and at the fame time to Auguftus, to whom a statue was erected, with all the diftinctions of Apollo. He obferves alfo, that Octavia, the fifter of Auguftus, was thought to be meant by Lucina. La Cerda mentions another opinion, that Apollo himself might be then faid to reign, because his prophecies, by the mouth of the Sibyl were then fulfilled: but he himself seems to think that Auguftus is meant. Ruaeus thinks, that Apollo himself is intended, whose prophecies were now fulfilled. Catrou is fully perfuaded, that Lucina and Apollo are Octavia and Auguftus, "That illuftrious "lady, fays he, had all the cha"racters of the chafte goddefs. "The regularity of her conduct "was always without reproach. "She is invited to caft a favourable "look on Marcellus in his birth, as the child will foon be invited "to fmile on his mother. The allegory of Lucina and Apollo, "applied to Octavia and Caefar, "has fomething noble and happy

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in it. It is eafy to perceive Cae“far under the figure of Apollo:

"the Triumvir was fond of being "honoured under the name of this "god. The preceding year he "had erected a temple to him; and

as Anthony had taken the name "of Bacchus, Octavian took the "name and the fymbols of Apollo. "It would have been an indifcre"tion in the Poet, to have made "ufe of the word regnat, if the "had applied it directly, and with

out a metaphor to Caefar. But "he applies it immediately to A"pollo, and it was a received term, "in fpeaking of a planet or of a "conftellation." That Octavia was a lady of the ftrictest virtue is certain; but it does not feem to be a confequence of her virtue, that the was to be invoked under the name of Lucina, to favour her own delivery, which feems to be a very odd imagination. Nor will the

child be invited to fmile on his mother, but to know his mother by her fmiling on him. See the note on ver. 60. As for the temple of Apollo, if we may believe Dio Caffius, it was after the fea fight at Actium, that Auguftus made of ferings to that deity, who was pe culiarly worshipped at Actium, and builded a larger temple for him, which was not finifhed till twelve years after this Eclogue was written. As for Anthony the fame author tells us, that it was after the peace made between Auguftus and him, that he went into Greece, and took upon him the name of another Bac chus, in which the people were fond

of

of humouring him, and the Athenjans carried it so far as to make a match between the new Bacchus and their goddess Minerva. Anthony approved of the marriage, and demanded of them a large fum of money for her portion. Thus according to Dio, Anthony's taking the name of Bacchus was not till after the time of writing this Eclogue, and the building of the temple of Apollo was many years after that. Some have been for weak as to imagine, that the Poet here alludes to a famous fupper mentioned by Suetonius, where, Auguftus and his friends took upon themfelves the character of feveral deities, and Auguftus that of Apollo, which is highly improbable. This tory is not very authentic, according to Suetonius himself, and if Auguftus had this frolick, it was in private; Coena quoque ejus fe"cretior in fabulis fuit." It was performed, when there was a scarcity in the city, which might probably be that which happened foon after the agreement between Au guftus and Anthony, and therefore might not happen foon enough to give rife to any expreffion in this Eclogue. It was cenfured as an impious and profane action, by all that knew of it; and therefore, if there is any truth at all in the story, It cannot be imagined, that Virgil would compliment Auguftus with the name of a deity, which he had affumed at a riotous entertainment, and had reafon to be heartily a

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20 and colocafia mixt with smiling acantbus.

fhamed of. A better reafon for Auguftus to be called Apollo, than any I have feen produced, might have been brought from the beginning of the forty-fifth book of Dio; where we are told, that one principal reafon, why Julius Caefar thought of making Auguftus his heir, was that his mother Attia affirmed pofitively, that she had conceived him by Apollo; that having flept in the temple of that god, the feemed to admit the embraces of a dragon, and that her reckoning went on duly from that time. But it seems not at all likely, that Virgil would have infinuated in this Eclogue, which is dedicated, to Pollio, that Auguftus then reigned. Pollio was the friend. of Anthony, and had a large share in reconciling the two great Triumvirs. Now if Virgil would make his court to Pollio, he fhould at least have faid they reigned jointly. In truth I believe the complement was defigned to Pollio himself. He was at that time the chief Magiftrate, had a large fhare in bringing about the reconciliation, was a patron of the Mufes, and a good Poet himfelf. Therefore Apollo might be faid to reign, when one of his favourite fons was in fo high a station. It may be obferved also, that the Poet immediately flides into the mention of Pollio's confulfhip, as the appointed time for all these promifed bleffings.

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11. Te confule.] Here the Poet plainly points out the time, when L 2

this

this Eclogue was written. It was in the confulfhip of C. Afinius Pollio, that is, in the year of Rome 714.

12. Pollio.] See the note on ver. 84. of the third Eclogue.

Magni menfes.] Servius fays, the Poet alludes to the months July and Auguft, which were fo called in honour of Julius and Auguftus Caefar, whereas their names' were Quintilis and Sextilis before. But Ruaeus juftly obferves, that this could not be true of Auguft, which had not that name till after the death of Cleopatra, and the three triumphs of Auguftus, nay not till the year of Rome 727. Great here fignifies illuftrious; fuch months, fuch a time, as has not yet been

known.

13. Te duce, &c.] The Poet having mentioned the confulfhip of Pollio, immediately tells him, that under his conduct all the remains of the civil war fhall be extinguifhed.

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We fee plainly, that Pollio is the perfon on whom Virgil depends, for putting a period to the civil wars, which he means by the wickednefs of the Romans, fceleris noftri. In order to a full understanding of this paflage, let us confider, as briefly as we can the state of the Roman affairs at that time. The civil war between Julius Caefar and Pompey began in the year of Rome 705, and notwithstanding the defeat of Pompey, at Pharfalia, in the next year, it was not ended till about the

latter part of 709. This ceffation was but very fhort; for in lefs than half a year, Julius Caefar was murthered in the Senate-houfe, when he was Conful the fifth time. Immediately the Capitol was feized by the murtherers, the Forum filled with armed foldiers by Lepidus, and the whole city was in confufion. Lepidus, who then had the command of an army, intended, under pretence of avenging the death of Caefar, to fet up himself. Mark Anthony, who was Caefar's collegue in the confulfhip, brought the mangled corpfe into the Forum, fhewed his wounds, and read his will to the people, in which he had made his nephew Octavius his heir in the firft place, and Anthony and Decimus Brutus, and fome others of the murtherers, in the fecond, and had left his gardens by the river fide to the people, and thirty drachmas to each of them. This raifed a moft violent tumult among the people," and an ardent defire to revenge the death of that great man. This gave an opportunity to Anthony of affuming an almoft arbitrary power, who finding Lepidus to be a perfon capable of giving him much difturbance, made an alliance with him, beftowing his daughter in marriage on the fon of Lepidus. Octavius was purfuing his ftudies at Apollo nia, having been fent thither, with part of the army, to wait there for his uncle, who was preparing to make war against the Parthians.

But

But being informed of Caefar's death, and of his having conftituted him his heir, he haftened to Rome, where he was treated with contempt by Anthony, who looked upon him as a mere boy, and one of no confequence. Octavius therefore joined with the Patrician party, and particularly with Cicero, who having conceived an implacable hatred against Anthony, fupported the young man in oppofition to him. With this affiftance, he foon levied an army, and together with the new Confuls for the year 711, marched against Anthony, who then held Decimus Brutus befieged in Mutina. The town was relieved, and Anthony put to flight, with the lofs of the two Confuls, who fell in different engagements. The Senate now became jealous of Octavius, and endeavoured to deprefs him as much as they had before exalted him. They invefted his enemies with power, giving the province of Macedon to Marcus Brutus, one of Caefar's murtherers, Syria to Caffius another of them, and the command of the navy to Sextus, the fon of Pompey. Octavius, being informed of thefe alterations, came to an agreement with Anthony and Lepidus, and marched back to Rome, where he was prefently chofen Conful, and had the government of the city committed to him. He was then adopted into the family of Caefar, and took upon him the name of Cajus Julius Caefar Octavianus, according to Dio. The

and the berds fhall not stand in fear of the great lions.

Senate, who did not know of the private agreement, that young Caefar had made with Anthony and Lepidus, fent him against them, and at the fame time invited Brutus and Caffius to march towards Rome. But Caefar meeting with Anthony and Lepidus, had a private conference with them; they agreed to divide the government between them, and by their joint intereft, Lepidus was chofen Conful for the enfuing year 712. The union of thefe three powerful perfons was called the Triumvirate. They r turned feparately to Rome, each with his own army, and there put in execution the horrid agreement made between them, of putting all to death, whom each of them looked upon as his enemy, and this without the leaft appearance of mercy. It would be long and difagreeable to relate the particulars of these shocking barbarities; how husbands were betrayed by their wives, fathers by their fons, and mafters by their flaves, into the hands of their murtherers. It was inade a capital crime to conceal any of the profcribed perfons, or even to fhew any mark of forrow for their death. In the mean time Brutus and Caf fius had gathered a confiderable army near Philippi, a city of Macedon, on the confines of Theffaly. Caefar and Anthon" marched against them: the battle was fought with fury on both fides: the victory inclined to the Triumvirs, and Caffius first, and then Brutus, flew them L 3

felves.

felves.

Many others, who either had been concerned in the murther of Julius Caefar, or knew themfelves to be in the number of the profcribed, or feared the hatred of the Triumvirs, fell upon their own fwords. The two conquerors now divided the world between them, making little account of Lepidus; and Anthony undertook to keep all quiet in Afia, and Caefar to do the fame in Italy, engaging at the fame time to fettle the foldiers in the Italian lands. This was performed in the year 713. when P. Servilius and Lucius, the brother of Mark Anthony, were chofen Confuls. This divifion of the lands drew a general hatred on Caefar; the foldiers being generally difcontented with the portion that was given them, and the lawful owners being juftly exafperated at the lofs of their eftates. This gave an opportunity to Fulvia, the wife of Mark Anthony, who had a quarrel with Caefar, and was a woman of a moft turbulent fpirit, to draw the difaffected to her party. Her hufband's brother Lucius, the Conful, joined with her in endeavouring to opprefs Caefar, who marched against them, and befieged them in Perufia, a city of Hetruria. The town was strong, and held out a long time: but it was taken the next year, in the Confulfhip of Domitius and Pollio. Fulvia efcaped to her husband, and endeavoured a reconciliation between him and Sextus Pompey; and Caefar foon reduced all the other towns of Italy.

Anthony, being incited by his wife, came to Italy against Caefar, took Sipus, a town of Apulia, and laid fiege to Brundufium. Agrippa re-took Sipus; but Servilius Rullus, who was sent to relieve Brundufium, was fuddenly attacked by Anthony, and routed, many of his foldiers being flain, and many also deferting.

Rome was now under the greateft terror; the flames of civil war were now breaking out with fresh fury: nothing less than new battles, profcriptions, and murthers, were to be apprehended. But it happened very luckily that Fulvia, who had a chief hand in blowing up the flame died; whereupon Pollio the Conful, who was a great friend of Anthony, and defirous to recal him from the luxurious life, which he had learned in Afia and Egypt, projected a reconciliation. Maecaenas alfo, who had no lefs regard for Caefar, did his endea vour to bring him to a reconciliation. This was happily effected by the joint concurrence of thefe two worthy perfons; and as a pledge of their agreement, Octavia, Caefar's, beloved fifter, was married to Anthony. It was hoped, that this lady, who had all the ornaments as well as virtues of her fex, would be able to draw Anthony from his li centious way of living. She was then with child by her former hufband, Marcellus, and it can hardly 'be doubted, but that it was this unborn child, that Virgil alluded to in this Eclogue. Caefar and Anthony

entered