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exchange merchandizes every Mutabit merces: omnis feret omnia tellus. :: w land shall bear every thing.

NOTES.

A fourth opinion is, that it had it's name from Argus, the fon of Phryxus Others again derive it from the Hebrew word ans ereg, which fignifies weaving, or texture, to which purpofe Catullus is quoted, who fpeaking of the building of this very thip, ufes the following expreffion;

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fignifies fpeaking; but when a noun, a hip, which is governed From this homonymy, fays he, the fable arofe, that the fhip itfelf, or fome timber in it was vocal, by which timber we are to understand the rudder, which does not speak, but governs the fhip.

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35. Delectos heroas.] Thefe cho-la fen heroes are the Argonauts, foo Pinea conjungens inflexae texta called because they failed in the fhip

"carinae."

Several other authorities might eafily be produced, to prove that texo, and it's derivatives, are applied to the building of fhips. Laftly Bochart, having fpoken of the gauli, a fort of round veffels, fays he is of opinion, that the Phoenicians oppofed to thofe

males ספינן אדלא round hips the

Argo. They accompanied Jafon, in his expedition to Colchis, to fetch the golden fleece: they were the flower of all Greece, and were fiftytwo in number. Pindar calls them

the flower of failors, and Theocri tus the flower of heroes: hence Virgil calls them chofen beroes. Sir Ifaac Newton proves, by many good ar guments, that this expedition was about forty-three years after the death of Solomon, three hundred years later than the time fettled by the Greek Chronologers.

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arca or arco, as the Syrians pro-
nounce it, that is, Ships of length,
or, which is the fame thing, long
Thips. Hence the firft long fhip
built by the Greeks was called Argo,
by changing into g: thus they
change Caius to Taíos, and Cnaeus
to Ivalos. The reader will choofe
which of thefe derivations, he likes
beft; for my own part, I fhould
prefer either the first or the last.
Bochart allo gives a probable expla-
of the fiction, that the Argo
was endued with a power of fpeak- "
ing, from fome of the timber of the
Dodonean grove being put into the
fhip by Pallas. He obferves, that
the Hebrew word 27 fignifies both
to speak and to govern. Hence 717
dobera, when ufed as a participle,

nation of the

Erunt etiam altera bella.]. "Nothing is more juft, than the pro"phecy of Virgil. A bloody war at laft reduced Sextus Pompey to quit Sicily, and to meet his death in Afia by Anthony. The con"juncture of affairs, the preparations made by Octavian; and above all, the difpofition of men's minds gave room for the prediction of the Poet." CATROU 36. Atque iterum ad Trojam, &c.] The ftory of the fiege of Troy, and the valour of Achilles, are too well known, to need any comment in this place. But I cannot país by t

f

in

filence

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Non raftros patietur humus, non vinea falcem: 40 The ground fhall not endure the barrows, nor the vineyard the pruning-book:

NOTES..

filence an obfervation of the learned - La Cerda, concerning a miftake of Cicero, and Euftathius. The former in one of his epiftles fays, that Homer did not beftow the epithet loxínopos the taker of cities either on Ajax or Achilles, but on Ulyffes: the latter in his commentary on the fecond Iliad, fays, that Homer calls Ulyffes Toximopos, who took only the city Troy, because it was the head of the war: but he calls A chilles by that name only once, though he had taken feveral cities. La Cerda accufes them both of forgetfulness. He allows indeed, that Ulyffes is often called loriopos, and points out eight places, two in the Iliads and fix in the Odyffeys: but at the fame time he refers us to three places in the Iliads, where the fame epithet is given to Achilles. The firft is in the eighth Iliad, where Minerva tells Juno, that Jupiter was prevailed upon by Thetis, to favour Achilles ;

Εννήμαρ δὴ νεῖκος ἐν ἀθανάτοισι ὄρωρεν Έκτορος ἀμφὶ νέκυϊ καὶ Ἀχιλλεῖ πλο λιπόρθῳ.

To conclude the notes on this

paragraph, it may be observed, that Virgil cannot be supposed to mean, that the Argonauts, and heroes that warred at Troy will return again; but that other eminent mariners will arife, other famous veffels, other wars, and other great commanders. At the time of writing this Eclogue, notwithstanding the happy peace juft compofed between Auguftus and Anthony, great preparations were making againft Sextus Pompey, who had acquired fuch fame in naval exploits, that the people did not scruple to call him another Neptune. Befides he presently after grew fo formidable, that the Triumvirs were compelled to make peace with him.

37. Hinc ubi jam firmata, &c.] The Poet having fpoken of the defects that fhall remain during the childhood and youth of the expected

Λισσομένη τιμῆσαι Αχιλλήα πολί- infant, now comes to fpeak of the

πορθον.

The fame words are repeated near the beginning of the fifteenth Iliad, when Jupiter relates to Juno the in

terceffion of Thetis for her fon. The third place is in the twentyfourth Hiad, where Jupiter tells Thetis, that the gods had difputed nine days about Achilles and the body of Hector;

fullness of bleffings, that fhall attend the completion of the golden age, when he fhall have attained to the full ftate of manhood.

Lucretius has an expreffion like this, in his third book;

"Inde ubi robuftis adolevit viribus 66 aetas."

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and the strong plowman fball Robuftus quoque jam tauris juga folvet arators take off the yoaks from bis bul

locks.

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him that is carried, as well as him that carries; the merchant as well as the mariner though according to Burman, this note is wanting in feveral copies of Servius, fo that we may question whether it was the genuine opinion of that ancient Grammarian. Ruaeus however has adopted it; Tam active dicitur *pro eo qui vehit, quam pro eo qui "vehitur.". Dr Trapp feems to be furprized at this, and fays Vector " is a very particular word: it fig"nifies both actively and paffively;

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webens and vectus as if victor fhould fignify both the conqueror and the conquer'd. I do not remember any parallel inftance in all the language." But I believe this criticism of the Grammarians is without foundation; and that vector is ufed only in the active fenfe, for the perfon who carries. Thus a merchant may be called a vector or carrier of goods, when he goes with them himself; and a mafter of a fhip is really a vector likewife, or carrier of goods and paffengers; though he himself may be faid to be carried in the ship. We call a per fon, who undertakes the carriage of goods by land, a carrier, without any regard to his going on foot, on horfeback, or in his own waggon; in which last case, I fancy it would be thought an impertinent diftinction, to fay he was then carried, and therefore not a carrier in the active fenfe of the word.

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But here he mentions the reverse, that in this reftoration of the golden age every country will bear all forts of products; which will make navigation ufeless.

40. Non raftros, &c.] In this new age the earth is to produce every thing fpontaneoufly: the earth will have no occafion to be torn with harrows, or the vine to be wounded with pruning-hooks. -41. Robuftus.] Burman finds robuftis in fome copies, which might be admitted; but I believe robuftus is the true reading. Lucre tius has robuftus moderator aratri, in his fifth book;

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Nautica pinus.] Ships used to be and again in his fixth book;"

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Praeterea

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Nor fhall the wool learn to coun➡ terfeit various colours. But the ram bimself, in the meadows,

fhall have his fleece tinged, fometimes with the fine red of the purple,

NOTES.

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43. Ipfe fed in pratis, &c.] Inftead of this falfe tincture, he fays the fheep fhall be cloathed with wool of the fineft colours. Servius tells us, that, in the books of the Tufcans, it was delivered, that when a ram fhould be feen ftained with an unusual colour, the greatest felicity fhould attend the chief ruler. Many paffages may be collected from the writers of the lives of the Emperors, where fuch extraordinary omens are faid to have attended their births. Nor are authors wanting, who tells us of fuch fine sheep being to be feen in diftant countries. Suave rubenti murice.] Murex fignifies all hard and fharp bodies; as we find it used in the fifth Aeneid

for the tharp points of a rock;

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Valerius Maximus ufes it for the tribulus, or caltrop, a fpiked inftrument used in war, to obftru&t the approach of an enemy; "Aviti "fpiritus egregius fucceffor Scipio "Aemilianus, cum urbem prae "validam obfideret, fuadentibus ❝ quibufdam, ut circa moenia ejus

ferreos murices fpargeret, omnia66 que vada tabulis plumbatis con❝fterneret, habentibus clavorum ❝ cacumina, ne fubita eruptione "hoftes in praefidia noftra impetum "facere poffent refpondit, non "effe ejufdem, et capere aliquos ❝velle, et timere." Thus it is used

alfo by the Natural Hiftorians, to exprefs a fort of fhell-fish, which is fet about with spikes. Of this kind was that celebrated fifh, from which the Tyrian colour, was obtained. it is much to be doubted, whether It is called purpura and murex: but it is much to be doubted, whether it was the fame colour with that, which we now call purple; it seems rather to have been either fcarlet or crimfon. We find in this paffage, that it was a beautiful red, fuave rubenti murice. In the fourth Aeneid, it is reprefented, as a glowing, or very bright colour;

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"Concuffae cautes, et acuto in mu-
"rice remi
Obnixi crepuere, illifaque prora "
"pependit.

Picta croco, et fulgenti mu 44. Croceo

arice veftis."

and fometimes with the yella Murice, jam croceo mutabit vellera luto: of faffron: and vermillion fall Sponte fua fandyx pafcentes veftiet agnos. cord.

cloath the lambs of it's own ac

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NOTES.

44. Croceo luto.] Some take crogea luto to be put here for craco luteo, yellow faffron. Saffron itself is of a fiery or deep orange colour, approaching to red but the tincture of it is a deep yellow, like the yelk of an egg, or a marygold flower, which is called luteola caltha in the fecond Eclogue. Others will have Luto to be a contraction of luteo, the name of an herb mentioned by Vi truvius, which was used to give a green tincture to blue, and muft therefore neceffarily afford a yellow tincture itself; for nothing but yel low can change blue into green ; Item, fays Vitruvius, qui non poffunt chryfocolla propter caritatem uti, herba quae luteum appellatur coeruleum inficiunt, "ut utuntur viridiffimo colore." Pliny calls the herb lutea, in the fifth chapter of his thirty-third book, where he is fpeaking of chryfocolla Nativa duritia maxime diftat, luteam vocant. Et tamen illa quoque herba, quam luteam appellant, tingitur." And again, “Paraetonium quoniam est natura pinguiffimum, et propter S laevorem tenaciffimum, atramento afpergitur, ne paraetonji candor pallorem chryfocollae afferat. Luteam putant a lutea herba dictam, quam ipfam caeruleo fubtritam, pro chryfocolla inducunt, viliffimo genere atque fallaciffimo." I believe the lutum of Virgil, the luteum of Vitruvius, and the lutea of Pliny, mean

45

one and the fame herb: and it is evident, from what all three have faid of it, that it must be one that affords a yellow tincture. There is hardly any question to be made of it's being that herb, which our English writers of Botany, defcribe under the name of luteola, wild woad, and Dier's weed. The Diers about London call it woold, a name which I do not remember to have met with in any author, and use it in dying yellow both wool and filk. It is common on walls, and in wafte places, and is fown in the fields for the ufe of the Diers. It grows to about a yard in height; has long, narrow leaves; and the flowers and feed-veffels cover great part of the branches of the ftalk. When it is dried, it acquires a yellow colour; and being bound up in bundles for fale, it bears fome rude resemblance of fheaves of corn. The refemblance of the name, woold, and the frequent ufe of it in dying, has oc cafioned fome to confound it with woad, from which it is very diffe rent. Befides the woad is called ifatis, and glaftum, and affords a blue tincture; though it is alfo used for a foundation of other colours. The woad alfo is bruised in a mill, dried, powdered, and goes through feveral preparations, before it is fit for the ufe of the Dier, whereas the woold or lutum is used entire, in it's full perfection of ripenefs.

45. Sponte fua fandyx, &c.] Sandyx is fpoken of by Pliny, as a cheap

material

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