"narum, maximeque rubi, et pa"liuri, et ejus, quam Graeci ❝xuvóσbatov, nos fentem canis ap66 pellamus." If we confider these quotations well, we can hardly doubt, that the Paliurus of the Ancients is the Rhamnus folio fubrotundo, fructu compreffo C. B. which is cultivated in our gardens under the name of Chrift's thorn; and is fuppofed to be the thorn, of which the crown was made, that was put upon our Saviour's head. This fhrub grows abundantly in Italy in uncultivated places, and is very common in the hedges, for the ftrength of it's thorns makes a very good fence. It ufually bears about three feeds, which are inclosed in as many cells, and covered with a fungous hufk. Thus it agrees with all that is faid of it by the ancient writers; there being no exception to be made, except that the feeds do not grow in a pod. But Theophraftus does not call it. abfolutely a pod, but a fort of a pod, in Awew Tivi; and indeed Awbos is used by the Greek writers in many other fenfes, though it does moft properly and generally fignify what we call a pod.

40. Spargite humum foliis.] It was a custom among the Ancients, to scatter leaves and flowers on the ground in honour of eminent perfons; and fome traces of this cuftom remain among us at prefent.

Inducite fontibus umbras.] Pierius found this reading in moft of the

"Be

ancient manuscripts. But he fays it is aras in the Roman manufcript, inftead of umbras; and frondibus in fome copies, inftead of fontibus. Catrou reads frondibus aras. "fides, fays he, that the words, "which I have preferred, are to "be found in the ancient manu"fcripts, they form a more true

image with respect to a dead per"fon. We do not read any where "that arbours were made over "fountains, to honour funerals; "and we often read that altars and "tombs were covered with branches. "Thus at the death of Polydore, "the altars were covered with cyprefs, and the branches were interwoven with blue ribbands;

66

his fourth Paftoral;

Daphnis; but Virgil represents his Daphnis, as a perfon, whofe fame had reached up to heaven.

44. Formofi pecoris cuftos, &c.] Catrou is of opinion, that this mention of the beauty of Daphnis agrees very well with Virgil's brother, who was a young fhepherd. But he thinks it a cold compliment to Caefar, who was fifty-fix years old, when he was murdered, an age, when men do not use to be admired for their beauty. But we are to confider, that if Julius Caefar was the subject of this Eclogue, he is all along reprefented under the charac ter of a fhepherd; that nothing is more frequent than to fpeak of great rulers as fhepherds; and in the laft place, that this hero is defcribed by the Hiftorians as having a very comely perfon. We may therefore very well understand, this expreffion of his being more beautiful himself than his beautiful flock, to mean, that Julius Caefar ruled the greateft nation in the world, and that he

4

himfelf was the moft excellent perfon among them.

1

45. Tale tuum carmen, &c. Menalcas greatly commends the Poetry of Mopfus; and modefty offers to fing fome verses, which he himself had composed on the fame fubject. Virgil feems in this place to have

in

in the eighth Idyllium of Theocritus ;

Αδύ τι τὸ στόμα τοι, και εφίμερος, ὦ

Δάφνι, φωνά.

Κρέσσον μελπομένῳ τευ ακουέμεν ἢ μέλι λείχειν.

"Sweet is thy voice, and sweet thè

"tunes you play'd, "Fair Daphnis, thro' my ears thy "fongs have paft, "Sweet to the mind, as honey to "the taste." CREECH.

T

4

:

But how far the copy exceeds the original, is very obvious. Theocritus compares the sweetness of the: poëtry of Daphnis to the tafte of honey; but Virgil is more copious. He compares the fong of Mopfus to the refting of wearied limbs on the grafs, and to the quenching of thirst in fummer with a living fpring of fweet water. The Greek Poet barely mentions honey, but Virgil is not contented with the bare men tion of fleep: it is the fleep of a weary perfon; and that upon the fresh grafs. Thus alfo he does not only fpeak of quenching thirst with water; but this thirft is augmented by it's being in the heat of fummer: the water alfo is fweet, and is taken from a living fpring. Philips has imitated this paffage, in his fourth Paftoral;

Not half fo fweet are midnight "winds, that move

"In drowfie murmurs o'er the "waving grove;

"Nor dropping waters, that in "grots diftil,

"And with a tinkling found their 66 caverns fill."

"

48. Nec calamis folum, &c.] Servius thinks this alludes to Theocritus and Virgil. But he is certainly mistaken; for it is Mopfus that is faid to equal his master: now Virgil is not Mopfus, but Menalcas. Ruaeus thinks, that Daphnis is the mafter of Mopfus. But, if we agree with this learned Commentator, that Daphnis is Julius Caefar, it will be very difficult to comprehend, how Mopfus can be faid to be equal, or fecond to that great man. Virgil himself is Menalcas; Menalcás is by no means inferior to Mopfus; and therefore, according to this interpretation, Virgil muft represent himself as equal to Julius Caefar, which is abfurd. Catrou thinks this line is a full confirmation of his fyftem." If there has "hitherto, fays he, been any quel"tion, whether this Eclogue treats "of a master and scholar, there'

cannot now be any longer doubt. "Virgil is charmed with the fine "verfes of his fcholar. He re"tracts what he had faid at the beginning of the converfation."

He

Daphnis.

alfo.

Not only the youth himself was worthy to be celebrated;

52. Amavit nas quoque Daphnis.] This fentence, in the opinion of Catrou, is a fufficient proof, that Julius Caefar is not Daphnis. "The

:

Poet, fays he, had not appeared "in the world in the life-time of "this Dictator. There is, in this verfe alone, a difficulty infur"mountable to thofe, who ac"knowledge Caefar for the fubject "of this Eclogue." It must be acknowledged indeed, that it does not appear from any hiftory now extant, that Virgil was in favour with Julius Caefar, or even fo much as known to him. But although this cannot be certainly proved, it is far from improbable for Virgil's eftate lay near. Mantua, a city of the Cifalpine Gaul, which was Caefar's favourite province. Ruaeus thinks it enough, that Caefar favoured the Mantuans, for Virgil to fay amavit nos quoque. But, if we confider, that Julius Caefar was himself a learned man, and a favourer of letters, we shall think it not abfurd, to fuppofe, that a genius like that of Virgil was not unknown to him. It is allowed that the Eclogue, which is commonly placed firft, was written within three years after Caefar was murdered. The fubject of it is, the Poet's grateful acknowledgment of the prefervation of his farm by Auguftus. This could not be the first of his works; fince he tells us him

felf, in the ninth Eclogue, that he faved his lands by his verses;

Omnia carminibus veftrum fer"vaffe Menalcam."

or

Thus it is plain, that he had written fomething confiderable enough, to obtain the favour of Auguftus, within three years after the murder of Julius Caefar. Perhaps it might be this very Eclogue, wherein he laments the death of that great man, and celebrates his admiffion among the gods, that gained him this fayour. But whether that lucky Poem was the prefent Eclogue, o any other compofition, it feems not very difficult to fuppofe, that a Poet, who was capable of preferving his eftate by his verses, might three years before recommend himself to the notice of the Dictator by his poetry. We may therefore conclude, from the words be fore us, that our Poet had been fa voured by Julius Caefar, notwithftanding the filence of the authors of his life, in this particular.

53. An quicquam, &c.] Mopfus expreffes an ardent defire of hearing thefe verfes of Menalcas, and adds, that he had already heard them much commended.

54. Puer.] Servius obferves, that this must be understood of Daphnis, because Caefar was not a boy, a man advanced in years, when he

but

was