And then how the earth was aftonished at the shining of the new fun, and at the falling of fhowers from the high uplifted clouds when the woods firft 40 began to rife, and a few animals to wander over the un

known mountains.

Then he relates the ftones thrown by Pyrrba, the reign of

Nereus, a fea-god, and father of the Nereids, is here put for the Waters.

Pontus is used for the cavity of the fea.

37. Novum. folem.] The Poet does not, as fome imagine, fpeak according to the opinion of thofe, who imagine the fun to perish every night, and be renewed the next morning. He only means the first appearance of the fun in the new formed world.

38. Atque.] Pierius found utque in the Roman manuscript.

40. Per ignotos.] Pierius found per ignaros in the Roman manufcript, and quotes the authority of Aulus Gellius, for ignarus being fometimes used for ignoratus or ignotus. But furely the common reading in this place is the best.

41. Hinc lapides, &c.] Silenus having fung of the firft formation of the world, proceeds to mention the renovation of it by Pyrrha, Saturn, and Prometheus; and then adds fome other ancient fables, wherein he fhews the evil confequences, that follow perturbations of the mind, the impure paffion of Hercules for Hylas, the unnatural. luft of Pafiphae, the vanity of the daughters

of Proetus, the avarice of Atalanta, and the ambition of Phaëton. Thus, as Catrou has juftly obferved, it is without reafon, that fome have blamed Virgil for connecting these ftories with an account of the formation of the world. These fables are not introduced at random; for they fet forth the moral doctrine of Epicurus, that we ought to avoid, all perturbations of the mind.

Lapides Pyrrhae jactos.] See the note on ver. 62. of the firft Georgick.

Saturnia regna.] By the reign of Saturn, is meant what the Poets called the golden age. See the fourth Eclogue.

42. Caucafeafque refert volucres, &c.] Prometheus, the fon of Iapetus, having formed a man out of clay, animated him with the fire which he had ftolen, by applying a ferula to the chariot-wheels of the fun. Jupiter, offended at his audacioufnefs, ordered Mercury to chain him to a rock on the mountain Caucafus, where an eagle or vulture is continually gnawing his liver.

Caucafus is a mountain between the Euxine and Cafpian feas.

43. Hylan.] Hylas was a young lad, who accompanied Hercules, in

the

Jeffed thee! The daughters of

barns on ber fmooth forebead.

Quo fonte.] It was not certainly known, in what particular fountain he was loft.

46. Pafiphaën.] Pafiphaë was the daughter of the Sun, and wife of Minos king of Crete. She is faid to have fallen in love with a bull,

47. Virgo.] See the note on ver. 263. of the third Georgick.

48. Proetides.] The daughters of Proetus, king of the Argives, having compared their beauty to that of Juno, were afflicted with a madness, which cows, running about the fields, and made them fancy themselves to be lowing. They were cured of this difeafe by Melampus, who had one of them in marriage for his reward. He tells Pafiphas, that though there ladies fancied themselves to be real cows, yet they were not poffeffed by fuch a paffion as her's for a bull.

Falfis mugitibus.] Their lowings are called falfe, because they were not real cows, but only fancied themselves to be fuch; and therefore endeavoured to imitate the voice of

ruminates the pale herbs under a Claudite of the great berd. Surround, bady bolm-oak: or follows one 55 ye Nymphs,ye Dietean Nymphs, Jurround the lawns of the fo refts, and fearch if the wan dering footsteps of the bull may bappen to meet our eyes. Perbaps fome cors may bring him to the ftables of Gortyna, either captivated with the green grass, or following the herds.

"refted upon. Thus we read pul"vino fultus in Lucilius. We find "alfo in the feventh Aeneid,

60

66

que jacebat "Velleribus."

SERVIUS.

54. Pallentes ruminat herbas.] The rumen or paunch, is the first of the four ftomachs of those animals, which are faid to ruminate, or chew the cud. They at firft fwallow their food haftily, and afterwards return it into their mouths, to be chewed over again. The food fo returned, in order to be chewed a fecond time, is called the cud; whence they are faid to chew the cud. The grafs, by being swallowed the first time by a bull, or other ruminating animal, lofes it's verdure in fome measure, and becomes yellowish; whence Virgil calls the cud pallentes herbas. 156. Dictaeae.] Dicte is the name of a mountain of Crete. It feems to be put here for Crete itself. Saltus] See the note on ver. 471. of the second Georgick,

58. Forfitan illum.] Servius understands the Poet's meaning to be, a fear leaft the bull fhould go to Gnoffus, the regal feat of Minos,

the lawns, the bull may perhaps follow the cows to Gortyna. The Earl of Rofcommon understands this paffage in the fame sense;

"Perhaps, while thus in fearch of ❝ him I rome,

"My happier rivals have intic'd "him home."

But Vives takes it in a quite diffe rent fenfe; that Pafiphaë repents of her unnatural paffion, and defires that the bull may be driven away from her, leaft his prefence fhould ferve to renew her defires.

60. Stabula ad Gortynia.] Gortyna was a famous city of Crete, near which the famous labyrinth is ftill to be seen. It is now a heap of ruins, among which are visible many columns of marble, granate, and red and white jafper. Turks, who are now in poffeffion of the country, have carried away the fineft, and in fome places fet them up as gates to forry gardens. The herds of the Sun are faid to have been kept near this city.

The

61. Hefperidum

61. Hefperidum miratam mala puellam.] Virgil here alludes to the fable of Atalanta, the daughter of Schoeneus, king of Scyros, an island in the Aegean fea. She was warned, by the Oracle of Apollo, not to marry; and therefore fhe ftudioufly avoided entering into that ftate. The beauty however of this princefs was fo great, that the could not avoid the follicitation of many lovers. Being endued with great fwiftnefs, the made this propofal to them; that whofoever could out run her fhould be her husband; but if any one was exceeded by her, he should forfeit his life. Hippomenes, the fon of Megareus, who was the grandfon of Neptune, not difcouraged by the fate of several unhappy lovers, was determined to contend for the prize. Atalanta, being pleased with his perfon and character, was loth to be the caufe of his death, and used all the arguments in her power to difluade him from the attempt; but all in vain. Hippomenes, having invoked Venus, was favoured by her, and furnifhed with three golden apples from the gardens of the Hefperides. They began the race; and when Atalanta began to gain ground, Hippomenes threw down a golden apple, which fo furprized Atalanta with it's fplendor, that she turned afide to take it up.. This being done a fecond and a third time, gave Hip

pomenes an opportunity of getting before her, and thereby obtaining his beauteous prize. Hippomenes neglected to render due thanks to Venus for his fuccefs, which so exafperated the goddess against him, that the caufed them to pollute a temple of Cybele, who punished them by turning them into lions, and yoaking them to her chariot. See the tenth book of Ovid's Metamorphofes.

62. Tum Phaetontiadas, &c.] Phaëtufa, Lampetie, and Lampetufa were the fifters of Phaeton, who being reproached by Epaphus king of Egypt, as having falfly pretended to be the fon of Sol, begged of his father to permit him to drive his chariot for one day, that he might prove himself to be his fon. This being granted, he guided the horses fo unfkilfully, that the earth began to burn, and would have been confumed, if Jupiter had not killed him inftantly with a thunderbolt; and thrown him into the river Eridanus. His fifters having fought for him a long time, at laft found his body on the banks of that river, where they confumed themselves with weeping, and were turned into trees. Virgil calls thefe trees alders here; but in the tenth Aeneid, he seems to make them poplars;

Then be fings, bow one of the Mufes led Gallus into the Aniau mountains,

66

que fororum

"Dum canit, &c."

64. Tum canit errantem, &c.] The Poet, having reprefented the evil effects of unruly paffions, in thefe feveral examples, now reprefents the more happy condition of a wife man, who devotes himself to the quiet ftudies of literature. Under this character, he takes an opportunity of paying a moft elegant compliment to his friend Gallus, who was a good Poet. He repreents him to be introduced by one of the Mufes to the prefence of Aollo, where the whole affembly ifes up to do him honour, and Lius prefents him with the pipe, which formerly belonged to Hefiod. The perfon here spoken of is Corelius Gallus, a native of Frioul, ontemporary with Virgil, being bout three or four years younger. le obtained the favour of Auguftus, nd was raifed by him from a low ondition to great honours, as we re informed by Suetonius; "Neque enim temere, ex omni numero, in amicitia ejus afflicti reperientur, praeter Salvidienum Rufum, quem ad confulatum ufque, et Cornelium Gallum quem ad praefecturam Aegypti, ex infima utrumque fortuna, provexerat." At the time of writing his Eclogue, Gallus, in all probaility, was wholly engaged in his tudies. He feems to have been

tium; for, according to Dio, we find him the very next year, 724, at the head of an army, marching against Mark Anthony, and taking Paraetonium, whilft Auguftus feized on Pelufium. The foldiers, whom Gallus commanded, had formerly served under Anthony, who made no doubt of regaining them by fair words; or if that attempt failed, of fubduing them by force, taking a fufficient ftrength with him, both by fea and land. Anthony came up to the very walls, to fpeak to the foldiers; but Gallus ordered all the trumpets to found, fo that it was not poffible to hear a word; and making a fudden fally killed fome of his men. Gallus alfo made ufe of a ftratagem against the navy of Anthony. He caused several chains to be concealed under water, in the night-time, at the entrance of the haven; at the fame time keeping but a flight guard. Anthony's fhips boldly entered the port, thinking themselves fecure enough, when Gallus, by means of engines prepared on purpose, ftraitened the chains, confined the fhips, burned fome and funk the reft. Auguftus, at the fame time, having entered Egypt by Pelufium, made the country tributary, and appointed Gallus governour. But Gallus was fo intoxicated with power, that he vented' opprobrious fpeeches against Auguf tus, behaved himself ill in many refpects, and grew fo vain, as to

erect