that the beart of Codrus may burft with envy.

"vertice pinus;

Grata deum matri. "Cybeleïus Attis Exuit hac hominem "induruit illo."

Siquidem

frontium Diis mifcent fuperis."

truncoque

The ivy with yellow berries is faid by Pliny to be the fort ufed in the crowns of poets. See the notes on ver. 39. of the third Eclogue; and ver, 258. of the fecond Georgick. Servius fays the poets are crowned with ivy, as if they were dedicated to Bacchus; because the poetical. fury is like that of the Bacchanalians; or perhaps because ivy is ever green, as good poetry deferves eternity. A late witty writer has faid, that ivy that ivy is a juft emblem of a Court-poet; because it is creeping, dirty, and dangling.

25. Paftores hedera, &c.] It is e general opinion of the Comentators, that Thyrfis fpeaks here contempt of Codrus, whom Codon had extolled. But I rather ink, that Virgil intended a comment to that poet, in thefe lines Thyrfis, as well as in thofe of Antagonist. The complement more direct in the former; and re oblique in the latter. Corydeclares his poetry to be next that of Apollo, and invokes the fes to affift him in writing after fame manner. Thyrfis does not the leaft difpute the goodnefs of poetry; but calls on the Arcan fhepherds, to inftruct fome ing poet to write in fuch a manas to become the envy of Cos. Thus, though Thyrfis, in Pofition to his antagonist who had ntioned Codrus as his friend, hes fome future poet may equal, perhaps exceed him; yet he reby tacitly confeffes, that he is erior to all prefent poets. Hence is plain, that Virgil contrives, th great elegance, to make the nd and enemy of Codrus concur his praife.

Hedera.] The Ivy was frequentufed by the Ancients in crowning ets. Thus Horace;

Crefcentem ornate poëtam.] Pierius found nafcentem in the Roman and Medicean manufcripts: but he looks upon crefcentem as the genuine. reading. Heinfius alfo and Burman find nafcentem in fome manufcripts, and crefcentem in others.

Servius feems to understand this growing poet to be spoken by Thyr fis of himself. La Cerda doubts ; "incertum an fe an alium, quemvis intelligat."

27. Aut fi ultra placitum, &c.] Servius interprets ultra placitum, mimice, irriforie; ultra quam placeo et mereor Guellius fays, that ultra placitum laudare is the fame with that expreffion of Plutarch, in his treatife περὶ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἐπαινεῖν ἀνε. πεφθόνως ; Αναγκαζόμεθα συνε Φάπλεσθαι παρὰ γνώμην τῶν ἐπαίνων, καὶ συνεπιμαρτυρεῖν πρᾶγμα κολακεία μᾶλλον ἀνελευθέρῳ προσῆχον ἡ τιμή, τὸ ἐπαινεῖν παρόντας, ὑπομένοντες. La Cerda alfo thinks this paffage of Plutarch much to the purpose. The Philofopher is fpeaking of the pleafure it gives a man to be praised by others and of the offence it gives to others to hear a man praise himfelf. In the first place, fays he, "it is a breach of modefty, for a "man to praife himfelf: because he ought rather to be, out of coun"tenance, when another praifes him. Secondly it is unjuft; becaufe he affumes to himfelf, "what he ought to receive from "another. In the third place, it obliges us either by our filence, to feem uneafy and to envy him: or elfe to join in praifing him contrary to our opinion, and to teftify, our approbation; and confe"quently to be guilty of a difho"nourable flattery, by praifing a "man to his face." This praifing a man contrary to our cpinion does indeed feem to be the meaning of ultra placitum laudare: but the poet feems to have had fome farther de2 T

That

tium, Ifigonus et Nymphodorus “ tradunt: quarum laudatione in"tereant probata, arefcant arbores, "emoriantur infantes." learned Commentator adds, that it was ufual among the Ancients, when they praised any one to add praefifcine or praefifcini, that is fine fafcina, thereby declaring, that they praifed fincerely, without any intention. He confirms this by a quotation from the Setina of Titinius, where one fays, Paula mea, amaba, to which another adds,

66

Pol tu ad laudem addito prat, fifcini, ne puella fafcinetur." He adds another quotation from the fifth fcene of the fecond act of the Rudens of Plautus; where Sceparnio a flave, having drawn up a bucket of water out of a well, and applauded himfelf for having done it with unufual facility, cries out praefifcine, for fear he should hurt himself, by praifing his action too much;

We may therefore conclude, that the fenfe of the paffage under conof fideration is this; Thyrfis wifhes, that the rifing poet may break the,, heart of Codrus with envy; and, for fear he fhould beftow any finifter praifes on him, which by their fafcinating quality might injure him, he would have his head crowned with baccar, a plant endued with a faculty of refifting witchcraft. 'It is certain, that the Ancients were,, very credulous with regard to fafci nation, or witchcraft; and as the ignorant country people are ufually moft addicted to fuperftition; Vir-, gil, with great propriety, puts fuch expreffions as thefe in the mouths of his fhepherds.

A

Baccare.] See the note on ver. 19. of the fourth Eclogue. 28. Mala lingua.] Our country

people, even at this day, impute many diforders of themfelves and their cattle to an evil tongue; and fuperftitiously believe that fome' crofs old women, by muttering some fafcinating words, are really the cause of thofe diforders.

It is, I think, univerfally agreed, that Corydon has the victory, in this firft part of the contention,

29. Setofi caput, &c.] Corydon promifes to Diana the head of a boar, and the branches of a ftag and if fhe will make him fuccessful. in hunting; to erect a marble ftatue I of her. Thyrfis addreffes himfelf to Priapus; and tells him, that though from his poverty he may expect only an offering of milk and cakes; yet, if he will caufe his flock to increase, instead of a marble ftatue he will make him a golden one.

す

La Cerda fays, that Guellius proves from Euftathius, that the head of the wild boar, when killed, ufed to be offered to Diana. But, Guellius does not fay this: he quotes Euftathius, to prove, that the head of the boar ufed to be given to the perfon, who had given him the first wound; and confirms this by the ftory of Meleager and Atalanta in.. Ovid. His words are thefe; "Hom. "Il. .

"ubi docet Euftathius, lege vena❝tionis praemium caput ferae an"tiquitus reddi rite folitum pri66 mum ex coetu feram jaculato, σε his verbis ; σημείωσαι ὅτι μέχρι σε καὶ νῦν πολλαχοῦ, καὶ μάλιστα σε περὶ λυκίαν, γέρας κυνηγέτη πρω66 τῷ βαλόντι ἔλαβον, ή αἶγα, ή “σuv, av σῦν, ἡ κεφαλὴ, κ ̓ ἂν ἀχρεῖον εἴη "" to Tus Boλns: qui et idem prius. "paulo docuit, Meleagrum capite "et tergore apri Calydonii amafiam "Atalantam demeruiffe. Tu au"tem lector, an fabulam illam cc paftor hic, an venationis morem "refpexerit videris." But what La Cerda quotes from the Scholiaft on the Plutus of Ariftophanes is full to the purpofe. He fays, it was the cuftom of the hunters to nail up part of the prey, as the head or the foot, against a tree in the wood, in honour of Diana; "Eos Tous θηροῦντάς τινα άγραν μέρος τι' τοῦ θηρομένου, κεφαλὴν, ἤ πόδα προσηλοῦν πασσάλῳ ἐπὶ τινος δένδρου, εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ὕλην πρὸς τιμὴν τῆς Αρτεdes. Thus Nifus, in the ninth .Aeneid, calls the Moon, or Diana herself to witnefs, how often he has hung up againft her temple part of what he has taken in hunting;

"Si

30

qua tuis unquam pro me pater "Hyrtacus aris

"Dona tulit; fi qua ipfe meis ve"natibus auxi,

Sufpendive tholo, aut facra ad faftigia fixi."

66

Delia.] Diana or the Moon was the daughter of Latona, and goddefs of hunting. She was called Delia, as her brother Apollo was alfo called Delius from the island Delos, which rofe out of the sea on purpofe to afford a place, for La

tona to be delivered of them.

Parvus..... Mycon.] Servius interprets parvus, vel bumilis, vel pauper, vel minor aetate; and fays Mycon is either his fon or his patron. Ruaeus takes Mycon to be Corydon's friend.

"Corydon is reprefented as full "of refpect for the chafte goddess, whom he invokes. He dares not offer her a prefent with his own "hands: but borrows those of a young fhepherd." CATROU.

ing of the horns of animals, fays 30. Ramofa.] Thus Pliny, fpeak"Nec alibi major naturae lafcivia: "lufit animalium armis: fparfit

haec in ramos, ut cervorum." Thus alfo our Poet again, in the firft Aeneid;

Ductorefque ipfos primum capita "alta ferentes, "Cornibus arboreis, fternit.'

Vivacis.] Stags are ufually faid to live to a great age. The Earl of Lauderdale