།། Perdita, nec ferae meminit decedere nocti : diftreffed, and cares not to depart even late at night: may fuch a love poffefs bim, and may Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite I bave no inclination to cure Daphnim. Has olim exuvias mihi perfidus ille reliquit, 90 bim. Bring, bring my Dapbnis home from the city, O my verfes. The perfidious wretch formerly left thefe cloaths with me NOTES. "Si veteris potuit cervae compren"dere luftra, Saevit in abfentem, et circum "veftigia luftrans, "Aethera per nitidum tenues fec tatur odores: amnes illam medii, non ar"dua tardant. Perdita nec ferae meminit dece "dere nocti." 91. Has olim exuvias, &c.] The forcerefs proceeds to a new fort of incantation; the burying of the cloaths of Daphnis, under the threshold, to make him return to her. herba in one of Heinfius's manufcripts; and in umbra, in a Venice edition. I find in herba, in the old Milan edition of 1481 in folio, and that of Pynfon, and in the Antwerp edition of 1543 in octave. This reading is likewife admitted by Guel-Non lius, and La Cerda. But it is in alva in the following editions, Lyons 1517 in folio, Venice 1562 in folio, Paris 1600 in folio, Paris 1540 and 1541, in quarto. Robert Stephens alfo, Aldus, Pulman, both the Heinfius's, Ruaeus, Malvicius, Cuningam, and Burman read in ulva. Befides ulva feems a much more proper word in this place, than berba: for the cow is reprefented, as weary of her purfuit, and lying out obftinately in the fields. To have made her reft on the green grafs, would have been rather a pleaning image, contrary to what is here evidently intended: but it agrees very well with the delign of this defcription to fuppofe her lying down on the coarse fedge, in a marshy place, by the fide of a flow rivulet. See ver. 175. of the third Georgick. 88. Perdita, nec ferae, &c.] This entire line, according to Macrobius, is taken from Varius. The whole paffage of Varius is faid to run thus 3 The forcerefs, in Theocritus, talks of burning a fringe, which had dropped from the garment of Delphis; Τοῦτ ̓ ἀπὸ τὰς χλαίνας τὸ κράσπεδον ὤλεσε Δέλφις, Ωγὼ νῦν τίλλοισα κατ' αγρίῳ ἐν πυρὶ "This plece from dear falfe Del- A little afterwards, the calls upon the dear pledger of bimfelf: Pignora cara fui: quae nunc ega limine in ipfo, which now, O earth, I commit to thea under the very threshold: Terra, tibi mando: debent haec pignora Daphnim. thefe pledges must bring Daphnis back." Σαύραν του τρίψασα, ποτόν κακόν riegated. " Pound this lizard, fayt "And ftrew them at the threshold "of his door; "That door where raging love has "fix'd my mind." CREECH. La Cerda declares himself a follower of Turnebus, who tranflates Spóva, in the laft paffage, garments; which he thinks is confirmed by Virgil's having used exuvias. The Scholiaft upon Theocritus tells us, that pove are called by the Theffalians variegated animals; by the Cyprians flowered garments, and by the Actolians, drugs, according to Clitarchus. Opová, in this paffage of Theocritus, is generally interpreted drugs, which indeed feems the moft natural and obvious interpretation. But if Clitarchus, and the Scholiaft are in the right, that the Theffalians by Sp meant variegated animals: Thould then understand it, in this place, of the fkin of the lizard, which is known to be spotted or va ર the forceress, I will make a strong potion of it to-morrow: but in "the mean time take thefe Spa, "these spotted fkins of lizards, and fqueeze them upon his threshold." Thus there is a wide difference between the two incantations. One confifts in burning the garment, and applying the fkin of a lizard, or fome drug to the threshold: the other in burying the garment under the threshold. La Cerda finds another difficulty, that Virgil's forceres feems to propofe the burying of the garments under her own threshold; whereas Theocritus, and other Poets fuppofe the application to be made to the threshold of the perfon beloved. But all this difficulty vanishes immediately, if we understand Daphnis to be the hufband of the forcerefs; as the exprefsly calls him, in ver. 66. Conjugis ut magicis fanos averter facris Experiar fenfus." Conjux is indeed ufed fometimes, where there is not an actual marriage: but the true and proper fenc of the word is husband or wife. Therefore, if Daphnis was the hu band of the forcerefs, her threshol is his alfo. 93. Debent haec pignora Daph nim. Some fuch word as reduceres thought to be here understood. Dryden tranflates it, Thefe from the city, Osmy verfes. Moeris bimfelf gave me thefe Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Bring, bring my Daphnis bome Fer cineres, Amarylli, foras! rivoque flueriti, ducite 100 in Pontus: very many grow in Pontus. With thefe I bave often feen Moeris become a wolf, and bide himself in the woods; often bave I feen bim raife the and remove whole fields of corn ghefts out of the deepest graves, to another place. Bring, bring my Daphnis bome from the city O my verfes. Bring the afpes out of doors, Amaryllis ; and throw them into the running fiream, "minor, bounded on the North by "". the Euxine or Black-fea, on the "Eaft by Colchis. Both thefe "countries are fruitful in poifons, "Mithridates, who ufed to eat (c poison, reigned in Pontus and "the famous forcerefs Medea was "born in Colchis.” RUAEUS. This country however was rather famous for drugs of extraordinary efficacy; for that is the true fignification of venena in this place. See the note on virofaque Pontus caftorea, ver. 58. of the firft Georgick. 101. Fer cineres, &c.] The the former incantations, feers now forcerefs, not having had fuccefs in to proceed to her moft powerful piece of witchcraft, the throwing of the afhes of the facrifice into the river, with an exact and particular ceremony. Various fubftances had been al ready burnt to ashes, in this magi cal facrifice: vervain, frankincenfe, bays, &c. The forceress therefore bids her affiftant bring out thefe compounded afhes, and throw them into running water: her back to the river, them over her head. fhe is to turn and to throw This was a ceremony and over your bead: do not look Tranfque caput jace: ne refpexeris. His ego Daphs back. With thefe I will at tempt Daphnis: He bas no re nim gard for the gods, mene for Aggredier, nihil ille deos, nil carmina curat. verfes. Bring, bring my Dapb- Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite nis bome from the city, O my verfes. Daphnim.. See the embers themselves, Afpice: corripuit tremulis altaria flammis 105. of their own accord, carefully, and throw them into the river, without looking behind her; "Ηρι δὲ συλλέξασα κόνιν πυρὸς ἀμφι · πόλων τις Ῥίψατο εν μάλα πᾶσαν, ὑπὲρ πόταν μοιο φέροισα, Ρωγάδας ἐς πέτρας ὑπὲρ οὔριον ἄψ δὲ νέεσθαι "Aolpenlos. At morning-peep foon quench the "blazing wood, "And scatter all the afhes o'er the "flood, arbst ode "And thence return, but with a ચંદ fteddy pace, "Nor look behind." CREECH ·103. Nihil ille deos, &c.] She feems, by this expreffion, to find that hitherto there has not appeared any fign of good fuccefs in her incantation; and to depend more upor this scattering of the afhes, than upon any thing that was done before. 105. Afpice: corripuit, &c.] The forcerefs at laft perceives fome oment of fuccefs: the embers kindle of their own accord, and the dog barks wherefore fhe puts an end to her incantation, con lo tr Servius, and others after him, fuppofe these words not to be spoken by the forcerefs; but by Amaryllis, who Sponte fua, dum ferre moror, cinis ipfe: bonum fit! whilst I forbear to carry them away, bave furrounded the altar with flames may it be lucky! I know not certainly what it is: and Hylax barks upon the threshold: Do we believe it or do they that love feign dreams to themselves? Ceafe, sease, my verses now, for Daphnis is coming from the city. NOTES. I who juft as fhe is going to take the afhes away, obferves thefe omens, which the hopes may be lucky; but fpeaks doubtfully of them. I rather believe they are spoken by the forcerefs herself. The rapidity of the expreffion, the broken fentences, and efpecially the words qui amant, denote the perfon who was moft interefted in this facrifice. Corripuit tremulis altaria, &c.] The fudden blazing of the fire amongst the embers was accounted a lucky omen by the Ancients. Plutarch relates an accident of this fort, when the ladies were offering facrifice, at the time of Catiline's confpiracy. The Vestal virgins congratulated Terentia the wife of Cicero on the omen; and directed her to encourage her husband to proceed in his care for the common-wealth. |