Now I have forgot all thofe Nunc oblita mihi tot carmina: voxequoqué verses: now even my voice fails. Moerimaut me: the wolves bave firft nub muquel ni avatica ubistva). Isoked upon Mocnia Š Jam fugit ipfa lupi Moerim videre priores,pana l નવા નવા idaksed gabi, zag "Nec prorfum, vitam ducendo, demimus hilum "Tempore de mortis, nec deli "brare valemus, **Quo minus effe diu poffimus morte peremti, " Proinde licet quot vis vivendo con- Mors aeterna tamen nihilo minus 01 Soles.] Suns are here ufed for days; as they are alfo by Lucretius; 5 Multaque humi cum inhumata "jacerent corpora fuper "Corporibus, tamen alituum ge 66 nus atque ferarum Aut procul abfiliebat, ut acrem "exiret odorem: * Aut ubi guftarat, languebat morte "propinqua. Here we fee, that funs are opposed to nights; as they are alfo by our Poet, in the third Acneidd 6 2 "Tres adeo incertos caeca caligine masa folesade 2110038T 1 "Erramus pelago, totidem find "fidere noctes.vt i en par “Quarto terra die primum iɗebat"tollere tandem un mong "Vifa." 53. Nunc oblita mihi.] "Hert are two particulars to be ob "ferved: 1. oblita is ufed paffively. 2. mibi is put for a me. In like "manner we read in the first "Aeneid; "Nulla tuarum audita mihi, neque "vifa fororum." RUAEUS. 54. Lupi Moerim videre priores.] This expreffion alludes to a notion, which obtained among the ancient Italians; that if a wolffawanj man firft, it deprived him of his voice for the prefent; as we find in the twenty-fecond chapters of the eighth book of Pliny's Natural Hiftory; "Sed in Italia quoque creditur luporum vifus effe noxi us: vocemque homini,quem priores contemplentur, adimere ad praefens." Virgil therefore, with propriety, puts this faying is the mouth of a peasants Servis tells us, that from this common vłłow dolls tory is derived the proverbial ex preffion, ཟླ* * Nec tamen omnino temere illis ་ "faecla ferarum die end Exibant fylvis." σε 3 Sed tamen ifta fatis referet tibi faepe Menalcas.n55 But Menaleas will repeat them to you often enough LYO. You do but inframe the more by your excufes Da but fee, buw the whole lake lies still and smooth for you NOTES. preffion, lupus in fabula, which is ufed, when a perfon appears, of whom the company was talking, and thereby cuts off the difcourfe. But Theocritus, in the fourteenth Idyllium gives this story a contrary turn; as if the feeing a wolf, inftead of being feen by him, made a perfon mute. A girl fits filent in company upon which one afks her if fhe had feen a wolf; 1015111 56. Caufando noftros, &c.] Ly cidas looks upon this lofs of memory as a mere pretence; and therefore! preffes Moeris to proceed. He urges the ftillness of the evening and their having gone half their journey already, as arguments for fitting down a little; and adds, that they fhall reach the city in good time. But if Moeris is afraid the night fhould prove rainy, he tells him, they may fing as they go along, and offers to eafe him of his load. Moeris perfifts in not finging any more; and exhorts him to wait for the return of un zus Menalcars with patiences us aute Caufando.} "Caufari fignifies to make excuses thus Lucretius, ร « lib. I. Ave 1144 and every breath of murmuring Afpice, ventofi ceciderunt murmuris aurae. wind is bufbed. Befides we Hinc adeo media eft nobis via: namque fepulchrum are come to the middle of our journey: NOTES. "Hufht winds the topmost branches "scarcely bend, "As if thy tuneful fong they did, "attend." bouring country: for the fea is at a great distance. He alfo juftly obferves, that aequar is ufed for any plain furface, either of land or water. But Catrou feems to have underftood the true fenfe of this paf- But when the waves rowl to the fore, fage; "We find, fays he, in the they can hardly be faid to be filent. "text aequor, this fea, or this vaft Dr Trapp tranflates aequar literally extent of waters. Our fhepherds the feas were already arrived at the edge. of the lake of Mantua, which is formed round the city by the "Mincio. Is not a lake a fea in "the eyes of fhepherds?" This learned Critick is certainly in the right; for the waters of a river are always in motion; and therefore cannot be properly called aequgr : but that word is very applicable to a lake, which is a plain furface, when not ruffled by winds. The Earl of Lauderdale follows Servius; 72 By thefe excufes, and this long 66 delay, "Thou doft but whet my appetite "the more. "And now behold the fea lies "fmooth, and all The blaffs of murmʼring winds "are hufh'd in peace." Our Poet perhaps had his eye on the following line, in the Papaxp of Theocritus, where the filence of the fea and winds is fpoken of; 59. Sepulchrum incipit apparere Bianaris. It was the custom among the Ancients, to make their fepulchres near the high-ways: whence the infcriptions are frequently addreffed to travellers. Theocritus, in the Oahura, defcribes the middle of Incipit apparere Bianoris: hic, ubi denfas 60 for the fepulchre of Bianor beAgricolae ftringunt frondes: hic, Moeri, canamus: bere, where the bufbandmen are gins to appear. Let us fing pruning the thick branches: bere let us fing, my Moeris : NOTES. of a journey, by the view of a La Cerda is of opinion that the Poet 1 alludes to the ancient cuftom of ftrewing flowers and branches over the fepulchres of the dead. Thats they used to strew flowers, is commonly known: but he proves, that they also ftrewed branches, from the following paffage in Martial'; "Accipe non Phario nutantia pon"dera faxo, "Quae cineri vanus dat recitura labor: "Sed fragiles buxos, et opacas pal"mitis umbras: 66 Quaeque virent lacrymis hu"mida prata meis." bere lay down your kids we Hic hoedos depone, tamen veniemus în urbem foall come foon enough to the city. But if you are afraid Aut, f nox pluviam ne colligat ante, veremur, the night fhould bring on vain Cantantes licet ufque, minus via laedet, eamus. before we get thither 3 let us fing however, as we go along ; the way will feem lefs tedious à Sa rtid with the hand, In the fecond Geor gick however, it is plainly used for ftripping the young shoots of a vine; that is, pruning it; "Inde ubi jam validis amplexae "ftirpibus ulmos mant "Exierint, tum ftringe comas, tum "brachia tonde." In the firft Aeneid, it is ufed to fig nify cutting off branches of trees, to make oars; ། ཤཱ། ལྔན་ "Quaffatam ventis liceat fubducere sclaffem, "Et fylvis aptare trabes, et ftrin 66 gere remos." 2 The general fignification of this verb, in Virgil' is either to touch any thing lightly, or to draw a fword. In the paffage under confideration, I believe it fignifies either the pruning of the trees or gathering the young fhoots, in order to ftrew upon the tomb of Bianor, as La Cerda interprets it. This laft interpretation has it's beau ty; but yet the epithet denfas feems to be in favour of pruning because the shoots being thick, or numerous, required the hand of the hufbandman to prune or thin them. I have there fore ventured to tranflate the paffage according to this interpretation. 62. Urbem.] Mantua.ut 64. Cantantes licet ufque, c Thus Theocritus, in his a Αλλ |