Perque nives alium perque horrida caftra fecuta eft. bas followed another through the fnows, and through barrid camps. NOTES. death of Cicero. In the tenth let ter of the tenth book of Epiftles to Atticus, Cicero mentions his car rying Cytheris about with him, in an open litter, as if he had been his wife, attended by feven others, which were filled with the minifters of his luft; Hic tamen Cytheri"dem fecum aperta lectica portat, "alteram uxorem. Septem prae“terea conjunctae lecticae amica"rum funt, an amicorum." In .... • vero tribunatu, cum Caefar, in "Hifpaniam proficifcens, huic conculcandam tradidiffet: quae fuit "ejus peragratio itinerum luftra- ̈ "tio municipiorum? ... Vehe"batur in effede tribunus plebis "lictores laureations antecedebant, “inter quos, aperta clectica, mima "portabatur, quam ex oppidis ma❝nicipales, homines honefti, ob"viam neceffario prodeuntes, non "noto illo, et mimico homine, fed "Volumniam confahutabant. Se "quebatur rheda cum lenonibus, "comites nequiffimi: rejecta mater "amicam impuri: filii, tanquam 66 nurum fequebatur." Presently afterwards, he adds, that the met him at Brundufium, when he returned from Theffaly; and that every foldier in his army knew it to be true. "Venifti Brundufium, in ༤, finum quidem, et in complexum 66 tuae mimulae. Quid eft? num "mentior? quam miferum eft id the fecond Philippick, the Orator inveighs bitterly against Anthony, in feveral places, on account of the fcandalous life he led, in the company of this actress. He tells him, that he might have derived fome little wit from his mimic wife; "At: enim quodam loco face"tus effe voluifti. Quam id, dii boni, non decebat! in quo eft "tua culpa nonnulla: aliquid enim "falis ab uxore mima trahere potuifti." In another place, we find, that it was, when he was tribunes of the people, and had the government of Italy committed to him by Caefar, that he made a pro grefs through the country attended by the above-mentioned fcandalous company, that he received the com+ veniffe eam tibi tot dierum viam plements of the principal perfons of "gratulatum? quis, qui non the towns through which he paffed, doluerit, tam fero fe, quem ho who faluted the actress by the name of Volumnia, inftead of her better known theatrical name, and that his own mother was obliged to fol low this ftrumpet, as if he had been her daughter-in-law. In codem negare non poffe, quod fit tur"piffimum confiteri! Si te munici spiorum non pudebat; ne vete❝rani quidem exercitus? quis enim "miles fuit, qui Brundufii illam "non viderit? quis qui nefcierit minem fecutus effet, cognofcere?" We find alfo, that this infamous progrefs of Anthony, and his intimacy with Hippias and Sergius, two comedians, happened when Caefar was in Egypt, and that his friends raised Sylvanus also came crotoned Venit et agrefti capitis Sylvanus honore, with rural honours, NOTES. raifed him to the dignity of Mafter of the horse, in the abfence, and without the knowledge of his pa tron; "Italiae rurfus percurfatio "eadem comite mima, in oppida "militum crudelis, et mifera de "ductio: in urbe auri et argenti, "maximeque vini foeda direptio, "Acceffit, ut Caefare ignaro, cum "ille effet Alexandriae, beneficio "amicorum magifter equitum con❝ftitueretur. Tum exiftimavit fe fuo jure cum Hippia vivere, et equos vectigales Sergio mimo tra"dere." Laftly the Orator fays exprefsly, that Anthony had parted with his actress, and fpeaks of it, as the only good thing he had ever done; Mimam illam fuam fuas res fibi habere juffit. Ex. duo decim tabulis caufam addidit, ex+ egit. Quam porro fpectatus ci46 vis, quam probatus: cujus ex " omni vita nihil eft honeftius, • quam quod cum mima fecit di 66 66 445 66 vortium." Plutarch alfo, in his life of Anthony, mentions moft of thefe particulars, and calls the woman, who accompanied him in his progrefs, Cytheris; and adds that he parted with her, on account of Caefar's diflike of his way of life, and married Fulvia. This noted amour of Anthony with Cytheris could not be earlier than the year of Rome 705, when Anthony was chofen tribune of the people: nor could it be later than 707, in which year Caefar was at Alexandria, and Anthony was made Mafter of the horfe. It is certain alfo, that the difmiffion of Cytheris, and the mar riage with Fulvia, could not be later than 711, in which year Cicero, who speaks of it, was flain: nor indeed, could it be later than 709; for Caefar, who was offended at the conduct of Anthony, and caused him to put away Fulvia, was murdered at the beginning of 710. This Eclogue could not be written fooner than 715, being the very laft of them all; and confequently com pofed after the fourth, which was certainly written in 714, and the fixth which was probably written in 715. Thus the amour of Anthony with Cytheris must have been at leaft fix years before the writing of this Eclogue: and befides it does not appear, that he went into Gaul, in any military capacity, between the time of his being chofen Tribune, and that of his parting with Cytheris: and we are fure, that after the battle of Philippi, in 712, he was wholly engaged in the eastern and fouthern parts of the world. We may therefore venture to affirm, that Anthony was not the foldier, with whom Lycoris ran away and we have fome reafon to question, whether Lycoris and Cytheris were the fame perfon; fince the Poet would hardly have celebrated the foolish paffion of his friend, for a woman who had long been looked upon as infamous, The Earl of Lauderdale does not feem to underftand the meaning of this paffage to be, that Lycoris had gone off with any particular foldier; but that the was Florentes ferulas et grandia lilia quaflans. Pan deus Arcadiae venit, quem vidimus ipfi Sanguineis ebuli baccis minioque rubentem. 25 baking his flowering ferula, and great lilies. Pan the god of Arcadia came, suhom we faw ourselves, glowing with the berries of blood-red dwarf-elder, and vermillion. NOTES. 24. Sylvanus.] See the note on ver. 20. of the first Georgick. 25. Florentes ferulas.] The fe rula or fennel giant is a large plant, growing to the height of 6 or 8 feet, with leaves cut into fmall feg ments like thofe of fennel, but larger. The ftalk is thick, and full of a fungous pith, whence it is used by old and weak perfons to fupport them, on account of it's lightness. The pith is even at this time used in Sicily, as tinder is by us, to catch fire; whence the poets feigned, that Prometheus ftole the celeftial fire, and brought it to earth, in a hollow ferula. The flowers are yellow, and grow in large umbells, like thofe of fennel. Ferula is by fome derived a ferendo; because it bears, or fupports old men; by others a feriendo because it was used by the ancient fchoolmafters, to ftrike their fcholars on the hand. Hence the modern inftrument, which is used for the fame purpose; though very different from the ancient ferula, and capable of giving much greater pain, is called by the fame name. A willow ftick would bear a much nearer resemblance. 26. Pan deus Arcadiae.] See the notes on ver. 131. of the fecond Eclogue, and ver. 58. of the fourth. 27. Sanguineis ebuli baccis.] The Ebulus, Dwarf-elder, Wall-wort, or Dane-wort, is a fort of Elder, and very like the common Eldertree, but differs from it effentially, in being really an herb. It commonly grows to the height of about a yard. The juice of the berries is of a red purple colour. It has obtained the name of Dane-wort a mong us, because it is fabled to have fprung from the blood of the Danes, when thofe people were maffacred in England. It is found chiefly in church-yards. See the note on ver. 22. of the fixth Eclogue. Minio.] Minium is the native cinnabar, or ore, out of which quickfilver is drawn. quickfilver is drawn. Minium is now commonly used to fignify red lead but we learn from Pliny, that the minium of the Romans was the miltos or cinnabari of the Greeks; "Milton vocant Graeci minium "quidam cinnabari." This was the Vermillion of the Ancients, with which they used to paint the images of their gods, and the bodies of their triumphant generals. cording to Pliny, Verrius proved, from feveral authors of unqueftionable authority, that the face even of Jupiter himself was anciently painted Ac Will there be no moderation? Ecquis erit modus? inquit: amor non talia curat. fays be: love does not regard Nec lachrymis crudelis amor, nec gramina rivis, fuch things as thefe. Neither is crual love fatisfied with tears, Nec cytifo faturantur apes, nec fronde capellae. 30 new grafs with rivuless, nor Triftis at ille. Tamen cantabitis, Arcades, inquit, bees with cytifus, nor goats Montibus haec veftris: foli cantare periti with browse. But Gallus thus mournfully Arcades. Omihi tum quam molliter offa quiescant, expreffed bimfelf; 0 Arcadi ans you however foull fing these things on your mountains, Q Arcadians, who alane are skilled in fing. ing, O bow foftly will my bones reft, NOTES. "but even neceffary to the Arca"dians, who are accustomed to great hardships. For as their "country is rough, their feasons "inclement, and their pastoral way "of life hard; they have this only "way of rendering nature mild " and tractable. Therefore they "train up their children from their "very infancy, till they are thirty with minium, and that Camillus was painted with it when he triumphed. He affirmed also, that it was added to the ointments ufed at the triumphal fuppers, even in his time; and that the cenfors took particular care, to have the image of Jupiter miniated. Pliny owns himself ignorant of the cause of this cuftom: but he fays, it is certain, that at the time when he lived, the Ethiopians had it in great requeft, that their nobles were coloured all over with it, and that it was the colour commonly used for the images of their gods. 128. Ecquis.] La Cerda reads et quis, and contends for this being the true reading: but Heinfius, accord-fiction of the poets, that Pan, ing to Burman, found ecquis in the "the god of the Arcadians, inventMedicean manufcript; as we find "ed the pipe, and was in love with it in almost all the manuscripts and printed copies. 30. Cytifo. See the note on ver. 431. of the fecond Georgick. It years of age, in finging hymns in "honour of Gods and Heroes. "is no difgrace among them, to be "unacquainted with other fciences; "but to be ignorant of Mufick is a great reproach: from these manners of the Arcadians arose the 66 66 the nymph Echo. For Arcadia, "being mountainous and full of "woods abounds with echoes : "whence not only the inhabitants 31. Triftis at ille tamen, &c.]" of that country, but alfo the Gallus turns his difcourfe to the Ar-mountains, woods, and trees are cadian fhepherds; expreffes his de faid to fing. Thus our Poet in fire of being recorded by them; and the eighth Eclogue; thes wishes that he himfelf had been in no higher station than they. 32. Soli cantare periti Arcades.] Polybius, lib. 4. fpeaks at large "concerning the delight of the Ar "Maenalus argutumque nemus pi- LA CERDA. "cadians in Mufick: for he fays, 33. Quiefcant.] Pierius fays it is "that fcience is ufeful to all men, quiefcent, in the Indicative mood, in fome if your pipe fhall bereafter fing my paffion! And I wish I bad 35 been one of you, and either a Veftra meos olim fi fiftula dicat amores! NOTES. some ancient manufcripts: but he is better pleased with quiefcant, in the Optative mood, as he finds in the Roman and Medicean manufcripts. Catrou however approves of quief cent. 35. Atque utinam ex vobis, &c.] The Poet takes feveral occafions, to let the reader know, that though he I had reprefented his friend Gallus, as a fhepherd, in this Eclogue, yet he was a perfon of a fuperior character. He at firft made an apology for the liberty he had taken with him; now he makes him with that he had been in the humble ftation of an Arcaadian fhepherd; whence it appears, that he was a perfon of a much higher rank; and a few lines afterwards, we find he was really a man of war. This conduct was neceffary, as the Poet chofe to defcribe Gallus under his true name. he made use of a fictitious name, he would have been at liberty, to preserve the pastoral character entire through the whole Eclogue. Had 36. Vinitor.] Some understand this to mean a Pruner: but furely that cannot be the fenfe here; for the ripe clusters are not pruned. W. L. understands it to mean a Gatherer; keeper of your flocks, or a gatherer of your ripe clusters! Surely, whether Phyllis, ar Amyntas, or any other bad been my flame; what if Amyntas is brown? "To penn the sheep, and prefs the "fwelling vine." 37. Certe five mihi, &c.] If Gallus had been fo happy as to have been born an humble Arcadian fhepherd, he had never known the false, though beautiful Lycoris. He might cafily have obtained fome rural beauty, unpractifed in the deceitful arts of more polite nations; who, though lefs fair, might not however have been void of charms; as flowers of the darkest colours are not always contemptible. 38. Quid tum fi fufcus, &c.] We find pretty nearly the fame fentiment in the fecond Eclogue; "Quamvis |