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Year of time he returned to the place of his nativity, and Rome applied himself to the culture of his lands. It might

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where he cured a great variety of diseases incident to horfes; and received the reward of a loaf every day, with the ufual allowance to each of the grooms. The Crotoniates fent a prefent to Caefar of a beautiful colt, in which every body difcovered the marks of extraordinary fpirit and swiftness: but Virgil gave his opinion, that he came from a fickly mare, and would prove good for nothing, which was verified by the event. This being reported to Auguftus by the mafter of the ftable, he was pleased to order the allowance of bread to be doubled. He fhewed no less skill in judging of the parentage of dogs: whereupon Auguftus ordered his allowance of bread to be. doubled again. Auguftus was in doubt, whether he was the fon of Octavius, or of some other man. Whom therefore could he think fo fit to refolve the question as Virgil, who had difcovered fo much skill in the parentage of dogs and horfes? Accordingly he took him into a private apartment, and ordering every one else to withdraw, afked him if he knew who he was, and what power he had to make men happy. Virgil answered; I know thee, O Auguftus Caefar, and that thy power is almost equal to that of the immortal gods: fo

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that thou canst make happy whomfoever thou pleasest. Caefar then told him, that he would make him happy, if he would give a true answer to what he should afk him. Some, fays he, take me to be the son of Octavius, and others to be the fon of another man. Virgil fmiled, and told him, he could eafily anfwer that que ftion, if he might do it with impunity. Caefar gave him his oath, that he would not be offended at any thing he fhould fay; and added, that he would not fend him away unrewarded. Then Virgil, fixing his eyes fteadily upon Auguftus, faid; The qualities of the parents of other animals may eafily be difcovered by mathematicians and philofophers; but in man it is impoffible: but yet I can form

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probable conjecture of the occupation of your father. Auguftus liftened with great attention, to hear what he would fay; when he proceeded thus ; According to the best of judgment, you must be the fon of a Baker. Caefar was aftonished, and was revolving in his mind, how this could be, when Virgil interrupted him, faying; Hear how I came to form this conjecture when I had delivered fome predictions, which could be known only by men of the greatest

learning

probably be in his twenty-fecond year, when the Year of Civil war between Caefar and Pompey began, and Rome the confufions at Rome were very great. It is rea- .705.

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learning and abilities you, who are Prince of the whole world, have given me no other reward, than bread over and over again; which is the part either of a baker or the fon of a baker. Caefar was pleafed with his wit, and anfwered, that for the future he fhould be rewarded, not by a baker, but by a magnanimous king; and conceived a great efteem for him, and recommended him to Pollio.

It is hardly poffible for at tale to be more abfurd than this. Would the Ruler of the world talk thus idly, with one whom he had fent for out of his ftables? Would Virgil, whom all allow to have been a man of remarkable modefty, and even bafhfulnefs, have fpoken in this manner to his Prince? Would any man of fenfe, when his Sovereign afked him a queftion, which to him appeared of the greatest importance, have put him off with a forry jeft? Or was Auguftus a master of no more wit or understanding, than to conceive an affection for one of his grooms, because he had anfwered him impertinently? The anfwer was ftill the more offenfive; because Anthony had been used to reproach Auguftus, with having a baker amongst

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his ancestors. But, if we inquire a little into the Chronology of thofe times, we shall find that there was not any one point of time, when this ftory could poffibly be true. Both Eufebius and Donatus feem to agree, that it was not long after Virgil went to Milan, that he proceeded to Rome: but it was at least ten years after that time, before Auguftus had any power at all; and it was full five and twenty years, before he had the name Auguftus given him; and yet Virgil, in this difcourfe, exprefsly calls him Auguftus Caefar: and therefore this converfation could not happen before the year of Rome 727, when the name of Auguftus was beftowed by the Senate on him, who, after the death of Julius Caefar, affumed the name of Caius Julius Caefar Octavianus. It could not happen after that time, becaufe the Bucolicks and Georgicks were already published, and the Aeneis begun; fo that Virgil was then no ftranger to Auguftus; nor could there be any occafion for his being recommended to Pollio, who knew him fuffi-" ciently, by his Eclogues, at leaft twelve years before this happened,

fonable,

705.

Year of fonable to think, that he might at that time retire to Rome his farm, in hopes of a quiet and peaceable life, when the flame of the Civil war feemed to drive quite another way; and when his countrymen were fo favoured by Caefar, who had been their governour, as to be made freemen of Rome (/), to which he feems to allude, in his Daphnis (m); unless we will fuppofe the Poet to mean, that he was perfonally known to Caefar, which is not impoffible, confidering he was a native of his favourite province. It may be thought no improbable conjecture, that Caefar might fee fome of his juvenile poems, whilft he studied at Cremona, and take notice of him, as a promifing genius. Donatus tells us, that he wrote feveral poems, when he was but fifteen years of age: but Ruaeus (n) has proved, by very folid arguments, that none of thofe pieces now extant under his name could be compofed by Virgil. Perhaps alfo Caefar might fee the Alexis; which feems to have been the moft early of our Poet's compofitions now extant (o): and we may very well fuppofe him capable of writing that Eclogue, at the age of about twenty-five, which year of his life he had completed, about half a year before Caefar was murdered, which was on the fif teenth of March, in the year of Rome 710.

709.

710.

The Alexis is indeed a fine compofition, in which the paffion of Love is defcribed, with great warmth and delicacy. It is much to be wifhed, that a perfon of the other fex had been the object of this

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Rome

paffion. But Theocritus had given the example in Year of his 'Epars (p), from which, and the Cyclops of the fame author, Virgil has taken feveral paffages in this Eclogue.

After the death of Julius Caefar, the Roman affairs were in the greatest confufion imaginable. Many different parties were formed; and his friends were divided into factions, as well as his enemies. Many were for reftoring the Commonwealth, and many for fetting up themfelves, as fole governors, in the place of the deceafed perpetual Dictator. Caius Octavius Caepias, who is better known in history by the name of Auguftus, which he afterwards acquired, was the fon of Caius Octavius, by Attia the daughter of Julius Caefar's fifter (q). This young man being left an orphan by his father, was bred up under his mother, and her brother Lucius Philippus but as he grew up, his great uncle perceiving marks of an extraordinary genius in him, and having no child himfelf, was pleafed to take him as his own, and to defign him for his fucceffor. With this view, he omitted no opportunity of forming this young favourite's mind, and rendering him able to bear the great weight he was intended to fupport. Caefar defigned to make an expedition against the Parthians, the most formidable enemy of the Romans, whom they had moft fhamefully defeated, and flain Craffus their chief commander. Whilft, he was making preparations for this great war, he fent his nephew before to wait for him at Apollonia, where he was purfuing his ftudies, when he heard the furprifing news, that his uncle was murdered in the fenate-house. The young Octa(9) Dio, lib. 45.

(p) See the note on ver. 1. of the fecond Eclogue.

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710.

Year of vius was in great perplexity, being informed that Rome his uncle's murder was approved at Rome, and not

710.

1

knowing that he had made him his heir. But as
foon as he was informed of the contents of his will,
and that the people had changed their minds, and
were highly enraged against the murderers, he be-
gan to entertain hopes: and being well provided
both with men and money, that had been fent be-
forehand by his uncle, he determined to affume
the name of Caefar, who had adopted him, and to
lay claim to his inheritance. He went immediately
to Rome, and entered the city in the habit of a
private perfon, with very few attendants; and
waiting upon Mark Anthony, the furviving Con-
ful, was received by him in a very cold manner;
and when he spake about his uncle's will, was
treated with great contempt. Young Caefar was
not difcouraged by the ill ufage of the Conful: but
made it his business to ingratiate himself with the
people, by performing feveral things in honour of
his uncle's, or as he was now called his father's,
memory. He now increased every day in the fa-
vour of the people; and many of the foldiers be-
gan to come over to him. This foftened the mind
of Anthony; who began to hearken to him: and
at laft a reconciliation was made between them.
But new difficulties, and new jealoufies arifing, foon
broke afunder this ill cemented friendship. An-
thony perceiving Caefar's intereft to increase, used
all the arts he was mafter of, to gain over the
ple to his party. He was very great in power; be-
ing Conful himself; and having his brother Lucius
Tribune of the people, and another brother, Caius,
Praetor. This ftrong faction of the Antonii took
upon them to depofe feveral from their govern-

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