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which is dedicated to Quintus Atius Varus (k), who
had ferved under Julius Caefar in Gaul and Ger-
many, with fingular courage, and conduct;
perhaps in this war against Lucius Anthony; tho'
he is not particularly named by the Hiftorians now
extant. To thefe actions of his Virgil feems to al-
lude, when he fays,"

Super tibi erunt, qui dicere laudes,

Vare, tuas cupiant, et triftia condere bella.

Year of Rome 714.

This Eclogue was probably written at the command
of Varus: for the Poet fays exprefly, that he does
not write it without being commanded (). Virgil
feems to have been elevated with the joy of repof-
feffing his eftate; and to have been strongly moved
by a fenfe of gratitude to his benefactor. For, in
the dedication of this Eclogue, he breaks out into a
rapture; and tells his patron, that every tree and
grove shall refound his name; and that Apollo him-
felf cannot be more delighted with any poem, than
that which is infcribed to Varus (m). We may ob-
ferve, that Virgil writes this Paftoral, to oblige his
patron, rather than to indulge his own inclination.
He was ambitious of exerciling his genius in the
higher forts of poetry: but as he had fhewn, in his
Moeris, how capable he was of excelling Theocri-
tus, in Paftoral poetry; it is highly probable, that
Varus infifted on his writing this fixth Paftoral.
He hints at this himself, that he would willingly

(k) See the note on ver. 6. of the fixth Eclogue.
(1) Non injuffa cano.
Ibid. ver. 9.

(m)

- Te noftrae, Vare, myricae,
Te nemus omne canet: nec Phoebo gratior ulla eft,
Quam fibi quae Vari praefcripfit pagina nomen..
Ibid. ver. 10, 11, 12.

Year of have made war the subject of his Poetry: but that Rome he was restrained from choofing a lofty fubject; and 714. ordered to keep within his paftoral sphere (n). We

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may reasonably believe, that Varus was an Epicu rean; and that Virgil in compliment to him, made that Philofophy the fubject of his poem. It would have been improper to have made a fhepherd run through a whole fyftem of Philofophy: he therefore takes advantage of a famous ftory, that the old demi-god Silenus was found drunk and asleep, by fome fhepherds, who carried him bound to king Midas; where he gave anfwers to feveral questions relating to Philofophy. Virgil therefore avoids the cenfure of putting into the mouth of a herdman things above his capacity, by introducing two fhepherds, who with the affiftance of a Nymph, catch Silenus in one of his drunken fits, and compel him to give them a long promifed fong. The old Deity fings a fuccinct account of the Natural and Moral doctrine of Epicurus; the formation of the world from Atoms; and the neceffity of avoiding pertur bations of the mind. Here he takes an opportunity of paying a very fine compliment to Cornelius Gallus, another favourite of Caefar; reprefenting him as a pattern of Epicurean wisdom, retiring from the distractions of the times, and amufing himself with Poetry. Gallus is wandering on the banks of Permeffus, when one of the Mufes conducts him to the Aonian mountains and introduces him to the court of Apollo. The whole affembly rifes to do honour to this great man, and Linus prefents him with the

(n) Cum canerem reges et proelia, Cynthius aurem :
Vellit et admonuit: paftorem, Tityre, pingues
Pafcere oportet oves, deductum dicere carmen.

Ibid. ver. 3, 4, 5.

714

pipe of old Hefiod, with which he is to fing the Year of honours of the Grynean grove, facred to Apollo. Rome Gallus about that time wrote a poem on this grove, wherein he imitated the ftile of Hefiod. Virgil therefore elegantly commends this poem, when he fays Gallus will caufe this grove to become the favourite of Apollo (a).

gerous war.

Caefar did not remain long in quiet, after the compleat victory, which he had obtained over Lucius and Fulvia (p). This turbulent Lady fled to her husband, and incited him to make war upon Caefar. Anthony, inflamed with rage, fteered his courfe to Italy; and began a most furious and danBut the news of the death of Fulvia, whom he had left fick at Sicyon, coming opportunely, gave a favourable opportunity of fettling a peace between these mighty rivals. Cocceius, a common friend to both, went between them, and projected a reconciliation: the Conful Pollio appearing on the part of Anthony, and Maecenas on the part of Caefar, to arbitrate the differences between them. The arbitrators propofed, that as Fulvia the wife of Anthony was juft dead; and, Marcellus also, the hufband of Octavia, half fifter to Caefar; Octavia fhould be given in marriage to Anthony (q). This being agreed to, caufed an univerfal joy: and the whole army expreffed their joy by fhouting, all that day, and the following night. Octavia was with child at the time of this marriage. Therefore, as this great Lady, who was alfo a perfon of a moft unfpotted character, was the cement of fo bleffed a

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(0) His tibi Grynaci nemoris dicatur origo:

Ne quis fit lucus, quo fe plus jactet Apollo. Ibid. 72, 73. (p) Appian, lib. 5. Dio, lib, 48.

notes on the fourth Eclogue.

(q) See the

peace,

714.

Year of peace, and union between the two great Triumvirs, Rome who were upon the point of tearing the world in funder by their divifions; Virgil was not backward in teftifying his joy for fo happy an event. The Sibylline Oracles had foretold, that a child was to be born about this time, who fhould rule the world, and establish perpetual peace. The Poet ingeniously fuppofes the child with which Octavia was then pregnant, to be the glorious infant, under whofe rule mankind was to be made happy; the Golden Age was to return again from heaven; and fraud and violence was to be no more. This is the fubject of that Eclogue, of which the ufual title is Pollio. In this celebrated Poem, the Author, with great delicacy, at the fame time pays his court to both the chiefs, to his patron Pollio, to Octavia, and to the unborn infant. It is dedicated to the great Pollio by name, who was at that time Conful (r) and therefore we are fure of the date of this Eclogue; as it is known, that he enjoyed that high office in the year of Rome 714 Many Criticks think the ftile and fubject of this Eclogue too high, to deferve the name of a Paftoral. But that the Author himself intended it for a Paftoral is very plain; becaufe at the very beginning he invokes the Sicilian Mufes (s). But as he intended to offer this poem to fo eminent a perfon, as a Roman Conful, he thought, that fome attempt fhould be made to foar above the common level of Paftoral writing and that if a rural poem was offered to a Conful, it ought to be compofed in fuch a manner,

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(r) Teque adeo decus hoc aevi, te Confule, inibit
Pollio, et incipient magni procedere menfes.
Ecl. IV. ver. 11, 12.

*) Sicelides Mufae paulo majora canamus.

Ibid. ver. 1.. as

as to be worthy of the ear of fo great a magiftrate (t). Yet he does not lofe fight of the country: the goats, the cows, and the sheep have their fhare in thefe bleffings of peace; and the fpontaneous plants, which are to fpring up at the renovation of the golden age, are fuited very well to Paftoral Poetry.

Year of

Rome'

714

Caefar and Anthony now made a new partition of the world all toward the Eaft, from Codropolis, a town of Illyricum within the Adriatick, being. affigned to Anthony; and all toward the Weft to Caefar (u). Africa was left to Lepidus: and the war with Sextus Pompey was to be managed by Caefar; and the Parthian war by Anthony. Each of them fent armies, under the command of their refpective friends into different parts of the world: amongst whom it appears, that Pollio was fent into Illyricum; for it appears that he obtained a triumph for his victory over the Parthini, a people in that part of the world, at the latter end of the year of Rome 715. It was during this march of Pollio, 715. that Virgil published his Pharmaceutria, which is dedicated to that noble perfon (w). This beautiful Eclogue was partly written in imitation of one under the fame name in Theocritus. It confifts of

two parts; the firft of which contains the complaints of a fhepherd, who was defpifed by his miftrefs; and the fecond is full of the incantations used by a forceress to regain the loft affection of her lover. It feems probable, that Pollio had engaged Virgil in an attempt to imitate the appaxúpia of

(t) Si canimus fylvas, fylvae fint Confule dignae. Ibid. ver. 3. (u) Appian. de Bell. Civ. lib. 5.

(w) Tu mihi, feu magni fuperas jam faxa Timavi:

Sive oram Illyrici legis aequoris. Ecl. VIII. ver. 6, 7.
Theocritus,

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