Ver. 458. O fortunatos nimium! Nimium is greatly. It has in this place the fenfe of plurimum or maxime, as in Claudian, O nimium dilette Deo

Ver. 308. Hic ftupet attonitus roftris. I believe he means thofe who fet up for politicians, who received the news of the Senate from the roftra. See Middleton's life of Cicero. It does not relate to thofe who ftudied the Law, or were concerned in Law-fuits; for that was mentioned before, ver. 501.

Ver. 519. I am of Mr B's mind, that hyems does not fignify winter. If winter was the middle time of gathering, there certainly was a previous one. The fubfequent lines put this out of doubt, Varios ponit foetus Autumnus,

Georg. III. ver. 100, 101. I take this to mean his own qualifications, and thofe of his brothers and fifters, et quis cuique dolor victo, quae gloria palmae, or it may be the 'offfpring of his father or grandfather, in which fenfe the Civilians are ufed to confider parentes. Our countrymen value ftallions at this rate. It may be too late to choofe a horfe for a ftallion, by obferving the excellencies of his colt: it may be better abdere domo; as ver. 95.

Ver. 118. Acque juvenemque magiftri exquirunt. Juvenem rather fignifies a young man, than a young

horfe: aequus uterque labor and aeque juvenem exquirunt relate to what went immediately before, which is breaking horfes for the chariot or breaking horfes for the chat

Ver. 162. Caetera pafcuntur vi rides armenta per herbas. He may properly mean cows kept for the pail, which require a different ma nagement from the reft. h

Ver. 391. I must beg leave to differ from your opinion on this line, for though the aries was candidus ipfe, yet the blackness of his tongue, which the Moon did not examine, was a reafon against choofing him. Candidus ipfe is the principal parts of him, as aureus ipfe, Georg. IV, ver. 274.

Ver. 409. Timidos agitabis onagros. Tumidos is a good reading, according to the accounts we have of the wild afs's being more than a match for the tyger in fighting.

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EORGICK I. ver. 32. Anne no novum This paffage receives great light and beauty from the Farnefe globe, and fome gems, &c. representing the Zodiack. The Ancients were at a lofs how to have the balance fupported, and therefore it was originally held up by Scorpius; who extended his claws for that purpofe out of his own proper dominions, and thus took up the space of two figns in the Zodiack. But under Auguftus, or a little after his death, they made Scorpius contract his claws, and introduced a new perfonage to hold the balance. On the Farnefe globe it is fupported by Scorpius; and in feveral gems and medals of later date, it is held by a man probably intended for Auguftus himself. Vide Spence's Polymetis, p. 170. pl. 24. and pl. 25.

fig. 3.

How does your remark in the notes, that Auguftus was born under Libra, agree with Suetonius, who fays he was born under Capricorn? In Aug. §. 94.

Suetonius, in the fection referred to, does indeed fpeak of the birth of Auguftus being in December; Auguftum natum menfe decimo, et ob hoc Apollinis filium exiftimatum; and at the latter end that he was born under Capricorn; Nummumque argenteum nota fideris Capricorni, quo patus eft, percufferit. In that fec

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tion Suetonius feems to relate what various authors had reported: but in §. 5. where he plainly Speaks in his own perfon, he expressly declares, that Auguftus was born on the ninth of the Calends of October, which is certainly under Libra; Natus eft Auguftus, M. Tullio Cicerone, et Antonio Coss, IX. Cal. Octobr. paullo ante folis exortum. This is confirmed by §, 100. where we are told that Auguftus died on the fourteenth of the Calends of September, in the feventyfixth year of his age, wanting five and thirty days; Obiit in cubiculo eodem quo pater Octavius: duobus Sextis, Pompeio et Appuleio Coss. XIV. Cal. Septembris, hora diei nona, feptuagefimo et fexto aetatis anno, diebus quinque et triginta minus.

Ver. 42. Ingredere I fhould ra ther think with Catrou, that Virgil inferted this paffage, when he revifed his Georgicks; and not when he first compofed or published them.

Ver. 152. Afpera fylva-In your tranflation you fay, A prickly wood of burrs and caltrops whereas I take them all to be of the Nominative cafe, as they certainly are in Georg. iii. ver. 384. where the very fame words are used: and therefore they fhould likewife be construed thus, prickly brambles, and burrs, and caltrops.

I did not take lappaeque tribulique to be the genitive cafe, as appears, I think by the comma after fylva. It might indeed have been tranflated more literally thus; A prickly wood arifes, both burrs and caltrops.

Ver. 195.

Grandior Catrou places the full ftop at the end of the next verfe, and makes the fenfe run thus; that the legumes may be larger, and boil better with a very little fire. Ver. 211. Sub extremum-Virgil cannot poffibly mean the last by extremum, because it would contradict his epithet, intractabilis; which implies that this feafon is unfit for bufinefs. But as there are two extreams, and extremus is fometimes ufed to fignify the firft, as well as the laft; if it can be allowed to have that construction in this place, the fenfe will be very clear and confiftent that the time of fowing barley is from the autumnal Equinox to the first heavy rains of the winter SolAlice, when the inclemency of the weather will put a stop to all works of this kind.

Ver. 227. Fafelum-I won't pretend to fay what the Fafelus was: but by thefe directions I think it can't be the very fame as our Kidneybean. For this is one of the tendereft plants we have in the natural ground; and the leaft able to bear the fevere cold, either when it is young or old. It is therefore fown the latest in the fpring of all légumes and as the feed will be melted in the ground, if much rain falls before it is come up; fo the plant itfelf will be cut off by the rft fharp froft in April or May, tho' it is ever fo flourishing, or in October, when it is at it's full growth.

Ver. 255 Deducere claffes-I think we should understand deducere claffes, to bring back the fleets: and thus the fame oppofition will be continued that was in a preceding verse. Hence we learn when to fow, and when to reap: when to venture out to fea, and when to retire into part again."

Ver. 268. Quippe etiam ob ferve the Commentators give réa fons why fome of thefe works may be done upon a holiday; but do not take any manner of notice of the reft. Now fince they are only to be juftified by charity or neceffity, all the following paffages muft be confidered in that light. So that husbandmen are allowed, rivos de ducere, to let out the flashes of wa ter which are brought upon the fields by fudden fhowers and land floods: they may, fegeti praetendere fepem, fecure the fences of their corn, when by the emiffion it would be expofed to immediate damage from tref paffing cattle: they may, infidia avibus moliri, guard against the feathered robbers, who make no dif tinction of days, but are always pilfering the feeds whenever they can come at them; and they may, gr gem fluvia merfare falubri, bathe the flock in the river, if it is required for the health of the fheep. But why they should then burn the thorns, which may be conveniently done at any time; or carry oil and fruits to town, for which there were proba bly other market days; though fo correct a writer as Virgil had undoubtedly his reafons for it, yet muft own myself at a lofs to dif cover. Unleís for the latter there might be the fame neceffity, as there

is to cry milk and mackrel in London upon a Sunday: and if this could be proved, we may eafily fuppose they might be permitted to return with fome other loading for back-carriage. And if the former appeared to be any thing like our burning of charcoal, this would be a work that might be continued, though not begun, upon a day that was esteemed facred.

Georg. II. ver. 97. Amminea was near to Falernus, and Pliny fays, c Principatus datur Ammineis propter firmitatem, 1. 14. 2. Expreffions very like these of Virgil. So that thefe three lines may be thus rendered; There are alfo Amminean wines, which yield the best bodied wines to which the Tmolian, and Phanaean, and fmaller Argitis muft give the preference; though the two first are reckoned prime wines, and the laft none can rival, &c. Or fuppofe the 98th verfe to be in a paren thefis, which would be more poetical, and then the conftruction will run thus; There are alfo Amminean vines, which yield the best bodied wines (to which the Tmolian and Phandean, though reckoned prime wines must give the preference) and there is the fmaller Argitis, which none, &c.

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expreffion, than these two lines. But in my opinion the beauty of it is greatly tarnished by fuppofing that aeftas means nothing more than heat. The ancient and natural divifion of the year was into fummer and winter: and to which many authors allude both in profe and verse. But fince between the extremities of heat and cold in these seasons, there were intermediate spaces of moderate weather, the two others of fpring and autumn were added; which at their beginning and end generally partake of the qualities of the preceding and following feafon. So that Virgil points out in the most poetical manner the very particular time in autumn that is moft proper for this work. For, fays he, one of the best times for planting vineyards is, upon the coming in of the first cool weather in autumn, before you touch upon winter, and when the fummer is quite gone.

Ver. 389, 392. OfeillacaputMr Spence in his Polymetis, p. 129. hath cleared up thefe paffages by a gem in the great Duke's Collection at Florence, pl. 20. fig. 2. which reprefents a tree with feveral little heads of Bacchus hanging upon it, that turn every way.

Georg. III. ver. 10. Before I had read Catrou I was of opinion, and am very glad to be fupported by him in it, that all this following paf fage to the 40th verfe is a moft ma

Ver. 321. Prima I don't know any paffage more crowded with fine

promifes to perfect and publish the Eneide after his return from Greece. And if we take it in this light, it will greatly heighten the many beauties that are to be found in thefe

Ver. 81. honefti. I think honefti relates only to the outward appearance, and that those colours are moft graceful and pleafing to the eye for otherwise it is true as the English proverb fays, A good horfe is never of a bad colour.

Ver. 81, 86. Luxuriat toris pectus-Denfa Juba. It must be remembered that Virgil defcribes the fine horse for the menage to be train ed either for war, or the chariot for an English jockey will never agree with him, that a brawny cheft and a thick main are beauties in a horfe.

Ver. 132. Gurfu-As Virgil, according to your obfervation, feems to intend thefe precepts for both fpecies, I think curfu quatiunt refers to the exercise proper for the mares, and fole fatigant, &c. for the cows.. Ver. 299. Turpefque podagras. Many farmers, particularly in Warwickshire, call this diftemper, the Fouls: which, confidering the part af fected, is a literal tranflation of Virgil.

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Ver.400. Quod furgente I think Virgil, in his fhort manner of hint ing a direction, plainly points out to us which milk is beft for cheese, and which for butter. What you milk in the morning and the day. time, is to be preffed into cheese at night: and what you milk in the evening and the night, is to be made into butter; and either carried, fub lucem, very early in the morning to market in baskets, before the fun will have power to melt it, or feafoned with a little falt and laid up for ufe in the winter. This con ftruction will render the paffage very clear and expreffive, and remove the difficulties, which have fo much puzzled the Commentators in explaining the meaning of the word, Calathis.

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Ver. 478. Hic quondam-It appears plain to me that the Poet is fpeaking only of a peftilential diftemper that many years ago invaded the Alpine countries: but in what period of time cannot fairly be collected, neither is it material, notwithstanding the names of Chiron and Melampus are mentioned; for thefe I take to be used in general for the most eminent phyficians. And as all raging plagues are attended with many like circumstances, it is no wonder that his relation fhould very very much agree with thofe, which Thucydides and Lucretius have given us of the plague at Athens: though probably he might take fe veral hints from them to heighten the defcription.

Ver. 500. Incertus fudor — That incertus means it was doubtful whe ther a fweat was a good or bad fymptom, and that at firft they

could