Errantes hederas passim cum baccare tellus, Nullo cultu.] The earth producing its fruits without culture is a mark of the golden age. Errantes hederas.] The epithet errantes expresses the creeping quality of ivy, which shooting roots from every joint, spreads itself over every thing that it can lay hold on. Ivy was a plant used in the chaplets of poets, whence some think that Virgil prophesies, that this infant will become a great poet. Baccare.] According to Dioscorides, this is a sweet-smelling herb, that is used in garlands; the leaves of it are rough, and of a middle size between those of violet and mullen: the stalk is angular, about a cubit in height, with some appendages: the flower is white, inclining to purple, and of a sweet smell: the roots resemble those of black hellebore, and smell very like cinnamon. Colocasia.] The colocasia is, without doubt, an Egyptian plant. Dioscorides affirms, that it is the root of the Egyptian bean, which some call pontic. It grows chiefly in Egypt, and is found in the lakes of Asia and Cilicia. It has leaves as large as an umbrella, a stalk a cubit long, and of the thickness of a finger, a rosaceous flower, twice as big as a poppy. When the flower goes off, it bears husks like little bags, in which a small 20 bean appears beyond the lid, in form of a bottle, which is called ciborion or cibotion, a little ark, because the bean is sown on the moist earth, and so sinks into the water. The root is thicker than a reed; it is eaten both raw and boiled, and is called colocasia. The bean is eaten green, and when it is dried it turns black, and is bigger than the Greek bean. When this eclogue was written the colocasia was a rarity, newly brought from Egypt; and therefore the poet speaks of its growing com. monly in Italy, as one of the glories of the golden age, which was now expected to return. Acantho.] The acanthus here meant is the acacia, an Egyptian tree, from which we obtain the gum arabic. Distenta.] This epithet expresses the fulness of the dug, which makes it strut. Nec magnos metuent armenta leones.] This is plainly taken from Isaiah, as are also some verses of the Sibyl to the same purpose, quoted by Lactantius. Chap. 11, ver. 6, 7. "The Occidet et serpens.] Sibyl had used this expression, in an evident prophecy of the coming of Christ. Virgil has transferred it to the birth of Saloninus." BUCOLIC. ECL. IV. Occidet: Assyrium vulgo nascetur amomum. Jam legere, et quæ sit poteris cognoscere virtus; Assyrium vulgo nascetur amomum.] The amomum being confessedly a plant of Armenia and Media, which were formerly subject to the Assyrian empire, is said by the poet to be an Assyrian plant. It was in high esteem, as a rich perfume; and therefore it is one of the glories of this age, that so rare a plant would be made common. At simul heroum, &c.] The poet having declared the blessings that shall attend the birth of this expected child, describes those which shall accompany his youth. Other signs of the golden age shall appear; but it shall not yet be perfectly restored. Navigation, agriculture, and war shall not yet entirely cease. Heroum laudes, &c.] Servius interprets the praises of heroes to mean Poetry; the actions of his father History; and the knowledge of virtue Philosophy; and observes, that these sciences are placed in the proper order in which a youth ought to study them. Facta parentis.] If Marcellus was the subject of this eclogue, as seems most probable, by his father must be meant Augustus, who seems to have adopted him, even before his birth: un less any one will suppose that the poet means Anthony, who was an intimate friend of Pollio, and had really performed many great actions. But I believe the poet rather means Augustus. Rubens.] This epithet is used to express the ripening of the grapes, as flavescens was for that of the corn. Pendebit.] La Cerda observes, that this word properly describes the vineyards in Italy, where the vines run up on high trees, and so the clusters hang down. Sentibus.] I take sentes not to mean any particular species of plant; but to be a general word for all wild thorny plants. Thus Isaiah, chap. lv. 13. "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle-tree." Uva.] It has been observed, in the note on ver. 60 of the second Georgick, that uva does not signify a single grape, but the whole cluster. Et dure quercus, &c.] Honey is said to have dropped from trees in the golden age. See the note on ver. 131. of the first Georgick. Pauca tamen suberunt, &c.] The restoration of the golden Quæ tentare Thetim ratibus, quæ cingere muris Oppida, quæ jubeant telluri infindere sulcos. Alter erit tum Tiphys, et altera quæ vehat Argo Delectos heroas; erunt etiam altera bella, age is not to be perfect, till this child is grown to full manhood. This eclogue was written at the time of the reconciliation between Augustus and Anthony, and it is to this reconciliation that the poet ascribes all the blessings of peace, which were expected at that time. But the son of the great Pompey was still in some measure master of the sea, and an enemy to both the triumvirs. Therefore the great work of peace was not wholly perfected; though the poet hoped to see it soon established, by the authority and wisdom of the consul. Prisca, fraudis.] I take these words to mean the same with sceleris nostri. I Tentare Thetim ratibus.] The tis was said to be the daughter of Nereus and Doris. She was married to Peleus, the son of Eacus, by whom she had Achilles. Thetis is certainly used here for the sea itself. have taken the liberty to make use of a scripture expression, in translating these words, which I thought might be warranted in a poem, allowed to contain so many allusions to sacred prophecies. Alter erit tum Tiphys.] "When Pelias had received an answer from Apollo, that he should be deprived of his kingdom and life by one who came to sacrifice with one foot naked; it happened soon after, that as 35 Jason was coming to sacrifice, he met Juno in the form of an old woman, who pretended not to be able to get over the ford of a river, upon which he carried her, and lost one of his shoes in the mud. Pelias therefore apprehending him to be the dangerous person, sent him to Colchis, to fetch the golden fleece of the ram, that had transported Phrixus and Helle. Jason, in obedience to this command, built the ship Argo, assembled the youth of Greece to accompany him in his expedition, and had Tiphys for his pilot." Servius. Argo.] The Argo was the first long ship with sails, built by the Greeks. Before that time they had used only round vessels of burden, and always kept within sight of the shore; but now they were to launch farther, and to guide their ships by the stars. The etymologists are greatly divided about the derivation of the name of this ship. The more general opinion, and perhaps the best is, that it was so called from the master-builder of it, Argus the son of Danaus. This Danaus was the brother of Egyptus, who was probably the same with Sesac or Sesostris, king of Egypt, and fled from that country in a long ship, after the pattern of which the Argo was built. Delectos heroas.] These chosen Atque iterum ad Trojam magnus mittetur Achilles. heroes are the Argonauts, so Erunt etiam altera bella.] "Nothing is more just than the prophecy of Virgil. A bloody war at last reduced Sextus Pompey to quit Sicily, and to meet his death in Asia by Anthony. The conjuncture of affairs, the preparations made by Octavian, and above all, the disposition of men's minds, gave room for the prediction of the poet." Catrou. Atque iterum ad Trojam, &c.] Virgil cannot be supposed to mean, that the Argonauts and heroes that warred at Troy will return again; but that other eminent mariners will arise, other famous vessels, other wars, and other great commanders. At the time of writing this eclogue, notwithstanding the happy peace just composed between Augustus and Anthony, F 40 great preparations were making against Sextus Pompey, who had acquired such fame in naval exploits, that the people did not scruple to call him another Neptune. Besides, he presently after grew so formidable, that the triumvirs were compelled to make peace with him. Hine, ubi jam firmata, &c.] The poet, having spoken of the defects that shall remain during the childhood and youth of the expected infant, now comes to speak of the fullness of blessings that shall attend the completion of the golden age, when he shall have attained to the full state of manhood. Nautica pinus.] Ships used to be built of the wood of pinetrees; whence it is usual with the poets to use pinus for a ship. Mutabit merces.] The ancient way of traffic was by changing one commodity for another, as is still practised in those countries, where the use of money is not yet known. Omnis feret omnia tellus.] In the second Georgick, the poet tells us, that all lands cannot bear all things; ver. 109. But here he mentions the reverse, that in this restoration of the golden age every country will bear all sorts of products; which will make navigation useless. Non rastros, &c.] In this new age the earth is to produce every Robustus quoque jam tauris juga solvet arator. thing spontaneously: the earth Nec varios discet, &c.] He calls the colours, which are given to wool by art, false or fictitious. Ipse sed in pratis, &c.] Instead of this false tincture, he says the sheep shall be clothed with wool of the finest colours. Suave rubenti murice.] Murex signifies all hard and sharp bodies; as we find it used in the fifth Æneid for the sharp points of a rock; ver. 205. Valerius Maximus uses it for the tribulus, or caltrop, a spiked instrument used in war, to obstruct the approach of an enemy; thus it is used also by the natural historians to express a sort of shellfish, which is set about with spikes. Of this kind was that celebrated fish, from which the Tyrian colour was obtained. It is called purpura and murer: but it is much to be doubted, whether it was the same colour with that which we now call purple; it seems rather to have been either scarlet or crimson. We find in this passage, that it was a beautiful red, suave rubenti murice. Croceo luto.] Some take cro 45 ceo luto to be put here for croco luteo, yellow saffron. Saffron itself is of a fiery or deep orange colour, approaching to red: but the tincture of it is a deep yellow, like the yolk of an egg, or a marigold flower, which is called luteola caltha in the second eclogue. Others will have luto to be a contraction of luteo, the name of an herb mentioned by Vitruvius, which was used to give a green tincture to blue, and must therefore necessarily afford a yellow tincture itself; for nothing but yellow can change blue into green. Sponte sua sandya, &c.] I have rendered sandya vermilion, because it is a colour well known among us, and answers to the image intended by the poet : though perhaps, if it was necessary to be exact, we should not find any English word to express it. The colour meant in this place was certainly red, and might probably come near to our red orpiment. Parca.] The Parce, according to Hesiod, were the daughters of Night; their names were Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos; they had the disposal of good and evil to men, according to their deserts. These three sisters are entrusted with the con |