chapter of Genesis, that when God cursed the earth, he said it should bring forth thorns and thistles, as it is in our translation.

Infelix lolium, et steriles dominantur avena.] Lolium, or darnel, is a common weed in our corn fields. The wild oats are no less frequent in many places. They are not the common oats degenerated by growing wild; but quite a different species the chaff of them is hairy, and the seed is small, like that of grass. It was the general opinion of the ancients that wheat and barley degenerated into these weeds: but they are specifically different, and rise from their own seeds.

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word dominantur is very proper; for these weeds grow so tall, that they overtop the corn.

Quod nisi et assiduis, &c.] Here the poet concludes with a particular injunction to avoid the plagues which he mentioned about the beginning of this article. He mentions the diligent harrowing to destroy the weeds, because succory is injurious.

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He says the birds are to be scared away, because geese and cranes are troublesome. He advises to restrain the overshading boughs, because shade is hurtful to the corn. He puts the husbandman in mind of praying for showers, because they depend on the will of the gods. He had spoken before of praying for seasonable weather.

Dicendum, &c.] Here the poet begins to describe the various instruments with which a husbandman ought to be provided.

Robur.] Robur is the name of a particular sort of oak: but it is used also for any solid timber. In this place I take it to mean the beam, or solid body of the plough.

Tardaque Eleusina matris volventia plaustra.] This line beautifully describes the slow motion of the cart. Ceres is called Eleusina mater, from Eleusis, an Athenian town, where Ceres was hospitably received by Celeus, and in return, taught his people the art of husbandry. The Eleusinians, in

honour of this goddess, instituted the Eleusinian feasts, which were very famous. It was death to disclose any of their mysteries. In the feasts of Ceres, at Rome, her statue was carried about in a cart or waggon.

Tribula.] The tribulum, or tribula, was an instrument used by the ancients to thresh their corn. It was a plank set with stones, or pieces of iron, with a weight laid upon it, and so was drawn over the corn by oxen.

Traheæ.] The trahea, or traha, is a carriage without wheels. It was used to beat out the corn, as well as the tribulum.

Celei.] Celeus was the father of Triptolemus, whom Ceres instructed in husbandry.

Mystica vannus Iacchi.] The fan is an instrument used to cleanse the corn. It is called mystica, because it was used in the mysteries of Bacchus. Iacchus was a name of Bacchus seldom made use of, but on solemn and sacred occasions.

Continuo in sylvis, &c.] Here the poet gives us a description of the plough, in which we find

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that the custom was to bend an elm, as it grew, into the crooked form of the buris, or ploughtail, to which the beam, the earth-boards, and the sharebeam, were fastened.

Temo.] This is the beam, or pole, which goes between the oxen, and to which they are yoked.

Aures.] These must be the earth-boards, which being placed on each side of the share-beam, serve to make the furrows wider, and the ridges higher.

Duplici dentalia dorso.] Dentale is the share-beam, a piece of wood to which the share fixed. But why they are said to have a double back, seems not to be very clear.

Altaque fagus, stivaque.] Stiva is the plough-staff, which with us is generally fixed to the share-beam, in the same manner as the buris, or tail, so that we have two tails or handles to our ploughs: but sometimes it is a loose staff, with a hook at the end, with which the ploughman takes hold of the back part of the plough to turn it.

The grammatical construction of this passage does not seem very clear. Cæditur is made to agree with tilia, fagus, and stiva. We may say tilia cæditur, and fagus cæditur; but to say at the same time stiva cæditur, seems to be absurd: for this makes the staff of a tree, by coupling it with lime and beech. Besides, que and quæ coming close together, offend the ear; and I believe there is not another instance of their coming thus together any where in Virgil. I believe instead of stivaque, we ought to read stive; which will make the sense clearer, and the verse the better.

"The light lime-tree also is cut down beforehand for the yoke, and the tall beech for the staff, to turn the bottom of the carriage behind."

Currus.] The poet is thought by some to mean a wheel-plough by the word currus, which is derived from curro, to run; and Servius informs us, that in Virgil's country the ploughs run upon wheels. We have wheelploughs in many parts of England.

I have here inserted the figure of a modern Italian plough, which seems to differ but little from that which Virgil has described. It seems to have no stiva distinct from the buris; and it has a coulter, which Virgil does not mention.

There is a plough used in many parts of England, which differs very little from this; but

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yet, I believe, it will be no small satisfaction to my readers to find an exact account of the very plough, now employed in cultivating the lands in Virgil's own country.

The two timbers marked A are each made of one piece of wood, and are fastened together with three wooden pins at B.

C C are two transverse pieces of wood, which serve to hold the handles together at the back.

D is a piece of wood fastened to the left handle, or sinistrella, at E, and to the beam F.

F is the beam, or pertica, which is fastened to the left handle, at G.

H is the plough-share, into which the dentale, or sharebeam, seems to be inserted.

I is the coulter, being a piece of iron, square in the body, which is fixed in the beam, and bending in the lower part, and having an edge, to cut the weeds.

L is an iron chain, fastened at one end to the plough-pillow, or mesolo, N; and, at the other, to the beam by an iron hammer, M; the handle of which serves for a pin, and the more forward you place the hammer, the deeper the share goes into the ground.

OO are two pieces of wood fastened to the pillow, which serve to keep the beam in the middle.

P is the pole, or timonzella, to which the oxen are yoked, and is of no certain length.