Alba liguftra cadunt, vaccinia nigra leguntur.
Defpectus tibi fum, nec qui fim quaeris, Alexi :
Quam dives pecoris nivei, quam lactis abundans.
Mille meae Siculis errant in montibus agnae.
Lac mihi non aeftate, novum non frigore defit.
Canto, quae folitus, fi quando armenta vocabat,
Amphion Dircaeus in Actaeo Aracyntho.

20

Nec fum adeo informis: nuper me in litore vidi,

25

Cum placidum ventis ftaret mare. non ego Daphnin

Judice te metuam, fi numquam fallit imago.
O tantum libeat mecum tibi fordida rura,
Atque humilis habitare cafas, et figere cervos,
Haedorumque gregem viridi conpellere hibifco!
Mecum una in filvis imitabere Pana canendo.
Pan primus calamos cera conjungere pluris
Inftituit: Pan curat ovis, oviumque magiftros.
Nec te poeniteat calamo triviffe labellum.

Haec eadem ut fciret, quid non faciebat Amyntas ?
Eft mihi difparibus feptem conpacta cicutis
Fistula, Damoetas dono mihi quam dedit olim,
Et dixit moriens: Te nunc habet ifta fecundum,
Dixit Damoetas: invidit ftultus Amyntas.

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35

27. Sung.] The ancient fhepherds walked before, and called their fheep after them.

29. View'd.] La Cerda has very fully vindicated Virgil, against thofe who deny the poffibility of an image being reflected by the fea. When it is perfectly calm it is quite a

mirrour.

I don't know whether you have taken notice of a miscarriage in the moft judicious of all poets. Theocritus makes Polypheme fay,

Kai yag

Την εδ' είδος εχω κακον, ὡς με λεγοντι,
Η γαρ ώραν ες Ποντον εσεπλεπον ην δε γαλανα.

Nothing could be better fancied than to make this enormous fon of Neptune ufe the fea for his looking-glaís: but is Virgil fo happy when his little landman fays,

Nec

The privet's filver flow'rs we ftill neglect,

But dusky hyacinths with care collect.

Thou know'ft not whom thou scorn'ft-what fnowy kine, What lufcious milk, what rural ftores are mine!

Mine are a thousand lambs in yonder vales,

25

My milk in fummer's drought, nor winter fails;
Nor fweeter to his herds Amphion fung,

While with his voice Boeotia's mountains rung;
Nor am I fo deform'd! myself I view'd

On the smooth surface of the glaffy flood,

30

By winds unmov'd, and be that image true,

I dread not Daphnis' charms, tho' judg'd by you.
O that you lov'd the fields and shady grots,
To dwell with me in bowers, and lowly cots,
To drive the kids to fold, the ftags to pierce;
Then fhould'ft thou emulate Pan's fkilful verse,
Warbling with me in woods; 'twas mighty Pan
To join with wax the various reeds began;
Pan, the great god of all our fubject plains,
Protects and loves the cattle and the fwains;
Nor thou difdain, thy tender rofy lip
Deep to indent with such a master's pipe.
To gain that art how much Amyntas try❜d!

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40

This pipe Damoetas gave me as he dy'd;
Seven joints it boafts-Be thine this gift, he said:
Amyntas envious figh'd, and hung the head.

45

Nec fum adeo informis: nuper me in littore vidi,
Cum placidum ventis ftaret mare?

cation.

His wonderful judgment for once deferted him, or he might have retained the fentiment with a flight change in the appliHURD's letter on the marks of imitation. 41. Rofy lip.] There is a fondnefs in mentioning this circumftance of his wearing his lip.-This fiftula is ufed to this day in the Grecian iflands. The conftant effect of playing on it, is making the lip thick and callous. Mr. Dawkins affured me he saw several shepherds with fuch lips.

45. Joints.] Servius tells us, that Cicuta means the space between the two joints of a reed.

Praeterea duo, nec tuta mihi valle reperti,
Capreoli fparfis etiam nunc pellibus albo,
(Bina die ficcant ovis ubera) quos tibi fervo.
Jam pridem à me illos abducere Theftylis orat:
Et faciet quoniam fordent tibi munera noftra.
Huc ades, ô formofe puer. tibi lilia plenis
Ecce ferunt nymphae calathis: tibi candida Naïs,
Pallentis violas et fumma papavera carpens,
Narciffum et florem jungit bene olentis anethi.
Tum, cafia atque aliis intexens fuavibus herbis,
Mollia luteola pingit vaccinia caltha.
Ipfe ego cana legam tenera lanugine mala,
Caftaneafque nuces, mea quas Amaryllis amabat.
Addam cerea pruna: honos erit huic quoque pomo.
Et vos, ô lauri, carpam, et te, proxima myrte.
Sic pofitae quoniam fuavis mifcetis odores.
Rufticus es, Corydon. nec muncra curat Alexis:
Nec fi muneribus certes, concedat Iolas.
Eheu, quid volui mifero mihi? floribus auftrum
Perditus, et liquidis inmifi fontibus apros.

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45

50

55

47. Kids.] Thefe were undoubtedly wild kids, taken from their proper dam, and not kids which Corydon had loft, and now recovered again. Servius fays, kids at firft have white fpots, which alter and lofe their beauty afterwards.

53. The nymphs in baskets bring.] Thefe lines are of an exquifite beauty, and contain the fweeteft garland that ever was offered by a lover. He concludes this defcription of his prefents by saying that, Alas! Alexis would not regard any of his gifts, as he was only a poor ruftic, and that his rival Iolas was able to make far richer prefents. At the mention of his rival's name he ftops fhort, and cries, Fool that I am, to put Alexis in mind of him,-who will certainly prefer him to me! This feems to be the true meaning of quid volui mifero mihi? tho' feveral commentators give a different interpretation. The agitation and doubts of a lover's mind are finely painted in this paffage and the fucceeding lines. At laft the fhepherd feems to come to himself a little, and reflects on the bad condition of his affairs, which his paffion has occafioned, Semiputata tibi, &c.—and finally refolves to leave the obdurate Alexis, and go in fearch of another object.

Befides, two dappled kids, which late I found
Deep in a dale with dangerous rocks around,
For thee I nurfe; with thefe, O come and play!
They drain two fwelling udders every day.
Thefe Theftylis hath begg❜d, but begg❜d in vain;
Now be they her's, fince you my gifts difdain.
Come, beauteous boy! the nymphs in baskets bring
For thee the lovelieft lillies of the spring;
Behold for thee the neighb'ring Naiad crops
The violet pale, and poppy's fragrant tops,
Narciffus' buds fhe joins with fweet jonquils,
And mingles cinnamon with daffodils;
With tender hyacinths of darker dyes,

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55

The yellow marigold diverfifies.

60

Thee, with the downy quince, and chefnuts fweet,

Which once my Amaryllis lov'd, I'll greet;

To gather plumbs of gloffy hue, will toil;

These shall be honour'd if they gain thy fmile.

65

Ye myrtles too I'll crop and verdant bays,
For each, fo plac'd, a richer fcent conveys.
O Corydon, a ruftic hind thou art!

Thy prefents ne'er will touch Alexis' heart!
Give all thou canft, exhauft thy rural ftore,

Iolas, thy rich rival, offers more.

What have I spoke? betray'd by heedless thought,
The boar into my crystal springs have brought!

70

60. Marigold.] Dr. Martyn has taken great pains to explain the true names of the flowers here mentioned by Virgil, and from his skill in botany one may imagine he has juftly ascertained them. I follow him.

61. Chefnuts fweet.] There are fill in Italy, garlands intermixt with fruits as well as flowers, like that defcribed by Virgil in his Eclogues. I have feen fome of these carried about the streets of Florence, the Sunday before Christmasday: They were built up in a pyramid of ever-greens, chiefly of bays, and faced with apples, grapes, and other fruits.

SPENCE.

71. What.] This reading is after the Vatican manufcript.

Quem fugis, ah, demens! habitarunt dî quoque filvas, 60
Dardaniufque Paris. Pallas, quas condidit, arces
Ipfa colat. nobis placeant ante omnia filvae.
Torva leaena lupum fequitur, lupus ipfe capellam
Florentem cytifum sequitur lasciva capella :

Te Corydon, ô Alexi. trahit fua quemque voluptas. 65
Afpice, aratra jugo referunt suspensa juvenci,

Et fol crefcentis decedens duplicat umbras:

Me tamen urit amor. quis enim modus adfit amori?
Ah Corydon, Corydon, quae te dementia cepit !
Semiputata tibi frondofa vitis in ulmo eft.

Quin tu aliquid faltem, potius quorum indiget ufus,
Viminibus mollique paras detexere junco ?
Invenies alium, fi te hic faftidit, Alexin.

77. Pallas is faid to be the inventor of architecture.

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88. Elms.] The epithet frondofa has great propriety for Servius fays, here is a double inftance of neglect the vines are half pruned, and the elms are fuffered to make long fhoots. 91. If this Alexis.] Even when he refolves to forget the beloved perfon, he fondly repeats the beloved name.

92. From Theocritus.

Εύρησεις Γαλατειαν ισως καὶ καλλιον αλλαν.

TRAPP.

La Cerda has collected, with much exactness, all the paffages which Virgil has taken from Theocritus; their number is indeed very great.