tervene, and the indulgence of the sky foster (during its continu. ance) the earth," i. e., and a mild and indulgent sky, as is that of spring. Exciperet. The idea of fostering is borrowed here from the taking up and fostering of a new-born infant.

346-348. Quod superest. "As to what remains," i. e., to pursue the subject to its close. A form of expression borrowed from Lucretius (iii., 351; v., 770).—Quæcumque premes, &c. "Whatever cuttings you shall put down throughout your grounds." Martyn makes the poet refer here merely to layers; but premere may be used of planting in general, and it is to be so understood here. (Compare Columella, iii., 15, 4; and Georg., iv., 131.)—Sparge fimo pingui, &c. Columella informs us, that these directions about burying stones and shells are taken from Mago the Carthaginian, who also advises dunging, but adds that grape-stones ought to be mixed with the dung. (Colum., iii., 15, 4.)—Lapidem bibulum. "Bibulous stones," i. e., pumice or sandstone.-Squalentes conchas. Rough shells," i. e., such as would not lie closely together, but would allow of small openings between them, through which the air and water may come to the roots. Evelyn says, however, that such things as these ought to be removed after a competent time, else the vermin, snails, and insects, which they produce and shelter, will gnaw and greatly injure the bark.

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349-353. Tenuisque subibit halitus. "And a fine vapour will penetrate them." This remark arises, probably, from the impression that a circulation of air is requisite for the root.Atque animos tollent sata. "And the plants will take courage," i. c., will become fresh and vigorous.-Jamque reperti, qui. 'Some, too, have been found before this, who."-Ingentis pondere testæ. "And with the weight of a great potsherd," i. e., and with a large and heavy potsherd.-Hoc effusos munimen, &c. "This is a protection against heavy showers." Observe that hoc in this line, and hoc in the next, both refer to one and the same thing, and are not analogous to the Greek τοῦτο μέν and τοῦτο δέ. The stone and the potsherd both serve as a species of defence against heavy rains, and, besides this (a circumstance not mentioned by the poet), the potsherd being retentive of warmth, the young vine will escape any chilling by night. -Hoc, ubi hiulca, &c. "This (is a protection) when the heatbringing dog-star cleaves with thirst the gaping fields."

354-357. Seminibus positis, &c. "After the cuttings are planted, it remains to loosen the earth often at the roots, and to ply vigorously the hard two-pronged drags." The meaning of this passage is generally misunderstood. The common text has deducere, which

is rendered "to draw up," or "gather." Such, however, is by no means the idea which the poet intends to express, and the true reading is undoubtedly diducere, which gives a very good sense. The earth must often be loosened and broken up around the bottom of the cutting, but then this must be done gently, and without any instrument, lest injury be done thereby to the tender stem. No verb expresses better than diduco the meaning here alluded to, namely, that of breaking up and loosening gently. On the other hand, the ground at a distance from the cutting is to be broken up by drags, or the plough, where force can do no harm. With regard to covering up the lower part of the stem with earth, the meaning assigned to deducere terram, &c., this, it may be observed, ought never to be done; nay, even the trenches in which the cuttings are placed ought never to be filled with earth to the top, in order that the cuttings may send their roots downward.

Capita. The term caput means the bottom no less than the top of anything. (Compare Cato, R. R., 38: "circum capita addito stercus; circum capita sanito;" and compare Æn., vi., 360.)—Bidentes. By bidens appears to be meant an instrument with two hooked iron teeth, called by farmers a drag.-Luctantes juvencos. "The oxen struggling with their work." This expression, and presso sub vomere, in the previous line, are meant to imply deep ploughing in vineyards.

358-361. Rasa hastilia virga. "Spears of peeled rods," i. e., poles resembling spear handles, and from which the bark has been stripped off-Furcasque valentes. We have given valentes, with Brunck, Voss, Jahn, and Wagner, on the authority of the best MSS. The common reading is furcasque bicornes.—Summasque sequi, &c. "And follow the stages to the tops of the elms." Tabulata properly means stories in a house, but is here applied to the boughs projecting laterally, and trimmed into stages, on which the vine branches were trained. (Valpy, ad loc.)

363-366. Et. "And also."-Se agit. "Spreads itself."-Laxis per purum, &c. "Being sent onward through the open air, with slackened reins." A metaphor taken from horse-racing, but censured by some as a little harsh when applied to the growth of a tree. Lucretius, however, had used the same metaphor before our poet (v. 785). - Per purum. Supply aëra. Ipsa. Supply vitis, which may be easily inferred from "prima atas," &c., in verse 362.-Sed uncis carpendæ, &c. "But the leaves are to be nipped by the thumb and finger;" literally, " by the bent hands." -Interque legendæ.

"And are to be culled here and there." This

is no instance of tmesis for interlegenda, but inter is used adverbially, as Wunderlich correctly remarks (ad vers. 351).

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368-370. Stringe comas. "Cut off the upper twigs." (Voss, ad loc.)-Brachia tonde. Lop off the side branches."—Ante. "Before this."-Dura imperia. "A harsh empire."

Here the poet speaks of maespecially goats, whence the

371-380. Texenda sepes etiam, &c. king hedges to keep out cattle, and he takes occasion to digress into an account of the sacrifices to Bacchus, the origin of the drama, &c.-Et pecus omne tenendum. "And all sorts of cattle to be kept out;" literally, "to be restrained." Tenendum, for continendum.-Frons. The leaf taken for the vine itself.-Imprudensque laborum. "And unaware of coming toils." By laborum are here meant the toils and hardships that are to be encountered by the young plant in coming to maturity, among which are particularly to be included the injuries it is liable to receive from cattle.-Super indignas hiemes. "Besides winters of unmerited severity," i. e., merciless or cruel ones. (Compare the explanation of Heyne: "quibus digna non est ; quas immerito patitur.”)

Silvestres uri. "The wild bulls." Not to be confounded with either the bison or the buffalo. (Consult Dictionary of Antiquities, Anthon's ed., s. v. Bison, Bubalis.)-Capreæque sequaces. "And the persecuting goats."-Illudunt. "Do wanton injury."-Pascuntur. For quam pascuntur. "On which browse."-Caná concreta pruiná. "Stiff with hoary frost." The poet means that neither frost, nor extreme heat, striking an arid soil on a rocky bottom, is so injurious. By scopulis arentibus we must understand vineyards planted on a rocky soil, which, therefore, suffer most in dry weather. (Martyn, ad loc.)—Aut gravis incumbens, &c. "Or the burning heat beating upon the thirsting rocks."-Durique venenum dentis. Con sult note on verse 196.

381-384. Et veteres ineunt, &c. "And the ancient plays enter on the stage," i. e., and the early drama takes its rise. The sacrifice of the goat (Tpayos) to Bacchus was intimately connected with the origin of tragedy (τpaywdía) and other dramatic performances. (Dict. Antiq., s. v. Tragœdia, &c.)—Proscenia. In the ancient theatres, the whole space from the scena, or rear wall of the stage, to the orchestra was termed the proscenium, forming what we should call the real stage.-Præmiaque ingeniis, &c. "(From this same cause), moreover, the Athenians proposed rewards for genius throughout the villages and the cross-roads." The allusion is still to the early history of the drama, when a goat was the prize given to the successful competitor, and the celebration took place at the

rural Dionysia.-Thesida. The Athenians, so called, as the descendants of Theseus, their ancient king.-Atque inter pocula, &c. The allusion is now to the Ascolia (dokáλia), or the leaping upon the leathern bag, one of the many kinds of amusements in which the Athenians indulged during the festivals in honour of Bacchus. They sacrificed a goat to the god, made a wine-bag out of the skin, smeared it with oil, and then tried to dance upon it. The various accidents accompanying this attempt afforded great amusement to the spectators. He who succeeded was victor, and received the skin of wine as his reward.-Unctos per utres. "On the wine-skins smeared with oil."

385-387. Ausonii coloni. The inhabitants of Italy are now meant, more particularly the Latins, who had become united into one people with the Trojan followers of Æneas. The poets use the term Ausonia as an appellation for all Italy. Strictly speaking, however, the name belonged to the southern part of Italy, through which the Ausones, one of the ancient races of Italy, had spread themselves. Niebuhr makes the Ausones a portion of the great Oscan nation.Versibus incomtis ludunt, &c. The Italian communities, too, remarks the poet, have festivals in honour of Bacchus, accompanied with song and drollery.-Oraque corticibus sumunt, &c. "And put on hideous masks made of hollow bark." Amid their mummeries on these occasions, they wore bark masks, of a hideous expression, for the purpose of scaring.

388-392. Tibique oscilla, &c. "And in honour of thee hang up the mild oscilla on the tall pine." Oscillum, a diminutive through osculum, from os, means, properly, "a little face," and was the term applied to faces or heads of Bacchus, which were suspended in the vineyards to be turned in every direction by the wind. Whichsoever way they looked, they were supposed to make the vines and other things in that quarter fruitful. The left-hand figure in the annexed wood-cut is taken from an oscillum of white marble in the

British Museum. The back of the head is wanting, and it is concave within. It represents the countenance of Bacchus with a mild and propitious expression (molle, honestum). The metallic ring by which the marble was suspended still remains. The other figure is from an ancient gem, representing a tree with four oscilla hung upon its branches. From this noun came the verb oscillo, meaning "to swing." Swinging (oscillatio) was among the bodily exercises practised by the Romans.

Vallesque cave, saltusque profundi. Not only the vineyards, but the valleys and the fields in general, feel the propitious influence of the god.-Et quocumque. "And every other quarter unto which." -Circum caput egit honestum. Has swung around his propitious visage."

"The

393-396. Dicemus. "Will we ascribe."-Suum honorem. honour that is his due," i. e., that belongs of right to him for all his favours unto man.-Carminibus patriis. "In ancient strains," i. e., in strains that have come down to us from our fathers. The worship of Bacchus was of early origin in both Greece and Italy.— Lancesque et liba. "Both dishes (of first fruits) and sacred cakes." Not, as Heyne says, dishes containing sacred cakes, but each distinct from the other. The dishes contained fruits of all kinds; the cakes were made of meal, milk, eggs, and oil, and, when done, were covered over with honey while yet warm. (Voss, ad loc.)—Ductus The victim was always led with a slack rope to the altar, for if it was reluctant to approach, this was deemed a bad omen.— Stabit. Another favourable omen was the victim's standing quietly at the altar.-Sacer. Because selected for the occasion.-In veribus colurnis. "On hazel spits." Consult note on verse 299.

cornu.

397-402. Est etiam ille labor, &c. He now returns to the vineyards, and shows what labour farther attends the culture of them, in frequent digging, dressing, and pruning.-Cui nunquam exhausti, &c. "Which can never be sufficiently gone through with."-Eternum. "Continually." For in æternum.—Omne levandum, &c. “The whole vineyard is to be lightened of its leaves," i. e., the leaves of the vines throughout the entire vineyard must be thinned. This is done in order to give the sun a greater power in ripening the fruit. Observe the employment of nemus for vinea, and consult note on verse 308.-Redit actus in orbem. "Returns in circling course." Sua per vestigia. "Along her former footsteps."

403-407. Ac jam olim. "And now at length."-Decussit honorem. "Has shaken down their leafy honours."-Jam tum. "Even then." -Acer rusticus. "The diligent husbandman." The vine-dresser