P. VERGILI MARONIS BUCOLICON LIBER. ECLOGA I. TITYRUS. MELIBOEUS. TITYRUS. THE historical groundwork of this Eclogue is the assignment of lands in Italy by the triumvirs to their veterans, in 713 A.U.C. The "Spoliation," says Mr. Merivale (History of the Roman Empire, vol. iii. p. 222), "spread from the suburban lands to remote tracts, from municipal to private possessions. Even loyalty to the Caesarian party proved of no avail: the faithful Mantua shared the fate of its neighbour, the disaffected Cremona; and the little township of Andes, Virgil's birthplace, in the Mantuan territory, was involved in the calamities of its metropolis." The story, as drawn out from Suetonius' Life and the scattered notices in Servius' Commentary, is that Virgil went to Rome on the seizure of his property, and obtained from Octavianus a decree of restitution, which however was resisted and nearly rendered ineffectual by the violence of the new occupant, referred to in the ninth Eclogue, so that a second appeal for protection had to be made. That the poet's inheritance was twice threatened seems evident from Eclogue 9, vv. 7 foll., while we know from the present Eclogue that on one occasion he received an assurance of protection from Octavianus himself, and it may be inferred from other passages that Alfenus Varus, the legatus in the Cisalpine after the battle of Perusia, if not his predecessor C. Asinius Pollio, interfered on Virgil's behalf. These facts agree sufficiently well with the traditional account, at the same time that they do not enable us to decide on all its details, even as contained in the abbreviated summary just given. [See, however, the Excursus on the ninth Eclogue.-H. N.] The speakers in the Eclogue are two shepherds, one of whom is enjoying rustic life, singing of his love and seeing his cattle feed undisturbed, when he is encountered by the other, who has been expelled from his homestead and is driving his goats before him, with no prospect but a cheerless exile. This is simple enough, but it is complicated by an unhappy artifice. The fortunate shepherd is represented as a farm slave who has just worked out his freedom: and this emancipation is used to symbolize the confirmation of the poet in his property. The two events, with their concomitants, are treated as convertible with each other, the story being told partly in the one form, partly in the other. See vv. 41 foll. and notes. This confusion arises from the identification of the shepherd and the poet, spoken of in the Introduction to the Eclogues: but in the present case its very grossness has prevented its being observed by the editors, who suppose Tityrus, like Moeris in Ecl. 9, to be Virgil's 'villicus,' who goes to Rome to purchase his liberty of his master, and there hears from Octavianus that his master's property is safe-a cumbrous hypothesis, and not really reconcilable with the language of the Eclogue. The earlier commentators, such as La Cerda and Catrou, did not feel this difficulty, but they created one for themselves in the shape of an allegory, according to which Tityrus' two partners, v. 30, stand for Rome and Mantua respectively. Trapp, in rejecting the allegory, himself supposes that the change of partners is intended to intimate a change of parties, Virgil's abandonment of the cause of the republicans for that of the triumvirs. The scenery, as in other Eclogues, is confused and conventional, the beeches (v. 1), caverns (v. 75), mountains (v. 83), and rocks (vv. 15, 47, 56, 76) belonging to Sicily, while the marshy river (v. 48) is from Mantua. See Introduction to the Eclogues, p. 9. In other respects the poem appears to be original, only the names Tityrus, Galatea, and Amaryllis, being borrowed from Theocritus. M. TITYRE, tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fagi 1-5.] 'How is it that while I am wandering an outcast from my native fields, you are lying in the shade and singing like a happy shepherd of your mistress?" 1.] Of the three principal MSS., the Medicean, the Palatine, and the Roman, the first is defective till we come to E. 6. 48. Tityrus (Tirupos) is one of the Theocritean shepheids (Theocr. 3. 2. foll.). The word is apparently the Doric form of Zárupos, being applied in the same way to designate a kind of tailed ape, and perhaps a goat. Another account, that it means a reed, was also received among the ancient critics (Schol. on Theocr. 1. c,) and is to some extent supported by the words τιτύρινος (αυλός), τιτυριστής; but these may be explained by supposing that the name had come to have a conventional sense as a shepherd or rustic minstrel. 6 2.] Silvestrem,' pastoral; as 'silvae' is used for pastoral poetry, 4. 3. Forbiger observes that the Italians pasture their cattle in summer among the woody slopes of the mountains. Silvestrem Musam' is from Lucr. 4. 589, "Fistula silvestrem ne cesset fundere Musam." [Tenui,' = 'humili' (Serv.) 'subtili' (Schol. Bern.) H. N.] Comp. "Agrestem tenui meditabor harundine Musam," 6. 8, where it is evident from the context that tenui' is meant to be in keeping with 'agrestem,' and to suggest the notion of simplicity and humility, at the same time that it is a natural epithet of the reed, like 'fragili cicuta,' 5. 85. Musam:' the Muse had come to be used for the song personified as early as Sophocles and Euripides, and the usage is frequent in Theocr. Meditaris,' compose. Comp. Hor. 1 S. 9. 2, Nescio quid meditans nugarum et totus in illis." 'Avena, not a straw (which would be absurd), but a reed, or perhaps a pipe of reeds, hollow like a straw. So stipula,' of a reed, 3. 27, though the word there is designedly contemptuous. Milton, however, in his Lycidas talks seriously of the oaten flute,' as he talks contemptuously of pipes of wretched straw." 3.] "Patrios fines," v. 67. 4.] He repeats the contrast in an inverse order, so that we shall perhaps do best to put with Jahn a semicolon after v. 2, a colon after v. 3. Gebauer, p. 55, well remarks that this repetition is after the manner of Theocritus, comparing Theocr. 9. 1-6, where the editors have been too ready to suspect interpolation. Comp. also Theoer. 8. 28-32. Fugimus,' peuyouev, are banished from it. Lentus' = 'securus.' Comp. Ovid, Her. 19. 81, “Certe ego tum ventos audirem lenta sonantis." 5.] "Resonent mihi Cynthia silvae," Prop. 1. 18. 31, probably in imitation of this passage. [Formonsam,' Asper p. 115. Keil: 'formosam' Pal. Rom. Gud.-H. N.] T. O Meliboce, deus nobis haec otia fecit. M. Non equidem invideo; miror magis: undique totis 6--10.] These rural liberties I owe to one whom I shall ever own as a god.' 6.] Meliboeus is explained by Servius, ÖTI μéλEL AUTÿ Twv Bowv, a plausible and indeed obvious etymology, but unsupported by analogy, which would rather point to uéλ as the first part of the compound. Perhaps the name was suggested by the geographical Meliboea, and adopted simply from its connexion with Bous. Comp. Alphesiboeus. Otia,' peace: comp. Hor. A. P. 199, "apertis otia portis." The 'deus' is Octavianus. This is probably mere hyperbole, though it heralds the adulation which treated a living emperor as a god. [See the Introduction to the Eclogues, p. 17.-H. N.] 7.] "Eris mihi magnus Apollo,” 3. 104. Shall be honoured by me as a god,' softening the expression of the preceding line. Serv. comp. Lucan's adulation of Nero (1. 63), "Sed mihi iam numen." 'Aram,' perhaps from Theocr. Epig. 1. 5, Baudy δ' αἱμάξει κεραὸς τράγος οὗτος ὁ μαλλός. 9. Ille (mihi) permisit boves errare et ipsum ludere,' the infinitives standing in place of an accusative. This must not be confounded with our idiom, 'he permitted my cattle to feed at large and me to play,' where' cattle' and 'me' are datives. 'Errare' implies security, as in Hor. Epod. 2. 13 (quoted by Emmenessius), "Prospectat errantis greges." In E. 2. 21 it implies wealth. 10.] 'Ludere,' frequently used of poetry, 6. 1, Hor. 1 Od. 32. 2, half slightingly, as of a relaxation. So naiÇev. 11-19.] Well, I do not grudge you your lot, but I wonder—such peace in the midst of such troubles. You see me wearily driving my flock-one of them has just dropped her young dead-not but that I might have foreseen this.... But tell me about this god of yours.' 11.] Magis' used for potius,' as in Luer. 2. 428, 869, Catull. 68. 30 (referred to by Keightley), where as here one 10 assertion is rejected and another substituted; not this, but rather that.' Non equidem invideo,' KoŬTOL TI 40nvéw, Theocr. 1. 62, which however refers to giving a present. 12.] Turbatur,' the soldiers are spreading confusion. Many MSS., including the Roman, Palatine, and probably the Gudian, have turbamur,' which was adopted by Heinsius; but this reading is condemned by Serv., and Quintilian (1. 4. 28) gives ‘turbatur.' 'Ipse' contrasted with undique totis agris.' 6 6 13.] Protenus,' onwards; the primary meaning of the word. ['Protinus' Rom. 'Protenus' Pal. and Gud. as in Georg. 4.1: and so Serv., who explains the word as porro tenus,' seems to have read in his copy or copies. Nonius, p. 375 s.v. 'protinus,' says that wherever Virg. has protenus' he uses it in the sense of porro, sine intermissione, continuo,' and quotes this passage among others. An artificial distinction was made by some grammarians between 'protenus' and protinus,' it being supposed that 'protenus' was used of place, protinus' of time (Caper De Orth., p. 100, Keil, Schol. Bern. here). The notion may have arisen from the variation of spelling found in the text of Virg.-H. N.] 'Aeger' applies probably both to body and mind. 'Duco,' the rest he drove before him, this one he leads by a cord. 14.] Gemellos': the birth of twins increases the disappointment. Emmen. quotes Theocr. 1. 25., 3. 34., where didvμaтókos is the epithet of a goat. Such goats were especially valuable from their quantity of milk. The use of 'namque so late in the sentence is of course peculiar to poetry (comp. A. 5. 733), though it is placed second in a sentence by Livy and later prose writers, unlike 'nam,' which in prose always comes first. ['Corulos' Rom. corylos' Pal.-H. N.] 66 15 Spem gregis, a silice in nuda conixa reliquit. Sic canibus catulos similes, sic matribus haedos 15.] The kids, being dropped on the stony soil, not on grass ground, would naturally die soon after birth. Comp. G. 3. 297, cited by Heyne. Spem gregis,' "spemque gregemque simul" G. 3. 473, spem gentis" ib. 4. 162. Taubmann. Silice in nuda' expresses the character of the soil, like 'lapis nudus,' v. 47. To understand it with Keightley of the road paved with silex' is scarcely consistent with inter densas corylos.' 'Conixa' is stronger than the ordinary enixa,' denoting the difficulty of the labour. 16.] From the parallel passage, A. 2. 54 (note), it would seem that 'non' goes with 'laeva,' not with 'fuisset.' 'Laevus,' Gk. σkaós, in the sense of folly. 17.] Memini praedicere,' Madvig, Lat. Gr. § 408. b, obs. 2. De caelo tangi' is a phrase for to be struck by lightning, Livy 25. 7, &c. The striking of a thing or person by lightning was an omen of evil: see Cic. De Div. 1. 10-12. Hence the practice of enclosing the 'bidental.' Pomponius says on the authority of the lost works of ancient Grammarians, that the blasting of fruit-bearing trees was ominous, that of the olive being supposed to forebode barrenness, that of the oak banishment. If this could be established, it would fix the malum hoc' to be Meliboeus' exile, not the loss of the goat's twins. After this line most editions insert, Saepe sinistra cava praedixit ab ilice cornix;" but the verse is unknown to all Ribbeck's MSS., and the two chief copies which contain it are not agreed (a strong proof of interpolation), one of them reading "dicebat." It is evidently made up from 9. 15. 18.] 'Da' for 'dic,' as 'accipe' for ‘audi.' (Serv.)" Da . . . quae ventrem placaverit esca," Hor. 2 S. 8. 5. 'Iste,' 'tuus.' Several MSS. (none of Ribbeck's) have 'quis' for qui.' The difference between the two is not easy to ascertain, the common distinction being that 'quis' asks the name, 'qui,' like 'qualis,' Toios, the nature, while Wagner contends that in Virg. at least 'quis' is generally used in direct questions, 'qui' in indirect. No precise rule is laid down by Madvig (§ 88, obs. 1). Zumpt makes it a question of euphony, and Drakenborch thinks they are used indiscriminately. Nothing can be settled from the present passage, as Tityrus does not reply directly to the question. 19-25.] Why, I used to think Rome differed from Mantua only as a dog does from a puppy, but I found it was much more like the difference between a cypress and an osier.' Tityrus begins "ab ovo," in rustic fashion. This seems to have misled Apronianus, who thought Virg.'s deity might be not Octavianus, but Rome. 21.] Depellere,' or, in the full expression. depellere a lacte,' is to wean, 3. 82, 7. 15, G. 3. 187, &c.: and some take it so here, reading 'quoi' for 'quo,' or even rendering 'quo,' 'for' instead of 'to which.' But the sense requires something equivalent to going to the city. Pellere,' for driving a flock, is found in 'compellere,' 2.30, &c. The 'de' need not be explained by supposing that Andes was on a hill, which was not the case: it denotes the destination, as in deducere,' 'demittere navis (in portum),' &c. It may have been the custom in Columella's time to sell lambs very young, and it may be the custom now to sell them so young that they are obliged to be carried to the butcher: but these observations, though valuable as illustrations of the text, must not be allowed to override it. Keightley thinks Virg. may have misapprehended the technical sense of the word, not being a practical man: and it might also be suggested that he may have wished to combine the notions of weaning and taking to market. 22.] [Haedos' Rom., 'aedos' Pal. Gud. -H. N.] 23.] It may be questioned whether |