BOOK VI., Æn., p. 361, 1. 367,

for "And, with his hundred hands, Briareus ;"
read "And Briarèus with his hundred hands ;".

Book III., G., p. 103, 1. 188,-for "call" read "call'd." Book IV., G., p. 181, l. 626,—for “sailed” read “sail'd.” p. 181, 1. 627,-for "mourned" read "mourn'd."

PREFACE TO
TO THE THIRD VOLUME.

THE Third and last Volume of my Translation of Virgil's works is now presented to my friends. It contains his wellknown Georgics and Bucolics, or Eclogues, as well as other Poems of which his Authorship has by some people been considered doubtful; yet most of which I can, I believe, for reasons assigned underneath, prove to have been composed by him.

The works I claim to be Virgil's are the " Ciris," with three of the "Catalecta," also the "Copa," the "Moretum," and the "Culex," all of which are reprinted in this volume. Moreover, they are all contained in Gilbert Wakefield's beautifully printed edition of the year 1796; also in the Heyne-Wagner editions of 1821 and 1832, respectively.

In the " Ciris," verse 398, and in the " Georgics," IV., 49, one and the same line is repeated verbatim in the expression "Cara deum soboles magnum Jovis incrementum."

66

The whole of the last four lines of the Ciris" are precisely the same, word for word, as verses 406-9, Book I., of the Georgies."

I am indebted to a correspondent for bringing to my notice that there are two lines in the Latin text of the

VIIIth Bucolic (lines 19 and 20, page 238) which exactly correspond with two in the "Ciris" (lines 405 and 406, page 294) :

Dum queror; et divos, quanquam nil testibus illis
Profeci, extrema moriens tamen alloquor hora.

Translated as follows:

BUCOLICS :

Complain, and, dying, address the gods, although

In my last hour I've nothing profited

By invocating them as witnesses.

CIRIS :

Complain; and in my dying hours address

The gods, although I have not profited

By them as witnesses.

Verses 470 and 489 of Book IV., "Georgics," embrace precisely the same idea as that contained in verses 293-4 of the "Culex."

Verse 3 of No. VI. of the "Catalecta," "Ad Venerem," proves its author to have been the author of the "Eneid."N.B. This No. VI., Catalecta," is by the Rev. J. Warton, in vol. I., p. 34, of the Rev. Mr. Pitt's "Eneid" (Dodsley), headed" Dedicatio Eneidos." See, also, the Heyne-Wagner edition (London, Black & Co., 1832) in foot-note to "Catalecta" VI., p. 353. Est votum pro suscepto opere nuncupatum." No. X., also, of the "Catalecta," "Ad Villam Syronis," referring to Mantua and Cremona, almost proves Virgil its author.

As to the Moretum," the language used throughout declares the little interesting poem to be his alone.

After my translation was completed, I unexpectedly met, in the poet Cowper's Works, with his translation of the

Moretum," which, in a foot-note appended thereto, is con

sidered on the authority of Heyne to be Virgil's composition. I have not compared my blank verse with Cowper's rhymes. Respecting the cognomen of "Ciris," "Ceiris Οι “ Κεΐρις, " I wish to remark that, as the Greek word “

Κείρειν ” signifies to cut short (the hair), the name of the damsel who clips the golden lock from off her parent's head may have been obtained from that source, and most likely the English word "to shear" has been similarly derived.

66

I cannot understand, in reference to lines 406 to 409 of Book I. of the "Georgics," repeated as before observed, in the Ciris" (last four lines), why Dryden, in his preface to Virgil's works, and some other writers, have spoken of Ciris as being a "Lark." Jos. Scaliger in his "Poematia Virgilii, Lugduni Batavorum" (A.D. 1817) says: "Ciris est Egretta Gallorum," and, in his Index thereto, "Ciris non est Alauda" ("Ciris is not a Lark"); then, at page 83, Egrettam venatur Falco," and "Ergo Haliæetus (Nisus) Virgilii est Falco noster." The falcon is a kind of eagle; therefore "Haliaeetus" (as, indeed, its name denotes) is a sea-eagle. The egret is a kite or hawk ; therefore, here 66 a fish-hawk;" which bird the white-headed sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus ") pursues, and why he does so, the reader will ascertain by reference to page 206 of the

Treasury of Natural History," 1870, where he will find an exact though, of course, an unintentional explanation of the above four lines of Virgil, describing the interesting evolutions of the two birds in question, appearing as if alternately in pursuit each of the other. I noticed something similar myself, many years since, at the sports given by the King of Lucknow to Lord Combermere, Commander-in-Chief in India, when a falcon was despatched in pursuit of a duck, previously let loose for the purpose. Each bird endeavoured to attain a higher flight than the other in beautiful gyrations;

but it ended in the falcon's getting above and pouncing down upon its quarry, when both came rolling over and over through the air until they reached the ground.

It is interesting to find that Virgil's description of the reproduction of Bees, as contained in the IVth. Book of his "Georgies," is confirmed by the Holy Scriptures in the story of Sampson in the XIVth. chapter of the Book of Judges (v. 8): "And, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the Lion."

T. SEYMOUR BURT,

F.R.S., M.R.A.S., &c.

PIPPBROOK HOUSE,

DORKING, SURREY.

October 11th, 1882.