facturae sint, velut militaria signa moventium tumultus ac "murmur exoritur; ex quo, ut verissime dicit Virgilius, "Corda licet," etc. Lib. IX. c. ix. * Duces conficiunt quaedam ad vocem ut imitatione tubae: "tum id faciunt, cum inter se signa pacis et belli habeant." Var. lib. III. c. xvi. VER. 86-90.. "Hi motus animorum, atque haec certamina tanta, * Deterior qui visus; eum, ne prodigus obsit, *This is confirmed by Columella, who says; "Pugna qui"dem vel unius examinis inter se dissidentis, vel duorum discor"dantium, facile compescitur: nam, ut idem Virgilius ait, "Pulveris exigui jactu compressa quiescit ; "aut mulso, passove, aut alio quovis liquore simili resperso; "videlicet familiari dulcedine saevientium iras mitigante." Lib. IX. c. ix. Varro directs the use of this stratagem, to make bees hive, when swarming (see ver. 65. note); but Virgil employs it better here: after having given a lofty description of their engagement, the quelling them in so easy a manner makes a pretty contrast. * Virgil afterwards describes the two sorts of bees; Varro directs," Animadvertat mellarius, nè reguli plures exis"tant; inutiles enim fiunt propter seditiones. Et, ut quidam "dicunt, tria genera cùm sint ducum in apibus, niger, ruber, "varius; ut Menecrates scribit, duo, niger et varius; expediat "mellario, cum duo sint eâdem alvo, interficere nigrum," etc. And again; "De reliquis apibus optima est parva, varia, "rotunda. Fur, qui vocatur ab aliis fucus, alter est lato "ventre." Lib. III. c. xvi. VER. 95-99. "Ut binae regum facies, ita corpora gentis: "Aridus: elucent aliae, et fulgore coruscant, "Ardentes auro, et paribus lita corpora guttis." * Varro remarks this of bees looking "pulverulentae, et "horridae," when they are sick." Minus valentium signa, si "sunt pilosae et horridae, ut pulverulentae, nisi opificii eas "urget tempus. Tum enim propter laborem asperantur ac macescunt." Lib. III. c. xvi. 66 66 VER. 103-108. "Cum incerta volant caeloque examina ludunt, "Nec magnus prohibere labor: tu regibus * alas "Ire iter, aut castris audebit vellere signa." * Columella, having mentioned the several sorts of bees described by Aristotle, adds; " Ejus auctoritatem sequens Virgi"lius maximè probat parvulas, oblongas, leves, nitidas, ardentes "auro, et paribus lita corpora guttis." Lib. IX. c. iii. And again, chapter the tenth, which is entitled, "Quae sit forma regis apum," he contents himself with quoting Virgil's description with very little variation. And at the end of that chapter he adds; "Rex tamen et ipse spoliandus est alis, ubi saepius cum "examine suo conatur, eruptione factâ, profugere: nam velut "quâdam compede retinebimus erronem ducem detractis alis," etc. which confirms Virgil's precept: regibus alas Eripe." VER, 112-115. "Ipse thymum * pinosque ferens de montibus altis, "Tecta serat late circum, cui talia curae : 66 66 Ipse labore manum duro terat, ipse feraces Figat humo plantas, et amicos irriget imbres." * By joining these two together, Virgil plainly shews that he means wild thyme. In his instructions what should be planted near the hives, and likewise in his description of the garden of the Senex Corycius, this plant is not mentioned, though frequently in other places; being the plant which bees chiefly feed on, and are most fond of." Ut cytisum aptissimum ad sanita"tem apium, sic ad mellificium thymum. Propter quod Sicu"lum mel fert palmam, quod ibi thymum bonum et frequens "est. Itaque quidam thymum contundunt in pilâ, et disuunt "in aquâ tepida; eo conspergunt omnia seminaria consita apium "causâ." Var. lib. III. c. xvi. 66 VER. 120-124. Quôque modo potis gauderent intyba rivis, "Et virides apio ripae, tortusque per herbam "Cresceret in ventrem, cucumis : nec sera comantem 66 Pallentesque hederas, et amantes litora myrtos." **Columella says; "Apium praecipuè aquâ laetatur, et ideo ❝ secundum fontem commodissimè ponitur.' Lib. II. c. iii. ** Pliny says of the Acanthos, "Est topiaria et urbana herba, "elato longoque folio, crepidines marginum assurgentiumque "pulvinorum toros vestiens. Duo genera ejus sunt, aculeatum "et crispum, quod brevius; alterum, leve; quod aliqui "Paederota vocant, alii Melamphyllum." Lib. XXII. c. xxii. VER. 125-132. 66 "Sub Oebaliae memini me turribus altis, "Qua niger humectat flaventia culta *1 Galesus, "Nec pecori opportuna seges, nec commoda Baccho. 66 *Now called, Galese, Livy says, that this river is five miles from Tarento. "Hannibal Tarenti reliquit modicum "praesidium, Ipse profectus cum caeteris copiis ad Galesum "flumen (quinque millia ab urbe abest) posuit castra." Lib. XXV. c. xi. From Livy's whole account of Hannibal's taking Tarento, it is very manifest, that his camp was on the east side of the town, or towards Gallipoli; for as the entrance of the port, or Mare Piccolo, was commanded by the castle, which was still maintained against him, consequently he could enter Tarento by land no other way than by going quite round the Mare Piccolo, and his camp being within five miles of the town must of course be of the same side too; and therefore the Galesus must empty itself either into the Mare Piccolo on that side, or into the great sea between Tarento and Gallipoli. This river, being in a country much inhabited by Grecians, took its name, as one may imagine from Taha, Lac, being a milky stream; in allusion to which Martial calls it, Albus Galesus: "Albi quae superas oves Galesi." But Virgil, considering the river in another view, as much shaded by trees on its banks, calls it Niger, by way of contrast to the etymology of its name. The epithet Flaventia, given to Culta, adds a new beauty to the picture. *2 The “ Spineta Galesi," mentioned by Propertius, are agreeable to Virgil's "relicti jugera ruris;" and his, "in dumis.” It may perhaps be objected, that the "flaventia culta," mentioned by Virgil near the Galesus, and the description he gives of the garden of the Corycius senex, which he calls “relictum "rus," and "in dumis," and which he places likewise near the Galesus, don't very well agree: but whoever sees this country must be convinced of the justness of the Poet's description; and will find the same opposite variety in the face of the whole country, as in the Poet; viz. a mixture of wild rough ground, and very rich land. And Strabo, in his description of this country, gives us the like representation of it: Τῶν Ιαπυγίων χώρα παραδόξως ἐςὶν ἀγεία, &c. Lib. VI. Relicti, not ploughed, or cultivated. Columella uses this word in the same sense, where he opposes Relictum to Tractatum: "Nullum deterius habetur terreni genus quàm quod est "siccum, pariter et densum et macrum; quia cum difficulter "tractetur, tum ne tractatum quidem gratiam refert, nec re"lictum (i. e. non tractatum, non cultum) pratis vel pascuis "abunde sufficit." Lib. II. c. ii. VER. 135-141. 1 "Cum tristis hiems etiam nunc frigore saxa *1 The Romans used to trim their plants as we do now. Pliny speaks of the "topiario opere buxus tonsilis," lib. XVI. c. xvi. and of the "tonsilis cupressus," c. xxxiii. *Here the Poet shews that he had not wandered so far out of the way, but that he kept his subject still in view. Horace celebrates the honey of Tarentum, particularly on the banks of Galesus : "Ille terrarum mihi praeter omnes *Notwithstanding Virgil mentions the Tilia in a garden abounding with bees, Columella says, "Tiliae solae ex omnibus "sunt nocentes, Taxi repudiantur," lib. IX. c. iv. Again, Virgil says of his bees; " Pascuntur-pinguem tiliam," ver. 183. 66 VER. 144-148. "Ille etiam seras in versum distulit ulmos, Eduramque pirum, et spinos jam pruna ferentes, "Jamque ministrantem platanum potantibus umbras. "Verum haec ipse equidem, spatiis exclusus iniquis, "Praetereo, atque aliis post commemoranda relinquo." *This word Distulit expresses something more than bare transplanting, as it is commonly translated: It implies the distance which was to be observed in planting tall elms. *This verse gave occasion to Columella to write his tenth book in verse, though all the rest of his works were in prose; as he testifies himself, Praef. in lib. X. "Cultus hortorum sicut "institueram prosâ oratione prioribus subnecteretur exordiis, "nisi propositum meum expugnasset frequens postulatio tua, "Silvine; quae pervicit, ut poeticis numeris explerem Georgici "carminis omissas partes, quas tamen et ipse Virgilius signifi"caverat posteris post se memoranda relinquere. Neque enim "aliter istud nobis fuerat audendum, quàm ex voluntate vatis “maximè venerandi. Cujus quasi numine instigante, aggressi sumus tenuem admodum et penè viduatam corpore mate"riam."And in the beginning of his poem, "Hortorum 66 quoque te," etc., where observe he uses, "Spatiis exclusus iniquis;" not Disclusus. 66 66 VER. 149-152. "Nunc age, naturas apibus quas Jupiter ipse * Columella observes, that Virgil has only modestly hinted at one of the fables of the origin of bees. And having mentioned several fabulous traditions from other authors, particularly, "Jovis extitisse nutrices, easque pabula munere Dei "sortitas, quibus ipsae parvum educaverant alumnum," he adds: "Ista quamvis non dedeceant poetam, summatim tamen, "et uno tantummodo versiculo leviter attigit Virgilius, cum "sic ait: "Dictaeo caeli regem pavere sub antro." Perhaps the reason why the Poet touched so slightly on this fable was, because he had a long fable to tell at the latter end of this book; he knew how, servare modum." 66 VER. 160-162. "Pars intra septa domorum "Narcissi lacrymam, et lentum de cortice gluten, |