*' Columella, amongst the flowers proper for bees, mentions Gladiolum Narcissi; and for the forest trees he says: "Sylves"trium commodissime faciunt glandifera robora, quin etiam "terebinthus, nec dissimilis huic lentiscus, et odorata cedrus." Lib. IX. c. iv.-The "Lentum de cortice gluten" means gum, of the like, sweating out of trees. VER. 165169. "Sunt quibus ad portas cecidit custodia sorti : Ve * Columella gives the following account of the Fucus: "Est genus amplioris incrementi, simillimum apis, et, ut ait Vir"gilius, ignavum pecus, et sine industriâ favis assidens. Nam neque alimenta congerit, et ab aliis invecta consumit. "runtamen ad procreationem sobolis conferre aliquid hi fuci ❝ videntur insidentes seminibus, quibus apes figurantur: itaque "ad fovendam et educandam novam prolem familiariùs admit"tuntur. Exclusis deinde pullis, extra tecta proturbantur ; "et, ut idem ait, à praesepibus arcent." Lib. IX. c. xv. See ver. 244. VER. 180-183. "Fessae multâ referunt se nocte minores, "Crura thymo plenae: pascuntur et 1arbuta passim, "rer. *'"Arbores sunt probatissimae, Amygdalae, et Persici, atque Pyri; denique pomiferarum pleraeque, ne singulis immoCol. lib. IX. c. iv. In the same chapter afterwards: Nec minus caelestis numinis Hyacinthus, Corycius, item, Siculusque bulbus croci deponitur; qui coloret, odoretque "mella.' ** Columella names- Vel niveos, vel caeruleos hyacinthos, "Narcissique comas." In the same poem he calls hyacinthos, ferrugineos. VER. 190, 191. "Ubi jam thalamis se composuere, silètur VER. 197-202. "Illum adeo placuisse apibus mirabere morem, "Quod nec concubitu indulgent, nec corpora segnes "In venerem solvunt, aut foetus nixibus edunt. *1 Columella mentions this as a dispute among the naturalists: "Utrum examina, tanquam caetera videmus animalia, concu"bitu sobolem procreent, an haeredem generis sui floribus eli"gant; quod affirmat noster Maro." Lib. IX. c. vii. -Chapter the xivth, he remarks, that bees are so great enemies to venery, that he lays down this rule: "Maximè custodiendum "est curatori, qui apes nutrit, cum alvos tractare debebit, uti ઠંડ pridie castus sit ab rebus venereis." **As the king is of a larger size than the rest of the bees, so it was believed among the antients that the cell where the royal race was formed was distinct from the rest, and of a peculiar make, which Virgil seems to allude to. Columella has the following passage on this head: "Cera, in quâ regii generis proles "animatur facilis conspectu est, quoniam fere in ipso fine cerarum velut papilla uberis apparet eminentior, et laxioris fistu"lae quam sint reliqua foramina, quibus popularis notae pulli "detinentur," etc. Lib. IX. c. xi. કંદ VER. 215-218. "Ille operum custos, illum admirantur, et omnes "Circumstant fremitu denso, stipantque frequentes, "Et saepe attollunt humeris, et corpora bello "Objectant, pulchramque petunt per vulnera mortem,' servare *"Regem suum sequuntur quocunque it; et fessum sub"levant, et si nequit volare, succollant; quòd eum "volunt." Var. lib. III. c. xvi. "Apes ut hominum civitates, quod hic est et rex, et imperium, et societas." ibid. VER. 219-222. "His quidam signis, atque haec exempla secuti "Esse apibus partem * divinae mentis, et haustus "Aethereos dixere: Deum namque ire per omnes tr Terrasque, tractusque maris, caelumque profundum." * See Dr. Trapp's excellent dissertation on Virgil's philosophy, in his note on ver. 933 of his translation of the Aeneid, book VIth. VER. 231-235. "Bis gravidos cogunt foetus **, duo tempora messis, Täygete simul os terris ostendit honestum 66 Pleïas, et Oceani spretos pede reppulit amnes : "Aut eadem sidus fugiens ubi Piscis aquosi, > *See Sir G. Wheeler's account of the manner of ordering bees at mount Hymettus near Athens, with the time of taking the honey, p. 412. **Eximendorum favorum primum putant esse tempus "Vergiliarum exortu: Secundum, aestate exactâ; antequam "totus exoriatur Arcturus: Tertium, post Vergiliarum occa"sum. Et ita, si foecunda sit alvus, ut ne plus tertia pars exi"matur mellis, reliquum hiemationi relinquatur: si verò "alvus non sit fertilis, ubi quid eximatur, exemptio cum est major, neque universam, neque palam facere oportet, ne defici"ant animum." Var. lib. III. c. xvi. Who tells us expressly, that the Vergiliarum exortus is vi idus Mai. Vergiliarum occasus, vr id. Novemb. lib. I. c. xxx. et xxxiv.-If Columella differs from Varro and Virgil in some respects as to the seasons of taking the honey from the hives, yet he says twice expressly; "Mox vere transacto sequitur mellis vindemia, propter quam "totius anni labor exercetur:" And presently afterwards he gives his reasons for difference of time: "Adapertas alvos inspicies, ut sive semipleni favi sint, differantur; sive jam liquore completi, et superpositis ceris tanquam operculis obliti deme"tantur." Lib. IX. c. xv. And again, in the same chapter : "Priore messe, dum adhuc rura pastionibus abundant, quinta pars favorum; posteriore, cum jam metuitur hiems, tertia "relinquenda est. Atque hic tamen modus non est in omnibus "regionibus certus, quoniam pro multitudine florum et ubertate pabuli apibus consulendum est." 66 66 66 * Virgil, in speaking of the rising of the Pleiades, speaks of them in the singular number; and that personally. It is probable, that on some of the antient globes this was a distinct constellation from Taurus; and might be sometimes represented by one of the Sisters only; that named by Virgil. Aratus and Eratosthenes both speak of it [the Pleiades] as distinct from Taurus; and the latter calls it Πλειάς, and not Πλειάδες. †The moderns fling the Pleiades into Taurus: in the antient spheres, it was a constellation by itself; and that probably of the Sister, who represented all the rest. Aratus describes it as a distinct constellation near Perseus's left knee (ver. 254.), and speaks of Taurus so far before (ver. 167.), that there are eight constellations in the interval. Accordingly Taurus makes the 14th article in Eratosthenes, and the Pleiades the 23d. Manilius indeed places them, with the Hyades, in Taurus (I. 371.): but this is not the only thing that would make one think his work less antient, than it is pretended to be. See the Farnese globe in Polymetis, pl. xxxiv. Perhaps the hinder parts of Taurus were cut off in the old globes, on purpose to make room for this constellation. Eratosthenes, speaking of its place there, has these words: 'Exì rns àñoloμñs tov Ταύρε, τῆς καλεμένης Ράχεως, Πλειάς ἐςι. Λέγεσιν εἶναι τῶν τοῦ "Ατλαντος υδατέρων· διὸ καὶ Ἑπλάτερον καλεῖται· οὐχ ὁρῶνται δὲ ἁι ζ', ἀλλ ̓ αἱ ς'. In art. Πλειάς. Eratosthenes always speaks of her in the singular number; which, compared with this passage, may sufficiently confirm that it was the figure of one of the Sisters only, with the Seven Stars represented on it; whence it was called Enlasepov. 66 VER. 241-250. "Suffire thymo, cerasque recidere inanes "Quis dubitet? nam saepe favos ignotus adedit 4 "Quo magis exhaustae fuerint; hoc ** acrius omnes Complebuntque foros, et floribus horrea texent." *Columella speaks of frequent fumigations proper for bees; and directs," ut ab ortu Caniculae usque in Autumni aequi"noctium decimo quoque die alvi aperiendae sint et fumigandae; quod cum sit molestum examinibus, saluberrimum tamen esse "convenit." Lib. IX. c. xiv. 66 **Sedens, properly used, being a lazy posture. 3 * Hornet; called now in Italian, Calabrone. **Columella, speaking of the Fuci, says: "Ego Magoni "consentiens non in totum exterminari fucos oportere censeo, "ne apes inertiâ laborent: Quae, cum fuci aliquam partem "cibariorum absumunt, sarciendo damna fiunt agiliores." Lib. IX. c. xv. VER. 251-259. 1 "Si vero (quoniam *1 casus apibus quoque nostros 66 Exportant tectis, et tristia funera ducunt: L *As the Poet has carried on a comparison between bees and us through all parts of life almost, so he gives them our diseases too. **Columella, in his chapter De morbis apum, has copied Virgil, and given us almost a literal translation: "Ille morbus maximè est conspicuus, qui horridas contractasque carpit, cum frequenter aliae mortuarum corpora domiciliis suis "efferunt; aliae intra tecta, ut in publico luctu, moesto silentio "torpent. Id cum accidit arundineis infusi canalibus offeruntur 66 cibi, maxime decocti mellis, et cum Gallâ vel aridâ rosâ "detriti. Galbanum etiam, ut ejus odore medicentur, incendi "convenit. Passoque et defruto vetere fessas sustinere. Optimè tamen facit amelli radix, cujus est frutex luteus, purpureus flos: Ea cum vetere Amineo vino decocta exprimitur, "et ita liquatus ejus succus datur." Lib. IX. e. xiii. 66 66 VER. 271. "Est etiam flos in pratis, cui nomen * amello "Fecere agricolae." * Quaer. if the Aster Atticus? Columella calls it Frutex, lib. IX. c. iv. where, treating" de pastionibus apum,” after having enumerated several plants, he says: "Mille praeterea "semina vel crudo cespite virentia, vel subacta sulco flores "amicissimos apibus creant, ut sunt in irriguo solo frutices amelli," etc. Yet Frutex is used by him for very small plants; for in the next chapter he calls Thymus frutex. *Amelli frutex luteus, purpureus flos." Col. lib. IX. c. 13. VER. 275. " "Violae sublucet purpura nigrae." Virgil is very exact and picturesque in this expression. He shews the same sort of exactness, Georg. H. ver. 13; where he takes notice of the different colours of the upper and under side of the same leaf. "Glaucâ canentia fronde salicta." Purpureus is used by the botanists for the violet colour: See Camden's Britannia; Plants in Hampshire. 66 VER. 281-285. દ "Nec genus unde novae stirpis revocetur, habebit; |