JORTIN'S CRITICAL REMARKS ON VIRGIL. VIRGIL is so good a poet, that it is almost ridiculous to commend him. If I should say that he is the best of the Latin poets, I should I should only add my opinion to that of all good judges. I rather choose to observe that he is not much superior to Lucretius, and that it was no small advantage to him to have had so excellent a poet before him. If any one thinks that Lucretius ought not to be placed so near to Virgil, let him try whether he can find better lines in Virgil than these: "Apparet Divum numen, sedesque quietae: "Quas neque concutiunt venti, neque nubila nimbis 66 "Cana cadens violat; semperque innubilus aether 66 Integit, et large diffuso lumine ridet." iii. 18. Of all the Latin poets, none has come down to us less corrupted than Virgil, which is owing, amongst other causes, to the ancient manuscripts, which Pierius made so good use of, and to the notes of Servius. GEORG. II. 285. Virgil advises to set trees at certain distances from each other, in a regular order, "Non animum modo uti pascat prospectus inanem ; Not only for the bare pleasure which arises from a regular prospect, but because the trees thrive the better. Aen. I. 468. "Animum pictura pascit inani." GEORG. III. 432. Speaking of a serpent, he says, "Postquam exusta palus, terraeque ardore dehiscunt, "Exsilit in siccum, et flammantia lumina torquens "Saevit agris, asperque siti atque exterritus aestu.” "Exterritus aestu," frightened at the heat. I used to think it should be " exercitus aestu," tormented with heat. I find in Ursinus, that "exercitus" is in a very good manuscript which he made use of. GEORG. IV. 405. "Verum ubi correptum manibus vinctisque tenebis;" Might it not be, "manicis." So ver: 439, Aen. II. 145. 66 Ipse viro primus manicas atque arcta levari "Vincla jubet Priamus.' But I think the common reading may do very well. GEORG. IV. 415. "Liquidum ambrosiae diffundit odorem: "Quo totum nati corpus perduxit." Servius his note is "Unxit eum quo posset esse videndi numinis capax." It should be, I think," vincendi," or "vinciendi numinis capax." She anointed him to give him strength to struggle with Proteus. I suppose that was what Servius intended to say; and it seems confirmed by what follows in Virgil, "Habilis membris venit vigor." See Hom. Odyss. A. v. 384, &c., whom Virgil has here imi tated. GEORG. IV. 516. "Nulla Venus, non ulli animum flexere hymenaei." "Nulla Venus, nulli animum flexere hymenaei." Virgil has a great many such hiatus's. And, wherever almost an hiatus occurs, the transcribers have botched up the verse one foolish way or other, as appears from the various readings. 66 AEN. I. 271. "At puer Ascanius, (cui nunc cognomen Iulo 66 I believe if Virgil had revised his poem he would have struck out what is here in a parenthesis. They are the words of Jupiter to Venus, who could not want to be informed of any of the names of Ascanius. AEN. I. 604. "Grates persolvere dignas "Non opis est nostrae, Dido "Dii tibi, si qua pios respectant numina, si quid Perhaps it should be "ferent." That is, "Dii tibi, et consei"entia, qua nullum virtuti theatrum majus est, reddent praemia, quibus nos non sumus reddendis." So Aen. IX. 252. Aletes, praising Nisus and Euryalus says; 66 "Quae vobis, quae digna, viri, pro laudibus istis "Praemia posse rear solvi? pulcherrima primum So here it may be with "ferent;" that it may be an affirmation and not a wish. Though we cannot reward you, you cannot miss of a recompense. Sinon says, AEN. II. 154. "Vos, aeterni ignes, et non violabile vestrum By" aeterni ignes," are understood the sun and moon, or the sun, moon, and stars, to whom they used commonly to address themselves in their most solemn oaths and invocations. A learned author corrects this place, and reads, « et non violabile Vestae "Testor numen." Thus he makes" aeterni ignes" to signify the sacred fires of Vesta, which were kept ever burning; and thus Sinon swears by what was most sacred amongst the Trojans. Aen. II. 296. « Sic ait: et manibus vittas, Vestamque potentem, 66 Aeternumque adytis effert penetralibus ignem.” The alteration is very ingenious; but there is a difficulty attending it, which arises from Sinon's behaviour and gesture when he swears. In Homer, when Althaea, the mother of Meleager, calls upon the Gods below to punish her son, she strikes the ground with her hand, σε ή ρα θεοῖσι “ Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ΓΑΙΑΝ πολυφόρβην ΧΕΡΣΙΝ ΑΛΟΙΑ, Il. I. 562. And when Juno calls upon the infernal Deities, she uses the same action, « Αὐτίκ ̓ ἔπειτ' ἠρᾶτο βοῶπις πότνια "Ηρη, « ΧΕΙΡΙ ΚΑΤΑΠΡΗΝΕΙ Δ' ΕΛΑΣΕ ΧΘΟΝΑ, καὶ σε φάτο μῦθον, σε Κέκλυτε νῦν μοι, Γαῖα καὶ Οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὑπερθεν, σε Τιτηνές τε θεοίὶ, τοὶ ὑπὸ χθονὶ ναιετάοντες 66 Τάρταρον ἀμφὶ μέγαν.” Hymn. ad Αpollin. ver. 332. In Virgil, when Cloanthus makes a vow to the sea-gods, he stretches out his hands to the waves. Aen. V. 233. 66 palmas ponto tendens utrasque Cloanthus." Sinon lifts up his hands to the skies, "Sustulit exutas vinclis ad sidera palmas ;" And says immediately, "Vos aeterni ignes." By which words, if Vesta's fires had been meant, Sinon would have stretched out his hands towards Troy, where those fires were burning. AEN. II. 213. -"Et primum parva duorum 66 Corpora natorum serpens amplexus uterque 66 There is no fault to be found with this reading. But I fancy that in Servius's copy it was, 66 For this is his note; "IMPLICAT. Hoc ad mollitiem infantum corporis dixit." There is no sense in this. To make sense of it, it must be, "TENEROS. Hoc ad mollitiem," &c. But I will not be positive that even thus there is much sense in it, or that this note was written by Servius. AEN. III. 70. "Et lenis crepitans vocat Auster in altum." Some MSS. have "lene;" which Cunningham, in his Horace, says is the true reading. I think he is mistaken. If you place the words thus in construction, "Lenis Auster crepitans vocat,' you may defend it by an hundred examples; nothing being more commonly to be met with in the best poets than two epithets, one of which is a participle. So that Servius trifles when he says, "Duo epitheta posuit "vitiose." But I understand the place thus; " Auster, lenis crepitans, |