: the furnace with the flames." Levi primum igne et tenuibus "admodum lignis, quae cremia rustici appellant, fornacem "incendemus, ut ex commodo mustum ferveat," &c. Col. lib. XII. c. xix. 2 VER. 297. "At rubicunda *1 Ceres medio ** succiditur aestu." Antequam ex toto grana indurescant, cùm rubicundum colorem traxerunt, messis facienda est." Col. lib. II. c. xxi. ** So " Supponat," ver. 348. The compound is used, in both places, to express the manner of reaping. See Varro. lib. I. c. 1. VER. 302. "Invitat + genialis hiems, curasque resolvit." +Alluding to their Saturnalia, which answered to our merry time of Christmas. They had their Christmas jests too; "Postulat ecce novos ebria Bruma sales." Mart. pref. to lib. XIII. "Jocos Decembris." Id. X. 85. It was a time of debauch; "Et toto vinum nescire Decembri." Juv. Sat. VII. And of feasting; "Acceptus geniis December." Ov. Fast. III. See the last poem in Statius's Sylv. lib. I. VER. 304, 305. "Ceu pressae cum jam portum tetigere carinae, * Suetonius mentions this custom. "Forte Puteolanum "sinum praetervehenti vectores nautaeque de navi Alexandrinâ, quae tantum quod adpulerat, candidati, coronatique, et thura "libantes fausta omina et laudes congesserant," etc. In Aug. c. xcviii. 66 66 VER. 316-321. Saepe ego, cum flavis messorum induceret arvis "Quae gravidam late segetem ab radicibus imis "Ferret hiems culmumque levem, stipulasque volantes." 1 *' This epithet is very proper. Columella, speaking of barley, says, "Ubi paulum maturuerit, festinantius quàm ullum aliud "frumentum demetendum erit, nam et fragili culmo, et nullâ "vestitum paleâ, granum ejus celeriter decidit." Lib. II. c. ix. * See in Pliny and others the several ways of reaping.-See Ecl. IX. 61. note.-Quaer. If Stringeret does not imply the reaping in haste? 2 *3 The Poet takes occasion here to observe, that the regular seasons are frequently interrupted by storms, etc. Piny in the same manner, after having discoursed "de temporibus serendi," proceeds thus-"Cum omnia haec statis sideribus coeloque affixis constent, interveniunt motu stellarum (i. e. by the "planets) grandines, imbres, et ipsi non levi effectu, ut docui"mus, turbantque conceptae spei ordinem.-Ideo Virgilius "errantium quoque siderum rationem ediscendam praecipit, "admonens observandum frigidae Saturni stellae transitum." Lib. XVIII. c. xxv. VER. 328-333. "Ipse pater, media nimborum in nocte, † corusca 66 Dejicit ingeminant Austri, et densissimus imber." This is supposed to be taken from some antient painting. See Pol. VI. 36. 1 66 VER. 335-337. "*1 Hoc metuens, coeli *2 menses et sidera serva; 3 Frigida Saturni sese quo stella receptet: Quos ignis coeli Cylennius erret in orbes." By these three verses Virgil advises the countrymen to observe the twelve signs of the zodiac, and the other constellations, and likewise the planets.-That Pliny understood him in this sense, I think, plainly appears from the beginning of the twenty-fifth chapter of his eighteenth book. See note *3 on ver. 318. anteh. 2 * A very pretty expression for the twelve signs. 3 *This epithet is given to Saturn, because he was supposed by the antients to preside over cold. The Aegyptian priest in Lucan, explaining to Caesar the different powers of the heavenly bodies, says; "Frigida Saturno glacies et zona nivalis "Cessit; habet ventos, incertaque fulmine Mavors." Phars. X. 205. 1 VER. 347-350. "Neque ante "Falcem maturis quisquam 1 supponat aristis, *1See second note on ver. 297. *The worship here directed must be different from the Ambarvalia, just before mentioned by Virgil. For that feast, we find, was, "Extremae sub casum hiemis; whereas this was just before harvest, when they adorned themselves with garlands of oak. I have seen the Florentine peasants in the month of July dancing and singing, in the manner here described, crowned with garlands of oak. ** Horace tells us, that Poetry in Italy began first at their harvest feasts. Lib. II. Ep. i. ver. 139. 66 1 Agricolae prisci, fortes, parvoque beati, x. 7. λ. VER. 379, 380. "Saepius et tectis penetralibus extulit ova * The emphasis, as I take it, is to be laid upon saepius. The observation relating to the hurry ants are in, against bad weather; when they run out and in, and carry their eggs backward and forward, several times. 66 Imperfecto complectitur aëra gyro "Oceanumque bibit." Lucan. Phars. lib. IV. ver. 79. Where the bow is represented as dark, and cloudy, and imperfect; portending an inundation. It is now a common opinion that the rainbow sometimes por. tends fair weather, at other times rain. The like opinion prevailed among the antients; and when the bow appeared dark and watery at either end towards the horizon, then they said, "bibit arcus.". -Plautus makes one of his actors, on seeing a crooked old woman drinking, say very humorously; "Ecce autem bibit arcus, pluet, credo herclè hodie." Curcul. act. I. Seneca in his Nat. Quaest. lib. I. cap. vi. confirms what is said, that the rainbow sometimes portended rain, sometimes fair weather. VER. 388, 389. "Tum cornix plenâ pluviam vocat improba voce; * Servius reads it raucâ.-Pliny observes of the Corvi, "Pessima eorum significatio, cum glutiunt vocem, velut stran 66 gulati." Lib. X. c. xii. VER. 393, 394. "Nec minus ex* imbri soles et aperta serena Prospicere, et certis poteris cognoscere signis.” * Dr. Martyn reads eximbres, thinking this more poetical than the common reading; and says it is certain that Virgil's meaning could not be, that these observations are to be made during the rain, etc. With submission, I think that "ex imbri" does not necessarily signify whilst it actually rains, but rather immediately after a shower. During which interval one may judge whether the bad weather is like to continue, or not." Virgil here gives us prognostics of the latter; and Prospicere plainly intimates something future; and shews Virgil's meaning to be, when the weather is not quite settled, but going to change from bad to good. We find too afterwards, vers. 413, that the showers are but just over, when the ravens foretell a change, and promise fair weather: "Juvat imbribus actis "Progeniem parvam dulcesque revisere nidos." VER. 395-397. "Nam neque tum stellis acies obtusa videtur, *These fleecy thin clouds are signs of rain: "Si nubes ut "vellera lanae spargentur multae ab oriente, aquam in triduum "praesagiunt." Plin. lib. XVIII. c. ult. As Virgil and Pliny call these thin clouds, "vellera lanae ;' so Ovid likens a fleece, carded by Arachne, to a cloud. Jupiter humidus † Austris "Densat, erant quae rara modo; et, quae densa relaxat." + See Pol. xiii. 71 VER. 430, 431. "At si virgineum suffuderit ore ruborem "Ventus erit: vento semper rubet aurea * Phoebe." *The common epithet given to the Moon is Argentea; on this occasion the Poet more properly and very prettily calls her Aurea. VER. 432-435. "Sin ortu in 1 quarto (namque is certissimus auctor) "Pura, neque obtusis per coelum cornibus ibit; "Totus et ille dies, et qui nascentur ab illo "Exactum ad mensem, pluviâ ventisque carebunt." * Quartam Lunam maximè observat Aegyptus. Si splen"dens exorta puro nitore fulserit, serenitatem; si rubicunda, "ventos portendere creditur." Plin. lib. XVIII. cap. ult. **M. Annaeus Seneca has quoted this passage at large in his 3d Suasoria, and all the editions of that author have it," Plena,' 66 neque obtusis." Yet, notwithstanding this ancient and good authority, we find in all printed copies of Virgil the word Pura substituted instead of Plena. 'Tis pretended indeed by And. Schottus, that in Mss. of Seneca, he found the word, as in the printed copies of Virgil, Pura; and contends that it ought to be so. But, besides the testimony of the best editions of that author, it seems evident, from the whole tenor of Seneca's discourse, that he read the word Plena; and the chief stress of his argument depends upon it. And therefore I make no doubt but this is the genuine reading; and, with submission, I think it likewise far preferable to the other. For Pura conveys no idea to us more than "neque obtusis cornibus;" but Plena does. The whole of Virgil's observation is this: When on the first appearance of a New Moon the horns are dim, and the space within the horns dark and black, then we are threatened with bad weather. But on the contrary, when on the fourth day of the Moon the horns appear sharp, and the space between them so bright (as may be observed in a clear sky) that the whole circle or face of the Moon is plainly distinguishable, which is the purport of Plena, then it portends good weather. Any one may easily perceive, that the word in this place is very expressive, and the opposition between "Luna plena" and "in ortu quarto" enlivens the thought; and therefore, I sup pose, 'tis admired by Seneca as a shorter, more easy, and happier expression than what he quotes from Fuscus Arellius: "Luna, sive plena lucis suae est splendensque, pariter assurgit "in cornua:" which is dull and languid in comparison of Virgil, and contains no more in such a number of words than Virgil has |