GEORGIC THE SECOND. VER. 4-6. "Huct, pater, ô Lenaee: tuis hic omnia plena This was either part of an antient prayer to Bacchus, or is new made, for the use of the countrymen, by Virgil, in the same manner as Ovid has made one for them in his Fasti. They first desire him to favour them with his looking toward them, which they thought occasioned the fertility of their vines; and next to favour them with his actual presence among them in their labours, at the vintage. Mr. Holdsworth observes, that Montfaucon has some figures relating to the latter, in his Antiquities. He was called Lenaeus from this, as Ruaeus observes, and Mr. Holdsworth proves from Diodorus Siculus.—Τὸν δὲ ἦν Διόνυσον ἐπελθόντα μετὰ στρατοπέδες πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διδάξαι τὴν φυλαν τῆς ἀμπέλι καὶ τὴν ἐν ταῖς λήνοις ἀπόθλιψιν τῶν βοτρύων, ἀφ ̓ ἔ Ληναῖον αὐτὸν ὀνόμασθῆναι. Diodor. Sic. p. 138. Virgil reminds the husbandmen of praying to Bacchus toward the close of this book, as well as in the entrance on it. See ver. 529. VER. 9-11. "Principio arboribus varia est natura creandis: "Namque aliae, rullis hominum cogentibus, ipsae 66 Sponte suâ veniunt." Varro, lib. I. c. xl. says, "Semen, quod est principium oriendi, duplex; unum, quod latet nostrum sensum; alterum quod apertum." And then proceeds: "Latet, si sunt semina in aëre, ut ait Physicus Anaxagoras," etc. The antients might perhaps be of opinion, that all plants had not seed: Virgil seems to favour that opinion by his "Non ullo semine," G. I. 22. but that does not seem to be his meaning here. He mentions one (viz. Genista) which he must know to have seed; and therefore I rather believe, he means self-sown plants, and adds, "Nullis hominum cogentibus," to explain his meaning. 66 "Arbores, quas naturae debeamus, tribus modis nascuntur; sponte, aut semine, aut ab radice," etc. Pliny, lib. XVI. c. xxxii. And, in the beginning of the following book, he says: "Natura arborum, terrâ marique sponte sua provenientium, "dicta est: restat earum, quae arte et humanis ingeniis fiunt "veriùs quam nascuntur." VER. 14. "Pars autem * posito surgunt de semine.”. * Posito, according to Catrou, in this place signifies fallen naturally: "Positas ut glaciet nives "Puro numine Jupiter." Hor. lib. III. od. x. I see not any occasion of limiting the word to that meaning, but understand it in the common sense. Virgil certainly intends to bring under this head, all trees raised from seed set by hand; which he properly calls natural propagation, being so, or at least dictated by nature; whereas under the next class, he reckons up only such methods of propagation as are purely the inventions of art, and discoveries made by experience.Under this first class are comprehended, 1st, Trees that grow "sponte suâ," as explained above: 2dly, Trees raised from seed set or sown: 3dly, All trees raised or growing from the suckers of the roots.These three sorts he repeats again from ver 47 to 60, and shews how they may be improved, and what disadvantage there ensues by leaving them to nature. -I take therefore "posito de semine" to signify seed "set by hand," or set regularly as in nurseries; in opposition to those just before mentioned, which he says, "nullis hominum cogentibus, ipsae "Sponte suâ veniunt." And such trees as are raised from seed set by hand, belong properly to this class of trees raised naturally; for though art is employed therein, yet nature shewed the way. "Hos natura modos primùm dedit."———————— Virgil afterwards makes use of the same expression, "Positis seminibus," speaking of vine-layers planted out: 66 "Seminibus positis, superest deducere terram 355. When Virgil speaks of seed scattered naturally or sown by hand without attention, or regularity, he makes use of the word Jactis: "Jam quae seminibus jactis se sustulit arbos 57. He observes that seed sown in that manner must degenerate, and therefore advises to set them regularly, as in nurseries: * Aesculus, atque habitae Graiis oracula quercus." There is a species of oak in Spain, that bears a sweet acorn which the people eat as commonly as chestnuts. Quaer. If not the Aesculus? and how called there?‡ VER. 17-19. "Pullulat ab radice aliis densissima sylva; Strictly speaking, our Laurel is the Lauro, or Lauro Regio, of the Italians; and our Bays, their Alloro: but our Poets, as well as theirs, use the words indifferently. Laurus was used too by the Roman writers indifferently, for the Laurel, and Bays. Pliny, speaking of the Laurus, says: "Duo ejus genera tradit "Cato: Delphicam et Cypriam: Delphicam, aequali colore, "viridiorem maximis baccis, atque è viridi rubentibus: hâc vic"tores Delphis coronari, et triumphantes Romae. Cypriam "esse folio brevi, nigro, per margines imbricato, crispam." Nat. Hist. lib. XV. c. xxx. sub initio. It was the Laurel or Laurus Delphica, with which their Poets were crowned: "Sume superbiam "Quaesitam meritis, et mihi Delphicâ "Lauro cinge volens, Melpomene, comam." Hor. lib. III. od. xxx. ver. 16. And it is hence the same Poet calls it Laurea Apollinaris, lib. IV. od. ii. 9. and Virgil here Parnassia. 1 66 VER. 23, 24. "Hic plantas tenero abscindens de corpore matrum Deposuit sulcis; hic stirpes ** obruit * arvo." *1 Not shoots or suckers from the foot of the tree, but slips from the young branches. The word Tenero being added, in It is the Bellota, and is very generally used for food by the poorer peasantry, particularly in the Asturias.-Editor. E clines me to prefer this meaning. Besides, Virgil comes afterwards, in a more proper place, to speak of the planting out of suckers, ver. 53, etc. ** Pliny speaks of this way of planting figs: "Optimè qui"dem nascitur ficus, si vastiore ramo pali modo exacuto adigatur altè, exiguo super terram relicto capite, eoque ipso "arenâ cooperto." Lib. XVII. c. xvii.This is very well expressed by Obruit. 66 * Arvum dicitur quod aratum necdum satum est." Var. De re rust. lib. I. c. xxix. VER. 28, 29. "Nil radicis egent aliae; summumque putator "Haud dubitat terrae referens mandare * cacumen." *Some plants, may be set reversed with their heads downwards; and that this was known and practised formerly is plain from Columella, who gives particular orders not to plant olives so." Tiliae serrâ praecidantur, atque earum plagae utrâque "parte falce leventur, et rubricâ notentur; ut sic quemadmo"dum in arbore steterat ramus, ita parte imâ terram, et cacu"mine caelum spectans deponatur. Nam si inversa mergatur, "difficulter comprehendet; et cum validiùs convaluerit, sterilis "in perpetuum erit." Lib. V. c. ix.-And; " Opuli meliùs ca"cuminibus in arbusto protinus deponuntur." Lib. V. c. vi. VER. 30, 31. 66 "Quin et caudicibus sectis, mirabile dictu, “ Truditur è sicco * radix oleagina ligno." * I observed about Olioules, which is within a league of Toulon, and likewise on the road from Toulon to Hieres, that most of the olive-trees are shoots from the old stocks which suffered in the year 1709; some of which had their heads cut off, others were cut down to the ground on that account. Most of these old stocks seem in appearance to be dead and look like rotten stumps, and yet bear very flourishing young trees shooting out all round them. The same is often as surprising in our old willows; of which I have seen several (and particularly some in the Garden-Island in St. James's Park) which send down a tap-root from their heads through the trunk, that often seems entirely decayed; and so form a young tree on an old stock, which looks as flourishing as the other does rotten. VER. 40, 41. "O decus, ô famae merito pars maxima nostrae, "Maecenas; * pelagoque volans da vela patenti." * Ruaeus has observed a seeming contradiction between this and what follows; but Virgil means that he is going to enter upon a vast extensive subject, and by what follows declares that he will only enter or touch upon it, not launch into the deep, but keep within bounds. How extensive this subject was he again declares the last verse but one of this Georgic: "Sed nos immensum spatium," etc. In such a variety as the subject afforded, it required great art and judgment to choose what should be most proper, and digest the instructions into an agreeable order. He has hinted several of his precepts by one word only. And, that he might not be tiresome by dictating too many rules one after another, he has interspersed beautiful descriptions, and interwoven proper digressions. Volans, flying along with me, and hovering over me as my good Genius. This is more poetical than as Ruaeus interprets it. VER. 47, 48. "Sponte suâ quae se tollunt in luminis auras, *Notwithstanding the several quotations brought by Dr. Martyn from Lucretius in favour of Oras, yet since Auras is equally intelligible, and as it is allowed that the best Mss. and editions read it so, I would prefer that reading; not only on account of what is urged by Fulvius Ursinus, but likewise because Virgil concludes a verse but just before with Oram, ver. 44. VER. 55, 56. "Nunc altae frondes et rami matris opacant, Crescentique adimunt foetus, uruntque ferentem." *Parch, kill-So, "Penetrabile frigus adurat.” G. I. 93. And again, "Urentes culta capellas." G. II. 196. VER. 63, 64. "Sed truncis * oleae melius, propagine vites "Respondent, solido Paphiae de robore myrtus." *Columella, having given directions about making nurseries of olives, and transplanting young olive-trees from the nursery to the olive-yard, says: "Quod si cum eâ terrâ planta non "convenit, tum optimum est omni fronde privare truncum; |