VER. 154. *"Squameus in spiram tractu se colligit anguis." *This verse is admirably well adapted to express the thought. VER. 155, 156. "Adde tot egregias urbes, operumque laborem: "Tot congesta * manu praeruptis oppida saxis.” + Virgil, in his panegyric on Italy, among other instances of the happiness of that country, mentions their having so many towns built on craggy rocks and hills. There were more formerly, and are several still. In the road from Rome to Naples, you see no less than four in one view, from the hill on which Piperno stands; reckoning that in for one of them. These were very useful, of old, for defence, among such a fighting race of people and are so still for coolness; in so hot a climate, that they are generally forced to drive their flocks of sheep up upon the mountains for the Summer-season: as they usually feed them in the sheltered plains, or by the sea-side, in the Winter. Many of the towns in Italy stand on the tops of such high and steep rocks, that it seems impossible that any materials for building could be brought thither by carriages; and, therefore, Virgil calls them "congesta manu. VER. 161-164. "An memorem portus, Lucrinoque addita claustra, "Atque indignatum magnis stridoribus aequor: "Julia qua ponto longe sonat unda refuso, Tyrrhenusque fretis immittitur aestus Avernis?" * Cassiodorus, in his Chronicle, says, the Lucrine lake was turned into a harbour in the Consulship of M. Agrippa and L. Caninius, who were Consuls in the year of the City 716.According to Ruaeus's calculation, Virgil began his Georgics this very year. Whether he did or not, it is probable, at least, that he was writing them at the time that this port was making, or just after it was made, being then about 34 years old; and therefore takes this opportunity to compliment Agrippa, and celebrate this work as one of the glories of Italy. +"Portum Julium apud Baias, immisso in Lucrinum et Avernum lacum mari, effecit." Sueton. in Aug. VER. 165, 166. "Haec eadem argenti rivos, aerisque metalla "Ostendit venis, atque auro plurima fluxit.” * "Metalla ejus regionis" (speaking of that part of Italy called Gallia Cisalpina)" hodiè non perinde magno studio trac"tantur, quia (puto) plus utilitatis ex Transalpinis Gallicis et Hispanicis percipitur: olim autem magnae erant curae. Nam "et Vercellis aurifodina fuit et Ictomuli, quae vicina sunt Pla"centiae oppida." Strab. lib. V. The same author, speaking of a river which divides Aquileia from the Veneti, says: "Habet is locus Auri lavacra, et sectu"ras ferri praeclaras." Ibid. VER. 167-170. "Haec genus acre virûm, Marsos, pubemque * Sabellam, "Assuetumque † malo Ligurem, Volscosque verutos "Extulit: haec Decios, Marios, magnosque Camillos, Scipiadas duros bello.". * This expression, as Ruaeus observes, Aen. VII. 665, means either Sabines or Samnites; but in this place it certainly means the latter, as Cluverius judiciously remarks. "Quum gravissima "et maximè diutina cum Samnitibus in Italiâ bella gesserint "Romani, haud dubium est, quin eam gentem non vero Sabi"nos hic inter bellicosissimas Italiae gentes connumerare volue"rit poëta." Cluv. lib. III. c. ix.- Pliny says: Samnitium, quos Sabellos et Graeci Saunitas dixêre, Colonia Bovianum. Lib. III. c. xii. And Horace probably means the same people, when, speaking of his own country, he says: "Pulsis, vetus est ut fama, Sabellis." If the Sabines were descended from the Samnites, and were of the same race, this expression of Virgil's may include both. "Assuetum malo;" Q. If not, laborious? Certainly something in praise of them here, though he speaks of the Genoese as a deceitful people on another occasion, Aen. XI. 716. VER. 170-172. "Et te, maxime Caesar, "Qui nunc extremis Asiae jam victor in oris * Compare this with Aen. VI. ver. 794, etc.-Virgil tells us expressly at the latter end of his Georgies, that Caesar was in Asia whilst he was writing them. This, according to Ruaeus and others, may signify, effeminate, not of a warlike disposition; but as it is intended as a compliment to Caesar, and as there is little honour in conquering an effeminate people, I rather believe that the word in this place signifies, without war, without bloodshed." That is, Caesar 66 by his presence in Asia so awed the Indians, that they threw down their arms, and submitted without daring to come to battle. Silius Italicus, the great imitator of Virgil, pays the like compliment to Domitian with regard to the same people. "Huic laxos arcus olim Gangetica pubes "Submittet; vacuasque ostendent Bactra pharetras.” Statius, Sylv. IV. 4. and ver. 47. uses "imbelles" in the same "Imbelles laurus:" Honours got without fighting.Again, lib. III. Ecl. ii. 98. sense. 66 Imbellis, tumidoque nihil juratus Atridae:" speaking of Phoenix, who attended Achilles without being engaged to fight. Vexatissimus hic locus omnium quotquot vidi interpretum artes omnes elusisse videtur. Frustra fuerunt omnium interpretationes et commenta, quibus Virgilium ab Augusti frigidissime laudati culpa absolvere conati sunt. Vulgo haec intelligi volunt de celebri illa Indorum legatione amicitiam Augusti petentium, a Strabone, Dione, Eusebio, Suetonio, Floro, Eutropio, et Aurelio Victore memorata; sed, ut alia multa quae opponi possent taceam, non quadrat temporum ratio. Legationem enim illam non nisi post secundam Augusti in Orientem profectionem fuisse missam uno consensu tradunt historici, anno scilicet U. C. 733 aut 743, et nono aut decimo postquam Georgica absolvisset et edidisset Virgilius. Neque credibile est hunc, qui in Aeneide perficienda tunc totus erat, Georgica de novo recensita post decem annos iterum edidisse, aut, si hoc etiam detur, notam tamen temporis hic inseruisse, quae ei plane contradicat qua liber ultimus, totum adeo opus, clauditur: "Haec super arvorum cultu pecorumque canebam, 66 Ubi victor proculdubio est victor Antonii et Cleopatrae, et cum iis Aegypti et totius Orientis, nam ne bellum quidem ullum ab Augusto in secunda profectione susceptum, nedum victoriam ullam ab eo partam tradunt historici. Notanda etiam sunt verba ista, viamque affectat Olympo;" non igitur jam Olympum sibi vindicaverat, nec in Deorum numerum jam relatus fuerat; at notum est, post debellatum Antonium pacatumque Orientem, proximo statim anno, et templa sibi poni, et divinis se coli honoribus, passum fuisse. Rejecta igitur interpretatione illâ haec referente ad legationem Indicam, quam nunquam cogito quin mentem simul subit gemina illa prorsus ac germana ad Ludovicum Magnum Galliarum Regem e Perside sub regni finem adornata legatio, videndum tandem ac tentandum an nobis felicius successerit loci hujus explicatio. Primum autem per "Imbellem Indum" hic praecipue denotari existimo Marcum Antonium, Augusti de orbis imperio aemulum. Hunc enim Georgicorum librum post partam victoriam Actiacam, dum Caesar jam victor, ad Actium scilicet, adhuc in extremis Asiae oris, id est, circa Aegypti confinia, cum exercitu versabatur, et ante debellatum Antonium captamque Alexandriam, fuisse scriptum vel hinc constat, quod nunc avertere, id est, in avertendo occupari, non avertisse, Imbellum Indum dicitur Caesar. Hunc vero M. Antonium, indole sua atque ingenio jam ab juventa voluptatibus nimis deditum, deinde ex diuturna in Aegypto commoratione, ubi Cleopatrae lenociniis detinebatur, desidia ac luxu totum diffluentem, moribusque Aegyptiis et Asiaticis ad omnem mollitiem imbutum, enervatum tandem prorsus ac imbellem evasisse, testantur uno ore omnes qui illorum temporum historiam scriptis tradiderunt. Neque vero Antonium solum hic designari autumo, sed cum eo una Aegyptum et omnem denique Orientem, quippe cujus gentes fere omnes, quam late Romanum patebat Imperium, ejus partes amplexae essent, ac, si vicisset, praecipuum victoriae praemium ablaturae credebantur, sede scilicet Orbis Imperii Roma Alexandriam translata. Hanc rem non parum illustrant quae alibi a nostro scripta sunt, ut Georg. I. ver. 509. "Hinc movet Euphrates, illinc Germania, bellum." Haec ante praelium ad Actium scripta fuisse, ex praecedentibus et sequentibus constat, et per Euphraten, Oriens et Antonii partes, per Germaniam, Occidens partesque Octaviani denotari intelliguntur. Ita in Aeneid. VIII. ver. 678, ubi acies utrinque ad pugnam instructas recenset noster; ex una parte, "Hinc Augustus agens Italos in praelia Caesar, ex altera parte, ver. 685. "Hinc ope Barbarica variisque Antonius armis, Et paulo infra: "Omnis eo terrore Aegyptus et Indi, F At omnem de interpretatione nostra dubitationem plane tollere videntur ista Poëtae nostri in Georg. III. ver. 26-29. ubi Augusti triumphos depingens ait, "In foribus pugnam ex auro solidoque elephanto 66 66 Gangaridum faciam, victorisque arma Quirini ; Atque hic undantem bello, magnumque fluentem "Nilum, ac navali surgentis aere columnas." Hic Quirinus certissime est ipse Augustus, (vide Servium ad locum); et Gangaridum pugna victoriam ex Antonianis in Aegypto ab eo relatam clarissime designat, quae interpretatio et a facta statim Nili mentione confirmatur. Gangaridae enim verae Indiae populi circa Gangem habitantes, quibuscum Augusto nihil unquam rei fuit, aut esse potuit, utpote adeo longe ab imperii Romani finibus remotis, ut ejus forsan ne nomen unquam audierant. Hic autem per figuram poëtis familiarem, Indi universim sumpti denotantur, et cum eodem nomine vulgo etiam censerentur Aethiopes et Arabes, qui sub Aegyptiorum ditionem comprehendebantur; hinc et Aegyptios hoc in loco intelligi vult Poëta. Nam sub Indiae appellatione complectebantur Veteres regiones eas omnes, quae trans Mare Mediterraneum sitae erant, et praecipue Aethiopiam, Arabiam, Aegyptum, Parthiam, Persidem, interdum etiam Libyam et Palaestinam. Hoc dudum argumentis invictis ostenderunt viri docti, Turnebus Adversar. XXI. 9. Cuper. Observat. lib. IV. cap. vii. Beausobr. in Bibliotheca Germanica, tom. XLI. p. 100-125. Freretus in Comment. Academiae Inscriptionum, tom. VI. p. 352. ut Huetium, J. Alb. Fabricium, Dickensonium nostratem, et alios taceam. Per arces Romanas hic intelligo, non, quod vulgo fit, in finibus Imperii Romani posita propugnacula, sed ipsam urbem Romam. Ita apud Horatium legimus, Od. I. vii. 5.« Intactae "Palladis arces," pro Athenis; ubi vide et alia ejusdem loquendi formae exempla a Bentleio congesta; Od. II. vi. 21, 22. "beatas arces," de Tibure; Epod. vii. 6. superbas Carthaginis arces," pro ipsa Carthagine; et apud Statium Sylv. 1. ÎV. iv. 4. “ Romuleas arces," pro ipsa Roma. At praecipue Montem Arcem et Templum Capitolinum in animo habuisse Virgilium mihi persuasum est, quippe in quibus contineri existimabatur salus et fatum Urbis et Imperii Romani. Vide Rycquium de Capitolio, cap. xlvi. Adeo ut avertere ab Arcibus Romanis, idem hic valeat ac avertere ab Imperio Urbis ac Orbis Romani occupando. Nulla autem majori clade affligi potuisse res Romanas, quam si Antonius victoria potitus imperii summam tenuisset, et sub ejus auspiciis imbellis Indus Romae imperasset, omnes tunc temporis prudentes clare videbant. Ita Horatius, I. Od. xxxvii. 6. 66 |