"Dum Capitolio "Regina dementis ruinas, "Contaminato cum grege turpium Idem, Epod. ix. 7. "Ut nuper, actus cum freto Neptunius Ita Paterculus, XI. lxxxv. "Caesar Antoniusque, productis classibus, prosalute alter, in ruinam alter orbis terrarum, dimicavere.' Propertius, III. ix. 29. "Quid, modo quae nostris opprobria vexerit armis, 66 66 "Et famulos inter femina trita suos? Conjugii obsceni pretium Romana poposcit Septem urbs alta jugis, toto quae praesidet orbi, Ovidius, Metam. XV. 825. Frustraque erat illa minata "Servitura suo Capitolia nostra Canopo." Scilicet ab homine ignavo, otio ac mollitiis pene ultra feminam fluente, et qui se totum mulieri lascivae atque impotenti addixerat, nihil aliud expectandum erat, quam certum Romano et imperio et virtuti exitium. Hanc pestem, jam cum haec scribebat Virgilius, ab arcibus Romanis, ab Urbe, Capitolio, et Imperio Romano, victor avertebat Augustus; neque ulla laus ei gratior esse potuit, quam tam praeclari facinoris ab eo incepti commemoratio. Ita Epitheton, Imbellis, hoc in loco laudes ejus adeo non minuit, ut etiam quam maxime augeat; quanto enim imbellior Antonius, tanto major, eo depulso, gratia Augusto erat habenda. Adde, quod et exprobratio illa morum imbellium Antonio et ejus asseclis opportunissima erat, tum ad odium atque invidiam Populi Romani erga eum concitandum, tum ad affectus populares in amorem Augusti, qui dedecus illud Patriae tunc depellebat, conciliandos. Adeo ut nihil tunc temporis ad hujus laudes cumulandas magis aptum aut accommodatum excogitari poterat, atque Antonii ista vituperatio. Denique et hoc animadversione dignum est, quod tradunt illorum temporum Historici, nempe Augustum semper prae se tulisse, contra Aegyptios et Cleopatram bellum se potius gerere, quam contra Antonium, et qui partes ejus secuti sunt Romanos, ideoque super illis, non autem super his, supplicationes decerni voluisse. Dio. lib. LI. p. 457. Kai Kaioagi nai έtɛga nai ɛtivinia ὡς και των Αιγυπλιων αγαγειν έδοσαν τον γαρ Αντωνιον και τις αλλες Ρωμαίος της συν εκείνῳ νικηθενίας, ετε προτερον, ετε τότε, ὡς και ἑορτάζειν σφας επ' αυτοις δεον ον, ωνομασαν. Atque haec causa esse potuit, quod Virgilius nomen quidem Antonii, eo praesertim adhuc vivo, tacere maluerit, eumque cum caeteris ejus asseclis sub imbellis Indi appellatione comprehenderit. Postea, eo mortuo, et Augusto imperium summum sine rivali obtinente, minus huic erga nomen Romanum reverentiae indulgendum ratus est, ut videre licet in Aeneide. 66 [By the late judicious and learned Mr. Heath of Exeter.] VER. 179-181. "Difficiles primum terrae, collesque maligni, * "Aptissimum genus terrae est oleis, cui glarea subest, si "superposita creta sabulo admista est.-Creta ex toto repu"dianda est, inimicus est etiam ager sabulo macer, et nuda glarea." Col. lib. V. c. viii.-And again; "Sed et densior "terra, si uvida et laeta est, commode recipit hanc arborem:" which answers to what Virgil observes also, speaking of rich land: "Illa ferax oleaé est." VER. 182, 183. "Indicio est, tractu surgens oleaster eodem * There is no occasion to confine this to wild olives, as most of the commentators do. Virgil is to be understood in a larger sense, and means any sort of berries. The land which is proper for olives producing commonly several sorts of trees that bear berries, as well as the wild olive. VER. 184-187. "At quae pinguis humus, dulcique uligine laeta, * Columella, speaking of land most proper for vineyards, says; Hyginus quidem secutus Tremellium, praecipue montíum "ima, quae à verticibus defluentem humum receperint, vel "etiam valles, quae fluminum alluvie et inundationibus con"creverint, aptas esse vineis asseverat, me non dissentiente." Lib. III. c. ii. VER. 191-194. "Hic fertilis uvae, "Hic laticis; qualem pateris libamus et auro, * Virgil applies this epithet only to the Tibicines, who were observed to be commonly very fat fellows; and might well be supposed to be so, being admitted to partake of all feasts and sacrifices. Whoever reads the story of the Tibicines in Livy, lib. IX. and Ovid's Fast. 1. VI. cannot doubt but that they were famous for loving their bellies, and that this was Virgil's meaning. For we find, that they all quitted Rome in a body, and retired to Tybur, on an affront offered to their bellies: that they were brought back again to Rome by a drunken bout, and were persuaded to stay there only on condition that they should be admitted to eat at the sacrifices. And Livy in that very place severely taxes them as, "Genus vini avidum."-Observe how one of them is represented in the Basso Relievo of a vase in the Villa Justiniani.See Virgil's like reproaches to the Tyrrheni in Tarchon's speech, Æn. XI. ver. 732 to 740. VER. 203-205. "Nigrafere, et presso pinguis sub vomere terra, "Et cui putre ** solum, (namque hoc imitamur arando), "Optima frumentis." * Fere is very properly added, and is very expressive. Columella observes, lib. II. c. ii. "Plurimos antiquorum, qui de "rusticis rebus scripserunt, quasi confessum nec dubium sig num pinguis ac frumentorum fertilis agri prodidisse nigrum "colorem, vel cinereum." Against whom he proves "a palu"dibus, a campis salinarum, ab aliis locis, qui pigrum con"tineant humorem, manifestum hunc esse errorem."—And concludes "Non ergo color, tanquam certus auctor, testis est “ bonitatis arvorum. Considerandum erit, ut solum, quod ex " colore destinamus, pingue sit." All this Virgil expresses by one word, Fere, and by subjoining" pinguis terra." 66 ** Columella quotes this verse, lib. II. c. ii. and again, lib. V. c. iv. and in both places explains "Putre solum" by, quod per se resolutum est:" and adds in the former place, Neque enim aliud est colere, quam resolvere et fermentare "terram." 66 VER. 212-214. "Jejuna quidem clivosi glarea ruris 2 "Vix humiles apibus * casias roremque ministrat; 3 *Jejuna is properly added to Glarea here: and this seems to be purposely enlarged upon, and explained by Columella, lib. III. c. xi. "Solutam glaream, calculosumque agrum, et "mobilem lapidem probari, si tamen haec pingui glebae permista sunt: nam eadem jejuna maximè culpantur.' 66 And again afterwards- Cretosa humus utilis habetur viti: per se ipsa creta, quâ utuntur figuli, quamque nonnulli Argillam vocant, inimicissima est.” *Pliny describes it in the same chapter with Cinnamon, and therefore it may be thought to belong to the same class, and is commonly rendered by interpreters Cinnamon, but perhaps improperly. Pliny says it is a Frutex as well as the Cinnamon, and that it came from the same country; but with this difference, that Cinnamon grew on the plains, Casia on the mountains. And that whereas the bark of the Cinnamon tree was most valued, on the contrary, in the Casia, the bark was to be taken off, and the only valuable part was a thin skin. See Pliny, lib. XII. c. ix. It is this sort of spice Virgil undoubtedly means, when he says; "Nec casiâ liquidi corrumpitur usus olivi.” Georg. II. 466. The Casia mentioned by Virgil in other places, particularly here, was some common sweet herb in Italy, as is well observed by Dr. Martyn. See his note on that place. *Tophus is a very rough stone like the pumice stone, and therefore very properly called Scaber; it differs from the pumice stone in weight. Vitruvius, speaking of the burnt stones and sand about mount Vesuvius and Baiae, says, "Ignis et "flammae vapor penitus per intervenia permanans et ardens "efficit levem illam terram; et ibi qui nascitur tophus exugens "est, et sine liquore." -And in the same chapter he calls this burnt stone by the name of "spongia et pumex:" by which it is plain that he reckons the difference between the Pumex and Tophus to be this; that the former is dry and without moisture, and consequently must be lighter than the Tophus. This stone is now called by the Italians, Tufo. There is abundance of it in the Campagna of Rome. VER. 217, 218. "Quae tenuem exhalat nebulam fumosque volucres; "Et bibit humorem, et cum vult ex se ipsa remittit." *These verses cntain a very nice description of the nature of the Campania Felix, which has generally a thin mist hanging over it some part of the day; which preserves it from being dry, though continually cultivated: And though there is scarce any running water over so large a tract, yet its own natural moisture (and that without dampness) still maintains it rich and fertile. This thin mist flying like smoke from the foot of mount Vesuvius and the Surrentine hills over the Campania is so frequent, that it has often put me in mind of this description. 66 VER. 219-225. Quaeque suo viridi semper se gramine vestit, "Nec scabie et salsâ laedit rubigine ferrum; "Illa tibi laetis intexet vitibus ulmos: "Illa ferax oleae est: illam experiere colendo "Et facilem pecori, et patientem vomeris unci. "Talem dives arat Capua, et *' vicina Vesevo "Ora jugo, et vacuis Clanius non aequus Acerris." 1 * However Gellius came by the story he relates, it is not probable that Virgil ever thought of Nola in this place. The coast from Naples is very fruitful; and as Virgil is supposed to have wrote this at or near Naples, and had this coast every day in his view, is it likely that he should pay this compliment to a distant town, and forget his favourite country?—I doubt whether the land about Nola merits the praises here given; but if it does, it is comprehended under Clanius near whose banks it stands. 66 2 * Cluver, lib. IV. c. ii. gives us the following description of the Clanius. "Amnis, qui medio ferè situ inter Avellam et "Nolam exortus, ac dextrâ ripâ Acerras oppidum, quod vulgò "nunc etiam dicitur Acerra et Cerra, praelapsus, tria fermè "millia passuum ab Cumis, cujus ruinae hodieque Cuma vocantur, in mare se effundit vulgari nunc vocabulo Il Lagno:" and in few lines, after having quoted this passage of Virgil, adds, "Certè hodieque totus hic amnis a fonte usque ad os"tium ab utrinque paludibus clauditur: ideoque superioribus "annis Praesides regni Neapolitani varias hic egêre fossas, quae "superstagnantes amnis simul et paludum aquas exciperent, "breviorique cursu inter Vulturnum et vetus Clanii ostium in "mare effunderent. Clanius est apud Acerras in Campaniâ, "qui, cùm creverit, meditatur pestein terrae." Vibius Sequester in catalogo Fluminum. VER. 226-229. "Nunc quo quamque modo possis cognoscere, dicam, |