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copy of Lactantius. With submission, I think Terrea the true reading. For the Poet supposing that God created every thing in the Spring, because the world in its first infancy could not have resisted the violence of great heat or cold; and, imagining that man sprang like a plant out of the ground, it would have been very improper for him to have used the epithet Ferrea on such an occasion, when he was speaking of the tenderness of man.

"The

+ This seems to be oddly put together at first sight. "forests were stocked with beasts, and the heavens with constellations." It was not so in those times, when the constellations were generally considered as real animals; many of them as men, but most of them as beasts.

This consideration gives a stronger light to a great number of passages in the antient Poets; who represent the constellations in general as animals, with animal motions, and even as coming down on our earth.

The prologue to Plautus's Rudens is spoken by Arcturus, as one of the Dramatis Personae. He tells us there, that all the constellations come down by day, to see how men act upon earth; and to inform Jupiter every evening of their behaviour. This notion, however wild, may shew how much they considered the constellations as detached, particular, animal beings. Ovid uses a manner of expression very much like that of Virgil's above; on the very same occasion:

"Neu regio foret ulla suis animantibus orba;
"Astra tenent caeleste solum, formaeque deorum;
"Terra feras cepit.'

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-Met. I. ver. 75.

Thus Statius calls the Sea-nymphs, the constellations of the sea; (that is, the intelligent and divine inhabitants of the waters, as the other are of the heavens):

"Antennae gemino considite cornu,

"Oebalii fratres!

"Vos quoque caeruleum, Divae Nerïdes, agmen !
"Dicere quae magni fas sit mihi sidera ponti."

Lib. III. Sylv. ii. ver. 15.

The same Poet represents Aurora as driving the stars out of heaven, with a whip, like so many beasts:

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Tempus erat junctos cum jam soror ignea Phoebi "Sentit equos, penitusque cavam sub luce paratâ "Oceani mugire domum: seseque vagantem

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Colligit: et moto leviter fugat astra flagello.".
Theb. VIII. ver. 274.

Manilius uses the word, Flock, in speaking of a number of stars; and represents them going on like a flock of sheep, or any other animals:

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"Cum secretis improvidus Hoedus in astris,

“ Erranti similis, fratrum vestigia quaerit ;
Postque gregem, longo producitur intervallo."
Astron. V. ver. 308.

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VER. 346-353.

"Quaecunque premes *' virgulta per agros, Sparge fimo pingui, et multâ memor occule terrâ: "Aut lapidem bibulum, ** aut squalentes infode conchas. "Inter enim labentur aquae, tenuisque subibit "Halitus; atque animos tollent sata: jamque reperti "Qui saxo ** super atque ingentis pondere testae "Urgerent: hoc effusos munimen ad imbres;

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Hoc, ubi hiulca siti findit canis aestifer arva.”

* Observe, he directs, "Spargere virgulta fimo, occulere "terrâ, et multâ," because little dung was to be used to plants, if any. Columella says, "M. Columella patruus meus doctissimus et diligentissimus agricola negabat stercus vitibus inge"rendum, quod saporem vini corrumperet: melioremque cense"bat esse materiam vindemiis exuberandis congestitiam, vel de vepribus, vel denique aliam quam libet arcessitam et advectam “humum,” lib. II. c. xvi. Again 1. V. c. vi. "Vites depo"sitas stercoremus (ut ego existimo), si minus, terrâ subactâ operiamus."

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**Columella quotes this passage, and approves of the precept, lib. III. c. xv.

*This is practised about Trani in Apulia, where they make excellent Muscat; and, if I mistake not, about St. Laurent in Provence.

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VER. 354-357.

"Seminibus positis, superest deducere 1 terram

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"** Saepius ad *3 capita, et duros ** jactare bidentes :
"Aut presso exercere solum sub vomere, et ipsa
"Flectereluctantes inter vineta juvencos."

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*1 Columella gives directions together, about digging round young vine plants, and taking off the leaves.- "Primo quidem "anno, quo posita sunt semina, frequentibus fossionibus, omni"bus mensibus, dum frondent, ac pampinationibus adjuvanda "sunt; ut robur accipiant," lib. IV. c. x.And c. vii. he orders, the leaves to be taken off gently, with the fingers— "Omnis pampinationis ea est tempestivitas, dum adeo teneri "palmites sunt, ut levi tactu digiti decutiantur

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** Columella, speaking of the month of May, says, "Hoc mense seminaria omnia crebrò fodere oportebit: sed à ka"lendis Martiis usque in idus Septembres omnibus mensibus "non solum seminariis, sed etiam novellis vineis danda fossio "est." 1. XI. c. ii. And again, afterwards, he says, "De "fodiendis colendisve novellis vineis, saepius jam dixi nullum esse mensem omittendum, donec autumnale aequinoctium "conficiatur."

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** Quaer. If this does not mean to cover even the top of the young plants with mould? Columella directs the same, lib. III. c. xvi. where, speaking of planting young vines, he says, "Cum semen_supra scrobem compluribus internodiis produc "tum, quod de cacumine superest, duabus gemmis tantum supra "terram relictis amputatur, et ingestâ humo scrobis com"pletur."

**The author of the book De Arboribus, usually ascribed to Columella, says, "Bidentibus terram vertere utilius est, "quàm aratro. Bidens aequaliter totam terram vertit; ara"trum, praeterquam quod scamna facit, tum etiam boves, qui "arant, aliquantulum virgarum, et interdum totas vites, "frangunt," cap. xii.

The antients, as well as the moderns, in some places, houghed the land between the ranks of vines, in others ploughed it. And, according as the custom of the country, or as the land required one or the other; they planted their vines at a less or greater distance. Thus Columella, lib. III. c. xiii. "Inter "ordines vinearum relinquitur spatium, prout cuique mos est "vineas colere vel aratro vel bidente. Si fossore tantum terra "versetur, minimum est quinque pedum interordinium, septem "maximum; sin bubus et aratro, minimum est septem pedum, "satis amplum decem. Nonnulli tamen omnem vitem per denos pedes in quincuncem disponunt, ut more novalium terra trans"versis adversisque sulcis proscindatur." This is repeated again, lib. V. c. v.

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It is the custom in Provence and Languedoc, as well as in Italy, to plough up the distances between the vines, where there is sufficient room; where there is not, to hough the land in the spring-time." Flectere luctantes juvencos" expresses very naturally and livelily this sort of ploughing.

Luctantes well expresses the difficulty of ploughing among vineyards and plantations, as they are obliged to do in Italy: on which occasion Columella gives the following direction. "Boves, cùm ad arborem venerint, fortiter retinere ac retardare "oportet, ne in radicem majore nisu vomis impactus colla com"moveat, neve aut cornu bos ad stipitem vehementius offendat, "aut extremo jugo truncum delibet ramumque deplantet." Lib. II. c. ii.

VER 358-361.

"Tum1 leves calamos, et rasae hastilia virgae, "Fraxineasque aptare sudes, furcasque bicornes : "Viribus eniti quarum, et contemnere ventos

"Assuescant, summasque sequi ** tabulata per ulmos."

*1 Leves, and Rasae, such as cannot grow and draw thereby any of the virtue of the earth. For the same reason, Columella, speaking of supporting young vines, orders that they should be old" Aut veteres (ne novae radicem agant) arun"dines binas singulis vitibus applicabimus; aut si regionis "conditio permittat, vetera, deponemus hastilia, quibus adnec“tantur singulae transversae perticae." Lib. IV. c. xii.

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** Tabulata were stages or stories formed on elms, or other trees, for their vines. The manner of doing this is fully explained by Columella, lib. V. c. vi. "Cum adolescere inci"pient ulmi, falce formandae et tabulata instituenda sunt. "Hoc enim nomine usurpant agricolae ramos truncosque pro"minentes; eosque vel propius ferro compescunt, vel longius "promittunt, ut vites laxiùs diffundantur: Hoc in solo pingui "melius, illud in gracili."Then he proceeds to direct the making these Tabulata. "Tabulata inter se ne minus ternis pedibus absint; atque ita formentur ne superior ramus in " eâdem lineâ sit, qua inferior; nam demissum ex eo palmitem "germinantem inferior atteret, et fructum decutiet."—Again afterwards: "Ulmum autem novellam sic formare conveniet. "Loco pingui octo pedes à terrâ sine ramo relinquendi, vel in arvo gracili septem pedes: Supra quod spatium deinde per "circuitum in tres partes arbor dividenda est, ac tribus late"ribus singuli ramuli submittendi primo Tabulato assignentur. "Mox ternis pedibus interpositis, alii rami summittendi sunt, "ita ne iisdem lineis quibus in superiore positi sint; in eâdem "ratione usque in cacumen ordinanda erit arbor." An emphasis is to be laid on Summas, under which epithet is couched a precept much insisted on by Columella, who thus proceeds: "Plerique agricolae ima tabulata materiis frequentant, uberiorem fructum et magis facilem cultum sequentes; at qui "bonitati vini student, in summas arbores vitem promovent."

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VER. 362-370.

“*1 Dum prima novis adolescit frondibus aetas,
"Parcendum teneris: et dum se laetus ad auras
"Palmes agit, laxis per purum immissus habenis,
Ipsa acies nondum falcis tentanda; sed uncis
"Carpendae manibus frondes, interque legendae.
"Inde ubi jam validis amplexae stirpibus ulmos
"Exierint; tum stringe comas, tum brachia tonde,

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"Ante reformidant ferrum: tum denique dura
"Exerce imperia, et ramos compesce ** fluentes."

*1 Columella, who has constantly followed Virgil, has here expressly condemned him; but it is in very good company.His whole passage is thus: "Illam veterem opinionem damna"vit usus, non esse ferro tangendos anniculos malleolos, quod " aciem reformident: quod frustra Virgilius et Saserna, Stolonesque et Catones timuerunt: qui non solùm in eo errabant, "quod primi anni capillamenta seminum intacta patiebantur; " sed et post biennium cum viviradix recidenda erat, omnem "superficiem amputabant solo tenus juxta ipsum articulum, ut " è duro pullularet." Lib. IV. c. xi.-He says in the former chapter: Semina primo quidem anno quo sunt posita fre"quentibus fossionibus, omnibus mensibus dum frondent, ac pampinationibus adjuvanda sunt, ut robur accipiant; nec "plus quam uni materiae serviant." By which, I suppose, he means, that all the shoots, except one, are to be cut off the first year. If Virgil differs from him in this, and letting all the shoots alone till the second year, he has erred in good company, and has followed the antient method, as Columella himself intimates. And though Virgil does not cut off any of the first year's shoots, yet he orders the leaves to be stript; "nec patitur vitem supervacuis frondibus luxuriantem silvescere," as Columella himself expresses it, cap. xi. As to the second part of Columella's charge, I don't see that Virgil is justly taxed: for he only expresses himself at large,

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And again,

"Tum brachia tonde."

"Et ramos compesce fluentes,"

which need not be construed to mean, cutting the shoots down to the ground; but pruning them, as Columella himself directs: "Media igitur ratio sequenda est," etc. Ibid.

* Dr. Martyn says, Pierius tells us, that the oldest Roman manuscript reads Valentes, and thinks that both the precept and expression were taken from Varro. But, in my opinion, the passage quoted from Varro shews rather that Valentes is not the true reading: for he orders two or three of the most healthy shoots (qui plurimum valent) to be left, the others to be cut off.

VER. 376-384.

"Frigora nec tantum canâ concreta pruinâ,
"Aut gravis incumbens scopulis arentibus aestas;
"Quantum illi nocuere greges, durique venenum
"Dentis, et admorso signata in stirpe cicatrix.

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