Hinc movet Euphrates, illinc Germania bellum : NOTES. 509. Euphrates. A noble river of Asia, rising in the mountains of Armenia, fertilizing Mesopotamia, as the Nile does Egypt, and uniting with the Tigris in its course, falls into the Persian gulf. It is here put, by a figure of speech, for the nations of the east, particularly the Parthians, who were very troublesome to the Romans. 510. Legibus: in the sense of fæderibus. 511. Impius: cruel-merciless; a suitable epithet of Mars. 512. Ut, cum quadrige. This is a noble simile. The uncontrolled licentiousness of the age is likened to the rapidity and violence of ungovernable horses in the chariot race, when they mock both the driver and the reins. Quadriga: four horses harness How does this book open? 510 ed together; also, a chariot drawn by four horses, by meton. Of Quatuor and ago, because four were driven together: or contracted of Quadrijugus, four yoked together. Carceribus. Carcer was the mark, or starting place, in races. Spatia: the race ground, or course. Effudère. Rumus says, erupe runt. 513. Addunt: in the sense of immittunt, says Heyne. Some copies leave out the se. Others read in spatio. Ruœus, in his interpretation, omits the words addunt se, and connects in spatia with the preceding verb. They are not necessary to make the sense complete. 514. Currus: a chariot: by meton, the horses in the chariot. Neque audit habenas: nor do they regard, or obey the reins. QUESTIONS. What does the poet proceed to do? To whom does he ascribe the origin of agriculture? Into how many classes were the Roman deities divided? Of these, how many were called Consentes? Why were they so called? Were they very numerous? Who was Vesta? How many were there of that name' Who introduced her worship into Italy? By whom were her mysteries introduced among the Romans? LIBER SECUNDUS. THE subject of this book is the cultivation of the several kinds of trees. The poet describes with much judgment the soils proper for each: and after giving a variety of excellent precepts for the management of the vine, the olive, &c. he digresses into the praises of Italy; and concludes with a panegyric upon a country life. 1. Hactenus cecini cultus 8. Tingeque mecum nudata crura novo musto, cothurnis direptis. HACTENUS arvorum cultus, et sidera cœli: b 10 15. Esculusque max- Pars autem posito surgunt de semine: ut altæ ima nemorum, quæ frondet Jovi, atque quercus, Castaneæ, nemorumque Jovi quæ maxima frondet 15 quæ habitæ sunt Esculus, atque habitæ Graiis oracula quercus. NOTES. 2. Necnon: also. Two negatives have the force of an affirmative in Latin and English. 3. Virgulta: shrubs, or underbrush; here put for trees in general. Tardè crescentis oliva. The olive is of a very slow growth. Some say it is a hundred years in growing. 4. Lenre: Lenmus, a name of Bacchus, from a Greek word signifying a vine-press. Adsis, is to be supplied, or some word of the same import. 5. Ager gravidus: the field heavy with the produce of the vine. Autumno: the season for gathering grapes and other productions of the earth, put, by meton. for the grapes themselves. Floret: in the sense of maturescil. The fields do not bloom in autumn, but with propriety they may be said to ripen. Pampineo autumno: the produce of the vine-grapes. 9. Cothurnic. The cothurnus was a kind of high-heeled shee, worn by Bacchus, Reference is here made to the custom of treading out the grapes with their feet. The cothurnus was used by tragedians to make them appear taller; hence put for tragedy in the sense of itself-also for the tragic style. Natura: 12. Siler: an osier, or small withy. Geniste: the broom. Populus: the poplar tree, of which there are three kinds. 13. Salicta: willow-grounds; by meton. the willows. 16. Æsculus: a species of oak, sacred to Jupiter. The Esculus was a mast-tree, and abounded in Dodona, in Epirus, where there were oaks said to have given out oracles; to which here is an allusion. Pullulat ab radice aliis densissima sylva: Nil radicis egent aliæ: summumque putator NOTES. 17. Sylva: here means the suckers, that shoot up under, and near the trunk of the parent tree. 18. Cerasis: to the cherry-trees. Laurus. This tree is called Parnassian, because it abounded on mount Parnassus. It was sacred to Apollo. 19. Subjicit se: shoots itself up. shrubs. 22. Via: by practice, or experience. Sunt alii: there are other methods of producing trees, which, &c. The poet proceeds to enumerate the methods of raising the several kinds of trees, which he reduces to seven. 1. By planting the shoot or scion. 2. By burying the stump or stock in the carth. 3. By burying the stake or trunk split at the bottom. 4. By the layer. 5. By planting in the earth a bough or twig taken from the top of the tree. 6. By planting the trunk or stalk of the tree, deprived of its root and branches. This succeeds very well with the olive-tree. 7. By grafting or transferring a branch or scion of one tree into another. 23. Plantas: the shoots or scions from the body of the mother tree. 24. Obruit stirpes: another buries the stocks in the ground, and stakes split in four parts at the lower end, and poles, the wood being sharpened into a point. 26. Aliæ sylvarum: other trees of the wood-simply, other trees. Ruœus says, aliæ arbores. Propaginis. The propago was the layer, or branch of the parent tree, bent down and fastened in the ground, until it 9* 20 20. Natura prumum dedit hos tres modos producendi arbores: in his viis. 25 30 35 took root, firm enough to support itself; and was then severed from it. This was about the third year. Arcus: the arches, or curved figures of the layers, or branches so bent down. 27. Viva plantaria: living shoots to be put in their own earth-not cut off as in other cases, but suffered to grow to the parent tree for a time. Defodi, or a word of the like import, is understood. 29. Referens mandare: to commit the topmost shoot to the earth whence it sprang. Summum cacumen: the highest shoot, or branch. Referens mandare, simply for mandare, says Heyne. 30. Caudicibus: Caudex, is properly the body of the tree distinguished from the root, as truncus is the body distinguished from the top or head. 32. Impunè: without injury. Alterius: in the sense of unius. Arboris is understood. 33. Vertere: for verti, the active for the passive, by enallage: or, vertere se in ramos alterius arboris. 34. Corna lapidosa: the corneil trees, which naturally produce a stony hard fruit, by being grafted, will produce the plumwill redden with plums. 37. Neu segnes terræ jaceant. Dr. Trapp renders these words: let not your lands lie idle. Ne terræ sint inutiles, says Rumus. But the connexion is better preserved by, rendering it: let not your barren lands lie neglected or unimproved. Ismara: neu. plu. a mountain in Thrace. Tuburnus a mountain in Campania, fertile in olives Tuque ades, inceptumque una decurre laborem; 39. Tuque, Mæcenas, O decus, ô famæ meritò pars maxima nostræ, ades, decurreque incep- Mæcenas, pelagoque volans da vela patenti. tum laborem unà me- Non ego cuncta meis amplecti versibus opto: cum: tu, O decus, O Non, mihi si linguæ centum sint, oraque centum, meritò maxima pars nostræ fame Ferrea vox: ades, et primi lege litoris oram. 43. Non possem am- In manibus terræ: non hic te carmine ficto, Atque per ambages et longa exorsa tencbo. plecti ea, si sint mihi 40 45 47. Arbores que tollunt se suâ sponte Sponte suâ quæ se tollunt in luminis auras, 50 53. Et üla arbor que Necnon et sterilis quæ stirpibus exit ab imis, exit sterilis Hoc faciet, vacuos si sit digesta per agros: Nunc altæ frondes et rami matris opacant, Crescentique adimunt fœtus, uruntque ferentem. dent meliùs de truncis; Jam, quæ seminibus jactis se sustulit, arbos Cogendæ in sulcum, ac multâ mercede domandæ. 63. Sed oless respon- Sed truncis oleæ meliùs, propagine vites vites de propagine, et Respondent, solido Paphiæ de robore myrtus, Plantis et duræ coryli nascuntur, et ingens myrtus NOTES. The object of the poet is to persuade the farmer not to neglect his rugged and barren lands, and suffer them to lie useless; for, by culture, he may render them profitable to him. He adduces the case of Ismarus and Taburnus, which, though naturally rugged and barren, had become, by cultivation and proper attention, very productive. Baccho is here put for the vine. 39. Decurre. Here we have a beautiful allegory, drawn from the sailing of a ship. The verb decurro signifies to sail before the wind-to sail with a prosperous gale. Laborem: the work or task, viz. the Georgics, which he begun at the request of Mecenas. 41. Da volans, &c. And flying, spread the sails to the opening sea-accompany me through this great work, which spreads before me like an open sea, expanding on every side. Some copies have volens. 45. Ficto carmine: in the sense of fabuloso poëmate. 46. Ambages et longa exorsa: preambles, and tedious introductions. 50. Scrobibus subactis: in trenches prepared for the purpose. Mutata: transplanted-removed from their native soil. 52. In quascunque artes, &c.: in the sense of in quocunque modo, vel via tractes. In whatever mode you may require, says Valpy. 55 60 65 56. Adimunt fatus: and take away the fruit from it growing up, and starve it while bearing. The poet's meaning appears to be this: that the sucker, which springs up from the root of the parent tree, will be fruitful and productive, if transplanted into open ground, and arranged in proper rows. For while it remains, the leaves and boughs of the parent tree will overshadow it, and prevent it from bearing fruit as it grows up: or, if it should bear fruit, it will be pinched and small, by being deprived of the rays of the sun and proper nourishment. 57. Jam: here is used in the sense of porrò, or præterea. 60. Uva: the grape; by meton. for the vine. Prædam: as a prey for birds-only fit for birds. 62. Multa mercede: with much labor, or expense. 63. Oleæ respondent, &c. The olive is raised or propagated better from the stump; the vine from the layer; the myrtle from the solid wood; the hazle, the ash, the poplar, and the oak, from the scion, or young shoot. 64. Paphiæ: Venus, so called from Paphos, a city of Cyprus, where she was particularly worshipped. The myrtle was sacred to her. Respondent: in the sense of proveniunt, vel oriuntur. GEORGICA. LIB. II. Fraxinus, Herculeæque arbos umbrosa coronæ, Exiit ad cælum ramis felicibus arbos, 70 71. Fagus incanuit flore castanew, ornusque incanuit albo flore pyri 75 79. In solidum lignum 81 Prætereà genus haud unum, nec fortibus ulmis, 85 Crustumiis, Syriisque pyris, gravibusque volemis. NOTES. 66. Umbrosa arbos: the poplar-tree. It was sacred to Hercules. He wore a crown made of the leaves of this tree, to the infernal regions. 67. Glandes: properly acorns; by meton. the oaks that bore them. Chaonii patris: Jupiter; so called because he had a temple, and was splendidly worshipped at Dodona, a town of Chaonia in Epirus. The oak was sacred to him. 68. Visura. This is said of the fir-tree, because ships were built of its timber. Marinos casus: in the sense of periculæ maris. 69. Arbutus inseritur: the arbute or strawberry-tree is grafted with the shoot or scion of the nut-tree. 70. Platani. The plane tree affords a large and pleasant shade, but bears no fruit. It is therefore called sterilis. However, says the poet, even this has been made to bear apples by being grafted. 73. Imponere oculos: to inoculate. Oculus is the bud which is enclosed or put in the bark of the tree to be inoculated. Inserere: to ingraft. Nec modus, &c. Neither is the method of ingrafting and inoculating one and the same they are different pro cesses. 76. Sinus angustus: a small slit or gash, made in the bark of the tree, (where the bud was putting forth,) for the purpose of receiving the graft. 77. Docent: they teach it to grow up, or incorporate itself with the moist bark. Liber is the inward part of the bark of the tree; Cortex, the whole bark, or rind. 78. Aut rursum. Having described the process of inoculation, the poet gives us that of ingrafting. Truncus: the body of the tree, properly after the top and branches are cut off. This is split, and the graft put into the fissure. He seems to prefer this mode of cultivating trees, inasmuch as they soon come to maturity. Nec longum tempus (says he,) et ingens arbos: it is not a long time, and the mighty tree, exiit, hath shot up to the skies. There is a peculiar elegancy in the use of the perfect tense here. 80. Planta: grafts, or scions of fruitbearing trees. 82. Poma non sua: that is, poma non sui generis. 84. Idæis Cyparissis: to the Idean Cypresses. There were two mountains by the name of Ida, the one in Phrygia, the other in Crete; the latter is here meant. 86. Orchades. The poet here mentions three species of olives: the orchades, a round olive, a word derived from the Greek; the radii, an oblong olive; the pausia, an olive of a bitter taste, so called from pavio, says Columella, because its chief use was for oil; to obtain which, it was brayed or beaten. 87. Sylva Alcinoï: the orchards of Alcinoüs, king of the Pheaceans. They were celebrated by the poets. 88. Crustumiis: to the Crustumean pears, so called from Crustumium, a town in Tuscany, whose pears were much esteemed; they were of a reddish cast. Syriis pyris. These were so called, because they were brought from Syria. They were also called |