10 Nor do the charms of beauty only sway 20 14. On snow-white steeds] The Greek is os Dr. Spence very justly observes, that the poets are very inconsistent in their descriptions of Aurora, particularly in the colour of her horses; here they are white, whereas Virgil represents them rose-colour'd, roseis Aurora quadrigis. Æn. 6. 535. and b. 7. 26. Aurora in roseis fulgebat lutea bigis. The best critics have ever thought, that consistency is required in the most unbounded fictions: if I mistake not, Homer is more regular in this, as in all other fictions. Essay on the Odyssey. 18. Thus Bion, -Ην δ' ανέρος ες μετρον έλθης. Idyl. 2. As soon as time shall lead you up to man. F. F. 21. Valiant chiefs] Alter erit tum Tiphys & Of chiefs a valiant band, the flower of Greece, Their hasty meal; some raise the spacious bed 40 trance of the Euxine, or Black Sea, in the mouth of the straits of Constantinople, over against one another; at so small a distance, that to a ship passing by they appear but one; whence the poets fancied, that they sometimes met, and came together, therefore called them concurrentia saxa Cyanes. Juvenal, sat. 15. 19. See also Idyl. 22. ver. 29. 29. As an eagle swift] volucrique sagittâ Illa noto citius, Ad terram fugit, & portu se condidit alto. 30. Phasis] A large river of Colchis which dischargeth itself into the Euxine. Ovid, speaking of the Argonauts, says, Multaque perpessi claro sub Jäsone, tandem 31. Pleiades] The Pleiades rise with the Sun on the twenty-second of April, according to Columella. 33. A valiant baud] The Argonauts were fiftytwo in number: Pindar calls them the flower of sailors, Theocritus, the flower of heroes, and Virgil, chosen heroes, delectos heroas; see ver. 21. 42. Sweet flowering rushes] The Greek is BOu, which there is great reason to believe is the carex acuta of Virgil, Frondibus hirsutis, & carice pastus acutâ. On prickly leaves, and pointed rushes fed. Ovid applies the same epithet to the juncus, acutâ 49. Cerulean celandine] The Greek is, Kuavtor χελιδόνιον Bright maiden-hair] Xheroy' aliavroy, capillus Veneris. 51 Cerulean celandine, bright maiden-hair, 60 70 50. Bindweed] The Greek is, Einitions ayewsis; as it is difficult to determine what plant Theocritus here means, I have rendered it bindweed, or convolvulus, which seems an exact translation of φιλιτένης. From the deep well soft murmurs touch'd his ear, And Spenser, And every wood and every valley wide 55. When to the stream] The Greek is, HTOLO θωρος επείχε ποτῳ πολυχανδια κρωσσον; instead of BOTW, Pierson reads go, which is properly right,circumstance of Hylas's name being so often rebeing the same word which Apollonius Rhodius makes use of, when treating of the same subject. See b. 1. ver. 1234. Αυταρ όγ' ως ταπρωτα βάω ενι καλπιν ερείδε. 59. He fell] Hylas, falling into a well, was said to be snatched away by the nymphs. Ovid, peaking of Phaeton, has something very similar to this passage; Volvitur in præceps, longoque per aëra tractu The breathless Phaeton, with flaming hair, 60. A star falls headlong] These sort of meteors were reckoned prognostics of winds, Sæpe etiam stellas, vento impendente, videbis 61. Unfurl your sails] Solvite vela citi. n. 4. 574. 65. But care and grief, &c.] Virgil says of Hercules, Hic vero Alcidæ furiis exarserat atro peated, which is so particularly insisted on by the poets: "Hercules," says he, "having made the hills and forests tremble, by calling so mightily on the name Hylas; the nymphs who had snatched him away, fearing lest the enraged lover should at last discover Hylas in their fountain, transformed him into Echo, which answered Hylas to every call of Hercules." Warton's Observations. This Karaxounots, or fate of Hylas, as Heinsius observes, with which the poet concludes this Felle dolor; rapit arma manu, nodisque gra- charming poem, is extremely elegant and agree vatum Robur. able; En. b. 8. 219. Ούτω μεν καλλιςος Ύλας μακάρων αριθμείται, Thus the beautiful Hylas is numbered among the blessed. He would not say, Outws o The Oxy, thus Hylas died; but, thus he is numbered with the blessed. See his notes. IDYLLIUM XIV. CYNISCA'S LOVE. ARGUMENT. ASCHINES. I and Cleunicus and the Greek agreed, With Apis, skill'd Thessalian colts to breed, In my green court, with wine to cheer our souls: A sucking pig I dress'd, and brace of fowls: Eschines being in love with Cynisca is despised And fragrant wine produc'd, four summers old, by her, she having placed her affections on Phoenicia's generous wine that makes us bold: 20 Lycus. Eschines accidentally meets with his Onions and shell-fish last the table crown'd, friend Thyonichus, whom he had not seen of a And gayly went the cheering cup around; long time, and tells him his lamentable tale, Then healths were drank,and each oblig'd to name and that he is determined to turn soldier. Thyo-The lovely mistress that inspir'd his flame. nichus advises him to enter into the service of Ptolemy Philadelphus, on whom he bestows a short but very noble encomium. THYONICHUS. You therefore grow So much a sloven, so exceeding thin, Cynisca (she was by) then charm'd my soul, 1 40 17. In my green court] The Greek is, Ev yww παρ εμιν, which Heinsius corrects Εν χορτῳ παρ , that is, in that part of the house where the Your hair untrimm'd, your beard deforms your chin. ancients used to dine and sup; which being ori A poor Pythag'rist late I chanc'd to meet, ASCHINES. You jest; but proud Cynisca makes me sad; THYONICHUS. 10 Such is your temper, so perverse you grow, 1. Thus Terence, Salvere Hegionem plurimúm Jubeo. ginally xow, on the grass, well-adapted to the ancient shepherds, still retained its name, though it was afterwards surrounded with various apartments; therefore it probably means the inner Adelph. act. 3. sc. 5. On which Dr. Martyn observes, that a notion obtained among the ancient Italians, that if a wolf 6. — Vultus gravis, horrida siccæ saw any man first, it deprived him of his voice for Sylva comæ. Juven, sat. 9. 12. the present; but, says he, Theocritus gives this 8. Pale-fac'd, &c.] He ridicules and distin- story a contrary turn; as if the seeing a wolf, instead of being seen by him, made a person mute. guishes the Pythagorists by the same marks as Aristophanes does the disciples of Socrates, The doctor, and likewise Mr. Warton, did not observe our author's double meaning, viz. that λύκος signified not only a wolf, but was likewise the name of Cynisca's lover. Τες ωχριώντας, τις ανυπόδητας λέγεις. Plut. act 1. sc. 1. You would say that they were pale-fac'd, and barefoot. 9. Learned Athens] - Mediis sed natus Athe nis. Juv. sat. 3. 50 She rose, and, gathering in a knot her vest, Where'er her feet, where'er her fancy led; Yet in love's flames our neighbour Simus burn'd, 60 70 47. Gathering, &c.]-Nodoque sinus collecta fluentes. Æn. 1. $24. Close, in a knot, her flowing robes she drew. 48. As swallows, &c.] Virgil has plainly borrowed this simile from our author, though Mr. Warton says he is obliged to Apollonius for it: it is not improbable but that Virgil's may be the copy of the copier. Nigra velut magnas domini cum divitis ædes As the black swallow, that in quest of prey, THYONICIUS. May all that's good, whate'er you wish, aftend ESCHINES. What is his character? THYONICUS. A royal spirit,' To point out genius, and encourage merit: Will sap the man, and all his vigour drain- 89 'Tis ours to act while youth and strength remain IDYLLIUM XV. THE SYRACUSIAN GOSSIFS. ARGUMENT. Two Syracusian women, who had travelled to Alexandria, go to see the solemnity of Adonis's festival, which had been prepared by Arsinoe, the queen of Ptolemy Philadelphus: the 71. Tibi Di, quæcunque preceris, Hor. b. 2. sat. 8. 82. To this noble encomium of Ptolemy by the Sicilian poct, I shall briefly show the favourable side of his character, as it is given by the historians. He was a prince of great learning, and a zealous promoter and encourager of it in others, an industrious collector of books, and a generous patron to all those who were eminent in The fame of his geneany branch of literature. rosity drew seven celebrated poets to his court, who from their number, were called the Picïades: these were Aratus, Theocritus, Callimachus, Lycophron, Apollonius, Nicander and Philicus. To him we are indebted for the Greek translation of, the scripture, called the Septuagint. Notwithstanding his peculiar taste for the sciences, yet he applied himself with indefatigable industry to busi 55. The literal interpretation is, And now twenty and eight, and nine, and ten days are past, to day is the eleventh, add two more, and there will be two months. A similar but more perplexing method of numeration we meet withness, studying all possible methods to render his in the 17th Idyl. ver. 95. 62. The Megareans, entertaining a vain conceit that they were the most valiant of the Grecians, inquired of the oracle if any nation excelled them: the conclusion of the answer was, Υμείς δ', Μεγαρείς, ετε τρίτοι, ὅτε τετάρτοι, Ούτε δυωδεκάτει, ετ' εν λόγῳ, ὅτ' εν αριθμων Nor in the third, nor fourth, Megareans call, Nor in the twelfth, nor any rank at all. 65. Now like a mouse] The Greek is, we mus yapıda misoas, like a mouse I have tasted pitch. subjects happy, and raise his dominions to a flourishing condition. Athenæus called him the richest of all the princes of his age; and Appian says, that as he was the most magnificent and generous of all kings in laying out his money, so he was of all the most skilful and industrious in raising it. He built an incredible number of cities, and left so many other public monuments of his magnificence, that all works of an extravagant taste and grandeur were proverbially called Philadelphian works. Univ. Hist. 90. While youth, &c.] Dumque virent genua. Hor. Epod. 13. |