the Authority of any Manufcript, or ancient Copy, this feems to be treating Horace in the fame cavalier Manner as Bentley treated Milton. 4 Demija tempeftas ab Euro.] He fays, this Tempeft fhall be caused by the Eaft South-Eaft Wind, becante it is very formy, and brings into Italy all the Rain, with which it is loaded in its long Pallage over the Mediterranean Sea. DACIER. 5 Aqua nifi fallit augur, Annofa cornix] In like manner he calls the Crow, in the 27th Ole of this Book, divinam imbrium imminentium, prophetic of impending Showers. The Crow prefages Rain, when the caws, and, walks alone on the Sea Shore, or on the Banks of Rivers and Pools. Thus Virgil, in the first Georgic: Tum cornix raucâ pluviam vocat improba voce, The Crow with clamorous Cries the Shower demands, And fingle stalks along the defert Sands. DRYDEN. Pliny makes the fame Obfervation, in the 35th Chapter of his 18th Book: Et cum terreftres volucres contra aquas clangores dabunt perfundentes fefe, fed maxime cornix. is a Sign of Rain, when Land-Fowl, and especially Crows, are clamorous near Waters, and wash them• felves.' DACIER. 6 Cras Genium mero Gum famulis operum folutis.] It To-morrow theu fhalf chear thy Genius with Wine, and a Porket two Months cld, in the Company of thy Servants, discharged from Labour.' This fhows that Horace does not fpeak here of the Sacrifice, which used to be offered to the Genius on Birth-Days; for, on those Occafions, no Blood was fpilt; they gave only thick Milk, Cakes, Wine, Flowers, and Incenfe. Because a Pig was offered to the Lares, Lambinus thinks it may be inferred, that one was alfo offered to the Genius. But he is mistakeń: The Oblations to the Genius, and to the Lares, were different. It must be remembered that Horace wrote this Ode to Lamia, then in the Country, at his Villa near Formia : And F 4 And the Sum of it is no more than this: That fince the next Day was likely to be wet, and unfit for his Slaves to work, he should improve the Occafion to his own and their Entertainment. DACIER. F 2 ODE XVIII. To FAUN US. By Mr. DUNCOMBE, Jen. AUNUS,' ftill fond to chase the Train Of Nymphs who fly thee; gracious rove Along my Bounds and funny Plain; 3 Nor from my Flock in Wrath remove, If, every Year, a Kid refign His Blood; if the full Bowl, the 4 Friend Of Venus, pour its copious Wine; And Steams from 5 thy old Shrine ascend In Paftures all the Cattle fport, 6 Soon as returns thy hallow'd Day; To Meads the vacant Hinds refort, And, 7 round th' unharness'd Oxen, play. The Lamb from Wolves no longer flies; His Spade no more the Delver plies, But thrice the Ground in Gambols treads. NOTES. NOTES. This Ode was written by Horace at his Country-House in Sabinia, and fung at the Festival of Faunus. It is divided into two equal Parts, as has been obferved by Bentley and Sanadon. The first Part contains the Prayer of the Poet, the latter describes the Bleffings bestowed by the God, and the Rejoicings of the Village. It is abfurd to make all the Sequel of the Ode depend on the Si of the fifth Verse, as Dacier has done. The Flocks fporting in the Meadows, and the Lambs fafely grazing in the midst of Wolves, are Effects of the God's Benevolence, but cannot be Motives to ask it, nor Means to obtain it. I Faunus is the fame as Pan. He was a very amorous Deity, and on that Account was called Inuus, Incubus. 2 Per meos fines et aprica rura.] Horace calls his House in Sabinia, aprica rura, sunny Fields, because it lay open to the rifing and fetting Sun: It was fheltered on the North and on the South by high Hills. See the 16th Epiftle of the firft Book. DACIER. 3 Lenis incedas.] Pan was a very choleric God. He is thus defcribed in the first Idyllium of Theocritus : Shepherd! I dare not tread that hallow'd Ground! 'Tis now high Noon, and Pan will hear the Sound Weary'd with Sport, he there lies down to reft, And is a fretful God. Horace therefore begs him to pafs through his Grounds in good Temper. Befides, when a God forfook a Coun try, a City, or a Houfe, it was ufual to beg him not to go away in Wrath, nor to leave any Marks of his Difpleasure and Hatred in the Places which he left. DACIER. Abeafque parvis To understand this Passage right, it must be remembered, the Ancients fancied that many of thefe Gods paffed the Winter in one place, and the Summer in another. Thus Faunus was fuppofed to come into Italy on the 13th of February, and to return into Arcadia on the 5th of December. A Sacrifice was offered to him both on his F5 Arrival, Arrival, and at his Departure. See the 4th and the 17th Odes of the first Book. It is on this Account that Horace makes ufe of the Word abeas here. By alumnis, Horace means the young ones of his Flock; who then stood much in Need of the Favour of Faunus, on account of the approaching Winter, which is always dangerous to young Cattle. DACIER. Veneris fodali.] He calls the Cup, the Companicn, or Friend of Venus, becaufe Bacchus and Venus agree well together. Horace does not use it as an idle Epithet, but with Defign; because it could not but be agreeable to an amorous God. 5 Vetus ara.] Faunus was one of the oldest Gods that was worshipped in Italy. His Altar and his Oracles were famous there before the Time of Evander. 6 Cum tibi Nona redeunt Decembres.] The Nones of December were the 5th Day of that Month: This was one of the Festivals of Faunus, as it is rightly marked in the Calendar. 7 On Festivals they let all the Cattle reft, that were ufed in Husbandry. The fame thing was enjoined the Jews by the Law of Mofes. 8 Feftus in pratis vacat otiofo Cum bove pagus.] Dr. Bentley tells us, that most of the old Copies read pardus for pagus. Obferve, fays he, and fmile at the Wit of the Monks. Because they read, in the next Line, of the Wolf walking harmless among Lambs, the good Men changed pagus into pardus, from Ifaiah, Chap. xi. v. 6. The WOLF also shall dwell with the LAMB, and the LEOPARD hall lie down with the Kid: And the Calf, and the young Lion, and the Fatling, together; and a little Child fhall lead them. It is not to be doubted, says he, but that Reading was derived from this facred Original: And, when it had once got Poffeffion, the Conceit pleafed fo much, that it ran almost through all the Copies. But (as he july afke) what has the Leopard to do in Italy, which is a Native only of Africa and Afia? And what have feflus and vacans to do with the Leopard? Are Leopards ufed in tilling the Fields? The Reading of fome of the oldeft Copies, Feftus pagus, is undoubtedly right. Thus Ovid, Fast. i, 667. Villice, Villice, da requiem terræ, femente peracta: Spargit agreftes tibi fylva frondes.] In Italy the Leaves fall from the Trees in December; and Horace artfully improves this Circumftance, as if the Trees themfelves, truck with the Prefence of Faunus, ftrewed their Leaves for him, and fpread, as it were, a Carpet under his Feet. DACIER. O DE XIX. To TELE P H U S. By Mr. J. DUNCOMBE. WITH ITH needlefs Search the Years you trace And 3 Eacus's glorious Race, . And the fam'd Siege of facred Troy relate : But when a chearful Fire fhall blaze, To Midnight, to the rifing Moon, * Augur elect! 'Tis best to crown The Feaft with Goblets three, at moft with nine. F 6 He, |