This, amongst other circumstances, treated more at large by Segrais, agrees with the rising of Orion, which caused the tempest described in the beginning of the first book. By some passages in the PASTORALS, but more particularly in the GEORGICKS, our poet is found to be an exact astronomer, according to the knowledge of that age. Now Ilioneus, whom Virgil twice employs in embassies, as the best speaker of the Trojans, attributes that tempest to Orion, in his speech to Dido:

Cum subito assurgens fluctu nimbosus Orion,- - - -.

He must mean either the heliacal or achronical rising of that sign. The heliacal rising of a constellation is, when it comes from under the rays of the sun, and begins to appear before daylight, The achronical rising, on the contrary, is, when it appears at the close of day, and in opposition of the sun's diurnal course. The heliacal rising of Orion is at present computed to be about the sixth of July; and about that time it is, that he either causes or presages tempests on the seas.

Segrais has observed farther, that when Anna counsels Dido to stay Æneas during the winter, she speaks also of Orion :

Dum pelago desavit hiems, et aquosus Orion.

If therefore Ilioneus, according to our supposition, understand the heliacal rising of Orion, Anna must mean the achronical, which the dif ferent epithets given to that constellation seem

to manifest. Ilioneus calls him nimbosus, Anna aquosus. He is tempestuous in the summer, when he rises heliacally, and rainy in the winter, when he rises achronically. Your Lordship will pardon me for the frequent repetition of these cant words, which I could not avoid in this abbreviation of Segrais; who I think deserves no little commendation in this new criticism.

I have yet a word or two to say of Virgil's machines, from my own observation of them. He has imitated those of Homer, but not copied them. It was established long before this time, in the Roman religion as well as in the Greek, that there were gods, and both nations, for the most part, worshipped the same deities; as did also the Trojans from whom the Romans, I suppose, would rather be thought to derive the rites of their religion, than from the Grecians, because they thought themselves descended from them. Each of those gods had his proper office, and the chief of them their particular attendants. Thus Jupiter had, in propriety, Ganymede and Mercury; and Juno had Iris. It was not for Virgil then to create new ministers; he must take what he found in his religion. It cannot therefore be said, that he borrowed them from Homer, any more than from Apollo, Diana, and the rest, whom he uses as he finds occasion for them, as the Grecian poet did but he invents the occasions for which he uses them. Venus, after the destruction of Troy, had gained Neptune entirely to her party;

therefore we find him busy in the beginning of the ENEIS to calm the tempest raised by Æolus, and afterwards conducting the Trojan fleet to Cumes in safety, with the loss only of their pilot, for whom he bargains. I name those two examples, amongst a hundred which I omit,—to prove that Virgil, generally speaking, employed his machines in performing those things which might possibly have been done without them. What more frequent than a storm at sea, upon the rising of Orion? What wonder, if amongst so many ships there should one be overset, which was commanded by Orontes, though half the winds had not been there, which Eolus employed? Might not Palinurus, without a miracle, fall asleep, and drop into the sea, having been over-wearied with watching, and secure of a quiet passage, by his observation of the skies? At least Æneas, who knew nothing of the machine of Somnus, takes it plainly in this sense;

O nimium calo et pelago confise sereno,
Nudus in ignotâ, Palinure, jacebis arenû.

But machines sometimes are specious things to amuse the reader, and give a colour of probability to things otherwise incredible: and besides,

♦ Modern writers, (Mr. Spence observes, in his PoLYMETIS,) from not having a right notion of the ancient scheme of machinery, have fallen into two principal errours on this subject; "first, that machinery was used by the poets only for ornament, or to make a poem look

it soothed the vanity of the Romans, to find the gods so visibly concerned in all the actions of their predecessors, We who are better taught by our

more strange and surprising; secondly, that the poets were too apt to introduce machines, or supernatural causes, where they could not naturally account for events: whereas in the works of the ancients, nature and machinery generally go hand in hand, and serve chiefly to manifest each other. Thus in the storm [raised by Æolus at Juno's request] imaginary beings are introduced; but they are only such as are proper for the part assigned them, and appear only to carry on the true order of natural effects. The god of the winds, at the request of the goddess of the air, lets loose his turbulent subjects, and the sea is instantly in a tumult. The god of the sea appears to make a calm again. There seems to be no other difference in this and the natural account of the thing, than if one should say, that all the parts of matter tend towards each other; and another should say, that they are impelled to each other by some spiritual power. The effects are just the same; only in one case matter is considered as acting, in the other as acted upon.

"In a word, the whole mystery of the ancient machinery seems to be this: what the vulgar believed to be done by the will of the gods, the poets described as performed by a visible interposition of a deity. When a god is thus introduced in a poem, to help on a fact with which he is supposed to be particularly concerned, the machinery may then be said to be easy and obvious; and when the god is the most proper for that occasion, it may be said to be well adapted. For instance, it was supposed among the Romans, that Æneas came to Italy by the will of heaven, declared in oracles and prophecies. This supposition Virgil realizes. The will of heaven is

religion, yet own every wonderful accident which befalls us for the best, to be brought to pass by some special providence of Almighty God, and by the care of guardian angels: and from hence I

Jupiter giving his orders; and the declaration of it to Eneas is expressed by Mercury (the usual messenger) coming down to him, and giving him the orders he had from Jupiter. This machinery is both obvious, and well adapted; and likewise well timed, when Æneas was in most danger of quitting his design of going to Italy. Thus the vulgar among the Romans believed that Romulus was the son of Mars, and received among the gods, on account of his birth and warlike exploits. The poets therefore say, that Mars descended in his chariot, and carried up Romulus with him to heaven. They both say the same thing; only the poetical way of expressing it is more personal, beautiful, and descriptive, than the prose one.

"Had Dryden viewed things in this light, he would not have fallen into the most vulgar and mistaken notion of machinery. [See pp. 481, 483, 514.] He would have seen, that Virgil did not employ it uselessly, or merely to adorn his poem, or because he could not otherwise well account for events. He would have seen that it was used by him, in consequence of the general belief that man can do nothing of himself, but is actuated in every thing by the direction of heaven, or the will of Jove. He would have seen, that upon this single principle the poets might fairly introduce some deity as assistant in any action, whenever they thought it would strengthen or beautify the narration."

The substance of the foregoing remarks may be found in POLYMETES, p. 318; but Mr. Spence being a very diffusive writer, I have chosen rather to quote Tindal's Abridgment, which is perfectly faithful.