XII. VERS. 631. (1) Quare agite O juvenes, tectis fuccedite noftris. LIBER SECUNDUS Conticuere omnes, intentique ora tenebant, Inde toro Pater Encas fic orfus ab alto: VERS. 3. (b) Infandum Regina jubes renovare dolorem. Trojanas ut opes, & lamentabile regnum. Quare agite O Juvenes, tedis fuccedite noftris. Lets potius dicebat Dido, polita magis oratione, & quæ unică voce et Torum & Menfam exprimebat: Hanc lectionem probe confirmat appellatio O Juvenes! Duplicem hunc fenfum alibi etiam Maro le pide innuit, En. 4. verf. 19. Huic uni forfan potui fuccumbere culpa: Corrige, Huic uni (Viro fcil.] potui fuccumbere; Culpas Anna? fatebor enim, &c. Vox fuccumbere quam eleganter ambiguat LIB. II. VERS. I. &c. (a) Concubuere omnes, intenteque ora tenebant; Inde toro fatur Aneas fic orfus ab alto. Concubuere, quia toro Æneam vidimus accumbentem : quin & altera ratio, fcil. Conticuere & ora tenebant, tautologice' dictum. In Ma nufcripto perquam rariffimo in Patris Mufæo, legitur ore gemebant fed magis ingeniofe quam vere. Satur Æneas, quippe qui jam-jam a prandio furrexit: Pater nihil ad rem attinet. (b) Infantum regina jubes renovere dolorem. Sic haud dubito veter rimis codicibus fcriptum fuiffe: hoc fatis conftat ex perantiqua illa Britannorum Cantilena vocata Chevy Chace, cujus autor hunc locum fibi afcivit in hæc verba, The Child may rue that is unborn. (c) Trojanas ut Oves &lamentabile regnum Diruerint: Mallem eves plufquam opes, quoniam in antiquiffimis illis temporibus oves & armenta divitiæ regum fuere. Vel fortaffe Ovis Paridis innuit, quas fuper Idam nuperrime pafcebat, & jam invindictam pro Helene raptu, a Menelao, Ajace aliisque ducibus, merito occifas. VERS. 5. (d) Eruerint Danai, Quæque ipfe miferrima vidi Et jam nox bumida cœlo Præcipitat, fuadentque cadentia fydera fomnos. Sed fi tantus amor cafus cognofcere noftras, (g). Et breviter Trojæ fupremum audire laborem, Quanquam animus meminiffe horret, luctuque reIncipiam. [fugit, (b) (d) Quæque ipfe miferrimus audi, Et quorum pars magna fui Omnia tam audita quam vifa recta diftinctione enarrare hic Æneas. profitetur: Multa quorum nox ea fatalis fola confcia, fuit, Vir probus & pius tanquam vifa referre non potuit. (e) Quis talia fiendo, Temperet in Lachrymis? -Major enim doloris indicatio, absque modo lachrymare, quam folummodo 4 lachrymis non temporare? (f) Et jam nox lumina cœlo Præcipitat, fuadentque latentia fydera fomnos. Lectio, humida, vefpertinum rorem folum innuere videtur: magis mi. arridet Lumina, quæ latentia poftquam pracipitantur, Auroræ adven tum annunciant. (g) Sed fi tantus amor curas cognofcere noctis, Et brevi ter Trojæ, fuperumque audire labores. Cura Nobis (fcilicet Noctis Excidii Trojani) magis compendiofe (vel ut dixit ipfe breviter) totam belli catastrophen denotat, quam. diffufa illa & indeterminata lectio, cafus noftras Ter audire gratum effe Didoni, patet ex libro quarto, ubi dicitur, Iliacafque iterum demens andire labores Expofcit: Ter enim pro fape ufurpatur. Troja, Super umane labores, recte, quia non tantum homines fed & Dii fefe his la boribus immifcuerunt. Vide Æn. 2. verf. 610, t. (b) Quamquam animus meminiffe horret, luctufque refurgit Refur gir multo proprius dolorem, renafcentem notat, quam ut hactenus, refing it. VERS. 13, (i) Fracti bello, fatifque repulfi, Ductores Danaûm, tot jam labentibus annis, Inftar montis Equum, divina Palladis arte, Edificant &c. (i) Tratti bello, fatifque repulfi. Tracti & Repulfi, Antithefis perpulchra ! Frati frigide & vulgariter. Equam jam Trojanum, (ut vulgus loquitur) adeamus quem fi Equam Gracam vocabis Lector, minime pecces: Sola enim femella utero geftiunt. Uterumque armato milite complent Uteroque recufo Infonuere cava Atque utero fonitum quater arma dedere. Inclufos utero Danaos, &c. Vox fata non convenit maribus, Scandit fatalis machina muros, Foeta armis Palladem Virginem, Equo mari fabricando invigilare decuiffe quis putar? Incredibile prorfus! Quamobrem exiftimo veram Equa lectionem paffim reftitu endam, niti ubi forte metri cauffa, Equum potius quam Equam, Ge nus pro Sexu, dixit Maro, Vale! dum hoc paucula corriges, majus opus moveo. V. A CONTINUATION OF THE GUARDIAN: ON THE SUBJECT OF PASTORALS. "I Compulerantque greges Corydon & Thyrfis in unum. Monday, April 27, 1713. Defigned to have troubled the Reader with no farther Difcourfes of Paftorals, but being informed that I am taxed of Partiality in not mentioning an Author whofe Eclogues are published in the fame Volume with Mr. Philips's; I fhall employ this Paper in Obfervations upon him, written in the free Spirit of Criticism, and without apprehenfion of offending that Gentleman, whofe character it is that he takes the greatest care of his Works before before they are published, and has the leaft concern for them afterwards. 2. I have laid it down as the first rule of Paftoral, that its Idea fhould be taken from the manners of the Golden Age, and the Moral form'd upon the reprefentation of In→ nocence; 'tis therefore plain that any Deviations from that defign degrade a Poem from being true Paftoral. In this view it will appear that Virgil can only have two of his Eclogues allowed to be fuch: His firft and ninth must be rejected, because they defcribe the ravages of Armies, and oppreffions of the Innocent; Corydon's criminal Paffion for Alexis throws out the fecond; the calumny and railing in the third are not proper to that ftate of Concord; the eighth represents unlawful ways of procuring Love by Inchantments, and introduces a Shepherd whom an inviting Precipice tempts to Self-Murder. As to the fourth, sixth, and tenth, they are given up by (a) Heinfius, Salmafius, Rapin, and the Criticks in general. They likewife obferve that eleven of all the Idyllia of Theocritus are to be admitted as Paftorals; and even out of that number the greater part will be excluded for one or other of the ReaJons abovementioned. So that when I remark'd in a former paper, that Virgil's Eclogues taken all together are rather felect Poems than Paftorals; I might have faid the fame thing with no less truth of Theocritus. The reafon of this I take to be yet unobferved by the Criticks, viz. They never meant them all for Paftorals. Now it is plain Philips hath done this, and in that Particular excelled both Theocritus and Virgil. 3. A Simplicity is the diftinguishing Characteristick of Paftoral, Virgil hath been thought guilty of too courtly a Stile; his Language is perfectly pure, and he often forgets he is among Peasants. I have frequently wonder'd, that fince he was fo converfant in the writings of Ennius, he had not imitated the Rufticity of the Doric, as well by the help of the old obfolete Roman Language, as Philips hath by the antiquated English: For example, might he (a) See Rapin de Carm. Paft, Pers. 8. not |