an inftrument, includes the notion of beating with that inftrument. The Author thinks he has well proved, that the husbandmen spoken of in St. Marc's Gofpel, after they had thrown ftones at the fervant, did alfo cudgel him. This criticifm will not appear neceffary. Let us keep to the English Translation, which fays that the husbandmen threw ftones at the fervant, and wounded him in the head.

The Book of Mr. Alberti is a learned and ingenious Collection of words and expreffions out of profane Authors, like thofe of the New Teftament. That collection will be of great ufe to illuftrate many paffages in the Gospels, and in the Epiftles of the Apoftles; and it deferves to have a place in the Libraries of those who love that fort of Learning. Mr. Alberti does fometimes confute the explications of fome Interpreters of the New Teftament, and propofes fome few explications of his own, in which perhaps he will not appear fo fuccesful, as in comparing the words and expreffions of Greek and Latin Authors with thofe of the facred Writers.

ARTICLE XI.

VIRGIL's Husbandry, or an Essay on the GEORGICS: being the firft Book. Tranflated into English Verfe. To which are added the Latin Text, and Mr. Dryden's Verfion. With Notes critical and ruftick. London:

London: Sold by William and John Innys, at the Weft End of St. Paul's, and John Pemberton in Fleetfreet. 1725. in 8vo. pagg. 50. befides the Preface and the Notes.

IN

N this Effay the Author undertakes to show how far Mr. Dryden is from copying the majefty of Virgil's ftyle in his Verfion of the Georgics: how little he underftands Virgil's fense in many places, or enters into the manner and character of that Poet. To that end, the Author begins with the firft fix Lines of Mr. Dryden's Verfion, which (fays he) ought not to be supposed the worst.

What makes a plenteous harveft, when to turn
The fruitful foil, and when to fow the corn;
The care of Sheep, of oxen, and of kine;
And how to raife on Elms the teeming Vine :
The birth and genius of the frugal Bee,
Ifing, MACENAS, and I fing to thee.

What makes a plenteous harvest.

This beginning (fays our Author) is dogmatical, vulgar and mean, confidering who it is addreft to. Virgil does not propofe the practice of Husbandry to Mecenas, as if he was to get his livelihood by it; but he reprefents husbandry as an embellishment of the Earth, as well as a neceffary labour. He declares it to have been the decree of Heaven, in order to banish floth from mankind.

-Pater

-Pater ipfe colendi
Haud facilem effe viam voluit, &c.

Virgil fhows by many inftances in each of the Georgics, that it was formerly the employment of the greatest men, even of Princes, and Heroes, or Demi-Gods.

Whoever confiders the Schedule of the Countryman's Tools in this Book, will find a God, a Goddefs, and a Monarch, to have been the Inventers of feveral of them; and 'tis upon this account that Virgil introduces this Line:

Si te digna manet divini Gloria Ruris :

The real fenfe of which is, If you have a due value for Husbandry, as the most glorious of all employments. But Mr. Dryden has tranflated that Line in the fame way as the first:

-If ploughmen hope lin. 247. The promis'd bleffing of a bounteous crop.

Our Author makes another remark upon the fame Hemiftich:

What makes a plenteous harvest.

Here (fays he) Mr. Dryden follows Rucus; but he might have learned from feveral other, Commentators, that fegetes in this place does not fignify the Corn, but the Corn-lands. And without the help of any Commentator, it is eafy to fee that in a Difcourfe of Husbandry, the manuring and ploughing of the ground muft needs be mentioned before the harveft. But this

is ftill more evident, if we confider that Virgil would not pretend to inftruct husbandmen in any thing but what is in their power to perform. Now it is certain, and Virgil himfelf very finely fhows it a little lower, that a plenteous harvest does not depend only upon prudence or labour, but upon many other things. What abfolutely depends upon diligence and care, is cultivating the foil, in order to make it capable of great increase; and therefore lætas fegetes plainly means campos fructuofos.

What made Mr. Dryden (contines the Author) mistake Virgil in this place, and fo many others, appears to have been the different manner the Latin, and the English Poet wrote in, from ve ry different reafons. Virgil, who understood his fubject perfectly well, and had the strongest ideas and fulleft impreffions of what he treated about, takes care to paint to the life every thing he meddles with, and to defcribe it ftrongly to the imagination, without expreffing the thing itself in the common phrases.

Quid faciat lætas fegetes.

Here the Poet gives life and fenfe to the Earth; and this expreffion enlivens the fancy of the Reader, and fpreads before his eyes vaft Tracts of Ground covered with all forts of Grain. But the moment you pronounce

What makes a plenteous harvest,

nothing rifes to the mind, but a Farmer reaping his Corn, or carrying it to Market. This is a very ingenious remark.

JULY 1725.

E

The

The meannefs of Mr. Dryden's ftyle (fays the Author) was owing to the lownefs of his imagination on this subject, of which he had but very flight conceptions, or rather was perfectly ignorant. This made him frequently fall into the groffeft of all mistakes; which was to exprefs the thing spoken of in the most proper or vulgar terms. He was fond of showing his Learning in a manner that Virgil was afhamed of; and for the fame reason, when Virgil describes the matter in hand by fome remarkable peculiarity, Mr. Dryden, ignorant of the beauty of his Author, runs into a flat account of the thing it felf. The examples of this kind are innumerable, fays the Author. He mentions but one.

Balantumque gregem fluvio merfare falubri.

This Verfe reprefents fully to the life a Flock of Sheep washed in a River; for, the most remarkable thing on that occafion is the prodigious Bleating which they make: but Mr. Dryden not acquainted with Nature, tranflates this Line thus:

-and freep In wholfome water falls the wooly fbeep. lin. 366.

Afterwards the Author examines the remainder of Mr. Dryden's first Line, and the rest of the Couplet.

when to turn

The fruitful foil, and when to fow the corn.

Here again Mr. Dryden unhappily follows Ruaus; for, any one who attends to the matter treated of in this firft Book of the Georgics, will perceive that fydere is not used here figuratively.

The