Ibid. XI. 59.

Propertius, talking very gravely of the iniquity and corruption of the times, fays,

Proloquar, atque utinam patriæ fim vanus arufpex:
Frangitur ipfa fuis Roma fuperba bonis.
Certa loquor; fed nulla fides: neque Ilia quondam
Verax Pergameis Phebas habenda malis.
Sola Parin Phrygiæ fatum componere, fola
Fallacem patria ferpere dixit equum.
Ille furor patriæ fuit utilis, ille parenti.
Experta eft feros irrita lingua Deos.

I fhall be obliged to thofe, who will explain to me the laft line but one, as it now ftands. If I am not mistaken, Caffandra furor was, not utilis, but inutiliffimus.

Virgil, Æn. II. 245.

-Monftrum infelix facrata fiftimus arce.
Tunc etiam fatis aperit Caffandra futuris
Ora, Dei juffu non unquam credita Teucris.

I would put a point of interrogation at the end of ver. 65.

Ille furor patriæ fuit utilis, ille parenti?

And the answer is, "No; far from it."

Experta eft feros irrita lingua Deos.

X 4

Ibid.

Ibid. XXI. 25.

Illic vel ftudiis animum emendare Platonis

Incipiam; aut hortis, dux Epicure, tuis.

Dux is the conjecture of Broukhufius, who saw that docte, which was in all the books, was no proper epithet for Epicurus, * Perhaps Propertius

wrote,

Incipiam, hortis aut, Epicure, tuis.

If fo, the place might be altered by ignorant tranfcribers, who thought the verfe would not ftand. I think the conjecture is not at all improbable. See Broukh. on Propert. II. XII. 1.

Lib. IV, Eleg. IV. 55.

Sic hofpes, pariamne tua regina fub aulá;
Dos tibi non humilis prodita Roma venit.

Tarpeia, who was in love with Tatius, fays this to him, as if he had been prefent. Broukhufius is filent on the place. Scaliger would explain it, "Utrum apud te futura fim hofpes, an regina; hoc "eft, concubina, an mater familias.

*It is ufed, however, by Horace, Lib. II. Sat. IV. 88. for one of his followers:

Delle Cati, per amicitiam divosque rogatus,
Ducore me auditum, &c.

I understand

I understand it thus: "Shall I, if I am Sic hofpes,-if I put myself into your hands, upon betraying and delivering my country to you;-shall I be your wife?

Sic hofpes, pariamne tua regina fub aulâ ?”

Ibid. Eleg. XI. 81.

Seu tamen adverfum mutârit janua lectum,
Sederit et noftro cauta noverca toro.

The epithet cauta looks fufpicious. My friend, mentioned before (on Lib. II. Eleg. xx111. 41.) tells me,

"I had marked cauta as fufpicious. Dr. Mead's MS. has it; but the true reading feems ❝ to be,

Sederit et noftro pacta noverca toro.

The word, in Plautus, is opposed to fperata.

"Ovid, Met. IX. 721.

Conjugii pactaque expectat tempora tædæ.

"Met. VII. 700.

Alter agebatur poft pacta jugalia menfis.

"Epift. XXI. 185.

Cur quæ fuccenfet quod adhuc tibi pacta puella
Non tua fil-

Trift. V. II. 52.

Sic ad pacta tibi fydera tardus cas.

"See alfo Propert. IV. 111. 11.

One might

II.

read,

Sederit et noftro ducta noverca toro."

PRUDENTIUS *.

CATHEMERINON,

T

Lib. III. II.

E fine dulce nihil, Domine:
Nec juvat ore quid adpetere,
Pocula ni priùs, atque cibos,
Chrifte, tuus favor inbuerit,
Omnia fanctificante fide.

* Taken from the Miscellan, Obfervat. Vol. II. Pag. 139.

Fercula

Fercula noftra Deum fapiant,
CHRISTUS et influat in pateras :
Seria, ludicra, verba, jocos,
Denique, quod fumus, aut agimus,
Trina fupernè regat PIETAS.

315

I do not think it likely that Prudentius fhould omit naming the Holy Ghost in this invocation; of that he should call the Trinity, trina pietas.

Perhaps we should read, ver. 17.

Spiritus influat in pateras:
Seria, ludicra, verba, jocos,
Denique quod fumus aut agimus
Trina fupernè regat DEITAS.

So Cathem. IV. 3, 10, &c.

Laudem lingua Deo Patri rependat:

Patri, qui

FONS vita liquida fluens ab arce,

Infufor fidei, fator pudoris,

Mortis perdomitor, falutis auctor.

Omnes quod fumus, aut vigemus, inde eft.
Regnat Spiritus ille fempiternus,

A Chrifto fimul et Parente miflus.

Cathem.