Ira maris is found in fome MSS. and is approved of by Heinfius and Broukhufius, whom I incline to follow. Other Books have tunderet unda maris: But they who would prefer this reading, might fay, that the Poet affected a repetition of the same found, and followed Catullus, who has, XI. 3. Litus ut longè refonante Eod Tunditur undâ. See Edit. Voffii. P. 31. Ib. VI. 27. Claudit et indomitum moles mare, lentus ut intra Negligat adeffe is obfervable, as being an uncommon expreffion. LIB. IV. Ep. I. 35. Tibullus fays to Meffala, Convenientque tuas cupidi componere laudes Perhaps, Perhaps, vilus: That is, "Rather than not fing your praises, I am willing to be found inferior to thofe, who fhall exercise themselves upon the fame fubject." Tibullus fpeaks very modeftly of this performance of his; and, truly, it became him fo to do; for he must have paffed for a very forry Poet, fi fic omnia dixiffet. See Verses, 1, 2, 3, 7, 16, 26, 177, 181. VIRGIL. VIRGIL is fo good a Poet, that it is almost ridiculous to commend him. If I fhould fay that he is the best of the Latin Poets, I fhould only add my opinion to that of all good judges. I rather chufe to obferve, that he is not much fuperior to Lucretius, and that it was no finall advantage to him to have had fo excellent a Poet before him. If any one thinks that Lucretius ought not to be placed fo near to Virgil, let him try whether he can find better lines in Virgil than these. LUCRET. LUCRET. III. 18. Apparet Divum Numen, fedefque quieta. Of all the Latin Poets none has come down to us lefs corrupted than Virgil; which is owing, amongst other caufes, to the ancient Manufcripts, of which Pierius made fo good ufe,-and to the Notes of Servius. GEORGICA. Lib. I. ver. I. ·lætas fegetes. Cicero, de Orat. III. 38. "Latas fegetes etiam Ruftici dicunt." And again, ad M. Brutum, Orator, §. 42. "In tranflatione fortaffe crebrior, qua frequentiffimè fermo omnis utitur non modo urbanorum, fed etiam rufticorum: fiquidem eft corum gemmare vitcis;-fitire agros;-lætas effe fegetes." Ver. 489. Ergo inter fefe paribus concurrere telis Nec Nec fuit indignum Superis, bis fanguine noftro "Virgil," say the Criticks," hath here confounded Pharfalia and Philippi." It is no fuch thing, The conftruction indeed is somewhat intricate and obfcure: but you must join iterum to concurrere, and not to videre; and by bis you must understand femel et femel. Ergo Philippi viderunt Romanos iterum concurrere, et campos bis noftro fanguine pinguefcere; nempe, femel Emathiam, et femel Hæmum. "Therefore Philippi beheld the Romans fighting against each other a fecond time; and the ground was twice foaked with our own blood; once in Æmathia, and once again in Hamus." Thus Harduin hath explained the paffage in his Notes on Pliny, L. IV. p. 204. Others, fince, have purloined this obfervation from Harduin, who probably might borrow it himself from fomebody else. Georg. II. 285. Virgil advifes to fet trees at certain distances. from each other, in a regular order, Non animum modo uti pafcat profpectus inanem; Perhaps Perhaps it might be Profpectus inanis. "Not only for the bare pleasure which arifes from a regular profpect, but because the trees thrive the better." Æn. I. 468. -Animum picturá pafcit inani. Georg. II. 392. He fays of Bacchus, Et quocumque Deus circum caput egit honestum. The word honeflus here, and in many other places, fignifies beautiful, graceful. Dryden, in his Palamon and Arcite, B. III. feems to use the word honest in the fame manner, but unfuccefsfully I think; for it conveys a low idea. So Bacchus through the conquer'd Indies rode, And beafts in gambols frifk'd before their honeft God, Perhaps Dryden might defign to use the word in a ludicrous fenfe; but if he did, he was injudicious in fo doing.* But, that he meant nothing ludicrous, we have a strong prefumption; for in his excellent " Alexander's Feast," he speaks "Of Bacchus, ever fair, and ever young.— Flush'd with a purple grace, |