of 714. Year city well fortified, but not very well furnished with Rome provisions. Here the two generals besieged him; and soon after Cæsar came up; so that the place was blocked up by no less than three armies, which were also continually receiving reinforcements; whilst others were sent to hinder Pollio and Ventidius from coming to his relief. Fulvia bestirred herself violently, and commanded all the generals to raise the siege. She also raised a new army, which she sent to Lucius, under the command of Plancus, who routed one of Cæsar's legions by the way. But neither Ventidius nor Pollio were in much haste to march; because they were not sure of the real inclination of Mark Anthony: and when Cæsar and Agrippa went about to hinder their conjunction, they both retreated, one to Ravenna, and the other to Ariminum. Cæsar returned to the siege, and completed his works; and kept so strict a guard, that no provisions could by any means be brought into the town. Lucius made several vigorous sallies, but without success, being always beaten back with loss. At length, being reduced to great extremities by famine, he yielded himself and his army to the mercy of Cæsar, who pardoned them, and took the soldiers into his own pay. He intended to give the plunder of the town to his army; but he was prevented by one Cestius, who set his own house on fire, and threw himself into the flames, which spread on all sides, and soon reduced that ancient city to ashes, leaving only the temple of Vulcan standing. The other generals, who were friends of Anthony, either retired before Cæsar, or came over to him; so that he became Year possessed of all Gaul. This seems to be the time when Cæsar restored Virgil to his lands; for it does not seem to have been in his power before. We may well believe, that now Virgil took the opportunity of fulfilling the promise, which he had made to Varus, in his Moris, of exalting his name to the skies, if he would preserve Mantua. This he performed, by composing one of his finest Eclogues, called Silenus; which is dedicated to Quintus Atius Varus', who had served under Julius Cæsar in Gaul and Germany, with singular courage and conduct; and perhaps in this war against Lucius Anthony; though he is not particularly named by the historians now extant. To these actions of his Virgil seems to allude, when he says, Super tibi erunt, qui dicere laudes, Vare, tuas cupiant, et tristia condere bella. This Eclogue was probably written at the command of Varus; for the poet says expressly, that he does not write it without being commanded". Virgil seems to have been elevated with the joy of repossessing his estate; and to have been strongly moved by a sense of gratitude to his benefactor. For, in the dedication of this Eclogue, he breaks out into a rapture; and tells his patron, that every tree and grove shall resound his name; and that Apollo himself cannot be more delighted with any poem, than 1 See the note on ver. 6. of the m Non injussa cano. sixth Eclogue. Ecl. vi. ver. 9. of Rome 714. of 714. Year that which is inscribed to Varus". We may obRome serve, that Virgil writes this Pastoral to oblige his patron, rather than to indulge his own inclination. He was ambitious of exercising his genius in the higher sorts of poetry: but as he had shewn, in his Maris, how capable he was of excelling Theocritus in pastoral poetry; it is highly probable, that Varus insisted on his writing this sixth Pastoral. He hints at this himself, that he would willingly have made war the subject of his poetry: but that he was restrained from choosing a lofty subject; and ordered to keep within his pastoral sphere. We may reasonably believe, that Varus was an Epicurean; and that Virgil in compliment to him made that philosophy the subject of his poem. It would have been improper to have made a shepherd run through a whole system of philosophy: he therefore takes advantage of a famous story, that the old demi-god Silenus was found drunk and asleep by some shepherds, who carried him bound to king Midas; where he gave answers to several questions relating to philosophy. Virgil therefore avoids the censure of putting into the mouth of a herdman things above his capacity, by introducing two shepherds, who with the assistance of a nymph catch Silenus in one of his drunken fits, and compel him to give them a long promised song. The old deity D Te nostræ, Vare, myricæ, Te nemus omne canet: nec Phœbo gratior ulla est, Quam sibi quæ Vari præscripsit pagina nomen. Ecl. vi. ver. 10, 11, 12. • Cum canerem reges et prælia, Vellit, et admonuit: Pastorem, Pascere oportet oves, deduc- Ibid. ver. 3, 4, 5. of 714. sings a succinct account of the natural and moral Year doctrine of Epicurus; the formation of the world Rome from atoms; and the necessity of avoiding perturbations of the mind. Here he takes an opportunity of paying a very fine compliment to Cornelius Gallus, another favourite of Cæsar; representing him as a pattern of Epicurean wisdom, retiring from the distractions of the times, and amusing himself with poetry. Gallus is wandering on the banks of Permessus, when one of the Muses conducts him to the Aonian mountains, and introduces him to the court of Apollo. The whole assembly rises to do honour to this great man, and Linus presents him with the pipe of old Hesiod, with which he is to sing the honours of the Grynean grove, sacred to Apollo. Gallus about that time wrote a poem on this grove, wherein he imitated the style of Hesiod. Virgil therefore elegantly commends this poem, when he says Gallus will cause this grove to become the favourite of Apollo P. Cæsar did not remain long in quiet, after the complete victory which he had obtained over Lucius and Fulvia. This turbulent lady fled to her husband, and incited him to make war upon Cæsar. Anthony, inflamed with rage, steered his course to Italy, and began a most furious and dangerous war. But the news of the death of Fulvia, whom he had left sick at Sicyon, coming opportunely, gave a favourable opportunity of settling a peace P His tibi Grynei nemoris di- Ne quis sit lucus, quo se plus jac- of 714. Year between these mighty rivals. Cocceius, a common Rome friend to both, went between them, and projected a reconciliation; the consul Pollio appearing on the part of Anthony, and Mæcenas on the part of Cæsar, to arbitrate the differences between them. The arbitrators proposed, that as Fulvia the wife of Anthony was just dead, and Marcellus also, the husband of Octavia, half sister to Cæsar; Octavia should be given in marriage to Anthony'. This being agreed to, caused an universal joy; and the whole army expressed their joy by shouting all that day and the following night. Octavia was with child at the time of this marriage. Therefore, as this great lady, who was also a person of a most unspotted character, was the cement of so blessed a peace and union between the two great triumvirs, who were upon the point of tearing the world in sunder by their divisions, Virgil was not backward in testifying his joy for so happy an event. The Sibylline oracles had foretold, that a child was to be born about this time, who should rule the world, and establish perpetual peace. The poet ingeniously supposes the child, with which Octavia was then pregnant, to be the glorious infant, under whose rule mankind was to be made happy; the golden age was to return again from heaven; and fraud and violence was to be no more. This is the subject of that Eclogue, of which the usual title is Pollio. In this celebrated poem, the author, with great delicacy, at the same time pays his court to * See the notes on the fourth Eclogue. |