Vere frui dulce est; modo tu dignata petentem Sis comes, et mecum gelidâ spatiere sub umbrâ. Scilicèt hos orbes, cœli hæc decora alta putandum

est,

Noctis opes, nobis tantum lucere; virûmque
Ostentari oculis, nostræ laquearia terræ,
Ingentes scenas, vastique aulæa theatri?
Oh! quis me pennis æthræ super ardua sistet
Mirantem, propiusque dabit convexa tueri;
Teque adeo, undè fluens reficit lux mollior arva
Pallidiorque dies, tristes solata tenebras ?

10

15

20

Sic ego, subridens Dea sic ingressa vicissim: Non pennis opus hìc, supera ut simul illa petamus: Disce, Puer, potiùs cœlo deducere Lunam; Neu crede ad magicas te invitum accingier artes, Thessalicosve modos; ipsam descendere Phoeben Conspicies novus Endymion; seque offeret ultrò Visa tibi ante oculos, et notâ major imago.

And Virg. Georg. i. 43:

"Vere novo, gelidus canis cum montibus humor
Liquitur.

V. 13. "Vel scena ut versis discedat frontibus; utque
Purpurea intexti tollant aulaa Britanni."

Virg. Georg. iii. 24. V. 14. This and the following line are from Virg. Georg. ii. 489; and En. iv. 451.

V. 20. "Disce, puer," En. xii. 435. deducere lunam," Eclog. viii. 69.

"Vel cœlo possunt

V. 21. "Magicas invitam adcingier artes," Æn. iv. 493. V. 22. Quæ sidera excantata voce Thessala

Lunamque cœlo deripit." Hor. Epod. v. 45.

V. 24. This line is from Virgil, Æn. ii. 773:

"Visa mihi ante oculos, et notâ major imago."

V. 29. "Ingrediturque solo, et caput inter nubila condit."

Virg. Æn. iv. 177.

25

Quin tete admoveas (tumuli super aggere spectas), Compositum tubulo; simul imum invade canalem Sic intentâ acie, cœli simul alta patescent Atria; jamque, ausus Lunaria visere regna, Ingrediêre solo, et caput inter nubila condes.

29

34

Ecce autem! vitri se in vertice sistere Phoeben Cernis, et Oceanum, et crebris Freta consita terris Panditur ille atram faciem caligine condens Sublustri; refugitque oculos, fallitque tuentem; Integram Solis lucem quippè haurit aperto Fluctu avidus radiorum, et longos imbibit ignes: Verum his, quæ, maculis variata nitentibus, auro Cœrula discernunt, celso sese insula dorso Plurima protrudit, prætentaque littora saxis ; Liberior datur his quoniàm natura, minusque

V. 31. "Et crebris legimus freta consita terris."

Virg. Æn. iii. 127.

V. 35. There is no authority in Latin poetry for the use of the word "imbibit" in this sense. It is a word unusual in poetry, though twice found in Lucretius (iii. 1010, and vi. 71): but it is there used in another construction as "Imbibit petere," i. e. "Induxit in animum petere." There is a note on this word in Mureti Var. Lectiones, lib. i. cap. 6. (In Gesner's Thesaurus, and Havercamp's Lucretius, the reference to Muretus is wrong, 1. cap. 5.) The word which Gray should have used is "bibit." See En. i. 749: xi. 804: Georg. ii. 506, &c. "Lympha bibit solem." Sid. Apoll. xi. 12. See the notes of the commentators, on Gratii Cyneg. 60. Burm. Poet. Lat. Minor. vol. i. p. 60.

V. 38. This word is unusual in Latin poetry. It may be defended on the authority of Lucretius, iv. 247: "Extemplo protrudit, agitque aëra: "— - where, however, some manuscripts read" procudit."

V. 39.

"Natura videtur

Libera"

Lucret. ii. 1090.

40

Lumen depascunt liquidum; sed tela diei Detorquent, retròque docent se vertere flammas. Hinc longos videas tractus, terrasque jacentes Ordine candenti, et claros se attollere montes ; Montes queîs Rhodope assurgat, quibus Ossa nivali Vertice: tum scopulis infrà pendentibus antra 45 Nigrescunt clivorum umbrâ, nemorumque tenebris.

Non rores illi, aut desunt sua nubila mundo ;
Non frigus gelidum, atque herbis gratissimus
imber;

His quoque nota ardet picto Thaumantias arcu,
Os roseum Aurora, propriique crepuscula coli. 50
Et dubitas tantum certis cultoribus orbem
Destitui? exercent agros, sua moenia condunt
Hi quoque, vel Martem invadunt, curantque trium-
Victores: sunt hic etiam sua præmia laudi; [phos
His metus, atque amor, et mentem mortalia tan-
gunt.

V. 40. "Lucida tela diei," Lucret. i. 148. pavent letalia tela diei," Ausonii Mosell. 260.

55

"Luciferique

V. 45. "Fronte sub adversâ scopulis pendentibus antrum," Virg. Æn. i. 166. V. 48.

Quum ros in tenerâ pecori gratissimus herbâ." Virg. Eclog. viii. 15. V. 49. "Roseo Thaumantias ore locuta est," Virg. Æn. ix. 5. "In terram pictos delapsa per arcus," Ov. Met. xiv. 838. V. 53. "Invadunt Martem clypeis," Æn. xii. 712.

V. 54.

"Sunt hîc etiam sua præmia laudi,

Sunt lacrymæ rerum, et mentem mortalia tangunt."
En. i. 461.

V. 56. Scaliger, like Gray, uses the final vowel in 'uti' short; and a short vowel at the end of the first form of the Elegiac verse. V. Bibl. Parriana, p. 322.

Quin, uti nos oculis jam nunc juvat ire per arva,
Lucentesque plagas Lunæ, pontumque profundum;
Idem illos etiàm ardor agit, cum se aureus effert
Sub sudum globus, et terrarum ingentior orbis;
Scilicèt omne æquor tum lustrant, scilicèt omnem 60
Tellurem, gentesque polo sub utroque jacentes;
Et quidam æstivi indefessus ad ætheris ignes
Pervigilat, noctem exercens, cœlumque fatigat;
Jam Galli apparent, jam se Germania latè
Tollit, et albescens pater Appeninus ad auras; 65
Jam tandem in Borean, en! parvulus Anglia nævus
(Quanquam aliis longè fulgentior) extulit oras;
Formosum extemplò lumen, maculamque nitentem
• Invisunt crebri Proceres, serùmque tuendo;

Hærent, certatimque suo cognomine signant: 70
Forsitan et Lunæ longinquus in orbe Tyrannus
Se dominum vocat, et nostrâ se jactat in aulâ.
Terras possim alias propiori sole calentes
Narrare, atque alias, jubaris queîs parcior usus,
Lunarum chorus, et tenuis penuria Phœbi;
Nî meditans eadem hæc audaci evolvere cantu,
Jam pulset citharam soror, et præludia tentet.
Non tamen has proprias laudes, nec facta silebo

V. 63. "Et quidam seros hiberni ad luminis ignes

Pervigilat."

75

Virg. Georg. i. 292. V. 65. "Vertice se attollens pater Apenninus ad auras," En. xii. 703.

V. 72. "Illâ se jactat in aulâ,” Æn. i. 140.

V. 75. So Virgil. Georg. i. 424: "Lunasque sequentes." V. 75. This expression "Penuria Phoebi" is not, I believe, warranted by the authority of any of the Latin poets. There would have been less objection, if the plain term, instead of the figurative, had been used.

Jampridem in fatis, patriæque oracula famæ.
Tempus erit, sursùm totos contendere cœtus
Quo cernes longo excursu, primosque colonos
Migrare in lunam, et notos mutare Penates:
Dum stupet obtutu tacito vetus incola, longèque
Insolitas explorat aves, classemque volantem.

Ut quondam ignotum marmor, camposque na

tantes

80

85

Tranavit Zephyros visens, nova regna, Columbus; Litora mirantur circùm, mirantur et undæ Inclusas acies ferro, turmasque biformes, Monstraque foeta armis, et non imitabile fulmen. Fœdera mox icta, et gemini commercia mundi, 90 Agminaque assueto glomerata sub æthere cerno. Anglia, quæ pelagi jamdudum torquet habenas, Exercetque frequens ventos, atque imperat undæ ; Aëris attollet fasces, veteresque triumphos

Hùc etiam feret, et victis dominabitur auris. 95

V. 79. "Esse quoque in fatis reminiscitur," Ov. Met. i. 256. V. 83. "Obtutu tacito stetit," En. xii. 666.

V. 84. "Innumeræ comitantur aves, stipantque volantem," Claud. Phoenix, 76.

V. 85. " Campique natantes," Georg. iii. 198.

V. 89. "Foeta armis," En. ii. 238. "Non imitabile fulmen," En. vi. 590.

90.

V. 90. " Geminoque facis commercia mundo," Claud. xxxiii.

V. 92.

quoreas habenas," Claud. viii. 422.

V. 95. "Servitio premet, ac victis dominabitur Argis," En. i. 285.