"Boreas or Aufter, or th' uncertain flood. "Thither thy burden bear: the willing isle "Shall to Latona gladly grant admittance." He faid the ifles retiring fought their place : Obedient to his word; Afteria then, Of hymns divine regardful, to behold In happy hour from fair Eubæa's coafts, Encumber'd in her courfe with burdening weeds 260 265 270 Ver. 263. Afteria, &c.] The original is, of which I have given the best tranflation I was The Delos; namely, because the ifland burnt all around with fire, beholding the pangs of Latona, &C. ETEI @pinasso wup, &c. In that therefore, from Callimachus himself it is plain, the whole reafon of the thing is placed: Delos amongst its antient names, fuch as Afteria, Ortygia, &c. (of which we have fpoken before) was formerly called alfo Pyrpoles or Pyrpiles, fire being first invented or found out there according to Pliny, and fo Solinus fays, that it was called Pyrpole, quoniam & ignitabula ibi & ignis inventa funt. To which antient name of Delos, and this account of its original, Callimachus undoubtedly refers in this place; where he fays, that all the fea weed brought with Afteria or Delos from Geræftus, a promontory of Eubea, was burnt up by it, becaufe wigiano Tupt, quandoquidem igne flagraret circumquaque, &c. and not referring to this account of Pliny's and of Solinus, has been the reason why so many learned men have been unable to clear up the paffage." So far Spanbeim; the reader may remember that in a former note (note 61.) it was obferved from Solinus, "that The weeds impeding: for indignant flames Burnt round her fhores, the fuffering pangs to view Of female anguish : "Wreak, dread queen, fhe cried, "Oh Juno, wreak on me, what vengeance best "Shall fuit thy foul: thy threats shall not disarm 275 Of deep Inopus (whose proud current wells Most rapid, when from Æthiopia's rocks Her wearied limbs fhe lay'd, the crowded zone "that Delos, after the great deluge, was firft of all the places of the earth illuminated by the rays of the Sun, and thence had the name Delos." Now it is not impoffible that in this intricate paffage, there is fome phyfical allufion to fomething of this fort; for as Delos was the birth place of the Sun, Apollo, it may properly enough be faid to burn around with fire and as the folar fire purges and deftroys all corruptible and noxious principles, and promotes vegetation, there may poffibly be fome allufion hereto in its burning up and confuming the fea-weed. And we may remember Delos, though barren before Apollo was born in it, afterwards became remarkably plentiful and fruitful. I obferved, that in this whole affair of Latona's perfecution, &c. there was a manifeft allufion to natural things (note 81.) Phurnutus confirms that opinion, who makes Latona to fignify the night. or dark Chaos, from whom by Jupiter the athe 280 Sup real fire fprung Apollo and Diana; as the reader will find at large in the conclufion of this hymn : and a note in the appendix on this paffage will perhaps fet it in a clearer light. Ver. 283. Palms, &c.] Concerning this palm tree at Delos, fo famed for its antiquity, you may read in almost every claffic writer: why it was peculiarly dedicated to Apollo was obferved in the hymn to that deity, note 5. and it deferves particular attention in confirmation of what was faid there, that the mother of the God of light thould recline against this tree, and be herself supported by that which is the emblem of Support. Some have faid, that Apollo was brought forth between an olive-tree and a palm, a tradition remarkable enough: Ovid mentions it. Illic incumbens cum PALLADIS ARBORE. -Edidit incitâ geminos. Latona noverca. We Supporting trunk reclin'd, with bittereft pangs She groan'd diftreft; and big cold drops diftill'd "Thus grieve thy tortur'd mother? when to thee BUT long the deed from JUNO to conceal We fee there is no mention made of Diana, who according to her own account (Hymn to Diana ver. 34.) was brought forth without any pain to her mother: the difficulty was to bring forth the Sun, the Moon lives but from him, if we may fo fay. The defcription of this labour of Latona has juftly obtained univerfal praises. Ver. 295. Oh queen, &c.] The excellence of Callimachus in keeping up the characters of his feveral perfonages is much to be admired, and it will appear by no means in a better light, than by comparing the conduct of Mars on the reception which Peneus was about to give to Latona, and this of Iris, on Afteria's receiving her: the fpeech of Iris is very excellent, and the art of her addrefs much to be commended. We may juft obferve our author's philofophical accuracy in thus appropriating IRIS or the Rainbow to Juno or the Air: Homer, in his hymns, makes Iris a friend of Latona's, as does Lucian in his dialogues. But "Callimachus, fays Frischlinus, refpects the the nature of the air, in which the Rainbow, 285 290 295 OFT Iris is reprefented for by June nothing else is understood than the AIR, as the name in the Greek proves, for HPA (Juno) by Metathefis, is AHP, the Air." But we may obferve, that Homer is not far from the philofophical truth, fince we all know, that the rainbow is produced by the affiftance of the Sun, and therefore, in his hymn, he might properly enough make Iris, the rainbow, a friend to the mother of the Sun. Concerning this phænomenon the writings of all the philofophers are full; and divines too are not wanting, who explain to us this fymbol of grace given to Noah, and gloriously difplayed around the head of the Redeemer. See Ezek. i. 28. and Rev. iv. 3. The fimile which the reader finds after this fpeech of Iris, deferves particular attention. The micat auribus of Virgil, in his famed defcription of the horse, seems borrowed from this paffage of Callimachus, -Ονατα δ' αυτης The "Majeftic, all-ador'd, whofe pow'r fupreme "Not I alone, but all confefs: of heav'n “Dread empress thou, fister and spouse of Jovɛ ; "Nor fear we ought from other female hand! "Yet for thy rage hear caufe: Latona's birth 300 "A little ifle prefumptuous dares admit ! "The reft all fled: but this, of all least worth, "Afteria sweeping refuse of the main, "Even this invited, this receiv'd thy foe! "Thou know'ft the reft: but pass not unreveng'd 305 "Their Quarrel, who o'er earth thy mandates bear.". Speaking the fate beneath the golden throne : And as a faithful dog, when from the chace 310 The poets generally affign wings to fleep as here, ver. 313. but wherefore, is not fo generally understood: by referring to Spanbein's note on the place, you will find a fine image 315 Oblique, of Somnus Alatus, the God of fleep with wings, Oblique, fhort flumber and disturb'd fhe fhares; Her circling zone not daring to unbrace, Nor loose the winged fandals from her feet, Left fudden JUNO's word fhou'd claim her speed. BUT, warm refentment rising in her breast, Thus JUNO vents her ire: "In fort like this "Ye vile reproaches of licentious Jove, 320 "May ye in fearful fecrecy conceive "And thus in fecret fhame produce your births! "Nor find a fhelter to conceal your pangs, 325 "Base as receives the veriest abject wretch. "Of human race, birth-tortur'd: but on rocks "And defart cliffs unpity'd, unreliev`d, "Thus like the monftrous Phocæ yean your brood. Ver. 321. In fort, &c.] I have been obliged to take a larger compafs than is quite proper to explain clearly the author's meaning in this place, which is difficult to be come at, and as it feems to me not perfectly understood by any of the commentators: I understand it in the fenfe of an execration, and fo do not read the paffage, as is generally done, with an interrogation; and herein Stephens directed me the way. Ουτω νυν, ω Ζηνος ονειδέα, και γαμετισθε Ita, O Jovis opprobria—clandeftinas nuptias ce- " And trona, fed in diverticulis && luftris edunt, turpitudini fuæ latibula quæritantes. Cujus rei exempla qui nulla habent, Juvenalem Satyr. 6. legant." The lines following, wherein Juno addreffes Afteria, clear the fenfe, and fhew, that it is an execration, which at first she vents against all the concubines of Jove, wishing them fuch a birth-place, as this wretched rocky defolate ifland of Delos. I am not unaware, that the learned Spanheim understands these latter lines fomewhat differently; but I think it will appear to the judicious reader, that I have united, or rather comprehended both fenfes of the author in the tranflation; which yet if I have mistaken, in fo obfcure and contested a point, it cannot be wondered, and will readily be excused. |