"Or as the ftars that in the æther feed "Innumerable-flashing dire o'er Grecia's realms "The fword barbarian; and the Celtic Mars "In all his fury roufing! loud laments, 230 "From Delphic towers, and Locrian battlements, "From fields Criffæan, and each state alarm'd, "Shall eccho round: the neighbour swains shall view “The hostile phalanx round my temples marshall'd : "Unhallow'd and abominable! Cause 235 240 Ver. 226. Or as, &c.] The original is, - Η ισαριθμοι. Τειρεσυ, ηνικα πλείςα κατ' view Βουκολέονται. Where, as Madam Dacier has well obferved, the word Bouxoktorat is well explained by Virgil. Polus dum fidera pascit. ÆN. 1. in which the observes, it is certo certius, that Virgil had his eye on this paffage of Callimacbus. We muft remember in explanation of both authors, that the antients were of opinion, "Mad that the stars were fed and fupported by the air, and the feveral moistures exhaled from the earth and fea. See hymn to Diana, note 231. where we find that notion applied even to the Unde Ether fidera pafcit. Concerning the reMoon. Lucretius confirms this, by faying, markable hiftorical event, fo elegantly introduced by our author, and fo much to the honour of his prince, hiftorians are copious, here: the reader may confult either Justin or fo that it would be fuperfluous to fpeak of it Paufanias amongst the antients, or amongst the moderns, our late excellent Univerfal History, where he will be fully fatisfied. "Mad to profane APOLLO's facred seat "And wage vain war with heaven! Of those arms "Part for my prize I claim: and part, great king, Thy labours fhall reward: all those that strew "In fire and wild confufion! these fhall be 245 250 "Thou too, oh mother, aid the facred purpose: “ O'er the rough waves a well-known island roams ; "Yet unconfin'd, like flower of Afphodel 255 "That yeilds to every blast, it wanders wide, "Boreas or Aufter, or th' uncertain flood. "Thither thy burden bear: the willing ifle In happy hour from fair Eubæa's coasts, 260 265 270 Ver. 263. Afteria, &c.] The original is, of which I have given the beft tranflation I was The Το Delos; namely, because the ifland burnt all "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 beft "Shall fuit thy foul: thy threats shall not disarm 275 "My honest purpose: come, Latona, come: “Afteria, waits thee gladly.” Thus her toils The wifh'd for end obtain'd: befide the banks 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 manifest 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 almoft 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 fhould 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 incità geminos Latona novercâ. We Supporting trunk reclin'd, with bitterest pangs She groan'd diftreft; and big cold drops diftill'd “Oh queen, she cried, 285 290 295 OFT We see 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 description 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 just 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 Frifchlinus, refpects the the nature of the air, in which the Rainbow, Iris is reprefented: for by Juno 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, |
