Welcome their father's late return at night; To rural powers a just oblation pays ; And on the green his careless limbs displays. SOCIAL ENJOYMENTS OF THE FARMER; THE SABINES; ROMULUS AND REMUS. The hearth is in the midst; the herdsmen round The cheerful fire provoke his health in goblets crowned. He calls on Bacchus, and propounds the prize; RUSTIC VIRTUES OF THE OLD ROMANS. SATURN AND THE Old Rome from such a race derived her birth The seat of empire, and the conquered earth — Which now on seven high hills triumphant reigns, And in that compass all the world contains. E'er Saturn's rebel son usurped the skies, When beasts were only slain for sacrifice : While peaceful Crete enjoyed her ancient lord; E'er sounding hammers forged the inhuman sword: E'er hollow drums were beat; before the breath Of brazen trumpets rung the peals of death; The good old god his hunger did assuage With roots and herbs, and gave the Golden Age. But, over-labored with so long a course, "T is time to set at ease the smoking horse. BOOK III. ARGUMENT. This book begins with an invocation of some rural deities, and a compliment to Augustus; after which Virgil directs himself to Mæcenas, and enters on his subject. He lays down rules for the breeding and management of horses, oxen, sheep, goats, and dogs; and interweaves several pleasant descriptions of a chariot-race, of the battle of the bulls, of the force of love, and of the Scythian winter. In the latter part of the book he relates the diseases incident to cattle; and ends with the description of a fatal murrain that formerly raged among the Alps. OLD AND WORN-OUT THEMES REJECTED FOR PASTORAL. Thy fields, propitious Pales, I rehearse; And sing thy pastures in no vulgar verse, Amphrysian shepherd; the Lycæan woods; Arcadia's flowery plains, and pleasing floods. All other themes, that careless minds invite, Are worn with use; unworthy me to write, Busiris' altars, and the dire decrees THE POET BRINGS TROPHIES FROM GREECE AND PALESTINE. I, first of Romans, shall in triumph come From conquered Greece, and bring her trophies home: With foreign spoils adorn my native place; And with Idume's palms my Mantua grace. Of Parian stone a temple will I raise, Where the slow Mincius through the valley strays : Where cooling streams invite the flocks to drink : And reeds defend the winding water's brink. COMPLIMENT TO AUGUSTUS, AS CONQUEROR OF GREECE. AN ALLUSION TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES. Full in the midst shall mighty Cæsar stand; I to the temple will conduct the crew: And show the triumph which their shame displays. TROPHY TO CESAR IMAGINED. High o'er the gate, in elephant and gold, The crowd shall Cæsar's Indian war behold; The Nile shall flow beneath; and on the side His shattered ships on brazen pillars ride. Next him Niphates, with inverted urn, And dropping sedge, shall his Armenia mourn; And Asian cities in our triumph born. With backward bows the Parthians shall be there ;" And, spurring from the fight, confess their fear. A double wreath shall crown our Cæsar's brows; Two differing trophies, from two different foes. Europe with Afric in his fame shall join ; But neither shore his conquest shall confine. The Parian marble, there, shall seem to move In breathing statues, not unworthy Jove: Resembling heroes, whose ethereal root Is Jove himself, and Cæsar is the fruit. Tros and his race the sculptor shall employ; And he, the god, who built the walls of Troy. Envy herself at last, grown pale and dumb Shall give her hand; and fear the curling snakes The rolling rock in vain; and cursed Ixion's wheel. DEDICATORY ADDRESS TO MECENAS. Meantime we must pursue the sylvan lands, Come, then, and with thyself thy genius bring: Famed for his hills, and for his horses' breed: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BEST BREEDING COWS; AGE FOR The generous youth, who, studious of the prize, The mother-cow must wear a lowering look, YOUTH IS THE BREEDING SEASON. Now, while their youth is filled with kindly fire, Submit thy females to the lusty sire. 2 * * In youth alone, unhappy mortals live; But, ah! the mighty bliss is fugitive; Discolored 'sickness, anxious labors come, And age, and death's inexorable doom. Yearly thy herds in vigor will impair ; 1 In Bæotia, named from boves, cattle, in which it abounded; Taygetus was famed for hounds; Epidaurus, for horses; and these three classes of animals are the chief subjects of the Georgic. 2 Atque aliam ex alia generando suffice prolem. Recruit and mend 'em with thy yearly care : GOOD POINTS IN A STALLION. Like diligence requires the courser's race; To pass the bridge unknown, nor fear the trembling THE WAR-HORSE DESCRIBED. The fiery courser, when he hears from far The sprightly trumpets, and the shouts of war, Pricks up his ears; and, trembling with delight, Shifts place, and paws; and hopes the promised fight. On his right shoulder his thick mane reclined, Ruffles at speed, and dances in the wind. His horny hoofs are jetty black, and round; His chine is double; starting, with a bound He turns the turf, and shakes the solid ground. Fire from his eyes, clouds from his nostrils flow: He bears his rider headlong on the foe. THE COURSER CYLLARUS; SATURN TRANSFORMED TO A HORSE. Such was the steed in Grecian poets famed, Proud Cyllarus, by Spartan Pollux tamed: Such coursers bore to fight the god of Thrace; And such, Achilles, was thy warlike race. In such a shape, grim Saturn did restrain His heavenly limbs, and flowed with such a mane. When, half-surprised, and fearing to be seen, The lecher galloped from his jealous queen; Ran up the ridges of the rocks amain; [plain. And with shrill neighings filled the neighboring THE OLD HORSE. But worn with years, when dire diseases come, Then hide his not ignoble age at home: In peace to enjoy his former palms and pains; And gratefully be kind to his remains. For when his blood no youthful spirits move, He languishes and labors in his love.1 In vain he burns, like hasty stubble fires; And in himself his former self requires. THE BLOOD HORSE; THE CHARIOT RACE DESCRIBED. His age and courage weigh: nor those alone, But not his father's virtues nor his own; Observe if he disdains to yield the prize; Of loss impatient, proud of victories. 1 Frigidus in Venerem senior; frustraque laborem Ingratum trahit; et, si quando ad prælia ventum est, etc. Hast thou beheld, when from the goal they start, The youthful charioteers, with heaving heart, Rush to the race; and, panting, scarcely bear The extremes of feverish hope, and chilling fear; Stoop to the reins, and lash with all their force ; The flying chariot kindles in the course : And now a-low, and now aloft they fly, As borne through air, and seem to touch the sky. No stop, no stay, but clouds of sand arise, Spurned and cast back upon the follower's eyes. The hindmost blows the foam upon the first: Such is the love of praise, an honorable thirst. ERICHTHONIUS; THE LAPITIÆ, HORSE-BREAKERS. Bold Erichthonius was the first, who joined Of bits and bridles; taught the steed to bound, MANAGEMENT OF THE HORSE; BREEDING. To choose a youthful steed, with courage fired; Or did from Neptune's race, or from himself proceed. CARE OF BROOD MARES. As for the females, with industrious care Take down their mettle, keep 'em lean and bare; When conscious of their past delight, and keen1 * * With scanty measure then supply their food; And, when athirst, restrain 'em from the flood: Their bodies harass, sink 'em when they run; And fry their melting marrow in the sun. Starve 'em, when barns beneath their burden groan, And winnowed chaff by western winds is blown.2 * 1 Two lines are omitted after bran, and one, each, after assigned and keen; their grossness is not in the original. J. 2 Six lines are here omitted; they are the translation of the following three: Hoc faciunt, nimio ne luxu obtusior usus The male has done; thy care must now proceed To teeming females, and the promised breed. First let 'em run at large; and never know The taming yoke, or draw the crooked plough. Let 'em not leap the ditch, or swim the flood; Or lumber o'er the meads; or cross the wood. But range the forest, by the silver side Of some cool stream, where nature shall provide Green grass and fattening clover for their fare; And mossy caverns for their noontide lare: With rocks above to shield the sharp nocturnal air. THE GADFLY; EMPLOYED BY JUNO; PRECAUTION. About the Alburnian groves, with holly green, A fierce loud buzzing breeze; their stings draw blood, CARE OF CALVES; THEIR SELECTION AND TRAINING. When she has calved, then set the dam aside; Or whom thou shalt to turn thy glebe allow; BREAKING THE STEER TO THE YOKE. The calf, by nature and by genius made To turn the glebe, breed to the rural trade. Set him betimes to school, and let him be Instructed there in rules of husbandry: While yet his youth is flexible and green; Nor bad examples of the world has seen. Early begin the stubborn child to break; For his soft neck a supple collar make Of bending osiers; and (with time and care Inured that easy servitude to bear) Thy flattering method on the youth pursue : Joined with his school-fellows, by two and two, Persuade 'm first to lead an empty wheel, That scarce the dust can raise; or they can feel: In length of time produce the laboring yoke And shining shares, that make the furrows smoke. E'er the licentious youth be thus restrained, Or moral precepts on their minds have gained, Their wanton appetites not only feed With delicates of leaves, and marshy weed, But with thy sickle reap the rankest land; And minister the blade with bounteous hand. Nor be with harmful parsimony won To follow what our homely sires have done; Who filled the pail with beastings of the cow; But all her udder to the calf allow. [nurst: TRAINING THE YOUNG HORSE; THE WAR-HORSE; THE RACER. DESCRIPTION OF THE RACE-HORSE; COMPARED TO THE Thus formed for speed, he challenges the wind; And leaves the Scythian arrow far behind: He scours along the field, with loosened reins, And treads so light, he scarcely prints the plains. Like Boreas in his race, when rushing forth, He sweeps the skies, and clears the cloudy north : The waving harvest bends beneath his blast; The forest shakes, the groves their honors cast; He flies aloft, and, with impetuous roar, Pursues the foaming surges to the shore. Thus o'er the Elean plains the well-breathed horse Impels the flying car, and wins the course. Or, bred to Belgian wagons, leads the way; Untired at night, and cheerful all the day. FEEDING; THE YOUNG HORSE; THE YOUNG BULL. When once he's broken, feed him full and high: Too soon they must not feel the stings of love, With two fair eyes his mistress burns his breast; The bellowing rivals to the fight provokes. A FIGHT OF BULLS. A beauteous heifer in the woods is bred; Nor will the vanquished bull his claim release: [lost. THE VANQUISHED BULL; HIS RETURN TO THE CONTEST; COM- Often he turns his eyes, and, with a groan, He snuffs the wind, his heels the sand excite; THE FORCE OF PHYSICAL LOVE; THE LIONESS; THE BEAR; Thus every creature, and of every kind, Boars whet their tusks; to battle tigers move; ALLUSION TO THE STORY OF LEANDER. What did the youth, when love's unerring dart Transfixed his liver, and inflamed his heart? Alone, by night, his watery way he took ; About him, and above, the billows broke : The sluices of the sky were open spread, And rolling thunder rattled o'er his head. The raging tempest called him back in vain, And every boding omen of the main. Nor could his kindred, nor the kindly force Of weeping parents, change his fatal course. No, not the dying maid, who must deplore His floating carcass on the Sestian shore. EFFECTS OF LOVE ON LYNXES, WOLVES, DOGS, MARES. I pass the wars that spotted lynxes make With their fierce rivals, for the female's sake: The howling wolves, the mastiff's amorous rage; When even the fearful stag dares for his hind enBut far above the rest, the furious mare, [gage. Barred from the male, is frantic with despair.1 * * * For love they force through thickets of the wood, They climb the steepy hills, and stem the flood. When at the spring's approach their marrow burns For with the spring their genial warmth returns The mares to cliffs of rugged rocks repair, And with wide nostrils snuff the western air : When (wondrous to relate) the parent wind, Without the stallion, propagates the kind. Then, fired with amorous rage, they take their flight Through plains, and mount the hill's unequal Nor to the north, nor to the rising sun, [height; Nor southward to the rainy regions run, But boring to the west, and hovering there, With gaping mouths they draw prolific air : 2 *** 1 Instead of five gross lines of Dryden, Virgil has here simply: Et mentem Venus ipsa dedit, quo tempore Glauci 2 Eight lines of Dryden are here omitted; Virgil has: But time is lost, which never will renew, While we too far the pleasing path pursue; Surveying nature with too nice a view. CARE OF SHEEP AND GOATS; THE POET'S TASK TO RAISE Let this suffice for herds our following care WINTERING OF SHEEP AND GOATS. Now, sacred Pales, in a lofty strain, First, with assiduous care, from winter keep, UTILITY OF THE GOAT; MILK, HAIR. 'Tis true, the fleece, when drunk with Tyrian juice, Is dearly sold; but not for needful use: For the salacious goat increases more, And twice as largely yields her milky store. The still-distended udders never fail ; But, when they seem exhausted, swell the pail. Meantime the pastor shears their hoary beards, And eases of their hair the loaded herds. Their camelots warm in tents the soldier hold, And shield the shivering mariner from cold. FEEDING OF GOATS AND SHEEP; WINTER BROWSE. On shrubs they browse, and on the bleaky top Of rugged hills the thorny bramble crop. Attended with their bleating kids they come At night, unasked, and mindful of their home; And scarce their swelling bags the threshold overSo much the more thy diligence bestow [come. In depth of Winter, to defend the snow : By how much less the tender helpless kind For their own ills can fit provision find. Then minister the browse with bounteous hand, And open let the stacks all winter stand, |