The land that's bitter, or with falt imbu'd,

Too wild for culture, for the plough too rude,
Where apples boast no more their purple hues,
And drooping Bacchus yields degen'rate juice,
May thus be known of twigs a basket twine
Like that from whence is ftrain'd the recent wine;
This with the foil and crystal water fill

300

305

Then squeeze the mafs, while thro' the twigs diftil
The big round drops in many a trickling rill;
Soon fhall its nature from its tafte

appear,

And the wry mouth the bitter juice declare.
We learn from hence a fat and viscid land;
It sticks like pitch uncrumbled to the hand;
The moifter mold a rank luxuriance feeds,

}

310

Of lengthen'd grafs, and tall promifcuous weeds;
O may be mine no over-fertile plain,

That shoots too strongly forth its early grain !
The light and heavy in the balance try,

315

The black and other colours ftrike the eye;
Not fo the cold ; lo! there dark ivy spreads,
Or yews on pitch-trees lift their gloomy heads.

These rules observ'd, expose the clods to dry,

Bak'd and concocted by the northern sky.
Trench deep, and turn the foil, before ye place

The tender vines, a joy-diffusing race;

320

309. Bitter:] Amaror is in the ftyle of Lucretius, and the true reading; tho' many read amaro, making it agree with fenfu. SERVIUS.

311. It flicks.] Ad digitos lentefcit habendo, cannot startle delicate ear fo much as muft the tranflation of that expreffion from the fingle circumftance, of a vulgar idea being quite concealed in any dead language,

Fat molds grow mellow by the delver's pains,
By fanning winds and frofts, and cooling rains.
But hinds of greater diligence and care,
Two foils, of genius fimilar prepare,
Left the fond offspring its chang'd mother mourn,
And genial lap whence fuddenly 'tis torn:
Thus plants from infancy to ftrength arrive,
And in a kindred foil, tranfplanted thrive.
Befides their former fite they nicely mark,
With sharpen'd knife upon the yielding bark;
And place them as before they stood inclin❜d,
To the hot fouth, or blustering northern wind:
Such is the ftrength of cuftom, fuch appears
The force of habits gain'd in tender years.
Confider, fwain, if beft the vine will grow

325

330

335

On the high hill, or in the valley low.

If on rich plains extends thy level ground,
Thick fet thy plants, and Bacchus will abound;
If on a gentle hill or floping bank,

340

In measur'd fquares exact your vineyards rank
Each narrow path and equal opening place,
To front, and answer to the croffing fpace.

327.7 Columella fays the trenches fhould be dug a year be forehand. Mr. Holdsworth used to fay, that Columella's treatife on husbandry was by much the best comment on Vir-gil's Georgics, that he knew of. SPENCE.

327. Two foils] Having explained the feveral forts of foil," fays Martyn, he proceeds to give fome inftructions concerning the planting of vines; and fpeaks of the trenches to be made to receive the plants out of the nursery; of taking care that the nursery and the vineyards fhould have a like foil, and that the plants fhould be fet with the fame afpect which they had in the nursery.

As in juft ranks, and many an order'd band,
On fome vaft plain the Roman legions ftand,
Before the shouting squadrons battle join,
And earth reflects the dazzling armour's shine,
Mars fternly stalks each equal front betwixt,
Nor yet the fate of either hoft is fixt:

350

346. As in juft ranks.] Virgil, fays Dr. Martyn, does not mean the form of a Quincunx in this defcription, but that you should plant your vines in a fquare in the following order:

As Virgil compares the difpofition of the trees in a vineyard, to an army drawn up in battle array, 'tis evident that he muft mean this figure. The Romans usually allowed three foot fquare for every common foldier to manage his arms, that is, fix foot between each, which is a proper distance for the vines in Italy, according to Columella, who fays the rows fhould not be wider than ten feet, nor nearer than four.

349. And earth reflects.] Aere renidenti tellus, fays the original. This expreffion is borrow'd from Lucretius's, aere renidefcit tellus. Both these poets feem to have had Euripides in their eye;

· καταχαλκον απαν Πεδιον ας λει

Phænifs. ver. 110.

The fhining beauties of the clusters of the vines (fays Dr. Martyn) is finely reprefented by the fplendor of the brazen arms. I beg for once to diffent from this learned gentleman, and to obferve, that this part of the comparison feems too minute, and too much like an Italian conceit, for Virgil to have thought of.

350. Mars fernly.] This is the only fimile in all this Georgic; the reason of which seems to be, that metaphors and fhort defcriptions, which are so frequent in every part of this Georgic, are of the same nature and ufe in poetry, as fimiles.

BENSON.

Ev'n thus, your vines difpos'd at diftance due,
Not only ftrike with joy the gazer's view,

But earth more equal nutriment fupplies,

360

The plants find space to fpread, and vigorous rife. 355
Perhaps the depth of trenches you'll demand;
The vine I dare to plant in shallow land;
But forest-trees that rear their branches higher,
A deeper mold, and wider room require :
Chief the tall Aesculus, that tow'rs above
Each humbler tree, the monarch of the grove;
High as his head fhoots lofty to the skies,
So deep his root in hell's foundation lies;
While ftorms and wintry blasts and driving rain
Beat fiercely on his stately top in vain
Unhurt, unmov'd, he stands in hoary state,

;

365

For many an age beyond frail mortals' date,

This way and that, his vaft arms widely spread,

He in the midst supports the thick-furrounding shade.

Nor let thy vineyards to the weft decline;

Nor hazles plant amid the joyous vine;

No scions pluck a-top, but near the roots;

Nor wound with blunted steel the red'ning fhoots ;
Nor let wild olives (noxious plants!) be found
Nigh to those spots where luscious

grapes

370

abound. 375

370. To the weft decline.] "Tis worth obferving that the poet has brought together here, more precepts than in any part of all the Georgics; but it is likewife remarkable, that he has placed them very artfully betwixt that fine passage just mentioned, and another equally beautiful.

BENSON.

For oft from heedlefs fhepherds falls a spark,
Which lurking firft beneath the unctuous bark,
Seizes the folid tree; with dreadful roar

The flames thro' catching leaves and branches foar,
Swift thro' the crackling wood triumphant fly,
And hurl the pitchy clouds into the darken'd sky.
But moft they ravage, if the roaring wind
With doubled rage fhould rife, with fire combin'd;
No vines, hereafter, fow'd, or prun'd, will thrive;
The bitter-leav'd wild olives fole survive.

Let none perfuade to plant, in winter hoar,
When rigid Boreas' spirit blusters frore;
Winter the pores of earth fo closely binds,
No paffage the too tender fibre finds;

380

385

Plant beft the vines in blufhing fpring's fresh bloom, 390
When the white bird, the dread of snakes is come :
Or in cool autumn, when the fummer's past,

Ere Phoebus' feeds to the cold tropic haste.

In fpring, in blushing spring, the woods resume Their leafy honours, and their fragrant bloom; 395 Earth fwells with moisture all her teeming lands, And genial fructifying feed demands;

376. Falls a spark.] This fine defcription of a fire raging among the vines and their fupporters, judiciously relieves the dryness of the Didactic lines preceding.

394. In fpring.] There are few paffages in the Georgics more charming than this defcription of fpring. He strives hard to excell Lucretius, but I am afraid it cannot be faid that. he has done it. The conjugis in gremium is evidently taken from

In gremium matris terraï praecipitavit.

And the following lines of the fame writer, to whom Virgil