A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1264 VIRGILIUS. VIRGILIUS.
filling a magistratus in their own cities. The languishing condition of agriculture in Italy aflter
Roman civitas was not given to the Transpadani the civil war, and to point out the best method,
till B. C. 49. Virgil therefore was not a Roman may take its place with other exploded notions. The
citizen by birth, and he was above twenty years of idea of reviving the industry of a country by an elaage before the civitas was extended to Gallia borate poem, which few farmers would read and still
Transpadana. fewer would understand, requires no refutation.
It is merely a conjecture, though it is probable Agriculture is not quickened by a book, still less
that Virgilius retired to his paternal farm, and here by a poem. It requires security of property, light
he may have written some of the small pieces, taxation, and freedom of commerce. Maecenas may
which are attributed to him. the Culex, Ciris, have wished Virgil to try his strength on something
Moretum, and others. The defeat of Brutus and better than his Eclogues; and though the subject
Cassius by M. Antonius and Octavianus Caesar does not appear inviting, the poet has contrived to
at Philippi B. c. 42, gave the supreme power to the give it such embellishment that his fame rests in
two victorious generals, and when Octavianuls re- a great degree on this work. The concluding
turned to Italy, he began to assign to his soldiers lines of the Georgica were written at Naples
lands which had been promised them for their (Georg. iv. 559), but we can hardly infer that the
services (Dion Cass. xlviii. 5, &c.). But the soldiers whole poem was written there, though this is the
could only be provided with land by turning out literal meaning of the words,
many of the occupiers, and the neighbourhood of
Cremona and Mantua was one of the districts il per arorumclt pecorllmqe cebm."
which the soldiers were planted, and from which the We may however conclude that it was completed
former possessors were dislodged. (Appian, Bell. after the battle of Actium B. c. 31, while Caesar
Civ. v. 12, &c.) There is little evidence as to the was in the East. (Compare Geos7. iv. 560, and
circumstances under which Virgil was deprived of ii. 171, and the remarks of the critics.) His
his property. It is said that it was seized by a Eclogues had all been completed, and probably beveteran named Claudius or Clodius, and that Asi- fore the Georgica were begun (Georg. iv. 565).
nius Pollia, who was then governor of Gallia The epic poem of Virgil, the Aeneid, was proTranspadana, advised Virgil to apply to Octa- bably long contemplated by the poet. While
vianus at Rome for the restitution of his land, and Augustus was in Spain B. C. 2'1, he wrote to Virgil
that Octavianus granted his request. It is sup- to express his wish to have some monument of his
posed that Virgilius wrote the Eclogue which poetical talent; perhaps he desired that the poet
stands first in our editions, to commemorate his should dedicate his labours to his glory as he had
gratitude to Octavianus Caesar. Whether the done to that of Maecenas. A short replyof Virgil
poet was subsequently disturbed in his possession is preserved (Macrob. Sat. i. 24), in which he
aind again restored, and whether he was not firmly says, " with respect to my Aeneas, if it were in a
secured in his patrioilonial farm till after the peace fit shape for your reading, I would gladly send the
of Brundusium B. C. 40 between Octavianus Caesar poem; but the thing is only just begun; and inand M. Antonius, is a matter which no extant deed it seems something like folly to have underauthority is sufficient to determine. taken so great a work, especially when, as you
Virgil became acquainted with Maecenas before know, I am applying to it other studies, and those
Horace was, and Horace (Sat. i. 5, and 6. 55, &c.) of much greater importance." The inference that
was introduced to Maecenas by Virgil. Whether may be derived from a passage of Propertius (Eleg.
this introduction was in the year B. C. 41 or a ii. 34, v. 61), in which he speaks of the Iliad as
little later is uncertain; but we may perhaps con- begun and in progress, and from the recent death
chlude from the name of Maecenas not being men- of Gallus, also mentioned in the same elegy, is that
tioned in the Eclogues of Virgil, that he himself Virgil was engaged on his work in B. C. 24 (Clinton,
was not on those intimate terms with Maecenas Fast. B.C. 24). An allusion to the victory of
which ripened into friendship, until after they Actium in the same elegy, compared with the paswere written. Horace, in one of his Satires (Sat. sage in Virgil (Aeneid, viii. 675 and 704) seems
i. 5), in which he describes the journey from Rome to show that Propertius was acquainted with the
to Brundusium, meitions Virgil as one of the party, poem of Virgil in its progress; and he may have
and in language which shows that they were then heard parts of it read. In B. C. 23 died Marcellus,
in the closest intimacy. The time to which this the son of Octavia, Caesar's sister, by her first
journey relates is a matter of some difficulty, but husband; and as Virgil lost no opportunity of
there are perhaps only two times to which it can gratifying his patron, he introduced into his sixth
be referred, either the events recorded in Appian book of the Aeneid (v. 883) the well-known al(Bell. Civ. v. 64), which preceded the peace of lusion to the virtues of this youth, who was cut off
Brundusium B. c. 40, or to the events recorded by by a premature death,
Appian (Bell. Civ. v. 78), which belong to the
year B. C. 38. But it is not easy to decide to Tu Marcellus eris."
which of these two years, B. C. 40 or B. C. 38, the
journey of Horace refers. It can hardly refer to Octavia is said to have been present when the
the events mentioned in Appian (Bell. Civ. v. 93, poet was reciting this allusion to her son and to
&c.) which belong to the year B. C. 37, though have fainted from her emotions. She rewarded
even this opinion has been maintained. [HoRa- the poet munificently for his excusable flattery.
TIUS FLACCUS.] As Marcellus did not die till B. C. 23, these lines
The most finished work of Virgil, his Georgica, were of course written after his death, but that does
an agricultural poem, was undertaken at the sug- not prove that the whole of the sixth book was
gestion of Maecenas (Georg. iii. 41), and it was written so late. Indeed the attempts which moprobably not commenced earlier than B. c. 37. dern critics make to settle many points in aincient
The supposition that it was written to revive the literary history, are not always managed with due