41 



Virffil has imitated Homer with far inferior success ; 



'to' 



Quales sub nubibus atris, 

 Strymoniae dant signa grues, atque agthera tranant 

 Cum gonitu, fugiuntque notes, clamore secundo. 



Lucan shews more observation than Virgil ; but, I apprehend, 

 a naturalist would not have admitted chance as the disposer of the 

 orderly arrangement of the cranes in their flight. 



Strymona sic gelidum, bruma pellente, relinquunt, 

 Poturas te, Nile, grues, primoque volatu 

 Effingunt varias, casu monstrante, figuras. 

 Mox ubi percussit tensas Notus altior alas, 

 Confusos temerfe immixtae glomerantur in orbes, 

 Et turbala perit dispersis litera pennis. 



Lucan. lib. v. Ml. 



The bird hastening with food to her young, and the joy which 

 they express at her appearance, are beautifully described in, the 

 following lines of Oppian : 



Cli 3' OTOT envryiviiret ^i^it (2o(Tiii o^Ta,Xt^of(ri 

 M)!Tr}g iiu^ivtj ^i<pvgs rs^uTctyyikOi o^vig 

 Ote' UTTocXof rpv^ovng fTrfypuffKuffi kkXi^ 

 Ttj^offvvoi mi^t f/^i^T^i, KKi ii^ei^ovTig eoaOtis 

 HiiXog uva.'jtrvffffHffiv' ot.'xa.v S' tm haifjua. XthfixDi 

 AvSgog ^iivohoKoto Xiyot, KXccl^sirt viofforoig, 



TOL. XIII. G 



