88 THE HISTORY AND ART 



entertainment ; being performed by bands or troops 

 of young men of the nobleft families, who rode their 

 horles in Evolutions and Turnings in fliew of Battle, of 

 which they were a picture and reprefentation. Firgil 

 defcribes them with great corre^lnefs, and adorns them 

 with all the graces of poetry ; nor is it unreafonable 

 to conclude from the exa6lnefs with which he relates 

 them, that they were familiar to the Romans in his 

 time, and that he did not copy them more faithfully 

 in his defcription, than he faw them performed and 

 reprefented. — That the reader may have a clearer idea, 

 and the mofl pleaiuig account of this fo famous Game^ 

 I prefume to bring the poet to fpcak for himfelf ; and 

 with refped; to thofe who may not underftand his lan- 

 guage, I have procured an interpreter, who is fo ca- 

 pable of doing him juftice, that the Englifli reader 

 will have but little (if any) room to lament his ig- 

 norance of the original language. Neither will he be 

 difpleafed (I flatter myfelf) with the length of the ac- 

 count, but will rather think it enhances its merit. 



jit pater JEneas nondum certamine mijfo 

 Cujiodem adfeje comitemque impubis lull 

 Epytidefi vocat, et fidam fic fatur ad aurem. 

 Vade age, et Afcanio, fi jam puerile par atum 

 Agnwi habet fecum, curjiifque injlruxit equorum 

 Ducat avo turmas, et fefe ojiendat in armis. 

 X)ic ait. Ipfe omnem longo decedere circo 

 Infufum populum, et campos jubet ejfe pate?ites. 



Incedunt pueri, paritcrque ante ora parentum 



Fra- 



