30 History of the English Landed Interest. 



the skill and accuracy of a Cirencester College professor. 

 Then comes a graphic description of the implements in use. 

 There is the elm plough-tail ^ with its iron coulter, the beam 

 eight feet long, the two earth-boards, the share-beam with 

 double back, the yoke of lime-wood, and the beechen plough- 

 staff to turn from behind the bottom of the carriage. There 

 are the minor implements, and particulars of materials with 

 which the threshing floor is constructed. Then the writer 

 takes in order the cultivation of barley, flax, beans, vetches, 

 and lentils, and ends up the first of these poetical essays with 

 a description of winter life, in which we seem to picture the 

 ploughman during inclement weather sharpening the blunted 

 share, the spare hands harvesting the apples, the shepherd 

 marking his sheep, the housewife busy at her bread-oven, and 

 her maids carding wool. As we turn over the leaves of his 

 second book we cull many a hint on soils, vine and olive 

 culture, and varieties of useful woods, until another glowing 

 picture of Italian home life with its children hanging around 

 their father's neck, the cows waiting to be milked, the young- 

 goats at play outside, and the labourers competing for prizes 

 closes the poem. The third Georgic is devoted to the rearing 

 and breeding of live stock ; but though we do not recognise the 

 points of a modern prize heifer,^ as we read of the ugly head, 

 long neck, dewlaps extending to the legs, length of side and 

 large feet of a good cow, there is something that smacks 

 of an Islington horse show in Virgil's description of a 

 mettled steed,^ with neck raised high, head little and slender, 

 barrel short, back plump, chest swelling with brawny muscle, 

 a double spinal bone running down between his loins, and the 

 solid horn of his hoof. The Roman steed was not however the 

 prototype of a modern shire horse, for we find, as we read on, 

 that the bullocks were trained in pairs to draw the wain or 

 plough the soil. The poet next turns his attention to goats 

 and sheep, and omits not to mention that trusty ally of the 

 flock — the watchful sheep-dog. AVe need not criticise the 



* Virgil, Georg. ^ Id., Geort/., iii. 51. 



3 Id. Ibid., T'J. 



