214 



APPENDIX. 



Venatione 



Senecaj 



Hippolyt. 



Act. I. sc. 1. 



The most lively and striking picture of classic Venation, in ge- 

 nere, which I have met with in the Latin language, is contained in 

 one of Seneca's tragedies; which, let them be the productions of 

 whom they may, contain much brilliant descriptive poetry. The 

 whole arrangement of the field is admirably given in the Hippolytus. 

 The duties of the biKrvayuyos, tx»'ci'")s, icvvaywyus, apKVbjpos, and 

 XivoTTTijs, are successively detailed in the prologue, spoken by this 

 Xenophon de rigid paragon of chastity himself, {(Ta)(ppo(Tvvy kui oatori^Ti jjiai^apicdets,) 

 in the character of Magister Venationis. 



" Ite umbrosas cingite sylvas, 

 Suiiimaque montis juga Cecropii, 

 Celeri plants lustrate vagi 

 Quae saxosa loca Parnetlii 

 Subjecta jacent ; et qua; Thriasiis 

 Vallibus amnis rapid a currens 

 Verberat unda : scandite colles 

 Semper canos nive Riphaea. 

 Hac Lac alii, qua nemus altii 

 Texitur alno ; qua prata jacent, 

 Quie rorifer^ mulcens aura 

 Zephjrus vernas evocat herbas," &c. 



says the son of Theseus to his attendant huntsmen— describing the 

 local scenery of different parts of Attica, most abundant in game — 

 and allotting them their respective stations and duties, with the mute 

 limehounds, (" canibus tacitis,") the 7ioisy pack, and divers imple- 

 ments of the sylvan chase : ^ 



duni lux dubia est ; 

 Dum signa pedum roscida tellus 

 Irapressa tenet, alius riiras 

 Cervice gravi portare plagas, 

 Alius teretes properet laqueos. 

 Picta rubenti linea pinna 



1. The lines of this animated picture, which describe, in the language of ex- 

 perience, the different degrees of restraint to be imposed on the Limiers, the Molos- 

 sians, the Cretans, and Spartans, are here omitted : inasmuch as they will be more 

 api)ropriately cited by us, when we come to speak of the family of limiers, the canes 

 inductores of classical antiquity. 



