Natural Hiftory of the Ancients. 1 3 3 



Melibaeus, plant thy vines in order." " Come 

 hither ; lo, the Nymphs bear thee lilies in brim- 

 ming bafkets ; for thee a fair Naiad, plucking 

 violets and poppy-heads, twines together the nar- 

 cifTus and fweet-fmelling dill, and twifting them 

 up with mezereon and other fragrant herbs, varies 

 the delicate hyacinths with yellow marm-marigold. 

 I myfelf will gather hoary quinces with tender 

 down, and cheftnuts fuch as my Amaryllis loved ; 

 I will add waxen plums, honour mall alfo be paid 

 to this apple ; you, too, laurels, will I pluck, and 

 you, neighbouring myrtle, fince thus arranged ye 

 mingle pleafant odours." 1 Again, he fays in the 

 " Georgics," " Let gardens breathing with crocus- 

 flowers invite bees, and the protection of Priapus, 

 that guard of thieves and birds, with his willow 

 cudgel protect them." The claflic reader will re- 

 call many a ribald ode to Priapus, whofe image 

 was generally fet up in gardens. Three lines in 

 the fame poem aptly defcribe a Roman garden : 



" Haec circum cafiae virides, et olentia late 

 Serpylla, et graviter fpirantis copia thymbrae 

 Floreat, irriguumque bibant violaria fontem." 



Dryden muft tranflate the moil celebrated 

 paflages on ancient flowers (" Georg.," iv. 1 1 6-146). 

 He revels in the rofes of Paeftum, " and their 

 double fpring," in fuccory, parfley, cucumbers, 

 narciflus, bears'-foot, myrtles and ivy, apples, 

 limes, pines and vines, and then defcribes the old 

 Corycian gardener : 



1 "Eels.," i. 73 and ii. 45-58; "Georg.," iv. 109, 30-32, 

 efpecially 116-146. A good deal about Roman gardens may 

 be found in Becker's Gallus." 



