and other Countries in ancient times. 93 



sullo Gcogrqfia Fisica e Botanica del Regno di Napoli, p. 60*.) 

 places the region of the beech in Southern Italy, at from 400 

 to 600 toises above the level of the sea. Virgil, however, in 

 reality never speaks of the " fagus," generally supposed to be 

 the beech, as growing near Rome. That tree is mentioned 

 twice in the Georgics (i. 173. and ii. 71.), but in a way from 

 which nothing can be concluded with regard to its locality ; 

 and once in a similar way in the Eclogues (iii. 1 2.) : there 

 are, however, two other passages where the indication of the 

 locality is more precise. The first is the well-known passage 

 of the first Eclogue. It is too obvious to require any discus- 

 sion, that in this instance the scene is laid in the territory of 

 Mantua. The second passage (Eel. ix. 9.) refers to the same 

 country, and specifies the position of the beeches still more 

 clearly as in the plain, but not far from the foot of the hills, 



" qua se subducere colles 



Incipiunt, mollique jugum demittere clivo, 



Usque ad aquam et veteres, jam fracta cacumina, fagos." 



With the exception of a passage in the 2nd Eclogue (1. 3.), 

 where the scene is laid " Siculis in montibus," these are, I be- 

 lieve, the only occasions on which the " fagus" is mentioned 

 by Virgil ; nor in any of them is it connected with the neigh- 

 bourhood of Rome. Still, however, it is remarkable that 

 Virgil should speak of the " fagus " as growing in the plains 

 of Northern Italy, while in the present day we must ascend 

 the adjacent mountains to a considerable height before we 

 find it. The lower limit of the beech on the southern side of 

 the Alps (in the Valtelline and the Veronese) is placed by 

 Schouw (Pflanzen- Geographies p. 199.) at 2000 Parisian 

 feet above the level of the sea, while the altitude of the plain 

 of Lombardy is only 400. It would appear therefore that 

 in Northern Italy the lower limit of the beech has ascended 

 1600 feet since the time of Virgil. 



The position of Virgil's " fagi " in the plain near the foot 

 of the hills, is in accordance with a passage of Pliny, where 

 he puts the fagus among the mountain trees, that also descend 

 into the plain. (Hist. Nat. xvi. 30.) 



In another passage (xvi. 15.) Pliny states that fagi formerly 

 existed on the site of the temple of Jupiter Fagutalis within 

 the precincts of the city of Rome. Brocchi, in his Physical 

 Map of Rome, at the earliest period of its existence, lays 

 down the Lucus Fagutalis on the Esquiline, not far from the 

 Agger of Servius Tullius. The mean height of the Esquiline 

 above the Mediterranean does not exceed 200 Parisian feet, 

 and the highest point of the Agger only reaches 237, accord- 



[* See L. & E. Phil. Mag. vol. iv. p. 276.— Edit.] 



