COMMON PIGEON. Crass Il. 
fatal cart is drawn away, to notify to diftant friends, 
the departure of the unhappy criminal. we 
In the Eaft, the ufe of thefe birds feems to have 
been improved greatly, by having, if we may — 
ufe the expreffion, relays of them ready to fpread - 
intelligence to all parts of the country. Thus the 
sovernor of Damiata circulated the news of the 
death of Orrilo: 
Tofto che’l Caitellan di Damiata 
Certificofi, ch’era morto Orri/o, 
La Colomba laicid, ch’avea legata 
Sotto l’ala la lettera col filo. 
Quelle andd al Cairo, ed indi fu lafciata 
Un’ altra altrove, come auivi e ftilo: 
Si, che in pochiffime ore ando L’avvifo 
Per tutto Egitto, ch’era Orrilo uccifo*. 
But the fimple ufe of them was known in very 
early times: Anacreon tells us, he conveyed his 
billet-doux, to his beautifull Bathyllus, by a dove. 
XN RK F f 
Eya o Avaxpeovtt 
/ ~ ~ 
Aiaxova tocavta* 
> ~ e : / 
Kar viv ores exeive 
"Exisonas nomic F. 
* ¢ As foon as the commandant of Damiata heard that Or- 
« rilo was dead, he let loofe a pigeon, under whofe wing he 
“had tied a letter; this fled to Cairo, from whence a fecond 
“was difpatched to another place, as is ufual; fo that ina 
‘very few hours, all Zgys¢ was acquainted with the death 
‘of Orril’ Ariofto, canto 15. 
+ Anacreon, ode 9. sis megiregay. 
Tam 
