. [ 65 ] 
I (hall begin with fome padages from Virgil’s 
Georgies, having already attempted to fhew that no 
authority can be more relied upon. 
This mod excellent hufbandman is condantly ad- 
vifing precautions againd fnow and ice in the ma- 
nagement of cattle ; and he may be generally fuppofed 
to give thefe directions for the neighbourhood of 
Naples *, or Mantua his native country, where he 
does not evidently from the context mean fome other 
parts of Italy : 
“ Et multa duram dipula, dlicumque maniplis 
** Sternere fubterhumum, glacies ne frigida laedat 
<c Mode pecus.” Lib. III. 1 . 297. 
This relates to fheep; but that hardy animal the 
goat wanted the fame attention during the winter : 
“ Ergo omni dudio, glaciem, ventofque nivales 
<c Avertes.” Lib. III. 1 . 317. 
Speaking afterwards of Calabria, the mod Southern 
part of Italy, he expreffes himfelf, with regard to the 
rivers being frozen, as what was commonly to be ex- 
pected : 
“ Et cum tridis hyems etiamnum frigore faxa 
<c Solveret, & glacis curfus fraenaret aquarum 'f'.” 
* c< I!lo Virgilium me tempore dulcis alebat 
“ Parthenope, ftudiis florentem ignobilis oti.” 
J It appears alfo by the fixth Satire of Juvenal, that the 
Tiber’s being commonly frozen in winter lupplied the ladies 
of Rome with a very extraordinary inftance of implicit deference 
to the commands of the Egyptian priefts : 
“ Hybernum fradla glacie defeendet in amnem, 
4C Ter matutino Tiberi mergetur ” 
Pliny’s favourite villa of Laurentinum was fituated near the 
mouth of the fame river and, in the very minute defeription of 
its beauties and conveniences, he dwells much more upon the 
exoofition of different parts of it to the warmth of the fun, 
‘Vol. LVIII. K I am 
