LUNA HABITABILIS.*

DUM NOx rorantes, non incomitata per auras
Urget equos, tacitoque inducit sidera lapsu ;
Ultima, sed nulli soror inficianda sororum,
Huc mihi, Musa; tibi patet alti janua cœli,
Astra vides, nec te numeri, nec nomina fallunt.
Huc mihi, Diva veni; dulce est per aperta serena
Vere frui liquido, campoque errare silenti;
Vere frui dulce est; modo tu dignata petentem
Sis comes, et mecum gelidâ spatiere sub umbrâ.
Scilicèt hos orbes, cœli hæc decora alta putandum est,
Noctis opes, nobis tantum lucere; virumque

Ostentari oculis, nostræ laquearia terræ,

NOTES.

* This copy of verses was written by desire of the College, in 1737. It has never been printed, but in the Musa Etonenses,' vol. ii. p. 107; and has not there, the name of the author. It is referred to, in Mason's Memoirs; a copy of verses on the subject, "Planetæ sunt habitabiles," is in the same work.

Ver. 2. Tacito] "Tacito lapsu," Claudian, xxii. 430. And xxxi. 40: "Tacito defluxit fistula lapsu."

Ver. 4. Patet]" Noctes atque dies patet atri janua Ditis," Virg. Æn. vi. 127.
Ver. 7. Liquido]

Ver inde serenum

Protinus, et liquidi clementior aura favoni."

And Virg. Georg. i. 43:

"Vere novo, gelidus canis cum montibus humor
Liquitur."

Claudian, i. 272.

Ingentes scenas, vastique aulæa theatri?
Oh! quis me pennis æthræ super ardua sistet
Mirantem, propiusque dabit convexa tueri;
Teque adeo, undè fluens reficit lux mollior arva,
Pallidiorque dies, tristes solata tenebras?

Sic
ego, subridens Dea sic ingressa vicissim :
Non pennis opus hìc, supera ut simul illa petamus:
Disce, Puer, potiùs cœlo deducere Lunam;
Neu crede ad magicas te invitum accingier artes,
Thessalicosve modos; ipsam descendere Phœben
Conspicies novus Endymion; seque offeret ultrò
Visa tibi ante oculos, et notâ major imago.

Quin tete admoveas (tumuli super aggere spectas),
Compositum tubulo; simul imum invade canalem
Sic intentâ acie, cœli simul alta patescent
Atria; jamque, ausus Lunaria visere regna,

Ver. 13. Scenas]

NOTES.

15

20

25

"Vel scena ut versis discedat frontibus; utque
Purpurea intexti tollant aulea Britanni."

Virg. Georg. iii. 24.

Ver. 14. Oh! quis] This and the following line are from Virg. Georg. ii. 489; and En. iv. 451.

Ver. 20. Disce] "Disce, puer," Æn. xii. 435. Eclog. viii. 69.

"Vel cœlo possunt deducere lunam,"

Ver. 21. Accingier] "Magicas invitam adcingier artes," Æn. iv. 493.
Ver. 22. Thessalicosve]

"Quæ sidera excantata voce Thessala

Lunamque cœlo deripit.'

Hor. Epod. v. 45.

Ver. 24. Visa] This line is from Virgil, Æn. ii. 773:
"Visa mihi ante oculos, et notâ major imago."

Ingrediêre solo, et caput inter nubila condes.

Ecce autem! vitri se in vertice sistere Phoeben
Cernis, et Oceanum, et crebris Freta consita terris
Panditur ille atram faciem caligine condens
Sublustri; refugitque oculos, fallitque tuentem ;
Integram Solis lucem quippè haurit aperto
Fluctu avidus radiorum, et longos imbibit ignes:
Verum his, quæ, maculis variata nitentibus, auro
Coerula discernunt, celso sese insula dorso
Plurima protrudit, prætentaque littora saxis;
Liberior datur his quoniàm natura, minusque
Lumen depascunt liquidum; sed tela diei
Detorquent, retròque docent se vertere flammas.

NOTES.

Ver. 29. Ingrediére] "Ingrediturque solo, et caput inter nubila condit," Virg. Æn. iv. 177.

Ver. 31. Freta] "Et crebris legimus freta consita terris," Virg. Æn. iii. 127.

Ver. 35. Imbibit ignes] There is no authority in Latin poetry for the use of the word " imbibit" in this sense. It is a word unusual in poetry, though twice found in Lucretius (iii. 1010, and vi. 71): but it is there used in another construction: as "Imbibit petere," i. e. "Induxit in animum petere." There is a note on this word in Mureti Var. Lectiones, lib. i. cap. 6. (In Gesner's Thesaurus, and Havercamp's Lucretius, the reference to Muretus is wrong, 1. cap. 5.) The word which Gray should have used, is "bibit." See En. i. 749; xi. 804: Georg. ii. 506; &c.

Ver. 38. Protrudit] This word is unusual in Latin poetry. It may be defended on the authority of Lucretius, iv. 247: "Extemplo protrudit, agitque aëra:"-where, however, some manuscripts read "procudit."

35

40

30

Hinc longos videas tractus, terrasque jacentes
Ordine candenti, et claros se attollere montes;
Montes queîs Rhodope assurgat, quibus Ossa nivali
Vertice: tum scopulis infrà pendentibus antra
Nigrescunt clivorum umbrâ, nemorumque tenebris.
Non rores illi, aut desunt sua nubila mundo;
Non frigus gelidum, atque herbis gratissimus imber;
His quoque nota ardet picto Thaumantias arcu,
Os roseum Aurora, propriique crepuscula cœli.
Et dubitas tantum certis cultoribus orbem
Destitui? exercent agros, sua monia condunt
Hi quoque, vel Martem invadunt, curantque triumphos
Victores sunt hic etiam sua præmia laudi;

His metus, atque amor, et mentem mortalia tangunt.
Quin, uti nos oculis jam nunc juvat ire per arva,
Lucentesque plagas Lunæ, pontumque profundum;
Idem illos etiàm ardor agit, cum se aureus effert
Sub sudum globus, et terrarum ingentior orbis ;
Scilicèt omne æquor tum lustrant, scilicèt omnem
Tellurem, gentesque polo sub utroque jacentes ;
Et quidam æstivi indefessus ad ætheris ignes

45

51

55

60

NOTES.

Ver. 45. Scopulis] "Fronte sub adversâ scopulis pendentibus antrum,” Virg. Æn. i. 166.

Ver. 48. Herbis gratissimus] "Quum ros in tenerâ pecori gratissimus herbâ," Virg. Eclog. viii. 15.

Ver. 49. Thaumantias] " Roseo Thaumantias ore locuta est," Virg. Æn. ix. 5. "In terram pictos delapsa per arcus," Ov. Met. xiv. 838.

Ver. 53. Invadunt] "Invadunt Martem clypeis," Æn. xii. 712.

Pervigilat, noctem exercens, cœlumque fatigat;
Jam Galli apparent, jam se Germania latè
Tollit, et albescens pater Apenninus ad auras;
Jam tandem in Borean, en! parvulus Anglia nævus
(Quanquam aliis longè fulgentior) extulit oras;
Formosum extemplò lumen, maculamque nitentem
Invisunt crebri Proceres, serùmque tuendo;
Hærent, certatimque suo cognomine signant:
Forsitan et Lunæ longinquus in orbe Tyrannus
Se dominum vocat, et nostrâ se jactat in aulà.
Terras possim alias propiori sole calentes
Narrare, atque alias, jubaris queîs parcior usus,
Lunarum chorus, et tenuis penuria Phœbi;
Nî, meditans eadem hæc audaci evolvere cantu,
Jam pulset citharam soror, et præludia tentet.
Non tamen has proprias laudes, nec facta silebo
Jampridem in fatis, patriæque oracula famæ.
Tempus erit, sursùm totos contendere cœtus
Quo cernes longo excursu, primosque colonos
Migrare in lunam, et notos mutare Penates:

Ver. 63. Pervigilat]

NOTES.

65

70

75

80

"Et quidam seros hiberni ad luminis ignes
Pervigilat."

Virg. Georg. i. 292.

Ver. 65. Apenninus] " Vertice se attollens pater Apenninus ad auras," Æn. xii. 703. Ver. 72. Jactat] "Illâ se jactat in aulâ,” Æn. i. 140.

Ver. 75. Lunarum] So Virgil, Georg. i. 421: "Lunasque sequentes.”

Ver. 75. Penuria] This expression "Penuria Phoebi" is not, I believe, warranted by the authority of any of the Latin poets. There would have been less objection, if the plain term, instead of the figurative, had been used.

Ver. 79. In fatis] "Esse quoque in fatis reminiscitur," Ov. Met. i. 256.