fage, in all that Poet's Works, which has more puzzled and gravelled the Criticks, and in which they have been more mistaken, more plainly loft their Way, and overfhot the Mark, than this very Place before us. But what is there that Men will not do to ferve an Hypothefis? What Pains will not the Criticks take to maintain a Notion they have received at School, imbibed in their tender Years, and which therefore they are refolved to stick to, and unwilling ever to part with? as * Horace has judicioufly observed,

Turpe putant, &c.

Que imberbes didicere fenes perdenda fateri.

For this the Names of Provinces fhall be changed; Countries fhall be removed from their proper and natural Situation; Places fhall be brought to meet which are at the greatest Distance from each other and, laftly, for this, for the defending a wrong Notion, because it is an old one, Virgil, who, in point of Licence, is perhaps the most cautious and modest of all the ancient Poets, fhall be charged with a very bold Licence; fhall be thought ignorant of one of the most common Points in Geography, or wilfully to have violated and tranfgreffed it. The Notion which Criticks have labour'd to maintain is, that the Poet, in this Place, fpoke of the two famous Battles, that of Pharfalia between Cefar and Pompey, and that of Philippi between Auguftus on the one Side, and Brutus and Caffius on the other.

The first Commentator I fhall take notice of is Servius, or rather the Compiler of the Notes that go under his Name, who feems to have been the most unhappy of all in his Remarks upon this Place, and to have made no less than three pretty great Miftakes in Geography For, 1ft, he fays, Philippi is a Town in Theffaly, near which firft Cefar and Pompey,

*Hor. Ep. 1. 2. ep. 2. ver. 85.

then

then Auguftus and Brutus, fought; which is certainly wrong, fince Pharfalia in Theffaly was at least two hundred and forty Miles from Philippi, which lay on the Borders of Macedonia. 2dly, He affirms, that Emathia was the fame as Theffaly, fo called from its King Emathius. But that Emathia was either Theffaly, or indeed any Part of it, is what none of the Ancients have ever faid, as a learned Man obferves but, on the contrary, they have all affirm'd it to be Macedonia, or a Province of it. Lastly, That Commentator afferts, that Hemus is a Mountain in Theffaly, whereas, according to Mela, and other Geographers, it is a Mountain that lies in the Confines of Thrace and Macedonia; and by confequence is at a great Distance from Theffaly, or any Part of it. — I do not take notice of these Miftakes with a Design to reflect upon Servius, who certainly was a very learned as well as a very ancient Commentator, but only upon the Collector and Compiler of his Works; fince (as I have obferved in another Place) 'tis agreed by the Learned, that the genuine Commentaries of that Writer are loft, and that what we have remaining of his Writings upon Virgil confift only of fhort Extracts out of him, and those done without Judgment, and full of Errors and Miftakes.

II. Some Commentators have found a Town in Theffaly called 7 bebes, which was also named Philippi, which they think may have been the Scene and Field of those two famous Actions that determined the Empire of the World. But this is against the Stream and Teftimony of all the Writers of that Age, who agree in placing this laft Battle between Auguftus and Brutus at Philippi upon the Borders of Macedonia.

* Servius is by no means exact, when he speaks of this laft Action; for he faith Philippi was the Place, "Ubi Cæfar & Bru"tus cum Caffio dimicaverit." Which is fo loosely and ambiguoufly exprefs'd, as may lead an ignorant and unwary Reader into a Mikake, and make him believe that this Battle was fought between Auguftus and Brutus on the one Side, and Caffius on the other.

III. Others again are willing to give a larger Extent to the Word Emathia, fo as to make it contain Pharfalia, Macedonia, Philippi, and Mount Hamus, which they fay made up the Kingdom of Macedonia poffefs'd by Alexander and his Succeffors. This, no doubt, may be allowed to be the Meaning of the Word Emathia; and thus I believe it is taken by. Lucan, who begins his Poem with finging the Battles fought in Emathian Plains. But this Extent of the Word cannot be admitted here, because Virgil does not mention Emathia in general as Lucan, but fpecifies the very Places of Hemus and Philippi, which being at so great a Distance from Theffaly, can have nothing to do with it here, as the learned Rueus has juftly obferved. This judicious Editor of the Delphin Virgil has taken abundance of Pains to clear up the Paffage before us, and to reconcile it with the Hypothefis of these two famous Battles; but I cannot think he has done it with any great Succefs. In the fecond Verfe, Romanas acies iterum videre Philippi, he would have iterum refer, not to Philippi, but to the Romanas acies. Then he faith the Senfe will be, that Philippi saw the Roman Armies fight twice, first at Pharfalia, and a second time in their own Plains, in that famous Action between Brutus and Auguftus; and, to account for the Word bis in the next Verfe, he faith it only relates to Emathia, and not at all to Hami campos, tho' the Conjunction Copulative and be directly between them; and he thinks the Sense will be, that Emathia was water'd with Roman Blood, but especially Mount Hamus. I have fet down his own Words at the Bottom of the Page, and this he is pleafed to call fenfus planiffimus. How plain and clear this Senfe is, and how it removes the Difficulties I proposed, I will not pretend to determine, but rather chufe to leave it to your better Judgment.

* Bella per Emathios plufquam civilia campos. Lucan. l. 1. v. 1. + Quafi dicat bis fanguine Romano rigata fuit Emathia, fed præfertim femel Hemus mons. Ruaus.

IV. And

IV. And, laftly, Emmenefius, the accurate Editor of the Variorum Notes, does not go about to defend Virgil, but plainly gives up the Caufe in these Words, "It is well known (faith he) that the "Poets are not very exact and accurate in Geogra"phy and Situation of Places, and often commit "pretty great Errors and Miftakes." Therefore, he thinks, Allowance ought to be made to those Poets; fo likewife to Florus, who has also afferted, that the two famous Battles of Pharfalia and Philippi were fought on the fame Spot of Ground.

As for the laft of thefe, I can by no means think he ought to be excufed; for whatever Liberties Poets may claim, and we may grant them, yet fuch as these are utterly unworthy of an Hiftorian. He, of all Men, must be modeft and correct; he must take care, of all things, to be exact in Chronology and Geography, the two Eyes and Directors of Hiftory. But yet I cannot think fo hard of Virgil, who, in other Cafes, is fo careful and exact ; nor believe that he really took this Liberty that is laid to his Charge, especially in the Georgicks, a Book allow'd by learned Men to be the most correct and finish'd of any of his Works. I cannot therefore imagine that he would have indulg'd himfelf in a Licence of this kind, especially speaking of two Actions which had fo lately happen'd in the Roman Empire, the firft not above thirty, the last not above twenty-four Years before his Death. Į am fure we should think a Poet in our Days very careless and unexact, and an Hiftorian much more fo, that fhould tell us that the two famous Battles of Blenheim and Ramellies were fought by the Duke of Marlborough upon the fame Spot of Ground. I fhould therefore be glad if I could fet the Matter in another Light, and clear and vindicate Virgil in this Particular. To give you then my Thoughts, Sir, upon this Head, I cannot think the Poet had in his Eye the two famous Battles I have already named ;

I rather believe, that he had Regard to the two Actions that paffed between the Romans in the Plains of Philippi, in the firft of which Brutus got the better; but Caffius, who thought all was loft, deftroy'd himself through Defpair. In the other Battle fought there, at fome distance of Time (Ruaus thinks it was about a Month after) Brutus was defeated by Auguftus; and, to avoid falling into the Hands of his Enemies, defired his Friends to take away his Life. For this I have the Authority of the best Writers of thofe Times. I fhall mention but two of them here, who, I hope, you will think make the Matter clear and plain. The firft is Suetonius,* who, tho' he is very fhort in the military Affairs of Auguftus, yet exprefly fpeaks of two feparate Battles, and faith that in the firft that Emperor was worsted, drove out of his Camp, and had much ado to reach the Wing commanded by Antony. It may, perhaps, be faid this Paffage of Suetonius is not full and exprefs; and that the Duplici Prælio in this Place may not imply two diftinct Battles, but only a double Charge, or two Attacks in one and the fame Action. But the other Voucher I have to produce cannot be fo eluded, comes home to the Point, and fets the Matter beyond Difpute. The Writer I mean is Velleius Paterculus, who exprefly mentions two diftinct Battles fought at two different Times, in the firft of which Caffius was defeated; and, thinking that Brutus was fo too, was drove to Defpair, and ordered his Servant to lay violent Hands upon him: and then he adds, that † fome Days after Brutus

encoun

* Initâ cum Antonio & Lepido focietate, Philippenfe quoque Bellum, quamquam invalidus atque æger, Duplici Prælio tranfegit, quorum priore Caftris exutus vix ad Antonii cornu fugâ evaferat, Sueton. in Augufto. c. 13. Sub. Init.

Cæfar & Antonius apud urbem Philippos cum Marco Bruto Caffioque acie concurrerunt. Cornu, cui Brutus præerat, impulfis Hoftibus, Caftra Cæfaris cepit.-Id autem, in quo Caffius fuerat, fugatum ac malè multatum in altiora fe receperat loca. Tum Caffius, ex fuâ Fortunâ eventum Collegæ exiftimans, cum dimififfet evocatum, juffiffetque nunciare fibi quæ effet multitudo ac vis hominum

qua