and observes like him a just decorum, both of the Subject, and the Persons. As particularly in the Third Pastoral; where one of his Shepherds describes a Bowl, or Mazer, curiously Carv'd.
In Medio duo signa: Conon, & quis fuit alter,
Descripsit radio, totum qui Gentibus orbem.
He remembers only the name of Conon, and forgets the other on set purpose: (whether he means Anaximander or Eudoxus I dispute not,) but he was certainly forgotten, to shew his Country Swain was no great Scholar.
After all, I must confess that the Boorish Dialect of Theocritus has a secret charm in it, which the Roman Language cannot imitate, though Virgil has drawn it down as low as possibly he cou'd; as in the Cujum pecus, and some other words, for which he was so unjustly blam'd by the bad Criticks of his Age, who cou'd not see the Beauties of that merum Rus, which the Poet describ'd in those expressions. But Theocritus may justly be preferr'd as the Original, without injury to Virgil, who modestly contents himself with the
