Praeceps aerii specula de montis in undas Deferar(230),
is more appropriate to a shepherd inhabiting the rocks overhanging the Sicilian seas than to one dwelling in the plain of Mantua, yet both this song and the accompanying one sung by Alphesiboeus approach more nearly to the impersonal and dramatic representation of the Greek idyl than any of those already examined. The lines of most exquisite grace and tenderness in the poem,--lines which have been pronounced the finest in Virgil and the finest in Latin literature by Voltaire and Macaulay(231),--
Saepibus in nostris parvam te roscida mala, Dux ego vester eram, vidi cum matre legentem: Alter ab undecimo tum me iam acceperat annus, Iam fragiles poteram ab terra contingere ramos: Ut vidi, ut perii, ut me malus abstulit error(232)--
are indeed close imitations of lines of similar beauty from the song of the Cyclops to Galatea:--
{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH VARIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI AND OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH DASIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PSILI AND PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PERISPOMENI AND YPOGEGRAMMENI~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH VARIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH VARIA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}' { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH DASIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER XI~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH PSILI AND OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PSI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}, { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH VARIA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}' { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH DASIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH VARIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH DASIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}· { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}' { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA