Page:Virgil's Pastorals, Georgics and Aeneis - Dryden (1709) - volume 1.pdf/72

 is full of invectives against Love: In the Georgics he appropriates all the rage of it to the Females. He makes Dido, who never deserv'd that Character, Lustful and Revengeful to the utmost degree; so as to dye devoting her Lover to destruction; so changeable, that the Destinies themselves could not fix the time of her Death. But Iris, the Emblem of Inconstancy, must determine it. Her Sister is something worse. He is so far from passing such a Complement upon Helen, as the grave Old Councellour in Homer does, after nine Years War, when upon the sight of her he breaks out into this Rapture in the presence of King Priam None can the cause of these long Wars despise; The Cost bears no proportion to the Prize: Majestick Charms in every Feature shine; Her Air, her Port, her Accent is Divine. However let the fatal Beauty go, &c.

Virgil is so far from this complaisant Humour, that his Heroe falls into an unmanly and ill-tim'd deliberation, whether