An Orderly Examination of the Titles of Virgil

First, his life was pastoral in the mountains; afterward came the love of agriculture; then the care of wars succeeded This refers to the traditional progression of Virgil's works: the Eclogues (pastoral), the Georgics (farming), and the Aeneid (warfare). It should also be noted that among the Greeks, titles like Bucolica or Georgica have a specific grammatical article at the end, which we handle differently in our own usage. For it is rare that the final syllable is joyful or that the penultimate is limited in its meter. Furthermore, it must be known that the names of the characters in this work are for the most part derived from rustic origins. For example, Meliboeus is so named because he "seeks the good" original: "Melibeus q̄r euod/ q̄rit bonū" from Tityrus. In the language of the Laconians Spartans, a tityrus is what they call a leading ram, who is accustomed to go before the flock. We find similar patterns in pleasant stories: for Pamphilus is "all-loving," Glycerium is like a "sweet woman," and Philomela is "one who loves song." The characters mentioned above are rustic and rejoice in simplicity; hence we find nothing in them that is sophisticated or oratorical. Instead, all their affairs, comparisons, and whatever else exists are drawn from country life. This is why he reckons the years by the harvests, as in: "afterward, seeing my kingdom, I shall marvel at the ears of grain" A reference to Eclogue 1.69. From this also come those comparisons: "For neither does the whistling of the coming south wind delight me so much, nor the shores struck by the fluctuating wave, nor the valleys among the rocky mountains" A paraphrase of Eclogue 5.82-84.

A certain shepherd is introduced, lying under a fruitful tree and at leisure, giving his attention to song. Another character, however, is shown being driven out from his own borders, while he finds Tityrus at rest. Thus the interpretation follows: and in this place, we ought to understand Tityrus as representing the persona of Virgil himself.