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The above image, and some of the notes related to it below, are reproduced by kind permission of Fernando de Lasala, S.J., of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
The text refers to a passage of Virgil's Georgics, lines 141 to 152 being visible in the image. It is taken from a Codex of just four pages, and as Dr. de Lasala reports: "it was found in the monastery of Saint-Denis, in Paris, before the Renaissance period; subsequently belonged to a certain Claude Dupuy (Claudius Puteanus) and later bequeathed to the Vatican Library by Fulvio Orsini in the year 1600."  The Codex reference is the following: Vergilius Augusteus sive Dionysianus, Bibl. Ap. Vat., cod. Vat. lat. 3256, fol. 3v. (Georgicon, I, 141-154).
The text presents several abbreviations, a practice that was much in use throughout  the period in order to maximise the quantity of script on a page, time and economic efficiencies. These shorthands were quite familiar then and readily understood by the reader; nowadays it requires a more than a good knowledge of Latin to fill in the gaps or abbreviations. For example, the first word "Atq." is the abbreviated form for "Atque". Note, also, that the capital "A" is the result of creative graphic work by Dr. De Lasala.
 
Here is the text without abbreviations (vv. 141-152), plus a few lines before and after to give a fuller context to the translation:
 
139   tum laqueis captare feras et fallere visco
140   inventum et magnos canibus circumdare saltus;
 
141   Atque alius latum funda iam verberat amnem
142   alta petens, pelagogue alis trahit umida lina;
143   tum ferrri rigor atque argute lammina serrae
144   nam primi cuneis scindebant fissile lignum,
145   tum varie venere artes.   Labor omnia vicit
146   improbus et duris urgens in rebus egestas.
147   Prima Ceres ferro mortalis vertere terram
148   instituit, cum iam glandes atque arbuta sacrae
149   deficerent silvae et victum Dodona negaret.
150   Mox et frumentis labor additus, ut mala culmos
151   esset robigo segnisque horroret in arvis
152   carduus; intereunt segetes, subit aspera silva,
 
153   lappaeque tribolique, interque nitentia culta
154   infelix lolium et steriles dominantur avenae.
 
The translation of this text is somewhat more difficult than normal. The reason, according to Sebastiano Grasso, S.J., is due to the fact that the literature critics of the day accused Virgil of using simple language. So, Virgil rewrote the text in a more difficult language, and, I would add, to this day those critics must be turning into their grave for the invocations that they receive from time to time. I will bypass those critics, wish them RIP, and present the Italian translation of Dr. S. Grasso. My contribution being the conversion from Italian into English, hence any inconsistencies or English rendering are my fault and none other. 
 

Under construction                 Bust of Virgil: Naples

 

139   At that time they started to learn how to catch wild beasts with ropes;

140   how to trick birds by whistling1, and how to surround forests with dogs2;

 

 

« E un altro ormai percuote col ghiaccio(3) l'ampio fiume guadagnando il largo e un altro tira fuori dal mare le reti bagnate; allora l'asprezza del ferro e la lama della stridula sega, allora gli uomini primitivi spaccavano con i cunei il legno facile a fendersi; nacquero allora i vari mestieri [le diverse arti]. L'ostinata fatica e il bisogno che urge nelle dure vicende supera ogni difficoltà.
Cerere per prima insegnò ai mortali a rivolgere [vangare] la terra col ferro, quando ormai le ghiande e i corbezzoli del bosco sacro venivano a mancare e Dodona negava il nutrimento. Spesso nei [campi] di frumento si aggiunse a tal punto il travaglio che il cattivo carbonchio rodeva gli steli e l'ispido cardo si rizzava nei campi; muoiono le messi, sottentrano gli aspri sterpi, le loppole e le erbe spinose e in mezzo ai campi rigogliosi spadroneggiano l'inutile loglio e le infeconde avene.
Ché anche se farai uso di assidui rastrelli, ma non sterminerai l'erba e col suono non spaventerai gli uccelli e con la falce non assottiglierai l'ombra della scura campagna e non invocherai con la preghiera la pioggia, Ahime! inutilmente guarderai il grande mucchio [di grano] di un altro e allevierai la fame scuotendo le querce nei boschi».

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

1- Virgil must have been thinking of the practice of mimicking the sound of birds in order to trap them in a net.  A hunting practice, now  largely illegal, but not altogether forgotten!

 

2- It might be possible that Virgil was referring to the hunting practice of sorrounding an area of woodland with dogs (and hunters) to catch wild boars. This is the only way to hunt wild boars even to this day. I suppose in Virgil's days hunters had more choices rather than just wild boars.The same boar hunting practice is referred to by Homer in the Iliad.

 

3- I am stuck on the meaning of this sentence, both in Latin and in Italian. It's saying: " And someone else is beating with ice the wide river thus gaining the passage." I just cannot picture what Virgil is trying to say. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "Capitalis Elegans" Font, without accented characters, can be downloaded here.