“Quid faciat laetas Segetes, quo sidere terram Vertere, Maecenas, ulmisque adjungere vites, Conveniat:  quae cura boum, qui cultus habendo Sit pecori, apibus quanta experientia parcis.

Here you have segetes and terram, and then vites, and after that pecori and apibus.

Again,

“—­Camposque, & flumina late Curva tenent:  ut molle siler, lentaeque genistae, Populus, & glauca canentia fronde Salicta. Pars autem posito surgunt de semine:  ut altae Castaneae; nemorumq; Jovi quae maxima frondet Esculus, atque habitae Graiis oracula quercus.

Here are Siler and Genistae, Populus and Salicta, Castaneae and Esculus, and Quercus.

Again,

“Arma Virumque cano, Trojae qui primus ab oris Italiam, fato profugus, Lavinaque venit Litora. Multum ille & terris jactatus & alto, Vi Superum saevae memorem Junonis ob iram.  Multa quoq; & bello passus, dum conderet urbem, Inferretque Deos Latio:  genus unde Latinum Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae.

These two first Words of the AEneid are an Example of what I am taking notice of; and then we have in this Introduction Italiam and Litora Lavina, Terris and Alto, Superum and Junonis, Urbem and Deos, Genus and Patres.

But the most beautiful Passage of this Nature is in the Georgics.  Here the thing to be done, and the Instrument with which it is to be done, are varied alternately.

  “Quod nisi & assiduis terram insectabere rastris,
  Et sonitu terrebis aves, _& ruris opaci_
  Falce premes umbras, votisq; vocaveris imbrem.

Terram rastris, sonitu aves, falce umbras, votis imbrem.

Upon which La Cerda makes this Remark: 

“Placet Virgilius semper, sed cur placeat saepe ignoratur.  In rebus quatuor recensendis numquam pluralem cum plurali, neque singularem cum singulari, quod minus ad varietatem:  sed semper cum singulari pluralem.  Unica terra multis rastris insectanda est, unica pluvia multis votis petenda.  Contra, multae aves terrendae unico sonitu, multae umbrae unica falce compescendae.”

Now in Ovid nothing of this Art is to be found.

“Ante mare & tellus, _& (quod tegit omnia)_ coelum, Unus erat toto naturae vultus in orbe, Quem dixere chaos:  rudis indigestaque moles, Nec quicquam nisi pondus iners.

Here are Mare, Tellus, Coelum, Vultus, Chaos, Moles, and Pondus, without any one word of the Plural Number amongst them.