and originality diffufed over his whole work. His pictures of nature are enchanting; but his doctrine of atoms, which adhere to each other by chance, is too abfurd to require a ferious refutation, As a genuine poet it was in vain for him to affect the character of an Atheift; he felt the neceffity of fome divine agency to animate the mass of his fubject he has therefore, with a difplay of the moft elegant imagery, and with a grace and majesty fuitable to the occafion, opened his poem with an addrefs to the Goddefs of Love, afcribed to her the creation of the world, invested her with the attributes of power and goodness, and affigned to her the controul of all human affairs. Improving upon the verfification of Lucretius, VIRGIL introduced the Mantuan Shepherds into his Eclogues, converfing in refined dialogues: in his Georgics, agriculture, and every fubject connected with it, are defcribed in the moft polished language; and his Eneid, abounding with beautiful descriptions and incidents, completes his character as the most eminent of Latin poets. Whenever he indulges the genuine feelings of nature, and defcribes the effects of the tender paffions, he is peculiarly delicate, captivating, and pathetic; but he feldom afcends to fublimity of thought, without having Homer in view. CICERO, the pride of Rome, and a model of true eloquence, adapted his ftyle to every species of profe compofition: in his letters he was eafy and familiar; upon subjects of philofophy and eloquence he enriched the diction, while he enlightened enlightened the minds of his countrymen; in the character of a public fpeaker, he gave beauty, pathos, and energy, to his native language; he adorned it with the brighteft ornaments, and infufed into it the united powers of extenfive learning and eminent talents. His copious and exuberant ftyle refembles the large and flowing garments, that were thrown by the fculptor over the ftatues of the gods, and which, far from preffing and confining their bodies, gave free exercife to their limbs, and fu perior gracefulness to their motion". CORNELIUS NEPOS, the friend of Cicero, has fhewn his congenial tafte by the eafy and unaffected style, in which he has recorded the lives of eminent perfons of his own country and of Greece. The Commen. taries of CESAR are valuable no lefs for accuracy and liveliness of narrative, than for the purest fimplicity of language. HORACE fuited the colours of his compofition to the nature of his various fubjects in his Odes, he has fometimes the eafe of "Velleius Paterculus, in his encomium on Cicero, defines with elegance and precision the limits of the golden age of Latinity. "Oratio et vis forenfis perfectumque profæ eloquentiæ decus ita fub principe operis fui erupit Tullio, ut delectari ante eum pauciffimis; admirari vero neminem possis, nifi ab illo vifum; aut qui illum viderit." Lib. i. c. 17. Gravina caught the fame fpirit of elegant obfervation, when he remarked, "Mirum effet fi hunc fcriptorem non haberem eximium, quo nemo eft auctior in eloquentia Latina, et in omni fermonis elegantia locupletior, nemo fplendidior, nemo uberior, nemo in omni eruditione celebrior: nemo denique de tot laudes fint diffufæ, minus tamen pro illius dignitate ft dictum," p. 180. De Lat. Lingua. quo cum Anacreon, and sometimes the fublimity of Pindar. In his ftyle he is more perfpicuous, and in fubjects, more varied than the Bard of Thebes. The Prophecy of Nereus, the fpeeches of Juno to the Gods, and of Regulus to the Romans, and the Ode to Melpomene are effufions of matchlefs fpirit and beauty". If we recollect that he has written Odes which may difpute the palm with the bards of Greece, Satires full of pleafing raillery, Epiftles which contain the beft lectures on men and manners, and an Art of Poetry which is the code of criticifm and refined taste ;-if we obferve his good fenfe, the harmony of his numbers, and the versatility of his genius; it will furely be admitted that he poffeffed the most ample powers to inftruct and to delight mankind. Perhaps there is no claffic, who pleafes us more, or pleafes us fo long. He has charms for perfons of every age: by the young scholar he is read with delight, and by the old he is rarely forgot. OVID, CATULLUS, and TIBULLUS, poured forth their poetical effufions in full and clear ftreams of defcription. PHEDRUS, by his neat and expreffive verfification of the Fables of Efop, proved that Iambic meafure was fuited to the genius of the Latin tongue. LIvy gave the moft finished graces to hiftorical compofition; and it is difficult to determine whether he most Ode xv. Lib. i. Ode iii. Lib. iii. Ode v. Lib. iii. Ode iii. Lib. iv. * See La Harpe's Lectures at the Lyceum, and Warton's Effay on Pope, vol. i. p. 397. excels in the clearnefs of his descriptions, or the appropriate eloquence of his fpeeches. Learning has fuftained an irreparable injury in the lofs of the concluding, and the moft interefting part of his work, which related to the civil wars of Cæfar with Pompey, and of Antony and Octavius with Brutus and Caffius, fubjects which admitted the moft advantageous difplay of his talents for hiftorical painting, and fhewed his zeal for truth, and his ardour in the caufe of the republic; an ardour the more honourable for him to avow, as at the time he wrote he was favoured with the fmiles of Auguftus. The moralizing prefaces of SALLUST to his accounts of the confpiracy of Cataline, and the Jugurthine war, are instructive; and many of his descriptions are ftrong and lively, particularly that of the death of Cataline; and yet, by his affectation of concife and obfolete expreffions, he difcovered figns of the approaching extinction of claffical purity of ftile". The high reputation acquired by these writers, y "How cometh it to pass, that Cæfar and Cicero's talk is fo natural and plain, and Salluft's writing fo artificial and dark, when all the three lived at one time? I will freely tell you my fancy herein. Surely Cæfar and Cicero, befide a fingular prerogative of natural eloquence given unto them by God; both two, by ufe of life, were daily orators among the common people, and greatest counsellors in the fenate-house; and therefore gave themselves to use fuch fpeeches as the meaneft should well understand, and the wifeft beft allow: following carefully that good counfel of Ariftotle, Loquendum ut multi, fapiendum ut pauci." Afcham's Schoolmafter, p. 339. whofe whofe praise has been the favourite theme of every polished age, refults from combining in their works the genuine beauties of elegant compofition. However they may differ in the direction of their talents, the nature of their fubjects, and the ftyle of their productions, there is still a congenial tafte confpicuous in all their writings, which are marked by fuch perfpicuous and elegant language, and animated by fuch propriety and vigour of thought, as can only be well understood and fully relished by frequent perufal and attentive obfervation; and the extreme difficulty of reaching the standard of excellence, which they have erected, is fufficiently manifeft from the fmall number of modern writers, who have imitated them with any confiderable degree of fuccefs *. To Strictior Calvus, numerofior Afinius, fplendidior Cæfar, amarior Cælius, gravior Brutus, vehementior et plenior et valentior Cicero; omnes tamen eandem fanitatem eloquentiæ ferunt, ut fi omnium pariter libros in manum fumferis, fcias, quamvis in diverfis ingeniis, effe quandam judicii et voluntatis fimilitudinem et cognationem,; Dialog. de Oratoribus, c. xxv. The engaging gracefulness of the Sulpicia of Tibullus, apparent in all her actions, her drefs, and whole demeanour, correfponds with the native beauty of the claffics, diversified by fo many forms, and under every appearance inexpreffibly beautiful and captivating. Illam quicquid agit, quoquo veftigia flectit, Urit, feu nivea candida vefte venit. |