The republicans affembled an army in Thrace, and Philippi witnessed a victory which Antony might almoft claim as his own, for the conduct of Octavius was evafive and timid. There Brutus and Caffius after their defeat, despairing of the republic and of themfelves, fell by their own hands. Antony foon after, captivated by the charms of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, regardless of his honour and his fafety, lavished the Roman provinces upon her, and paffed his days in voluptuoufnefs. Octavius, indignant at his treatment of his fifter Octavia, whom Antony had divorced, fought and vanquished him at the naval battle of Actium, upon the coaft of Epirus. He purfued the fugi tives to Egypt, and they escaped his vengeance by fuicide. Antony fell by his own fword; and Cleopatra, difdaining to grace the triumph of the conqueror, died by the poifon of an afp applied to her arm. Octavius returned to Rome unrivalled mafter of the empire, in the year before Chrift 31. From that time commenced the era of the Roman Emperors. The name of Octavius was afterwards loft in that of Auguftus, which was perpetuated with honour, as the title of the fixth month of the Roman

year.

Auguftus having always prefent to his mind the image of the murdered Julius Cæfar, purfued the fame objects of ambition by different means. He was cautious and artful: when engaged in the Triumvirate, he refifted the proposal of Antony and Lepidus to begin a profcription, but when they had determined

determined upon that fanguinary measure, he acted with more feverity than either of them. Unlike his great predeceffor in empire, he had not always the magnanimity to pardon his vanquished foes. To ftrike terror into his enemies, he ordered three hundred Senators and Knights, who had efpoufed the party of Antony, to be flain at the altar of Julius Cæfar. Yet the equity of his laws, and the prudent administration of his government after he was Emperor, during forty-four years of glory and peace, made no incoufiderable recompence to his country for the evils which he had before either encouraged or inflicted. His muninificence, moderation, and paternal care, were bounded only by the limits of his extenfive dominions. He prefented to the world an extraordinary character, as he proved that the fimiles of fortune, far from increafing the feverity of his temper, and giving a keener edge to his refentment, could foften a timid and fanguinary tyrant into a mild and generous prince. He died at Nola in Campania, aged 76, A.U.C. 767. A.D. 14.

The period of history, from the time of Marius and Sylla to the acceffion of Auguftus, prefents the moft calamitous profpect of bloody profcriptions. and are crouded with images of martial horror. It abounds with examples of fuccessful villainy and unfortunate virtue. But after the naval victory, obtained over Antony at Actium, had given the empire to Auguftus, the fcene brightened into the fair views of order and happiness, the ftorms

of

of civil discord were hushed into peace, and phi lofophy, literature, and the arts, derived the greateft and most honourable encouragement from his patronage.

To the Tufcans Rome was firft indebted for works of architecture, fculpture, and painting. Their productions were characterifed by boldnefs, folidity, and grandeur, as appear from the foundations of the Capitol, the remains of the Cloaca Maxima, and many other fpecimens which are ftill extant. But the fuperior elegance of Grecian works of art attracted the attention of the Romans, as foon as their conquefts gave them an opportunity of becoming converfant with them.

From the indifcriminate collection of the fpecimens of the fine arts, arofe by flow degrees the genuine tafte of the Romans. When Marcellus took Syracufe, he fent home all the pictures and ftatues of that elegant city. The remonftrances of Fabius Maximus againft his conduct were uttered without effect; and in vain did he reprefent, that as fuch trifles were only calculated for the amufement of an idle and effeminate people, they were beneath the notice of his countrymen, diftinguifhed as they were by the manly roughness of their character. The love of the arts, which commenced at this period, was gratified by the conqueft of thofe Grecian cities moft eminent for their productions. The triumph of Emilius was graced with fome of the choiceft monuments of fculpture; and Mum

mius, the tastelefs conqueror of Achaia, completely ftripped Corinth of her ftatues and pictures, to enrich his native city. Sometimes the vanity, and fometimes the avarice of generals and governors of provinces, contributed to make Rome a repofitory of the fairest spoils of Greece; and the custom of adorning the theatres with them by the authority of the magiftrates, contributed to diffuse a refined taste. During the civil wars, the public and private collections were confiderably enriched; for Sylla brought home the plunder of Athens, and Julius Cæfar formed a valuable cabinet of ancient gems.

An æra of the higheft refinement commenced with the reign of Auguftus, whofe palace was adorned with the rich vafes of Corinth. Grecian artists were invited to Rome, and the masterly execution of the medals of that period, prove their great fuperiority to thofe of former times. It is remarked by Suetonius, that Auguftus found Rome built of brick, and that he left it built of marble. It dif played under his aufpices, in palaces, temples, and theatres, the majefty and elegance of Grecian architecture. The public edifices were furnished with the choiceft ornaments brought from the fame country, and the ftreets and fquares exhibited the exquifite ftatues of all the Pagan deities.

The

*The admirer of ancient sculpture may fee fome fine speqimens of the art in the Pomfret collection in Oxford. He will however be forry to find them crowded together in a gloomy

VOL. It

room.

The fame obligations, which the Romans owed to Greece for infpiring them with a love of the arts, were extended to philosophy and polite literature, with this remarkable difference, that in the former they were only admirers, and in the latter they ventured to be competitors with their great mafters. A fondnefs for fculpture and painting, and the cultivation of eloquence and poetry, kept nearly an equal pace; and the fame age faw them arife and flourish together. Writers, whofe works are the glory of ancient Italy, and the praife of every age, adorned this period, and reached that ftandard of excellence, from which the unpolished ftyle of their predeceffors, and the degenerate af

room. The Pembroke collection at Wilton is remarkable for the number of bufts: when I faw them fome years ago, I thought few of them equal to the fame of the collection. Perhaps Lord Carlifle, at Caftle Howard, in Yorkshire, has as many, if not more, genuine antiques. At Mr. Duncombe's, at Duncombe Park, in the fame county, may be seen the an cient Grecian dog, formerly in the poffeffion of Mr. Lock, and the Difcobolus, to finished and fo eafy in attitude, that it is worthy of the chifel of a Phidias, or Praxiteles. But the best fchool of obfervation which this country can afford to any one, who is defirous of improving his tafte, may be found at Mr. Townley's Collection, lately purchafed by Parliament for the British Museum. The ftatue of Ifis, or Cybele, crowned with the lotus, is majestic; the fleeping Adonis is very elegant; but the Thalia, or Paftoral Mufe, is fo inimitable for delicate proportions, and tranfparent drapery, which adorns without concealing any part of the figure, that it exceeds all praife. For an entertaining account of fculpture, and of English collections in particular, fee Mr. Dallaway's Anecdotes of the Arts, p. 163, &c. .

"fectation

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