Jam vero, quod ad dramaticos attinet, Plauti et Terentii argumenta, sales, elegantiæ ubique adeo vulgantur, ut nihil de novo possit adjici. De Seneca vero tam diverse sentiunt, ut alii inter summos tragicorum, alii infra infimum annumerent. Illi quidem ingenium valde magnum, oratio elegans et concisa, abundat sententiis plerunque acutis, stoicam semper philosophiam quam amplexus est, redolentibus. Unde omnibus fere, qui artem dramaticam parum sapiunt, semper est in deliciis; si tamen ad hanc respicias, tragoediae ubique plurimum laborant, et istud vitii (ut reliqua prætermittam) Senecæ peculiare videatur, ut quoscunque inducat interlocutores, nullâ ad personas quas sustinet habitâ ratione, eundem semper unicuique tribuat loquendi modum: omnes severiora spirant philosophiæ dogmata, et quæ sto magis conveniant quam theatro. Eâdem semper styli magnificentiâ superbiunt rex et nuncius: imo ipsam nutricem (plurima enim tam acute profert) stoicorum præceptis non mediocriter imbutam sentias. Inter epigrammatistas potissimum emicuerunt Martialis et Claudianus. Ille semper, in extremo poemate, ingenii subjecit acumen, et sæpe similia insequitur verborum tintinna TRANSLATION. our highest encomium, and are not only beyond our dislike, but above our praise. As to what concerns the dramatic poets, Plautus and Terence bear away the bell, whose plots, turns, and elegance of style, are so well known, that nothing new can be said upon them. As to Seneca, mankind have entertained different opinions of him; some have ranked him with the best tragedians, others have sunk him below the worst. He certainly had a great genius, an elegant and concise way of expression; he abounds with smart turns, which always savour much of that stoicism of which he was a follower, upon which account he has always been esteemed by those who have had little or no taste of dramatic poetry; but then if we consider him as such, his tragedies are throughout too elaborate. And this, to pass by his other faults, seems peculiarly Seneca's, that he makes all his actors (without any regard to the characters they bear) talk in the same strain; all of them inculcate rigid philosophical dogmas, and such morality as is rather fit for the schools of the stoics than the Roman theatre: for with him the king and the slave strut in the same buskin; nay, you may perceive the nurse herself deeply tinged with the principles of stoicism. Among the Epigrammatists Martial and Claudian have borne the greatest reputation; the first, for the severe point in the close of bula; hic, per totum epigramma, suum dispergit salem; et venustissimâ ubique utitur latinitatis elegantiâ. Cæterum tamen poetarum vulgus, de istiusmodi mediocribus sunt, quos nec Diinec homines concesserunt; et quamvis una ut altera apud affectatas Catulli cantatiunculas, Tibulli aut Propertii inhonestam paginam, et carmina incuriosa, illucescat virtus, non tamen est operæ pretium gemmas inter stercora eruere. TRANSLATION. his epigrams, and the peculiar jingle of his words. The other, for dispersing the poignancy of his wit throughout his epigrams, and that in the most beautiful Latin phrase. The rest of the lower class of the Latin poets creep so low in their numbers that they are beneath the notice either of gods or men. And though we may now and then discover in the affected songs and sonnets of Catullus, and the obscene poetry of Tibullus and Propertius, some not disagreeable pieces, yet it is not worth our while to rake the dunghills for the sake of the jewels. CONTINUATION OF ADDISON'S DISSERTATION ON THE ROMAN POETS, BY MAJOR PACK. TENTAMEN DE POETIS ROMANIS ELEGIACIS. SÆPE mecum ipse mirari soleo, ex tot tantisque viris in antiqua Classicorum Poetarum pagina transferenda vel operose vel commode jucundeque versatis, tam paucos extitisse, qui Elegiarum Scriptores vel dignos opera sua judicaverint, vel quidem suo otio dignos. Haud ego quidem possum credere, quin hi in propria scribendi norma perinde feliciter successerint, atque alii; ac proinde cum non minori emolumento quam cum voluptate legantur. Ad me quod attinet, ESSAY ON THE ROMAN ELEGIAC POETS.1 I HAVE often wondered, that among so many who have busied or diverted themselves in translating the ancient classic poets so few have thought the writers of elegy worthy their pains or amusement. I cannot but believe that these have succeeded as happily in their way as the others, and that they may be read with no less 'It would seem that Major Pack wrote this Essay in English, and the Latin translation was made for Curll by R. Young, Armiger. See his Tentamen de Scriptis Addisonianis, page 51. affirmare possum eam fuisse semper animi temperationem mei, ut eandem vel casui proterve fortuito, vel difficultati rerum procaciter obliquæ stomachantem, longe facilius lenire me, atque mulcere potuisse senserim, dulcem optando comitem Tibullum, quam vel philosophorum lectiones vel præcepta theologorum consulendo. Quicquid enim solenne valde, id omne aliquam, nescio quam, prohibitoriam coactionis faciem præ se ferre atque ostentare videtur. Adeoque est pæne semper inauspicata aut discentis cujuslibet aut docentis indoles, ut ex quovis severioris disciplinæ genere, nostræ potius pœna voluntatis, quam mentis emendatio nascatur. Verbis enim ita strenue contendere, ut munus esse rectæ rationis, hoc vel illud agere, mens hominum convicta fateatur, non est res duri plena negotii; at vero ad illud idem munus obeundum aliquem fortiter et suaviter impellere, hic est plane operosus flexanimæ orationis labor, hoc summum artis mysterium. Digna quidem hæc Horatii sententia, quæ alta mente reposta maneat. Virtus est vitium fugere, et sapientia prima Annon eodem prorsus jure dicere, e voluntaria quadam ærumnarum oblivione primum surgere ad felicitatem gradum. Quem quidem si assequi optume vclumus, non debere nos cogitabundam nimis solicitamque illam, quæ nobis est insita, particulam exsuscitare, tumultuantes autem rerum ideas mulcere et motos animi fluctus componere, multo magis oportere confido. Donec nostra hujusmodi corpuscula, misera illa quidem et vacil TRANSLATION. advantage than pleasure. For my own part I can affirm, that when at any time my mind hath been ruffled by some peevish accident or disappointment, I have always found my temper sooner composed by taking a turn with Tibullus in my hand than by having recourse to the lessons of philosophy, or the precepts of divines. Whatever is very solemn carrieth with it, I don't know how, somewhat of constraint: and it frequently happens by an unlucky disposition either in the pupil or the preacher, that those severer kinds of discipline (I speak not this with the least irreverence) serve rather to punish than reform us. It is perhaps no difficult matter to convince one of the reasonableness of this or that action, but the secret lies in engaging one in the practice. It is a memorable sentence of a celebrated moralist, this, "It is the beginning of virtue to depart from vice; and the first step towards wisdom is to forsake our folly." May it not as justly be said, the first step towards happiness is to forget our misery? The best method to bring that about is not, I presume, by alarming the thinking faculty, but by soothing and lulling to rest our too active and unquiet reflections. Whilst our poor tottering bark continues in this uncertain voy lantia navigiola, incertum hujus vitæ cursum tenent, et in prope medium usque oceanum immani et feroci ventorum vi pelluntur, longe ab aspectu litoris hospitibus mansueti, certo certius est navigantes in illis nostras animas gaudia magna intus oborientia sentire, quando ab ingruenti extrinsecus procella ipsæ sese quasi furtim retrahentes, et lævatius affectantes iter, leniter natant [super] voluptatis aquas, placidoque fruuntur passionis aura, secando (ut ita dicam) temeritatis Hlumini conjuncta. Occulta quædam inest carminibus incantatio, quæ nunquam non solet bene formatum pectus grata dulcedine afficere; atque ego quidem opinor in probæ illius atque ingenuæ classis poetarum, Catulli nempe, Tibulli, Propertii, et Ovidii versibus, aliquid nescio quid singulare atque valde patheticum existere. Certum est, inter illa elegiaci ordinis carmina, Catulli perpauca esse apte judicatoque numeranda. At quandocunque teneriora humanitatis argumenta tractat, Minervæ suavem afflant odorem sententiæ omnes, proprietatem vel accuratissimam sapiunt, summamque redolent elegantiæ amænitatem. Ac proinde nihil aliud agere potui, quam ut insigne ipsius nomen in sociorum eadem studiorum ratione valentium numerum referrem. Eminebant hi quatuor in patria sua, clari natalibus, et (ut tum erant tempora) re plusquam mediocri fruebantur. Ad voluptatem traxit sua quemque indoles; singuli vero, recta usi ratione, eo sapientiæ processerunt, ut et publici gravitatem negotii et caducam prorsus elati fastus incertique honoris exploraverint inanitatem. Tres priores jure merito dicantur Triumviratum perinde illustrem constituisse, atque ulla unquam protulit ætas ; siquidem vivendi modum splendide TRANSLATION. age of life, and is so often kept out at sea in rough and stormy weather, far from the sight of any hospitable shore, the soul, its passenger, cannot sure but feel a mighty satisfaction arising within, when she finds herself afterwards stealing, as it were, away under smoother courses, and borne gently down the tide of tenderness in soft and easy gales of passion. : There is a charm in verse that never fails agreeably to affect a heart that is rightly placed and there is, in my opinion, something peculiarly moving in the verses of that good-natured class of poets, Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid. There are but few pieces of Catullus, it is true, that can strictly be ranked among those of the elegiac order: but, whenever he doth touch upon the softer subjects of humanity, his sentiments have the utmost propriety and delicacy; and therefore I could not but mention him among his companions. They were, all four, men of family and condition in their country. Their inclination led them naturally to pleasure, and their good sense to a discovery of the knavery of business, and the vanity of ambition. The three former may be said to have been as extraordinary triumvirate as, perhaps, any age hath produced, I mean in an idle way of life; polite in their otiosum spectemus. Perpolitis ornati moribus, rerum copia affluentes, bene succedentes in amoribus, summa cum familiaritate sibi invicem beate conjuncti, quamdiu vixerunt, tamdiu usque viguere humani generis deliciæ; et tandem cum a vivorum regionibus discesserunt, eas utique omnes lugentes reliquerunt. Quantum ad Ovidium attinet, erat ille quidem omnibus illis apprime ornatus et morum et ingenii dotibus, quæ ad absolute fingendum hominem plane generosum conducere posse videantur. Quippe iratus illi Augustus, vel quod insperato istius Imperatoris occulta lasciviæ testis aderat fortuitus, vel quod proprios amores (ut illi speciose vertebatur crimini) impudice nimis describebat, eundem annum habentem quinquagesimum ex Italia in exilium mittebat. Exul reliquum miseræ vitæ tempus languide consumens, inter Sauromatas in civitate, (cui nomen recens Temesvær, uti putant nonnulli,) extremum obiit annum. Hujusmodi suppliciorum exempla non nisi bina in omnibus historiarum monumentis esse credo reperienda, ubi quod est punitum, illud inconsiderate atque temere factum vocare possumus; alterum Ovidii personæ sorte contigit, Rabutini alterum. Horum quidem principes pari certe illoque supremo dominandi jure gaudebant, sapientia fruebantur pari, paribus suspicionibus angebantur. Hæc geniorum, quibus hi erant præditi, perexigua sane delineatio nos abunde doceat recte judicare quantum scientiæ lumen, quamque dulce et elegans emolumentum, compositissima, quæque horum poetarum themata mentibus afferant bene atque nitide præparatis. Ac revera, quam in amicitia fidem inviolatam, quos teneros in amore impulsus, quam in propinquos benevolentiam assiduam, quæ tandem omnium virtutum moralium monumenta intuemur! Quæ videmus exemplaria? Quæ, quæso, utique non videmus? Ut mille ingenii ornamenta omittam, ut præteream miram illam dulcedinem et felices TRANSLATION. manners; easy in their fortunes; successful in their amours; happy in each others' acquaintance; beloved, in general, while they lived; and universally lamented, when they died. As for Ovid, he was certainly master of all the fine qualities and accomplishments that could be desired in a gentleman. But having offended Augustus, either by being an unexpected witness of that emperor's loveintrigues, or else by too lasciviously describing his own, (which was the crime pretended,) he was banished from Italy in his fiftieth year, and languished out the remainder of his days at Tamos (the modern Temeswaer, as some think). There are, I believe, but two instances in story of punishment like this, for what, at the worst, could be called only an indiscretion; one in the person of Ovid, the other in that of Rabutin. Their masters were equally absolute, equally wise, and equally jealous. From this little draught of their characters, one may judge how edifying any of their compositions must needs be to an elegant understanding. And, indeed, what sincerity in friendship, what fond |