Romulus, et Liber pater, et cum Caftore Pollux,5 Poft ingentia fata, Deorum in templa recepti, Dum terras hominumque colunt genus, afpera bella. Conponunt, agros adfignant, oppida condunt; Speratum meritis. diram qui contudit Hydram, 10 ous taste of the age, and certain unfavouring circum ftances, which had accidentally concurred to difhonour both. This idea of the general plan being comprehended, the reader will find it no difficulty to perceive the order and arrangement of particular parts, which the natural tranfition of the poet's thought infenfibly drew along with it. 5118. ROMULUS, ET LIBER PATER, etc.] The fubject commences from 5, where, by a contrivance of great beauty, a pertinent illustration of the poet's argument becomes an offering of the happieft address to the emperor. Its double purpose may be feen thus. His primary intention was to take off the force of prejudice against modern poets, arifing from the fuperior veneration of the antients. To this end the first thing wanting was to demonftrate by fome ftriking inftance, that it was, indeed, nothing but prejudice; which he does effectually in taking that in Rance from the heroic, that is, the most revered, ages. For if fuch, whose acknowledged virtues and eminent fervices 15 Urit enim fulgore fuo, qui praegravat artis COMMENTARY. fervices had raised them to the rank of heroes, that is, in the pagan conception of things, to the honours of divinity, could not fecure their fame, in their own times, against the malevolence of flander, what wonder that the race of wits, whofe obfcurer merit is lefs likely to dazzle the public eye, and yet, by a peculiar fatality, is more apt to awaken its jealoufy, fhould find themselves oppreffed by its rudeft cenfure? In the former cafe the honours, which equal posterity paid to excelling worth, declare all fuch cenfure to have been the calumny of malice only. What reason then to conclude, it had any other original in the latter? This is the poet's argument. But now, of thefe worthies themfelves, whom the juftice of grateful pofterity had fnatched out of the hands of detraction, there were fome, it seems, whofe illuftrious fervices the virtue or vain-glory of the emperor most affected to emulate; and thefe, therefore, the poet, by an ingenious flattery, felects for examples to his general observation, Romulus, et Liber pater, et cum Caftore Pollux Aeftimat; et, nifi quae terris femota fuifque COMMENTARY. Further, as the good fortune of Auguftus, though adorned with the fame enviable qualities, had exempted him from the injuries which had conftantly befallen thofe admired characters, this peculiar circumftance in the history of his prince affords him the happieft occafion, flattery could defire, of paying diftinguished honours to his glory. Praefenti tibi maturos largimur honores. And this constitutes the fine addrefs and compliment of his Application. But this juftice, which Auguftus had exacted, as it were, by the very authority of his virtue, from his applauding people, was but ill discharged in other in ftances. Sed tuus hoc populus fapiens et juftus in uno, And thus the very exception to the general rule, which the § Dictitet Albano Mufas in monte locutas. Si, quia Graiorum funt antiquiffima quaeque Scripta vel optima, Romani penfantur eadem Scriptores trutina; non eft quod multa loquamur; Nil intra eft olea, nil extra eft eft in nuce duri: 31 Venimus ad fummum fortunae: pingimus, atque COMMENTARY. the fubject-matter, and is not violently and reluctantly dragged into it. His general charge against his countrymen "of "their bigotted attachment to thofe, dignified by the name of antients, in prejudice to the juft deferts of "the moderns," being thus delivered; and the folly of fuch conduct, with fome agreeable exaggeration, expofed; he fets himself with a happy mixture of irony and argument, as well becomes the genius and character of the epistle, to confute the pretences, and overturn the very foundations, on which it rested. One main fupport of their folly was taken from an allowed fact, viz. "That the oldest Greek writers were inconteftably fuperior to the modern ones." From whence they inferred, that it was but according to nature and the courfe of experience, to give the like preference to the oldeft Roman mafters. His confutation of this fophifm confifts of two parts. Firft, [from 28 to 32] He infifts on the evident abfurdity of the opinion he is confuting. There was no reasoning with perfons, capable of fuch extravagant pofitions. But, Secondly, the pretended fact itself, with regard to the Greek learning, was grossly mifunderstood, or perverfly applied. For [from ✯ 32 to 34] it was not true, nor could it be admitted, that the 34 Pfallimus, et luctamur Achivis doctius unctis. COMMENTARY, very oldeft of the Greek writers were the beft, but those only, which were old, in comparison of the mere modern Greeks. The so much applauded models of Grecian antiquity were themselves modern, in respect of the still older and ruder effays of their firft writers, It was long difcipline and cultivation, the fame which had given the Greek artifts in the Auguftan reign a fuperiority over the Roman, that by degrees establish ed the good tafte, and fixed the authority of the Greek poets; from which point it was natural and even neceffary for fucceeding, i. e. the modern Greeks to decline. But no confequence lay from hence to the advantage of the Latin poets, in question; who were wholly unfurnished with any previous ftudy of the arts of verfe; and whose works could only be compared with the very oldeft, that is, the rude, forgotten, effays of the Greek poetry. So that the fine sense, fo closely fhut up in this concise couplet, comes out thus: "The modern Greek mafters of the fine arts "are confeffedly fuperior to the modern Roman. The reafon is, they have practifed them longer, § and with more diligence. Just so, the modern Ro |