Encouraged by the applauses of the Trojan. chiefs, the youths fet forward; and after having paffed the Latian camp, whose inhabitants were faft afleep, and filled it with the carcafes of the enemy, they were overtaken by a party, of which VOLSCENS was the leader.

Many cufoms fubfiited among the ancients, incompatible with the ideas of modern humanity. ENEAS's triumph over the body of LAUSUS has been confidered: the prefent butchery of the fleeping, and in courfe defencelefs Latins, was a frantic abfurdity at beft, as it might have been concluded, that an alarm would be raifed in the camp; and two boys in that cafe were to combat an host of roufed lions: the confequence must have been, that the fcheme, which boafted utility to the whole army, had received its defeat from the blood-thirty rafhness of two raw adventurers. This part of the ftory is borrowed from HoMER: it had been better, if VIRGIL had omitted it; for brutality is more particularly inconfiftent, and disgusting at fuch tender years, and is ftill more unnaterally annexed as a companion to affectionate difpofitions.

Defirous to avoid this hoftil body, Nisus unwarily feparated himself from his friend, whom he very fhortly perceived furrounded by the whole train: he instantly hurled his fpear, as if prefuming, with a wild hope natural to his fituation, that his fingle ann in the fervice of EURYALUS was fufficient against legions. The affectionate fervor of his exclamation to the enemy can never receive its due portion of encomiums.

6.6

Me, Me, adfum, qui feci---in Me convertite "ferrum,

O Rutuli. Mea fraus omnis; nihil ifte nec aufus, "Nec potuit; cælum hoc, & confcia fidera teftor. "Tantùm infelicem nimiùm dilexit amicum.'

Overpowered by numbers EURYALUS expired; partial revenge urged NISUs against VOLSCENS, who was the immediate murderer; after this facrifice to his friend, he fell himself, covered with wounds, on the body of EURYALUS.

Such is the clofe of the most affecting episode delineated by the genius of VIRGIL; it breathes the spirit of fenfibility, and in

fpires the warmest fentiments of focial tenderness-even the night adds a folemn terror to the picture of wretchedness. Humanity muft drop a tear to confecrate these felf-devoted victims to their country; and the tongue of justice proclaim a mutual friendship, which ended only in the grave.*

Fortunati ambo! fi quid mea carmina poffint,
Nulla dies unquàm memori vos eximet ævo."

We are next to confider the Cæftus; a glaring imitation from the Greek, and

a

game,

* Dr. WARBURTON has with his ufual refinement, which built ENEAS's defcent

to the infernal regions on fallacious principles, labored to place in a new light the affection of NISUS and EURYALUS. His. learning has in this point, as in many others, run away with his judgement. Admitting that it was a Grecian cuftom for " every man of diftinguished valor to adopt a favorite youth," the fuppofition, that our two friends are exhibited in conformity with this ancient mode, adds not to, but weakens, the beauty of the episode. Whether companions of this order' were in

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game, or rather ferious combat, in the Olympic fet a variation however in the Roman confers a fuperiority even in the judgement of POPE. EPEUS and DARKS are described to be imperious boasters; pro

voking

reality the moft ferviceable to their country, may be difficult t prove, notwithstanding the passage Dr. WARBURTON quotes from PLUTARCH. That great, but in many refpects inconclufive historian tells us, "That GORGIAS firft enrolled the facred band confifting of (1) three hundred chofen men." I cannot reconcile how VIRGIL, in his reprefentation of two heroic friends, can be construed to have had his eye upon a regula? tion, which related to three hundred. But PLUTARCH adds, that this very corps 64 quere Jeid" only to be compofed of lovers and friends;" and that it was reported to have "continued unconquered till the battle of Cha "ronea." I am in fome doubt, whether the words "Lovers and their Friends" bear the

(1) The number here mentioned calls to mind the heroes, who fought against XERXES under LEONIDAS, who were not, as far as I can recollect, diftinguished by the name of lovers and their friends.

yoking their antagonists by a brutal challenge. The bravo gains the victory in the Greek; VIRGIL, like his own ENTELLUS, fuffers DARES to talk his moment of triumph over the field, calumniating the general pufillani

mity.

་

interpretation afcribed to them in the part of history before related from PLUTARCH, whofe cautious expreffion, last quoted, feems to argue an uncertainty, as to the genuine meaning of GORGIAS's inftitution.

In fact, however dignify'd by the wildom "of legiflators," the custom itself seems to have owed its origin to fome paffion," which conAderably difgraced its meritorious confequences.

I hope Ffhall be allowed to obferve, thất Dr. WARBURTON too frequently catches at a fingle Word to force the interpretation of a paffage; he has, in the Differtation (1) of which his remarks intimated above are a part, indulged a total wantonness of criticism, and displayed in glaring ca pitals the words of Virgil, which he had affect. edly tortured to his own opinion.

But whatever might have been the Grecian cuftom, as to this fantastic love-piece, the

best to an offs vd gamgathi Romans (1) Div. Leg. B. ii. Sect. 4.