ROMAN CONVERSATIONS OR A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE ANTIQUITIES OF ROME, &€» A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE ANTIQUITIES OF ROME: INTERSPERSED WITH CHARACTERS OF EMINENT ROMANS; AND REFLECTIONS , RELIGIOUS AND MORAL , ON ROMAN HISTORY. BY THE LATE JOSEPH WILCOCKS, F. S. A. THE SECOND EDITION , CORRECTED : With a PREFACE, containing SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR: ALSO A TRANSLATION OF THE QUOTATIONS, A GENERAL INDEX, AND A PLAN OF ROME. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. Rxemplum cernitis injigne Mutationis rerum humanarumz Vohis hoc prcecipue ,dico\ Juvenes! Livii. HilL L. XLV. 8. Ilon&on : PRINTED BY P . NORMAN DUN STAN’s HILL , TOWER STREET, , FOR R. BICKERSTAFF, ( SUCCESSOR TO W, BROWN, ) CORNER OF ESSEX STREET, STRAND* MDCCXCVIL / / Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/romanconversatio02wilc CONTENTS OF THE Second Volume . BOOK III. CHAP, IV. F Page, OURTEENTH Bay’s CONVERSATION - 1 Temple of Vefta ® - - ib« Brick Temple of Romulus - » 2 Natural Fire of Pietra Mala , in Tufcany - MuTIUS Sc iE VO LA - • - Flamens and Pontifices » - - ~ J Nobility of Rome, bow employed - 8 Lord Ch. Juftice Hales Applaufe » -9 Cicero, the Pupil of Scavola - « « 10 Roman Oppreffions in the Provinces - is Contrafted with Scaevola's Deportment - * 12 Retaliations on Rome - - - -14 Carbo , Cinna, the Marii % Sylta; National Pefls ! 15 A 3 Maflacres s Qs ►*. ii CONTENTS. Page. MafTacres : Scavofa retreats to Vejlas Temple - 1 6 Murdered at the Feet of her Altar - 17 Some of his Defendants fl.il I alive, in Rome - 19 Horrid Maffacre by the impious Sylla - 2 Q Richard Ilf. — Cataline - - - 21 Sylla dies in a Bed ! - - - 23 Q. Sertorius - - ib. His fuperlative Charafiler - 24 His filial Piety - - - - ib. Le.pidus — Pompey — Spartacus - - - 26 Cr ito’s Pupil : his amiable Chara6fer - - 28 CHAP. V. Fifteenth Day’s Conversation - 31 The Villa Ludoviji - - - - ib. Sallust: his Gardens: and Writings - 32 Cato. Part I. 35 His Conduft at Byzantium: difinterelled Kindnefs 3 7 Military Difcipline excellent - - - 38 Singular Virtues, refpe&ed, dreaded - - 40 Sylla s Blood-hounds divefted of their Prey - 42 Cato, in his Senatorial Office - “43 Julius Caesar - - - 45 Cato compared with Lord Falkland - - 46 Never rejoiced for any Vi£lory, &c. - - 47 Mr. Addifon. — Salluftian Gardens - “49 Lord Lyttleton’s pointed Remark on Csefar - ,50 Circus of Salluft - - . - gi Statue of Venus, adorned with Britifh Pearls - ib. Kent, SuiTex : Julius Caefar: Hengift - -52 Roman Conquefts in Britain, beneficial - ib. Saxon CONTENTS. iii Page. Saxon Conquefts produced their Advantage - 52 Brighthelmffone. — Sir William Temple - 53 Fleets, of Caefar, and of William 1 . - ib. Temple of Venus, when erefted - * 54 BofTuet’s fine Refle&ion on Chance and Fortune 55 Statue of Zeno , imported by Cato - - ib. Buff of Socrates - - 58 Elegant Monument. Homer. Socrates . Xenophon . ib. Improvement of Heathen Ethicks - ”59 Cato. Part II. - - 60 The Lenity of his Chara£ler - - - 61 Averfe to Flattery - - - 62 Whence his Defefts in Moral Excellence - 63 Chriftian Religion. Stoical Philofophy - “64 Hymn of Vem Sande Spirit us - - - 66 CHAP. VI. Sixteenth Day’s Conversation « 68 The Farnefe Gardens - - - a ib. Cicero. Part I. - - 69 His Chara&er varioufly reprefented - - ib. Dr. Conyers Middleton , his excellent Biographer yo See Defe&s, without aggravating them - - 71 Cicero the Admiration of Mankind - - ib. Not proud, though vain; Humility then little knowm 72 His relative Excellencies - - ”73 A real Patriot - - - ib. Moft fplendid and ufeful while in Power - ”74 Cicero a provincial Governor - ~ ~ 75 Plutarch’s Eulogium - - - 78 Cicero 9 IV CONTENTS. Page . Cicero, the general Deliverer ! - - 78 On Ccefars Death, direXs the public Affairs - 80 Compare the Deaths of Cicero , and others - 82 Singular and Itriking Paffage, from de Oratore - 83 Riches and Power,— Genius and Learning - 84 Pompey s Sepulchre - * - *85 Where buried ? “86 Grotta Ferrata : — Plane Tree oj Crajfus - - 87 Tully’s Villa ------ 88 Lucullus , his Maufoleum - - ’89 Pine Grove of Rnjjinella . - - - 9 ° Tujculum , Cicero’s favourite Recefs « 9 2 Library of Lucullus - - - - ib* Cicero. Part II. - - - 94 His indefatigable Induftry - - - 95 His philofophical Refearches - - "97 At Rome, Athens , and Rhodes - - 98 ColleXs Greek Books - - “99 The Works of his advanced Age - - 101 How fuperior to Cato - - - - 102 jEneas, his exemplary Acquiefcence * - 103 Reflexions on Cicero’s moral Influence - - 104 Humility. Laurence JuJlinian , his fine Eulogy - 105 Sepulchre of Cicero : — Reverainitia Vitce - 107 The wife and good Man’s Library, aweful - 108 Studious Solitude - 109 Roman Harveft - - - -111 CHAP. VII. Seventeenth Day’s Conversation 112 Different Purfuits of ingenuous Youth - - ib. Hofpitals, CONTENTS. V Page. Hofpitals, Prifons, Public Charities - - 114 Portioning of Maidens - - - 117 Carcere Tulhanol - - 119 How full of Horrors - 120 Roman Charity. Filial Piety 124 Guido's fine Pi&ure - 126 Other Examples from Freinjhemius - - * 3 ° Cppius ; and his amiable Son - - 132 How nobly honoured and rewarded - - 134 CHAP. VIII. Eighteenth Day’s Conversation - 137 Social Accommodation - ~ ib. Arch, or Temple of Janus - - - 138 Varro, his Chara&er, and Works - 139 > Studious Retirement. Trinity College, Cambridge 145 Great Duke’s Gallery, Florence - 148 Wax Work of Caietano Julio - ib. Titus Pomponius Atticus - - 130 Self-accommodating but highly amiable - ib. Marcus Brutus - - - 132 The grand Ingredients of Education - 154 The Ides of March ! Brutus’s Objeff - - 137 ColofTal Statue of Pompey - - - 138 Brutus civic and domeltick CharaBer - - 139 His Statue, in Bronze, preferved by Augultus - 161 Very popular, from his admirable Qualities - 162 Bull: of Brutus, in the Villa Mattel - - 164 His Fate, in the Fields of Philippi - 165 Condemned, yet praflifed Suicide - - 168 It’s CONTENTS. viii Page- His beneficent Government - 308 Vi fit to- Bates and Puteoli - - - 312 in Thanet : King George II. - 314 Theatre of Marcellas - - - - 318 Mount Palatine : Poor human Grandeur ! - 319 Arch of DruJ'us - - - - 320 Drusus - - - - ib. Memorials of him in Holland, &c. - 321 Caius. — Lucius. — Temple to their Memory . - 324 Germany. — Louis XIV. — Blenheim -• “ 331 The Works of Livy - “ 340 Divining Hafle-Rod for Mines - • 341 Charity, Literature, and Vertu - - 342 Freinjliemius’s Supplement to Livy - "345 Short Addrefs to the Reader - 347 CHAP. IV. Twenty-second Day's Conversation- 349 The Form of Government defirable under Augitflus ib. Such prevalent in Britain Rome , punifhed by her Tyrants Tacitus : his Annals Tiberius - Principle and Aftion PouJJin: his “ Death of Germanicus” Capitoline Mujkum : Imperial Chamber Converfe with the Good Education of Youth Germanicus: His merited Eulogium The Statue Marj'orio ’ 35i ‘ 35 2 - 353 ib. * 355 - 357 * 35 8 - 3 6 ° - 363 * 3*>5 - 37 ° Canobus CONTENTS. ix ' Page . Canopus Apartment. — Egyptian Sculptures K5 CO 1 Study of Egyptian Hiftory - - ib. Pocockes Travels — Nor dens Voyage - - 379 Travels of Germanicus - 380 Unhallowed Retreat of Tiberius - - 3 81 His Crimes, Horrors, and Exit - - 39 2 Publick Sorrow for the Death of Germanicus • 394 Turenne,— Wolfe. — Epaminondas - ' 396 Sejanus , compared to Haman - O O 'fr* 1 Cardinal Wolfey - - 402 Chara£ler of St. John Baptijl - - 4O4 Latin AddreR to the Hebrew Pfalmift * “ 4 °5 CHAP. V. Twenty-third Day’s Conversation « 406 Caligula - - - 4°7 Jupiter Stator , and Capitolinas - - . ib. M. SlLANUS - - 410 Republicanifm - • 412 Abnfe of Wealth and Power - - 4*4 Claudius ~ 418 Sea Port near OJlia - 421 Claudius in Britain - 43° Pitt, Earl of Chatham * - 432 Druidical Temples - - 43 6 Caractacus - - 444 The Progrefs of Chriftian Light - - 456 Jews expelled from Rome by Claudius * 459 The Villa Medicis i. - 462 Gardens of Valerius Afiaticu s - - 4 6 4 Mejfaiina CONTENTS. x Page . Mejfahna . — Cleopatra - ■» - ~ 466 Ottavio Arria - 467 Pfalm CXXVII. a Latin Verfion, by Rofli - 470 CHAP. VI. Twenty-fourth Day’s Conversation - 474 Dialogue Scene : — North Wales - - ib. Review of Romans in Britain - . 475 Boadicea - - * - .476 Reign of Nero - - - - 479 Later an Cathedral - - - 480 Nero’s Crimes - 486 His confcious Horrors • 487 Seneca - 488 Columella - 490 Nero, a Traveller - 492 CORBULO - 494 Nero’s wretched End <- 497 His Memory popularly detelled to this Day - 499 A dying Socrates , and Seneca - - * ^00 Seneca’s Style and Do&rines - ^04 Villa RorgheJ'e ; its Origin - » - ^06 Thraseas, and Seneca * 508 Thrafeas about to die - - «• - ^14 Henry VIII. - £19 Eulogy of Sir Thomas More - - 520 CHAP VIE Twenty-fifth Day’s Conversation - $22 Suffering Virtue - - - <525 Reflec- CONTENTS. Refleftions on St. John Baptijl - xi Page, 53® Bafilica of St, Paul - - 533 His Char after - ■* 53 6 “ Crucifixion of St. Peter/’ by Guido 538 Writings of St. Paul - - ibo Afts of the Apoftles - - 539 St. Paul , at Athens - - 54 1 ot R nmp = ® 545 547 548 ViAim their clients their learned opinions and friendly advice in matters of law. In civitate ampliffimus quifque clariffimus vir feneftutem fuam or nab at tali juris interpretation . Domus eorum velut oraculum civitatis erat , maxima fre- quentia civium celebrata . Stipabant illorum fores$ ut ait Ennius , Suarum rerum incerti , quos ego ope med ex Incertis certos , competofque corfili Dimitto , ut ne res temere traHent turbidas. Dr. Burnet , in his life of lord chief juflice Hale 5 takes notice, that his lordihip greatly ad- mired this cuftom among the romans. Let me read to you fome of his own words. The jurif- confults were the men of the highejl quality , who were bred to be capable of the chief employments in the fate, and became the great mafers of their law; and whofe refolutions were of that authority , that they made one claffis of thofe materials , out of which Trebonian compiled the digefs under Juftinian . Lord chief juf ice Hale thought it might become the greatnefs of a prince to encourage fuch a fort of men and of fudies : in which none , in the age he lived in, was equal to the great Selden ; who was truly , in our englifh law 5 what the old roman jur if confults were in their s. But io Roman Conversations. Book III. But let us return to Sccevola. He excelled in each manner; I mean, if I may ufe the expref- fions, both as pleader, and as chamber-council. He mixed and tempered together the qualifica- tions both of jurifprudence and eloquence, fo as to become, in Tally's opinion, inter juris peritos eloquentiJJimuS) inter oratores juris peritijfimus . Pardon me, dear fir, faid Crito's pupil, for this interruption ; but, when we reflect, that Tully was the fcholar and difciple of Sccevola , we ought not furely to forbear exprefling our pleafure in hearing this his encomium on his beloved old mafter. Many other fimilar paflages in Cicero's works crowd into my mind ; particularly one, in the beginning of his Amicitia . Pontificem Scce - volam unum nojlrce civitatis, & ingenio & jujliti a prceflantijfimum , audeo dicere. But pray pro- ceed. SCALVOLA'S love of juftice and of benefi- cence, my dear pupil, continued Crito^ extend- ed much farther than to the limits of his own city and country. He accepted the office of governor of Afia Minor , on purpofe to increafe his power of doing good. I listened with much pleafure yefterday morning, in the Negroni garden, to the reflections of Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 11 of fome of this company on the fubjeQ: of provin- cial government ; and fhould be very glad, if that converfation were now refumed. It fhould feem indeed probable, from feveral circumflances, par- ticularly from fome expreffions of Tully , which I met with yefterday afternoon in turning over his Oration de lege Manilla , that Afia Minor may juftly be confidered as the Mexico or Peru of the roman empire. CRITO faid this with a kind of intention to revive that fubjebt, on which the eldefl of the young gentlemen had yefterday fpoken with much laudable ardour ; but the worthy youth modeftly declined the compliment, and defired rather to attend to Crito' s lectures, than to interrupt them. Some fhort mention indeed was made, on this occafion, of the fatuous bifhop of Chiapa ; of Peter de Toledo , the great peruvian viceroy and legiflator; and of feveral other europeans , who are faid to have aCted well in other parts of Ame- rica: — but the converfation foon returned to Sccevola. In your late roman fludies, continued Crito , you have often had occafion to obferve, that the provinces of the empire, in this age of degene- racy, were groaning under the heaviefl and mo ft fhanieful oppreffion,, Their governors were far from 12 Roman Conversations. Book III. from looking on the high office, by which fo large a part of mankind was moft folemnly committed to their care, in it’s true and noble light. Inftead of this, their only views were plunder and rapine. They confidered their patents of government merely as licences for repairing their fortunes, broken and ruined by luxury; and for fully fa- ds fying their tyrannical pride and avarice. In vain did the oppreffed provincials cry for pro- tection at the tribunals of Rome . The judges there were generally perfons conne&ed with their oppreffors, and deeply ftained, themfelves, with the fame crimes. For the governors willingly buffered thefe roman judges to join, by their agents, in plundering the provinces, on condi- tion that they themfelves might be mutually pro te&ed by them, from all accufations on that head, with the greateft impunity. But with what dif- ferent views did Sccevola enter on his government! With what indignation did he look down on fuch leagues of iniquity as thefe ! His maxim of go- vernment was, not to be himfelf burdenfome in the lead to his provincials, or to fuffer any other perfons to be injurious to them. He ferved this important office gratis : never accepting any thing whatfoever from the ajiatics ; but redding among them far from his own country ; diligently labour- ing for their benefit; and in the mean time living on his own fortune : eating his own bread among them Chap* IK Roman Conversations. 33 them with frugality, contentment, and the greateft joy. The confcioufnefs of his own integrity en- abled him alfo moil intrepidly to defend the afi- atics from other oppreflbrs, and to bring his coun- trymen themfelves to juftice. For thefe proud and cruel men were equally brought before the tribunal of Sccevola; condemned there with the moll juft and impartial feverity, and dragged thence to prifon, or to death, by the hands of the very perfons over whom they had tyrannifed. A fpe&acle, mo ft unexpected, but m'oft welcome to the poor afiatics : A fpirit of government, which regained to Rome the love of all it’s provinces and allies; and crowned Sccevola himfelf with the greateft though unfought and uncoveted glory *. CRITO now paufed, and for fome time fixed his eyes in filence on the ground; — his ufual atti- tude, when beginning to think on any fubjeCt that was particularly folemn. His countenance for fome inftants bore the marks of concern and pain : but a fweet tranquillity and humble refignation foon enfued in his mind, and foftened all his features. * The afiatics , in honour of his memory, eftablifhed a perpetual yearly feftival, called the Mutian Feafi . (Vide Cic. Verves xi. 51.} Et in ipfa etiam Roma , gloria maximk illujlris erat Sccevola, ntpote qui pro'vinciam tam fan tie tarn fortiter adminiftrajfiet . Senatus etiam , magifiratibus deinceps in earn provinciam ituris , exemplum atque formam officii ‘volam decreto fuo propofuit . The 14 Roman Conversations. Book IIL The more good, faid he, that Sccevola thus did to others, the better was he enabled to bear adverfity himfelf. The time was now come, when the mifery which Rome had inflifled on other nations, was to be retaliated on herfelf. The cup of the anger of the Lord had been carried round many regions*, and this city was now to drink the dregs of it her- felf. O my dear fellow ftudents, in turning over the hiltory of the world, both ancient and modern, what do we find to be in great meafure it’s con- tents? alas! wickednefs, and the punifhments thereof: feeler a , & pcenas. But in perufing the difmal hiflories of the pu- nifhment of wicked and hardened nations, we mud not wonder, if we fhould fometimes find feveral good men partaking of the national calami- ties, and buffering with their refpe&ive country. In the prefent condition of things, and clofe con- nexion of mankind one with another, fuch acci- dents feem inevitable. Let me correfl my words. It is wrong to call thefe events accidental ; fince Providence * V ide Jeremiam , c, 25^ feems Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 15 Teems often by the fame means, and at the fame time, to punifh fome men, to corre£t others, and to try the good, and by fuch trials to exalt their chara&ers. Didici etiam ex hoc infcrutabile Tmm judicium expavefcere ; qui affligis jujlum cum impio, fed non fine a? quit ate & jufitia*. Let us endeavour to confider the hiftory of the romans in this light; fo far at leaft as the cir- cumftance of their being pagans may perhaps per- mit us. CRITO now rofe from the block of marble, on which he had been fitting, and fixed his eyes on the adjoining forum. If I be not miftaken, faid Crito's pupil, many were the bad men, who in thefe times greatly con- tributed to increafe the plagues of their country. Such were Garbo, Cinna , and young Marius . But the chief inftruments of the divine juftice feem to have been Sylla , and the elder Marius ; themfelves the moll wicked of men, and confe- quently the molt proper to torment others. Whofe hearts , nor yells of mothers, maids, orbabes$ Nor fight of priefs in holy vejlments bleedings Could pierce a jot . • Imitation lib. iii, c, 50, Your 1 6 Roman Conversations. BookllL Your quotation, replied Crito , is very appli- cable to thefe times. In the horrid maflacres, which, as the various factions prevailed, were then frequently repeated in this city, all regard to jultice or humanity was overthrown by thofe wicked men, and their affociates. For how, then, did this forum appear? It’s rich pavement was all ftained with blood; while many mangled bodies were dragged through it, and the neigh- bouring ftreets. How horrid a fcene! There was the Capitol ; half of it lay then in ruins and afhes: in the remaining part of it, — in that afcent to the temples of Concord and of Jupiter Optimus Maximus , were expofed to view the tahularia of the empire, covered with long profcriptions. Here flood the Rojlra , like a flaughter-houfe, crowded with the heads of many principal perfons; of feveral in particular, who had done great good to their fellow-citizens in this very place: Simul ora virum prcejixa videhant , Not a nimis miferis , atroque Jluentia tabo*. A.C. 82 I n one of thefe malfacres Sccevola retreated to the temple of Vejla; to that temple, which flood in the very place where you are now feated. Sccevola expe&ed, perhaps, that the place, his office, and above all the great notoriety of his \ * J£ NEJD. i,X. 47I* «xcef Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 17 excellent character, might be fome prote&ion to him: or perhaps, he was willing to die, as Merula did fome few months before, in a place generally efleemed holy. S Cs£ VO LA had always behaved with the greateft regard to his country, — with the greateft firmnefs and difintereftednefs. In the height of his profperity and power, when conful, he had oppofed the improper exaltation of his friends j for ill-judged principles of friendfhip, and the proftitution of the honours and offices of truft in the public ftate to fuch principles, were indeed great caufes of the national ruin. In the height of danger he had refufed to s enter into the civil wars, or to take up arms again!! his enemies, who were alfo his fellow-citizens. Sccevola , like the prieft, whom JoJephus juftly celebrates, feems to have thought it much better to remember always, that he was the high-prieft of his country; whofe office it was to pray for all, to endeavour to unite and reconcile all, to blefs and benefit all. He died in the veftments of his prieflhood! He died on this fpot. Quia fervare cives per compo - jitionemvolebats ipfe ab iis interemptus Bum pad medium fe offert, — juJUJfimus units! * Cic. pro Rofc . Amertno , c. 12. vid, etiam, Virg. JEneid • vib 58 6 « c Vo'L.II. Tears i8 Roman Conversations. Book III. Tears feemed now to be (landing in Crito’s eyes: he wiped them, and proceeded with the fol- lowing words. Affecting as the fate of Sccevola is, thus murdered at the feet of the altar of Vejla ; yet, O my dear friends, if Sccevola had been a chri- llian; — if on this fpot had flood at the time of his death, not a pagan temple, but, as now, a chri~ flian church; how much more exalted might have been your meditations in this place ! Might we not then, perhaps, have prefumed to compare him, in fome inferiour degree, to St. James , the bifhop of Jerufalem , who was (lain in or near the temple; or to Zacharias , the fon of Barachias , who was (lain between the tem- ple and the altar ? But, let me check thefe prefumptuous thoughts: thofe names indeed are too holy for fuch a com- parifon. CRITO nowpaufing, the young gentlemen re- fumed the converfation. Crito’s pupil, and his elder friend, made feveral obfervations on the murder of Sccevola. It is fome comfort, faid the young nobleman, to refle£l, that Sccevola’ s great moral virtues feem to Chap. IV. Roman Conversations, ig to have been rewarded by the long profperity of his family. The houfe of the Marchefi Mutii is flill, to this day, remaining here, in an honour- able rank and plentiful circumftances*. Is it not very remarkable, that no war during the time of the roman republic; no tyranny of the emperors; no fword of the gothic or lombard invaders; no other accident, in the courfe of fo many ages, has been fuffered to extirpate the families of Publicola 7 Fabius , and Sccevola ? * * # By Crito's defire the company now flept into their coach, — which flood waiting for them at fome diflance, — and took a fhort airing for an hour or two in the country, on the eaflern fide of Rome . During this excurfion they frequently looked towards the diflant hills of Paleejlrina , and recollefled the bloody end of young Marius in that unhappy city. As they were re-entering Rome by the Porta Salaria — which hands either on the fpot, or near the place of the ancient Porta Collina , — Crito * It is certain, that the Marcheji Mutii are of a very ancient family, and have fub filled thefe lafl eight hundred years, with this title, and this tradition of their pedigree. Their prefent ellate is about i^ool.per annum. They have two good palaces, and feveral fiefs in land, C 2 reminded 20 Roman Conversations. Book III* AX. reminded them of the great battle fought on that fpot between the armies of Telejinus and Sylla ; in which fifty thoufand men perifhed on each fide! Fr om the Salarian gate they drove again down towards the Capitol ; and turning fhort on their right at the Venetian palace, proceeded along the Corfo towards the Piazza di Spagna . In palling by the Venetian palace, Crito ob- ferved, that on that fpot Hood the Villa Publica *, where Sylla , immediately after his victory over Telejinus , perpetrated an aft of hon our, far more atrocious than the (laughters of any field of battlef. But why, faid he, fhould I thus lead you, ftep by ftep, along the bloody track of this cruel * See Abbate Venuti’s Defcription of Rome, vol. ii. p. 40. Pempio di Bellona erafotto il Campidoglio , & c. f Odo hominum millia Sulla fe dediderant, Eos in If at any time other objects offered themfelves to his confideration, he gave them, comparatively, but a flight attention. Accordingly this afternoon he paired indeed half an hour in turning over fome leaves of Freinjhemius , but diligently em- ployed all the reft of the time in ftudies more fuitable to his own happy genius. In the even- ing he walked to the Capitol : he turned afide there, to view for fome moments the fragments of the coloffus of Apollo , which M. Lucullus brought from Apollonia to Rome : But he foon left them, and crofted over the court to the Mufeum. On afcending the flairs, he turned into the room on the right, where the brazen vafe of Mithri- dates 30 Roman Conversations. Book 1IL dates is preferved ; and thence went on to the philosophic chamber. Th e young nobleman, who had come to table at dinner time very richly dreffed, pafled the afternoon and evening in making vifits to fome of the mofl diftinguifhed perfons in Rome. In- deed, throughout this whole tour it was remark- able, that though he never flighted his country- men, whom he accidentally met with abroad, yet in general he chiefly kept company with the Ita- lians when in Italy , as with the french while in France . Among thefe alfo he was very careful with whom he made acquaintance. He lived, wherever he came, with the great and eminent * with men honoured and reverenced in their feve- ral countries, not fo much for their birth and wealth, as for their virtue and knowledge. CHAP. Chap. V. Roman Conversations, 31 CHAP. V. FIFTEENTH DAY’S CONVERSATION. Several noble villas are fituated within the walls of Rome . Among thefe the villa Ludoviji bears a principal rank, in regard both of it’s great- nefs and beauty. It’s buildings are enriched with fome capital paintings and fculptures, the labours of Guercino and Bernini. It’s gardens are about a mile in circuit ; and contain many pleafant walks, fome of which are filled with a great number of antique ftatues. I n one of thefe walks the englifh company met this morning. After half an hour palfed in ad- miring the beauties of the place. Crito's pupil obferved, that feveral of thefe antique fiatues were found in digging on the fpot. Kow glad, added he, would the proprietors of fome englifh coun- try-feats be, if in digging their ground for new plantations, or moving the foil for other purpofes, they had any chance of finding fuch plenty of an- tique 32 Roman Conversations. Book III- tique fculptures ; fuch elegant ornaments for the embellifhment of their woods and lawns 1, It is no wonder, faid the young nobleman, that fuch treafures of virtu fhould be found on this fpot ; as fome part of thefe gardens anciently made a part of the famous Horti Sallujliani . You remember in what manner our learned antiqua- rian defcribed the great extent of thofe Sallujliaii gardens, and the magnificent ftruCtures with which they were adorned. The converfation now wandered to the cha- racter of Saliajl. The eldeft of the young gen- tlemen made feveral obfervations on this fubjeCt. He afterwards proceeded to that far more worthy topicy the confideration of Sallufl’s writings ; par- ticularly his hiftory of the Catalinarian confpi- racy. How noble an idea, faid he, here prefents it- A.C. fclf to our imagination ! I mean, the idea of that 63 grand debate in the roman fenate, the defcription of which was perhaps compofed by Sallujl in this walk . On that important day, three perfons of the higheft names in the roman hiftory eminently diftinguifhed themfelves in the houfe. How au- guft muft have been the appearance of that par- liament, in which Cicero prefided, while the de- bate Chap . V . Roman Conversations. 33 bate was Fupported on one fide by Julius Ccefar 9 and on the other by Cato ! If I be not miftaken, Cato was then a very young member *. How pleafing, how encourag- ing is this lajl circumftance, to perfons who may be entering the britijh fenate at the fame early period of life! In which of thdfe celebrated chara£lers, re- plied Crito., with a benevolent fmile, would you, dear fir, if you had lived at that time, have chofen to have appeared? In refpe£t of eloquence, notwithftanding the high abilities both of Cato and Ccefar 9 you certainly would on the whole have given the preference to Tully . As to patriotifm, I need not afk you on whom you would have fixed your choice : your ardent looks and lan- guage fufficiently declare in favour of young Cato , In converfing thus the company arrived at the further end of a winding moffy walk, where they found apCrfe&ly undifturbed recefs, thickly (haded with ilex and pine. * Hie tribune pie bis defignatus , acihuc admodum adole- feeus, p&ne inter 7ilti?nos interrogate fenteniiam taritd it a confulis asv 9 sittev, s< •/ocpw aviufMv®^ vrXtvav). K on n rpoehQuv vjQvs us rov <}yiiaov } EKTPfiSE NOMO tiov zxo rs/x\f1 had almoft faid f a Bacon . During thefe three years Cicero was employed in writing his hiftory of the life of Cato • his treatifes de Confolatione 9 de Amicitid , de Se- ne$ute 9 de Gloria ; his Hortenjius , vel Cohorta - tiones ad Philofophiam ; his books de Academicis^ de Finibuss de Naturd Deorum , de Fato; his tranflation of Plato's Timceus , on the nature and origin of the univerfe;— and, to crown all, his Tufculans and his Offices. Wh at a long and fplendid catalogue of literary labours! But what miift have been the fpirit of that indujlry , by which fuch numerous and ex- cellent works were planned and perfeHed? Cre- dible non ejl quantum fcribam die , quin etiam nottibus , fays Tully 9 in one of his letters at that time. It alfo moll highly deferves our notice and admiration, that at the fame time, and in thefe retirements^ Fully ftrongly and intimately con- H 3 - neBed 202 Roman Conversations. Book III. ne6led himfelf with the learned Varro . The de- fign, with which thefe two great men joined and united their literary labours, was the fupport of the caufe of virtue. Your minds, I know, my dear friends, are filled with the two ruling principles of love of ftudy, and love of doing good. Let us then here paufe a little ; and, feated as we now are, per- haps in the very library of Cicero , let us en- deavour to excite in ourfelves fome meditations worthy of the place and fubjeft. Venerable as is the memory of Cato , yet how much more wife, noble, and good, — at leaft in one refpe£t — was the conduct of that great mind, quae hie cogitabat ? Amidft the molt heavy public calamities, Cicero did not defpair, or abandon that exiftence, in which providence had ftationed him. Driven from the tribunals and the fenate, yet he ceafed not his labour of doing good to the utmoft, by thofe other means which {till remained in his power: — I mean his philofo - fhical ftudies. For the cultivation of thefe he molt indefatigably exerted himfelf in this retire- ment: and their growth fo profpered, as to pro- duce to the world infinitely more benefit, than whatever had arife.n from his former oratorical &nd political abilities. — Such are the fruits of re - Jignation 9 Chap . VI . Roman Conversations. 103 jignation , and of perfeverance in doing good Such, as a young poet might fay, in thefe poetic regions, was the reward of the pious J&nzas him- felf; who, upon the fall of the kingdom of Troy, did not give himfelf up to defpair, or flay him* felf on the ruins of Priam's palace; but, after having bravely done his duty to his country, patiently refigned himfelf to the will of provi- dence*. He retired, with fome few companions, to thefe very plains ; and here became the founder of all the grandeur and glory of the immenfe em- pire of Rome . But not only to the public was Cicero fo happy as to be thus ufefuh By thefe, the laft and mo ft noble of his ftudious labours, he mull have greatly comforted, ennobled, and exalted his own Such ftudies mud have been, from their gene- ral tendency, very ferviceable in correBing thofe defeBs of charaBer, by which, it mu ft be owned, Tully fometimes funk much lower than could be well imagined of fo great a man. I mean, his propenfity on the one hand to pride, on the other • in occafu meflro^ me tela i necullas V ita r uijjg c, vices : Ceffio' •, Nee fpes op is ulla dahatur s j£nexb 9 ii, 4323 803, Hi to 104 Roman Conversations. Book III. to timidity: and, confequently, his too great de- jection in adverfity; and too much confidence when in a profperous ftate. These defe&s feem to have grown upon Tully , while he continued deeply engaged in public and private bufinefs. Much converfe with the world is indeed generally found to be very prejudicial to the heart, by weakening it’s virtues, and in- flaming it’s bad paflions. The world is full of contagion, and aria cattiva . On the contrary, Tully' s moral ftudies in re- tirement feem to have been the conftant medicine of his foul. This grove feems to have been, at leaft in fome degree , his Iarge/ov. > H app y would it have been, if the moral ftudies of this great man had been ennobled with a proper fpirit of piety and humility . In relation to piety , it is difficult to conceive the infinite improvement, which that heavenly grace might have produced in fuch a chara&er as that of Tully . Let me remind you only of two expreffions, which were read to you about this time yefterday evening: — Fugatrix trijiitiae • abla trix timoris . In Chap.VI. Roman Conversations. 105 In t relation to humility , let me read to you half a dozen lines, which I find written in my memorandum-book, and dated at Venice in the beginning of laft f eft ember. During our ftay there, by accident I went one day into the church of St. George in Alga , and heard part of a fer- mon. The preacher w 7 as fpeaking of Laurence JuJlinian , the famous patriarch of Venice* j and obferved, that the moll fincere and profound humility w T as the firft thing, in which that prelate laboured to ground his religious difciples. LAURENCE JUSTINIAN taught hisfcho - lars 9 that humility inf fires the foul with true courage and refolution, by directing her to flace her intire confidence in God alone, the only foun- dation of her firength. He compared humility to a river ; which is low and fill in fummer, but loud and high in. winter . So , faid this pious prelate , humility is filent in profperity , never elated or f welled by it; but it is high, magnani- mous , and full of joy and invincible courage under adverfity « * Laurentius Tuft ini anus , p atria venetus , digit it ate pat ri- ctus, canonicus regularis S . Georgii in Alga. T riginta annis in regulari vita exaftis, venetiarum epif copus conjiitutus eft; pojlquam nullas non artes , ut onus impofitum excuteret , adhi- buiffet. Vir infucata erga Deum pietate , prodiga in pauperes cbaritate, ingenti religionis zelo meritd celebrandus. Cave's Hijioria Liter aria, S&culum xv. p. 133. There io6 Roman Conversations. Book III. There feems, indeed, fomething offalfetafte in the fimile; but the do&rine itfelf is of high importance : it affected me peculiarly at that time, as in our late journey from Bologna to Venice , I had been often thinking on Tullfs cha- racter. Had Tully dire&ed his moral ftudies to the acquifition of fuch a virtue, his life, no doubt, would have been far more laudable and exemplary. But, however imperfect his moral ftudies might be, they certainly were of great fervice to him. Though not ctyqoi, they were nctXoi a%£Tv\v, nut ffutyocvvviv erv^axot* By their aftiftance he repaired in fomt meajurc the breaches in his mind, and fortified himfelf with new and noble refolutions. Thus animated, he refumed in old age his political labours, for the fervice and aftiftance of the republic, then in her defperate and laft agonies. In that difmal fervice Cicero fhowed no marks of timid dejec- tion : — you will pleafe to remember that I am fpeaking from Dr. Middleton : — and he con- cluded all his labours, by death in the caufe of his country; a death full of refignation, and un- obfeured by fymptoms either of oftentation or of fear. A? PI AN Chap.VL Roman Conversations. 107 APPIAN vifited that fpot : isoqm T8^f T8 xutisg sifov. In our journey next month lo N aples , we ftiall neceffarily pafs near it. Ciceris fepulchre is, as I have been informed, in ;he vineyard or olive-garden, on the right-hand of the entrance of Mol a , — the ancient Formic?. B u t to conclude. The moral ftudies of Cicero , ImperfeQ: as they were, feem ever to have amended and exalted his character, in proportion to the diligence with which he applied to them. They were to him, in fome degree, like a frequent re- newal of the Eleujinian myfteries, which to the initiated are faid to have been * r ever a initia vitas . From them — to ufe his own words — he was in- truded, not only how to live with more real hap- pinefs, but alfo how to die with a better hope : — Sed etiam , cum meliore fpe , moriendi . * # # CRITO now rofe from the bench, and pro^ pofed to his young friends to return to Frefcati , before the evening dews came on ; but in walking down the hill, he could not refrain from expreffing the following fentiments. * See de Le gibus i lib, 2. In to8 Roman Conversations. Book III. In concluding our reflexions on Cicero's moral ihidies, and confequent aXions, we muft with foirow repeatedly own, that they were both very imperfeX. His conduX, even at it's bejl periods , I ana afraid, was not free from faults : his opinions, relative to fome very important points of moral and natural philofophy, were often wavering. These confiderations have very greatly abated the veneraion, which I fhould otherwife have felt, in treading on that pavement, which, as our noble young friend with probability imagines, was often iraverfed by Tully in his ftudious me. ditations. I must acknowledge, that I have been much more affeXed, in feveral parts of our travels through France and Italy , on entering the libra- ries of fome perfons famous in modern hiftory ; who, though they were of abilities far inferiour to thofe of Tully , yet infinitely exceeded him in the general uprightnefs of their conduX, as well as in the happinefs of their chriftian faith. Never indeed do I enter the library of a wife and good man, without feeling fome kind of fecret awe. Wife and good ftudy is juftly efteemed, next after prayer, the higheft exaltation of the human mind: and confequently, the library of the vir- tuous Chap* VI. Roman Conversations. 109 tuous man is, next after the church in which he prays, the mo ft venerable and facred place. Nor is it only by wife ftudy, that it is thus, as it were, confecrated. In it are all his works of public and private beneficence generally planned: in it the virtues, which he owes to himfelf, are continually examined and enlarged; and from it, his mo ft private, and perhaps molt fervent de- votions are daily afcending to heaven. I re- member part of a copy of verfes, tranflated from the Italian by my dear pupil, on a fimilar fub- jea. Balm of the mind! hail flndious folitude! 0 bring with thee calm peace , wife piety ! Bring felf-corre&ing , fill improving virtue! Bring charity , for ever meditating To all , in juf degrees, the highef good. Hail! folitude! that from eternity Waf prefent at the glorious throne of God; And , in his bounteous mind revolv'd , couldf trace Creation's plan: howvaf! how wife! how good! Inhabitant of heaven, and friend of man. With all thy kindred virtues, hither come ! And, if aught human may become thy train , Let fair ef fcience on thy footfeps wait . no Roman Conversations. BookHL I foucet the words of the next ftanza; but they were expreffive of the poet’s wifh, that fcience might come accompanied always by hu- mility. Humility is indeed the beginning, the middle, and the end of all true knowledge, both in this world and in the next. * * * Scarce had Crito pronounced the laft words* when making a fwift tranfition to other fubje&s, he began to talk of the pleafantnefs of the wea- ther, and the beauty of the country. The young nobleman admired with him the various tints of the trees, and the pi&urefque effeft: of feveral ©bje&s in the profpeH. The eldeft of the young gentlemen furveyed with pleafure the beautiful and pure azure of the Italian fky over their heads. Crito's pupil wrfhed for fome engli/Ii clouds, to variegate it; and for an tnglijh twilight, to lengthen out the evening* * Discoursing on thefe, and other fiimlar topics, they arrived at Frefcati about dulk, and finding their coach, with the horfes ready har- neffed, handing before the inn door, got into it as foon as they had paid the dinner bill, and drove to Rome . This Chap. VI. Roman Conversations, m This fhort night-journey was very pleafant. There was indeed no moon, but the whole iky was filled with ftars; multitudes of lights alfo were Scattered over many parts of the roman Campania , the fields being at that hour full of countrymen, getting in their harveft as ufual, during the cool- nefs of the night. Thefe lights on the ground feemed to be, as it were, the reflection of thofe bright luminaries in the heavens. About an hour before midnight the com- pany arrived fafe at their lodgings on Monte di Trinit a. CHAP. 112 Roman Conversations* Book III. CHAP. VII. SEVENTEENTH DAY’S CONVERSATION. EiNCH ANTED, as this company was, in daily- treading the circle of the antiquities of Rome , yet they forgot not, to pay a due attention to other great and worthy obje&s. From the firlt outfet on their travels, Crito had been conftantly induftrious in examining the real religion, the natural hiftory, and Rate of li- terature in every country ; but he was peculiarly attentive to thefe three fubjefts, during his refi- dence in the roman territories. The young nobleman, as has been frequently obferved, had been bufy in the contemplation of the fine arts, efpecially painting : he had ftudied it with continually- increafing ardour in the fe- mifhi lombard , Venetian , and roman fchools. H i s elder companion, with exceffive diligence, had laboured in the political mine ; fearching deeply into the laws, police, manufactures, com- merce,* Chap . VII. Roman Conversations. 113 merce, funds, and forces of every Rate, in which he for any confiderable time had refided. Nor was he blind to the great “ capabilities ' ’ of the ecclefiaftical Rate in thefe feveral particulars *. CRITO'S pupil had propofed to himfelf ano- ther field of inquiry; viz. the various kinds and degrees of public beneficence, and the different workings of humanity and chriflian charity in different parts of Europe . Scarce a day paffed. In which he had not* made fome progrefs in this work ; either by digefling into proper order his former obfervations, or by acquiring frefh mate- rials. He was indefatigably active in making due inquiries after every wife law of mercy; after every judicioufly-charitable inflitution : efteem- ing all thefe labours as fuperabundantly repaid, if by thefe means he could, at a future time, be able to introduce in his own country any one new method of doing good. * The ecclefiaRic Rate, as all travellers obferve, is .In a very poor condition. I t s s governors, even when well in - ientioned , feem ignorant, or inattentive to the various means of improvement. Indeed, as Addifon remarked in his tra- vels, 45 to fpeak truly, they are here fo taken up with the r ' £ care of men's fouls, that they negleft the care of their ^bodies : 99 and it has often happened, that the fovereigrr of this country has paR mod of his days in a convent,— or in fome other religious or Rudious retirement from the world. Vol, IL I Such 114 Roman Conversations. Book HI. Such had been his darling objeCt throughout the whole courfe of his travels, — and efpecially during his refidence at Milan , and at Rome . Among other articles of public beneficence, he was particularly defirous to acquire fome fen- fible and true memoirs, relative to the manage- ment of the befi-regulated hofpitals. He even difdained not to make fome inquiries as to the care of the prifons. This morning, while he was happily employed in tranfcribing and abridging fome papers, on the lajl fubjett) he was vifited by his tutor, and his two young friends. They furveyed the bundles of papers, with which his table was covered: and then fixed their eyes on him, with the compla- cency, with which angels look on one of their celeflial brethren, while ardently engaged in fome eminent work of benevolence. They were beginning to exprefs their fenti- ments on the occafion, but were prevented by him. Turning to the elder of the young gentle- men, After all, faid he, the greatefl temporal charity, is the charity of a. wife government; — which, by a judicious encouragement of induflry, in agriculture, in manufactures, and in commerce, both Chap. VII. Roman Conversations. 115 both by fea and land, is able to clothe comforta- bly and feed millions of it’s fubjefts. In this great charity there is not perhaps a country on the face of the univerfe fuperiour, or even equal to Great Britain. But in the fecondary, though very important and laudable charities, fuch as hofpitals for the fick and aged , and other inftitu- tions of a fimilar nature ; although our country is richly adorned with many noble foundations of this kind, yet I know not whether other nations of Chriflendom may not juftlyr claim an equal fhare of honour, I have often, both at home and abroad, heard our countrymen obferve, perhaps with a patriotic partiality, That no country was equal to Eng- land in fuch works of charity : But let us fee what Keyjler , though a german , fays of the it or Hans. CRITO'S pupil now took up a volume of Keyjler' s travels, which lay on the table open, at the article u Milan f and read feveral paffages in it, to the point in queftion. However this may be, continued he, yet certainly all travellers, notwithftanding their fe- veral political and religious differences, mu ft ac- knowledge both the magnitude and variety of I 2 charitable ii6 Roman Conversations. Book III. charitable inftitutions, which are to be feen in all parts of Italy , efpecially at Milan z and here at Rome. I could with, faid Crito , that there was a good account publifhed of all the italian , and in- deed of all the european public charities. A faith- ful and judicious defcription of the various infti- tutions of mercy throughout Chrijlendom would undoubtedly be a very pleafing book, as well as a very ftrong teftimony to the excellence of the chriftian religion, by difplaying thus it’s benefi- cent genius, and happy operation in the world *. For it feems well worthy of obfervation, that all thefe noble inftitutions of mercy were utterly un- known in Europe , during the times of the ancien t grecian or roman dominion : and have all rifen on chrijlianity , as their true foundation. Even mohammedanijm has copied it’s fpirit in this parti- cular. Such a book, faid Crito’ s pupil, might per- haps be ferviceable to another good purpofe. Is it not ardently to be wifhed, that the dif- ferent nations of Europe would mutually ftudy * The lafl fixteen verfes of the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew might perhaps be not improperly placed as a frontifpiece to fuch a book. and Chap. VII. Roman Conversations. ny and imitate each other’s moral excellencies? It was a wife principle of heathen Rome , never to think herfelf perfe£t in the military art ; but con- ftantly to obferve, and to adopt, whatever was truly laudable and ufeful in the neighbouring ftates. By this principle, and by this praftice, flie attained all her grandeur. And by the fame means England , no doubt, might very confider- ably improve herfelf in the higheft kind of true glory,— chriftian beneficence. Her public cha- rities might thus be rendered the mo ft abundant and complete, the mo ft beautifully variegated, and the molt wifely felefted of any in the uni- verfe. If I be not miftaken, faid the young noble- man, fome great new charities, — the Foundling Lying-in , and Magdalen hofpitals, — were in this manner lately imported into England. There is another charitable inflitution, faid Crito 9 which, if properly regulated, might juftly be efteemed far more honourable and ufeful than any of thefe three. I mean that charity, which you know flourifhes fo much in Italy y particu- larly here at Rome , the charity of giving portions to poor young maidens in marriage*. It has at different * The legacies to this charity have been at Rome fo very ample, that there is fcarce a poor young woman in the I 3 whole n8 Roman Conversations. BookUL different times made feveral attempts to eflablifh itfelf in England . Archbifhop Laud fet an ex- ample of it in his native town of Reading: where, according to his fmall fortune, he bequeathed a legacy, out of which young women who have ferved a certain time in the fame family, with a good chara£ler, are now apportioned. Among all the roman charities, faid the eldeft of the young gentlemen, there is one, which I have often thought might be as deferving of imi- tation as any. I mean the Convalefcent hofpital; which receives poor patients, cured in other hof- pitals, and fupports them for fome weeks with comfortable provifion, till they have recovered their ftrength, and are able to return to their work. If I miftake not, you have an account of that hofpital among your papers. In turning over the papers of Crito's pupil, to find that account, the young gentleman fixed his eyes by accident on a memoir relative to the mo- whole city, 'of a creditable charafter, but what may be a par- taker of them. The portioning of maidens makes indeed a part of many ecclefiaflical functions there. Once in the year no lefs than three hundred maidens appear in procef- iion at the church of Santa Maria Jopra Minerva. They come there to receive their marriage portions ; all dreffed in long and flowing white robes, fuch as are feen on feveral antique ftatues of roman matrons; and their faces in parti- cular are covered exattly in the fame manner as fome of the molt famous buffs. dern Chap. VII. Roman Conversations. 119 dern roman prifons. I could heartily wifh you ? faid he, to extract from this memoir fome hints that may be ufeful at home. There is perhaps no part of the britijh police, in which there are more dejiderata. I heard lately from London , that a propofal for rebuilding Newgate is foon to be laid before the houfe of commons. The converfation now dwelt for fome time on this topic, when Crito's pupil requefled the com- pany to take an hour’s walk with him. He wiihed they would permit him to be their conduHor this morning; as he had a great defire to vifit the re- mains of the two moft noted prifons of ancient Rome . The company readily confented to his propofal. # # * Some fmall remains of the ancient Car cere Tul~ liano are ftill to be feen, at the foot of the fouth- eaft fide of the Capitoline hill. Going down a flight of fteps under the church of S. Giufeppe Falegnami , the company entered into the dark fubterranean apartments of that fearful fcene^ and defcended from dungeon to dungeon*. ? See Abbate V enuti's Roman Antiquities, voL L p* gS. I 4 The 120 Roman Conversations. BookHI. The loweft of thefe is a round, low, fmall vault*. In this difmal place it is faid Plemminius diedt; Jugurtha was ftarved to death+; and Cethegus and the other murderers and incendia- ries of Cataline's band were all ftrangledj. This vault feems indeed, from it’s fituation, fhape, and dimenfions, to anfwer Sallujl's defcription of the Tullianum ; and the floor, walls, and roof being all compofed of very large (tones, it is at prefent, perhaps, exaCtly in the fame {late, as formerly. Wretched as that fet of villains were, and moft deferving of their fate, yet how often, faid Crito’s pupil, has this gloomy cavern confined perfons of a quite contrary character ! In the re- publican times, how many foreign generals and patriots, the brave defenders of their country againft the roman invafions, have, after under- going all the bitternefs of the triumph, taken their feats on this ftone bench, in expectation and de- * It nearly refembles the defcription, given by Diodorus Si- culus , of the dungeon at Alba Marforum , in which Perfes was imprifoned. Vid. Photii Bibliothec, edit. Rotomag . p. 1156. f See Livy, book 34, c. 44. In inferiorem demijfus ejl carcerem , necatufque . J See Freinjhemius, booklxvii. c. 19. Ibi demum loci^/ex- tum in diem , cum fame & vita luttans, fpiritus expulfus ejl. § In this fame prifon Sejanus died ; the fenate being af- fembled for his condemnation in the adjoining temple of Concord. , Simon Gioras alfo. See Jofephus 3 b. vii, c. 5. 9 fire Ckap.VIL Roman Conversations. 121 fire of fpeedy death! In the lower ages,under imperial tyranny, how many virtuous romans have fighed againft the walls of this vault; and mixed their tears with that cup of their afflic- tion,— the fpring which rifes in the middle of this floor ! O mon jilt) ones amis , qui Vent penfe jamais Qiie nous habiterions ce fejour des forfaits ? Ah! fans doute , avant nous , ces chaines fletrijfantes Ont courbe fous leur poids les Vertus gernif] antes * . Places and conditions, at which human weak- nefs would mo ft tremble, and human pride would raoft difdain, have often been the feenes of the molt amiable and exalted virtues. Not to fpecify other countries, the two moft venerable charac- ters in the athenian hiftory, Socrates and Phocion 3 lived in poverty, and died as malefa£lors in pri- fon. Career illorum a Seneca might fay, — omni curia fanElior . Look at the infeription on that wall : It fays 9 that this vault was the dungeon even of the apojlle of the gentiles^— and that to this very pillar were fixed his chains. * Siege de Calais , aft 4. The 122 Roman Conversations. Book III. T^e infcription adds, that St. Peter alfo was confined here. I know not what degree of credit fhould be given to this tradition : however, we are certain, that thofe holy apoftles did, in fome place or other, really undergo fuch treatment*. But let me not trefpafs on my tutor’s province, who can fpeak on this fubjeft fo much better. Perhaps under his guidance we may make a fecond vifit to this place, when advanced in his courfe of leftures to the time of Nero's reign. Let me add this reflection, my dear friends: Surely, we fhould never difdain to confider, and to commiferate the fufferings, even of malefactors in prifon ; fince both by facred and profane hif- tory we are aflured, that perfons of the holiest character have been contented even to live and die with them theret. * * # These fentiments of charity, expreffed by Crito's pupil, rofe fincerely from his heart. * See, in particular, the twelfth and fixteenth chapters of the A£ts of the Apoftles. d Our Saviour himfelf died among malefactors ; one of whom reviled him in his laft moments. The other, by- penitence, obtained a blefling, far fuperiour to all the riches and honours of this world. Ofteil Chap. VIL Roman Conversations. 123 Often while in London had he, unknown to any perlbn, vifited Newgate; alleviating the miferies of fome of the felons, and releafing fome of the debtors confined there*. This fincerity of heart added Rich powerful energy to his expreftions, as affe&ed all his audi- ence with a heavenly fympathy. Every heart was melted : every eye fwelled with a tear. Full of thefe fentiments, they re-afcended the dark and narrow ftair-cafe, and came foon within hearing of the organ in the church, which is built over thefe dungeons. The young nobleman turned round to Crito , and a(ked him if he knew what feftival it was to-day? It is, 1 believe, re- plied he, the eleventh of June ;— the feftival of the charitable St . Barnabasi . * The perfons whom he releafed were chiefly thofe, who were committed thither for fmall debts, by the Court of Confcience. He had often been happy in difcharging feveral of thefe, who were parents of large families; and who, for debts of fome few /hillings only , were committed prifoners to thatdifmal place for three long months 1 As the Court of Confcience is a new infiitution , perhaps it may not be improper tofuggeft to well-difpofed perfons, that here is a new method of doing good . V ery fmall fums thus difpofed may fometimes fave whole families from de- ftru&ion. + Many have been the happy perfons who have literally obeyed our Saviour’s words; u Sell whatever thou haft, and give to the poor.” St. Barnabas is the firft recorded by name , who for this purpofe fold his landed property. See J&siv 0 from ver, 32, to the end. Day- 124 Roman Conversations. BookllL Daylight now broke in full upon them. How glorious a fpe&acle, faid the eldeft of the young gentlemen, mull that fun be, to perfons long confined in the gloom of fuch difmal dun- geons ! What occafion is there ever to deprive prifoners of the benefit of light and air ? How in- human mull that government be, which would grudge fome little expence in affording them this confolation ! CRITO'S pupil now repeated fome lines in the beginning of Samfon Agonijles ; and then pro- pofed to his friends to continue their morning walk ; if not too fatiguing, as far as to the other noted prifon of ancient Rome z — the gaol of the Decemvirs . * # # The gaol of the Decemvirs flood near the Fo- rum Olitor ium*. In that prifon was performed the famous aflion, known by the name of the roman charity. In memory of fuch an inftance of filial piety, the fenate ordered that part of the prifon, which was thus dillinguifhed, to be pulled down, and a temple to be erected on it, named on this account Templum Pietatis . The church * See Abbate V enutVs Roman Antiquities, vol, ii. p. 33. See alfo F liny's hiflory, book vii. c, 36, of Chap, VIL Roman Conversations. 125. of St, Nicolo in Careers now flands on the fame fpoh The company arrived there about noon, and finding the church at that hour quite folitary, walked about it at their leifure. Is it not probable, faid the young nobleman, that fome of thefe marble pillars once adorned the temple of Filial Piety? I could wifh that a plan of that temple were now extant. But give me leave to exprefs another, more rational wifh ; I mean that our tutor, I hope he will permit me to ufe that name, would favour us with fome of his fentiments on the excellent action here performed. I am much obliged to you for your politenefs, replied Crito ; but I am not worthy of that title. I have attended you to this place with very- great pleafure; but am certain, that there is no oecafion to trouble you with any of my reflec- tions on the fubje£t of the roman charity; the hiftory of that a£tion being fo well known, and it’s excellence fo happily difplayed by every one of this company. Give \ 126 Roman Conversations. Book III \ Give me leave, however, in this place, to congratulate my pupil on the purchafe, which, by your kind afliftance, he has lately made : — I mean, the fine pi£lure of Guido on that fubje£t. He purpofes to fend it foon to England . With the greateft pleafure will his father certainly re- ceive it, and place it at the head of his gallery of family pi&ures ; as a moll pleafing mark of his fon’s goodnefs, and as a Handing leffon and em- blem of that filial love, which ought to fubfift in all families from generation to generation. * # # In this manner ended the morning’s converfa- tion; and they parted for the remainder of the day. At night the company, meeting at fupper at the young nobleman’s lodgings, were informed by Crito’s pupil, in what manner he had palled the afternoon and firlt part of the evening. It is needlefs to add, that Crito gave his atten- tion with the greateft pleafure to the following ac- count ; and, by the firft poll to England , made the parents of his pupil happy, by a full relation of it. I CAMS Chap . VIL Roman Conversations. 127 I came home, faid the young gentleman, this morning, from the place of the ancient temple of Filial Piety , full of the idea of the work of charity there performed. I fat down in my room, op, pofite the piflure of Guido . — Would to God, that the thoughts, which then arofe in my mind, may always be kept alive there, and continually increafe in ardour! In the afternoon I again fat down before the fame piflure ; and in that fitua- tion, often calling my eye on a fpetlacle fo pa- thetic, I made the following extra£ls ; partly from the epiftles of Seneca , and his book de Be- nejciis ; partly from a volume of the difcourfes of Socrates* 6£ It is not eafy to conceive how any man can receive from any of his fellow-creatures greater tc benefits, than thofe which all children derive u from their parents ; by whole means they begin 4£ their exiltence, are admitted as fpefiiators of £6 all the magnificence of the univerfe, and made u partakers of all the temporal and eternal boun- ties of God. Let us endeavour to proportion u our gratitude to fuch benefits received ! Let us a earnellly labour, let us at lealt fincerely defire, u to be, if poffible, of as much benefit to our u parents, as they have been to us ! Hoc agite , 66 optimi juveries / Pojita Jit inter parentes libe- ^ rofque honeja contention dederint major a, an.ac- u ceperint . 128 Roman Conversations. BookUL u ceperinl. Quod certamentam optabile ! Felices 9 fiC qui vicerint ! Felices , qui vincentur ! Quid eo 6C Jortunatius fene , qui omnibus ubique pr cedi cabit z 6C a Jilio fuo fe benejiciis vifiwn? Quid eo adole- fcente prceclarius ? Nulla enim vi verborum , ^ nulla ingenii facultate exprimi potejl, quam lau- 65 dabile , quamque nunquam a memoria hominum 6( exiturum , pojfe hoc dicere ; parentibus meis parui: cejji: imperio eorum obfequentem, fub - cc mijfumque me prcebui : ad hoc unum contumax ci \fuii — ne benejiciis vincerer . u Nec defunt tarn pulchro certamini duces qui u per vejligia fua ire nos cohortentur & jubeant. 46 Many fons have defended the old age of their parents from want and injury; many have fuc- cefsfully laboured to crown them with honour^ and to blefs their latter days with great joy, and « greater hope; many have moft ardently fronted u the greateft dangers to fave their parents from a harm ; many have even had the happinefs of “ returning life for life. Happy fons! But how 64 much more happy muft be their parents ! Non 66 enim tantum vivere , quantum a jiliis fuis vitam u accipere Icetabuntur ; & longe majorem ex animo u prolis , quam ex re ipfd percipient volupiatem After I had made thele extrafts, I took a folitary evening walk to that fame temple of Filial Piety , Chap. VII. Roman Conversations, 129 Piety , which we had vifitedthis morning. Meet- ing the fexton in the church, I had an opportu- nity of feeing the fubterranean chapel under the communion-table : which chapel was one of the dungeons of the ancient prifon. Twice, if I be not miftaken, that pious and charitable aCtion was there performed. Two dif- ferent roman matrons, at two different times, there nobly incurred the hazard of their own lives, in order to fave thofe of their parents : — ACtions of charity, which, though performed by perfons in private life, and in circumftances of indigence and obfcurity, were yet mojl highly honoured and rewarded; the prifoners in each cafe being par- doned, and releafed, for the fake of the eminent goodnefs of their children. Having fully indulged and fatisfied myfelf in m e di tat i o UoxLTh e fubjeCt of that ftory, I left the church of St. Nicolo in Carcere , and walked to the Capitol . I fat down on the terrace, behind the Palazzo del Senator e* The view of the Roman Forum, and Via Sacra 9 from that terrace, made me recollect fome of my tutor’s reflections relative to the character of Me- tellus Pius . I recolleCted at the fame time feve- Vql, II, R rat igo Roman Conversations. Book III . ral other roman heroes, whofe names are immor- talized by their goodnefs to their parents. Nor could I help refleQing with pleafure, that this noble virtue of filial piety fubfifted even in A.C. thofe difmal times, to which in the courfe of my 43 tutor’s lefture we yefterday arrived ; I mean the times of the fecond, accurfed triumvirate. In the midft of all the horrours of cruelty and black perfidioufnefs, with which this city was then overwhelmed, filial love frequently fhone forth with peculiar luftre , — velut erumpente inter nnbila vehementiore foie . I remember what Velleius Paterculus fays on the occafion; and indeed, the inftances of fidelity Ihown in that time of terrour, by wives to their hufbands, and by fervants to their mafters, were very remarkable*; yet furely thofe performed by children * It Teems not unfuitable to the defign of this work, to infert here, in a concife abridged manner, Tome few of thofe examples, as copied by Freinjhemius from the writers of antiquity. 7 amijia t^Xtus xxi Sw$ xat qvn rov. O (xoXis tnuyvovs Toy nrxngx xv sQogev tx tx crvyfSgix (K xiaragi yxg crvvt^xTtvtTo xxi (TuvTj^syiv j xxi v O vtos (Atv croi ytyonv u Kxicag, tyv Ss xiru Sv crs Toy nrartgx cufyiv St’tfAS, v Si’txtt voy sfAt tpuidiim & alt uni — ubi ejl mnfceum . Circum hujus ripas ambu - latiofub die lata pedes denes . De re Rujlicd . lib. 3. But* 142 Roman Conversations, BookllL But, on the other hand, you will be affe&ed with much concern, when you turn your eyes to the prefent ftate of agriculture in that part of the kingdom of Naples . Iti Varro's time, Italy was in general the bell cultivated region of the known world. Nulla qua? tam tota Jit ciclta*. Arbori - bus confita Italia eft , ut tota pomarium videatur. But how fadly different is it’s prefent ftate ! From what thefe f rench gentlemen were faying, it ap- pears, that the delicious country between Cafino and Fritfinone^— that rich and fertile territory 5 which once flourifhed under Varro's eye, — lies now ahnoft defolate. Even the fields of Varro's farms are now, in part at leaft, abandoned. Bu t let us defer talking further on this fubjeft, till we fee the place. When we are on that fpot, we may, zvith the utmoji propriety^ converfe onthc topic of Varro's char after. In the mean time I may perhaps be able to colle6t fome memoran- dums relative to it. At prefent I am by no means prepared to fpeak on the fubjebt. Ac c o r d i n o to the generally-received opinion, faid the eldeft of the young gentlemen, Varro's life feems to have been, like that of his great con- temporaries Cato and Tally j divided between lite- rary and civil induftry. If I miftake not, * De re Rifjiica^ lib, c, 2 , he Chap . VIII. Roman Conversations. 143 he was entrufted with one of the principal com- mands in the piratic war; and by his conduft in that ftation obtained the very diftinguifhed honour of a rojlral crown. He commanded afterwards in Spain , in the war between Pompey and Julius Ccefar. In his fenatorial charafter alfo, he feems to have been much engaged in feveral of the great political tranfaflions of the times. Your obfervation is very true, replied Crito ; but perhaps it may be doubted whether it would not have been better, if, — at leaft during the civil wars,— he had totally devoted his induilry to the purfuit of literature. Varro' s campaign in Spain , to judge of it from the account given in Ccefar s Commentaries, does not feem to add any very great fplendour to his charaHer. Varro feems himfelf to have been fenfible, that a literary life was his more proper element. Immediately, if I remember right, after his fpanijli campaign, he retired from public employments, and gave up all the remainder of his life to books. Pardon me, my dear fellow-ftudents, if I paufe fome moments, to reflefl on Varro j happk nefs in that fphere. In his old age, as well as in his youth, Varro , —according to ErafmuCs expreffion .—fenfit flu- diorum 1 44 Roman Conversations. Book III. diomm dulcedinem. He had received the greateft benefits from them in the firft years of his man- hood, while at the univerfity of Athens *; and now, in his decline of life, he was prote&ed by them in a great meafure, from the miferies of the civil diftra&ions. Illis tempejatibus prope Joins trat in portu . Cum libris in prijlina conjuetudine permanjit ; & -Jludiorum conjuetudine leniebat do- lor em. Ad earn vitam reverjus efl^ quam multi doHi homines JortaJfe non reffie, Jed tamen multi P etiam reipublicce pretponendam putaverunt . I think, faid the young nobleman, I remem- ber fome of thofe expreflions in Tull/s Epiftles. They are in his epiftles to Varro , replied Crito ; thofe epiftles, which were written foon after Var- ro' s return from Spain . Yqfterday afternoon, when I had laid Montjaucoh aftde, I read thofe eight letters : I afterwards employed myfelf, for an hour or two, in turning over fome leaves of Varro 9 s treatifes de Lingua Latina* and de re Rujlicd. I should think, faid the eldeft of the young gentlemen, that the opinion of thofe learned men * Per omnium honejio rum artium cultum J arro pueriham adolefcentiamque travfegit * Renjocabat eum ab illecebrh cor - ruptelarum , fcS? lenociniis cupiditatum,pueter ipjius bonam inte- gramque naturam , jiudium fapientcsi • V etranntut Maurur. of Chap. VIII. Roman Conversations. 145 of whom Tully fpeaks, muft be a very debateable point. However 1 fh all readily own, that there is fomething very pleafing in the idea of a ftudri ous retirement. The quiet and ftillnefs of Tri- nity- college quadrangles, at Cambridge , have often ftruck me with peculiar pleafure, on my return from London , after paying fome weeks diligent attendance in the gallery of the houfe of commons. I could wilh, as we are now entered on the fub- je£t, that you would favour us with fome account of Varro's literary labours. I know not whether it will ever be in my power* replied Crito ; but I have not yet confut- ed feveral authors, who are faid to have written fome account of them. I wifh I may find fome - thing in their writings, which may deferve your attention while at CaJJino : But I fear, that even then, I fhall hardly be able to prefent you with any thing more, than a collection of teftimonies from Tully , Quintilian, St. Aujlin , Lattantius , and, poffibly, fome other ancients, relative to the high literary character of Varro , in general. Any thing more particular is not perhaps to be expeCted ; for I know not whether we can fairly judge of Varro' s literary merit from his two trea- ties, which are now extant ; one of them being of the dictionary kind, and very imperfeCt ; the other being compofed by him when above four- Vol.IL L fcore 146 Roman Conversations. BookHI. fcore years of age. In regard to his other works ? nothing can be faid, as they have all long ago pe- ri (lied. Yet, let me recoiled : There is a refle&ion* which rifes from this very circum fiance, and de- ferves the attention of many learned members of the republic of letters : a reflection, which ought to humble the proudefl of their hearts. * In the whole hiflory of the literary world, there cannot eafily perhaps be found any learned man, whofe writings feemed more likely to refill the force of time, than Varro's. Varro , by the uni- verfal teflimony of ancient authors, was the mofl learned perfon, that ever exifted in the roman nation. Tally adds, that he was omnium facile acutijfimus . His long life was affiduoufly em, ployed in publications ; he is faid to have been the author of no lefs than five hundred books *. I n the eightieth year of his age, Varro began to compile his three books de re Ruflica. Let us fuppofe, that we now fee him fitting down in his * The word book is capable of different fenfes. Thus Li-vy may be faid to have written a book on the roman hift Cory ; he may be faid alfo to have written one hundred and forty books on that fubjeft. It is in the latter fenfe, that the number of Varro' s books is to be underftood. Even when sronfidered in this light, his publications muff have been of an enormous bulk, library Chap. VIII. Roman Conversations. 147 library to this employment. At that time, what, probably, were his thoughts? ♦ Properandum ejl. Si ejl homo , ut dicitur , hut- la; eo magis fenex. Annus ottogejimus admonet me , ut farcinas colligam , antequam projicifcar e vita . In relation to his corporeal frame indeed, Varro mull have been fincerely fenfible, that it was tottering on the brink of the grave, and mull foon fall into dull and afhes : But as to his writings, he might have other thoughts. When he furveyed with pleafure the rolls of his five hundred manu- fcripts, ranged perhaps in neat order on the fhelves of his library, he might flatter himfelf, that thefe were as likely to laft forever, as the compofitions of Tully, or any other of his contemporary bro- ther authors. But how uncertain are the molt promifing hopes of the immortality of any literary perform- ance! Tulip s works now extant, voluminous as they appear, are but a fmall part of what he really jmblifhed: and as to Varro' s compofitions, not one of all that vafl: number has efcaped deftruc- lion. They have all, except the fragments of his twenty -four books de Lingua Latina , long fince totally perifhed. Scarce even the titles of a tenth jjarf of them are known. 148 Roman Conversations. BookHL During our refidence at Florence , I em- ployed an hour one morning in ftudying that ob- fcure and imperfeft catalogue of the titles of fome of Varro's works, which the learned Vetrannius Maurus has, feemingly with much difficulty, compiled*. When I had finiffied that catalogue, I took a walk to the great duke’s gallery. I palfed through it’s three long double rows of ftatues and bulls : I palfed through it’s Tribuna , without attending to the chef d' oeuvres of fculpture and painting, which are there collected. I went on to the fmall room adjoining, in which there is an objefl, overlooked, or ffiunned perhaps, by many dilettanti ; yet certainly very affecting and in- ltru£live. You mull remember the wax-work of Caietano Julio : it moll naturally reprefents the fcene of a burying-vault, in which the gradual * From fome of thefe titles, as well as from other ac- counts, it fhould feem, that feveral of Varro’s writings were of the fatyric kind; confequently the lofs of thefe works is to be lefs lamented. For the fame reafon we mull greatly abate our idea of V arrows happinefs in his literary labours : — - Happinefs cannot refide in a mind foured with fatyric malevolence. But perhaps this may be a miftake; for in thofe works Of Varro , which are now extant, no fuch malevolent fpirit appears. On the contrary, they appear to have been written from a very benevolent principle : ut non folum quoad Leutari non molto lo?itano da quefio P eatro , non ejfendo^vi di mezzo , che campo di Fiore; potrebbe ejfere la med-ejima fatua rammentata da Suetonio qua Angnjlo trasferita » In i6o Roman Conversations. Book III, I n relation to his civic chara6ter, feveral months ago, while we were in the Milanefe , I had the pleafure of compiling fome fhort papers, defcrip- tive of Brutus's amiable behaviour, during his provincial government of Gallia Cifalpina , and alfo while he refided in AJia Minor. In each of thofe countries he nobly exemplified the pra&ica- bility of doing much good to the public, in the worft of times. It was in the midft of the miferies of a civil war, continued Crito , fitting down, and taking out his roll of papers ; — it was about the very time when Cato was flaying himfelf in defpair at Utica , that Brutus accepted the provincial go- vernment of Lombardy 9 to the great advantage and happinefs of that large and populous country. In thofe times of licenfe and confufion, the roman provinces fuffered, if poffible, Hill more than ufual, under the violence and avarice of their governors. In the happy province of Brutus alone, no infolence or rapine was then feen in the governor, or permitted by him in any of his in- feriour officers. Such indeed is faid to have been the mildnefs of Brutus's gracious adminiftration in Lombardy , as fully to make that country amends even for all her former calamities. Ths Chap.VIlL Roman Conversations. 161 The ftatue of Brutus was ere&ed at Milan % moft likely in grateful memory of his good go- vernment I mean that brazen ftatue, which Augujlus 9 feveral years afterwards, in the latter probably, and better part of his life, much ad- mired, and commanded ftil! to be carefully pre- ferved there: thus, generoufly, though a per- fonal enemy, maintaining the honour of Brutus ; and applauding the milanefc for their gratitude to a great benefactor. I could wifh, faid the young nobleman, that I had made fome inquiry among the antiquaries at Milan relative to that ftatue; though moft pro- bably it has been loft and melted down long ago, in fome of the many devaftations and conflagra- tions, which that rich city has fuffered. Excufe, my dear fir, this interruption. The moft amiable and univer fatty admired part of Brutus's life, faid Crito , is his conduCt in Afia^ during the interval between the death of Julius Ccefar , and the battle of Philippi . Highly noble indeed does that fcene of pro- vincial government appear, efpecially if we com- pare it with the tyrannical Oppreflion of the fame country by the luxurious, rapacious, and cruel Anthony. VOL, II, M. BRUTUS 162 Roman Conversations. Book III. BRUTUS had been always in poffeflion of the moft defirable kind of reputation : he was every where generally efteemed by the people, beloved by his friends, and admired by all good men : he was hated by none, not even by his enemies. This univerfal good name he had defervedly acquired by his extraordinary mildefs; a mildnefs, never ruffled by any ill-natured paflion, or corrupted or weakened by any voluptuoufnefs and vicious luxury : a mildnefs accompanied with generofity, with diftnterefted integrity, inviolable upright- nefs, magnanimous zeal, and inflexible fteadinefs in whatever he believed juft and honeft. But all thefe his virtues {hone forth in AJia with even more than ufual fplendour. For, though Brutus was then deeply engaged in the midft of military preparations, both by fea and land, for fuccouring as foon as poflible his diftreffed countrymen in Italy , yet did he give great attention to the affairs of the afiatics . By a proper combination of juftice and mercy, even then did Brutus revive in that country the happy memory of thofe great bleflings, which the government of Rutilius and of Sccevola , had con- ferred on it, in former times of peace. It Chap. V1IL Roman Conversations. 163 It is true, that, as this was an era of general confufion, Afia Minor was not free from many calamities of war, occafioned particularly by the frenzy of the lycians . But even amidd the dif- mal procefs of war, the goodnefs and humanity of Brutus were indefatigably exerted on every pof- fible occafion, Even in the dreadful dedru&ion of the city of Xanthus , the mercy of a Brutus as eminently didinguilhed itfelf, as that of a Titus is faid to have (tone, in the fimilar horrours of the fiege of Jerufalem . All the other provinces of that part of AJia found him gracious and merciful to them, even beyond their expe&ations. He entirely gained their hearts, and fully edabliffied the love of his government among them by peace and clemency. At the fame time he was, for their fakes,- — in ex- a 61 imitation of Sceevola — mod bravely and juftly fevere on their roman oppreflors. He publicly on this account difgraced and condemned fome, who were the great affidants and affociates of his own party; and who had born, even at Rome^ the highelt offices of the date. Many indeed, and memorable were the a£ts af judice, which Brutus was condantly perform- ing throughout the whole of this his afiatic expe- M % dition: 164 Roman Conversations. BookHI. dition : his juftice was diligent alike in difpenfing punifhments and rewards. In fome inftances his conduft was ftill more exalted, and deferves perhaps a more venerable, certainly a more amiable name, than even that of juftice itfelf. His contemporary romans were highly pleafed with the punifhment of Theodotus , the murderer of Pompey the Great. Yet furely, you, my dear young friends, will receive far more noble pleafure in recolle&ing, that Brutus , about the very fame time, fully pardoned Gillius , who had even attempted to be his murtherer. CRITO now rofe from his chair, and ap- proached the bull of Brutus , with almoft as much refpe£t and regard as were exprefled a quarter of an hour before by the eldeft of the young gentle- men. His pupil rofe with him, and, melting at the recital of the laft-mentioned aft of humanity, even embraced the buft, and prefled his lips on the cold marble. From Afia , continued Crito , B rutus marched to Thrace . In Thrace , fome fhort time before, he had been very ferviceable to the roman caufe; having, though in the midft of a civil war, gene- roufly recovered to the romans their pofleflion of the Chap. VI II. Roman Conversations. 165 the province of Saddles, and fuppreffed the incur- fions of the barbarous bejfi. From the coafts of Thrace he now approached to meet his fate at Philippi: he approached with fortitude and chear- fulnefs ; dill continuing the mod abundant gene- rofity to his foldiers, and love to his friends ; but above all things, mod earnedly longing to fee the end, however fatal to himfelf, of the miferies of this dedruftive civil war. On the fields of Philippi , in both engagements^ Brutus at the head of fome few legions only, bore down every thing before him, and was very near obtaining a total vi&ory. According to Plutarch 9 he performed every thing that was poflible for an expert general, or a valiant foldier, to achieve. But let me not pretend to fpeak of his military talents : let me rather defire your attention to fome of his noble fentiments, as exprefied in two or three lines, which I have tranfcribed from Plutarch. Saying this, Crito placed his roll of papers on the table of inlaid oriental gems, that adorns the apartment, in which the company were then con- verfing. EajSaXwv tvjv dsfyctv fxsw flSyuKvi'J V)5c?V^V OTl TWV Cp/Awv gfoig £ 4/EVe£tTQ° M 3 »— 1 66 Roman Conversations. Book III. euvrov $e twv veviY.ViY.OT wv j xctYCC^iure^ov vo/x/^/v, 8K £%(kc t^wi^v jxovov, «AAa ita* vuv, ci%ohi%ovrci ^o^av otfervig, V[V stfonXoig ovle %^jx«s eXsvQspix ? , kou are tyvy eiv are A ciQsiv erxs, aXKa. rss E(X7Tpoa^EV exvtqv (pcavi^wv^ CVU^OffAMV TS T&s ? V[J. [JiEVOVT&S^ HTJrscrE, QctV[X VOL, II * Virgil: Echu 71. and ix, 4, I. N Other 178 Roman Conversations. Booklll . Other parts of Italy , during the fame twelve years, were laid wafte by daughter and famind. Perhaps, faid Crito's pupil, it was at this time, that Horace petitioned Apollo to avert from Italy helium lachrymofum , miferamque famem . May fuch plagues be always indeed averted from this country ; but may they alfo be averted from thofe other nations, which Horace mentions in the next verfe. Hie helium lachrymofum , hie miferam famem 9 Peflemque a populo , 6? principe Cxfare , in Perfas , atque Britannos , Vejira motus aget prece *. I thank Go d, however, that inftead of Horace's ill-judged and ill-natured wifh taking effe&, the corn of England now feeds great part of Italy . A.C. The Perufina fames is, I fuppofe, what you 4° are chiefly alluding to, faid the young nobleman, When I was at Perugia , I was indeed greatly fhocked in reading the difmal hiftory of the fiege and furrender of that city. Not only Perugia , anfwered Crito 9 but many other cities of Italy t even Rome itfeif, fuffered * Ho rax. lib. i. od. 21 . much Chap , VlIL Roman Conversations. 179 much mifery of the fame kind* though in an in- ffcrioiir degree. The fupplies of corn, that ufu- stlly came by fea* were cut off. The fea alfo, fot feveral years, was the bloody theatre of this tragic civil war. . ... ; - ^ Beside other great mifehiefs, the coafts of | Naples and Sicily faw, in the fea-fights and fhip- wrecks of Oflavius's and Pompey's fleets, a r^ newed image of the calamities of the firft punic war. In the laft engagement off Mejfina , if I re- 36 t member right, each fleet confifted of above three hundred fail ; while near two hundred thoufand men flood in arms on the fhore. I could wiih, faid the eldeft of the young gentlemen, that there were extant a good and im- partial account of the life of Sextus Pompeius . Much dishonour has been caft upon his memory by feveral ecefarean writers ; and yet fome, at leaft, of his aftions feem very noble and heroic. Btit pray, dear fir, inform us, which is the cha- rafter, that you would choofe principally to recom- mend to us, in our ftudy of the roman hiftory, during thofe twelve years. The charafter of Oct ayia* replied Crito, i8o Roman Conversations. Book III* If you pleafe, faid the young nobleman, haflily catching at that name, I will order my coachman to flop at the portico of Oclavia. We mujl pafs by it, or near it, in our way home. CRITO gladly confenting, the young noble- man leaned out of the window, and told his con- du£lor to drive to the church of St. Angelo in Pefcaria . ' k r r v . • r • H Ififl . * * # AUGUSTUS CAESAR ere&ed this portico in honour of his filler Oftavia. About one hundred and ten years afterwards, being damaged by fire, it was repaired by the emperor Titus; and again in the following century, by the emperor Severus. Severus's name is flill legible on the front of the building. Some (lately columns are remaining, both in the front and behind it. T h e church of St. Angelo in Pefcaria takes up. at prefent, the fouth-eafl fide of this portico. The remaining fpace is chiefly occupied by feveral fifli mongers (hops. When the coach flopped here, the fifli-market was over, and the (hops empty : the company confequently were able to furvey the place at their leifure, Chap.VIIL Roman Conversations. 181 leifure, and to converfe without interruption. Their converfation turned fometimes on the ami a" ble charafter of Ohlavia^ fometimes on the ancient plan and ornaments of this (lately fabric, which was, in Ovid's time, — Externo marmore dives opus . Some months ago, faid the young nobleman, when we made our fird tour of the roman anti- quities, I lidened with earned attention to our antiquarian in this place. He told me, that the portico before us * was anciently ornamented with many of the fined paintings from the grecian fchools, and many fculptures from the hands of Phidias , Polycles , and Praxiteles . The idea of a drufture thus richly adorned gave me great pleafure. Here, I imagined, dood the Venus of Phidias ; and there, before that column, the Thef~ pian Cupid . Such were the ideas, with which my mind was then filled. But, fince the progrefs we have made in our prefent courfe of Roman Con- verfations, I begin to have other thoughts. I am, by your abidance, every day learning to confider thefe great roman obj e£ls with the eye of a philo- fopher, or a patriot, rather than with that of a mere artid. * See abbate Veniiti's Roman Antiquities, 'vol. ii. p. 89, See alfo Donato , p. 985 Rtinjy, lib. xxxvi. c. and Mont- f ancon's Journey to Italy, c. 19. N 3 H A D 182 Roman Conversations. Book III. Had it been in my power to reftore this ancient fabric to it’s former fplendour by a wifh, I fliould certainly then have rejoiced to fee the Venus , the Juno , and the figures of other heathen deities, which once flood within thefe walls, reftored to their ancient places. But exquifite as their fculp- ture might be, I do not know whether, in my pre- Jent difpojition of mind , I fhould not rather wifh that their places were filled by the ftatues, how- ever moderately executed, of fome roman female chara&ers, which once really exifted, and were truly meritorious : fuch as Uerflia^ Veturia, Vo - lumnia , Valeria Bufa , the two matrons of the roman charity, and Portia the wife of Brutus . The whole portico might be appropriated to fe- male merit; and OElavia’s ftatue would of courfe have claimed the principal place. Prima locum fanBas heroidas inter haberes : ♦ Prima bonis animi confpiciere tuu On the bafis of the ftatue fome of her amiable aCtions might have been reprefented in bas-relief. But let me not pretend to talk on the fubjeCt. I know very little of the roman hiftory ; and fhould not have ventured to mention the name of Oc- tavia , if I had not been charmed with her molt lovely character, as delineated in the lately pub- liflied Dialogues of the Dead. That new pam- phlet Chap. VIII. Roman Conversations. 183 phlet fortunately came in our laft packet from London . When we were making our firft tour of thefe roman antiquities, faid Crito , no perfon in this company, except my pupil, knew of the work in which I was engaged — I mean the compilation of thefe roman characters. After vifiting this portico, I employed myfelf for fome days in col- lefting feveral particulars of OBavia's life. But, refle&ing that my pupil was able to deferibe thefe particulars in a much more agreeable manner than myfelf, I gave him my paper of memorandums, and deftred him to try his poetic genius on the fubje£t. In a week he brought me a copy of Englijh verfes, in which indeed were molt amiably deferibed the virtues, as well as the beauties of OB am a : her ready charity to the diftrefled, in the times of the profeription ; her earneft defire of being afterwards the inftrument of public peace and concord ; her patient kindnefs to an unworthy hufband; her love to the children which he had hy thofe vile women Fulvia and Cleopatra ; and laftly, the overflowing maternal love which fhe fhowed to her own good fon Marcellas, as well as to the reft of her young family. I could wifh you would perfuade my pupil to communicate this charming copy of verfes to you. He compofed N 4 feveral 184 Roman Conversations. Book ILL feveral of them, as he told me, in this portico, and the reft in the Aldrobandine gardens*. The two young gentlemen now earneftly de- fired Crito's pupil to favour them with a fight of the verfes ; but could not prevail, as he affured them with truth, that he had not a copy by him. . The cafe was this. In compofing thofe verfes, his thoughts had often wandered to a young lady f in England; the beauties of whofe face and mind he had mixed in this poem with thofe of Ottavia , in the fame manner as Rubens is faid to have drawn one of the graces partly from his own wife. When he had finifhed this fhort poem, — a kind of ode, drawn up in the manner of that fecond chorus, which Mr. Pope defigned for the tragedy of Brutus ; he prefixed to it fome verfes in ano- ther metre, as a dedication of it to the dear ob- ject of his efteem ; and then fent the only copy he had of it to her. He had often heard her admire * The villa Aldrobandina is near the church of St, Domi - nico , on Monte Quirinale, It’s noble buildings and charming gardens claim the preference to moft. It’s greateft rarity is a fummer-houfe, in’which is an old frefco painting, that, according to Fred, Zuccaro , was dug up in 1607 on Monte E/quilino , near the place fuppofed to haVe been anciently the garden of M&cenas . It is an elegant piece, and repre- sents a roman wedding, &c. Keyjler’s Travels. + See the conclulion of the thirteenth day’s conversa- tion, vol, i. p. 542. Otfavia's Ck&fi. VJIL Roman Conversations. 185 Otiavia's character in Shakfpeare's Anthony and Cleopatra , and was therefore in hopes llie would kindly receive on fuch a fubje£l a poetic love- letter from him. CRITO having hinted this love-affair to the eldeft of the young gentlemen, the Converfation now became very chearful and gay* Crito himfelf partook, and greatly contributed to increafe it’s gaiety. He rejoiced in the thoughts of his pupil’s marriage, almoft as much as a father could do in that of a beloved fon. In this converfation the minutes flew away with unperceived rapidity ; till by the ftriking of the neighbouring church clock they were reminded, that it was high time to re- turn to their lodgings. In . their way thither theypaffed by Monte Cito- rio , under the pavement of which, f evenly feet deep , lies buried the amphitheatre of Siatilius Taurus They dined at the young nobleman’s apart- ments. At dinner the converfation turned on the battle of Ahliim^ and the conqueft of Egypt . As foon as the cloth was removed, their noble hoft * He was commander in chief of Augustus's land-forces, at the time of the battle of Adium ,* and built this amphi- theatre in the following year* produced i86 Roman Conversations. Book III. produced from his cabinet feveral intaglias, ca* meos, and other pieces of vertu , relative to Cleo- patra. Crito’s pupil entertained the company afterwards with the adventures of Marcus and < Barbula *. I n the afternoon the young gentlemen, accord- ing to appointment, went with th z french marquis to fee the Colonna palace, and paffed an hour with great pleafure in it’s noble gallery. They had often feen it before, but were very glad of this opportunity of attending their parifian friend thither. The breadth of that gallery is about thirty- eight feet; it’s length near two hundred and fifty, not including the elevated part at the upper end, which makes an addition of about twenty more. It’s height is proportionably noble. The pavement is of Jicilian jafper, and other rich marbles; and the walls are adorned with many large and capital paintings. To thefe pi&ures the french and enghjh noble- men gave their chief attention; they frequently, however, with the reft of the company, looked up to the painting, with which the whole cieling * See Aptian, lib. 4.. IS Chap.VIII. Roman Conversations. 187 is covered, and which reprefents the fea-fight of Lepanto , It is remarkable, that this great naval engage- ment happened nearly in the fame part of the Ionian gulph as the battle of ABium. A p r 1 n c e of the Colonna family commanded the roman part of the combined chriftian fleet. On the other fide came on the great turk: Vittor^ ab aurorae populism & littore rubro ; jEgyptum, virefque 0 mentis r ultima Jecum BaBra vehens *. * # * While the young gentlemen were thus agreea- bly amufed, Crito was at home, enjoying a much more exalted, and in all refpefts a far fuperiour happinefs. Saturday afternoon and evening he generally referved free from all common bafinefs or ftudy ; confidering thofe hours as a proper time of preparation for the devotions of the fol- lowing day. But on this faturday evening lie had the felicity of experiencing, in a peculiar man- ner, the benefit of that pious praflice. * Virg. JEtu viii, 686. F uu- iS8 Roman Conversations. BookHI. Full of joy and gratitude, for the numberlefs unmerited bleffings daily poured down upon him from heaven, he was in his clofet on his knees endeavouring to offer thanks and praife for them. Whilst in that humble pofture, it occurred to his mind, that on this day he had finifhed the third part of his intended courfe of leHures. How- ever contemptible thefe his labours might very jufl.ly appear, in the fight of men of genius and learning, yet he thought he had great reafon to be thankful, that neither himfelf nor his young fel- low travellers had been paffing their time in a voorfe manner , vicioufly, or idly. He might perhaps have employed his time at Rome much better. But imperfeft. as all his defigns and works might be, yet he thought himfelf bound with all humility to be thankful for what had been good in them, however fmall the portion. In confpettu mifericordiae Tuae cum odorefua- v it at is ajcendat! Such were Criio's devotions on faturday night. But on funday evening his piety was much more fervent. Thinking on the fourth, the far more important part of his work, he proflrated himfelf on the floor; he wept , he prayed with earneftnefs, that he might be duly dire tied in the execution of it; Chap. VIII. Roman Conversations* 189 it ; that his weak mind might be endued with a firength in fome degree fuitabie to fuch an under- taking ; and, above all, that his moil unutterable unworthinefs for fo facred an employment might be moll mercifully pardoned. OMAN ROMAN CONVERSATIONS. Book IV. CHAP. I. NINETEENTH DAY’S CONVERSATION. ^^A.MONG the pi&ures which I have bought for my father in Italy , faid the young nobleman, — as he was walking in the church of Santa Mar * tina Dei Monti , with his beloved englijh friends, onmonday, june 15, — I have not yet had the good fortune to procure above two or three fmall landfcapes. I am thinking to fupply this defici- ency, by defiring our ingenious friend, the irijk painter, to employ part of this fummer in draw- ing fome views of the romantic environs of Fref* cati 9 Albano , Tivoli , and NemL I n fpeaking thefe words, the young nobleman felt at his heart a pleafure, which no profufion of expence, in mere vert&j ever afforded* The ig2 Roman Conversations. Book IV. The cafe was this. Befide the thought of pleafing his father by fuch a prefent, he had ano- ther good-motive to this delign. The laft time he had feen the 'irijh painter, he obferved, that he looked very pale and faint: the heats of Rome having, in his prefent weak Hate of convalefcency, almoft overcome him. The worthy, noble youth imagined, that fome cool country air would be the bell kind of medicinal cordial for fuch an in- difpofition. With that view he contrived this Tommiffion for the landfcapes ; and that very af- ternoon intended fending his roman valet de place to hire fome proper lodging, for the young irijh- man r at Genfano , a remarkably pleafant village, anciently called Cynthiajium , and near the lake of Nemi , abqut fixteen miles diftant from Rome. It was* propbfed, that, the painter Ihould Hay there three weeks, or a month, and then remove, for about the fame fpace o,f time, to Albano . He was to leave Albano about the latter end of au- gujl , and to pafs the whole months of feptembei \ and ottober at Frefcati and Tivoli; thofe coun- try towns being very wholefome in the autumn, at which feafon Genfano becomes ufually damp and aguifh. CRITO was made quite happy by this frefh in- ftanceof the young nobleman’s benevolence; and, in talking further on the fubjeft, he defired, — to r ufe s Chap. L Roman Conversations. 193 life his own humble expreffion, — that he might accompany the valet de place to Genfano . Your fervant, faid he, fhall come back to you to-morrow morning, with fome news relative to the lodgings : but I mull delire you not to ex- pert me till Jriday next. I fhould be very glad to make , according to the Italian phrafe, a retreat in that charming village, for two or three days. The prefent fultrinefs of the weather, joined to the ideas fuggefted by thefe beautiful landfcapes* makes me long for fome quiet country retire- ment # e t ■ • . ■ . • In fuch weather as this* replied Crito's pupil* even a hermit’s grove or cavern would not be a difagreeable habitation. —0 quis me gelidis fub montibus Hcemi Sijlat , & ingenti r amorum proteg at umbra ? t *’The walls of the church of Santa Martina Dei Montt are covered with noble landfcapes, the works of DouJJin and other celebrated mailers. In thefe large rural paintings, the hiftories of fome her- mits are introduced ; but the human figures bear fo fmall at proportion to the fize of the trees, rocks, lakes and llreams, that on entering the church, it feems to be furnilhed with mere reprefentations only of rural nature, and of it’s vege- table or animal productions. i Vjrgil , Georg, ii, 488. Vox.. II. 0 The 194 Roman Conversati 6 ns. Book IV. The young nobleman obferved, that there is fomething peculiarly pleafing, during the heats of fummer, in the ornaments of this church. Thefe fine marble columns, intermingled with the ver- dant (hades of this fylvan fcenery, breathe a very refrefhing coolnefs. Does not the whole (truc- ture feem to be defigned as a kind of rich rural temple ? In fome refpe&s, replied Crito , after a paufe, this fabric may be confidered as a temple peculi- arly adapted to folemn meditations on natural re- ligion. Thefe rural reprefentations are indeed uncommon ; but in fome degree they feem to be no unfuitable ornaments for a place, dedicated to the adoration of the Great Creator. Proper paintings certainly, as well as proper mufic, may fometimes have very great and good effects on a tender, devout mind : but the effefls will be dill greater and better, where painting and mufic can both operate together. — How happy fhould we be to hear the Benedicite Domino om- nia opera ejus , or the 103d pfalm, now chaunted to the organ in this church ! ■ ’’ ’ ./ Afcendunt montes , & defcendunt campi , In locum , quem fundajli eis . — Quam. magnificat a funt opera tua 3 Domine ! Omnia infapientidfecijli . During Chap* I. Roman Conversations, ig§ During the chaunt of thefe hymns, you, my dear pupil, would often turn your eyes to the beautiful and majellic works of the creation, which are reprefented on thefe walls. Perhaps, for a while, you would imagine yourfelf with Adam , in his terreftrial Paradife* About me round I fay} Hills , dales, and Jhady woods , and funny plains % And liquid lapfe of murmuring Jlr earns.— Ye hills and dales , ye rivers , woods and plains Tell me, how I may know him, how adore, From whom I have, that thus Imove and live** The young nobleman now fixed his eyes in filence, for fome moments, on one of Poujfin's landfcapes. He then turned round towards the altar ; and, the church being at that time totally empty of other company, — he fung, in a low bu£ manly voice, that favourite air from Metajlajio's Paffion Oratorio ; Domnque il guardo giro $ Immenfo Dio, ti vedo • NelV opre tue fammiro 3 Ti riconofco in me 0 * Milton. P, L, Book viii, z 6 t s 2S0. O % 196 Roman Conversations. BookIV. I La terra , il mar , le Jere , Parian del tuo potere : Tu fei per tutto ; (3 noi Tutti viviamo in te . * # # The company now retired from the church, and walked to their lodgings. On the way Crito renewed his requeft to his pupil, and the other young gentlemen, that they would permit him to make the excurfion he had talked of, to Genjano . They all knew how much he fometimes en- joyed his ftudies in a rural folitude, and therefore gladly confented to his propofal. However, faid the young nobleman, we will not fuffer the charms of the country to keep you too long from us. We will come and make you a vifit at Genjano on friday morning. We fhall bring our landfcape painter in the coach with us, and take you back. Every thing being thus fettled, Crito left town immediately after dinner: he went in his. pupil’s chaife Chap* /. . Roman Conversations. . tgj chaife, and arrived at Genfano before it was quite dark. # # * As foon as he was gone, the young nobleman propofed to his two friends, that out of refped to Critpi — and indeed in confequence of a hint which he dropped to day at table. — they fhould, during his abfence, prepare themfelves for the enfuing le£lures, by ftudying, fcparately, the hiflory of Auguflus's feign. You, dear fir, faidhe, turning to Quito's pupil^ will be able to employ two or three days very agreeably, in the contemplation of the /deuces, as well as of the belles-lettres , which flourifhed here ip that peaceful age, You, my worthy patriotic friend, will have bufinefs enough, in unravelling the civil govern- ment of the firft roman emperor, and The great political events and confequences of his reign* The more trifling amufement, that of the confideration of \he/ne arts , which then adorned Rowe,— will fall to my fhare. On thurfday , if you pleafe, we will meet at hreakfaft, and compare notes. O 3 On 198 Roman Conversations. Book IV. # * # On thurjday morning very early, — for the heat of the roman climate naturally inclines moft per- fons to early rifing, — Crito's pupil was vifited by his two friends. While they were drinking a difh of chocolate together, he afked them feveral queftions, relative to the politics and vertu of Augujlus's court; and received from their anfwers much inftru&ion and pleafure* When the chocolate was removed, the young nobleman took up a Horace , that lay on the fet- tee; and addrefling himfelf to Crito's pupil, I could wifh, faid he, that fome properly- qualified englijh traveller, while making the tour of Italy , would amufe himfelf with executing that defign, which I remember to have heard you propofe. I mean, the colle&ion of proper materials for A new edition of Horace's Odes , accompanied with a traveller's notes . Several illuftrations might doubtlefs with much eafe and pleafure be col- le&ed, from a view of the face of this country, from an experience of it’s climate, and an obfer- vation of the cuftoms and manners of it’s inhabi- tants : — Chap. L Roman Conversations, igg t ants illuftrations, never perhaps to be expeft.” ed from the labour or genius of any of our tra- montane literati , who have not had the happinefs of feeing thefe fouthern parts of Europe . I have been thinking, that fuch an edition might be very properly adorned ; not only, as you propofed, with fome neatly- engraved maps of the Campagna di Roma , and other parts of modern Italy; but alfo with fome fmall land-* fcapes, placed as head or tail-pieces to feveral of the odes. Let me give one inftance only of what I mean. The odes, which are defcriptive of the environs of Tibur , might be very pleafingly illuminated by fome views, in miniature, of the real country near Tivoli ; and the prefent remains of Maecenas's ftately villa there, I am fure, when we were at Tivoli , viewing it’s thick woods of olives, the romantic figure of it’s hills, and the feveral beautiful ftreams which defcend in pi6lurefque cafcades down their fides, through thofe fields, which once were covered with the pompous gardens of Maecenas , or Plan- cus ; we could not help recolle&ing feveral ex- preflions in Horace , which feemed very appofite; fuch as 200 Roman Con versations. Book IV. Etprceceps Anio , & Tiburni Incus; G* uda Mobilibus pomaria rivis *, The young nobleman now opened the Horace , and read to the company feveral ftanzas in two or three different odes: he finifhed with fame lines in the xviith ode of the firft book* Velox amcenum fcepe Lucretilem Mutat Lycaeo Faunus . — — r- jijlula Valles , £? Ujlicce cubantis Lcevia perfonuere faxa . It would have been fortunate, faid Crito's pu- pil, if, when we were at Tivoli , we had thought of extending our excurfion to the Ujlican valley. Horace's fmall but elegant farm-houfe was moll probably fituate among the Sabine mountains, about ten miles above Tivoli . His river Digentia is, as I have heard, now called the Licenza: and his neighbouring market-towns, Mandela and Varia , are known by the half-corrupted names of Bardela , and Vico Varo . What pleafure would it have afforded us, could we, with any degree of probability, have traced out the fpot of his ferme or nee ! f Carm, lib. i. od. 7, HORACE , 201 Chap. L Roman Conversations. HORACE , replied the eldeft of the young gentlemen, though he kept the higheft company, yet loved a middle ftation in life, and knew it’s value. This feems to you , I am fure, to have been one of the moll amiable features in his cha- racter. By the joint favour of the prince and minifter, Horace , doubtlefs, might have accumulated a much larger fortune, and rifen to fome very con- siderable office in public life : but he had viewed things with too piercing and judicious an eye. Cur valle permutem Sahind Divitias operojiores? * I remember your good tutor making fome excellent refleClions on this fubjeCl a few years ago, before we left England. It was on that day, when we went to fee the poor porch-houfe at Chertjey , which in the laft century was the hum- ble fcene of Cowley's retirement. Among other obfervations, I remember he then took notice, that, though Horace was far in- feriour to Cowley , in his general moral character; as far indeed, as he was fuperiour in point of poe- tical ability; yet ftill, their turns of mind were * Libs iii, od. i. 47. in 202 Roman Conversations. Book IV. in feme refpe&s very fimilar : The language of their hearts was on feveral topics, almoft equally amiable. Our valued friend then dwelt with pleafure on the moderation, and other amiable qualities' of Horace. However much, faid he, we ought to abhor his vices, yet furely we are bound to ex- prefs a due refpeft for thefe his virtues. Such were at that time fome of your amiable tutor’s fentiments. But a propose our noble young friend would be glad, if you would go with us this morning, to fee the place of Maecenas's gardens : thofe we mean, that belonged to his houfe in town ; and to which Augujlus frequently loved to retire, whenever a fit of ficknefs pre- vented him from continuing his application to public bufmefs. I s h a l l be very glad of the pleafure of attends ing you thither, replied Crito's pupil; for, if I be not miftaken, Virgil's houfe was built clofely adjoining to thofe gardens of Maecenas . He now rofe from his chair, and taking from the fhelf in his clofet the firft volume of Dodfley s mis- cellaneous poems, turned to the 46 Ruins of Rome,” written Chap. L Roman Conversations. 203 written by the author of Grongar-hill. He then read to his friends the following lines. Suffice it , now , tii Efquilian to' reach With weary wing ; and feek the facred refs Of Virgil’s humble tenement: a low Plain wall remains ; a little fun-gilt heap , Grotefque and wild: the gourd and olive brown Weave the light roof ; the gourd and olive fan Their am rous foliage : mingling with the vine? Who drops her purple clufers thro ' the green . — Here oft the meek good man 9 the lofty bard 9 Fram'd the celefial fong ; or focial walk'd With Horace, and the ruler of the world . Happy Auguftus!— — But let me not trouble you too long. Your Carriage is at the door. I wifh your roman fer- vant, who is a tolerable antiquarian, may be able to conduB: us to that fpot, where Virgil's tene- ment is fuppofed to have Rood. * # # While the company were in the coach, their eonverfation dwelt on the charaHers of the two great poets of the augufan age. Crito's pupil re- marked, with vifible pleafure, that Virgil was at leaft as confpicuous as Horace , for the love of philofophy, of poetry 5 and rural life. Upon / 204 Roman Con versations. Book IV* Upon coming to the Efquiline bill, they found themfelv.es much puzzled as to the fituation of Maecenas's gardens. Montfaucon , with many other antiquarians, places thofe gardens between the church of Santa Martina Dei Monti , and the A?-, gere Tarquinio. The abbate Venuti , perhaps with more probability, thinks they lay near the church of St. Pietro ad Vincula , on the fpot, which was afterwards in a great degree covered with that vaft fabric, the baths of Titus . If, faid Crito's pupil, we cannot with any cer- titude fix upon the fituation of Maecenas's gar- dens, I am afraid we hand much lefs chance of being able to difcover the place of Virgil's houfe. Yet certainly there muft be fome tradition kept up at Rome concerning it. I have fome recollec- tion of our feeing, in a manufcript at the Collegia Romano , an account of an altar to the Mujes ? which was dug up from among it’s ruins. It would be fome fatisfaftion, faid the young nobleman, if we knew in what mufaeum that altar was preferved. W e would willingly attend you this morning to the furthefl part of Rome , on ) purpofe to give you the opportunity, and the pleafure, of feeing it. You would, I am fure, in imagination 5 pour fome libations on it. But, Chap. L Roman Conversations. 205 But, as we are totally ignorant of what is be- come of that altar to the mufes, let us in fome manner fupply the deficiency, by making a vifil this morning to the ruins of the temple of the Pa- latine Apollo . We are not at prefent far did ant from them ; and it is yet very early in the day. % * * In the large and romantic gardens of the eng*~ lijh college, on the fouthern fummit of the Pala- tine hill, Hands a group of Jlately ruins, inter- mingled with feveral fmall groves of lofty cy- prefles. It is by far the greateft work of anti- quity now to be feen on any part of that hill. According to common tradition, thefe are the remains of the famous temple and library of the Palatine Apollo. Marliano confirms this tra- dition. But other antiquarians are of opinion, that they feem rather to be the ruins of that Uemi - cyclium , in which were performed the mufical games, in honour of the fame poetic deity. The young reader of thefe papers, whofe lively imagination is oft enraptured with poetical enthu fiafm, and whofe genius breathes it’s fire, is de-t fired to think, what would be his ideas, while af tending to the feat of the Palatine Apollo l Let 20 6 Roman Conversations. RookIV* Let him imagine, that the ideas of his three young countrymen could not but be of a nature fomewhat fimilar. They afcended the hill, and for fome time continued to indulge their thoughts in all the lux- uriancy of poetic fancy. They would however have been foon fatiated with this delicious enter- tainment, even with this ne&ar and ambrolia, if Crito's pupil had not kept up their appetite, by taking out his pocket Virgil , and reading to them, for about half an hour, fome paffages of their fa- vourite bard. Those, with which he concluded, were the de- fcriptions of the temples of Apollo , at Cuma , and at Delos , as given in the fixth and third book of the iEncid. He clofed the volume as foon as he had rehearfed the following lines ; tremere omnia vifa repente , Liminaque , laurufque Dei; totufque mover i Mons circuvi , £? mugire adytis cortina reclufis *<, Then, fuddenly riling from the molfy bricks on which he was fitting, he took two or three fhort turns by himfelf in the cyprefs walk : fome- times looking up, in filent contemplation, to the * /£■ N « iii. <}0, rums Chap . L Roman Conversations. 207 ruins of the adjoining temple and Hemicyclium , the tops of which appeared to peculiar advantage, amidft the waving heads of the cypreffes; fome- times looking down into the vaft vaults and fub- terranean arches, which, where the ground has given way, difcover themfelves to a great depth. Is it not very probable, faid he, turning to his companions, that Milton , during his ftay at Rome 9 frequently afcended this hill ? Perhaps he compofed part of his Penferofo here. — O that I could now, in his ftyle, invoke the unfeen genius of this place to breathe to us fome fzoeet mujic , Above , around , or underneath I But alas ! no genius of this cyprefs grove will deign to liften to my invocation; no found of the harp of Apollo will anfwer me, from any of the deep receffes of thefe ruins. The eldeft of the young gentlemen benevo- lently fmiled at this poetic enthufiafm. I think, faid he, my dear friend, you are as much affe£ied with the memory of Virgil here, as you were laft autumn, when we were rowing in a boat around the 2o8 Roman Conversations, Book IV * the lake of Mantua , and down the river Mincio *« You will long remember that delightful voyage; — — — Tardis ingens ubi Jtexibus errat Mincius , glauca prcetexit arundine ripast • I wish, faid the young nobleman, that we were at prefent in fo cool a fituation. The heat of the fun, refle&ed from thefe ruins, begins to grow intolerable. I am unwilling to quit this temple; but, fuppofe we were to adjourn, for the remainder of this morning, acrofs the Tiber , to fome of the fhady apartments in the Vatican pa- lace* They are the cooleft places we can find in Rome: and befides, if I be not miflaken, we fhall fee in them fome things relative to the fub- je£t of our prefent converfatiom The young gentlemen agreed to this propofal; walked down the hill to the coach ; and getting into it, bid die driver to fet them down at the Vatican . * * & * A deux milles de M ant one eft le •village d } Andes, fntrie de V irgile : on le ?iomme aujourdhui Pie to la. Les dues de Man - tone y avoient fait hatir la Firgiliana : belle maijon de plai- fance ; qui a ete ditruite dans la gzierre de 1703 . Voyage de R 1 c n a rd • f Georg, iii. 14, In Chap.L Roman Conversations. 209 In about half an hour they arrived there. The firft room they entered was the library. The young nobleman led them immediately to that paintings which reprefents Virgil and Horace in converfation with Augujlus He then turned round to the librarian, and de* fired to be favoured with a fight of the famous manufcript of Virgih This manufcript is fuppofed to have been written in the fourth or fifth century. The young gentleman palfed fome time very agreeably, in examining it’s characters, and hiftorical pictures ; but they thought Bartoli had done more than ample juftice to them in his copper-plates. From the Vatican library the company went up ftairs into the open galleries, called the Bible * See Abbe Ri char D escription of the ornaments of the Vatican Library. A gauche on a donne dans different tableaux une idee des plus anciennes collections des libres.~—Le Jixieme reprefente Piolomee Philadelphe , accompagne de Detne- trius Phalere, fon B iblioth equal re^ & d'Arijlee , qui arrange nt la fameufe Bibliotheque d’ Alexandrie* Dans le feptieme , on wait Augujie^ entre V irgile & Horace , fe promenant dans la bibliotheque , qu'il av TSzvTthy $ix.xio , npzyixv rpix ^e/ a v*$pz(j.uv 9 tyvcriv , x) Ao £e T»jy zaxy- atv* acri §£ xi y . sv zp%xi, Tys (/.x^yereus' xi £e XZ ria£li i rvs ou T xxpornTEs, tjxv T wv’ xxO o xv a u$9y ti tutuv, xxtx tut xvxyxy •yuXyy ymaSzi rijy xpsryv. H /xev yxp tyvcns anv (xxSy&Eus tv^Xov’ y oe (xx^yris <$ixjk f diligence, which Raphael received from Pietro Perugino , it is poffible, that the over-charged out- line of Michael Angelo might have milled him to a falfe Ityle of greatnefs. The amiable Itrength of light and lhadow of Leonardo da Vinci , which however wanted the truth of colouring, might have been equally dangerous for him, had it not been molt fortunately and effectually prevented, by the friendfhip of fra. Bartholomeo , What a pleafure it is, to fee filch a feries of fortunate events unite, at a time when probably the greatelt genius, that ever was, had the utmoft occalion for every one of them ! It was now that a molt favourable occafion offered of dif. P 4 clofing 2i6 Roman Conversations. Book IV . clofing to the world, in full fplendour, all the ftrength of his talents. The furprizing genius and accomplifhments of this wonderful young man, then about twenty-four years of age, having reached the ears of pope Julius the fecond, a great lover of the fine arts, he fent for him, and afligned him immediate employment in the Vati- can . Raphael was now at the crifis of his fortune ; and the fuccefs of his firft performance was fo great, that the pope immediately difcharged all the other painters, though fome of the bell artifts of the time, who were employed in adorning tha4moft famous and fumptuous palace ; except- ing only Michael Angelo , who was then in the principal chapel, carrying on his great work, the pitlure of the Laft Judgment. The pope or- dered alfo, that what thefe painters had already done might be defaced, to make room for the works of Raphael; an order, however, which this generous man oppofed to the utmoft of his power : Nay, even contrary to it, he caufed fome of the beft of their works to remain ; faying, it was but juft that the world fhould fee, how much he had been beholden to thofe great men who went before him. Give me leave, my dear friends, in reading this paper of Mr. Jenkins , to paufe one moment merely to obferve, that fome of the figures on this very Chap. L Roman Conversations. 21.7 very cieling are the works of Pietro Perugino , thus gratefully preferved by his dear pupil. The two figures in the corner of this great and capital pi&ure of the fchools of Athens , under which you are now fitting, are, one of them, the reprefenta- don of Raphael himfelf ; and the other, which is here, by Raphael , made the fuperiour figure, is that of his ever honoured mafter, Pietro Peru- gin®. During the courfe of thefe his works in the 1 Vatican , pope Julius the fecond died. But, as if nothing were to flop the current of Raphael's great- nefs, Leo the tenth fucceeded to the chair : a prince, whofe magnificent difpofition led him to patronize all great men, in every art and fcience. He not only employed Raphael as a painter ; but, finding him likewife an able architect, he gave him the dire&ion of all his fuperb buildings ; particularly the ftupendous fabrick of St. Peter's . At the fame time Raphael's favour was folicited ! by all the great perfonages of Europe , who even prayed to be made happy with fomething from his excellent hand. Among thefe was Francis the firft, then king of France : the father of his : country ; the patron of learning ; in fhort, that illuftrious proteHor of all arts and fciences, in whofe arms Leonardo da Vinci had died ! All 218 Roman Conversations. Book IV. All thefe honours, which in any man of an in- feriour difpofition might have enkindled pride or felf-fufficiency, in Raphael had a quite contrary effeB. As he grew in reputation, we find him increafe in affability and goodnefs towards all around him. Such was the uncommon influence of his amiable temper, that all his difciples, who were very numerous, and every one anxious for his own advancement, lived under his care in the mo ft perfeB harmony with each other: and fo great was his generofity, that he was conftantly ready to part even with the whole of his fortune, to relieve the indigent and miferable. He was indeed a friend and a father to all ; and whoever wanted his affiftance might have, it at any time, or .upon any occafion. This happy difpofition of mind in fo great a man is apparently vifible in all his works : for, a$ no one had ever a clearer conception for the compofition of them, nor a warmer heart to give the truth of expreffion to each charaBer, fo did he always follow the diBates of his heart, by choofing his fubjeH at that point of time, which admitted of the execution of the mojl noble and ar&iable paffions. Indeed, it is hardly poffible to behold any one paflion expreffed by him, but the mind muft be moft fenfibly affeBed by it ; and the paffions, which he was conftantly moft fond of expreft Chap.L Roman Conversations. 219 expreffing, were thofe of the higheft degrees of warm and overflowing benevolence of heart, of the moft exalted virtue, and the moll devout piety. Thus did he reprefent, to the view of all fucceeding ages, the moft moving leffbns, upon the two great principles of our duty to God, and jy Cl'/lEl ©o V7T0 'OTO/VfT/tfV)£ E7CI (plXOGotylUV ZjpOTE JXTVJT#/ fXOVVJ TOV CivdptlOV *7 Tf Ae/OV T0/£ Vf 0/£ 'BJ’fp/T/StJffX /tO and, in reading it, dropt the nofegay of roles, which he had in his hand, on the ftone; and left it there. * Four, in the afternoon. Du Chap. /. Roman Conversations. 225 Da facro cineri /lores > He returned to his lodgings from this long walk* fometime after fun-fet. During the follow-* ing hour or two ? he amufed himfelf with reading feveral favourite paffages in the Georgies and Bu- colics . He confidered with pleafure the rural feenes there deferibed 3 as the landfcape paintings of Virgil's pencil. Immediately, before he retired to his bed- chamber^ he compofed his mind by reading thofe deferiptions of happinefs, with which the paftoral of the Pollio abounds. The remarkable turn of thought in the following lines feemed to him to be very much in the fpirit of fome facred oriental poetry, Afpice convexo nut antem ponder e mundiim 9 Terrafque 9 traUufque maris s ccehmque profundumz Afpice^ venture Icetentur ut omnia fceclo ^ V x r 0# Mcl 9 iv* 50, Q. VOL. II. CHAP. 226 Roman Conversations. Book IV. CHAP. II. TWENTIETH DAY’S CONVERSATION. Th E reader, perhaps, may not be difpleafed to turn his thoughts at prefent from Rome , to that delightful country village, to which Crito had re- tired. CRITO arrived at Gcnfano on monday evening. He employed the next day in inquiring after pro- per lodgings for the young painter, and in giving orders for their being aired, cleaned, and fur- nifhed. He made diligent inquiry alfo in rela- tion to the medical affiftance, which the young man might want here, in cafe his late diftemper {hould return. On wednefday morning Crito refumed his claffic Rudies ; having brought with him from Rome , in the pockets of his pupil’s chaife, feveral o&avos and duodecimos, relative to the hiftory of the reign of Augujlus. After fome hours employed in the profecu- tion of thefe Rudies* he took an abftemious din- ner. Chap i II. RoMAti CONVERSATIONS. 227 ner, and in the afternoon walked out into the fields* At the entrance of the toWil of Genfario are feveral regularly-planted avenues : one of thefe is terminated by a monaftery. From the monaftery a narrow path leads down to the neighbouring beautiful lake Walking along the avenue* Crito revolved in his mind what he had juft before been reading upon the fubjeft of Augujlus* He reflected, with fome fatisfaHion, that he was now almoft within fight of that country town, which was for many ages the refidence of that prince’s anceftors t„ He recolle&ed what Suetonius fays of Augujlus’s grandfather May fuch, thought he, be my pupil’s happy lot. Such were Crito 9 s refleQions, while walking along the avenue, or fitting under the fhade of * Profeguendofi fi enird nelle bellijfime firade di Genfano (oiimCynthianum) ; lequali hanno piu del giardino, che della Jlrada pub lie a, per le fpalliere d’olmi tofati a doppio ordine con ampia larghura • Vie anche un bellijfimo giardino de P. P. cappucini dal quale fi *vede il lago del ancino Nemi. Belli/- fimi fono i pafieggi alia riT©> YpJ UTTO^wpwV sv tms epyifJLOjs, ^ * While Crito was engaged in this moil happy ftudy, he was joined by an aged father of the neighbouring poor convent. Benignity and hu- mility {hone in his venerable countenance : Hisfnowy locks were down his Jhoulders Jhed , As hoary frojl with fp angles doth attire The mojfy branches of an oak half dead. His whole appearance, indeed, ftrongly refembled that of “ the Hermit Contemplation,” as defcribed in Sptnftr's Legend of Hohnefs. He fat down on * Luke v. 15, 26. the Chap . IL Roman Conversations. 233 the bench by Crito , and by degrees entered into jtalk with him. The reader may, perhaps, feme time hence be informed, what was the fubjeCl of their difeourfe. Suffice it at prefent to take notice only, that their converfatioa was polite, friendly, loving, and earned. Within about an hour the bell of the neigh- bouring chapel rang: the old man then rofe from his feat, and very affectionately took his leave of Crito, About the fame time Crito faw at a diftance on the road the coach of his englijh friends ; and walked forward to meet them. His pupil with joy faw him coming; and tell- ing the company of it, they ordered the coach to flop. They got out; and after feveral kind in- quiries as to his health, walked with him into the town. During this walk, they informed Crito , that they propofed to dine with him to-day at Genfano: and after dinner to make a further excurfion to- wards Laurentum and Lavinium . They intended? they faid, to pafs a day or two in that country, &he principal Tcene of the aflions deferibed in the latter 234 Roman Conversations. Book IV. latter fix books of the ^neid; and fhould be very glad of their tutor’s company. CRITO with thanks declined this propofal ; his reafon for fo doing was, partly, becaufe he was unwilling to deprive the young irifhman of his feat in the coach during fo agreeable a tour, partly becaufe he was defirous to avail himfelf of the next two or three days, in cultivating a fur- ther acquaintance with the good old father, in the convent. * * * Some few mornings afterwards the young gen- tlemen returned to Genfano ; and thence, taking Crito into the coach with them, proceeded to Rome . Their converfation, during the firft part of this fhort journey, was on the objefts they had been feeing in the neighbourhood of Lavinium and Laurentum. From thefe it naturally turned to the topic of Virgil's poetical and moral cha- rafter. The eldeft of the young gentlemen then in- formed Crito of the entertainment, which he had lately Chap . //. Roman Conversations. 235 lately enjoyed at Rome, in hearing Virgil's cha- racter, compared with that of Raphael d' Ur bin* Upon a farther explanation of this matter, the young nobleman promifed Crito , that, immediately on their arrival at Rome , he would with pleafure communicate to him Mr. Jenkins's paper on the character of Raphael : — but Crito' s pupil feemed rather backward in offering to (how his tutor the obfervations he had made on Virgil's character. He defired further time therefore, to enlarge and correct thofe obfervations. Perhaps, faid he, during our flay in Naples, I may be able to offer you a poor paper on the fubjedt, fome morning, while we are gathering frefh laurel branches from his tomb ; or when row- ing to the arched rocks of that fmall ifland, which is called his fchooL But, at prefent, I muft beg to be excufed. — My worthy friend here, continued he, turning to the elder of his young companions, has fome papers, that will give you much greater entertainment. He has been hard at work, I af- fure you, fmce you left Rome 9 on the character of Agrippa, # # # The coach had now advanced within two or three miles of Rome , when the young nobleman, looking 236 Roman Conversations. Book IV . looking out at the window, admired the noble ' effect, which the ancient aqueducts had in the compofition of the profpect. Hardly anything indeed can be imagined more ftriking to a traveller, than the numerous aquedu&s, which are ftill to be feen ft retching their long arcades, or bridges, acrofs the Cam- pania of Latium ; and direfling their lofty and majeftic courfe to Rome , like comets to the centre of the folar fyftem. It was at a hilloc on the Appian way, juft above the church of Domine quo vadis , that the company flopped to admire this noble profpefl. CRITO took this opportunity of reminding his young friends, that the moft ancient of thefe aquedufls was the work of Appius Claudius Craf- fus , then cenfor, during the firft confulfhip of the fecond Decius: rather more than three hundred years before the birth of our Saviour. The fame perfon, faid he, was the founder of this famous paved road, on which we are now travellings Vi am munivit , & aquam in urbem duxit , eaque anus perjecit *. * Vide Lvvii , lib. lx. c. 29. — Mcntfaucoit, tom. iv. part 2, c, 1. — Hooke , vol. i. p. 526, The Chap. II. Roman Conversations, 237 The fecond aqueduft was built by Curius Den - ^^5. Curius employed in that work of public utility all his part of the fpoils taken in the war with king Pyrrhus. But his aqueduQ' is on the other fide of Rome towards Tivoli *. The third and moll ufeful of all the aquedu&s was that of the Aqua Martia. It was built ori- ginally by Marciusi , but reftored by Agrippa; who generoufly and juftly left to it the name of it’s firft founder* The fourth and fifth of the roman aquedu£Is were the Aqua Julia and the Aqua Augujla , vulgo Virginis. Thefe were, both, entirely the works of Agrippa ; though that nobly-minded man de- clined giving his name to either of them. Indeed, at Rome , as well as in all other parts of Italy , Agrippa conftantly endeavoured to hide his bene- ficence, under the name of his friend, patron, and * See vol. i. p, 168. f Dicantur e uera ceftimatione inviSia tniracula, qua? i?. Mar- tins rex fecit . Is jujfus a fencitu aquarum Appice , Anienis 9 lepuh s? duSus reficere , now am a nomi?ie fuo appellatam, cnni- culis per montes a Si is ^ intrd pr&turce fuee tesnpus adduxit. Cla- rijfima aquarum om?iium in toto orbe frigoris falubriiatifque pal- md pr&conio urbis Martia eft inter reliqua Deum munera urbi tributa . — Amnium omnium comparatione , differentiafuprd diSia deprenditur , cum quantum Aqua Virgo tadu> tantum praftet Martia hauftu. Pliny. Martia tota potui totins urbis fern? it : reliqua aquee a his uft- bus ajjigsiantur. Habet longitudinem a capite ad urbem LX mill pafuum sft D C C C Xf e m is , Frontinus. fovereign^ 23B Romajj Conversations. Book IV. fovereign* Augujlus: or, which was perhaps more pleaftng to that emperor, to attribute the honour of the defign to Augujlits’s adoptive father* I am heartily glad, that we are come to the' times of Agrippa ; and fhall liflen, with very great pleafure, to your obfervatkms on his ex- cellent character. Some time this afternoon, replied the deleft of the young gentlemen, when you are not better employed, I will fubmit my papers to your cor- rection : in the mean time, let not a thought re- lative to thofe papers interrupt what you were going to fay further on the hiftory of thofe aque- ducts. There is no occafion, atprefent $ replied Crito, to trouble you with a long catalogue of the thir- teen aqueduCts, which were built by the fucceflbrs of Augujlus . Let me only obferve to you in ge- neral, that fucb works of public utility are cer- tainly the belt channel, in which a fovereign can difplay his magnificence. King Ahab could ereCt a houfe of ivory ; fo called, I prefume, for the fame reafon, as Nero's palace was called a houfe of gold : but it was the pious Hezekiah , who built an aqueduCt, and brought water into the city . Let Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 239 us not, however, at prefent, talk of JeruJaltm. Let us rather fix our thoughts on Rome ; and, if you pleafe, profecute our journey thither. # # # The eldefi: of the young gentlemen now bade the coachman drive on; directing him, when he came to Rome , to turn into the Piazza Navona , In lefs than an hour the company arrived there. While the carriage was driving {lowly round the great fountain, the young nobleman joined with Crito's pupil in admiring the augufl idea, with which Bernini mull: have been animated, while forming that magnificent defign. But Crito , with the other young gentleman, obferved, that how- ever juftly the modern romans might boaft of this grand decoration of their city by Bernini^ they ought not to forget, that the really ufeful part of this fountain was originally due to Agrippa . From the Piazzo Navona the coach proceeded to the Fontana di Trevi, The company here Hepped out, to enjoy the agreeable, frefh, and cool air of the place. Under the fhade of one of the neighbouring (hops they flood for a confi- derable time, to admire the variety of cafcades, in which Agrippa's virgin aqueduB there buffs forth , 240 Roman Conversations. Book IV forth, amidft the artificial rock-work. The young nobleman then turned the attention of the com- pany to the new embellifhment of that fuperb Facciata:— one of the bas-reliefs, which repre- fents Agrippa, with his foldiers, fearching for the fprings of this fountain. From the Fontana di Trevi the company walked on to the Triton fountain, in the Piazza Barber ini .• Th e defigns and ornaments of the modern foun- tains in this city, faid the young nobleman, are indeed very grand. Yet I much queftion, whe- ther thofe of ancient R ome were not far fuperiour. If I rightly recoiled, Agnppa , in the year of his aedilefhip, built for the ufe of the inhabitants of this city one hundred and thirty refervoirs of water, and one hundred and five public foun- tains ; in the adorning of which he employed no lefs than three hundred marble , or brafs , Jlatuts , and four hundred marble columns . But let us turn down this flreet on our left. By the time we get to our lodgings, I hope, we fhall find dinner ready. I think we ought to drink to-day a glafs or two to the glorious me- mory of Agrippa: a glafs, not of wine, but of what is far more pleafant in this burning climate, that Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 241 that cool and pure water, which ftill flows from his long-lived munificence ; though near eighteen hundred years have elapfed fince that of the sedile- fhip. All the houfes in this part of the town, I think, are fupplied from his aquedu£ts # . The company now walked to their lodgings, and fat down with pleafure to dinner. Crito 3 ip particular, feemed very happy at the thoughts of being returned to Rome , and thus feated at table again with his dear friends. During dinner-time, the young nobleman in- troduced the topic of that noble and ufeful work of fir Hugh Middleton , by which London and Wejlminjler are fupplied with water; fubterranean pipes running through almofi: eveiy ftreet, like the veins through every member of the human body. He compared fir Hugh's benevolence with that of A grip pa ; though he owned, that, to outward appearance at leajl , the capital of Britain , as to it’s fupplies of water, is far inferiour yet, either to ancient or modern Rome : as inferiour indeed to Rome , as it is fuperiour to Pans * * T ocr&rov 3 ’ eft to etaxywytfAov v&wg aix ruv v^pxywysiwv , ware tsotx^hs \ix tt)s KjoXtws, Kj rw* vreovopnuv psiv, x'jrxaxv os otxixv ayz^or ^z^xfj. zvxs ^ crityuixs, Kj xpsves £%s yv yy zap©* to 'csxpEyEiv oax rois V)%iuxoan> u^eKhxx^ [m jcSeux tuv ocXXujv eXi/t jzi. Antiq. Judaic! lib. xvi. ■f Hyzv sis rtjv zjoXiv rcov lEpoaoXv/juvcov, virxyryvt®' te ra Srifjca G?xvv<&> ev eopryhi ^oXv) } yy ^e^o^vh rov xvfyx aw Evtpyptxis, Aypnr- 7 TOCS 250 Roman Conversations. Book IV. The converfation now dwelt for fome minutes on that article of th tjewi/Ji hiftory. It afterwards returned to it’s former topic ; the young noble- man obferving, that Agrippa adorned feveral parts of Europe with works of great public utility, as well as fplendour. I remember, faid he, while in France , we were informed, that Agrippa was the author of the vaft defign of thofe four great roads, which, from their mutual centre near Lyons , were ex- tended to the molt diftant parts of the gallic pro- vinces. The learned abbe, who gave us this in- formation, added, that fome remains of thefe roads were ftill vifible near Lyons . You muft, I think, remember that converfation. It happened foon after our firft arrival from England at Paris 9 while we were viewing the church of the Hopital des Invalides . Don’t you recolleft, with what pleafure the abbe then digreffed from this work of Agrippa , into a panegyric on the many 'modern public works in France? He defcribed the long and magnificent avenues, planted and paved, which lead from feveral quarters, particularly from Fontainbleau to Paris ; then recited a cata- vxs oe ro > 0 EH fx,£v Kocr&vatv, zi^ioc rov 0 37/40 v. — ATrafyeo- >.ircu os r,(Atv wttq tojv Ia^at iwv, 4;? f/,zv eTrsfr/is rys X x P xs ci xTrtdwxxs tuj 0 EH ret tzXzix $v(j.xtz } rifxuv Avrov st mzXztxis * v X xts > VS & T0V OV[ACV CfAXffW, iCj TX WOtf XVTH EXEiVtf %£VtX ZjpO(TVlX.U4 Ibid. logue Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 251 logue of the fplendid ftru&ures, with which Louis It Grand and Colbert adorned the bank of the Seine; and told us, that in making the tour of France , we fhould be eye-witnelfes of many long canals joining rivers naturally diftant; andfome joining diftant feas. I very well recoiled that converfation, replied the eldeft of the young gentlemen. Our hearts fympathized with the abbe’s public fpirit : for, thank God ! we have not been educated in the darknefs of that narrow and mean policy, which envies and depreciates every noble a&ion achieved by Jrenchmen , or that grudges every bleffing vouchfafed by providence to France . There is a policy, infinitely more generous, brave, and wife : which knows how to rejoice in the virtues and profperities of neighbouring nations; although, as in duty bound, it's labours be chiefly dire&ed Co the advantage of it’s own people* The good abbe, I remember, liftened with pleafure to the account we gave him, of the im- provements which were making in England ; fuch as our new bridges, new roads, and other works of peace. I wifh we had been able to communi- cate to him that great plan of inland navigation, which I hear, from Staffordshire , is now preparing to be laid before the houfe of commons: a plan 252 Roman Conversations. BookIV. plan for the jun&ion of the Severn , Trent , and Meifey. Bid harbours open , public ways extend , 2W temples , worthier of the God , afcend; Back to his bounds the fubjefl; Jea command , roll obedient rivers thro' the land : Thefe honours peace £0 happy Britain brings ; Theje are Imperial works> and worthy Kings*. I remember, faid Crito , the fimilar generous fentiments, which flowed from your lips and heart, while viewing the ruins at Dunkirk . As an eng - lijhman you felt glad, that the trade of London was fecured by the difmantling of Dunkirk ; but yet, you expretTed much concern, that a work of fuch magnificence, and of fuch utility to the commerce of France , and Flanders , fhould be brought to de- folation. You caft a look of compaffion on it’s long canal, then almofl choked with fand ; and on it’s moles, over which the fea, at a high tide, was then wafhing. You did not rejoice at the demo- lition even of it’s forts; fome of which were then in ruins, fome laid level with the fands, others buried in the waves. You wi filed, that the fecuritv of your country could have been effefled by other means. But let us not deviate too much from the fubjeft of our roman ftudies. * Pope, Moral BJfays* ep. iv. addrcfTed to lord Burlington* If 0 hap. II. Roman Conversations. 253 If Agrippa^ continued the eldeft of the young gentlemen, were beneficent to France , he proved, as muft naturally be imagined, far more fo to Italy . Of this we fhall perhaps fee one fpecimen , in our journey to Naples : I mean, that great artificial fea-port, near Mifenum ; which, though con- ftru&ed in time of war, and defigned as a ftation for the Italian fleet, to oppofe the invafions of Sextus Pompeius *; yet certainly proved very ufe- ful to trade and navigation alfo, in the following years of peace. AGRIPPA'S defigns were likewife very be- neficial in difperfing the peflilential vapours, that infe&ed the country round the lake Averno. Of his labours, however, between the Averno and Lucrine , I am afraid, we fhall find but few traces remaining ; as the face of that fhore is faid to be very confiderably changed, by the inundations of the fea, and the eruptions of fubterranean fires. But whatever were the public labours of Agrippa, in other parts of Italy , Rome feems to * See Freinjbem. book 128. c. 29, 30. and Suetonius , A. V. C. 717 Mifenum feems to have been the Plymouth*, as Antium was the Portfmoutk , and Oftia the No re, of ancient Rome , 254 Roman Conversations, 1 Book IV* have been the place, the improvement and em~ bellifhment of which he had molt at heart. It is needlefs for me to fpeak on that topic. This morning, this afternoon, this inflant, your own eyes are witneffes of the magnificence, with which he adorned the capital of his country. Long aquedufls, and numerous fountains; public baths, and public gardens ; vail porticos for the comitia, or afiemblies of the people ; {late- ly temples, particularly his Pantheon ; were the works of Agrippa : works, far furpafling thofe of any other private roman , and perhaps unequal- led by thofe of any emperor. O my dear friends ! when we fhall be at Athens , viewing the grand portico of the temple of Mi- nerva in the Acropolis , and talking of the times of Pericles; {hall we not then recolleB Agrippa , and his Pantheon ? Agrippa was the roman Pericles , in relation to the grandeur of his public ftru&ures : in other refpe&s, his character was far fuperiour. The young nobleman now rofe from his feat ; and after fome paufe. How much more honour- able to Agrippa , faid he, was fuch magnificence, thus difplayed in works of public utility , than if he Chap. IL Roman Conversations. 255 lie had confined his vaft expences to the adorning merely his own palace, or villa. If I be not miftaken, Agrippa once propofed, that the chef d’oeuvres of fculpture and painting then in Rome Ihould not be fuffered to remain any longer in private hands ; but, fatisfa&ion be- ing made to the owners, fhould all be removed to fome of the public buildings in this city* Agrippa fet the example of this, as well as pro- pofed the defign*. The delign, faid Crito's pupil, feems to have been originally fuggefted by Socrates ; who thought that fuch a meafure, in Athens , would be a great means of reprefling private luxury and pride ; as well as of encouraging the fine arts, and of increafing the public magnificence. If I re- member right, it is in the third book of the Memo + rabiUa.*— But we interrupt our friend. What I have further to fay on this fubjeQ:, re- plied the eldeft of the young gentlemen^ relates to a eircumftance, which, I am fure, will give you peculiar pleafure, * Extat Gratia Agrippa de hdc re 'magnified & maxim & eluvium dignd • Pliny. Thi^ 25 6 Roman Conversations. Book IV. This public fpirit of Agrippa was attended with the fame modejly , that accompanied his mili- tary merit. As your tutor obferved this morning, Agrippa , in all his ftruflures, conflantly endea- voured to hide himfelf, under the names of his friends and benefaflors; and to turn on them all the commentation and praife. But this modejly alfo has happily failed of it's intended effect. Agrippa" s name is, and will for ever be, molt renowned for thefe works of good- nefs. Some of his works themfelves feem to have met with peculiar favour and mercy, from the rough hand of time. You obferved this morn- ing, that great part of the city is ftill fupplied by his aqueduct. Is it not alfo fomething remark- able, that this his Pantheon, on the portico of which he was obliged, by Augujlus , unwillingly to infcribe his name, iliould (till fubfift far more entire and perfect, than any other of all the pompous fabrics, with which this (lately city was ever decorated ? But, if you pleafe, we will now ftep into the. portico : You leem tired of fitting in this recefs : and we can walk about there more at liberty, than we can in the church. Under. Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 257 * # # Under the portico of the Pantheon are to this day remaining two great niches : in one of which flood anciently the colojfal ftatue of Augujlus ; in the other, that of Agrippa • If you pleafe, continued the elded of the young gentlemen, leading his friends to the niche on the left hand, we may here not improperly confider fome other parts of Agrippa s conduct : thofe I mean, which relate to Augujlus . As Augijlus lived in the mixed character of a roman citizen, and of a roman emperor, fo the behaviour of Agrippa to him was proportionately compofed of the offices, both of a friend, and of a mmijler • If we confider Agrippa in the' fir ft of thefe points of view, we fhall find his condufl, accord- ing to Dion Cajfius's defeription, to be one of the inoft perfect patterns of affe&ionat tfriendjhip. Permit me to make a diftinftion here. I commend not Agrippa's friendfhip to 0 Bavins , but to Augujlus. It was no praife to be the friend of the bloody triumvir : but it is a great honour to have been fo to the wife and mild emperor . Vol.IL S 0 AP A£ L E . 258 Roman Conversations. Book IV. Capable as Agrippa was to have filled the principal place, he modeftly and wifely chofe the fecond. In that rank he continued to cultivate the favour of Augujlus , without meannefs, and without envy. Indeed, their conftant friendfhip confers on each of them equal honour. For it was without diftruft or fufpicion, that Augujlus exalted Agrippa to the chief honours of the hate: it was with proper generofity, that Augujlus re^ warded his merit; making him his colleague ill the government, and his intended fucceffor in the empire. It was with lafting gratitude, — how no- ble a virtue in princes ! that on the death of Agrippa , Augujlus fpoke himfelf the funeral pa- negyric; placed the urn in his own fepulchre; and continued, ever afterwards, highly to honour his memory. If we confider Agrippa in the other point of view, we fhail find his behaviour that of a mo ft wife and virtuous minijler ofjlate . AGRIPPA aided his fovereign with the bell counfels : and attributed to Augujlus , not to himfelf, all the honour arifing from them. AGRIPPA was not lefs beloved by the people, than by the prince. He Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 259 He acquired this public favour by the beft means; without oftentation; without any ambi- tious defign. \ He fought it with no other intention, than that of {lengthening and eftablifhing by it the autho- rity of his prince. On the other hand, he never made any other ufe of favour with his fovereign, than that of employing it as an inftrument for procuring the greateil benefit and mod real happinefs to the people. My dear friends, with what philanthropic and patriotic ardour ought we to join our wifhes, that Great Britain , in the prefent and in future centu- ries, may be often under the guidance of fuch a prime minifter ; the fupport of the throne, — the blefling of the nation ! You were juft now fpeaking of France , con- tinued the young politician, addreffing himfelf to his noble companion : I have been thinking, whe- ther or no the illuftrious pair, whofe ftatues once adorned thefe niches, might not be compared, in feme refpefls, to that honeft prime minifter, the duke of Sully 1 and his friend, fellow-foldier, and fovereign, Henry the Great; in others , to car- S 2 dinal 2 6o Roman Conversations. Book IV. dinal Amboife , and that father of his people, Louis the Twelfth. You may remember what Mezerai fays of the cardinal. Ce minijlre Jut jujlement aime de la France , de fon maitre: parce quil les aimoit tons Its deux egalement . I wish, faid Crito , that at your leifure you would inform me of fome particulars in the life of cardinal Amboife . I remember, when in Nor- mandy , my going to fee his grand maufoleum in the cathedral at Rouen; but I am very little ac- quainted with his chara&er. In general, I know, it is highly, and I fuppofe juftly, celebrated : yet, if I be not mift^en, there is reafon to wifh, that he had been lefs concerned with the negotiations of Italy , and more occupied with the religious bufinefs of his diocefs. Thefe were the fenti- ments that palled through my mind, while I Hood leaning on the rails of that altar, which adjoins to his maufoleum. But let me not at prefent draw off the thoughts of the company from your noble and juft pane- gyric on Agrippa . I am deeply convinced, replied the worthy youth, that my abilities are very inadequate to the talk. It is perhaps a very ridiculous vanity m me, at the age of one or two and twenty, to be talking Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 261 talking of Agrippa's ministerial merit. I Shall have reafon to be happy, if I may be able to think properly on the fubjeH twenty years hence. But furely I ought to thank you for your condefcen- tion, who have been fo patiently listening to me; though what I have had to fay, deferves to be confidered in no better light, than that of a School- boy’s declamation. Often did I wiSh, laft week, for the abilities of fome of my father’s parliamentary friends, while I was reading, and endeavouring to underhand, a long train of argument difcuSTed by Agrippa and Maecenas ; I mean, on that important debate in the roman cabinet-council, which was to deter- mine whether Augujlus Should retain, or refign, the imperial power. In this debate Agrippa, you know, according to his ufual magnanimity and ardent fenfe of that glory, which is acquired by great and heroic actions, Strongly fupported the propofal, which feemed the molt generous. He advifed Augujlus gradually , and prudently , to refign the fupreme authority, into the hands of it’s ancient owners, the fenate and people of Rome. He enforced this advice, So direHly againft his own private in- terests, with all the fpirit of a oman , zealous for the name of liberty; and with all the Sincerity of S3 a true 262 Ro man Conversations. Book IV. a true friend, anxious for the repofe, profperity, and happinefs of Augujlus* MAECENAS) on the other hand, elegantly, and with great eloquence, difplayed the true con- dition of the reman Hate. It had long fmee loft, he faid, and was now become incapable of enjoy- ing, the real bledings of liberty. It’s provinces groaned under various fucceflive opprelfors : it’s capital was filled with fedition and corruption, confufion and anarchy. All the parts of it’s great and populous empire were ravaged with bloody and endlefs civil wars. The fhip of the date, crowded with a mutinous and wicked crew, without a rudder, without ballad, was tolled on a boiderous fea by perpetual dorms: — dorms, from the rage and wild fury of which a fettled and moderate monarchy alone could open to her a fecure refuge, and a quiet haven. In the name of his country, in the name of mankind, Maecenas then conjured Augujlus to re- tain the fovereignty : to retain it from the princi- ple, not of ambition, but of public fpirit: to fup- port what was now become the real intered of Rome by his wife and mild government : and to proteft, from the return of the mod dreadful ca- lamities, that large part of the human race, which was fubjeft; to her dominion. O MY Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 263 o my dear countrymen, as an englijliman I hope, that I (hall always continue to abominate the idea of the extinction of national liberty : yet, let me own, that if I had lived under Augujlus's reign, I (hould have been thankful that the times of anarchy were palled. H/XWV tfUTWV 59 TV\5 TZOXeug, 'ET£/G , SwfX£V TVj TV%VJ. tvj {Lovapxieiv %#p/v ye pteyaX^v avTq £%w- JX£V, OTt jXVJ JXOV 0 V TWV H 2 XWV TWV EflCpvXlUV C6V£TUW£V VHLCtQ) CiXXd ytj TV]V HUTCiqUGlV TJj£ 'BOXlTElCig ETl GQl W£- %0lYfrClU To the truth and force of thefe arguments Agrippa fubmitted. He then, immediately on the determination of this grand debate, began to contrive how he might, by the molt indefatigable application, render the prefent form of govern^ ment. as beneficial to the public as poflible* But let me not trouble you with a repetition of Agrippa' s good aClions. Let me rather haften to clofe this declamation. And in what manner can I better conclude it, than with the words of Dion Cajfius ? AypiTTCiSj twv exvTOV «v$p wtwv, dicctpavug 264 Roman Conversations. Book IV \ * # * The converfation now turned to other topics. The portico of the Pantheon is fupported by fix- teen columns ; which are four feet and a half in diameter, and nine and thirty feet in height, with- out meafuring either the capital or the bafe. The young nobleman obferved to the com- pany, that each of thefe lofty pillars was formed out of one Jingle block of egyptian granite. All archite&s agree, faid he, that this portico was not built at the fame time with the temple, but added to it afterwards. Perhaps the temple might be built by Agrippa , before the battle of ABium; and the portico added foon after the con- queft of Egypt . Perhaps thefe {lately columns were then brought from Alexandria. Their ma- terials certainly are egyptian. They were proba- bly worked by fome greek artifts refident in that country. In relation indeed to many of the embellifh- ments, which Italy received under the reign of Augujlus , and the miniftry of Agrippa , it may be thought, and poffibly with reafon, that they were in a great meafure owing to the circumftance of Egypt's Chap. II. ’Roman Conversations. 2 65 Egypt's being at that time united to the roman empire. History informs us, that when Augustus landed at Alexandria , he was (truck with the re- markable beauty and fplendour of that city; and expreffed great veneration for it’s founder. It was then, in all probability, that he conceived the noble defign of embellifhing Rome after a fi- milar manner; that is, of making Rome in fome refpe&s a fecond Alexandria. It is obfervable in regard to Agrippa , that this portico is fupported by pillars, not unworthy to have made part of the mo ft pompous colonnades in the palace of Cleopatra. It is remarkable alfo, that his great fubterranean refervoir of water at Mifeno , which to this day, it is faid, fubfifts in- tire, and is called the Pifcina mirabilis , is ex- actly of the fame kind with thofe, which, accord- ing to modern travellers, are (till remaining at Alexandria. I am very much of your opinion, replied the eldeft of the young gentlemen. But the ancient fovereigns of Memphis , and of Thebes , as well as the founder and other more modern princes of Alexandria , were authors offeveral works of ra- tional utility, and ftupendous magnificence ; which feem 266 Roman Conversations. Book IV. feem to have caught the attention, and excited the admiration of Augujlus. While Augnfus was in Egypt , he began to employ his foldiers in cleariing and repairing the old canals, and in cutting new ones. Mod of the ancient canals were the work of the kings of Thebes and Memphis . AUGUSTUS , on his return to Italy , imitated, as you obferve, in this country, the grandeur of Egypt. But it was the grandeur, not of the Pto- lomies only, but alfo of Menes and Ofymanduas . Witnefs his maufoleum, his Palatine library, his temples, and other public dru&ures. AUGUSTUS likewife adorned Rome with the obeli Acs, thofe mod noble fpecimens of the prime- val wealth and arts of Egypt . Several of the roman emperors followed Au- gujlus' s example. They imported fo many obe- lilks, granite columns, and datues, as almod to metamorphofe Rome into an egyptian city. On zoednefday morning I paffed fome hours in turning over Pocock's and Norden's defcriptions of Egypt . I afterwards walked to the Villa Negroni , and fat down on that hilloc, which is adorned with Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 267 with the coloffal flatue of Rome , in the character of Minerva . Several aged cypreffes encircle that mount. I fat down, and viewed from between the cypreffes in folemn profpefl the defolated flate of the Viminal and Efquiline hills. At a diflance on my left I faw a great obelifk rifing among the vineyards, near the Lateran cathedral. By the gate of the Negroni garden I faw another egyptian obelifk, which once flood by the maufoleum of Augujlns , but is now placed before the northern front of Santa Maria Maggiore. Thefe objefts inclined me then to imagine myfelf in the neigh- bourhood of fome ruined cities in Thebais; Cop- tos , for infiance, or Tentyra , or Syene . But, if aprofpefl of part of Rome , even at this time , bear a kind of egyptian air; how much greater mufl the fimilitude have been, in thofe ages, when every flreet in Rome contained fome- thing that was egyptian ? That, replied the young nobleman, is flill in . fome degree the cafe. The only difference feems to be this : Under the roman emperors, thofe egyp- tian monuments, which adorned the flreetsof Rome*, were as entire, as when they flood on the banks of the Nile ; but at prefent, many of them are broken or buried. What 268 Roman Con versations. Book IV What numbers, for example, of egyptian anti- quities have been found under the Dominican convent, behind this Pantheon ! In the piazza before it you fee a fmall egyptian obeli fk, front- ing this portico. But let us not attend to little objects. There are at prefent, in this Campo Marzo , three great obeli fks, which* Augujlus brought from that country. One of them is bu- ried near the church of St. Roch: the fecond lies above ground clofe to the church of St. Lorenzo : the third is fet up at the Porta del Popolo* I am very glad, faid Critos pupil, that the converfation has turned on this topic. I wifh you would permit your coach, which I fee is waiting for you in this piazza, to carry us now to the obelifk at the Porta del Popolo . I have a particular reafon for defiring this favour. The young nobleman, and the reft of the com- pany, readily agreed to the propofal. In their way from the Pantheon to the Porta del Popolo the converfation turned upon their in- tended travels to the Levant. They were talking of vifiting Alexandria, Grand Cairo, and Luxor; when, the coach entering the piazza del Popolo , their attention was recalled to the magnificence of Rome . T H E2E Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 269 * * * There is not perhaps a city in the world, the entrance of which is defigned with more magnifi- cence, than that of Rome , by the Porta del Po- polo. The gate is of the architecture of Michael Angelo and Vignola: it leads into a piazza, where the two famous twin-churches appear in front. Between and on each fide of thefe churches are three ftraight level ftreets. The ftreet on the right leads to the Ripetta of the Tiber, That in the middle is above a mile in length, runs through the midft of the Campus Martins , and is termi- nated by the buildings on the Capitoline hill. The ftreet on the left leads to the grand flair-cafe in the piazzo di Spagna : it was intended by Six- tus Quintus to have been joined to his long Strada Felice , and thus continued quite to the Amphitkea- irum Cajlrenfe; forming one continued ftraight ftreet, of more than two englijh miles and an half in length. In the midft of the piazza del Popolo rifes an Egyptian obelifk : with the view of which all thefe ihree ftreets nobly terminate. The {haft of this obelifk was originally one -folid mafs of granite. It is eighty-two feet in height. 270 Roman Conversations. Book IV. height, and it’s Tides are richly covered with hie- roglyphics. It’s granite bafis is between twenty and thirty feet high. The infcription engraven on it is to this effeft. : Imp er at or Augujlus Ccefar , E gyp to in potejlatcm populi Romani redafta , Soli donum dedit . The company now left their carriage and walked up to the obelifk. — While they w T ere Hand- ing by the fountain, which flows from it’s bafis, Crito’s pupil prefented a fheet of paper to his tutor. I have been lately compiling an exercife, faid he, to be fubmitted to your correction. It is drawn up in the manner of a vifion. I hope you will excufe my folly in the attempt. CRITO received the paper with thanks; call his eye with pleafure over fome part of it’s con- tents ; and then returning it to his pupil, defircd him, to read it to the company. * # * Some few nights ago, faid his worthy pupil, I dreamt that I was with three of my friends ; from whom, indeed, the thoughts of my heart, whether fleeping or waking, are hardly ever divided; and that Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 27* that we were ftanding together in this very place. On a bidden, we faw a female figure before us ; fuch a figure as we have often obferved in an- cient fculptures or paintings, reprefenting the Dta Roma . She was fitting by this fountain. She appeared; but not, as in the times of Virgil and Augujlus , enthroned like the tower- crowned Cybele ; *-—-~~Oualis Berecynthia mater Lcda Deum partu , centum complexa nepotes , Qmnes codicolas , omnes fupera alia tenenUs ; * She appeared, as in thegortfc ages; proftrate on the ground; defpoiled of all her ornaments; and weeping over her dying children, her fciences and her arts . I n vain was fhe endeavouring, like the MeH - cean Niobe , to fave from the deftroyers fome one of thefe , her numerous and beauteous offspring. Some one of thefe, fhe faid, may be ftill a con - folation to me, amici ft the ruin of all my wealth and power. — jkstsvw tz gz fiov to rewov su uto * /Ene.id s vi, 784, 272 Roman Conversations. Book IV. Mvj h '/IcivviTe* ruv re^v^OTuv ufoc. Tuvryi yeyvfiui K27r/Av)$0/xsu kukw H5’ uvti Tsoh.Xwv eqi /xo/ zjcipu^xj^ ** We flood for fome time lamenting over her; when we heard behind us a found, as if of the firing of a harp. I thought at hrfl that it had been the harp of Spenceri-, but, on turning round, we perceived to our great furprize, that the found proceeded from within the ' fhaft of the obelifk; the top of which feemed juft at that time to be illuminated and gilt by the rifing fun. This found was fucceeded by a voice, which feemed alfo to proceed from within the fame obelifk; but which was far more clear and diftinfl, than what ever was feigned to iffue from the ftatuc of Mcmnon +. 44 Lament not,” it faid, 44 the fall of Rome , that 44 proud, but now humbled city : lament not her, 44 though once the patronefs of learning. Even 44 Thebes is fallen, that far more glorious city; the 44 feat of the great Hermes , and the original 44 fource of all fcience to mankind. * See the Hecuba of Euripides* + Vide Spencer's Poem on the Ruins of Rome, and of Time. J The ftatue of Memnon , which is ftill remaining near T hebes i is fabuloufly faid to have fpoken every morning, as foon as the rays of the riling fun ftruck on it’s head. Strabo , who pretends that he heard it, fays, the found was like that of the firing of an harp. 44 Yet* Chap. 11 . Roman Conversations. 273 44 Yet bewail not the fall either of Thebes or 44 Rome . Lift up your eyes to a view of the hif- 44 tory of the whole world in general : and then 44 fall proftrate before Him, whofe awful name 44 was, in our language, concealed, under that of 44 the divine and immortal Osiris. Thankfully 44 adore His Providence; by which fcience has 44 not been always partially confined to one or two 44 countries, but has in various ages been appoint- 44 ed to vifit and blefs various regions : and thus, 44 perhaps, before the confummation of all things, 44 will have vifited and illuminated in it’s turn 44 every country on the face of the earth. Even 44 as that moft glorious emblem of knowledge, the 44 Sun, to whom, and to philofophic literature, 44 this obelifk, of which I am the Genius , Hands 44 confecrated, has, before the completion of it’s 44 annual courfe, diftributed an equal quantity of 44 light to the nations of every climate ; from the 44 equator to both the poles. 44 O T hat it were permitted me to remove the 44 veil that covers the face of the great IJis; or 44 to explain to you certain fragments of the wif- 44 dom of Egypt ! “But I, it is true, am the inferiour and junior 44 one of all the genii , who prefide over the great 44 obelifks at Rome . Much more properly might Vo l. II. T 44 l refer 274 Roman Conversations. Book IV. 44 I refer you for fuch inftru&ion to the genius of 44 the Later an, or RameJJean obelifk, which is 44 coeval with the fall of Troy ; or to the elder 44 genius of the Vatican , the work of the fon of 44 Sefojlris : or, rather, to that obelifk, which is 44 by far the mofl noble and ancient of us all; I 44 mean my fellow-traveller, and now near neigh- 44 bour in this Campus Martins, the obelifk of 44 the great Sefojlris himfelf. 44 As for my own age, I cannot pretend to any 44 great antiquity, being hardly more than twenty- 44 four hundred years old; which is equal to be- 44 tween feventy and eighty of your tranfitory ge- t4 nerations. Yet, fhort as my experience hath 44 been, my hiftory may be inftru 6 live, at lead 44 to you, O ye children of yeflerday 1 44 I was born in the dregs of time: in the 44 laft age of the long egyptian hiftory. If my 44 memory fail me not, it was in the reign of 44 Pfammiticus or Amajis , nearly coeval with 44 fome of the firft kings of Ro??ie , that I came 44 out of our common mother’s womb, the ancient 44 cavern of the granite rock of Syene . 44 I was formed into my prefent fhape by di- 44 reflion of the inhabitants of the neighbouring 44 facred ifland; the ifland of Philcc , famous for 44 the Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 275 ,c the fepulchral temple of the great IJis. As foon 44 as my Tides were adorned with thefe facred cha- 44 rafters, that (till remain To frefh, I was float- 44 ed down the Nile from the catarafts to thofe 44 level meadows of Heliopolis , which are at pre- 44 Tent the fuburbs of Grand Cairo * At Helio - 44 polls I flood no more than fix or feven centu- 44 ries, being removed thence to Rome , where 44 I have been now fcarce eighteen hundred 44 years* 44 Having been originally confecrated tophi- 44 lofophic literature, it has been my chief plea- 55 fure to contemplate the variations, the rife, and “the decline of fcience, in the various places 4 * and Various ages of my life. 66 In my firft voyage from Syene to Heliopolis , 44 I remember, that, in palling by Thebes and 44 Memphis , I heard much complaint of the de- 44 cline of wifdom and virtue in Egypt; and many * prognoftications, too foon fatally verified, were 44 announced, portentous of the fpeedy fall of 44 that great flate : that flate, which, in the glory 44 of the antiquity of it’s hiflory, in the glory of 44 it’s univerfal reputation for wifdom and learn- 44 ing, and particularly, it’s peculiar honour in 44 the invention of all arts and fciences, was far T 2 fup eri our 27 6 Roman Conversations. Book IV. u fuperiour to any other country, which the fun w ever faw. X#/pf, Xa/pe, Aiyvvl ®* 9 ui 44 On my arrival at Heliopolis , I was vifited 64 and attentively viewed by the learned men of u feveral foreign regions, who were then travel* u ling in Egypt. 44 Those travellers, who were come from the 46 Euphrates , and were natives of the Eajl , fpoke 6e as the egyptians did of the decline of literature 46 in their countries. Whereas other Grangers, 66 from the North and Weft, three particularly I 44 remember, whofe names were Thales , Solon , 44 and Pythagoras , joyfully expreffed their hopes, 44 that fcience was arifing in Greece and it’s colo- 45 nies. It was at that time, indeed, that the 46 ionians began to have accefs into Egypt; and 44 thence derived their philofophy, aftronomy, 44 and geometry. 44 The fame obfervation I heard in fucceeding « ages Hill more and more confirmed, by the con- 44 verfation of feveral grecians; who, during the 4 Vide Epitaphium Ifidis, spud Diodarum Siculum# “ perfian Chap* IL Roman Conversations. 277 44 perfian government, vifited the banks of the 44 Nile: particularly Herodotus and Hippocrates , 44 Eudoxus and Plato . How often did this laft 44 great man walk round my bafis, meafure my 44 feveral proportions, and diligently ftudy all the 44 philofophical inscriptions on my fides ! 44 The vifits of thefe illuftrious grecians were 44 my greateft comfort during the firft three cen- turies of my life; mo ft part of which time was 44 pafted under the perfian government. How fre- u quently did I then wifh for fome athenian 46 E HctTovropO*, or fome vafter veffel, fuch as were 44 afterwards feen in Egypt , under the reigns of 44 the grecian kings, to remove me to their u country, then the moft glorious feat of Science; 44 and to place me in the grove of Academns ; or 44 before the temple of the goddefs of Wifdom, in 44 the Acropolis ; or in fome other f acred or philo - 45 fophic part of that famous city of the cgyptian C4 Cecrops! 45 Unexpectedly, a great revolution hap» 64 pened, in learning as well as in empire. Egypt 45 was delivered from it’s perfian tyrants, the fuc- 44 eeffbrs of the accurfed Cambyfes; and Greece 64 was torn in pieces by the fucceffors of Alexander 44 the Great. All it’s arts and fciences fled then T 3 44 for 278 Roman Conversations. Book IV. 44 for refuge, as ijt’s gods did formerly, during 44 the wars of the Titans , 44 Cceruleum in gremium , latebrafaque Jlumina 44 Nili *. 44 EGYPT) their original parent, became now 44 their proteftrefs; -and the Ptolomies , in patro- 44 nizing learning, began to rival the glories of 44 our ancient thebaic and memphitic fovereigns, 44 With what pleafure did I then frequently 44 fee, on the banks of the 'Nile, the poetical Ara - 45 tus , Theocritus , and Callimachus ; and thofe 44 far more exalted chara&ers, Conon , Euclid , 44 and Archimedes! But above all, Demetrius 44 Phalereus ; the real author of the mufeum and 44 library of Alexandria , which dignified Egypt 44 almoft as much as that of Ofymanduas. Happy 44 Alexandria ! if thy pri'nces had joined virtue 44 to their love of fcience ; and confequently had 44 given liability to the happinefs of themfelves, 44 and of their people. 44 Why fhould I relate what I faw, during the 44 next five hundred years P Carried away captive * Virg, JEn* viii, 713. 44 from Chap. II. Roman Conversations, 27.9 4< from my native country, I had at leaf! the fatis- u fa&ion of entering Rome in the Augujian age, “ when all the fciences were here moll flourifhing. cfi I soon found however, that human great- “ nefs is equally fhort and tranfitory, in all parts “ of the earth : within fome very few ages, know- “ ledge declined, and power expired, here alfo» “But why fhotiid I repeat, what is the fubjeft 15 of much melancholy meditation to all travellers, “ who view here the mingled ruin of the arts of “Egypt, Greece, and Rome ; and forhetimes drop “ a tear on the broken coloffal ftatues of the Tiber “ and the Nile , which, not without reafon, are “ joined together, both on the Vatican and Capi- “ toline hills ? ^ The ftorms, which laid wafte the roman “ empire, came firR from the north. I remember “ the dreadful thunderings and black nefs, with “ which they approached this country, and “threatened it’s defolation! The land before “ them was then beautiful, beautiful as the land “of Egypt; behind them, a howling wildfrnefs ! “ Soon the tempeft became general. Alanc “ hurft from the north. Not forty years after- “ wards came Genferic , the revenger of old T 4 45 Carthage 5 280 Roman Conversations. Book IV. 44 Carthage , from the fouth. In the following 44 century, Totilas made a frefh irruption from 64 the north. 44 How different were thofe days of terrour and 44 of darknefs, from the calm and benign feafons 44 which fhone upon this city in the Augujlan 44 age ! 44 In thofe repeated hurricanes, or typhous, all 44 we, the egyptian obelifks at Rome , excepting 44 the fortunate Vatican , bowed our venerable 44 heads to the dull: like a grove of tall thebaic 44 palms, torn up by whirlwinds, driving from the 44 deferts of Lybia or Ethiopia . 44 We lay buried, and, with us, all the arts 44 and fciences of the weft, for near a thoufand 44 years.” Some confufton now rofe in my ideas, accord- ing to the ufual incoherency of dreams. The figure of the Dea Roma was vanifhed from our fight. The genius of the obelilk feemed, how- ever, to be (till continuing his hiftory. 44 During the long thoufand years of my inw 44 terment, the chief remains of the learning of 44 Europe were prefer ved in it’s native fpot, the 44 dominions Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 281 “ dominions of Greece. It was alfo fome confo- 44 lation to me in my grave to be informed, for u the race of the Genii communicate and receive 44 information by many methods inexplicable to 44 human ears, that, under the arabian caliphs , 44 the learning of AJia and of Af rica was then re- 44 viving in it’s native feats; the banks of the 44 Euphrates , and of my beloved Nile. 44 But the violence of the turkifh arms drove 44 them all again weftward. 44 O n the revival of arts and fciences in the weft, 44 many of the egyptian obeli Iks at Rome , arofe 44 again from the duft, as if become the talif 44 mans of fcience for renovated Italy* 44 W e were then re -placed by Sixtus Quintus . 44 At that time I thought the Auguflan age was in 44 fome meafure returned hither. I faw that pope 44 imitate Agrippa in the ufeful work of his foun- 44 tains and aquedu&s, and in the noble ftrufture 44 of the dome of St. Peter 5, built nearly with the 44 fame dimenfions as thofe of the Pantheon . I faw 44 him imitate Augufus , in adorning this city with 44 various embellifhments; and in forming that 44 great repofitory of literature at the Vatican , 46 which is almoft as famous in modern times, 44 as 282 Roman Conversations. Book IV. 44 as were the Palatine or Alexandrian in former 44 ages. 44 But now again I begin to hear of the de- 44 cline of fcience in Italy. Science is faid to be 44 far more flourifhing on the other fide of the 44 AlpS) in fome of your weflern regions of 44 Europe: nay, it is faid to be likely to travel 44 flill further weflward; even to the diflant 44 countries beyond the Atlantic ocean, which 44 I fuppofe are the fame with thofe famous great 64 iflands, about which I remember to have heard 44 the priefts of Sais difcourfing with Plato . 44 Perhaps, by fome future generation, I fhall 44 be removed from my prefent bafis ; and em- 44 barked on a voyage to the fhores of that weflern 44 world; to adorn the flreets of fome flately 44 city, the foundations of which are not yet laid. 64 Some of the defcendants of your great 44 grand-children may perhaps fee me there. But 44 your eyes, O ye prefent youthful generation, 44 will foon be clofed. Your bones, with the 44 coffins which fhall contain them, will be foon 44 reduced to dufl. Oh, how fhort do the days 44 of man appear to me ! The time of your ex^ 44 iflence is as nothing.” — The Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 283 The genius of the obeli fk proceeded to fome further reflections on the brevity of human life. But I am not able properly to repeat them to the company. From my lips they would found merely like common-place reflections. As fpoken by the obelijk- , you may imagine they had a much more powerful efleCt. CRITO'S pupil now rolled up his paper; and to prevent any compliments from his friends, who he knew would be partial in his favour, propofed to ftep into the carriage again. The young nobleman told the coachman to drive to the church of St, Lorenzo . In their way to that part of the Campus Martius , the eldeft of the young gentlemen converfed much with his noble friend, on the fucceflive rife and fall of many feats of fcience, Thebes , Memphis , Alexandria , Babylon , Athens , and Rome: not without bellowing on his own country the fond, patriotic wifli, EJlo perpetual Words worthy to be the dying fpeech of every good man. He was repeating them with an emphatic warmth, when the coach flopped. Crito then ied the company into a fmall back area, where they faw that famous obelilk 3 to which, as to an eter- nal 284 Roman Conversations. Book IV. nal monument, the great Sefojlris , in fome mea- fure, configned the hiftory of his glory; infcribing upon it the extent of his empire, and the number of his tributary nations. They faw it, over- turned; broken in feveral fragments; half co- vered with filth and rubbifh; omni inquinatum contumclia* ; and proportionately, in as low a (late of ruin and humiliation, as the glory of it’s founder was ever exalted: that proud and info- lent man, who fo arrogantly ftyled himfelf king of kings , and lord of lords ! Two of it’s fides are intirely maimed and obli- terated by fire; injuries repeatedly received in the times of Cambyfes , Totilas , and Robert of Normandy . On the other two fides, and on it’s top, are feveral infcriptions and figures, which may jullly be thought the moft ancient fculptures now extant in the whole world f. They are of fuch excellent workmanfhip, as plainly to demon- ftrate, that the greek and roman art of fculpture was founded on the primeval arts of Egypt. Thefe * Ph£DR. I. ii. 21. + The extreme antiquity of this obelilk will appear to the reader in a ftronger light, when he recolletts, that it ■was hewn into it’s prelent fhape before any of the pyramids were built. From Pliny's account, this obelilk was the work of Sefojlris : and according to all the^-ra^ hiflorians, Sefojlris was prior in antiquity to Cheops 3 Cephrai , or any of the builders of the pyramids. figures Chap. IL Roman Conversations. 285 figures and infcriptions have been, for many cen- turies paft, utterly unintelligible. The fame fate attends all the other monuments in Upper Egypt. For though their materials and fabric feem capable of an eternal duration, yet owing to this defe£t, they have not been able to preferve with certainty even the names of molt of their founders. — Thefe were the reflexions of the young nobleman. Perhaps, added he, the time may come, when the latin infcription, which Augujlus has engraved on the bafis, and which feems as frefli as if the fculptor had finiflied it but lafl week, will be found as unintelligible as thefe hieroglyphic cha^ rafters*. While the young nobleman was expreffing thefe fentiments, Crito flood for fome time in filence, fixing bis eyes on the vafl ruins of the fhaft of the obelifk. Is not this, faid he, a Jlrong emblem of the va- nity of the greatef human grandeur ? Such is be- come the monument and memorial of the proudeft * This infcription is to the fame effect: as that on the bafis of the obelifk at Porta del PoJ>olo p mentioned in p. 270. of this volume. 286 Roman Conversations. BookIV * of kings. How awful is this fpe&acle ! and how inftruftive, not only to the philosophic moralift, but even to the mofl humble and mortified faint ! 0A, fons of earth ! attempt ye Jlill to rife By mountains pil'd on mountains to the fkies? Heav'n flill , -with laughter , the vain toil furveys * And buries madmen in the heaps they raife*. But what, — continued he, after another fhort but Solemn paufe, — >whathas become of the empire of Egypt itfelf ? Ruined, like this obelijk ; and fallen, never to rife again. An example for ever to mankind, that no ex- cellence of fituation, for Egypt was almofl as well fituate as any if and ; no degree of popu- loufnefs or power, of wealth or Science, is able to Secure a nation from ruin and perpetual Servi- tude ; whenever the people, as was the cafe in the decline of Egypt , fhall for the love of luxury quit the love of virtue; whenever it’s governors fhall think wifdom to be confident with felf-intereft and pride: thus defpifing God, and injuring man- kind; inftead of labouring with joy to be the be* * Pops’s EJfaj on Man, ep. iv. nefa&ors Chap. II. Roman Conversations. 287 nefa&ors of their fellow-creatures, and the duti- ful fervants of their great and common Creator* Saying this, Crito looked with his ufual kind- nefs on his pupil, and repeated to him the follow- ing mod poetic lines of the Hebrew prophet; leav- ing him to judge, which of the great modern cities of the world might nioft fuitably bear their application. Art thou better than the populous city of Ammon? She that was feated among the waters ? The river of Egypt was her defence : The fea was her dominion and riches * Lybia and Africa were her helpers : ^Ethiopia and Egypt were her infinite flrmgth . Yet even file went into captivity : Even fhe was defrayed utterly O my dear pupil, though I am no prophet, let me contemplate, in imagination, the probable hif- tory of future ages. Two thoufand years hence, fome foreigners will perhaps be going up the Thames , in fearch of antiquities; in the fame manner as Nor den lately went up the Nile, * See Nahum, iii. S — i©i Sail 288 Roman Conversations. BookIV. Sailing by the ruins of Greenwich , they will look to Flamfead's hill; they will recollefl the name of Newton , and of other ancient englifh aftronomers : How is this ijland degenerated ! they will perhaps add. It has not at prefent one fchool oj mathematics , or of natural philoj op hy, in any of it's provinces . Rowing then along the wide-fpread defolation of London *, they will pafs through fome arches of it’s broken bridges, handing in the middle of the ft ream. On the grafly fhore, they will view, with admiration, the hill remaining portico of St. Pauls, and perhaps one of the towers of Wejlmin- Jler Abbey. They will land there; and be fhown the pool of water, where Wejlminjler Hall, and the Parliament Houfes hood. They will inquire in vain for St, James s palace. On fearching for it in a wrong place, they will accidentally difco- ver the portico of St, Martin's , then again in the Fields: they will find it’s columns, half buried in the earth. If they continue their voyage up the Thames , they will pafs clofe by the once elegant fituation of the brick palace at Jlampton-Couft , without * Londinium , — copid n Chap . III . Roman Conversations, 309 Treves or AugJburg ; when at Autun or Turin; and fince our arrival in Italy , while travelling along the fea coaft near Rimini and Pefaro . In thefe great works of national utility, Au~ gujlus feeiris to have imitated the generofity and public fpirit of his noble friend and counfellor, A grip pa . I remember, faid the young nobleman, fome of the refledtions, with which you favoured us in vifiting Augujlus's bridge at Narni . You there compared Angujlus , in thofe works, to a late emperor of China . That chinefe emperdr, replied Crito , was in feveral refpedts a very worthy prince he was a protestor of the chriftians*. But let us at pre- fent confine ourfelves to Augujlus . Much of the felicity enjoyed by mankind, in this part of the world, during the reign of Au- gujlus , is doubtlefs to be attributed to his benefi- * The emperor Cambi , who died in 1722, in his la ft tef- tament congratulated himfelf on the vaft Turns he had ex- pended during his reign in making new canals, new dykes, new roads, and other public works. In looking over his accounts he had found, to his great joy, that the whole fums he had expended on his own palace, did not amount to the hundredth part of what he had laid out in works of utility to his Tub j efts. Political Annals of abhe St, Pierre , 17 25, X 3 cent 310 Roman Conversations. Book IV. cent government. It conveyed many bleffings to the inhabitants of this city, and of the country at large ; and probably, alfo, to all the provinces and allies of the roman empire. Let me with particular pleafure obferve, that Augujlus enabled feveral laws, tending to the re- formation of manners : that he very diligently and mercifully himfelf adminiftered jujlice : and that he was alfo very careful for the fecurity of pub- lic plenty; according to that boafted maxim of •Venetian policy; Giufitia fempre in palazzo , e pane in piazza. That Augujlus greatly promoted literature , is perhaps, comparatively, but a trifling confidera- tion. For as, in private life, it will be much more laudable for you, my dear pupil, to be daily employed in giving bread to the poor families of your neighbourhood, than to be amufing yourfelf in your library, by the profecution of any learned or elegant compofition ; fo, amidft the occupa- tions of a prince, the fupport of public plenty is ten thoufand times more ufeful, and more truly honourable, than the patronage of learning. On entering this garden about half an hour ago, faid the young nobleman, I flopped for fame moments to look at the antique flatue of Plenty , Chap . 1 IL Roman Conversations, gii Plenty , with her coruncopia^ which Hands by the door. My political friend, who was with me, thought that ftatue very fortunately and properly placed at the entrance of Auguflus’s mau foie urn. I remember very well, faid the eldeft of the young gentlemen, turning to Crito's pupil, the Venetian proverb, which your good tutor men* tions. I thought frequently of it during our voyage from Venice to Pola . H ow pleafantly, replied Crito’s pupil, did we pafs our time at Pola ! We fat down, X remember, between the four columns of the portico of that temple, which is infcribed ROMAE & Augujlo Ccefari , Patri Patrice. You there employed an hour in perilling, not without tears of pleafure, the account giveit by Suetonius of the many tef- timonies of ardent affeflion, which Augufus re- ceived from his grateful people. The inhabitants of Rome , the bufy multitudes which then fwarmed in the cities of Italy, and over every part of her fruitful hills and plains, all united in the love of their fovereign. The other fubjefts of the roman empire, fettled in the various parts of Europe , Afa, and Africa, all joined their juft ly-merited thanks for his goodnefs, in bene gerendd, per ter - rarum orbem , republic!, X 4 The gi2 Roman Conversations. Book IV. The navigators of the Mediterranean, replied the eldeft of the young gentlemen, were not lefs fenfble of the general happinefs. As the whole circuit of it’s fhores was then fubjedt to Rome , and as the whole roman empire was then united in peace under Auguflus , commerce confequently had in general no enemy to fear. The fleets fta- tioned by Augufus at Frejus , Mifeno , and Ra- venna, were always ready to fupprefs any unfore- feen troubles. The greateft branch of the roman commerce was that with Egypt*. Augufus feems to have given peculiar attention to it’s cultivation and improvement. I think Suetonius fays, that Au- gufus , in the laft year of his reign, vifited the fea-coaft at Baice and Puteoli . He went thither, perhaps, with fome fmall expectation, that the waters might be of fervice to a conftitution natu- rally weak ; and then particularly enfeebled by a diforder, which, together with the weight of years, was finking him to his grave. During his refi- dence there, he muft have found great amufement in viewing the Luc fine port, and the haven near Mifeno , the works of his departed friend, Agrip- pa; works, in which indeed they were both en- gaged, during very troublefome times. But * See the late edition of Harris’s voyages, book i. chap. 2, fettions 8, 9, 10. while Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 313 while Aug up us was thus am tiling himfelf, a large fhip from Alexandria came into the harbour with full fails* ** T h e crew, hearing that their emperor was then in that port, gladly feized this opportunity of ex- preffing their loyalty and gratitude to him, under whofe mild and wife government peace and com- merce had long flourifhed. Per ilium fe viyere: per ilium navi gar e ; libertate atque foriunis per ilium frui. With what pleafure mufa Augujlus haveliilened to thofe acclamations ! With what fparkling eyes mull he have feen the mariners hanging garlands of flowers on the prow, on the poup, on all the mails, and yard-arms of their veflel ; while the fmooth haven of Baiee echoed to the found of their harps and flutes! From the deck a cloud of incenfe arofe to heaven ; offered for the prefer- vation of their fovereign’s life, and for the long continuance of his benign reign. Pardon me for troubling you with the repe- tition of this itory. Indeed, whenever I recol- * In relation to the appearance of the alexandrian {hips, when entering the harbour of Baice , fee Seneca’s Epift. 77. Gratus illarum (navium alexandrinarum ) Campanile af- peSlus eft ; omnis in pilis Buteohrum turba conjijtit , & c. 314 Roman Conversations. Book IV. lecl it, I am fenfible of frefh pleafure. As an englijhman , I find myfelf always peculiarly inter- efted in the fentiments of the fea-faring part of mankind. The firfl time I read this ftory was about two years ago, when I was at Margate , in the ifle of Thanet ; attending my father, who was advifed by his phyficians to bathe there. I remember I then heartily wifhed, that his majefly, our late good old king, George II, had been at that time defired by his phyficians to vifit the fame place. If fuch had been the cafe, his majefty would perhaps have made ufe of that opportunity to vifit the grand newly -erefiled pier, on the neighbouring fhore of Ramfgate . He certainly would have taken frequent airings on the cliffs between Mar- gate and the North Foreland ; and furveyed from them the wide-extended mouth of his Thames , Perhaps feme large fleet of englifh merchantmen might have then arrived from AJia or America, Hearing that their goodold king was on that coaft, they would have fpread all their colours to the wind, founded their trumpets, and fired their guns. The crews would have faluted their fove- reign with repeated cheers. Cheerful indeed had Chap AIL Roman Conversations. 315 had been that found*, the applaufes of a grate- ful people would have been far more cordial to his royal bread:, than any medicinal prefcrip- fion. But let me not longer interrupt you, con- tinued he, turning to Onto , You were fpeaking of the goodnefs of Augujlus. I fhould' be forry, if I have hindered my friends from liilening to any of your obfervations on fo pleafmg a topic. Th e topic is indeed very pleafmg, replied Crito , after a ihortpaufe; yet 1 mull add, that on fully confidering the whole hillory of Augujlus , there necelfarily rifes one reflexion ; which is far from being equally agreeable, though it feems highly important and inflrudlive. That part of Augujlus’s life, which is gene- rally confidered as it’s good part, comprehends, as was juft now obferved, about forty years : a fpace of time equal to the whole rational and ac- tive life of the generality of mankind. The powers of Augujlus for doing good far exceeded thofe of the greateft fovereigns in mo- dern Europe , By 31 6 Roman Conversations. Book IV. By a courfe of wife beneficence, fo long and fo powerfully exerted, it is natural to imagine, that Augujlus muff have acquired a very fplendid name; a real and folid kind of glory *. Yet, furely, Augujlus ought never to have entertained any hopes, that the horrid crimes of his youth, however atoned for in the fight of heaven, could even by thefe means be totally ef- faced from the memory of men. Succeeding generations have looked, and will always look, on the hiflory of his life, with hatred and deteffation, though mixed indeed with admiration, and with pity. This is a melancholy refle&ion. The fame, alas ! is the cafe in private flations. The crimes of youth fometimes continue as an indelible flain, throughout life : the belt Conduct in manhood and old age will not be fufhcient wholly to regain the favour of mankind. Yet let not fuch perfons be tpo deeply difpirited. Let them lay afide in- deed all claims to reputation and honour; but let them fervently, and without ceafing, pray, that their penitence may at length be favourably ac- cepted by the molt gracious and moft merciful of all Beings. * In relation to Auguflus's clemency, fee Seneca , Lififius’s edition, p. 194, 196. CRITO Chap AIL Roman Conversations. 317 CRITO now turned his eyes fuffufed with tears towards his young companions. Happy, faid he 5 are you, my dear friends, who have it in your power to begin your lives in the beft courfe of complete virtue; and thus to lay the moil folid, and ample foundation, for the comfort, happinefs, and fplendour, 'without a Jlaw , of whatever may be the remainder of your days : whether, by the mercy of heaven, you fhall be removed foon to a better {fate ; or whether you may have it in your power, by a long life here, to add daily to the happinefs of others, and to your o wn vir- tues. On the whole, what fhould be your higheft wifli ? Firft, that your youth may continue to be as virtuous as the youth of Marcellus ; and then, that you may either add to it the goodnefs of the middle and latter years of Augujlus ; or elfe, die foon. May you die early, rather than do any thing to (lain your glory, and degrade your vir- tue ! Death , if it Jin and forrow thus prevent , Is the next bleffing to a life well /pent „ Mvj £vj t#, Q 0ewv «yvov idoifil TUVTYjV Vj[JL£pUV* @ fOTUV 318 Roman Conversations. Book IV, B cuv[V )#vr©^ TrpotrOcV, y roi&vV idetv KvjAjS’ f/x ctvTu cv/jitpopa; uQiyiLevvp *. * * ■»> The company now walked out of the maufo- leum; and ftepping into their carriage, bid the coachman take them to Marcdhiss theatre. The prefent Rate of the theatre of Marcellus is fo very well known, to all perfons who have read any travels to Rome , or looked over a col- lection of prints reprefenting it’s antiquities, that it is needlefs to infert here any defcription of that grand ftruCture. Suffice it to obferve, that the young noble- man and the reft of the company, in viewing it, frequently admired the beauty of it's architecture; but much more frequently thought of the merits of the virtuous prince, in whole honour it was ereCted. * •* * CRITO taking out his watch, and finding it yet but early in the day, propofed taking this * Sophocl. QLdip* ver, 849* oppor- Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 319 opportunity to viftt the arch of Dnifus. It is fituate, faid he, in a very remote part of Rome: but we are now half way on our road thither. The company readily agreed to the propofal ; and proceeded on their morning ramble towards that arch, pafling under the weftern fide of mount Palatine. They looked up with admiration to the pom- pous ruins of the imperial palace. O f how much for row,, faid Crito , was this Pa- latine hill the feat, in Augnjlus’s time! How was the higheft degree of human grandeur then em- bittered, by the moft heart-felt difappointment and grief! Under the repetition of how many do- meftic misfortunes did Auguftus there groan! You remember the flattering lines of Alhinovanus. Ccefiaris aide domum: quce certe funeris expers 3 Debuit humanis altior efife mails. Ille vigil , fummd facer ille locatus in arcs Res hominum ex tuto cernere dignus erat. Nec fieri ipfe finis , nec quenquam filer e fiuorum ; Nec qnce nos patimur vulgus & ipfie pati. Was this the cafe ? Ah ! no. Even his moft fevere enemies might have pitied him 5 while crying out, A & 320 Roman Conversations. Book IV , \ hfcs cQeXov t ctyov©* t £[Z£vui, ciyctu ,©» t uvoXetr'bai *. Beside all other for row, he faw his filter, the excellent Ottavia, die of long grief for the lofs of her beloved Marcellus : he faw his wife Livia burying her only good fon, Drufus ; Drufus , who? next to Marcellus , is generally defcribed to be one of the molt amiable youths of his time, and the molt defervedly regretted by his family and coun- try : Tiberius , in the mean time, furviving Dru- fus, for the punijhment of his country , in the fame manner as Julia, for that of her family, furvived both Marcellus and Agrippa. At fome diltance from mount Palatine, be- tween the Ccelian and Aventine hills, hands the arch of Drufus . It’s top is overgrown with mofs and fhrubs, but it’s Tides are Itill adorned with two rich marble columns. The young nobleman, in viewing this monu- ment of the memory of Drufus t, recollected what he had heard and feen, relative to the faid roman prince, in hispalfage through Lorrain and France; particularly at Metz and Lyons . At Metz , faid he, * Horn, II. r. ver. 40. Seealfo Sueton. in Augvft. 65. + Primum fuijfe Drufum , cut mortuo arcus dicatus Jit , objerzai Norifius, Cenotaph. Pifan. p. 412. fq. See Rcimar*s edit, of Dion Caff. p. 772. This arch is represented on iomc of the medals of Drufus, I think Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 321 I think there are feveral beautiful remains of anti- quity, which are afcribed to him : but it was at Lyons , that Drufus , by his moft engaging behaviour* eftablifhed peace and tranquillity through all the extenfive regions of the gauls . It was at Lyons , then the capital and metropolis of that country* that he ere&ed the famous monument of the concord of fixty gallic ftates, and of his own dutiful refpeft; to his father Augujlus; X mean the altar and temple, built near the conflux of the Saone and Rhone*. CRITO’S pupil, who had taken the route^of Holland and the Low Countries , recolle&ed the noble monument there remaining of Drufus' $ wif dom ? and greatnefs of mind; namely, the canal f* '■X * Of that ftruflure there are to this day remaining two llately columns of egyptian granite. They may be feen in the church of D f Enay v which ftands near the point of the conflux ; and probably on the very fpot where the ancient altar of Augujlus was placed, Thefe two granite columns feem to be of the fame fort and fize with thofe of A grip pa's portico, at the Pantheon : but they are now fawn in funder* and divided into four pillars, which fupport the fmall dome of that church. As to their original form, pofition 3 and ufe, feveral medals may be confulted. f This canal extended from Ifeloort to Doejburg , an- ciently called Drufus’s Burgh . It joined the Rhine to the Ijfel , as well as to many of the batavian lakes ; and through them to the northern Germa?i ocean. It is not im- probable that Peter the Great, while in Holland , might at- tentively confider this great work ; and thence take the hint of feveral ftmilar, and ftill more noble dehgns, for uniting the rivers,lakes 5 and feas, in his own vafl dominions*. Vox, XI, Y which 322 Roman Conversations. Bool IV. which this adoptive fon of Augujlus , with a truly imperial defign, and in the fpirit of the ancient wifdom of Egypt , cut through part of Holland , that beautiful European Delta . T h e eldeft of the young gentlemen, who had paffed fome time in Germany , particularly in the provinces on the Rhine , with pleafure added, that above fifty german towns, which now cover the banks of that great river, all owe their foundation to the wifdom of Drufus. They derive their origin, faid he, from the feveral ftations, which Drufus prudently chofe for his encampments, in thofe then wild and uncultivated regions. Such was the origin of Strajburg ; fuch of Mentz. I remember feeing at Mentz the ruins of an ancient trophy, or cenotaph*, erefted to the honour of Drufus . It Hands on the higheft fpot of ground in the citadel, exa&ly fronting the conflux of the Rhine and Main. With great fatisfaflion I thence viewed the profpeft of that beautiful country, which is now the garden of Germany , watered by thofe two noble rivers : a profpeft, I fuppofe, in fome meafure analogous to that, which you, my noble friend, have feen from the hills at Lyons . * UXxfit Tiyt,w asyoTcctyta oivtu r u F'/jvu. Dio CaJfiuS} lib. 55. p. 772* How I Chap. 111. Roman Conversations. 323 How happy is it, dear fir, continued he, turn- ing to Crito , when the defolating operations of war are thus mixed and tempered with the works of peace : when, by the benevolence of Providence, fo much good is produced, even in the midft, and fpringing, as it were, out of the greateft evils ! May fuch be the confolatory confequences of our prefent north-american wars ! May the hritijh ge- nerals in the New World become there the founders of as many cities, as Alexander , or his imitator Se- leucus *; as Augujlus , or this his noble imitator Drufus 3 have been in the Old! But why am I thus talking ? I am fure, my dear fir, that you have fome paper on the character of Drufus, with which you intend to favour us : and where better than in this place ? I have indeed a very fhort paper of notes on the fubjeQ;, replied Crito ; and I have brought you hither, I own, upon that account. But though this triumphal arch of Drufus be a proper object for awakening our curiofity, in relation to his hiftory ; yet the fpot is by no means convenient for a ftudious leQure. You fee it Hands on a great public road, * Seleucus built no lefs than forty cities in Afta* Y IK If 324 Roman Conversations, Book IV. If you pleafe, let us retire to your lodgings. We will return thither by the way of the temple of Minerva Medica . We fhall have time enough before dinner for making that tour. * * * The company now turned down from the great road into the folitary rural lanes of the Ccelian hill. They paffed by the ruins of that great aquedufl, which was built by a fon of Drufns. They then croffed over to the Efquiline hill, and Hopped at the door of a vineyard. The name of the vineyard is Galuzza ; being, moll probably, a corruption and confulion of the names of Cams and Lucius , the fons of Agrippa , and grandfons of Augujlus ; to whofe memory Au~ gujlus here ere&ed a bafilica, and a temple. This temple, like feveral other buildings of the augujlan age, — as the Pantheon , the Maufo- leum , and the Hemicyclium of the Palatine Apollo 9 - — is in the form of a rotunda*. It’s mofs-grown * It is a decagon. It’s circuit on the outfidc'is two hundred and twenty-five feet. In the walls between each angle are broad and deep niches for ftatues. Here was found that ftatue, which at prefent makes a principal orna- ment cf the Giuftiniani gallery *, the ftatue of Minerva , with a ferpent at her feet. walls Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 325 walls and lofty roof are /till remaining, though much /battered in many places. The company entered this vineyard. In paffing through one of it’s walks, they looked down into the fepulchral vaults of the Arruntian family: they then proceeded to the temple. In the centre of the temple they found a large fountain, by the fide of which they fat down. CRITO , in a penfive pofture, for a few mo- ments refle&ed on the common lot of mortality, and on the vanity of ail human grandeur. If I remember right, faid he, Augujius , within the fhort fpace of eighteen months, was deprived of Cants and Lucius ; thofe two young princes, to whom, after the death of Marcellus , he looked as the fup~ port of his family, and whom he had brought up to fucceed him in the imperial power.— Sorrow upon Sorrow ! — Perhaps Augujius might build this temple as a kind of medicinal lenitive to his grief : for here Minerva was honoured, as ano- ther Hygeia; gracioufly pre/iding over the health of that part of the human nature, which, though not indeed fubjebl to mortality, is yet, from the earlieft childhood, continually liable to various pains, and dreadful maladies. Frequently is the goddefs of Wifdom on this account, intitled A [i- pierva Medica; and reprefented with the attributes Y 3 of 32 6 Roman Conversations. Book IV. of ALfculapius *; the ferpent, and the wand ; blef- fing mankind with the medicirtd mentis , as he did with that of the body. CRITO now opened apocket-volume of Tally , and read to his friends the introdu&ion to the third book of the Tufculan queftions : De cegri- tudine lenienda f . The converfation afterwards returned to it’s original fubjefl. The young nobleman took no- tice of the pifturefque appearance of this ruined temple ; and then fpoke of the ftatues of Cains and Lucius , which reprefent them with the attri- butes of Caftor and Pollux +. T h e eldeft of the young gentlemen commended Augujluss care in the education of the young princes of the family. For though Caius and Lu- tius died very young, I mull prefume, faid he, that they had received much inftruFtion from Augujlus. Fie was, indeed, very unhappy in Tiberius and Julia ; yet, how glorious were the fruits of his * See the plate of the temple and figure of Minerva Me~ dica, in Mountfaiuan’ s Journey to Italy , C. 8 f Quid?iam ejfe, Brute , caufre putem, cur , cum conftemus ex ammo & corpore « corporis curandi tuendique caufa queefita Jit ars, ejus atque util it as, deorum immortalium invent io?ii confe - Crata : animi autem me did?: a, ?iec tam dejiderata , & c. + Thefe ftatues were found near the theatre of Marcellas , and are now placed on the afcent to the Capitol . paternal Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 327 paternal care in Marcdlus , Drufus , and Germa- nicus ! What imperial palace ever, in one reign, produced three fuch young princes ? May a fimiiar education for ever blefs all the royal youth of Europe ! But why do I form Jo im - perfeft a wifh, on fo great an occafion ? May they be blelfedwith a far better education: even with thofe inftru&ions, which the goddefs of this tem- ple is faid, under the fhape of Mentor , to have herfelf bellowed on the youthful heir of a grecian kingdom; and which a Fenelon has copied fo ex- cellently, for the benefit of all the princes and people of Europe ; though his amiable pupil, the duke of Burgundy , died equally young with Dru- fus and Germanicus . I am fure, dear fir, added he, turning to Crito , you mufl often have thought on that noble work with great pleafure, during your lalt journey through France : efpecially, while you were vi- fiting the archi-epifcopal church of Combray ; or when feated by fome of the fhady fountains in the gardens of Marli. CRITO liltened with glowing fatisfa&ion to thefe fentiments exprelfed by his young friend. He then turhed round to his pupil, and defired to borrow for fome moments his pocket Horace . He Y 4 opened 328 Roman Conversations. Book IV. opened it at the fourth book, and read the follow- ing lines. Fortes creantur fortibus & bonis — DoBrina fed vim promovet inftam; Reftique mores pettora roborant ; JJtcunque defecere mores , Dedecor ant bene nata culpce *. After Marcellas' s death, continued Crito , Drufus and Tiberius , the two princely brothers of whom Horace here fpeaks, were educated together in the palace, and under the eye of Augujlus. Germanicus , the fon of Drufus , had afterwards, as you obferve, the fame happinefs. During the life of Augufus , thefe three prin- ces, though the chara6ter of Tiberius feems always to have been the loweft of the three, were, in ge- neral, regarded by the public with very great efteem. The romans , ftill more than their enemies, Senfere , quid mens rite , quid indoles Nutrita faufis fub penetralibus Poffit ; quid Augufi paternus In pueros animus Nerones f . * Carm . Lib. IV. Od. 4. f lb. ver. 25. But Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 329 But let us, at prefent, confine our thoughts to Drujus . He feems to have been Hefted with a very ex- cellent natural difpofition, as well as with a good education, Adolefcens erat tot tantarumque virtutum , quant as natura mor tails recipit , aut induflria perjicit . Cujus ingenium , utrum bellicis magis oper.ibus^ an civilibus fuffecerit artibus y in incerto eft : morum certe dulcedo^ & adver/us amicos omnes , cequa par fid qftimatio inimitabilis fuiffe^ dlcitur . In this panegyric of Velleius Paterculus we mull certainly make fome confiderable allowances for the exaggeration of court flattery : but I ap- prehend it, in the main, to be founded on truth. The teftimonies alfo of other ancient writers feem to confirm it. It is, I fuppofe, from thefe writers, that the authors of the Modern Univerfal Hiflory have extracted a very fplendjd chara&er of this hero. DRUSUS was a man of an unblemifhed char after; cf a probity , which was proof againft all temptations; of great honour , open-hearted , and an enemy to all manner of deceit or diffmulation . He was no way infer lour, 33° Roman Conversations. Book IV . inferiour , either in courage or conduB , to the mojl experienced commanders of his age ; and had nothing in view , in all his expeditions , but the glory of the roman name , and the public welfare . By the laft expreflions the authors probably mean the welfare of the roman fate. The charader of Drufus , faid the elded of the young gentlemen, feems to refemble that of our illudrious prince of Wales^ fon of our great Edward the Third. I think you have feen his monument at Canterbury ; and you cannot but recoiled his military trophies at Windfor. He certainly refembled Drufus , replied Crito , infevera! exalted virtues: but particularly in thofe mod amiable of them all, filial refped and love. To virtues of this kind may you ever continue to give your principal attention ! It is true, that in military affairs Drufus , after die deceafe of Agmppa , was the greateft chara&er of the times. His campaigns in Germany gave full proof, both of his condud, and of his courage. You muft have noticed, I am fure, many coins of Augufus , which, in honour of the vidories of Drufus , are adorned with military trophies, and with the infcription De Germanis But Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 331, But, in what manner fh all we fpeak of thofe victories? DRUSUS'S army, in his laft campaigns, paffed the Rhine and Wefer , and ravaged the whole country even to the banks of the Elbe. — Pitiable Germany ! — how often are thy fair provinces ex- po fed to the ravages of war ! Thy plains, from the banks of the Rhine to the Elbe , are even now fmoking with blood. With what horrour, my dear pupil, did we, laft fpring, pafs over feveral fields of carnage, in Wejlphalia , Hejfe , and the do- minions of Brunfwick ! But Dsufus , being commander of the roman army in that bloody expedition, incurred the deepeft malediction of the german nations. On his head their heavieft curfes fell. Permit me to read to you fome few lines, which I have extracted from Barrels Hiftory of Germany. Tandis qua Rome Drufus etoit regrette , comme un prince d'un merite dijlingue ; brave , vertueux , plein de bonte 3 digne de remplacer Augufte; en Germanie , les cattes , les fueves , les cherufques , fe rejouijjoient de fa mort. Ils avoient eprouve , de la part de ce prince , [or rather from the roman army under his command] des cruautes inouies ; ce qui rendit fa memoire fi detejlable par mi eux 7 que lorjquils von - loient 332 Roman Conversations. Book IV. loient du mal a quelqu'un , Us fouhaitoient , quit tombat entre les mains d'un autre Drufus*. I remember that, when we afterwards came from the northern parts of Germany into the Pala- tinate^ I paired fome days, at Manheim , in reading the difmal hiftory of the deftruftion in that coun- try, done by order of Lewis the Fourteenth, and by the army under the command of marfhal Tu- renne: a name, which, on this occafion, I grieve to repeat. I then thought, that a parallel might be drawn, between the german expedition of Drufus , and this fad part of the military hiftory of Turenne. Both muft have been hated in Germany , for executing the orders of their fovereigns : while both were, juftly, beloved at home, for their own virtues f. CRITO now paufed for fome moments; and then, refuming his difcourfe, recited thofe well- known verfes of Addifon: * Hiftoire d’Allemagne, vol. i. p. 146. quarto edition. Pere Barre refers, on this head, to Crujius ,• Ann. Suev. lib. ii. p. 2. & 45. + “ A military pro fjjion is very dangerous to perfons defirous of leading a life of goodnefs.” Such was the famous reflec- tion of marfhal P urenne , made by him on his death-bed; probably while recollecting the dreadful ruin of the Pala- tinate . 6i Men may live fools ; but fools they cannot die f 1 Should Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 333 Should he go further 1 numbers will be wanting To form new battles , and fupport his crimes . Ye Gods ! what havock does ambition make Among your works * I Would I were now endued with the thoughts and the language of an Addifon , or of a Fenelon ; duly to lament the difinal effe&s and confequences of the pride of monarchs, difmal to the world in general, and ten-fold more difmaJ, often, to them- felves! LEWIS lived long enough to fee the Palatinate revenged at Blenheim . Augujlus lived to behold and feel the heavy punifhment, which the Neme- Jis of Germany poured down upon the legions of Varus . Permit me to read to you a fhort extra£i from Dion Caffius . Tots $s o A vyxs@* ru ruOvxpu (rvpfie/hj'AQT#, \Lsyu sroiyauTOf s%i roig anohuXoffi) ski t® ■msoi twv yspfJLuviav dssr tots pisyi^ov, oti s%t TVp 1 tuKiciv } tv jv ts P afJL-yv ciVTVjV, opfiqtreii/ trCpug 'apocsdonyc TE a Such, indeed, was at laft the cafe. Le.t us refleft, my dear and noble friend, for a few moments, on the ftately magnificence in * Cato, Scene I. which 334 Roman Conversations. Book IV . which Rome appeared, towards the clofe of Au- gujlus’s reign: when the buildings we have this day vifited; his imperial inaufoleum, the theatre of Marcellus , the triumphal arch of Drufus , and this temple, were all in their full fplendour. Then let us alk ourfelves, What was the mighty power, that could be able to deftroy this proud city p The warlike defendants of thofe very german nations, whofe lands were invaded and ravaged by Drufus 1 s army. Please to recolleft, my dear pupil, thevifion which appeared to ALneas : the vifion of thofe future roman generals, who were to punifh Greece for it’s ancient cruelties to Troy : llle Victor aget cur rum , Ccefis injignis achivis ; Eruet Me Argos, agamemnoniajqut My etnas Ultus avos Trojce *. In the fame manner, you may imagine that ger- man prophetefs, who, on the banks of the Elbe , drove back the roman army by her execrations. You may imagine her, I fay, on one hand, de- nouncing fpeedy death to Drufus , and loading with curfes the whole family of the Ccefars ; in the fame ftyle,' perhaps, as the britijh druid curfed * JEneid* vi, 837, the Chap. 111. Roman Conversations. 335 the PI ant agin d family: * on the other hand, turning to the feveral nations of Germany , and prophecying their future vi&ories. u The de- ice nd ants of this chief of the bruBeri fliall fub- due Mentz and Lyons , and expel the romans from all the provinces of Gaid. The pofterity of that chief of the quadi fhall take ample revenge on Rome herfelf; fliall fire Mount Palatine , fhall deface Drufus's triumphal arch, fliall overthrow the maufoleum of Auguflusy and trample indig- nantly on his allies.” It feems very obfervable, faid the young no- bleman, that, in digging among the ruins of this temple, feveral of it’s ftatues and ornaments have been found broken and battered ; and among them lay feme old german hatchets, probably the in- ftruments of their demolition t. But enough of Germany , faid Crito: I fhould not, perhaps, have proceeded fo far in this kind of digreffion, had I not confidered you, my dear fellow-travellers, as in a manner peculiarly con- cerned in the hiflory of ancient Germany . Your illuftrious families, it is very likely, are all de- scended from feme german origin. Your faxon * See Graj> 9 s Qde : Ruin/eize thee^ &C P -t See abbe Richard's Voyage d’ltalie. anceflors 336 Roman Conversations. Book IV. anceltors came into England from thofe provinces, which are wafhed by the Wefer , and by the Elbe . Let us now turn our thoughts again to Drufus ; and confider him, not amidft the horrours of w T ar, but in a far more amiable light ; in his do - mejlic and civic character. Occidit , exemplum juvenis venerabile morum : Maximus Hit armis : maximus illt toga . Like his dear Antonia , the worthy daughter of the virtuous and beautiful Oblavia , Drufus united to a graceful body a Hill more lovely mind. He is faid to have been pofTeffed of all the qualities, which are fitted to produce either efteem or affection. He was generous ; he was popular; — - If I be not miftaken, faid the eldeft of the young gentlemen, Drufus had deeply imbibed the do&rines of civil liberty. In cafe he had fur- vived and fucceeded Augujlus , it was generally expe&ed, that he would have reftored the roman republic*. — Credebatur , Ji rerum potitus font , libertatem redditurus . * See Tacit, Ann. lib. i, c. 33. It Chap. III. Roman Conversations. 337 It was fo reported, laid Crito , but I know not with what truth : much lefs can I pretend to j udge, whether or no a defign like this would have been really expedient. I Ihould rather imagine, that Drufus's good fenfe, and good intentions, would in that cafe have dire&ed him to another work; to a plan and fyftem of policy, lefs fplendid per- haps, but in reality far more beneficial for the public. But, however this may be, it is certain, that Drufns was generally beloved at Rome . Magna ejus erat apudpopulum romanum memoria. His character was refpebted highly, to ufe a modem expreffion, both by the country and the court- party. Nor let us liften to the vulgar calumnies thrown out againft Augujlus *. Wicked as courts fome- times may really be, yet I do not believe they are ever nearly fo bad as they are reported : and I am confident, that you, dear fir, from your na- tural generofity of heart, and from a ftrong fenfe of political duty, will often turn your ears, with horrour and deteftation, from many villainous * Difplicere regnantibus civilia filiorum ingenia; neque oh aliud interceptor qudm quia populum romanum esquo jure com -* pledii redditd libertate agitarverint. — Hos figna^ cum V , aro amijfa , dud 11 Germanic i, aufpiciis Tiberii. Annal. lib. ii. c, 41. * On Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 371 manent emblem of their vi&ories, after having dragged it, as it were captive, through their ftreets ? It feems a confirmation of this conje&ure, that Tacitus , in defcribing the triumph of Gcrmanicus , fays exprefsly, Vetta fimulacra Jluminum*. Such indeed, faid the eldeft of the young gen* tlemen, was, on many occafions, the haughty pride of the romans .. But with refpe6t to Germany $ their boafts of viftory were not only arrogant, but alfo void of foundation. Often did they pretend to triumph over Germany : whereas, in faff, this mighty river, the Rhine , was the impaffable boundary, the ne plus ultra of the roman em- pire. On the foundations of this temple of Saturn , adjoining to the forum of Augujlus , the church of St. Adrian in Campo *vaccino now ftands. Clofe by which church, this ftatue of the Rhine lay on the ground, neglected, during many of the middle ages. It has been but lately removed to the Capitoh At the diflance of fome few yards from the church of St e Adrian , is a triumphal arch, infcribed to Severus ; probably built on the very fpot of Germanicus’s or Tiberius’s triumphal arch ; and, poffibly, compofed in a great meafure of it ? $ materials. It might even be imagined, without any very great appearance of abfurdity, that it is the fame identical arch, without any other alteration than that of the infcrip- tion. The fculptures on it feem very applicable to the hif- tory of Germanicus’s campaigns : particularly the naval ex- peditions, and the reliefs of the four river-gods foprd glz archi collateral ; two of which may perhaps reprefent the Elbe and Rhine , and the other two, which are younger, and without beards, the Ems and Wefer . * Tacit, Annah lib. ii. c, 41* B b 2 It gy2 Roman Conversations. Book IV. It is true, that Germanicus , and his father Dru- fus , extended the ravages of war acrofs it’s breams; and made the banks of the Ems , the Wefer , and the Elbe , the theatre of fome of their campaigns. One of their officers, I think, even paffied the Elbe* ; yet thefe campaigns, bloody and deftruc- tive as they were, produced no fettled conquefts. After much (laughter and toil, after many viciffi- tudes of defeat and vi&ory, the romans found themfelves obliged to fall back again to the Rhine. The Rhine continued, ever afterwards, the limit of their dominion. This is generally attri- buted to the wife policy and date-maxims of fome of the emperors. But there were manifedly other reafons for it. Rome was able, and therefore willing, to extend her dominion in the wed, be- yond the great boundary of the ocean ; and to penetrate even to the Jilures and brigantes: but ffie was never able to fubdue the warlike inhabi- tants of Wejlphalia and Hanover . I recolleft Floras' s obfervation on this fubje6t. Imperium , quod non Jleterat in littore oceanic Jlabat in ripa Jluminis Rheni : it might be added, femper Jletit. How much mud fome of our faxon ancedors have exulted in this thought ! * L. Domitius exercitu flumen Albim tranfcendit , lofigius £e- netratd Germatiid , quam quifqua?n prior am. \ Tacit • Annal, lib, iv. c. 44. The Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 373 The converfation now was changed, for fome minutes, into a panegyric on the heroifm and for- titude of th e german nations. It foon, however, returned to the character of Germanicus. I remember, continued the eldeft of the young gentlemen, that, when at Cologne , I employed a long afternoon, in the Itudy of thofe campaigns of Germanicus , which are defcribed in Tacitus's Annals. In the morning, I had been for feveral hours walking about that old city, and viewing with much pleafure the magazine of antique roman arms in the Jladt-houfe *, and the bas-reliefs of the head of Germanicus on the walls of fome of the public buildings. After ;dinner I went up into my chamber, the windows of which com- manded an extenfive profpefl acrofs the Rhine ; I fat down in the window feat, and turned over feveral parts of the firft two books of Tacitus. Sometimes I call my eyes acrofs the river, and imagined I faw Agrippina Handing at the foot of the bridge : fometimes I looked up the ftream towards Bonn , and recolle£led Germanicus' s fide- * Foeocle obfe.rves, that thefe arms are very fi;nil?r to thofe, which he had feen in an old roman arfenal, at Beer , on the Euphrates* b b 3 374 Roman Conversations. Book IV. lity there to Tiberius : at other times I looked down the ftream, and thought of Germanicus's laborious campaigns in Friejland and Embden. In reading the hiftory of thefe campaigns, I met with feveral paflages, which, from a want of prac- tice in the ftyle of Tacitus , and from my extreme ignorance in the art of war, ancient as well as mo- dern, I could not underftand. The obfcurity was increafed by the great changes, which fince Tacitus's time have happened, in the countries near the mouths of the Rhine . If you pleafe, faid Crito , we will at prefent turn our thoughts from Germanicus's military hif- tory. His warlike achievements gained him in- deed great reputation at Rome ; yet we mull own, that, as in the military hiftory of Drufus , Scipio , and other roman heroes, fo likewife in this of Ger- manicus , there are many things, that are really the objects of horrour, not of admiration. — Quin - quaginta millium fpatium , ferro flammifque per - vajlavit : non fexus , non cetas , miferationem at - tuht *. — Infijlerent c cedi bus ; nil opus captivis ; Jolam inter necion em gentis Jinem bello foref. Shutting our eyes to thefe fcenes of warlike cruelty, the perpetual difgrace of roman heroifm ; * Annalium. lib. i. c. 51 , + Annal. lib. ii, c. 21. let Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 375 let us contemplate Germanicus in another, and far more pleafing light. So faying, Crito turned from the figure of the Rhine , and walked into the adjoining portico. * # * At the end of the portico, fronting the ftair- cafe, is a room called the Canopus . It is adorned with about a dozen egyptian fculptures, executed in a manner remarkably elegant. The company pafled a quarter of an hour in that room; during which time their converfation naturally fell upon the hiftory of Egypt . In the middle of the fame portico, fronting the gate, Hand two egyptian ftatues, of a much larger fize, and to all appearance of much greater anti- quity. One of them bears on it’s head a kind of corona turrita ; holds in it’s right hand the roll of a book, and in it’s left a palm-branch : feveral hieroglyphic characters are engraved on it’s fide. The ftudy of the egyptian hiftory, faid Crito , would be a very amufing employment to perfons refident at Rome , were there at prefent in this city any coptite or abyjfinian prieft, capable of B b 4 explaining 376 Roman Conversations. Book IV. explaining the hieroglyphic language ; in the fame manner as the learned Hermapion , whofe book on that fubjeft is mentioned by Ammianus Marcel - linus *. If fuch were the cafe, perhaps we might find, from thefe hieroglyphic chara&ers, that the perfon reprefented by this ftatue was the moft glorious, the moft beneficent of conquerors, the royal 0 fir is; OJiris , the builder of cities; the patron of agriculture, of learning, and of all the arts of peace. My pupil’s vifion of the genius of the obelifk, has turned my thoughts, fince I heard it, to the hiftory of Egypt . One morning, in the latter end of laft week, I took up the firft book of Diodorus Siculus ; and read, with much pleafure, the ac- count of king OJiris' s expeditions. That account feems, at firft view, a mere ro- mance ; but perhaps you^ dear fir, continued Crito , turning to the eldeft of his young friends, might have been able to extraft from it fome important do&rines of true political wifdom. If we fuppofe the prince of a civilized country to have any concerns with favage and barbarous nations, what better or wifer plan of policy can * See Ammianus Marcellinus's Hiftory of Conjiantius. Book 17, he Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 377 he lay down for himfelf, than the grand outlines of Qfiris's conduQ; ? To become, not fo much the formidable enemy, as the real friend of barba- rians ; not to invade, and confequently force them to learn the arts of war, but to commu- nicate to them the far happier arts of peace ; to introduce among them the bleffings of civilized life; to inltruft them in agriculture; to enlighten their minds with ufeful knowledge, and blefs them with the pureft doctrines of piety and morality. Happy would it have been for the roman em- pire, if Augufus and his fucceifors had followed* far as they were able, this wholefome plan of po_ licy, in regard to the german nations. Happy would it have been, if Germanicus had been fent to the banks of the Wefer and Elbe , not in the chara£ter of a dreadful roman general, a fevere* though excellent mafter in the art of war;* but rather in a character fimilar to that of Ofris's lieutenant, Triptolemus . How rejoiced would Germanicus have been, in an employment fo fuitable to the goodnefs of his heart! With what pleafure would he have in- ftru&ed the barbarians, to till their foil, to drain * Diriguntur acies , non, ut olim apud germ an os, vagis in- cur fib us, aut dijettas per caterwas : quippe longd adverfus nos ■militia infue CpiKeeanev. In contrail with this affability and beneficence of GermanicuSi let us confider Tiberius , the ab~ folute monarch of the vail roman empire, ab~ fconding even from Rome . Moll part of the latter end of his reign he palfed in a fmali ifland, about two hundred miles dillant from this city. * Provincials, internis certaminibns , cint magiftratuum injur ii* fejfas, refo^vebat. Annal. lib. ii. c. 54. Levavit apertis horreis pretia frugum. Ibid. c. 59, Alexandriam adiit , propter im~ menfam ac repentinam famem. S 7 ieton . in Tiberio 5 c. 52. During 382 Roman Conversations. BookIV. During the laft eleven years of his life, he never once entered his own palace; never fet foot in the roman forum; never afcended the Capitolina hill : gravatus afpeElum civium. I f one of the humble lay-brothers of the ad- joining convent of Ara Cedi were now to over- hear this part of our converfations, he would probably, by his charity, be induced to pleafe himfelf with the imagination, that Tiberius , in his old age, might have chofen that retreat, from penitential motives. Many a true penitent, he might fay, has retired from the pomps of the world* to rocky deferts, andfolitary iflands, there to give himfelf up to fuch religious compunflion, as pro- duced amendment of life : thus, after many years of bitter forrow, lightening the load of the heart; and chearing it gradually with fome humble hopes of mercy; fome gleaming ray, at Leaf!;, of true felicity o Far otherwife, alas! with Tiberius : his pur- pofes of retirement had nothing holy in them. It was originally owing partly to the artifice of his prime minifter; partly to his own worldly fenfe of confcious lhame: Pudore fcelerum , & libidinum . At R ome he fometimes could not avoid hearing voces illas 3 veras graves , & probra , quibus per Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 383 per occultum lacerabatur . Sometimes he was even reproached to his face for the vileft aftions. In choofmg th t place of his folitude , Tiberius fhowed no fymptoms of a heart touched with any penitential fenfe of it’s crimes Innocence might have properly delighted itfelf in a retreat like Caprece : but a true penitent would never have been curious in fele&ing fo delightful a fpot, or have thought himfelf worthy of fuch an habita- tion. “ And yet,” our monk might add, 66 although pleafantnefs of fituation is a circumftance by no means fuitable to the juft idea of a penitential re- tirement, it is neverthelefs poffible, that Tiberius might employ his time well there. I know little of his hiftory, notwithftanding my bare feet every day tread this hill, which, as I have heard, was once a principal part of the city. Such kind of hiftory is not indeed our ftudy; which chiefly regards the piety of thofe happy men, who have confecrated by their retirements the deferts of Scete , and dignified the mountains of Alverno and Chartreufe . Pray inform me, what were * Infula hi Favonium ob'verfa , & aperto circum pelago per - anuena; profpettabcitque pulcherrimum Jinum , anteqaam V efu , - *vius mans ardefcens faciem loci s HXMXS £f/V, £/ TO X[J.Spt{J(.VOy , X7»pX^lX t {Ml Of Plutarch» FIfp< xcilrs non ncty.ixr. C c 2 lz g88 Roman Conversations. Book IV.. * # # I r you pleafe, faid Crito , we will refume our clafiical (Indies. My own confcience alfo preffes too hard, to enable me to continue thefe moral reflections. May Heaven have mercy on us all ! Speaking thefe words, Crito turned round, and with a flow and penfive ftep walked acrofs the Capitoline area, to the oppofite building, the Palazzo Dei Confervatori . In the court of this building, on the left hand, againft the wall, (lands a large (tone urn; on which is the following infcription, in characters very deeply cut : Ossa AcRIPPIN M. A GRIPP£, Di vi Augusti NEPTIS, UXORIS GeRMANICI, & C. The young gentlemen, after having for fome time furveyed this fepulchral urn with melan- * choly pleafure, gave their attention to Crito ; who with a down-cad look proceeded as follows. I f we confider the domedic life of Germanicus , we (hall find him in that, as well as in other parts of his character, infinitely more refpeCtable, and infinitely more happy, than Tiberius . TIBERIUS Chap. IV. Roman Conversations. 389 TIBERIUS was, indeed, in his earlier years, a goad brother; the temper of Drnfus being per- haps irrefifiibly amiable: but he afterwards be- came an enemy to all his family; he was a bad fon ; and a cruel hufband, to a wicked wife. GERMANICUS , on the contrary, feems to have pra&ifed many of the virtues, and to have enjoyed many of the felicities of a family-life. He began by being a good brother, and a good fon ; and afterwards, in the ufual progrefs of fuch a chara&er, became a good father. But let me defire you, at prefent, to confider him in his conjugal Ration. The dignity and happinefs of Germanicus were both very eonfiderably increafed, by his marriage with Agrippina. The character of Agrippina would have been far more amiable, if to her many other virtues fhe had added a greater degree of meeknefs and hu- mility; if fhe had been lefs fenfible of the high quality of her family, and of her own real merit. But, Randing as we now are before that urn ? which probably ^or many centuries contained her allies, let us do jufiice, and pay due tribute to her very refpetlable memory, by owning, that, C c 3 among ggo Roman Conversations. Book IV. among the matrons of heathen Rome , Agrippiha , notwithftanding every defeat, was one of the brighteft examples of conjugal virtue. She attained that dignity of chara&er, partly by her own native goodnefs; partly by the aid and influence of her beloved hufband’s example. CRITO now paufed for fome moments, to wipe away the tears that flood in his eyes, and which really hindered him from reading his paper of notes. In her arms, continued Crito with a figh, Ger- manicus expired. With her alone had he pafled through life from his earliefl years : for he enjoyed the great happinejs of 'marrying early ; and of thus foon blefling both himfelf and his parents, with the fight of no lefs than fix of his children. O my noble young friend ! You who fo fre- quently inquire after proper fiibjefls in the roman ftory, on which you may employ fome of the painters, whether englijh or Italian , now in this city; what fubjefl can you find, either more pleafing, or more inftruftive, than the fcene of AuguJhiSi placed on his imperial feat, and en- a£ting the laws againjl celibacy , which at that $ime, in a manner much more deftru&ive than any Chap. IV. Roman Conversations* 3 gi civil war, was wafting and extirpating the greateft families in Rome *? Seated in that ftate, and per- haps on this very hill , he directed, that his great grand-children, the offspring of Germanicus 9 fhould be brought into his prefence. He then, in fight of the whole fenate, took up fome of thefe little ones in his arms ; others he placed on the knees of the young prince their father ; and, with the happy and amiable pride of a parent, fhowed to the affembly all thefe, his treafures ; inviting the young nobility of Rome to be fenfible of fuch happinefs, and haften to follow the example of his Germanicus. Ne gravarentur imitari juvenis exemplum t. Such was Germanicus , when he had fcarcely completed his twenty- fourth year. — Compare with this charming fpeSacle fome parts of the character of Tiberius. But, indeed, the contrail now grows far too difmal and horrid for defeription, either by pen * The young reader is vioji earnejlly referred on this oc« cafion, to the beginning of the fifty- fixth book of DioCaJJius , p. — 578. He is defired alfo to confult Univerfal Hif- tory, vol. xiv. p. 20. — Tacit . lib. iii. c. 25, and Freinfbem. lib. lix. c. 53, with it’s note. A u gif us lib ros tot os, & fenatui recitawit^ & populo notos per edidium feepe fecit : ut orationes Sf JS/letelli , de prole augenda % Rutilii de modo dificioruni; quo magis perfuaderet utram- que rem , non a fe primo animadverfam , fed antiquis jam tunQ £ur nunc JioE The converfation now dwelt, for a confidera- ble time, on the outward fplendour, but frequent real mifery, of a minifterial or court life. D d 2 Our 404 Roman Conversations. Book IV. Our young nobleman, during the difcuflion, communicated to bis friends feveral very impor- tant reflexions, which he had heard from his fa- ther on thefe fubjeXs. * # * The company returned to their lodgings about dinner-time ; but Crito made fome excufe for not dining with them. He retired to his clofet, and it being Jaturday afternoon, applied himfelf, as ufual, to fome private ftudies. The objeX of his meditation was a character, remarkably contrary to the wickednefs of this world ; contrary as light is to darknefs : the cha- raXer of the auftere, pure, and holy St. John the Baptift. It was about the time of Sej anus' s death, that St. John came preaching in Judaea the baptifmof repentance , for the remijfion of fins . CRITO pahed fome moments in conlidering this holy charaXer, compared with thofe, which are generally found in king's houfes : but he foon quitted that kind of thought, and began to apply the weighty doXrine of penitence home to his own heart. W HY Chap . IV. Roman Conversations. 405 Why fhould he look for faults among other men ? He found enow in the recorded memorial of his own aftions. In deep compunQion of mind he thought tfiere- eh 9 and wept . He applied himfelf afrefh to fhe ftudy of the Baptift’s life: he afterwards took up the poetical tranflation of the P falter , lately pub- lifhed at Arezzo, by Peter Roffi ; and perufed two or three of the penitential pfalms. He perufed alfo feme part of the copy of verfes prefixed to the work; in which the author thus addreffes himfelf to the Hebrew pfalmift. — — - Canendi fpipitum mihi impetra ? Tuo refufus qui talebat peBore ; Tuis ut injlem proximus vejtigiis 9 Tuofque fenfus , et verenda intelligam. Tuis repofa verjibus myjleria.-™—™ Id fi negetur , et frequenti crimine Ccccata , mens fpectare non tam altiim potejh Placare Icefi -me doce iram Numinis Tua cemulantem exempla ; et Mas intimo E corde duBas ac falubres Iqcrymas , Quibus juventce tu piafi improvidce Errata , et cequum leniifli judiccm. Id Ji impetraro , multo erit jucundius, Qudm Ji tua cemuler canendo carmina . Ddg CHAP 406 Roman Conversations. Book IV. CHAP. V. * TWENTY-THIRD DAY’S CONVERSATION. In the account of yefterday’s tranfactions, no notice was taken of the manner in which the young gentlemen employed their afternoon. They vifited the Capitol, with the intention of recolle&ing in that place part of the morning’s lefture. They paffed fome time there, converf- ing on the conclufion of Tiberius's wicked reign; and afterwards defeended into the Campo Vaccino. In that part of the roman forum , which lies between the Capitoline and Palatine hills, there Rands a fingle marble column, of the Corinthian order, fluted, and about fifty feet in height. I t is the opinion of fome antiquarians, faid the young nobleman, that this column made part of that bridge, which the fucceflbr of Tiberius built acrofs the forum . It may* with more probability perhaps, be fuppofed to have made part of fome of thofe temples, or porticos, over which that bridge was carried. I HAVE Chap. V. Roman Conversations. 407 I have often thought, that fuch a bridge, thus joining the Capitoline and Palatine hills, might be of real and confiderable convenience to the public. It probably faved much time, and many a wearifome ftep, to the induftrious inhabitants of this part of Rome ; which, in the time of Cali- gula , was the moft populous, or at leaf! the moft frequented. But, alas ! far different was the motive of ( Ca- ligula. His defign, in theere&ion of that bridge, was not beneficence to his fubjefls; but the in- dulgence of his own moll abfurd, and impious pride. In the temple of Cajlor and Pollux , which flood near thofe three columns of Jupiter Stator , Caligula frequently feated himfelf, between the ftatues of the Diofcuri ; and from their temple he built the bridge to the Capitol, merely that he might, with more convenience and eafe to him- felf, go often to receive the fame horrid adoration in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinas . As to Jupiter , replied Crito’s pupil, if we com fider the hiftory of that king of Crete , as given by the poets, we fhali not find his chara&er to have been much better than that of Caligula* Bd4 But 408 Roman Conversations. Book IV. But the inhabitants of the grecian and roman world, fuch was the extreme abfurdity of paga- nifm, conne&ed with the word Jupiter a very different idea; even that of the Great Creator and Preferver of the univerfe; the Mofl Beneficent; the Mofl Holy. Now, if we confider the affair in this light, horrid indeed was the wickednefs of Caligula , in daring to affume fuch a name. I recollect reading fometime ago, with my tutor, the account given by Jofephus and Philo of Caligula's attempt to profane even the temple of Jerufalem , by ere£ling his own flatue in it. T o what incredible degrees of madnefs may hu* man pride fometjmes extend! A babylonian monarch, if I remember rightly, could fo far yield to the flattery of his courtiers, as to forbid his fubje&s offering any petition , to any god or man , but himfelf. This roman em- peror was impious enough to claim even divine honours; thougli he was in reality one of the vilefl monflers, that ever difgraced humanity. G my dear friends, what a place of horrour was then that Palatine mount! Chap. V. Roman Conversations. 409 Cur non apertw turn fuerunt ccdorum cataraB.ce? Cur non rupti erant fontes abyjfi magni?* Surely, no antediluvian wickednefs could be greater, than that of Caligula s court. At leaft, why did not the Tiber then fwell, with a ten-fold abundance of torrents, to waflv away that Palatine hi Hoc, and drown all the ro- man campagnam a broad afphaltic lake; while the tufculan and fabine mountains poured forth on it their fulphurous materials, by the eruption of an hundred volcanoes? But why fhould fuch expreffions fall from my lips? Notwithftandifig the unutterable abomina- tions of the imperial palace, and great corruption of the public manners, there were doubtlefs* even during this reign, multitudes in Rome of a very different chara&er. Of it’s meaner inhabitants feveral thoufands, probably, lived in the faithful praQice of the duties of their ftations, according to the light of nature. Many, in all likelihood, were the virtuous perfons, then engaged in agri- culture, commerce, or trade; many honeft men were to be found in the profeffions. Some alfo 3 who were bleffed by Providence with a more in, dependent fortune, and who, from the kindnefs * Vid* Lib. Genes, cap* vii, 15* of 410 Roman Conversations. Book IV. of their parents, had received a more ornamented education, paffed their days happily in fludious privacy; mailers of their own time, anddifpofing it to the heft purpofes, meditation, and works of beneficence. From the vain occupations of this vafl city, from the falfe pleafures, honours, and riches around them, Recepere fe ad tranquilliora , tutiora , major a. Tenuit illos, in hoc genere vitce, multum bonarum artium , amor virtutum atque nfus , cupiditatum oblivio , vivendi atque moriendi fcien- tia , alta rerum quies *. In all probability there were alfo, even in the higher conditions of life, feveral, who lived in the pra&ice of much moral virtue* There was one eminent example of merit, re- plied the eldeft of the young gentlemen, even in the family of Caligula : I mean his father-in-law, the wife and good Af. Silanus . But he could not live there long : he was one of the many perfons, who perifhed by that tyrant’s cruelty and ingrati- tude. Caiance cladis erat magna portio . Your temper, my dear friend, is meeknefs it- felf : #pu«cv cam: I ufe this exprefiion in the * See Seneca de bre with fand, and became quite ufelefs. See Univerfal Hiftory, vol. xiv. p. 329, to Chap. V. Roman Conversations, 423 ‘ to the name of Trajan , his more fortunate fuc- ceflor. It might hardly be imagined, that Trajan was, in any refpeB:, an imitator of Claudius : and yet, in feveral inftanpes, he certainly followed Clau- dius's defigns : in none however more manifeftly, than in the reparation of that haven : for Trajan 9 if I be rightly informed, repaired that fea-port, as well as thofe of Civita-Vecchia and Ancona. TRAJAN is faid alfo to have profecuted ano- ther project of Claudius ; namely, that of drain- ing the Fucine lake. I have often wi hied, replied the young noble- man, that fome ingenious traveller, after having paffcd a year or two in making the common tour of Italy 1 would allow himfelf another year : not for the extenfion of his travels into the Levant ; but to vifit thofe provinces of the tufcan , eccleji- ajlic , or Neapolitan ftate, that he out of the beaten track of travellers; but which, probably, contain many curious remains of antiquity. In palling through the Abruzzo , for infiance, I prefume he could not fail of finding fome very confiderable remains of that work you men tion, at the Famine lake; which employed thirty- E € 4 thoufand 424 Roman Conversations. Book IV. thoufand labourers conftantly, during eleven years Claudius s reign. What would be your fentiments, my dear friend, in viewing that lake, and the channel of it’s emijfario? Should I ever attend you thither, my thoughts might poffibly be employed in form- ing an idea of that magnificent, but bloody fpec- tacle, which Claudius exhibited on it’s waves; while all the hills around it were covered with the inhabitants of that part of Italy , like the fides of a vaft amphitheatre. Your mind, however, would be bufy in a much more noble contemplation, the real public utility of the work itfelf. I am confident you are of opinion with me, that this attempt of Claudius , though it failed of fuccefs, deferves to be mentioned in the roman hiftory with peculiar honour. The fecurity of fo ample a fupply of water to the current of the Tiber* was, furely, a defign very favourable to the improvement of the inland navigation of Italy. The addition alfo of fome thoufand acres of fertile foil to the territory was a no lefs important * Dion fo confiders it : T acitus feems to refer the im- provement to the Liris. Vid. Tacit, Anna!, lib. xii. c. 56, objeft. Chap. V. Roman Conversations. 425 obje6L The fpace of grpund, covered and fwal- lowed up, as it were, by that lake, muft have given bread to the inhabitants of many new towns, had not the fcheme of draining it failed ; firft, by the negligence or avarice of Claudius's miniftry ; and afterwards, by the envy of a Nero. 1 remember, my dear friend, fome of your obfervations on a iimilar topic, when we were croffing the Beemjler , in North Holland*. It was fome few days after we had been feeing Cor- hulo's canal, from Leyden and Delft , to Maejlandt Sluys. The draining of lakes, the opening of havens, and the building of aquedubts, are indeed, faid Crito's pupil, works of great public utility : but I own myfelf much more pleafed with fome other actions of Claudius's reign. * li There is, in North Holland , an effay made of the pofli- bility of draining great lakes; by one, about two leagues broad, having been made firm land, within thefe forty years. 44 This makes that part of the country called Bee??ijler; be- ing now the richefl foil of the province, lying upon a dead flat divided with canals, and the ways through it diftinguifh- ed with ranges of trees; which make the pleafantefl fum- mer landfcape of any country I have feen of that fort. 44 There is one very great lake of frefh water, fbill remain- ing in the province of Holland , by the name of Harlem Meer; which might, they fay, be eafily drained, and would there- by make a mighty addition of land.— Much difcourfe has there been about fuch an attempt, fee.” Sir William. Lemple’s Account of Holland, When 426 Roman Conversations. Book IV . When I con fider the vail multitudes that then inhabited this extenfive metropolis, I cannot help admiring, and even loving the memory of Clau- dius. , for the conftant and anxious care he took, in fupplying them with bread, during feveral years of fcarcity and famine. Ad fubvehendos etiam hy- berno tempore commeatus , nihil non excogitavit. A ftrange expreffion this of Suetonius , if Claudius , as is commonly imagined, were really funk in con- tinual ftupidity. With much greater veneration ought we to recollett Claudius's philanthropic defign of ex- tending the privileges of this city to many of the nations, that were fubjeft to her dominion. I speak this in reference, not merely to his kindnefs towards the people of Ilium , Rhodes , Cos , and Byzantium : for Claudius was very generous in granting roman privileges to the natives of many other lefs celebrated countries. A gene- rofity, which, though much abufed in many par- ticular cafes, and fometimes praflifed with great levity, yet certainly, in general, was highly lau- dable. This intention of Claudius is fhamefully ridi- culed, by the author of that fatyrical treatife, com- monly known by the title of the Att onoho-Awrutn;. I cannot Chap. V. Roman Conversations. 427 I can fcarce imagine Seneca to have been really the author of that piece ; at lead of fome paflages, which we now find in it : for they are mod con- tradictory, both to the contents of that oration, which he himfelf compofed, to be fpoken by Nero at Claudius's funeral*; and to the epidle, which, fome years before, he infcribed to Polybius , Permit me to repeat my hopes, that fome critic may arife, who fiiall be able to refcue Seneca from the clifhonour of having fitten down to write fo very meanly-fpirited a fatiref. It is granted, that the dupidity and wickednefs of Claudius were at times excedive : but they both certainly had their intervals. His defign to grant the civic franchifes^ of which we are now fpeaking, was furely replete with humanity and true political wifdbm : it would have done very great honour to the reign of an Antoninus Pius , or a Marcus Aurelius . * See Tacitus, Annal. lib. xiii. c. 3. i Poifon and murder, domeftic and civil treafon, are no jefts : capitalia crimbia ludis . See the epigrams prefixed to the Cosijolatio ad Hel ^ 01 \xvTi probably, would never have been fubdued by all the force of this mighty empire, had they been but as much accuftomed to the roman art military, as the contemporary germans were j or if they had (( There is an excellent critique on the above celebrated defcription, in the Guardia?u SeeVol, II. In this glow- ing paffage, our vulgar tranflation has much more fpirit than the Septuagint ; always taking the original in the mo ft poe- tical and exalted fenfe ; fo that moft commentators, even on the hebrew itfelf, fall beneath it,’ 3 See the paraphrafe at the clofe of the Night-Thoughts* Vo l, II, F f been 434 Roman Conversations. Book IV. been then happily conne&ed and united, under the ftandard of one prince. Sed , dum finguli pugnant , univerfi vincuntur *. Their ftruggles indeed were unfuccefsful ; but their heroifiiis were highly glorious : Nulla , tum 9 in detreftandis periculis , formido. Of that weaknefs the britons were accufed, after they were conquered and cor- rupted; Amijfa vir tut e par iter & libertate : but in thofe early days, while they were yet free, they were eminently valiant. 0 quam multorum opera egregia in obfcuro jacent ! Who would not wifh for a more particular de- tail of their achievements ? But how brief, how defeQive is this part of our national hiftory ! We receive more information as to the affairs of an- cient Britain from Tacitus , than from any other writer ; yet furely, that information, though moft fenfible and authentic, is far from being fuffi- ciently ample, or particular. Often have I wifhed, not only that the works of Tacitus had come down to us complete ; but alfo that Tacitus had compofed another hiftory, and that not a concife one, but of a juft ftze, ex- prefsly on the fubje£i of the forty year's war in Britain . * Vita Agricolee, c. 12. In Chap.V. Roman Conversations. 435 In fuch a work, the patriotic fortitude of Ca- raBacus , of Galgacus , and of many other britifi heroes, whofe achievements are now loft in ob- livion, would have appeared in due fplendour and dignity : not contracted in their proportions, merely to give fpace in the picture for the horrid forms of the contemporary wickednefles of Rome ; but reprefented in full magnitude. Many fuc- ceffive generations of britijh youths would thus have gazed with ardour on the glorious portraits * Inter ed animos ad virtutem vehementijfime accendi ; Jlammam in peBore crefcere ; neque prius fedari 9 quam major im Jam am atque gloriam adcequa - verint*. Indeed, dear fir, replied Crito's pupil, I have fometimes framed the fame kind of with. Such a work would have been highly valuable, not only on that important account which you mention, but for feveral other, lefs weighty rea- fons. The Jludent of englilh hijlory , -whatever were his time of life , or temper of mind 9 would pro- bably conftder fuch a book, as one of the moll favourite volumes in his library. * Vid, Sallust* BeL Jug, c, iv. and vol. i. p. 450. F f 2 The 436 Roman Conversations. BookIV The antiquarian would certainly find in it ma- terials for a much more accurate defcription of the rivers and hills in ancient Britain , and of the boundaries of her feveral nations, than any he can now colle£l, from all the authors who hav e written on the fubjefih With great fatisfa&ion he would learn thence the exaft courfe of many of her public ways, and the true fituation and origin of many of her cities. But his greateft feaft would be in thofe digreffions, which we may fuppofe to have treated of religious do&rines, of the fciences, and perhaps of the feats of learn- ing belonging to the druids. VESPASIAN ,• if I miftake not, conquered the ifle of Wight , and feveral other britijh prin- cipalities, which probably lay between that ifland and the territory of the dobuni . This territory, I think, comprehended the counties of Oxford and Glocejier. I have been told there is a place in Wiltjhirc , not far from Stonehenge , ftill called by the name of Vefpafian s camp. The difciples of Dr. Stukeley , therefore, in a clear and ample hiftory of Vefpafian’s campaigns, would reafon- ably expeft to find fome defcription of the drui - dical temples at Stonehenge and Abury , as they appeared in thofe times, when their barbarous grandeur was probably ftill entire. 1 RE MEM- Chap. V. Roman Conversations. 437 I remember going, laft april twelvemonth, to the vail amphitheatrical temple of Abury *, in company with my tutor, and there liftening to fome of his opinions refpeBing the doflrine of the druids . Several of their tenets he admired and revered ; particularly thofe capital articles of their belief, the immortality of the foul, and the cer- tainty of that future ftate, in which charity, as well as patriotic fortitude, are to be rewarded f : articles, which, very much to the honour of our parts of Europe, were firmly and ardently retained by our britijh anceftprs ; while, at the fame time, the corrupted inhabitants of Greece and Rome feem to have been endeavouring, by luxury and fophiftry, to extinguifh in their breafts every fpark of that noble and bleffed hope, which is kindled by the breath of nature in the hearts of all mankind, even of the molt rude and wild. On the other hand, it, was with muck averfion my tutor mentioned fome of the bad rites, and as it were north -am eric an doftrines of the druids . He pitied their fuperftitions; but he abominated the cruel facrificing of their captives : and on this laft account, he expreffed ftrongly his joy, that * The circumference of the mound of that amphitheatre Is not lefs than eighteen hundred yards. f Compare Seneca with Lucan } lib. i. V. 442, F f 3 the 438 Roman Conversations. Book IV. the romans , by the abolition of druidifm, had cleared a way for the future progrefs of chrif- tianity. Before my good friend had thus turned my attention to fo ferious a train of thought, I was employed in another manner. I was hammering out a copy of verfes. Cold indeed, or rather totally dead, muft have been my imagination, had it not been then fufceptible of fome poetic ideas: then , while I was treading the foft turf of Ahury , amidd the circles of thofe mofs-grown (tones ; or muling in that long meadow, which leads from the temple to the filver fprings of the Kennet , and the verdant pyramid of Silbury. In the centre of that pyramid mod probably refts the dud of a britifh king ; the brave pro- te6tor of his people in war, and the munificent founder of religious edifices. The temple of Ahury was in all likelihood his w 7 ork. Often has his name been repeated in the fongs of britijh poets ; though it is now totally unknown, or but uncertainly guefled at. Often around that hill, in the folemn ceremony of annual affemblies, IFos quoque , qui fortes animas , belloque peremptas Laudibus in longum vates demittitis cevum , Plurima Chap. V . Roman Conversations. 43^ Plurima fecuri fudijlis carmina bardi : Et vos barbaricos ritus , moremque JiniJlrum Sacrorum druidce pojitis repetijlis ab armis But let me not wander too much my dear fir, from the fubjeft, on which you were (peaking. Your indulgence will pardon the digreffion* I cannot but be of opinion, that the hijlory of Britain, during thofe forty years, would have furnifhed very rich and abundant matter for poetic imagery : even the mixture of barbarilm in it would have been of no difl'ervice to the mufe. If fuch a hiftory had been extant, the adven- tures of it’s heroes and heroines would have found celebrity from the harps of Shakfpeare , Spenfer , and Milton , arrayed in peculiar fweetnefs. All the epic , lyric , and tragic mufes of modern Britain might have fele6ted thence their favourite themes: they would probably have confidered that epocha with as much love and refpe£l, as was rendered by the mufes of Greece and Rome to the inexhaultible Itory of the wars and fall of Troy. Even the politician would not difdain to pay a deep attention to the contents of fuch a work from * Lucan. Pharfal. Lib* I* 447 • F f 4 the 440 Roman Conversations. Book IV. the hand of Tacitus. For, however barbarous Britain might then be in her national manners, in her few laws, and rough form of government ; yet, furely, many important propofitions and ufeful maxims might be deduced from a judicious and faithful defcription of them. The hiftory of our anceftors, even of thofe who are moil remote from our own times and cuf- toms, will always be found to contain fomething inftru&ive to their pofterity. Such I remember was the refle&ion you made, when reading to me, at Hanover , Tacitus's effay De Moribus Germanorum ; and tracing out, from it, the origin of the manners and government of our anglo-faxon fathers: a refle&ion, certainly, not inapplicable to our britijli anceftors alfo, and to the hiftory of our ifland in their times. Let us judge of the utility of their hiftory in general from one article, of which we have fome knowledge : I mean the all-fupporting article of population. Britain , though deftitute of manu - failures) and of commerce , and probably but little inftru&ed in the art of agriculture, yet feems, in the times of Claudius , and of his fucceflor, to have been at leaft as full of people as at prefent. According to that fhort account of britijli affairs which we now find in Tacitus , the number of (lain, in Chap. V . Roman Conversations. 441 in the defeat of one britijh army, and in the deftru6lion of two britijh cities, amounted to lefs than one hundred and fifty thoufand*! — ■ Ccefar alfo fays in his commentaries, that Britain was, in his time, abundantly inhabited: — Ho- minum ejl infinita multitude; creberrima edijicia ; pecoris magnus numerui f . I fhould be glad to fee thefe fabis, if true, rationally accounted for. Such a difeuffion would certainly lead you to fome very important reflebiions. But I forget, that I am all this while inter- rupting you. You were fpeaking of the progrefs of the roman arms in the conquelt of our illand. Indeed, dear fir, replied the eldeft of the young gentlemen, I had much rather follow your train of ideas, than return to my former unpleaf- ing topic. It is true, that the progrefs of the roman arms in the weftern or eaftern frontiers of the empire is a much more manly object of thought, than * Annal. lib. xiv-. c. 33. 37. Bocidicea's army, according to Dion CaJJius , confided of 120,000 in the.beginning of her infurre&ion : it afterwards increafed to 230,000. But in this almoft incredible multitude, it is probable, that even the women and children, who flocked in great throngs to the camp, are to be reckoned. Even if fo, the number is aftonifhing. f Cxs 0 de Bello GaL Lib. v, c»i2« the 442 Roman Conversations. Book IV. the degenerate manners of the contemporary fenate and people of Rome , if they merit the being called by that name, or the vile arcana of the court of the Ccefars. It is true, that the labours of Cor - bulo , and other roman generals, who commanded with honour in the reign of Claudius , are fuffi- ciently noble, to recall to our minds the hi (lory of fome of the moft celebrated heroes in the ro- man republic *. It is obferved, if I be not mif- taken, by the noble author of the Spirit of Laws, that the military virtues of this city furvived all the reft. But what was the objefl of thefe virtues , as they are mof improperly called? — the invafion, the daughter, the plunder, the enflaving of inno- cent nations. Such, at leaft, was the cafe in Britain . The firft commander in chief of that hritifk invafion, was Plautius. In our late journey to Tivoli , I flood for Tome minutes on the Ponte Lucano , viewing that ad- * The character of Corbulo feems. in feveral particulars, to bear a refemblance to that of Scipio Africcimis . O/xo/a yxp rots rspurots Vuyuxtuv^ on rco yevti Xx[j. r np&>) v> rco truy.xn tcr%vp(&> xXKx k, rvj xpnQpcov yv* ^ rjoXv /xev to txv^p eiov 9 rjoXv c>£ yCj to chxxtov, tots w/fov ns 'gjxvtxs, r as ouznss, ms zyoXsfAitss st%sv» Dio, lib. lxii, c. 19. Mixed with thefe great qualities, there were unhappily fome ingredients of vanity and oflentation ; and what is much more to be lamented, a confiderable degree of that roman ambition, which was not fufficiently fparing of hu- man blood. joining Chap. V. Roman Conversations. 443 joining mafly tower, which is the maufoleum of the PI anti an family*. My thoughts, at that time, were engaged on the hi {lory of this Plautius , of whom we are now {peaking ; and my fentiments in regard to him were very flu£Uiating. I could not but feel fome refpebl for the memory of his mi- litary merit; but I felt much more horrour in recollebling, that he was the deftroyer of my coun- try. Perhaps around that tower, during his funeral folf oruty, much britijh blood was hied in fport, 3 mi as it had been here, in the circus or jorum , at the time of his ovation +. Such were the horrid * See vol. i. p. 169. *f TLXovyt®^ ana ra'BpzTovyixu 'SToAe/x y, us J9 xocXus avrov yiipicros 59 Y.OT opSwaaS) ^ E and plundering or deftroying it’s humble cottages*. The love of our country, for all England you know was then Welch , will lead us to concur with CaraBacus in his aftonifhment at this avarice and ambition of Rome . But ought not philanthropy to carry us at leaft one hep farther? Is not Britain at prefent poffeffed of an empire more extenfive, and perhaps almoft as opulent as the roman? And is it not highly probable, that in viewing the ftreets and fquares of London , feveral american chiefs, whofe countries border on our back fettlements, may have vented their com- plaints^ in expreffions fomewhat fimilar to thofe of Caraftacus ; or to thofe, which Galgacus ut- * Caraftacus , barbarorum princeps , captus & Romam duShis , cum e veniam a Claudio impetrdjfet , 13 dimijfus perlujlrdjfet zirbis magnitudinem & Jplendorem , u Itane , in quit, [xxT©* } ss t*>v op%v>rpxv, K) ss tov iTSTo^po/xov, tots Searpoy, to y.vvr,ysTty.ov sh 7 Y)X§ov 9 ojaTrtp 01 xtuxoto^toi' sicviXSov 01 (xsv s§sXovtxi 9 ot cts ztxw xvlovtss . — • Kxj tl^OV 01 TOTS XV^puTIOl TX ysw 1 TX (XtyxXXy TVS TVS Opx- TlVSj TVS x(3tVSj TVS TlopxlVS, TVS OvxXsptVS, T xXXx Z7XVTX) WV TX Tponxsx, UV 01 VXOi SupuvTOy KXTZJ TS SfVDlOTXSy Kj TOIXVTX SpVVTXSy OJV tvix hS* vn’ xXXuv yivofxsvx sS'su.'pvv. K xi soxhtvXo^six.tv v ys kvtvs a AA*jAo;r, nrsKsyov Mxke^oves fxsv 9 Ovt^> sr/v o tv T. IxvXv snyov®^ 9 E XXyy$s ts Ovt@* tv M opxfxtv* EwA/wrai, {Sets tov K X^y^iov' H Tssipu- txi ifisTs tov Atsthov' A — vvxtos girmcms v> it, avru tocvtol upocTTovr©', cymTo, Kf tWnovv / &,\x2'z tev)\zTV)(rs. Dio CaJJius. Nunautim inter a^oluptates . a r a pin a & cade ceJJTabat. dan Chap . VL Roman Conversations. 495 clan charaBer fimilar to his ? I wilh I were abie ? etfen now, when in the fuburbs of Rome , to ex- patiate, with proper dignity of fentiment and lan- guage, on the chara£ler of Corbulo . Among many other particulars, highly to his honour, ought we not to take notice, that it was to be attributed to Corbulo alone, that the roman army in Syria was fo ftrengthened, by newly-re- vived difcipline, as to ftrike terrour over all the call ? I t was to Corbulo alone, that Nero owed the molt fplendid circumftance of his reign : I mean, the fub million of the royal family of Parthia , ftrongly expreffed by Tiridates’s coming hither, to receive the inveftiture of the kingdom of Armenia . How great, indeed, did the majefty of this imperial city then appear! From the fhores of the Cafpian , Tiridates came, to pay his homage, and receive his crown. In that very year, it is remarkable, that Suetonius Paulinus 9 the con- queror of the weftern fliores of Britain , was in veiled with the confullliip ; and, probably, af~ filled at that pompous ceremony . But what mull have been the thoughts of Pmlinus 9 while feeing the fuppliant parthian in the 496 Roman Conversations. Book IV. the roman forum? Mull he not have recolle&ed the appearance of CaraCtacus , in the Cajlro Prce- torio ? Muft he not have compared their be- haviour ? How fervilely impious was the fpeech of the defcendant of Arfaces ! How noble that of the britijh king ! This morning, faid the young nobleman, 1 perufed Dion's relation of the furprizing mag- nificence and incredible profufion of Nero's court, on account of Tiridates's journey and entrance into Ro?ne . I have fince been confidering, what an idea of roman fplendour muft have been imprefled on the mind of the parthian prince. I next recoh lefled the fentiments uttered by Hormifdas , when he attended hither the fon of Conjlantine the- Great; and I was, juft now, doubting, at which of thofe times this city appeared in the moft noble outward grandeur . But your much more manly reflections ought to draw my attention entirely from fuch vain thoughts. Indeed, under all the glitter of Nero's court, how much of vile and horrid wickednefs was there pra&ifed! The blood of Barea Soranus , the Chap . VL Roman Conversations, ^gj the imitator of Sccevola and Ritilius , was then fhedding * 4 Nor was it’s pomp lefs tranfitory. For let us s after admiring the fplendour of Nero in the forum 9 the theatre , and the circus , recoiled what hap- pened to him only fome few months after , in the very place to which we are approaching . # # * The company were now arrived at §erpentara*> where the houfe of Phaon , Nero's freedman. Hood; and where himfelf, in the molt mean and miferable manner, breathed his laft. They inquired for the reed-ground, in which that vile trembling parricide hid his wretched head. They next looked about for that filthy puddle, too pure however for his hands, of which he drank. They wiflied to fee the fituation of that hovel, in which he expired t. CRITO'S * TV QvfjLnxavis oc. pirns ra 'sjpurec «y nxoms 9 xvz^scvov on romroi no- ay, Dio Cajfius. Baream Soranum — eques romanus popofcerat reum ex pro - Confulatu AJia ; in qua offe?iJiones principis auxit 5 jufiitia atque indujiria .• — 7 empus damnation i deledium 3 quo Tiridates acci~ piendo Armenia? regno adventabat. Tacit, Annal. lib. xvi. c. 23. + Ojferente Phaonte liherto fubzirbanum fuum , inter Sala- riam & Nomentanam r is XKtsav), sroXux* aXX'avr©* kx 9 ’ sxvrov tv -pvyrri >p sSpyvsi rp uXoQvpsTo* sXoyfsro yxo nx. re xXXx, di. npors n on zjoXvxv^pwno txty) 'ujots Sspx'jrEix yavpuSsis , [xsrx rpiuv s%sXsv§spuv sy.vAix^s. toi^tov yxg tipxfxx tots Axi^oviov xvru zjapscry.Evxosv , ivx (xr,y.sTi tvs xXXvs ( xrtrpotpovvs ‘dp aXvjrxs, xXd y$r) >p sxvrov v'lrov.pirnrxi. K xi tots pxsrsyiyvucnLEv s sksivo crvvsyrus SVSVOSly Oixrpus Xavsiv f avuys ffvy r xf&>, ryxwig. O-ps cfvv mors, sTtsi^n [uresis xvrov xvxcfruv supxro , (xsryxSsv sis to avrpov * xxvTxvSa dp ztyxyz zssinxrxs aprov oiroiov v^s wuirors tdsdpuKSij d ; STTEi ^tp/vcrxs vliug or.onv «(h ttutsots tjettuksv. E u '^vaxvx'j‘gsTr, you may in fome degree conceive, how terrible the pain of felf-condemnation mu ft be, when a guilty wretch finds himfeif really drawing near to his laft hour. A bad confcience is a very tormenting com- panion, even in times of the greateft health and profperity * : but it’s pangs, it’s confufxon, it’s horrours muft be infinitely more terrifying, at the near profped of diffolutjon ; of the gates of hell ; the powers of darknefs ; and the bitter pains of eternal death. May we all, deeply and frequently, meditate on this ! But I hope and pray, that none of this compaqy will ever, ever feel it. O my dear friends ! blefs God that you have, to appearance , much time of life before you; that you have ftrength to employ yourfelves in many fuch works of true faith and love, as will not fail to bring you peace at the laft. Would to Gob it were now in my power to difplay, or worthily to defcribe to you, the ex- alted happinels of a truly chrijlian death-bed. * Both Tiberius and Nero experienced this- truth.- — Tibe- rius omnium mortalium trifiijjimus . Nero nunqudin fceleris f oncienticim ferre potuit : f&pe confejfus exagitarfft maternd fpecir^ &c. Sueton . c. 34. K k 3 With 502 Roman Conversations. Book IV. With a very inferiour degree of earneftnefs, I alfo wifh I could prefent to your thoughts a worthy idea even of Socrates , during the laft days of his life. What I have now to fhow you, is, really, far inferiour to either of thefe ; yet it is fuch, as very well deferves your attention. Saying this, Crito entered the villa, and turned on his right hand into the firft apartment, which is adorned with the famous ftatue of Seneca . That ftatue reprefents him, finking indeed under the languor of death ; but with eyes fo elevated, and with a gefture of countenance, lips, and hands fo very ftriking, as plainly to point out in what manner he paffed his laft moments *. Noviffmo * A print of this ftatue, taken from a drawing, which Rubens brought with him from Rome to Antwerp, may be feen in the introdudion to Lipfius's edition of Senecals works : together with the following defcription of it. Imago Sene - cce ex Lucelleo marmore fabrefada , inter cardinalis Borgefti admiranda antiquitatis monumenta cernitur . V era efi effigies in balneo animam jam exhalantis , & in //.si/ 0 OpoLtrsocs zysvsTOy itf raro otsi 'tzp©' txvrov sXsys. O jt4£v N tpcov oitnoKrzivou [a.e $ vvoctoii , ov. Dio. lib. lxi. Somewhat limilar to this was the anfwer of a celebrated sjir~ mare animum expediet conjlantibus exemplis Po/2, lentitudine exitus graves cruciatus ajfe~ rente , ohverfus in D em^etriumi— What a pity it is ? that the manufcript of Tacitus fliould here break off fo abruptly ! Probably the dying words, which Thrafeas addreffed to his philofophical friend, Demetrius , were not lefs worthy of attention than the laft dif? courfe of Seneca . I n my younger days, I have lamented the great chafms and ruins in the auguft fabric of Livy's hiftory, But in my prefent difpofition of mind s were it in my power to reftore intire, either the work of Livy , or of Tacitus , I know not which I fliould prefer: though certainly a very con- fiderable part of the times defcribed in Tacitus’s * Tacit* Anna!, lib. xv. c. 64. + Ibid, xvi. 36, L 1 3 writings gi8 Roman Conversations. Book IV \ writings was very inferiour, in public virtue, to fome of the epochs contained in the decads of Livy . The young gentleman then took out of his pocket a fmall edition of Tacitus ; and read to his friends fome of that fenfible writer’s complaints on this head. He would probably have added fome further refleXions on this fubjeX; but the cold dew of the evening reminded him, that it was proper to think of returning to their lodgings. The company now rofe from their graffy feat, and walked to that garden gate, which opens near the Porta Penciana. On their way, Crito made feveral fhort, but pertinent obfervations, on the exceffive wickednefs, that prevailed, in govern- ment, during moft part of the life of Thrafeas . The young nobleman recolleXed the names of many contemporary virtuous romans , who ended their days in the fame cruel manner, and pro- ceeded to fome very fenfible refleXions, on the extreme meannefs of the roman fenate, which could, with bafe timidity, confent to condemn to death fuch men; eminent not only for their inno- cence, but for their aXive merit. Yet, Chap . VL Roman Conversations. 519 Yet fuch, faid he, was once the cafe, in Eng- land; even in the trial of peers. Thankful ou^ht we to be, that our lot has fallen on a better age l thankful to a benign Providence, that the times of extreme perfecution and tyranny fo rarely oc- cur in the hiftory of the world. But the men- tion juft now made of the name of Holbein ne- ceffarily recalls to my memory the hiftory of the Tudor family; particularly the reign of Henry VIII. Horrid indeed was that defpotic era! It was not only the houfe of peers, which then fuf* fered in that manner : the fame tyranny prevailed over common juries, in capital trials; the fame tyranny prevailed in a£ts of attainder, pafted by the whole legiflature. How, then> did the parlia- ment of England appear? Alas! it fadly re- fembled that defpicable fenate, which could crouch at the foot-ftool even of a Tiberius 3 or a Nero . It feems a very confiderable confolation, how- ever, replied Crito , that as the annals of Nero's reign contain the hiftory of a Thrafeas; fo that era of englijli tyranny , in like manner, was. not deftitute of many virtuous characters ; and par- ticularly one, in fome refpeCts, veryfimilar: a character even fuperiour to the moft illuftrious, whether of Greece or Rome , in their nobleft ex- cellencies. In virtue, and in patrioufm ; in con- L 1 4 tempt 520 Roman Conversations. Book IV. tempt of wealth; in patience, temperance, and even love of poverty ! integrity, unmoved by any ambitious profpeCt or temptation, of honour, or power; intrepidity and magnanimity, un- fhaken by menaces; unappalfd by dangers; or even by death itfelf ! It is almoft fuperfluous to add his name: a name, juftly reverenced by all englifhmen , how- ever various in their fentiments, either on politi- cal or religious fubjeCts. And this is the more extraordinary, as he fuffered on a religious ac- count; and is faid, how truly I cannot tell, to have been himfelf fometimes cruel in religious matters. In other refpefts, his behaviour was mo ft amiable, moft refpeCiable, moft pious. He was the Arijlides , the Phocion , the Fabricius , the Thrafeas of England.— He was sir Thomas More. I have at my lodgings a fmall collection of fome of his works ; particularly his letters, medi- tations, and devotions, while in the Tower. Per- mit me to recommend it for your perufal to-night, after fupper. The fummer before laft, I remember, I em- ployed part of an afternoon, in a boat on the Thames , reading the life of fir Thomas More. I took Chap.'VL Roman Conversations. 521- I took boat at Chelfea and was gently rowed down the river, paffing between Lambeth and Wejlminjler Hall. In fir Thomas's life frequent mention is made of each of thofe three places* On my landing at the Tower gate, I recollected fir Thomas's laft interview there with his daugh- ter. I caft my eye along the fide of thofe ancient walls, and looked up for the grated window of his prifon. In walking over Tower -Hill? I flop- ped, with reverence for the fpot, at that place of execution, whence his innocent, virtuous, pious foul took her flight to heaven. CHAP. 522 Roman Conversations. BookIV . CHAP. VII. TWENTY-FIFTH DAY’S CONVERSATION. Crit '0, about eight o’clock this morning, on entering the young nobleman’s apartment, found his three young friends, as ufual, deeply en- gaged together in ftudy. He drew a chair, and fat down among them. The table was covered with feveral books of antiquities and hiftory, fcattered among which, lay many coins of the upper empire ; and two or three drawers full of a feries of impreffions in wax, taken from antique feals, that bore the royal, and moft of the principal republican, heads of Rome . W e have been imagining, faid the young no- bleman, that there is fome kind of refemblance between the beginning and ending of the impe- rial Ccefarean family, and thofe of the ancient kings of Rome. JULIUS , Chap . VII. Roman Conversations. 523 JULIUS^ who founded the grandeur of the Caefarean family, feems, not only in the great abili- ties of his mind, and in the manner and place of his death, but alfo in other particulars *, to bear a ftrong fimilitude to Romulus. Augujlus , in the mildnefs and tranquillity of above forty years of his reign, was perhaps, in feme fmall degree, a faint image of the good Numa. The hidory of the Coejarean family ends in a Nero , jud as the feries of monarchs clofed with Tar quin. But Nero greatly furpalfed Tar quin in wicked- nefs : and far didant, do I believe, you would kindly have endeavoured to turn our thoughts from the hidory of his vile life ; had you not thought, that the memory of thofe good men, who fulfered under the cruel tyranny of a Nero y juftly claimed much refpefl from us, during our pro- fecution of this part of our courfe of roman ftudies. ■ They do, indeed , defefve much refpefl, re- plied Crito . The elded of the young gentlemen now opened Dions works ; and, turning to the fixtieth book, read two or three lines. ♦ See the Introduction to this Work, voh I. p. xxiv. Tt to 524 Roman Conversations. Book IV. T TO TV[Q <7VVe%EL2Q TWV X0XWV ElQ T'dTO Til 'SrpxyfJLaTX npoehyXv^seii aq apery v (Joyner aX\o ftydev, y to yevvaiu; KTQ%*veiv 9 vofuZe&ai. A noble philofophic fortitude, faid lie, able to meet death in cool blood, feems to have been the peculiar turn, which the temper of the old romans adopted, during the latter reigns of the Ccefarean family. The magnanimity of thefe fuffering heroes, replied Crito's pupil, was perhaps at lead equally as laudable, as the military courage of their pro- genitors. Such, at lead, we may eafily imagine to have been the fentiment *of a Seneca , or of a Demetrius . Their fortitude, faid Crito , was indeed very remarkable. And although their conduCi was not fo void of defeCt, but that confiderable ob- jections may be made to it; yet, in general, the hidory of their fufferings may prove to us a very ufeful branch of dudy. This was your topic yederday evening, as you were walking out of the gardens of the Villa Borghefe. I have fince been thinking much, and indeed almod during the whole night, upon the fubjeft : Chap. VII. Roman Conversations. 525 fubjeft: and, in confequence, on riling this morning, I committed my thoughts to paper. So faying, Crito laid upon the table a fheet or two of paper. Their contents were as follows^ their title was SUFFERING VIRTUE. # # # F AN NWS, the friend of Pliny , wrote an ac- count of the laft hours of thofe many iiiuftrious perfons, who differed under Nero*„ It is, pro- ’bably, much to be lamented, that this work is not now extant. Such a hiftory, my dear pupil, if elegantly compofed, would have prefented to ypur view many fcenes of afflifted innocence, defcribed in a mafterly Ryle : fcenes much more real, and confequently much more moving, than any con- tained in the fine!! fet of tragedies, written on the fame favourite fubjebl of Suffering Virtue* Nor would the effefts of fuch a hiftory be lefs, were we to Fuppofe it to have been compofed in the plaineft manner; provided it were judicious and faithful. The faffs contained in it would 856 V id, ' Flirty's Ep i ft 1 e t o -Maximus ,-boo k v« p, 5 . make 526 Roman Conversations. Book 1 \\ make us afhamed to complain, or be difpirited, at any of the little adverfities, real or imaginary, which may happen to ourfelves : nay, they would, in fome meafure, ferve to prepare us aljo for fupporting the greatefl trials, if ever we fhould be called to them. Permit me, my dear pupil, to exprefs my idea, in fome lines from Seneca s confolation to his mother Helvia , blended with a few expref- fions, which I remember to have been ufed by Tully , Fleant id gemant , quorum delicatas mentes longa voluptatum contemplatio enervavit ; qua cum difflui - mus 9 nec apis aculeum ferre poffumus ; id ad levifli- marum injuriarum motus collabantur. Nos autem , talium virorum exempla fpeBantes , id inter hcec Jludia nutritos , pudeat labor cm id calamitatem cegrc ferre . Feramus vulnera fortune s?, velut veterani ; fine ululatu, fine vociferatione. Libera fit nofra virtus; inviolabilis ; inconcuffd ; adverfiis apparatus terri - bilium reftos oculos teneat . Nihil ex vultu mutet . TULLY 1 if I rightly underftand his words, hints to us the belt method of acquiring fortitude. Vereor , ne non tarn virtutis fiducia nitendum nobis , ad Chap . VII. Roman Conversations. 527 ad fpem beate vivendi , quam vota facienda vide- antur *. But let not my pen wander too far from the fubjeft propofed. It might perhaps be wiflied, not only that Fannins' s work had been preferved ; but that the fame good fortune had protefted thofe other judicious authors, for fuch probably there were, whofe writings defcribed the bufferings of roman virtue, during the three preceding reigns : namely, under the malice of Tiberius , the mad- nefs of Caligula , and the reiterated ftupidity of Claudius. Were thofe writings Bill extant, they would probably, on this occahon, have been lying upon your table ; bound up, in one large volume, to gether with the work of Fannius. A dismal volume! for difmal, furely, were the events of the civil hiftory of this great and wretched metropolis, from the middle of Tiberius's reign, to the end of that of Nero: an epoch of about forty years ! I wish I had been diligent enough, in my late ftudies of the hjftory of that period, to have ex- trailed from the fragments of Tacitus , Dion , and * Cicero Tufc* Ouseft, lib, v. Cap. u fome 528 Roman Conversations. Book IV. fome other books, a catalogue of the illultrious fufferers. The length of that catalogue, and the fplendour of the names contained in it, would have been very linking and inftrufclive ; even though I had not endeavoured to fubjoin to it any particular account, either of their refpeCtive fulferings, or of their characters. In truth, the hiltorians of that dreadful epoch feem to have been fatigued with fo long a feries of cruelty. The expreffions of Tacitus are very Unking : Neque fum ignarus , a plerifque fcrip - toribus omijfa multorum pericula & pccnas , dum copia fatifcunt ; aut , quce ipfis nimia 6? mcejla fuerant , ne pari tcedio leBuros adjicerent , veren - tur*. For the fake of pofterity, however, it might have been wilhed, that Tacitus himfelf had been more particular in the characters he gives of feveral of the fufferers : whofe virtues were in his time generally known and celebrated in the world > but, by his omiflion of them, are now either partly loll, or wholly buried in oblivion. Yet let us not at prefent indulge ourfelves, idly, in lamenting either the omiffions of the ro- man hiltorians, or the wide ravages and deltruc- tion of time on their works. We have the lefs reafon to lament them, becaufe we find in other * AnnaU lib. vi. c. 7. hiltories Chap. VII. Roman Conversations. 529 hiftories of the fame epocha, examples of a much higher merit very fully delineated: examples, far more edifying to us, as to the pra&ice of virtue in general; whether, as men of the world, we call that virtue fortitude; or, as chriftians patience „ Let us now, my fellow-ftudents, for the re- mainder of this day, lay afide all heathen hiftory: let us lift up our hearts to much higher medita- tions. As the heathen annals of Rome , in this age, fufficiently inform us, that profperity is not with- out many fears and much difrelilh ; even fo does the hiftory of ehriftian religion fhow us in a much ftronger light, that virtuous adverfty is not without many comforts, many hopes; and that felicity of heart, which is infinitely heightened by the allured profped of a happy immortality, and by the affi fiance of Grace Divine. In mice rohur mentis; fumma virtutis ; pef-~ feBio fan&itatis ; gaudium etiam fpiritus ; fu- pernce fuavitatis infufio O, my dear friends! ye are all fo prudent and judicious, that I can need no apology for the * Imitatio Chrifti, lib, ii. c» 12. § 4. Vo l, 1.L M m freedom 530 Roman Conversations. Book IV. freedom I take, in fo often communicating to you thofe thoughts, with which my own heart is filled; and from the abundance of which, on every pro- per occafion, it is fo ready to overflow. But, on the prefent occafion, permit me to (peak more at large. Surely I ought not now to Confine my pen to fome fhort hint, or faint allu- iion, pointing, like a bad compafs, with much unfteadinefs towards fome religious objeft. We are called, in the ftudies of this day, to fix our thoughts on fuch an object, as invariably, and as intenfely as poffible. Let us remember, that the period of forty years , of which we were juft now fpeaking, was the epoch of Suffering Virtue; not with regard to Rome only, but in refpefl of the whole world . It was fo, in the greateft degree; tfyyyp* During that period was imprifoned, and be- headed, that mod juft and holy man, of whofe feftival this afternoon is the eve : I mean St . John the Baptifl. Of him, the Word of Truth itfelf faid, That among thofe born of women, there had not arifcn a greater or a brighter cha- racter. St. John was great, not in worldly ho- nours, not in the erroneous judgment and foolilh opinion Chap. VII. Roman Conversations. 531 opinion of men; but he was great indeed:— M eytcg bvuwov tb 0 EOT*. He was a prophet , and more than a prophet : the worthy harbinger of the world’s Redeemer. His fpotlefs innocence, his unparalleled fpirit of mortification, prayer, and retirement, his zeal and charity were wonderful : but the foundation of all his virtues, the crown of all his great- nefs, was fincere humility. The name, which was given to him from heaven, juftly fignified, full of grace the gift of God. Of fuch a life, let us now alk, a life fo holy and fo pure, what were the comforts, and what was the conclufion ? Little reafon furely has any pious man, either to complain of the fufferings, or to love what are called the good things of this world. With devout refignation let him rather confider the lot appointed to St . John the Baptifl^ The life of St. John confifted of about two and thirty years. They were thus paffed. From his infancy, to his thirtieth year, he lived in the defert , in great aujlerity . From the defert he entered on the labours of his public mi- * DiviLuc. cap. i. ver. 15. Mm2 niftry • 532 Roman Conversations. Book IV. niftry ; which continued for about fifteen months. By the tyranny of Herod he was then committed to prifion; where, during twelve months, he was confined , and at laft murdered . Such was his lot. Beatus vir , qui fujfert tentationem; quoniam turn prohatus fuerit , accipiet coronam vitce , quam repromifit Deus diligentibus fie *. The hiftory of St. John the Baptift may be confidered as one of the greatefl examples of Suf- fering Virtue., that the world had ever feen, fince it’s creation. But it is as nothing, in comparifon with that, which I am now going to mention. How ought my feeble hand to tremble, in writing thefe lines ! During this fame period of forty years, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ himfelf But let me not dare to proceed on that awful fub- je&. May you all, my dear, and ever valued young friends, referve it for your more private, and mo ft folemn thoughts ! Prostrate, in the devotions of your clofets, may you duly refleft, that, fiorafimuch as Christ hath fiujferedfior us , we ought alfio to arm ourfielves zoith the fiame mind. Let us not think it Jlrange , * Epift. St. Jacobi, cap. i. ver. 12. *f Chap . VII. Rom an Conversations. 533 if we alfo be called to the fame trial . The fer~ vant is not greater than his Lord . Let us pray for grace , that with a ready mind we may faith- fully take up our crofs daily , and follow Him. * * * On concluding this paper the company fepa- rated : each perfon retiring to his lodgings, im= p re fled with the moil folemn meditations. At ten o’clock they met again on the terras j where they found the young nobleman’s carriage waiting for them. They went into it; and by Crito’s defire direHed the coachman to drive to St. Paul's . They paffed along the Corfo ; where they flop* ped, for fome time, to vifit the church of Santa Maria in via lata , and it’s fubterranean apart- ments. They afterwards proceeded through the reft of the city and fuburbs : then paffed within fight of Monte Tejlaccio , and went out of the OJlian gate . Travelling another mile, they arrived at that venerable Bafilica , which Conjlantine the Mm3 Great 534 Roman Conversations. Book IV • Great ere&ed to the memory of St. Paul ; and which, in the following century, the emperors Theodofius and Honor ius confiderably enlarged*. It’s dimenfions are very great. It’s breadth within the walls exceeds that of the piazza Na- vona: that piazza, which was the ancient Circus Agonalis , and which at prefent is the principal fquare , if fo improper a term may be ufed, of modern Rome . The molt remarkable ornament of this fpa- cious church confifts of feveral vail pillars of Egyptian granite; and of four rows of co- lumns, the innermoft of which are peculiarly ftately and beautiful, being compofed of the richeft grecian marbles. It’s ancient mofaics are alfo curious; but it’s roof and pavement are very difproportionally mean f . This * At the upper end of this bafilica are to be feen the two following verfes, in ancient characters : Theodofius ccepit , perfecit Honorius aulam , Doftoris mundi facratam corpore Pauli. Quefla chief a fu fondata da Conjiantino — -la fabbrico in quejio luogo in un podere di S.Lucina Madrona Romana; in cui mi era anche il fuo cimeterio di S. S. Martin e tai roi yt avmv xai irtpu’St v vyuv & onto ctojvt©- spyn 'sjowipn, it. aioasi sis rvjv ^xai^sixv ocvru rw snnpctviov. Cl vj ^o^oc sis r as ociuvxs ruv ouuvuv. Ay.vv. Aavocacu Tlpiaxocv tCj Axv\ ocv 9 rov Ovvaitpopn oixov. E poc?®* S[a.sivsv sv KopivSio. Tpofiipov $s oc’jrsXnfov sv MiXyru xaSsvuvrot. 'Lmn fiocaov ssspo %si[j.uv©* s\$siv. Aairx^srxi as Ev/SaA©', ^ nn$vs 9 Kj A iv&> 9 K A«v<^«, K) 01 ocSsXtyoi zsxvrss. # O Kvpi<&> Ivans Xpir(& p«,srot ra rsvsv^xr^ an. H v/xwv. Afxvv. IT pos TiimSsw <$svnpx, rys E ipsaiuv sxxXvaixs rspu rov sTFtaxoTSov yjiporovn^svrx 9 sypxtyn xito Pco(ayis 9 ots sk devrspu ssjxpsfv riai>A®- t« Kc ? iaxpi Nspcoyit _ n 2 Ep» ad Tim, C. iv. a 6, &c* Nnss But 548 Roman Conversations. Book IV. But how contrary has been the condition of their fouls ever fnce! How different will be their meet- ing at the Lafi Bay ! Let me refer you to what I find noted on this occafion, in my memorandum papers : my pupil gave me the hint of it : it con- Ms of the firft fixteen verfes in the fifth chapter of the book of Wifdom *. While * I. Tore sYtmrtxi tv zjxpp^fftz zsoXkn 0 ^txxi^> Kzrx rapoauirov ruv SXivJ/avrwv xvrovy K xi ruv xSsmvruv ms zsovtts xvm. 2# iSbyrir, Txpxy^vo-ovrxt Qofiu Ssivu, K xi SKStyrofrxi tm ru zj xpz^o^u ms cumptxs. 3 » 'Epaatv txvrots purxvouvreSy Kxi Six rtvoyupix y rsvtv(j.xr^ rtvzfyvrtS) Ot/r© w oy i(T xppsv taore, vs ytXurx* Kxi vs ZJXpxl3oXl)V 0VtlSl<7(Jt.ii. 4. 0/ z xvth trtv ; 6* Agx nr'Kxtr$x[Ai v ziro oSu x\t)§vxs 9 K XI TO ms SlXXlOtTVVflS (pus UK ‘n(UV > Kxt 0 ax xvtrtiXtv npuv. 7. AvofAixs evtvto(/.as x@xms 9 T«y St o^oy K vpie ex tyvuptv. 8. T 1 u^tXvt 7»» v (jms n tnrtpntpxvtx ; Kxi ri wAar© (Atrx alxfyvttzs Qv^t^rxi ; 9. TlxpriiStv ixuvx vjxtrx us crxix f Kxi us ayytfax zjxpzrptysaz* 10. fls y xus (iiepxpiAim xv(txtvo(/,mv v$ug 9 Hs <$tx(3xai)s ex ijvv i%»©> tvptiv t Oi3s xrpxtrov rpoin©* xvm s tv xv(j.ucriv* 11. H us op m* S'tnflzvT©* xtpxy OvBtv tvptaxtrxi rtxfAnptov rsoptizs 9 XWrtyn Se rxpuuv (Jt.zrifyij.tvov nrvtvpAX XUpcv K xi <7 %i<70{aivov (Six poifyfj Kivvfjuvun Chap.VIL Roman Conversations. 549 While Crito was thus fpeaking, his pious pupil held down his blufhing countenance. I am fure, faid he, that both on account of my youth? and of many other more important confiderations, I am really very unworthy of pretending to fpeak on fuch fubjefts. Yet, in juftice to my two good young friends here, let me have the pleafure of alluring you, that their hearts overflowed with the higheft happinefs this morning, while they were liftening to your inftruftions in the bafilica of St. Paul They acknowledged thefe fenti- ments to me afterwards, though they were (ilent when on the fpot. Even at prefent their hearts hum within them . Let me add, that a fimilar ardour and plea- fure filled their minds, fome few days pafl 3 while Kiyts^evuv vflepvyuv K xi (jl£tx t«to ax svpeSy in nfixcrfus tv xvru* 12, H c^s CfAay CAtjSevt©^ itti ckottov^ T (Anvils 0 cmg ivSi us ns exvtov av&vSy, fls ot'yvorHTXt rrjy 5/c5ov xvTti. J 3* Ovrus Kf vipins ymnSsvTts f£fA<<7ro ( ufv® K ai xptms y.zv Qn^nov ts$tv e^u.ev Ev r»j xmkix riuct/v xxT£<$x , jrxrr)§‘n[Aev, 1 4 . Or; eAtt/j- xxsfixs us %tss vito xys^u, K xi us zjxyvv vito Xxiaxit®* ^tu^nax Xinfiri^ Kxt us xxnry®^ vn to xvtf/.a K«< us fxvBtx kxtxXvtu (A.oyori[A.tpu 'stapu^tvas. 1 5. A iKxioi Si ns roy xtuvx Quai, K XI £» K VflU 0 XVTUVf K at 7 } (ppoyris xvrus Ttxpx Y^fw. 2 6. A IX THTO Kn^oy'TXi to Gxaihpov ms tv7Tptnrnxs 9 K xi to ra x«AAa* tx ygip®* Kvpa } O ti m <$e£ix cxirsxcni xvTas i K Xi tu Qpxyrioyi i oz rot rpoitotiot ruv uito'ioXuv zyu ozi^xi 9 Huy yotg SeXyictyis xttzxSeiv i, St. ii. 557 Angelo, Michael, i. 447,^.214 Anglefea , ifland of, ii. 475 Anio ri ver, nowlhe Peverone, i* 473’ 49° _ Antiochus the Great, 1.314, 361 Antiochus s philofopher, ii. 98 Antium , haven of, i . 204 Antonia, daughter of Otta- wia, ii. 336 Antoninus Pius ’s column , S ee Adwertifement Antony, Mark, ii. 81,161 the orator, i. 526 Apelles , i. 121 Apollonius , the Athenian , i.446 Apoftles , their fufferings, ii. 56° Appians Mithridatic hiftory, ii. 27 Appian way, where fituated, i. 345 — fepulchres on, 278, 494 — profpeft from, 236 Appius Claudius , i. 92 Appius Claudius Crajfusfi.zpft) Apuleius, i. 504 Claudia-, ii. 415 Salvia? valley, ii. 537 Aquedu&s and fountains in Rome, ii. 236 Aqueduft by Curius , i. 168 A rat us, ii. 278 Arch, antique, near the .Fff- rum Boarium , ii, 137 ^rr£iW 35 8 Cabot, Sebajlian, i. 227 Ccelian hill, i, 2 — ii. 324, 415 valley, Introd. xxi Caer Caradock , ii. 444 CBESAR Julius , ii. 28 — his unjuft invafion of Gcr- ma?ty, INDEX. many, and Cato's conduct thereon, 45 — Lord Lyttel- ton's character of him, 50 — his death, 157 — fimilar to Romulus, 523 Catfarian family, hiflory of, «• 5 2 2 Ca-fania murdered by Chcsrea, si. 412 Caius F laminins, character of ? 235 Caius Marius , i. 499, 51 7 Caligula , ii. 4O7 — his bridge, ibid. Callicrates , i. 412 Callimachus, ii. 278 Calphurnius Fla mm a, i. 205 Calumny, the bitter effect of faction, i. 489 Cambi , a Chinefe emperor, compared with Augujlus , ii. 309 CAMILLUS , fome particu- lars of his glorious life, i. 104 Campagna of Rome, hiftory of, i. 159 Campi Doffores, inflituted by Rutilius . i. 517 Campo del Fiore, ii. 28 Campo Marzo , i. 289 — ii. 27, 268 Campo Vaccina , Introd. xxi. **357 . , ^ Capitol, ancient, 1. 66 , 115, 3O9 — ii. 16, 129 Capitoline hill, Introd. xxiv. — 1.43,65, 125, 283 Capitoline mufeum, i. 283 — Canopus, ii. 375 — Imperial chamber, ii. 358 — Stanza dei Philofophi , or Philofo- phic chamber, ii. 56 Capo d’Anzio, i. 232 Capo di Boose, i. 494 CARACTACUS , ii. 435— oppofes the Romans , 444— aftonifhed at Roman gran- deur, 451 Carbo, ii. 1 5 CarcereT ulliano prifon, i. 320 — defcription of, ii. s 19 Carmental gate, i. 82 CARTHAGE, defbufHon of, i. 428— -compared with that of Tyre, 431 — Scipio filled an urn with its em- bers, 437 Carthujian convent, i. 34 Cafal Morena , ii. 93 Cajino Pontijficio, i. 449 CaJJzno , antiquities there, ii. 140 CaJJtus's defpair blamed, ii. 169 Cajlro Prcetorio, ii. 448,487 Catiline \ confpiracy, ii. 32, 120 CAT 0 major , his virtuous ac- tions difplayed, i* 359 • his origines , loll, i* 37 2 CATO the younger, furvey of his life, ii. 35, 60, 238 CATULUS , Lutatius , his im- portant fervices, i. 224 Cawallo gardens, i. 1 23 Cethegus, conful, drained the Pomtine marfhes, i. 426 Cethegus , tribune, ftrangled for being concerned in Ca- tiline's confpiracy, ii. 120 Chariots, armed, uled in Bri- tain, i. 137 Charitable inflitutions.ii. 1 14 Charity, difinterefted, i. 87 — a noble and pleafing vir- tue, 335 — enjoins fruga- lity, 377 Charondaiy index. Chcsrondas, I. 5 Chiscji, i. 98 CHRIST , birth of, ii. 228—fufferings, ii. 122, Chriftiaolty, rife and pro- grefs of, ii. 456— excites virtuous a&ions, i. 131— and fortitude, 197— f U p e - rior to philofophy, 219— “•.59 Chriftians perfecuted, ii. 573 Church of St. Adrian , i. 501— ii. 370 - S t , Anajlatia , / tit rod. ‘ St, And revs, ib.xx iv — — — St. Angelo in Pefca- ria, ii. 18© Ara Cash, n 324 — Card . Borromeo , ii 55 * St. Cefareo , i. 30 Doming quo vadis , ii. 236 — — — —5* Giufeppe Bale g<> nami , ii. 119 — =■— ~ Sa. Maria Libera - fr/re, ii. 5 — — - - Sa »Maria Muf Fiore* 1.521—11.346 Sa. Maria in Behold ■Grreca, ii. 463 — Sa. Maria fopra Mi - nerva, 11. 27 Sa. Maria in 'via lata, ii. 533 Sa. Martina Dei Monti j ii. 193 - - St. Nicolo in Car- cere , ii. 125 ———St. Onofrio , ii. 224 — St. Paul's^ Bafilica 9 ll ° 533 Church of SuP^r’S, Bafilica, ii. 568 “ — — ■ & B ude ns, and Pu - dentiana , ii. 550 CICERO , his chara&er and writings, ii. 68, 94 — 1 — - — de Amicitia , i. 455 ——Cato Major , i. 373 ■ de Oratore , i. 526 — ■ on provincial go- vernment, i. 522 — — decontemnendd morte , "• 138 — — ~de Republicd , ii. 99 Cicero's houfe, ii. 69, 78- villa, 90 — library, 102 — fe° pulchre, 107 Ciminian foreft, i. 136, 149 Cimon , fon of Miltiades, i. 79. 88 C INC INN AT US, particulars of his life — compared with A ri Hides, i. 82 — his field and cottage, ib , 83 Cineinnatus the younger, i.94 Cineas , ambaffador of Pyrr- hus, admires the Romans, i. 158,171 Cinna , ii. 15 Circe, hill of, i. 222 Circenftan games, i. 333 Circus Agonalis ii. 534 —of Caligula and Nero, “• 575 . . — Flamimus, 1. 236,319 of Flora, i. 346 ■ .. — .Maximus, i. 31,331 — — — of Salluft, ii. 50 Civ it a Vecchia , i. 1 6 x — -ii* 423 Cl alia, i. 67 Clafidium, Marcellus* vic- tory at, i. 244 CLAUDIUS , charafter of, ii. 4 1 8— in Britain, ii. 430 Clemens INDE X. Clemens Romanus , i. 131 Cleopatra , ii. 467 Clivus Capitolinus , i. 103 — ii. 68 Clivus Cinnce , now Monte Mario, i. 535 Cloaca Maxima , i. 34 Clodius a ii. 37 CofFee-houie, Englifh, at Rome, i. 281 Coins and Medals, i. 142 Co/A Pineiano, or Hortulano, College, Englifh, at Rome, ii.205 Col line gate, i. 99 Colonna gardens, i. 283, 298 » palace, its gallery defcribed, ii. 186 Colojfeum, i. 468 Columbus , i. 227 — ii. 25 Columella de re ruftica, i. 356. ii. 490 Column in the Roman fo- rum, ii. 406 Commerce of Rome, under Auguftus, ii. 312 Conon, ii. 278 Confcience, guilty, defcribed by Shaklpeare, ii. 387. a tormenting companion, ii. 501 Covfervatori , at Rome, i. 43 Conjlantine’s arch, i. 251 Conjlantinople, curious plan of, ii. 166 Controverfy, thoughts on, ii. 565 . .. Convent , Dominican, ii. 268 CORBULO , refembled Sci- pio Africanus, ii. 442. his death., ii. 494 Cordus, Cremutius, ii. 399 Corinth deftroved, i. 443 Qoriolanus , i. 71. his filial piety, i. 76 Cornelia , i. 489. ii. 467 Cornelii. their houfe, i. 283 CORNELIUS COSSUS, i. 94 Corjini palace, Introd. ii« xxxiii Corfo , a ftreet in Rome, i. l0 4 > 35 2 Cortona , its antique walls, i. y 3 i Coruncanius , i. 191 Councils, books of, plenty in Rome, i. 352 Court of confcience, ii. 123 Cowley, cornpared with Ho- race, ii. 201 Croefus , i. 37 CraJJ'us , i. 526. ii. 28 — the younger, behead- ed, in 84 Cremera , i. 81 Cremutius Cordus , ii. 399 Crito's pupil relieves felons, and releafes debtors from Newgate, ii. 122 Curia Hojiili a , where fituated, i. 69. ii. 175 CURIUS, his noble and ge-. nerous aftions, i. 170 — his aaueduft, i. 168 CURTIUS , his voluntary death, i. 126 Cynthianum , now Genfano, ii. 192 Cyrus the Great, i, 37 D. Darius ’ s palace, Arabic in- fcription on its ruins, i. 405 Darfena , at Genoa, i. 226 Debate of Cicero, Julius Cas- far, and Cato, concerning the Catilinarian, eonfpi- racy, ii, 32 Delate index. Debate between Agrippa and Maecenas, concerning the imperial power, ii. 261 Decemvirs, goal of, ii. 124 DEC II, the, i. 129 Deans Eertius , i. 157, 191 Demetrius ,i. 172,416 — ii. 516 Demetrius Phalareus, ii. 278 Democritus , i. 78 Demojihenes ’ orations, 121 Des Files' balance, i. 249 Defpotifm in England, ii. 519 Devajiations of nations, reta- liated, it. 333 Devotion , and great abilities confident, i. 328 Devotion promoted by paint- ings and mulic, ii. 194, 555 Dido , ii. 294 Digentia river, now the Li- cenza, ii. 200 Dionyjius HalicarnaJJeus , i. 69, 7 6 Dobiini , territory in England, where, ii. 436 Domitian gardens, ii. 575 Doria, Andrew, i. 341 Dovedale in England, i. 282 Draining , it’s good effeCfs in the marlhes near Leghorn, i. 164 — the Pomtine marbl- es, 426, 442 — the Fucine lake, ii. 423 Druids , in Britain, ii. 436 DRUSUS , his amiable cha- racter, ii. 320 Drufus' s arch, ii. 319 — — grand works, re- mains of, ii. 320 Duillius , i. 205 — his roftral column, an infcription on it bill preferv’d, 207, 429 Dunkirk , demolition of,ii.252 Dyer's ruins of Rome, ii, 203 E. Eajler-day , folemn thoughts on, i. 139 Ecclejiajiical bate, ii. 113 Edgecumbe , Mount, i. 222 Education , ii. 154- 363 Edward, prince of Wales, his modeft entry into Lon- don, i. 414 — refembled Drufus, ii. 330 Egeria, nymph, i- 16 Egeria’s fountain, i. 10 Egerian valley, i. 2 Egypt hiftory of, ii. 286, 375 Egyptian antiquities at Rome, ii. 264, 375 Eleazar , i. 414 Eleufinian myfteries, ii. 107 Embajfy fromRometoAthens, i. 88 ENGLAND viflorious, i. 122 — a happy nation, 160 —its watery fortifications, 234 — country elections, 465 — civil diflenfions, 488 — Roman antiquities there, ii. 51,436 — its public cha- rities, 115 — plentiful pro- duce, 178 — canals, 251 — - imaginary future appear- ance, 287 — ■ conftitution, 350 — forty years conflict with the Romans, 428, 474 Englijhman’ s fphited reply, Ennius patronifed by the Sci- pio’s, i. 322, 453 Entertainments at Rome and Athens, licentious, i. 332 Epaminondas , fimilar to Ca- millus, i. 106— his poverty, 179 — compared with Gen. Wolfe, ii. 398 Q q Epicurean INDEX. Epicurean philofophy, i. 188 —ii- * 5 2 Efquiline hill, Introd . xxi. i. 31, 40— ii. 267 ETRURIA, its antiquity, i. 2-— and fine arts, copied by Rome, 3 Euclid , ii e 278 Eudoxus , ii. 277 Euripides ,1.77 — histomb,404 F. FAB II, their great antiquity, **79 — — - march to Cremera, 1. 81 FAB JUS MAX. GURGES , i- 1 54 ? *77 .WXX RULLIANUS , fketch of his life, i. 144 FAB. MAX VERRUCOSUS , his glorious character, i. 261 Fabiola , her generofity ; erefted the ftrft hofpital for the Tick, i. 266 FABRICIUS, noble charac- ter of, i. 187 Falkland , Lord, i. 476— fimi- lar to Cato, ii. 46 Fannins’ s liierary works loft, 525 , . .. Farnefe gardens, 1. 1—11. 00 Feciales , inftituted byNuma, *• 2 3 . Fene Ion’s humanity, 1. 200 Filial piety, ii. 127 FLAMININUS , 7 /Yiw, i. 336 —proclaims freedom to Greece, 338 — his gene- rous propofal, 343 — his glorious triumphal entry, 347 F laminins Gains , chara&er of, -35 Flaminius Titus, 1. 308 Fleet , Roman, rapidly equip- ped, i. 206 Fleets of Rome and Carthage deftroyed, i. 209 Florence , great Duke’s gallery there, ii. 148 Fontana Bella , i. 10 Fontana di Tre575 Obelilk, Genius of, its hifto- rical narration, ii. 271 OCT AVIA , her amiable cha- racter, ii. 180, 468 Oli avia's portico, ii. 180 Okeover, Raphael’s beautiful Madona there, i. 282 Olympus , mount, i. 400 OPPIUS and his fon, ii. 132 O rgan played by water-work, i. 123 OSIRIS, ii. 273, 376 OJfa TZuirini, where interred, Introd. xxiv. OJiia , port of, i. 29— ii. 421 OJlorius* s campaigns in Bri- tain, ii. 444 Ofymanduas , ii. 266, 278 P. Pacwvius, i. 454 PAINTINGS, by Dominichi- no , at Grotto Ferrata, ii. 89 — — — by Guerctno and Bernini , in the villa Ludovifi, ii 31 Paintings.—- St. Andrew’s Martyrdom, ii. 555 — — the twelve Apoitles, ii, 538 — - the Afcenfion,byM pino, i. 43 — Roman Wedding, &c. ii. 184 — — ■— the Sciences, by Ra- phael, ii. 210 - — - Sea-fight at Lepanto, ii. 186 Trial of Brutus’s fons, i. 50 — Venice delivered, bv Pi/ani, i. 112 V enetian heroifms, by Titian , i. ill — — Virgil, Horace, and Auguflus, ii. 209 Palatine hill,, Introd. xx. i. 30, 125. ii. 2, 319, 409 Palatine INDEX. Palatine library, ii. 266 Palafirina, now Prsenefte, i. 171. ii. 19 Palazzo dei confervatori, ii. 388 Maflimi, i. 158 • Senatorio, i. 65, 309 ii. 129 Pallas , ii. 419 Pancetius ', i. 454 P anormus, i. 224 Panfa , ii. 81 Pantheon , ii. 242-— its por- tico, 264 Papirius Curfor , i. 146 Papus JEmilius , i. 236 Parrhajius , i. 78 PaJJioniJli fociety, account of, 2 39 Pajlor Fido , where firfl a£ted, 535 Patriotifm, Roman > i. 125, 138, 278 PAUL , St. hiftory of, ii. 121, 536 Balilica of, ii. 533 Paulinas’ s campaigns in Bri- tain, ii. 475 PAULUS JEMILIUS , i. 259 —great events of his life, 395 Peacocks, brazen, 1. 427 Pella , Alexander’s birth place, i. 404 Pergolefi, a mulician, i. 352 Pericles , ii. 254 Perfepolis , i. 405 Perfeus fuffers for his crimes, i. 415 — his family, how reduced, 416 Perugia, fiege of, ii. 178 Perugino Danti, 1. 390 * — Pietro, ii. 213 PETER, St. ii.122 — his writ- ings, 460 — hiftory of, 564 *=* — — — ~ Bafilica of, ii. 568 Peter the Great, ii. 322 Peter de Toledo, ii. n Phoenician nation, emblem of, i. 432 _ Phidias, i. 78— ii. 181 Philippi, battle of, ii. 165 Philodemus on Muiic, i. 392 Philopcemen, i. 343 Philopater, i. 420 Phocion , fufferings of, i. 150 — ii. 121 Piazza Barberini, ii. 240 Navona, ii. 239, 534 del Popolo, ii. 268 di Spagna, i. 281 — ii. 20 Pietra Mala , ii. 4 Pindar, i. 78 Pio’s (prince of) palace, ii. 28 Pifcina Mirabilis, at Mifeno , ii. 265 Pijijlratidce , i. 44 Pitt, Earl of Chatham, ii. 432 Pittacus , i. 37 Plancus’s gardens, ii. 199 Plane trees, ancient, ii. 87 Plato, i. 108-— ii. 100, 277 Plant ius , i. 1 69 — ii. 442 — his maufolaeum, ii. 442 Plem?ninius , i. 297— his death, ii. 120 Pliny, i. 34— -ii. 514 Po, river, i. 233 Pococke’ s travels, ii. 379 Pola, ii. 311 Polybius, i. 327, 443, 454 — his loft works, i. 392 Polycles, fculptor, ii. 181 Pompey the Great defeats Le- pidus, ii. 26— his defpair after being defeated, 170 Pompey’ s houfe, ii. 93 theatre, i. 346— ii. 28 fepulchre, ii. 86 Pomtine marlhes, i. 426, 442 Ponte St. Angelo, i. 346, 458 Ponte INDEX. Ponte Fabricio, i. 192 Lucano, i. 169 • — Mentana, i. 473 — — Milvio, Introd . iv Molle, ii. 26 ■ Rotto , i. 37 — Salario, i. n6 * Triumphalis, i. 346, 458 Porfenna , i. 44, 55 Porta ,Capena, ^30, 506 - — — — Collatina, i. 159 Collina, ii. 19 ■ Flaminia, ii. 499 — Maggiore, ii. 416 — - — Mugonia, i. 2 — — Nomentana, i, 472 ■ — Penciana, ii. 318 — Pia, i. 472 — — - del Fopolo, i, 288— ii. 268 ■ — Salaria, ii. 19 Portia^ wife of Brutus, ii. 182 Portions for maidens, ii. 117 Pojidonius , ii. 98 Pojlhumius , i. 70, 1 33 Poverty of feveral Romans and others in power, i. 179 Paujffin, ii. 357 Prrenefte , i. 171 Prata Porzi , Cato’s farm, i. 167 Praxiteles , ii. 181 Priorato garden, i. 486 Prifcus , Helwidius , ii. 514 Providence, ruling power of, i. 210— ii. 14 Provinces of Romeoppreffed, ii. 11 Ptolemy , i. 177— ii. 38, 278 PUBLIGQLA , Valerius , ex- cellent chara&er of, i. 53— his houfe and fepulchre, 52, 60 — his defendants ilill fubfiRing s £9 Publilius Philo , ii 148 Palchri Littoris , ii. 1. Punic war (the firft) its great charafters and events, i. 2 °5j 22 3 — duration and de- ftru&ive effe&s, 228 Punic war (the fecond) its caufe, i. 229 — produced great men, 278 Puteoli , ii. 3! 2, 354 Pydna , battle of, i. 400 Pyrrhus , fimilarto Hannibal; conquered by Curius, ii 170 — tempts Fabricius. 188 Pythagoras , character of, i. 5 — ii- 2 ?6 Q- Quirinal hill, Introd, xxiv* i. 30 ^uiriniy Introd, xxxiii. R. RAPHAEL d Urhino, life of, ii. 211 — how fimilar to Virgil, 210 REGULUS , charafter of, i. 210 Religion ennobles the mind, “• 453 Remus’s tomb, Introd. xx» Republicanifm, ii. 412 Rhine , river, ii. 371 Rhodes , ifland of, i. 503 RICHARD III. of England, ii. 21 Richmond hill* i, 542 Ripetta , oh the Tiber, ii. 269, 55 1 Road (paved) from Rome to Naples, i. 4 — to Rimini, 2 3 6 K. r R.bert INDEX. Robert of Normandy, ii. 284 Rocca del Papa, i. 84, 238 Rollin, exhibited virtues, and concealed defe&s, u 65, 459 Roman Charity, Ii. J24 Roman heroes, their deaths compared, ii. 82 Romans maffacred in Aha Minor, i. 529 — their degeneracy, ii. 408, 481 Romans and Sabines recon* cited, Introd. xxiii ROME, ancient marble plan of, Introd. xxii *— — - — its gradual increafe, L 30, 40, 1 20 — ■ adorned by Agrippa , ii. 254 — — depth of its foil, and fubterranean treafures, ii. 34 © — - — — grand entrance to, ii. 269 — — - its climate, i. 354 — its population, i. 165 ■ - demolifhed by the Gauls, i. 109 — its merited punifh- ments, ii. 14,334, 35 2 ? 4 82 Campagna of, i. 159 ROMULUS , Introd . xvii— his cottage, xx — fepul- chre, xxxiv Rofs, Man of, i. 384 Roffi, ii. 405, 470 Roftra, Roman, ii. 84 Rubejis ii. 184 Ruffinella , ii. 89 Rufticus Arule?ius , ii. 514 RUTILIUS RUFUS , cha- racter of, i. 510— his lite- rary works loft, 515 s. Sabine mountains, i. 159 Sagmtum beheged by Hanni* bal,\. 245, 435 Salamis , iiland of, i. 89 Sallufi , his character and writings, ii. 32 — at 7 ufculum, ii. 100 Sallujl’s, circus and temple, ii. 50 Sallufiian gardens, ii. 32 Samaritans, exemplary, i. c 3 8 9 Sangmneto , i. 246 Santa Croce , princes of, de- le ended from Publicola , i. 59 SC ARVO LA, MUTIUS, his character delineated, ii. 6 — his death, 18 — his de- scendants now living, 19 Scal 3*9 Cardinal, built the villa Borghefe, ii. 506 — Cneius , i. 288 — - N ASIC A, i. 298-^. his excellent character, 422 Scopas, ii. 471 - Sea, an emblem of Fortune, i. 209 — its wonderful ap- pearance, 221 Sebaftian ' s St. gate, i. 4 Sejanus , ii. 353 — his cruelty, unexpected condemnation and death, 120, 400 Sc leu cut INDEX. Seleucus, ii. 323 Self-denial, remarkable in- Rances of, fee Abjlinence SENECA , de bre r uitate ajitce, ii. 410 — defence of, 427 — - his villas, 488' — death of, 500 — his writings, 504- — his charafter, 505 Septa Julia, ii. 242 SERTORIUS , charafler of, ii. 24 Ser'vilian family, burying- place, i. 280 Servilius, 2. 70 SERVIUS TULLIUS , his charafter, i. 38 Sefojlris's obelifk at Rome, how defaced ! ii. 284 Severus* s triumphal arch, ii. 37 ° Sextus Pompeius , 11. 135, 179 Shakejpear's character of Adam, i. 534 — his Julius Csefar improperly named, ii. 167 — his Cymbeline, 432 Sibylla T iburtina, i. 186, 201 Sicily , i. 223 Siccius , i. 93 Siena , civil wars of, i. 598 Silanus , M. ii. 410 Silius. Italic us, i. 286 Si lures, their valour, ii. 445 Sixtus Quintus, re-ere£ted the Egyptian obelifks at Rome, ii. 281 Slavery abolifhed at Lyons, and at London, i. 351 — fuffered in America, 523 Social war, i. 538 Socrates , i. 78— -his ethics, ii. 59 — his bufferings and death, 121, 500 Solon, compared with Servius Tullius, i. 37— M. 276 Sophocles , 3. 77 Sora&e, hill of, i. 274 Spanifh Armada reprefented on tapeftry, i. iu Sparta, i. 340 Spartacus , ii. 26 Spence's Polymetis, ii. 223 Stair-cafe, grand marble one, at Rome, i. 324 Stanyan’s Grecian hiftory, i, 142 Statilius Taurus's amphithea- tre, ii. 185 STATUES and BUSTS. — in the villa Borghefe, ii. 505 — Egyptian ftatues, 11.375 — Agrippina, ii. 358 - Angel relealing cap- tives, i. 352 — — - Apollo Belvedere, L 44/5 L — — (Coloflal,) ii. 2 9 — — “ Ariffotle, ii. 60 — — - Arria and Foetus, great value of, ii. 463 ■ _ — Brutus, Junius, i. 45 —ii. 157 — Brutus, Marcus, 11. 152, 161 • CaiusandLucius,ii.326 — — — Caligula, ii. 36© Caracalla, ii. 360 — Caftor and Pollux, 2* 316— -ii. 326 * - Cato, i. 357 Cicero, ii. 152 — Claudius, ii. 360 — Cleopatra, ii. 466 —Cupid, (Thefpian) ii. 183 Curtius, i. 127 Domitian, ii. 360 — Drufus, ii.359, 39 8 R r 2 Epicurus, INDE X. Statues and Busts. Epicu- rus, ii. 60 t— — - Germanicus, ii. 359 — Hercules, by Apollo- nius , i. 44 7 - — - — - Hermathenae, ii. 54 — — Homer, ii. 58 • -Julius Csefar, ii. 159 — Laocoon, i. 446 — — — • Livia Augufta, ii. 152 — Marcellus, ii. 359 — Marcus Aurelius, ii. 3 6 ° , • •• • — - — - Martorio, n. 370 • — Marius and Sylla, ii. 5 10 — — — Memnon, ii. 272 • Minerva, ii. 324 Nero, ii. 360 — Nerva, ii. 360 - — r — ■ Niobe, ii. 471 Plato, ii. 60 — — Plenty, ii. 311 Pompey, (coloflal) ii. *59 *— — Portia, ii. 152 — Pyrrhus, i. 158 — The Rhine, ii. 369 — RomaTriumphans,i. 65 «— — Rome, as Minerva, ii. 267 — Sabine matrons ; ii. 463 * — — Scipio Africanus, i.283, 286, 296 — Seneca, ii. 502 — — Socrates, ii. 58 The Tiber and Nile, i. 65— ii. 279 .. — Tiberius, 11. 354 ■ — — Titus, ii. 359 — — Trajan, ii. 367 Venus, i. 446 — ii. 181 Zeno, ii. 55 Stephen , St. ii. 578 Stcicifm, ii. 63 Stonehenge and Ahury , ii. 436 Strabo , i. 34 Strada Felice , ii. 346, 415 Strajburg , origin of, ii. 322 Sublician bridge, i. 486 SUFFERING VIRTUE, ii. i2i, 525 Suicide, ii, 63, 168 Sully , duke of, ii. 259 Switzerland , ancient man- ners of, i. 178 Sylla , ii. 20 Syphax , i. 299 Syracufe taken by Marcellus , i. 252 T. T abularia populi Romani , i. 66, 309 — ii. 16 TACITUS , ii. 356—his firft Britifh annals loft, 430 T arentum , i. 4, 270 T arpeian rock, i. 33, 99 TARQUINIUS PRISCUS , his character and public works in Rome, i. 31 T arquin the Proud, i. 46 Tarquitius , i. 84 Tajfo , where interred, ii. 224 Tatius, father-in-law ofNuma, i. 14 Telefinus defeated by Sylla , ii. 20 T empanius , brave and mo- deft, i. 97 Temple of Apollo, i. 274 — ii. 205 Caius and Lucius, ii. 324 Caftorand Pollux, ii.407 Catulus, i. 519 Ceres, i. 5 Claudius, ii. 417 — — Clitumnus, i. 474 - — - Concord, i. 66, 115 Diana, V INDEX Temple of Diana, i, 36, 274 . — - — The Earth, ii. 140 Fortuna Muliebris,i. 73 Fortuna Virilis, i. 39 — — Fortune, 1.171? 208 — — Health, i, 162 — — Hercules, i. 193 — — Honour and Virtue, i. 2 5 ° — — Janus, i. 508— ii. 2, 138 IEs, ii. 275 — Juno, i. 33, 102 — Jupiter, 1. 33, 274 — — — - — Capitolinus, i. 326 — . Feretnus, i. 94 — — Latialis, i. 238 — — - Stator, Introd . xxiii— i. 129— ii. 79 - — - Liberty, i. 486 Mars, ii. 370 - — - Minerva, i.33— ii. 27,254 — — ■ Medica, i. 468 — ii. 324 • — — Modeily, i. 135 • — The Mufes, i. 7 • Neptune, i. 274 * Peace, i. 1 ———Piety, ii, 124 PudicitiaPatricia,ii.463 • Quirinus, Introd . xxv * Remus and Romulus, Introd . xix — ii. 2 Saturn, ii. 370 - — - Servius Tullius, i. 35 — ii. 2 The Sibyl, i. 201 * — Silence, i. 10 • — — Tufiis, i. 184 -Venus, ii. 51 — — Vefta, ii. 1, 4 ? Winds and Nereids,!. 29 Temple’ s hiftory of England, iu 53 Terence , i, 454 Teverone, river, i. 490 Teutons and Cimbri , incur- (ions of, i. 516 I hales, ii. 276 Thames , river, ii. 314 Themifiocles , i. Bp-compared with Camillas , i. no Theocritus , ii. 278 Theodotus punifhed, ii. 164 Theophrafius , i. 172 Therapeutic philosophers, ii. ' 493 Thermopylae , i. 81, 361 TIIRASEUS , noble charac- ter of, ii. 508 — his gardens, ii. 515 Thrafybulus , i„ 79 Thucydides, i. 79 Tiber, river, i. 29 TIBERIUS, ii. 353“’* * con- tra lied with Germanicus, 3 6 5 > 3 8 * . 0 Tibur, city of, 1. 189 Timoleon, i. 121 Timotheus , ii. 545 T iridates at Rome— -con* traded with CaraCtacus, ii. 495 Titus, emperor, ii. 163 — ere Cted the Porta Mag- giore, 416 Titus’s amphitheatre, Introd 1 iii arch, i. 508 baths, ii. 204 TITUS FLAMININUS, cha- racter and aCfions of, i. 336 Tivoli, i. 121, 184 — ii. 199 T O RQUA I US, T it us Man- lius, i. 116 — condemns his fon, i. 444 Totilas, ii. 280 T o'wnjhend, Lord, i. 322 T rajan , emperor, ii. 422 Trinity-. INDEX. Trinity college, Cambridge, ii. 145 * Triptolemus , ii. 377 Triton fountain, ii. 240 Triumphal proceffions, i. 345 4 TULLUS HOST ILIUS, i. 27 "TurennS) Marfhal, ii. 332, 396 Turk releafed from flavery, i. 226 ' Tnfc ulum , ii. 88 Twelve tables, the law of, i. 90 Tyu, fall of, i. 431 V. V aleria , Publicola’s daugh- ter, i. 67 Valeria , filler of Publicola, i- 75 VALERI I, i. 68 Vi alerius AJiaticus , murdered by Mcjfalina , ii. 464 his gardens, ibid Corpus, i. 118 * Falto , i. 225 Flaccus , i. 326, 367 L&vinus, 1. 279 * Manias , i. 69 * Marcus , i. 68, 134 ■ Meffala , i. 205 * Publicola , i. 52 Varius’s poems loft, ii. 247 VARRO , his character and writings, ii. 139 VATICAN , i. 390 — ii. 208 — gardens, i. 427, 449 library, i. 390— ii. 281 T ?//', where lituated, i. 103 Velia, fummit of, i. 52, 60 Velitr&i ii. 227 enetian heroes, i. 1 1 1 Venetian palace, at Rome, ii. 20 Vercelli , battle of, i. 518 Vejpajian , ii. 417— in Britain, 43 l his camp in wilt- fhire, ii. 436 Vefpucius , i. 227 T efunjius, ii. 385 Veturia , i. 76, ii. 182 T elurius , i. 1 33 T ia JEmilia , i. 42 1 T Sacra, i. 1 T /<« Triumphalis , i. 331 T 5V leratus , i. 46 Vignola , ii. 269 T Axdrobandina, ii. 184 * Borghefe, ii 500 Conti, (Lucullus’s ha- bitation), ii. 90 of J ulius Martialis, i. 536 Ludovifi, ii. 3* Madama, i. 535 *- Magna, ii. 93 Mattei, ii. 152 Medicis, ii. 462 Negroni, ii. 266 Pamphili, ii. 90 Publica, ii. 20 V iminal hill, i. 40— -ii. 267 VIRGIL , i. 1 1 8 — ii. 203,221 V irgil’s houfe, ii. 202 Virginia , i. 92 Viriatus’s tomb, i. 460 Virtue in humble life, i. 173 Virtue, hereditary, i. 93,137 Virtuous men fpared, i. 530 Viterbo , i. 104, 466 Volcanoes, effects of, i. 163 Voltaire’s Henriade, ii. 302 Volumnia , i. 76— ii. 182 Volumnius , ii. 172 Voyage of pleafure on the coaft of Italy, i. 204, to 223 Vuljitiian lake, i, 104 Wales ^ INDEX. w. Wales , ravaged by the Ro- mans, ii. 451 Wax-work, by Caietano Ju- lio, ii. 248 Weftminjler abbey, decree of a council held there, i. 351 — ■ Sepulchres there, ii. 304 hall, ii. 79 . fcholars, i. 95 William of Wickham, i. 382 Wmdfor cable, i. 372 Wolfe , General,— -fimilar to Scipio Africanus, i. 290 — publickly applauded, ii. 39s Wolfey , cardinal, ii. 402 his palace at Rome ii. 403 x. Xenophon, religious, i, 328— his writings, 292, 448— »• 59 . - 1 ' z. Zacharlas, ii. 18 Zaleucus , i. 5 Zeno , i. 172 Zeuxis , i. 79 Zoroajler , ii. 5 THE END. A TRANSLATION OF THE IN THE ROMAN CONVERSATIONS, fol. ii. SECOND EDITION. BOOK III. Page CHAP. IV, 2 VV E faw, pufh’d backward to his native fource, The yellow Tiber roll his rapid courfe, With impious ruin threat’ning Vefta’s fane, And the great monuments of Numa’s reign. Francis, 3 Ye greater guardian Gods of Rome, our prayer, And Romulus, and thou, chafte Vefta, hear ! Ye, who preferve with your propitious powers, Etrurian Tiber, and the Roman towers! Warton, 4 I had an idea that there were ftatues in Vefta’s tem- ple, but I was perfe&ly miftaken : its peculiar dif- Vol.IL Second Edit, a tin&ioa TRANSLATION OF 2 Page tin&ion is, the flame which is maintained without intermiflion. 5 He approached the Capitol, with an intention to worfhip the Gods. But when he had entered the temple of Vefta, his whole frame was fuddenly con- vulfed, either in confequence of fome impulfe from the Deity, or of fome {tings of confcience, from which he was never wholly free. 7 To ferve God in holinefs and righteoufnefs all the days of his life. 8 What fo noble, fo liberal, fo munificent, as to aflift the fuppliant, to encourage and prote£l the perfe- cted, and fave them from banifhment. 9 Every man of opulence and diftin&ion adorned his old age in thus explaining the law. Their houfe was a kind of Oracle for the city, and their doors were crowded by thofe who laboured under embarraflfnents. Them, as Ennius exprefles himfelf, I exert myfelf to the utmoft to relieve, corre&ing their mifapprehenfions, and putting them into the true line of proceeding, left they fhould mifcarry through inadvertence. 10 line 6. Of all the lawyers the beft pleader, of all the pleaders the beft lawyer. line 15. I undertake to pronounce Scaevola the high prieft, the firft man in the State, both in point of ability and integrity. 13 In Rome itfelf he gained the higheft applaufe for the purity and firmnefs of his provincial adminif- tration. The Senate likewife, in a formal decree, made the regulations of ScaevoJa, the fyftem which fucceeding THE QUOTATIONS. 3 Page fucceeding governors fiiould purfue in that pro- vince. 15 I think with awe on thy infcrutable proceedings, who afflifteft the righteous with the wicked, doubt- lefs in perfeft confiftency with reHitude and juftice. 1 6 Stretch’d o’er the plain their haplefs friends they found, Some pale in death, fome gafping on the ground. With copious {laughter all the fields was dy’d, And ftreams of gore run thick on ev’ry fide. Pitt . 17 In his endeavours to mediate, he was flain. Now heaps on heaps fall thick on every fide, And in the cloud of fight, Galefus died % Good old Galefus! while with earned: care, He labour’d to prevent the riling war. Pitt « 20 Eight thoufand men had furrendered themfelves to Sylla. He ordered them to march into the Villa Publica, as if he was about to incorporate them with his own foldiers, and at the fame time, ordered the Senate to affemble in the temple of Bellona. But death was their infflmt doom, and in the horrid maf- facre fell many who had accidentally come thither from the country, and even fome of his own party. Their bodies were thrown into the Tiber. During the daughter, Sylla was making a fpeech in the Se- nate. The Senators hearing the dreadful fhrieks of fo many thoufands fo bafely put to death, were thrown into the utmofi: alarm ; when Sylla, with his countenance and voice perfe&ly unruffled, added. Let us go on with ourbufinefs, for only a few fedi- tious men are fuffering, by my order. Never were fijch murderous words uttered by man ! 3 2 21 MiT TRANSLATION OF 4 Page qi Miftake not, Romans. Let the conquered be ad- monifhed not to offend a third time, left a con- flagration be the confequence. 22 How irkfome now was his ufurped power ! When the recollection of his enormities harrowed up his guilty foul, what horrors did he endure, find- Ing by^e^enence for what a prize he had been con- tending ! 'Before he was in poffeflion of power, he had to expedl folid fatisfaBion from it. But on obtaining the iupreme authority, through the agonies of his confcience, he loathed and hated what before the civil wars had fo inflamed his defires. Such examples fhould be a leffon to mankind, not to rufh on into dangers from which they cannot retreat ; to bring their paftions into fubordination ; and to be ardent only in thofe purfuits, which will not entail fhame and remorfe. 24 For his country he the more felt, on account of his mother, by whom in his orphan ftate, he had been brought up with fuch tendernefs. 2 6 That firebrand was kindled at Sylla’s pile. Note. Who poffeffed every requifite for the moft accomplifhed Commander, his mean connexions excepted. 29 The ordinary concerns of human life, and ftandards only of common excellence, could not attraB his attention : he was converfant with angels in heaven, p-r perfeft men on earth. BOOK THE QUOTATIONS. BOOK III CHAP. V. Page 33 This Tribune ele£I, then very young, was applied to among the laft for his opinion ; and with fuch faga- city and energy did he inveigh again if the confpi- racy, fo well did he paint the impending dangers of the State, fo happily expatiate on the virtues of the Conful, that the whole Senate concurred in his meafures, and the greater part of his order attended him home. 34 Particularly his orations againft Catiline, at once fo highly finifhed and fo ferviceable to the Common- wealth. 35 Nature defigned him as a model of honour, pene- tration, temperance, greatnefs of mind, probity, and in fhort, of all the virtues. 36 He did not emulate the effeminate in luxury, the rich in fortune, the fatlious in fedition. He emu- lated the wife in the love of wifdom, and particu- larly moral philofophy ; he emulated the brave in va- lour, the modeft in humility, the abftemious in tem- perance. Although his conduft was excellent and divine, and his chara&er in the higheft degree ref- plendent, he enjoyed lefs the reputation, than the reality of virtue : fo that in proportion as he was regard lefs of raifmg his name, he became the more celebrated. 37 After Cato had remonftrated with vehemence again ft the proceeding as treacherous and difgraeeful ; Clo- a 3 dius 6 TRANSLATION OF Page dius arrogantly and contemptuoufly replied, what- ever be the confequence, and how great foever thy relu&ance, thou ihalt fail. And immediately ad- vancing towards to the people, procured a decree that Cato fhould embark. 42 Wifh ftainlefs luftre virtue fhines, A bafe repulfe nor knows, nor fears j Nor claims her honours, nor declines, As the light air of crowds uncertain veers. Francis, 43 Scrutinizing, planning, advifing. 46 line 8. So when an aged afh, whofe honours rife From fome fteep mountain towTing to the fkies. With many an axe by fh outing fwains is ply’d, Fierce they repeat the ftrokes from ev’ry fide : The tall tree trembling, as the blows go round, Bows the high head, and nods to every wound. Pitt, line the lajl . On one objeft his mind ever dwelt, which was reconciliation. gg Let us no longer ufe the terms, Chance and For- tune : or let us ufe them only, as terms expreflive of our ignorance. It is God, who prepares effe&s in their moft diftant caufes : and who ftrikes thofe grand blows, the very counter-blow of which ex- tends fo far. gy Athens ! thou deareft city, hail ! g 9 When contemplating his wifdom and his benevo- lence, I cannot be filent. on fuch a chara&er, nor can I reftrain my admiration and praife. If any friend of virtue ever met with a fuperior chara&er to Socrates, I mronounce him confummately blefled. 61 That THE QUOTATIONS. 1 Page 61 That all thefe things were foreign to Cato’s in- clinations. 62 In fuch circumftances was Cato born in this city, that by his property and talents, he was a pro- te&or of many, with whom he was wholly unac- quainted ; fcarcely ever did he exert himfelf for the deftru£lion of an enemy. Whatever he acquired, he converted into the means of more general ufeiul- nefs. 63 In Marcus Cato, the excellencies with which we are fo much ftruck, were properly his own : and thofe traits in his conduft, an explanation of which we Want, are to be attributed, not to his difpofition, but to his education. His aftonifhing endowments were cultivated, not in a mild and moderate, but in a fevere and rigid fchooh The do&rines of the Stoics he eagerly embraced, having been initiated by their mo ft learned fupporters. He was captivated by the inftruftions of fuch men, and particularly of his preceptor, Zeno, a man of mo ft profound at- tainments. How much is it indeed to be wifhed, Cato, that with thy genius, thou hadft fallen into other hands ! 66 line 8. Come holy Spirit line 18. O heavenly Grace, without which learning, elo- quence and genius, are of no avail in the fight of God ! Moft Hefted Grace, that makeft the poor in fpirit, rich in virtue ; and the rich in worldly pof- feflions, humble in heart ! Come, defcend on us J O Thou, our ftrength. Thou imparteft afliftance and counfeb Thou light of the heart. Thou a 4 difperfer 8 TRANSLATION OF Page difperfer of forrow and fear. Thou nurfe of devo- tion. Mayefl thou always prevent us, and render us continually zealous of good works. • BOOK III. CHAP. VI. 73 He was a true Patriot. 74 Radiant in open view, d&neas flood, In form and looks, majeflic as a god. Pitt . ^8 The boldeft of all innovations, he extinguifhed without confufion or tumult. 79 Hail, Cicero ! Thou firft man honoured with this endearing appellation ! 8i Note . This propofal received the fanftion of the Senate. line 19. He was always watching, and always providing againft every danger : in fhort, he had fully made up his mind, that if in the faithful exe- cution of his office, he ffiould lofe his life, he would view it as a noble facrifice. 83 Note, On the temples in general, on that of Con- cord in particular, the vultures fat in crowds. Their appearance was fuited to the occafion, for then thofe malfacres were committed, which filled the whole city with blood. line the loft . On the very roflra, where he had fo refolutely prote£led the State, that head was placed, by The quotations. 9 Page \ by whom the heads of multitudes of citizens were faved . B6 line 9. He who round Aha fent his high commands, And (Iretch’d his empire o’er a hundred lands, Now lies an headlefs carcafs on the (hore, The man, the monarch, and the name no more. Pin. line 20. He lies under the clods of Libya, if indeed he has any grave. 87 Whofe wide fpreading branches (haded this fpot. 90 Some years ago, on that fide of Frefcati which faces Monte Porzio , was found a very ancient monument of the family Porzia , mentioned by Bellori and Volpi. 91 Celebrated for eloquence and zeal for his country. 93 There I found Cato fitting, almoft loft among the books, for he poflelfed an eagernefs for knowledge, which could never be fatisfied : and we had rather, faid he to me, that this fon of Luculjus (hould be pleafed with thefe books, than (hew his tafte in ad- miring all the other beauties of this villa. 94 Note . What you write to me concerning Hermathena, is very flattering, and is the higheft ornament of my academy ; though Hermes is common to all, and Minerva is the peculiar device in his fchool. Wherefore, I beg, that when you write, you would enrich this place with as many ornaments as pof- fible. All thefe pieces, 1 (ball carry to Tufculum, line 8. When at Apollo’s hallow’d fhrine The poet hails the power divine, And here his firft libations pours, What is the bleffing he implores ? Francis . 97 He ID TRANSLATION OF Page 97 He judged that it would ferve the Republic To un- fold this Philofophy to the Romans ; and that the honour of the city required fome Latin produ&ions, on fubje£ls fo fublime and iriterefting, 98 At Rome he devoted himfelf entirely to Philo, feel- ing an irrefiflible impulfe to the ftudy of Philofophy. Note. O11 my ^arrival at Athens, I fpent fix months with Antiochus, the moft illuftrious and the beft informed Philofopher of the old academy : and under this able inftru&or renewed my application to Philofophy, to which from my earlieft years I have been attached, and in which I have been conftantly labouring to make advances. 99 Here we find a retreat from all anxiety and toil, Tufculum affords fuch pleafures, that we never fail to be happy, whenever we repair hither. 301 It is fcarcely to be believed, how much I write* not only by day, but alfo by night. 102 Which purfued its ftudies in this place. 103 Ye dear, dear ruins! and thou Troy! declare If once I trembled or declined the war : Midft flames and foes a glorious death I fought y And well deferv’d the death for which I fought. No hopes of aid in view, and every gate Poffeft by Greece, at length I yield to fate. Safe o’er the hill my father I convey, And bear the venerable load away. Pitt. 204 line 10. Corruption. line 14. The place in which he found medicine for his foul. line the lajl. The antidote againft gloom and fear. 105 Laurence THE QUOTATIONS. ii Page 1 05 Laurence Juftinian, by country a Venetian, in rank a Patrician, in the church of St. George, a Canon. Having been a Regular for thirty years, he was elevated to the epifcopal chair of V enice, though he had taken forne pains to be releafed from the bur- then. He was juftly in high efteem for his undif- fembled piety towards God, his unbounded charity to the poor, and his ardent zeal 'for the fpread of religion. 10 6 Though they were not the invincible, yet they were powerful auxiliaries of his fortitude and wifdom. 107 line i. He faw the place of that cataftrophe, accord- ing to hiftory. line 13. The Eleufinian rnyfteries pofTefied rege- nerating virtues. BOOK III. CHAP. VII. 120 Note f. He was thruft into the loweft dungeon, andh killed. Note There his life ftruggled with famine till the fixth day, and then yielded. 121 line 7. Oh my fon, my friends, who would have imagined, that to thefe abodes of vice and horror we fhould ever be configned ! But ah, before us, ha^e thefe galling chains opprefled fuffering virtue 1 line 18. Their prifon was more facred than any court. 124 The temple of filial piety. 127 Here 12 TRANSLATION OF Page 12 y Here is fcope for your efforts, afpiring young men ? There lies a noble conteft between your parents and yourfelves ; who have received, who have conferred^ the greateft favours. No conteft fo interefting ! Happy the conquerors ! Happy even the conquered? What can be fo fatisfa&ory to an old man, as to declare, that he has been exceeded in kind offices by his fon ! What can redound fo much to the honour of the young man ! It is beyond the power of words to exprefs, or of imagination to conceive, what fu- perlative, what unfading glory, muft be enfured to him, who can thus exprefs himfelf : the commands of my parents I have obeyed ; and to their wifhes have been ever obfequious ; but for this 1 ever muft contend, that I have not been behind them in the obfervance of domeftic duties. 128 line 12. Nor are there wanting examples to ftimulate thus to excel. line 22. In life they did not fo much rejoice, as to be indebted to their fons for their life. 130 As the fun fiiines with peculiar radiance amongft: clouds. Note. Tanufia concealed her hufband T. Vinius, in a cheft, and conveyed him to the houfe of their freed- man Philopasmen, where he was fecreted. Then flie revealed the bufinefs to CaTar, by O&avia, Caefar’s fifter, by whofe interpofition, many at that time were faved. He forgave all the parties in this tranfaftion, and moreover raifed Philopasmen to equeftrian rank. Lucretius, Ligarius, and Antiftius, were concealed by their wives. Acilius was redeemed by his wife from THE QUOTATIONS. *3 From the Soldiers, having difpofed of all her rich attire for the purpofe. L. Caefar was faved by his filler. Servants likewife, fignalized themfelves for their devotion to their mailers ; particularly Hir- tius and Ventidius. Panopio and Menenius, defired to be fcourged, as fubllitutes for their mailers. Amid 11 thefe perfecutions, the utmoh affe&ion was difplayed by the Ligarii, and by other brothers. Wives and Children, and brothers and fervants, anxioufly concerted meafures for their preservation, and when thefe failed, declined not to die with THEM. The Ignatii, father and fon, clafped in each others arms, died by the fame blow : their heads indeed were Separated, but their bodies remained united. Geta, though he had provided himfelf a retreat in a held which he had lately purchafed, left it, in order to perform the funeral rites of his father, who had fallen a vi£lim. Adrian, not profcribed himfelf, hid his profcribed lather in a tomb, and watched the opportunity to convey him away in Safety. When Meteilus was fitting on the bench with Casfar, trying the prifoners, it appeared that his own father and fon were in the number. The father was firlt brought forward, dilhevelled, haggardly, and wretch- ed. Meteilus, on recognizing him, leaped from the bench, and embraced him with a groan. O Csefar, He was thine enemy, but I was thy friend : 1 beg, that for my fake, my father may be Saved ; or if he mull die, that I may be doomed to death with him. Every heart was melted; Caefar dif- charge4 14 TRANSLATION OF Page charged the pri loner, though he had been very aftive againft him. 132 From his clofe covert Nifus rufh’d in view. And fent his voice before him as he flew : Me, me, to me alone, your rage confine, Here {"heath your javelins, all the guilt was mine. His only crime, (and oh! can that offend?) Was too much love to his unhappy friend ! Pitt, 133 Hafte then, my fire, I cry’d, my neck afcend, With joy beneath your facred load I bend; Together will we fhare, where e’er 1 go, One common welfare, or one common woe. Pitt 134 Charm’d with his virtue, all the Trojan peers, But more than all, Afcanius melts in tears, To fee the forrows of a duteous fort, And filial love, a love fo like his own. Pitt • 135 Note . So that he became a rich man. line 12. Two Sicilian youths, when ALtna, with unufual violence, difcharged its torrents upon the fields and cities, and a great part of the ifland, took their parents on their fhoulders : one, the father; the other, the mother. It is related, that the fire, made way for them, and that the flame retiring on each fide, a pafiage was left open, through which thefe moll deferving young men made their efcape. 136 Now by the goddefs led, I bend my way, Tho* javelins hifs, and flames around me play ; With Hoping fires the flames obliquely fly, The glancing darts turn innocently by. Pitt, 137 You THE QUOTATIONS. Page 137 You fee here an old piece of archite£lure, commonly called Parco di Giano , with twelve niches in each of the four fides : this monument, made of uncom- monly large pieces of Grecian marble joined to- gether, is built in fuch a manner, as is really aftonifh- ing, each angle is one hundred and two palms, which makes the whole four hundred and eight. BOOK III. CHAP. VIII. 138 Note *. Temples were built to Janus, with four fides and four fronts. One flill remains in the Forum Boarium. Note f. Their gilded ftatues are at the forum ; fix of one fex, and as many of the other. line the lajt. The twelve Gods that protect the city. 139 The twelve Gods who prefide over the fields. 140 line 5. Dialogues on hufbandry. laji lines. In a bafon, formed by the retreat of the mountain, were fituated the country houfe and gardens ofVarro. 341 line 13. Varro fixed upon his ellate at Caftino, for his philosophical retreat. What conventions were there held ? What fludies were there purfued ? What volumes were there compofed ? The laws of the Romans, the monuments of their anceftors, eveiy fyftem of wifdom, every fubjeft in literature. 141 Note. TRANSLATION OF i6 Page S41 Note . Under the town Caffinum, there is a river, which flows by ray villa, where is ray mufeum. On its banks is a walk in the open air, ten feet wide. 142 No place is fo well cultivated as Italy ; it fo abounds with plantations, as to appear one con*, tinued orchard. 143 Varro delighted in ftudy. 144 Note. Varro devoted his early life to the molt im- portant engagements. His love of improvement led him to withdraw from the fnares of corruption, and the feducements of pleafure, to which he was very averfe. line 6. Amidft thefe florins, fcarcely any but him- felf were in port. With books he renewed his old habits, and by thofe habits afluaged his grief. 'He returned to that life, which many learned men hold to be more eligible than political purfuits ; whether this opinion be juft, may be queftioned, but it has been maintained by many learned men. line 20, Varro’s Treatifes on the Latin Language, and on Hufbandry. 146 He was of all men, the firft in penetration and difcernment. 147 No time muft be loft. If man, as is affirmed, be a bubble ; what muft an old man be ! My eightieth year admonifhes me, that I prepare for my departure from life. 148 Not only while I live ffiall I endeavour that my friends may he improved by me, but when I am in my grave. 148 line THE QUOTATIONS. *1 Page 148 line it. Mafter-pieees of fculpture, &c, 149 Their works do follow them. 154 line 19. The Dialogue concerning great Orators. line 24. His ftudies were without intermidion. line the lafl. From the rich ftores of Athens. 155 His accomplifhed eloquence was united to an unblemifhed character. 158 And the fair hopes of fame the patriot move.* To link the private in the public love. Pitt. 4^59 Note . He removed the ftatue of Pompey from the Senate-houfe, in which C. Caefar had been flain : and placed it under a marble arch, over-againfl the jfine houfe adjoining to his theatre. FlaminioVacca relates, that the fine coloflus, fifteen palms high, which is fo much admired in the palace * Spada , and is a reprefentation of Pompey , was found again in the ftreet of Leutari , not far from the theatre, between which there is only a pleafure-ground : it might be the fame ftatue which Suetonius mentions to have been brought here by Auguftus. 16$ Moft affe&ionately taking his leave of each of them, he laid, with great tranquility, that it was a high fatjsfa£Hon to him, that not one of his friends had been treacherous ; and that he efteemed himfelf happier than his conquerors. This fentiment he even in the prefent extremity fhould retain, becaufe he fhould tranfmit his name to pofterity with honour, which his enemies, with all their fucceffes, could not acquire. It would not but be believed, that, to the power which they unjuftly gained, they had no Vol. IT Second Edit, b right i8 TRANSLATION Of Page right. Then befeeching them to confult their own fafety, he retired to fome diftance. 167 Struggling for the liberty of his country, difdaining to think of flight or fhelter, even daring the enemy, prefenting himfelf confpicuoufly to their view, and leading on with ardour the firm and bold — — he fell exhibiting a prodigy of valour to his foes. 170 Never to defpair of the Commonwealth. 177 What ! muff thefe riling crops barbarians fhare, Thefe well-tilled fields become the fpoils of war ? See to what mis’ry difcord drives thefwain! See for what lords we fpread the teeming grain ! ♦ Wharton. 178 In compliance with your prayers, may Apollo ba~ nifh war and famine, and peftilence, from the people and prince, to other countries : to Perfia and Britain. 181 A rich marble fabric. 182 Among thefe worthies thou muff hold the mo ft con- fpicuous rank, having been the molt confpicuous for virtue. 187 Difpeopled Egypt fills the wat’ry plain, And the whole Eaftern world o’erfpreads the main. Pitt. 188 As incenfe, may it afcend before thee, for thy mer- cies’ fake. BOOK THE QUOTATIONS *9 BOOK IK Page CHAP I. 1 93 Who, in cold Hasmus’ vales my limbs will lay. And in the darkeft thicket hide from day. Warton • 1 94 The mountains rife, and the plains retire to the ilation which thou hall affigned them* O Lord, how manifold are thy works, in wifdom hall thou made them all. 195 Wherever I call my eyes, I fee thee Omnipotent God. I admire thee in thy works, I fee thee in myfelf. The earth, the fea, the celeftial fpheres. Proclaim thy power. Thou art every where. And we all live in thee. 200 line i. Not fair LarilTa with fuch tranfport warms. As pure Albunea’s far refounding fource. And rapid Anio, headlong in his courfe, Or Tibur, fenc’d by groves from folar beams, And fruitful orchards bath’d by dudile llreams. Francis* line 7. Pan from Arcadia’s hills defcends To vilit oft my Sabine feat. And here my tender goats defends F rom rainy winds, and fummer’s fiery heat. Francis i, 20t On columns, rais’d in modern flile. Why Ihould I plan the lofty pile To rife with envied flate? hz Why, 20 TRANSLATION OF Page Why, for a vain, fuperfluous (lore, Which would encumber me the more, Refign my Sabine feat ? Fraud;* 206 Sudden, the dire alarm the temple took ! The laurels, gates, and lofty mountains fhook. Burft with a dreadful roar, the veils difplay The hallow’d tripods in the face of day. Pitt* 208 Where Mincio’s dream bedews the verdant fields; And fp reading wide his lingering waters, feeds Around his winding Chores the tender reeds. JVartan. Note. Two miles from Mantua, is the village Andes, the country of Virgil, now called Pietola. The dukes of Mantoua had there ere&ed, to the memory of Virgil, a moll elegant villa, which was deftroyed in the war of 1701. 209 On the left is given in different pieces, an idea of the moll ancient colle&ions of books. The fixth reprefents Ptolemy Philadelphus, accompanied by Demetrius Phalereus, his librarian, and by Arifteus, who are arranging the famous library of Alexandria. In the feventh, appears Auguflus, walking between Virgil and Horace in the library which he had formed on Mount Palatine, where the ftatue of Varro was 2ii Thefe are my views of education. What has gene* rally been obferved of the arts and fciences, is ap- plicable to virtue. To complete moral excellence, three qualities are requifite : inclination, intelligence and habit. By intelligence, I mean, a proper ac- quaintance placed THE QUOTATIONS. quaintance with the nature and importance of vir- tue ; and by habit, the praflice of it. The elemen- tary parts depend upon good inflruflion, its ad- vancement upon care and diligence, and its per- feflion on the union of all. In proportion as any one of thefe is wanting, our virtue will neceffarily be defeftfive. The inclination without information is blind ; and information without the inclination will be of little avail ; and the attempts to pra&ice it without both, will be very ineffe&ual. As in hufbandry, a good foil is the firft obje£I, and then a judicious labourer, and laltly good feed : fo in education, the difpofition and genius may be com- pared to the foil, he that inltru&s us to the labourer, and the principles of wifdom to the feed. (The fame fimilitude occurs in the gofpel.) Happy and beloved by the Gods, is that man, who enjoys all thefe advantages. 22 1 Virgil with the utmoft care and diligence ftudied medicine and the mathematics, and in each highly excelled, before he came forward to the notice of the world. Note, laji line . Take me, ye Mufes, your devoted prieft, Whofe charms with holy raptures fire my breafl ! Teach me the ways of heav’n, the liars to know ; The radiant fun and moon’s eclipfes {hew ; Whence trembles earth, what force old ocean fwells To burl! his bounds, and backward what repels ; W^hy wintry funs roll down with rapid flight, And whence delay retards the lingering night. JVarton. b g 222 The TRANSLATION OF 22 1 Page S22 The Bucolics were written in honor of Pollio, Va- rius, Gallus, becaufe in the diftribution of the lands his property was untouched. The Georgies he compofed in honour of Maecenas. In the ALneid he propofed to celebrate the origin of the Roman Hate and of Auguftus. 223 line 17. On the proper improvement of poetry. line 19. A city is not fecured by gates however numerous and impregnable, if only one be left open for the admiflion of the enemy : nor will temperance in all other inftances avail, if a young man aban- don himfelf only to one vice. 224 In regard to the exhibitions of the ftage, the pro- du£iions of the lyre, and the exercifes of the fchool, he fometimes admits the principles of Py- thagoras and Plato. Youth fhould be previoufly and gradually prepared for philofbphy, which is the perfe£Hon of all other accomplifhments : and poetry may ferve as a pleafmg introdu&ion to that ftudy. 22 g line 1. Strew flowers upon the tomb. line 16. Behold how tottering nature nods around, Earth, air, the Watry wafte, and heav’n profound ! At once they change— — they wear a fmiling face, And all with joy th’ approaching age embrace. Wart on* BOOK THE QUOTATIONS. 23 BOOK IV. CHAP. II. Page 227 Note*, As you advance farther, you enter the beauti- ful walks of Genfano, which look more like a garden than a public road, on account of the efpaliers of elm trees, which are planted in double rows, with a large fpace between them : there is likewife a beau- tiful garden belonging to the Capuchin Friars, from which you fee the neighbouring lake of Nemi. That lake, which is four miles in circumference, makes the country fruitful, and extremely pleafant : the walks along its banks are alfo delightful. Note ] His grandfather contented himfelf with bearing the public offices of his borough, and grew old in the quiet enjoyment of a very plentiful eftate. 229 And he became man. 231 To God only and to his angels ought it to be known, and to efcape the obfervation of men. 232 Great multitudes were gathered together to hear, and to be healed by him of their difeafes. But he had retired to the wildernefs to pray. 236 This road and aqueduct were completed by him alone. 237 The prodigies related of Q. Marcius are ftri£tly true. Being ordered by the Senate to repair the aquedu£ts of Appia, Anien, Tepula, he com- b 4 pleted TRANSLATION OF 24 Page pleted a new one called by his own name, by means of pafTages cut through mountains, in the courfe of his praetorfhip. It was univerfally allowed to be the mof! cool and falubrious flream in the world, and among other prefents to the Gods, was left by Marcius to the city. By a comparifon of all the waters, this fuperiority was afcertained ; and as grateful as the aqueduft, called Aqua Virgo was to the touch, was Aqua Martia to the palate and the ftomach. It fupplied the whole city, but was referved entirely for drinking, while the other canals might be ufed for any purpofe. It was in length fixty miles and upwards. 841 Water in fuch abundance is brought by means of thefe aquedu&s, that rivers flow through the ftreets and pipes of the city, and almofl every houfe has its fprings and refervoirs. To this bufinefs Marcus Agrippa gave the greatefl attention ; the city is like- wife indebted to him for many other ornaments. 243 Brafs were the Heps, the beams with brafs were ftrong The lofty doors, on brazen hinges, rung. Pitt . 246 Next with kind gales, the care of every God, Agrippa leads his fquadron thro* the flood. A naval crown adorns the warrior’s brows, And fierce he pours amid th’ embattled foes. Pitt, 248 line 1 . Varius, who foars on Homer’s wing, Agrippa, {hall thy conquefls Ting, Whate’er, infpir’d by his command, The foldier dared on fea, or land. But THE QUOTATIONS. 2 5 Page But we nor tempt with feeble art Achilles* unrelenting heart, Nor fage Ulyffes in our lays Purfues his wanderings thro* the Teas. Francis, ^48 line 18. His courage was moil diftinguifhed : to no labour or danger by night or by day did he yield. 249 To a6ls of kindnefs he was ever difpofed. Gentle and generous to thofe who applied for his favours ; to none auftere and forbidding. On his approach to Jerufalem, he was met by the people with the pomp of their moll folemn feftival, and faluted with cordial acclamations. He facrificed a hecatomb to Jehovah, and gave entertainment to the people. 2 < 5<5 There is extant an oration of Agrippa on this mag- nificent defign, fo worthy of the greateli of citizens. 260 That prince was jullly beloved by France and by his mailer, becaufe he was alike the friend of both. 26 3 line 7. On behalf of ourfelves and the city, we obey that deltiny which inverts thee with the mo- narchy : hereby are we much ferved, becaufe we are not only relieved from civil di (Tendons, but likewife fhall enjoy an eftablilhed government. line the lafl. If merit determine, Agrippa moft evi- dently was the bell of men. 270 Auguftus Caefar, Emperor, having reduced Egypt to a Roman province, con fe crated this to the fun. 271 line 5. Reprefenting Rome as a Goddefs. line 9. Proud of her fons, fhe lifts her head on high ; Proud, as the mighty mother of the fky, When thro’ the Phrygian towns, fublime in air, She rides triumphant in her golden car, Crown’d 26 TRANSLATION OF Page Crown’d with a nodding diadem of tow’rs ; And counts her offspring, the celeftial pow’rs, A Aiming train, who fill the bleff abode. A hundred fons, and every fon a God. Pitt. sy i lajl tine. I pray thee, wreft not this child from my arms ; let this child live : how many have I already loft ; while this furvive, I fhall have fome fatisfa&ion : in poffeffion of this child, I can fubmit to being be- reaved of many. 276 Hail, Hail, O Egypt ! my tender parent. See the epitaph of IAs, in Diodorus Siculus. 278 Nile faw the rout : his mantle he unroll’d, Spread forth his robes, and open’d ev’ry fold. Expanded wide his arms, with timely care. And in his kind embrace receiv’d the flying war. Pitt, 283 Live, for ever ! 288 London very famous for the number of its mer- chants, and the quantity of its ftores. 289 Now to a woman chang’d by fate again. Pitt. BOOK IV. CHAP. III. 291 Your purchas’d woods, your houfe of ftate, Your villa, wafh’d by Tibers wave, You muft, my Dellius, yield to fate, And to your heir thefe high-pil’d treafures leave* Whether you boaft a monarch’s birth, While wealth unbounded round you flows, Or poor, and fprung from vulgar earth, No pity for his vi&im Pluto knows ; We THE QUOTATIONS. 2 7 Page We all mu ft tread the paths of fate : And ever {hakes the mortal urn, Whofe lot embarks us, foon or late, On Charon’s boat, ah! never to return. Francis. 292 This juftly celebrated Maufoleum, was a tomb by the river-fide, on an alabafter bafe, and to its very roof cloathed with ever-greens. 294 Then mighty Juno, with a melting eye Beheld her dreadful anguifh from the Iky f And bade fair Iris, from the ftarry pole Fly, and enlarge her agonizing foul. Swift from the glancing fun the Goddefs drew A thoufand mingling colours, as fhe flew ; Then radiant hover’d o’er the dying fair. —The vital fpirit flies, no more confin’d Diffolves in air, and mingles with the wind. Pitt . 295 line 7. — ■ — ■ The only joy he knows The folace of his woes. Pitt. Note. This piece is a mo ft chafte produff ion. The countenance {nines with that ferenity, that fweet fa* tisfaflion., which may well be experienced on the approach to unchanging joy. It is one of Guido’s moll linilhed compofitions : the attitude is very Ample, and at the fame time highly poetical. 298 line 3. He was the delight of the Roman people. linen. His mind was aflive, chearful and vi- gorous. 299 line 1. He was patient of labour: difinclined to indulgence : and confidering his years and tempta- tions, a prodigy of frugality and temperance. 299 line 28 TRANSLATION OF Page 2 59 line g. He was competent to the ftation, for which he was educating. line 13. His mother, O&avia, was inconfolable through life. Her mourning weeds (he never laid afide. Condantly were her thoughts fixed upon him ; and what fine was at his funeral, file continued to be, all her days. line 20. Marcellus had already been entruded by Auguftus with the concerns of government, and had fhared the burden with him ; and was preparing for all the ftrefs which his uncle might choofe to upon him, as he well knew that the foundation fhould yield to no load. 300 Bring fragrant flow'rs, the whited lilies bring, With all the purple beauties of the fpring ; Thefe gifts at lead, thefe honours I’ll bedow On the dear youth, to pleafe his fhade below. Pitt . 301 Not with his ufual promp and flowing eloquence. 302 Who is that young Prince, in whofe countenance majefly and mildnefs are fo happily blended ? With an eye of indifference he looks on the throne. Heav’ns ! What a fudden darknefs fp reads around me ! Death is hovering round him. He is falling at the foot of the throne, which he was about to ah cend. O my fon, thou feed the pride of the French nation : The Gods will form him of thy royal blood. Ye Gods, do you produce that exquifite flower only to difplay its beauties P Alas, what a virtuous foul would his have proved 1 France, under his reign, had been happy. He had promoted peace and plenty. My fon, his days had been numbered by his THE QUOTATIONS. 29 Page his good a&ions. He would have loved his people. How will France mourn, when under the fame tomb will be re-united • the hufband and the wife, the mother and the fon ! 304 To the gloomy apartments of Agrippa, was Marcel- lus configned : Dear in life, united in death. Scarcely was the tomb clofed, when lo ! a lifter demands the fame funeral honours ! To thefe three fhocks, lo 1 a fourth fucceeds ; and Csefar’s tears now gufh forth for his beloved Drufus. Shut up, ye Fates, this gaping tomb ! Shut it up, it yawns infufferably wide. 305 A myrtle of verdure and odour molt exquifite, has fprung on the grave, and raifed its bufhy head, co- vering the two urns by its branches and its fhade. Every one exclaims, that Ariftonous, in recompence for his virtue, has been changed by the Gods into this beautiful plant. Sophronime undertakes the charge of fprinkling it, and honours it as a Deity. This tree, inltead of growing old, is renovated every ten years : and the Gods by this phasnomenon de- monftrate, that virtue, which throws fo fweet a per- fume on the memory of men, never dies. 306 Who knows, whether it was for his advantage to live longer : or whether his death was not in mercy? 308 For it is neceffary that men be produced, before they can be made happy. He (hut the temple of Janus four times. qii line 13. To Rome, and to Auguftus Csefar, the father of his country. 311 laji 30 TRANSLATION OF Page 311 lajlline. In the adminiftration of his government throughout the world. 313 By him they lived, by him they failed, by him en- joyed liberty and profperity. 317 Never, never, ye holy Gods, may I fee that day; rather let me be expunged from exigence, than that fuch a blot fhould attach to my name. 319 Cmfar’s houfe eflablifh ; which ought certainly to be exempt from mortality, and all the ills of life. His facred perfon, from the high pinnacle on which he ftands, is entitled to look down on the world without any apprehenfion. Death fhould not prefume to feize him, or to enter his abode : nor fhould a tear ever burft from his eye. 320 Oh ! had I died, when firfl I faw the light, Or died at lead before. the nuptial rite. Pope , 322 Drufus was honoured with a cenotaph even on the Rhine. 326 What is the reafon, Brutus, that, as we are com- pofed of body and mind, and the art of healing in regard to the former is fo much ftudied, and even afcribed to an invention of the Gods ; that medicine for the mind fhould be fo much neg!e£ied ? 328 line 3. The brave and good are copies of their kind, — Yet fage inflru&ions, to refine the foul, And raife the genius, wond’rous aid impart, Conveying inward as they purely roll, Strength to the mind, and vigour to the heart : When morals fail, the ftains of vice difgrace The faireft honours, and the noblefl race, Francis . 328 line THE QUOTATIONS. 3i Page 3.28 line 19. Felt how Auguftus with paternal mind Fir’d the young Neroes to heroic deeds. Francis . 329 No youth, however endowed by nature, and im- proved by education, ever excelled him. Whether he fhone molt in the arts of war or peace, is dubious : in the judicious choice of friends, and in his en- gaging behaviour towards them, he is faid to have been inimitable. 331 While at Rome, Drufus was lamented as a prince of diftinguifhed merit, brave, virtuous, full of good- hefs, and fit to fucceed Auguftus ; many nations in Germany rejoiced in his death. He had experienced on the part of that Prince, (or rather the Roman army under his command) unparallelled cruelties : fo deteftable was his name among them, that when they imprecated curfes on an enemy, they wifhed that he might fall into the hands of another Drufus. 333 When Auguftus was informed of what had befallen Varus, he was very much agitated, both lamenting the numbers he had loft, and dreading the fury of the Germans; who, he expe&ed, would pour down into Italy, and even attack Rome itfelf. 334 Yon chief fhall vanquifh all the Grecian pow’rs. And lay in duft the proud Corinthian tow’rs. That chief {hall ftretch fair Argos on the plain, And the proud feat of Agamemnon’s reign, O’ercome th* Dacian king, of race divine. Sprung from the great Achilles’ glorious line : Avenge Minerva’s violated fane, And the great fpirits of thy fathers flain. Fitt» 336 He left a noble pattern for young men. Great, in ftriking terror into the enemy : great, in prote&ing the rights of the citizen. 339 The 32 translation of Page 339 The affe&ion of the cities, provinces, and all Italy , for Drufus, was heightened by his death : through whatever town the funeral procellion palled, it re- ceived all poflible honour, and it entered Rome al- moft like a triumph. 340 His body being brought to Rome, was laid in Caius Julius’ tomb. (The tomb of Auguftus mull be meant, according to the exprefs words of Dio ) His panegyric was pronounced by Auguftus, and every affecting fplemnity obferved on the occafion. 345 I now take leave of my work on the tranfa£Hons fubfequent to thofe, which Livy’s hiftory compre- hends ; having my mind abforbed by that nobler and more durable empire, which was founded by Jefus Chrift, and over which he prefides. We are now at the period of his birth, though on the precife day the learned cannot agree: but then the world rather beheld, than acknowledged, its Lord. To his blefting I am entirely indebted, if I have laboured to any purpofe : and I moreover humbly pray, that he would confirm me in this opinion, that all I have written concerning vi&ories, triumphs, and ftates, is deferving of no regard, fliould it have diverted my mind from his holy reli- gion, and made me in any degree inattentive to what it enjoins us to do or to fuffer. BOOK THE QUOTATIONS. 33 BOOK IV . CHAP. IVo Page 350 Fear of difturbing what is eftablifhed. 351 All nations or cities have been governed by the people, the nobles, or king. The union of all thefe in a government, is rather to be praifed than ex- pended : or fhould it ever take place, would be of no long continuance. 352 To him lhall fucceed Caligula, fo called from his familiarity with the common foldiers at camp 9 where he was brought up : but by a more degraded name he is known to pofterity, being a monfter of cruelty and debauchery. 353 Not fo much through his own dexterity, as through the anger of the Gods towards the Roman people. 353 Not withholding their money from good fchemes. 338 You fee flrfl the buft of Julius Ccefar a made of ftriped alabafter, that of Augujlus is next : then you fee a head of Mareellus, his nephew ; next to it is another head, of Tiberius , with a buft of the fame. The buft of his brother Drufus , is of very white mar- ble, and certainly modern* as is fufficiently proved by the excellence of the workmanfhip. On its left, you fee a raoft beautiful head of his wife, Antonia 9 called Junior ; the head of their fon Germamcus is next, with that of his wife, Agrippina , of exquifite workmanfhip. You II. Second Edit, c 360 Note 84 TRANSLATION OF Page 360 Note . By his ftern and proud countenance, his fright- ful eye-brow, and threatening looks, it is eafy to know Caracalla , reprefented in a bull of porphyry, with a head of marble. line n. — Catiline in chains Roars from the dark abyfs, in endlefs pains : Sees the grim furies all around him fpread, And the black rock ftill trembling o’er his head. But in a feparate place the juft remain ; And aweful Cato rules the godlike train. Pitt • 361 The Lord hath led the juft man by the right way, and hath fhewn him the kingdom of God. O happy man, whole foul is in paradife, where angels exult, archangels rejoice, and the chorus of faints invite to remain with them for ever. 363 By examples of vice and virtue we may improve : warned by the former, we rife fuperior to the wicked ! and imitating the latter, may not be infe- rior to thofe who are revered and loved. 364 Alas ! how did they degenerate. 365 His chara&er changed with his fituation. As a private man, he was in reputation, and pofTefled the confidence of Auguftus : he retained the fem- blance of virtue during the life of Germanicus ; til! the death of his mother, he did not wholly lay afide his regard to chara&er, but feemed divided between virtue and vice : after that period, he hefitated at nothing, however criminal, however infamous. .366 He had great talents, excelling alike in elo- quence and learning. He has left many monuments of THE QUOTATIONS. 35 Page of his literary improvement. His fortitude and be- nevolence were confpicuous, and he had an irrefifti- ble art of conciliating the affe&ions of men. 367 line 1. Wherever he met with the tombs of great men, he treated them as though they were altars: he firft fet about colle&ing the relicks of the Varian party. line 14. Trajan raifed an altar to the memory of thofe who were flain in battles, and there offered annual fa- crifices. He retrained the Legions who were difaf- fe£led to Tiberius, and who would have placed the government in his hands : difplaying alike his firm refolution and his filial piety. Thofe legions were the ftrengthof the Empire, and their pleafure was law. Note. The two buffs of Trajan are of excellent work- man ill ip, and exa£tly like the medals : they are both of white marble, and the firft is all of one piece. 369 line 4. When I die, let fire confume the globe. Ate. When Nero repeated this line, he added with era. phafis, Let the conflagration take place, before I die. line 8. From fuch a hell, good Lord deliver us. 370 Note f. Germanicus defcended from his chariot, laid afide his triumphal robe, and offered to Jupiter many white bulls : he afterwards brought to the temple of Mars the revenger, the ornaments of the triumph and German fpoils. Note\. At the end of the year an arch was con fe« crated near the temple of Saturn, on account of the recovery of the ftandards loft with Varus, under the command of Germanicus, and with the aufpices of Tiberius. c 2 37 » Th e 36 TRANSLATION OF Page 37 1 The flatues of the rivers were in the proceftion. 372 Note. L. Domitius crofted the Elbe with his army* penetrating farther into Germany than any com- mander before him. line 22. To the empire which extended beyond the ocean, the Rhine was a limit. 374 In the devaftation fpread by fire and fword through a vafl; extent of country, mercy was (hewn neither to age nor fex. Slaughter, not captives, was the obje£t ; the defolation, not the fubje&ion of the country. 375 A kind of towered crown. 3 77 The armies of the Germans are not led on as for- merly, to irregular attacks, and in detached compa- nies. Their operations now are fyftematic, and in concert. In their long war with us, they have learnt to follow the banner, to march to each others fuc- cour, and to obey the word of command. .380 Germanicus thought the Mufes more enchanting than Syrens. 381 By all beloved, becaufe a friend to all. Note. He revived the provinces finking under inter- nal difcord, or the oppreftions of their rulers. He lowered the price of wheat, by opening the public granaries. He went to Alexandria, on account of a fudden and grievous famine. 382 line 4. Not being able to endure the fight of his fubje&s. line the lajl. Overhearing thofe juft and fevere reflec- tions, with which he was wounded in fecret. 383 Note , THE QUOTATIONS. 37 Page 383 Note. An ifland, with a we ft era afpeft, command- 1 ig a full view of the fea, and a molt charming bay : but the torrents of Mount Vefuvius have defaced the beauties of the fcene. 384 line 3. Vicious indolence, effeminacy, luft, cruelty. line 9. He found no relief in gay or in folitary life, but confeffed what torment he endured. A letter to the Senate he thus begins, “ What I (hall write to you, Confcript Fathers, or how I fhall write, or in fa& what I fhall not write, may the Gods and Goddeffes inflift more horrible vengeance than what is already preying upon my vitals, if I know.” Thus his crimes were converted into pangs : and abundantly true was the argument of that mo ft illuftrious fage, Plato, that if the mind of tyrants could be laid open, wounds and ulcers would be feen. As the fcourge lacerates the body, does vice harrow up the mind. 385 Rough Ithaca we fhun, a rocky fhore, And curfe the land that dire Ulyffes bore. Pitt. 386 In Plutarch’s book, concerning virtue and vice, a paffage is applicable to this purpofe : Abroad, pro* nounced happy : At home, he is in an agony. His wickednefs having taken poffeflion of his heart, haunts him night and day, confuming without a torch, and haftening on premature old age. When he fleeps, his body may be at reft, but his foul is in tumult, terror, and diftratlion. Where then are the fweets of vice, if anxiety and horror are thus its attendants ? c 3 388 The 3 ^ TRANSLATION OF Page 388 The bones of Agrippina, daughter of Agrippa, grand-daughter of Au^uftus, wife of Germanicus. 39 1 Note . He likewife read whole books to the Senate, and made them known to the people, by proclamation ; as the orations of Q. Metellus, for the encourage- ment of matrimony, and Rutilius, about a method of building : to convince them that he was not the fir ft, who had attended to thefe fubje&s, but that the ancients too had thought them worthy of their care. line 13. That they might not think it beneath them to imitate the example of a young man. 393 Note. The ancient palace of the old forum. line 11. With clufters of virtues was his character enriched. To his friends moft dear; dear, how- ever, to all, while he lived, but much more at and after his death. 394 Wherefore reftrain the tender tear ? Why blufh to weep for one fo dear ? Sweet Mufe, of melting voice and lyre, Do thou the mournful fong infpire. 397 I confider this as the principal defign of x\nnals, to record both what has been excellent, and what has been infamous : that virtues may not be loft in filence, and that the dread of the reproach of pofterity, may be a check upon bad words and bad a£lions. 398 If the immortal Gods had fuffered him to enjoy the fruit of his vi&ories, no man ever would have returned to his country with greater applaufe. 399 Great Drufus’ greater fon. 400 line THE QUOTATIONS. 39 Page 400 line 6. If they perifh, It Is no lofs. line 14. I have feen the wicked adored on earth: like the cedar, he raifed his audacious front to the ikies., He feemed to have the thunder at his dif- pofal : he trampled under his feet his conquered enemies. 1 only paffed by he was no more. Wretch ! God the avenger of innocence, is now weighing thee in the balance, and foon will thy doom be pronounced. Tremble 1 Thy day is at hand, and thy reign at its clofe. The traitor is dead. He is torn in pieces by an enraged people. What remains of his clotted carcafs, will now be expofed to public view. 402 How deceived was Sejanus in the obje£l of his wifhes ! While he was afpiring after unbounded honour and wealth, he was ere&ing a lofty fcaffold for his own punifhment : and the higher it was raifed, the more confpicuous and the more tre- mendous was his fall, when from that eminence he was dafhed to the ground. 403 Through what dangers we arrive to a danger Hill greater ! And how long fhall we enjoy the diftinc- tion ! To be the friend of God, fhall be my obje£t, and that honour I may attain. 405 O for that melody, which enraptured thy breaft ! O to approach thine ardours, and to penetrate into thofe myfteries, which ennoble thy verfe ! If this be too much for one fo unworthy to expe£t, teach me to emulate thee in the fervours of repentance, by which thine awful offence was forgiven. Thus bleffed, I fhall be happier, than if my lyre warbled thine immortal {trains. c 4 BOOK 4 ° TRANSLATION OF BOOK IV. CHAP. V. Page 409 Why were not the catara&s of heaven then opened ? Why were not the fountains of the great deep broke up ? 410 linej. They retired to fcenes more tranquil, more fafe, more ennobling. There they devoted themfelves to the ftudy of the fine arts, the cultivation of virtue, the fubje&ion of appetite and paflion, the improve- ment of life and death, and the dignified enjoyment of the world. line 21. Numbers fell during the bloody reign of Caius. 411 line%. Such was the monfter’s delight ; on cruelty alone were his thoughts employed by day and by night. line the laft. That inadvertent expreflion. 413 The origin of the evil. 415 He was lavifh of wealth ; and had no hoard but crimes. 416 Note*. With Nero’s chara&er we are fhocked ; with Nero’s baths we are charmed. Note f. This building is one of the fineft of ancient Rome, and is more remarkable than any other, for its height and fize. It is built of travertine ftones, joined together without any lime, and fupported by four large arches, with columns of ruftic work of £he ionic order. To underfland how magnificent the THE QUOTATIONS. 4i 'Page the arches of this monument are, it will be fufficient to know, that the arch which ferves as a door, is forty-nine palms long ; and each piece of ftone is three palms three inches thick, nine palms five inches, and fome two and a half long. The whole of that lofty arch, is only made of twenty-fix pieces of ftone. 417 Claudius, father of his country, at his own expence, brought to Rome the Claudian ftream from the fountains which are called Caeruleus and Curtius, through a courfe of thirty -five miles ; and the new Anio, through a courfe of fix ty -two miles. 418 His difpofition wonderfully varied: fometimes he was cautious and fagacious, fometimes unadvifed and rafti ; and occafionaily frivolous, and like a madman. 420 The favage cruelty of his temper betrayed itfelf in many things, both great and fmall. When any were to be put to the torture, he was impatient for the execution, and would have it performed before his eyes. He was much delighted with feeing men engage with wild beafts, and the combatants that perform their parts at noon : fo that he would come to the theatre by break of day, and at noon would difmifs the people to dinner, but continue fitting himfelf. And befides fuch as were appointed for that bloody work, he would match others with the beafts, or one another, upon flight or fudden occa- sions, gs the carpenters and their aftiftants, if a machine, or any thing of that nature they had been employe^ in about the theatre, did not anfwer the purpofe 42 TRANSLATION OF Page purpofe it was defigned for. He Iikewife obliged one of his nomenclators to that cruel drudgery, and in his toga too. Clarke . 421 Once blefi: with wealth But now a broken, rough, and dang’rous bay. Pitt . 426 He tried every expedient for procuring provifions in the winter feafon. 427 Concerning the title of the work, the learned are not agreed. Beatus Rhenanus, who is faid to have found, and firft to have publifhed it, is fuppofed to have annexed that name to it. And that name Ju- nius, and indeed all retain, treading in the fleps of Dio. 428 He had determined that Gauls, Greeks, Spaniards, Britons, fhould appear in Roman dignity. Note . Such were the tranfa&ions in regard to Bri- tain ; and to induce others to come to terms, it was decreed, that the engagements which Claudius or his officers might conclude, ffiould be as valid, as though they were ratified at Rome. 429 To Claudius Csefar : In commemoration of his ex- ploits in Britain : fubduing its kings without blood- fhed, and compelling them to acknowledge fub- je&ion. 430 In Campus Martius he exhibited by imagery the attack and plunder of a t own in Britain, with the furrender of its kings: he prefided on the occafion in military pomp. 431 He engaged thirty times with the enemy in Britain, 434 line 2. Fighting feparately, all were conquered. line 3. They fcorned to decline danger. 434 ltne THE QUOTATIONS. 43 Page 434 lint 8. Their valour and their liberty funk to- line 1 1 . Their great exploits by no pen are blazoned. 435 Their minds would have been on fire to fhine in the field, and would have admitted of no reftraints, till they had acquired the glory of. their ancefiors. 438 Ye happy Bards, whofe rapturous ftrains tranfmit departed heroes to a diftant age, did ye melodioufly cliaunt : and there, O Druids, were your favage rites renewed. 440 On the cuftoms of the Germans. 441 Britain was in his time inhabited by an infinite multitude. | 442 He was not far behind the moil diftinguifhed of the Romans. Of hereditary fame, or corporeal excel- lence, he could not boaft : but his dignity was unfullied. Brave and mild, and juft and faithful to friends and foes. 443 Plautius, after his expedition in Britain, which he conduced with great judgement and fuccefs, was applauded by Claudius, and honoured with a tri- umph. On this occafion, many ftrangers who had been made free of Rome, and Britifh captives, fought in the armour of their refpe&ive countries : and he valued himfelf on the numbers that fell in thefe exhibitions. 445 Caraftacus, fleeing hither and thither protefted, that that day, that army would reftore their liberty, or doom them to eternal flavery. He called to their recollection the names of their anceftors who had repelled Ctsfar, the diftator ; and allured them, that 111 * * 1 44 TRANSLATION OF Page by fuch valour, they would fa \4 their wives and children, and be free from terrour and tribute. 447 Sweet breeze ! The wifh and joy of all, whole heart not finks in woe! But ah! tome not welcome! Whither wilt thou waft me! Alas! a captive’s lot is now my doom ! 448 At the Porta Viminalis, behind the other fortifica- tions, are there works thrown up in the form of a Roman camp, accompanied with a fofs and rampire, which are now in a ftate of decay. But that it was a Praetorial camp, Onuphrius and Lipfius fpeaking of the fpot, pronounce; and are herein fupported bv antiquaries. Donati. You fee near Porta Chiufa the ruins of a flately build- ing, which from the outlines, you eafih know to have been the Caflro Prcetorio. This is alfo indi- cated by fome pipes which have been found in it, belonging to the aqueduft of Aqua Martia ; on the infcription of which, mention is made of Caflro Prcetorio. Abate Venuti adds, il Signor Piraneji gives the whole plan of it as it was before it came to ruin, which he fays he took from its remains, and its view in the baffo relievo of the arch of Conftantine, like- wife from medals and the defcriptions of ancient writers. Efckinardi. 449 Caefar, while he difplayed his own glory, conferred honour on his prifoner. For the people were af- .fembled, as to a fplendid entertainment. The Prae- torian bands were under arms, in the field before the camp. Then the royal train advancing, the fpoils of war were difplayed : foon appear his bro- thers, THE QUOTATIONS. 45 Page thers, wife, and daughter, and lafl of all, Cara c- tacus himfelf. 450 Cara&acus attempted not to move their pity by- looks, or words, or geftures : but unembarraffed prefented himfelf before the tribunal. 451 By Claudius’ permiflion, he walked through the city, and obferving its dimenfions and fplendour, exclaimed, Is it poflible, that with fuch poffeffions as thefe, you can have any fancy for our poor cot- tages ! 452 If the enemy be rich, they mull be very covetous; if poor, very ambitious. The Eaft and Weft can- not fatisfy them. Countries, rich and poor, they are alike eager to engrofs. They rob, they murder, they feize the government under any pretence ; and when they have depopulated a country, they call it peace. 459 He banifhed the Jews from Rome, that were per- petually making difturbances, at the inftigation of one Chreftus. 460 The moft flight fufpicion, the mo ft contemptible author, could throw him into alarm ; and under the idea of caution, he proceeded to punifhment. 464 Under the portico are fix ftatues of Sabine women. The Roman matrons honoured them with fome re- ligious rites at a feftival, called Matronalia, on the firft of March. Among the different caufes which Ovid affigns for this feftival, the firft is, that the Sabine women, firft feized and afterwards married by the Romans, by their tears put a ftop to a cruel war. TRANSLATION OF 46 Pag! war, in which were involved their fathers, their brothers, and their hufbands. ^65 In the mean time MefTalina, in the gardens of Lu- cullus, was preparing her fubmiffions, with fome hope that her life might be prolonged : at the fame time, fhe was diflra&ed with rage, for pride fhe did not abandon to the very lafl. Narciffus rufhed from the palace, and orders the centurions to dif- patch her : fuch being the emperors pleafure. Evo- dius was commiffioned for the purpofe. On enter- ing the gardens, he found her If retched on the ground, attended by her mother, Lepida, whom in her profperity fhe had difregarded, but who felt for her in her extremity. Now was fhe, for the firfl time, convinced *of her fate, and took the dagger, but trembled fo much, that fhe could not effe£f the purpofe : fhe was therefore ffabbed by the officer. 369 lint 14. In early life prudent, early pious, early huf- bands, early fathers, early engaged in all the impor« tant cares of life. tint 18. The hymen asal hymn is already fet to mufic. line 20. Thrice happy they, whom love unites In equal rapture, and fincere delights, Unbroken by complaints or ffrife. Even to the latefl hours of life. Francis . 470 Pfalm cxxviii. 478 They grievoufly lamented her, and interred her in great magnificence. 479 Lafeivioufnefs, cruelty, indecency. 480 The THE QUOTATIONS. 47 Page 480 The mother and head of all the churches in the city and the world. 481 Note The baptiftery which has the name of Con- ftantine, a work of modern times, and made with the ruins of Lateranus’s houfe : behind the baptiftery are feen fome remains of that palace. The columns of porphyry in the baptiftery, belonged to that pa- lace, as welf as thofe which are in the wall towards the veftry, and fupport part of a frieze and old cornice. line 16. “ Thou fool, this night ftiall thy foul be required of thee ; then whofe fhall thofe things be, which thou haft provided.’ 1 482 line 3. We were witnefles to the fudden poverty of many rich men, but it did not occur to us, that we Could place no dependance on our own pof- feffions. line 9. In thofe direful times, by Nero’s order, a troop feized Longinus, and the fpacious gardens o£ the opulent Seneca, and invefted the fuperb build- ings of Lateranus. line 22 . Not revenge, but love for his country, influenced Lateranus in joining the confpiracy. 483 Nero next fentenced to death Plautius Lateranus, conful-ele£I, and upon fo fhort a notice, that he had not an opportunity of taking leave of his children. Dragged to the mo ft degrading place of execution, he was killed by Statius, the Tribune. 48^ Note . Men and women of equeftrian and fenatorial dig- nity, were not now feen as at other times, in their diftinguiihed ftation in the theatre, but mingling with 48 TRANSLATION OF Page with the very Ioweft dalles in the fports which were there exhibited, and contending for the palm in fuch diverfions. Some engaged voluntarily, fom'e reludantly. Then were feen the greateft families, the Horatii, the Fabii, the Portii, and all the others lor whom monuments and temples were raifed, dif- playing their feats among the common performers. The fpeHators of fuch degenerated excellence, faw with indignation the proceeding, and thus exclaimed to one another : The Macedonians, pointing with their finger, faid. This is a defcendant of Paulus. — — The Greeks, This a defcendant of Mum- mius. — —The Sicilians, fee Claudius. Thofe of Epirus, fee Appius. The Afiatics, fee Lu- cius. The Carthaginians, fee Africanus. 485 line 14. Thus was the difpleafure of the Gods fhewn to the Romans. 486 Nor beauteous Helen now, nor Paris blame, Her guilty charms, or his unhappy flame ; The Gods, my fon, th’ immortal Gods deftroy This glorious empire, and the tow’rs of Troy. Pitt, 487 line 15. To hear the neighbouring camp refound with execrations of himfelf, and the applaufes of Galba. Note, He hurried away in the night to fome caftle : on his way, there was fuch a violent earthquake, that he imagined the earth was opening, and that the ghofts of thofe whom he had murdered were gathering round him. He was heard to fay, wife, mother, father, all demand my death. Having fiinlhed THE QUOTATIONS* 4g Page finifhed his career of wickednefs, ail were fhocked at his enormities. 489 The country about Momentum is highly fpoken of, particularly an ellate of Seneca, a man of great ta- lents and learning, whofe vineyards have been known to produce, acre by acre, eight pipes of wine. 490 hue 7. Writers on hulbandry. line 16, Labour does not agree with our effeminate habits. Note. The prevailing vices of this city are now re- gularly tranfmitted from father to fon ; namely, the rage for plays, and the amufements of gladiators and horfemanlhip. How can a mind, occupied in fuch purfuits, attend to the fine arts ? 491 Note. He took the utmoft pains to Ihine among fidlers, and to be a difgrace to emperors. He was anxious for a crown of olive, or laurel, or parfley, or pine ; but would facrifice the regal diadem. line 14. And other trifling obje&s. line 2 1 . Born for fuch purfuits, I ought to value them t as I have not much time, let it be well employed* What is called old age, is the revolution of a few years. While my frame is vigorous, I fhould apply myfelf diligently to the nobleft concerns. Before old age arrive, may I take care to live well ; and during old age, to die well. 492 On account of the laws of Lycurgus, which were diametrically oppofite to his tafte. Vol.IL Second Edit . d 493 The y TRANSLATION OF Page 493 They are perpetually in motion, and are grown reftlefs by their changes : their minds are fickened by their excurfion. 497 They had reached the fummit of virtue, and died merely, on account of their fuperior excellence. Bareas Soranus was arraigned at the inftance of a Roman knight, on charges refpe&ing his pro-con- fulffiip in Alia, where he had conduced himfelf with fuch juftice and diligence, as to inflame the an- tipathy of his prince. The time appointed for his condemnation was, when Tiridates came to the city, to be inverted with the jurifdi£lion of Ar- menia. 498 His freed-man Phaon, offered him a country-houfe of his, betwixt the Salarian and Nomentan roads, about four miles from the town, barefoot as he was, and in his tunick, only flipping over it an old wea- ther-beaten cloak, with his head muffled up in it, and his handkerchief clapped to his face, he mounted a horfe, with four perfons only to attend him. When they came to the lane that turned up to the houfe, they quitted their horfes, and with much ado he got through fhrubs and bufhes, and a track through a piece of ground covered with reeds, to a wall on the back fide of the villa. There Phaon advifing him to hide himfelf in a fand-pit, he faid, “ he would not go under ground alive and flaying there, till a private paffage into the villa could be made for him, he took up fome water out of a ditch, faying, This is Nero’s boiling water. Clarke . I* THE QUOTATIONS. 51 Page In that place of concealment, he fufpe&ed each around him as having a defign upon him, and trem- bled at every voice, as though it were making en- quiries for him. Not a dog could yelp, or a bird twitter, or a leaf move, but he was violently agitated. He was afraid to fpeak to any, left he fhould be overheard by others. Looking round on his few attendants, he called to mind the ftate in which he had been accuftomed to move. So tragic was the prefent fcene, that he need not perfonate murderers and vagabonds as formerly, but only exhibit himfelf. He then affected to relent and retra£t ; but now it was too late. 499 In dying, his eyes darted horror. go\ Nero could not endure the recolle&ion of his crimes, but often confefted that he was haunted by his mo- ther’s figure, and perfecuted by all the furies of hell. And Tiberius is reprefented as the mo ft miferable of men. 502 A ftatue of Seneca is feen among the wonder- ful produftions of antiquity, in the poffeftion of Cardinalis Borgefii. It is a ftriking refemblance of him expiring in the bath, to his laft breath uttering his golden maxims. It is full of life and fire. Ti e hands and fingers are. extended, like a man dilating to writers, precepts of wifdom and fortitude ; ui - re ftrained by the pangs of approaching death, hap- pily ftruck off* in his countenance by the ingenious artift. His face is not handfome, but bears an African refemblance. The full cheek, the turgid lip, the diftended noftril, difcover the native of d 2 Corduba, gs TRANSLATION .OF Page Corduba, a province of Baetica, contiguous to Africa. But mark his body, worn down by fick- nefs, dudy, and (lender diet ; yet inured to regular exercife, and hard labour. Mod: happily has the flatuary united the (kin, emaciated by the fatal draught, and the full veins and mufcles which had been produced by previous exertion. 503 Not without eloquence, even in his lad mo- ments, did he deliver his fentiments to thofe who (food by him to record them. ^07 Its circuit is three miles, or a French league. It is a delicious fpot, in refpe£f to plantation, wood, ard water : there abound roe-bucks, deer, hares, and pheafants : and every where the ufeful is blended with the agreeable, in perfe£I order and elegance. 512 Thrafeas did not recede from what he thought right, though in dire£I oppofition to the prince. 513 Note*. Thrafeas did not attend in the council, when not fatisfied with their proceedings. Note f. Thrafeas always fpoke his mind. Nero might kill him, but could not hurt him. “ It is perilous driving with princes : their anger is death: Is that all, my Lord, &c.” line 8. After having put to death fo many eminent men, Nero hoped, that by adding Thrafeas to their num- ber, the caufe of virtue would expire. £14 Thrafeas, with a venerable afpeft. £15 line 4. Let me think only on hidorical fa£is. line 12. Without grief and terror. ^i6 Thrafeas then in the garden, was holding an inter- view with an illudrious circle ,* particularly with Demetrius* THE QUOTATIONS. 53 Page Demetrius, of whom he was making enquiries con- cerning the nature of the foul, and the reparation of foul and body. When Arulenus, a tribune of the people, propofed to intercede on his behalf, he reftrained his zeal, left he fhould expofe himfelf to danger. He admonifhed his wife, not to imitate the example of Arria, and deprive their daughter of her only refource. How fuperior is this to Seneca ! The account of his fentence being now brought, he recommended it to his weeping friends to part, and not to run any rifque on his account. gi 6 Note . Demetrius, in my opinion, is a great man, even if he were compared with the greateft. line 1 6. Then advancing towards the portico, he met the executioners. He was the more fatisfied, becaufe he was informed that Helvidius, his fon-in- law, was only to be confined in Italy. 1517 He then took Helvidius and Demetrius into the chamber, and as the blood gufhed from the veins of each arm, he fprinkJed fome upon the ground, faying, Let us make a libation to Jove the Deli- verer. He then addrefled himfelf to the officer : Behold, young man, may the Gods avert the omen, but thefe are times in which the mind fhould be fortified with noble examples. His exit being linger- ing, he in agony turned to Demetrius. BOOK 54 TRANSLATION OF BOOK IV. CHAP. VII. Page 524 Through the prevalence of vice, the crifis was ar- rived, that virtue mull be confidered as an illufion, or nobly brave the terrors of death. 526 Let thofe weep and mourn, whom a courfe of luxury has enervated ; by which we become fo delicate and tender, as not to be able to endure the fling of a bee, but yield to the very flightefl inconvenience. But we who are converfant with the examples of great men, and are educated upon their principles, fhould be bold to encounter difficulties. Let us bear the wounds of fortune, like veterans, without a fhriek. Let our virtue be in free exercife, invio- lable, unmoved ; let us look danger bold in the face: let our countenance never change. Tully obferves, that felf-confidence is not the bell fupport of virtue, but application to the Gods for their fuccour. £28 Tacitus obferves, that many perfecutions were omitted by hiftorians, becaufe they were painful to their own feelings, and might have the fame effeff upon their readers. ^29 From the crofs we derive flrength of mind, the highefl attainments in virtue, joy, and a tafle of heavenly felicity. £31 Fie was great before God. 534 Theo. 55 THE QUOTATIONS. Page ,534 Theodofius improved, Honorius completed this temple, confecrated by the remains of Paul, that teacher of mankind. This church was founded by Conftantine, who built it upon a fpot of ground belonging to S ta . Lucina, a young Roman lady : the burying-ground of the Holy Martyrs was ajfo in that place. The Apoftle St. Paul is the firft that was buried in it, by his Difciple Timothy : That burying-ground is under the church, and the fleps leading to it are near the great altar. 535 Un the Oflian road, on the left fide of the river, is a fplendid edifice, bearing the infcription of Paul ; which a pious Prince dedicated to him at the ex- pence of many talents. The beams are overlaid with gold, fo that the light is refle&ed, like rays from the fun. The ornamented cieling is fupported by columns of Parian marble, of the fourth order. And there are interfperfed befpangled arches, which have the effe£t of meadows, in all the gay attire of fpring. 53 6 I love Rome on this account. Highly is it to be celebrated for its dimenfions, its antiquity, its fplendour, its population, its power, its wealth, and its fuccefles in war : but waving thefe confider- ations, I molt revere it as the place, with which Paul correfponded, as the fcene of his labours, and his dying fcene. What charms mull there be in his tomb ! O could I now fee his dear remains S the dull of that mouth, by which he fpake before Jdngs and was not afhamed— — the dull of that heart. TRANSLATION OF 56 Page heart, which embraced the whole church, and all nations and people, ardent for the falvation of thofe about to perifh the duff of thofe hands, by which the epi files were written of thofe feet, which travelled through the earth, regardlefs of fatigue, and by which, when fettered, he fhook the prifon ! However, let us not admire him only, but let us imitate him, that we may be counted worthy on our departure from this life, to fee him in the heavens and partake of his glory. ,539 He did not write to Timothy, barely to invite him to come to him, but to renew his exhortations, that he would difcharee all the duties of a bifhoD and a O I teacher, with a zeal that might be expefled from one, who was enriched with fo many graces ; and with a noble contempt of all the evils of life : fince the fpirit of the gofpel is not a fpirit of fear, but of fortitude and love, and all who will live godly in Chrifl Jefus, mull fuffer perfecution. “ Endure hardnefs as a good foldier of Jefus Chrifl. ” ,540 An Arabian hiflorian, relates in his life of Luke, that he fuffered martyrdom at Rome, foon after Paid’s firfl releafe from imprifonment : fuppofing that if he had lived longer, the hiflory of the A£ls would have been brought down later. ^41 He faid in the Hebrew tongue, the lion is dead. Nero’s temper being more mild in the beginning of his reign, it is probable that he favourably received Paul’s defence ; but afterwards, advancing to the moll audacious impieties, the Apoflles, in common with many others, fell facrifices to his violence. 544 Happier THE QUOTATIONS. 57 Page 544 Happier in all your concerns of greater or lefs mo- merit, in time and in eternity. 547 ii Epiftle to Timothy, chap.iv. verfe 6, See. 556 The fcourge, 557 You muft pra&ice patience, if you would enjoy peace of mind, and merit an eternal crown. 558 John, chap. i. verfe 35, & c. 560 John, chap. xii. verfe 20, &c. 561 Oh my ungrateful foul, ceafe at leaft to complain, having confidered the fufferings of Chrift and his holy friends. Chrift chofe to fufFer and be crucified: Chriftians now feek eafe, and reft, and riches, and long life. My foul, of what canft thou boaft here ? This is not the place of reft. Thy eternal abode is in heaven. O my God, turn into bitternefs every worldly comfort, that would feduce me from regard to eternity. Let me not be deceived by the world and its tranfitory glory ; give me fortitude to refift, patience to endure, conftancy to perfevere; give me, in preference to all the comforts of the world a the anointing of thy holy fpirit. 562 Behold I fend you as Iheep among wolves. 568 Note . In regard to the places where the Apoftles repofe, if you go on the Oftian road, you will find the monuments of thefe founders of the church, line 18. Thence will Paul be caught up; thence Peter. Think and tremble, what a fpe&acle will Rome then witnefs ! Paul, on a fudden raifed from this vault with Peter, to meet the Lord in the air ! 571 See Grotius’ Note on i Peter, v. 13. Concerning Babylon, antient and modern interpreters differ. Vol.IL Second Edit . e s By 58 TRANSLATION OF Page By it the antients underftood Rome, where there can be no doubt that Peter lived. The moderns fay, Babylon in Chaldaea. I am of the former opinion. 573 The death of the Chriflians was made a common fport. They were either cloathed with the fkins of wild beaffs, and expofed to the fury of the dogs, or fixed to croffes, or confumed by fire. By night they were committed to the flame. Standing at the. flake, they were faftened to it by a hook round the neck. Then burning pitch was poured upon their head, from a red-hot plate : fo that the ftreams of human juices made a furrow in the fand of the Amphitheatre. 574 He is a great man, though not fet off with a crown, with the purple, and the pomp of hate, who, when he fees his neighbour die, is not alarmed as though the cafe were new : who, whether the body be on the rack, or fire applied to the head, or the hands flretched on a crofs, does not afk, what pain was endured, but how well it was endured. 575 Note. Nero’s circus was in the valleys having been hrfl built by Caligula, and afterwards enlarged and embellifhed by Nero : in the middle of it was that obeli fk which is now feen in the centre of the Vati- can place. It fell to the ground in the dark ages, but without the marble being damaged ; and re- mained on the fame fpot near the vefiry of Bajihca Vaticana , till the time of Sixtus the Fifth, when it was brought to the Vatican place t in the year 1580. 575 In THE QUOTATIONS, 59 Page In that circus, Nero put the Chriftians to the acuteft tortures. He offered his own gardens for the pur- pofe, and prefented fports on the occafion. gyy Pity was kindled. gyS Verily, verily, I fay unto you, that ye ffiall weep and lament, but the world ffiall rejoice : and ye (hall be forrowful, but your forrow ffiall be turned into joy. Amen, be it unto thy fervant according to thy word. THE END.