that of Virgil, except in two places, for the fake of lashing the priests; one where Cato fays-Sortilegis egeant dubii-and one in the fimile of the Hæmorrhois -fatidici Sabai-He is fo arrant a whig, that he strains even beyond his author, in paffion for liberty, and averfion to tyranny; and errs only in amplification. Lucan ix. in initio, defcribing the feat of the Semidei manes, fays, Quodque patet terras inter lunæque meatus, Mr. Rowe has this Line, Then looking down on the Sun's feeble Ray. Pray your opinion, if there be an Error-Sphæricus in this or no? Your, etc. LETTER XXII. Nov. 11, 1710. You mistake me very much in thinking the freedom you kindly used with my love verses, gave me the first opinion of your fincerity: I affure you it only did what every good-natured action of yours has done fince, confirmed me more in that opinion. The fable of the Nightingale in Philip's Paftorals is taken from Famianus Strada's Latin poem on the fame fubject, in his Prolufiones Academica; only the tomb he erects at the end, is added from Virgil's conclufion of the Culex. I can't forbear giving a pasfage out of the Latin poem I mention, by which you will find the English poet is indebted to it : Alternat mira arte fides: dum torquet acutas, This poem was many years fince imitated by Crafhaw, out of whofe verfes the following are very remarkable: From Neither of these words are used by Horace or Virgil: reciprocat is to be found in Lucretius, Book iii. 1101, but in another fenfe. WARTON. From this to that, from that to this he flies, His fingers ftruggle with the vocal threads. I have (as I think I formerly told you) a very good opinion of Mr. Rowe's ixth book of Lucan: indeed he amplifies too much, as well as Brebœuf, the famous French imitator. If I remember right, he fometimes takes the whole comment into the text of the verfion, as particularly in line 808. Utque folet pariter totis fe effundere fignis Corycii preffura croci.And in the place you quote, he makes of thofe two lines in the Latin, Vidit Rowe's tranflation of Lucan has certainly never met with the popularity and applause it deferved. It is one of the few tranflations that is better than its original. I venture to say the fame of three more tranflations; namely, of Hampton's Polybius; of Pitt's Vida; and of Melmoth's Pliny. Brebeuf, fays VigneulMarville, was Lucano Lucanior. Horace was the favourite of Brebeuf in his youth, as was Lucan of his friend M. Gautier. They difpated fo frequently and fo warmly on the preference due to each of their favourites, that they agreed to give these authors a very attentive reading. The confequence was, they became mutual converts; Brebœuf became intoxicated with the love of Lucan, and Gautier of Horace. Melanges, v. i. p. 25. Thefe Melanges are, I perceive, become of late a popular book. Dr. Campbell, above fifty years ago, was the person who I remember first recommended them to me, and occafioned me to give feveral quotations from them. They have more learning than the Menagiana, or indeed than any of the numerous Ana, so much at prefent in vogue. Bayle was fond of them, frequently quotes them in his Dictionary, and in his Letters, 1699; where he was the first who informs us of the real name of the author, Dom. Bonaventure d'Argonne, Prior of the Carthufians of Gaillon. WARTON. Vidit quanta fub nocte jaceret no less than eight in English. What you observe, fure, cannot be an Error-Sphæ ricus, ftrictly speaking, either according to the Ptolemaic, or our Copernican fyftem; Tycho Brahe himself will be on the tranflator's fide. For Mr. Rowe here fays no more, than that he looked down on the rays of the fun, which Pompey might do, even though the body of the fun were above him, You can't but have remarked what a journey Lucan here makes Cato take for the fake of his fine descriptions. From Cyrene he travels by land, for no better reafon than this; Hæc eadem fuadebat hiems, quæ clauferat æquor. The winter's effects on the fea, it feems, were more to be dreaded than all the ferpents, whirlwinds, fands, etc. by land, which immediately after he paints out in his fpeech to the foldiers: then he fetches a compass a vast way round about, to the Nafamones and Jupiter Ammon's temple*, purely to ridicule the oracles: *The fituation of this celebrated temple, fo long unknown, has at last been difcovered, under the aufpices of the African Society. From the peculiar circumftance of the warm and cold. fpring, (i. e. cold in the day, and warm at night,) which is defcribed. by Herodotus and Curtius; from the trees, and magnificent ruins, near the spot where the "fons folis," and "Templum Ammonis,” are marked in the ancient maps, there appears little doubt, but that this celebrated temple was fituated (according to the conjectures of Horneman) in the Oafis of Siwah, amid the defert, north-west of Cairo. oracles and Labienus must pardon me, if I do not believe him when he fays-fors obtulit, et fortuna viaeither Labienus, or the map, is very much mistaken here. Thence he returns back to the Syrtes (which he might have taken first in his way to Utica) and so to Leptis Minor, where our author leaves him; who seems to have made Cato fpeak his own mind, when he tells his army-Ire fat eft-no matter whither. I am Your, etc. LETTER XXIII. FROM MR. CROMWELL. Nov. 20, 1710. THE system of Tycho Brahe (were it true, as it is novel) could have no room here: Lucan, with the rest of the Latin poets, feems to follow Plato; whofe order of the fpheres is clear in Cicero, De natura Deorum, De fomnio Scipionis, and in Macrobius. The feat of the Semidei manes is Platonic too, for Apuleius De deo Socratis affigns the fame to the Genii, viz. the region of the Air for their intercourfe with gods and men; fo that, I fancy, Rowe miftook the fituation, and I can't be reconciled to Look down on the fun's rays. I am glad you agree with me about the latitude he takes; and wish you had told me, if the fortilegi, and fatidici, could license his invective VOL. VII. L against |