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docti ine, though they interrupi the illustration os it. Itis observable that this great grammarian mahes use of quom for quum, heis for his, and generalty queis sor quibus. This practice having become rather obsolete at the timein which he wrote, me must impute his continuance of itto his opinion of iis propriety, upon established principies of grammar, and not to any prejudice of education, or an affect alion os singularity. As Varro malles nomention os Caesar's treatiis on Analogy, and had commenced author long be fore him, it is probable that Caesar sproduction was of a much later date ; and thence we may infer, that those two writers differed from eaeli other, atteast with respect to sonae particulars ora that subjedi. This author's treatise De Re Rusica was underlahenat the destre os a frienti, who, having purchased semelaniis, requested of Varro the favor of his instructions relative to tarming, and the economy of a Country-lise, in iis various depariments. Though Varro was at this time in his eightieth year, he writes with ait the vivaci ty, though without the levi ty of routh, and seis out th in-voking, not the Muses, like Homer and Ennius, as he observes, but the twelve deities supposed to he chiefly con- Cerned in the operations os agri culture. It appe ars stomthe account which he gives, that up wards of fifty Gitela. authors had trea ted of this subject in prose, besides Hesiodand Menecrates the Ephesian, who both Mote in verse; exclusive lihewise of many Roman writers, and of Mago the Carthaginian, who wrote in the PuniC langu age. Varro's work is divided into three books, the fit si ofwhich treats of agriculture ; the second, of rearing of catile; and the third, of feeding animais for the use of the table. In the last of these, Ne meet with a re mari ablo instance of the prevalence of habit and fashion over hu-
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THE LIFE OFinan sentiment, Where the author delivers instructions relative to the best method os fallening rais.We find stom Quintilian, that Varro likewise Com, posed satires in various kiniis os verse. It is impossit te tobehold the numerous fragmenῖs of this venerable author
without Deling the strongest regi et for the lose of that vast collection os information which he had compiled, and of judicio us observations which he had made on avariety of subjects, during a li se of eighty-eight years, almost entirely devoted to literature. The rem arti of St. Augustin is weil unded, That it is astonishing ho v
Varro, who read such a number of books, could findit me to compose so many volumes ; and how he who composed so many volumes, could be at leis ure to perus esuch a variety of books, and to gain so much literaryinformation. Catullus is Did to havs: been boria at Verona, of respectabie parenis : his fallier and himself being in tholiabit os intimacy with Julius Caesar. Hewas brought to Rome by Mallius, towhom severat of his epigranas are ad dressed. The gentienesse of his fit anners, and his application to study, we are tolli, recommended him to general esteem ; and he had the good fortune to obtain the patronage of Cicero. When he came to be known as a poet, ait these circum stances would naturalty contributeto increasse his reputation sor ingenui ty ; and accordinglywe find his genius applauded by severat of his contem poraries. It appears that his morks are not transmittedentire to postea ity; but there rema in susscient specimens
by which we may be enabled to appreciate his poetical
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Quintilian, and Diomed the grammari an, have ranked Catullus amongst the iambic writers, while others have placed him a1nongst the lyric. He has pro perly a claim to each of these stations ; but his versification beingchiefly iambic, the former of the arrangements seems tobe the mos: suitatile. The principat merit of Catullus's Iambics consi sis in a simplicity of thought and expression. The thoughis, however, are osten frivolous, and what is yet more reprehensabie, the author gives way to rossi obscenity : in vindication of which he produces the folio ing couplet, declaring that a good poet ought to hechaste in his own person, but that his verses need nothe s .
Nam castum esse decet pium poetam Ipsum : versiculos nihil necesse est.
This sentimcnt has been frequently cited by those Maowere inclined to follow the eXample of Catullus ; but is lacti a praetice be in any case admisJble, it is only whereths p Oet personates a profligate character; and the in-s ances in re hicli it is adopted by Catullus are not of that description. It had perhaps been a be iter apology, toliave picaded the manners of the times ; sor even Horace, M lio vetote only a sew years after, has sustered his compositions to be occasionalty debased by the fame hind of hiemisia. luch has been se id of this poei's invective against
Caesar, whicli produced no other esse et than an invitationto sup at the Dictator's hous e. It was indeed scarcelyentilled to the honor of the smallest resentinent. Is a nycould he shewn, it must have been for the freedom used bu the author, and not for any novelty in his lampoon. There are two poenis on this sui edit, viz. the 29th, and
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.s th, in each of Which Caesar is joined with Mamurra, a Roman knighi, who had acquired great riches in the
Gallic war. For the honor of Catullus's gratitude, wes1ouid suppos e that the lalter is the one to whicli historians allude : but, as poetical compositions, they areequatly unworthy of regard. The 57th is nothing morethan a broad repetition of the raillery, whether v eli orili se unded, with whicli Caesar vias attached on vario usoccasions, and even in the Senate, aster his return froni
Bithynia. Caesar had bcen taunted with this subject forupwards of thirty years ; and aster so long a familiari tymith reproach, his sensibility to the scandalous imputationrnust now have been much dimini illed, is not e1itiret vextingui med. . The other poem is partly in the semestrain, but extended to greater tength, by a miXture of the common jocular ribaldry of the Roman soldiers, expressed nearly in the sanae terms whicli Caesar's legions, though strongly attached to his person, scrupled not tospori publicly in the streets of Rome, against their generat, during the celebration of his triumph. In a v ord, it deserves to he regarded as an effusion os Saturnalian licentiousness, rather man os poeti y. With respect tothe Iambics of Catullus, we may observe in generat, that the sarcasin is indebled for iis force, not so much to ingenuity of sen timent, as to the indelicate nature of the subject, or coarsenesi os eXpression.
The descriptive poems of Catullus are superior to theothers, and discover a lively imagination. Among si thebest of his productions, is a translation of the celebrated ode of Sappho :Ille mi par esse Deo videtur, Ille, &c.
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This ode is executed both with spirit and elegance: it is howe ver impersedi; and the last stanga seems to hespurious. Catullus's epigrams are entillud to litile prat se, with regard ei ther to sentiment or poliat ; and on thewhole, his merit, as a poet, appe ars to haVe been madini fied heyond iis real cxtent. He is sald to have diedabo ut the thirtieth year of his age. Lucretius is the author os a celebrated poem, in 1ixhooks, De Rerum Natura ; a subject which had beentrealed many ages besere by Empedocles, ia philosopher and poet of Agrigentum. Gm .
LUCretius was a Teatous parti Zan os Democritus, and thesest of Epicurus, whose principies concerning the eternity of matter, the materiality of the laui, and the aron- existende os a future state of re ards and punithmenis, he affecis to maintain with a certainty equat to that os mathematical demonstration. Strongly prepossessed withthe hypothetical doctorines of his masser, and ignorant of the physical system of the universe, he ende avors to deduce stom the phaenomena of the materiat world conclusions not only unlapported by legitimate theory, but repugnant to principies of the highest authoi ity in metaphysicat disquisition. But while we condemn his specillative notioris as degrading to human nature, and subversive of the most important interesis of man hind, we must admitthat he has prosecuted his visionary hypothesis Mili u common ingenuity. Abstracting sto in the rhapsodicat nature of this produinion, and iis obscurity in semeparis, it has great merit as a poem. The style is elevated, and the verssification in generat harmonious. Bythe mixture os obsolete woriis, it possesses an air of Iemnity weli adapted to abstrus e re arches ; at the sanae
time that by the frequent resolution of diphthongs, it tri
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si ills into the Latin the sonorous and melodious powera of the Greeli language. While Lucretius was engaged in this work, he fellinio a state os insani ty, occasioned, as is supposed, by a philtre, or love- potion, gi ven him by his uvise Lucilia. The complaint however having lucid intervais, he employed them in the execution of his plan, anil, seon asterit vias finis hed, laid violent han is upon himself, in thes orty-third year of his age. This fatal termination of his life, Malch perhaps proceeded frona insani ty, was ascrib-ed by sis friends and admirers to his concern for the ha-nishment of one Memmius, with whom he was inti- mately connected, and for the distracted state of the Re
public. It was however a catastrophe whicli the principies of Epicurus, equalty erroneous and irreconcileableto resignation and fortitude, authori Zed in particular circumstances. Even Atticus, the celebrated correspondentos Cicero, a few years after this period, had reco urse tothe fame desperate eYpedient, by refusing ali sustenance, while he labored under a lingering disease. It is se id that Cicero revi sed the poem of Lucretius aiater the death of the author, and this circuit stance is urged by the abeti ors of atheista, as a proos that the principies contained in the work had the sanction of liis authoi ity. But no inference in favor of Lucretius 'sdoctrine can justly be drawn stom this circumstance. Cicero, though al ready sussiciently acquainted with the principies of the Epicurean se et, might not be avei se' tothe reading of a production, Malch collected and en forc-ed them in a nervous stra in os poetry ; especialty as theumrk was likely to prove interesting to his frienti Atticus, and would perhaps afford subject for so ine letters eae
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conversation belween them. It can have been 6nly withres pedi to Composition that the poem was submitted toCicero's revisat et for had he been to have eYercised his judgment upon the principies of it, he musi undoubtedlyhave λ much mutilated the work, as to destroy the cohe-
os elaborate research, and confident declamation, whicli iteXhibited, but he must: have utierly dilapproved of the Conclusions whicli the author endeavored to es abiisti.
According to the bes: information, Lucretius died in theyear froin the bullding of Rome 7OI, When Ρompey was the third time Consul. Cicero lived severat years beyond this period, and in the two last years of his life,
he composed those valvabie works whicli contain senti-ments diametricatly repugnant to the visionary system os Epicurus. The algument, therefore, dram n sto in Cicero's revisat, so far froin confirming the principies of Lucretius, affords the strongest tacit declaration against their validity ; because a period lassicientiar mature Consideration, had elapsed be re Cicero publiuied his own admirabie system os philosophy. The poena of Lucretius, neverthelest, has been regarded as the bulwark of atheisi os atheis m, whicli, while it implous y arrogates the support of reason, both rea n and nature disclaim. Alany more writers flourissi ed in this period, but theirworks have totalty perimed. Sallust was now engaged in historical productions; but as they were not yet Complet-ed, they Will be noticed in the nexi division of the revie .
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I. THAT the family of the Octavii was of the fit st distinction in Velitrae, is rendered evident by many
circumstances. For in the most stequented part of thelown, there Was, not long since, a street named Octavius ;and an altar Wa S to he sten, consecrated to one Octavius, who being chosen generat in a war with sonae neighbouring people, the enem y mahing a sudden attach, while hemas sacrificing to the God Mars, he immedia tely snalched the entralis of the victim froni off the fi re, and offered themhalf raw upon the altar ; after which, marching out tobatile, he returned victorious. This incident gave rise toa law, by whicli it was enadted, that in ali future timesthe entralis smould bo ostered to Mars in the fame manner, and the res h of the sacrifice be carried to the Octavit. II. This, amongst severat other Roman families, wastahen in to the Senate by Tarquinius Priscus, and soonaster adu anced by Servius Tullius in to the body of Patricians ; but in procesi os time returned to the commons, and was again raised by Julius Caesar to the Patrici an digni ty. The fit si person of the family advanced by the suffrages of the peopte to any post in the governarent, WaS C. Rufus. He obtained the Quaestormip, and had two solas, Cneius and Caius ; from whom are descended the two branches of that family, very different in their circumstances . For Cneius and his descendenis in an uni trinterrupted
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terrupted succession held ali the great ossices of state: whilst Caius and his posterity, whether from fortune orchoice, rem ained in the Equestrian order untii the fallier of Augustus. The great grandiather of Augustus serve lin the capacity of a Tribune in the second Punic war in Sicily, under the command of AEmilius Pappus. His grandfather contented himself with bearing the public ODiices of his borough, and gre old in the qui et ei oymentos a plenti fui estate. Such is the account given by different authors. Augustus himself, however, says no morethan that he was descended of an Equestrian family, both ancient and ricli, and in whicli his fallier was the sirstthat obtained the rank of a Senator. Mark Antony up-braid ingly telis him that his great grandis ther Was a freed-
man of the territory Os Thurii, and a rope-maher, and his grandiather a banker. This is ali the information Iliave any where met with, respecting the ances fors of Augustus by the father's fide. III. His father C. Octavius was, Dom his fit si set tingout in the worid, a person both of opulence and distinction: for whicli reason I am sui prised at those who saythat he was a banker, and was employed to distribute money amongst the citiZens for the candidates at electioris, and other similar occasions, in the Field of Mars. Forbeing bred up in ali the assi uerace of a great es late, he atta ined with eas e to honorabie posis, and dis charged the du-ties of them mitti approbation. Aster his Praetors hii , he got by tot the province of Macedonia ; in his way to whichhe cui off me banditii, the relics of the armies of Spartacus and Catiline, who had posse sed them lues of the territory of Thin ii; having received frona the Senate aneAtraordinary commission for that purpose. In his go-
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vernment of the province, he condiicted himself withequat justice and resolution: for he de aled the BesI1ans and Thracians in a great batile, and trealed the Republicita fuch a manner, that there are eXtant sonae letters from
M. Tullius Cicero, in which he advises and exhoris his brother Quintus, who then held the Proconsuliti ip of Asia mitti no great character, to imitate the example of hisneighbour Octavius, in gaining the affections of the allies of Rome. IV. Aster quitiing Macedonia, besore he could dec tardhimself a candidate for the Consulfhip, he died suddenly; leaving belli rad him one daughter, by Ancliaria, and a Founger daughter, with Augustus, whom he had by Atia :who was the daughter of M. Atius Balbus, and Julia sister to C. Julius Caesar. Balbus was originalty, by thesether's side, of Aricia, os a family many of which hadbeen ip the Senate. By the mothei 's fide he was nearly related to Pompey the Great; and after he had horiae theossice of Praetor, was one of the twenty commissioners