735: Year of fince it is no lefs than the Hiftory and Panegyrick Rome of Auguftus Caefar and the People of Rome.The Romans were fond of being thought to defcend from the Trojans, who came from Troy, under the conduct of the great Aeneas: and the Julian family derived their pedigree from Afcanius, who was furnamed Iulus, the eldeft fon of that Hero. The fettling therefore of the Trojans in Italy is the fubject of the whole Poem: he frequently takes occafion to mention them as the ancestors of the Romans he always declares Aeneas to be the fon of Venus: and he introduces Jupiter himself foretelling the great victories and the deification of Julius Caefar (g). ! Nafcetur pulchra Trojanus origine Caefar, to Jupiter, in the fame fpeech relates the hiftory of the peo 1 Year of mity, and concur with him in fupporting the Roman people, the lords of the world, and that the Rome Trojan race fhall conquer their ancient enemies the Greeks, and reign over them (b). His ego nec metas rerum, nec tempora pono: In the fixth book, Anchifes, in the Elyfian fields, En hujus, nate, aufpiciis illa inclyta Roma (b) Ibid. ver. 261, &c. Laeta 735. Year of 735. Laeta Deum partu, centum complexa nepotes, He then recites the kings, who fucceeded Romulus; Numa, famous for enacting laws; Tullus, who raised again the military fpirit of the people; Ancus Martius, who ftudied popularity; and the Tarquins, the latter of whom was expelled by Brutus, whofe fevere difcipline the Poet celebrates. He mentions the famous families of the Decii and Drufi, and the great Dictators, Torquatus and Camillus: he laments the civil difcords between Pompey and Julius Caefar, the latter of whom he extols again, as conqueror of the Greeks, and avenger of the Trojan race. He does not pafs over the memory of the great Cato, the glorious Coffus, the two thunderbolts of war the Scípios, who fubverted Carthage, or the nobly temperate Fabricius, and Quinctius Cincinnatus. He feems in a rapture, at the mention of the Fabii; and then breaks forth into that noble character of the Romans already mentioned; "Ex"cudent alii fpirantia, &c." And concludes with defcribing at large the character of the famous Marcellus. The celeftial shield of Aeneas (1) is alfo decorated with the Hiftory of Rome: Romulus and Remus fucking the wolf; the rape of the Sabine virgins, the war thereby occafioned, and the establishment of a happy peace; the punishment of Metius for his perfidiousness by Tullus Hoftilius; the invafion () Aen. VIII. 626. made made by Porfenna, to restore the ejected Tarquin; Year of and the courage of the Romans, in afferting their Rome liberty; the defence of the bridge by Cocles, and 735the efcape of Cloelia, by fwimming cross the river the fiege of the Capitol by the Gauls, and the defence of it by Manlius Torquatus; the punishment of wicked Catiline in hell, the judgment feat of Cato, in the Elyfian fields; and the victory of Auguftus Caefar over Anthony and Cleopatra. The religious and civil cuftoms alfo of the Romans are to be found in the Aeneis; their facrifices, their funerals, their manner of declaring peace and war, and their folemn games are defcribed by Virgil; fo that it was not without reason, that this Poet was highly honoured both by Prince and People. He was in fuch efteem at Rome, that, as we are told by one of their best Hiftorians (k), the people rofe to him, when he appeared in the theatre, and fhewed him the fame respect that they gave to Auguftus himfelf; and that Auguftus wrote fuch letters to him, as abundantly teftified the esteem and regard, which he had for this excellent Poet. Another of their Hiftorians calls him the prince of poetry (1); and the learned and judicious Quintilian (m) was of opinion, that Virgil came nearer to Homer than any other Poet came to Virgil: and the great Emperor Conftantine calls him the Prince of the Latin Poets (2). (4) Tacitus, Dialog. de Orat. (1) Inter quae maxime noftri aevi eminent, princeps carmi num Virgilius, &c. Vell. Paterc. lib. 2. (m) Utar verbis iifdem, quae ab Afro Domitio juvenis accepi: qui mihi interroganti, quem Homero crederet maxi- (η) Περὶ ἧς, οίμαι λέγειν He Year of Rome 735. He lived in friendship with the best Poets of his age, and particularly with Horace, who in an Ode: addreffed to him, when he was failing to Athens, prayed the gods to protect him, and called him the half of his foul; Sic te Diva potens Cypri, Sic fratres Helenae, lucida fidera, Obftrictis aliis, praeter Iapyga, Debes Virgilium, finibus Atticis Et ferves animae dimidium meae (o). The twelfth Ode of the fourth book is alfo addreffed to Virgil; and in the fixth Satire of the first book, he tells Maecenas, that Virgil was the firft, who recommended him (p). The fame poet celebrates the foftness and delicacy of Virgil's Pafto rals (q), his fkill in Poetry (r), his judgment (s), (0) Lib. 1. Ode 3. (p) Nulla etenim mihi te fors obtulit: optimus olim his Sat. lib. 1. IO. (r) At neque dedecorant tua de fe judicia, atque Epift. lib. 2. 1. Quid autem Art. Poet. Caecilio Plautoque dabit Romanus ademptum Fufcus |