Ancimt T.pie Porm. 141 



had tJiught the politer Romans to despise the 

 religion ot their country, philosophy had not 

 supplied them with any purer and nobler faith. 

 Virgil fotinci a tradition, ivo matter whence 

 ^ierived, that the founders of liome, and par- 

 ticularly the Julian family, were descended 

 from yEneas, and that to the posterity of tjiis 

 Trojan was promised extended empire, while 

 already the Romans had avenged on Greece 

 the cause of ruined Troy. On this ground, to 

 flatter his country ^s pride 'gave bkth .to' his 

 adn^ired poem, as this is interwoven with the 

 whole structure of it. AV hatevcr, tlicrefore, for 

 himself he might think, the design of his 

 poem, -which was, in fact, a sequel of the his- 

 tory of Troy, required that he should take the 

 gods of his country, as he found them, which 

 was also as Homer left them ; and tiiis being a 

 state of admirable preparation for his purpose, 

 he well knew that if he did but manage them 

 ^o as ultimately to flatter the ambition of Rome, 

 this would constitute the strongest recommen- 

 dation of his poem. 'J'o what degree his poem 

 mus-t have gratified the Roman people, may be 

 inferred from the applause, and almost adorar- 

 tion, with which he was received, whenev er he 

 presented himself to the public ^c\v. That 

 Virgil, however, was not overpleased witH hivs 

 ceyestial puppets, may he presumed from this 



