57 



however, too chafte and correft a poet, to have purpofely defigned it. 

 " Non me fugit in veterum fcriptis nonnunquam ifliufmodi confonantcs 

 " claufulas occurrere, fed adeo ese rarse funt, ut vel ipfa raritas fatis 

 " oftendat illos vel aliud agentes, vel neceflltate metri coropulfos eas ufur- 

 " pafle." Vofs. 



Non fatis efl: pulchra elTe poemata : dulcia Tunto : 

 Et quocunque volent animum auditoris agunto. 



Art. Pott. 



But thefe are fpots in the bright fun that warmed the poetry of 

 Rome : and it was not till about the middle of the fifth century, that 

 the Latin received any material corruption. At that time, the author 

 of the panegyric above quoted, introduced a fort of fparkling and clink- 

 ing, as well in his profe as in his verfe, which the Latin never loft, 

 till Erafmus and Longolius by their examples expofed the frippery, 

 and banifhcd it from the tongue. Unhappily, it was too fuccefsfuUy 

 imitated for a thoufand years. " A quo deinceps casteri omnem eloquen- 

 tiam in afFeftatos illos rhymos fregerunt, multa paucis includere, et con- 

 fonis fententiarum claufulis velut harmonicum genus dicendi affeftantes, 

 Et id quidem fcribendi genus in Monachorum poftea fcriptis tantas ra- 

 dices egit, ut vix verfus fine rythmo, vix oratio ulla prorfa fine verfu 

 fcripta plurimis feculis fuerit." Barth. Ibid, And again 



" Ab hoc autem exemplo (fcil. Sidonio) fequens Eetas omnem aliam 

 laudem contemnere coepit, eloquentiam veram et ingenuam et facilem 

 prorfus afpernata, banc autem ut acutam et nervofara, et fummam deniquc 

 omnium adeo inhians, ut verfus etiam nullos fcripferit, aut pro legitimis 

 denique habuerit, nifi in quibus ille omnium rerum gratiffimus rythraus, 

 ita componeret mediam fyllabam, ut ilia ultimas refponderet, in quo arti- 

 'ficium omne condendi carminis effe exiftimabatnr, &c. — At neque hoc 

 genere ftetit infelicitas judiciorura. Supernati funt ingeniofiores alii qui 

 triplici quadruplicique rhythmo hexametros fuos infringentes, extra omnium 

 au dum aleam provefti ea commendatione habebantur ; inter quos infignis 

 fane eft Bemardus Morlanenfis, non fine acuta et multiplici leflione fcriptor. 



Vol. IX H quem 



