Some Confiderations on the Hi/iory of ancient amatory Writers^ and the 

 comparative merits of the three great ROMAN Elegiac Poets, OVID, 

 TIBULLUS and PROPERTIUS, by WILLIAM PRESTON, Efq, 



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il- HE hiftory of poetry ancient and modern, {hews us, that erotic 

 compofitions are not the growth of rude manners, and early ages of 

 fociety. That fuch is the faft, cannot be denied ; I have endeavoured 

 to account for it, in an eflay which has for its fubjeft, the manners 

 cf the heroic ages, as far as they have relation to poetry, and tend to 

 influence and determine its objecls, and lis Jlyle. In the paper to which 

 I refer, I have attempted to maintain this propofition, by dewing*, 

 that where favage manners, prevail, which, (with reverence be it fpo- 

 ken) was the cafe in thofe ages called heroic, love can have no place, 

 as a permanent emotion, or ruling paffion, fufficiently fced to become 

 an object of poetical defcription, fufEciently important, to engrofs a 

 large dare of influence over the interefts of fociety, to become the 

 theme of a fpecics of poetry devoted to itfelf, and to fecure atten- 

 tion to the popular minftrel, who fhould make it the ground-work of 

 his fong. 



This hypothecs certainly feems to be juflified by a reference to 

 the hiftory of poetry. Love, for example, is introduced, but 



S 2 fparingly 



• It Is one of a feries of eflays, fubjoined to a tranflatioD of ApolloDius Rhodius, 

 by the Author. 



