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her waiting-maid, give us curious pictures of Roman manners, and of 

 the degree of coarfenefs and Indelicacy, which even then prevailed, in 

 the midfl of refinement and luxury. The very next elegy to CypaJJls, 

 the girl in queAion, is written with much pleafantry, and uncommon 

 ingenuity, and fhews that the fufpicions of Corinna, her miftrefs, were 

 not without foundation. In his beautiful elegy on the death of Ti- 

 bullus, where the pathos of the fentiraent, vies with the elegance 

 of the plan, and the graces of compofition ; the poet has proved how 

 much he could have excelled in the grave and tender departments of 

 poetry, had he been fuiEciently fober and fedate to confine himfelf to 

 them. But, though infinitely fuperior in talents, and amiable accom- 

 plifhments, to the Englifli nobleman of profligate memory, in diflblute 

 manners, and unblufliing profligacy, poor Ovid feems to have been the 

 Rochejler of the court of Augujius. What fhall we fay of the poet and 

 his miftrefs, when we come to the fourteenth elegy of the fecond 

 book. In Amka?n, quod aborium ipfa fecerit ? What fiiall we fay of 

 the depravity of the Roman people, even in the time of Augujius, 

 when an aft of fuch ferious delinquency, a fubjeft of fo much hor- 

 ror and abomination could be thought a fit theme of witty fallies and 

 poetical embellifliments ? And we find, that, although the poet addref- 

 fes the woman he loves, on this tragical ^nd revolting topic, he not 

 only forbears to fliow any indignation, but even difplays a mind at eafe, 

 and a degree of levity, and exhaufls his ingenuity, in a variety of amu- 

 fing and far-fetched common places, on the occafion. 



Let us now, turn from Ovid, and caft our eyes on a writer, of a 

 very different character, and difpofition. 



Tibullus was not lefs amiable and gentle, in his manners and difpo- 

 fition than in his mufe. The graces of his appearance, the charms of 

 his converfation, and poetical produftions rendered him the diftinguifli- 

 cd favourite of many of the moft illuftrious perfons in Rome, among 

 others, of Meffhla Corvimis, of whom he fpeaks, with a mixture of 

 affeftion and veneration. It is a convincing proof of the gentle tem- 

 per and engaging difpofition of Tibullus, that he was moft entirely be- 

 loved 



