156 
knowledge, however little, concerning 
the preceding ages; with the excéption 
_of the Jewish writers, who have related 
no more concerning the history of other 
countries than wis absolutely necessary 
from its’ connection with that of: their 
own. Hence, I shall enlarge upon the 
two great literary ages among the an- 
cients; the former of “hich, named the 
Grecian Age, commenced about the time 
of the Peloponnesian war (a period no 
less celebrated for its warriors, than for 
its writers and artists,) and terminated 
in the time of Alexander the Great: and 
the latter of which included: the reigns 
of Julius andAugustus Cxsars; and, like 
the former age, was distinguished also 
by its generals and conquerors. In each 
of these periods; the poet and historian 
eoncurred in rendering immortal~ the 
victorious general, or the object of po- 
polar approbation. The historian exerted 
all his faculties, and employed all the 
arts of eloquence and-high-colouring, in 
order to magnify the prowess, or exag- 
gerate the achievements, of him whose 
actions he admired, or whose favour he 
wished to conciliate; while the poet, 
actuated by the same motives, rendered 
harmony of numbers and poetical li- 
cense, subservient to the same’ design. 
The greatness of their subjects, their de- 
‘sire of ‘superiority over each other, and 
perhaps the peculiar advantages of the 
periods at which ‘they flourished, were 
most probably the chief cause of the ani- 
mation which: those writers in general 
possessed who flourished together at the 
above-mentioned ages ; and which ren- 
ders their perusal such an infinite source 
of pleasure’to every one who possesses 
a refined taste and cultivated imagina- 
tion. On this account, all-who have 
any pretensions to the characters of 
Jovers of literature, are supposed to have 
at ‘zast a competent’ knowledge of the 
‘productions of the best orators, poets, 
Finideace) vhilosophers, &e, 
‘or instance, it is necessary not to be 
totally ignorant of the works, beauties, 
or at least subjects, of Herodotus, Thu- 
eydides, and Zenophon, among the bis- 
torians; Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, 
among the philosophers; Demosthenes, 
Eschines, and Isocrates, among the 
orators; Pindar, Aschilus, Euripides, 
Sophocles, Aristophanes, Menander, 
Anacreon,-and Theocritus, among’ the 
poets; all of whom lived during the 
Grecian Age. I have here omitted many 
otters, of whoth we ‘ought to. know 
something, such as |lomer-and Hesiod, 
wecause they did not flourish at the ‘sam 
Journal of a recent Voyage to Cadiz. . -: [March iy 
period with those whose names I hay 
mentioned. A knowledge, however lite 
tle, of the following “writers, who flou- 
rished in the Roman Augustan age, is 
also necessary ‘to those who would be 
esteetned men of Jearnife : viz. Catul- 
lus, Lucretius, Terence, Virgil, Horace,* 
Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid, Phedrus, 
Cesar, Cicero, Livy, Sallust, Varro, and 
Vitruvius. 
Such being the importance of an ace 
quaintance with these two literary pe- 
riods, I shall expatiate to a consider- 
able length on the principal writers ia 
them, and afterwards proceed to state 
the chief causes of the decline of litere 
aiture among the ancients. I shall 
conclude with the devastation of the Ro- 
man enipire, by barbarians, and the des 
stroction of the Alexandrian library, by 
Omar. (Tobe continued. ) 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
JOURNAL of a recent VOYAGE tu CADIZ,~ 
{7 OU have seen how we have hi- 
therto been déceived on the 
state of affairs with tlie enemy; if the 
Spanish cause do not end in the pre- 
tended deliverance of the country, I do, 
not think it will be the fault of the peo- 
ple, but of their leaders ; for there must 
be a radical defect somewhere; and 1 
the old system of keeping the people in 
ignorance be pursued by the Junta and 
the priests, what benefit will the country 
obtain should they even succeed in rér 
pelling the French? Ferdinand IV. is 
now idolized; he is the watch-word for 
the priests, ‘and it is those who frighten’ 
the peasants into the belief, that without 
supporting his cause they shall all be 
slaves. The latter have done their duty 
in the field wherever they could nieet 
the enemy with advantage; but they 
have too often been led by traitors; or, if 
they are unsuccessful, the failure’ is im-' 
puted to treachery; and it is much 
questioned, whether the Junta is not come- 
posed of as many members as defective 
ia. patriotism, as it is of those who really 
Inay maintain the cause they espouse. 
They are without energy in their niea- 
sures, for they are superannuated old 
men; they are without firmness in their 
decisions, for they are too weak as a 
body to enforce them; and they are di- 
vided in their councils, because one half 
of them dreads the effects if they should 
at last be unsuccessful in their pretended 
(I repeat this word) endeavours to save 
the country. chal 
It is but a few weeks since Cas- 
tanos was sent towards Madrid with 
of . | 
tw cnty 
fl 
q 
