^52 The Lycaumof Ancient Literalure. — Xo. I. [Jan. I, 



tl. Statuta Pads; or, the TaWe of all 

 the .Statutes whicli any way concern the 

 Office of a Jultico of Peace, (Sec. 12ino. 



lie is fuppofcd alio to have hcen the 

 editor of foine other law books, which 

 difplay equal judgment and indultry ; but 

 lie is now to be rcmciubered only as a 

 mathcu.atiijai). 



J. Watkins. 



For the Montli/i/ Maguzhic. 



THE LYCEUM OF ANCIENT 

 LITERATURE.— No. I. 



[The novelty aimed at in the following ferics 

 of papers, coiififts in their being a regular 

 and fyftcn:iatic view of every writer, Greek 

 and Latin ; comprehending every known 

 poet, hiftorian, orator, and pliilofopher, 

 and excluding only thole who h.ive treated 

 on the roedicjl and mathematical fciences. 

 We have nr.any works, which have partly 

 cml)raccil the pl.in we now adopt. But 

 there does not exifl, in our language at 

 Icaft, any compofition of confiderai)le ex- 

 tent, whicli, arranging the whole fyftcm 

 of ancient literature in particular divifions, 

 has given us a general account of all the 

 writers of antiijuity. To every divifion 

 we (hall prefix iome /hort and general ob- 

 fervations on the nature and conrtruflion 

 of each, endeavouring to preferve fome 

 degree of chronological order in our ac- 

 count of the various wi iters comprehciided 

 in the feparate divifions. We /hall give 

 occafional (ketches of the lives of t:jofc 

 moft known, and attempt to reconcile the 

 uncertain biography pf others, with com- 

 parative clUmatCi of their works. It tlic 

 execution correfpond with the defign, it is 

 an atti mpt to afl'cinble, in one point of 

 •view, a ferics of crilical obfervations on 

 ♦h? writings of the ar.cients; to afcertain 

 fheir relative mer.t; and point out to the 

 reader tl;e editions in which they have 

 bet'n molt corretily or eleyantly pre(~ervcd, 

 and the commentators by wln^m they have 

 been be/l appreciated and explained.] 

 THE EPOrOIA OF irOMKll. 



IT is frmn the accuinuhited nionumcDts 

 of different ages, and from tiie num- 

 ber of authors who have fuccellively 

 been denominated dailies, that we are 

 prefented with inch an extenlivc lield 

 for the pbfcrvatipns of criticilin. 'I'iiis 

 is paiticidarly oiii'ervable in the dramatic 

 art, »hirh among ali tiie pation? by 

 whom it has been cultivated, has all'uni- 

 cd fuch ii variety of lliapes, aiid atl<',iiiril 

 iiich different degrees of pprfection. Hif- 

 tory, pliilofbphy, poetry, deferiptivc, ly- 

 ric, and elejiiiic, have been handed down 

 to us iu a rej^ujar I'eiies of aumcrvus and 



admirable writers. It is not fo with die 

 epic. The ancients have tranfmittefl to 

 us only three works wiiich have obtaineti 

 the fulfrages of poftcrity : the Iliad, the 

 Odyli'ey, and the ;Eneid. 



The epic poem is confidered as being 

 of all others the moll dipnihed, and ac 

 the fame time the mofl difficult of exo» 

 cution. As poetry was the hr(l art cuIt 

 tivated by the human race, lb is the 

 Epopaa the moft ancient fpecies of po-i 

 ctry. After the liicrod books, and thofe 

 of the Indian and C'hinefe philolophers, 

 \vith which we are little acquainted, tli(j 

 poems of Homer bear the earliell date. 

 The fragments which remain of Orpheus, 

 who is iuppofed to have preceded hiui, 

 are too fcanty to be n)cntioned. But 

 they prove the truth of Ariftotle's re- 

 mark, that poetry wiis originally confer 

 crated to the gods mid to Iieroci; and 

 demoiiitrate, tiiat the two elTential attvi- 

 Vjutes of the ancient Epopoea were he- 

 roifm unci religion. Refpeciing the Epo- 

 pcea,^ however, abftractcdly eonlidered, 

 there is nu fulij'cct which has been more 

 elaborately (rifcuHed, on which more X.C- 

 dious dilqnilitions iiave been written, or 

 more infulferable pedantry difplayed. 

 According to Le Boiru's definition, " it 

 is a difcouri'c invented by art to ft)rm the 

 manners of men, by means of inltruttion 

 difguiied under the allegory of fome im- 

 portant action, which is related in verle." 

 It is ealily feen that this delinition woukj 

 equally fuit the Tables of vElbp, "crc 

 they more extended, The Abbe Ter- 

 ralii)ii, on the otlu'r hand, hasaflcited that, 

 without having regard to the morahty ot 

 the fubject of an epic poem, it is lini[)ly 

 the execution of fome great defign. Ui;oij 

 this* princijjle he condemns the Iliad, in 

 which he fays (here is no action. Uut 

 furely the anger of .Achilles prodiiues an 

 effect, and a terrible one, from the \ery 

 hiaciion of the hero. Nothing can be 

 more erroneous than the opinion often 

 given, that the poein of Homer deiives 

 more importance (i-oin the grandeur of 

 its peri()nages, than from its fubjett or 

 action. Tiie action oi" the Odyli'ey may 

 be more intereltiiig, becaufe it is more 

 varied and dramatic ; but tliat of the 

 Iliad is of equal iinportance. It deijends 

 on the great r|urlti<)n, whether the anger 

 of .AchjUes Ihall |)ri)dnce the falvation of 

 Tiqy, by compelling the Greeks to rail'o 

 the liege ; or ■ivhethar, appeafed by fu- 

 periialural means, and reilored to hi- 

 enunlrymen, he (hall halleii the deltriie- 

 tioii of the Trojaiif, and the TCJigeaiut 



