4 
- throughout. 
1823.] 
The Greek and Latin “ case abso- 
lute,” though an ellipsis, is specifically 
different from that here treated of, and 
would therefore require a somewhat 
different exposition. H. 
Middle Temple ; June 18. 
——_ 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
LYCEUM OF ANCIENT LITERATURE, 
NO. XXXVIII. 
PHEDRUS. 
O great is the force of prejudice, 
and the power of early associa- 
tions, that we make little doubt many 
of our readers will, at first sight, expe- 
rience something like a feeling of 
Surprise at the name prefixed to this 
article. The very simplicity which 
constitutes one of the principal beau- 
ties of this delightful writer, occasions 
his works to be usually put into the 
hands of students at a very early 
period ; and this circumstance, joined 
to the apparently inferior dignity of 
the subjects which he ,treats, renders 
many persons blind to his real merits, 
and prevent their reperusing his pages 
in matarer years; because with the 
Narratives contained in them they 
have become familiar when very 
young, although they are probably 
strangers to the charms of diction and 
sentiment with which they abound 
To any person of this 
class, we would say, “Servs tamen 
respice;” and he will find himself 
amply repaid for following our advice. 
He will be delighted with the preci- 
sion, purity, simplicity, and elegance, 
which characterize the productions of 
Phedrus; and he will acknowledge, 
upon reflection, that the name of a 
man who, existing in a servile condi- 
tion, was enabled by his superior ta- 
Tents to gain a ready access to the 
presence of Augustus, and not only to 
obtain the gift of freedom, but to secure 
wealth and honours, and to conciliate 
the friendship of the most exalted cha- 
acters; a man equally conspicuous 
‘for the boldness with which he struck 
at the vices of the great, and the dis- 
retion and judgment by which he 
ught to avoid exasperating and irri- 
ig the objects of his censure; and 
who, by the simple and unadorned 
elegance of his fables, was equally 
adapted to delight and instruct the 
common people: the name of sucha 
man, he will acknowledge, is justiy 
‘entitled to be enrolled among the 
illustrious characters of antiquity. 
Some difference of opinion has 
Lyceum of Ancient Literature. 
13 
existed among the learned respecting 
the native country of Phedrus. A 
great number, adopting the sentiments 
of Pithou, assert that he was a 
Thracian: in support of their assertion, 
they cite the authority of Phedrus 
himself,* and they likewise quote 
Strabo,t to prove that the Picrian 
movntain, mentioned by the Latin 
fabulist as the place of his birth, was 
in Thrace. There is; however, more 
reason to imagine that our author was 
a Macedonian. Besides the statement 
of Pausanias,t that one of the moun- 
tains of Macedonia was called Pieris, 
Piiny§ and Mela|| both term Pieria a 
region of Macedonia; and Strabo 
himself admits, that, at a subsequent 
period, the mountain Pierius was inha- 
bited by Niacedonians. 
The date of Pheedrus’s birth, as well 
as his extraction, are likewise matters 
of uncertainty; nor can it be clearly 
ascertained whether he was born a 
slave, or only became such hy capti- 
Vity. Suetonius relates that Caius 
Octavius, the father of Augustus, 
when Preetor of Macedonia, reuted 
the Bessi and the Thracians ina great 
battle; and some writers have sup- 
posed that Phedrus was among the 
captives brought to Rome upon that 
occasion. But this conjecture can 
hardly be reconciled to facts ; for, were 
it correct, our author must have been 
more than seventy years of age in the 
time of Sejanus, which is far from 
probable, since we have the testimony 
of Pheedrus himself (Epil. lib. 4.) that 
he was not then even approaching to 
old age. 
To whatever event his slavery may 
have been owing, it appears certain 
that he was brought to Rome at a very 
early age, and placed in the service 
of the Emperor Augustus, who, 
pleased with his uprightness of con- 
duct, and quickness of intellect, gave 
him the advantages of aliberal educa- 
tion, and afterwards made him his 
freedman,—a distinction of which the 
poet, from his constantly annexing in 
his works the title of Augusti Libertus 
to his name, appears to have been 
justly proud. he conjecture of some 
writers, that Phedrus received his 
manumission from Tiberius Augustus, 
‘ is 
* Prol. lib. 3, 17 and 54, 
t Geog, lib. 10. page 722, 
¢ Lib. 9. c. 29, 
§ Nat. Hist. lib. 4, 8. 
{| De Sit. Orb. 1, 2, 5. 
