CAT 



641 



C A V 



r.iml!ui. of which some arc exquisitely beautiful, while many 

 ^ *~,-- t '' arc rendered disgusting to every reader of chaste feel- 

 ings, by the most offensive- indelicacy. The gross- 

 which pervades these productions has been a- 

 scribed, in a great measure, to the influence of the 

 depraved taste of the times, in which compositions 

 of this nature were not merely tolerated, but highly 

 relished ; and Catullus himself endeavours to exte- 

 nuate his offences against decency, by observing, that 

 the morals of a poet ought to be irreproachable, but 

 that his verses need not be pure. 



A r am cast urn esir decet pium poet am 



Jp.ium, ver/rirulos nikil necette ef. XVI. 5. 



Such a distinction, which is but too often attempt- 

 ed to be drawn by amatory poets, we conceive to be 

 altogether inadmissible. What a good man writes 

 ought to flow from the same principle with what he 

 does ; and if any one countenances, or disseminates 

 rice or indecency by his writings, it is something 

 worse than absurd to attempt to justify himself by 

 an appeal to the purity of his conduct. Nor can 

 we allow the gross taste of the times in which he 

 lives to constitute a legitimate apology for the ob- 

 scenity of an individual writer. It ought to be the 

 study of every virtuous man to preserve himself free 

 from the contagion of licentious example ; and this 

 is a duty, if possible, still more incumbent upon an 

 author, who labours not only for the age in which 

 he lives, but for posterity ; and whose writings, 

 therefore, may have no trivial influence on the opi- 

 nions and moral conduct of remote generations. Be- 

 sides, we know that other authors, nearly of the same 

 age with Catullus, preserved, in general, throughout 

 their works, a purity of principle and decency of ex- 

 pression, which entitle them to the praise of virtue, 

 as well as of genius. 



Catullus also wrote bitter satirical invectives against 

 those whose conduct incurred his disapprobation. In 

 come of his pieces of this description, he severely at- 

 tacked the character of Julius Caesar, under the name 

 of Romulus. This extraordinary person, whose pri- 

 vate life laid him sufficiently open to censure, could 

 not fail to be incensed at seeing himself thus exposed 

 to public view in an unfavourable light ; but the poet 

 having afterwards made an apology, Caesar generous- 

 ly forgave him, and lived with him on the same friend- 

 ly footing as he had previously done. Most of these 

 epigrammatic effusions are composed in iambic and 

 Phalaecian verse of eleven syllables, called versus lien- 

 decasifllabi ; and are remarkable chiefly for their poig- 

 nant severity and licentious indelicacy. 



The poems of Catullus were highly esteemed by 

 the ancients, several of whom speak of the author 

 and his works in terms of respect and admiration. 

 Indeed, if we select from among the number of his 

 productions, such as are free from indelicate allu- 

 sions and obscene language, we shall find much that 

 deserves to be admired. He has a sweetness and clas- 

 sical propriety of expression, a tenderness and play- 

 ful umplicity, which must render his verses, interest- 

 ing to every reader of taste and feeling. 



The principal editions of the poems of Catullus, 

 according to Bayle, are those of Scaliger and of Pas- 

 serat. T. he oldest edition is probably that of Venice, 

 1488, with the comments of Anthony Parthenius. 

 There are also the edition of Graevius, Utrecht, 1680, 



YOL. T. PART II. 



in 8vo. with the entire notes of a great number of 

 commentators ; that of Isaac Vossius, Loud. 1684, 

 in 4to, with a very learned commentary ; the Vario- 

 rum edition of Frankfort, 1621, by John Gebhard, 

 with the very ample index of Tuscanilla ; the cditioa 

 of Vulpius, 1710, 4to. ; of Mattairc, 1715, 12mo. 

 and in the Corpus Poetaritm ; of Silvius, I'M iunm 

 Del/ihini, Paris, 1685, 2 vols. 4to. ; the Cambridge 

 edition 1702, 4to. ; and Baskervillc's, Birmingham, 

 1772, 4to. An English translation in verse, with 

 the Latin text and notes, was published in 1795.- 

 Fabric. Bib. Lat. tit. i. c. 5. p. 60, &c.; Bayle'* 

 Hist, and Crit. Did.; and Adam's Classic. Bios. 



w 



CATURUS, a genus of plants of the class Dice- 

 cia, and order Triandria. See BOTANY, p. 334. 



CAVAN, an inland county in the province of 

 Ulster, Ireland, situated midway between the Atlan- 

 tic Ocean and the Irish Sea, from the shores of 

 which its eastern and western extremities are each 

 distant about 14 miles. It is bounded by the coun- 

 ty of Fermanagh on the north ; by Monaghan on 

 the north-east and east ; by Meath, West Meath, and 

 Longford on the south ; and by Leitrim on the west. 

 Its greatest length, from east to west, is about 51 

 English miles ; and its greatest breadth, from north 

 to south, 28 miles. Its area contains 758 square 

 miles. The whole county is covered with hillu, of 

 which none rise to any remarkable height, though 

 Sliebh-Russel, and the mountains of Bally nageeragh, 

 strongly mark its northern and western boundaries ; 

 and Bruce Hill is a striking object in its southern 

 extremity. The waters which issue from the lakes 

 in West Meath flow through this county ; and, ex- 

 panding in some places into small lakes, retaining in 

 others the appearance of rivers, form many pictu- 

 resque and beautiful scenes. Cavan can scarcely be 

 regarded, however, as a desirable place of residence. 

 Its climate, though salubrious, is boisterous, cold, 

 and uncomfortable ; except on a few gentlemen's 

 seats, it is sheltered by no forests or plantations ; 

 and though its interior is adorned by lakes of great 

 extent and beauty, in many places, particularly to 

 the north and west, it is bleak, dreary, and exposed. 

 The soil is in general poor, and though almost the 

 whole of it is under tillage, yet the wretched system 

 of agriculture which prevails here contributes but 

 little to its improvement. It is chiefly occupied by 

 manufacturers, who rent small farms, seldom exceed- 

 ing 20 acres ; and whose principal object is to raise 

 a sufficient quantity of oats and potatoes for the sup- 

 port of their families, with small crops of flax, to 

 give employment to their women. The average va- 

 lue of land is from 26s. to 30s. the acre. 



The manufactures of Cavan make it a populous 

 and flourishing county, and will in time contribute 

 materially to the improvement of its agriculture. 

 The fabric for which it is most celebrated is a thin 

 linen, for the most part 7 8ths wide. The average 

 *sale of linen, manufactured in this county, is estima- 

 ted at about L. 100,000 per annum. Of late, how- 

 ever, the superior demand for cotton goods has in- 

 duced the manufacturers of Cavan to direct much of 

 their attention to the weaving of muslins. 



This county is stated by Mr Wakefield to contain 

 at least 6000 freeholders, one half of whom neglect 

 to enrol their names. It sends two members to par= 



