20 8 Preface to 



fugaclbus ferls curfu, cum audaclbus robore, 

 cum callidis aftu : to contefl: with the 

 fwiftefl: wild beafts, in fpeed ; with the 

 boldeft, in flrength; with the moil cunning, 

 in craft and fubtilty. Plin. Panegyr. 

 And the Roman Emperors, in thofe mo- 

 numents they ereffled to tranfmit their ac- 

 tions to future ages, made no fcruple to 

 join the glories of the chace to their moft 

 celebrated triumphs. Neither were their 

 poets wanting to do juflice to this heroick 

 exercife. Belide that of Oppian in Greek, 

 we have feveral poems in Latin upon Hunt- 

 ing. Gratius was contemporary with Ovid ; 

 as appears by this verfe, 



Aptaque venanti Gratius arma dabit. 



Lib. IV. Pont. 



Gratius fhall arm the huntfman for the chace. 



But of his works only fome fragments re- 

 main. There are many others of more 

 modern date : amongft thefe, Nemelianus, 

 who feems very much fuperior to Gratius, 

 though of a more degenerate age. But on- 

 ly a fragment of his iirft book is preferved. 

 We might indeed have expected to have 



feen 



