Whole is terminated by the known diftin£lion of the ftars 
into fix different fizes. 
Such are the objects treated of by Manilius, in the five 
books of his Allronomics. He had propofed to himfelf 
to difcufs many other fubje&s; but, as we have already 
conje&ured, he was prevented by death. As to his ftyle, 
it is poetical, energetic, and not unworthy of the age in 
which we fuppofe him to have lived. He has a fire and a 
fpirit not inferior to Lucan or Statius ; but his judgment 
feems unable to refill the impetuofity of his ideas. He is, 
therefore, incorrefl and flovenly ; often harlh and in¬ 
elegant; generally unequal. It would be dangerous to 
recommend this author to one whole talle is not yet 
effablifhed ; but to others, the very faults of Manilius 
may have their life. They will perceive the errors, the 
great errors, into which unreftrained genius may fall. 
From thefe philofophical writers let us turn to the 
amatory and fatiric poets. The fame fault which de¬ 
teriorated the beauty of the Greek dramas, fpoilt alfo the 
Roman poems. Their authors knew nothing of pure 
and virtuous love. The fweeteft verfe, the moll brilliant 
•fancy, the greatell variety of knowledge, the mod violent 
affection, in vain were occupied in finging of love; the 
Latins ling only fenfual pleafure. There are a few flaffies 
af a proper refpefl for women in fome of thefe writers, 
especially in the fatiric ones ; for the energy of the Roman 
matron occafior.ally fhone forth fo vividly, that it was 
impofiible for critical obfervers to (hut their eyes on its 
exiftence ; but, commonly, refpedl is out of the quellion 
when a Roman poet fpeaks of his millrefs. 
Ovid Hands among the firfl of the amatory bards of 
Rome. His “Art of Love” celebrates, in glowing 
language, the pleafures of women and the methods of ob¬ 
taining their favours. He has the art of clothing the 
naftieft ideas in the moll tnodeft language, which is the 
moll demoralizing quality a poet can poflefs. And, 
deeming example better than precept, he condefcends to 
inform us how well he was qualified by nature for thole 
purpofes; and afferts that neither his body nor his mind 
was ever deprefled by his frequent.intercourfe with the 
fex. He even expreffes a wilh, that, like Laias, he might 
expire in the aflual fruition of that enjoyment. Ills 
writings teem with exprefiicns like thefe, and other 
images equally warm and equally nally. Old age, how¬ 
ever, made him regret thefe impurities, and deny their 
truth. But that nobody can believe ; for his irregularities 
in love are well known. He married three wives, and 
had many concubines, fome of whom are celebrated in his 
verfes. 
The great work of Ovid is the Metamorphofes. On this 
work he was defirous of founding his reputation ; and 
for this produflion he lays his claim to immortality ; 
Jamque opus exegi ; §'c. We are at a lofs in what clafs of 
poetry to place it. It is an ingenious compilation, of 
which the invention is due to the very early poets of 
Greece, and the embellifliments only are the work of 
Ovid. It is a pifhire drawn in the moft glowing colours, 
of the loves of the gods and of men. In this poem, Ovid 
has proved that he poffeffed a genius moft happily formed 
for poetry. He is throughout pleafing, learned, and in- 
jftru&ive. Wild as the plan appears to be on the firft 
infpefilion, an attentive obferver will perceive a degree of 
conne&ion, without the appearance of art, that will 
furprife him. It is wonderful, indeed, that Ovid fhould 
have been able to form, from fo many different hiftories, 
each apparently unconnected with the reft, fo compre- 
henfive and regular a defign ; to maintain, by an im¬ 
perceptible chain, an harmony of difpofition which con¬ 
ducts the reader through a labyrinth of marvellous ad¬ 
ventures, without interruption or diforder; from the re¬ 
paration of the elements which grew out of chaos, 
to the apotheofis of Auguftus. It is impofiible not to 
admire that variety of fancy, and flexibility of language, 
which enabled him to affume every ftyle, according to 
(the nature of his fubjeCt; and to diversify, by a rich 
Vol. XX. No. 1408. 
variety of expreffion, fuch a fucceffion of images. It is 
the great excellence of Ovid, that he has uniformly 
adapted the moll appropriate language and features to 
images which are always diftinCl; foinetimes noble and 
impofing, at others, familiar and pleafing : thofe grand, 
terrible, and fublime ; thefe gay, mailing, and innocent. 
However glowing his ftyle, it appears to have coll him 
little labour. He alternately raifes the imagination of 
the reader, by the grandeur of his delcriptions, or melts 
his heart by the pathos of his verfe. He deferibes, with 
equal facility, the horror of battles, and the pleafures of 
voluptuoufnefs; the manly exploits of the hero, and the 
innocent occupations of the fhepherd; the fplendour of 
Olympus, and the fragrance of the bower ; the cavern of 
Envy, and the cottage of Philemon. His great fault is 
too much luxuriance of fancy, and an abundance of 
words, which fometimes weaken the force of his meaning. 
But it is not that kind of redundance which finks into 
declamation, and ferves only to conceal the llerility of 
ideas; it is rather the overflowing of fubftantial wealth. 
His embellifhments, even when they appear with too 
much profufion, betray neither labour nor effort ; and 
bis occafional negligences, and triviality of metaphor, 
are overlooked, or loll, in the beauty of his language, the 
grace of his expreflson, and the facility of his Ityle. It 
may be faid of Ovid, that he is pleafing even in his faults. 
His tirll and fecond books (eem to be the moll finilhed 
and corredl, though none are entirely free from the re¬ 
dundancies of his fancy. In the firft, he has proved him¬ 
felf a good philofopher as well as a good poet. The de- 
feription of chaos, and the firft formation of things by an 
almighty all-wife Being, is finely imagined. 
Ovid, who was well known to Auguftus Czefar, dif- 
covered fome inceftuous affair in the imperial family, and 
was banilhed from Rome for life. In his banifhment he 
wrote his Dc Trijlibus, fome whining but elegant poems, 
which pourtray at once his excellence as a poet, and his 
meannefs and lervility as a man. 
Catullus. —The firft poem of this author we (hall notice 
is his Epillle to his patron Manlius Torquatus on his 
marriage. It is amiable, affeftionate, and manly. A 
drain of tendernefs pervades the whole, that does honour 
to his heart; he apologizes for his deficiency in friendly 
offices and poetical offerings, which he attributes to his 
grief for the lofs of his brother; and his apoftrophe \o 
the memory of that brother is exquifite. The few lines 
he compofed on performing obfequies at his tomb, on the 
Rhastian coall, breathe the pureft fraternal regard. It 
appears that, while Catullus was on his expedition with 
Memmius, his brother died prematurely in the Troad, 
and was buried on the promontory of Rhastium, once 
celebrated for the fepulchre of Ajax Telamon. Return¬ 
ing from Bithynia to Italy, he neceffarily paffed Rhzetium ; 
where, in love and veneration for the memory of his 
brother, he flopped at his tomb, and offered a folemn 
oblation. 
The learned charafler of Catullus is acknowledged by 
writers, both ancient and modern. Tibullus, Ovid, and 
Martial, give him the appellation of Buttus, perhaps from 
his being well verfed in the Greek language, then con- 
fidered a great accomplifhment, and the proof of a learned 
education. To thofe who have been accuftomed to con- 
fider him only as a trifling amatory poet, the epithet, no 
doubt, appears Angularly applied. 
Whatever were the various walks in which Catullus’ 
exercifed his rnufe, he was fuccefsful in all. In the vo¬ 
luptuoufnefs of amatory verfe he excelled ; in the galli- 
ambic, a metre of fix feet, in which the Gallcc, or prieft- 
effes of Cybele,are faid to have fung, he was unique; and 
his fatire was keen, well-pointed, and vigorous. A vein 
of fharp and provoking irony, fometimes fmooth, and at 
others cauftic in the highelt degree, runs through moft cf 
his fmaller pieces; and we cannot but admire the perfect 
indifference with which he fearlefsly applies if, without 
diftin&ion of perl’ons. Even Csefar himfelf felt the feverity 
