464 
forms, always fubfifted among every lite- 
rary people. 
dloges, or eulogiurs. Of thefe perform- 
ances, \ among other celebrared writers, 
may be diftinguifhed thofe of Paul Jovius. 
He was an Italian, and has compofed 
feven books of eulogiums, confecrated to 
Matefmen and warriors; and another vo- 
Jume, of confiderable extent, on literary 
men chiefly, and the Jearned of the 14th, 
asth, and 16th centuries. 
logiums, which are concife, amount to 
320. The cccafion of his having com- 
ofed them is interefting. 
Paul Jovius had a country-houfe, in a 
romantic fituation. It was built on the 
ruins of the villa of Pliny. In his time, 
the foundations were fill vifible; and 
when the furrounding lake was calm, in 
its lucid bottom were ftill viewed, fculp- 
tured marbles, the trunks of columns, 
and the fragments of thofe pyramids which 
had once adorned the retfidence of the 
‘friend of Trajan—Jovius was an enthu- 
fiaft for literacure and Jeifure; an hifio- 
rian, with the imagination of a poet; a 
bithop, nourifhed on the fweet fictions of 
the pagan mythology. His pen becomes 
a pencil. He paints, with rapture, his 
gardens bathed by the waters of the lake; 
the fhade and frefhnefs of his woods, his 
‘green hills, his {parking fountains, the 
deep filence and the calm of folitude; he 
Gefcribes a fiatue raifed in his gardens, to 
Wature ; in his hall, an Apolio with his 
lyre, and the Mufes with their attributes 5 
“his jibrary under the guard of Mercury, 
and an apartment cf the chree Graces, 
adorned with Dorte columns, and pictures 
of pleafing fubjeéts ; fuch was the interior. 
Without, the pure and tranfparent lake 
{pread its broad mirror, rolled its vo- 
luminous windings, while the banks were 
covered with olives and laurels; and in 
the diftance, towns, promontories, hills, 
rifing in an amphitheatre, blufhing with 
-avines, and the firft elevations of the Alps, 
covered -with woods and pafturage, and 
fprinkled with herds and flocks. _ 
In the centre of this enchanting habi- 
tation ftood a cabinet, where Paul Jovius 
had colleéted, at great coft, the portraits 
of celebrated men ; and to ferve as expla- 
nations of thefe portraits, he compofed his 
eulogiums. Mr. Thomas fpeaks of them 
“with approbation. To the merit cf con- 
cifenefs, they add that of giving in a few 
lines, and fometimes in a few pages, an 
jdea of the charaéter, the aétions, and 
the works of him they praife, or at Jeaft 
Speak of ; for it fometimes happens, that 
he delineates the portrait of men more 
3 
Port-FoliomHarp and Dice... Death. 
The French termed them. 
All thefe eu- 
[ Dee. 
celebrated. than virtuous—-Thefe eulo- 
giums contain many curious faéts; and 
truth is more valuable than a falfe elo- 
quence. : 
‘THE HARP AND DICE. 
Although refinement has of late polifhed 
our focial intercourfe .with many graces, 
yet foreigners have ‘unanimoufly cenfured 
the inelegance and dullnefs of our ordinary 
fociety. Our women are infipid and filent, 
and our men monotonous politicians, or 
inveterate whift-players. In the tone of 
our converfation there is no verfatility,; 
in its fubject there is no tate. When- 
ever it fhall not be deemed pedantry to 
make the fine arts the objeéts of our fe- 
rious converfation ; whenever it fhall be- 
come fafhionable to render our colloquial 
~ ideas the language of criticifm ; and when-- 
ever the cullifion of fplendid minds. fhall 
‘refle&t their lufire in domeftic circles; a 
Grecian amenity will adorn our. national 
charaéter, and diffufe its elegance even in 
a village neighbourhood. 
Tt was a cuftom among the ancients, at 
their entertainments to have a harp carried 
round the table;*and prefented to every 
gueft, which if any one refufed;. out 
of ignorance or unfkilfulnefs, he was 
confidered as illiterate or il-bred. Pindar, 
in one of his odes alludes to this cuftom : 
Nor doth his fkilful hand refufe 
Acquaintance with the tuneftl mufe, 
When round the mirthful board the harp is 
borne. WEST. 
P. du Halde, in his hiftory of China, 
furnifhes us with an extraét from a Chi- 
nefe author, who inveighing againft fuch 
who negleét their ftudies, adds, “* Dhete 
perfons are moft at a lofs at the conclu-— 
fion of a banquet. . The plate and dice go © 
round, that the number of little verfes 
which every one ought to pronounce may 
be determined by chance. When it comes 
to their turn they appear quite ftapid.” 
There is a fingular fimilarity in both © 
thefe cuftoms; and were they introduced 
into our country, might awaken many of 
our affociates from their drowfinefs, of 
occation fume to proreft loudly againft rhe 
ufe of the poetical dice, and the melodious 
inftruments. 
a ee 
DEATH. ’ 
¥ fhall throw together a few colle€tions 
on this curious and folemn fubject. 
What a forcible epitaph an Arabian 
poet compofed to have infcribed on his 
rk “THE 
* 
‘tomb; 
