416 
and oppression of an arbitre ary satus, 
and, exhausted by the shock of so many 
successive struggles, it might have re- 
posed, without shame and without re- 
morse, under the milder and more useful 
influence of one acknowledged governor. 
The provinces, long oppressed by the mi- 
nisters oF the republic, sighed for the pro- 
tection of a single person, who would be 
the master, not the accomplice, of these 
petty tyrants. The people of Rome, 
viewing with a secret pleasure the hu- 
miliation cf the aristocracy, demanded 
only panem & circenses. ‘The rich and 
polite Italians wished to enjoy the biess- 
ings of ease and tranquillity, undisturbed 
by the recollection of their former tamul- 
tuous freedom. ‘The generous temper 
of Cesar, desirous of healing the wounds 
his ambition had inflicted, appeared eager 
to realize the-expectation of future peace 
and happmess; and, when the sangui- 
nary contest of the triumvirs had besced 
in the destruction of Lepidus and An- 
tony, it was confirmed by the more mte- 
rested policy of Octavius, surnamed Ca- 
sar, by his uncie’s adoption, ‘and -Au- 
gustus, by the flattery of the senate. A 
cool head, an unfeeling heart, and a 
cowardiy disposition had puotaphed this 
extraordinary man, at the age of nine- 
teen, to assume the mask of hypocrisy, 
which be afterwards laid aside. With 
the same hand, and probably with the 
same temper, he signed the proscription 
of Cicero, and the pardon of Cinna, 
His virtues, and even his vices, were ar- 
tifcial, and, according to. the various 
dictates of his interest, he was at first the 
enemy, and at last, the father of Rome; 
but his policy, whatever was the motive 
by which it was guided, was beneficial to 
‘the empire, and .honourabie to himself. 
It particularly displayed itself in a ge- 
nerous encouragement of the liberal arts 
and sciences, which had been too long 
excluded by tbe violence of faction, and 
the barbarity of former rulers. He taught 
the Romans to cultivate their natural 
talent, to avail themselves of the spoils 
of conguered Greece, and finally to be- 
come the rivals of that illustrious coun- 
try in literature, as they were already 
paramount in power. Among the nu- 
merous poets who embellished and dig- 
nified that happy wxra, Ovid is not the 
least conspicuous. 
Publius Ovidius Naso was born at 
Sulmo, a town in the country of the Pe- 
_ligni, aboat ninety miles from Rome. 
His birth occurred at the timé of cele- 
brating the Quinguatria ; which were 
Lyceuin of _ nevent Literature—Ovid. 
‘Christian era, and the year 
[June z, 
games instituted in honour of Minerva, 
and usually took place on the 19th of 
March, in that remarkable year when 
the Consuls Hirtius and Pansa. were 
‘slain in the batile of Mutina against An- 
about forty-three years before the 
of Rome 
710. ‘Tibullus, who has distinguished 
himself in the same walk ef elegy and 
amatory seedy and who has sometimes 
rivalled and sometimes excelled Ovid, 
is supposed to have been born on the 
same day. The parents of Ovid were of 
noble birth, and of the equestrian order; 
a dignity, which, he takes care to inform 
us, had never heen forfeited or sullied 
by any of.his ancestors. As the opn- 
lence of his father facilitated-the means 
of receiving an excellent education, and 
as he lived ata period when the Romans 
were inclined to cultivate the learning 
which the conquest of Greece had placed 
within their reach, he-of course wanted 
no opportunity of improvement. ‘The 
first care was to make hiin perfectly ac- 
quainted with his mother-tongue; for, 
contrary to the practice of modern times, 
it.was a constant and laudable method of 
education among the Romans, to impart 
to their youth a previous critical know- 
ledge of the language of their native 
country ; after which, they proceeded 
to» the study of the Greek, which was 
to them the only learned language. He 
was soon distinguished among the: youth 
of Rome by the Facility of his genius, and 
the elegance of his manners. From his 
earliest years he evinced a strong incli- 
nation for poetry, and indulged, at every 
leisure hour, in ail the lusury af that ele- 
gant pursuit. From that pleasing re- 
laxation from severer study, he was at 
length dissuaded by: the importunities of 
his father, who was desirous that he 
should prepare himself for the bar. As 
an argument to induce’ him to abandon 
the barren field of poetr v, for the more 
lucrative practice of the Roman law, he 
would often tell him, that Homer was 
not known to have leit any fortune be- 
hind him, : ‘ake 
tony, 
Sepe pater dixit, studium quid inutile tentas? : 
Mzonides nullas ipse reliquit opes. Y 
He was accordingly placed under the 
care of two eminent - masters, Aullius 
Fuscus, and Porcius Latro, from whom he 
studied eloguence and "jurisprudence. 
We are informed by Seneca, that 
he soon acquired such skill as ta de- 
termine several causes, with credit and 
success; and he frequently. eleaesk 
