442 The Lyceum of Ancient Literature.—No. VI. [June], 
that all kinds of signs, portents, or pro- 
digies, are visible among the celestial 
bodies, which incline hum to imagine 
that something most tremendous will 
ensue. Part of this speech was sufficient 
to alarm Malagigi’s Catholic faith, and 
his demands on this subject are answered 
by the damon in a long train of theological 
and metaphysical reasoning, the tendency 
of which has inclined commentators to 
attribute this canto (as I before observed) 
to Ficinus, or some other philosopher of 
the age, and a favourite with the grear. 
Astaroth, however, concludes by pro- 
mising to fly with a fellow-demon over 
to Egypt, and bring Rinaldo and Richar- 
detto in three days to the fatal ground 
of Roncesvalles. He then takes his 
Jeave, and darts rapidly away like a stone 
from its sling, or the thunderbolt itself; 
and the earth trembled with his motion. 
Meanwhile, Orlando took his stand at 
Roncesvalles, together with his dear 
friends, Oliver, and Count Anselmo, and 
was soon after joined there by Berlinger 
(a Paladin who is marked through all 
the Italian romances by the epithet of 
gentle, il gentil Berlinghteri), by thie 
brave and honourable Astolpho, by San- 
sonetto, a youth of Damascus who had 
become a Christian out of love and ad- 
miration of Orlando, and by the faithful 
and affectionate Baldwin, who had been 
decorated by his father with a vest of 
king Marsilius, which (unknown to him- 
self} was a mark agreed upon between 
that monarch and Gano to protect him 
through the ensuing massacre from the 
fury of the soldiers. The innumerable 
host ef Pagans was by this time fast ap- 
proaching, and Blanchardin the principal 
general of Saragossa sent before with 
presents to keep up the delusion of the 
Christians, and make sure of Orlando’s 
awaiting the issue.—( 0 be continued. ) 
———ESa 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ASTRONOMY. 
GENTLEMAN who has made this 
sublime study an object of general 
attention, by his annual publications, 
has favoured me with the position, within 
these few days, of the Olbers planet; 
and by which, as it is so high in the 
system, (between Mars and Jupiter) and, 
consequently has little absolute motion, 
it may be found for some weeks to come. 
Its present situation.in a clear part of 
the heavens, between the head of Vir- 
go and the tail of the Lion, is uncom- 
monly favourable; there being few stars 
in that region that could be mistaken 
for it. It appears now like a star of the 
sixth magnitude, according to the ac- 
count, 
Bi. A. S99? Ree 
DuN. 129) er 4er 
It will consequently be seen in the 
part of the evening most convenient for 
observation ; and, advantageously from 
its vicinity to the earth, and with a fine 
star to direct the eye to it. 
VEGETATION SUSPENDED. 
Ihave a fine plant, the double Saxi- 
frage (Suvifragum grenulatum) now in 
great beauty. In May, 1804, it flowered 
inmy study. It withered after flowering, 
being exposed to tuo much heat. I let 
it remain perfectly dry, setting it aside 
in a shady part of the room. Abaut 
sixteen months after, I took it out of the 
mould; and with dithculty found one or 
two of its small bulb-like tubers less than 
half the size of the seed of a sweet pea; 
which Ireplanted. It soon revegetated ; 
flowered weakly in 1806; and, very 
strongly blossoms at present: it has lost 
nothing of its doubleness. The “ Lateat 
Scintillula forsan,” should never be for- 
gotten. It is of most extensive applica- 
tion to vegetable and animal life, to 
political and moral reform. 
ATMOSPHERIC VARIATIONS. 
- These have rarely been so great, from 
cold and wet, to heat and dryness (most 
intense heat for the season,) and again 
back to cold and wet. 
From a succession of snow, and of 
chill days, the medium of the first three 
days of May, was 704; the thunder-: 
storm, Saturday the 2d, would have been: 
no common one evenin July. And now: 
we are down again to the ordimary tem- 
perature of March. * Care Lorrr. 
Lroston, May 6, 1807. 
i ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
LYC/HUM OF ANCIENT LITERA- 
TURE.—No. VI. | 
VIRGIL. 
N commencing this ‘account of the 
Lite and Peems of Virgil, the writer 
is perfectly aware that he is treading on 
very common ground; and. he almost 
despairs of presenting either novelty or 
interest to the reader.. Wirgil is an Au-° 
thor very early placed in the student’s 
hands, and is more known, and better 
understood, than any other writer of an- , 
tiquity. There are few, indeed, whose 
classical studies have not enabled them 
to comprehend the language of this Poet, 
more particularly in his Aeneid. The | 
; grave 
