The History of Roman Literature Part 53

[23] Pro s.e.xt. 58.

[24] See Book i. chapter viii.

[25] These were doubtless much the worst of his poetical effusions. It was in them that the much-abused lines _O fortunam natam me Consule Romam_, and _Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea laudi_, occurred. See Forsyth, Vit. Cic. p. 10, 11. His _gesta Marii_ was the tribute of an admiring fellow-townsman.

[26] In the preface to his _Lucretius_.

[27] _E.g. Inferior paulo est Aries et flumen ad Austri Inclinatior. Atque etiam_, etc. v. 77; and he gives countless examples of that break after the fourth foot which Lucretius also affects, _e.g. Arcturus nomine claro._ Two or three lines are imitated by Virgil, _e.g._ v. 1, _ab Jove Musarum primordia_; so v. 21, _obstipum caput et tereti cervice reflexum_.

The rhythm of v. 3, _c.u.m caeloque simul noctesque diesque feruntur_, suggests a well-known line in the eighth Aeneid, _olli remigio noctemque diemque fatigant_.

[28] Suet. J. C. 56.

[29] N. H. xix. 7.

[30] Suet. vit. Ter. see page 51.

[31] See Bernhardy Grundr. der R. L. Anm, 200, also Caes. Op. ed. S.

Clarke, 1778.

[32] De Bell. Alex. 4.

[33] Whenever a s.h.i.+p touched at Alexandria, Euergetes sent for any MSS.

the captain might have on board. These were detained in the museum and labelled _to ek ton ploion_.

[34] The museum was situated in the quarter of the city called _Brucheium_ (Spartian. in Hadr. 20). See Don. and Muller, Hist. Gk. Lit. vol. ii.

chap. 45.

[35] The school of Alexandria did not become a religious centre until a later date. The priestly functions of the librarians are historically unimportant.

[36] It is true Theocritus stayed long in Alexandria. But his inspiration is altogether Sicilian, and as such was hailed by delight by the Alexandrines, who were tired of pedantry and compliment, and longed for naturalness though in a rustic garb.

[37] This is the true ground of Aristophanes' rooted antipathy to Euripides. The two minds were of an incompatible order, Aristophanes represents Athens; Euripides the human spirit.

[38] He must have had some real beauties, else Theocritus (vii. 40) would hardly praise him so highly: "_ou gar po kat' emdn noon oude ton eslon Sikelidan nikemi ton ek Samo oude Philetan Aeidon, batrachos de pot akridat hos tis erisdo_."

[39] Even an epic poem was, if it extended to any length, now considered tedious; _Epyllia_, or miniature epics, in one, two, or three books, became the fas.h.i.+on.

[40] Others a.s.sign the poem which has come down to us to Germanicus the father of Caligula, perhaps with better reason.

[41] Cic. De Or. xvi. 69.

[42] Ovid (Amor. i, 15, 16) expresses the high estimate of Aratus common in his day: _Nulla Sophocleo veniet iactura cothurno. c.u.m sole et luna semper Aratus erit_. He was not, strictly speaking, an Alexandrine, as he lived at the court of Antigonus in Macedonia; but he represents the same school of thought.

[43] They are generally mentioned together. Prop IV. i. 1, &c.

[44] Nothing can show this more strikingly than the fact that the Puritan Milton introduces the loves of Adam and Eve in the central part of his poem.

[45] The _Cantores Euphorionis_ and despisers of Ennius, with whom Cicero was greatly wroth. Alluding to them he says:--_Ita belle n.o.bis_ "Flavit ab Epiro lenissimus Onchesmites." _Hunc spondeiazonta si cui vis to neoteron pro tuo vendita_. Ad. Att. vii, 2, 1.

[46] The reader is referred to the introductory chapter of Sellar's _Roman poets of the Republic_, where this pa.s.sage is quoted.

[47] The reader is again referred to the preface to Munro's _Lucretius_.

[48] _Quem tu, dea, tempore in omni Omnibus ornatum voluisti excellere rebus_.

[49] i, 41.

[50] Ep. ad Q. Fr. ii. 11. It seems best to read _multis ingenii luminibus non multae tamen artis_ than to put the _non_ before _multis_. The original text has no _non_; if we keep to that, _tamen_ will mean _and even_.

[51] Lucr. had a great veneration for his genius, see ii. 723: _Quae_ (Sicilia) _nil hoc habuisse viro praeclarius in se Nec sanctum magis et mirum carumque videtur. Carmina quinctiam divini pectoris eius Vociferantur, et exponunt praeclara reperta, Ut vix humana videatur stirpe creatus_.

[52] In his treatise _de Poetica_ he calls him _physiologon mallon i poiaeten_.

[53] A French writer justly says "_L'utilite c'est le principe createur de la litterature romaine_."

[54] Some one has observed that the martial imagery of Lucretius is taken from the old warfare of the Punic wars, not from that of his own time. He speaks of elephants, of Scipio and Hannibal, as if they were the heroes most present to his mind.

[55] The _eros philosuphus_, so beautifully described by Plato in the _Symposium_.

[56] A Scotch acquaintance of the writer's when asked to define a certain type of theology, replied, "An interminable argument."

[57] Philetas wore himself to a shadow by striving to solve the sophistic riddle of the "Liar." His epitaph alludes to this: _Xeine, Philaetas eimi, logon d' o pseudomenos me olese kai nukton phrontides esperioi_.

[58] iii. 3. "Te sequor, o Graiae gentis decus!"

[59] v. 8, where, though the words are general, the reference is to Epicurus.

[60] By Sulla, 84 B.C.

[61] He defined it as a _leia kinaesis_, or smooth gentle motion of the atoms which compose the soul.

[62] The doctrine of inherited apt.i.tudes is a great advance on the ancient statement of this theory, inasmuch as it partly gets rid of the inconsistency of regarding the senses as the fountains of knowledge while admitting the inconceivability of their cognising the ultimate const.i.tuents of matter.

[63] Prof. Maudesley's books are a good example.

[64] _Dux vitae, dia voluptas_ (ii. 171). So the invocation to Venus with which the poem opens.

[65] As where he invokes Venus, describes the mother of the G.o.ds, or deifies the founder of true wisdom.

[66] _Nec sum animi dubius Graiorum obscura reperta Difficile inl.u.s.trare Latinis versibus esse; Multa novis verbis praesertim c.u.m sit agendum Propter egestatem linguae et rerum novitatem_ (i. 130).

[67] i. 75.

[68] Lu. i. 56-95.

[69] Ib. i. 710-735; iii. 1-30.

[70] Ib. i. 912-941.