Virgil in his Georgics, is only perufed by the curious in Grecian literature, and is known only by name to the common reader. The emperor Caracalla, under whom he flourished, is faid to have been fò charmed with his poems, as to have ordered him a ftater for each verfe. Modern critics will, however, dare to call in queftion the taste of Caracalla. The works of Oppian confift ed of halieutics, cynogetics, and ixeutics, the latter of which have perished by the injuries of time. He was a grammarian, which, in the idea of the Greeks, meant a profeffed fcholar; and in every age, the works of men, who profeffed literature, have been lefs admired than the vigorous and wild productions of uncultivated genius. The former are contented to avoid faults, but genius labours after beauties only. Apollonius is more correct than Homer, and Johnfon than Shakespeare ; but Apollonius and Johnfon are coldly approved, while Homer and Shakespeare are beheld with aftonishment almoft equal to idolatry. It should however be remarked to the honour of Apollonius, that the judicious Virgil borrowed feveral of his moft celebrated fimilies from him, and perhaps he is not to be ranked among the poeta minores. Oppian has met with the ufual fate of grammarians, and has scarcely been read; but the reader of taste will yet find many paffages, which, if they are not fublime, he must confefs to be beautiful. Tryphiodorus has been introduced to the English reader, by the excellent tranflation of the ingenious Mr. Merrick. Homer he certainly imitated, and has fucceeded in the imitation. Copies taken by great mafters, though inferior in general, yet in fome parts commonly rival their originals. Tryphiodorus reaches not the fublimer flights of the Mæonian bard, but he fometimes follows his lefs daring excurfions at no diftant interval. It is enough to recommend him to general approbation, that with a moderate portion of Homer's fire, he has more correctnefs. He may be read with advantage not only in a poetical, but in an hiftorical view. Where Homer difcontinued the thread of his story, Tryphiodorus has taken it up. Indeed this poem is a neceffary fupplement to the Iliad, without which the reader is left unfatisfied, Tryphiodorus is faid to $ 2 have have written another poem, called Οδύσσεια λειπογραμμάτη, in which he has omitted, through each book, the letter which marked the number of it. Such a kind of compofition is trifling, and beneath a man of genius; but it must be allowed to be a work of great difficulty, and confequently a proof of great application. Nor ought it to injure the character of Tryphiodorus as a poet, but to be viewed as the wanton production of an ingenious, but ill-employed grammarian. If Homer wrote the battle of the Frogs and Mice, and Virgil defcanted on his Gnat, without lofing the dignity of their characters; inferior writers may indulge the inoffenfive fallies of whim, without the imputation of folly or puerility. In the perufal of fome of thefe, and other of the Minor Poets, whose works are extant, the lover of the Grecian Mufe finds a pleafing variety, after reading the more fublime and beautiful productions of Homer. No. CLXXIX. A CONCLUDING ESSAY. T HE writers of periodical papers have usually fubjoined, at the clofe of their lucubrations, an account of the origin and progrefs of their work, explained the fignatures of correfpondents, and affigned each paper to its proper claimant.-I am now arrived at the End of the Second Volume, the boundary prefcribed to my excurfions: but I have, I believe, no information of this kind remaining to be communicated. I have already accounted for the origin of this work, and intimated, that the compofition of it has ferved, at various times and in different fituations, to amuse a few intervals of literary leifure; and, with refpect to afliftants and correfpondents, the nature of the undertaking could not poffibly admit them. If, therefore, any praife fhould be thought due, it must come undivided, and contribute to leffen whatever severity of cenfure may be incurred, the whole weight of which muft fall without participation. I mean not, however, to delude myself with an idea of influencing a reader by apologies: the fubmiffions and excufes of authors are of little importance; the Public claims an uncontrovertible right to decide for itself on every compofition which folicits regard its final decifions are usually no less just than immutable. 7 Inftead then of dwelling on fuch topics, I will take leave of the candid reader, if any reader should have had patience to accompany me fo far, by a fummary recapitu-lation, and perhaps addition of a few admonitions which may be falutary. I pretend not to collect all the scattered remarks, which have preceded, into one point of view, but merely to repeat and add fuch as may poflibly occur in filling up the paper which now lies before me. I hope the egotifin will be pardoned on this and feveral other occafions, as it is by no means eafy at all times to fpeak. in the third perfon of one's felf, without evident affec tation. I have endeavoured, throughout the whole feries of thefe papers, to warn thofe who are entering into life. (and to them my admonitions are chiefly addreffed) against the fashionable examples of the rich and greas vulgar, which often militate against all that is decent, regular, virtuous, and learned. Unless we are taught in our youth to be on our guard against their deftructive influence, we shall certainly incur imminent danger of corrupting our principles and practice, by a blind and bigoted imitation. Experience daily evinces, that, without this precaution, all the advantages of a virtuous and learned education, all the documents of paternal care, all prudential, moral, and religious reftraints, may be totally fruftrated. The rich and great may be confidered as beacons on a promontory; and if they hang out deceitful lights, they who will allow no other fignal to direct them (and the number of thefe is irftnite) will probably be mifguided in the voyage of their lives, till they are dashed on rocks, or funk in whirlpools. I think I can confidently declare, that I was not influenced by fplenetic or envious motives, when I attacked the Pride, Folly, and Wickedness of the nominal great, who juftify every enormity, under the name of fashionable indulgence; but that I have been actuate i folely by a S3 fincere fincere conviction, that such an attack is the most effectual means of promoting the interests of Virtue. Even an enemy will allow that it is not the most approved method of advancing private intereft. In adopting modes of address and external behaviour, the ftudy of which appears to engross the attention of many, I have advised the young man to begin his work at the foundation; to correct his heart and temper, that the graces of his appearance may proceed from that copious and infallible fource of whatever is pleafing, a difpofition truly virtuous and unaffectedly amiable. I have exhorted him to avoid fervility, adulation, preferment-hunting, and meannefs of every kind; to endeavour indeed to please those with whom he converses, but to let the endeavour arife from benevolent motives, from an humane and Chriftian defire of diffufing eafe and happiness among the children of one Almighty Father, and the partakers of the fame miferable nature. I have advised him to be firm, yet gentle,-manly, yet polite to cultivate every ornamental accomplishment which leads not to effeminacy, and to study to be as agreeable as poffible, while he can be at the fame time fincere; to defpife, and moft ftudiously avoid, that common but base character, which, with motives peculiarly felfish and contracted, pretends to uncommon good-nature, friendfhip, benevolence, and generofity; whofe affiduities are proportioned to the rank or fortune of the perfons whofe favour is courted, without the leaft regard to virtue or attainments; whose politeness is that of a valet or French dancing-mafter, and whofe objects, after all its profesfions and pretenfions to liberality, are no lefs mean and dirty than thofe of a Jew-ufurer. I have advised him to value the approbation of his own heart, and the comforts of a clear conscience, above the smiles, the applaufe, and the rewards of a vain, a wicked, a deceitful, and a tranfitory world. In literature, I have recommended the union of taste with science, and of fcience with tafte ; a felection of the best authors on all the fubjects which claim his particular attention; a love of originals, and a due diftruft of tranflations; a conftant effort to obtain depth and folidity; a perfevering, regular, indefatigable industry, especially efpecially in the earlier periods of a ftudious course, not only becaufe no diftinguifhed excellence can be obtained without it, but also because a close attention to ftudy, and an ardent love of letters in the juvenile age, is a great prefervative of innocence, and conduces much to the diverfion or extinction of paffions and tendencies, which cannot be habitually indulged without fin, fhame, and mifery. : The general tenor of the moral admonitions of this book, has been to urge the young man to labour inceffantly in overcoming the natural propenfity of human nature to evil to aim at perfection, though he knows he cannot reach it; to aim at it, because he will thus approach much nearer to it than if he gives up the purfuit in the timidity of indolence: to have courage enough to withstand ridicule, the weapon of the wicked in their fubtle attacks upon virtue: to beware of the refinements of fophiftry, and to be humble enough to learn his duty both to God and man, from the plain doctrines of his catechifm: to beware alfo of the feducing influence of fashionable vice; of those unfortunate perfons who, from a want of education, or from foolish pride, live without God in the world, and even in contradiction to the obvious precepts of natural religion; exifting in a state which might almoft be called the vegetable, if it did not in a greater degree participate of brutality.-Addreffes of a ferious kind are to them, for the most part, useless, as that pride, felf-conceit, and felf-importance, which leads them to adopt with oftentation the tenets of infidelity and the practices of immorality, ufually renders then deaf and blind to all reprefentations which come unrecommended by opulence, rank, and libertinifm. They are wifer in their own eyes, though they often neither read nor think, than the wifeft moralifts who have yet appeared. But the young man who has been taught not to be dazzled by the falle luftre of their characters, will foon learn to pity their errors and fhun their example. It is a just remark, which has been made by men intimately acquainted with the living world, that more are ruined by vices which they have adopted through vanity and filly imitation, than to which they have been feduced by |