LUCRETIUS.

Lib. V. 1240.

Quod fupereft, as atque aurum, ferrumque repertum eft,
Et fimul argenti pondus, plumbique poteftas,
Ignis ubi ingentes filvas ardore cremárat

Montibus in magnis.

These verses want emendation: Plumbi poteftas is nonfenfe. Diftinguish thus ;

Et fimul Argenti pondus, plumbique, Poteftas
Ignis ubi, &c.

Argenti pondus plumbique, as in Virgil, Æn. I. 363.
Argenti pondus et Auri.

Poteftas ignis expreffes the power of fire, which confumes and deftroys. We have Potentia folis, and Poteftates Herbarum, in Virgil. See before, Vol. I. Remarks on Milton, Par. Lost. XI. 564.

Ver. 1426

-At nos nil lædet vefie carere

Purpurea, atque Auro, fignifque ingentibus apta.

Rather rigentibus.

So Virgil, Æn. XI. 72.

-geminas veftes auroque oftroque rigentes.

MANI LIU S.*

Lib. IV. 523.

Sed Geminos æquá cùm præfert unda tegitque
Parte, dabit ftudia, et doctas producet ad Artes:
Nec trifte ingenium, fed dulci tinela lepore
Corda creat, vocifque bonis citharæque fonantis
Inftruit, et voces læto cum pectore jungit.

The Edit. Venet. reads ver. 526, 7. thus:

Corda creat; et voce bonos, citharaque fonanti
Inftruit, et dotes alto cum pectore jungit.

• Taken from Misc. Obfervat. Vol. II. p. 345, and Vol. I. p. 217.

Perhaps

Perhaps it fhould be, either

Or,

Corda creat, et voce bonos; citharaque fonanti
Inftruit, et cantus lato cum pectine jungit ;

Corda creat, vocemque bonos ; citharaque fonanti
Inftruit, et cantus leni cum pectine jungit.

Thus Ovid, Met. XI. 316.

Nafcitur e Phabo, (namque eft enixa gemellos,)
Carmine vocali clarus, citharâque Philammon.

Quinctilian, V. 10.

"Cantus vocis plurimum juvat fociata Nervorum Concordiâ,"

Valer. Flaccus, III. 158.

-Infignem cithara cantuque fluenti

Dorcea; qui dulci feftis adfiftere menfis
Pecline.-

Statius, Theb. V. 341.

I

Mitior et fenibus cygnis et peine Phabi

Vox:

grant

that Unda, &c. v. 523. and jungit cantus eum pecline, is fomewhat harfh: but the meaning of the paffage being clear, the expreffion may pass.

Vol. II.

T

Or,

Or, perhaps,

Corda creat, vocifque bonis cithar.eque fonantis
Inftruit, et dotes alias-

Or, varias cum pectine jungit.

I believe this place may ftill want fome alteration. Vocis in one line, and voces in the next, as first given, can hardly be right. I would read pectine instead of pectore. Voces jungere cum pecline, is the fame thing as verba chordis fociare.

These are attempts to correct a paffage, of which I am ftill doubtful,-and therefore leave it to better hands.

If one were to take away from Martial all his obfcene, and all his trivial quibbling epigrams, his books would be confiderably leffened; but what remained would be very good. He is the best verfifier of his age, and in his choice of words he exceeds all his contemporaries.

* Extracted from the Mifcellan. Obfervat. Vol. I. p. 30.

He has many good epigrams. I shall instance

in one,

TO DOMITIAN. Lib. VI. Epigr. Iv.

Cenfor maxime, principúmque Princeps,
Cùm tot jam tibi debeat triumphos,
Tot nafcentia Templa, tot renata,
Tot fpectacula, tot Deos, tot urbes ;
Plus debet tibi Roma,-quòd pudica eft.

Lib. I. Epigr. XIV.

Pætus having received orders to die, and appearing to be in fome concern, Arria ftabbed herHelf, and gave him the dagger; faying, Pate, non Holet!

Cafta fuo gladium cùm traderet Arria Pato,

Si

Quem de vifceribus traxerat ipfa fuis;

qua fides, Vulnus quod feci, non dolet, inquit ; Sed quod tu facies, hoc mihi, Pate, dolet."

I believe it is impoffible to make a good Epigram upon this story. The words Pate, non dolet, cannot be paraphrased without lofing much of their beauty. In the last line is expreffed a tenderness and fondnefs, which does not well fuit with that heroic love, so strongly marked in Arria's words and behaviour.