Juvenes, propiorque mea; quos arma tenere, Lib. X. 26. -Mors fubitam nigri ftupet auguris umbram, He fpeaks of Amphiarays, upon whom the earth opened and swallowed him up. In the Mifcellaneous Obfervations, Vol. I. 187. I corrected it vivi, and produced, as fimilar paffages, Theb. VIII. ver. 1-4. and 9-13. 1 also observed that Ovid, Art. Amat. III. 14. fays of Amphiaraus, Vivus et in vivis ad Styga venit equis.. And then closed with Met. IX. 406. Seductaque fuos manes tellure videbit The The learned man who tranflated thofe remarks of mine, approves in fome measure of my conjecture; but when he adds, “Quomodo umbra conveniat vivo, non adfequor," he feeks a knot in a bulruh. The expreffion is bold, and as fuch is altogether in the manner of Statius. So Seneca fays; Vivorum cineri fit tua terra levis. In the Phaniffa, ver. 235. Edipus afks, Manes meos detineo? Quid bic And in verfe 134. he calls himself Patris fui rtvalem. And yet, ftrictly speaking, Manes belong to the dead, and Rivales to the living, as Gronovius obferves. "Ovib alfo fays, Trift. III. xi. 31. : deui si I Quid fimulacra, ferox, dietis incefsits amaris?”. in I Lib. X. ver. 91.!!! Describing the house of Somnus, Statius says, It is much that Statius did not follow the fculp tors and poets; and fay, preffifque Silentia labris. Harpocrates, or Sigalion, the God of Silence, is constantly so described, with his finger on his lips; nor does any body that I know of, give him wings, befides Statius. Ovid, Met. IX, 691. Quique premit vocem, digitoque Silentia fuader. Lib. XI. 440. Adraftus, having loft the chiefs of his army, and seeing the two brothers engaged in combat, leaves all, and flies from the field. Statius hit upon a very lucky comparison, and resembles him to Pluto, when he went to vifit the infernal regions, which fell to his fhare in the division of the world. Fugit, omnia linquens, Caftra, viros, generum, Thebas, ac fata monentem The lines are very good: only Statius could not help falling into his beloved fault of joining con traries traries together, lava and præmia. He is too apt to seek these ambitiofa ornamenta, this jingle and op pofition in his words. He never indeed miffes this favourite figure, when he can bring it in and here he has got hold of the Agoy dwgou, that Fortune gave to Pluto. Jab diɔ SILVARUM. II. ver. 19.. Statius defcribes very well a foldier mortally wounded; and endeavouring, as he falls, to be revenged of his enemy: -ficut fibi confcius alti Vulneris, adverfum moriens it miles in hoftem; Dr Attollitque manum, et ferro labente minatur, "ORAT omnis creatura. Orant pecudes et fera, et genua declinant, et egredientes de ftabulis ac fpeluncis, ad cœlum non otiofi ore fufpiciunt, vibrantes fpiritu fuo movere." Muratorius remarks," Scribendum eft non otiofo, aut non otiofa." A gentleman thinks the first is the true reading; "non otiofi." I read 1 I read the fentence thus; " otiofo-vibrantes Spiritum fuo more." That is, Even the flocks and herds and wild beafts pray: When they come out of their refting places and dens, they look up to Heaven,-not in filence; but each breathes out and utters fuch founds as Nature has given him." The bleating of fheep, the lowing of oxen, the voices of wild beafts and of birds, are prayers to the Parent of all; who provides for the lions that roar to him for prey, and feedeth the young ravens that call upon him. Pfalm cxlvii. 9. Vibrare fpiritum is strongly to emit the breath; as creatures do, when they cry and make a noise. Prudentius fays of the Ay, Apoth. II. 49. A little before this, Tertullian fays, "Oratio murus eft fidei, arma et tela noftra adverfus hominem, qui nos undique obfervat." Who may this Homo be, "qui nos undique observat?"—Undoubtedly, the devil. Read, hoftem. |