AD DIVERSOS, Elegiarum, Liber III. BASIA, incomparabilis et divinus prorsus liber. EPIGRAMMATA. ODARUM, Liber unus. EPISTOLARUM, Liber unus Elegiaco. EPISTOLARUM, Liber alter Heroico carmine scriptus. FUNERUM, Liber unus. SYLVE, et CARMINUM Fragmenta. POEMATA nonnulla Fratrum. ITINERARIA Secundi tria; et To these is added, an epistle of Hadrianus Ma→ rius (Secundus's brother) to Servatius Zassenus, a bookseller at Louvain, which throws some light upon the earlier editions of Secundus. Also a very excellent treatise, entitled, De Io: Secundo, Hagensi Deque Nicolao Patre, et Gente Nicolaïa; which contains, upon the whole, the most satisfactory account of Secundus and his family that we have yet met with: and to this is added, a little poem of Douza's. Lastly, are some pieces under the title of Manes Io: Secundi; Auctoribus, Hadriano Mario, et Nicolao Grudio, Fratribus. What character these works bear, is a question hardly necessary, when we see prefixed to them the testimonies of several excellent critics; as Lilius Greg: Gyraldus, Julius Cæsar, Scaliger, Theodorus Beza, and many others equally celebrated in the republic of letters; nor are the commendations of his brothers and his editors (Cripius and Scriverius in particular) to be disregarded; but, in short, every writer who mentions Secundus speaks of him with rapture. To give our readers a general idea of the great estimation in which his poems were held, we shall insert the following critique, translated from a certain French writer, which, upon the whole, is the most just and concise of any that we know upon the subject. "This young poet has left us three books of Eligies, one of Epigrams, two of Epistles, one of Sylvæ, one of Funera, one of gallant pieces, which he has entitled Basia, and some other poetical productions, which no way relate to any of the abovementioned kinds of poetry. These works altogether prove, that Secundus was possessed of a delicate, pleasing, and lively imagination; which is by so much the more remarkable, as he was born in a climate that does not appear the most favourable to polite taste, so necessary for all who would distinguish themselves in elegant poetry. His genius, though extremely fertile, never produced any thing but what was excellent, and that with the greatest ease and almost instantaneously. He is sweet, calm, and at the same time perspicuous, in his elegies; delicately subtile in his epigrams; pleasingly noble in his lyric compositions; grave in his funera, without any thing pompous or bombastic. In short, throughout all his works we may pronounce his style to be full, elegant, and tender and we may be assured, that had his leisure permitted him to have undertaken and improved himself in epic poetry, he would have excelled in it :-but his muse is somewhat too wanton." Though the works of Secundus have gone through many editions, yet all are at present become extremely scarce, the earlier ones in particular; insomuch, that this poet is hardly known to have existed. That none of the works of Joannes Secundus came out during his life, is certain; but we are informed, that, a short time before he died, he had a design of publishing, and had already laid down the order in which his pieces should be printed. But no edition of the works of Secundus complete came out till the year 1541, when an edition was printed by Hermannus Borculous, Batav. in small 8vo. which was supposed to have been put out by Marius. BASIA. BASIUM I CUM Venus Ascanium super alta Cythera tu lisset, Sopitum teneris imposuit violis ; Albarum nimbos circumfuditque rosarum. [Cum Venus Ascanium, &c.] This is an imitation of the following lines from Virgil: At Venus Ascanio placidam per membra quietem Floribus et dulci aspirans com plectitur umbrâ. VIRG. ENEID. LIB. I. |