empire, that he might reward his veteran troops for their past service, he distributed among them all the lands that lay about Cremona and Mantua; turning out the right owners for having sided with his enemies. Virgil was a sufferer among the rest; who afterwards recovered his estate by Maecenas' intercession; and, as an instance of his gratitude, composed the first pastoral, where he sets out his own good fortune in the person of Tytyrus, and the calamities of his Mantuan neighbours in the character of Meliboeus."

The pastorals of Virgil have no small share of the simplicity of the Idyls of Theocritus, without their indelicacy, and contain as much of pastoral life, with fewer incongruities in the character of the persons introduced.

The Georgicks have frequently been pronounced the most finished poem in the Latin language. From the subjects of which they treat, they are sometimes necessarily uninteresting, especially to those who are wholly ignorant of agricultural pursuits. But, in the humblest precepts of this didactick poem, the author has not descended from his dignified manner; and, as Addison remarks, "He even breaks the clods, and tosses the dung about with an air of gracefulness." There is intrinsick evidence to all who are conversant with the Latin poets, that the Georgicks are very elaborate productions; it is well known, too, that the author was not sparing of the labor limae. And, though some criticks have taken the side of Theocritus against Virgil in pastoral poetry, none, it is believed, have contended for the superiority of Hesiod in Georgick.

The Eneid, which, had the order of Virgil been obeyed, would have been consigned to the flames, because it had not received his last corrections, is the poem that, in the opinions of most criticks, confers upon him the glory of being first among the poets of Rome. The only deduction from this glory, and one which has made many wavering in their praise, is, the charge of his having closely imitated Homer. It has been maintained, that he not only found a model of epick story in the Iliad and Odyssey, but that he even borrowed from them many of his finest sentiments and figures of thought. Mixed with a degree of illiberality, there is some truth in these allegations. But the question is, whether they apply so far as to exclude him from the number of original poets; whether the fable, the character of his heroes and subordinate agents, the machinery of his poem, the disposition of his story, the introduction of his episodes, and, in general, the sentiment and expressions, are not so substantially his own, as to entitle him to a place among those who are allowed the credit of invention. If invention, in its strictest sense, be required to confer on a poet the praise of originality, it will be difficult to determine who can claim it. Can it be declared, that the fables of the gods and of the heroes, and indeed the entire subject of the poems of Homer, were not so common in his time, that the poet had little to do but to dispose of them in such an order as to make a beautiful whole? Yet if all this were true, who would be willing to call Homer a mere compiler of stories, which, in songs and recitations, formed the sentimental entertainments of his countrymen in the age in which he lived. He may

be called an original poet, who has a style and character of his own; and a liberal critick, when he has discovered these marks of originality, will rather rest satisfied with his convictions, than force apparent resemblances into palpable imitations, or magnify such as are real.

I shall institute no comparison of the Iliad and Odyssey, with the Eneid of Virgil; nor dwell on the beauties or defects of the latter. I shall here only remark, that Virgil has been accused by Macrobius in his Saturnalia of ignorance of the pagan theology, and by others of voluntary anachronisms, of topographical and historical errors, and of occasional mistakes in the technical parts of military and naval affairs. It is, however, a justification in part, that he made an indiscriminate use of fable and of fact, and is not to be judged by the same rules, as would be applied to the professed writers of history.*

The first attempt to translate the Eneid of Virgil into English, was that of Caxton, who performed his work through the medium of a French translation, and published it in the year 1490; of which the bishop of Dunkeld, Gawin Douglas, speaks thus ;

Thoch Wylliame Caxtonn had no compationn
Of Virgill in that buk he preynt in prois;

Clepand it. Virgill in Eneados,

Quhilk that he sayis of Frensche he did translait ;
It has nothing ado therewith, God wate,

Nor na mare like than the devil and Sainct Austin,
Have he na thank tharefore, bot lo is his pyne;

So schamefully the storie did perverte,

I reid his werk with havnes at my hert.

His buk is na mare like Virgill dar I say,
Than the nygt oule resemblis the papingay.

The next translation (for I pass over those select portions, which different writers have chosen to render into English) is that of Douglas. The title page runs thus :

"The thirteen bukes of Eneados (including, therefore, the additional book of Mapheus Veggius) of the famose poete Virgill, translatet out of Latyne verse into Scottish metir, bi the reverend father in God, Mayster Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkil, and unkill to the erle of Angus. 4to. Lond. 1553."

This edition was corrected and reprinted with a Glossary in 1710. From the translation of Douglas, Horne Tooke has made liberal quotations to exemplify the meaning and use of certain particles; but most of my readers would not thank me for selections from an author, whose lines, from the changes in our language, have become harsh in construction, and difficult of comprehension.

Another version of the Eneid was published in 1632, by John Vicars; a version which seems never to have excited interest enough to call forth either praise or censure. Were all the versions of detached portions of Virgil and of single books to be

* They who wish to read the criticks on Virgil, may consult Rapin, Bossu, Segrais, &c. among the French, whose opinions are comprised in Baillet's Jugemens de Savans; and Addison on the Georgicks, and Dryden on the pas torals and Eneid in English.

enumerated, it would form a long catalogue, which I do not profess to give, and should be unwilling to transcribe.

Sandys alone, who translated the first book of the Eneid, was thought by Dryden to have done justice to the original; and from this specimen he declared, that, had Sandys translated the whole of Virgil, he should by no means have attempted it after him.

As you published in one of your numbers a translation of a French Memoir, "on the consumption of Cranberry Sauce ;" it brought to my mind a collection of very singular memoirs in my possession. I have selected one or two of them, that are among the shortest, which, if you think proper, may be inserted in your miscellany. From the subjects and the manner in which they are treated, I should presume, they were originally intended for publication in some philosophical transactions, but whether in our own or any other country, I have not been able to determine.

It does not become me, to stipulate on what conditions they shall be published; but I may express a wish, that they should not be put under the head of " Levity;" because they evidently appear to have cost the unknown philosophical author much laborious investigation and deep research.*

A CORRESPONDENT.

Memoir on the consumption of Toast in the United States; and its effects on the national character.

THE absolute necessity of food to the very existence of animal life has rarely been denied; but the consequences resulting to the physical and moral system of man from the use of particular articles of food, have never been sufficiently investigated; and few governments, though they are intrusted with the care of millions of the human race, have ever systematically scrutinized the various tendencies of alimentary substances. The English are a constant example in their personal appearance and actions of a whole people consuming prodigious quantities of beef; and the harmless native of Indostan illustrates the condition of multitudes who live wholly upon rice. The utilities of these researches will be fully appreciated on reflection; and since some philosophers have asserted, that feeding a man on raw meat will make him thirst for blood, as certainly as giving him salted substances will make him thirst for

*We cannot comply with the request of our correspondent, but we can assure him, that there are many grave productions of philosophers and statesmen of the present day, which we should place in the same department. Ep.

water; none but the most indifferent, can be insensible to the direct influences of such investigations.*

As this subject has never been scientifically treated, at least, after the most diligent inquiries, I have not been able to discover any treatise upon it, I shall divide it into genera and species, which must facilitate its comprehension. It is possible that some varieties may have escaped me; but I shall have the humble merit of laying a foundation, on which the ingenuities of others may hereafter erect a more perfect system. The order of classification which I have adopted, and which has appeared to me the most natural, is founded on the relative simplicities of the process.

I have considered this genus, the only one known in France, as containing no varieties, because, when cut into square pieces to be into soup, it is only a change in the forms.

put

SECOND GENUS.

BUTTERED TOAST.

Four Species. 1. Biscuit. 2. Wheaten Bread. 3. Rye and Wheaten Bread. 4. Rye and Indian Bread. 4. Rye and Indian Bread. The preparation of The slices should be cut about one third of an inch in thickness, and the butter in a solid state applied while the toast is warm.

all these varieties is nearly the same.

THIRD GENUS.

PRIMARY IMMERSED TOAST.

Three Species. 1. Biscuit. 2. Wheaten Bread. 3. Crackers. All the species of this genus are immersed in milk or water, after being cut into slices, and previously to being toasted. This whole genus requiring more delicacy in the operation, is of most infrequent occurrence. Perhaps the second species of this genus, when properly managed, offers the most seductive state, in which this pernicious substance ever appears.

FOURTH GENUS.

SECONDARY IMMERSED TOAST.

Four Species. 1. Biscuit. 2. Wheaten Bread. 3. Rye and Wheaten Bread. 4. Rye and Indian Bread. These varieties are plunged, after being toasted, into a warm mixture of melted butter and milk, or melted butter and water. They are by far the most common, and prepared the most carelessly; and are frequently given to children, because, in this way, the quantity of butter may be greatly diminished.

* It may be necessary to state to the impatient reader, that we feel great regret, but no responsibility for the frequent and useless expenditure of the plural number among the author's substantives. ED.

FIFTH GENUS.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY IMMERSED TOAST.

Species Unique. Crackers. The remarks on the last genus are often true of this, though, when fabricated with care, it may vie with most of the other varieties.

In France, only the first genus is ever met with. In England and some other countries of Europe, the first genus, and the second species of the second genus only are known; but in this country, though the first genus is the most rare, the whole thirteen species are found in great profusion.

The hints contained in vulgar proverbs, often afford instruction to philosophical inquiries. It is very commonly said, that to eat fryed bread, will make the hair curl, and some fact must have given rise to this suggestion. Now, this preparation is very similar to toasts. If then so strong an effect is produced by eating bread in an incipient state of carbonization, is it extravagant to suppose, that much more powerful consequences would result from consuming it in a completely carbonized state? Is it not then open to conjectures, that, in the early ages of the world, some individuals might, from various accidents, have been obliged to live for a certain period on carbonized bread; which, frizzling their hair, and blackening their skins, would have produced that new species of the human race, that has since inhabited the continent of Africa ?*

The various species of toasts, before described, compose a princi: pal part of the morning and evening meals of the whole population; and as it happens from the carelessness of the servants, that a good deal of it, by being burnt, is eaten in a carbonized state, its effects on the animal systems must be extremely deleterious.

The chemical analysis of the human body shews, that it is composed of carbon, iron, and hydrogen. It is very probable, that, if the Americans were analyzed, they would be found to contain a greater proportion of carbon than the people of other nations. But not having been able to obtain one for this purpose, I cannot verify the conjecture.

The astonishing indifference for the collection and preservation of interesting facts, so indecently manifested, and so generally prevalent here, occasions much embarrassment to the physiological inquirer. One effect is remarkable, its desiccative qualities tend to weaken the voice, and injure its powers of modulation. This is shewn in the dry, monotonous manner of publick speakers, and still more in singing. The feeble, stifled, and spiritless intonations of both sacred and profane singers, are so remarkable as to strike every stranger; and I am convinced five Italians would drown the voices of the most numerous choir that could be collected.

It tends also to give a stiff, dry, crusty manner, which would not exist, if this did not form such a prevailing article of food, I will not call it nourishment. This is demonstrated by the difference of those Americans who travel in Europe, where, being for

*The author appears not to have known, or to have disregarded the opinion of the celebrated Dr. John Hunter, that the negro was the original man, and all the others only varieties from him, degraded or improved. ED.