THE

LIVES

OF THE

Roman POETS.

CONTAINING

A Critical and Hiftorical Account of Them and:
their Writings, with large Quotations of their
moft celebrated Paffages, as far as was ne-
ceffary to compare and illuftrate their several
Excellencies, as well as to discover wherein
they were deficient.

To which is added,

A Chronological Table, fitted to the Years before and after
CHRIST, fhewing the Times when they flourished
and published their Works, and exhibiting the more
remarkable Events coincident with them.

Together with

An INTRODUCTION Concerning the Origin and Progress
of POETRY in general; and an ESSAY On Dramatick
POETRY in particular.

By L. CRUSIUS, late of St. JOHN's College,

CAMBRIDGE.

Dulces ante omnia Mufa,

Quarum facra fero.

Virg. Georg.

In TWO VOLUME S.

LONDON:

Printed for W. INNY S and R. MAN BY at the Weft-End
of St. Paul's, J.CLARKE under the Royal Exchange, and
B.MOTTE at the Middle-Temple Gate, Fleetstreet. 1733. (

THE

PREFACE.

F we may believe one of the finest Wits of the Auguftan Age, Poets are generally fo fond of Retirement and rural Pleafures, that we are not to expect the Tranf actions of their Lives fhould furnish a busy Scene for our Entertainment.

Scriptorum Chorus omnis amat Nemus, & fugit Urbes.

Therefore a careful Examination, and Account of their feveral Works, is what the Judicious Reader will probably expect, and has accordingly been attempted in the following Sheets.

And in order to fet each Author's diftinguish ing Character in a true Light, proper Remarks and Quotations have been made. Different Writers in the fame Kind, may resemble each

A 2

other

other in many Respects, as the Elegiac Poets, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid; but upon u clofer Inspection, we shall find each of them diftinguifh'd by Jome peculiar Excellency which characterizes his Manner.

Again, it is common to hear an Author's Character commended in general Terms for Some peculiar Excellency; for Inftance, the Curiofa Felicitas of Horace has been much talk'd of among the Critics; but unless we look into his Writings with fome Diligence and Accuracy, we may read and admire him, without being able to fhew, wherein that curious Speaker's (as Prior calls him,) happy Talent confifts.

In order therefore to point out the feveral Beauties to the Reader, well chofen Quotations are frequently made, which fully illustrate and difplay the Truth of the feveral Öbser

vations.

Most of the Quotations have their Tranflations annex'd, not only for the Benefit of the English Reader, but that the Scholar likewife may obferve how far Fuftice has been done to the Original, and where (as is too often the Cafe,) fome Beauties have been lost in the Tranflation.

Where I found my Author already tranflated by any of our English Poets, I have tranfcrib'd the Paffages from them; but those Latin Poets, who have either never been tranflated, or have been only done into English by fome who Seem not to have understood their Author, nor deferve the Name of Poet, for the Informa tion of the English Reader, I have been oblig'd to attempt to render my felf, in the feveral

Passages