Pyrrhus–the destruction of Troy, and the resolution of Anchises, not to survive its fall-the pathetic expostulations of Æneas with him-the disappearance of Creusa-the tragical story of Polydorus, in the third bookthe tender and beautiful episode of Helenus and Andromache, in the same-the whole fourth book is eminently pathetic--the descriptions of the growth and progress of love, in the female bosom, have been the admiration of critics in all times

"Multa viri virtus animo, multusque recursat "Gentis honos; hærent infixi pectore vultus "Verbaque," &c.

"Incipit effari, mediâque in voce resistit→→→ "Sola domo mæret vacuâ stratisque relictis incubat "Illum absens absentem auditque videtque

،، Non ccepta assurgunt turres.

The plaintive expostulations of Dido, when she finds Eneas determined to leave her, are in the most affecting and pathetic strain of tenderness.-Here, however, Virgil cannot boast the merit of originality.-There were various sources, to which he might resort for materials, to aid him in this part of his undertaking. He might turn to the Calypso of Homer, the Medea of Euripides, and the mixture of tenderness and artifice, of soothings and menace, contained in her expostulations with Jason-but, above all, he had constantly in his view, and in his meditations, the poem of Apollonius, and we know—his poem speaks it, how much assistancehe has derived from thence.-The sixth book contains many passages, which are highly pathetic.--Such are the appearance of Dido, and her resentful demeanour— the interview between Eneas and his father-the interesting

resting appearance of Marcellus, and the lamentation, for his future untimely fate

"Si qua fata aspera rumpas-tu Marcellus eris.". The admirable episode, of Nisus and Euryalus, is quoted, by every critic, and commentator on Virgil, as one of the passages, which do him the most honour, and as an inimitable specimen of the pathetic-and we are very artfully prepared for it, by the display of their friend. ship, in the fifth book.-But, however we must admire the judgment and dexterity of Virgil, in improving and embellishing the incidents suggested by Homer, in the episode of Dolon, Diomede, and Ulysses, we must be sensible, that, not only the first hints, but all the leading features, in that fine passage, are derived from the Iliad. What an admirable picture is that, in the tenth book, of the filial piety of the young and generous Lausus, nobly devoting himself to preserve the life of his father, and extorting a lively interest and pity, even from the enemy, by whose hand he falls!--The paternal feelings, and indignant grief of Mexentius, impious as he is, excite our compassion and sympathy, particularly, when he says

Quid me erepto, sævissime gnato "Terres? hæc via sola fuit, quâ perdere posses."

The death of Camilla, at the close of the eleventh book, and the sisterly affection of Juturna, and the death of Turnus, in the last book of the Eneid, are all noble instances of the pathetic powers of Virgil.

On the comparison of the passages, which I have mentioned, in these two poets, and of others, which will occur to the reader, on a perusal of their works, it will appear, that, although they show congenial talents,

and

and must both be placed, at the very top of the scale of the pathetic, yet, that, if we are to give a preference to either, it is due to Apollonius, in this department.In him there is more of native and unaffected feeling; his pathos is produced, with less appearance of labour and effort.-In Virgil, there is a more ostentatious display of study and research, of art, invention, and effect-in fine, a kind of made-up eloquence. The great talent and forte of Apollonius consists, in depicting love, and displaying its shades and ramifications, in exhibiting the varied, the discordant, the violent, yet suppres and dissembled emotions, incident to the female character. Here, he dísports, as in his proper and congenial element.-Here, he speaks peculiarly from himself, without study, and without affectation.

Virgil having imitated the loves of Medea and Jason, in the amours of Æneas and Dido; it may not be unworthy of the attention of the reader, at this stage of the comparison between Apollonius, and the Roman poet, to enquire into the relative merits of the two great poets, in these most admired and celebrated parts of their works, where they admit of the fairest and most complete juxtaposition. In the first place, it must be observed, with respect to Medea, that she is a much more important personage than Dido, in the conduct of the fable. She is more essentially necessary to the catastrophe. She is introduced, in every part of the story. We never lose her from our sight, from the moment of her first appearance.-Medea being thus made a principal figure, in the picture, she naturally engages a lively interest. Her character, her passions, her feelings, are more momentous objects of attention. Their operation is vitally and inseparably connected with the success of the enterprise.-She is made still more interesting, by

the

-

the picture, which is given of her.She is naturally disposed to virtue.-She feels the ties of duty, and is repugnant, at first, to any outrage on the laws of decorum, any act of open resistance to her father; so that the interference of a deity is more necessary, to produce her concurrence in the designs of Jason, to carry away the Golden Fleece.-She is hurried on irresistibly to ill. She struggles, to remain faithful to her duty--She is propelled, by the influence, and overruling force of the deities, and a strange complication of circumstances. Her consciousness-the feelings of her sex-a secret regard to decorum, embitter all her moments. She stands before us self-accused, confessing and lamenting her weakness.-All this renders her a most interesting object; and even, in the midst of her crimes, awakens for her some degree of compassion.The mixture of various talents, feelings, and disposi ions; her pride of birth, her strength of mind, and commanding spirit-her artifice and dissimulation-her eloquence-her affectation of modesty;-these, in Medea, render her character highly noble and pathetic, and exhibit such a tissue of good and ill, such a stormy conflict of adverse emotions, and feelings and motives contending with each other, and alternately prevailing, in the bosom; that they excite in the mind of the reader a similar contention, between the sentiments of horror and aversion, and admiration and pity, which sustains a most lively interest, and never suffers the attention to flag.Such mixed characters, as this, are the darling subjects of legitimate tragedy. Such, in the immortal produc tions of Shakespeare, are Lear, Macbeth, and Othello.These are the dramatic exhibitions, that most powerfully affect us, that raise a whirlwind and storm of passion, in the breast; and call out the human feelings and sympathies,

sympathies, by a contemplation of human nature as it really exists, in a mixture of good and ill. Far different is the effect, produced by the daubings of the German drama, the monsters, of unnatural, and worse than diabolical depravity, and the equally fantastic chimæras of unattainable and supernatural perfection. In forming his grand conceptions, of the noble character of Medea, Apollonius, no doubt, derived many aids from the admirable pourtraiture of this interesting female, already exhibited by Euripides.-He found her there described, as a woman, passionate, proud, and feeling, great in her birth, her talents, her endowments, her crimes, and her misfortunes.-Here was a noble pattern, and a fine field of competition. Nor did Apollonius shrink from the contest, or suffer, by comparison. He has preserved all her fiery, stern, and impetuous feelings; and, at the same time, added, from his own fund, the affecting details, of the rise and progress of her passion, the learned anatomy of the female heart.-The character of Medea, as produced by Euripides, is a very uncommon one. In that poet's description of her, it is said—“ Like an enraged lioness, her looks make us "tremble."-Her talents, her arts, her address, her finesse, and dissimulation, are well displayed. It is her destiny to be criminal, but, her heart is formed to love and practise virtue. -There is, surely, more of genius and instruction, in the exhibition of such a singular yet natural character, a character so truly tragic, in impressing the peculiarities, the difficulties of her situation, than in the portrait of Dido. She appears merely as an enamoured love-sick woman, who resigns every consideration, of female decorum, of pride, and policy, for the gratification of a wild and inordinate passion. The role, which Dido acts, is not so important, her interference not so happily connected, with the

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