THE

LIVE S

OF THE

Roman POETS.

CONTAINING: 3

A Critical and Historical Account of Them and
their Writings, with large Quotations of their
moft celebrated Paffages, as far as was necef-
fary to compare and illuftrate their several Ex-
cellencies, as well as to difcover 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 exhi-
biting the more remarkable Events coincident with
them.

Together with

An INTRODUCTION concerning the Origin and Progrefs 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 Muja

Quarum facra fero

Virg. Georg.

In TWO VOLUMES.

VOE.II

LONDON:

Printed for W. INNYS and R. MANBY at the Weft End of
St. Paul's, J. CLARKE under the Royal Exchange, and B.
MOTTE at the Middle-Temple Gate, Fleetftreet. 1733.

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR. LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

THE

NEW-YORK.

LIFE

OF

Valerius Flaccus.

W

E have very imperfect accounts left us of C. VALERIUS FLACCUs: We find him cotemporary with Martial; and Quintilian* fays, he died very young, and left his Poem of the Argonautic expedition imperfect. There are many places that claim him, but Setia, now Sezza, a town of Campania, near Velitre, feems to have the best title, and he from thence bears the firname SETINUS. Martial intimates, that he lived at Padua ; if not, that he was born there, in the following Epigram, wherein he advises his friend to leave Poetry to practise ac the Bar, as much the more profitable profeffion. But let us hear the Poet's own words:

O mihi curarum pretium non vile mearum
Flacce, Antenorei fpes & Alumne faris
Pierios differ cantufque charafque fororum
Es dabit ex iftis nulla puella tibi.
Quid poffunt bedere Bacchi dare Palladis arbo
Inclinat varias pondere nigra comas.
Præter aquas Helicon, & ferta, lyrafque Deorum.
Nil habet & magnum femper inane Sophos
Quid petis a Phabo? nummos babet arca Minerva,
Hæc fapit, hæc omnes fœnerat unà Deos.
Quid tibi cum Cirrha? quid cum Permesfidos unda?
Romanum propius, divitiufque forum eft,

VOL. II.

* Inst, Orat. Lib. 10. C, 1.
B

Illic

Illie Era fonant, at circum pulpita noftra,
Et fteriles cathedras Bafia fola crepant.
Lib. 1. Ep. 77.

Dear FLACCU s, gentle partner of my care,
Thy country's glory, Padua the fair,

The fruitlefs fong and ftarving Mufes leave,
Nor Clio nor her fifters aught can give ;
Why court Apollo, proud of laurel'd praife?
The well fill'd Cheft is his whom Pallas fways,
Her's are the fruitful Olive's bending boughs,
Whilft useless Ivy for your Bacchus grows.
Clear waters Helicon indeed affords,

The Lyre, and Garland, and fine empty words,.
What's Cirrha, or Permeffian ftreams to you,
The Forum's nearer, and is richer too:
There chinks the purfe that wells with client's fee,
But where's the man that pays for Poetry?
A cold falute, a faint applause they give,
On this thin diet muft we Poets live..

HAVING nothing to fay of FLAC Cus's life; let us look into his Poem. It is addreffed to the Empe ror Vefpafian, and the Poet at the fame time takes occdfion to compliment Domitian upon his Poetry, and Titus on his conqueft of Judea. He has been blamed, by the Critics for affecting too great a magnificence at. the entrance into his Poem, which they would have like thofe of Homer and Virgil, more fimple and unadorn'd. Here follow the invocation of Apollo, and the addrefs to Vefpafian":

Phabe mone, fr Cumee mihi confcia vatis
Brat cafta cortina demo, fi laurea digna
"Fronte viset. Tuque O pelagi cui major aperti
Fama, Caledonius poftquam tua carbafa vexit
Oceanus, Phrygios prius indignatus Iulos,
Eripe me populis & habenti nubila terræ,
San&te pater, veterumque fave veneranda canenti
Fata virum, verfam proles tua pandit Idumen,

Namque