Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-12-09
PROPOSALS
BY EDW.dRD EARLE,
ron PUBLISHING BY SUBSCRIPTION,
THE WORKS
CORNELIUS TACITUS

CORNELIUS TACITUS
IN Essay on his Life and Genius; Notes,
Supplements, &c.
BY ARTHUR MURPHY, ESQ.
The first american, from the last London
Edition.
With the Authors last corrections.
AS brief recomm end;tion of the above
works to those to whom they may not be al
ready known, the following no,iee OF then.
is copied from c London Review OF the
time when they were fiji ST published.
). Though" says this Review, it be
with the translation OF 1 acitus that We have
now to do, rot with the character OF that orl-
ginsl and great historian himself, it would be
difficult, perhaps unnatural and indecorous,
TO pass by the present opportunity of recog
nislng the merit of th4t sublime genius, ard
joining in he general voice ct applause ant
admiration. Cornelius T.citns, by rare
felicity of circumstances. united III himself
all those relations, qualities. and accomplish
ments, that are requisite to form great his
torian He was of senatorial rank, and in
that order highly distinguished. He enjoy
ed the favor tf the princes and severelgns Of
the civilized world, and held civil Offices oil
the highes: dignity and importance. He pos
sessed a native probity & elevation OF mind;
and these noble qualities were heightened
and confirmed by am ha;itual coayersancy
with the history OF the Roman republic, and
an education in the principles of tie subl:m-
est philosophy. The psofourdness OF his re-
Elections. the precision of his dic,ion his
elegant aid energetic brcvi;y, and acmethlng
remark bIv picturesque and diama+ac in his
manner, conspire, with the dignity and i'm
portance of Lis subjects, to cIothe his works
with never filling bloom, and ren1er his
fame immortal lie records the actions, the
counses, the secret motives OF the great &C
tors in the creates, political drama that was
ever exhibited on the world and the liisto-
~ of Tacitus as is we'll observed by his &C
complished translator and critic, is Phjlo-
sophy teaching by example
The contents of these volumes seem natu
rally to admit of the following division -
/. A dedication to the right honorable Ed
mund Burke; an Essay on the life and gent
us of Tacitus the annals Of Tacitus, with
supplements and an appendix; a gonealogl-
cal table, with an index of the CAESARS -
notes on the annals and appendix, and map
of the ancient world as known to the Ro
mans, and of Asia. Q. The history of Taci.
tus, with an appendix, and notes to the his
tory and appendix and maps of the CITY OF
Jerusalem, and of Italy 8. The celebrated
and valuable Treatise on the manners IT the
Germans, with notes and map OF ancient
Germany and the lie Of Agricola, wit!
notes, and geographical tal.le Ct the places,
rivers, sc mentioned in these volumes -
To these authentic works Of Taci;us is added
F" the dialogue concerning Oratory, of which |
as MIR. Murphy iii note has Justly remark |
et, The co nmentstors arc much divided lr !
their opinions about the real author This |
work, they all agree, is a masterpiece in the |
kind written with taste ard Judgment en-
pertaining, profound and elegant. But whe
ther it is to bcascribedto Tati:us, Quincliian, |
or any other persen whom they cannot name, |
is question Upon which they have exhausted |
store of learning Mr. Murphy, silcr Civ
ing an account of the principal arguments
hro and con, says in conclusion, although be |
seems to lean to the opinion that it is the |
production of Tacitus: The dispute is ofno
for, as Lipsias says, whether
we give the dialogue to Quinctlian os to Ia
cnus, no Inconvenience can arise. Whoever
was the author, it is performance of un-
beauty.
Mr.. Murphy has given the sense Of his
au,hor in pleasing and proper style. * even
catchcd not a little of his manner in order
to do which, in so long a work, it was Deccs-
sary 10 be master of the whole compass of the |
English language. His notes and supple.
merits shcw that he is intimately convcrsanl
with Roman antiquity, and with literature in
general He Vows the objects that pass be, |
fore him with the eye of a critic, a moraist
and politician; and in particular he make.
interesting comparisons between the si,ua-
tons and characters OF different ancient and |
modern tribes and nations -
CONDITIONS.
[. Thc works of Tacitus Shall be put to
press as soon IS sufficient number of sub. |