New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-12-23

have grea. talents. You have gosd qualities. But
you have edious vice. You delight in the
abasement of your follow creatures. You have
brought disgrace on the name ofphilosopher. You
have given some color to the SANDERS of the bgots,
who say that no confidence can be placed in the
justice or humanity of those who reject the Chris
;ian faith. Then the King answers with less heat
but with equal severity You know that you be-
haved shsmefully,in Prussia. It is well for you
that you had to deal with a man SO indulgent to
the inhrmi6ss of genius | am. You richly de-
served to see the inside of dungeon. Your tai
ents not more widely known than your faith
lessness and your maleveence. The grave itself
s no asylum from you spite. Maupertuis ID dead ;
but you will go on calunniating and deridins him,
if you had made him miserable enough
while be was living. Let US have no more of this.
And, above all, let me hear more of your niece
am sick to death of her name. can bear with
your faults for the sake of your merits; but she
has not written Mahomet or Merope.'
!" An explosion Of this kind, it might be sup
posed, would necessarily put an end to all AMIGA
Bile communication. But it was not SO. After
every outbreak Of i'll humor this extraordinary pair
became more loving than before, and exchanged
compliments and assurances of mutual regard with
wonderful air of sincerity"
less but still considerable value and appended to
it are his magnificent e Lays of Ancient Rome,
full of the old Roman spirit and stirring the heart
like trumpet by their fire and strength. They
are prefaced by learned discourse concerning the
times in which these songs are supposed to have
been written. The early history of the Kings and
6rst Consuls of Rome, he thinks, rests not upon
l.. j., 6 IL hill. L.,
which formed the earliest Latin literature and
which now have wholly persisted. The prominent
incidents of these romauces he thinks were woven
into chronicles and funeral discourses deceased
mobiles, from which they were, by very natural
process, gradually transferred to the histories OF
the times. He maintains this opinion with learn
ing and ability and points out, with admirable
skill, similar processes in the historical literature
Of England, Spain and other nations. The history
of Rome them for the first three or four hundred
years of its existence he thinks made up OF its
early ballad poetry; and to reverse the process OF
transformation, to render back some portions OF
that history into the poetry out of which they
were made, is the object of this work. Horatius
is the title of the first, and, to minds, the best
of these songs. The marshaling of the Etruscian
hosts by Lars Porsena and false Sextus; the
tunult Of the Romans at their approach; their
hasty and affrighted councils; the approach OF
the Tuscan army, breathing destruction in their
path, and glitterng with gold and steel; and the
proud defence of the narrow bridge by Horatus
and his two companions till it could be hewn
away are all sketched with bold strokes and seem
to stand forth in all the distinctness of reality
And after the bridge was cut away, and Horatius
was left alone among his foes, how clearly and
grandly are his bearing and action presented:
Alone stood brave Horatius,
But constant still in mind:
Thrice thirty thousand foes before,
And tho broad flood behind.
"Down with him." cried false Sextus,
With smile on his pale face.
CHOW yield thee" cried Lars Porsena,
Now yield thee TO our grace.
Round turned he, as not deigning
Those craven ranks to see;
Nougbt spake be TO Lars Persena,
To Sexius nought spake he;
But he saw on Palatinus
The white porch of his home;
And he spake to the noble river
That rolls by the towers of Rome:
ooh Tiber father Tiber
To whom the Romans pray,
A Romans life, Romans arms,
Take thou in charge this day
So he spake, and speaking sheathed
The good sword by his side
And with his harness on his back