Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-11-19

own head DIR. Anthem evidently thinks that such an
amagum in literature possess the same properties
the celebrated Cornthan brass which the ancient me-
taurgists compounded from several different consun-
ents the whole forming new metal more valuable than
either OF the separate ingredients which entered into It's
composition. In this view, howeyg, think the Doc
tor mistaken for despite his skful adjustment Of the
excerpts which he has profuse culled from erudite
Germans and Others" confess to feeling Of oc
casiona dissatisfaction at the perception Of incongruities
which even Dr. Anthons plastic art has not awaited to
conceal Still we are constrained to admit that DR.. An
thon generally shows great good taste in his selections,
and if he to have fancy for literary patchwork,
it equally true that he usually selects the best mate
rails for such purposes There many good points in
the book before u.s. for how could il be otherwise in
book which is literally made up from such writers on
Greek literature Mure, Grote, Brown, Miller Jhne,
Smith, &C. II any is willing to make such book out
of the dca ebra of these excellent authors, suppose
twill not be without its advantages to those who cannot
consult the original authorities but for ourselves il
had been the compiler of this book sure, to bor
the wit of Pron that we would like very well for
DIR. Anthem to be known as the maker Of it.
But the polemics of criticism not at all to our k
ing. Turn therefore, to consider question suggest
ed by the work before us to which, however,
forms no part of its object How has it come to pass
that with all its admitted superiority the Latin, the
literature of Greece has enjoyed the popular
ity diffusion among its more fortunate rival?
The greater difficulty of its acquisition is not the only
why the Grecan language has been postponed for
the Latin Many other have combined to produce
the result The later prevalence of the Roman Ian
guage and civilization has caused their influence
ceedng ages to be visby operative and has there
fore invited to familiarity with the literature most imme
daey related own not only the classical scholar
but every who makes the least pretensons to know
ledge of the nearest to which modern civza
ton much of its peculiar development The Roman
dominion besides, not only general and ex
tended than that Of Greece but also Transforming
in its influence subject nations The ancient Creek
like the modern Frenchman, seemed to be endowed with
faculty for winning the confidence and respect of alien
natonalites without however, being able to found
his conquests vast empire with homogeneous ciyiza
ton The territorial acquisitions of Rome on the contra
ry, like the tabled conquests of Sesostrs
Bacchus neither they transient those of the
/ young Macedonian conqueror. Over the people whom
she had first smtten with the sword she afterwards
tended the benefcent shield of her laws and deprived
them of distinctive nationality only to make them c-
zens of worldwide empire. Wherever the Roman
quers he inhabits says Seneca The language and ns
utions of her colonies gradually assmlated to those
of the parent city, and consequently the Punic
dialect of Africa melting away before the Roman tongue
until it eventually sank into desueude and left
behind that which preserved in comedy Of Plau
tus while the Celtic driven into the mountain fast
of Wales of Cornwall and of Arnorica to find
asylum among their rude and unconquered peasanry To
this day the face Of Europe is strewed with evidences of
the overwhelming tide of Roman domination that
poured it-evidences which, after the lapse of two
thousand years its subsdence attest the widespread
prevalence of the mighty food The language of the Eter
nal City still forms the key to half the spoken tongues of
the continent while the rescrps and DEGREES of her
perors nterwoven with the dosmas and institutions Of
the feuda system, still recognised in the jurispru
dence of Southern Europe and it is late the 10th
century that the Latin the language Of ordinary in
and of diplomatic communication, being used
alike in the schools the ynods of dvnes and the courts
Of princes
Thus it has happened that the language and with it
the literature, Of Rome has in suppanted
rather overai that OF Greece During the darkness Of
the middle ages Grecian letters underwent total ecpse
the Latin Boccaccio informs that during this
period there not scholar in Italy who knew the
Greek characters and Haam states that from the sixth
10 tho fourteenth century not line is quoted from
Greek poet ia the literature of the times such was
The whole world have forgotten that
indebted TO Grecian inspiration for the few Latin
thors which here and there solitary monk immured
in his coister delighted to study and ranscrbe dur
ing the tenth and eleventh centuries the darkest period
Of medieval times, the literature Of Rome was
trely neglected; and though many classic parchment
erased to make for commentary of St. August
tin legend Of St. Nicholas yet not few Of the
nastie order much distinguished by their devo
on to classical studies and the elegance of their
scriptons the majority of the clergy by barbarc
Indifference to these choicest remains of ancient genius
Many Of the Latin authors translated by these
dous men into the tugaa Uoi9dre Of Itay-a work in
which the Carhusian We'd with the Cstercian. But the
language Of the Grecian bards and philosophers, Of
thousand souled Homer, and Plato, the divine
all unnteigible the sacred cypher Of Egypt Even
in the later and better days Of Petrarch find him la
mentng that Homer to him "was dumb, rather that
he deaf TO the majestic tones of the blind old bard
And the revival Of earnng and letters in the 10Th
tury the Italians being ignorant Of the Greek tongue of
suffered all works in that language lie untouch
cd in the dusty acoves Of the monastic libraries while at
this period the monks passonaely engaged upon
the Latin authors in the literary drudgery Of transcript
ton and emendatory criticism, washing away from the
long neglected MSS the dust and canker Of time. And
only the Greek tongue thus forestaed by the
Latin from the necessities of the case but its study
for long time positively prohibited by the spiritual
powers, and all monkish students exhorted to
quesce in their bissfu ignorance Of this hereca speech
"or Creek said the reverend fathers devouty crossing
themselves, eli the language Of the devil When Eras
introduced the study Of the prohibited tongue in the
English University at Cambridge he encountered fierce
tempest Of oboquy and denunciaton while at Oxford,
where had been patronzed by Grocyn and Lnacer dur
ing the reign Of Henry VII the learned fellows Of that
conservative institution divided themselves into hostile
literary parties, under the denomination Of Greeks
and Trojans the former advocating the study Of the
tongue and the latter opposing Between these two fac
tons paper warfare was long waged of the most ami
mated character and exceeding in the vruence Of its
scurrty any thing remember up to the recent dvi
sion which has divided the harmonious Democracy into
" Hards" and " Sofs." The Troans" were especially
vigorous the prosecution Of their literary skrmishngs
and by choice in the epthets they affixed
to the adverse party, styling them Unfortunately
i Of bic wiz oft bo