New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-31

did for Luclus "verv much vhat Pope ala Tor
the coarse tales OF Chaucer"-wat till the lovers
of Chauoer have tine to digest this morsel-"tor
the rough philosophZing Of DR.. Donne, and even
for tho epistles of Horace himself He found IN
the Satires Of Lucilius not only a rough-hewn
commentary on life and manners. but even HI
erary criticism and easy. going descriptions Of
everyday events. which only required some pol
ishng ami refining &c make them thoroughly ac-
ceptable TO the court Of Augustus and the salon
of Maeceras" There are fragments Of Lucilius
which show that he really told stories ana de-
scrbed things which Horace afterward told or
described. The two used the same illustrations
and drew the same morals. Horace could hot
have taken up these matters without knowing
that Lucil.us had ALREADY referred to them But
the most explici; instance is found when Horace
uses for his typical gladiator the name Of thf
very rufFan whom Lucilius mad celebrated. II Ne
were not adapting Lucilius he would no more
have done this says Professor Tyrren. 'than
writer Of A generation ago would have thought
of naming Mendoza instead Of Tom Sayers as the
typical piize-fghter Of his time. Even IN mere
personal narratives like HOrace's account o.
journey to Brundisium. the critic sees merely a
renlodcling of a Lucilian work. This imitation o.
Iucilius is supposed 10 b" confined Almost 'N-
cusivey to Hcrace's Satire. and Ep.stcs. Never
lied by what Goethe called frightful realism ana
these Professor Tyrrell is inclined to look on as
loans from Iucilius. As for the rest. the odeN
are confessedly Greek. But Professor Tyrrel -
not content with their ITcilcnism. He will also
prove that borrowed as they aye. they cannot
have related to any incidents In the poets lie
If Horace writes a love ditty ii Is only b"caus"
the Greek whom he was at the moment lhl'a'-
ing had written piece OF that KIND; II u" d'ais
in angry iambics like Archilochus. II is only -
show how wrath should express itself N Lat!n
il he tells about running away from battle ne
does 50 jus, because Alcaeus had done it in hi'
time But there is no proof in the Odes ina lior-
ace ever was in love. or ever was angry OF ever
ran away from battle in his life. \ marked evil
dence Of this IS that Horace never scrupled -
sacrifice sense to metre. The sianZas of his od"S
have no connection with each other. They tnile
with all the sweetness Of brook but the mean
ing is wholly at the mercy Of the prosody.
OF course it is plain that all minute references
To Horace'c own lif, n the Odes are thus swept
away But there still remains the possibility that
the limitations as whole may have been sug-
gested by one another event in the history oi
the times. Professor Tyrrell would Ike t" ds-
prove this also. but his argument really anects
only the details, which to others have seemed
categorical or symbolic. SurpOSiHS tit "Hoit CdSV
to be lust as he puts it, what becomes of the
personality of Horace? 1t certainly loses that
defniteness which would have come from per
sonal self-revelation. But II gains in unconscious
expression of the mans real character PROFESSOR
Tyrroll's Horace would be the most perteci Great
ure of the kind that ever existed. without pas
sions without emotions. a complete poetic artst
whose mere words seem to create a passion or
m emotion in others Horace has made country
life charming and yet all that he wrote about II
was unreal He only laughing al himself a
the characters he created. AT his readers. l!ut
there was certainly one passion OF which FRO
fess0r Tyrre can not deprive him. a passion
which he shared with Virgil. namely, the desire
for a nuiet life and for Independence. Not even
the command of MaeCenas can move nm Wh"n
his rights In this respect are invaded. PROFESSOR
Tyrrell comedies this and in spite Of his censures
ne makes the poet profoundly interesting char
acter from the purely literary point of view. Nor
is he contented with revising the traditional view
Of Horace He also puts Ovid below Propertius
In point of merit while he exslts Virgil with an
enthusiasm worthy of Dante or Of the Renais-
sance His work throughout Is admiralty sug-
gestive. If lie has an excessive taste Tor mover
views he at least does not allow II 10 betraN
him into excessive tCrms Of speech. IN on" case
only that Of C'audan. does he seem 10 contra net
MS own opinions His formal estimate OF TINS
noe, Is brief vet 1atterine. But IN another place
he quotes Scaliger as saying that he would give
ValerilIs FVaCCus. Claud!an. Lucan, Status ana
Silius for a complete manuscript OF Ennlus. But
the addition of Claudian's name here Is purely
gratitiouG. 1t To Scaliger That C.audlah
owed the appelation Of MaXimus Poeta and also
the emphatic praise that ne had taken from Viz
gils hand the palm which the latter received