The sun., 1896-10-18
SOME NEW BooKS.
virgil.

Virgil.
Tho FIRST OF the two volumes in which Prof
W. Y. SELLAR discusses The Roman Poets Of tn
Auottstan Ape tAiacmillans, Is devoted to Virgil,
and properly go. for oven in our day, whom in
some measure his reputation seems to have
undergone eclipse, he outweiEhs all of his con-
tomporarles whose writings have come down to
~. Put Virgil one aide OF the balance and
Horace, Ovid. PTopsrtius. and Tlbullus on the
other and the Bard OF Mnntua would tip the
SCALE To appreciate Virgil, however, IN rela-
tion to his rivals end in relation To hts times,
needs the comprehensive series OF studies. tho
digested outcome OF which is presented in
the book before us. 1t is not enough to have u
broad and minute knowledge of tho political
and social conditions OF tho Roman world at tho
period In which Virgil lived; ono must also have
hthorough acquaintance with the Alexandrian
civilization and religion. which Immediately
preceded the AuHustan age. or was contem
porary with II. II 10 true. OF course. that all
Latin literature took its models and tS methods
from the Greek. but II concerns US especially to
realize that the AlexRudrian literature. In par
tioular. bore to tho Latin literature of the Au-
Rustan epoch almost exactly the Same relation
which the French literature Of the age Of Louis
XIV. bore to the English literature of the
reign Of Anne. AT the same time. In attempt.
ipR to estimate the place which Virgil deserves
must not con6ne our survey to his teachers and
to the remarkable effect which he produced in
his lifetime. but must follow the proofs OF his
extraordinary grasp upon the minds of mon
throughout mednval and modern times UP to
tho close of the eighteenth century. 1t 10 such
an extended survey of all the facts relating to
Virgil, and to his agc-ong prepondersnoe,
which Prof Sellar has undertaken to MAKE,
and in the accom- plahment of his purpose he
has given us a book of sin gular charm.
L.
It is in the introduction to this volume that
Prof. Sellar sets forth tho extent OF Vrgil's in
debtedness to the later Greek influences and
ideas which had found in Alexandria a focus.
Though the greatest poets OF the AuRuatan sxe
drew much of their inspiration from the purer
sources of Greek genius especially from Homer
and tho earlier lyric poets yet the period OF
Greek literature which was most familiar to
them was tho Aexandrian. Not only was 1t
nearest to them in point of time. but 1t was
most eonRenial to the tastes OF the learned
Greeks who now gathered from the widely
scattered centres of Greek culture to Rome
they had formerly dono to the capital OF the
Ptolemies. Again it was. of all the forms OF
Crock literature. tho most cosmopolitan.
or rather, the least national in spirit,
and, thus, most easily adopted by another race.
It was. moreover, like that OF the AuGustan age.
the literature OF q courtly circle. enjoying tho
favor and contributing to the glory of o royal
patron. Tho earliest imitators of this poetry
had been Catullus and the other poets conten-
porary with him. while in the first part OF the
Augustan era Gallus had not only obtained dis
tinctton as the author of original elegiss in the
style of tho amatory poetry of Alexandria, hut
had translated q poem by Euphorlon. whom
Cicero holds up as the type OF effeminacy in lit
erature. Tibullus, to certain extent, and
still more. Propertius and Ovid. followed In the
same line. Frnm the Alexand rian poets they
derived the form and many of the materials of
their art. Prof. Ssllar suggests that the Meta
morphoses or Ovid convey as good an idea
anything in Latin literature of the various
influences active in tho Als1andrian poetry; the
kind OF scene which Ovid takes most delight in
painting in that poem is that OF a cool and clear
ntream. hidden in the thick shade o; woods, and
haunted by the Nymphs. Virgil, while familiar
with tho whole range OF Greek poetry. and press
ing 1t all into his service. has used the Alex
Andriaus moro freely than any other Greek
writer's, With the exception OF Homer. Horace.
indeed, is comparatively independent of
them; there are no direct traces of their
works In any of his writings. Yet even in
him the indirect influence of the Ale1and rian
tone Is apparent, especially in his treat
mont Of tho ubjects taken from the Greek my
thology. Tho poetry of Alexandria. or rather
sno poo'i' Vi LIS ofeeA race III its i"t'er oaye,
"eo W uon s'o"'e, eA'on.' .no Ar'ihc,Ai
product of culture and knowledge than the
manifestation of original genius or intellectual
power. The very language in which it was writ
ten was artificial. far removed. not only In
HNtN'ootoss ouU ia u'a.e''iIa' 'ofih' from INC
.tuAso Vi common ',e. fos'fs vas pursued
~ lno "a anu men oi soiehee'
es r H',n "fs W SATISFY eurios''
W. ne y. % ua.u "o'' .ne 'a,ee
->N1 oi SNo ou AN' ,Aok, Nnu sne
,.,,,. -, - wv uI.e VI nu.
- w "eN mU'U
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