his own Wit there is no glittering Thought: all tends to inftruct, and move the People. Indeed the Romans began very late to follow the Example of the Greeks, in improving polite Learning. Graijs ingenium, Graijs dedit ore rotundo The Romans were employ'd about Excudent alij fpirantia mollius ara : Credo equidem; vivos ducent de marmore vultus. Orabunt caufas melius: Tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento s SALUST finely describes the Manners of antient Rome; even while he owns that she neglected Literature. *The "moft prudent (fays he) were always "the busyeft. No-one exercis'd his Wit 66 more * Prudentiffimus quifque negotiofus maximè erat. Ingenium nemo fine corpore exercebat. Optimus quifque facere, quam dicere; fua ab alijs benefacta laudari, quam ipfe aliorum narrare malebat. SAL. Bell. Catib HOR. de Ar. Poet. .323-- Æn. vi *. 848. "more than his Body. The worthyest "Persons chose rather to act wifely, than "to declaim: and to have their brave "Deeds applauded by others; rather "than to bury themselves in recording "their Neighbour's good Actions. We must acknowledge however, according to LIvy's Teftimony, that a ftrong and popular Eloquence was well cultivated at Rome in the days of MANLIUS. This Man who had fav'd the Capitol from the Gauls, try'd to ftir-up the People to Sedition."How long (faid he) will ye be ignorant of your "Strength; which Nature difcovers to ❝ the very Beafts? Count at leaft how 66 many ye are - - - I fhou'd think ye "wou'd fight more refolutely for Liber"ty, than thofe Men for Dominion "How long will ye look upon me? Ye 66 may all of you depend on me to the utmoft, &c." This powerful Orator perfwaded all the People to pardon him, ftretching out his Hands towards the Capitol which he had formerly fav'd. Nor cou'd his Death be obtain'd of the Mul titude, Quoufque tandem ignorabilis vires veftras, quas natura ne belluas quidem ignorare voluit? Numerate faltem quot ipfi fitis Tamen acrius crederem, vos pro libertate quam illos pro dominatione certaturos — Quoufque me circumfpectabitis? Ego quidem nulli veftrum deero TIT. LIV. L. vj. ch. 18. titude, till he was carry'd into a facred Wood; whence he cou'd no longer shew them the Capitol. "The Tribunes "found (fays LIVY) that feeing the People's Minds were fo ftrongly pre"poffeft with the Merit of MANLIUS, "it wou'd be impoffible to perfwade them "he was really guilty, unless they cou'd 66 carry them out of the Sight of the Capitol which reminded them of his glo"rious Service - Then his Crime "appear'd." Every one knows what Troubles Eloquence occafion'd among the Greeks. At Rome CATALINE's Oratory brought the Republick to the Brink of Ruin. But that Eloquence tended only to perswade People and to move their Paffions. Wit was never employ'd in it. A florid Declaimer cou'd have had no Influence in publick Affairs. Nothing can be more artlefs than BRUTUS when he writes to CICERO with Q * Apparuit Tribunis, nifi oculos quoque hominum liberaffent a tanti memoria decoris numquam fore in præoccupatis beneficio animis, vero crimini locum Ibi crimen yaluit TIT. LIV. L. vj. ch. xx. Particulam litterarum tuarum quas mififti OcTAVIO legi- At dolore, quantum animo maximum capere poffum eadem illa pars epiftolae fcriptæ ad Octavium de nobis, affecit. Sic enim illi gratias agis de Repub lica, tam fuppliciter, ac demiffe (quid fcribam? puder conditionis, ac fortune; fed tamen fcribendum eft : + Com 66 66 with fuch an Air of Superiority, as to reprove and filence him. " You beg (c our Life and Safety of OCTAVIUS: (fays he) what Death cou'd be so bad? By this Request you fhew that Tyranny is not deftroy'd; and that we "have only chang'd our Tyrant. Con"fider your own Words; and deny if "you can, that fuch a Petition is fit to "be offer'd to none but a King; and "from a Slave too. You fay that you "ask and expect only one Favour of him; 66 + Commendas noftram falutem illi; quæ morte qua non perniciofior?) ut prorfus præ te feras, non fublatam Dominationem, fed Dominum commutatum effe. Verba tua recognofce, & aude negare fervientis adverfus Regem iftas effe præces. Unum ais effe quod ab eo poftuletur, & expectetur, ut eos cives, de quibus viri boni, populufque Romanus bene exiftimet, falvos velit. Quid fi nolit non erimus? atqui non effe, quam effe per illum, præftat. Ego medius fidius non exiftimo tam omnes Deos averfos effe a falute populi Romani ut Octavius orandus fit pro falute cujusquam Civis, non dicam pro Liberatoribus orbis terrarum Hoc tu Cicero, poffe fateris Octavium, & illi amicus es? aut, fi me carum habes, vis Roma videri; cum ut ibi effe poffem, commendandus puero illi fuerim? Cui quid agis gratias fi ut nos falvos effe velit, & patiatur, rogandum putas? an hoc pro beneficio eft habendum, quod fe, quam Antonium, effe maluerit, a quo ifta petenda effent Ifta verò imbecillitas & defperatio, cujus culpa non magis in te refidet, quam in omnibus alijs, Cafarem in cupiditatem regni impulit : & Antonio — Quod fi Romanos nos effe meminiffemus: non audacius dominari cuperent poftremi Homines, quam ut nos prohiberemus. Tu quidem Confularis, & tantorum fcelerum index (quibus oppreffis vereor ne in breve tempus dilata fit abs te pernicies,) qui potes intueri quæ gefferis Apud CICER. Lib. Epift. ad Brut. Ep. xvj. him; that he wou'd fave the Lives of "thofe Citizens who are efteem'd by "Persons of Worth, and by all the Ro"man People. What then, unless he 66 66 fhall graciously please, we must not "live? But 'tis better to die, than to owe our Lives to him. No, I can't "think the Gods are fuch declar'd Enemys to the Safety of Rome, as to be willing that the Life of any Citizen "fhou'd be beg'd of OCTAVIUS; and "far lefs, the Lives of those who are the "Deliverers of the Universe OCI"CERO, can you confefs that he has "fuch Power; and ftill be one of his "Friends? Or if you love me, can you "defire to fee me at Rome, when I cannot come thither without obtaining that 66 Boy's Permiffion? For what do you "thank him; if you think that our Life "muft ftill be beg'd of him as a Favour? "Must we reckon it a Happiness that he "chufes to have fuch Favours afk'd ra "ther of him than of ANTONY?--"This Weakness and Defpair which o "thers are guilty of as well as you, firft "embolden'd CESAR to make himself "King But if we remember'd that "we are ROMANS, the Ambition "of these base Men to ufurp the Go"vernment wou'd not have been greater "than our Courage in defending it. I'm Q2 "afraid مما |