fenfe of it. A part of his note upon the fubject we will tranfcribe. Hoc argumentum poëtæ, atque adeo totius loci fenfus, quæ acumen antecefforum meorum in hoc munere defungendo prorfus latuere, et egregie fine fructu exercuere, me quoque diu fruftra folicitatum, et in omnia verfatum, habuerunt. Operam autem inanem ufque infumpfimus, donec omnia pendere a phrasi corpus fentire refutat clariffime viderimus. Ad hunc igitur modum objectio et refponfio funt intelligendæ : "Si quis vero hanc doctrinam, quam afferimus, de animi ac corporis penitiffimâ conjunc tione evellere conatur, affirmando e contra (i. e. refutando, vel regerendo) corpus per fe fentire, atque animam etiam, dum per artus difpergitur, motus fenfibiles fuâ ex parte exercere; ille contra experientiam repugnat: quum manifeftiffimum fit, quamprimum anima dimittatur, corpus relinqui prorfus omni fenfu deftitutum." There is fome obfcurity in the poet's reafoning on this occafion; but Mr. Wakefield has thrown a ray of light over the gloom. we 492, 493. Turbat agens animum, fpumans ut in æquore falfo Ventorum validis fervefcit viribus unda. From a comparative examination of various readings, what may suppose to have been the real words of Lucretius are thus given: Turbat agens animam, Spumantis in æquore falfo Ventorum validis fervefcunt viribus undæ. In a note upon the 513th verfe, fevere caftigation is inflicted upon former editors. • Attende, lector, dum te certiorem faciam de maculis teterrimis, quibus editores, pecus invenuftiffimum! (fit verbo venia, quod jufta indignatio ob fummum ingenium mifere deturpatum nobis nolentibus exprefferit) verfum coram nobis confpurcaverint; ita fcilicet contra fidem vetuftorum exemplarium haud verecundati fcribere: Aut aliud prorfum de fummâ detrahere illum. Vidiftine unquam fedius aliquid, aut vulgarius? Imæ cathedræ puero vix dignum effe hoc tentamen confiteberis.' The improper alterations of the 544th line furnish another ground of centure. 'Piget toties editoribus grave crimen intendere; fed nonne funt pro temerariis atque facinorofis habendi, qui contra libros Noniumque Marcellum, ii. 75. ex penu proprio nobis hunc horridiorem verfum deprompferint, atque etiam in contextum intruferint ? An contractis in fe partibus obbrutefcat.' The two lines in queftion are thus exhibited by Mr. Wakefield: CRIT, REV. VOL. XXIV. Nov. 1798. T 513. Aut aliquid prorfum de fummâ detrahere kilum. quia mota loco funt Fundamenta foras animæ, manant que per artus. The manufcripts have manant animæque; but to this reading, as well as to the former, there are fome objections. Mr. Wakefield therefore recommends the following alterations- Fundamenta; foras animâ emanante and we do not think that he has offered the leaft violence to the fenfe or fpirit of the original. 612-614. Non tam fe moriens diffolvi conquereretur ; Sed magis ire foras, veftemque relinquere, ut anguis, In a note upon the last of these lines, we read, Subleftioris fidei eft hic verficulus. In libris omnibus, præter editionem Pii, defiderari videtur; nam de codicis Bodleienfis teftimonio nihil fuper hoc loco nobis compertum eft: prima vox etiam, to gauderet, in Lactantio, vii. 12. comparet; fed quæ facile interpolari poterat vel librariis vel editoribus, ut conftructio perficeretur. Nos minime dubitamus fpurium atque infititium effe verficulum fidenter pronunciare, quum cauffam manifeftiffime deprehenfam habere videamur, ob quam fcribæ tale affuerint Lucretio fupplementum. Hoc fcilicet in confuetudine eft auctorum puriffimorum, et præfertim poëtarum, qui ornatui ac brevitati ftudent, quum novum verbum interponi exfpectares, prius pofitum, fed paullo diverfius intelligendum, aliquoties repetendum linquere : quam fcribendi rationem fciolis et indoctis fraudi fuiffe, unde eft quod admiremur? De hac autem fermonis formulâ, ita ex profeffo difputavimus in hifce notis, ad i. 1085. ut jam nunc otiari liceat: illuc igitur lector amandandus eft. Hinc me perfuafiffimum habeo, locum, hoc pacto conftitutum, Lucretii mentem finceriffime exhibere, numeris omnibus abfolutam : Non tam fe moriens diffolvi conquereretur, Sed magis ire foras, veftemque relinquere, ut anguis : i. e. "non conquereretur, fed gauderet, veftem relinquere :". quæ non indocti cujusdam gloffa contextum proceffu temporis invafit. Aures infuper noftræ nihil amplius defiderarent, neque periodus. præ fe mancæ conftructionis fpeciem tuliffet, nifi ex opinione præjudicatà; quia interpolato verfui dudum fcilicet infuverimus.' We beg leave to diffent from the opinion here maintained. If the verfe in queftion were omitted, conquereretur must be understood in reference to ire foras and relinquere, as well as to diffolvi: but this would render the paffage abfurd, and contradictory to the author's meaning, which evidently requires a verb of a fignification oppofite to that of conquerere tur. The reafon given for the rejection of the line is infufficient and inappofite. When you expect a new verb to be introduced, the beft writers fometimes leave the former verb to be understood, in application to the latter part of the fentence, in a fenfe rather different from that which it had before.' This remark is no juftification of the ufe of a word in an oppofite fenfe; and the reference to a former note is alfo unfatisfactory. We are fenfible of the danger of expofing ourselves to the ftigina inflicted in the note upon all readers or critics to whom this mode of writing is obnoxious. They, it feems, are fcioli and indocti; but fuch as condemn a folecifm and mifconftruction which no language can endure,, may fmile at the inapplicable cenfure. 632, 633. - neque aures Auditum per fe poffunt fentire, neque effe. Mr. Wakefield has thus re-established the true reading; and his note on the fubject may be quoted with approbation. • Hoc . . . . dicit poëta : "Nullum membrum feorfim poteft effe anima; quod omnes haud ægre fatebuntur: neque rurfus poteft ullum membrum fuo officio feorfim fungi; ab animâ nempe feparatum. Jam vero animam emanaviffe, tum putrefcens cada ver, tum alia bene multa argumenta, ficuti in fuperioribus difpu tatum eft, cumulatiffime oftendunt: ideoque, utcunque corporeas imagines et res geftas animarum pictores effinxerint et poëtæ, ea omnia pro fabulis, habenda funt: hæc igitur inania corpora fenfu carent; eo utique caritura, vel folidâ ex materie conftantia, poftquam anima effugit, ac deperiit, aëris in auris diffipata." • En! vero verfum, quem ex officinâ fuâ in contextum impor taverint, auctoritate librorum omnium conculcatâ, audaciffimi vis vorum editores Lucretiani ! Abfque animâ per fe poffunt fentire, nec effe.' 685. Convenit, ut fenfu corpus tamen adfluat omne. We agree with the editor in oppofing the attempt to explode this line as fpurious. It may, on good grounds, be permitted to occupy its prefent fituation. 717. Sin ita, finceris membris ablata, profugit. The conjecture of Le-Fevre, that Lucretius wrote fincera ex membris, is fupported by the weight of Bentley; but Mr. Wakefield defends the common reading. 776. Mortali, in this line, is properly altered to inmortali. 906. On the authority of Pius, we here find obtritum fubftituted for obrutum, to which it is preferable. 1052-4. Denique, Democritum, poftquam matura vetuftas Admonuit memores motus languefcere mentis, Sponte fuâ leto caput obvius obtulit ipfe. That the grammatical conftruction of this fentence may he preferved, Bentley recommends Democritus; but, by confidering Democritum as governed by admonuit, verbal propriety is fecured. Mr. Wakefield, however, is unwilling to adopt either of thefe fuggeftions; and he leaves the noun in the accufative cafe ungoverned, alleging, that the best writers occafionally alter, in the progrefs of a fentence, the conftruction with which they began. Of the beautiful lines with which the fourth book commences, there are various readings. One copy exhibits omnia for avia; perage is found in another, &c. The verfes are thus given in the edition before us: Avia Pieridum peragro loca, nullius ante Mr. Wakefield, without fufficient reafon, would change petere into metere. Ver. 36. For the direpte of many copies, he gives derepte; and he has well explained the difference between the verbs deripere and diripere. Videamus, an has voces ita definire ac diftinguere nos evaleamus, ut omnis difceptatio tollatur, et de quibuslibet locis, in quibus libri turbant, vel tyrones tutiffimum judicium poffint interponere. Aio igitur; deripere aliquid, eft" detrahere de corpore partem quandain, ita ut corpus, unde illa pars detracta fit, in loco fuo maneat imperditum:" diripere autem, eft " ufque adeo turbare et fus deque habere rem, ut diffipetur undique, ac disjiciatur.”· 70. -jaci atque emergere multa videmus. Many of the learned have endeavoured to give this verse an accuracy which it wants in the manufcripts; and our commentator proposes, that we should read jacere ac perciri; but he does not pertinaciously fupport this reading, though he has introduced it into the text. The old editions have diffimiles; and, as the manufcripts confirm the ufe of that word in this place, Mr. Wakefield has reftored it. 115. Primum, animalia funt jam partim tantula, eorum Tertia pars nullâ ut poffit ratione videri. He gives ut horum in the former line, and offers two expla nations of the author's meaning, which are not, however, fubftantially different. 179. longo fpatio ut brevis hora teratur. He is of opinion, that aura feratur would improve the sense of this part. He has difplaced fonorem to introduce fonare, which is the reading of all the old copies. It is, however, a harsh and' inelegant conftruction. 428-433. Porticus æquali quam vis eft denique ductu, Stansque in perpetuum paribus fubfulta columnis, Tecta folo jungens, atque omnia dextera lævis; For an exemplification of the optical remarks included in these verses, we are referred to the chapel of King's College, Cambridge. Si quis opticum phænomenon, quod Lucretius luculentiffimis verfibus, et accuratiffimâ fubtilitate, depinxit nobis, (hactenus fane præcellentiffimus, et omnes poft fe relinquens) oculis velit ufurpare; facellum lautiffimum Collegii Regalis Cantabrigienfis adeat. Ad utrumque latus concamerati loci inter imbricatuin tectum fuperius, et inferius alterum, jacentis, fpatium, latum fortaffe tres. fere pedes, altum fex feptemve, ad longitudinem totius facelli protenditur; nempe, in perpetuum ducentos nonagenos pedes: ita ut pene in punctum terminare videatur. Hunc effectum nobismetipfis multâ cum voluptate fæpiufcule contigit obfervare, et præmonftrare aliis, unà facellum fumptuofiffimum invifentibus.' On the authority of two manufcripts, ægrius is properly fubftituted for egregius, which fome copies have with the verb, and fome without it. `548. revocat raucum retro cita barbara bombum. Thus we read a verfe of which various parts are difputed by critics. We may obferve, en paffant, that it not only exhibits a curious inftance of alliteration, but alfo an affimilation of the found to the fenfe. The next line is adjusted in the following manner. Et valli cycnis, nece tortis, ex Heliconis. |