phyfical arguments. Speculative and metaphyfical arguments are, indeed, in themfelves ufeful and therefore proper but as in phyfics fo alfo in morals, theorems legitimately derived will be found on experiment to require confiderable correction; and from caufes apparently minute, and confequently of difficult calculation, will in practice prove to be almoft inapplicable. In eftimating the influence of any given power on the mind of man we must have recourfe to facts. Now what fays hiftory? Does it authorize us to pronounce that great mental acquirements are fufficient to guard their poffellor from great moral turpitude? The very hiftories to whofe tranflation Dr. S. has devoted his time anfwer molt decifively in the negative. Catiline was diftinguifhed by extraordinary genius, wonderful memory, eloquence, vigilance, and dexterity. Yet, thefe uncommon intellectual bleffings were infufficient to check him in his profligate career, or to recall him to any fenfe of decency and virtue. Jugurtha had accomplishments natural and acquired, which might have placed him on the first pedeftal in the temple of fame, and would have fecured to him the applaufe and eftimation of the world. Yet, great as their abilities confefledly were, by the one they were directed to the overthrow of his country; by the other, to the purpoles of ingratitude and murder. What fhall we fay of Pope Alexander the Sixth, and his fon Cæfar Borgia? What of a Murray, a Lethington? What of a Savage, a Chaterton, a Derniody? What but that the moft gigantic undertandings are no fecurity for rectituide of conduct; and that we must eftimate the moral characters of mankind by a far different ftandard than that of their intellectual powers. Were further arguments neceffary to prove the truth of this pofition, we might difcover them in the conduct of that individual whole life and character we are now difcuffing. We fhall find, as we proceed, his vaft understanding yielding to the moft fordid temptations. We fhall fee him grafping at wealth, without confcience and without feeling; accepting a Roman province for the very purpose of plundering it; fecure, in his ill-gotten wealth, of impunity

and even favour.

Still, however, we think Dr. Steuart right in rejecting the Story relating to the dictator's daughter. Our opinion is founded on the filence of the declamations formerly attri buted to the pen of Cicero. That he was not the author of them we are fully convinced; but that they were the production of fome ancient rhetorician, the allufion made to them by Quintilian is a fufficient proof. The invectives

Rr 4

which

which they pour out on the character of Salluft must con. vince us that fuch a story, had it then been in circulation, would have been eagerly grafped at by the compofer of thefe pieces. Nor had time elapfed, fuppofing the anecdote to have been true, fufficient to have effaced it from the recollection of the world. But to this ftory no allufion is made : a proof that it never had its foundation in truth, fuperior to a host of evidence deduced from prefumptive argu ment*.

But whatever may have been the irregularities in which Salluft occafionally indulged, from his pleafures as well as ftudies, he was awakened by the calls of ambition. At what precife period he began his public career in the capacity of quæftor is uncertain, the age at which a Roman became eligible to that office being itself uncertain. Suppofing him to have obtained this firft ftep to public honours in his twenty-fifth year, it will fix the date to that memorable period, which was diftinguifhed by the triumvirate of Cæfar, Pompey, and Craffus. Of this portion of the hiftorians life no particulars have defcended to us. But from his known attachment to Julius Cæfar, we may justly conclude that he was a favourer of that party, who procured the banishment of the patriotic Cicero. During a fpace indeed of eight years, we collect no certain information either of his views or conduct. At that time, namely, in the year of Rome, 701, we find him elected one of the tribunes of the people, in conjunction with Quintus Pompeius Rufus, the grandfon of Sylla, and Titus Munacius Plancus, decided enemies to the Patrician party.

"In the whole of the Roman history it would be difficult to felect a juncture when the commonwealth was more violently convulfed by internal troubles. The authority of the laws proved of little avail over factions inflamed with fury against each other, refolutely bent on accomplishing their designs, and without feruple about the means by which their paffions might be gratified. In insuring a majority in popular affemblies, as often as the common means of intrigue and bribery failed, they ftraightway had recourfe to open violence. A band of gladiators usually befet the Forum: the adverse party appeared in force to give them battle; and thus the ftreets of Rome were perpetually rendered a fcene of blood and tumult.

* Juftice forbids us to conceal that this reafoning is brought forward by Dr. S. in his notes, but he does not reft his main argument upon it, as, according to our notions, he fhould have done.

" About

"About this time, alfo, Cæfar had completed the eighth and Laft campaign of his Gallic victories, and had thoughts of returning to Italy. In the foregoing year, Craffus perished in Afia, a victim to his ambition, his mifconduct, and his avarice, Julia, Cæfar's daughter, and the wife of Pompey, died nearly about the fame period; and as thofe illuftrious rivals had already began to draw different ways, it was manifeft that, ere long, they would drop the mafk. Pompey, though late, began to perceive his error. Of his affociates in the triumvirate he had weakly become the dupe. He had been awed by the genius of one, outweighed by the wealth of the other, and, in fact, overshadowed by both: and, fince Craffus had fallen, a competition was to be maintained with a formidable rival. Perhaps between Cæfar and Pompey a fincere cordiality never had fubfifted. Joined from the beginning by interefted views, their union was preferved by the beauty and accomplishments of Julia and the mediating af cendency of Craffus: but thefe ties diffolved, they watched each other with deep miftruft, and as both had the art to difguife their fentiments, it was fmothered only for a feafon in order to break out with fiercer fury." Vol. i. P. 30, 31.

Thefe gloomy profpects were heightened, and the usual diforders of the city were increafed, in confequence of the murder of P. Clodius by T. Milo, the former of whom was candidate for the prætorfhip, the latter for the office of conful. A circumftance fo favourable to party views and designs did not pafs unimproved. The body was immediately brought to Rome, and expofed on the roftra, naked and bleeding to the obfervation of the people. On this occafion, Salluft and his colleagues in the tribunefhip, inflamed the minds of the populace by urging every topic calculated to aroufe their vengeance. They dwelt on the affection borne by Clodius for the citizens, and on the many laws which he had obtained in their favour; nor did they forget to enlarge on the hatred of Milo, of the fenate, and of Ĉicero towards Clodius, and even reprefented that venerable body as governed and overawed by the influence of the ora tor. The most outrageous proceedings were the natural refult of these inflamatory harangues. Placing at their head Sextus Clodius, a kinfman of the deceafed, the people advanced in a tumultuous body to the fenate-house, tore up the feats of the magiftrates and fenators, which they converted into a funeral pile for their murdered favourite, and thus, perhaps, unintentionally, reduced that building, together with a contiguous and noble edifice, the Bafilica, to afhes. Nor did their fury content itfelf with thefe fpecimens of excels. They proceeded to attack the houfe of Milo and

thofe

thofe of his partizans, and fpread terror and devaftation through every quarter of Rome.'

Alarmed at thefe outrages, the fenate appointed Pompey conful alone with a power, conferred only on extraordinary emergencies," to take fuch meafures as fhould preferve the commonwealth from impending danger." The late difturbances occupied alfo the attention of that body; and it was propofed by Hortenfius that a commiffion fhould be granted, and that the indictments fhould be claffed under two heads; the one comprehending the murder of Clodius, the other, the riots confequent on that event. Defirous as the tribunes were that the former fhould undergo the strictest inveftigation, they had no inclination that the latter fubject fhould be fcrutinized; and, by the interpretation of their friend Fufius, it was decreed that the allaffination fhould have a feparate hearing.

A fuit against Milo was accordingly commenced;' and it was enacted by the influence of Pompey, that three days fhould be appropriated to the production of evidence, that on the fourth the parties fhould be cited to appear,' and that on the fifth judgment fhould be pronounced. Strenuously exerting themselves on the fide of Clodius, Salluft and his colleagues demanded that the flaves of Milo fhould be examined by torture, and infifted that the murder was a premeditated act producing in proof of this their affertion, the inhabitants of the Boville, together with Caffinius Schola, the friend and attendant of Clodius. The evidence for Milo was ably brought by Hortenfius, Cicero, and Marcellus. The former refifted the demand of queftioning the flaves by torture, the two latter aflifted by Milo himfelf, cross-examined Schola and the inhabitants of the Bovilla, and contended that Clodius, not Milo, was the plotter of aflaflina

All their efforts, however, were unavailing against the tide of popular prejudice, increafed by the appearance of the widow of the deceafed, clothed in mourning appa rel, and demanding juftice against the murderer of her huf

band.

Sentiments fo favourable to the intereft of their party were not neglected by Salluft and Rufus. During the four days previous to the final decifion of the caufe, they feized every opportunity of appealing to the minds and paffions of the multitude, and even ventured to infinuate that Cicero himself had planned and abetted the atrocious deed. At length the awful day arrived which was to decide their famous trial. Early in the morning the fhops were closed throughout the city, at the inftance of Munatius the colleague

of

of Salluft. An immenfe crowd affembled: even the tops of the houses commanding a view of the forum were crowded with fpectators. As to the forum itself, that, and its avenues, had been guarded with a body of armed troops by Pompey, who himself arrived at about eight in the morning in all the pomp of office, and ftationed himself near the treasury amidst à guard of foldiers. The caufe was opened by Appius in a nervous fpeech, fuppofed to have received fome touches from the pen of Salluft, or that of his friend and tutor Atteius; and he was feconded and fupported by Antony and V. Nepos. Milo, in this important juncture, was aflifted by men elevated in rank and celebrated for eloquence: by Hortenfius, Marcellus, and Cicero. The two former, however, who, as we have already feen, had diftinguifhed themfelves in prior flages of the bufineis, gave way at this nice and difficult moment to the fame and talents of the latter, and trufled the defence to his management and care. But anong the virtues of that undoubtedly great man, fortitude feems to have had no place. The armed forces that furrounded the tribunal, the angry clamours and menaces of the populace overwhelmed him with terror. His arguments died away upon his lips,' his fpeech was fhort, feeble, inconclufive. The refult was fuch as might naturally be expected. Milo was condemned to exile and retired to

Marseilles.

6

The active zeal difplayed by Salluft in this trial could not but prove odious to the leading members of the fenate, and they feized the earlieft opportunity of fhowing their averfion. On the quinquenial review of that body, which happened in the following year (A. U. C. 701) many partizans of Cæfar were degraded from the fenatorial dignity by the cenfors A. Claudius and Pifo; among others our hiftorian, upon the pretext (as feems probable from the account of the old grammarians) that he had intrigued with the wives and daughters of freedmen. In this flate of difgrace he remained not long. In little more than a year after his expulfion he was appointed a fecond time to the quæftorfhip, and confequently regained his feat in the fenate, by the influence of Cæfar; who in the year U. C. 701, poured his victorious army into Italy, and in the fubfequent year vanquished the forces of his adverfaries, by his triumph over Pompey, in the plains of Pharfalia.

It is to thele memorable and interefting periods that Dr. Steuart fixes the date of the celebrated letters, addreffed by Sallift to the conqueror, De Rep. Ordinan. the order of which, as he alfo juftly obferves, is prepofteroufly inverted