pretend he dedicated to Virgil; this Conjecture is founded upon two Verfes of Martial that are certainly misunderstood,

Sic forfan tener aufus eft Catullus,
Magna mittere pafferem Maroni.

As if Catullus had prefumed to fend his Sparrow to Great Maro as his Friend. Martial there addreffes himself to Silius Italicus, a celebrated Poet, and one of his Patrons; he compliments him as if he had faid, I presume to infcribe this little Piece to you, as Catullus might have prefented his Poem on Lefbia's Sparrow to the great Virgil, had they flourished at the fame time. It is evident, that Martial profeffed the greatest Veneration for the Excellencies of Catullus;

Tantum magna fuo debet Verona Catullo,
Quantum parva fuo Mantua Virgilio..

THIS Poet contracted a Friendship with Ccero, who is faid upon fome Occafion to plead as a Publick Advocate for him; and notwithftanding the Friendship between Julius Cæfar and his Father, he feverely lampoon'd that Em→ peror, in the Perfon of Mamurra, one of his Fa vourites, and a Surveyor of his Workmen in Gaul. The Verfes were very fatirical, they lafhed the fevere Robberies of Mamurra, and the lewd Intercourfe, fuppofed to have paffed between him and Cæfar :

Quis hac poteft videre, &c.

Who but a Wretch as vile can bear to fee
Mamurra riot thus in Luxury ?

Ep. 30.

Rich with the Spoils, and plunder'd Wealth he bore,
From long-hair'dGaul,and diftant Britain's Shore,
The Pathic Roman, who unmov'd can fee
Such wanton Riot, is as bafe as He.

THE fifty-eighth Epigram is yet more fevere ;

Pulchrè convenit improbis Cinædis,
Mamurrhæ Pathicoque Cæfarique.

This fuits with impious Pathicks well,
Cæfar and vile Mamurrha-

CESAR, upon this Occafion, behaved with his ufual Generofity and Moderation; he was not filent indeed at the Injury he received, but obliging the Poet to make a flight Satisfaction, which he accepted; he invited him (fays Suetonius) the fame Day to Supper, and continued to lodge at his Father's House, as he had done before.

THE Works of Catullus are inscribed to Cornelius Nepos, whom he compliments on Writing a general History in three Books. Omne avum tribus explicare Chartis. We have not all his Pieces: Crinitus fpeaks of an Ithyphallic Poem, or Verses upon the Impure Divinity of Priapus, and Pliny afcribes to him a Poem upon Inchantments used to make one's felf beloved : This Subject had been treated of before him by Theocritus, and, after him by Virgil. The Poem of the Vigil of Venus is falfely attributed to him. His early Death must be lamented by all true Lovers of Wit and Learning, fince it has robbed us of many Improvements which he was likely to have made in this kind of Poetry: I mean his Hendecafyllables, where he feems to excel moft: There are fome finished Pieces of

his that are inimitable in their kind: Such is the Poem upon Lefbia's Sparrow, and that on Acme and Septimius; the Tranflation of Callimachus's Elegy on Queen Berenice's Hair alfo is an excellent Piece. His Lyric Poems are many of them well written, particularly the Carmen Seculare. Scaliger thinks he was too critical and exact, and too ftrict an Observer of the Roman Elegancies. He is generally efteemed the best Writer in the Epigrammatick Style.

AN Epigram, of all the Works in Verse that Antiquity has produced, is the least confiderable; it is of no Worth at all, unless it be admirable, and it is fo rare to see such a one, that it is fufficient to have made one in a Man's whole Life; and yet this Manner of Writing has its Beauty. This Beauty confifts either in the delicate Turn, or in a lucky Word. The Greeks have understood this fort of Poefy otherwise than the Latins: The Greek Epigram runs upon the Turn of a Thought that is natural, but fine and fubtle; the Latin Epigram by a false Taste that fway'd in the beginning of the Decay of the pure Latinity, endeavours to furprize the World by fome nipping Word, which is called a Point. Catullus writ after the former manner, which is of a finer Character, for he endeavours to close a natural Thought within a delicate Turn of Words, and within the Simplicity of a very soft Expreffion. Martial was in fome manner the Author of this other way, that is to fay, to terminate an ordinary Thought by fome Word that is furprifing. Judges of a good Tafte have always preferred the way of Catullus before that of Martial, there being more of true Delicacy in that than in this. And in these latter Ages we have

feen

feen a noble Venetian, named Andreas Naugerius, who had an exquifite Difcernment, and who by a natural Antipathy againft all that which is called Point, which he judged to be of an ill Relifh, facrificed every Year in Ceremony a Volume of Martial's Epigrams to the Manes of Catullus, in honour to his Character.

THIS Poet has been cenfured for the Lewdnefs of fome of his Pieces; the Looseness of his Thoughts, and his fulfome Expreffions have given great Offence, and obliged his Judges to conclude that he must have been a profligate Debauchee. But Bayle makes an Apology for him; he fays, that the ancient Romans had not laid down thofe Rules of Politenefs, which at prefent make those who compose obscene Verfes fall into publick Contempt. Catullus therefore did his Character no great Harm by the grofs, Obfcenities and infamous Impurities with which he poifon'd many of his Poems. Pliny the Younger is of the fame Opinion: It seems Obfcenity, according to the Ancients, was not only allowable in these fort of Compofitions, but when artfully dreffed up was esteemed one of its greatest Beauties. Catullus wrote by this Rule,

Nam caftum effe decet, &c.

Lyric. 17.

The Poet, I confefs, fhould chafte appear,
Then may his luscious Lines affect the Ear,
Divert with wanton Pleafantry the Mind;
Not over-modeft, but to Love inclin'd.

We are told by Crinitus, that Catullus had fo great a Reputation for Learning, that by the Confent of the best Judges, the Epithet of Doctus

Doctus was affixed to his Name. Ovid thought that for Majefty and Loftinefs of Verfe, he was no way inferiour to Virgil himself; and tho' both the Plinys have condemned Catullus's Verfe as harsh and unpleasant, yet he has generally been accounted a moft elegant Poet, and has had feveral who have copied after him. The sweetest and moft polite of all the Poets, if he appears at any time hard and rough, efpecially in his Epicks, yet he has made fufficient amends by his wonderful pleasant Wit, and by his pure Elegancy in the Roman Language. His Cotemporaries called him the Learned, because he knew how to tranflate into Latin Verfe the most beautiful and delicate Pieces in the Greek Poets, which before him was thought impoffible to be done.

THE Reputation of Catullus finks very low in the Opinion of Julius Scaliger; he can upon no account imagine the Reafon, why this Poet was diftinguifh'd by the Ancients with the Title of the Learned; he does not fee any thing in his Pieces but what is common and ordinary. His Style, he fays, is generally hard and unpolifhed, though indeed fometimes it flows. like Water, but has no Strength. He is often very immodeft, and puts him out of countenance; fometimes he is fo very languid and faint, that he cannot but pity him; and he is often under fuch Difficulties and Conftraint, that he is exceedingly troubled and concerned. for him.

EDITIONS