VEREOR Ne, dum ostendere cupio qUAN-
TUM VIRGILIUS NOSTER EX ANTIQUIORUM LEC-
TIONE PROFECERIT, ET QUOS EX OMNIBUS FLORES
VEL QUE IN CARMINIS SUI DECOREM EX DIVER-
SIS ORNAMENTA LIBAVERIT, OCCASIONEM REPRE-
HENDENDI VEL IMPERITIS VEL MALIGNIS MINIS-
TREM EXPROBRANTIBUS TANTO VIRO ALIENI USUR-

PATIONEM.AT QUIS FRAUDI VIRGILIO VER-
TAT, SI AD EXCOLENDUM SE QUÆDAM AB ANTI-
QUIORIBUS MUTUATUS SIT? CUI ETIAM GRATIA
HABENDA EST QUOD NONNULLA AB ILLIS IN OPUS
SUUM, QUOD ETERNO MANSURUM EST, TRANS-
FERENDO FECIT NE OMNINO MEMORIA VETERUM
DELERETUR: QUOS, SICUT PRÆSENS SENSUS OS-
TENDIT, NON SOLUM NEGLECTUI VERUM ETIAM
RISUI HABERE JAM CÆPIMUS.
DENIQUE ET JU-

DICIO TRANSFERENDI ET MODO IMITANDI CONSE-
CUTUS EST, UT QUOD APUD ILLUM LEGERIMUS
ALIENUM, AUT ILLIUS ESSE MALIMUS, AUT ME-
LIUS HIC QUAM UBI NATUM EST SONARE MI-
REMUR.

MACROB. SATURNAL. vi, 1.

(2)

The various branches of reading which fuch a pursuit infenfibly leads to, and the numerous ftores of amusement and information which it cafually and unexpectedly opens, I can truly fay, have often operated upon me the effect afcribed by the old poet to the forrow-foothing daughters of Jupiter and Mnemofyne;

Soothing my pains, and respiting my cares *;

I particularly experienced this at the latter end of last year; at which season I generally droop moft, which I believe is the cafe with valetudinarians of my clafs.

In paffing through Salisbury to this place, the fummer before last, I amused myself, in the evening, with a volume of the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE; a complete feries of which valuable miscellany

*

Λησμοσύνην τε κακών, αμπαύμα τε μερμηραίων.
Hefiod THEOGON. 45.

does

does credit to the refpectable * circulating library adjoining to the Inn.-I found, in the Magazine for November 1796, a brief account of Sylvefter's Du Bartas, fhewing it to have been a popular work, and pointing out fome parallelisms, (not very striking indeed,) between Milton and the tranflator of DU BARTAS. Thefe notices were accompanied with an observation, attributed to Dr. Farmer, that “the "fubject of Milton's great poem must "naturally have led him to read in Syl"vefter's Du Bartas."-This awakened in

* It were much to be wifhed, that the proprietors of our Caffés Literaires at Bath, and at other public places, would carefully preferve, and regularly bind up the more valuable periodical publications which they take in. They would by this means gradually amass a valuable stock of literary amusement and reference; which would do more credit to their reading-room and catalogue, than the large quantity of totally uninterefting books, which often fwell the one, and incumber the other.

† I do not, however, find it in his excellent Efay on the Learning of Shakespeare.

me a wish to be acquainted with it; and, a few months after, I had an opportunity of gratifying my curiofity. In paffing through Southampton I purchased, for three fillings, the folio edition; a little worm-eaten indeed, and caret titulo. I did not, I confefs, at the moment feel raptures equal to those of Mr. Shandy, when he first became poffeffor of Brufcambille; and, on my first looking into it, I was fo little captivated, that, I fufpect, had I been going home, I fhould have configned it to repose undisturbed in a corner of my book-room. I carried, however, my new purchase with me into my autumn quarters, at Lymington; where, as the fine air, and beautiful fcenery of the country, lead to amusements out of doors, it is lefs neceffary for the libraries of the place to be farther provided, than with light fummerreading, for the fultry hour, the rainy day, or the occafional confinement of a flight cold, caught by too late an excurfion on the water. Here, as winter drew on, I

was