of Plato, and at the age of seventeen impeached his guardians, and recovered the greater part of his fortune. He had several physical disadvantages to contend with; to cure his stammering he used to speak with pebbles in his mouth, and to get rid of the distortion of his face, he used to watch the motions of his face in a looking-glass; he strengthened his lungs by running up-hill, and, to accustom himself to the noise of an assembly he used to declaim on the sea-shore. He aroused his countrymen against Philip, King of Macedonia, but at the battle of Cheronæa, 338 B.C., he betrayed his pusillanimity, and saved his life by flight. The Greek States rose on the death of Alexander, 323 B.C., but on the defeat (322) of the confederates he fled to Calauria, and being pursued by Antipater's messengers, poisoned himself in the temple of Neptune.

EPICURUS, a famous philosopher, was born at Samos, or Gargettus, near Athens, 342 B.C. In 302 he opened a school at Athens, where he remained till his death in 272. He taught in a garden, whence his followers were called Philosophers of the Garden. The famous Garden soon became a dangerous rival of the Porch, the Grove, and the Lyceum. At the age of twelve he puzzled his teacher, who had recited to him the verse of Hesiod, "First Chaos was created," with the question: "Who created it?" The teacher answered that only philosophers knew, whereon Epicurus said: "Then philosophers alone henceforth shall instruct me." Epicurus taught that the Supreme Good was Happiness-the enjoyments of the mind, and the practice of virtue. He is said to have written no less than three hundred works; of these only three letters are preserved. He gave his guests at the Garden barley cakes and fresh water. His school was continued till the age of Augustus. Community of goods, he said, implied mistrust. Among Romans, Lucretius, Horace, and Lucian are his chief followers. His health was impaired by constant labour, and he died (270) of a painful internal disease, which he bore with great fortitude. His followers showed great respect to his memory, observing his birth-day with unusual festivity, and devoting a month to mirth and innocent amusements.

ZENO, the Stoic, was born about 340 B.C. at Citium, in Cyprus. He became a merchant, but being deprived of his property by shipwreck, he betook himself to philosophy, and studied at the Academy at Athens. After twenty years' study he opened a school in the piazza, called the Painted Porch, whence his followers were called Stoics (stoa, a porch) or philosophers of the porch. After presiding fifty-eight years he put an end to his life about 260. The Athenians, in admiration of his noble

T

character, built his tomb at the public expense, and erected a monument, on which the inscription was carved, "His life corresponded to his precepts." No philosophical doctrines in ancient times produced such noble fruits as those of the Stoics. The truest men in the Roman Empire were followers of Zeno.

CICERO, Marcus Tullius, the prince of Roman orators, a famous statesman and a man of letters, was born near the town of Arpinum, B.C. 106. His family belonged to the equestrian order, but was not accounted "noble." He was murdered, December, 43 B.C., in the 63rd year of his age. For denouncing and crushing the famous Cataline conspiracy he was hailed "Father of his country." His prose Latinity is considered to be the standard of the language. As a poet he ignominiously failed. As an orator he was without a rival. His philosophical works breathe the strictest morality, and are especially valuable as reflecting the different views of the Greek schools of philosophy.

VIRGIL-P. Virgilius Maro-the most celebrated of the Roman Epic poets, was born at Andes, a small village two miles from Mantua, B.C. 70. He became the intimate friend of Augustus, Mæcenas, Horace, and others. He lived chiefly at Naples, sometimes at Rome. Hard study, enfeebling his naturally weak constitution, brought on his early death, which took place at Brundusium, 19 B.C., aged 51. The inscription on his tombsaid to have been written by himself-was:

In Mantua was I born; Calabria saw me die;

Of sheep, fields, wars I sang; and now in Naples lie.

Dryden says: "Shakespeare was the Homer or father of our dramatic poets; Jonson was the Virgil and pattern of elaborate writing. I admire rare Ben, but I love Shakespeare."

Virgil was tall and slender, of dark complexion, and plain features, slow of speech, and shy and retiring in his disposition. His Georgics' has been called, "The glorification of labour; it gives its author the unquestioned title of prince of didactic poets. His greatest work, the Æneid,' "the imperial poem and Mirror of the Glory of Rome," was still unfinished at his death. Rome and Augustus are always before the poet of the 'Æneid.' "The 'Georgics' had been the psalm of Italy, the 'Eneid' was the sacred book of the religion of Rome." The reputation of Virgil was above Homer's for centuries. The early Christian writers, especially St. Augustine, are deeply imbued with his spirit, and to Dante Virgil was "the master and guide from whom alone he derived the beauty of his style." Virgil's rank was never higher than in the period between Milton and Goethe. Bossuet knew

him by heart. Burke had the 'Eneid' always open by him. Macrobius, a Latin writer in the 5th century, says: "Such is the glory of Maro, that no man's praise can add to it, no man's blame diminish it."

HORACE Horatius Flaccus Quintus-a great Latin lyrist, and the most widely read in modern times of all Greek and Roman authors, was born December 8, 65 B.C., near Venusia (now Venosa). In 39 B.C. he was introduced by Virgil and Varius to Mæcenas, who became his life-long patron and friend, and about B.C. 33 gave him the Sabine farm, 30 miles from Rome. About 27 B.C. he won the patronage of Augustus. He died shortly after the death of Mæcenas, 8 B.C., in his 57th year. His satires and epistles are his most natural and original works. They are written in a style at once terse, polished, and colloquial; they are full of shrewd wisdom melting into humour, of earnest precepts enlivened by personal gossip and racy anecdote; and they contain the most vivid pictures of ancient Roman life, both in the luxurious capital and in the neighbouring country district.

He was never married. No poet has been more frequently translated into all languages; while so terse is his expression, so idiomatic his language, that none has been translated with less

success.

OVID-Ovidius Naso Publius-one of the greatest and most charming of the Latin poets, was born at Sulmo, of an equestrian family, 43 B.C. At Athens he acquired a perfect mastery of the Greek language. Ovid mixed in the best society in Rome, Horace being one of his friends. At the age of 50 he was banished by an edict of Augustus to Torni, a Thracian town on the banks of the Euxine. His real offence is still unknown. After sending a long series of piteous and humiliating letters to his friends at Rome, but to no purpose, the gifted poet died, revered at Torni, where he had lived in exile twenty years.

Ovid's genius has always commanded the admiration of scholars. His vigorous fancy and exquisite pathos, richness of imagery, and his vast mythological and antiquarian lore, combined with the tuneful melody and bell-like recurrent chime of his verse, have made him a favourite with all modern poets, and won for him from Niebuhr the high praise of being, next to Catullus, the most poetical of the Roman poets.

SENECA L. Annæus Seneca-was born at Corduba in Spain, in the reign of Augustus, but for the most part lived at Rome. He was appointed tutor to Nero. He acquired immense wealthestimated at 300,000 sestertia (£2,412,870), which was one of

the main causes of his ruin. Nero envied him a fortune which Seneca offered to refund, asking only a small annuity. Nero, while declining the offer, tried to take off Seneca by poison, but failed. Shortly after, Seneca was accused of attempting the Emperor's life, and was sentenced to die by his own hand. He chose being bled to death-A.D. 65. Seneca shows a wide and varied knowledge of human life. His style is antithetical; his language clear and strong; his treatment of a subject invariably attractive. His works abound in moral sentiments.

God in His providence allowed Rome to do for men's circumstances what he allowed Greece to do for their minds: Greece has given the civilized world her philosophy; Rome her lawsand we must gratefully add Judæa her religion.

THE END.

277

SOME OF THE MANY BOOKS

FROM WHICH HAVE BEEN GATHERED MOST OF

THE FOREGOING PASSAGES.

A New Dictionary of Quotations.
Familiar Quotations.

Cyclopædia of Practical Quotations.
Webster's Dictionary of Quotations.
Treasured Thoughts of Great Minds.

Truths Illustrated by Great Authors.

Many Thoughts of Many Minds-I. and II. Series.

Noble Thoughts in Noble Language.

Select Thoughts on the Christian Ministry.

Illustrative Gatherings.

Illustrated Globe Encyclopædia.

Haydn's Dictionary of Dates.

The Book of Authors.
Gems of Sacred Prose.
In Prospect of Sunday.
The Beauties of History.
Crabbe's English Synonyms.

The Reader's Handbook.

Disce Vivere.

Authors and Artists.

Materials for Translation into Latin Prose.

Beeton's Classical Dictionary.

Cassell's Latin Dictionary.

Royal Reader.

Poetical Reader.

Gold and the Gospel.

Archbishop Trench on Words.

Archbishop Whateley's Miscellaneous Remains.

Farindon's Sermons.

Burkitt on the New Testament.

Cowper's Works.

Swift's Works.