poet is commonly tempered by the wisdom of the philosopher: but, we confefs, after the perufal of them, entertained and inftructed as we were, we felt our memories confufed in the recollection of the real facts and circumftances which they fhew through a fort of faery light, but with which we were before familiarly acquainted. In the fame manner fome of Gilpin's views, which are exact delineations from nature, can hardly be recognized through their rich aërial tint-their coloured atmosphere. In favour of the volumes before us, we were by no means prejudiced by the title-page or the preface. The title-page informs us, that "the Travels of Antenor" are from a Greek MS. found at Herculaneum: and the preface gives us a foolish account of the manner in which the MS. was found.

Travelling through Italy, I had scarcely arrived at Naples before I paid a vifit to Mount Vefuvius, at the firft eruption of which, under the emperor Titus, and feventy-nine years after Chrift, the elder Pliny loft his life. On my return to Portici, wishing to fee Herculaneum, then recently difcovered,* I defcended with torches, about eighty feet below the furface of the earth, into that region of darkness but the damp and coldness of the air, and the fmoke of the torches, foon obliged me to measure back my steps.

"At Portici I visited a fine palace belonging to the king of Naples, from whofe capital it is about two leagues diftant, in a most charming fituation by the fea-fide at the foot of Mount Vefuvius. Even now my imagination often carries me to that delightful spot, and I exclaim,

"Abite nunc urbanæ moleftæque curæ.

"While furveying the curiofities of the King's Museum, collected from Herculaneum, including nuts, eggs, bread, and other provifions, found there in perfect prefervation, I faw perfons employed in decyphering ancient manufcripts, which feemed ready to fall to duft. They confifted of cylindric rolls, nearly in the form of rolled tobacco. The first folds were fo difficult to open, that it was neceffary to make use of a machine to draw out, by means of fcrews, this black and shattered parchment upon linen or unctuous paper. As foon as the decypherer

"In 1736 the duke of Elbœuf having ordered a well to be dug in his garden at Portici, difcovered a vault, under which he found feveral columns and ftatues. He afterwards parted with the eftate to the king, who dug feveral miles under ground, and explored that ancient town."

Others have fince been added from the ancient Pompeii, now called Pompeiana, another town beyond the mountain, which fhared the fame fate with Herculaneum, and which has been wholly expofed to view; whereas Herculaneum was clofed up again for the safety of the town of Portici, which is built over it. T. N.”

had

had discovered a word he wrote it down, gueffing at those which were illegible by the fenfe and connection of the fentence: and though these writings had no points, or commas, the learning and intelligence of the perfons employed fupplied all thefe defects.

"While I was admiring this ingenious work, one of the decypherers, the Abbé Spalatini, a man of great talents and uncommon politenefs, informed me, these rolls had been found in Herculaneum, a town which had been buried feventeen centuries beneath the lava of Mount Vefuvius. We flatter ourselves,' faid he, that among these ancient manufcripts we shall find thofe fragments of celebrated authors which have been unfortunately loft, especially of Polybius, Dionyfius Halicarnaffenfis, Diodorus Siculus, Dion Caffius, Salluft, Tacitus, and Livy: but, in lieu of the gold we feek for, we have as yet only found minerals of little value; fuch as Greek works on mufic, phyfic, morality, and rhetoric.' I requested his permiffion to look at these ancient writings, among which obferving a very voluminous roll in Greek, entitled The Travels of Antenor in Greece and in Afia, I asked him if he was acquainted with that work. No, faid he; C I have no time to read fuch a heap of trash, written by an author never spoken of."* Having fome little knowledge of the Greek, I requested

*

"Here the Abbé Spalatini was mistaken; for every one knows that many learned men have spoken of Antenor. St. Auguftin in particular, in his book De Civitate Dei, lib. vii. chap. 15. thus defcribes his perfon: Inenormis proceritas, fucculenta gracilitas, rubor temperatus, oculi cæfii quidem, fed vigiles, et in afpectu micantes ; fpeciofus et immeditatus inceffus.' Tall but not gigantic, flender but not lean, moderately florid, with grey eyes, but very attentive and fparkling when they meet thofe of others; laftly, a handfome and eafy walk.'.

"It muft, however, be confeffed that the learned do not agree relative to the time when Antenor lived. Lillius Giraldus afferts that he was the fculptor mentioned by Paufanias as having made the statues of Harmodius and Ariftogiton, which Xerxes took away when he invaded Greece, and which Alexander restored to the Athenians when he took Perfepolis. My opinion,' fays Lillius, is confirmed by Antenor having known Ariftides in his old age; for Ariftides was Archon of Athens in the feventy-fecond olympiad, or four hundred and eighty-nine years before Chrift.' Peter Colwius, an author of great precifion, ftrongly denies this affertion. According to him, Antenor lived much later; namely, in the ninety-third olympiad, or four hundred and eight years before Chrift; 4,306 of the Julian period, and 346 from the building of Rome. This learned calculation has drawn upon him a direct contradiction from Johannes Wower, who pours forth a torrent of abuse on Colwius, and calls him doctor afinorum. But in this Wower is wrong; for he afferts that Antenor did not live till the time of Alexander the Great, three hundred and forty years before Chrift; which is a confiderable error, and differs B 2 fixty

requested him to lend me the manufcript for a few days: but, after fhutting myfelf up in my room during four-and-twenty hours, I found I was not fufficiently familiar with the language completely to underftand, and accurately to tranflate, fo important a work. I therefore repeated my vifit to the Abbé, and asked his permiflion to take the manufcript with me to Paris; promifing, on my word of honour, to return it as foon as the tranflation fhould be finished. He hesitated a confiderable time, but at length yielded to my urgent request.

"When I arrived at Paris, I affociated in my labour a friend, whofe profound erudition has cleared up the obfcurity of many parts of the manufcript, and greatly contributed to the completion of the work. As to its authenticity, it would be carrying fcepticifn to a ridiculous extent to entertain the flighteft doubt of Antenor's existence, which is as certain as that of Ariftotle or Plato, and of which the book he has left behind him is a fufficient proof."

A flimfy fiction-childish in the extreme-open to the detection of every reader. Unless fome fecret fatire be couched under it, we can no way account for a fabrication fo unworthy the ingenious author. In examining the hiftorical character of this performance, we meet with frequent and glaring offences against chronology, and, generally fpeaking, against probability, which pleafantry can never do away; nor French eloquence with all its fpecioufnels. The work may be viewed under two different afpects-the grave and the fabulous.

As a graver compofition, it confifts of hiftorical narrative and characters, philofophical reflection and local defcription, embellished, more or lefs, by the author's fancy: as fabulous,

fixty-eight years from the truth. But he adds that this Greek author pretended to have lived at an earlier period, in order to render his Memoirs more interefting and attractive, by appearing to have perfonally known the philofophers and great men of whom he speaks. At this paradox Godefcalcus Stewechius expreffes the utmost amazement, and angrily exclaims against the ignorance and effrontery of thefe writers. It is evident,' fays he, that had Antenor lived at the time of Alexander, he would moft affuredly have spoken of that hero, of the burning of Ephefus, the battle of Charonea, and the affalination of Philip of Macedon.' In this Cornelius Celfus and Priceus agree but it is true they defend their opinion with a degree of moderation that leaves a doubt of their own conviction.

"What conclufion can we draw from this diverfity and contradiction! All that is certain is, that Antenor did exift; but the period when he lived we must leave to the decifion of more learned critics, and fay,

Non noftrum inter vos tantas componere lites.*”

"For this note I am obliged to a learned friend who affifted me in the tranflation of the manufcript."

it exhibits light tales and trivial incidents, which are, purely, his own invention.

In "the Dinner of Ariftippus," the features of his philofophy are finely painted.

"A few days after I was introduced, Ariftippus invited me to dinner. I arrived at fun-fet, and found a number of guefts already affembled. They were waiting for the appearance of Ariftippus and his female friend and philofopher Laithenia, whom I had not yet feen. They foon entered together. The former wore a purple robe, perfumed with the moft delicious odours, and the latter was adorned with the charming and elegant fimplicity of the Graces themselves. Her auburn hair fell in light treffes on her fhoulders, and her head and neck were decorated with flowers, which formed the only ex-` traneous ornament to her drefs. We were invited to bathe before dinner; and, having been perfumed with delicious effences, we returned to the arquetting-hall, where incenfe and perfumes were burning. At one tod was a buffet, with a rich difplay of gold and filver plate, of cas iver-gilt, and fome of them enriched with pre-cious tones. Several flaves advanced, bearing chaplets of flowers,* which they placed upon our heads, and vafes of cold water to pour upon our hands. The company determined, by lot, who fhould be the fympofiarch, or king of the feaft. It fell on Xanthes the peripatetic, who gave the toafts, regulated the laws of the banquet, and the time of drinking.

"We feated ourselves on eouches placed round the table, which was frequently wafhed. The coverings of our couches were of purple.

Philoxenes the fophift at this time entered, and, being ftruck with the luxury and fplendor of the feaft, he knit his brows, and told Ariftippus this profufion and extravagance were ill-adapted to a philofopher or a wife man. Ariftippus replied, with the utmost tranquillity, My dear Philoxenes, do me the favour to fit down, and make one of our party. You are too good,' replied he: • it is impoffible to refuse you.

As foon as he was feated, and had begun to eat with

* "The ancients were fo fond of crowns, that guests often wore three ornaments in that form, compofed of flowers; one on the head, another on the forehead, and the third round their necks. They were placed over their doors, on their buffets, on their bottles, and on their vafes. Crowns, too, were with them the reward by which fkill and courage were recompenfed. The Hebrews, the Egyptians, and the Gentiles, wore horns as marks of honour and of power. Thus Mofes had a pair of horns, and Jupiter Ammon was worthipped under the form of a ram. Our ancient European knights wore horns upon their helmets, to render themfelves more formidable to the enemy. These were affixed by their wives, when they departed for the field: but they were at length difgufted with them, because they were turn. ed into ridicule, and became a bye-word, in allufion to the licentioufpefs of their wives during their absence.”

B 3

out

out ceremony, Ariftippus faid My dear Philoxenes, I fhall reply to your cenfure on the fumptuoufnefs of my table by relating a circumftance that happened to me, in company with Andron the ftoic. I purchased a partridge in his prefence, for fifty drachmas,* when, like you, he reproved me for my extravagance. I liftened to him with patience, and then replied, If a partridge coft only an obolus, no doubt you would buy one yourself ?- Agreed,' faid he. Well,' I replied, I place no greater value on fifty drachmas than you on an obolus: I perceive, my dear friend, it is not the luxury or the good cheer you object to, but merely the expence.' The fophift felt the application, but continued eating.

The firft courfe confifted of fhell-fish, fome raw, and others cooked in various ways: they were interfperfed with hens' and peahens' eggs, of which the latter are much efteemed. There were alfo pigs' pettitoes, lambs' heads, calves' plucks, and a dish of grafshoppers, of which the Athenians are very fond, and which abound in their markets. We reserved the first of every dish for the altar of Diana. The fecond courfe confifted of game and fowls, and the most delicate kinds of fish. I obferved many of the guests sending away feveral dishes by their flaves, and was informed it was customary for every one to have part of the repaft conveyed to his friends.

"At the commencement of the feaft Ariftippus touched a cup of wine to (with) his lips, and then gave it to his neighbour, who drank and paffed it; and thus the wine went round. This first cup is the fymbol of fraternity between the guefts. Other cups followed, when Ariftippus gave us healths and toafts, which we immediately paffed round to him again. The first cup confifted of one-third part wine and two of water; but the latter was infenfibly diminished, and at length we drank pure wine.

Lafthenia then took a cithara or harp, to which she fang a hymn in honour of Bacchus. Her voice was fweet, melodious, and flexible, and fhe had the art of accommodating it to every variety of tone or modulation. The verfes fhe fang were of her own compofition. This multiplied exertion of her talents gained her the most animated applaufe, yet the pleafure they communicated was above all our praife. All the guests had branches of laurel and of myrtle, and fang and accompanied themfelves on the lyre in fucceffion."

Of the philofophical (by which we mean, the political, moral, and religious) reflections, we have much to applaud, and more to condemn. In his political opinions we concur, moft heartily, with M. Lantier.

"At Athens the fovereignty then refided in the people, who daily affembled at a very early hour in the market-place, or at the theatre of Bacchus. Each citizen, who had attained the age of puberty, had a deliberative voice in this affembly; from which, if abfent, he was