In the Museum at Belem there are a number of rarities and precious things; those most valuable they have boxed up, in case their friends should again surprise them, in which emergency they are to be sent to Rio Janeiro. I remarked a lump of copper which was found in Portugal, the weight of which was said to be 2616 lbs.

The botanical garden is extensive and contains many very rare plants; it abounds in the most beautiful fountains curiously wrought to represent different animals which are continually spouting forth water, forming a basin beneath, in which the golden and silver-hued fish are constantly sporting.

Returning to Lisbon from Belem, I passed by the English burying-ground, which I had a great desire to enter, but could not, in consequence of its being locked; in this place lies interred, the author of that work which Gibbon has styled the best of ancient or modern romances; the incomparable Fielding.

You recollect, sir Roger de Coverly's coachman always served for ballast in crossing a river with his master, if I should have erected a counterpoise to the length of my epistle, which shall operate favourably in your mind, I shall esteem myself for. tunate and conclude with Ovid-Scribere jussit amor.

Yours sincerely,

B.

CLASSICAL LITERATURE.

We have selected from the correspondence of Fox the following letters to Mr. Trotter, on various classical authors, which prove at once, the extent of his learning and the correctness of his taste on subjects so remote from the ordinary pursuits of politicians.

I KNOW of no better, nor, indeed, scarce any other life of Cicero, than Middleton's. He is certainly very partial to him, but upon the whole, I think Cicero was a good man. The salutary effect of the burning of his houses, which you mention, is indeed too evident; I do not think quite so ill of his poem on

Cæsar as you do; because I presume he only flattered him upon the points where he really deserved praise; and as to his flatteries of him after he was dictator, in his speeches for Ligarius and Marcellus, I not only excuse, but justify, and even commend them, as they were employed for the best of purposes, in favour of old friends, both to himself and to the republic. Nay, I even think that his manner of recommending to Cæsar (in the pro Marcello) the restoration of the republic, is even bold and spirited. After all, he certainly was a man liable to be warped from what was right either by fear or vanity; but his faults seem so clearly to have been infirmities, rather than bad principles, or bad passions, that I cannot but like him, and, in a great measure esteem him too. The openness with which, in his private letters, he confesses himself to be ashamed of part of his conduct, has been taken great advantage of by detractors, as an aggravation, whereas I think it a great extenuation of his faults. I ought to caution against trusting to the translations in Middleton; they are all vile, and many of them unfaithful.

If your sister does not understand Latin, you should translate them for her yourself. I do assure you, my dear sir, it always gives Mrs. F. and me great pleasure to hear from you, and especially when it is to inform us that you are well and happy.

Your's ever,

C. J. F.

I was much gratified, my dear sir, with your letter, as your taste seems so exactly to agree with mine; and am very glad, for your sake, that you have taken to Greek, as it will now be very easy to you, and if I may judge from myself, will be one of the greatest sources of amusement to you. Homer and Ariosto have always been my favourites; there is something so delightful in their wonderful facility, and the apparent absence of all study, in their expression, which is almost peculiar to them. I think you must be very partial, however, to find but two faults in the twelve books of the Illiad. The passage in the 9th book, does to you, both poor and

about Aarti, appears to me, as it forced; but I have no great objection to that about the wall in

the 12th, though, to be sure, it is not very necessary. The 10th book has always been a particular favourite with me, not so much on account of Diomede's and Ulysses's exploits, (though that part is excellent too) as on account of the beginning, which describes so forcibly the anxious state of the generals, with an enemy so near, and having had rather the worst of the former day. I do not know any description any where that sets the thing so clearly before one; and then the brotherly feelings of Agamemnon towards Menelaus, and the modesty and amiableness of Menelaus's character (whom Homer, by the way seems to be particularly fond of) are very affecting. Ariosto has certainly taken his night expedition either from Homer, or from Virgil's Nisus or Euryalus. I scarcely know which I prefer of the three; I rather think Virgil's; but Ariosto has one merit beyond the others, from the important consequences which arise from it to the story. Tasso (for he, too, must have whatever is in the Illiad or Æneid) is a very poor imitation, as far as I recollect. I suppose, as soon as you have done the Illiad you will read the Odyssey; which, though certainly not so fine a poem, is to my taste, still pleasanter to read. Pray let me know what parts of it strike you most, and believe me you cannot oblige me more than by corresponding on such subjects. Of the other Greek poets, Hesiod, Pindar, Eschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Appollonius Rhodius, and Theocritus, are the most worth reading. Of the tragedians, I like Euripides the best; but Sophocles is, I believe, more generally preferred, and is certainly more finished, and has fewer gross faults. Theocritus, in his way* is perfect; the two first Idylls, particularly, are excellent. I suppose the ode you like is Ada a Kuong, which is pretty enough, but not such as to give you any adequate idea of Theocritus. There is an elegy upon Adonis, by Bion, which is in parts very beautiful, and particularly some lines of it upon the common-place of death, which have been imitated over and over again, but have never been equalled. In Hesiod, the account of Pandora, of the golden age, &c. and some other parts, are very good; but there is much that is tiresome. Perhaps the work, which is most generally considered as not his, I mean the Ars, is the one that has most poetry in it. It is very good,

and to say that it is inferior to Homer's and Virgil's shields, is not saying much against it. Pindar is too often obscure, and sometimes much more spun out and wordy than suits my taste; but there are passages in him quite divine. I have not read above half his works. Appollonius Rhodius is, I think, very well worth reading. The beginning of Medæa's love is, I believe, original, and though often copied since, never equalled. There are many other fine parts in his poem, besides some of which Virgil has improved, others scarce equalled. There is, however, in the greater part of the poem an appearance of labour, and a hardness, that makes it tiresome. He seems to me

was in Bion's Now you have

to be an author of about the same degree of genius with Tasso; and if there is more in the latter to be liked, there is nothing I think, to be liked in him so well as the parts of Appollonius to which I have alluded. I have said nothing of Aristophanes, because I never read him. Callimachus and Moschus are worth reading; but there is little of them. By the way, I now recollect that the passage about death, which I said elegy upon Adonis, is in Moschus's upon Bion. all my knowledge about Greek poetry. I am quite pleased at your liking Ariosto so much; though indeed I foresaw you would, from the great delight you expressed at Spenser, who is certainly inferior to him, though very excellent too. Tasso, I think below both of them, but many count him the first among those three; and even Metastasio, who ought to be a better judge of Italian poetry than you or I, gives him upon the whole the preference to Ariosto.

You will, of course, have been rejoiced at the peace, as we all are. Mrs. F. desires to be remembered to you kindly. She is very busy just now, but will write to you soon. I think this place has looked more beautiful than ever this year, both in spring and summer, and so it does now in autumn. I have been very idle about my history, but I will make up for it bye and bye; though I believe I must go to Faris, to look at some papers there, before I can finish the first volume. I think in the last half of the Ili d you will admi e the 16th, 20th, 22d, and 24th, books particularly. I believe he general opinion is, that Homer did write near the shore, and he certainly does, as you

observe, particularly delight in illustrations taken from the sea, waves, &c. Perhaps a lion is rather too frequent a simile with him. I dare say you were delighted with Helen and Priam on the walls in the 3d book; and I suspect you will be proportionably disgusted with Tasso's servile and ill-placed imitation of it. Do not imagine, however, that I am not sensible to many beauties in Tasso, especially the parts imitated by Spencer, Erminia's flight and adventure, the description of the pestilence, and many others. I am, dear sir,

I am quite scandalized at having so long delayed answering your letters, but I put it off, as I am apt to do every thing, from day to day, till Christmas; and on that day Mrs. F. was taken very seriously ill with a fever, and sore throat of the inflammatory kind. The violence of the disorder was over this day se'nnight, but though she has been mending ever since, she is still weak. However, she may now be called comparatively speaking, quite well; and I did not like to write till I could tell you that she was so. I hope you go on with your Greek, and long to know whether you are as fond of the Odyssey as I am, as also what progress you have made in the other poets. The Plutarchus, whom you ask after, is, I believe, the same Plutarch who wrote the lives, and who certainly was of Cheronea. At least, I never heard of any other author of that name, and he wrote many philosophical works. I think when you say you despise Tasso, you go further than I can do; and though there is servility in his manner of imitation, which is disgusting, yet it is hardly fair to be angry with him for translating a simile of Homer's, a plunder, if it be one, of which