The 6th elegy of Hammond begins Thousands would seek the lasting peace of death, and is a translation of these two lines, which begin the 7th elegy of the second book of Tibullus. Finirent multi letho mala: sed credula vitam Spes fovet, et melius cras foret semper ait. The beginning of the 11th elegy of Hammond, The man who sharpen'd first the warlike steel, answers to the beginning of the 11th elegy of Tibullus. Quis fuit horrendos primus qui protulit enses? Tunc cædes hominum generi, tunc prælia nata; The translation in this place goes on pretty regularly; and it was certainly no unlucky circumstance that the noble earl should believe, if indeed he did believe, that the following quatrain flowed in a genuine strain from the breast of the English poet, instead of being but a copy of one of Tibullus, with the substitution of the name of Stanhope for that of Massala as must evidently appear on placing them together. Stanhope shall come and grace his rural friend, Hac veniet Messala meus, cui dulcia poma Et tantum venerata virum, hance sedula curet; The preceding seem to be examples sufficient to establish my position, that Hammond went much further, and made much freer with his original, than is understood by the phrase, of making one a model. Perhaps there might be a pious fraud in concealing the fact, that he was a translator, original matter being probably a more marketable commodity than second hand; and such an attempt would be in character for lord Chesterfield, who, counting largely on the cullibility of mankind, deeming, for instance, that no flattery is too gross for a woman, nor hardly any well turned nonsense too palpable for the ears of the mob of the House of Commons, might easily be led to suppose, that the mob of literati were equally liable to be imposed on. But whether or not there was a designed deception in the case, it must be admitted, that Hammond was eminently successful in imbibing the spirit of his original and making it his own. There is unquestionably an high degree of tenderness and elegance in his elegies, not at all perhaps inferior to those of Tibullus; nor can we fully assent to the austere decree of Doctor Johnson, that he did not deserve to gain his mistress, because addressing her in a fictitious character, and under Roman imagery. It is remarkable, by the by, that even the doctor seems wholly ignorant how he came by this imagery, and not in the least to suspect it to be the effect of translating a Roman author. Had he been aware of this, he would, most probably have said so, instead of simply charging him, with deviating from modern life and manners, and producing nothing but frigid pedantry. If, as he says of the prefacer (lord Chesterfield) it may be reasonably suspected that he never read the poems (that is of Hammond) it would be equally reasonable to suspect, that he (doctor Johnson) never read Tibullus; or, if he had read him, that he had wholly forgotten him, since the very passage he quotes from Hammond, as a proof of his want of passion and meaning, is taken from the 2d elegy of the third book of the Roman poet, the whole of which is translated with sufficient closeness. In fact I begin to suspect in my turn, that even the literary leviathans of England, have little acquaintance with the ancient poets, other than those that are thumbed in schools. CLASSICAL LITERATURE. The recent discovery of several new fables of Phædrus, having divided the opinions of the learned in Europe, the following from a respectable English Journal, will doubtless be acceptable. THE discovery of thirty-two new fables of Phædrus, if they were genuine, would be highly gratifying to the learned world. Phædrus was the slave of Augustus, and obtained his liberty by the merit of his fables. Works so highly rewarded by the emperor, in the most polished period of Rome, would claim no common interest. But the question of their authenticity remains to be decided. Nicolas Perotti, bishop of Siponto, lived in the 15th century. He wrote a folio volume intitled Cornucopia, on the first book only of Martial's Epigrams. Had he been equally condescending on the others, what a charming sight in a library had been fourteen folio volumes of Commentaries on Martial! In a small manuscript of 170 pages 8vo., containing about one hundred and sixty pieces, were found copied thirty-two unpublished fables of Phædrus; thirty others of the same writer, already known; thirty-six of Avienus, not reported as new, and sixty epigrams by Perotti himself. This MS. was known to Burman; but had been missed, and is lately recovered by M. Andres, conservator of the royal library at Naples. M. Cataldo Jannelli, one of the librarians, has printed these fables, with a commentary; has restored the passages damaged by time, by spots of mould, &c. and, in short, has treated this discovery as truly that of a valuable classic. He has added three dissertations; the second is in proof that these fables are really the work of Phædrus. They have been translated into Italian verse, by M. Petroni, and into French prose, by M. Bignoli. The arguments of M. Jannelli are thought by some to be conclusive. Certain it is, that the five books of Phædrus, long used in our schools, were not discovered till 1596; when they were found by P. Pithou, in the library of St. Remi, at Rheims; and that to this day all competent judges are not satisfied, whether they really appertain to the Augustan age. There are only two passages in ancient writers, in which Phædrus is mentioned. One is a verse of Martial, in which, inquiring the employment of a friend, he asks, An æmulatur improbi jocos Phædri? "Is he intent on equalling Phædrus in the jocose, but bitter style?" This character seems hardly applicable to a fabulist, but rather to a writer of epigrams, or satires. The second passage is more express. It is in the preface of Avienus, who lived in the fourth century, to his own fables: he distinctly names Phædrus as the author of five books of fables. Scriverius of Harlem, denied that the fables published by Pithou were written by Phædrus: he thought them not worthy of the age of Augustus; nor of the gift of liberty. He quotes from Perotti, bishop of Siponto, a passage, in which he acknowledges as his own, though borrowed in another form from Avienus, a fable beginning Olim quas vellent esse in tutelà tuâ, and ending, after eleven verses, Nisi utile quod facimus, stulta est gloria. Now, these twelve verses are found word for word in one of those fables of Phædrus, published by Pithou; here, then, is the authority of the former fables of Phædrus, impugned on the testimony of Perotti, who is the only evidence in favour of these newly discovered: was he acquainted with those fables, and adopted a passage from them, they not being then published? Certain it is, that he did not borrow them in another form, as he pretends, from Avienus, for that writer has no such matter. This statement, it must be confessed, bears hard on the good faith of Perotti; who, nevertheless, was a man of the greatest learning, as well as a bishop. He was attached to cardinal Bessarion, famous for his erudition: he was his conclavist. He also prevented him from being pope. It is said, that three cardinals applied for admission to cardinal Bassarien one morning, intending to offer him the tiara, in the name of the whole sacred college; but Perotti, knowing that his lordship was retired to his closet for the purpose of study, could not allow him to be disturbed, to see cardinals! he therefore sent away the deputies, and the proposal went off. When Bessarion was informed of the honour intended him, he said to Perotti, you have lost me the tiara, and lost yourself a cardinal's hat. While the learned on the continent are divided in opinion on the authenticity of these fables, their character must remain undecided. Their learned editors are clear in their judgment that they display the very style and manner of the freedman of Augustus: but the opinion of the very learned, Heyne is against them. MRS. SIDDONS'S DEPARTURE FROM THE STAGE. Covent Garden, June 29.-This distinguished actress, who has so long been the ornament of the tragic drama: who has been accustomed so often to subdue the soul by fictitious terror, and elevate the heart by the strongest and noblest representations of distress: who has, in fact, prolonged the illusion of the poet, and contributed to the immortality of his genius by the most powerful external representations of the passions, took her final leave of the stage this evening, in the character of lady Macbeth. It is the misfortune of all great excellence, that it never can be continued long amongst us; and it is yet a greater misfortune, when that excellence is of the peculiar kind and degree which belongs merely to the person, and is essentially inherent in the single object which produces it. The poet leaves his works behind him, the painter his picture, and the sculptor his statue. They expect, according to the merits of their several productions, to levy contributions of fame in distant ages, and receive the acclamations of future crowds. Indeed, almost every kind of genius has its peculiar instrument and operation, by which it continues its fame to posterity, and flourishes to the improvement and delight of succeeding generations. This, however, is not the lot of the actor; his genius, however eminent, produces no substance or permanent effect; he is, indeed, the creature of momentary joy, the phan |