other writer could be compared; the Philosopher, who grasped the ideas of all things; the Wise One, whose comprehension seemed to other mortals unlimited. His writings became the Bible of a race. The mysteries of Roman priestcraft, the processes of divination, the science of the stars, were all found in his works."

8. Estimates of Vergil in the Present Century.

SELLAR: Roman Poets of the Augustan Age, 68-77.

THE AENEID.

1. Outside Facts about the Aeneid, and Vergil's Method of Composition. Vergil was engaged during the last ten years of his life upon the composition of the Aeneid, the final revision of which was prevented by the poet's untimely death on the 20th of September, 19 B. C. Conscious that his great work was incomplete, he directed his literary executors, Varius and Tucca, to burn the manuscript. But this act was fortunately prevented by the emperor himself. (See Testimonia, p. 11.) As to the manner of composition, Suetonius tells us that Vergil drafted his poem in prose, and then wrote the different books just as his fancy directed. Thus it is that lack of harmony between the different books in various small details may be discerned. The poet's care in polishing and perfecting was of the most laborious kind, and it is said that he expected to spend the next three years, had his life been spared, in a careful revision of the Aeneid.

TEUFFEL: Hist. Rom. Lit., I. 434.
NETTLESHIP: Vergil, 71-74.

CONINGTON: Works of Virgil, I. xxv-
xxvii.

CONINGTON: Works of Virgil, II. lxvilxviii, and xxi.

SIMCOX Hist. Lat. Lit., I. 271, 272, 274.

2. General Characteristics and Features. a. Moral aspects. CRUTTWELL: Hist. Rom. Lit., 272.

d. The story as treated by the Greeks.

b. Public aspects.

MYERS: Essay on Virgil, Fortnightly
Rev., Feb., 1879.

o. Certain shortcomings. SIMCOX: Hist. Lat. Lit., I. 273-277.

Latin elements embodied in it. - The story as handled by Roman writers before Vergil. The story as handled by Vergil, compared with the versions of Livy and Dionysius. — Difficulties with which Vergil had to contend. NETTLESHIP: Vergil, 45-73.

f. Some determining elements as to the form and spirit of the Aeneid. NETTLESHIP: Essays in Lat. Lit., 119

3. The Elements which enter into its Plan and Purpose.

a. The Aeneid a sequeband counterpart of | MYERS: Essay on Vergil, Fortnightly

7. The Aeneid Considered in Connection with Epic Poetry in General.

a. Two kinds of epics, with remarks upon

and examples of each.

CRUTTWELL: Hist. Rom. Lit., 266.

b. Homer, Vergil, and Milton compared. LONDON QUARTERLY REV., CI. 44. MYERS: Fortnightly Rev., Feb., 1879,

137.

CONINGTON: Works of Virgil, II. xxii. ADDISON: Spectator, Nos. 267, 273, 279 285, 297, 303.

Tattler, No. 6.

c. The Roman epic before the time of Vergil SELLAR Roman Poets of the Augustan Age, 280-294.

8. The Manuscripts, Commentators, and Translators.

There are six ancient manuscripts of Vergil, written in capitals, and dating from about the fifth century. These are:

1. The Medicean, in the Laurentian library at Florence.

2. The Palatine, in the Vatican library at Rome. (It was formerly in the Palatine library in Heidelberg.)

3. The Roman, in the Vatican library.

4. The Vatican fragment, in the Vatican library.

5. The St. Gall fragment, in the Stiftsbibliothek at St. Gall.

6. The Verona palimpsest, in the capitular library in Verona.

To these the so-called Augustean fragment, consisting of a few leaves only, should be added.

The cursive manuscripts, dating from the tenth century on, are very numerous, and are to be found in libraries in Florence, Rome, Milan, Trent, Hamburg, Breslau, Leipsic, Dresden, Paris, Dublin, Oxford, and elsewhere.

Of the ancient commentators the following may be mentioned: Aemilius Asper, M. Valerius Probus, Nonius, Aelius Donatus, Tiberius Claudius Donatus, and Servius. There are two scholia, the Verona and the Berne.

The prominent names among more modern commentators are Daniel and Nicholas Heinsius, Wagner, Ribbeck, Forbiger, Gossrau, and Heyne (the best of the German critics), and Conington, the leader among English commentators.

Of the very numerous translations since the first crude attempt by Caxton, the best yet produced are probably those of Dryden (poetical) and Conington (prose).

a. The manuscripts.

TEUFFEL: Hist. Rom. Lit., I. 448.

NETTLESHIP: Vergil, 87-89.

WILSTACH: Virgil, I. 7-13.

CONINGTON: Works of Virgil, I. cx-cxv.

b. The commentators,

TEUFFEL: Hist. Rom. Lit., I. 449.
WILSTACH. Virgil, I. 13-18.

CONINGTON: Works of Virgil, I. lvii-cix.

c. The translators.

WILSTACH: Virgil, I. 19–42.

CONINGTON: Works of Virgil translated into English Prose, i-lxiv.

PALGRAVE: Macmillan's Mag., XV. 196206, 401-412.

LONDON QUARTERLY REV., CX. 38-60

LIST OF TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION IN CONNECTION

WITH THE STUDY OF VERGIL.

1. Vergilian Proverbs.

2. A Word Study.

3. Fatalism in Vergil.

4. Vergil's Pictures of Roman Customs.

5. Pen Pictures,- Striking Scenes.

6. Astronomy in Vergil.

7. Vergil's Debt to Homer.

8. Milton's Debt to Vergil.

9. Dante, the Later Vergil.

10. Vergil's Influence upon Literature in General.

11. Vergil's Gods and their Worship.

12. Omens and Oracles.

13. Vergilian Herbarium, - the Flora of Vergil.

14. The Figures in Vergil.

15. Detailed Account of the Wanderings of Aeneas.
16. The Geography of Vergil.

17. Vergil as a Poet of Nature.

18. Vergil's Life and Character as Revealed in his Works.

19. History of the Manuscript Texts of Vergil.

20. The Vergilians, Translators and Commentators.

21. Some Noted Passages.

Why?

32. Was Vergil acquainted with the Hebrew Scriptures?

33. Visions and Dreams. - Supernatural Means of Spirit Communication.

34. Night Scenes in Vergil.

35. Different Names for Trojans and Greeks and their Significance.

36. The Story of the Aeneid.

TESTIMONIA DE VERGILIO.

Forte epos acer,

Ut nemo, Varius ducit; molle atque facetum

Vergilio annuerunt gaudentes rure Camenae (HOR., Sat. I. X. 43).

Et profugum Aenean, altae primordia Romae,

Quo nullum Latio clarius extat opus (OVID, Ars Amat. III. 337)

Tityrus et fruges Aeneïaque arma legentur,

Roma triumphati dum caput orbis erit (ID., Amores, I. 15, 25).

Mantua Vergilio gaudet, Verona Catullo;

Pelignae dicar gloria gentis ego (ID., Amores, III. 15, 7).

Mantua Musarum domus, atque ad sidera cantu

Evecta Andino, et Smyrnaeis aemula plectris (SILIUS, Lib. 8).

Vive precor, nec tu divinam Aeneida tenta

Sed longe sequere, et vestigia semper adora (STATIUS, Thebaïd).

Conditor Iliados cantabitur atque Maronis

Altisoni dubiam facientia carmina palmam (JUVENAL, Sat. XI. 180).

Temporibus nostris aetas cum cedat avorum,

Creverit et maior cum duce Roma suo;

Ingenium sacri miraris abesse Maronis,

Nec quemquam tanta bella sonare tuba?

Sint Maecenates; non deerunt, Flacce, Marones:

Vergiliumque tibi vel tua rura dabunt, etc. (MARTIAL, Epig.).

D. Augustus carmina Vergilii cremari contra testamenti eius verecundiam vetuit: maiusque ita vati testimonium contigit, quam si ipse sua carmina probavisset (PLINY, Hist. 7, 30).

Vergilii ante omnes [imaginem venerabatur Silius,] cuius natalem religiosius quam suum celebrabat, Neapoli maxime, ubi monumentum eius adire ut templum solebat (PLINY, Epist. 3, 7, 8).

Malo securum et secretum Vergilii secessum; in quo tamen, neque apud D. Augustum gratia caruit, neque apud populum Romanum notitia. Testes Augusti Epistolae; testis ipse populus, qui auditis in theatro versibus Vergiii surrexit universus, et forte praesentem spectantemque Vergilium veneratus est sic quasi Augustum (TACITUS, Dialog. de Orat.).