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 THE 
 
 LIFE 
 
 O F 
 
 MAECENAS. 
 
 W I T II 
 
 Critical and Hiftorical NOTES. 
 
 Written in FRENCH 
 
 By M. RICHER, 
 
 Translated by 
 
 R. SC HOMBERG, M. D. 
 
 LONDON, 
 
 Printed for A.MILLAR, againft Catharine 
 
 Street in the Strand, and 
 Sold by M. COOPER, in Pater-Kofter-Rew. 
 
 MDCCXLVIII,
 
 I 

 
 Stack 
 Annex 
 
 T O 
 
 THE REVEREND 
 
 Everard Hutchefon, M. A. 
 
 DEAR SIR, 
 
 IT is with Biographers as it is in general 
 with Dedicators, they fo bedaub their 
 patron, or the perfon of whom they give 
 us the life, that there fcarce is a feature like, 
 and the picture may ferve any other body as 
 well. Two reafons there are, among the many, 
 why Biography is fo difficult a part of writing : 
 The firft reafon is, that, when we are advanced 
 feveral ages from the hero of whom we are 
 to give the hiftory, we are then deprived of 
 many opportunities of knowing particular cir- 
 cumftances and remarkable events, which we 
 muft borcow from the fragments and autho- 
 rities of antiquity, andtruft to their teftimonies 
 to illuftrate the character. The fecond is, 
 that if the perfon be living, or at too near a 
 point of view from us j his hiftory writer will 
 too probably fall into an extreme equally de- 
 trimental; I me.an flattery and fafaood. 
 
 IT is furprizing that men mould like to be 
 
 reprefented in a light, in which they never 
 
 a 2 fludied
 
 iv DEDICATION. 
 
 ftudied to place themfelves, and are proud of 
 being thought great and good, generous and 
 brave, when they never gave themfelves a 
 moment's trouble (nay, perhaps never had the 
 virtue or inclination) to become fo ! 
 
 Poets and hijlorians may be compared to 
 /overs, who make the very imperfections of 
 their miftreffes pafs for inimitable beauties j but 
 here is the difference, the lover (if I may be 
 allowed the expreffion) fees with fincerity j 
 the poet and the hiftorian, on the contrary, 
 efpy every fault, which mterejl, fear, or pre- 
 judice, make them conceal and daub over with 
 the meanefr. and moil fulfomc adulation. 
 
 AND yet, after all, the lives of great men, 
 if freed from this rubbifb, where faffs ap- 
 pear in their own proper colours j where 
 images are defcribed fuch as they are, and not 
 iuch as they ought to be ; where virtue and 
 learning, bravery and humanity, are moft agree- 
 ably blended, I fay, where this happens, it 
 helps to entertain, and fills us with a noble 
 emulation ; it gives a true idea, not only of 
 what thofe virtues are, but teaches alfo the 
 way which leads to them : We fee the faci- 
 lity of arriving at true hap'pinefs, if we will 
 only be at the pains of following fuch exam- 
 > pies as are fet before us, and imitate the 
 actions of men, whofe names are efteemed and 
 handed down to pofterity, becaufe they acted 
 as men fhould do, that would render them- 
 felves
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 felves the ufeful members of civil fociety. 
 Farther, 
 
 THE lives of great and good men are cer- 
 tainly the beft models for human actions ; and 
 though there are many (fuch is the corrofive 
 of their natures) who cannot admire any one 
 thing in their fellow creature, when living ; 
 will, when once the object is removed, adore 
 the character : it is then they will attend the 
 hero into camp, and follow him from one feat 
 of valour and intrepidity to another ; they 
 will accompany him to the cabinet, and ad- 
 mire his ability, his wifdom, and integrity; they 
 will trace him into his private conversations > and 
 wonder at his politenefs and affability. 
 
 IT is very extraordinary, that MAECENAS, 
 who was fo diftinguim'd a patron of learning, 
 and ib great a protector of learned men, as in 
 all ages to have honoured with his name fuch 
 who trod in his paths, mould not have 
 found gratitude enough among the Rommwn- 
 ters, who immediately felt his bounty and 
 generality, as to engage them to give us an 
 account of him, his education, and other cir- 
 cumftances of his life. It is true we find the 
 greateft poets of the age celebrate M^CENAS, 
 and mention him with reverence j fome few 
 profe writers too have done the fame ; but 
 they are neither of them fatisfactory and full 
 enough ; : we admire the compliments, but 
 we know little or nothing of the perfon to 
 whom they were paid. There is fomething 
 
 even
 
 vi . DEDICATION. 
 
 even in the minuteft actions of great men, that 
 should not be pafled over in filence ; how can 
 we account for this fhameful neglect ? 
 
 THE following meets, which YOU were 
 pleofed to put into my hands, and defire a 
 translation of, will not be unacceptable to the 
 Deader ; as they contain the moft methodical 
 and accurate, as well as trueft relation of all 
 fuch pafliiges as were proper to illuflrate the 
 ilibjecT:, 1 have hitherto ever feen. I have 
 taken the liberty to add feveral quotations, 
 which are not in the French, to fave the rea- 
 der the trouble of turning over the authors 
 cited in the notes, or in the body of the work. 
 
 As I never will follow the fteps of modern 
 Dedicators, I chute rather to addrefs thefe 
 pages to YOU, than feemingly to honour 
 them with the pompous name of fome great 
 court lord) or mini ft er of ft ate - y preferring 
 * my friend, with whom I can deal candidly and 
 familiarly, to a menial compliment or zfcrvik 
 expectation. I am, 
 
 DEAR SIR, 
 
 Your mojl affectionate Friend, 
 and mo ft obedient Servant, 
 
 R. SCHOMBERG.
 
 (Tii) 
 
 PRE F AC 
 
 r ~T > HO S E who lave moft contributed towards 
 * the happinefs and good of human fociety, ds- 
 fervedly claim a place in the records of Hiftcry. 
 While on the other hand, the Monfters, whofe 
 aftions have rendered them odious, and who 
 have been diftinguifloed for their Enormities, 
 ought to lie for ever buried in oblivion. What 
 an affront are the lives of a CALIGULA, a NERO, 
 a COMMODUS, an HELIOGABALUS, to mankind / 
 Their wickednefs and extravagancies have never- 
 thelefs been tranfmitted down to us. They are men- 
 tioned, it is true, with indignation, and with a de- 
 fign to deter others ; and fo far indeed, we may ven- 
 ture to fay, Hiftory is ufeful in the defcription 
 pven of thefe moft frightful characters. But 
 the Jhining and eminent qualities of illuftrious 
 men are better adapted to infpire virtue, as they 
 naturally excite us to imitation. 'They ought to de- 
 fcend to pofterity as an example to thofe who would 
 engage in the fame career. What excellent models 
 fire the reigns of an AUGUSTUS, a TITUS, a 
 TRAJAN, an ANTONINUS, a MARCUS AURE- 
 LIUS, to fucceeding monarch s? Thofe princes flu- 
 died the good of mankind; and their juftly efteemed 
 end adored names are confecrc.ted' to a happy im- 
 
 worta-
 
 P R E F A C E. 
 
 mortality. 'The glorious commanders, and able 
 minifters, who by their bravery and counfels have 
 contributed to the honour of their prime and the 
 welfare of a people? merit the fame rewards : 
 But when, added to thefe perfections, they have alfo 
 cherifhed the arts and fciences, how full is then 
 the meafure of their glory ! 'The pleaftng knowledge 
 of the Belles Lettres dignified conquerors with the 
 title of HEROES ; they temper valour and foften 
 it into humanity ; not fo were the GENSE RICS, the 
 ATT i LAS, and all thofe barbarian kings, who, 
 having no other view than to ravage the world 
 and to govern a Jlavijh race, defpifed learning, 
 deftroyed all the arts and fciences, and permitted 
 ignorance to darken all thofe places where their ty- 
 ranny extended. 
 
 THE Belles Lettres are of tie great eft ad- 
 vantage to princes as well as minifters ; they 
 enlighten the mind, enlarge the underftand- 
 ing, and give thofe who cultivate them a true 
 knowledge of paft tranfatfions. No ftatefmen 
 ever fucceeded fo well in this as MAECENAS. 'To 
 his happy acquaintance with them was owing the 
 prudence and moderation of his regency during his 
 prince's abfence, and the wife counfels which he 
 gave him. He fixed no bounds to his love for 
 Letters, the worth of which he fo well knew -, 
 hejhewed them unlimited favours, nor had they 
 ever fo great a proteftor. 
 
 THE
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE Name of MAECENAS is known to all ; 
 bis Actions but to few, and that too very darkly. 
 It is in general ajjured, that he was the Favourite 
 0/" AUGUST us, and the Patron of the Literati; 
 but that he was a brave foldier and an able mini- 
 fter is not fo dearly underftood. It is with an in- 
 tent to make him better, known that I have un- 
 dertaken his hiftory. MEIBOMIUS, a learned 
 German, has done it in Latin : but there are many, 
 who do not underftand that language ; and thofe 
 who^ do, may have obferved that he has choaked 
 the life of MAECENAS with fuch a number of quo- 
 tations and endlefs digrejjions, that the faffs rela- 
 ting to his life are left in an ocean of profound cri~ 
 ticifm and learning. Nor has he preferved every 
 where a regular method as to the order of time. 
 I have endeavoured to rettify this. MEIBOMIUS 
 was, I confefs, of ufe to me in my compojition of 
 this work. I have corretted, expunged^ and added 
 fome new obfervations. 
 
 THE life of MAECENAS being pretty much in- 
 termixed with that 0/,AucusTus, I have lightly 
 touched over thofe paffages of the hiftory of that 
 prince, in which his favourite had any Jhare. In 
 Jhort, I have collected all faffs with relation to my 
 hero, in fuch fcraps as I could obtain them from 
 ancient authors, faffs which cannot but make a 
 better imprejfion when reunited and brottght to one 
 point of light, than when differ fed (as they are) 
 and fcattered up and down in hiftory. 
 
 b I bad
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 / had juft fatijhed this work, 'when I was 
 informed^ that a celebrated academician load pro- 
 nounced a difcaurfe, entitled, Enquiries concerning 
 the life of MAECENAS *. My plan is quite diffe- 
 rent. His difcourfe is crntoricd and academical -> 
 I have endeavour'.^ to write a bijloij^ and have 
 flofely obferved chronology. Many authors how- 
 tver have frequently touched upon the fame fubjeci 
 vjitb very good fuccefs ; the ingenious academician 
 is already ajfured of it. I can at prefent only live 
 in hopes to deferve it. 
 
 * In tlit Memoirs of the Academy of infcriptions and 
 Idles lettres, torn. 13. 
 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 LIFE 
 
 O F 
 
 MAECENAS. 
 
 CAIUS CILNIUS MAECENAS (), accord- 
 ing to HORACE'S account, came into the 
 world en the ides (), the i3th day of 
 "April j but where or in what year he was born, 
 is hitherto unknown. His family were origi- 
 
 (tf) CAIUS was the proper name of MAECENAS, 
 CILNIUS that of his family, and MAECENAS his fur- 
 name. It was cuitomary among the Romans to give the 
 family name to their children the very next day after they 
 were born ; the proper name was aflumed, when they 
 put on the Toga viri/is ; and the furnamc diflinguimed 
 the different branches of the family j this however was 
 often given upon other occasions. Two furnames were 
 fometimes beftowed on one and the fame perfon ; the 
 Zaft of which was added on account of fome gallant 
 
 3 nally
 
 Life 
 
 nally from Arezzo^ a city in Etruria, where 
 the CILNII lived in great power and fplen-. 
 dor. His father's name was MENODORUS 
 and defcended in the male line from ELBIUS 
 
 adtion, or vi&ory, as AFRICANUS, ASIATICUS, &c. 
 VARRO, Book vii. fays MAECENAS took his name from 
 fome place ; and it is conje&ured that this was a bur- 
 rough in Etruria, at fome diftance from the fea, of 
 which" PLINY, Book xiv. chap. 6. making mention 
 of the beft Italian wines, gives us an account, in Mediter- 
 raneo, C*sfenatia y ac Meecenatiana. Many Romans be- 
 fore our MAECENAS were of the name. SILIUS ITA- 
 JLICUS, Book x. $ 39, & feq. fpeaks of the oldeft of 
 them, who was killed at the battle of Cannes^ the year 
 of Rome 538, and was of the fame family witb our 
 MAECENAS. 
 
 Oppetis, &f Tyrio fuper inguina fixe verufy 
 Maecenas, cui Maeonia venerabile terra-) 
 t fceptris dim celebration nomcn Hetrufcis, 
 
 CICERO in his oration for CLUENTIUS mentions a C 
 M^EC E N T A s, a Roman knight, with great refpeft and defe- 
 rence, for having nobly oppofed LIVIUS DRU&US, a 
 tribune of the people, in the year of Rome 663. 
 
 (b) THE ides were the 15th of the months of March, 
 t July, and Oftober, and the 1310- of the reft. 
 The fame ityle and method is obferved to this day at 
 the chancery at Rome. JULIUS SCALIGER fays, that 
 MAECENAS was born on the feaft of FLORA. But he 
 is miftaken ; for the Floran games were celebrated on 
 the 28th of April only. HORACE kept the birthday 
 of MAECENAS conftantly every year. He invites 
 PHILLIS, 
 
 Ut tamennoris, quibzis advoccri: 
 G audits : idus tibi furtt agenda j 
 Qui dies menfem J^entris martins? 
 
 Findit Aprikm,
 
 Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 (c\ the lafl king of that coun- 
 try, who fprung from POR SENNA the protestor of 
 the Tarquins. ELBIUS was flain in a battle 
 againft the Romans, on the banks of the lake of 
 
 Jure foknms ?nibi, fanflwrquc 
 Pcr.e naiall proprio : quod jgx hac 
 Luce Mxcer.as meus affluentes 
 
 (Jrdinat annos. 
 
 HOR. B. iv. Odexi. 
 
 . 
 
 But why this bufy feftal care ? 
 This Invitation to the fair? 
 This day the fmiling month divides, 
 O'er which the fea-born queen prefides ; 
 Sacred to me s and due to mirth, 
 As the glad hour that gave me birth : 
 For when this happy morn appears, 
 MJECENAS counts .a length of years 
 To roll in bright fucceflion round, 
 With ev'ry joy and blclling crown'd; FRANCIS. 
 
 M THE poets and hiftorians of antiquity fufficiently 
 atteft the illuftrious defcent of MAECENAS : 
 
 Maecenas, atavis edite regibus. 
 
 HOR. B. i. Ode i. 
 Tyrrlena re gum progenies. 
 
 Id. B. iii. Ode xxix. 
 
 Maecenas eques Etrufco fie fangulne regum. 
 
 Propert. B. iii. Eleg. vii. 
 
 Maecenas atavh regilus art us cques. 
 
 Martial. B. xii. Epig. iv. 
 
 Tune urbis cuftodiis prsepofitus C. Maecenas, equeftri, fed 
 fplendidogenere natus, faysVELLEius PATERCULUS. 
 A fragment of a letter from AUGUSTUS to his favourite, 
 ^mentioned by MACROBIUS, B. ii. Sat. chap. 4. is a 
 tf 2 ' Bfifla*
 
 The Life of MM c E N A s ." 
 B'&ffcnsllo (d] y in the year of Rome 444. This 
 defeat ruined the 'Tufcan Intereft : and TURRE- 
 xus, the fon of ELBIUS, thereupon furrendered 
 his metropolis to the Romans. He prefervcd 
 nevertlielefs the cuftoms 'and manners of his 
 country, and even refufed to learn the language 
 of his conquerors. In this he was followed by 
 his defcendents down to CECINNAVOLTURRENUS 
 chief of the Augurs^ his great grandfon, who 
 learnt the Latin. ME NIP PUS was the fon of this 
 CECINN-A, and father of MENODORUS, who, ac- 
 cording to the opinion of fome people, was en- 
 gaged with JULIUS C/ESAR againft POMPEY. 
 
 farther confirmation-. Vale, mel'gentium, mekule, ebur 
 ex Etruria, lafer Aretiniim, adamas fupernas, Tyberi- 
 aum margaritum, Cilniorum fmaragde, jafpi figulorum, 
 "berylle Porfense, &c. This infinuates moreover, that 
 MAECENAS was originally from Arezzo, and defcended 
 from the CILNII. DACIER and other learned Com- 
 mentators dilallow the royal origin of MAECENAS, and 
 fay, to fupport their argument, that the word reges is 
 Ibmetimes taken for men in power, and of great for- 
 tune. But this aflertion carries no weight with it. 
 They fhould have proved that the authors now cited, 
 made ufe of reges in that fenfe. How will they re- 
 concile this to the paffege in SJLIUS ITALIC us, 
 
 Et fceptris ollm celcbratum nomcn Etrufcis. 
 
 iJoth not this x'erfe plainly imply that the ancestors of 
 MJECEXAS, v.-hom he is cclc'orating, were kings of 
 Etruria ? 
 
 (tf] E L B i u s was overcome by the Romans ad J?adimsrJs 
 Jacun:. This, according to LEAN DEE. ALEERTI'S De~ 
 
 "From
 
 The Life o 
 
 From him defcended MAECENAS, who -on the 
 mother's fide was not lefs illuftrious, both his 
 grandfathers having commanded the Roman le- 
 gions (/). His anceftors fettling in Rome, were 
 admitted into the Equeftrian Order j a title which 
 MAECENAS contentedly enjoyed while he lived. 
 
 ALTHOUGH we have no particulars relating to 
 his education, it is not in the leait to be doubted,' 
 but that great care was taken from his very infancy, 
 it mould be anfwerable to his birth and quality ; 
 fmce he is defcribed, at the age of manhood, as a 
 
 fcript. IfalifSy is the lake of Bajfanello, near the city of 
 that name in the Pope's territories, or, as FABRICIUS 
 thinks, the lake of Fiterbo. 
 
 (e] THE Romans had two forts of legions, the great 
 and fmall. The great were compofed of fix thoufand 
 foot, and feven hundred twenty fix horfej the, fmall 
 often confided of no more than two thoufand men. 
 CICERO, ad Atiicum, B. V. Epiit. xv. calls thefe exiles : 
 Et cum exercitum nofter amicus habeat, tan turn me 
 nomen habere duarum legionum exilium. The aiv- 
 oeftors of MAECENAS commanded the reat IC^CKS : 
 
 
 Non, quiz^ Maecenas, Lydorum quityiid E;ruj~\;s 
 Incoluit fineis^ nemo gtnerofior eft te ', 
 Nee, quod avtis tibi Jit mat emus atque paternits^ 
 dim qui ma^gnis ligioni&us imperitar'mt. 
 
 HoR.Sat. B.i. S. sr.L 
 
 Though, iince the Lydians fill'd the Tufcan coafts, 
 No richer blood than yours, Et} uria boafts ; 
 Though your great anceftors could armies l^aa, 
 You don't, as many do, with fcorn upbraid 
 The man of birth unknown. . FR A x c ;:. 
 
 B 3 perfun,
 
 6 *& Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 p'erfon perfectly well acquainted with the Greek 
 and Roman languages (/) ; and his mind alfo at the 
 fame time enriched with every other branch or 
 polite literature, which he could not have found 
 Jeifure to have acquired daring the troubles of 
 civil wars, on account of his public employments. 
 To the fludy of the languages he joined that of 
 philofophy, and was particularly attached to the 
 Epicureans (), who were then in great vogue, 
 
 (/) DOCTE fermones utriufque linguse, fays HO- 
 RACE to M.ffiCE:\ T AS. The Romans ftudied both the 
 Latin and Greek. For though the Latin was their mo- 
 ther tongue, they neverthelefs applied themfelves very 
 clofely to it,, ia order to write and fpeak it correctly. 
 CICERO advifes his fon MARCUS, then at Athens ^ to 
 join the ftudy of Latin authors to thofe of the Greek^ as 
 he himfelf had done : Ut ipfe ad meam utilitatem femper 
 cum Graecis Latina conjunxi : neque id in philofophia fo- 
 lum, fed etiam in dicendi exercitatione feci : idem tibi 
 cenfeo faciendum, ut par fis in utriufque orationis fa- 
 cultate. De offic. B. i. Chap. i. 
 
 (g) EPICURUS placed fovereign happinefs in vpluptuouf- 
 nefs, but in fuch a one as was attended with prudence, 
 and becoming the wife man. SENECA, who was one of 
 his greateft adverfaries, refufes him not this piece of 
 juftice. A body devoid of pain, and a foul without 
 trouble, were the two chief points on which EPICU- 
 RUS fixed his true happinefs. But his pretended 
 followers mifapplied the word voluptuoufnefs : Hoc eft, 
 fays SENECA De vita beata, Chap. 13. cur ifta vo- 
 luptatis laudatio perniciofa fit, quia honefta praecepta 
 intra latent : quod corrumpit, apparet. In ea quidem 
 ipfe fententia fum (invitis hoc veftris popularibus dicam) 
 fancla Epicurum & recta praecipere, &, fi propius acceffe- 
 ris, triftia : Voluptas enim ilia ad parvum & exile revo- 
 
 both
 
 The Life of 
 both becaufe there were many perfons of the firft 
 rank and diftin<5tion,who countenanced and conv 
 pofed that feet, as that they had about that time 
 published feveral excellent and valuable writings. 
 Jle exprefied a great fondnefs for rhetorick and 
 poetry, and even took a particular delight in di- 
 verting bimfelf with the mufes. His love for 
 letters made him not unmindful of his military ex- 
 ercifes (), a teflimony \\ihereofis given him by a 
 writer of his own time, and which wi-11 be cork- 
 firmed hereafter in the hiftory of his life : He 
 undoubtedly had received the fame education 
 which he recommended OCTAVIUS to beflow on 
 the young Roman nobility, as we mall obferve in 
 its place, 
 
 'WE know nothing of him during his younger 
 days ; he never appeared with any luftre till 
 after the deatn of the great JULIUS ; when 
 OCTAVIUS formed the vaft defign of grafping the- 
 Empire of the Roman commonwealth. JULIUS, 
 
 catur ; & quam nos virtuti legern dicimus, earn ille di- 
 cit voluptati. It is therefore unjuft, fays our Stoic, 
 that poor EPICURUS fhould be fo run down Itaquenon 
 dico quod plerique noftrorum, fedtam-Epicuri flagitiorura 
 magiftram efle ; fed illud dico, Male audit, infamis eft, 
 & immerito. Ibid. 
 
 (Jj] PEDONI-US in his Epicedium^ Eleg. i. plainly fays 
 MAECENAS went through his military exercifes; 
 
 Pallade cum do ft a Pbcelns donaverat-aries 1 : 
 1u deem y laudes buju's C3* fjies fi'3> t . 
 
 accord-
 
 I 7%f Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 according to the Roman cuftom (/'), had fent OCT A- 
 vius, his great nephew, a young man of an un- 
 common genius, to ftudy in Greece. He lived at 
 Apollonia(k}j*hxxt AGRIPPA then happened to re- 
 fide. It is conjectured that M^ECEKAS con-' 
 traded his friendfhip with thefe two illuftrious 
 Romans during his ftay there : they became fo 
 intimately familiar, that their friendihip ended 
 only with their lives. OCTAVIUS placed fuch a 
 confidence in his two friends, that he did nothing 
 without confulting them ; and they, in return, 
 never gave him any advice, but what tended to 
 advance liis glory or his intereft. MAECENAS 
 however was the greater favourite of the two ; 
 he was entrufled with all his fecrets -, a confidence 
 which he well deferved for his attachment ^ fidelity ^ 
 and difcretion. 
 
 Y. of R. JULIUS CAESAR having been murdered in the 
 T'^- fenate houfe, young OCTAVIUS returned toRotne 
 from Apollonia to fucceed him> as he had been 
 adopted and conftituted his heir. He publickly 
 afTumed the title of OESAR, 'and refolved to re* 
 venge the death of JULIUS. It was then he pro- 
 fited by the counfels of MAECENAS, and tjiat the 
 
 
 
 (/) ET pacatis bellis civilibus ad .erudiendum Kbera- 
 libus difciplinis fmgularis indolem juvenis, Apolloniam- 
 euminftudiamiferat VELLEIUS PATERCULUS, B. ii. 
 Chap. 59. 
 
 (It] THERE were many cities called /pollonia. This 
 we are now fpeafc-ng of ' was a 'Cci imh'rah colony,. fitua- 
 
 great
 
 Tit Life of- Ala c ^ AS. ' c 
 
 great talents of this favourite minilter appeared 
 fo confpicuous. He gave the nrlt proofs of his 
 courage in the war the fenate carried on againft 
 M. Ax TONY, who v/as aiming at "fpvereignt'y, 
 and befieging Modenc, in which DE'CIMUS BRU- y. of R, 
 TUS, one of the murderers of C/ES AR, then v/as. 7 - 
 TheConiuls HJRTIUS and PANSA commanded 
 the army of the republic; and" young OcTAr't 
 vius, proprsetor, at the head of his father's ve- ." 
 teran troops, who were entirely attached to him, 
 artfully difiembling his refentment againft the 
 confpirators, joined the confuls to oppofe AN- 
 TONY, whofe power he became jealous of. 
 "The battle of Modena lafted two whole days. 
 ANTONY loft it ; HIRTIUS was fiain in the 
 field \ and PANS A. expired a few days after, of 
 the wounds he had there received. MAECENAS 
 was prefent at this terrible action ; he was never 
 frm OCTAVIUS'S fide, and by his counfels and 
 bravery- greatly contributed to the happy fuccels 
 of his prinqe's arms (/). 
 
 vlji? 
 
 ted. on, the wefteri^ fide of Macedonia, at the mouth of 
 the river Poline; prsmifTus Apolloniam ftudiis vacavit, 
 fa}-s%ToNius Be*it. ORav. dcfar. Chap. 8. 
 
 ' (/) PROPERTIUS, B. ii. Eleg. I. allures us that MAE- 
 CENAS was at the fiegeof Modena > in the Macedomdn 
 and Perufian wars, the naval fight aga'uul ihe younger 
 POMPEY, and at the battle of Aflium: 
 >uod mihi ft tantwn y ^Maecenas, fals dtdifc":* 
 
 Ut pojjern aeroas duure in arma mar.-*; , 
 Bellaque refaut tui mmorarzrr. Cizfar;; ; f 3 ?:: . . 
 Ctefart Cub maya 'cura f::ur.da ffrt's* 
 
 Bv
 
 BY the death of the two confuls, OCTAVJUS 
 became commander in chief of both armies. It 
 was then in fpite of his years he afpired to the fkft 
 rank in the commonwealth, and, flumed with his 
 power and victory, prefumed to afk the confular 
 dignity. The fenate, who dreaded the too great 
 power of this young ambitious man, refufed 
 Jiim. OCT AVIUS, to be revenged for this affront, 
 reconciled himfelf to ANTONY, and together 
 with him and LEPIDUS formed that fo well 
 of R. known odious alliance, the TRIUMVIR AT E.They 
 had an interview at an ifland of the Panara, near 
 Modem : They were alone ; neither did OCTA- 
 vius advife with MAECENAS, when he fubfcribed 
 
 Nam quoties Mutinam, out civilia biijla PhiUppos 9 
 
 Aut canerem Siculee clajffica bclla fugfs, 
 Everfofque focos antiques gent it Etrufc& 9 
 
 Et Ptolemaets Kttora capta Pbari, 
 jfut regum aurath circumdata cclla catenis, 
 
 ARiaque in facra 'cur fere rdjlra via, 
 Te mea Mufa illls femper contexerit armis y 
 
 Et fumpta Cff pofita pace fidele caput. 
 
 The feventh line alludes to the facking of Perufia^ a 
 city of ancient Etruria 9 whither M-ffiCENAs accom- 
 panied his mafter the eighth line feems to infmuate 
 that he was alfo with OCTAVIUS at the conqueft of 
 Egypt, though V E L L E i u s" exprefly fays that M JE c E K A s 
 "was prefect of Rorne during thofc laft wars Durn ul- 
 timam bello A6liaco, Alexandrinoque Caefar imponit 
 manum, tune urbis cuftodiis praepofltus C.MJECE- 
 NAS, &c. and flified the confpiracy cf young- LE- 
 PIDUS. - 
 
 "'-""'-'""- ' - -'"that
 
 The Life if MACE HAS. ij 
 
 that horrid profcriptiori, by which Rome was 
 robbed of her beft citizens, 
 
 ANTONY and OCTAVIUS leaving LEPIDUSY. of R. 
 at Rome., marched againft BRUTUS and CASSIUS. 
 the chief cpnlpirators.- The two armies met 
 near Philippi, a city of Macedonia j and gave 
 each other two battles, which were very defpe- 
 rate and uncertain in their events, till fortune 
 determined in favour of the TRIUMVIRATE -, 
 and the two great and laft defenders of the Ro- 
 man liberty killed themfelves, that they might 
 not fall into the hands of the conquerors. MAE- 
 CENAS greatly fignalized himfelf in thefe two 
 battles (m] -, and he, who in peace was marked 
 put for his luxury and effeminacy, appeared in 
 the fields of Pbilippi all covered over with duft, 
 and terrible to his enemies, 
 
 HORACE, who in his younger years bore arms, 
 was in the republican army, and a tribune under 
 BRUTUS and CASSIUS (). He owns himfelf 
 
 (/) FED ON I us, in his Epicedinnt, defcribes the valour 
 of MAECENAS in the fields of Pb Hipp I : 
 
 Pufaere in Mmatbio foriem videre Pbilippi ; 
 hiam nunc ille t'enerj tarn gratis bojlh erai. 
 
 [n] IT is plain from feveral pafliiges in HORACE, 
 that he was a tribune in the army of BRUTUS -and 
 CASSIUS, and loft all his fortune, which obliged him 
 to turn poet.
 
 is Me Ltfe o 
 
 to have loft, on that fatal day, both his honour and 
 eftate. Reduced to poverty, he found himfelf 
 under a neceffity to commence poet ; a poor ihift 
 againft want and indigence , it fucceeded how- 
 ever happily with this celebrated wit, through- 
 the favour of MAECENAS. 
 
 Nunc ad me redeo libertino patre naium : 
 ^ucnz rodunt omnes libertino patre natum, 
 Nunc, quia fim till, Macenas, conviftor \ at dim 
 Quod mini pareret legio Romana tribune. 
 
 HOR. B. i. Sat. vi. 
 
 As for myfelf ; a freeman's fon confeft ; 
 A freeman's fon, the publick fcorn and jeft, 
 That now with you I joy the focial hour ; 
 That once a Roman legion own'd my power. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 Untie fimul primum me demifcre Pbilippi, 
 
 Decijis humilem pennis, ixopcmque paterni 
 
 Et laris, C3* fundi : paupsrias 'itnpuli't audax, 
 
 Ut verfus facerem. HOR. B. ii. Epift. ii. 
 
 Dread Pkilipp?s field 
 
 Firft dipt my wings, and taught my pride to yield, 
 My fortune ruin'd, blafted all my views, 
 Bold Hunger edg'd, and Want infpir'd my Mufc. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 Poetry in die Auguftan age was not only more profi- 
 table, but honourable than in our days, 
 
 Quis tibi M&ceiuii ? qtiis nunc erlt ant Proculeius ? 
 Tune par ingenio pretium* 
 
 JUVENAL. Sat vii. 
 
 Though HORACE was under a neceflity of writing for 
 bfead, we find nothing of his that has the leaft air of 
 
 ALTHOUGH
 
 fbe Life of MAECENAS.' 13 
 
 ' 
 
 ALTHOUH VIRGIL had not taken up arms, 
 againft the TRIUMVIRATE, he was difpoflefled 
 of his paternal eftate, which their foldiers fhared 
 at the fields of Cremona and Mantita (<?). The poet, 
 
 carelefihefs and neglect ; either becaufe he very pru- 
 dently fupprefled all his juvenile productions, or that 
 his tafte and genius would* not permit him to write but 
 in the moft beautiful and finiftied gout. It is likely how- 
 ever that he would not have fucceeded fo well but for 
 the great favour of MAECENAS : 
 
 Neque enim cantor e fub antro 
 Pierio, thyrfumve pot eft contingere fana 
 Paupertas, atque tern inop!, quo nofte dieque 
 Corpus eget. Satur //?, cum dicit Horatius, ohe f 
 
 JUVENAL. Sat.vii. 
 
 ' Muft be fecure from want, if not abound. 
 Unvex'd with thought of wants which may betide, 
 Or for to-morrow's dinner to provide. 
 HORACE ne'er wrote but with a rofy cheek, 
 His belly pamper'd, and his fides were fleak. 
 
 CHAR. DRYDEN. 
 
 SIDONIUS APOLLINARIS in his preface to the Pane- 
 gyric of MAJORIANUS, infinuates that we owe the 
 works of HORACE to the pardon he obtained through 
 MAECENAS : 
 
 Et tibi, Placet^ acies Eruti CaJJlque fecuto. 
 Car minis eft autor, qui fuit et Venice. 
 
 () 
 
 L. hio te^ Moeri^ pedss ? an t quo via ducit^ in urlem? 
 M. O Lycida^ vivi pefpenimus,, advena no/fri, 
 Qnod numquam ver'tti fumuSj ut poffeffor agettt 
 D'neret ; ffirt ' -maf-funt ; vet ens migrate colom. 
 - - . deprived
 
 tfhe Life of MJECENAS. 
 deprived of his patrimony by the centurion 
 ARIUS, made his application to POLLIO, in order 
 to have it reftored. This illuftrious Roman re- 
 commended him to MAECENAS ; who not only 
 Favoured him with his proteftion, but even in- 
 troduced him to OCTAVIUS, from whom he re- 
 ceived all defired fatisfaction. VIRGIL became an 
 intimate of MAECENAS ; we are not only indebted 
 to the zeal and encouragement of this patron of 
 the Mufes, for the Georgics^ which VIRGIL de- 
 dicated to Him from a principle of gratitude, but 
 for the JEmids alfo (p). Thus the favours of 
 the Great infpire and encourage genius and life- 
 
 Nunc vitti, trifles ^ quoniamfors omnia verfat, 
 Has illi (quod nee bene vertat) mittimus hcedos. 
 
 VIRG. Bucolic, xii 
 
 Lt Ho, MOERIS ! whither on thy way fo fail ? 
 This leads to town. 
 
 M. O LYCIDAS, at laft 
 
 The time is come I never thought to fee, 
 (Strange revolution for my farm and me) 
 When the grim captain in a furly tone,- 
 Cries out, Pack up, ye rafcals, and begone. 
 Kick'd out, we fet the belt face on't we cou'd, -y 
 And thefe two kids t'appeafe his angry mood C 
 I bear, of which the Furies give him good. \ \ 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 (p) MARTIAL celebrates the generofity of MJECE-* 
 NAS, and the protection with which he favoured VJR- 
 GIL, and gave rife to the JEneids ; 
 
 Ingenium facri nuraris abejje 
 Nee qutmquam tanta bellaf 
 
 Jonare iula.
 
 of 
 
 and pave the way for excellent and im- 
 mortal writings (j). 
 
 M^EC,E-NAS very -warmly eipoiKfed .die caufey O f 
 and ihterefts of men of letters: a frefh oppor- 713 
 tunity offered foon after :. VIRQIL and V^ 
 HI us having mentioned HORACE to him, he 
 exprelfed a defire to fee him. Let us attend the 
 
 Slnt Macenates, non deerunt, Placcc y 
 
 Vitgiliumque tibi vet tua rura dabunt. 
 jfugera per aider at miferse viclna Cremona 3 
 
 Fkbat fcf abdutfas Tityrus teger qvef. ' 
 Rifit Thufcus eques? paupertatemque malignant 
 
 _ Rtppulity & celeri jujfit abire fuga 
 'Accipe divitiasy & vatum maximum efto : 
 
 7* licet y noftrum^ dixlt^ Altxm ames. 
 
 .-* - - - - --- ^ . W JN 
 
 Excidit attonito pingttis Galatea poet& 9 
 Tbejiylis ff rubras mejjtbus ujia genas : 
 
 * Prtfiyus Itqtiqm concej>it 9 & Arrna virumque, 
 
 *ui mode vix Cidicem fleverat ore rudi. '""" 
 
 MARTIAL. B. viii. Epig.Ivi* 
 
 This epigram informs us that MAECENAS made VIR-< 
 <;IL a prefent alfo of young ALEXIS, who handed 
 tlrink to him, and is honoured by the poet in his fecond 
 eclogue. SERVIUS however in his comment upon this 
 eclogue, and APULEIUS in Apol, fay it was POL LI a 
 made VIRGIL this prefent. SEJIVIUS farther obferves, 
 VIRGIL was fond of young people, but .adds, that it 
 was not with any indecent view; and this is agreeable 
 to the character of prudence, for which he was always 
 fp remarjcable. 
 
 
 
 {,$) THE prote&ion given to the Literati by men in 
 t>bwer 5 has always retorted honour upon themfelves. 
 
 poet
 
 16 7& Ltfe of 
 
 poet Ingcnioufly reprcfenting himfclf in this firil 
 rencontre : 
 
 Felicem dicer e non hot 
 Me poffum, cafu quod te fortitus amicitm. 
 Nutta etenim tibi me for s obtulit : optimus dim 
 Virgilius, poft hunc Varius, dixere quid ejfcm. 
 Ut veni coram, fmgultim pauca locutus, 
 -(Infans namque pud&r probibebat plura prof an) 
 Non ego me claro natum patre, non ego circum 
 Me Satureiano veftari rura caballo -, 
 Sed, quod eram, narro. Refpondes (uttuus eft mos) 
 Pauca. Abeo-j et revocas nonopojl menfe^jubef- 
 
 que , 
 
 Effe in amicorum numero : magnum hoc ego duco, 
 Quod placui tibi^ qui turpi fecemis bone/turn, 
 Non patre pr<eclaro, fed vita et peffore puro. 
 
 HOR. L. i. Sat. 6. 
 
 What names have been more celebrated than thofe of 
 AUGUSTUS and MAECENAS ? The gratitude of poets 
 has often outrun received favours I {hall take the 
 liberty upon this occafion to quote a few lines from Si- 
 DONIUS APOLLINARIS. He is fpeaking of OCTA- 
 vius's generofity in reftoring VIRGIL to his patrimo- 
 ny, and the eclogue the poet wrote in acknowledg- 
 ment, 
 
 Sfd rus conceffum dutn largo in princlpe laudatj 
 
 Coelum pro terris rttftica mufa dedlt. 
 Nee fuit inferius Phcebeia dona referre : 
 
 Fecerat hie dominum, fecit & Hit t>eum. 
 
 Praef. Paneg. major. 
 
 Nor
 
 The Lift of MAECENAS. 17 
 
 "' Nor yet to Chance this happinefs I owe , 
 Friendfhip like yours fhe had not to beftow. 
 My beft-lov'd VIRGIL firft, then VARIUS told 4 
 Among my friends what character I hold : 
 When introduced, in few and fault'ring words, 
 (Such as an infant mo defy affords) 
 I did not tell you my defcent was great, 
 Or that I wander l d round my country-feat 
 On a proud fteed, in richer paftures bred : 
 But what I really was, I frankly faid. 
 Short was your anfwer in your ufual drain ; 
 I take my leave, nor wait on you again, 
 Till, nine months pad, engag'd and bid to hold 
 A place among your nearer friends enroll'd : 
 An honour this, methinks, of nobler kind, 
 That, innocent of heart, and pure of mind, 
 Though with no titled birth, I gain'd his love, 
 Whofe judgment can difcern : whofe choice ap- 
 prove. FRANCIS. 
 
 HORACE fays nothing of his pardon for having 
 . ferved with BRUTUS (r), but this we may eafily 
 
 "(r) AN anonymous writer of an abridgement of the 
 Life of HORACE, pretends that he was made a prifoner 
 at the a&ion of Philippi^ and was not enlarged till 
 fome long time after : two fads, which in my opinion 
 are not founded in truth. As to the firft, HORACE, 
 who concealed no circumftance that had ever happened 
 to him, and even confefies he threw down his ihield, 
 Celerem fugam fenfi, relicta non bene parmula : Ho- 
 R ACE, I fay, makes no mention of his imprifonment. 
 C fuppofe
 
 <ft>e Life of MAECENAS. 
 fuppofe from his great friendfhip and intimacy 
 with M^CENAS i whofe friends foon became the 
 favourites of OCTAVIUS : this was the fate of 
 HORACE-, his wit and abilities endear'd him to 
 the PRINCE, as they before had done to the FA- 
 VOURITE. 
 
 AFTER the battle of Philippi ANTONY went 
 into the Eaft,where he fell in love with CLEOPA- 
 TRA. While he was in Egypt with his miftrefs, 
 
 It is, fecondly, an abfolute miftake to advance that his 
 pardon was long deferred ; fmce he himfelf defcribes the 
 voyage in which he accompanied M.SICENAS and Coc- 
 CEIUS the very year after that battle, who were then 
 going to Brundifium to reconcile the differences between 
 ANTONY and OCTAVIUS : 
 
 EgreJ/um magna me acccpit Arid a Roma. 
 
 Millla turn pranfi tria repimus^ atque fulimus 
 Impofitum faxis late candentibus Anxur. 
 Hue venturus erat Macenas optimus, atque 
 Cocceius, mljji magnh de rebus itterque 
 Legati^ avcrfos fotlti componere ami cos. 
 
 HOR. B. i. Sat. Y, 
 
 Leaving imperial Rome, I took my way 
 To poor Ancia^ 
 
 then after dinner creep 
 
 Three tedious miles, and climb the rocky fteep, 
 Whence Anxur fhines. MAECENAS was to meet 
 COCCEIUS here, to fettle things of weight j 
 For they had oft in embafly been join'd, 
 And reconcil'd the mafters of mankind. FRANCIS. 
 
 It is therefore with great propriety I have fixed the ac- 
 quaintance of MAECENAS with HORACE before the 
 2 FULVIA
 
 *fhe Life 0/ MAECENAS. 19 
 
 FULVIA hiswife, piqued at OCTAVIUS for having 
 repudiated her daughter, took up arms in Italy, Y. of R. 
 and engaged Lucius ANTONY, her hufband's 
 brother, to her affiftance, OCTAVIUS befieged 
 them in Perufia, and after a long fiege obliged 
 them to furrender. MAECENAS was prefent at 
 thefiege, and upon that occafion gave frem proofs 
 of his courage. 
 
 OCTAVIUS at length made preparations to 
 carry on a war againfl the younger POM- 
 PEY, who was at fea commanding the fleet: 
 but well apprized of his ftrength, and that he was 
 aiming at an alliance with M. ANTONY, he 
 feared to have them both to deal with. To ward 
 againfl that ftroke, he, by the interpofition of 
 MAECENAS, contracted and married (tho 5 contrary 
 
 voyage to Brundifium, and foon after VIRGIL (for it 
 was he who firft fpoke of HORACE to him) had been 
 recommended to this favourite minifter. Noble minds 
 are ftrangers to envy. VIRGIL, far from being jealous 
 of the great poets his contemporaries, was even content 
 to (hare the favours of M^CENAS along with them. 
 There were few of fo generous a difpofition. We 
 have one example, that of NEMESIUS towards CAL- 
 PURNIUS, both paftcral poets in the reignofCARUsand 
 his fons. NEMESIUS rofe to great preferments and 
 was in high favour favour with his emperor : " His fuc- 
 " cefs, fays MAIRAULT an elegant translator of thefe 
 poets, did not hinder him from interesting himfelf 
 for CALPURNIUS, who had talents equal to his own, 
 though not attended with the fame good fortune ; for 
 poor CALPURNIUS was reduced to the greateftmifery. 
 He was both his rival and benefactor." 
 
 C 2 tO
 
 20 *fhe Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 to his inclination) (j) ScRiBONiA,fifter of SCRI- 
 BONIUS LIBO, POMPEY'S father-in-law, there- 
 by to enfure himfelf a good underftanding with 
 POMPE Y, in cafe he fhould ftand in need of it (t) : 
 a remarkable inftance of the policy of this prince ; 
 vvhofe only dominant paffions were intereft and 
 ambition. 
 
 THE mifunderflandings between ANTONY 
 and OCTAVIUS broke out again. Three illuftri- 
 ous Romans ( u), POLLIO, MAECENAS, andCoc- 
 CEIUS undertook to reconcile them, and were 
 named for that purpofe by the Triumvirate. The 
 choice could not have fallen upon perfons of bet- 
 
 (j) OCTAVIUS divorced SCRIBONIA a year after 
 his marriage, on the very day (he was brought to bed of 
 JULIA. He had married her out of policy, and parted 
 with her on pretence that fhe had been imprudent in 
 her conduct ; but it was in fact becaufe he had no far- 
 ther occafion for POMPEY'S alliance: or, as SUETONIUS 
 fays, becaufe fhe could not bear the criminal converfa- 
 tion that puffed between her hufband and LIVIA ; & 
 dimifTam Scriboniam, quia liberius doluiflet nimiam 
 potentiam pellicis, csV. c. 69. Life of Auguftus. 
 
 (f) 
 
 e^ci 
 APPIAN. 
 
 X. T. A. 
 
 <Jf KOIVOV a- l u,Q(i'i9j CM. Jj T Av/wv/y rioAA/wvcJ, 
 
 IK iwv KV*jf, &c. APP, De bell. dull. I. v. 
 
 ter
 
 he Life of MAECENAS. 21 
 
 ter capacities, underftandings, and abilities. They 
 employed every method they could think of to 
 ilifle thefe growing animofities, and they fuc- 
 ceeded to their wifh. Erundifium was the place Y. of R. 
 of negotiation ; and, in order to give it greater 7I lL, 
 ftrength and weight, it was agreed upon by all 
 the parties, that an alliance mould be concluded 
 between the two rivals. OCTAVIA, the fifler of 
 OCTAVIUS, had juft about that time loft her huf- 
 band MARCELLUS ; me was to marry ANTONY, 
 to which her brother readily confented. The 
 troops of OCTAVIUS and ANTONY, by this 
 means become allies in the field, expreffed their 
 fatisfaction -, and their loud repeated acclamations 
 and rejoicings continued a whole day and a night. 
 VIRGIL, HORACE, VARIUS, HELIODORUS, and 
 feveral other Literati accompanied M^CENAS in 
 this expedition to Erundifium. The important 
 affairs with which this able negociator was 
 charged, were no o'oftacles to his natural and 
 ufual gaiety : His employments, no ways fupe- 
 rior to his genius, never cooled his attention for 
 the Mufes, or diverted him from his conversation 
 and intercourfes with men of letters. HORACE 
 has given a very humorous description of this 
 voyage 0). 
 
 (*) WE have already taken notice of HORACE'S 
 
 journey from Rome to Erundifium^ Note (r). APPIAN 
 
 in Book v. fays MAECENAS was nominated by Oc- 
 
 TAViusi POLLIO by ANTONY, and COCCEIUS by 
 
 C 3 THUS
 
 22 'The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 THUS OCTAVIUS and ANTONY became 
 friends again, but it was merely fuch as the great 
 are ufed to contract, ever ready to facrifice their 
 friendfhip to the leaft appearances of intereft. 
 This foon happened. Their good underftanding 
 was but of little duration : could it be otherwife 
 with two competitors for fovereign power ? AN- 
 TONY a few years after, re-exafperated againft 
 OCTAVIUS on fome reports that had been made 
 him, failed towards Italy with three hundred 
 fhips. OCTAVIUS'S affairs were in a deplorable 
 fituation ; he was waging a difadvantageous war 
 againft POMPEY the younger, and was ftill in 
 greater awe of ANTON Y (_y). In this perilous junc- 
 
 both, to accommodate their differences, but fpeaks not 
 a word of FONTEIUS CAPITO. COCCEIUS, great 
 grand-father of the emperor NERVA, was an eminent 
 lawyer, and equally die friend of OCTAVIUS and AN- 
 TONY. 
 
 juJJoaj, Kcx.x.^'iov jU^o us y.oivov dp<^oTv^ C/A Q ruv Avlwvig 
 IToAA/ft)V, j^ MouKqvav cu rwv Ka.i<rao& 9 
 
 (p/Ai'av $ 
 
 Or. Ci'iiitzV) UDIOUXV ol >^<a:AAa/J06i -ir,* Oxloix'iz.v 
 
 o f'-^ tfwVxf* ivqfyvx, ^ 
 ture
 
 'The Life' of MAECENAS. 23 
 
 ture he fent MAECENAS to him, to endeavour, by 
 foft means, to remove any new grievances, which 
 might have occafioned this frefh rupture between 
 tliem. Had this negotiation mifcarried, OCTA- 
 vjus determined to have quitted his maritime 
 enterprize, and to have colleclsd his whole force 
 by land ; but he had trufted his interefts in very 
 good hands j the eloquent and active miniiler 
 knew the art of perfuafion : he foon freed Oc- 
 T A vi us of his difquietude, by declaring AN- 
 TONY would join him againft POMPEY. 
 
 PLUTARCH relates the ftory differently : AN- 
 TONY, fays he, not being received at Erundifium^ 
 arrived with his fleet in the harbour vifarentum. 
 OCTAVIA, who accompanied him in this voyage, 
 begged me might have leave to pay a vifit to her 
 brother, which was granted. She met OCTA- 
 vi us on the way, and (feconded by M/ECENAS 
 and AGRIPPA) very pathetically complained of 
 her unhappy fituation,in cafe a breach mould hap- 
 pen between her hufband and her brother. Oc- 
 T AVI us, foftened by his fitter's tears, and hisy O f R 
 friends perfuafions, went to 1'arentum^ and there 7 ' 6. 
 concluded a treaty with ANTONY as little laft- 
 ing as the reft had been. 
 
 fot i*$je$M ajUTjiv r,co<.v etTrowsci Ji' oA>j? TS rijf vpi 
 #t# T>jV vw'jtTfls wfv- APP. I- v. Civil, p. 367. 
 
 OCTA-
 
 24 *fhe Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 OCTAVES, difengaged from his fears, and 
 ftrengthened by the alliance of ANTONY and 
 LEPIDUS, renewed the war with POMPEY, and 
 would have invaded Sicily : but he was difap- 
 pointed in his defigns by a violent temped, which 
 put his fleet into great diforder. M/ECEN AS had 
 his mare of thefe dangers; and OCTAVIUS fear- 
 ing the news of this difappointment, together with 
 -the fcarcity of provifions, might ftir up new com- 
 motions at Rome, where POMPEY'S caufe feemed 
 to be moft favoured, becaufe of his father's cha- 
 racter, fent his favourite thither, to keep them to 
 their duty. 
 
 Y. of R. OCTAVIUS, having refitted his fleet the year 
 71 7- after, returned into Sicily, with AGRIPPA and 
 MAECENAS. AGRIPPA overcame DEMOCHARES, 
 who commanded a feparate body of troops for 
 POMPEY; POMPEY beat OCTAVIUS. Romewas 
 at this time in fome commotion ; fome turbulent 
 fpirits were plotting new mifchiefs. OCTAVIUS 
 fent MAECENAS thither, in order to calm thofe 
 troubles, and punifh the ringleaders, about whom 
 hiftory leaves us in the dark. As foon as he had 
 fucceeded in his commiffion, MAECENAS return'd 
 
 Y of R. to the fleet, and was prefent at the laft battle 
 78. which POMPEY gave OCTAVIUS near the pro- 
 montory of Pelorns. The vidory of that day was 
 owing to the valour and addrefs, of AGRIPPA. 
 
 M/ECE-
 
 T'be Life of MAECENAS. 25 
 
 PA. MAECENAS alib diftinguimed himfelf, and 
 had a mare in the glory. He was both the foldier 
 and commander on that important day, and him- 
 felf fet fire to the enemies mips, moft of which were 
 either burnt or funk (z). POMPEY, who a lit-, 
 tie before was at the head of three hundred and 
 fifty mips, was now conftrained to make towards 
 Afia^ with fix or feven only, and was (lain by 
 ANTONY'S order at Miletus. The fame year, 
 LEPIDUS, whom OCTAVIUS had commanded 
 up to his fuccour, and had pafled out of Africa 
 into Sicily, finding himfelf at the head of twenty 
 legions, after the defeat of POMPEY, polfeiTed 
 himfelf of Meffina, and formed the defign of 
 bringing the whole ifland under his obedience ; 
 but his foldiers deferted, and went over to OC- 
 TAVIUS, who degraded and ftrip'd him of all 
 his employments. 
 
 Tup' M^: c E N AS was very ufeful to OCTAVIUS 
 during the civil wars, as he was his privy counfellor 
 in conjunction with AcRippA,he was neverthelefs 
 frequently fent to Rome, of which he was prefect 
 
 (z) PEDONIUS in his Epicedium y Elegy firfl, ohferves 
 that MAECENAS gave great proofs of his courage at 
 the laft battle fought againfl the younger POMPEY : 
 
 Ilium pifccfi v'uierunt faxa Pelori 
 Ignibits hsjitlis tiadere ligna rails.
 
 26 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 as well as of all Italy. The prefect (a} was one 
 of the chief magiftrates of Rome . He had the 
 fole management of affairs when the confuls and 
 emperors were abfent ; was entrufted with the 
 regulation of civil matters, provifion, buildings, 
 fhipping ; all crimes, whether committed in the 
 city, or within a hundred miles round, came im- 
 mediately under his cognizance, and he con- 
 demned to death without appeal. How great 
 and extenfive muft have been the capacity of this 
 man, who could and did fo well difcharge his 
 duty through a multiplicity of offices of fo im- 
 portant a nature ! Never did magiftrate acquit 
 himfelf fo honourably as MAECENAS: Rome was 
 fecure while he governed ; he fpared the lives of 
 his fellow citizens, and committed not the leaft 
 injuftice (). 
 
 (rt) HORACE in his Odes fpeaks of M.^ECENAS as a 
 magiftrate, 
 
 Tu civitatem quh deceat flatus 
 CuraSj '& urbi folicitus times. 
 
 HOR. B.iij. Odexxix. 
 
 2t i t you for Rome's imperial ftate 
 Attend with ever watchful care. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 (1} SENECA, who cannot be fufpected of flattering 
 MAECENAS, admires his fweetnefs and humanity of be- 
 haviour while a magiftrate. Maxima laus illi tribuitur 
 manfuetudinis : pepercit gladio, languine abftinuit : nee 
 ulla alia re quod poflet quam licentia oftendit. SENEC. 
 Epift. cxiv. It is remarkable that this cenfor never 
 
 was
 
 "The Life of MAECENAS. 27 
 
 THE peace which then fubfifted was not 
 built on a folid foundation. OCTAVIUS and 
 ANTONY were both of them too ambitious 
 to be faft friends. They were directed juft as 
 policy and circumftance of affairs would influ- 
 ence j at one time open to jealoufy and fufpicion ; 
 at others again they feemed allured of each other. 
 OCTAVIUS at length, wifely judging of ANTO- 
 NY by his former conduct, rather chofe to come 
 to an open rupture, than venture at a feeming 
 friendihip, which conflantly expofed him to the fe- 
 cret machinations of his enemy. ANTONY had 
 been propofed as conful for the enfuing year : the 
 fenate, at the felicitations of OCTAVIUS, reverfed 
 the election, and declared war againft CLEOPA-Y. of R. 
 TRA : ANTONY, on the other hand, divorced 7 22 - 
 the prudent OCT AVI A -, and great preparations ^~^~^~' 
 were made on both fides to carry on hoftilities. 
 The battle of ARium decided the quarrel , the y O f R 
 fleet of OCTAVIUS, commanded by AGRIPPA, 723. 
 gained a compleat victory. MAECENAS was 
 there (c}. We cannot precifely determine what 
 
 fpeaks well of MJECENAS, but he makes feme ill-na- 
 tured obfervation at the fame time. 
 
 (r) THE fit ft Ode of the Epodes of HORACE informs 
 us that MAECENAS was to go on board OCTAVIUS'S 
 gullies, in order to attack ANTONY'S men of war: 
 
 Hi T.iburvn inter al 
 
 \ '.r^ 
 
 poft
 
 2$ *fhe Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 poft he held ; but his courage and bravery were 
 celebrated, in having purfued ANTONY and 
 CLEOPATRA, who fled towards Peloponnefus^ and 
 thence into Egypt. After this victory, which 
 gave OCTAVIUS the empire of the world, MAE- 
 CENAS returned to his former poft of prefeft. 
 The victorious troops, enraged at their being dif- 
 banded unrewarded, mutinied at Brundifium : Oc- 
 T AVI us, fearing they would not regard MAECE- 
 NAS as he was of the Equeftrian order only, fent 
 Y. of R. AGRIPPA into Italy on fome other pretext ; but 
 724- he was obliged to go thither in perfon, and his 
 prefence quieted the tumult. DONATUS, in his 
 
 Paraius ornne Cesfaris pericnhm 
 Subire, Maecenas, tuo. 
 
 HOR. Odei. Epod. i. 
 
 While you, my brave illuftrious friend, 
 Would C/E BAR'S perfon with your own defend : 
 And ANTONY'S high-tower' d fleet, 
 With light Liburnian galleys fearlefs meet. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 Some however doubt whether he ever quitted Rente. 
 APPIAN, B. v. De bellis civil, afiures us, that MAECE- 
 NAS having convicted young LEPIDUS of the plot 
 againft OCTAVIUS, ordered him to be conducted to 
 i) where the prince then was. 
 
 IF this be true, it is plain, M/ECENAS could not 
 have been prefent at that battle, iuicc he muft at that 
 very time have been at Rome performing his function of 
 prefect. But VELLEIUS, B. ii. c. 88. fays LEPIDUS 
 confpired againft OCTAVIUS, while he was engaged 
 in this laft war, Dum ultiinam bello Actiaco Alexan- 
 
 life
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 29 
 
 life of VIRGIL, tells us, that it was at this time 
 that OCTAVIUS attended to the reading of the 
 Georgics, in Atella a city of Campania, at which 
 M^CENAS was alfo prefent, and aflifted his , 
 friend VIRGIL in read ing alternately with him :We 
 may obfervewithSuETONius(Y), that this prince, 
 amidfl all the troubles of civil war, never forgot to 
 cultivate the belles lettres, but gave the moft fa- 
 vourable and {teddy attention whenever the Lite- 
 rati read over their works to him, whether they 
 were in profe or verfe. 
 
 AFTER OCTAVIUS had fettled his affairs in /to/y 
 and Rome, he failed for Syria, with an intent to 
 attack Egypt , and left MAECENAS and A- 
 GRIPPA at Rome, fully authorized to govern 
 
 drinoque Caefar imponit manum, &c. MAECENAS 
 might therefore have been in that action, and re- 
 turn afterwards to his office, while OCTAVIUS 
 was purfuing ANTONY, and carrying the war in- 
 to Egypt- PEDONIUS, who lived at that time, puts 
 an end to this difpute. He paints the valour of his 
 hero in that famous affair : 
 
 Cum fr eta Niliacte tcxcrunt lata Carinte, 
 
 Forth erat circum^ forth & ante ducem. 
 Milith Eoi fugientis terga fecutus, 
 
 Tertius ad Nili dum fitgit ilk caput. 
 
 Epiced. Eleg. I. 
 
 (<?) INGENIA feculi fui omnibus modis fovit. Reci- 
 tantes & benigne & patienter audivit, nee tanturn car- 
 mina & hiftorias, fed & orationes & dialogos. SUETON. 
 -Life of Auguftus, Chap, 89. 
 
 in
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 in his abfence . He even gave them full 
 power to open all letters he mould fend either 
 to the fenate or to private perfons, to make fuch 
 alterations in them, as they mould think proper, 
 before they were delivered ; they farther were in- 
 vefted with an authority of ifTuing out edi<5ls in 
 his name, whenever there might be a necefiity 
 for them , and, that they might have a greater 
 weight, he gave them his fignet, on which was 
 the figure of a fphinx (q). The wits in thofe 
 days difplayed their talents upon that occafion. 
 This fphinx, faid they, portends riddles. To 
 put a flop to all thefe railleries OCTAVIUS 
 changed his feal, and had ALEXANDER the Great, 
 
 (q) PLINY, B. xxxvii. c. i. fpeaks of this fcal of 
 AUGUSTUS. He at firft had the imprefiion of a fphinx 
 on it. Divus Auguftus, fays PLINY, inter initia 
 fphinge fignavit. Diias in matris annulis jam indifcre- 
 tas magnitudinis invenerat. Altera per bella civilia, 
 abfente eo, amici fignavere epiftolas & edicla non in- 
 faceto lepore accipientium, aenigmata adferreeam fphin- 
 gem Auguftus poftea ad evitanda convicia fphingis, 
 Alexandri magni imagine fignavit. SUETONIUS fays, 
 In diplomatibus libellifque & epiftolis fignandis, initio 
 fphinge ufus eft : mox imagine magni Alexandri : no- 
 viflime fua, Diofcoridis manu fculpta, qua fignare infe- 
 cuti quoque principes perfeveraverunt. DION con- 
 firms what SUETONIUS writes on that fubjecl. The 
 fucceeding emperors imitated AUGUSTUS in this, ex- 
 cepting GALSA. Hie canem ex prora navis profpec- 
 tantem, fignum a majoribus fuis acceptum, ufurpavit. 
 DION, B. li. 
 
 and
 
 *fbe Life of MAECENAS. 31 
 
 and afterwards his own figure engraved there- 
 upon^;. 
 
 A FROG was the device of MAECENAS fJ,with y of 
 which he fometimes fealed his public inftru- 713. 
 ments. The people dreaded this animal, becaufe 
 it was very often annexed to his tax bills. As 
 MAECENAS was a man of uncommon fenfe, it 
 was prefumed he never did a thing inconfide- 
 rately. Many were of opinion that there was 
 fome hieroglyphic meaning in this feal of his. 
 
 ug Jtj 
 
 ifcc Iv 
 
 . DION. B.li. 
 
 (/>) PLINY, Book xxxvii. of his natural hiflory, 
 takes notice of the feal of M/ECENAS, the impreflion 
 of which was a frog. Quin etiam Maecenatis rana, per 
 collationem pecuuiarum, in magno terrore erat. 
 
 Maecenas ranum fculptam fibi habuit ; at in publicis an- 
 nulo regio haud dubie utebatur. Creditur enim Augufti 
 fuiffe cancellarius: ut ejus familiaris Horatius innuit, a 
 irequente amico rogatus, ut apud Maecenatem fuftra- 
 garetur : 
 
 Inprimat his euro. Maccnas figna tabellis* 
 Dtxeris 9 Experiir : Si v;s y pates. 
 
 I)io Caffius addit, Auguflum promifcue figillum pr^eci- 
 puum credidifle Maecenati & Agrippae ; & tantum t; i - 
 buifle ambobus, ut Hteras ad fenatus fcriptas vel alio, irn- 
 piuie relegerent 5c immutarent. C/UID. PANCIROLLI 
 
 lib. Rertifftni?norabiiiufii^ tit. De ;' '~tis. in Salmuth. com, 
 
 SUETO-
 
 2 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 SUETONIUS tells us the following ftory (i): Oc- 
 T A vi us, when a little boy, being at his grand- 
 father's country feat, ordered the frogs to be quiet, 
 which (as it was reported) they immediately 
 obeyed, and were ever after filent in that place, 
 as the frogs of Seripba are faid to be j of which 
 PLINY gives us an account. It was in allufion 
 to this fable, which flattered the vanity of Oc- 
 TAVIUS, that MAECENAS chofe a frog for his 
 feal, which became (on account of this miracu- 
 lous event) the emblem of difcretion, for which 
 this illuftrious favourite was remarkable. Others 
 again were of opinion, that this amphibious ani- 
 mal hinted at the double power he was en- 
 trufted with by his prince, both in land and fea 
 affairs. 
 
 Y. of R. OCTAVIUS carried on the war with fuch fuc- 
 7 2 4- cefs againft ANTONY as to oblige him to kill 
 hi m felf. CLEOPATRA, to avoid being carried 
 away in triumph, ordered an afpick to be applied 
 to her arm, and was flung to death. While thefe 
 things were tranfafting in Egypt, M. LEPIDUS, 
 fon of the TRIUMVIR and of JUNIA, BRUTUS' 
 lifter, a young man, faysVELLEius^j, of a good 
 
 (I] CUM primum fari ccepiflet in avito fuburbano 
 obflrepentes forte ranas filerejuflit; atque ex eo negan- 
 tur ibi ranae coaxare. SUETON. Life cf Auguftus, 
 Chap. 94. 
 
 (K] Dum ultimam bello A&iaco Alexandrinoque Cse- 
 far imponit manum, M, Lepidus juvenis, forma quani 
 
 figure
 
 7%e Life of MAECENAS. 33 
 
 figure, but weak judgment, formed a defign 
 to murder OCT AVI us on his return to Rsme'\ but 
 this was prevented by the vigilance of the prefect : 
 MAECENAS watched the motions of this impru- 
 dent man very narrowly ; and judging it upon 
 the like occaftons to be more fate and politic to 
 act, rather than to deliberate, he fecured him : 
 and without any noife or difcurbance flitted the 
 plot, and the feeds of a frefh civil war in its in- 
 fancy. LEPIDUS received a punimment due tq 
 his imprudence and temerity. 
 
 OCTAVIUS having reduced Egypt into a pro- y. of R. 
 vince, returned into Italy towards the middle of _ ^H^. 
 the fummer. He entered Rome in triumph, and 
 the temple of JANUS was now locked up by his 
 orders, after having been kept open two hun- 
 dred years. It was then, fays SUETONIUS (I), that 
 he reflected on the repeated reproaches made him 
 by ANTONY, with being the only perfon who 
 oppofed the re-eftablifliment of the common- 
 wealth ; and that he deliberated whether he 
 
 mente melior : Lepidi ejus, qui triumvir fuerat reip. 
 conftituendae, filius, Junia Briiti forore nafus, interfi- 
 cicndi, fimul in urbem revertiflet, Caefaris confiiia int- 
 erat. VELLEIUS PATERCULUS, B. ii. Chap. 88. 
 
 (/) DE reddenda republica bis cogitavit ; primo poft 
 oppreffum ftatim Antonium, memor objedtum ab eq 
 fibi fzepius, quafi per ipfum ftaret, ne redderetur. 
 SUE TON. Life of AuguJiuSy Chap. ^8, 
 
 D fhou!4
 
 34 72# Life of MAECENAS-. 
 
 mould reftore liberty again to the Romans. It is 
 much queftioned, however, whether he thought 
 ferioufly of the matter. Princes likeOcTAvius 
 can eafily conceal their fentiments, nor is it an 
 eafy matter to fee into their fecret purpofes. Be 
 Y. of R.that as it will, he advifed about that important 
 2 - affair with AGRIPPA and MAECENAS, his two 
 intimate friends (m}. AGRIPPA perfuaded him 
 generoufly to refign the fovereign authority, and 
 to mew by his moderation that he had only taken 
 up arms to revenge the death of C/ESAR. Nor 
 did he forget to reprefent to him, by various ex- 
 amples, the dangers and fatal confequences of a 
 power which is hateful to a republican fpirit. But 
 MAECENAS, confulting nothing but the prince's 
 intereft, painted to him the rifques of abdication. 
 He farther obferved, that the very fons and 
 friends of thofe whom he had been obliged to 
 facrifice, would lofe no opportunity of attack- 
 ing and purfuing him, when they found them- 
 felves upon a level with him ; that having put 
 an end to the civil wars, and quieted mankind, 
 he had juftly a right to the fovereignty ; and that 
 the great and vaft empire henceforward required 
 one chief only, to maintain peace and order j that 
 if the imperial dignity had coft the great JULIUS 
 
 (m] VIRGIL, according to DON ATUS, was confulted 
 upon this important affair by OCTAVIUS but this fadt 
 has the lefs weight, as we can Had r^ . '.hority for it 
 among the aricient writers. 
 
 his
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 35 
 
 his life, it was owing to his proud and haughty 
 difpofition, a fault which, no doubt, OCTAVI us 
 would moft carefully avoid. OCTAVIUS, after 
 hearing their opinions, admired the franknefs of 
 AGRIPPA, but preferred the advice of MAECE- 
 NAS (). We may fuppofe it agreed with his own 
 private fentiments -, fince he confefTecl that he X/~sj 
 found himfelf conflrained thereto by his deftiny ; 
 and this indeed is the more credible from what 
 pafied two years after in the fenate-houfe, where y. of R; 
 he almoft played the fame farce, and pretended 72 jXi 
 to refign his royalty. It would have ftartled him, 
 had they taken him at his word, but he was fe- 
 cure : the fenators who greatly wilhed it, durft not 
 declare themfelves, but meanly entreated him to 
 continue in the regency. 
 
 I RETURN to MAECENAS. Some modern writers 
 would intimate that policy and felf-intereft only 
 had the greateft mare in this advice, as if in reality 
 there was no fuch thing as truth and (incerity 
 amongft courtiers : That M^CENAS was moved 
 to it from a natural inclination to luxury and ef- 
 feminacy, and his apprehenfions of public cen- 
 fure in a republican government. But this idle 
 conjecture has no fort of foundation, nor fup- 
 port from any authority of the ancients. How 
 can we fufpect MAECENAS of fuch a fear, when 
 we know, he himfelf preffed OCTAVIUS to con- 
 
 () Tct $1 AyrS M<mv;'v* jMMsv ATO. DION. 
 D 2 ftitute
 
 3 6 The Life of M^E c E N A s . 
 
 ftitutc a cenfor, in order to examine into the fa- 
 milies, fortune, and conduct of the fenators and 
 knights, of which number he was ? He gave 
 him alfo excellent rules and inflructions how to 
 govern, and told him, the only way to accuftom 
 the Romans to his dominion, and to infure his 
 own fafety, was to make them his friends, a 
 guard much fecurer than that of hisfoldiers ; and 
 that this was eafily attainable, provided his con- 
 duct was modeft and virtuous, raifed no new im- 
 pofts, nor condemned any perfon for a fault, 
 which he might himfelf be charged with ; in 
 fhort if he behaved towards his fubject, in the 
 manner he would choofe to be treated himfelf 
 were he a fubject. This able confident farther 
 advifed him to iffue out orders, that the fons of 
 knights and fenators mould from their infancy be 
 well inflructed in the belles lettres^ and as they 
 advanced farther in years, they mould learn to 
 ride, and all fuch other exercifes as became the 
 young nobility; for which purpofe he fhould have 
 learned men, and different mafters in his pay : 
 from fuch a good education, he might always 
 expect the greateft employments would be dif- 
 charged with honour, as they would then be fil- 
 led by perfons capable of fuch important trufts. 
 As to the title OCTAVIUS was to aflume, he ob- 
 ferv^d that, that of King was hateful to the Ro- 
 mans , and was therefore to be rejected , that of 
 Dictator had been fatal to his great-uncle ; he 
 
 might
 
 T'he Life of MAECENAS. 37 
 
 might therefore content himfelf with that of 
 Imperator^ a title the foldiers gave to their 
 victorious generals. OCTAVIUS followed his 
 advice, and found his account in it, for to MM- 
 CENAS he was indebted for all the glory andfeliczfy 
 of his reign : Nor were the arts and fciences 
 which he protected the leaft ornaments of it. 
 Poetry efpecially (which he very fuccefsfully 
 amufed himfelf with) was carried at that time 
 to its utmoft perfection and beauty, through the 
 favour of this learned and judicious prince, who 
 ever feconded the zealous encouragements of his 
 dear favourite. 
 
 IN 727, the fenate confirmed new honours on y of R 
 OCTAVIUS, and gave him the title of Au- 727. 
 GUSTUS; We Ihall henceforward call him by 
 that name only. 
 
 PEACE reigned every where j and 
 (0) having no farther employment in the govern- 
 ment of Rome (J>) perfectly enjoyed a pleafmg 
 
 - (a) ATAVUS tuus Auguftus, M. Agrippae Mityle- 
 nenfe fecretum, C. Mascenati urbc in ipfa, velut pere- 
 grinum otium permifit, quorum alter bellorum focius, 
 alter Romae pluribus laboribus jaclatus, ampla quidem, 
 fed pro ingentibus meritis praemia acceperunt Avus 
 meus Auguftus, Agrippae & Mascenati ufurparc otium 
 poft labores conceffit. TACIT. B. xiv. C. 53, 55. 
 
 (/>) HORACE refers what he fays in his third book, 
 
 Ode viii, to this peaceable time, when M^CJ-.N AS w..s 
 
 D 3 leiiure,.
 
 33 T'be Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 leifure, which he confecrated to his pleafures, 
 the greateft part of which confifted in tludy (g). 
 The firft genius's of the age for poetry, eloquence, 
 and philofophy, were his conftant companions. 
 He agreeably paffed his time in their company. 
 He contracted no chance and accidental friend- 
 fhips ; nor would enter into familiarity without 
 a thorough knowledge of the perfon and his cha- 
 
 no more prefect of Rome. He invites MAECENAS to 
 enjoy his eafe, and to think no more of bufinefs : 
 
 Mitte chiles fuper urbe curas : 
 
 t^ ne qua populus labor et^ 
 Parce privates nimium caver e : 
 Dsna prafentis rape l<stus hor&, 
 Linque fevera. 
 
 No more let Rome your anxious thoughts engage, 
 
 
 No more the public claims thy pious fears, 
 Be not too anxious then with private cares, 
 But feize the gift the prefent moment brings, 
 Thofc fleeting gifts, and leave feverer things. 
 
 FRANTIS. 
 
 .2 Ji 
 
 (q) MAECENAS was not {tinted in his hours for 
 reading; but in imitation of SCIPIO, LJELIUS, and 
 a great many other celebrated Romans^ ftudied the bel- 
 les lettres all his life. Poetry was his favourite ftudy. 
 He felt all the beauty and advantages of it, as the phi- 
 lofopher CLEANTHES did of old, according to SE- 
 NECA: Nam (ut dicebat Cleanthes) quemadmodum 
 fpiritus nofter clariorem fonum reddit, cum ilium tuba 
 per longi canalis anguftius traftum, patentiore noviifime 
 exitu effudit : fie fenfus noftros clariores carminis arta 
 neceffitas efficit. Eadem negligcntius audiuntur, mi- 
 
 rader.
 
 The Life of JVL&CENA9. 39 
 
 racier (r). Buffoons and fuch fort of infamous 
 gentry could have no pretence to his acquaint- 
 ance. Meannefs of birth was no bar to his friend- 
 fhip but wif 9 without manners and conduft, was 
 not a fufficient introduction. Little dazzled 
 with riches or pompous titles, he preferred abi- 
 lity 9 learning, and probity. As he took fuch nice 
 precautions we may eafily conclude that his 
 friends were few but felect, and of a diftinguifhed 
 merit j and that he was not fubjecl to change or 
 
 nufque percutiunt, quamdiu foluta oratione dicuntur: 
 ubi acceffere numeri, & egregium fenfum adftrinxere 
 certi pedes, eadem ilia fententia velut lacerto excufla 
 torquetur. SENEC. Epift.cviii. 
 
 JULIUS SCALIGER in his preface on poetry, looks 
 upon thofe who defpife this heavenly art, as a parcel of 
 ftupid and malicious wretches. Qui illam [poefin] 
 agrefti & afpero fupercilio damnant, bruti homines, ne 
 in hominum quidem cenfu reponendi funt &memi- 
 neris iftas bonae famas hirudines ideo vociferari, ut ne 
 quod eis deeft adfit nobis. We have to this day a fet 
 of thefe ignorant and envious animals, who having no 
 tafte or relifli for poetry themfelves, infolently defpife 
 it as an art Riches and titles are generally the lights 
 
 .which dazzle the eyes of thefe enemies of the mufes. 
 Others again, fcrupuloufly nice (for poetry has her 
 adverfaries of different kinds) can't fuffer her fpright- 
 
 . linefs and gaieties. They even condemn the moft in- 
 ftructive tragedies, and moral comedies. This opinion 
 proceeds from nothing but an enthufiaftic folly, which 
 has already been often ridiculed. 
 
 (r) THAT M JECENAS took the wifeft precautions 
 
 as to the choice of his friends, before he became pro- 
 
 D 4 withdraw
 
 46 *be Life of 
 
 withdraw his friendfhip where he had oncebe- 
 ftowed it. Steddy and fixed in his choice, he 
 never ceafed loading thofe with favours whom he 
 once judged worthy of his regard and notice. 
 Far unlike thofe miferable wretches, whofe trea- 
 fures never fee the light, he knew how to enjoy 
 his riches with honour. Poets in particular, 
 were his chief favourites, becaufe himfelf was a 
 lover, and beloved of the Mufes* 
 
 VIRGIL held the firft place in MAECENAS* 
 friendlhip , this inimitable poet claimed prece- 
 dency not only on account of the fublimity of 
 his genius, but becaufe of his integrity and ho- 
 nefty. MAECENAS faw thefe excellent qualities ; 
 he protected him (as was before obferved) againft 
 the ufurpers of his patrimony, and generoufly 
 procured him the happy fituation, with which 
 the mufes were fo well delighted , and which in- 
 fpired him to compofe thofe celebrated writings, 
 
 digal of his favours, HORACE will afford feveral 
 pailages to prove, 
 
 Difficiles aditus primes hafrft. 
 
 HOR. B. i. Sat.ix. 
 
 Pauccrum bominum, fcf mentis benefan<s< Ibid. 
 
 Prtcfertim cautum dlgnos adfumere, prava 
 
 Jmbitione procul. Id. B. i. Sat. VI. 
 
 Cum referre negas, quail fit quifque parente . 
 ?Jatus> dum ingenuui. 
 
 which
 
 *fbe Life of MAECENAS. 41 
 
 which did honour to the age, and to the Roman 
 language. 
 
 MAECENAS had a great fbndnefs for HORACE, 
 whofe wit and humour were inimitable , he load- 
 ed him with favours, and made him a prefent of 
 a country-feat among the Sabins (j). He-:: ACE 
 
 (j) HORACE knew the bound of his dearer, '-/ell 
 content with what he owed to the bounty of A 'vl E E- 
 NAS, afked not greedily for more, tho' fure of not being 
 r efufed : 
 
 Nee (fays he) ft plura velim, tu dare deneges. 
 
 HOR. B. iii. Ode xvi. 
 
 He knew by his own experience, that a decent modicum 
 was fufficient to make a philofopher happy : 
 
 Non ebur, neque aureum 
 
 Mea renidet in domo lacunar : 
 
 At fides ) et ingeni 
 
 Benigna vena eft : paufceremque dives 
 Me petit : nihil fupra 
 
 Deos lacejjp : nee potentem amicwn 
 Largiora flagito^ 
 
 Satis beatus unicis Sabinit. 
 
 Nor here an iv'ry cornifh (hines, 
 Nor columns of Hymettian mines 
 Proudly fupport their citron beams, 
 Nor rich with gold my ceiling flames : 
 
 Yet with a firm and honeft heart, 
 Unknowing or of fraud or art, 
 
 was
 
 42 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 was fenfible of his obligations to that minifter : 
 his works are full of acknowledgments, and 
 every where exprefs the panegyric of his bene- 
 factor. PROPERTIUS was alfo in favour with 
 MAECENAS (/), and always confulted him about 
 his writings. 
 
 AMONGST his illuftrious companions were 
 VALGIUS and POLLIO, men of confular digni- 
 ty, VARIUS, a celebrated epic and tragic poet ; 
 FUNDANIUS, an excellent comic writer ; DOMI- 
 TIUS MARSUS, an eminent epigrammatift ; 
 PLOTIUS TUCCA, who affifted VARIUS in the 
 correction of the Mneids\ both the Visci, Ro- 
 man fenators, and all of them favourites of APOL- 
 
 A liberal vein of genius bleft, 
 
 I'm by the rich and great carefl. 
 
 My patron's gift 3 my Sabine field 
 
 Shall all its rural plenty yield ; 
 
 And happy in that rural ftore, 
 
 Of heav'n and him I afk no more. FRANCIS. 
 
 (t) PROPERTIUS, in many parts of his works, pub- 
 lifhes the friendfhip MAECENAS had for him : 
 
 Macenas, nojlra fpes ittvidiofa juventa:, 
 Et vitee & morti gloria jufla mete. 
 
 B, ii. Eleg. i, 
 
 Mottis tu cceptafautor cape ibfa jtiventJe, 
 Dexteraque immijffis da mikifigna vofis. 
 
 B, iii. Eleg. vii. 
 
 LO
 
 Life of M^CENAS. 43 
 
 10 (a); AREUS of Alexandria, a philofopher 
 and a friend of AUGUSTUS ; MELISSUS and 
 
 (K) HORACE in his firft book of Satires gives us a 
 defcription of the different talents of the feveral poets, 
 the friends of M.SCENAS, 
 
 Arguta meretrice pates, Davoque Cbremeta 
 Eludente fenem, comis garrire libellos 
 Unus vivorum, Fundani : Pollio regum 
 FaEla canitpede ter percuffb : forte epos acer y 
 Ut nemo Verius ; duSlu molle atque facetum 
 Virgilio adnuerunt gaudentes rure Camoenee. 
 
 B. i. Sat. x. 
 
 Of all mankind, in light and chearful {train 
 FUNDANIUS beft can paint the comic fcene, 
 The wily harlot, and the flave, who join 
 To wipe the mifer of his darling coin. 
 POLL jo in pure Iambic Numbers fmgs 
 The tragic fcenes of heroes and of kings ; 
 And VARIUS in fublime and ardent vein 
 Supports the grandeur of the Epic ftrain. 
 On VIRGIL all the rural mufes fmile, 
 Smooth flow his lines, and elegant his ftyle. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 He has in a particular manner in another place celebrat- 
 ed VARIUS for his genius for Epic Poetry, 
 
 Scriberis Vario forth iff bojlium 
 
 Mceonii Car minis a lit e B. i. Ode vi. 
 
 High foaring on Moeonian wing, 
 
 VARIUS in martial tone fhall fmg. FRANCIS. 
 
 VARIUS was equally eminent and fuccefsful as a tra- 
 gedy writer. QUINTILIAN in his Inftit. Or at. 
 B. x. compares the Thyejles of VARIUS to the beft 
 tragedy of the Greeks ; Jam Varii Thyeftes cuilibet 
 
 Fuscus
 
 44 < fbe Life of MMCEUAS. 
 
 Fuscus ARISTIUS, learned grammarians ; the 
 rhetorician HELIODORUS, the moil learned man 
 
 Graecorum comparari potcft. 
 
 THE Panegyrift of Pi so fays of this Poet, when 
 talking of 
 
 Nee fua Vtrgilia permifit numina foil 
 Alescenas : traglco quatientem carmina ceejlu 
 Evexit V&rium. 
 
 We have but a few fragments of the works of this great 
 poet. TIBULLUS makes mention of VALGIUS, and 
 defcribes the genius of this author : 
 
 Eft tibiy qui pojjit magnis fe accingere reltis 
 Valgius i ceterno propior non alter Homer o. 
 
 B. iv. Eleg. i. to Mejfala. 
 
 The ninth ode of the fecond book of HORACE is ad- 
 drefied to VALGIUS. C. ASINIUS PQLLIO, an ora- 
 tor, poet, and hjftorian, above the common caft, a 
 great general, and one of the confuls in the year of 
 Rome 713, is fufficiently known from the hiftoryof his 
 times, as well as the Eclogues of VIRGIL, which are 
 dedicated to him, 
 
 Pollio amat no/Irani^ quamvis Jit ruftica mufam y 
 Polllo et ipfe faclt nova carmina. 
 
 VIRG. Eclog. iii. 
 
 POLLIO my rural vcrfe x^ouchfafes to read, 
 My POLLIO writes himfelf -- 
 
 DRY DEN. 
 
 En erit^ tit liccat totum mibi ferre per orbern 
 Sola Sophocleo tua carmina digna cothurno. 
 
 Eclog. viii. 
 of
 
 The Life of M^CENAS. 
 of the Greeks - y among the orators, MAECENAS 
 was particularly intimate with P/EDIUS PUBLI- 
 
 Is there an hour in fae referv'd for me, 
 To fing thy deeds in numbers worthy thee ? 
 In numbers like to thine, cou'd I rehearfe 
 Thy lofty tragic fcenes, thy labour'd verfe 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 HORACE alfo addrefled the firft ode of the fecond book 
 to him : ^ 
 
 Paulum ftverte Mufa iragoedlee 
 
 Defit tbcatns : mox, itbi publicas 
 
 Res ordinaris^ grande munus 
 
 Cecropio repetes cothurno* &\x 
 Jnjigne moeftis pr&Jidium rtis, 
 Et confulenti Pcllio curia : 
 Cut Jaurus eeternos bonores 
 Dalmatico peperit triumpko. 
 
 Retard a while thy glowing vein, 
 
 Nor fwell the folemn, tragic fcene ; 
 
 And when thy fage, hiftoric cares 
 
 Have form'd the train of Rome's affairs, 
 With lofty rapture re-inflam'd, infufe 
 Heroic thoughts, and wake the b.ufkin'd nuife ; 
 
 O POLLIO, thou the great defence 
 
 Of fad impleaded innocence, 
 
 On whom, to weigh the grand debate, 
 
 In deep confult the Fathers wait ; 
 For whom the triumphs o'er Dalmatia fpread 
 Unfading honours round thy iaurel'd head. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 We muft not confound DOMITIUS MARSUS, a cele- 
 brated epigrammatift, with MARCUS, author of the 
 Amazonidcs. A!ARTIAL has two epigrams, which 
 plainly mark a diftevence between the two ; 
 
 COLA,
 
 46 f fbe Life of M^CENAS. 
 
 COLA, MESSALA CORVINUS (x) y CAIUS FUR- 
 NIUS, a tribune of the people, and his fon, 
 a moft elegant and faithful hiftorian, whom 
 AUGUSTUS raifed to the confular dignity. 
 
 THE different talents of thefe great men, had 
 we no other proofs, would fufficiently evince us 
 of the abilities of MAECENAS. There always 
 
 Ergo era Virgil'ius^ fi munera M&cenatis 
 Des mibi f 7irgilius non era, Marfus era. 
 
 MART. B. viii. Epig. Ivi. 
 
 Sapius in libra memoratur Perfms uno^ 
 ^uam levis in tola Marfus Amazonide. 
 
 Ib. B. iv. Epig. xxix. 
 
 (x] MESSALA CORVINUS, a Roman fenator, of 
 illuftrious birth, and a great orator, was collegue in the 
 confulfhip with AUGUSTUS in the year of Rome 758. 
 He was the friend and patron of Ti BULL us, who in 
 his iv. Book of Paneg. to MESSALA thus defcribes his 
 virtues and rare qualifications : 
 
 7^, Meflala^ canam, quamquam me cognita virtus 
 Terret 
 
 Non tua majorum contenta eft gloria fama^ 
 Nee quarts quid quaque index fub imagine dicat y 
 Sed generis prifcos contendis vincere honor es^ 
 Quam tibi majores, majus decus ipfe futurus. 
 
 CICERO in his book of eminent orators mentions 
 MESSALA with great refpel. And in his xv th Epiftle 
 to BRUTUS, Meflalam habes, fays he, cave putes, 
 probitate, conftantia, cura, ftudio reipublicae, quid- 
 quam illi efTe fimile ut eloquentia, qua mirabiliter ex- 
 
 was
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 47 
 
 was an harmony amongft them ; they never 
 gave each other the leaft caufe of uneafinefs, as 
 they knew, nor jealoufy, nor envy. The no- 
 bleft, and richeft amongft them had no pride, 
 nor did the moft learned hug himfelf with his 
 iiiperior knowledge. Merit, in whatever lhape 
 it appeared, held an honourable ftation among 
 them. HORACE gives us a lively defcription of 
 the houfe of MAECENAS, and of thofe who fre- 
 quented it(y). The love heexprefled for learning, 
 
 cellit, vix in eo locum ad laudandum habere videatur. 
 HORACE, B.i. Sat. x. mentions him : 
 
 Te, Meffald) tuo cum fratre 9 &c. 
 
 And QUINTILIAN in his In/I. orat. B x. Chap. r. 
 fays Meflala nitidus & candidus, & quodammodo pne 
 fe ferens in dicendo nobilitatem fuam, viribus minor. 
 PLINY informs us, that MESSALA, two years before he 
 died, fo entirely loft his memory, as to forget his own 
 name : Sui vero nominis MefTala Corvinus orator 
 oblitus. B. vii. Chap. 24. 
 
 ()) HORACE lived in clofe connection with all MAE- 
 CENAS'S friends; he names feveral of them in- his x a 
 Sat. Book i. and wifhes his writings may prove deferr- 
 ing of their approbation ; little anxious about the crt- 
 ticifms of idle poetafters, or the infipid railleries of half- 
 witted fellows; in his ixth Sat. of Book i. he draws 
 a fine piture of an impertinent creature, who applied 
 to him to be introduced to MAECENAS I will do you 
 all the fervices there, fays he ; you mall eclipfe all his 
 favourites, and become the chief of them through my 
 nieans The poet replies 
 
 I/to non vhitur illic 
 
 tu rere^ modo : domus bac nee pttriof itlla e/? t . 
 ec magh his aliena malls : nil mi officit^ inquam. 
 
 and
 
 48 7/k- Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 and the favours he continually beftowed upon thofe 
 who made any mining figure, eafily determined 
 authors to infcribe and dedicate their works to 
 him. VIRGIL, HORACE, PROPERTIUS, and 
 PEDONIUS afford us excellent teftimonies of this. 
 The injury of the times has deftroyed many 
 others, whofe titles we can fcarcely trace in the 
 ancient writers. PLUTARCH informs us that 
 AUGUSTUS himfelf dedicated his commentaries 
 to his two intimate friends AGRIPPA and MAE- 
 CENAS. 
 
 THE houfeof this great man was always open to 
 poets and men of letters but your CARBILIUS'S, 
 ANSERs,yourCoRNiFicius's, M^vius's, FAN- 
 N i us's, and fuch like(z; fnarling animals of no me- 
 
 Ditlor /;?>, out eft quid dottior : eft locus uni- 
 Cuique fuus. 
 
 B. i. Sat. ir. 
 
 We live not there, as you fuppofe, 
 On fuch precarious terms as thofe, 
 No family was ever purer ; 
 From fuch infections none fecurer. 
 It never hurts me in the leaft ; 
 That one excels in wealth, or tafte ; 
 Each perfon there a place inherits 
 A place proportion'd to his merits. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 (z) CARBILIUS PICTOR wrote a book againft the 
 jEneids, entituled the JEneidoirMjlix, which DONA- 
 TUS very falfeiy and unjuflly charges MAECENAS 
 with, ANSER was a panegyric poet, and a friend of 
 
 rit
 
 2i&<? Life of MAECENAS. 49 
 
 rit or conduct, were entirely excluded ; MAECENAS 
 never countenanced or admitted thofe banes ot 
 knowledge and learning to his familiarity, who 
 write out of mere fpite, envy, and vanity ; and, 
 to be talked of, attempt to criticife the beft 
 writings. How different are the fatires of Ho- 
 RACE from this turn 1 . the ftrokes there, glance 
 only at flich whofe reputations are already 
 
 MARC ANTONY, who made him a prefent of POM- 
 TEY'S eftate lltuated in the territory of Falernutn ; 
 this occafioned CICERO to. fay, Philip, xiii. De Falerno 
 Anferes depellentur. Some commentators pretend 
 that VIRGIL meant this ANSER when in his ix th Ec- 
 logue he fays, 
 
 Nam neque adhuc Varo videor^ nee dlcere Cinna 
 Digna^ -fed argutos interpreters anfer olores. 
 
 Bucol. ix, 
 
 I nor to CINNA'S ears, nor VARUS' dare afpire, 
 But gabble like a goofe amidft the fwan-like choir. 
 
 DRYDEK. 
 
 CORNIFICIUS, a very fevere epigrammatift, was an 
 enemy to VIRGIL, and never ceafed fpitting his ve- 
 nom at this great poet. MJEVIUS was another defpica- 
 ble bard in thofe days. VIRGIL and HORACE have 
 made him fufficiently ridiculous to all pofterity. FAN-* 
 NJUS QUADRATUS was one of the DENNIS'S of his 
 time, and an aukward critic of HORACE'S writings, 
 who fpe.aks of him in feveral of his Satires, 
 
 Beatus FanniitS) ultry 
 Dflatis cap/is & imagine. 
 
 The pictures and works of the eminent poets were 
 always placed in the Palatine library, in honour to 
 them. FANNIUS, ambitious of the fame honour, 
 though very undeferving of it, carried his trafli and 
 picture thither himfelf. 
 
 E blafted,
 
 5 The Life 
 
 blafted, at wretched poets, or deceafed authors : 
 Abilities are mentioned with refpeft ; he is dif- 
 creetly witty; nor did the friend of MAECENAS 
 ever divert himfelf at the expence of men of me- 
 rit. The infects of Fame/Jus^ and all fuch as 
 were not admitted into this illuftrious company, 
 had their meetings neverthelefs. They held their 
 rendezvous at the houfes of rich coxcombs, fuch 
 as the TIGELLII (a\ whofe depraved tafte and 
 malign fpirits perfectly agreed with the rhapfodical 
 rhimes, and ill natured back-ftrokes of thefe 
 poetafters. VIRGIL and HORACE, nay MAE- 
 CENAS himfelf, were not fpared amongft them ; 
 thefe great men however laughed at their weak- 
 nefs, and defpifed their ribbaldry : 
 
 ' Men* moveat (fays HORACE) clmex Pantitius? 
 
 aut cruciet, quod 
 
 Vellket abfentem Demetrius ? aut quod ineptus 
 Fannius Hermogenis Ixdat conviva Tigelfi ? 
 
 B. i.Sat.x. 
 
 " Say mall that brag PANTILIUS move my fpleen ? 
 Shall I be tortur'd with a wretch obfcene, 
 
 (a] WE muft not, as many have done, confound 
 this TIGELLIUS HERMOGENES with the Sardinian 
 TIGELLIUS, whom HORACE wittily lames in the be- 
 ginning of his fecond and third Satires of his firft book. 
 The latter was dead at the time the poet wrote j he 
 fpeaks on the contrary of the other as of a perfon then 
 in being, fee Sat. iii, iv, and x. This is an obfervation 
 of DACIER and other commentators. Thefe two 
 TIGILLIUS'S however refembled each other in this, 
 viz. they were both good muficians, and always received 
 bad company at their houfes. 
 
 Or
 
 *Tbe Life of MAECENAS. 
 Or foolifh FANNIUS, for a fordid treat 
 .Withfweet TIGELLIUS, iliall my verfes rate ? 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 This was rightly judged for the beft way to 
 treat fuch infignificant fellows is to ufe them 
 with contempt. MAECENAS not only protect- 
 ed the literati, but he was himfelf a man of 
 great learning, and a judicious writer, both in 
 profe and verfe (b\ He wrote the tragedy of 
 OCTAVIA, the life of AUGUSTUS, a natural hi- 
 flory of animals, a treatife on precious Hones, 
 and another entituled Prometheus : but time, or 
 fome other accidents have robbed us of all 
 
 (b] PRISCIAN tells us MAECENAS wrote the tra- 
 gedy of OCTAVIA; and cites this verfe out of it, 
 
 Pexijli capillum natures munerilns gratum. 
 MEIBOMIUS alfo calls the Prometheus of MAECENAS 
 a tragedy; but SENECA, Epift. xix fays, that it was 
 a book only which bore that tide, Si quaeris in quo libro 
 dixerit, in eo qui Prometheus infcribitur He juft before 
 produces a fentence in it, Ipfa enim altitude attonat 
 fumma, which he both criticifes as to the fenfe as well as 
 the diction. SERVIUS on the Georgia, Book ii. ^ 42. 
 afferts that MAECENAS wrote the life of AUGUSTUS in 
 profe ; and in fupport thereof quotes the following paf- 
 fcge in HORACE: 
 
 tuque pedejiribus 
 Dices bi/loriis pr&lia C&faris, 
 
 M&cenas, meltus, duEtaque per vias 
 
 colla minacium. B. ii. Ode xii. 
 
 Tis thine in ftronger profe to tell 
 
 The mighty Pow'r of CJESAR'S war; 
 
 How kings beneath his battle fell, 
 
 And dragg'd indignant his triumphant car. 
 
 E 2 thefe,
 
 52 Tie Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 thefe, unlefs the bare titles and fome few frag- 
 ments. DION CASSIUS indeed has preferved 
 
 PLINY, in his vii th book, chap. 45. confirms this fenti- 
 ment j he is fpeaking of the reverfes of fortune AU- 
 GUSTUS fometimes met with, and quotes MAECENAS 
 and AGRIPPA as vouchers for the truth of his afiertion. 
 This author alfo gives us reafon to think M .TEC EN AS 
 was not lefs curious in natural hrftory, and that he wrote 
 a treatife on animals, and another on precious ftones ; 
 for in his Elenchus, he mentions him as one from whom 
 he had borrowed what he fays in the ix th , xxxu d , and 
 xxxvii th books of his hiftory, where he treats cf aquatic 
 animals, the remedies drawn out of them, and of pre- 
 cious ftones. He lays a particular ftrefs on his autho- 
 rity with regard to a marvellous affair which happened 
 in the reign of AUGUSTUS take his own words: 
 Divo Augufto principe Lucrinum lacum invelus pau- 
 peris cujufdam puerum ex Baiano, puteolos in ludurn 
 literarium itantem, cum meridiano immotans appella- 
 tum eum Simonis nomine, faepius fragmentis panis, 
 quem ob id ferebat, alexiflet, miro amore dilexit. Pi- 
 geret referre, ni res Maecenatis & Flavian! & Flavi 
 Alfii, multorumque efFet litteris mandata. B. ix. c. 7. 
 And it is here to be obferved, that the difcourfe of MJ- 
 CENAS to AUGUSTUS, as related by DION in his 
 lii d book, is not fo perfect but that it wants fomething 
 in the exordium, as well as in the conclufion of Ac RIP- 
 PA'S fpeech. 
 
 Befides the works I have mentioned, MAECENAS 
 wrote a book on manners, fome fragments of which are 
 taken notice of by SENECA in his cxiv th epiftle ; healfo 
 wrote feveral poems. CHARISIUS in his firft book, 
 repeats one verfe, taken from the X th book. The fol- 
 lowing verfe, fo much efteemed by the antients, and 
 SENECA himfelf, was probably quoted out of fome of 
 thofe books, 
 
 Nee tumulum euro: fepelit natura reliflos. 
 ISIDORUS, in his Orig. B. xix. c. 32. De annulis, has 
 
 one
 
 y&e Life 0/ MAECENAS. 53 
 
 one difcourfe entire, which M/ECENAS made 
 when AUGUSTUS propofed the queftion, whe- 
 ther he fhould abdicate or not. 
 
 preferred us fome of MAECENAS'S writings addrefled to 
 HORACE on the lofs of a friend. TURNEBUS cor- 
 rects, and reads them thus, in his Adv. B. xx. C. 2. 
 
 Lugent^ O mea vita ! te fmaragdus^ 
 Beryllus quoqite ; Flacce, nee nitentes 
 Nuper Candida margarita, qntzras t 
 Nee quos Thynica lima perpohiiit 
 Anellos, nee jafpios lapillos. 
 
 TURNEBUS, ibid, thinks thefe verfes were made upon 
 the death of HORACE ; but this is a jniftake, for he 
 out-lived MAECENAS. We find the following verfes in 
 the life of HORACE : 
 
 Nt te vifceribus meis, Horati, 
 Plus jam diligo, tu tuwn fodalem 
 Hinno me videasjlrigofiorem. 
 
 The following verfes, which are alfo fuppofed to he of 
 M.S:CENAS, are taken from a book, the title of which 
 is not known, by DIOMEDES, a Greek grammarian 
 B. iii. It is a defcription of the feafts of Cybele: 
 
 tec, ades^ Cybelle dea, Montigena dea> 
 Age tympana fonanti quate flexibile caput, 
 Lotus horreat flagelh^ comitum Chorus ululft. 
 
 BARTHIUS, in his Adverf. B. xvii. Ch. 3. cites the firft 
 line of thefe verfes, and reads it Montigera inftead of 
 fyforttigena. But the moft celebrated verfes of MAECE- 
 NAS are quoted by SENECA in his ci st letter, who 
 condemns the fentiments : Inde illud Mascenatis tur- 
 piflimum votum : quo & debilitatem non recufat, & 
 deformitatem, & noviflime acutam crucem, dummodo 
 inter haec mala fpiritus prorogetur : 
 
 Debilem facito manu, 
 Debilsm pede, coxa : 
 
 E THESE
 
 54 7^ Life of MAC EN AS. 
 
 THESE were the agreeable amufements of 
 MAECENAS (r): and PEDONIUS (a cotcmporary 
 poet) fays of him, that he was accuflomed to 
 pay his court to the Virgin Sifters in his delight- 
 ful gardens, feated beneath the cool fhades of his 
 green fpreadihg trees s whence the delicious birds 
 conftantly warbled their harmonious fongs. Na- 
 
 Tuber adftrue gibbcrum^ 
 
 Lulricos quatc denies. 
 Vita dumfupercfti bcne eft. 
 
 Plane mihi) vel a cut a ^ 
 Si fedeam cruce y fujline. 
 
 Quod miferrimum erat, fi incidifiet, optatur, & tamquam 
 vita petitur, fupplicii mora : contemptifiimum putarem, fi 
 vivere vellet ufque ad crucem. . . . quid fibi vult ifta 
 carminis efFoeminati turpitude, quid tim'oris dementifli- 
 mi pad^io ? quid tarn foeda vitae mendicatio? 
 
 THE ftyle of MAECENAS was in general found fault 
 with for its affe&ation. AUGUSTUS himfelf, according 
 to SUETONIUS, was the firft to joke him upon it, by 
 affecting, when he wrote letters to him, to imitate his 
 ftyle: Exagitabat nonnunquam in primis Maecenatem 
 fuum, cujus /xt'^^sr?, ut aiit, cincinnos, ufquequaquc 
 perfequitur, & imitando per jocum irridet. Life of Au- 
 guftus, C. 86. SENECA neverthelefs (who was one of 
 his moft avowed enemies) allows him to have had a fu- 
 perior genius, and great difpofitions for eloquence : In- 
 geniofus vir ille fuit, magnum exemplum Romance elo- 
 quentije daturus, nifi ilium enervaflet felicitas. Epiji. xix. 
 And in his cxiv th , which is a kind of libel againft MAE- 
 CENAS, he fays, magni ingenii vir fuerat, fuion in ora- 
 tionc djfflueret. 
 
 (r) PEDO ALBINOVANUS fays, MAECENAS ufed to 
 write verfes in his fine gardens, 
 
 PieridaSy Phcebumque colens in mollibus bortis 
 Sederat argutas garrulus inter trues. 
 
 turally
 
 *fbe Life of MJECE-NAS. 55 
 
 turally affable, humane, and benevoleat, the 
 belles lettres but ferved to polifli thofe innate 
 beauties, and inherent virtues. He, took a pe- 
 culiar pleafure in doing good : and, though a 
 court favourite, was fo far from injuring any 
 private perfon, that he even ftudied to avoid 
 the very fufpicion of fuch a guilt (d). In the 
 higheft efteem with his prince, his modefty and 
 affability gained him the love of all the courtiers. 
 The following inftance will fumciently deter- 
 mine in what great favour he was with the Ro- 
 mans: being juft recovered from a dangerous in- 
 difpofition, he went to the play ; the audience, 
 to mew their zeal and affedion, rofe upon his 
 firft coming into the theatre (e), and by a gene- 
 
 (d] Omnla cum poj/es, tanto tarn earns arnica, 
 Te fenfit nemo < velle nocere tamen. 
 
 PEDON. Epiced. 
 
 MAECENAS was of a different character from thatagainft 
 which the Chorus of thefecond acl in SENECA'S tragedy 
 of HERCULES on mount Oeta fo much exclaims : 
 
 Cdit hie reges, calcet ut 
 
 Perdatque aliquot^ nullumquc levet. 
 
 Tantum ut noceat, cupit ejfi potens. 
 MEIBOMIUS errs greatly to quote thefe verfes as from 
 the tragedy of OCT A VIA. 
 
 (f) IT was cuftomary with the Romans to rife when- 
 ever a prince, or perfon of great diftinction, came into 
 the publick (hews ; they offered up their vows, and 
 clapped them at their entrance : people of an odious 
 character, on the contrary, when they appeared, were 
 hiffed and hooted out of their theatres. HORACE men- 
 tions thefe honours paid to MAECENAS by the Romans. 
 E 4 ral
 
 The Life of 
 
 ral applaufe:, expreiTed their joy at his late re- 
 covery. 
 
 HE was in great efteem with all conditions of 
 men his flaves adored him : his kindnefs 
 lightened their chains and fervitude i the lofs of 
 
 Vile potabis nwdicis Sabinum 
 Cantkaris, Gresca quod ego ipfe tejia 
 . Condi turn levi ; datus in theatro 
 
 Cum tibi plaufuS) 
 
 Chare M&cenas eques^ ut paternl 
 Fluminis ripte, fimul & joe of a 
 Redolent laudes tibi Vaticani 
 
 Montis imago. B. I. Ode xx. 
 
 A poet's bev'rage humbly cheap, 
 
 (Should great MAECENAS be my gueft,) 
 Crude vintage of the Sabine grape, 
 
 But yet in fober cups, (hall crown the feaft ; ^-jg f 
 *Twas rack'd into a Grecian caflc, 
 
 Its rougher juice to melt away, 
 I feaPd it too a pleafing tafk, 
 
 With annual joy to mark that glorious day, 
 When in applaud ve fnouts, thy name 
 
 Spread from the theatres around, 
 Floating on thy own Tiber's ftream, . ; jfI3 ^ 
 
 And Echo, playful nymph, return'd the found, t I3 jyj 
 
 Te jovis tmpto 
 Tutela Saturr.o refulgent 
 Eripuit, volucrifque fati 
 Tar davit alas : turn populus frequens 
 Fauftum theatris ter crepuit fonum. B. II. Ode xvii. 
 Thee, Jove's bright influence fnatch'd away 
 From baleful SATURN'S impious ray, 
 And ftopp'd the rapid wings of fate, 
 When the full theatre elate 
 With joyful tranfports hail'd thy name, 
 And thrice unprais'd the loud acclaim. FRANCIS. 
 
 liberty
 
 The Lifi of MAECENAS, 
 liberty -was no misfortune to them, fmce they 
 ferved fo good a mailer. SUETONIUS relates a 
 pretty extraordinary flory upon this occafion, 
 which I beg leave to infert here: C. MELISSUS, 
 born at Spoletum, of free parents, was, upon ac- 
 count of their mifunderftandings, expofed in 
 his infancy ; falling happily into the hands of a 
 perfon who gave him a liberal education, he be- 
 came an excellent grammarian, and as fuch was 
 given in prefent to MAECENAS. He behaved 
 fo well, that he was treated more like a friend 
 than a flave. His mother reclaimed him, and 
 declared, by laying her hands upon him, accord- 
 ing to the ancient cuftom, that he was born free ; 
 but MELISSUS preferred his prefent fituation to 
 the prerogatives of his birth : M/ECENAS, how- 
 ever, not only prefented him with his freedom, 
 but he made him one of his companions (/_). 
 
 (f) The freemen generally aflumed the name and 
 furname of their mafters. MELISSUS with the con- 
 fent of MAECENAS, took that of CAIUS CILNIUS 
 MELISSUS. AUGUSTUS, into whofe favour he had 
 jniinuated himfelf, made him his librarian. At the 
 age of fixty he wrote fome humorous books, and in- 
 vented a new fort of comedy. Fecit & novum genus 
 togatarum, infcripfitque Trabeatas, fays, SUET ONI us of 
 him, in his book Of illuftrious grammarians. He was 
 both a poet and a grammarian. OVID in the iv th book 
 De Ponto, Eleg.xvi. fpeaks of MELISSUS'S comedies: 
 
 Mufaque Turanm tragicis innixa cothurni^ 
 Et tua cum focco Mufti MeUJJe, levi. 
 
 HEINSIUS, in his remark on this laft verfe, fays, that 
 
 He
 
 I 
 tfbe Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 He was not the only one who happily met with 
 fuch ufage : AQUILA and THALATION had wit. 
 and abilities which rendered them ornaments to 
 
 their mailer and to the world We mail by 
 
 and by have occafion to fpeak of them. 
 
 His excellent qualities endeared him to AU- 
 GUSTUS-, he liked that honeft frank nefs in MAE- 
 CENAS, which is ib feldom met with in courtiers 
 and die favourites of princes ; he was a ftranger 
 to difTimulation and abjeft flattery. The Ro- 
 man prince was attentive to the wife counfels of 
 his minifter, and received infinite advantages 
 from them. 
 
 AUGUSTUS was of a choleric and revenge- 
 ful difpofition, and often flood in great need of 
 fuch a friend as M^CZNAS to moderate and 
 
 the humorous writings of MELISSUS were fables, fome- 
 what in the manner of ESOP. Id enim fcribendi genus 
 jocos vocabant. PHJEDRUS calls his fables fo: 
 
 Tu qul nafute fcripta dtjlrlngh mea y 
 Et hoc jocorum legere faftidis genus. 
 
 Several learned men are of opinion that MAECENAS 
 MESSIUS, mentioned by PLINY in the xxviii book Ch. 
 vi. is the fame with this freeman MAECENAS, and that 
 we fhould read it MJECENATEM MELISSUM. The 
 naturalift informs us, that he fpoke not a word for three 
 years, in order to be cured of a fpitting of blood. 
 Sermoni parci multis de caufis falutare eft. Triennio 
 Maecenatem Meffium accepimus filentium fibi impera- 
 vifle, a convulfione reddito fanguine. 
 
 foften
 
 59 
 
 foften his paflions; of this DION gives us a re- 
 markable inftance : AUGUSTUS on a particu- 
 lar occafion being in the feat of juftice, and 
 giving way to his cruelty, was on the point 
 of condemning feveral poor prifoners to die : 
 MAECENAS, not being able to get at him for 
 the croud, threw his tablets, on which he had 
 wrote thefe words, Rife, hangman: AUGUSTUS 
 on reading the contents, left the court with- 
 out condemning one. The reproof feems fevere 
 enough ; but MAECENAS knew his matter well, 
 and was allured, he never took offence at his 
 liberties ; and was pleafed his friends would fof- 
 ten him, when his pafllons became too predomi- 
 nant. MAECENAS never infmuated himfelf into 
 favour by cringing, and nattering his prince's 
 imperfections. Honour, konefty, and true know- 
 ledge were the bafis on which they had founded 
 their reciprocal friendfliip , and though AUGUS- 
 TUS became lord of the world, MAECENAS ever 
 nobly preferved his franknefs and generous fm- 
 cerity. 
 
 HE was not lefs diftinguifhable for his difcre- 
 tion. He fpoke little, but to the purpofe ( ), 
 and was in the moft eminent degree qualified in 
 this particular-, a particular abfolutely requifite 
 to thofe who converfe much with mankind, 
 
 (g) In amicos fidus extitit. Quorum praecipui erant 
 ob tachurnitatem Maecenas, frV. 
 
 and
 
 60 The Life of MACENAS. 
 
 and more efpecially to fuch as are entrufted 
 with the confidence and affairs of princes. 
 He is charged however with having once tranf- 
 
 y f R greffed in this point : 111731, FANNIUS C^EPIO 
 '731. confpired againft the Emperor's life: MURENA, 
 
 CxS^NJ brother-in-law of M^CENAS, was fufpected to 
 be concerned in this ccnfpiracy; M^CENAS 
 well apprized of this, and apprehending the 
 confequence, difcovered the fecret to his wife 
 TERENTIA. The confpirators were fummoned 
 to appear, but difobeying the fummons, were 
 condemned to banimment, and afterwards put to 
 death. Nor could the joint interefts of PROCU- 
 LEIUS, MURENA'S brother, nor that of his 
 brother-in-law avail him. AUGUSTUS was dif- 
 pleafed at MAECENAS for this piece of indifcre- 
 tion. DION endeavours to palliate this circum- 
 flance, by faying MURENA probably might 
 have been unjuftly (b) fufpefled, and that MAE- 
 CENAS acted in this affair from a principle of 
 extreme fondnefs for TERENTIA. Be this as it 
 will, the emperor foon forgot his refentnient } as 
 as we may fee by what follows. 
 
 ' _>uA 
 AUGUSTUS was gone into Sicily, m order to 
 
 ' z ' proceed to Afia^ when he was informed that there 
 great grumblings at Rome about the choice 
 
 Kou, rivls it Si ilu) Tsivliav ?lw TX Mauxwis 
 
 T 
 
 y. DION, B. ILv. 
 of
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 6r 
 
 of.confuls. He fent AGRIPPA therefore to 
 Rom?) and nominated him a fecond time prefect, 
 to put an end to thsfe feuds and animofities ; 
 and, to give him the greater eclat 9 he obliged 
 him to divorce his wife MARCELLA, though a 
 daughter of his fitter OCTAVIA, whofe confent 
 for this purpofe he had engaged ; and command- 
 ed him to marry his own daughter JULIA (z), y. O f 
 young MARCELLUS'S widow (k}\ thus loading 733 
 him at once with honour and infamy. Some were ' 
 of opinion AUGUSTUS had other motives which 
 difpofed him to this match. It is dangerous to 
 be ferviceable to princes of AUGUSTUS'S cha- 
 racter. The reputation AGRIPPA acquired to 
 himielf from fo many fignal victories, went near 
 to ruin him. AUGUSTUS grew jealous of his 
 power, and was even weak enough to fear him ; 
 though the probity, friendfhip, and fV 
 this prudent general, of which he had received 
 fo many repeated proofs, could never admit the 
 ieaft room for fo unaccountable a fufpicion. He 
 was deliberating on his ruin, and confulted 
 
 2B f 3fl M ^ 
 
 {/') M. DE S. REAL, in his fragments on the life of 
 AUGUSTUS, is miftaken in his chronology, when he 
 fays AGRIPPA was married to JULIA immediately 
 after the defeat of the younger POM PEY, which hap- 
 pened in the year of Rome 718; for {he could only be 
 four years old at that time, AUGUSTUS having mar- 
 ried SCRIBONIA her mother in 713. 
 
 () Marco Agrippje nuptum dedit Juliam, exorata 
 forore, ut fibi genero cederet. SUE TON. Vit. Augiift. 
 Chap. 63.
 
 62 "The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 MAECENAS thereupon-, " AGRIPPA, my lord, is 
 " ib powerful," replied the favourite, with his ufual 
 opennefs, " that you muft either make him your 
 " fon-Sn-law, or difpatch him out of the way." 
 
 THE emperor, on his return from Syria, paffed 
 thro* Athens , and brought VIRGIL back with him 
 ' ' into Italy. This admirable poet died in Calabria^ 
 lX"VNjand appointed AUGUSTUS and MAECENAS his 
 heirs in part, out of gratitude for the many fa- 
 vours they had conferred on him. He always 
 had held a literary correfpondence with them, 
 an honour he greatly deferved ; and which his 
 illuftrious patrons, in their turn, efteemed as one 
 done to themfelves. 
 
 Y. of R. AUGUSTUS and AGRIPPA now ordered the 
 737- grand Secular games to be celebrated at Rome (/), 
 
 (/) THE Secular games were inftituted in the year 
 of Rome 245, after the expulfion of the Tarquins, by 
 the conful VALERIUS PUBLICOLA, to appeafe the an- 
 ger of the gods, after the city had been afflicted with 
 the plague. Thefe games were interdicted by the Si- 
 bylline oracle, which ordained, that they fhould be fo- 
 lemnized every no Years only ; this however was not 
 always punctually obferved. AUGUSTUS kept them in 
 the year of Rome 737, and the emperor CLAUDIUS 
 in the year 800, becaufe it was the beginning of a 
 century. SUETONIUS, in his life of CLAUDIUS, 
 Chap. 2 1 . relates the people's mirth upon this occafion ; 
 for they were invited, according to the ancient cuftom, 
 to come and a/lift at thefe games, which never 
 were, and never would be fecn again fince many 
 then lived, who had been prcfent at thofe given by 
 AUGUSTUS. Quare vox pn-econis irrifa eft invitantis 
 more folenni ad ludos, quos nee fpectafTet quifquam nee 
 fne&aturus effet: cum fupcreflent adhuc qui Ipedlave- 
 
 which
 
 The Life cf MAECENAS. 63 
 
 which were folemnifed once in a hundred years. 
 MAECENAS was a great admirer of public fhews -, 
 
 rant, & quidam hiftrionum proJucli olim, tune quoquc 
 producerentur. MORERI, in his dictionary, under the 
 articleof SECULAR GAMES, is miftaken, to fix this jeft 
 upon DOMITI AN, when in reality SUETONIUS fpeaks 
 of the games of CLAUDIUS. It is true, the people had 
 more reafon to be merry at thofe ofDoivirraAN, if the 
 fame proclamation was iffued as at the former, becaufe 
 they were celebrated but forty years after. The moft 
 magnificent games were folemnized in the year Rome 
 "i ooo, by the emperor PHILIP. This fe'aft was kept 
 three days and three nights, in the beginning of harveft. 
 Sacrifices were offered to all the Gods. But thefe 
 
 Simes were more particularly facred to APOLLO and 
 i AN A. HORACE wrote the fecular Ode to be fung 
 at thefe feafts by the fpecial command of AUGUSTUS. 
 
 Phcebc, fifoarumque potens Diana, 
 Lucldum caeli decus, 6 colendi 
 Semper, & ulti^ date qu<z prccamur 
 
 Temp ore facro. 
 
 ^tto Sibyllini monucrc vcrfus 
 Virgines lettas, puerofque cables 
 DiiSy quibusfeptem placuere calks, 
 
 Dicer e carmen. Carm. Secul. 
 
 Yc radiant glories of the fkies, 
 Ever-beaming God of light, 
 Sweetly-mining Queen of night ; 
 Beneath whofe wrath the wood-born favage dies ; 
 Ye Pow'rs, to whom with endlefs praife 
 A grateful world its homage pays ; 
 Let our pray'r, our pray'r be heard, 
 v Now in this folcmn hour preferr'd, 
 
 When by the Sibyl's dread command, 
 Of fpotlefs maids a chofen train, 
 
 Of fpotlefs youths a chofen band, 
 To all our guardian Gods uplift the hallow'd flrain. 
 
 FRAN'CIS.
 
 64 TZtf Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 it fuited the Reman tafte. The emperor ho- 
 noured them with his prefence, both out of in- 
 clination as well as policy , his favourite advifed 
 . him to give frequent entertainments of that fort i 
 and to afiift at them himfelf, in order to gain the 
 people's affections, to divert them from their 
 ieditious contrivances by fuch like amufements, 
 and to make them more obedient to his laws (;). 
 
 THE fame year AUGUSTUS made a voyage into 
 Caul, at that time infefled by the Germans, un- 
 der pretence to reftore peace , but it was in 
 effect to avoid becoming odious to the people, by 
 Haying too long at Rome, in puniming the dif- 
 obedient, or being conflrained to weaken the 
 laws authority, by too much indulgence and le- 
 nity. Some conjectured this voyage was under- 
 taken upon TERENTIA'S account only, in order 
 to enjoy her company more conveniently (). 
 She was one of the fineft women of the age, but 
 fo vain of her beauty, that fhe even dared to dif- 
 
 (m) WE have a fine anfwcr, which was made AU- 
 GUSTUS by the famous PYLADES,out of DION CAS- 
 sius, B. liv. This player, having a difpute with BA- 
 TH YI.L us his competitor, the quarrel occafioned fome 
 difturbance among the people who were prefent at the 
 Ihew. The emperor expreffed himfelf angrily to PY- 
 LADES upon that occafion, who replied, ^vptyk^et cot, 
 Keuff(*(>, <rs&i Jj/*f r Ay/Adv tyx.rej.&t&ou, Expedit tibi, 
 Caefar, circa nos populum tempus terere. 
 
 () TERENTIA was a fifter of PROCULEIUS, emi- 
 nent for his fraternal love, and of LICINIUS MURENA^ 
 who confpired againft AUGUSTUS. It is highly pro- 
 bable that it is fhe, whom HORACE celebrates fomuch
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 65 
 
 pute it with LIVIA.. Gay, extravagant, and 
 ill-natured, there often arofe mifunderftandings 
 between her and JVLfc GEN AS : They often parted, 
 but not for any time , the fond hufcand was nei- 
 ther eafy with nor without her, which made SE^ 
 
 for beauty and qualifications, and calls by the name of 
 LICINIA, and that MAECENAS was fo extravagantly 
 fond of before he married her : 
 
 Me dukes domino Mufa Licymnies 
 Cantus, me voluit dicere lucidum 
 Fulgent es oculos^ & bene mittuis 
 
 Fidum peftus amor tints : 
 Num tu^ qu<s tenuit dives Achamenes^ 
 Autpinguis Phrygtai Mygdonlas opes t 
 Permutare veils crine Licinltz, 
 
 Plenas aut Arabum domes ? Ode xii. B. ii. 
 
 LICYMNIA'S voice, LICYMNIA'S eye, 
 
 Bright darting its refplendent ray, 
 The breaft where love and friendfliip lie, 
 
 The Mufe commands me fmg in fofter by. 
 Say, fhall the wealth by kings pofieft, 
 
 Or the rich diadems they wear, 
 Or all the treafure of the eaft, 
 
 Purchafe one lock of my Li c y M N I A 's hair ? 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 He mentions his patron's love for this woman in ano- 
 ther place, where he compares her to HELEN for 
 beauty : 
 
 Ureris tpfemifcr : quid Ji non pulcrior ignis 
 
 Accendit obfejfam Ilion^ 
 Gaude forte tua. Epod. Ode xiv. 
 
 So great was his fondnefs for her, that he ufed to compare 
 her, according to DION CASSIUS, to LIVIA for beauty. ' 
 
 tturlw r& T? x^'AAar arjo? T Ai roiqo < (. B. liv, 
 
 F NECA
 
 66 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 NEC A fay of him, that he had been a thoufand 
 times married, though he had but one wife : Hunc 
 efie, qui uxorem millies duxit, cum unam habu- 
 erit. It is not likely he overlooked this familia- 
 rity, for DION CASSIUS informs us, that MAECE- 
 NAS fell out with AUGUSTUS upon that account. 
 
 THE emperor appointed STATILIUS TAU- 
 RUS prefect of Rome before his departure i 
 becaufe AGRIPPA was in the eaft, and MAECE- 
 NAS was of the party that were to attend him into 
 Gaul. DION CASSIUS pretends, that AUGUSTUS 
 was a little prejudiced agamic his favourite, be- 
 caufe he would not complaifantly wink at his amo- 
 rous intercourfes with TERENTIA ; but in fact 
 the reafon why he would not re-accept of the 
 government of Rome (a truft of which he 
 was fo highly capable) is, he loved a quiet life, 
 and defired nothing more than his. eafe after fo 
 many fatigues. TAURUS came in by the intereft 
 of MAECENAS. He had advifed AUGUSTUS to 
 make none prefect but who had firft patted thro* 
 all the other civil employments (which was pre- 
 vioufly neceflary to this) to govern, and to dif- 
 penfe juftice in Rome^ and out of the city to a 
 certain diftrict, during his abfence. Thus the 
 modeft favourite, who had it in his power to 
 engrofs all places to himfelf, rather chofe to 
 beftow the moil honourable pofts in the empire 
 On others, fatisfied with his equeftrian dignity (0). 
 
 (e) PROPERTIUS has given us a very fine defcription 
 of the modefty of MAECENAS, who never was anxious 
 
 THE
 
 2%e Life O/MJECEXAS. 67 
 
 THE emperor ftaid three years in Gaul; andY. of R, 
 having re-eftablifhed peace, returned to Rome. 
 The year following AGRIPPA, on his return from 
 PANN T ON T IA where he had been to quell the re- 
 bellion, died in Campania; he was a man of 
 great honefty, and the greater!: captain in his 
 
 .about honours and titles, and was always faithful to 
 AUGUSTUS. 
 
 At tua t Mcscenas, vitee pr&cepta recepi^ 
 
 Cogor ff exemplis te fuperare tuts. 
 )uum. tibl Romano dominas in ban-ire fecures^ 
 
 Et He eat media ponere jura faro : 
 faltibi Medorum pugnaces ire per boftes^ 
 
 Alque onerare tuam fixa per arma dcrr.nm : 
 Et tibi ad effeElum vires det Gtsfar^ & omni 
 
 Tempore tarn fatites infmuentur opes : 
 Parcis t & in tenues bumiiem te colligi$ umbras^ 
 
 Velorum plenos fubtrabis ipje Jimts. 
 Crede mibi magnos aquabunt ijla Camillas 
 
 yudicia, & venies tu quoqite in or a virum : 
 Cafaris & fam<s vejligia junfta tenebis. 
 
 Mfscenatiseruntvaratropbtsa fides. L. Hi. Elcg. viii. 
 
 DION CASSIUS, in his lv th book, fpeaking of the good 
 qualities of M^CEN AS, fays, Virtutis Mxcenatis maxir- 
 mum indicium fuit, quod Augufti cupiditatibus cum re- 
 fifteret, tamen ab eo ipter familiares habitus, reliquis om- 
 nibus fe probarit ; & quod cum plurimum apu4 ilium poflet, 
 adeo ut ab co multos honcres & magiftratus impetraret^ 
 tamen animo nihil elatus, in equeftri ftatu vitam exe- 
 gerit. 
 
 VELLEJUS gives us the fame teftimonials of hismo- 
 jiefty Non minus Agrippa Cnefari carus [Mcecenas] 
 fed minus honoratus : quippe vixi^; angufto clavo pcene 
 contentus; nee majora confequi non potuit, fed non, 
 tarn concupivit. 
 
 THE order of knights was next to the fenatorial, 
 F 2
 
 68 ne Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 time. His actions were a proof that true noli- 
 lity confided in virtue only, fmce, defended from 
 an obfcure family, his valour and conduct had 
 raifed him to the higheft dignity and honour. A i - 
 CUSTUS and MAECENAS were but too fcnfible oi 
 their lofs in fo valuable a friend. The emperor 
 in particular loft one of the fteddieft and firmeft 
 props of his throne. Informed of his indifpofi- 
 tion, AUGUSTUS haftened away to fee him, but 
 he was dead before he could arrive. His body 
 was tranfported to Rome^ where he was buried 
 with the utmoft magnificence, and AUGUSTUS 
 himfelf publicly pronounced his funeral ora- 
 tion. 
 
 MAECENAS was now advancing in years ; but 
 the grey hairs of a great miniiler, and a man of 
 learning, are venerable : he pafied the remainder 
 of his days in an agreeable eafe, in the pleafing 
 converfation ofthofe illuftrious friends he had 
 fo happily feledted. Nor had he been wanting in 
 his refpect to the Roman ladies, whofe wit and 
 beauty made them the ornaments of all polite 
 companies. MAECENAS is even accufed of hav- 
 ing carried his gallantries a little too far. Rome, 
 
 and was the fecond rank of nobility among the Ro- 
 mans. They were called Equity becaufe ths com- 
 monwealth prefented them with a horfe and a gold ring. 
 They wore a robe like unto that of the ftnators, tufted 
 with gold or purple, with this difference only, that the 
 ftuds on the tufts of knights were fmaller than thofe 
 of the fenators : this is what is meant by the laius cla~ 
 vat, ahgujius clavu:. 
 
 in
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 69 
 
 In thole days, had her contented hufbands. GAL- 
 RA having invited MAECENAS to fupper, and 
 perceiving his gueft to ogle his wife, very com- 
 plaifantly feigned himfelf aQeep (p] : a fervant; 
 imagining his mailer really fo, went up to the 
 buffet in order to help himfelf to fome wine ; 
 " Rafcal, faid GALBA, can't you fee that it is 
 " for MAECENAS only that I fleep?" He is 
 fufpected to have been one of the celebrated JU- 
 LIA'S gallants, a conqueft of no great difficulty 
 indeed : It is even furmifed, that hispafllon for 
 that lady, was the caufeof OVID'S banimment, 
 who unluckily happened to be one of his rivals. 
 And this conjecture has the more probability, as 
 we do not find the name of MAECENAS fo much 
 as once mentioned in the works of that poet (y). 
 DION tells us, that this favourite minifter made 
 
 (/>) JUVENAL, Satire firft, mentions a perfon who 
 imitated GALBA in this, and pretended fleep in com- 
 plaifence to his wife and her gallant : 
 
 Daflus fpeffare hcunar t 
 DC fins 5" ad calicem vigilant! Jlertcre nafo. 
 
 Who his taught eyes up to the cieling throws, 
 And fleepsall over, but his wakeful nofe. DRYDEK. 
 
 (q) IF OVID takes no notice of MAECENAS in his 
 works, we muft not thence conclude that they were 
 rivals, and that this rivalfhip was the Occafion of his 
 banimment, as fome people fufpeted, according to Li- 
 LIUS GYR ALDUS Dialog, iv. Sunt & qui de Masce- 
 nate nihil non fufpicentur, quem quod nunquam nomi- 
 navit, nefcio quid de Julia confingunt. But this filence 
 might have been owing to a different caufe : He might 
 F 3 no
 
 'The Life of MAECENAS. 
 no fcruple to plead, in conjunction with 
 LEI us, the caufe of a perfon charged with aduU 
 tery. This however could do neither of them 
 honour : AUGUSTUS came into court on the day 
 of replication, and being feated in the p-tftor's 
 tribunal, he ordered the plaintiff to manage his 
 expreflions, and not to throw reflections upon ' 
 his friends and relations. 
 
 i if we may credit TACITUS, to- 
 wards the decline of his life, loft much of the 
 emperor's favour. This happens frequently, fays 
 the hiftorian, through the inconftancy of for- 
 tune ; becaufe princesj either tired of their fa* 
 Vourites, when once they have exhaufted their 
 favours upon them, or that their favourites are 
 cloyed with their own happy enjoyments, when 
 they have no more to afk (r}. But thefe are the 
 reflections of a politician ; the reafon of this cool' 
 
 A . ' 7*.il& 
 
 nefs between them is not known ; we are fure 
 however, they were foon reconciled : AU- 
 GUSTUS'S friends never loft their rank 
 
 
 not probably have known M^CENAS, no more than he 
 did VIRGIL, whom he had only feen : 
 
 Virg'dium vidi tantum : nee avara Tibullo 
 Temp us amicit'ue fata dedere me<s. 
 
 Trift. B. jv. Eleg. x 
 
 (r) IDQUE & Maecenati aCciderat: fato potentiae 
 l-aro fempiternae : an fatias capit, aut illos cum omnia 
 tribuerunt, aut hos, cum jam nihil reliquum eft quod 
 cupiant, Ann, L. iii. chap. 30. 
 
 power,
 
 7A? Life of MAECENAS. 71 
 
 power, except RUFUS and CORNELIUS GAL- 
 LVS(S). MAECENAS, for his part, was ever 
 attached to his mafter, and devoted to his fervice. 
 He never forgot to make Aucusrusa prefent 
 yearly on his birth day (/) , who, whenever he 
 was indifpofed, always refided with his favourite 
 till he was recovered (). This prevailing cuf- 
 tom among the antients, mews in how facred a 
 light they held friendmip. The houfe of M^- 
 CENAS, though fituated on the (x) Efquilin hiii, 
 
 (s] See SUETONIUS, Chap. 66. 
 
 (t] IT was an ancient cuftom with the Romans to 
 fend prefents to their friends on their birth days : A Mae- 
 cenate fuo familiari Auguftus quotannis natali die Phia- 
 lam accipiebat donariam. PLUT. in Apopb. Reg, & 
 Princ. They alfo made their emperors a prefent every 
 new year's day ; and what at firft was a cuftom only, 
 became at length a law under the emperors ARCADIUS 
 and HONORIUS. Lege unica, Cod.a.xii. tit. 49. De 
 oblatlone votorum. Quando votis communibus felix 
 annus aperitur, in una libra auri & folidis obryzatis prin- ' 
 cipibus ofFerendi devotionem animo libenti fufcipimus : 
 ftatuentes, ut deinceps fequentibus annis unius cujufque 
 fedulitas principibus fuis talia inferat femper & deferat. 
 Dot. 3. nonas Mart. Med. Olybrio & Probino Co/l 
 
 () THE Romans, when they were fick, were ac- 
 cuftomed to be conveyed to their friends houfes in order 
 to their recovery. SUETONIUS, agreeably to this, fays, 
 JEger Auguftus in domo Mascenatis cubabat. And 
 PLINY the younger, in his xvi tb Epift. B. vii. fpeaking 
 of his intimate friend CALESTRIUS TYRO, Ego, fays 
 he, in villas ejus faepe fecefli, ilie in domo mea faepe 
 convaluit ; and PLUTARCH in his Apopbtb. Chap. 28. 
 
 (A-) Monte di S. Maria maggiore. 
 F 4
 
 be Life of MAECENAS. 
 was neverthelefs raifed higher, and was fpacious- 
 and magnificently built (y). The roof mone with 
 gold ; the walls were of the fineft marble -, the 
 floor anfwered to the grandeur of the cielings, 
 and the furniture was equally fuperb with the 
 whole. Here he gave the moft elegant and de- 
 licate entertainments, which for tafte, fancy, and 
 novelty (z) were inimitable. His table was 
 ferved with the fineft and moft delicious wines, 
 among which there was one of Italian growth, 
 
 (>) THE ninth Ode of the Epodes of HORACF, in- 
 forms us, that the houfe of MAECENAS was raifed, 
 
 ojlum ctzcv.bum ad ff/ta* 
 ViHore l&ius Ctefare^ 
 c^m fub alt a (fjc J-tfOt gratum 
 Beate Mtecenas bibam ? 
 
 \Vhen (hall we quaff, my lord, the flowing 
 Referv'd for pious feafts, and joys divine ? 
 C^SAR with ccnqueft comes ; and gracious JOVE, 
 Who gave that conqueft, {hall our joys approve. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 The houfe and tower of MAECENAS, according to fome, 
 are one and the fame building. HORACE, B. iii. Ode xxix. 
 defcribes the prodigious height of this tower : 
 
 Faftidiofam defer e cop'iam^ 
 
 Molem propinquam nubibus arduis : 
 Omltte mirari beatts 
 
 Fiimum y opes ftrepitumque Roma. 
 NERO beheld the defolation of Rome, which he had fet 
 on fire, from the top of this tower Hoc incendium e 
 turri Mzecenatiana profpe&ans, lastufque flammas, 
 ut aiebat, pulchritudine, AW<T<V Hii in illo fuo fcenico 
 habitu decantavit, fays SUETONIUS, in his Life of Nero. 
 
 (z) Pullos earum epulari Maecenas inftituit, &c. 
 PL IN. B. viii. chap, 43. 
 
 to
 
 Life of MAECENAS. 73 
 
 to which it is imagined he gave his own name. 
 He drefled very fine, and generally wore a pur- 
 ple robe with a long train, and often walked with 
 AUGUSTUS and his other friends in his fumptuous 
 gardens, adjoining to his houfe, ornamented with 
 ftatues of the bell fculptor. The emperor, with 
 the confent of the fenate and people, had given 
 him the ground (a}. There was, according to 
 antient cuftom, a fmall temple in his gardens, 
 confecrated to PRIAPUS, on the walls of which 
 
 [a] THE fpot of ground given to MAECENAS, to lay 
 out in gardens, had formerly been a burying place, 
 where the bodies of the common people, and of thofe 
 who had fquandered away their eftates, were confufedly 
 interred ; it was for that reafon the air was unwholefome 
 there, and its neighbourhood infectious and troublefome 
 to Rome: 
 
 Hue prius angujris ejefia cadavera cellh 
 
 Confervus vilr portanda locabat in area : 
 
 Hie rnifercs plebi Jlabat commune fepulcrum, 
 
 Pantolabo fcurrts, Nomentanoque ncpoti. 
 
 licet Efquiliis habitare falubribus, atquf 
 Aggere in aprico fpatiari : qua modo trifles 
 Albis informem fpeflabant offibu's agrum, 
 
 HOR. B. i. S. viii. 
 In coffins vile the herd of flaves 
 Were hither brought to croud their graves i 
 And once in this detefted ground 
 A common tomb the vulgar found ; 
 Buffoons and fpendthrifts, vile and bafe, 
 Together rotted here in peace. 
 
 But now we breathe a purer air, 
 And walk the funny terrafs fair, 
 Where once the ground with bones was white, 
 Withhuman bones, a ghaftly fight. FRANCIS. 
 
 the
 
 74 The Life of 
 
 the poets, \vhopaid their court to M/ECEN AS, ufcd' 
 to write verfes in a flyle fuitable to the divinity of 
 the place (b) ; MAECENAS collected and publifhed 
 them under the title of PRIAPI, which fome 
 have unjuftly afcribed to VIRGIL, others to OVID 
 and MARTIAL. He alfo built a tower of a pro- 
 digious height, from whence he had a full pro- 
 fpect of the city and circumjacent places. It was 
 from this fummit the cruel NERO beheld Rome in 
 flames. It is however doubted whether this 
 houfe and tower were not one and the fame 
 building. It is to his happy leifure we owe (be-' 
 fides his literary works, of which we have already 
 fpoken) the invention of notes, or mort-hand, for 
 the conveniency of difpatch (c) ; he publiflied the 
 
 (b) ERAT in his hortis (fays LILIUS GYR ALDUS, 
 Dial, iv.) Priapi facellum, ut fcitis morem antiquis fuifie, 
 tefte etiam Colurnella, ad quod convcnientts poetae pro 
 re & loco carmina aftigebant, ut hoc tempore Romae 
 quotannis Pafchillo, quas juflU Maecenatis a Vcrgilio 
 colle&a, nunc Vergilii nomine circumferuntur Quod 
 ut ilia Vergilii non efle exiftimem quod is fuit Vergi- 
 lius qui ob verecundos & virginales mores, vulgo ut 
 paulo ante dicebamus, Parthenias eft appellatus, Ab 
 aliis Ovidio Nafoni afcribuntur. : b[ Q:i 
 
 (c] THE fhort-hand, quibus, quamvis citata excipitur 
 oratio, & celeritatem linguae manus fequitur, fays SENE- 
 CA, was invented upon account of the fecretaries of the 
 fenate houfe: by which means they eafily collecled the 
 fpeeches that were made there, and for this they were 
 called Notaries. They were alfo called Curfores, quia 
 notis verba curfim expediebant. Authors are not agreed 
 upon the firft inventor of this method of fhort-hand 
 writing. Some pretend it was the poet EN Niiis, others- 
 affirm it was TYRO, CICERO'S freeman; and that 
 AQUILA, a freeman belonging to MAECENAS, after- 
 
 * i method
 
 Life of MAECENAS. 75 
 
 method and inftrudtions, with the care and aflift- 
 ance of his freeman AQUILA. He alfo intro- 
 duced warm baths into Rome (d] for the public 
 ufe. They were large refervoirs rilled with warm 
 water, in which they could fwim as well as bathe ; 
 
 wards made farther improvements. SENECA the elder 
 at length colle&ed and put them into fome order, and 
 publifhed them under the title of Notes Tullii Tyrants 
 & Annai Seneca^ Jive Cbaraferes t quibus utebantur 
 Romanl in fcripturd compendiaria. This (hort-hand 
 was invented, fays SENECA the philofopher, in his xc th 
 Epiftle, by a parcel of vile (laves Quid verborum notas, 
 quibus quamvis citata excipitur oratio, & celeritatem 
 llnguse manus fequitur ? Viliflimorum mancipiorum ifta 
 commentafunt. DION CASSIUS however fairly attributes 
 it to MAECENAS, xa ] KQUTOS M<xi:W, fays he, 
 
 sv> Kl ewroi 
 
 (d] M^CENAS Was alfo the firft to introduce hot 
 baths at Rome, according to DION. TT^UTOS T* 
 xoAvjtA^vj'S^av 9-e^jus? vJotro? iv T^I 7roA< xal<rx<&'<re. 
 SYLBURGIUS fufpels this hiftorian to have miftaken 
 MAECENAS for AGRIPPA, becaufe the Latin authors 
 only mention the latter : butDiON^ who lived towards 
 the latter end of the fecond century, and the beginning 
 of the third, is an author of no bad authority. The 
 cold baths were of a much older date. There were pub- 
 lic ones for the people to bathe and learn to fwim in. 
 VEGETIUS, De Mtllt. Roman. B. i. chap. 10. mentions 
 this, and (hews the ufefulnefs of it to foldiers. Hiftory 
 tells us, it faved JULIUS C/ES AR in his Alexandrian expe- 
 dition. The field of Mars was near the banks of the 
 Tiber : the Romany after having gone through their mi- 
 litary exercifes, bathed in this river. The Roman youth 
 without diftindtion learnt to fwim, SUETONIUS, talking 
 of AUGUSTUS, Chap. 64. fays, Nepotes, & litteras 
 & natare aliaque rudimenta per fe plerumque docuit. 
 He farther obfervcs, that CALIGUJLA could not fwim, 
 
 com-
 
 76 The Life of M/ECENAS. 
 
 a common cuftom with the Romans for the pre* 
 fervation of their health, and particularly ufeful 
 to military men. He was mighty curious in 
 pearls and other precious ftones, which THALA- 
 TION, another of his freemen, engraved and fet 
 in gold for him. He loved walking, and in 
 order to preferve his health played at tennis (*), 
 Atque hie, tarn docilis ad caetera, natare nefciit. Life 
 of Calig. Chap. 54. The ancients bathed before meals, 
 a'nd generally ufed fome exercife previous to it. 
 
 (e] TENNIS was one of MAECENAS'S exercifes ; 
 we remark this in HORACE, when he is giving a def- 
 cription of their voyage to Brundijiutn. He farther ob- 
 ferves, that VIRGIL and he were not fond of this game, 
 for the reafons he there affigns : 
 
 Hinc mull Capua clitellas tempcre ponunt. 
 
 Lufum it Mcecenas^ dor mi turn ego, Firgiliufque : 
 
 Namque pi/a lippis inimicum 3* ludere crudis. 
 
 Sat. v. B. i. 
 
 Early next morn to Capua we came ; 
 
 MAECENAS goes to Tennis ; hurtful game 
 
 To a weak appetite, and tender eyes ; 
 
 So down tofleep with VIRGIL FLACCuslies. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 We are here to obferve, that it was Fives the Romans 
 and Greeks ufed to play at : they ufed four different forts 
 of balls, i. Trigonalis, parva, quam treslufores, figura 
 trigonem exprimente, diftindti fibi invicem reddebant. 
 2. Harpaftumj parva item pila e corio fadta, quam, folo 
 repercufTam, raptam revocabant,undenomen ab d^oi^u^ 
 rapio. 3. Follis, magna pila, ex aluta confedla, & vento 
 diftenta ; fi major brachiis, fi minor pugnis impelli folita. 
 4. Paganica, qua in pagisludebatur, &; farciebatur pluma. 
 MARTIAL defcribes this laft B. xiv. Epig. xlv. 
 
 Hac qucs difficilis turget Paganica pluma, 
 
 Folk minus laxa eft^ & minus arffa pild. 
 See the fame poet, B.iv. Epig. xix. B. vii. Epig.xxxi. 
 This game took its appellation from the palm of the 
 
 He
 
 ffle Life of MAECENAS. 
 in imitation of AUGUSTUS (/), who was fond of 
 this exercife. Amidft thefe amufements and 
 pleafures of all kinds, he fmifhed his courfe : 
 he was always fubject to a fever (), and for the 
 three laft years of his life was much troubled 
 with a continual watching, occafioned probably 
 by his paft fatigues, and not, as SENECA fays, 
 who was a perpetual critic of the actions of 
 this great man, by jealoufy from the mifcondufb 
 of his wife TERENTIA (). Inftruments of mu- 
 fic and the murmuring of waters (/') were the 
 
 hand, with which they were at firft accuftomed to ftrike 
 the ball ; this cuftom even prevails ftill, in many places. 
 
 (f) See SUETON. Life of Augujlu^ Chap. 83. 
 
 (g) PLINY takes notice of the fever and incapacity of 
 fleeping, with which MAECENAS wasaffltdted : Quibuf- 
 dam perpetua febris eft, ut C. Mascenati : eidem trien- 
 nio fupremo, nullo horse momento contigit fomnus. He 
 adds the following example : Antipater Sidonius poeta 
 omnibus annis, uno die tantum natali, corripiebaturfebri 
 & eo confumptus eft fatis longa lenecla. B. vii. ch. 51. 
 
 (b) FELiciOREMergotuMceenatemputas,cuiamo- 
 ribus anxio, & morofze uxoris quotidiana repudia deflenti, 
 fomnus per fymphoniarum cantum ex longinquo bene 
 refonantium quaeritur ? De provident. Chap. 3. 
 
 (/) THE method MAECENAS took to remove his 
 want of fleep, was not at all particular to himfelf. 
 Every body knows, that the fall of waters will invite 
 us to repole; HORACE defcribes this very elegantly in 
 his fecond Ode of the Epod. 
 
 Labuntur altis interim ripis aqua - t 
 
 Qucruntur in Jilvis fives j 
 fontefque lympbis ob/irepunt manantibus, 
 SomiM quod invitet leva. 
 
 remedies
 
 7 8 $% Life of MM C E N A s . 
 
 remedies he applied to for this diforder -, SENECA 
 again adds, to wine clfo y and all manner of 'vo^ 
 luptuoufnefs. HORACE, however, contradicts this 
 aflertion, and gives us an account of his fobriety. 
 The fumptuous entertainments he gave, v/erc 
 more for his friends than himfelf. It became a 
 man of his rank and fortune, a prefect of Rome y 
 and the favourite of the ernperor of the world, 
 to keep a fplendid table ; but he was better 
 pleafed with the converfation of his illuftrious 
 guefts, than with any other part of his feafts 
 and he very frequently partook of their frugal 
 repafts. A wife Epicurean, he loved pleafure in 
 
 Where pours the mountain ftream along, 
 And feather'd warblers chant the foothing fong ; 
 Or where the lucid fountain flows, 
 And with its murmurs courts him to repofe. 
 CELSUS, acelebrated phyfjcian, who lived in the reign 
 of TIBERIUS, recommends the fame thing: Confert 
 etiam aliquid ad fomnum Silanus juxta cadens. As to the 
 mufic, it has the felf fame effect, and another advantage, 
 of agreeably enlivening the fpirits, and giving new vi- 
 gour, when we return to bufinefs. Pythagoreis, 
 fays QUINTILIAN, B. ix. chap, 4. Inft. Orat. moris 
 fuit, & cum evigilaflent animos ad lyram excitare, quo 
 eflent ad agendum ere&iores : & cum fomnum pete- 
 rent ad eandem prius lenire mentes, ut fi quid fuiflet 
 turbidiorum cogitationum componerent. CENSORINUS, 
 De die. Natal. Chap. 12. fays the fame thing of PY- 
 THAGORAS. The wife Indians^ as PHILOSTRATUS 
 "reports in his Fit. Apdlon. B. ii. chap. 14. conducted 
 their kings to reft with the (bund of infrruments. MON- 
 TAGNE fays the fame thing of his father : " He ufed to 
 " have me waked by the found of fome inftrument, and 
 " never was without a fervant to attend me for that 
 ** purpofe." EffayS) B. i. chap. 25,
 
 *Tbe Life of MAECENAS. 79 
 
 moderation. DION mentions the advice he gave 
 the emperor upon that fubject (). This fevere 
 Stoic was the only perfon who taxes him with 
 dninkennefs and debauchery. All men know 
 what a natural tendency mufic, and the agree- 
 able noife of fountains have, to engage us to re- 
 pofe, befides, his friend ANTONIUS MUSA (/), 
 
 (k) DION CASSIUS mentions the advice which MAE- 
 CENAS ufed to give AUGUSTUS concerning frugality 
 arid oeconomy: he exhorts his prince, ut continenter 
 vivat, nihilque prodigere videatur: fed domui parcimo- 
 nia, in Rempublicam liberalitate utatur. HORACE in 
 ieveral of his Odes invites hisMjECENAs to a frugal en- 
 tertainment, 
 
 Plerumque grata divitibits vices, 
 
 Mundtsque parvo fub lore pauperum^ 
 Ccence, fine aulteis & oftro, 
 
 Sollicitamexplicuerefrontem. B. iii. Odexxix. 
 
 To frugal treats, and humble cells, 
 
 With grateful change the wealthy fly, 
 Where health-preferving plainnefs dwells, 
 
 Far from the carpet's gaudy dye. 
 Such fcenes have charm'd the pangs of care, 
 And fmooth'd the clouded forehead of defpair. 
 
 FRANCIS. 
 
 (/) ANTONIUS MUSA, a freeman of AUGUSTUS, 
 having recovered him from a dangerous diforder, was 
 loaded with honours, and had a fratue of brafs erected 
 to him by his prince next to that of ^ESCULAPIUS. He 
 and the reft of the brethren of the faculty were made 
 freemen of Rome, and, like thofe of the Equcftr'wn order, 
 had the prerogative of wearing a gold ring ; this hap- 
 pened in the year of Rome 730. Medico Antonio Mu- 
 jae, cujus opera exancipiti morbo convaluerat, ftatuam, 
 sere collato, juxta lignum ^Efculapii ftatuerunt, fays 
 
 phyfician
 
 8o *fbe Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 phyfician toAuccsTus, may no doubt have re- " 
 commended them to him. SENECA was there- 
 fore highly to blame to reproach MAECENAS, and 
 to pretend that thefe were the indulgencies of 
 a luxurious and an effeminate tafte , he ouglic 
 liirely to have known that the Gymnofophifts, and 
 PYTHAGORAshimfelf, were every night lulled to 
 fleep with the found of inftruments. 
 
 THE care MAECENAS took to recover his 
 health, could not fecure him , he died in Auguft 
 of R- t ^ le 7 ear f R m t 745? in the twentieth year of 
 AUGUSTUS'S reign, counting from the day upon. 
 which he was declared fovereign of the world v 
 and nine years before the birth of our LORD 
 JESUS CHRIST. We cannot precifely determine 
 how long he lived, for we are ignorant as to 
 the year of his birth ; PEDO, his panegyrift 
 and cotemporary, fays, he died pretty old, it is 
 therefore more than likely that he lived to be 
 fixty at leaft (). 
 
 SUETONIUS in his Life of Jugujlus, Chap. 89. and 
 DION CASSIUS obfervcs, Koi %$ TKTO x, 
 
 IB"? Ojt*ol^i/o<f, csv. on Trl? ^o^t 
 jAaSev. B. liii. 
 
 (m] SEVERAL paiTages in PEDO help to prove that 
 MAECENAS was aged : 
 
 Defter am juvenis trijll modo carmine fata : 
 Sunt etiam merits carmina danda feni. 
 
 Nunc pretium candotis babes, nunc redditus um&ris, 
 Tffumus obliti dfcubuij/e fenem. 
 
 THE
 
 'the Life cf MAECENAS. 81 
 
 THE emperor went constantly to fee him 
 during 'his ficknefs, and was prefent v/hen he 
 breathed his laft. In his dying moments he recom- 
 mended his dear HORACE to the prince, " Re- 
 '" member HORATIUS FJLACCUS, faid he, as you" 
 " would MAECENAS." A few days before his 
 death he made AUGUSTUS fole heir to all his 
 eftate, and, excepting fome few trifling legacies, 
 left it to his option, to make fuch diftributions 
 as he pleafed amongft his friends. He had no 
 children by TERENTI A (), and in him the noble 
 face of the ancient Etrurian KINGS became ex- 
 tinct. His afhes were laid in his magnificent gar- 
 dens, and HORACE, who died the fame year (0} 
 
 () SOME wereof opinion, that MAECENAS had a fon 
 by TERENTIA, who died young ; but this is conje&ural 
 only. PEDO might be lamenting the lofs of fome 
 other youth. 
 
 (0} TURNEBUS will have it, that HORACE died 
 before MAECENAS, fee his Adv. B. xx. chap. 2. But 
 this is a miftake ; and SUE TON, in his life of this poet, 
 afierts the contrary. MAECENAS recommended him with 
 his dying words to the emperor: " Horatii Flacci, ut 
 *< mei, efto memor." HORACE lovedhis M^CENAS 
 fo tenderly as to wifh to accompany him even in death : 
 
 Nee Dm ami cum /?, nee mi hi, teprius 
 Obir*) Maecenas, mearum 
 
 Grande decus columehque rerum, 
 Ah te meafi part em anim<z rapit 
 Afaturior vis : quid tn:rar alicrd ? 
 Nee charm eeque, nee fupcrjles 
 
 Integer : ille dies utramqxe 
 Ducci ruinam. B. ii. Ode xvii. 
 
 G was
 
 The Life of M^CENAS. 
 
 was buried near the dear re mains of his patron and 
 benefactor. 
 
 THE death of MAECENAS was an irreparable 
 lofs to AUGUSTUS. It deprived him at once of 
 an able and a penetrating minifier t a difcreet con- 
 fident., a fincere and a difmtereiled friend. Never 
 was favourite more attached to his prince. He 
 was fo highly in his matter's affection and confi- 
 dence, that he could, without rifquing his dif- 
 pleafure, charge him home with all his faults, 
 and oppofe him in his fentiments when they were 
 not confiftent with his honour and intereft. In 
 attending to the advice of his judicious friend, 
 AUGUST u s gained the love of the Romans. And 
 he too foon after his death found the want of his 
 
 Why will MAECENAS thus complain, 
 
 And kill me with th' unkindly ftrain ? 
 
 Nor can the Gods nor I confent, 
 
 That you, my life's great ornament, 
 
 Should fink untimely to the tomb, 
 
 While I furvive the fatal doom. 
 
 Should you, alas, be fnatch'd away, 
 
 Wherefore, ah ! wherefore fhould I flay, 
 
 My value loft no longer whole, 
 
 And but pofleffing half my foul r 
 
 One day, believe the facred oath, 
 
 Shall lead the fun'ral pomp of both. FR A N ci s, 
 
 He furvived his benefactor but three months, and died 
 the 27th of November, the year of Rome 745, at the age 
 of fifty nine. MAECENAS died the dugujl before. It 
 was in this year that AUGUSTUS called the fixth month 
 by his name, which had been before ftyled SEXTILIS. 
 
 counfels.
 
 *Ibe Life of M^CENAS. 83 
 
 counfels. For notwithilanding the politics with 
 which he fo much prided himfelf, he committed 
 frequent errors. Having once inconfiderately in 
 the public fenate-houfe, declaimed againft the 
 mifconduct of his daughters (p\ and reflecting 
 afterwards on his imprudence in publifhing their 
 infamy, which but retorted fhame on himfelf, 
 ** I mould not, faid he, have done this, had my 
 " friends AGRIPPA and M^CENAS been liv- 
 ** ing ()." So difficult was it to repair the lofs 
 of two men only r , though he had millions under 
 his obedience. His legions, fays SENECA (r), be- 
 ing cut to pieces, he recruited his troops -, his 
 fleet, deftroyed by ftorms, was foon refitted j 
 public edifices, confumed by flames, were re- 
 built with greater magnificence j but he could 
 
 (/>) SENECA De benef. B. vi. chap. 32. 
 
 (q) AUGUSTUS ought to have taken the wife {reps 
 of his great-uncle in a cafe nearly parallel. JULIUS 
 CJESAR being called upon to give in evidence againft 
 CLODIUS his wife's gallant, whom he had divorced, 
 denied his knowledge of any criminal converfation 
 between them, tho' his mother AURELIA and his fifter 
 JULIA depofed the truth before the judges; and when 
 he was afked, why then had he put away his wife ? cc It 
 " is not, replied CAESAR, fufficient that my wife fhould 
 " be guiltlefs, but it is even neceflary fhe fhould conduct 
 " herfelf fo, as not to be fufpedted j" quoniam meos tam 
 fufpicione, quam crimine judico carere oportere. SUE- 
 TON. LifeofJuLChm. 74. OT T>JI KotiVoJ^o 
 jf StT xafifltav thai. PLUTARCH. 
 
 (r) SENECA De btnef. B, vi. chap. 32, 
 
 G 2 never
 
 . The Life 'of MAECENAS. 
 never find two men 'like ACRIPPA and MAECE- 
 NAS, capable of discharging thole places with 
 which they had been entrufted. 
 
 NOR was MAECENAS iefs regretted by the Lite- 
 rati ; they never had fo generous a patron : He 
 prevented their wants, and loaded them with fa- 
 vours , but his bounties were beftowed rationally 
 and judicioufly on perfons whofe talents and abi- 
 lities deferved his generous attention. To HIM 
 and to his noble difpojition^ we owe thofe inefti- 
 mable works, which, though few, make us the 
 more regret the reft, which the frequent revo- 
 lutions in the R.om.an empire, and the barbarifm 
 of the fucceeding ages of ignorance and ftupidity, 
 have fo unfortunately robb'd us of. But for him 
 VIRGIL, opprefied by ARIUS the centurion, had 
 never tun'd his lyre (s) \ nor HORACE raifed his 
 
 (j) JUVENAL, in his vii tb Satire, fliews hownecefTary 
 a patron is to the Mufes : 
 
 Magr.ee mentis opus, nee de lodice paranda 
 AttonittZy currus & equos, facefque Deorum 
 sffpicere, & quails Rutuluni confundat Erinnys* 
 Nam ft Virgilio puer, y tolerabile defit 
 Hofpitium, coder ent omnes a crinibus bydrl : 
 Surda nib'il gemeret grave buccina. 
 
 'Tis not for hungry wit, with wants controul'd, 
 
 The face of JOVE in council to behold : 
 
 Or fierce ALEC TO, when her brand (he tofs'd 
 
 Betwixt the Trojariaxd. Rutiiian hoft. 
 
 If VIRGIL'S fuit M.SCENAS had not fped, 
 
 Ard fent ALE.XIS to the poet's bed, 
 
 voice.
 
 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 voice. MAECENAS was not content with pro- 
 tecting them, but he introduced thefe great men 
 to his mafter alfo, and recommended them, as 
 perfons deferving of his notice and royal boun- 
 ties. MAECENAS had a great and generous caft 
 of thought, and (far unlike thofe uneafy courtiers^ 
 who fwell at every little favour beftowed on any 
 but themfelves) was not jealous that others had a 
 free accefs to the emperor. 
 
 HAVING given a detail of all the excellent 
 virtues and valuable qualifications of my Hero; 
 it will not be improper juft to mention a few of 
 the faults that are imputed to him : The accura- 
 cy and truth, which is required from an hiftorian, 
 oblige me not to pafs them over in filence. SE- 
 NECA, who mod cenfured him, charges him 
 with having been too expenfive in his buildings 
 and furniture, too profufe in his table, too extra- 
 vagant in his drefs : he taxes him with effemi- 
 nacy, and affectation in his walk, and that he had 
 appeared in public without his fafh (/), attencV- 
 
 The crcfted fnakes had dropt upon the ground, 
 And the loud trumpet languifh'd in the found. 
 
 CHAR. DRYDEN. 
 
 (/) TH E Romans wore a girdle,and tucked up theirrobes, 
 when they walked or were 1 in action. Thofe who wore 
 them loofe and training, were accounted fops and effe- 
 minate. For this reafon they ufed to call brave men 
 cinftti and cowards were diftinguiflied by the name of 
 .fifcinfti. MAECENAS was above all thefe reflections. 
 SENECA, in his cxtvth epiftle, doth not forget to re- 
 proach him .with this, and blames him for having even 
 
 cd
 
 86 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 ed by two eunuchs; he accufes him with his 
 continual divifions and divorces with TEREN- 
 TIA. He has been alfo blamed for countenanc- 
 players and dancers, and fuffering () para- 
 fites to follow him continually, though uninvit- 
 ed, wherever he went, as fhadows which are in- 
 feparable from the body. He has even been 
 ridiculed for his unlimited paflion for precious 
 Itones and pearls. Envy ever attends the great, 
 Moft of thefe imputations are frivolous and idle, 
 and have no foundation but in the brains of 
 thefe cavilifts, SENECA was a crabbed and au- 
 
 given into it, while he was regent in AUGUSTUS'S ab- 
 ience ; and farther, becaufe he permitted two eunuchs 
 to attend him abroad, and adminiftred juftice, and ha- 
 rangued the people in the tribunal, his head all the time 
 covered with a cloak. This philofopher however is too nice. 
 Juftice was not the worfe adminiftred, nor Rome the lefs 
 tranquil. MJECEN AS might probably be obliged to take 
 thefe necefiary precautions upon account of his weak con- 
 ftitution. SENECA himfelf allows that he was of a fweet, 
 humane, and modeft difpofition, and had every eflential 
 qualification which conftitutes the honeft man. M.JECE- 
 N AS had his envious cotemporaries, who were ufed to cen- 
 fure his conduct. PEDO, in his Epiccdium, anfwers one of 
 them in the following manner : 
 
 Invide, quid tandem tunica nocuere folutte ? 
 
 Aut tibi ventoji quid nocuere Jinus ? 
 Num minus urbis erat cuftos^ & Cafaris obfes ? 
 
 Num. tibi non tutas fecit in urbe via* ? 
 Nofte fub cbfcura qitis te fpoliavit amantem ? 
 
 )v.is t digit ferrc, dunor ip/e, latus ? 
 
 () THI-: reproach with which MAECENAS is brand- 
 ed for encouraging parafites, is owing to a letter from 
 AUGUSTUS to him, as mentioned by SUETONIUS : . 
 
 Here
 
 72^ Life of MffiCENAs. 87 
 
 ftere Stoic, an infolent enemy of EPICURUS, 
 and enlarged objects as they beft fuited his hu- 
 mour. The feverity of this philofopher made it 
 
 Ante ipfe fufficiebam fcribendis epiftolis amicorum : nunc 
 occupatifiimus & infirmus. Horatium noftrum te cu-. 
 pio adducere. Veniet igitur ab ifta parafitiqa mensi ad 
 hanc regiam, & nos in epiftolis fcribendis adjuvabit. 
 Thefe fort of vermin, fays HORACE B. ii.* Sat. viii. 
 followed MJECEN AS. He is defcribing the entertain- 
 ment given by NASIDJENUS, where he attended MAE- 
 CENAS, who brought SERVILJUS and VIBIDIUS 
 along with him, 
 
 >uos Maecenas adduxerat umbras. 
 
 We cannot fuppofe M^CENAS made a practice of en- 
 couraging fuch gentry, they were probably a brace of 
 impertinents, who were determined to haunt him in 
 fpite of himfelf ; and this is the more credible, if we 
 recollect what HORACE fays of M/ECENAS' nicety in 
 the choice of his friends and their abilities; HORACE 
 would otherwife be guilty of a contradiction. 
 
 SUIDAS relates a ftory of an impudent piece of 
 flattery played off by JORTIUS, an importunate fel- 
 low, who, no doubt, pufhed himfelf in at this minifter s 
 table. The ancients ufed tables of different fhapes and 
 forms, either long, round, or femicircular. The round ta- 
 ble was moft in vogue, either that they thought this 
 form the moft perfect of any, or becaufe it made all 
 places alike without any diftinction among the guefts. 
 MAECENAS having, contrary to hiscuftom, ordered cne 
 of an angular make, which for grandeur as well as 
 coftlinefs was equal to any others he- was poffeffed of, 
 the company could not but admire it, and many fmart 
 and witty things were faid upon that occafion. JORTIUS, 
 at a lofs to acquit himfelf, faid, " Gentlemen, you do not 
 tC obferve one thing, that this table is a perfect circle :" 
 ottfjvo 3 Jx wvosrrf, u tp/Aoi <rUjU7rcTd, us ^3/j/vAj} 
 Ij-iv rg#7rtet t KI ya,vzs=&$'c%f { <;. SUID, did, Artie. 
 
 Ifl'^T/Of. 
 
 even
 
 *fhe Life of MAECENAS. 
 even a crime in MAECENAS, to be fond of life (x] ; 
 this, I think, is very natural to all men, and to 
 thofe efpecially, who have a true relifh for it, 
 and who in this great fcene of life, can act their 
 parts as well as M^CJENAS did. 
 
 BUT he is branded with other faults of a more 
 ferious nature. He is accufed, as we have al- 
 ready obferved, of an unbridled pafiion for the 
 ladies; he was not however confined to thefe 
 fort of gallantries only, for, if we may credit 
 TACITUS, he had quite a different and more de- 
 teflable inclination (y). The corrupted morals 
 of the age he lived in, fupported by the exam- 
 ple of the Pagan deities, can no ways juftify him 
 in this particular. As to effeminacy with which 
 he is fo greatly charged, he never funk into it 
 fo far, fays VELLETUS, is to forget his duty. His 
 actions are a ccnnrmation of his vigilance; he 
 never flept, when bufmefs demanded his atten- 
 
 (x) IT did not b, -EC A to blame MAECENAS 
 
 for being fumptuc. :_id of life. This philofo- 
 
 pher's houfe, who is t :heft man of the whole 
 
 Reman empire, was moil -nificently furnifhed ; it 
 
 contained above three J Tee-footed tables made 
 
 of cedar, on which _>at. 
 
 (y) TACITU?, ii, .f Annals t c. hV. 
 fpeaks of an unnatun. MAECENAS in- 
 dulged; Ludos Auguftai'- rcepta turba- 
 vit difcordia, ex certamii InJulferat ei lu- 
 dicro Auguftus, dum Ma . ... ..iTufo in 
 
 amorem Bathylli : Which I .: . more unlikely, as SE- 
 
 tion.
 
 *tbe Life of M^CENAS. 289. 
 
 tidn (2). Ever aclive and difcerning, he very judi- 
 cioufly forefaw, and knew how to conduct him- 
 felf in affairs of the greateft moment : He took 
 an uncommon fatisfaction in embracing every- 
 opportunity that tended to the public welfare, 
 or the intereft of his friends. He was an up- 
 right, a juft, a conftant, and a faithful friend , 
 a difcreet, diftnterefled, ,a good natured, humane* 
 a generous^ ntodsft, a learned, an eloquent : , and a. 
 witty man. We have now nothing more to add to 
 compleat his picture, but his veneration for the 
 Gods. The advice he gave his prince, and which 
 hiftory has ftill preferved to us, declares his fen- 
 timents on this point. He exhorts AUGUSTUS 
 to reverence the Gods, according to the then 
 eftabliflied form ; to oblige the people to a ftrict 
 obfervance of the fame-, never to tolerate im- 
 poftors, and the enemies of religion j and farther 
 added, " that we can do nothing great and good, 
 " if we defpife the Gods." 
 
 NEC A, who was a moft rigid obferver and feverecenfor 
 of MAECENAS'S conduct never fo much as mentions this 
 unhappy failing. 
 
 (z) CORNELIUS NEPOS and PLUTARCH, in the 
 life of ALCIBI ADES, have given us the example of an 
 illuftrious Athenian, whereby it is plain that luxury and 
 effeminacy are not incompatible with activity and bra- 
 very. Vir, fays VELLEIUS, fpeaking of MAECENAS, 
 utires vigiliam ex-rreret, fane exfoninis, ; r./idciis at- 
 que agendi fciens ; iimul vero aliquia ex nep-crio remit- 
 ti poiTet, otio ac mollitiis pene ultra fceminam fluens. 
 
 H Sucrt
 
 290 The Life of MAECENAS. 
 
 SUCH was the illufttrious MAECENAS : Iq 
 him many beautiful qualities are intermingled 
 with a few faults j but who can fay, he is 
 without them? Thofe who have leaft, have 
 ftill a title to our indulgence ; on account 
 of the mining virtues and predominant qua- 
 lities, which neceffarily engage the love and 
 univerfal efteem of mankind. It is in this 
 light we muft place MAECENAS. His name is 
 become a glorious title ; the greateft protectors 
 of learning have been proud of it ; nor is it the 
 leaft part of their glory, that they were thus 
 diftinguimed by the public approbation. But 
 how often has this title been mifapplied ? A mean, 
 lervile intereft has often beftowed it on men, who 
 had vanity 'to defire it, though they rendered 
 themfelves ridiculous in a character they Ib little 
 deferved. M/ECENAS is immortal. He pro- 
 tected learning, that fountain of all arts and 
 fciences, and ornament of all polite nations 
 His name will live amongft men, as long as^thofe 
 fciences of which he was the NOBLE and GENE- 
 ROUS PROTECTOR. 
 
 ,F / N I S. 

 
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