known in all parts of the world, fhould, after the fpace of ten years, (for fo long it is fince he died,) lie without being graced by an infcription, or even a name, not only filled me with pity, but indignation. But he had given orders, that his glorious and immortal action fhould be commemorated in these lines;

RUFUS, who VINDEX Overcame,
Lies buried in this tomb:
To empire he preferr'd his fame,
To his own merits, Rome.

So feldom is friendship conftant, and fo foon are the dead forgotten, that we ought to build our own sepulchres; and execute, before we die, the duties incumbent upon our heirs. For who has not reason to dread, what we fee has happened to VERGINIUS? whose distinguished character, as it makes this treatment more shameful, fo it makes it more notorious. Farewell.

OBSERVATION S.

In the fourth epiftle of the first book, addreffed by PLINY to his mother-in-law, POMPEIA CELERINA, he takes notice of several of her country houses, without mentioning the villa Alfienfis; which was probably a later purchase. It was, we may prefume, in the neighbourhood of Alfium; at leaft in the district belonging to that city; a district, which is mentioned particularly by VALERIUS MAXIMUS, where he fays, M. MILIUM PORSINAM a L. CASSIO accufatum crimine nimis fublimè extructa villa in Alfienfi agro, populus Romanus gravi multâ affecit: "The Roman people inflicted "a heavy fine upon M. ÆMILIUS PORSINA, whofe ac"cufer was LUCIUS CASSIUS, for having built too mag"nificent an house for a private perfon, at Alfium." The city of Alfium is faid to have been built by ALESUS, a Grecian, the friend of AGAMEMNON.

Nec

Nec non Argolico dilectum littus ALESO
Alfium.

"And Alfium's fhore, ALESUS' dear delight.'

The fituation of Alfium is mentioned by PLINY the hiftorian: But the town is now reduced to a fingle caftle, in the duchy of Bracciano. The verfes, which refer to a moft noble felf-conqueft in VERGINIUS RUFUS, are again inferted in the nineteenth epiftle of the ninth book, where his ftory may be more particularly related.

EPISTLE XI.

PLINY to MAXIMUS.

Happy day! the præfect of the city admitted me into his own court, where I had the pleafure of hearing two young men of great hopes, and excellent difpofitions, plead before us, against each other, Fuscus SALINATOR, and NUMIDIUS QUADRATUS. Their worth is equal, and they will not only be an ornament to this age, but to learning itself. They ought to be admired for their probity, steadinefs, decent dress, unaffected language, manly voice, ftrong memory, great wit, and equal judgement; all which gave me the most fenfible pleasure. And more particularly, because they looked upon me as their guide and inftructor; and feemed to thofe, who heard them, to be defirous of treading in my footsteps. O joyful day! (let me again repeat it) and to be marked with the whiteft ftone: for what can please the public more effectually, than that two noble young men fhould endeavour to obtain honour and

a The particular character of FusCUS SALINATOR will be found in the 26th epiftle of this book.

b The education of NUMIDIUS QUADRATUS is described by PLINY, in the 24th epiftle of book 7.

reputation

reputation by their ftudies? Or, what can be more acceptable to me, than that I fhould be propofed, as their example, in the purfuit of virtue?

Such joy I befeech the Gods always to allow me: and I implore the fame Gods, you are my witnefs, that they would make all thefe perfons, who think me worthy of imitation, better men than I am." Farewell.

OBSERVATIONS.

The generofity of PLINY, in encouraging, and commerling two hopeful young Romans, is much leffened by several vain expreffions, difperfed throughout this epiftle. The more glory a man affumes to himself, the more glory the world will take from him. Crowns of laurel are to be received from others, not to be given to us by ourselves. But, fuch is human frailty, that even the wifeft, and the beft men are often fubject to vanity. It was fo prevailing a paffion among the Romans, that it was fcarce looked upon as a fault. TULLY was remarkably vain: PLINY has imitated him, now and then, too closely in that particular. But TULLY appears confcious of his error, where he says, fum avidior etiam quam fatis eft gloria: "I am covetous of

fame perhaps to a fault." PLINY feems either not to know, or resolved not to own his weaknefs; which although too apparent in this, and in fome other epiftles, yet, is fo far to be excufed, as it takes rife in virtue, and is only a consciousness of real merit carried to excefs.

Adhibitus in confilium a præfecto urbis; "The præfect ad❝mitted me into his council." Here we see the great power of the præfect of Rome; but the particular expreffion, in confilium, may bear different fignifications. Confilium fometimes fignifies the Roman fenate: Thus TULLY de Divinatione, Nec vero fomnia graviora, a fummo confilio, neglecta funt: " Nor does the fenate neglect dreams, that

a_This fentence is tranflated according to the edition of PLINY by LONGOLIUS. Deos oro: ab iifdem, tefte te, peto. In the va riorum edition we read it, deos oro: ac eofdem teftes peto. MATTAIRE inferts the former reading, which, in my opinion, seems most agreeable to the fenfe of the author.

❝ feem

"feem to carry importance with them." It fometimes again fignifies the Roman privy council, as in SUETONIUS, who fpeaking of AUGUSTUS, fays, Sibique inftituit confilia fortiri femeftria, cum quibus de negotiis, ad frequentem fenatum referendis, ante tractaret: "And for his own purposes, he << ordered councils to be held every fix months, where he "might difcufs the affairs, that were to be produced in the

open fenate." In this epiftle, the confilium feems to fignify, a council convened together, and chofen by the power, and at the discretion of the city præfect; a magistrate originally inftituted by RoмULUS, and in fome meafure answerable to our Lord Mayor; but whose authority was fo much encreased under the emperors, that it feemed a new office. The præfectus urbis, in the time of ROMULUS, fat as city judge, in all caufes between the mafter and the fervant; the orphans and their guardians; the buyer and the feller. In the absence of the king, all the regal authority was vefted in him: And the fame powers, and jurifdiction, were continued to him under the confular government. In the reign of AUGUSTUS, this office is mentioned by by SUETONIUS as a new inftitution: Quoque plures partem adminiftranda reique caperent, nova officia excogitavit: curam operum publicorum, viarum, aquarum, alvei Tiberis, frumenti populo dividundi, præfecturam urbis: "That more hands "might be employed in the management of public affairs, "the emperor invented new employments. A præfect of "the city was appointed for the fuperintendency of the "public buildings, roads, waters, channel of the Tiber, "and for the diftribution of corn to the people." The fame author, in the reign of JULIUS CAESAR, tells us, "Officers of this denomination were appointed by the emperor inftead of prætors " But in fucceeding reigns, the præfectus urbis was a fingle magiftrate, whofe power, in the time of PLINY, was very extenfive. He examined

a SUET. J. CESAR. Cap. LXXVI. præfe&osque pro prætcribus conftituerit.

b TACITUS informs us, that during the civil wars, the government of Rome was given to MECENAS; afterwards to MESSALA CORVINUS, who proved infufficient to difcharge the office; then to TAURUS STATILIUS; and after him, to Piso, who sustained the employment with great honour for twenty years together. TACIT. Annal. Lib. VI. cap. XI.

and heard all caufes whatsoever, intra centefimum lapidem, "within an hundred miles of Rome;" he received all appeals from inferior courts; and preceded all other city magiftrates. It was in the court belonging to this great officer, where PLINY was admitted, and where he heard FusCUS and QUADRATUS plead. He feems to have been called in to the affiftance of the præfect, adhibitus in confilium, as a perfon to give him advice. There is at this day a præfect or governor of modern Rome; his employment is of the fame nature with that of the ancient præfectus: but his jurifdiction extends only forty miles round the city.

O diem lætum! notandumque mihi candidiffimo_calculo. PLINY the elder, in a fhort, but excellent differtation upon human felicity, affures us, that it was a Thracian custom to mark their happy days with white, and their unhappy days with black ftones; from whence it became a Roman proverb 4.

C PLIN. Natur. Hift. lib. VII. cap. XL.

HORACE alludes to this proverb in the 36th ode of his first book, where he fays

Creffa ne careat pulchra dies notâ.

See the notes on this paffage, in the tranflation of HORACE by Mr. FRANCIS.

EPIST LE XII. :

PLINY to FABATUS, his wife's grandfather.

I'

NDEED you ought not to make the leaft fcruple of recommending to me any perfon, whom you think worthy of your protection; for it becomes you to affift as many as you poffibly can, and me, to obey your commands in any thing, in which you fhall intereft yourself. And therefore I fhall do all the service in my power, to VECTIUS PRISCUS, efpecially in my own court, among the centumviri.

You order me to forget your letters, which, you fay, you wrote to me, in the utmoft freedom of heart: