3

mirers of Nature: equally so were Atticus,' Tacitus,2 and Epictetus. CICERO, who valued himself more upon his taste for the cultivation of philosophy, than upon his talent for oratory, seems not to have felt the truth of an adage, now so common in Europe, “that the master of many mansions has no home." For he had no less than eighteen different residences in various parts of Italy. And though it is probable, hẹ had not all of them at one time, but bought and sold them, as is the custom of the present day, yet it is certain that he had seven at one time. He generally speaks of them in terms of attachment: and they were all erected in such beautiful situations, that he was induced to call them "the eyes of Italy:" as Pliny, the naturalist, calls Ephesus one of the eyes 5 of Asia. The retreat of Tusculum was, however, his favourite residence. This spot was possessed, previous to the late tumults in Italy, by a Basilian convent of Grecian monks, called Grotta Ferrata;6 and it was the favourite amusement of the brothers of that monastery, to exhibit to enlightened travellers the remains of Cicero's buildings, and the small aqueducts, that watered his garden. This retrea the orator embellished with every specimen of art, 1 Cic. de Legibus, ii, n. 3.

2 Nemora vero et luci tantam mihi afferunt voluptatem, &c. &c. In dialogo. 3 Arrian, lib. i.

4 Cur ocellos Italiæ, villulas meas non video.

Nat. Hist. v. c. 29.

6 Several houses have been, within these four years, discovered at Tnsculum, by Lucien Bonaparte; in which were found seven statues, which the Roman antiquaries valued at 22,000 rix-dollars.

that his friend, Atticus, could purchase for him at Athens. It was the most elegant mansion of that elegant age; and the beauty of the landscapes around it, adding lustre to the building, refined the taste of its acomplished possessor.

Cicero,

-From whose lips sweet eloquence distill'd,

As honey from the bee

Cumberland. Calvary.

draws a delightful picture of the almost infantine amusements of Scipio and Lælius, at Caieta and Laurentum when, fatigued with business, and happy in being allowed the indulgence of a quiet conscience in a retired spot, they endeavoured to grow boys again in their amusements; and derived a sensible pleasure from gathering shells upon the seashore. The amusements of Cicero himself were equally indicative of an excellent heart. Balanced in his opinions by an accurate knowledge of things, he had most of the qualities of genius, without any of its eccentricities. Simplicity and dignity were united to the utmost gentleness and good-nature: and equal to the society of soldiers, statesmen, and philosophers, he danced with youth, and ran, laughed, and gambolled with infancy. One of the finest pictures, ever produced in England, is that of Wilson's1" Cicero at his villa." Of this great orator, there are in this country

1 To this we may add his Storm; his Solitude; his Campanià; and many views in Italy and North Wales.

two original gems, and one whole length figure. The gem, in the possession of Mr. Hope, is on beryl; that, belonging to the Earl of Besborough, on sapphire. The figure is among the Oxford marbles.

V.

PLINY, who was accustomed to say, that if a man would perpetuate his fame, he must do things worth recording, or write things worth reading, was never happier, than when he was indulging himself at his country seats;-where he found leisure to write to his friends, and to celebrate the views, which his villas afforded. Tusculum," says he, with honest and elegant pride,, " is situated in a fine, natural amphitheatre, formed by the richest part of the Appennines, whose towering summits are crowned with oak, and broken into a variety of shapes; with springs, welling perpetually from the sides and interspersed with fields, copses, and vineyards." "Here," he observes in another letter, "I enjoy the most profound retirement. All is calm and composed;-circumstances which contribute no less, than its unclouded sky, to that health of body, and cheerfulness of mind, which in this place I so particularly enjoy." "To a man of a literary turn," says he in his twenty-fourth epistle, 66 a small spot of ground is amply sufficient to relieve his mind, and delight his eye. Sauntering in his small domain, he traverses his little walk with reiterated pleasure; grows familiar with his two or three

vines; and beholds his small plantations grow with satisfaction."

Pliny had several country seats on the Larian Lake; two of which he was particularly partial to. The manner, in which he spent his time at those villas,1 he has described con amore, in a letter to Fuscus. And because we have but an imperfect idea of Roman villas, I would have sent you, my Lelius, a translation of the description, he has given of his villa at Laurentium, the ruins of which were discovered in 1714, had I not despaired of imitating that diligent negligence of style, which so much excited the admiration of Erasmus. In regard to epistolary writing, I am tempted, with the scholiasts, to give Cicero the preference, when the subjects are of public interest; but when they relate to private sentiments and occurrences, I think our favourite Pliny has but few competitors. Indeed, he has none! There is an urbanity and an elegance, a devotedness of affection, and an undisguisedness of heart, irresistibly winning and agreeable: which none of the moderns have equalled, and which none of the ancients, if we except Cornelia, ever surpassed. This Cornelia was the daughter of Scipio Africanus and the mother of the Gracchi. Her letters, which were published, and in general circulation at Rome, are said to have been perfect models of epistolary writing.2

1 He frequently styles them meæ delicia: hence Voltaire borrowed the name of delices.

2 Quint. i., c. i. Cic. de claris orat., s. 211, 104. Pliu, iii., s. 14.

1

VI.

DIOCLETIAN, when he selected a spot for his retirement, solicitously observed, that his palace should command every beauty, which the country would admit. In this retirement he first began to live; to see the beauty of the sun; and to enjoy true happiness, as Vopiscus relates, in the society of those he had known in his youth. The example of Diocletian was, long after, remembered by Charles V. of Spain; who, in imitating his Roman propotype, derived but little comparative fame, and deserved less. It was the extreme beauty of the situation of the Monastery of St. Justus, situated in the Vale of Placentia, and belonging to the order of St. Jerome, which first inspired that restless despot with an idea of quitting a world, he had governed so long and so malignantly. As he passed near that monastery, many years before his retirement, he remarked to his attendants, that it was a spot, to which Diocletian might have retired with pleasure. The remembrance of this place never deserted him: and, at length,—weary of the world, since he was unable to give effect to his projects, he withdrew to the melancholy of a cloister; where, in silence and solitude, he entombed his ambition; resigned his plans; and, in the hope

-

These beauties are well described by Adams: vide Antiquities of Diocletian's Palace at Spalatro, p. 67. For the plan and views of the palace, temples of Jupiter and Esculapius, with the Dalmatian coast, vide Voyage de l'Istrie et de la Dalmatia.

Robertson, p. 260.