Illustrated History of Ancient Literature

of the First Three Christian Centuries, 284.-Plutarch, 285.-Lucian, 288.-Pau
sanias, 292.-Origen, 293.-Neo-Platonism, 293.-Longinus, 294.-Athanasius and
Chrysostom, 294.-Novel - writers, 295.-Hicrocles, 295.-Byzantine Literature,
297.-The Greek Anthology, 297.-Gems of Greek Thought, 300.

PART III.

ROMAN LITERATURE.

CHAPTER I.-LATIN AND ITS OLDEST MONUMENTS.

(Pages 303-307.)

Italy Peopled, 303.—The Latin Language, 304.—Ancient Latin Relics, 305.

CHAPTER II.-DAWN OF ROMAN LITERATURE.

(Pages 307-329.)

Indebtedness of Rome to Greek Authors, 307.-The Roman Drama, 308.—Livi-

us Andronicus, 309.-Cneius Nævius, 310.-Ennius, 311.—Plautus, 312.—“The

Captives," 313.-Terence, 315.-"The Self-Tormentor," 317.-Decline of the Dra-

ma, 319.-Epic Poetry, 320.-Nævius and Ennius as Epic Poets, 320.-Satiric

Poetry, 322.-Lucilius, 323.-Early Latin Prose, 324.-Cato the Censor, 324.-

Lælius, Scipio, and the Gracchi, 326.—Antonius, Crassus, and Hortensius, 327.-

Minor Historians and Orators, 328.

CHAPTER III.-GOLDEN AGE OF ROMAN LITERATURE.

(Tages 329-338.)

Periods of the Golden Age, 329.-Cicero, 330.-Varro, 337.-Julius Cæsar, 339.

-Sallust, 343.-Cornelius Nepos, 347.-Poets of the Ciceronian Period, 348.-Lu-

cretius, 348.—Catullus, 352.-Poetry of the Augustan Age, 354.-Virgil, 355.—

Virgil's Eclogues, 359.-Georgics, 360.—Æneid, 362.—Horace, 369.—Varius, 375.

-Tibullus, 375.-Propertius, 377.-Ovid, 379.--Prose Writers of the Augustan

Age, 382.-Livy, 382.

CHAPTER IV.-AGE OF DECLINE.

(Pages 388-428.)

Silver Age of Roman Letters, 388.-Velleius Paterculus, 389.-Valerius Maxi-

mus, 389.-Celsus, 390.-Phædrus, 390.-Persius, 392.--Seneca, 394.—Lucan, 397.

-Pliny the Elder, 401.-Martial, 404.-Statius, 405.-Sulpitia, 406.—Quintilian,

407.-Juvenal, 408.-Tacitus, 412.-Suetonius, 415.-Pliny the Younger, 418.-

Apuleius, 420.-Latin Fathers, 421.-Specimens of Later Latin Poetry, 423.—

Gems of Latin Thought, 425.

HISTORY OF ANCIENT LITERATURE.

INTRODUCTION.

LITERATURE, in its broadest sense, comprises the written productions of all nations in all ages... It is the permanent expression of the intellectual power of man, and reflects the popular manners, the political condition, the moral and religious status. In its literary productions, a nation bequeaths to posterity an ever-speaking record of its inner life.

The history of literature traces the progress of the human mind from age to age, by landmarks erected by the mind itself. It represents the development of different phases of thought in written language, and shows their influence in moulding the public taste and morals. It investigates the connection between the literatures of different countries, considers the causes of their growth and their decay, and critically examines the works of individual authors.

Literature may be divided into two parts, Ancient and Modern. The former, to which this volume is devoted, includes the literatures of the ancient Oriental nations, the Greeks, and the Romans. To the second division belong the literatures of modern Europe, of the modern Oriental nations, and of America.

After considering the origin and relationship of languages,

we shall give a brief summary of the history of ancient literature as a whole, without national divisions; so that the reader, having previously followed the progress of letters from age to age and people to people, may be enabled to study more intelligently the separate literatures of the different countries.

ORIGIN AND RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGES.

The Dawn of History.-When the mist that envelops the early history of the world first rises, it discovers to our view, in parts of western Asia, communities more or less advanced in knowledge and the arts, gathered about certain centres of civilization; and others, of less culture, leading a wandering life, spent mostly, we may conjecture, in the chase, in predatory excursions, and the tending of herds. We find at this time a thrifty race, called Aryans, settled in the fair district between the Hindoo Koosh Mountains and the upper course of the Amoo River—the ancient Bactria (part of what is now Turkestan and Afghanistan; see Map, p. 15). The region watered by the rivers Euphrates and Tigris was occupied by the forefathers of the Chaldeans and Assyrians, the Jews and Arabians; while over the plains of Tartary, known as Turan, wandering tribes were spread-whence their name, Turanians, swift horsemen. Corresponding with these three divisions of the human race are three distinct families of languages, the ARYAN or INDO-EUROPEAN, the SEMITIC, and the TURANIAN,-embracing more than one hundred and fifty tongues.

In Africa, also, civilization was a plant of early growth, Egypt ranking among the most ancient monarchies. Europe, however, in these primeval ages, was either a tenantless wilderness or the home of rude adventurers like the Lapps and Finns, of whom the Basques in the Pyrenees are perhaps the only rem nants in the west.

RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGES.

THE ARYANS.

The Aryans have left no account of themselves sculptured on rocks or the walls of crumbling temples; but by careful study of the languages of Aryan origin we obtain, after the lapse of four thousand years, a glimpse of the social condition of those who spoke the mother-tongue among the mountains of Bactria. We infer that nouns similar in the various derived languages,—as father (protector), brother (helper), house, door, walls, boat, grain, etc., are the names of objects or notions familiar to the original family.* Thus utilizing language as a key to what would otherwise be locked up in the unknown past, we learn that the inhabitants of the fertile Bactrian valleys were devoted to agricultural pursuits. Tilling the ground was an honorable employment, the very name Aryan signifying high-born, noble. We have pictured to us law-abiding communities, grouped together in towns, ruled by chiefs and a king, recognizing family ties, entertaining exalted conceptions of woman, and a solemn regard for the marriage bond-the latter always a mark of high civilization.

Language also tells us that this interesting people preferred the arts of peace to war. With the dog for his companion, the shepherd folded his flocks of sheep; with the horse and ox for his servants, the landholder broke the soil with a plough of bronze. Pigs and fowls were raised; cattle formed the chief wealth; and the cows were milked by the daughter of the household-this name meaning milk-maid.

The Aryan drove from village to village in his wheeled car

*A thousand words have thus been traced through the sister languages of Aryan birth—a number certainly adequate to the wants of primitive man, when we remember that of more than 100,000 words which constitute our present vocabulary but 3,000 are in common use. The Old Testament was translated with the help of only 5,642 English words. While Shakespeare's genius required 21,000 words for its expression, Milton's epic employs less than half that number.

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Illustrated History of Ancient Literature: Oriental and Classical