Excerpt from The First Book of T. Lucretius Carus of the Nature of ThingsWhatever may be the defects of the translation the merit of the original will admit of no dispute. As a poet, Lucretius is Justly entitled to the first place among the votaries of the Ausonian muse. His work presents us with the most curious monu ment of ancient philosophy. Qit abounds in pro found argumentation, excellent moral reections, and sublime descriptions - descriptions whose bor rowed splendour has shone in the Chaplet of many a poet, and whose beauty every man of taste must admire. Horace and Virgil, both of whom he sur passed in the grand characteristic of genius, invan. Tion, did not scorn to drink from the stream of his song. He excels in beauty and variety; but'he is chiey distinguished by a natural ease and simpli city, by a rapid ow and inexhaustible exuberance of arguments on his favourite topic, and by thc'con stant exercise of a conscious superiority approach.

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