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and he continued dying, but with very little uneafinefs, till Tuesday morning, Aug. 22, when, between

feven and eight o'clock, he expired almost without a groan."

A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST of the most eminent

GREEK

AND

ROMAN WRITERS,

From HOMER to the prefent Time.

By the dates is implied the Time when the following Writers died; but when that Period happens not to be known, the Age in which they flourished is fignified by fl.

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406 Sophocles, ditto. Franklin.

fopher, fl.

Euripides, the Greek tragic 270

poet.

Ifocrates, the Greek orator. Dimfdale.

Ariftotle, the Greek philofopher, and difciple of Plato. Hobbes.

Demofthenes, the Athenian orator, poifoned himself. Leland.

Theophraftus, the Greek philofopher, and fcholar of Ariftotle. Budgel.

Theocritus, the firft Greek paftoral poet, f. Fawkes. Euclid, of Alexandria in Egypt, the mathematician, fl. R. Simpfon.

Epicurus, founder of the Epicurean philofophy in Greece. Digby.

Confucius, the Chinese philo- 264 Xeno, founder of the ftoic phi

lofophy in ditto.

244 Calli

244 Callimachus, the Greek elegiac

poet.

208 Archimedes, the Greek geometrician.

184 Plautus, the Roman comic poet. Thornton.

159 Terence, of Carthage, the Latin comic poet. Colman.. 155 Diogenes, of Babylon, the ftoic philofopher. 124 Polybius, of Greece, the Greek and Roman hiftorian. Hampton.

54 Lucretius, the Roman poet. Creech.

44 Julius Cæfar, the Roman hiftorian and commentator, killed. Duncan.

Diodorus Siculus, of Greece, the univerfal hiftorian, fl. Booth.

Vitruvius, the Roman architect, A.

43 Cicero, the Roman orator and philofopher, put to death. Guthrie, Melmoth. Cornelius Nepos, the Roman biographer, A. Rowe. 34 Sallust, the Roman historian. Gordon.

30 Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, the Roman hiftorian, A. Spelman.

19 Virgil, the Roman epic poet. Dryden, Warton.

1 Catullus, Tibullus, and Propertius, Roman poets, Grainger, Dart.

8 Horace, the Rom. lyric and

fatiric poet. Francis.

After Christ.

17 Livy, the Roman hiftorian, Hay.

19 Ovid, the Roman elegiac poet. Garth.

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116

epic poet.

Pliny the younger; historical letters. Melmoth. 117 Suetonius, the Roman hiftorian. Hughes.

119 Plutarch, of Greece, the biographer. Dryden, Lang

horne. 128 Juvenal the Roman fatiric poet. Dryden,

140 Ptolemy, the Egyptian geographer, mathematician, and aftronomer, fl.

150 Juftin, the Roman hiftorian, A. Turnbul.

161 Arrian, the Roman hiftorian

and philofopher, f. Rooke.

167 Juftin, of Samaria, the oldest Chriftian author after the apostles.

20 Celfus, the Roman philofopher and phyfician, f. Grieve. 25 Strabo, the Greek geographer. 180 31 Phædrus, the Roman fabulift.

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Lucian, the Roman philologer. Dimfdale, Dryden.

Marcus Aurelius Antonius,

Roman emperor and philofopher. Elphinstone.

193 Galen,

193 Galen, the Greek philofopher 529 Procopius, of Cæfarea, the

and phyfician.

200 Diogenes Laertius, the Greek biographer, fl.

229 Dion Caffius, of Greece, the Roman hiftorian, fl.

254 Origen, a Christian father of Alexandria.

Herodian, of Alexandria, the Roman hiftorian, f. Hart. 258 Cyprian, of Carthage, fuffered martyrdom. Marshal. 273 Longinus, the Greek orator, put to death by Aurelian. Smith.

320 Lactantius, a father of the

342 Eufebius,

church, Al. 336 Arius, a priest of Alexandria, founder of the fect of Arians. the ecclefiaftical hittorian and chronologer. Hanmer. 379 Bazil, bishop of Cæfarea. 389 Gregory Nazienzen, bishop of Conftantinople.

397 Ambrofe, bishop of Milan. 415 Macrobius, the Roman gram

marian.

428 Eutropius, the Roman hifto

rian.

524 Boetius, the Roman poet and Platonic philofopher. Eellamy, Preston.

Roman hiftorian. Holcroft.

Here ends the illuftrious lift of ancient, or, as they are ftiled, claffic authors, for whom mankind are indebted to Greece and Rome, thofe two great theatres of human glory; but it ever will be regretted, that a fmall part only of their writings have come to our hands. This was owing to the barbarous policy of those fierce illiterate pagans, who, in the fifth century, fubverted the Roman empire, and in which practices they were joined foon after by the Saracens or followers of Mahomet. Conflantinople alone had efcaped the ravages of the barbarians; and to the few literati who fheltered themselves within its walls, is chiefly owing the prefervation of those valuable remains of antiquity. To learning, civility, and refinement, fucceeded a worse than Gothic ignorance-the fuperftition and buffoonry of the church of Rome; Europe therefore produces few names worthy of record during the space of a thoufand years; a period which hiftorians, with great propriety, denominate the dark or Gothic ages.

Confiderations on the important Queftion,

WHAT KIND OF LIFE IS THE MOST HAPPY?

TH

(From the theory of agreeable fenfations.)

HE greateft part of mankind make their happinefs to depend upon others, and even when arrived at the fummit of grandeur, they often afpire to felicity under the title of fuppliants; but it is almoft impoffible that thofe, who have it in their power to gratify their defires, fhould comply with them. The heart of every man, to ufe a Cartefian expreffion, is a kind of voricx, and the centre of

its motions is its own personal happinefs. To expect that our felicity thould become the centre of the motions of others, would be to defire a change in their nature; it would be indeed, to with that our happinefs fhould depend upon a miracle. Let us therefore accommodate ourfelves, in the beft manner we are able, to the objects that furround us, but let us not fondly hope to attain any folid happiness,

by

H

i

by any other means than by the exertion of our own faculties.

Thofe ftates or conditions of life I call happy, in which the pleafing fenfations predominate over the painful; and they may be divided into three different claffes, according as the motions of the body, the mind, and the heart, are most prevalent.

If we were defirous to bring together a number of happy mortals, we should in vain look out for them amidft the high and brilliant ftations of life; but our fearch would be more fucessful amongst thofe who fubfift by moderate labour, and earn thereby a fufficient competence for themselves and their families. Of thefe we should find many whofe life is free from all the torment of anxiety and chagrin, and who inwardly poffefs a fecret fund of joy, which is always ready to expand itself. If their days are not brightened with gaiety and fplendour, they are calm and unclouded. They pafs away in a fucceffion of mild and pleafing fenfations, which equally exclude all intemperate pleasure and every poignant grief.

The exercise of the body is not fo agreable as that of the mind. A courfe of life, therefore, devoted to the fciences will be more fufceptible of happiness, than if employed in mechanical operations. What can be more pleafing than to be able to enjoy all feafons, all places, and univerfal nature? This pleafure, however, fo exquifite, falls to the lot only of a few extraordinary perfons. It is a kind of fanctuary, from whence a barbarous ignorance has excluded the greatest part of mankind. The fame barbarifm has ftifled the rifing buds of science in many individuals, though for the punishment of the human race, it has fpread glory and renown over the injuftice and rapine of mighty conquerors.

Since the emotions and affections of the heart afford the most pleasing fenfation, hence we may infer that to be the happiest life in which benevolence prefides.

Those to whom fortune has been lavifh of her favours, can never talle the genuine fweets of her bounty, unless they are inclined to impart it to others. We must estimate their happiness by the number of those whom they make happy.

There is no happiness equal to that of a prince, who confines not his benevolence within the narrow circle of his courtiers and flatterers, but extends it alike to all his fubjects: who ftrives to banish mifery, from his dominions, and is the liberal patron of every art and science: under whofe aufpices induftry and commerce flourish, and by whofe countenance men of genius and virtue are honoured. Such a prince is morally fure of increafing and confirming his power. He has the pleafing idea of being the vicegerent of the Deity, in diftributing felicity to mankind, and views the profpect of a people, at large, made happy by his reign. He enjoys the execution of fo noble a plan, independent of all the viciffitudes of fortune. A continual fucceffion of the most delightful emotions of benevolence, all the objects that fu round him, every idea of his mind, and all the feelings of his heart, unite to confer upon him all the happiness of which human nature is capable.

And yet it may be, that in this train of virtuons fenfations, there are none fo quick and lively as those which infpire a conqueror, whofe ambition is flufhed with victory; but his pleafure is dearly purchaked at the hazard of becoming the most wretched of men, fince his tafte and ruling paffion contain the feeds of hatred, vexation, and difcontent.

MARIA.

M

MARIA:

Or, The Vanity of too firong an Attachment to Drefs.

ARIA was the daughter of a reputable farmer in the county of Dorfet, and brought up by her parents in the most indulgent manner, no expence having been fpared to give her an ufeful education. When he was about thirteen, her father died; and her mother, who thought herfelf properly qualified, refolved to carry on the farming bufinefs for the fupport of herself and daughter. It was not long, however, before the found herself unable to conduct her late husband's bufinefs; for, being obliged to employ ftrangers, fhe foon found, that if the continued any longer in the farm, he would run out of what money had been faved. She, therefore, with the confent of her landlord, fold the leafe, and retired to live privately in the houfe of a widow, whofe husband had been an eminent merchant in Bristol, but had left her in very low circumstances.

The two widows were much about the fame age, and as they refolved to live in the most frugal manner, so their time was spent in teaching Maria French, needlework, and all forts of useful education; fo as to qualify her for a lady's maid. The young girl had a fharp penetrating genius; nothing feemed too difficult for her to learn; and when he was only a little turned of fixteen, the lady of one of the lords of the bedchamber took her into her fervice. During the time he had been with her mother in an humble ftation, he did not difcover the lealt attachment to drefs, any further than was confit ent with the ftricteft rules of decorum; but none can be known un

lefs they are brought upon the great theatre of affairs in the world."

When Maria arrived in London with her lady, fhe was an utter franger to what is commonly called politenefs in the neighbourhood of St. James's but it was not long before the became as fond of it as any of the rest of her fex. She had never seen a head raised to an enormous height by a hair dreffer, nor artificial locks added where there were plenty of real ones. She attended her lady to the play, the opera and the court; but, upon her return home, found, that unlefs fhe dreffed entirely in the fashion, fhe must become an object of ridicule, and be looked upon as a raw country girl, deftitute of every title to laudable ambition.

Her lady left it wholly to her choice, whether to comply with the reigning fashions or not; but it was not long before she discovered that he was a woman as well as herself. She was tall, we!l shaped, fpoke French fluently, danced to great perfection, and could fing a mot delightful fong. Thefe accomplishments attracted the notice of feveral young noblemen who vifited at her lady's houfe ; and Maria was vain enough to imagine the had won fome of their hearts. She did not reflect that few whofe ftations are unequal can eve be happy in the marriage ftate, nor did the confider, that among our young nobility, matches are generally concluded upon terms of interest. She fondly imagined that where the had made a conqueft, fhe could easily keep poffeffion; but fatal experience convinced her of the contrary.

Among

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