The first effect which this book has upon the reader is that of disgusting him with the author’s vanity. He endeavours to persuade the world, that here are some new treasures of literature spread before his eyes; that something is discovered, which to this happy day had been concealed in darkness; that by his diligence time has been robbed of some valuable monument, which he was on the point of devouring; and that names and facts doomed to oblivion are now restored to fame.

How must the unlearned reader be surprised, when he shall be told that Mr. Blackwell has neither digged in the ruins of any demolished city; nor found out the way to the library of Fez;3 nor had a single book in his hands, that has not been in the possession of every man that was inclined to read it, for years and ages; and that his book relates to a people who above all others have furnished employment to the studious, and amusements to the idle, who have scarcely left behind them a coin or a stone, which has not been examined and explained a thousand times, and whose dress, and food, and houshold stuff it has been the pride of learning to understand.

A man need not fear to incur the imputation of vitious diffidence or affected humility, who should have forborn to promise many novelties, when he perceived such multitudes of writers possessed of the same materials, and intent upon the same purpose. Mr. Blackwell knows well the opinion of Horace, concerning those that open their undertakings with magnificent promises,4 and he knows likewise the dictates of common sense and common honesty, names of greater authority than that of Horace, who direct that no man should promise what he cannot perform.

I do not mean to declare that this volume has nothing new, or that the labours of those who have gone before our author, have made his performance an useless addition to the burden of literature. New works may be constructed with old materials, the disposition of the parts may shew contrivance, the ornaments interspersed may discover elegance.

It is not always without good effect that men of proper qualifications write in succession on the same subject, even when the latter add nothing to the information given to the former, for the same ideas may be delivered more intelligibly or more delightfully by one than by another, or with attractions that may lure minds of a different form. No writer pleases all, and every writer may please some.

But after all, to inherit is not to acquire; to decorate is not to make, and the man who had nothing to do but read the ancient authors, who mention the Roman affairs, and reduce them to common places, ought not to boast himself as a great benefactor to the studious world. After a preface of boast, and a letter of flattery, in which he seems to imitate the address of Horace, in his “vile potabis modicis Sabinum”5—he opens his book with telling us, that the “Roman republic, after the horrible proscription, was no more at bleeding6 Rome. The regal power of her consuls, the authority of her senate, and the majesty of her people, were now trampled under foot; these divine laws and hallowed customs, that had been the essence of her constitution—were set at nought, and her best friends were lying exposed in their blood.”7

These were surely very dismal times to those who suffered; but I know not why any one but a schoolboy in his declamation should whine over the commonwealth of Rome, which grew great only by the misery of the rest of mankind. The Romans, like others, as soon as they grew rich grew corrupt, and, in their corruption, sold the lives and freedoms of themselves, and of one another.

When the reader has been awakened by this rapturous preparation, he hears the whole story of Portia in the same luxuriant stile, till she breathed out her last, a little before the “bloody proscription,” and “Brutus complained heavily of his friends at Rome, as not having paid due attention to this lady9 in the declining state of her health.”1

He is a great lover of modern terms. His senators and their wives are “gentlemen” and “ladies.” In this review of Brutus’s army, who “was under the command of galant men, not braver officers, than true patriots,” he tells us

Among other affectations of this writer is a furious and unnecessary zeal for liberty, or rather for one form of government as preferable to another. This indeed might be suffered, because political institution is a subject in which men have always differed, and if they continue to obey their lawful governors, and attempt not to make innovations for the sake of their favourite schemes, they may differ for ever without any just reproach from one another. But who can bear the hardy champion, who ventures nothing? Who in full security undertakes the defence of the assassination of Caesar, and declares his resolution to “speak plain”? Yet let not just sentiments be overlooked: He has justly observed, that the greater part of mankind will be naturally prejudiced against Brutus, for all feel the benefits of private friendship; but few can discern the advantages of a well constituted government.4

We know not whether some apology may not be necessary for the distance between the first account of this book and its continuation. The truth is that this work not being forced upon our attention by much public applause or censure, was sometimes neglected, and sometimes forgotten, nor would it, perhaps, have been now resumed, but that we might avoid to disappoint our readers by an abrupt desertion of any subject.

It is not our design to criticise the facts of this history but the style; not the veracity, but the address of the writer; for, an account of the ancient Romans as it cannot nearly interest any present reader, and must be drawn from writings that have been long known, can owe its value only to the language in which it is delivered, and the reflections with which is it accompanied. Dr. Blackwell, however, seems to have heated his imagination so as to be much affected with every event, and to believe that he can affect others. Enthusiasm is indeed sufficiently contagious, but I never found any of his readers much enamoured of the “glorious Pompey, the patriot approv’d,” or much incensed against the “lawless Cæsar,”6 whom this author probably stabs every day and night in his sleeping or waking dreams.

He is come too late into the world with his fury for freedom, with his Brutus and Cassius. We have all on this side of the Tweed7 long since settled our opinions;a his zeal for Roman liberty and declamations against the violators of the republican constitution, only stand now in the reader’s way, who wishes to proceed in the narrative without the interruption of epithets and exclamations. It is not easy to forbear laughter at a man so bold in fighting shadows, so busy in a dispute two thousand years past, and so zealous for the honour of a people who while they were poor robbed mankind, and as soon as they became rich robbed one another. Of these robberies our author seems tob have no very quick sense, except when they are committed by Cæsar’s party, for every act is sanctified by the name of a patriot.

If this author’s skill in ancient literature were less generally acknowledged,8 one might sometimes suspect that he had too frequently consulted the French writers. He tells us that Archelaus the Rhodian made a speech to Cassius, and “in so saying” dropt some tears, and that Cassius after the reduction of Rhodes was “covered with glory”9—— Deiotarus was a keen and happy spirit.1—— The ingrate Castor kept his court.2

His great delight is to shew his universal acquaintance with terms of art,3 with words that every other polite writer has avoided and despised. When Pompey conquered the pirates he destroyed fifteen hundred ships of the line.4—— The Xanthian parapets were tore down.5—— Brutus suspecting that his troops were plundering commanded the trumpets to sound their colours.6—— Most people understood the act of attainder passed by the senate.7—— The Numidian troopers were unlikely in their appearance.8—— The Numidians beat up one quarter after another.9—— Salvidienus resolved to pass his men over in boats of leather, and he gave orders for equipping a sufficient number of that sort of small craft1—— Pompey had light agile frigates, and fought in a strait where the current and caverns occasion swirls and a roll2—— A sharp out-look was kept by the admiral3—— It is a run of about fifty Roman miles4—— Brutus broke Lipella in the sight of the army5—— Mark Antony garbled the senate6—— He was a brave man well qualified for a commodore.7

In his choice of phrases he frequently uses words with great solemnity, which every other mouth and pen has appropriated to jocularity and levity! The Rhodians gave up the contest and in poor plight fled back to Rhodes.8—— Boys and girls were easily kidnapped9—— Deiotarus was a mighty believer of augury.1—— Deiotarus destroyed his ungracious progeny.2—— The regularity of the Romans was their mortal aversion3—— They desired the consuls to curb such hainous doings4—— He had such a shrewd invention that no side of a question came amiss to him5—— Brutus found his mistress a coquettish creature.6——

He sometimes with most unlucky dexterity mixes the grand and the burlesque together, “the violations of faith, Sirs,” says Cassius, “lies at the door of the Rhodians by reiterated acts of perfidy.”7—— The iron grate fell down, crushed those under it to death, and catched the rest as in a trap8—— When the Xanthians heard the military shout and saw the flame mount they concluded there would be no mercy. It was now about sun-set and they had been at hot work since noon.9

He has often words or phrases with which our language has hitherto had no knowledge.—— One was a heart friend to the republic.1 A deed was expeded.2 The Numidians begun to reel and were in hazard of falling into confusion3—— The tutor embraced his pupil close in his arms4—— Four hundred women were taxed who have no doubt been the wives of the best Roman citizens.5—— Men not born to action are inconsequential in government6—— collectitious troops.7—— The foot by their violent attack began the fatal break in the Pharsaliac field.8 He and his brother with a politic common to other countries had taken opposite sides.9

His epithets are of the gaudy or hyperbolical kind. The glorious news—— Eager hopes and dismal fears—— Bleeding Rome—— divine laws and hallowed customs—— Merciless war—— intense anxiety.1

Sometimes the reader is suddenly ravished with a sonorous sentence, of which when the noise is past the meaning does not long remain. When Brutus set his legions to fill a moat, instead of heavy dragging and slow toil, they set about it with huzzas and racing, as if they had been striving at the Olympic games. They hurled impetuous down the huge trees and stones and with shouts forced them into the water, so that the work expected to continue half the campaign was with rapid toil completed in a few days.2 Brutus’s soldiers fell to the gate with resistless fury, it gave way at last with hideous crash3—— This great and good man, doing his duty to his country, received a mortal wound, and glorious fell in the cause of Rome; may his memory be ever dear to all lovers of liberty, learning and humanity!4—— This promise ought ever to embalm his memory5—— The queen of nations was torn by no foreign invader.6 Rome fell a sacrifice to her own sons, and was ravaged by her unnatural offspring, all the great men of the state, all the good, all the holy were openly murdered by the wickedest and worst.7—— Little islands cover the harbour of Brindisi, and form the narrow outlet from the numerous creeks that compose its capacious port.8—— At the appearance of Brutus and Cassius a shout of joy rent the heavens from the surrounding multitudes.9——

Such are the flowers which may be gathered by every hand in every part of this garden of eloquence. But having thus freely mentioned our author’s faults, it remains that we acknowledge his merit, and confess that this book is the work of a man of letters, that it is full of events displayed with accuracy and related with vivacity, and though it is sufficiently defective to crush the vanity of its author, it is sufficiently entertaining to invite readers.