mitchell-P044_A-11_11

VERSO

omnique aetate dignum; Magna v vero sunt scripta horum hominum uti par est, quorum cogitationis sunt feliciter audaces; Eodem modo etiam ea, quae maximè Sublimia sunt, cadunt in illos qui maxime elatis sunt animis; illud enim, quod Parmenioni dicenti, "Ego quidem contentus essem [conditionibus oblatis, si essem Alexander," respondit Alexander, dicens, "Et ego quidem si essem Parimenio" ipsius animi magnitudinem ostendit; ut etiam in illo, quod de Discordiâ dicit Homerus In caelo stabilivit caput suum, et humi graditur Homerici ingenii Sublimitatem. delerminat] distantia a terrâ ad caelum; et hanc aliquis dicat non potius mensuram Discordiae quàm Homeri. Cui dissimile est illud Hisiodi de tristitia, si quidem statuendum sit etiam poëma illud dictum Scutum esse Hesiodi Ejus ex naribus humores fluebant. Neque emin fecit imaginem terribilem, sed odiosam. Ille autem &c. Homerus quomodo Sublimia reddit ea, quae de Diis fingit.

RECTO

Quantum veró aëris-per-horizontem - extensi spatium homo videt oculis Sedens in speculâ, prospectius in negricantem pontum, Tantum saltu conficiunt deorum altisoni equi. motum earum celerem mondi spatia metitur; quis igitur non ab excellentiam [hiujus] sublimitatis jure dixerit, si his eodem modo ad saltandum se concitent Deorum equi, eas non amplius inventuras in mundo locum? Valdes sublimes sunt etiam illae de pugnâ Deorum imagines, Circum autem insonit mangnum caelum Olympasque Tamuit etiam subtus nex inferorum Pluto Territusque solio Neptumus quassator - terraea; Domusque mortalibus et immortalibus apparerent Visu terribiles, situe sentae, quasque horrent ipsi Dii Videsne, amice, quomodo disruptâ quidem exsuis sedibus terrâ, ipsoque nudato tartaro, et toto mundo subverso, dissipato que omnia simul, Caelum, orcus, mortalia, immortalia, cum pugnâ, quae tunc fuit, conflictantur

VERSO

et periculum una subeunt? Sed haec, quae sunt terribulia quidem nisi allegoricè accipiantur, omnino sunt impia, nec servantia deorum; Homerus enim mihi videlur, cum literis tradit Deorum vulnera, dissidia,, ultiones, lacrymas, vincula, eaque omnis generis, quae patiuntur, mala, Homines, qui rebus Hiacis interfuerunt, Deos, quantum potuerit, fecisse; Deos vero Homine sed nos quidem, si infelices simus, manet mors, malorum portus, Deoru vero non naturam solum, sed infortunium fecit aeternum. Multo autem meliora iis quae de pugnis Deorum ab illo dicuntus, sunt illa, quaecunque repraesentant Numen, ut revera est, intaminatum et magnum, est purum; qualia sunt (a multis autem ante nos hic locus tractutus est) illa, quae de Neptuno discuntur - Tremebant autem montes spatiori et sylva Et vertices, et Trojanorum urbs, et naves Achivorum Sub pedibus immortalibus Neptuni incidentis; Tendebatque ire per undas; exultabant autem balaenae sub ipso

RECTO

Undique e latebris, neque ignorabant Regem; Cum laetitia eliam mare se dividebat, hi vero volabant &c. Ad hunc modum etiam ille Judaeorum legislator, vir minime vulgaris, postquam potentiam Numinis pro dignitate ejus mente concepit, etiam declaravit; statim in principia legum suarum scribens, "Dixit Deus" inquit; quid? sit lux, et fuit, sit terra, et fuit." Non molestus fortasse videar, amice, si unum amplius locum Poetae &c. Homeri de iis, quae ad homines pertinent, proponant, ut discas quomodo assuefaciat nos secum unà ingredi in subimia heroïca. Caligo repente et nox ignava apud illum inhibet pugnam Graecorum; hic Ajax incertus consilii, At tu, Jupiter (inquit) libera a caligine filios Achivor_um; Et fac serenitatem, daque oculis videre; In luce vero vel perde. Est revera affectus Ajacis; non enim optat vivere, (haec enim petitio esset abjectior quàm decet heroa); sed,

VERSO

cum in tenebris ignavis non potuit suâ fortitudine ad generosum ullum facinus uti, propterea indignans se ad pugnam inutilem esse, lucem quam primum oriri precatur, tanquam omnino in eâ inventurus funus dignum virtute suâ, etiam si Jupiter se illi opponat. Sed enim Homerus hîc, velut ventus secundus, unà adspirat certaminibus, et non alius ipse passus est quàm heroes, vel (ut ejus verbis utar) Fuit, ut cum Mars hastam vibrans, aut ignis perniciosus In mortibus furit, profundae in densis recessibus Sylvae ; Spuma autem est circum os ejus.

Sec. XII ----------------------------------------------- Ceciro differs in sublimity from Demosthenes. For this for the most part is in a concise sublimity; Ceciro, in a diffuse. Our orator, in every particular, on of his overwhealming us and seizing us, with force, brevity, strenght and skill, may be compared to thunder and lightning. But Cicero, (I should think) like a wide spreading fire, is distributed, and open, having much material, always burng at one time divided differantly in itself, and then turning out its materials in succession.

RECTO

But perhaps, you latins may judge there things better. But also the fitness of Demosthenes' sublimity for extended, by its warmth and vehement pathos, is as far as possible, entirely to amazed a hearer. But the utility of the defuse, is to exhaust. For Demosthenes, in his discourses, and in his words as far as may be, is happily suited for digression remarks and examples, for narrations in his swells, and no less in other smaller parts. -----------------------------------

Section 14.

Therefore, when we would perform any thing of the sublime, and of magnanimity, we should place before ourselves as for instance, if it had happened then to Homer how would he have said it; how would Plat Plato are or Demosthenes have rendered it sublime; or if in history, how would Thucydides! For these example presented before us for imitation, and being such as are as appropreate as possible, will our mind to that extent of sublimity, the likeness of which we have before us. And still more, if we would propose to our mind, how would Homer had he been present, heard this, or that thing spoken by me? or would Demosthenes? and how would they determined upon it. For this trial, the judging and surveying of one's words, undertaken by such heroes, who are both judges and witnesses, sustain

scrutiny of those things writen and retrench every sport. The better spur of these things, if you should enquire of yourself before hand, how would any one of those following after me hear these thing writen by me? And thus if any one should fear, lest he should advance any thing, that would not out-live his own time and life, it would necessarily follow, that those production of his mind, unfinished and obscured as if abortive, would not by any means be transmitted to remake posterity. ------------------------------

Section 16.

Still further, the topic next in order to be discursed, is the subject of figures. And this also if the manner is to be dressed as one would say, is no ordinary part of subliminity. Although, to describe every thing exactly, for the present is a great work, or rather an unlimited one; yet w I would enumurate a few of those things, which are effective of subliminity, for the sake of confirming what has before been said. Demosthenes is an example for those engage in politics. Would you have a passage from it, to show its nature? here it follows, "You did not err, O Athenians, fighting for the freedom of Greece; No! Take these proofs of it; they did not err, who fought at Marathon, nor they Salamis, nor they at Plateae."