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resistiblv to the Heart. He had naturally an excellentGenius; a sprightly and elegant Turn ; and a good Edu-cation and well directed Study had brought to their fullPerfection all the generous Seeds Nature had originallysown in his Mind. We have many Instances of his Abi-lity for the Management of the most difficult Mattersof State: For he by his Dexterity in Politicks drew As-sistance from Marc Anthony to drive Pompey out of Si~cily : And after Augustus was become Master, this Fa-

D vourite

Horace commends Mecænas for his Taciturnity.

Et quce rimofa bene deponuntur in aure.

Hor. Sat.fl. r. 6.

We learn what Power and Interest he had with Augustus from the fameSatyr,

Imprimat bis cttra Mecænas figna tabellis.

See Hor. Epod i.

Ibis Liburnis inter alta navium

Amice, propugnacula ;

I cannot well reconcile this Epode with what the Abbe de Ver tot fays ofMecænas's having no Share in the Wars of Augustus. And according to Appianhe went with Augustus and Agrippa into Sicily against Pompey. And he like-wise accompanied Augustus to Ailium, See J. Xiphilinus in Augusta .’————Quas ob res Agrippæ atque Mæcenati tantam potestatem detulit Cæsar in re- 'jbus omnibus, ut literas quafeunque ad fenatum vel aliosrtnitteret, ipsi prius jlegere posient, & ex eis quæ vellent immutare, cujus rei causa annulum ab eo I

acceperant, quo literas- obsignarent. ~ . . Et postea, de imperio deponendo

Cæsar deliberationem habuit cum Agrippa & Mæcenate,cum quibus communi-cavit omnia arcana consilia-Ex his Agrippa confulebat justius. Mæce-nas majorem utilitatis rationem habuit.--Cæsar Mæcenati assensus est.

But tho’ Mæcenas is said to have been at Abiium , as well as in Sicily withAugustus , Virgil makes no mention of him in his Description of the Victoryat Atlhim , where he so highly extols Agrippa.

Parse alia, mentis & Pus Agrippa secundis ,

Arduus agmen agens.

Æn. 1 . 8. L. 675,