Volume I Part 12 (1/1)

AUTHORITIES.

There are no better authorities than the cla.s.sical authors themselves, and their works must be studied in order to comprehend the spirit of ancient literature. Modern historians of Roman literature are merely critics, like Dalhmann, Schlegel, Niebuhr, Muller, Mommsen, Mure, Arnold, Dunlap, and Thompson. Nor do I know of an exhaustive history of Roman literature in the English language; yet nearly every great writer has occasional criticisms upon the subject which are ent.i.tled to respect. The Germans, in this department, have no equals.