In this form of poetry our author holds the same rank as Homer holds in the epic. Critics have deduced the rules of the art from his works, and Virgil's Eclogues are little more than translations or imitations of his Idyls.

His poetry is throughout marked by the force and vivacity of original genius. His descriptions of nature, and his men and women, are equally striking, and strongly individualized. His humor is shown in portraitures of the middle ranks, and in pictures of city life, while he abounds. in strokes of character suitable to all ages of the world. Hence his enduring popularity.

Nor does he confine himself to comic and rustic dialogue, but deals as well with refined and elevated subjects, which he treats with a rich and delicate fancy that lifts these productions into the highest rank of poetry.

The scene of the Idyls is uniformly laid in Sicily, which at that time seems to have abounded in the peculiar characteristics required to give interest to the delineation of rustic or pastoral life.

We append some extracts showing the character and value of his poetic remains.

FROM THE FIFTEENTH IDYL. THE SYRACUSAN GOSSIPS.

SUBJECT - Two Syracusan women, who have traveled to Alexandria, go to see the solemnity of Adonis' festival.

Gorgo. Breath of my body! I have scarce escaped
Alive to you," Praxi'noe;" through such crowds
Of people and of chariots! everywhere

Clattering of shoes, and whisk of soldiers' cloaks,
And such a weary way; and you are lodged
At such a distance!

Praxinoe. Why that wise-acre

Has found me out a den, and not a house,

At the world's end, for fear we should be neighbors;
My constant plague.

Gor. Mother of Venus! softly!

The little one is by; speak not so freely

Of your good husband: Madam, do but look
How the brat eyes you!

Prax. That's a good, brave boy!

Pretty Zopyr'ion! I'm not speaking, love,
Of your good dad.

Gor. By Proserpine, the child

Has scent of it-No: dad is good.

Prax. That person

Some time ago, (we'll speak of all as happening
Some time ago,) he was to bring me rouge

And nitre, from a shop: when home he came

With salt, forsooth! an overgrown, long looby!

Gor. And, troth my own good man has these same pranks;

A very sieve for money: yesterday,

He buys me, at seven drachmas, five old fleeces;

Such riffraff! refuse all, and good for nothing,—
Praxinoe, I own, that robe with clasps

Becomes you mightily. What might it cost
When in the piece?

Prax. Oh Gor'go! do not ask me!

More than two pounds of silver, and the making

Was near the death of me.

Gor. 'Tis made, however;

And to your mind, at last.

Prax. Why, yes, indeed;

You have well said; it does, I think, become me.—
Now quick, my scarf and parasol; stay, girl,
Set the folds tidy.-Child! I cannot take you;
Hobgoblin is abroad; the horses bite;

Cry as you may, I will not have you crippled.
Let's go. Pray, Phry'gia! mind the little one,
And try divert him. Stop-call in the dog;
Good Gods!
Mind, shut the street door after us.
There is a crowd! When we shall pass, or how,
I'm quite at my wit's ends! They're thick as ants.
Gor. What crowds about the gates!

Prax. My stars! immense!

Here, Gorgo, give your hand in mine; and you
Eu'noe, hold Eu'tychus by hers; mind, girl,
And stick close to her, or you'll sure be lost
Let's all push in at once; mind, Eu'noe, stick

Close to us; lack-a-day! there goes my vail!
Look, Gorgo! torn in two! my dear good man,
Heavens bless you, do not tear my scarf as well!

First man. Take heart, dear Madam; we're in and safe at last. Prax. May you be safe and sound, the longest day You have to live.-A good, kind gentleman, To take such care of us.

Second man. Be quiet, hussies!

Stop that eternal clack. You prate and prate,

Like two caged turtles, with that broad splay brogue.
Gor. My goodness! who's this fellow? Prate or not,
What is it, sir, to you? You quite mistake

Your persons, I believe. None of your airs
To us. Belike you think you may talk big
To Syracusans; but we'd have you know
We are from Corinth, sir; of the same blood
As was Beller'ophon; our dialect

Peloponne'sian; let the Dorians speak

The Doric brogue; 'tis none of ours, believe me.

Prax. Sweet Proserpine! I'd send the fellow packing

That dared crow over me; unless, indeed,

My husband; you may threaten, sir; but I

Will not be cuffed, depend on't.

Gor. Hush! Praxinoe;

The Grecian woman's daughter's going to sing

About Adonis."

-Elton.

FROM THE EIGHTEENTH IDYL.-DESCRIPTION OF HELEN.

"Full three-score girls, in sportive flight we strayed,

Like youths anointing, where along the glade
The bath of cool Euro'tas limpid played.
But none, of all, with Helen might compare,
Nor one seemed faultless of the fairest fair.
As morn, with vermeil visage, looks from high,
When solemn night has vanished suddenly;
When winter melts, and frees the frozen hours,
And Spring's green bough is gemmed with silvery flowers;
So bloomed the virgin Helen in our eyes,

With full voluptuous limbs, and towering size;
In shape, in height, in stately presence fair;
Straight as a furrow gliding from the share;

A cypress of the gardens, spiring high,

A courser in the cars of Thessaly.

So rose-complexioned Helen charmed the sight;

Our Sparta's grace, our glory, and delight.”

-Elton.

CALLIM'ACHUS.

BORN ABOUT 295 B.C.

Callimachus was of a family which had emigrated from Attica to Cyrene, a Greek colony of northern Africa, where the poet was born about 295 B.C. Having completed his studies, and conducted a school for some time in his native land, he removed to Alexandria. Here he taught successfully for years, having many distinguished pupils, such as Eratosthenes, Hermip'pus, and Apollo'nius Rhodius.

During these years he had sedulously cultivated the poetic art, but made no effort to place himself before the public in competition with the many eminent court poets, until the following incident occurred.

Euer'getes had now succeeded Philadelphus on the Egyptian throne. This opportunity was embraced by the provinces of Phoeni'cia and Palestine to throw off the yoke of the Ptol'emies, and the new monarch wished to lose no time in subduing them.

Bereni'ce, his queen, anxious for his success, vowed that should the expedition prove successful, she would, on the king's return, dedicate her hair to Venus. The expedition proved a success, and the dedication was accordingly made. In order to give the occurrence a more important aspect, the astronomers of the court were directed to place the hair in the heavens as a constellation. Hence the origin of the constellation Berenice's Hair.

To add still more to the importance of the event, an invitation was given to poets to celebrate it in the strains of immortal verse. Into this competition Callimachus en

tered, and achieved such a signal success that Ptolemy at once invited him to abandon his school, repair to court, and become Royal Librarian. In this position Callimachus remained from 266 B.c. until his death, about twenty years afterward.

This author did not devote himself alone to poetry, but was also a distinguished grammarian and critic. He was one of the most fertile writers of antiquity, and is said to have written nearly eight hundred works. Probably, however, most of these were of no great extent, for it was one of his own maxims that a great book was equal to a great evil.

Unfortunately his prose works, which would have furnished very valuable information concerning mythology, history and literature, are all lost. A limited portion of his poems, which the ancients viewed as the least valuable of his works, alone survive.

These poetical remains consist of Hymns, Epigrams and Elegies. The hymns bear greater resemblance to epic than to lyric poetry, and are very valuable for their curious. mythological imformation, being loaded, to an unusual extent, with the learning of the author.

The epigrams of Callimachus, seventy-three in number, were highly esteemed by the ancients, and furnish the best specimens of that kind of composition extant. Of his three elegies only some fragments remain; but they were greatly admired by Roman critics, and imitated by Roman authors.

He also wrote two, and probably more, epic poems, and seems, indeed, to have tried his skill at every kind of poetry; for Su'idas credits him with comedies, tragedies, iambic and choliambic poems.

Of his prose works, the one most to be lamented was a comprehensive history of Greek literature, which seems to have been very full and systematic.