Specimens of Roman Literature : Passages Illustrative of Roman Thought
and Style. Edited by C. T. Criattwell, M.A., and Peake Banton, B.A. (Charles Griffin.) —This is a most useful book, giving the student a comprehensive view of Roman literature, which may really serve, . for all ordinary purposee, the place of many a library-shelf. The editors have gone over the whole range of their subject, "from the earliest period to the age of the .A.ntonines," and made their soleo- tion and arrangement with a diligence and a judgment which deserve the highest praise. The book has two main divisions, —"Roman Thought" and "Roman Style." The first is divided again into three parts,--" Religion," "Philosophy and Science," "Art and Letters ;" and each of these parts again is subdivided, the second, for instance, showing the following :—" General View of the Subject," "Moral Philosophy," " Political Philosophy," "Physical Science." This last is submitted to yet another subdivision, the illustrative extracts being arranged under three heads,—" The Material Universe," "The Earth : (a) Inorganic Nature ; (b) Organic Nature," and "Man." In the second division, the editors have very properly introduced the chronological element into their system of arrangement. The plan of the volume forbids the introduotion of notes, which would, indeed, have swelled its 650 pages of matter (ex- clusive of indexes) to more than double the number ; but each extract is described by a brief heading; and the elaborate arrangement, of which we have given a specimen, is itself a comment. The index of authors contains more than eighty names, a sufficient proof of the wide range of reading which has been utilised for this purpose. On the whole, we may say that any student who, besides reading in extenso the greatest Roman authors, should make himself thoroughly ac- quainted with the contents of this volume, will have furnished himself with as good a knowledge of Roman literature as any but a professed scholar need have.
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