But whilft he was thus endeavouring to improve the taste of the members of the Univerfity, he ftrove to be of more lasting and general service to her, and to literature at large, by his publications. With this view he published anonymously, in 1758, " Infcriptionum Romanarum "Metricarum Delectus," 4to. Dodsley: the impreffion was not numerous, and copies of it have become very fcarce. This publication is, as the title imports, a felection of Latin Metrical Infcriptions, principally fepulchral, from Mazochius, Smetius, Gruter, and other voluminous collectors; containing alfo a few modern epigrams, namely, one by Dr. Jortin, and five by himself, on the model of the antique; with various readings and notes illuftrative of customs, which are alluded to in the Infcriptions, but are not generally known. The preface explains his defign in the publication, and points out with great elegance and precision the proper constituents of an epigram. An octavo volume, of a nature fomewhat fimilar to this, but more extensive, had been published at Cambridge in the year 1691, by Mr. Fleetwood, Fellow of Queen's College; but in it, as in the large collections above alluded to, the metrical and the prose Infcriptions were mixed together, and the felection was made with little taste or difcretion.

This publication was in 1766 followed by one of Greek Infcriptions; being an edition of Cephalas's Anthology, from the Clarendon Prefs. The preface, written by our Author, contains a concife and clear account of this, and of the other Anthology; and propofes a method by which a third might be compiled. This publication, as well as that of the Latin Infcriptions, is without a name; but one or two expreffions in the preface identify and afcertain the editor. For in p. xxxiv. he mentions a work, intitled "In'fcriptionum &c. Delectus," published by himfelf; and concludes with a promise of his Theocritus in the following elegant allufion. "Ve"reor, ut hactenus in plexendis florum corollis "otium nimis longum pertraxerim. Proxime 'fequetur, cui nunc omnes operas et vires in

tendo, Theocritus. Interea, quafi promulfi"dem convivii, Lectoribus meis elegantias hafce "vetuftatis eruditæ propino." P. xxxvi.

In 1770, the promised edition of Theocritus, which had been undertaken in 1758, made its appearance in two volumes, 4to. a publication diftinguished for its correctness and fplendor; and of which Mr. Toup declares in a letter to the Editor, "You have done great honour to "me, to yourself, and to the University. It is "the best publication that ever came from the "Clarendon Prefs." Brunck indeed has objected

to it that the Editor did not make enough use of the ample materials in his poffeffion towards correcting and improving the text; and Harles has characterised it as fplendid, but at the fame time inconvenient and confused.

Mr. Warton had before this time ceased to be Poetry-Profeffor, having held the office from 1758 to 1768, the ufual term of ten years. It was on his election to the office that he had determined on giving an edition of fome Greek claffic, by the advice of Judge Blackstone, at that time Fellow of All Souls' College, and an ardent promoter of every undertaking likely to do credit to the Clarendon Prefs, of which he was one of the Delegates. His choice of the particular author was determined partly by the early and unremitted fondnefs, which in the preface he defcribes himself to have entertained for Theocritus; and more immediately by the circumftance of many valuable papers, then lately collected from the libraries of Italy, and bequeathed to the Bodleian by the learned J. St. Amand. He profeffes obligations in the progrefs of the work to Dr. Wheeler, of Magdalen College, who had been Poetry-Profeffor, and was then Regius Profeffor of Divinity;-to Dr. Morres, Vice-Principal of Hertford College, for an unedited life of Theocritus by Jofhua Barnes, which, I find by a letter from Dr. Morres, was

procured from a fon of Mr. Blackwall, author of the Sacred Claffics," who had once a defign of editing Theocritus;- to Dr. Morrell, the lexicographer, for the loan of an index to Theocritus ;-to Dr. Farmer, then Fellow, and afterwards Mafter, of Emanuel College, Cambridge, for fome unedited remarks of Barnes, which proved of no fervice;-to his friend Mr. Price, of the Bodleian, for his very kind attention and services;—and especially to Mr. Toup, for contributing to the work the fruits of his learning, industry, and fagacity. I find that he had likewife fome trifling communications with Dr. Sumner, and Dr. Barnard, refpectively Provofts of King's and Eton Colleges; and with Dr. Mufgrave, the editor of Euripides. The book was printed without accents by recommendation of the Delegates of the Prefs, and particularly, as Dr. Huntingford informed me, of Bifhop Lowth, who had a great regard for the Editor. It is dedicated to Lord North, who had himself been formerly a member of Trinity College, and whofe fon, Mr. North, the late Earl of Guilford, was in 1774 placed there, under the care of Mr. Warton.

By the purchase of a copy of the Theocritus from Mr. Payne, the book feller, into whose hands the library of our Author came on the

death of his brother, Dr. Jofeph Warton, in 1800, I am enabled to lay before my readers the following original letter from Reifke, the editor of the Greek orators, &c. whofe edition of Theocritus had appeared just before Warton's, and was noticed in his preface with commendation.

"WARTONO V. C.

"S. P. D.

"J. J. REISKE.

"Mifit ad me nuper Afkewius V. C. Theo"critum a Te, Vir Doctiffime, egregie expoli"tum. Non potui facere, quin tibi provin"ciam hanc cum laude geftam congratularer, "et hifce meis ad te teftatum facerem literis, cum fenfu gaudii memorifque animi me le

giffe laudes abs te in opufculum meum Theo"criteum, per feftinationem effufum magis quam "meditatione atque mora maturatum, collatas. "Raro a me difcedis, aut ubi tamen in alia dif

cedis, fedulo cavifti humanitatem ne qua læ“deres, diffimillimus hac in re Toupio, homini "truculento et maledico, cujus literas majoris “fim facturus, fi humanius alios tractare, et ipfe fibi parcere, fuæque famæ confulere melius di"diciffet. Injuriis tot et tam atrocibus, quibus

in me graffatus eft, nullis meis provocatus, "aliud nihil reponam, quam ut meliorem ei "mentem apprecer. Probra enim jactare, et