appellation of Lyfimachus? For my own part, I ftill perfectly well recollect the names, not only of all our principal citizens now living, but of their ancestors alfo ;31 and I am fo little apprehensive of injuring this faculty, (as is vulgarly believed) by the perufing of Sepulchral infcriptions ;32 that on the contrary, I find them of fingular service in recalling to my mind those perfons whom death hath long fince removed from the world. The truth is, I never yet heard of any veteran whose memory was fo weakened by time, as to forget where he had concealed his treasure.. The aged indeed seem to be at no loss in remembering whatever is the principal object of their attention; and few there are at that period of life who cannot readily call to mind what recognizances they have entered into, or with whom they have had any pecuniary tranfactions. Innumerable instances of a strong memory in advanced years, might be produced

from among our celebrated lawyers, pontiffs, augurs and philofophers: for the faculties of the mind will preserve their powers in old-age, unless they are fuffered to lose their energy and become languid for want of due cultivation. And the truth of this obfervation may be confirmed, not only by thofe examples I have mentioned from the more active and splendid ftations of the world, but from inftances equally frequent to be met with in the paths of ftudious and retired life. Sophocles continued in extreme old-age to write tragedies. As he seemed to neglect his family affairs whilft he was wholly intent on his dramatic compositions ; his fons inftituted a fuit against him in a court of judicature; fuggefting that his understanding was impaired, and praying that he might be removed from the management of his eftate: agreeably to a custom which prevails likewife in our own country, where if a father of a family by imprudent con

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duct is ruining his fortunes, the magiftrate commonly interpofes and takes the adminiftration out of his hands. It is faid that when the old bard appeared in court upon this occafion, he defired that he might be permitted to read a play which he had lately finished, and which he then held in his hand: it was his Oedipus in Colonis. His request being granted; after he had finished the recital he appealed to the judges, whether they could discover in his performance any symptoms of an insane mind? and the refult was, that the court unanimoufly difmiffed the complainants petition. Did length of days weaken the powers of Homer, Hefiod, or Simonides; of Stefichorus, Ifocrates, or Gorgias? Did old-age interrupt the ftudies

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Sophocles had almost attained his hundredth year when he compofed this tragedy; in which the marks of decayed genius is fo far from appearing, that it was deemed by the antients an unrivalled mafter-piece of dramatic poetry. Val. Max. viii. 12.

ftudies of those first and most diftinguished of the Greek philofophers, Pythagoras or Democritus, Plato or Xenocrates? or, to defcend into later times; did grey hairs prove an obstacle to the philofophic pursuits, of Zeno, Cleanthes, or that famous Stoic whom you may remember to have seen in Rome, the venerable Diogenes? on the contrary, did not each of these eminent perfons perfevere in their refpective studies with unbroken spirit, to the last moment of their extended lives 233

But not to enter farther into the con fideration of old-age, in refpect to the nobler and more exalted application of the human faculties; I could name among my friends and neighbours in the country, feveral men far advanced in life, who employ themselves with so much industry and activity in the bufinefs of agriculture, that they never fuffer any of the more important articles

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of their husbandry to be carried on, when they are not themselves present to supervise and direct the work. I will acknowledge at the fame time, that these spirited labours of the perfons I allude to, are not, perhaps, a matter of much wonder with regard to those objects of tillage which are fown and reaped within the year; as no man is so far advanced in age, as not to flatter himself that he may at least survive to enjoy the benefit of the next harvest. But thofe rural veterans I am speaking of, are occupied alfo in branches of husbandry, from which they are sure that they themselves cannot poffibly live to derive the leaft advantage:

"The future fhade for times unborn they raife,"

as my friend Cæcilius expreffes, it, in his play called the youthful compa"nions." Agreeably to this generous

and

A dramatic poet contemporatry with Ennius, fee rem. 2.