fulminis horribili cum plaga torrida tellus contremit et magnum percurrunt murmura caelum?" "denique sub pedibus tellus cum tota vacillat at que potestatis magnas miras que relinqunt 5.1218 5.1236 That it was the very depth and earnestness, the spiritual, almost religious character of his feeling that led him to deny the existence of the petty popular gods no passage shows more clearly than the following: "nam cum suspicimus magni caelestia mundi templa, super stellisque micantibus aethera fixum et venit in mentem solis lunaeque viarum, tunc aliis oppressa malis in pectora cura illa quoque expergefactum caput erigere infit, sit, vario motu quae candida sidera verset." 5.1204 To this deep and large philosophical conception of Nature, and vigorous imagination, one more factor must b united, to complete what may be known of the foundation of any phase of feeling toward nature which is exhibited in Lucretius' poem. To most Romans, retirement to the country meant retirement to elegant villas situated, it is tru, in some beautiful country region, or on the shore of the sea, but crowded with every luxury of city life, and immediately surrounded by elaborate gardens. It was evident, however, that Lucretius was familiar through actual experience with almost every phenomena that he describes, that he had the intimate familiarity with every mood and phase of Nature, that only a life spent much in the open air can give. And while such a life does not necessarily create an appreciation of the beautiful in Nature, it can hardly fail to deepen all feeling for Nature, in a mind naturally sensitive to such feeling. Moreover descriptions of Nature coming from a mind so stored with vivid impressions from constant experience, can hardly fail to have a freshness and spontaneity otherwise impossible. The frequency with which references to Nature occur throughout the poem, and the variety and accuracy of observation shown in these lines, bear witness to a knowledge of Nature gained from genuine experience. These passages, and the connection in which they occur in the poem, are shown in the following. That nothing is born of nothing, but everything from a certain seed is illustrated by the labor of the farmer "postremo quonian incultis praestare videmus culta loca et manibus melioris reddere fetus. esse videlicet in terris primordia rerum quae nos fecundas vertentes vomere glebas 1.208 The fact that from the sun, so small a body, come light sufficient to flood land and sea and sky, he illustrates from the flooding of a meadow by some tiny spring.- "nonne vides etiam quam late parvus aquai prata riget fons interdum campis que redundet?" 5.602 And again from the fires which, set by a single spark, sometimes sweep over whole fields of grain and stubble-'quod genus interdum segetes stipulamque videmus accedere ex una scintilla incendia passim." 5.608 |