much more of natural and Demosthenic fervor.

In literature, the merits of Caesar are familiar to most readers. Under the
modest title of _Commentaries_, he meant to offer the records of his
Gallic and British campaigns, simply as notes, or memoranda, afterwards to
be worked up by regular historians; but, as Cicero observes, their merit
was such in the eyes of the discerning, that all judicious writers shrank
from the attempt to alter them. In another instance of his literary
labors, he showed a very just sense of true dignity. Rightly conceiving
that every thing patriotic was dignified, and that to illustrate or polish
his native language, was a service of real patriotism, he composed a work
on the grammar and orthoepy of the Latin language. Cicero and himself were
the only Romans of distinction in that age, who applied themselves with
true patriotism to the task of purifying and ennobling their mother
tongue. Both were aware of the transcendent quality of the Grecian
literature; but that splendor did not depress their hopes of raising their
own to something of the same level. As respected the natural wealth of the
two languages, it was the private opinion of Cicero, that the Latin had
the advantage; and if Caesar did not accompany him to that length, he yet
felt that it was but the more necessary to draw forth any single advantage
which it really had. [Footnote: Caesar had the merit of being the first
person to propose the daily publication of the acts and votes of the
senate. In the form of public and official dispatches, he made also some
useful innovations; and it may be mentioned, for the curiosity of the
incident, that the cipher which he used in his correspondence, was the
following very simple one:--For every letter of the alphabet he
substituted that which stood fourth removed from it in the order of
succession. Thus, for A, he used D; for D, G, and so on.]

Was Caesar, upon the whole, the greatest of men? Dr. Beattie once observed,