or lefs, of former difcoveries. At intervals, there arose fome happy genius, who could both improve on what had gone before, and invent fomething new. With the advantage of a proper ftock of materials, an inferior genius can make greater progrefs, than a much fuperior one, to whom thefe materials are wanting. measure, as I fhall afterward fhow, they have availed themfelves. In the more complex kinds of Poetry, likewife, we may have gained fomewhat, perhaps, in point of regularity and accuracy. In Dramatic Performances, having the advantage of the ancient models, we may be. allowed to have made fome improvements, in the variety of the characters, the conduct of the plot, attentions to probability, and to decorums. Thefe feem to me the chief points of fuperiority we can plead above the Ancients. Neither do they extend as far, as might be imagined at firft view. For if the ftrength of genius be on one fide, it will go far, in works of tafte at leaft, to counterbalance all the artificial improvements which can be made by greater knowledge and correctnefs. To return to our comparison of the age of the world with that of a man; it may be faid, not altogether without reafon, that if the advancing age of the world bring along with it more fcience and more refinement, there belong, however, to its earlier periods, more vigour, more fire, more enthufiafm of genius. This appears indeed to form the of characteristical difference between the Ancient Poets, Orators, and Hiftorians, compared with the Modern. Among the Ancients, we find higher conceptions, greater fimplicity, more original fancy. Among the Moderns, fometimes Hence, in Natural Philofophy, Aftronomy, Chemistry, and other fciences that depend on an extenfive knowledge and obfervation of facts, Modern Philofophers have an unquestionable fuperiority over the Ancient. I am inclined alfo to think, that in matters of pure reafoning, there is more precifion among the Moderns, than in fome inftances there was among the Ancients; owing perhaps to a more extenfive literary intercourfe, which has improved and fharpened the faculties of men. In fome tudies too, that relate to taste and fine writing, which is our object, the progrefs of fociety muft, in equity, be admitted to have given us fome advantages. For inftance, in Hiftory; there is certainly more political knowledge in feveral European nations at prefent, than there was in ancient Greece and Rome, We are better acquainted with the nature government, because we have feen it under a greater variety of forms and revolutions. The world is more laid open than it was in former times; commerce is greatly enlarged; more countries are civiliz. ed; pofts are every where eftablished; intercourfe is become more eafy; and the knowledge of facts, by confequence, more attainable. All these are great advantages to hiftorians; of which, in fome more art and correctness, but feebler exertions of genius. But, though this be in general a mark of diftinction between the Ancients and Moderns, yet, like all general obfervations, it must be under. underflood with fome exceptions; for in point of poetical fire and original genius, Milton and Shakespeare are inferior to no Poets in any age. It is proper to obferve, that there were fome circumftances in ancient times, very favourable to to thofe uncommon efforts of genius which were then exerted. Learning was a much more rare and fingular attainment in the earlier ages, than it is at prefent. It was not to fchools and univerfities that the perfons applied, who fought to diftinguish them. felves. They had not this easy recourse. They travelled for their improvement into diftant countries, to Egypt, and to the Eaft. They enquired after all the monuments of learning there. They converfed with Priests, Philofophers, Poets, with all who had acquired any diftinguished fame. They returned to their own country full of the discoveries which they had made, and fired by the new and uncommon objects which they had feen. Their knowledge and improvements coft them more labour, raised in them more enthufiafm, were attended with higher rewards and honours, than in modern days. Fewer had the means and opportunities of diftinguishing themselves, than now; but fuch as did distinguish themselves, were fure of acquiring that fame, and even veneration, which is of all other rewards, the greatest incentive to genius. Herodotus read his hiftory to all Greece affembled at the Olympic games, and was publicly crowned. In the Peloponnefian war, when the Athenian army was defeated in Sicily, and the prifoners were ordered to be put to death, such of them as could repeat any verses of Euripides were faved, from honour to that Poet, who was a citizen of Athens. Thefe were teftimonies of public regard, far beyond what modern manners confer upon genius. In our times, good writing is confidered as an attainment, neither fo difficult, nor fo high and meritorious. Scribimus indocti, doctique, Poëmata paffim*. We write much more fupinely, and at our eafe, than the Ancients. To excel, is become a much lefs confiderable object. Lefs effort, lefs exertion is required, because we have many more affiftances than they. Printing has rendered all books common, and easy to be had. Education for any of the learned profeffions can be carried on without much trouble. Hence a mediocrity of genius is fpread over all. But to rife beyond that, and to overtop the crowd, is given to few. The multitude of affiftances which we have for all kinds of compofition, in the opinion of Sir William Temple, a very competent judge, rather depreffes, than favours, the exertions of native genius. "It is very poffible," fays that ingenious Author, in his Effay on the Ancients and Moderns, "that men may lofe ra ther than gain by thefe; may * "Now every defperate blockhead dares to write; FRANCIS. "that 66 66 "that of others; may have lefs knowledge of their own, for contenting themfelves with that of thofe before them. So a man that only tranflates, fhall never be a Poet; fo people "that truft to others charity, ra"ther than their own induftry, will be always poor, Who can tell," he adds, "whether learning may not even weaken "invention, in a man that has great advantages from nature? "Whether the weight and num"ber of fo many other men's thoughts and notions may not fupprefs his own; as heaping on wood fometimes fuppreffes a little fpark, that would other"wife have grown into a flame? "The ftrength of mind, as well as of body, grows more from "the warmth of exercife, than of clothes; nay, too much of this foreign heat, rather makes men faint, and their conftituti"ons weaker than they would be without them." fuch as Cicero and Demofthenes, we have none. In hiftory, notwithstanding fome defects, which I am afterwards to mention in the ancient hiftorical plans, it may be fafely afferted, that we have no fuch hiftorical narration, fo elegant, fo picturefque, fo animated, and interefting as that of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Livy, Tacitus, and Salluft, Although the conduct of the drama may be admitted to have received fome improvements, yet for Poetry and Sentiment we have nothing to equal Sophocles and Euripides; nor any dialogue in Comedy, that comes up to the correct, graceful, and elegant fimplicity of Terence. We have no fuch Love Elegies as thofe of Tibullus; no fuch Paftorals as fome of Theocritus's: and for Lyric Poetry, Horace ftands quite. unrivalled. The name of Horace cannot be mentioned without a particular encomium. That" Cu From whatever caufe it happens, fo it is, that among fome of the Ancient Writers, we must look for the highest models in moft of the kinds of elegant compofition. For accurate thinking and enlarged ideas, in feveral parts of Philofophy, to the Moderns we ought chiefly to have recourfe. Of correct and finished writing in fome works of tafte, they may afford ufeful patterns; but for all that belongs to original genius, to fpirited, masterly, and high execution, our beft and moft happy ideas are, generally fpeaking, drawn from the Ancients. In Epic Poetry, for instance, Homer and Virgil, to this day, ftand not within many degrees of any rival. Orators, riofa Felicitas," which Petronius has remarked in his expreffion; the fweetnefs, elegance, and fpirit of many of his Odes, the thorough knowledge of the world, the excellent fentiments, and natural eafy manner which diftinguifh his Satyres and Epiftles, all contribute to render him one of thofe very few authors whom one never tires of reading; and from whom alone, were every other monument deftroyed, we would be led to form a very high idea of the tafte and genius of the Auguftan Age. To all fuch then, as wifh to form their taste, and nourish their genius, let me warmly recommend the affiduous ftudy of the Ancient Claffics, both Greek and Roman. Nocturna Nocturnâ verfate manu, verfate diurnâ *. Without a confiderable acquaintance with them, no man can be reckoned a polite fcholar; and he will want many affiftances for writing and fpeaking well, which the knowledge of fuch authors would afford him. Any one has great reafon to fufpect his own tafte, who receives little or no pleasure from the perufal of writings, which fo many ages and nations have confented in holding up as objects of admiration. And I am perfuaded, it will be found, that in proportion as the Ancients are generally studied and admired, or are unknown and difregarded in any country, good taste and good compofition will flourish, or decline. They are commonly none but the ignorant or fuperficial, who undervalue them, At the fame time, a just and high regard for the prime writers of antiquity is to be always diftinguished, from that contempt of every thing which is modern, and that blind veneration for all that has been written in Greek or Latin, which belongs only to pedants. Among the Greek and Roman authors, fome affuredly deferve much higher regard than others; nay, fome are of no great value. Even the beft of them lie open occafionally to just cenfure; for to no human performance is it given, to be abfolutely perfect. We may, we ought therefore to read them with a diftinguishing eye, fo as to propofe for imitation their beauties only; and it is perfectly confiftent with juft and candid criticism, to find fault with parts, while, at the fame time, it admires the whole." 4 Letter from Bishop Atterbury to Mr. Prior, extracted from Vol. II, of Atterbury's Epiftolary CorreJpondence, &c. collected and publifhed by J. Nichols. DEAR SIR, Bromley, Aug. 26, 1718. HE firft news I heard of your being ill, was under your own hand. It was a pleafure to me to find that the worft of your illness was over. I am well acquainted with that distemper, having fmarted feverely under it myfelf; and depend upon it, it is an acquaintance that will not eafily be fhook off: you will hear more of it, if you give it the leaft encouragement to renew its visits. But temperance, good hours, and a little exercife (to all which you are well inclined), will keep it at a diftance. Mr. Clough, as early as he was, came too late. I had already difpofed of the living †. However, I frankly faid to him, what I now fay to you, that, if I had not been engaged, I fhould not have been willing to give it him. It is a vicarage in a great market-town, which requires perpetual refidence, and he has another vicarage, which, with his minor-canonry ‡, is of a value Read them by day, and ftudy them by night." FRANCIS. To Mr. Charles Chambers, who was collated to it Sept. 20, 1718. Of Rochester, by which dean and chapter, Mr. John Clough, was prefented to the vicarage of Afhford, in Kent, in Auguft, 1721. He died Dec. 4, 1764. 3 equal tle friends for the fake of his great Quid facerem? neque fervitio me exire li- Would I could fay of any one of equal to that of Dartford, and which he had no thoughts of quitting, but hoped to have made both confiftent. That is a fcheme which I can no way approve, efpecially in a young fingle man, who does not want a tolerable fupport; for he has a good 100l. per annum now coming in. So much for his affair, upon which I can fully juftify myself when I fee you-but when will that be? Do you remember the folemn promife you made me of coming over hi-lle meas errare boves, ut cernis, et ipfum ther this fummer? You have but a little time left to keep your word in. I have expected you with impatience; my peaches and nectarines hung on the trees for you till they rotted; and one of my poetical neighbours, who obferved my uneafiness, and thought I liked your company better than his, applied these verses of Virgil to me: Mirabar, quid mæfte Deos, Francifce, vo cares: Cui pendere fuâ patereris in arbore poma. nus, Ipfi te fontes, ipfa hæc arbufta vocabant *. Ludere quæ vellem calamo permifit agreftit! Thofe two words quæ vellem touch me to the very heart: they are worth the whole eclogue. You fee what a deluge of Latin poetry you have drawn on yourfelf, by that half line of Virgil at the end of your letter. I cannot end mine without obferving to you upon it the advantage which the copy in this cafe has over the original. Virgil, in those five little words, dum fpiritus hos reget artus, has expreffed the whole force of a line and half in Homer, And what excufe fall I make for Ἐν σήθεσσι μένη, καί μοι φίλα γένατ' εἰσόκ' αϋτμὴ Tityrus; that he neglected his lit ὁρώρη §. Oft, Amaryllis, I with wonder heard + What could I do? where else expect to find The pines, the fhrubs, the bubbling springs complain'd. Dr. WARTON. One glimpse of freedom, or a god so kind? Ibid. Ibid. POPE. He gave my oxen, as thou fee'ft, to stray, And me, at ease, my favourite strains to play. "Whilft life's warm fpirit beats within my breaft." Literally, -while breath within my breast remains, And moves my friendly knees. Reget |