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Than PHOEBE in her Fullness, or the Youth
Of Smooth LYÆUS; whofe nigh-ftarv'd Flocks
Are always fcabby, and infect all Sheep
They feed withal, whofe Lambs are ever laft
And die before their weaning, and whofe Dog
Looks like his Mafter, lean, and full of Scurf,
Not caring for the Pipe or Whistle.

A&t. I.

To dwell upon every Beauty in this Piece would be to transcribe the whole. I fhall therefore only add, that all Men of Genius, fince the Death of the great Author, have concurred in applauding this most excellent Performance. As I have fo warmly fpoken of this Play, give me Leave to recommend to you the additional Pleasure, when you next read it, of perufing the Notes of the last Editor, Mr. SEWARD, who has made fome happy Emendations in the Text, and very appofitely illuftrated his Author with several fimilar Paffages from HOMER, THEOCRITUS, VIRGIL, SPENSER, SHAKESPEAR, and MILTON.- -Notwithstanding what I have faid concerning the Italians, I hope my Compliments won't be unacceptable to our ingenious Friend, whom we call PETRARCH, in his Retirement

in the Vale of--, known among us by the Name of VALCLUSA, and his amiable, I may fay, his enchanting LAURA. Adieu.

I am,

Your, &c. &c.

LET

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LETTER XII.

TO PHILEMON.

HAVE been several Days, my dear PHILEMON, feeding my Eyes with those delicious Remains of ancient Architecture, the Ruins of PALMYRA, with which those very ingenious Gentlemen Mr. DawKINS and Mr. WOOD, who made a Voyage into ASIA on Purpose, with the much to be lamented Mr. BOUVERIE, have so greatly entertained the Public. I am almost perfuaded that LONGINUS himself must have been the Architect of the Temple of the Sun. There is fomething fo fublime in that View of the grand Entrance, and the noble Perspective behind it; and fo analogous to his capacious Conceptions of Greatness in poetical Compofitions; that many a one, with a Fancy less warm than mine, joined to a Temper fomewhat more dogmatical, would pronounce it abfolutely to be the Work of that great Genius, and endeavour to fupport his Opinion, like a modern Controverfialist, with a

hundred

hundred notable Conjectures tacked together with Shreds of ancient History. I must own I was greatly furprized that among this prodigious Heap of magnificent Ruins, there should be found only four IONIC Pillars, and all the rest should be of the CORINTHIAN Order. The Deteftation the PALMYRENES bore to the ROMANS might be a strong Reason there fhould be none of the TUSCAN; by why one GRECIAN Order should be fo little used, and the other totally neglected, feems not so easily to be accounted for, especially too when the IONIC was more in ufe, thro' ASIA MINOR and the neighbouring Countries to PALMYRA, than both the other two joined together. 'Tis true, indeed, the Simplicity of the DORIC would have ill fuited the magnificent Structures built in Honor of the greater Cœleftial Gods, but might nevertheless, with the utmoft Propriety and Taste, have been applied in Temples of the inferior Deities, and more particularly too of those who prefided over the Concerns of the innocent Shepherd and laborious Hufbandman. Here not only the

plain substantial Column of the DORIC, the Canon of whofe Order was afcertained, not by the lofty Cedar, but by sturdy Trees of a more common Growth, was the only proper Support for the Temple of PAN or SYLVANUS, but the Ornaments generally made ufe of in that Order were fuch too as would be expected naturally in Buildings of that kind at the firft Inftitution of this rural Religion; namely, the Heads and Horns of Animals offered up in their Sacrifices. The want of this Species of Architecture makes me suspect, that the Ruins which now remain were built at a Time when an unbounded Luxury had over-run the State, and almoft extinguished the natural Tafte for Truth and Propriety. The great Critic juft mentioned, has a most beautiful Obfervation, in his Treatife upon the Sublime, concerning the Effect which immoderate Wealth has both upon private Families and Nations, and the speedy Progress it makes to obliterate in the human Soul, by the Luxury accompanying it, that noble and natural Regard for every Species of Virtue, which the benevo

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