lived. Theocritus does not abound in defcription, though living in a beautiful country; the manners painted are coarse and grofs. Virgil has much more defcription, more fentiment, more of nature, and more of art. Some of the moft excellent parts of Theocritus are where Caftor and Pollux, going with the other Argonauts, land on the Bebrycian coaft, and there fall into a dispute with Amycus, the king of that country; which is as well conducted as Euripides could have done it; and the battle is well related. Afterwards they carry off a woman, whofe two brothers come to recover her, and expoftulate with Caftor and Pollux on their injuftice; but they pay no regard to the brothers, and a battle enfues, where Caftor and his brother are triumphant. Theocritus feems not to have feen that the brothers have the advantage in their argument over his Argonaut heroes. picce of merit.

The Sicilian Goffips' is a Callimachus is a writer of little excellence. The chief thing to be learned from him is his account of Rites and Mytho→ logy, which though defirable to be known for the fake of understanding other parts of ancient authors, is the leaft pleafing or valuable part of their writings."

"Mattaire's account of the Stephani is a heavy book. He feems to have been a puzzleheaded

headed man, with a large fhare of scholarship, but with little geometry or logic in his head, without method, and poffeffed of little genius. He wrote Latin verfes from time to time, and published a fet in his old age which he called • Senilia;' in which he fhews fo little learning or taste in writing, as to make Carteret a dactyl. In matters of genealogy it is neceffary to give the bare names as they are; but in poetry, and in profe of any elegance in the writing, they require to have inflection given to them. His book of the Dialects is a fad heap of confufion; the only way to write on them is to tabulate them with Notes, added at the bottom of the page, and references."

Huggins, the tranflator of Ariofto, and Mr. Thomas Warton, in the early part of his literary life, had a difpute concerning that poet, of whom Mr. Warton, in his Obfervations on Spenfer's Fairy Queen,' gave fome account, which Huggins attempted to anfwer with violence, and faid, "I will militate no longer against his nefcience." Huggins was mafter of the fubject, but wanted expreffion. Mr. Warton's knowledge of it was then imperfect, but his manner lively and elegant. Johnfon said, "It appears to me, that Huggins has ball without powder, and Warton powder without ball."

Johnfon

Johnson used at one time to go occafionally to the Green-room of Drury-lane Theatre, where he was much regarded by the players, and was very eafy and facetious with them? He had a very high opinion of Mrs. Clive's comick powers, and converfed more with her than with any of them. He faid, "Clive, Sir, is a good thing to fit by, fhe always understands what you fay ;" and the faid of him, "I love to fit by Dr. Johnfon, he always entertains me." One night, when 'The Recruiting Officer' was acted, he faid to Mr. Holland, who had been expreffing an apprehenfion that Dr. Johnfon would difdain the works of Farquhar; "No, Sir, I think Farquhar a man whofe writings have confiderable merit."

Talking of the farce of High Life Below Stairs' he faid, "Here is a farce, which is really very diverting when you fee it acted; and yet one may read it, and not know that one has been reading any thing at all."

Johnson, who had done liberal justice to Warburton in his edition of Shakespeare, which was published during the life of that powerful writer, with ftill greater liberality took an opportunity, in the life of Pope, of paying the tribute due to him, when he was no longer in

bigh place," but numbered with the dead.

Speaking

Speaking of Boetius, who was the favourite writer of the middle ages, he faid, it was very furprifing, that upon fuch a fubject, and in fuch a fituation, he should be magis philofophus quùm Chriftianus.

"Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy' (faid Johnson) is a valuable work. It is, perhaps, overloaded with quotation. But there is great fpirit and great power in what Burton fays, when he writes from his own mind." He obferved, that it was the only book that ever took him. out of bed two hours fooner than he wifhed to rife.

Books of Travels having been mentioned, Johnfon praised Pennant very highly. Dr. Percy (who was prefent), knowing himself to be the heir male of the ancient Percies, and having the warmeft attachment to the noble Houfe of Northumberland, could not fit quietly and hear a man praifed, who had spoken difrefpectfully of Alnwick-Cafile, and the Duke's pleafure-grounds, efpecially as he thought incanly of his Travels. He therefore oppofed Johnfon eagerly.-JOHNSON. " Pennant, in what he has faid of Alnwick, has done what he intended he has made you very angry. PERCY." He has faid the garden is trim, which is reprefenting it like a citizen's parterre, when the truth is, there is a very large extent

of

of fine turf and gravel walks."-7. "According to your own account, Sir, Pennant is right. It is trim. Here is grafs cut clofe, and gravel rolled smooth. Is not that trim? The extent is nothing against that; a mile may be as trim as a fquare yard. Your extent puts me in mind of the citizen's enlarged dinner, two pieces of roaft-beef, and two puddings. There is no variety, no mind exerted in laying out the ground, no trees."-PERCY. "He pretends to give the natural hiftory of Northumberland, and yet takes no notice of the immense number of trees planted there of late."-7. "That, Sir, has nothing to do with the natural history: that is civil hiftory. A man who gives the natural hiftory of the oak, is not to tell how many oaks have been planted in this place or that. A man who gives the natural hiftory of the cow, is not to tell how many cows are milked at Iflington. The animal is the fame, whether milked in the Park or at Iflington."P. "Pennant does not describe well; a carrier who goes along the fide of Lochlomond would defcribe it better."-7. "I think he describes very well."-P. "I travelled after him."-7. "And I travelled after him."-P. " But, my good friend, you are short-fighted, and do not fee fo well as I do." The company wondered at Dr. Percy's venturing thus. Dr. Johnfon