Pofterity; where Princess Pofterity would have served his purpose as well, and where nothing compelled him to give her a pair of breeches.

And, inftead of foolishly perfifting to write Delphos for Delphi, he should have fubmitted to reafon; and received inftruction, from what quarter foever it came;-from Wootton, from Bentley, or from Beelzebub,

POPE'S ESSAY ON MAN.
III. 305.

For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight,
He can't be wrong, whose life is in the right.

He borrowed this from Cowley; who, extolling the piety of his friend Crashaw, the Poet; who went over to the Romish Church, and died a Canon of Loretto, fays,

"Pardon, my Mother Church, if I confent That Angels led him, when from thee he went; For ev'n in Error fure no danger is,

When join'd to fo much piety as his:-
His faith, perhaps, in fome nice tenents might
Be wrong; his life, I'm fure, was in the right."

Cowley alfo, poffibly, might take the hint from Lord Herbert of Cherbury; who, as I have been told, hath this distich in his works:

Digladient

Digladient alij circa res Relligionis:

Quod credas nihil eft, fit modo vita proba.

But Digladient is a barbarifm: he should have faid, Digladientur, or Contendant.

MORAL ESSAYS.
Epift. I. v. 129.

Afk why from Britain Cæfar would retreat? Cæfar himself might whisper, he was beat. Why risk the world's great empire for a punk? Cæfar perhaps might anfwer, he was drunk.

In former editions, the third and fourth lines were,

The mighty Czar what mov'd to wed a punk? The mighty Czar would tell you he was drunk.

But it was altered as above; and altered for the worse. It is ftrange that Pope, or his learned friends, fhould not have known that drunkenness was not one of Cæfar's vices. Suetonius fays, "Vini parciffimum ne inimici quidem negaverunt. Verbum M. Catonis eft, Unum ex omnibus Cafarem ad evertendam rempublicam fobrium acceffiffe." VIT. D. Julius Cæfar. §. 53.

A Key to Pope's Rape of the Lock, in the ludicrous way, was given us by himself. A. Key to

his Effay on Man, in the folemn way, is given us by Lord Bolingbroke; from whom we may learn, that the Effay was written for the good of Chriftianity: as the hangman faid to Don Carlos, when he was going to ftrangle him; "Pray, my Lord, be quiet: it is all for your good."

THIRL BY.

DR. THIRLEY was once refolved to publish Shakespeare, and talked with me about his project. I told him, that if he perfifted in his refolution, I would read over that Poet, with a view to mark the paffages where he had either imitated Greek and Latin writers; or, at leaft, had fallen into the fame thoughts and expreffions. Upon examining a few of his Plays, I found a great number of fuch allufions, or coincidences. But Thirlby dropped his defign, and I mine. He was, I believe, afraid of entering into fquabbles,-not with Critics, but with Bookfellers: For, though they have the fame right to the copy of Shakespeare, which a highwayman hath to a traveller's purfe, yet they are, fome of them, as troublefome folks to contend with.

VOLTAIRE.

VOLTAIRE.

"SCANDERBERG was fon of a Defpot, or little Prince of Albany; that is to fay, of a vassal Princefor fo the word Defpot fignified: and it is ftrange, that the word Defpot fhould be appropriated to Monarchs, who have made themselves abfolute.". VOLTAIRE. Effai fur l'Hiftoire. II. 229.

What ignorance! to imagine that defpotic or defpotifm had its derivation from the title of these petty rulers. Though tributary Princes have worn the pompous name of Defpot, yet originally Acorns is a Lord or Mafter, relatively to Años a Slave; and fo defpotifm means, properly and strictly, arbitrary and uncontroulable power. See Philemon,. P. 362.

A total ignorance of the learned tongues; an acquaintance with modern books, and with tranflations of old ones; fome knowledge of modern languages; a fiattering in natural philosophy, poetical talents, a vivacity of expreffion, and a large stock of impiety;-these conftitute a Voltaire, or a modern genius of the first rank, fit to be patronized by princes, and careffed by nobles: whilft learned men have leave to go and chufe on what tree they will please to hang themselves.

Voltaire

Voltaire obferves, that one Comedy of Machiavel is worth all those of Ariftophanes; and that Taffo and Ariofto greatly furpass Homer. Effai, &c. III. 45.

One of the causes which induced him to pass such a judgment is this. He understood something of Italian: Greek and Latin he could not read; and fo knew no more of Ariftophanes and Homer than he had learned from French Tranflations. Such men depreciate the Ancients and the learned Moderns, for reasons which are obvious enough.