Backt by his Friends, th' Invader brought along What Mr. Rowe takes Notice of here, backt by his Friends, an alien Wit, the prevailing Faction, to fupport Dryden and fome of the favourite contemporary Poets, was actually true; there were Cabals at great Mens Houses, where thefe Poets used to read their Poems and Plays, and pre-engage the Vote and Intereft of thofe noble Perfons in their Favour; without fuch a Pre-engagement 'twas hardly poffible for an Author to pafs in the World; and in return for it, the Dedications were stuffed with the most fulfome Praises; Mecœnas's were made as fast as Knights at a Lord-Mayor's Feast, and the Poets, who engrofs'd their good Graces, had both the Fame and the Fortune. I could enter into Particulars of both Patrons and Authors, and convince the Reader, by thofe Particulars, that I knew both the Men and the Things; but fince fome of those Mecanas's, and fome of thofe Authors, did not want Merit, as well as Fortune and Fame, 'twill be ungenerous to make more than we have done of this Foible. THE Tranflator of Homer does not always fine fo peculiarly nice as in thofe fine French Words before mention'd: He fometimes is very homely in his Expreffion and Sentiment; as when he fpeaks of his Hero as of a Hoghead of Ale, and instead of defcribing him as a Poet, tells us he will gage him like an Excifeman. This delicate Author has written a rhiming Effay on Criticism, and made himself merry with his Brethren, in a notable Treatife call'd the Art of Sinking, to which he and his Partner, St, have contributed more than all the rest of their Contemporary Writers, if Trifling and Grimace are not in the high Parts of Writing. Befides, this Sinking is contrary to the Prophecy of the Laureat, who, in the fame Poem, wherein is that admirable Diftich before mention'd, thus vents his Inspiration: To Albion, thou, if Poets can prefage, upon He prophefies that his own Poetry fhall be fweeter than Ir we had more Leifure and Compass, we might have given Hundreds of Inftances of obfcure and falfe Thoughts, out of the choiceft Poems in the most famous Mifcellanies; but here are enough to let the Reader fee that the Vices in Expreffion and Language are alike common in all Writings, Profe and Verfe, Ancient and Modern, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and English, whofe Authors are not, however, fo apt to fall into Affectation as the Italian and French; and their Writings are as masterly and perfect as the most perfect and molt masterly of the most polite Writers of other Nations. In the fublime Way, Dr. Sprat, and Dr. Burnet of the Charter-houfe, in Profe; and Milton in Verfe, are equally eminent; in the Polite and Natural, Dr. Tillotfon and Mr. Addison; in the Agreeable, Mr. Walsh and "Mr. Prior; in the Delicate, all of thefe in their feveral Kinds; and many more might be added, were there occafion. It is to be fear'd we must content our felves with what we have, and that we fhall have few or no Supplies from the Genius, Judgment, and Tafte of the prefent and coming Age, for which one cannot help having a Concern, though we forefee but a small Part of the Degeneracy which future Writers and Readers will certainly fall into. Indeed we are rather precipitating our felves than falling into it. What a Precipice is it, = from Lock's Human Understanding to Swift's Lilliput, and Profundity! What another, from the Plain Dealer, or Love for Love, to Harlequin and the Beggars Opera! Had we ftumbled only on a Trip to the Jubilee, or a Lady's Vifiting-Day, there might have been fome Hopes of rifing again; but we fink now like Ships laden with Lead, and muft defpair of ever recovering the Height from which we are fallen. It has been observ'd of the Genius of the Romans, that 'twas like what is faid of the Oak, a hundred Years in growing, a hundred Years in perfection, and a hundred Years in decaying. Our Genius was not a hundred Years in growing, reckon E c ing ing from Spencer to Milton; it might be faid to be a hundred Years in perfection, from Waller's firft Poems to Addifon's laft; but from Tonfon's Mifcellanies to Pope's, from Sir William Temple to his Chaplain Swift, is a melancholy Profpect of the Precipitation which Pofterity is threaten'd with, both in Wit and Language: "Tis too well known that the Generality of Readers had rather be amus'd than inftructed; and therefore fober and ingenious Writers have invented pleafant Fables to joyn Inftruction with Amusement: But for Authors to tell frivolous Tales, purely for telling fake, to collect Trifles by Volumes, to deal by their Readers as fond Mothers do by their Children, and give them Toys and Gewgaws inftead of Leffons useful for Life, is wicked, if done with Defign to corrupt their Understandings; and, if done with no Defign, idle and impertinent, unbecoming the Character of a Man, and much less that of a Divine and a Dignitary. He makes no Confcience of putting off adulterated Wit for true, though it is, perhaps, a greater Cheat than paffing Counters for Guineas, or Wood's Copper Money for Gold. What better can be expected from a Man, who having devoted himfelf to the Service of the holy Altar, turns it into a Mountebank's Stage, and plays himself the Merry-Andrew upon it, as in the Tale of a Tub? The facred Myfteries of the Chriftian Religion have not efcap'd his Drollery; what Hope then that Senfe and Wit will have better Treatment from him? True Wit inftructs at the fame time that it pleases; but that which is falfe is the Mirth only of Fools; and that St's is every where falfe, will appear by holding it up to Father Boubours's Light. What greater Debasement can happen to Mankind, than to have their Understandings reduc'd to the Condition of Infants and Idiots, to be delighted with Rattles and Bawbles, and to like only what they laugh at. If their Shape was metamorphos❜á into that of Monkies, the Dignity of human Nature would not be more debas'd by it. Laughter will doubtlefs always be agreeable to fenfible and well-natur'd People; but it is that Laughter which is excited by Pleafantry without Buffoonry; and whether a Man no bigger than a Pin's Head, and another as big as a Mountain, is not the Contraft of a Buffoon, I leave to the Reader to determine. THE THE INDE X. A A. Cademy, French, their Flattery P. 10 375 Agamemnon, bis Anger with the Gods Age prefent, its Degeneracy in Wit ibid. 336 213 325, 405, 405 227 Agreeable Thoughts, how affected, 225, 274, & feq. Allegory, the Usefulness of it 171 Allegories and Metaphors defin'd and diftinguif'd, 286. When 289 Ambaffador, his delicate Answer to his Prince, who had compar'd him to an Ox Ambiguity the Effence of Punning, the Defect of Difcourfe Anne of Auftria, Verfes on her Mausoleum 164 17, 18 ог 265 Anthologia, its Epigrams, 145. Dryden's wretched Criticism Anthony's Flight 337 204 Ancients, Lord Bacon's Saying of them, 92. Who fteal beft from Armida's parting with Rinaldo, compar'd to Dido's parting with [228, 229] Æneas Avaux, Count de Voiture's Letter to him 198 ibid. Auftin, St. fubtilifes and refines in his Writings, 329. Borrows B. 409 Acon, Lord, what Bouhours fays of him, 120. And he of Anti 120 Balzac condemn'd by Pere Bouhours, 245, 247, 349, 350, ibid. Barbon Balzac's imitated, 352, and cenfur'd Baronet, one kill'd by Happiness, in Echard's Hiftory Bees, an Allegory Blackmore, Sir Richard's, Defcription of the Boar, 150. with Dryden's of a Lion ibid. 116 286 Compar'd 151 Blake, General, a fine Saying of bis, 126. His Corpfe taken out of the Grave ibid. 346 Bohemian Rebels, the Proteftants fo call'd by Echard Boileau, Prior's Verfes to him, 110, 162, 163. His Epiftle to the Duke de Vivenne from the Dead, 197, 198. His Verfion of Homer, 262. Jealous of Brebeuf, 262. Of Voiture, 327. Praifes and condemns him, 328. Imitates the Ancients 333 Bombaft, how the Sublime becomes fo, 225. Such Thoughts in the Ancients, 226. Longinus of it, 229, 238. Out of Spanish Authors, 228, 229, 235. Condemn'd by Lord Lanfdown, 240. Much in French, 251. & feq. 269. goin'd with Flatness, 271. Examples of it 371, &c. Bouhours, Father, corrected, 105, 120, 131, 312, 352. Flatters, ibid. His Saying of Lord Bacon, 120. Meddles with none but the beft Authors, 275. Confulted by Lord Lanfdown, 240. His Critique on Homer, 241. Why bis Dialogue was thrown out, 289. What the Spectator fays of bim, 294. Condemns Tacitus for fubtlelifing in Hiftory, though infinitely bort of Echard in it Boyne, King William paffing it, defcrib'd by Addifon Brebeuf and Row's Verfion of Lucan compar'd, 262. jealous of the former, ibid. So is Corneille Brevity, when vicious Brillant in Difcourfe, a too great Fondness for it cenfur'd 346 294 Boileau 263 399, 400 31 217 216 Burnet, Dr. of the Charter-Houfe, grand in Thought and Expreffion, 90, 91. Excels the Ancients in the Sublime, 92. fcription of a Pendant His De. 353 Brutus, a Thought on his condemning his rebel Sons |