No. LXXXIX. pofed Catullus for their pattern, even the best of the modern Latin poets of Italy, feem to think they have accomplished their defign, by introducing many florid diminutives, fuch as "tenellula and columbula :" but there is a purity and feverity of ftile, a temperate and auftere manner in Catullus, which nearly resembles that of his cotemporary Lucretius, and is happily copied by the author of the poem, which has produced these reflections. Whenever, therefore, we fit down to compofe, we should ask ourselves in the words of Longinus a little altered; "How would Homer or Plato, "Demofthenes or Thucydides, have expreffed them"felves on this occafion; allowing for the alteration "of our customs, and the different idioms of our re"fpective languages?" This would be following the ancients, without tamely treading in their footsteps; this would be making the fame glorious ufe of them that Racine has done of Euripides in his Phædra and Iphigenia, and that Milton has done of the Prometheus of Efchylus in the character of Satan. If you should happen not to lay afide this paper among the refuse of your correspondence, as the offfpring of pedantry and a blind or rather, if your readers can much Greek, though ever fo fondnefs for antiquity; endure the fight of fo Attic; I may, perhaps, trouble you again with a few reflections on the cha racter of Menander. Z. I am, Mr. Adventurer, Yours. PALEOPHILUS. No. No. XC. Saturday, September 15. 1753. Concretam exemit labem, purumque reliquit -By length of time, VIRGIL. The fcurf is worn away of each committed crime; No fpeck is left of their habitual stains, But the pure æther of the foul remains. DRYDEN. SIR, To the ADVenturer. NOTHING fooner quells the ridiculous triumph of hu man vanity, than reading thofe paffages of the greateft writers, in which they feem deprived of that noble fpirit that infpires them in other parts; and where, inftead of invention and grandeur, we meet with nothing but flatnefs and infipidity. The The pain I have felt in obferving a lofty genius thus fink beneath itself, has often made me with, that these unworthy ftains could be blotted from their works, and leave them perfect and immaculate. I went to bed a few nights ago, full of these thoughts, and closed the evening, as I frequently do, with reading a few lines in Virgil. I accidentally opened that part of the fixth book, where Anchises recounts to his fon the various methods of purgation which the foul undergoes in the next world, to cleanse it from the filth it has contracted by its connection with the body, and to deliver the pure etherial effence from the vicious tincture of mortality. This was fo much like my evening's fpeculation, that it infenfibly mixed and in corporated with it, and as foon as I fell asleep, formed itself into the following dream. I found myself in an inftant in the midst of a temple which was built with all that magnificent fimplicity that distinguishes the productions of the ancients. At the east end was raised an altar, on each fide of which ftood a priest, who seemed preparing to facrifice. On the altar was kindled a fire, from which arose the brightest flame I had ever beheld. it difpenfed, though remarkably ftrong not quivering and dazzling, but fteady and uniform, and diffused a purple radiance through the whole edifice, not unlike the first appearance of the morning. The light which and clear, was While I food fixed in admiration, my attention was awakened by the blast of a trumpet that fhook the whole temple; but it carried a certain fweetness in its found, which mellowed and tempered the natural shrillnefs of that inftrument. After it had founded thrice, the the being who blew it, habited according to the difcription of Fame by the ancients, iffued a proclamation to the following purpose: "By command of Apollo and "the Mufes, all who have ever made any pretenfions "to fame by their writings, are enjoined to facrifice upon the altar in this temple, thofe parts of their "works, which have hitherto been preferved to their "infamy, that their names may defcend spotlefs and "unfullied to posterity. For this purpose Aristotle "and Longinus are appointed chief priests, who are "to fee that no improper oblations are made, and no proper ones concealed; and for the more eafy per"formance of this office, they are allowed to choose "as their affiftants whomfoever they fhall think worthy "of the function." As foon as this proclamation was made, I turned my eyes with inexpreffible delight towards the two priefts; but was foon robbed of the pleasure of looking at them by a crowd of people running up to offer their fervice. These I found to be a group of French critics; but their offers were rejected by both priests with the utmost indignation, and their whole works were thrown on the altar, and reduced to ashes in an inftant. The two priests then looked round, and chofe, with a few others, Horace and Quintilian from among the Romans, and Addison from the English, as their prncipal assistants. The first who came forward with his offering, by the loftiness of his demeanor was foon difcovered to be Homer. He approached the altar with great majesty, and delivered to Longinus thofe parts of his Odyffey, which have been cenfured as improbable fictions, and the ridiculous narratives of old age. Longinus was pre preparing for the facrifice, but obferving that Arifto. tle did not feem willing to affift him in the office, he returned them to the venerable old bard with great deference, faying, that "they were indeed the tales of "old age, but it was the old age of Homer." Virgil appeared next, and approached the altar with a modeft dignity in his gait and countenance peculiar to himself; and to the furprife of all commited his whole Æneid to the flames. But it was immediately refcued by two Romans, whom I found to be Tucca and Varius, who ran with precipitation to the altar, delivered the poem from destruction, and carried off the author between them repeating that glorious boast of about forty lines at the beginning of the third Georgic: -Tentanda via eft ; qua me quoque poffim Tollere humo, victorque virúm volitare per ora, After him most of the Greek and Roman authors proceeded to the altar, and furrendered with great modesty and humility the most faulty part of their works. One circumftance was obfervable, that the facrifice always increased in proportion as the author had ventured to deviate from a judicious imitation of Homer. The latter Roman authors, who feemed almoft to have loft fight of him, made fo large offerings, that fome of their works, which were before very volu minous, fhrunk into the compafs of a primer. ་ It gave me the highest satisfaction to fee Philofophy thus cleared from erroneous principles, History purged of falsehood, Poetry of fustian, and nothing left in each but Genius, Sense, and Truth. I marked |