fuch a Truant to thefe Affairs, that I am an utter Stranger to all thofe entertaining Novelties, of which. this Town is generally fo fertile.

Hold, Sir, (faid I) give me leave to appeafe the Joud Call of Nature for Repletion, before you cram me with Questions which require a quiet Appetite to answer with any tolerable Satisfaction.

So fitting down, and having fufficiently appeas'd the Importunity of my Stomach, and refresh'd my felf with a Glass or two of generous Wine, Laudon renewing his Demands.

Why truly (faid E) the abundance of News, in State Affairs, has made it very scarce in Parnassus ; the Mountains of Scotland have engiofs'd the Talk of the Town, and the Pens of the Writers fo much,. that the forked Hill of Greece is almoft as filent as the Oracles, and the Poets may now fay what Dryden di fome Years ago.

The Pamphleteers their Venom daily spit,

They thrive by Treafen, and we farve by Wit.

Divifion and Party is now fo much the Genius of the Age, that it has thruft it felf into the very Dominions of Helicon ; and old Homer, who after his Death was the Caufe of Strife to seven Cities, for the Honour of his Nativity; is now fo between two Gentlemen, who contend for the Maftery in the tranflà7ting of him. One of them has only (to the Regret of good Judges) given us the first Book of the Iliads; the other, the first four adorn'd with Pictures and fine Notes. If the latter has not done the blind Bard Juftice, it has not been for want of Encouragement, fince he has had more fubfcribd to him for the Tranflation, than we can difcover the Author ever got by the Original; if at least it be true, that Homer was in thofe low and narrow Circumstances, when he writ his admirable Poems,

For

.

For my Part (faid Laudon) I can never believer that fuch a Spirit, fuch Fire, a Defign fo judicioufly weigh'd, and fo perfect, cou'd be produced in fo miferable a Fortune, as the Traditionary Writers of his Life have given him: For Poverty damps the generous Fire of Poetry, as well as that of Love. They are both the Off-fpring of Affluence and Ease; nor can I conceive how a Man, whofe Thoughts must be employ'd in a follicitous Care of Subfiftance, cou'd ever be free enough to be filled with fuch large and wonderful Ideas, as are able to beget a Pleasure fo tranfporting in all who read him; for Pain was never yet the Mother of a Child fo agreeable. It' feems not indeed poffible that fuch vaft Acquifitions of Knowledge in Philofophy, Policy, Martial Difcipline, Theology, and all the other Arts, which require the whole Time and Application of the " brighteft Underftanding and Capacity to obtain, cou'd be arrived at by Homer, amidst the anxious and neceffary Avocations of a neceflitous Fortune. Frather think that he was either born to a plentiful, or at least an eafie Paternal Eftate; or that by his Margites, his Battle of the Frogs, his Hymns, or what other Primary Effays he made, he found fufficient Reward to enable him to undertake his Iliads and Odyfeis, For the Greek Nation were never fo ftupid, fo little refined, as to fuffer fuch Merit to remain in that Want, as the Writers of the Life of this Poet would' leave him in to his Death. Nor is it likely that fo delicate a People, as gave fuch commanding Force to the firft rude Appearances of Poetry in Orpheus, among the uncultivate Thracians, and Amphion among the groffeft and leaft elevated Regions of Grecee," fhou'd be fo infenfible themfelves of the Divine Excellencies in a prefent Poet. For it is, I Fancy, evident to common Reason, that Learning was not in its Infancy in Homer's Time, as had we not loft Six hundred thousand Volumes in the Prolomaic Library,

night doubtless be made appear. And I think Sir William Temple's Conjectures on this Head, in his first3: Effay, are very well grounded; unlefs we will fup- pose Homer to have been divinely inspired with Knowledge in an Age of Univerfal Ignorance. Can we fuppofe that the very repeating the Verses of Euripides, cou'd fave fo many of the Athenians Lives, after the Rout of Nicias; and the fame Verses of the fame Poet, deliver Athens it felf from Deftruction, when taken by Lyfander; and that the more excellent Verfes of Homer, wanted Power with the fame Nation or Race of People, to get him an Eafinefs and Tranquility of Fortune? The Genius and Taste of the People, forbid thofe falfe Imaginations, however justify'd by the Obfcurity of Time, and our Ignorance of the Fact. But not to infift on an Opinion, in which all Tradition is against me: Pray, How ftands the prefent Controverfy ?*

Why Faith (answered I) the Controversy as yet remains undecided: Will's Coffee-Houfe gives it to the four: Books, Button's to the one. For my part (who ama Person indifferent, and a Retainer to neither of thofe Reforts of the Efprits) I must say this of Mr. Tickells, that he feems to have enter'd into the Sout of Homer: You are fure, at leaft, of having fome Taste of the Genius and Manner of the Poet, when: you read his Verfion; for there feems to me to be a Mafculine Strength, both in his Expreflion and Numbers, and the Native Simplicity of that Old Father of Verfe, is not embarrass'd with any Modern Turns and Embellishing Softneffes. Mr. Rope has indeed all the Softnefs and Harmony of the Lydian Measures, as I may call them ;; but whether he comes up to the Majefty, and Variety of his Author, I dare not de termine.

It is not indeed to be fuppofed, that any Modern: Tongue can come up to that of Greece, the moft harmonious, and fittent for Verfe of any that ever was

in

in the World; but I know, that a Mafter of the EngTifh Numbers is capable of giving a wonderful Variety of Gadence, of which a vulgar fmooth Verfifyer has not the leaft Knowledge. No Body ever denied, but that Claudian's Verse were numerous, and flow'd' fweetly enough, but every School Boy almost knows, that the perpetual Identity of Cadence, in that Author, breeds a Satiety, which is never found in Virgil. Dryden, who was the greatest Mafter of Eng Lifh Verfification we have yet known, was perfectly acquainted with the agreeable Secret of diverfifying his Numbers. I can't help obferving, That fome of the zealous Partizans of the fubfcribd Tranflation, exprefs a mighty Aftonishment at the Notes it is fet our with; but alas! That is only the Labour of the Hand, a meer Tranfcript from Authors who have gone before, and give not the leaft Addition to the Merit of the Tranflation.

But leaving the Divifion of the Merits of the Caufe, to thofe two Sovereign Tribunals of Will's and Rutton's, I fhall only obferve, That Mr. Bay's Rule of Expectation was throughly employed, and every one came into the Subfcription, in full Affurance thatthis Expectation wou'd be as fully answer'd.

That Rule of Mr. Bay's (faid Laudon) has generally produc'd the contrary Effect in me as to Men, as well as Poems; for I have moft commonly found fo vaft a Difference between the promifed Excellence, and the real Defect, that two Contraries could not be more oppofite: Nay, this Rule has been infinitely difadvantageous to them, by raifing Expectation to the Height, and not fupplying fo much as Ixion's Cloud to our eager Purfuits.

Who that has read Grimaldi's Tracts; would not imagine,. That we had a Second Cato amongst us; and that Publick Spirit had furviv'd all the Attacks of the growing Avarice of thefe later Ages. But

come

come clofe to him, and you find, a poor, narrow Soul'd felfish Creature; a mean Purfuer of little Byends; a Prodigal of Promifes, and endearing Affurances; but fuch as were no more to be confided in, than a Whore's Vows and Tears, and a Sharper's Careffes. Who that hears Boanerges, can chufe but think, that the old Primitive Zeal of the Apoftolical Times, is revived in ours, notwithstanding the daily Efforts of Incredulity and Atheism ? But alas! Draw the Veil, and your difcover the Man: Pride, Ambition, Avarice, Revenge and Irreligion, appear in all his Actions and Purfuits.

Thus when Budnetto has fent Abroad two or three detach'd Defcriptions, Expectation is rous'd, and you perfuade your felf that the whole Poem is of a Piece ; but when you come near, and view it more closely, you find it a wretched Medly of incoherent Patches of Velvet, Linfey-Woolfey, and fometimes Cloth of Gold, but feldom any Thing fo precious in all his voluminous Scriptions, which render the whole, the vifible Product of a moft miferable Poerafter. Thefe trifling Authors make themselves indeed taken Notice of, but certainly not much to their Advantage. They might otherwife have past filently, and unobferved, from the Bookfellers Stalls, to the Tobacconists, Paftry-Cooks, or Grocers, with Abundance of infinitely more meritorious Work; but they chose rather in their Paffage to be acquainted with Ignominy, and make their Exit in a Noife, though in one fo difagreeable as an Hifs; for they can never go off with the more joyful Claps of an Audience.

Of a juft and judicious Audience, E grant you, (faid I) but that is not to be found in thefe Regions, where Ignorance, and Caprice prefide and determine the Fate of Knowledge and Wit.. Thefe little Parcel Efforts, which go before the main Body of our Authors Performances, have feldom failed of Succefs