Those Satyrical Authors did not fpare Crowned Heads. They cenfured Pride, Envy, Avarice, Ambition, Lewdness, Calumny, and Superftition with a wonderful Courage, and an admirable Eloquence. The Author takes occafion from thence to express his Efteem for the late Mr. Boileau, and admires him for his Boldnefs in attacking the Idleness of the Monks, the Softnefs of the Canons, the Oftentation of Bishops, and the Ambition of Clergymen. г ་ Le Moine fecoua le cilice & la haire: T Par tout fes mains avares Cherchent à me ravir croffes, mitres, tiares. Poets are generally accounted great Flatterers: Our Author quotes feveral Paffages out of Latin" and French Poets to clear them from that Accufa-" tion. "But (continues he) how can any one excufe "those Prologues of Opera's, thofe Odes approved by the Academy, in which Alexander and Cafar "are reprefented acting like Machines, according to the blind Impreffion of a hot Blood; and the "moft eminent Virtues of the Ancients afcribed to "their Paffions, to give a greater Luftre to the "King's Actions? dient 66 66 ? "I Anfwer, that neither the King, nor Poetry, can be anfwerable for the Extravagance of fome Poets, whofe Praises are neither nice nor juft: Be "fides, A "fides, Profe is ftill more guilty of that Fault than "Poetry. Did not the Orators and Civilians call the Emperors Sacred Majefty, and Divinity? Did they "not bestow upon Kings the Titles of Holy, and "Immortal? Sacra Majeftas, Divinitas veftra, Divus, "Immortalis. Will any Body fay that the King, who "deferves/true Encomiums, is ignorant that thofe Words are authorized by Ufe? Does he think he is more than a Man, because a Poet calls him Di"vine and Immortal? 66 "Tho' Lewis the XIV. is daily overwhelmed, if "I may fay fo, with a prodigious Number of Encomiums, it plainly appears from the Efteem he always expreffed for Boileau, that he only approves "thofe that are grounded upon Truth, fince that "excellent Poet did fo agreeably reflect upon those Poets, who bestowed upon him infipid and extravagant Praifes: 66 1 Ce n'eft pas qu'aifément, comme un autre, à ton [char Je ne puffe attacher Alexandre & Cafar; 46 I know that notwithstanding the Raileries "of Boileau many Poets continue to praife the "King by depreffing thofe Heroes with whom they compare him: Which is the highest pitch of Im"pudence; for, not to say that Truth fuffers by it, "what Glory can it be to the King to be raised a"bove a Heathen, who is only acted by his Paffi-.. Cons Others fancy they praise hin well, by fhoot"ing off fatyrical Strokes againft the Enemies of the "State. But the King, far from relifhing those "foolish Praises, and approving those infipid Satyrs, "has often refufed to hear the Encomiums which "he deferves, and done Juftice to his Enemies, fo "far as to caufe thofe Men to be punished, who in order to please him, made bold to blacken them. The A The Author informs us that he has compofed a Satyr against the infipid Flatterers of Lewis the XIV. which has been prefented to that Prince. That Satyr may be feen in this Preface: I fhall only transcribé fome Lines out of it. & Pour moi, j' ofe avancer que ce ROI magnanime Trouveroit un Auteur digne de fon eftime, Dont la plume écriroit en language nouveau, Qu'il a tout fait trembler, hors le coeur de NASSAU. Oui, je fuis convaincu que fans aucune peine, Ce Monarque entendroit louer le Prince EUGENE, MARLBOROUGH, d' AUVERQUERQUE, & [tant d'autres Guerriers, Que l'Univers jaloux oppose à fes Lauriers. I fhall put off the remaining Part of this Extract to fome other Time, that I may infert here a Letter written by a Learned Critick to the Author of this Book, and Printed at the End of his Preface. I have read that Letter with great Satisfaction; and I think it will be very acceptable to all thofe, who love critical Remarks upon the ancient Authors. "L' D. FRANCISCO G. fost " RICHARDUS BENTLEIUS. Iteras tuas IX. Novembris datas nudius vterti"us accepi, quibus fignificas, te Anacreonti "in metra Gallica vertendo dare operam, & de du"obus locis fententiam meam fcire cupere. De priore illo num. XIII. quæris, utrum ne Attis Cybeles amore in furorem agi dicendus fit, an potius ira Cybeles, quod is alio amorem verterat. Neutrum. ex his verum: quippe locus ifte mendo laborat, & "in hunc modum corrigendus: 66 "Quæ fic accipienda funt, Sunt qui dicunt, formo fem Cybeben infaniiffe, inclamantem in montibus pul"cherrimum Attin. Ipfa, vides, Cybebe, five Cybele, amore Attidis percuffa infanit, ut ex Phrygum Hi"ftoria rem diferte narrat Diodorus Siculus, Lib. III. "Cybebe ergo hic puella eft, nondum fcilicet inter "Deos relata: neque naan eft alma; fed, ut paf"fim, formofa: neque nuinaus eft gallus, Spado "fed mollibus femineifque fere membris præ pul"chritudine, ut in illo Aufonii: Dum dubitat Natura, marem faceretne puellam, Pene puella eft ipfum illud uinaus. Hanc no "ftram emendationem & verborum feries conftru"ctioque, & Diodori, quem confulas, locus plane "efflagitar. Jam illa quæ fequuntur, vide modo Antithefin, of ev xéysow, funt qui dicunt. Oidi, "Alii vero, fubaudiendum dicunt; unde neceffario, "ur vides, Nominativos illos TIOVlES & MEμNVOTES "in Accufativos immutari oportet. Tu igitur in Ver"fione tua, fi ad Anacreontis elegantiam adfpiras, "fic locum adumbrabis. "Alii 21 0 Vulgo βοῶντα. t Vulgo πιόνες. Η Vulgo Μεμηνότες βοῶσι. "Alii dicunt, formofam Cybeben in montibus pul"chrum Attin invocantem, infaniiffe. « Alii dicunt, eos qui Clari aquam bibunt, furentes "clamare. "Nifi hoc modo oppofitionem exprefferis, perit 66 magna pars venuftatis. "Ceterum in loco altero, num. XLV. ubi quæris "de iftis verbis, Ἔλαβε βέλεμνον "Αρης. Ὁ δ' Έρως, ἔχ ̓ αὐτὸ, φησί. Útrum id velint, Amorem fuum jaculum in må nus modo Marti dediffe, an in Martem contorfiffe & eum vulneraffe. Neutra ex his fententia, fed alia inter utrumque media vera eft. Quippe Cupido non contorfit jaculum, fed manu tantum capiendum "tradidit. At repente jaculum, ex vivo fcilicet igne & æthereo fulgure conftans, in Martis corpus "fe fponte infinuavit, & reconditum latuit. Inde eft "illud avasevážas, gemitum & fufpirium ducens, ob "vulnus fcilicet: & devour, tolle, quafo: quippe "in intima corporis penetraverat vero, tecum ferva, ait Cupido irridens, qui folus potuit "extrahere, fed noluit. 66 "Hæc cuTogediasi & ex tempore tibi exaravi, "quibus utere tuo arbitratu. Multa quidem in aliis Anacreontis locis emendatione indigent; non pauca "etiam funt fpuria, quæ a genuinis dignofcere pauco66 rum erit hominum, &c. Cantabrigie, die XX. Nov. I Before |