"Egyptiens et les Chaldéens." M. Freret inclines, though with great diffidence, to the last opinion. Mém. de l'Académie des Infcriptions, &c. tom. xxi.p. 12. Hift. 10 Je ne fuis pas convaincu de notre ignorance par les chofes qui font, et dont la raison nous eft inconnue; que par celles qui ne font point et dont nous trouvons la raifon. Oeuvres de Fontenelle, tom, xi. p. 229.1 11 The Fragment of Sanchoniatho's Phænician Hiftory. Eufebius and Bishop Cumberland have already obferved, that the formation of the world is there attributed to the blind powers of matter, without the leaft mention of an intelligent caufe. 12 Orpheus's Hymn to Mufaus, quoted by Juftin Martyr, and feveral other fathers, but rejected as fpurious by Cudworth (Intellectual Syftem, p. 309, by Leclerc (Hift. Eccl.p.692), and by Dr. Jortin (Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hift. vol. i. p. 199). The first of thefe, the immortal Cudworth, is often celebrated by the Bishop of Gloucefter; Leclerc's literary character is eftablished; and with refpect to Dr. Jortin, I will venture to call him a learned and moderate critic. The few who may not chufe to confess, that their objections are unanswerable, will allow that they deferve to be answered. 13 Æneid, i. 548. 14 M. de Voltaire condemns the latter part of the Eneid, as far inferior in fire and fpirit to the former. As quoted in the Legation, he thinks that Virgil s'épuife avec Didon et rate à la fin Lavinie; a pretty odd quotation for a Bishop; but I moft fincerely hope, that neither his lordship nor Mrs. W -n are acquainted with the true meaning of the word rater. 15 Æneid, viii. 495. 16 Ibidem, i. 96. 17 Ibidem, ii. 353. 18 Ibidem, ii. 43 I. 21 Others are furnished by criticifm with a telescope. They fee with great clearness whatever is too remote to be discovered by the rest of mankind; but are totally blind to all that lies immediately before them. They discover in every paffage fome fecret meaning, fome remote allufion, fome artful allegory, or fome occult imitation, which no other reader ever fufpected: but they have no perception of the cogency of arguments, the contexture of narration, the various colors of diction, or the flowery embellishments of fancy. Of all that engages the attention of others they are totally infenfible; while they pry into the world of conjectures, and amufe themselves with phantoms in the clouds, Rambler. 22 D. L. vol. i. p. 212. 23 Eneid, iii. 137. 24 Ibidem, v. 755. 25 neid, xii. 189. 26 Oeuvres de Montefquieu, tom. iii. p. 555. 27 D. L. vol. i. p. 228. 2 Plutarch, in Vit. M. Anton. tom. i. 950. edit. Wechel. 29 Plutarch, in Vit. Thefei, tom. i. p. 16. Herodot. viii. 65. Cicero dé Nat. Deor. i. 42. The gradation of Athenians, Greeks, and mankind at large, may be traced in the fe paffages. 3o D. L. vol. i. p. 233. 31 Chilius te rogat, et ego ejus rogatû; evμohiowy naтpia. Cicero ad Attic. i. 9. 32 As the B. of G. alledges the authority of Victorius, I shall shelter myself under the names and reafons of Grævius and the Abbé Mongault, and even tranfcribe the words of the former. "Non eft ut hic intelligantur ritus illi fecretiores, qui tantùm mystis noti erant, et fine capitis periculo vulgari non poterant, fed illa facra et ceremoniæ, quibus in Eleufiniis celebrandis "utebantur in omnium oculis Eumolpide; quafque poetæ et prifci "fcriptores alii commemorant paffim: aut fortè per Eumolpidas intelligit "tectè ipfos Athenienfes: ut petierit Chilius, Athenienfium leges et "difciplinam fibi defcribi et mitti. " 33 D. L. vol. i. p. 154. 3+ Ibidem, p. 277. 35 Eneid, vi. 724. 36 Quomodo porro Deus ifte, fi nihil effet nifi animus, aut infixus aut infufus effet in mundo. Cicero de Naturâ Deor. L. i. c. II. 37 Pope's Effay on Man, epistle i. ver. 267. 38 D. L. vol. i. p. 278. 39 Ibidem, p. 279. 4. Ibidem, p. 142. 41 See our modern relations of Japan, China, India, &c. and for Egypt, Herodotus, L. ii. 42 Ovid. Metamorph. xv. 66, &c. 158, &c. 43 Plato in Phædro and in Republic. L. x. 44 I shall mention here, once for all, that I do not always confine myself to the ORDER of his lordship's PROOFS. 45 Meurfii Eleufinia, five de Cereris Eleufinæ facro. 46 See D. L. vol. i. particularly. p. 280. 47 Strabo, L. v. p. 168. 4 Silius Italicus, L. xii. 49 Diod. Sicul. L. iv. p. 267. edit. Weffeling. 5° Eneid, vi. 126. 51 Ibidem, vi. 129. 52 Ibidem, vi. 395. 53 Homer, Odyff. L. xi. ver. 623. Apoll. Biblioth. L. ii. c. §. 54 Diodor. Sicul. L. v. p. 386. Edit. Weffeling. 55 Leclerc, Biblioth. Univerfelle, tom. vi. p. 55. 56 By the Abbé Teraffon, in his philofophical romance of Sethos, printed at at Amsterdam in the year 1732. See the third book, from beginning to end. The author was a scholar and a philofopher. His book has far more variety and originality than Telemachus. Yet Sethos is forgotten, and Telemachus will be immortal. That harmony offtyle, and the great talent of speaking to the heart and paffions, which Fenelon poffeffed, was unknown to Teraffon. I am not surprised that Homer was admired by the one, and criticized by the other. 57 See D. L. vol. I. p. 228, &c. The first edition was printed in London, in the year 1738. 58 Cowper's Life of Socrates, p. 102. 59 Letter from a late profeffor of Oxford, &c. p. 133. 6. D. L. vol. III. p. 277. 61 Idem, vol. I. p. 229. 62 Idem, vol. I. p. 283. 3 Horace feems to have afed as unguarded an expreffion: Et adfcribi quietis Od. L. iii. 3. The word and idea of Quietus are perfectly Epicurean; but rather clash with the active paffions displayed in the rest of Juno's fpeech. His lordship (D. L. vel. II. p. 140.) accufes Virgil himself of a like inattention; which, with his usual gentleness, he calls an absurdity. 64 See the Life of Virgil by Donatus, the Sixth Eclogue, and the Second Georgic, v. 490. 65 Lucian in Alexandro, p. 489. Cornel. Nepos, in Vit. Attici, c. 2, 3, 4. 67 The life of Virgil, attributed to Donatus, contains many characteristic particulars; but which are loft in confufion, and difgraced with a mixture of abfurd ftories, fuch as none but a monk of the darker ages could either invent or believe. I always confidered them as the interpolations of fon.e more recent writer; and am confirmed in that opinion by the life of Virgil, pure from those additions which Mr. Spence lately published, from a Florence MS. at the beginning of Mr. Holdsworth's valuable oblervations on Virgil. 6 Horat. L. II. Ep. ii. ver. 43. " Donat. in Virgil. 7. Horat. L. IV. Od. xii. 71 Donat. in Virgil. 72 Prope Centies Seftertium, about eighty thousand pounds. 73 Donat, in Virgil. 74 Id. ibid. 75 They always began the fifteenth of the Attic month Boedromion, and lafted nine days. Those who take the trouble of calculating the Athenian calendar, on the principles laid down by Mr. Dodwell (de Cyclis Antiquis). and by Dr. Halley, will find, that A. V. C. Varr. 735, the 15th of Boedromion coincided with the 24th of Auguft of the Julian year. But if we may believe Dion Caffius, the celebration was this year anticipated, VOL. VII. P on account of Auguftus and the Indian philofopher. L. LIV. p. 739. edit: Reimar. 76 Strabo, L. xv. p. 720. 77 Donat. in Virgil. 71). L. vol. I. p. 118. 79 Salmafius ad Scriptores Hift. Auguft. p. 55. * Cafaubon ad Scriptor. Hift. Auguft. p. 25. Sueton. in Claud. c. 25. : D. L. vol. I. p. 147. $3 Ibidem, p. 240. Ibidem, p. 277. $5 Horat. L. III. Od. ii. * Boileau, Art Poetique, L. ii. v. 72. 17 Curiofa Felicitas. The ingenious Dr. Warton has a very ftrong diflike to this celebrated character of Horace. I fufpect that I am in the wrong, fince, in a point of criticism, I differ from Dr. Warton. I cannot, however, forbear thinking, that the expreffion is itself what Petronius wished to defcribe; the happy union of fuch eafe as feems the gift of fortune, with fuch juftness as can only be the refult of care and labor. * Sueton. in Cæfar, c. 44. 5, &c. Tacit. Annal. L. ii, Juftin, L. xlii c. v. 9 Plut. in Vit. Anton. Julian in Cæfar, p. 324. edit Spanheim. 9. Horat. L. I. Od. ii. L. III. Od. v. L. II. Serm. i. v. Horat. L. i. Epift. xii. Vell. Pater. L. ii. c. xciv. c. i. Sueton. in Octav. c. xxi, and in Tiber. c. xiv. Dion Caffius, L. liv. p. 736. edit. Reimar. Jofeph. Ant. L. xv. c. v. Ovid. Faft. v. ver. 551, &c. 92 Donat. in Virgil. Marcellus died in the latter end of the year 731. Uferii Annales, P. 555. 94 Donat. in Virgil. 95 Proper. L. ii. El. xxv. v 66. 96 Horat. L. i. Od. iii. L. i. Serm. v. ver. 39, &c. 97 See the Dedication of Horace's Epistle to Auguftus, with an English commentary and notes.. Six Differtations on different Subjects, published in a volume in octavo, in the year 1755. It is the Sixth Differtation, p. 207-324. |