I will not prefume to give my Opinion, either in Praise or Difpraife, of the following Tranflation in general; The many Teftimonies, given in Behalf of it by the Tranflatour's learned and ingenious Friends, in their commendatory Verses, which, as they were to all the former Editions of this Work, are likewife prefix'd to this, render all that can be Said in Praise of it fuperfluous, and in Blame of it ineffectual: for who will dare to cenfure a Work, that has defervedly found fo favourable a Reception, and gain'd fuch a general Approbation and Applaufe? What Mr. Waller writes to Mr. Evelyn on his Tranflation of the first Book of Lucretius only, may with greater Juftise be apply'd to our Tranflatour: For bere Lucretius whole we find, Waller Now all tranflated Books, whatever Subjects they treat of, are, or ought to be, intended for the Benefit and InftruEtion of fuch as understand not the Languages in which the Originals are written, and if they fail of that End, they are always, and at best, but useless Amusements: But if they affert Principles, and advance Maxims and Propofttions, that are repugnant to the Doctrine of the Chriftian Faith, or to the Precepts of Morality and Good Manners, they may prove of ill Confequence to fome, particularly to the unwary or less intelligent, Readers. It were better that Books of that Nature, (and most of the Writings of the Antient Heathens are fuch, in a leẞ or greater Degree,) were never tranflated at all, than that, by being render'd into modern Languages, they should fall into the Hands of all forts of Readers; many of whom, not being capable to judge of the Strength or Weakness of the Arguments they find in them, are often feduc'd into Errours. Such Books are a fort of edg'd Tools, that either ought to be kept from the Weak Weak, and the Illiterate; or, when they are put into their Hands, they ought to be inftructed how to use them without Danger. This being granted in general is fufficient to juftifie my Undertaking, and to prove the Usefulness of it, in writing the following Notes and Animadverfions on this English Lucretius. I forefee nevertheless, that fome will blame, and perhaps cenfure me feverely, for having beftow'd fo much Time and Labour on an impious Poet: For this, will they say, is that very Lucretius, who believes, and endeavours all be can to prove, the human Soul to be corporeal and mortal; and who, by fo doing, denies a future State, either of Happiness or Mifery; and takes away all Hopes of Hopes of our Salvation in a bleffed and eternal Futurity: This is he, who flatly denies the Providence of God; which is the chief Bafis and Support of the Christian Religion and lastly, this is he who teaches, and afferts to be true, that Atheiftical Hypothesis of Democritus and Epicurus concerning the indivifible Principles, and the Nature of all Things. This, I confeß, feems at first fight to be a grievous Accufation; but yet, if duly confider'd, it will appear to be of little Moment: For not to mention that, for the fame Reason that we ought not, as fome pretend, to read Lucretius, we ought likewife to abstain from Reading all, at least most of the Authours of Antiquity, fince in their Writings are contain'd many impious, prophane, false, ridiculous, and fabulous Affertions; infomuch that all our Poets, Orators, Hiftorians, and Philofophers must be rejected and thrown away, as Debauchers of Youth, and Corrupters of Good Manners, if their Writings were once to be try'd by the Standard of our Faith, and by the Doctrine of Christianity; not to mention, I fay, all this, I dare boldly affirm, that whatever Propofitions Lucretius advances, contrary to the Christian Religion, are fo vifibly and notoriously false, and confequently fo eafily answer'd, that they can not in the least startle any one, who profeffes our Holy Belief: For Inftance; Lucretius, in his third Book, after having, as be thinks, fully demonstrated the Corporality of the humane B 2 Sout Soul, brings no leẞ than fix and twenty Arguments to prove its Mortality likewife: But all of them, when they come to be maturely confider'd, are of fo little Validity, and fo obvious to be confuted, that, far from being able to stagger in the least the Faith of a Chriftian; no Man, I think, tho' but of mean Capacity, can, on fuch flender and unconvincing Proofs, believe, even if he would, that the Soul dies with the Body. Nor are bis Arguments, by which he labours to overthrow all Belief of a divine Providence, and to wreft the Power of Creation out of the Hands, ven of Omnipotence itself, more cogent or perfuafive; as will, I hope, be made appear in the following Notes and Animadverfions; in which I have made it my chief Study to fhew the Weakneß, and to expofe to my Readers the Infufficiency, of them. How well I have fucceeded in my Attempt must be left to the Judgment of the Publick: the Defign, I am fure, was well-meaning and honest; and if the Performance be answerable, it may justly challenge a favourable Reception: For, what Christian will not be pleas'd to fee, that not even the most penetrating Wit of Lucretius has been able to advance any Thing folid against the Power of that infinite God whom he adores; especially confidering that if any fuch Impieties could have been defended, he certainly was capable of defending them : Si Pergama dextrâ Defendi poffent, certè hâc defenfa fuissent. Virg. Moreover: What Danger can arife to any Man, tho' but of common Understanding, while he reads that ridiculous Doctrine of the Epicurean Philofophers concerning their Atoms, or minute indivifible Corpufcles, which they held to be the firft Principles of all Things? An Opinion fo abfurd, that even the bare mentioning of it confutes it. So far therefore from being of dangerous Confequence to us is the Reading thofe Abfurdities of the Antients concerning the Nature of Things, that, on the contrary, we may gain from thence the great Advantage of acquiring a more perfect Knowledge Knowledge of Nature, and of the wonderful Works of God For Nature has imprinted on all Men an innate Defire of Truth; and to know the false Opinions of others, will excite and stir them up to be the more diligent in the Enqui ry and Search of it, will render them the more capable to judge and determine concerning it, and to retain in their Minds the more firmly the Convictions it imprints upon, them. As Light is then most beautiful when it first rifes out of Darkness; fo Truth is then most delightful when it firft emerges out of Errours. For, as my Lord Rofcommon finely expreffes it, Truth ftamps Conviction on your ravish'd Breast, Effay on tranflated Verf : Nor is all that Lucretius has written, impious, false, or ridiculous on the contrary, many excellent Things are contain'd in his Poem; many that well deferve to be read and remember'd even by Chriftians How excellently does he declaim against Ambition, and all manner of Injustice and Cruelty against Superftition, and the Fear of Death; against Avarice, Luxury, and Luft; against all the other Paffions of the Mind, and dishonest Pleasures of the Body! Is be not continually exhorting his Memmius to Sobriety, Temperance, Chastity, Magnanimity, and all the rest of moral Virtues? Infomuch that what Diogenes writes of Epicurus Seems to be true; That he was falsely accus'd by Some Perfons of indulging himself too much in Pleasure, and that it was a meer Calumny in them to wreft, as they did, to a wrong Sense the meaning of that Philofopher, and to interpret what he faid of the Tranquillity of the Mind, as if it bad been spoken of the fenfual Delights of the Body. To the fame Purpose likewife Caffius, that great General of the Romans, after he had embrac'd the Epicurean Philofophy, writing to Cicero, explains this Matter in the following Words: They, fays be, whom we call Lovers of Plea Sure, fure, are indeed Lovers of Goodness, and of Justice; and Men who practife and cultivate all manner of Virtues: For there is no true Pleasure without a good and virtuous Life: ἐῇ, qui a nobis φιλήδονοι vocantur, funt φιλόκαλοι καὶ φίλο Sado, omnefque virtutes & colunt & retinent: 28 SI ἡδέως ἄνευ τὰ καλῶς καὶ δικαίως ζῆν· as the fame Cafius there cites the very Words of Epicurus: who himself takes Notice of this Calumny, and complains of the Malice and Difingenuousness of bis Accufers, who, not understanding it aright, bad mifreprefented his Doctrine concerning Pleafure: When we affert, fays he, That Pleafure is the chief Good and greatest Felicity of Man, we mean not the Pleafures of the Luxurious and Libidinous; not the Pleasures of the Tafte, the Touch, or any other fenfual Enjoyments, as fome ignorant Perfons, or fuch as diffent from our Opinions, or as take them in a wrong Senfe, maliciously give out : but what we call Pleasure is, to be exempt from Pain of Body, and to have a Mind ferene and void of all Cares and Perturbations: For not the Company of lascivious Boys and Women, not luxurious Eating and Drinking; not to feed on Fish, and the other delicious Meats that load the Tables of the Wealthy; nor any other fenfual Delights, can procure a happy Life; But a right and found Reafon, that Searches into, and difcerns the Caufes, why fome Things. are to be defir'd, others to be avoided; and that chafes and expells thofe Opinions, by Means of which the Mind is difquieted, and vexed with Paffions and Anxieties. Thus we fee there is nothing fo prudent, nothing fo true, nothing fo virtuous, but what, by being misrepresented, may be made to appear its Contrary. Nor indeed is it probable,. that fo many excellent and wife Men, who were fuch great Ornaments and Supports of the Roman Commonwealth, would fo affiduously bave frequented the Gardens of Epicurus, or have engag'd themselves to one another in the Atrictest Ties of Friendship, as even their Defamers allow they did, bad they not been fully convinced of the good Morals and Innocence of Life of that Philofopher, who first founded their Sect: Galen, in Art. Med. witnesses of him, that |