LETTER XXV.

N the garden of science, as in other gardens,

IN

it cofts more trouble to root out weeds than to plant flowers. I look upon the idea commonly entertained by men of letters, in refpe&t to Augustan ages, to be one of these weeds; and fhall here fhew you what may be done to root it out and deftroy it.

VELLEIUS PATERCULUS, an affected hiftorian, was the first author of this foolish idea: which other writers have taken on truft, as ufual, without facrificing to common fenfe on the occafion.

WE are told by French critics, and you know that Mr. Addison, at the fame time that he ridiculed our attention to French fashions, yet held up French critics, who are far worse, as worthy of all our reverence: I fay we are told by French critics, that there have been

four Auguftan ages, as they call them. The firft is that of Greece, in the time of Philip of Macedon, in which flourished Socrates, Plato, Demofthenes, Ariftotle, Apelles, Phidias, Praxiteles, Thucydides, Xenophon, Eschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Menander, Philemon. The fecond is that of Rome, under Augustus, near or under whofe reign flourished Laberius, Catullus, Lucretius, Cicero, Livy, Virgil, Horace, Propertius, Tibullus, Ovid, Phædrus, Vitruvius. The third is again that of Rome, after the revival of learning, and contains the names of Ariofto, Sannazaro, Guicciardini, Vida, Bembo, Sadolet, Macchiavel, Michael Angelo, Raffaello, Tiziano. The fourth and laft is that of France, under Louis XIV. in which ftand Corneille, Moliere, Racine, &c. &c.

Now you must observe, my dear friend, that we are gravely told that genius was, during thefe ages, carried to its greatest height in these respective countries. A remark of fuperlative futility. In the Auguftan age of Greece, for example, where is the name of Homer, who flourished about 300 years before? Where is

that

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that of Plutarch, one of the greatest writers that Greece produced, and alone worth ten of these Auguftan authors, but who unhappily came more than 400 years after? In that of Rome where is Tacitus, almost their only original writer? In the age of Leo X. where is Taffo, the first of the Italian poets? Where Petrarca? Where Dante? Where Metastasio ? Is not Greffet yet living, one of the best writers France hath produced? Where is Buffon? Where poor Jean Jaques? Where Voltaire ?

THE fuperior good fenfe and obfervation of the English hath taught them to fix no Augus tan age for their country. May her Augustan age be a faculum fæculorum! The names of Chaucer, of Shakfpere, of Milton, of Gray, are as remote as thofe of Bacon and Newton: centuries elapfe between them. Nature, it would feem, according to the inventers of these Auguftan ages, illuminates other countries by conftellations of petty ftars; but in Britain concentrates the rays of many into one, which dazzles her rival nations with a luxury of light.

In political events, my friend, I lately had occafion to observe that nature acts much in one way; they depend indeed upon the paffions of mankind, which are always the fame; and upon the rules of human prudence, which admit of no great variation. But in respect to genius, which rules nature, and is not ruled by her, the cafe is very different. True genius is as much above regulation in the period of his appearance, as in all his other attributes. And the principal writers of any country are as feldom seen together as eagles. They appear fingle upon the wild and lofty rocks of genius basking in the noontide fun of fame.

LETTER XXVI.

SI find my remarks on the last edition of Shakfpere were not difpleafing to you, I fhall now present you with fuch as have occurred on fome of the other volumes.

Vol. IV. TWELFTH NIGHT. P. 190. Would you have a love fong, or a fong of good life?? A fong of good life means a pious ditty. The clown's question is ironical.

P. 204. It is filly footh.' Every boy knows this means, It is filly in footh, It is of genuine fimplicity.

P. 210.

Mettle of India, the reading of the old copy is right. The mettle of India, the gold, is Shakfpere's. To the nettle his commentators are welcome.

P. 215.