2 "by Milton." And from a fimilar caft of reafoning, in his preface to Horace, he says, that thofe emendations of his are for the most part more certain, which are made from conjectures, than those from ancient copies, and manufcripts. 'Twas never my intention to call in question the skill, and abilities of one, whose reputation in learning is so deservedly established: but there was a good piece of 3 advice, (which I cannot so easily pafs over, because of univerfal ufe to critics,) offered him, when first he made his defign known of publishing his Horace; which was, to admit into the context all those better readings, for which he had the authority of ancient manuscripts; but as to meer conjectural corrections, to place them in his notes. His reply to this advice was, as might be expected, No, for then who will re"gard 'em?" Our great critic was too well guarded by his learning, to have his own reply turned as a farcasm against himself; which might so justly 2. Plura igitur in Horatianis his curis ex conjectura exhibemus, quàm ex codicum fubfidio; et, nifi me omnia fallunt, plerumque certiora. 3. Of this particular circumftance I was informed by the late learned Mr. Wafs of Aynoe. I will add here a rule of Graevius, in his preface to Cicero's offices: A prifcis libris non recedendum, nifi aut librarii, aut fcioli peccatum fit tam teftatum, ut ab omnibus, qui non caligant in fole, videri poffit. be turned against many dealers in the critical craft, who with little, or no stock in trade, set up for correctors, and fucceffors of Ariftarchus. There is one part of their cunning, that I cannot help here mentioning, which is, their intruding their own gueffes, and reveries into the context, which first meeting the reader's eye, naturally prepoffefs his judgment: mean while the author's words are either removed entirely out of the way, or permitted a place in fome remote note, loaden with * mifrepresentations and abuse, according to the great 4. Dr. Bentley's foul play in this refpect is most notorious; who, in order to make way for his emendations, will often drop the only, and true conftruction: the reader is mistaken if he thinks this done through ignorance. I will inftance in a correction of a paffage of Virgil, Aen. IV, 256. which, among many other corrections, I chiefly make choice of, because some have been deceiv'd into an opinion of its fuperior excellency and I will give it in his own words, from a note on Horace, Lib. I. od. 34. Hic primum paribus nitens Cyllenius alis "ubi quam multa merito vituperanda fint vides. Volat, et ་ mox volabat: deinde in continuatis verfibus ingratum "auribus great goodness of the moft gracious critic; who with “ auribus dμoioréλevlov, volabat, fecabat: ad quod evitandum "vetuftiffimi aliquot codices apud Pierium mutato ordine "fic verfus collocant, Haud aliter terras inter caelumque volabat "Sed nihil omnino proficiunt, aut locum adjuvant: adhuc "enim relinquitur vitium omnium deterrimum, fecabat littus ventofque. Quid enim eft littus fecare, nifi littus arare "et effodere? Quid autem hoc ad Mercurium volantem? "Nullus dubito quin fic fcripferit princeps poëtarum : Haud aliter, terras inter caelumque, legebat The firft fault he finds is with volabat coming fo quick after volat. But this repetition is so far from a fault, that it has a peculiar beauty here; for 'tis in the application of the fimile; fo Milton IV, 189. Or as a thief, &c. In at the window climbs, or oer the tiles: So clomb this firft grand thief into God's fold i More inftances might be added from Homer, and Milton, and Virgil. The next fault is the rime volabat, fecabat: If there was any top after volabat and fecabat, some anfwer or apology fhould be made. But there is actually no more jingle in those verses of Virgil, than in these of Milton, B 3 II, 220. with his dagger of lath on his own ftage, like the old II, 220. This horror will grow mild, this darkness light; Befides what hope the never-ending fight. Than violence: for this was all thy care. VI, 79. By facred unɛtion, thy deserved right. Go then, thou mightiest in thy father's might, For if the reader will turn to the places cited, he will find, that all this jingling found of like endings is avoided by the verses running one into the other: and I have cited them here in this unfair manner, as a parallel instance of Dr. Bentley's misrepresentation: for the Dr. knew well enough, if he had given you the poet's verses, (as in his trials to correct them he muft himself have turn'd, and varied the pointing feveral ways) in the following manner, Haud aliter, terras inter coelumque, volabat i. e. fled to the coaft of Libya; he could not have made way for his own correction: or if he had told you, that nothing was more common than for the best authors, to apply the verb properly to one fubftantive, and improperly often to the other (fee the fchol. on Sophocl, Elect. *. 437Edit. Steph. p. 101. and Homer Il. y. 327.) he could not have abus'd that phrase, littus et ventos fecabat, which he mifrepresenting cites, littus fecabat ventofque. So that whether you keep the old pointing, or change it, the Dr. cannot get one jot forward towards an emendation: not tho' you allowed him, which I fomewhat queftion, the propriety of legebat littus, apply'd to Mercury flying directly from mount old Vice, or modern Harlequin, belabours the poor Devil of his own raifing. Who mount Atlas to the coaft of Libya. This whole paffage of Virgil, Milton has finely imitated in his 5th book. . 265. &c. where the Dr. is at his old work, hacking and hewing. Were I to give an instance of Bentley's critical skill, I should not forget that place in the Plutus of Aristophanes, . 1010. which puzzled the Grecian critics, being an old inveterate evil, just glossed over, 'till Bentley probed it to the bottom, and recovered it's priftine beauty. No one did better than the Dr. when he met with a corrupt place; but the mischief was, he would be medling with found places. The emendation is printed in a letter to Kufter, inserted at the end of his edition of Ariftophanes to which I rather refer the reader, than lengthen this note, too long already. 5. THE VICE was a droll character in our old plays, accoutred with a long coat, a cap with a pair of afs's ears, and a dagger of lath. Shakespeare alludes to his buffoon appearance in Twelfth-Night, A&. IV. In a trice, like to the old Vice; Who with dagger of lath, in his rage, and his wrath In the fecond part of K. Henry IV. A&t. III. Falstaff compares Shallow to VICE's dagger of lath. In Hamlet A&t III. Hamlet calls his uncle, A VICE of Kings: i. e. a ridiculous representation of majefty. These paffages the editors have very rightly expounded. I will now mention fome others, which feem to have escaped their notice, the allufions being not quite fo obvious. THE INIQUITY was often the VICE in our old Moralities; and is introduced in Ben Johnson's play call'd the |