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I must in the next place observe, that Milton has interwoven in the texture of his fable fome particulars which do not seem to have probability enough for an epic poem, particularly in the actions which he afcribes to fin and death, and the picture which he draws of the Limbo of Vanity, with other paffages in the second book. Such allegories rather favour of the fpirit of Spenfer and Ariofto, than of Homer and Virgil.

In the ftructure of this poem he has likewife admitted too many digreffions: It is finely obferved by Ariftotle, that the author of an heroic poem fhould feldom speak himself, but throw as much of his work as he can into the mouths of those who are his principal actors. Ariftotle has given no reason for this precept: but I prefume it is because the mind of the reader is more awed and elevated when he hears Æneas or Achilles speak, than when Virgil or Homer talk in their own perfons. Befides, that affuming the character of an eminent man is apt to fire the imagination, and raife the ideas of the author. Tully tells us, mentioning his dia-* logue of old age, in which Cato is the chief fpeaker, that upon a review of it he was agreeably impofed upon, and fancied that it was Cato and not he himself, who uttered his thoughts on that subject.

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If the reader would be at the pains to fee, how the story of the Iliad and the Eneid is delivered by those persons who act in it, he will be surprised to find how little in either of these poems proceeds from the authors. Milton has, in the general disposition of his fable, very finely obferved this great rule; infomuch, that there is fcarce a third part of it which comes from the poet; the rest is fpoken either by Adam and Eve, or by fome good or evil fpirit who is engaged either in their destruction or defence. From what has been here obferved it appears, that digreffions are by no means to be allowed of in an epic poem. If the poet, even in the ordinary course of his narration, fhould fpeak as little as poffible, he fhould certainly never let his narration fleep for the fake of any reflexions of his own. I have often obferved, with a fecret admiration, that the longest reflexion in the Æneid is in that paffage of the tenth book, where Turnus is reprefented as dreffing himself in the spoils of Pallas, whom he had flain. Virgil here lets his fable stand still for the fake of the following remark. "How is the mind of "man ignorant of futurity, and unable to bear "profperous fortune with moderation! The "time will come when Turnus fhall with that " he had left the body of Pallas untouched, and "curfe the day on which he dreffed himfelf in thefeffpoils." As the great event of the Eneid, and the death of Turnus, whom Æneas flew because he saw him adorned with the fpoils of Pallas, turns upon this incident, Virgil went out of his way to make this reflexion upon it, without which fo fmall a circumftance might poffibly have flipt out of his reader's memory. Lucan, who was an injudicious poet, lets drop his story very frequently for the fake of his unneceffary digreffions, or his Diverticula, as Scaliger calls them. If he gives us an account of the prodigies which preceded the civil war, he declaims upon the occafion, and fhews how much happier it would be for man, if he did not feel his evil fortune before it comes to pafs; and

fuffer not only by its real weight, but by the apprehenfion of it. Milton's complaint for his blindness, his panegyric on marriage, his reflexions on Adam and Eve's going naked, of the angels eating, and several other paffages in his poem, are liable to the fame exception, though I must confefs there is fo great a beauty in thefe very digreffions, that I would not wish them out of his poem.

I have, in a former paper, spoken of the characters of Milton's Paradife Loft, and declared my opinion, as to the allegorical persons who are introduced in it.

If we look into the fentiments, I think they. are fometimes defective under the following heads; first, as there are feveral of them too much pointed, and fome that degenerate even into puns. Of this last kind I am afraid is that in the first book, where, speaking of the pygmies, he calls them,

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Another blemish that appears in fome of his thoughts, is his frequent allufion to heathen fables, which are not certainly of a piece with the divine fubject of which he treats. I do not find fault with these allufions, where the poet himself represents them as fabulous, as he does in fome places, but where he mentions them as truths and matters of fact. The limits of my paper will not give me leave to be particular in inftances of this kind; the reader will eafily remark them in his perufal of the poem.

Milton

A third fault in his fentiments, is an unned ceffary oftentation of learning, which likewife occurs very frequently. It is certain that both Homer and Virgil were masters of all the learning of their times, but it fhews itself in their works after an indirect and concealed manner. seems ambitious of letting us know, by his excurfions on free will and predeftination, and his many glances upon hiftory, astronomy, geography, and the like, as well as by the terms and phrafes he fometimes makes use of, that he was acquainted with the whole circle of arts and sciences.

If in the last place we confider the language of this great poet, we must allow what I have hinted at in a former paper, that it is often too much laboured, and fometimes obfcured by old words, tranfpofitions, and foreign idioms. Seneca's objection to the ftile of a great author, Riget ejus oratio, nihil in eâ placidum, nihil lene, is what many critics make to Milton: as I cannot wholly refute it, fo I have already apologized for it in another paper: to which I may further add, that Milton's fentiments and ideas were fo wonderfully fublime, that it would have been impoffible for him to have reprefented them in their full ftrength and beauty, without having recourfe to these foreign affiftances. Our language funk under him, and was unequal to that greatness of foul, which furnished him with fuch glorious conceptions.

A fecond fault in his language is that he often affects a kind of jingle in his words, as in the following paffages, and many others :

And brought into the World a World of woe.
-Begirt th' Almighty throne
Befeeching or befieging
This tempted our attempt-

At one flight bound high overleart all bsund.

I know there are figures for this kind of fpeech, that fome of the greateft ancients have been guilty of it, and that Ariftotle himself has given it a place in his rhetoric among the beauties of that art. But as it is in itself poor and trifling, it is I think at prefent univerfally exploded by all the mafters of polite writing.

The laft fault which I fhall take notice of in Milton's file, is the frequent ufe of what the learned call Technical Words, or terms of art. It is one of the greatest beauties of poetry, to make hard things intelligible, and to deliver what is abftrufe of itself in fuch eafy language as may be understood by ordinary readers: befides, that the knowledge of a poet fhould rather feem born with him, or infpired, than drawn from books and fyftems. I have often wondered how Mr. Dryden could tranflate a paffage out of Vir→ gil after the following manner.

"Tack to the larboard and ftand off to fea, "Vcer ftarboard fea and land.".

Milton makes ufe of larboard in the fame manner. When he is upon building he mentions "Doric pillars, pilafters, cornice; freeze, archi❝trave." When he talks of heavenly-bodies, you meet with "ecliptic, and eccentric, the "trepidation, ftars dropping from the zenith, "rays culminating from the equator:' which might be added many inftances of the like kind in feveral other arts and sciences.

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I shall in my next papers give an account of the many particular beauties in Milton, which would have been too long to infert under thofe general heads I have already treated of, and with which I intend to conclude this piece of criticism. L

No. 298. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11,

Nufquam tuta fides

Honour is no where safe.

• Mr. Spectator,

I

Virg. Æn. 4. v. 373·

London, Feb. 9, 1711-12. Am a virgin, and in no cafe despicable; but yet fuch as I am I must remain, or elfe become, it is to be feared, lefs happy for I find not the leaft good effect from the juft correction you fome time fince gave that too free, that loofer part of our fex which fpoils the men; the fame connivance at the vices, the fame cafy admittance of addreffes, the fame vitiated relifh of the converfation of the greatest rakes, or, in a more fashionable " way of expreffing one's felf, of fuch as have feen the world moft, ftill abounds, increases, and multiplies.

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The two first of them, a captain and a merchant, to ftrengthen their argument, pretend to repeat after a couple of ladies of quality and wit, that Venus was always kind to Mars; and what foul, that has the leaft fpark of generofity, can deny a man of bravery any thing? and how pitiful a trader that, whom no woman but his own wife will have correfpondence or dealings with? Thus thefe; whilft the third, the country 'fquire, con'feffed, that indeed he was furprifed into good breeding, and entered into the knowledge of 'the world unawares; that dining the other day at a gentleman's houfe, the perfon who enter'tained was obliged to leave him with his wife and nieces; where they spoke with fo much contempt of an abfent gentleman for being fo flow at a hint, that he refolved never to be 'drowfy, unmannerly, or ftupid for the future at a friend's houfe; and on a hunting morning, not to purfue the game either with the husband abroad, or with the wife at home.

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The next that came was a tradefman, no lefs full of the age than the former; for he had the gallantry to tell me, that at a late junket which he was invited to, the motion being made, and tho quftion being put, it was by maid, wife and widow refolved, nemine contradicente, that a young sprightly journeyman is abfolutely neceffary in their way of bufinefs; to which they had the afient and concurrence of their husbands prefent. 1 dropped him a courtesy, and gave him to understand that 6 was his audience of leave.

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I am reckoned pretty, and have had very 'many advances befides thefe; but have been C very averfe to hear any of them, from my obfervation on thefe above-mentioned, until I hoped fome good from the character of my prefent admirer, a clergyman. But I find even amongst them there are indire practices in relation to love, and our treaty is at profent a little in fufpenfe, until fome circumstances are ' cleared. There is a charge against him among the women, and the cafe is this: it is alledged, that a certain endowed female would have appropriated herself to, and confolidated herself with a church, which my divine now enjoys; (or, which is the fame thing, did pro ftitute herfelf in her friend's doing this for her :) that my ecclefiaftic, to obtain the one, did en

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The humble petition therefore of many of the moft ftri&tly virtuous, and of myfelf, is, that you will once more exert your authority, and that according to your late promife, your full, your impartial authority, on this fillier branch of our kind: for why should they be the uncontroulable miftreffes of our fate? Why should they with impunity indulge the males in licentioufnefs whilft fingle, and we have the difinal hazard and plague of reforming them when married? Strike home, Sir, then, and fpare not, or all our maiden hopes,gage himfelf to take off the other that lay on

our gilded hopes of nuptial felicity are fruf

trated, are vanished, and you yourself, as well

hand; but that on his fuccefs in the fpiritual, he again renounced the carnal.

' I put

"I put this closely to him, and taxed him with difingenuity. He to clear himself made the fub'fcquent defence, and that in the most folemn manner poffible. That he was applied to, and inftigated to accept of a benefice: that a conditional offer thereof was indeed made him at first, but with disdain by him rejected: that when nothing, as they eafily perceived, of this nature could bring him to their purpofe, affurance of his being entirely unengaged beforehand, and fafe from all their after expectations (the only ftratagem left to draw him in) was given him that purfuant to this the donation itself was without delay, before feveral reputable witneffes, tendered to him gratis, with the open profeffion of not the leaft referve, or moft minute condition; but that yet immediately after induction, his infi.. dious introducer, (or her crafty procurer, which you will) induftriously spread the report which had reached my ears, not only in the neighbourhood of that faid church, but in London, in the univerfity, in mine, and his · own country, and wherever elfe it might 'probably obviate his application to any other 'woman, and fo confine him to this alone:

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a representation of thofe calamities and misfortunes which a weak man fuffers from wrong measures, and ill-concerted fchemes of life, is apt to make a deeper impreffion upon our minds, than the wifeft maxims and instructions that can be given us, for avoiding the like follies and indifcretions in our own private conduct. It is for this reason that I lay before my reader the following letter, and leave it with him to make his own ufe of it, without adding any reflexions of my own upon the fubject matter..

• Mr. Spectator

him H

and in a word, that as he never did make any previous offer of his fervice, or the least step to her affection; fo on his difcovery of these "defigns thus laid to trick him, he could not but afterwards, in juftice to himself, vindicate both his innocence and freedom by keeping his proper distance.

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This is his apology, and I think I shall be 'fatisfied with it. But I cannot conclude my tedious epiftle without recommending to you not only to refume your former chastisement, but to add to your criminals the fimoniacal ladies, who feduce the facred order into the 'difficulty of either breaking a mercenary troth • made to them whom they ought not to deceive, or by breaking or keeping it, offending against him whom they cannot deceive. Your affiftance and labours of this fort would be of great benefit, and your fpeedy thoughts on this fubject would be very seasonable to, . Sir,

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AVING carefully perufed a letter fent you by Jofiah Fribble, Efq. with your fubfequent difcourfe upon pin-money, do prefume to trouble you with an account of my own cafe, which I look upon to be no lefs deplorable than that of 'fquire Fribble. I am a perfon of no extraction, having begun the world with a fmall parcel of rufty iron, and was for fome years commonly known by the name of Jack Anvil. I have naturally a very happy genius for getting money, infomuch that by the age of five and twenty I had fcraped together four thousand two hundred pounds, five fhillings and a few odd pence. I then launched out into confiderable business, and became a bold trader both by fea and land, which in a few years raifed me a very confiderable fortune. For thefe my good fer'vices I was knighted in the thirty-fifth year of my age, and lived with great dignity among 'my city neighbours by the name of Sir John Anvil. Being in my temper very ambitious, I was now bent upon making a family, and accordingly refolved that my defcendents 'fhould have a dash of good blood in their veins. In order to this I made love to the lady Mary Oddly, an indigent young woman of quality, To cut fhort the marriage-treaty, I threw her "a carte blanche, as our news-papers call it, defiring her to write upon it her own terms. She was very concife in her demands, infifting only that the difpofal of my fortune and the regulation of my family fhould be intirely in her hands. Her father and brothers appeared exceedingly averfe to this match, and would not fee me for fome time; but at prefent are 'fo well reconciled, that they dine with me al'most every day, and have confiderable fums of me; which my lady Mary very often twits 6 me with, when the would fhew me how kind her relations are to me. She had no portion, " as 1 told you before; but what she wanted in 'fortune, the makes up in fpirit. She at first 'changed my name to Sir John Envil, and at prefent writes herself Mary Enville. I have had fome children by her, whom he has chriftened with the firnames of her family, in order, as she tells me, to wear out the homelinefs of their parentage by the father's fide. • Our eldest fon is the honourable Oddly Enville, Efq; and our eldest daughter Harriot Enville. Upon her first coming into my family, fhe turned off a parcel of very careful fervants, who had been long with me, and introduced in their stead a couple of black-a-moors, and three or four very genteel fellows in laced liveries, befides her French-woman, who is 'perpetually making a noife in the house in a language which no body understands, except 3 C

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fuperior in fenfe, as much as fhe is in quality, and therefore treats me like a plain well-meaning,

man who does not know the world. She dic'tates to me in my own business, fets me right in point of trade, and if I difagree with her ' about any of my fhips at fea, wonders that I will difpute with her, when I know very well 'that her great grandfather was a flag-officer.

To compleat my fuffering, fhe has teafed me for this quarter of a year last past, to remove into one of the fquares at the other end of the town, promifing for my encourage" ment, that I shall have as good a cock-loft as any gentleman in the fquare; to which the honourable Oddly Enville, Efq; always adds, like a jack-a-napes as he is, that he hopes it will be as near the court as poffible.

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In fhort, Mr. Spectator, I am so much out of my natural element, that to recover my old way of life I would be content to begin the world again, and be plain Jack Anvil; but alas! I am in for life, and am bound to fubfcribe myfelf, with great forrow of heart,

my lady Mary. She next fet herself to reform every room of my house, having glazed all my chimney-pieces with looking glaffes, and planted every corner with fuch heaps of china, " that I am obliged to move about my own houfe with the greatest caution and circumfpection, for fear of hurting fome of our brit" tle furniture. She makes an illumination once a week with wax-candles in one of the largest rooms, in order, as the phrafes it, to fee company. At which time the always defires me to be abroad, or to confine myself to the cock-loft, that I may not disgrace her among her vifitants of quality. Her footmen, as I told you before, are fuch beaus that I do not much care for afking them queftions; when I do, they answer me with a faucy frown, and fay that every thing which I find fault with, was done by my lady Mary's order. She tells me that the intends they fhall wear fwords with their next liveries, having lately obferved the footmen of two or three perfons of quality, hanging behind the coach with fwords by their fides. As foon as the first honey-moon was over, I reprefented to her the unreafonablenefs of thofe daily innovations which the made L in my family; but he told me I was no longer to confider myself as Sir John Anvil, but as her husband; and added with a frown, that I did not feem to know who he was. I was furprised to be treated thus, after fuch familiarities as had paffed between us. But he has fince given me to know, that whatever freedoms fhe may fometimes indulge me in, fhe expects in general to be treated with the refpect that is due to her birth and quality. Our children have been trained up from their infancy with fo many accounts of their mother's family, that they know the ftories of all the grea: men and women it has produced. Their mother tells them, that fuch a one commanded in fuch a fea-engagement, that their great grandfather had a horfe fhot under him at Edge-hill, that their uncle was at the fiege of Buda, and that her mother danced in a ball at court with the Duke of Monmouth; with abundance of fiddle-faddle of the fame nature. I was the other day a little out of countenance at a question of my little daughter Harriot, who afked me with a great deal of innocence, why I never told them of the generals and admirals that had been in my family. As for my eldeft fon Cddly, he has been fo fpirited up by his mother, that if he does not mend his manners I fhall go near to difinherit him. He drew his fword upon me before he was nine years old, and told me that he expected to be ufed like a gentleman; upon my offering to correct him for his infolence, my lady Mary ftept in between us, and told me, that I ought to confider there was fome difference between his mother and mine. She is perpctually finding out the features of her own relations in every one of my children, though by the way, I have a little chub-faced boy as like me as he can ftare, if I durft fay fo; but what most angers me, when the fees me playing with any of them upon my knee, fhe has begged me more than once to converfe with the children as little as poffible, that they may not learn < any of my awkward tricks.

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You must farther know, fince I am opening 6 my heart to you, that he thinks herfelf my

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Your humble fervant,
'John Enville, Knt.

300. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13.

-Diverfum vitio vitium propè majus.

Hor. Ep. 18. lib. 1. ver. 5.

-Another failing of the mind,

Greater than this, of a quite different kind.

• Mr. Spectator,

W

POOLY

HEN you talk of the fubject of love, and the relations arifing from it, me thinks you should take care to leaye no fault 'unobserved which concerns the ftate of marriage. The great vexation that I have obferved in it, is that the wedded couple feem to want opportunities of being often enough alone 'together, and are forced to quarrel and be fond before company. Mr. Hotfpur and his lady, in a room full of their friends, are ever faying fomething fo fmart to each other, and that but just within rules, that the whole company ftand in the utmost anxiety and fufpence for fear of their falling into extremities which they could not be prefent at. On the other fide, Tom Faddle and his pretty spouse wherever they come are billing at fuch a rate, as they think muft do our hearts good to behold them. Cannot you poffibly propofe a 'mean between being wafps and doves in public? Ihould think if you advised to hate or love fincerely it would be better: for if they would be fo difcreet as to hate from the very bottoms of their hearts, their averfion would be too ftrong for little gibes every moment; and if they loved with that calm and noble value which dwells in the heart, with a warmth like that of life-blood, they would not be fo 'impatient of their paffion as to fall into ob. fervable fondnefs. This method, in each

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very loving to their spouses in public, but also make naufeous allufions to private familiari'ties, and the like. Lucina is a lady of the C greatest difcretion, you must know, in the world; and withal very much a physician : upon the ftrength of thefe two qualities there is nothing he will not fpeak of before us virgins; and the every day talks with a very C grave air in fuch a manner, as is very improper fo much as to be hinted at, but to obviate the greateft extremity. Those whom they call good bodies, notable people, hearty neighbours, and the pureft goodeft company in the world, · are the great offenders in this kind. Here i think I have laid before you an open field for pleasantry; and hope you will fhew these people that at least they are not witty: in which you will fave from many a blush a daily fufferer, who is very much

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• Mr. Spetator,

IN

Your most humble fervant, Sufanna Loveworth."

N your's of Wednesday the 30th past, you and your correspondents are very severe on a fort of men, whom you call male coquets; but without any other reafon, in my apprehenfion, than that of paying a fhallow com( pliment to the fair-fex, by accufing fome men < of imaginary faults, that the women may not · feem to be the more faulty fex; though at the fame time you fuppofe there are fome fo weak as to be impofed upon by fine things and falfe addreffes. I cannot perfuade myself that your defign is to debar the fexes the be< nefit of each other's converfation, within the rules of honour; nor will you, I dare fay, recommend to them, or encourage the common tea-table talk, much less that of politics ' and matters of ftate: and if thefe are forbid⚫ den fubjects of difcourfe, then, as long as there are any women in the world who take a plea'fure in hearing themfelves praised, and can bear the fight of a man proftrate at their feet, fo long I fhall make no wonder that there are thofe of the other fex who will pay them moft < impertinent humiliations. We should have few people fuch fools as to practise flattery, if all where fo wife as to defpife it. I do not deny but you would do a meritorious act, if · you could prevent all impofitions on the fim6 plicity of young women; but I must confefs I do not apprehend you have laid the fault on the proper perfon, and if I trouble you with

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my thoughts upon it, I promise myself your pardon. Such of the fex as are raw and innocent, and most expofed to thefe attacks, have, or their parents are much to blame if they have not, one to advife and guard them," and are obliged themfelves to take care of < them; but if thefe, who ought to hinder men 'from all opportunities of this fort of converfation, instead of that encourage and promote it, the fufpicion is very just that there are fome private reafons for it; and I will leave it to · you to determine on which fide a part is then acted. Some women there are who are arrived at years of difcretion, I mean are got out of the hands of their parents and governors, and are fet up for themfelves, who yet are liable to these attempts; but if thefe are prevailed upen, you must excute me if I lay the fault upon them, that their wisdom is not grown

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'with their years. My client, Mr. Strephor,' whom you fummoned to declare himself, gives you thanks however for your warning, and 'begs the favour only to enlarge his time for a 'week, or to the laft day of the term, and then he will appear gratis, and pray no day over. Your's, 'Philanthropos.'

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• Mr. Spectator,

Was last night to vifit a lady whom I much

Iefteem, and always took for my friend;

but met with fo very different a reception 'from what I expected, that I cannot help applying myself to you on this occafion. In the room of that civility and familiarity I used to 'be treated with by her, an affected ftrangeness in her looks, and coldnefs in her behaviour, 'plainly told me I was not the welcome guest which the regard and tenderness he has often expreffed for me gave me reason to flatter myfelf to think I was. Sir, this is certainly a great fault, and I affure you a very common one; therefore I hope you will think it a fit fubject for fome part of a Shetator. Be pleased to acquaint us how we must behave ourselves towards this valetudinary friendship, subject to fo many heats and colds, and you will 'oblige,

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Cannot forbear acknowledging the delight

given me; for they are writ in the honeft fpirit of criticism, and called to my mind the following four lines 1 had read long fince in a prologue to a play called Julius Cæfar, which has deferved a better fate. The verfes are addreffed to the little critics.

"Shew your small talent, and let that fuffice ye; "But grow not vain upon it, I advise ye. "For every fop can find out faults in plays: "You'll ne'er arrive at knowing when to praife." T • Your's, D. G.'

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WE are generally fo much pleased with

little accomplishments, either of

body or mind, which have once made us remarkable in the world, that we endeavour to perfuade ourfelves it is not in the power of time to rob us of them. We are eternally purfuing the fame. methods which firft procured us the applaufes of mankind. It is from this notion that an author writes on, though he is come to dotage; without ever confidering that his memory is im paired, and that he hath loft that life, and thofe fpirits, which formerly raifed his fancy, and

fired

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