corum; and Philofophy attended and enliven'd by all the Graces.

If among the Latin Claffics we name Tully, upon every Subject he' equally thews the Strength of his Reafon and the Brightness of his Style. Whether he addreffes his Friend in the graceful Negligence of a familiar Letter, or moves his Auditors with labour'd Periods, and paffionate Strains of manly Oratory; whether he proves the Majefty of God and Immortality of human Souls in a more fublime and pompous Eloquence, or lays down the Rules of Prudence and Virtue in a more calm and even way of Writing, he always expreffes good Senfe in pure and proper Language; he is learned and eafie, richly plain, and neat without Affectation. He is always copious, but never runs into a faulty Luxuriance, nor tires his Reader: And tho' he fays almost every thing that can be faid upon his Subject, yet C 4 you'll

you'll fcarce ever think he fays too much. But this part of his Charater, tho' juft, may look like a Digreffion. I pafs on

Thofe few Obfcurities which are in the beft Authors, do not proceed from haft and confufion of Thought, or ambiguous Expreffions, from a long Crowd of Parenthefes or perplex'd Periods; but either the Places continue the fame as they were in the Original, and are not intelligible to us only by reafon of our Ignorance of fome Customs of thofe Times and Countries; or the Paffages are alter'd and spoil'd by the Prefumption and bufy Impertinence of foolish Transcribers and conceited Critics. Which plainly appears from this, that fince we have had more accurate Accounts of the Greek and Roman Antiquities, and old Manufcripts have been fearch'd and compar'd by able and diligent Hands, innumerable Errors have been rectify'd,

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and Corruptions which had crept into the Text purg'd out. A various Reading happily discover'd, the Removal of a Verfe, or a Point of Diftinction out of the wrong into the right Place, or the adding a finall Mark where it was left out, has given clear Light to many Paffages; which for Ages had lain overfpread with an Error that had obfcur'd the Senfe of the Author, and quite confounded all the Commentators. The latter part of the thirty fecond Verfe of the Hymn of Callimachus on Apollo was in the first Editions thus, Τις αν ἔρεα Φοῖβον αείδου; Who can fing of Phoebus in the Mountains? which was neither Senfe of it felf, nor had any Connexion with what went before. But Stephen's Amendinent of it fet right both the Senfe and the Connexion without altering a Letter, Τίς ἂν & ρέα Φοῖβον αείδοι Phoebus is an unexhaufted Subject. of Praise; among all his glorious, C. 5 Qua

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Qualifications and Exploits what Poet can be fo dull, what Wit fo barren, as to want Materials for an Hymn to his Honour? In the fourth Verfe of the eleventh Epigram of Theocritus, there wanted a little Point in the Word ὑμνοθέτης, which took off all the Sprightlinefs and Turn of the Thought; which Daniel Heinfius luckily reftor'd by changing the Nom. Sing. uvodérns, into the Dat. Plur. υμνοθέτης: The Friends of Eufhenes the Poet gave him, tho' a Stranger, an honourable Burial in a foreign Countrey; and the Poet was extremely belov'd by 'em. How flat and infipid! According to the Amendment it runs thus, The Acquaintance of Eufthenes bury'd him honourably tho' in a foreign Countrey, and he was extremely belov'd by his Brother Poets themselves. For a Man to be mightily honour'd by Strangers, and extremely belov'd by People of the fame Profeffion, who are

apt to malign and envy one another, is a very high Commendation of his Candour and excellent Temper. That very valuable Amendment in the fixth Line of Horace's Preface to his Odes, has clear'd a Difficulty which none of the Critics cou'd handsomly acquit themselves of before the admirable Dr. Bentley; and has refcu'd the Poet, eminent for the Clearnefs of his Style, from the Imputation of Harflinefs and Obfcurity in the very beginning and first Address to his Reader; where peculiar Care and Accuracy is expected. It wou'd be endless to mention the numerous Places in the Ancients happily reftor'd and illuftrated by that Great Man; who is not only a found and difcerning Critic, but a clean and vigorous Writer, excellently skill'd in all divine and human Literature: To whom all Scholars are oblig'd for his learned Performances upon the Claf fics; and all Mankind for his noble C-6

and