Gracefulness of clear and moving Expreffion; and Eloquence is meritorioufly employ'd in vindicating and adorning Religion. This makes deep Impreffions on the Minds of young Gentlemen, and charms them with the love of Goodness fo engagingly drefs'd, and fo beautifully commended. The Offices, Cato Major, Tuf culan Questions, &c. of Tully want not much of Epictetus and Antonine in Morality, and are much fuperior in Language. Pindar writes in an exalted Strain of Piety as well as Poetry; he carefully wipes off the Af perfions that old Fables had thrown upon the Deities; and never fpeaks of Things or Perfons facred but with the tendereft Caution and Reverence. He praises Virtue and Religion with a generous Warmth; and fpeaks of its eternal Rewards with a pious Affurance. A notable Critic has obferv'd, to the perpetual Scandal of this Poet, that his chief, if not only Excellen cy, cy, lies in his moral Sentences. Indeed Pindar is a great Mafter of this Excellency, for which all Men of Senfe will admire him; and at the fame time be aftonish'd at that Man's Honesty who flights fuch an Excellency; and that Man's Understanding, who cannot discover many more Excellencies in him. I remember in one of his Olympic Odes, in a noble Confidence of his own Genius, and a just Contempt of his vile and malicious Adverfaries, he compares himself to an Eagle, and them to Crows: And indeed he foars far above the Reach and out of the View of noily fluttering Cavillers. The famous Greek Profeffor Duport, has made an entertaining and useful Collection of Homer's Divine and Moral Sayings, and has with great Dexterity compar'd them with parallel Paffages out of the infpir'd Writers m. By which it ap Gnomologia Homerica Captab. 166ɔ. 2 pears pears that there is no Book in the World fo like the Style of the Holy Bible as Homer. The noble Hiftorians abound with moral Reflexions upon the Conduct of human Life; and powerfully instruct both by Precepts and Examples. They paint Vice and Villany in horrid Colours; and employ all their Reason and Eloquence to pay due Honours to Virtue, and render undiffembled Goodnefs amiable in the Eye of Mankind. They express a true Reverence for the establish'd Religion, and a hearty Concern for the profperous State of their native Countrey. Xenophon's memorable Things of Socrates is a very inftructive and refin'd Syftem of Morality; it goes thro' all Points of Duty to God and Man, with great Clearness of Senfe and found Notion, and with inexpreffible Simplicity and Purity of Language. The great Socrates there difcourfes in fuch a manner, as is most proper to engage and perfuade perfuade all forts of Readers: He argues with the Reason of a Philofopher; directs with the Authority of a Lawgiver, and addreffes with the Familiarity and Endearments of a Friend. He made as many Improvements in true Morality, as cou'd be made by the unaffifted Strength of human Reafon; nay he delivers himself in fome Places as if he was enlighten'd by a Ray from Heaven. In one of Plato's divine Dialogues, "Socrates utters a furprizing Prophecy of a di-, vine Perfon, a true Friend and Lover of human Nature, who was to come into the World to instruct them in the most acceptable Way of addreffing their Prayers to the Majefty of God. I don't wonder when I hear that fome Prelates of the Church have recommended the serious Study of Juvenal's moral Parts to their Clergy. n Dialog. Select. Cantab. 1683. 2d. Alcibiad. P. 255 That That manly and vigorous Author, fo perfect a Master in the ferious and fublime Way of Satyr, is not unacquainted with any of the Excellencies of good Writing; but is efpecially to be admir'd and valu'd for his exalted Morals. He diffuades from Wickednefs and exhorts to Goodnefs, with Vehemence of Zeal that can scarce be diffembled, and Strength of Reafon that cannot easily be refifted. He does not praise Virtue and condemn Vice, as one has a favourable and the other a malignant Afpect upon a Man's Fortune in this World only; but he establishes the unalterable Distinctions of Good and Evil; and builds his Doctrine upon the immovable Foundation of God and infinite Providence. His Morals are fuited to the Nature and Dignity of an immortal Soul; and like it, derive their Original from Heaven. How found and ferviceable is that wonderful Notion in the thirteenth E 2 Satyr, |