clergy, numbers of those answerers immediately started up, whofe memory if he had not kept alive by his replies, it would now be utterly unknown, that he were ever answered at all. There is indeed an exception, when any great genius thinks it worth his while to expofe a foolish piece; fo we ftill read Marvel's anfwer to Parker † with pleasure, though the book it anfwers be funk long ago; fo the Earl of Orrery's remarks will be read with delight, when the differtation he expofes will neither be fought nor found : but these are no enterprizes for common hands, nor to be hoped for above once or twice in an age. Men would be more cautious of lofing their time in fuch an undertaking, if they did but confider, that to answer a book effectually, requires more pains and skill, more wit, learning, and judgment, than were employed in the writing it. And the author affures thofe gentlemen, who

+ Parker, afterwards bishop of Oxford, wrote many treatifes against the diffenters, with infolence and contempt, fays Burnet, that enraged them beyond meafute; for which he was chaftifed by Andrew Marvel, under fecre

tary to Milton, in a little book called the Rehearsal tranfprofed.

Boyle's remarks upon Bentley's differtation on the epiftles of Phalaris, fee page 55.243.

have given themselves that trouble with him, that his discourse is the product of the study, the observation, and the invention of feveral years; that he often blotted out much more than he left, and, if his papers had not been a long time out of his poffeffion, they must have still undergone more fevere corrections: and, do they think fuch a building is to be battered with dirt-pellets, however envenomed the mouths may be that discharge them? He hath feen the productions but of two anfwerers, one of which at first appeared as from an unknown hand, but fince avowed by a perfon, * who upon fome occafions hath discovered no ill vein of humour. It

is a pity any occasion should put him under a neceffity of being fo hafty in his productions, which otherwise might often be entertaining. But there were other reasons obvious enough for his miscarriage in this; he writ against the conviction of his talent, and entered upon one of the wrongest at

Suppofed to be Doctor William King, the civilian, author of an account of Denmark, a differtation on famplars and other pieces of bur

lefque on the Royal Society, and the art of cookery in imitation of Horace's art of poetry, &c.

tempts

tempts in nature, to turn into ridicule by a week's labour a work, which had coft fo much time, and met with fo much fuccefs in ridiculing others: the manner how he handled his fubject I have now forgot, having just looked it over, when it first came out, as others did, merely for the fake of the

title.

The other answer is from a perfon of a graver character, and is made up of half invective, and half annotation; † in the latter of which he hath generally fucceeded well enough. And the project at that time was not amifs to draw in readers to his pamphlet, feveral having appeared defirous, that there might be fome explication of the more difficult paffages. Neither can he be altogether blamed for offering at the invective part, because it is agreed on all hands, that the author had

This we cannot recover at prefent, it being fo abfolutely forgotten, the oldeft bookfellers in trade remember nothing of it.

+ Wotton's defence of his reflections upon ancient and modern learning: from the annotation are selected the notes figned W. Wotton; thus Wotton

appears bufied to illuftrate a work, which he laboured to condemn, and adds force to a fatire pointed against himself: as captives were bound to the chariot-wheel of the victor,and compelled to increase the pomp of his triumph, whom they had in vain attempted to defeat.

given him fufficient provocation. The great objection is against his manner of treating it, very unfuitable to one of his function. It was determined by a fair majority, that this anfwerer had, in a way not to be pardoned, drawn his pen against a certain great man then alive, and univerfally reverenced for every good quality that could poffibly enter into the compofition of the moft accomplished perfon; it was obferved, how he was pleased, and affected to have that noble writer called his adversary; and it was a point of fatyr well directed; for I have been told, Sir William Temple was fufficiently mortified at the term. All the men of wit and politeness were immediately up in arms through indignation, which prevailed over their contempt by the confequences they apprehended from fuch an example; and it grew Porfenna's cafe; idem trecenti juravimus. In short, things were ripe for a general infurrection, till my lord Orrery had a little laid the fpirit, and fettled the ferment. But, his lordfhip being principally engaged with another antagonist it was

* Bentley, concerning Phalaris and Esop.

thought

thought neceffary, in order to quiet the minds of men, that this opposer fhould receive a reprimand, which partly occafioned that discourse of the Battle of the Books, and the author was farther at the pains to infert one or two remarks on him in the body of the book.

This answerer has been pleafed to find fault with about a dozen paffages, which the author will not be at the trouble of defending, farther than by affuring the reader, that, for the greater part the reflecter is intirely mistaken, and forces interpretations which never once entered into the writer's head, nor will (he is fure) into that of any reader of taste and candor; he allows two or three at most, there produced, to have been delivered unwarily; for which he defires to plead the excuse offered already, of his youth, and franknefs of speech, and his papers being out of his power at the time they were published.

But this answerer infists, and says, what he chiefly dislikes, is the defign; what that was, I have already told, and I believe there is not a perfon in England who

can