"Though I reverence those men of antient time, that either have written truth perspicuously, or set us in any better way to find it out ourselves; yet to the antiquity itself I think nothing due; for if we will reverence the age, the present is the oldest. If the antiquity of the writer, I am not sure, that generally they to whom such honour is given, were more antient when they wrote than I am that am writing. But, if it be well considered, the praise of antient authors proceeds not from the reverence for the dead, but from the competition and mutual envy of the living." HOBBES. MS. Pate.

"I have very lately been authentically informed, that Swift used to be mortified at Sir William Temple's frequent censure and contempt of burlesque writings; and was much hurt at the fast paragraph of Sir William's Essay upon Ancient and Modern Learning; where he says, 'I wish the vein of ridiculing all that is serious and good, all honour and virtue, as well as learning and piety, may have no worse effect on any state; it is the itch of our age and climate; and has overrun both the court and the stage, enters a house of lords and commons, as boldly as a coffee-house; debates of council, as well as private conversation; and I have known in my life, more than one or two ministers of state, that would rather have said a witty thing, than have done a wise one; and made the company laugh, rather than the kingdom rejoice." DR. WARTON,

THE BOOKSELLER TO THE READER.

THE following discourse, as it is unquestionably of the same author, so it seems to have been written about the same time with the former; I mean, the year 1697, when the famous dispute was on foot about Ancient and Modern Learning. The controversy took its rise, from an essay of sir William Temple's upon that subject; which was answered by W. Wotton, B. D. with an appendix by Dr. Bentley, endeavouring to destroy the credit of Æsop and Phalaris for authors, whom sir William Temple had in the essay before-mentioned highly commended. In that appendix, the Doctor falls hard upon a new edition of Phalaris, put out by the honourable Charles Boyle, now earl of Orrery, to which Mr. Boyle replied at large with great learning and wit; and the Doctor voluminously rejoined. In this dispute, the town highly resented to see a person of sir William Temple's character and merits, roughly used by the two reverend gentlemen aforesaid, and without any manner of provocation. At length, there appearing no end of the quarrel, our author tells us, that the BOOKS in St. James's library, looking upon themselves as parties principally concerned, took up the controversy, and came to a decisive battle; but the manuscript, by the injury of fortune or weather, being in several places imperfect, we cannot learn to which side the victory fell.

I must warn the reader to beware of applying to persons, what is here meant only of books in the most literal sense. So, when Virgil is mentioned, we are not to understand the person of a famous poet called by that name; but only certain sheets of paper bound up in leather, containing in print the works of the said poet: and so of the rest.

THE PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR,

SATIRE is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover every body's face, but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind reception it meets with in the world, and that so very few are offended with it. But if it should happen otherwise, the danger is not great; and I have learned, from long experience, never to apprehend mischief from those understandings, I have been able to provoke: for, anger and fury, though they add strength to the sinews of the body, yet are found to relax those of the mind; and to render all its efforts, feeble and impotent.

There is a brain, that will endure but one scumming: let the owner gather it with discretion, and manage his little stock with husbandry; but, of all things, let him beware of bringing it under the lash of his betters; because, that will make it all bubble up into impertinence, and he will find no new supply. Wit, without knowledge, being a sort of dream, which gathers in a night to the top, and by a skilful hand may be soon whipped into froth: but once scummed away, what appears underneath, will be fit for nothing, but to be thrown to the hogs.

* Since every man is fond of his own face, why should you, when we hold it, break the glass? ETHERAGE.

A FULL AND TRUE ACCOUNT, &c.

:

WHOEVER examines, with due circumspection, into the annual records of Time*, will find it remarked, that war is the child of pride, and pride the daughter of riches: the former of which assertions, may be soon granted; but one cannot so easily subscribe to the latter for pride, is nearly related to beggary and want, either by father or mother, and sometimes by both; and, to speak naturally, it very seldom happens among men to fall out t, when all have enough; invasions usually travelling from north to south, that is to say, from poverty to plenty. The most ancient and natural grounds of quarrels, are, lust and avarice; which, though we may allow to be brethren, or collateral branches of pride, are certainly the issues of want. For, to speak in the phrase of writers upon politicks, we may observe in the republick of dogs, which in its original seems to be an institution of the many, that the whole state is ever in the profoundest peace, after a full meal; and that civil broils arise among them, when it happens for one great bone to be seized on by some leading dog, who either divides it the few, and then it falls to an oligarchy, among

Riches produce pride; pride is war's ground, &c. Vid. Ephem. de Mary Clarke; opt. edit.-now called Wing's Sheet Almanack, and printed for the Company of Stationers. H.

This is ungrammatical; it should be it very seldom happens among men, that they fall out,' &c. S.

This mode of expression is bald, and not reconcileable to grammar: it should be, when it happens that one great bone is seized on by some leading dog,' &c. S.

or keeps it to himself, and then it runs up to a tyranny. The same reasoning also holds place among them, in those dissentions we behold, upon a turgescency in any of their females. For, the right of possession lying in common, (it being impossible to establish a property in so delicate a case) jealousies and suspicions do so abound, that the whole commonwealth of that street, is reduced to a manifest state of war, of every citizen against every citizen; till some one of more courage, conduct, or fortune than the rest, seizes and enjoys the prize: upon which naturally arises plenty of heart-burning, and envy, and snarling against the happy dog. Again, if we look upon any of these republicks engaged in a foreign war either of invasion or defence, we shall find, the same reasoning will serve, as to the grounds and occasions of each; and that poverty, or want, in some degree or other, (whether real, or in opinion, which makes no alteration in the case) has a great share, as well as pride, on the part of the aggressor.

Now, whoever will please to take this scheme, and either reduce or adapt it to an intellectual state, or common-wealth of learning, will soon discover the first ground of disagreement, between the two great parties at this time in arms; and may form just conclusions, upon the merits of either cause. But the issue or events of this war*, are not so easy to conjecture att: for, the present quarrel is so inflamed by the warm heads of either faction, and the pretension's somewhere or other so exorbitant, as not

*"For there is nothing more uncertain

"Than, in events of war, Dame Fortune."

HUDIBRAS.

+Are not so easy to conjecture at' —is a strange impropriety of speech: the sentence would run much better thus. But it is not so easy to conjecture what will be the issue or events of this war. S.