DIAL. fome other fupport befides the novelty of his performance.

1.

CLEAND. Now then Callicrates's way of writing, is not only new and peculiar to himself, but there is an admirable strength in his expreffions. His thoughts feem to be properly his own, and to flow from an extraordinary elevation of wit. Every fentence feems to be full of fenfe, and the fecond still more furprizing than the first.

EUDOX. Juft as I thought. His flashing expreffions have furprized you too much to give you the leifure of an examination of them. Those concife Sentences, those short Cuts, thofe continual Metaphors, and that which I call the Tic-Tac, of an Antithefis, ftrikes indeed at first, but will feldom bear the test of a reflection. Oftentimes you find those turns of expreffion and thought, as Quintilian obferves, are ridiculous when examin'd, tho' at firft they pleafed extremely, and feem'd wondrous witty. I cannot but think a fecond reading will much abate your opinion in this matter, and that a third will bring you over to mine.

CLEAND. Here you are at Prophecies again.

Excufla rifum habent; inventa, facie ingenii blandiuntur. 1.8. cap.5.

DIAL.

I.

EUDOX. All this prophefying consists only in drawing a natural inference from paft. experience. You know how much you admired at firft Lipfius's hopping ftyle: yet, as I told you then, you foon changed your opinion, and with a great deal of reason. For tho' I always admired Lipfius upon many accounts, yet never, I can affure you, for his Style. Now, methinks, the English of Callicrates is fomething like Lipfius's Latin.

CLEAND. I must confefs the very comparison staggers me a little. But something, Sir, must be allowed to the particular genius of every language; and a way of writing that will not agree fo well with the Latin tongue, may yet run prettily in Englifh. For Latin being more regular and majestick, seems to require a graver pace, and cannot be allowed that freedom which the very irregularity of our language feems to give us.

EUDOX. A great deal muft certainly be granted to the Genius of a Language, which is as different in every nation as their way of government. But as common sense is every where the fame, and what is reason in English, will be reafon in Latin too; fo in the very way of writing, there is fomething both pleafing and neceffary in every language; there is fomething com

mon,

h

DIAL. mon, which runs through all and every · I. one, not excluded by any particularity of Genius, but univerfally requifite. And this I take to be that equality of Style, that exactness which must be observed, as well in propriety of expreffion, as in the proportion of the thoughts. For my part, I could never admire those writings where every other fentence feems to be a different piece: where the expreffion is perpetually forc'd from a metaphor; where every now and then one meets with thofe fentences and thoughts, which, as Quintilian fays, wou'd not look fo great, but that every thing round 'em is mean. And indeed they look ftaringly on it, as if they wonder'd to find themselves out of their place, and in the midst of others of a lower fize.

CLEAND. Wou'd you then have an Author always creep for fear of foaring too high? If a man were not allowed fometimes to raise both his thoughts and expreffions, we fhou'd take but little fatiffaction in reading. I love to meet in an Author a certain noble air, that cannot endure a fervile fubjection to fuch rules and precepts, as make the work rather mean than exact. Cicero, I fuppofe, is a good

↳ Sit quidvis fimplex duntaxat & unum. Hor. Art. Poet. i Sententia ipfa, quas folas petunt, magis eminent quum omnia circa illas fordida & abjecta funt. Lib. 2. Cap. 12.

2

judge

I.

judge in the matter. And I remember he DIAL. fays, a well-understood negligence is better than an affected accuracy *. k I will even venture to say, that nothing is less exact, than what is always fo. None are less pleafing than your artificial Authors. Much after the fame manner, in one fenfe, (if you will give me leave to make so odd a comparison) as Martial fays, no one smells worse than he 'that is always perfumed '. Is it not better too, to venture now and then at some noble' fally of wit, than always to creep fneakingly along for fear of out-walking your rules? or, as Quintilian has it ", to lie always flat, for fear of a fall. In a word, I had rather be witty with hazard, than infipid by art.

m

EUDOX. So I perceive you are as fond of freedom in your thoughts, as Libertines are in their manners. However, Sir, (to ufe Callicrates's phrase) not to cramp your fancy and cut the finews of your eloquence, take if you please a liberty, but let it be reasonable". A free eafy air and carriage is extremely taking; but it degenerates into ridiculousness, when it is foppish and

Quadam etiam negligentia eft diligens. De Orat. 1. 3. poft medium.

1 Pofthume non benè olet, qui benè femper olet.

cap.5.

n

Dum timent ne aliquando cadant, femper jacent. Lib.8.

Dabiturque licentia fumpta pudenter, Hor. Art. Poër.

flaunting.

I.

DIAL. flaunting. The like happens in Styles; and moreover, those noble authors, as you call them, often give their notions fo rambling a liberty, that it leads to extravagance. But remember, that when I speak in terms of this harsh nature, I wou'd by no means have you think I make the application to Callicrates. Such general reflections as I have, or may hereafter make, upon false eloquence, though occafion'd by what I may fay of him, are not my fentiment of his writing, any farther than I fhall expreffly make the application. And fince you will have my opinion upon the Art of Writing, I fhall be forced to take a much larger compass than merely what I think may be faulty in him. Let me add then, that Libertine and Rule-Hating Authors are apt to fall fhort of common sense, for fear of being reasonable by conftraint. Rather than be confined to precepts of art, they follow every rifing fancy, and rather chuse to talk non-fenfe freely, than reason by rule. They run on without order, for fear of feeming flaves to method. They think nothing is great, but what is unconfin'd; nothing cafy, but what is loofe. Upon a notion of difengaged thoughts, they rove in a maze of unconnected ideas; and in the wandring fit, lose themselves

• Rudia politis majora, sparsa compofitis numerofiora ereduntur. Quint. 1. 2. cap. 12.

and