raphy, the Prince of modern Critics, 29 able to communicate no more than of Spalding School was conferred upon him by his College. And when we consider his extreme youth, the commission of so important a trust implies a high opinion both of his scholarship and steadiness. In this situation Bentley continued only a year, insomuch that during his lifetime it was very little known that our great Aristarchus had ever filled such a post. Had the junto of wits who combined their efforts to bring down this Goliath, got a knowledge of this circumstance, they would have been but too happy to have added "pedagogue" to their constant appellation of pedant." The want of a house of residence at Spalding, however, soon induced Bentley to resign the school for a situation as private tutor to the son of Dean Stillingfleet. He was too, we suspect, much influenced by that long-sight which minds of such a calibre as Bentley's usually possess, and which was so remarkable in one who bore no small resemblance to Bentley, Dr. S. Parr. He, no doubt, saw that such a post would consign him to perpetual and hopeless obscurity; whereas the situation with Dean Stillingfleet gave him some chance of making his merits known, and advancing himself in life. Had he continued at Spalding, he would probably have been a Richard Johnson rather than a Richard Bentley; and some grammatical commentaries, or splenetic effusions of hypercriticism against his more fortunate compeers, would have probably been all that he would have produced. In truth, the very crisis of his fate for life turned on the pivot of his acceptance or rejection of this situation with the Dean, where he enjoyed the use of one of the best private libraries in the world, with the improvement which was sure to be derived from the society of one of the most learned men in Europe. Bentley took his M.A. degree at the usual time, and then, for some years, his connection with the University terminated; the Dean in whose family he lived residing principally in London. During this period, he prosecuted his studies with every advantage, and no doubt laid up much of those treasures of knowledge from which, in after times, he so readily drew forth, like the prudent householder in the parable, things new and old." At this time, too, though his chief attention was devoted to Classics, yet he bestowed a considerable share of study on Theology and the Criticism of the New Tes tament, and in order thereto applied himself closely to the Oriental languages, and formed for his own use a sort of Hexapla, out of the various interpretations of Hebrew words in the ancient versions, and also wrote a quarto volume of various readings and emendations on the Hebrew text, derived from those versions, which (as we think) in the immaturity of his judgment, Bentley then appreciated too highly; being, we suspect, an Antipunctuist, and therefore no very sound Hebraist. The advances Bentley had made at that early age are the more remarkable, when we consider that he enjoyed none of those aids which are now so well adapted to smooth the path of the Classical and Biblical student. Grammatical learning was then very imperfectly known, and there was moreover a great want of good lexicons and indexes, which supply such valua ble assistance to the scholars of the present day. But Bentley, in reliance on his own exertions, and drawing from his own resources, struck out an original path in criticism, in which his own consummate sagacity and subtilty of genius enabled him to obtain unrivalled pre-eminence. In order to effect the important purposes in view, he did not rely on his memory (which, unlike the case of his predecessors Scaliger and Salmasius, and his successors Porson and Parr, was not extraordinary), but on the habit which he practised through life, of noting down (usually in the margin of his books) the thoughts which suggested themselves to his mind. Nay, he even formed for his own use indexes of various authors; a course, by the way, which was diligently followed by the mighty critics and philologists of the Dutch school. Bentley did not (from the unsettled state of the Church in the reign of James II.) enter into holy or ders till some years after the usual age. But, upon his patron Dean Stilling. fleet being promoted to the Bishoprick of Worcester, he took Deacon's orders, March 16th, 1689-90, from the Bishop of London, and was appointed Chaplain to his Patron. He a little before had accompanied his pupil James Stillingfleet, to a residence in Wadham College, Oxford, as his private tutor, and was incorporated M.A. of that University. Here he resided some time under very favourable circumstances; his connection with the Bishop of Worcester having introduced him to the notice of some of the distinguished scholars of the University, with whom his own merits soon placed him on a footing of intimacy. Here Bentley fully availed himself of the boundless treasares of the Bodleian, and collected materials for various works which he meditated in widely different departments of literature. About this time, he was employed by some leading heads at Oxford to negotiate the purchase of the Library of Isaac Vossius, supposed to be the richest private collection in existence; but, from some deception employed by the persons with whom he had to negociate, the treaty was broken off, and the library, without any fault of his, lost to Oxford. Bentley now meditated, as the foundation of his fame, a complete collection of the Fragments of the Greek Poets: a vast undertaking, and of stupendous difficulty, as may be imagined from the collection Bentley actually made of the fragments of one single author, Callimachus. The project was, however, abandoned for very valid reasons, since, as Dr. Monk observes, "the object is better answered by several editors, each peculiarly versed in his own author, annexing to his entire works the fragments of those which have perished." Bentley at this time also devoted a considerable attention to the Greek Lexicographers, and underlook, at Bishop Stilling fleet's suggestion, to publish them in columns in one Corpus; but on finding that it was almost impracticable, he abandoned the scheme; but the notes he had prepared were exceedingly valuable, especially on Hesychius, by far the most important, but the most corrupt, we do not say of all ancient Lexicons, but of all Greek writers, since of this there is only one most incorrect MS. in existence. 31 brated Hody wrote Prolegomena, and Bentley, at the request of Mill and Bishop Lloyd, was induced to furnish an Appendix, couched in the form of an "Epistola Critica ad Millium." On this work Dr. Monk makes the following pertinent observations, p. 23, et seq. : But while Bentley was meditating this and other works of magnitude and importance, mere chance directed his attention to a subject which was the means of establishing his unrivalled fame as a Critic. Among the nume rous Chronicles compiled from ancient Sources by early Christian writers, of the events from Adam to their time, was that of Joannes Malelas. Of this only one copy was in existence. An edition of this author had been prepared by Gregory and Chilmead of Oxford, accompanied with learned notes; and was now brought out at the Oxford press under the superintendence of Dr. Mill, afterwards the editor of the Greek Testament. To this work, the cele "The various and accurate learning, and astonishing sagacity displayed in this Epistle, attracted the attention of every person capable of judging upon such subjects. The originality of Bentley's style, the boldness of his opinions, and his secure reliance upon unfailing stores of learning, all marked him out as a scholar to be ranked with Scaliger, Casaubon, and Gataker. Notwithstanding the reluctance with which the pretensions of a new author are usually admitted, and the small number of persons to whom such writings were likely to recommend themselves, we find that the fame of our Critic scholars in particular, the sensation produced was at once established: among foreign by this essay of a young and unknown writer, seems to have been unexampled; and Grævius and Spanheim, the chiefs of the learned world, pronounced him the rising constellation of literature,' and anticipated the brilliancy of his course. The learning of this essay seems like the overflowing of an inexhaustible stream: of the many topics which claim attention, we may particularly notice that the true nature of the compilation of Hesychius, and the mode by which its errors might be corrected, was here first made known and that, by following the path pointed out by Bentley, the main improvements in this Lexicon from that day to the present must be attributed. The style of the Epistle is animated and lively, and implies the gratification felt by a writer engaged in a field where his resources are abundant, and where he is sure to instruct and interest his reader. A person who opens it with the expectation of a dry disquisition upon cermeeting with information not less entertaintain abstract topics, is agreeably surprised by ing than profound; and is irresistibly carried : on by the spirited character of the remarks. "Such was the production which established the fame of Bentley, at the age of twentynine, in the highest rank of literary eminence; and from that moment the eyes of every scholar in Europe were fixed upon his operations. Great as is the number of persons who have since appeared with success in this department, it would not be easy to name a critical essay which, for accuracy, ingenuity, and original learning, can take place of the 'Appendix to Malelas.' Bentley now resolved to devote himself to Theology, but being summoned back to the Classics by the general voice of the learned world, he set himself to prepare new editions of Philostratus, Hesychius, and Manilius; three authors (says Dr. Monk) of such different descriptions, and requiring in the Editor such different qualifications, as form a proof of the fertility of his learning and the energy of his mind. He never actually brought out any one of these writers, leaving Philostratus to Olearius, and Hesychius to Alberti; but his apparatus of critical remarks on the two last were very valuable to the above editors some years afterwards. Bentley was now (1692) appointed Boyle's Lecturer, and the subject of the discourses was a Confulation of Atheism, in opposition to Spinoza and Hobbes, whose pernicious principles, though they had been ably combated by Cudworth and Cum berland, yet required to be assailed in some more popular and effective man ner. "The reader of these discourses," says Dr. Monk," is informed and delighted by the variety of knowledge which they contaiu, and their close and convincing train of rea soning. The success with which Bentley unmasks the tenets of the atheist, grapples with his arguments, and exposes his fallacies, has never been surpassed, and scarcely equalled, in the wars of controversy. steadily follows up his antagonist, and never fails to dislodge him from his positions. Various as are the topics which come under discussion, he appears at home in all, and displays a familiarity with metaphysics, natural history, and philosophy, altogether wonderful in a person coming fresh from the field of classical criticism." He In the course of this work Bentley availed himself of the aid of Newton's immortal discoveries in philosophy, and indeed was the first to make them known to the world. To do this the more successfully, he corresponded much with Newton himself, and was aided by many valuable suggestions from him, so that, as our Biographer says, "This department of natural Theology has never yet been so satisfactorily illustrated. The style is remarkable, not only for its vigour, but for a certain epigrammatic and witty turn, which gives it a peculiar character and effect, original, manly, and uncompromising, and every sentence has its weight." Before the year was over, Bentley was presented to a Prebend in Worcester Cathedral, and his residence fixed for the months when the Bishop was at Worcester. The reputation and promotion which he had now attained produced the usual effect, envy, which was increased by a certain haughtiness of manner and vain-gloriousness which grew with his growth and strengthened with his strength, and which may chiefly, perhaps, be attributed to his being in a great measure self-taught. This year Bentley commenced a correspondence with the celebrated J. J. Grævius of Utrecht, the most distinguished scholar of his time; which continued until the death of Grævius. All their letters are preserved, and are highly interesting, on various accounts. Grævius had now in hand an edition of Callimachus, to which Spanheim furnished an ample Commentary, and Bentley a full collection of the fragments dispersed in various authors, more than doubling those of former editors, and evincing a learning and critical acumen equal to that of almost any of his productions. In 1692-3, Bentley was appointed Keeper of the King's Library, at a salary of 2001. a year, then a considerable sum. In 1694, he was summoned to preach his second course of Boyle's Lectures. His subject was the defence of Christianity against the objections of infidels. These were unfortunately never given to the world, and in whose possession the MS. now is, Dr. Monk has never been able to discover. Amidst these engagements and this rising fame, Bentley became involved in that dispute which forms a prominent feature in his life, the Controversy on the Epistles of Phalaris. The origin and progress of this is detailed with great perspicuity and abi lity by our Biographer. We know not whether we shall make it fully understood to the reader in the following slight sketch. This dispute had its origin in the controversy concerning the respective merits of the Ancients and the Moderns, in which Fontenelle and Perrault strenuously, but incautiously, maintained the superiority of the Moderns; while Sir W. Temple as stiffly maintained. the claims of the Antients: running into the opposite extreme, by claiming for them a superiority in every department, not only in genius and taste, but in philosophy and science. His rea soning is, however, inconclusive, his views shallow, his credulity ridiculous, his manner too dogmatical; and his whole work savours more of a College, declamation than a calm enquiry. However, it was much read and applauded, even by Boileau and Racine; but the imperfections of the disquisition became apparent to unprejudiced and cool thinkers. This induced Wotton to put forth his "Reflections on Ancient and Modern Learning," in which he weighs the arguments of the rival champions, and adjusts the respective claims to superiority. This sound, judicious, and candid inquiry, was especially acceptable, after the shallow and declamatory ones which had preceded it. Though professedly an umpire, he more frequently sides with Fontenelle than with Sir W. Temple. Among other arguments for the decay of hu man genius, the latter had ventured to pronounce that the oldest books extant were still the best in their kind, adducing as examples what were believed to be the most ancient prose writers, the Fables of Esop, and the Epistles of Phalaris. These Bentley, in conversation with Wotton, maintained to be "neither old nor good, nor even genuine;" and undertook to furnish his friend with proofs of their being forge ries, in time for the publication of his work, but, owing to a press of business and a disposition to procrastinate, he failed in his engagement, and thus Wotton's publication appeared without any notice of the Tyrant or the Fabulist. However, the panegyric on Phalaris by the most popular writer of the day, excited in the public a wish to become acquainted with his inimitable Epistles. The Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, had been accustomed to set his best scholars to give new editions of classical works, and to present a copy of each to every young man in his college as a new year's gift, which reminds one of that kind of joint stock system by which the learned Benedictines were enabled to send forth those noble editions of the Greek Fathers. The Editor selected for Phalaris was the Hon. Mr. Boyle, brother to the Earl of Orrery, assisted by Mr. Freind (afterwards the celebrated physician) his private tutor. For the service of this edition it was thought proper to collate MSS. one of which was in the Library of St. James's. Mr. Boyle wrote to a bookseller of the name of Bennet, desiring him to get this MS. collated; who, after many accountable delays, applied to Mr. Bentley (before he was librarian) as he was one day in his shop, to procure a loan of the MS.; but as the application had not been made to him, Bentley took no great trouble about the matter, and even spoke slightingly of Phalaris. Bennet still, however, procrastinating, after a fresh application for the collation, laid the blame of the delay on BentGENT. MAG. July, 1830. 33 ley, who was now librarian, and as- (To be continued.) |