that any great genius who introduces poetry into a language, has a power to polish it, and of all the manners of speaking then in use, to settle that for poetical which he judges moft adapted to the art. Take notice too, that HOMER has not only done this for neceffity but for ornament, fince he uses various dialects to humour his fenfe with founds which are expreffive of it. Thus much in behalf of my author to answer ZoILUS: as for myself, who deal with his followers, I muft argue from neceffity, that the word was ftubborn, and would not ply to the quantities of an English verse, and therefore I altered it by the dialect we call poetical, which makes my line fo much fmoother, that I am ready to cry with their brother Lipfius, when he turned an O into an I, Vel ego me amo, vel me amavit Phoebus, quando hoc correxi. To this let me add a recrimination upon fome of them as first, fuch as choose words written after the manner of those who preceded the pureft age of a language, without the neceffity I have pleaded, as regundi for regendi, perduit for perdidit, which restoration of obfolete words deferves to be called a critical licence or dialect. 2dly, Those who pretending to verfe without an ear, use the poetical dialect of abbreviation, fo that the lines fhall run the rougher for it. And, 3dly, Those who prefume by their critical licences to alter the spellings of words; an affectation which deftroys the etymology of a language, and being

carried

carried on by private hands for fancy or fashion, would be a thing we should never have an end of.

Book III. page 87. ver. 13. Nor Pallas, Jove.} I cannot, fays ZoILUS, but reflect upon this Speech of Mars, where a Moufe is opposed to the God of war, the Goddess of valour, the thunder of Jupiter, and all the Gods at once, but I rejoice to think that Pythagoras faw HOMER's foul in hell hanging on a tree, and furrounded with ferpents for what he faid of the Gods. Thus he who hates fables anfwers one with another, and can rejoice in them when they flatter his envy. He appears at the head of his fquadron of critics in the full spirit of one utterly devoted to a party; with whom truth is a lie, or as bad as a lie, when it makes against him; and falfe quotations pafs for truth, when they are neceffary to a cause.

Book III. page 90. ver. 7. And a whole War.] Here, fays ZOILUS, is an end of a very foolish poem, of which by this time I have effectually convinced the world, and filenced all fuch for the future, who, like HOMER, write fables to which others find morals, characters whofe juftness is questioned, unneceffary digreffions, and impious epifodes. But what affurance can fuch as ZoILUS have, that the world will ever be convinced against an established reputation, by fuch people whofe faults in writing are so very notorious? who judge against rules, affirm without reasons, and cenfure without manners? who quote themfelves for a fupport of their opinions, found their pride

upon

upon a learning in trifles, and their fuperiority upor the claims they magisterially make? who write of beauties in a harsh ftile, judge of excellency with a lowness of fpirit, and purfue their defire to decry it with every artifice of envy? There is no difgrace in being cenfured, where there is no credit to be favoured. But, on the contrary, envy gives a teftimony of fome perfection in another; and one who is attacked by many, is like a hero whom his enemies acknowledge for fuch, when they point all the fpears of a battle against him. In short, an author who writes for every age, may even erect himfelf a monument of those stones which envy throws at him while the critic who writes against him can have no fame because he had no fuccefs ; or if he fancies he may fucceed, he should remember, that by the nature of his undertaking, he would but undermine his own foundation; for he is to fink of courfe when the book which he writes against, and and for which alone he is read, is loft in disrepute or oblivion.

FINI S.