weakens the vigor of the mind? - For the antients feem to be confidered by us as fo many guards to prevent the free excurfions of imagination, and fet bounds to her flight. Whereas they ought rather to be looked upon (the few, I mean, who are themfelves originals) as encouragements to a full and uncontrouled exertion of her faculties. But if here or there a poet has courage enough to truft to his own unaffifted reach of thought, his example does not feem so much to incite others to make the fame adventurous attempts, as to confirm them in the humble difpofition of imitation. For if he fucceeds, he immediately becomes himself the occafion of a thousand models: if he does not, he is pointed out as a discouraging inftance of the folly of renouncing those established leaders which antiquity has authorized. Thus invention is depreffed and genius enflaved the creative power of poetry is loft, and the ingenious, inftead of exerting that productive faculty which alone can render them the full objects of admiration, are humbly contented with borrowing both the materials and the plans of their mimic structures. I am, &c.

LETTER

LETTER VI.

To ORONTES.

March 10, 1729.

TH

HERE is nothing perhaps, wherein mankind are more frequently mistaken, than in the judgments which they pass on each other. The stronger lines, indeed, in every man's character, must always be marked too clearly and diftinctly to deceive even the most careless obferver; and no one, I am perfuaded, was ever esteemed in the general opinion of the world as highly deficient in his moral or intellectual qualities, who did not justly merit his reputation. But I speak only of thofe more nice and delicate traits which distinguish the feveral degrees of probity and good-fenfe, and afcertain the quantum (if I may so express it) of human merit. The powers of the foul are so often concealed by modefty, diffidence, timidity, and a thousand other accidental affections; and the nice complexion of her moral operations depends fo entirely on thofe internal principles from whence they proceeds

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proceed; that those who form their notions of others by cafual and diftant views, must unavoidably be led into very erroneous judgments. Even Orontes, with all his candor and penetration, is not, I perceive, entirely fecure from miftakes of this fort; and the fentiments you expreffed in your last letter concerning Varus, are by no means agreeable to the truth of his character.

Ir must be acknowledged at the fame time, that Varus is an exception to all general rules: neither his head nor his heart are exactly to be difcovered by those indexes, which are usually fuppofed to point directly to the genius and temper of other men. Thus with a memory that will fcarce ferve him for the common purposes of life, with an imagination even more flow than his memory, and with an attention that could not carry him thro' the easiest propofition in Euclid; he has a found and excellent understanding, joined to a refined and exquifite tafte. But the rectitude of his fentiments feems to arife lefs from reflection than fenfation; rather from certain fuitable feelings which the objects that prefent

fent themselves to his confideration instantly occafion in his mind, than from the energy of any active faculties which he is capable of exerting for that purpose. His conversation is unentertaining: for though he talks a great deal, all that he utters is delivered with labor and hesitation. Not that his ideas are really dark and confufed; but because he is never contented to convey them in the first words that occur. Like the orator mentioned by Tully, metuens ne vitiofum colligeret, etiam verum fanguinem deperdebat, he expreffes himself ill by always endeavouring to express himself better, His reading cannot fo properly be faid to have rendered him knowing, as not ignorant: it has rather enlarged, than filled his mind.

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HIS temper is as fingular as his genius," and both equally mistaken by those who only know him a little. If you were to judge of him by his general appearance, you would believe him incapable of all the more delicate fenfations: nevertheless, under a rough and boisterous behavior, he conceals a heart full of tenderness and humanity. He has a fenfibility of nature, indeed,

deed, beyond what I ever obferved in any other man; and I have often feen him affected by those little circumftances, which would make no impreffion on a mind of lefs exquifite feelings. This extreme fenfibility in his temper influences his fpeculations as well as his actions, and he hovers between various hypothefes without fettling upon any, by giving importance to those minuter difficulties which would not be ftrong enough to fufpend a more active and vigorous mind. In a word, Varus is in the number of thofe whom it is impoffible not to admire, or not to despise; and at the fame time that he is the esteem of all his friends, he is the contempt of all his acquaintance. I am, &c.

LETTER

VII.

To HORTENSIUS,

You

OUR excellent brawn wanted no additional recommendation to make it more acceptable, but that of your company. However, tho' I cannot share it with

my