tain'd the Favour and Protection of the Senate of Rome. This, I fay, was Foundation enough for Virgil to build his Poem upon, tho' the Story had been entirely falfe, and there never had been fuch a Man as Eneas in the World; fince I believe no body would have the worse Opinion of a fine Poem or Play, because they are grounded upon the Stories of a Brutus, a King Lear, or Prince Arthur, though he was fure there never were fuch Perfons in Britain. The fame thing, I believe, may be faid of the great Outcry that has been raised by fome Criticks against Virgil for the Episode of Dido, which he has inferted into his Poem; for which he is charged with two confiderable Faults: 1ft, For bringing two Perfons together upon the Scene, who lived at the Distance of near 400 Years. 2dly, For blafting the Honour and Reputation of a virtuous Princefs, who for Modefty and Chastity was the Pattern of her Sex, and the Glory of her Age; and who (if we may believe Tertulliant) chofe to fling herself into the Fire, rather than to wed a fecond time, and to marry the King of Mauritania, who follicited her to it. The Friends and Favourers of Virgil have taken pains to clear him of these two Accufations; but I cannot think it was purely the Poet's own Invention. I make no doubt but there was fuch a Report and Tradition among the Romans, who, as they were jealous of the Power and Greatness of the Carthaginians,, were ready to believe any thing that might blaft or difcredit them, and caft a Slur and Blemish upon the Foundress of their State. In fuch a Cafe, you know, Sir, Que volumus facile credimus. Every thing that reflects upon an Enemy is fure to be readily fwallowed and believed. Thus Socrates used to fay, Nothing was fo eafy at Athens as to commend the Greeks, and revile and abuse the Perfians. As this is purely a Conjecture of my own, I will give it you as fuch without laying a greater Stress upon it than it will bear. But allowing the full of the Charge, I mean that it was entire + Dido maluit uri quàm nubere. Tertullian. ly ly the Invention of Virgil; I cannot help faying with the Poet, Si non erraffet fecerat ille minus. And that as this Episode is fo full of Beauties and Graces, and gives fuch a lively Image of the human Paffions, it would have been a thousand pities if the Poet had not indulged his Fancy, and taken this License, tho' there had been no manner of Foundation for it. Before I part with Virgil, I beg leave to fend you another Criticism that was lately made upon him in a Company where I was. A Gentleman pulling his Poem out of his Pocket, turn'd to the paffionate Speech of Dido to the Trojan Prince, who was going to forfake her, and pitching upon thefe two Verfes, Quinetiam hyberno Moliris fidere Claffem Et mediis properas Aquilonibus ire per altum. faid, he wondred fo judicious a Writer as Virgil fhou'd fhow fuch Ignorance in point of Geography, and the Situation of Countries, as to make Eneas fail from Africk to Italy with a Northerly Wind that blew directly against them. Et mediis properas Aquilonibus, &c. I replied, that we ought to be very cautious and diffident of ourselves, when we caft fuch Reflections upon ancient Writers; efpecially fuch a one as Virgil, who has ever been allow'd to be the Prince of the Roman Poets, and for fo many Ages has had the Efteem and Veneration of the Learned World, left such rash and hafty Cenfures fhould feverely return and recoil upon ourselves. I was going to proceed, when one of the Company faid, he thought the Objection might be easily answer'd by a very common Figure of Rhetorick, the taking the Genus for the Species; Species; fo that Aquilonibus would fignify no more than ftormy and tempeftuous Weather, or any boifterous and violent Wind from whatsoever Corner it might blow; a Figure which, he faid, was very common in the ancient Writers. This, I remember, is the Solution Mr. Bayle gives fomewhere of this Difficulty; I think it is in his Hiftorical Dictionary. But as the words Hyberno fidere, in the Verse that immediately precedes, feems to imply the very fame, this would look like a Tautology and needlefs Repetition in Virgil, a Fault we cannot fuppofe that great and judicious Writer to be guilty of. The next Perfon that fpoke, faid, that Dido, being in a Fit of Paffion, and befides herself, might not confider what fhe faid; and that the Poet might make her speak in that manner, to humour her Anger, and exprefs the Violence of the Paffion fhe was in. A third Man went a fhorter way to work, and folved the Difficulty with very great Eafe, faying, the Poet made use of the word Aquilonibus for his own Eafe and the fake of the Metre, and because he could not find any word, nor the Name of any other Wind that could fo conveniently come into the Measure of his Verfe. This, you fee, Sir, is nodum fecare non folvere, and is fuch an Anfwer as does not deferve any ferious Reply. But I think there is no need of any of thefe Solutions to fave the Credit of the Poet; and to remove the Objection, and that the giving it its full Force, allowing the Situation of Africa and Italy as it ftands, and taking Aquilonibus in the moft ftrict and rigid Senfe it will bear, will rather prove a Beauty than a Blemish, and add Force and Energy to the Words of Dido. The Senfe of which will then be this; Cruel Man, you are in fuch a hurry to go, fo eager to forfake me, and to depart my Dominions, that you will fit out your Fleet in the worst moft tempestuous Weather, and are refolved to fail, while the Wind is juft at North, full in your Face, and directly against you. This, Sir, I conceive not only removes the feeming Difficulty, but fets the Matter in a jufter 3 Light, Light, better expreffes the Eagerness of the Hero to depart, and gives Strength to the Reproaches of that unhappy Princess. As I have no Notes by me upon Virgil, but thofe in Ufum Delphini, and a few of Robert Stevens's at the End of his 8vo Edition, I cannot tell what other learned Men have faid upon this Paffage. I wonder Mr. Dryden, who has obliged the World with fo fine a Tranflation of Virgil, and who was as judicious a Critick as he was an excellent Poet, has taken no notice of this Difficulty; for he paffes over it Pede ficco, and following the common Track, renders the Paffage thus: Even when the wintry Winds command your Stay, Since the writing of these Remarks, I find a learne ed* Man has published a Differtation upon the coming of Eneas into Italy. Not having feen that Piece, I cannot judge what Arguments he has brought to fupport this Opinion. If I could have got a Sight of it, it might perhaps have been the better for us both; might have faved me the trouble of writing, and you, Sir, that of reading of this long, and, I fear very tedious, Letter, of which I fhall only fay, as Tully does to his Friend Atticus: He nuge, fateor, non ferendæ, fed tu (amice) ut foles, femper obfequere. I am, Sir, &c. *Theod. Rickins de adventu Æneæ in Italiam. ARTICLE II. The Moral Philofopher. In a Dialogue between Philalethes a Chriftian Deift, and Theophanes a Chriftian Jew. In which the Grounds and Reafons of Religion in general, and parti cularly cularly of Chriftianity, as diftinguish'd from the Religion of Nature; the different Methods of conveying and propofing moral Truths to the Mind, and the neceflary Marks or Criteria on which they must all equally depend; the Nature of pofitive Laws, Rites and Ceremonies, and how far they are capable of Proof as of ftanding, perpetual Obligation; with many other Matters of the utmoft Confequence in Religion, are fairly confidered and debated, and the Arguments on both Sides impartially reprefented. London: Printed for the Author, 1737. 8vo. Pag. 450. HE Author of thefe Sheets having a good O TH pinion of his own Defign in them; thinking he has a Right to treat his own Subject in his own Way; and being willing to allow others the fame Liberty, is not difpofed to ask Pardon for what he has faid in them. He takes it for granted that fome will exclaim at him; but he feems very confident that no rational and sober Persons can be guilty of fo doing. The Foundation of this Work was, as we are told, laid many Years ago, in the Conferences of a Society or Club of Gentlemen in the Country, who met once a Fortnight, with an Intention of entering impartially into the Confideration of the Grounds and Principles of Religion in general, and particularly of Chritianity as a Revelation diftinct from the Religion of Nature. The Refult of thefe Debates was a Set of Conclufions, which are the Principles of this Book; and which we shall here recite, in order to give the Reader at once a general Idea of it. I. "The moral Truth, Reason and Fitness of Acti"ons is founded in the natural and neceffary Relati"ons of Perfons and Things, antecedent to any po"fitive Will or Law, and therefore cannot be alter "ed |