would reserve her strength till the burst of applaufe was over, and the languor, with which the violence of joy is always fucceeded, began to promife more calm and patient attention. She then attempted her defence, and, by comparing one part of her antagonist's objections with another, commonly made him confute himself; or by fhewing how fmall a part of the question he had taken into his view, proved that his opinion could have no weight. The audience began gradually to lay afide their prepoffeffions, and rose, at last, with great veneration for LEARNING, but with greater kind-. nefs for WIT.

Their conduct was, whenever they defired to recommend themselves to diftinction, entirely oppofite. WIT was daring and adventurous; LEARNING cautious and deliberate. WIT thought nothing reproachful but dulnefs; LEARNING. was afraid of no imputation but that of error. WIT answered before he understood, left his quickness of apprehension should be queftioned; LEARNING paufed, where there was no difficulty, left any infidious fophifm fhould lie undifcovered. WIT perplexed every debate by rapidity and confufion; LEARNING tired the hearers with endless distinctions, and prolonged the difpute without advantage, by proving that which never was denied. WIT, in hopes of fhining, would venture to produce what he had not confidered, and often fucceeded beyond his own expectation, by followWing the train of a lucky thought; LEARNING would reject every new notion, for fear of being. intangled in confequences which fhe could not forefee, and was often hindered, by her caution,

from

from preffing her advantages, and fubduing her opponent.

Both had prejudices, which in fome degree hindered their progress towards perfection, and left them open to attacks. Novelty was the darling of WIT, and antiquity of LEARNING. TO WIT, all that was new was fpecious; to LEARNING, whatever was ancient was venerable. WIT however feldom failed to divert those whom he could not convince, and to convince was not often his ambition; LEARNING always fupported her opinion with fo many collateral truths, that, when the cause was decided against her, her arguments were remembered with admiration.

Nothing was more common, on either fide, than to quit their proper characters, and to hope for a complete conqueft by the use of the weapons which had been employed against them. WIT would fometimes labour a fyllogifm, and LEARNING diftort her features with a jeft; but they always fuffered by the experiment, and betrayed themselves to confutation or contempt. The seriousness of WIT was without dignity, and the merriment of LEARNING without vivacity.

Their contefts, by long continuance, grew at last important, and the divinities broke into parties. WIT was taken into protection of the laughter-loving Venus, had a retinue allowed him of SMILES and JESTS, and was often permitted to dance among the GRACES. LEARNING ftill continued the favourite of Minerva, and feldom went out of her palace, without a train of the feverer virtues, CHASTITY, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE, and LABOUR. WIT, cohabiting with MALICE, had a fon named SATYR, who followed him, car

rying a quiver filled with poifoned arrows, which, where they once drew blood, could by no skill ever be extracted. These arrows he frequently fhot at LEARNING, when she was most earnestly or usefully employed, engaged in abftrufe enquiries, or giving inftructions to her followers. Minerva, therefore, deputed CRITICISM to her aid, who generally broke the point of SATYR's arrows, turned them afide, or retorted them on himself.

Jupiter was at laft angry, that the peace of the heavenly regions fhould be in perpetual danger of violation, and refolved to difmifs these troublesome antagonists to the lower world. Hither therefore they came, and carried on their ancient quarrel among mortals, nor was either long without zealous votaries. WIT, by his gaiety, captivated the young; and LEARNING, by her authority, influenced the old. Their power quickly appeared by very eminent effects, theatres were built for the reception of WIT, and colleges endowed for the refidence of LEARNING. Each party endeavoured to outvy the other in coft and magnificence, and to propagate an opinion, that it was neceffary, from the first entrance into life, to enlift in one of the factions; and that none could hope for the regard of either divinity, who had once entered the temple of the rival power.

There were indeed a clafs of mortals, by whom WIT and LEARNING were equally difregarded: These were the devotees of Plutus, the god of riches; among thefe it feldom happened that the gaiety of WIT could raife a fmile, or the eloquence of LEARNING procure attention. In revenge of this contempt they agreed to incite their followers against them; but the forces that were

fent

fent on thofe expeditions frequently betrayed their trust: and, in contempt of the orders which they had received, flattered the rich in publick, while they fcorned them in their hearts; and when, by this treachery, they had obtained the favour of Plutus, affected to look with an air of fuperiority on those who still remained in the service of WIT and LEARNING.

Difgufted with thefe defertions, the two rivals, at the fame time, petitioned Jupiter for re-admiffion to their native habitations. Jupiter thundered on the right hand, and they prepared to obey the happy fummons. WIT readily spread his wings and foared aloft, but not being able to fee far, was bewildered in the pathlefs immenfity of the ethereal spaces. LEARNING, who knew the way, shook her pinions; but for want of natural vigour could only take fhort flights: fo, after many efforts, they both funk again to the ground, and learned, from their mutual diftrefs, the neceffity of union. They therefore joined their hands, and renewed their flight: LEARNING was borne up by the vigour of WIT, and WIT guided by the perfpicacity of LEARNING. They foon reached the dwellings of Jupiter, and were fo endeared to each other, that they lived afterwards in perpetual concord. WIT perfuaded LEARNING to converse with the GRACES, and LEARNING engaged WIT in the fervice of the VIRTUES. They were now the favourites of all the powers of heaven, and gladdened every banquet by their prefence. They foon after married, at the command of Jupiter, and had a numerous progeny of ARTS and SCI

ENCES.

عظ

NUMB. 23. TUESDAY, June 5, 1750.

Tres mibi convivæ prope diffentire videntur ;
Pofcentur vari multum diversa palato.

Three guefts I have, diffenting at my feaft,
Requiring each to gratify his tafte

With different food.

TH

HOR.

FRANCIS.

HAT every man should regulate his actions by his own confcience, without any regard to the opinions of the rest of the world, is one of the first precepts of moral prudence ;. justified not only by the fuffrage of reason, which declares that none of the gifts of heaven are to lie useless, but by the voice likewife of experience, which will foon inform us that, if we make the praife or blame of others the rule of our conduct, we fhall be diftracted by a boundless variety of irreconcileable judgments, be held in perpetual fufpence between contrary impulfes, and confult for ever without determination.

I know not whether, for the fame reason, it is not neceffary for an author to place fome confidence in his own skill, and to satisfy himself in the knowledge that he has not deviated from the established laws of compofition, without fubmitting his works to frequent examinations before he gives them to the publick, or endeavouring to secure success by a folicitous conformity to advice and criticifm.

It is, indeed, quickly difcoverable, that confultation and compliance can conduce little to the perfection of any literary performance; for who

ever