AN ANSWER ΤΟ A LATE BOOK, Written against the Learned and Reverend TOGETHER WITH AN EXAMINATION OF MR. BENNET'S LONDON: PRINTED IN THE YEAR 1699. WE were advised by that distinguished ornament of Classical literature, Dr. Parr, to re-publish in our Journal this very scarce and curious Tract upon a controversial subject even at the present day particularly interesting to the Scholar, and by the politeness of Dr. Samuel Butler, the learned Master of Shrewsbury School, to the excellent Library of which School the Book belongs, we are enabled to adorn our pages with it. The original was printed in octavo, and consists of 209 pages. We shall insert a portion of it in every succeeding number till the whole has been included. This Book forms a part of the noble collection of Dr. Taylor, (the wellknown Editor of Demosthenes and Lysias,) bequeathed by him to the Library at Shrewsbury School. Dr. Taylor has written in his own fine hand upon the title-page of the Book, By S. Whately, and opposite to the title-page appears the following note, in Dr. Taylor's hand "S. Whately. "I have seen an English Translation of Phalaris' Epistles (with some things relative to this dispute) by one Whately, A. M. and Fell. of Magdal. Coll. Oxon. Surely ye same. Solom. Whately, Magd. Coll. A. M. 1684. Oxf. Grad." Dr. Routh, the President of Magdalen College, Oxford, has added the following Note: "This person does not appear to have been either a Fellow or a Demy of Magd. Coll." We have to add, that Dr. Taylor, who acknowledges having seen S. Whately's Translation of Phalaris's Epistles, had no occasion whatever to doubt the fact that the writer of this Book was S. Whately; for at the end of the Preface to it appears the following Advertisement "Lately published, The Epistles of Phalaris, translated into English from the Original, by the Author of this ANSWER." This Translation is also among Dr. Taylor's Books deposited in Shrews bury Library, and S. Whately's name appears in the title-page of it. In the 102d page of this able vindication of Dr. Bentley, occur the following words: This fragment is part of an Hexameter, a sort of metre, which a very moderate Antiquarian would have told you the ancients never made use of in Tragedy ἐν δε λάχαινε μὲν ἔργα σιδήρου.” Dr. Butler adds the following remark-" The word seldom here is written in the margin by Dr. Parr, and justly See the first Chorus in the Œd. Tyr. and various other passages." Dr. Parr has subsequently annexed these words:" In the Trachinians there are nine Hexameters: see the 1027th line, Edit. Vauvill. of Sophocles." THE PREFACE TO THE READER. "TIS but a poor invitation to the Reader, and an uncommon way of prefacing, to tell him, that he is presented with a Book not worth the perusal. But as the matter is past denial, and as I am certain to hear of it from other hands, 'tis not so much ingenuity as policy to confess it. Some little account however I think myself obliged to give of the motives that put me upon intermeddling in so insignificant a debate. There is a passion called by the Latins, indignatio, which of all others my nature hath left it least in my power to resist; one property of which is not to be able to behold with patience lions teazed by gnats. If any thing can justifie such a Passion in so little a Creature as myself, the rude insults offered to an extraordinary Man, one of whose most impotent Adversaries I have in the following Papers taken upon me to bring under Examination, and the Applause with which the Party received them, I should think, will do it. What drew this Storm of Criticism upon that Reverend Person, the Reader will find not obscurely intimated to him in the Animadversions I have bestowed upon Mr. Bennet's Appendix. 'Tis no wonder, that a War so unjustly begun should be prosecuted by not much more honourable methods: and the Littleness of the Instruments made use of in executing their Revenge added to the Contumely. The Assurance with which their young Hero took the Field, that Air of Superiority with which he every where treats his Adversary, the Acclamations with which the Party, nay the Applauses with which he himself proclaimed himself Conqueror, made the World begin to look upon the Dr.'s Case as desperate; and 'twas in every bodies mouth, Mr. Boyle's Book is an unanswerable piece. Nor was it enough, that Mr. Boyle had posted his despised Dr. Bentley at the top of two hundred and ninety Pages; that he had made him the Jest and Sting of I know not how many thousand Periods, the Common Chat of Coffee-houses and Taverns: He threatens him with yet more dismal things to follow: That there should be a Book written against him in Latin; that Foreign Universities should in due time be informed, what a Man the King of England had to his Library-Keeper; and particularly Monsieur Spanheim, and Monsieur Grævius be instructed how to chuse out some more deserving Person to place their Civilities upon. Nay, and, to put him beyond all Hopes, he plainly tells him, that he was fallen into the Hands of an whole Body of Men, whose Hatreds and Revenges were Immortal; who, when once they begin with a Man, there's no knowing when they will leave him; and who were resolved to use him as unmercifully with their Pens, as ever Phalaris did poor Innocents with his Musical Bull. Had not the Doctor been either very Conscious to himself of the Goodness of his Cause, or very insensible of Danger, he would tamely have quitted the Field, and have striven by Patience and Silence to have mitigated their displeasure. But to the surprise of the Town it was soon got abroad that the Dr. did not yield; nay, that he did but Laugh at them, and would certainly give them an Answer. This, we may suppose, created them some Disturbance. For I cannot imagine that they did ever in their Hearts believe Dr. Bentley to be so very manageable an Adversary as in their Writings they had every where represented him. However, one considerable Advantage they had gained in their first Adventure. The Town and common Fame were on their side, which when once they have fallen in with a false cry will not easily change their Note. Supported with this Comfort, they were resolved to stand their Ground, and if the Dr. was for answering them, they would be sure to find him work enough. I very well remember, that some Months before the Dr.'s last Book was published, I heard it in these very Words and Syllables from a certain Person, whom I suppose no stranger to the Secrets of the Party; "Let the Dr. come out with his Answer as soon as he will, they are in readiness for him; to my certain knowledge,saith he, they have Rods in Pickle against him." Accordingly, within not many Weeks after the Dr.'s Answer was published (but just time enough for the Club to patch up Mr. Bennet's Appendix) it was followed by this Rod in Pickle of a Vin dicator: as indeed well it might, all the Sheets (or I am misinformed) being wrought off before. And here was another piece of work for the Dr. wherein they had him upon an unlucky Dilemma. If he answered it, the Littleness of the Subject, as well as the inequality of the Antagonist, must needs have exposed him to Contempt: If he answered it not; that had been interpreted a submitting to the Charge, and would have kept some Life in the Cause. And again; if he answered This, they might have had another piece against him, and after That another, and so on; verifying Mr. Boyle's Prediction, that there were an whole Body engaged against him, who when once they begin with a Man, there's no knowing when they will leave him. Nay, I have heard it more than once, that they gave out, they would write a Book against him once a Month as long as he liv'd. Nay, and I can produce my Witnesses, to whom Mr. Bennet, hearing, it seems, that there was something of an Answer designed to the Vindicator, said with his own mouth; That they were best let his Appendix alone: If they printed any Reflections upon him, he'd be even with them, and have them exposed all the Town over, both in Verse and Prose. And these are the Methods by which the Gentlemen of the Half-Moon are resolved to humble the Library-Keeper at St. James's, and terrifie the rest of Mankind from opening their Lips on his behalf. And must therefore Men and Books, like Dr. Bentley, and Dr. Bentley's Books, be run down merely by noise and numbers? Shall Banter so securely Triumph over Learning, and Phrase and Confidence over Sense and Truth? Must Men of Worth (as I think, I have somewhere or other exprest it in the following Papers) be made the mock of Fools, because they that make them so write things so wretchedly trifling, that a Man who hath any regard to his own Reputation, would be asham'd of having so mis-employ'd his time as to answer them? As 'twas this Consideration, and this ouly, drew me into this Dispute; so I must desire the Reader to consider, that 'tis not the Subject-matter of the following Lines which I recommend to his Observation, but the manner of these Gentlemen's managing their Controversie with Dr. Bentley. And because it is scarce to be hoped that many should be found, who will give themselves the trouble of examining every particular, I shall point out some few Instances of our Vindicator's Allegations against the Dr. by which the Reader may give a guess at the whole, which upon Tryal I can assure him, he will find all of a piece. The chief Design of the Vindicator's Book, is to charge the Dr. with Plagiarism, upon account of a certain MS. from whence it is pretended Dr. Bentley borrowed a great part of his Collection of the Fragments of Callimachus, published in Mr. Grævius's late Edition of that Author, and put them off for his own. As I may pretend to have examined this part of his Accusation, more nicely than I can expect many others will do, I sincerely declare, that I see not the least Reason to believe, that the Dr.'s Collection was one line or hint the richer for his having seen that MS. The true State of the Controversie is given in the first Sheet and half, ending at page 23. To which, he that shall have the Curiosity of going to the Half-Moon and collating the Original Evidence itself there to be shewn against the Dr. is desired to add the Cautions laid down, page 51, &c. If he would without losing the time of going over the whole see some particular Exemplifications of our Vindicator's Ingenuity in prosecuting his Charge against the Dr. and of the Validity of his Proofs, he may consult these following Passages. Remark the first upon Proofs 6, 7. p. 25. and p. 33. 62, 63. 116, 117, 118. and especially, p. 79. 80. 81. 86. As for a choice Observation of our Vindicator's (though indeed not his own, but taken up at second hand from Mr. Boyle) upon the Extent of the Dr.'s Reading, I refer him to p. 37, &c. He that would take the measure of his Learning and Judgment, will find it, as in all his most judicious Animadversions upon the Dr.'s pretended mistakes, so more especially in these Observations of his own, p. 88, 89. 91, 92. 102, &c. and in his Supplement, p. 120, &c. 125. 128, &c. And here let me give (which was omitted in its proper place) the English of those two Greek Lines, page 89. by the help of which even the Wits and the Fools of Parts (who are indeed the support of the Cause) may be able, without the help of more Learning than what their Mother tongue affords them, to give some guess at the profundity of our Vindicator's Judgment, and how proper a Person he is to set up for a Corrector of other Men's Writings; Kai xvdjur &c. According to Stephanus, and Dr. Bentley's emendation in English thus, 'I also, as well as Pythagoras, command you to abstain from the feeding upon Beans, or the Flesh of any living Creature.' But according to our Learned Vindicator's Correction thus, I also, as well as Pythagoras, command you to abstain from feeding upon Beans, and that you sit still without speaking a word.' As for the Veracity of our Honest Vindicator, his whole Book is one continued Proof of it. The very Design of his Book being to prove ; that the Dr. stole the best part of his Collection from their MS. But He, having perused and collated that MS. with the Dr.'s printed Collection, could not but know this to be a most notorious Falshood. (vid. p. 64. 118.) And he that shall prefer an Indictment, the very matter of which he knows to be false, cannot design Truth in his Proofs. But to point the Reader to one full, clear, and undeniable Proof of our Vindicator's Veracity, let him turn to page 114. line 15. Dr. Bentley to Conceal,' &c. and his very next Allegation against the Dr. p. 115, is much of the same stamp. As for the other part of his Accusation against the Dr. ' Dr. Bentley's Injustice and Inhumanity to the Authors that lived before him,' I have dispatched the whole in so few words, that the perusing of it will be but little loss of time, p. 133, &c. Which when the Reader shall have done, to his own judgment I leave it, whether I had not Reason to address myself to him in the manner I there do. p. 141. "Observe it, Reader, and consider the Consequence; when once "Banter hath broken in upon a Man's Reputation, how securely Igno"rance will follow its Leader." Mr. Bennet's Appendix being about that Matter of Fact, which hath fill'd the mouths of the Party with such Clamours, if any thing I have written shall find a Reader, I may presume it will be my Examination of that Appendix; to which therefore I shall not here say any more, than that I am even amazed at Mr. Bennet's confidence in concluding his Appendix with so serious and solemn a Protestation, That those things were written by him with the same Sincerity and Care as if he had been upon his Oath; that he had no where made use of any false Colours, nor willingly misled his Reader in any the least trifling Circumstance of that tedious Story.' Which, taking his words in the plain and natural Sense they seem to Design, I dare pronounce to be a most notorious Falshood. And now upon the whole, after all the Pains these Gentlemen of the Half-Moon have taken upon the Dr. and his Writings, there is not, I think, any thing material advanced against him, either as to matter of Fact or matter of Learning, which hath not received a thorough Exami nation, that part of Mr. Boyle's Book excepted, which the Dr. hath reserved to his own farther Consideration; though I believe they could be very well content to dispense with him for the performance of his Promise. And all the black Accusations hitherto preferred against him VOL. IX. NO. XVII. M Cl. Jl. |