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Warton, who have the weight and authority of a pacific Neftor in this tumultuous field, cannot you fuggeft effectual lenitives for the genus ritabile fcriptorum. The celebrated Saxon painter Mengs has, I think, given us all an admirable hint of this kind in writing to an ingenious but petulant Frenchman, who had provoked him by speaking contemptuously of his learned and enthufiaftic friend Winkelman. Se io poffedeffi il talento di fcriver bene (fays the modeft painter) vorrei esporre ragioni, e fatti, e infegnar cofe utili senza perdermi a contradir veruno poiche mi fembra, che fi poffan fare buoni libri fenza dire, che il tale, o il tal fogetto s' inganna; e finalmente fe ella mi puo dimoftrare, che la maldicenza fia cofa honefta, allora io converrò che importa molto poco il modo, con cui fi attacca la riputazione del proffimo: e aggiungo che il sarcasmo e l' infulto fono la peggior maniera di mormorare, e di biafimare donde rifulta fempre il maggior danno a chi lo ufa.-Opere di Mengs, tomo primo, p. 243.

Thefe admonitions are excellent, and want only the good example of the monitor to make them complete; but Mengs, unfortunately, in

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his profeffional writings, has fpoken of Reynolds in a manner that grossly violates his own doctrine; fo difficult is it, my good Doctor, to find a pacific preacher and his practice in perfect harmony with each other.

To feeling and fervent spirits there can hardly be any provocation more apt to excite afperity of language, than an infult offered to an object of their esteem and veneration. In writing upon Milton, and those who, to my apprehen'fion, have infulted his name with contumelious severity, I may have been hurried beyond the bias of my temper, which is, I trust, neither irafcible nor cenforious; but I will imitate some well meaning catholic writers, and making you, my dear Warton, my inquifitor as well as my patron, I will here very honeftly fay to you, "Si quid dixerim contra fpiritum caritatis evangelica indictum volo."

Let me now haften to apologize to you, as I think I ought, for fuch deficiencies as your nice difcernment cannot fail to obferve in the

work I address to you. You remember that Plutarch, the amiable prince of ancient biographers, has very justly mentioned the advantage

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vantage arifing to a writer from refiding in a city amply furnished with books ;--it is my lot, you know, to live in a little fequeftcred village, and I chufe to do fo for the reafon which attached the good-natured Plutarch to his native Cheronea, that may not become lefs. Had it fuited me to devote much time and labour to extenfive refarches in the public and private libraries of London, it is poffible that I might have discovered-iome latent anecdotes relating to Milton; yet after the patient inquiries of the intelligent and indefatigable Dr. Birch, and after the figual difcovery of your more fuccessful brother, little novelty could be expected to reward the toil of fuch investigation; and perhaps a writer too eager to make new discoveries on this beaten ground, might be hurried by fuch eagerness into the cenfurable temerity of Peck the antiquarian, who, in his memoirs of the great poet, has affixed the name of Milton to a portrait and a poem that do not belong to him.

Though my work has been executed in a retired village of England, my enquiries have extended far beyond the limits of our own country, by the aid of fome intelligent and

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obliging friends, who had the kindness to search for me the great libraries of Paris and Rome, in the hope of discovering fome neglected compofition, or latent anecdote, that might be useful to a biographer of Milton. The fuccess of these researches has not been equal to the kindness and the zeal of the intelligent enquirers; but an unexpected favour from a literary friend, who is known to me only by his writings, has enabled me to throw, perhaps, a new ray of light on that inviting fubject of conjecture, the real origin of Milton's greatest performance.

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In the differtation, which I have annexed to this life of the poet, you will find fome account of an Italian drama on the inhabitants of Paradife, which, though it rifes not to the poetical fpirit of Andreini, may have had fome influence, I apprehend, on the fancy of Milton. will also find, that I have followed your example, in recommending your old acquaintance Andreini to the notice of the public. He happened to engage my attention, when the health of my revered friend, Mr. Cowper, allowed him to be my gueft; and, after our more ferious morning ftudies, it afforded us a pleasant relax

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ation and amusement to throw some parts of the Adamo into English, in a rapid yet metrical tranflation. In this joint work, or rather pastime, it would be needlefs, if it were poffible, to distinguish the lines of the united tranflators, as the version had no higher aim than to gratify the curiofity of the English reader, without af piring to praise. A very different character is due to that verfion of Milton's Latin poetry, which my excellent friend has finished with fuch care and felicity, that even from the feparate fpecimens of it, with which this life is embellished, you, my dear Warton, and every delicate judge of poetry, will, I am confident, esteem it an absolute model of poetical tranflation. For the honour of Milton, and for that of his most worthy interpreter, I hope that the whole of this admirable performance may be foon imparted to the public, as I trust that returning health will happily reftore its incomparable author to his fufpended studies; an event that may affect the moral interest and the mental delight of all the world-for rarely, very rarely indeed, has heaven bestowed on any individual fuch an ample, fuch a variegated por

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