the reader will be affected at this, but I want words to express my own fenfe of so friendly and so noble a proceeding: and that which heightens it, is the wonderful ambition among the Romans of arriving early at these great imployments, fo as fometimes to kill themselves upon having failed of their pretenfion; add also the particular eagerness of TULLY's humour for all things he defired, (as we saw juft now) but especially for honours and preferments, even to excess. Yet how frankly, how generoufly does he facrifice all this, only to cafe his friend of a troublefome journey! Such a man was CICERO; and fuch a place was Rome, which had many CICEROES! Men not only like him, but even above him with all his parts and politeness. And yet we have the farce fometimes of hearing ignorant wretches, especially the French, undervalue both Greeks and Romans, in comparison with themselves. VE LETTER VII. It ERUM ne caufam quidem, &c. seems this quarrel between ATTICUS and LUCCEIUS (for that appears to be his name) was very hearty on one fide; for nothing fhews that more than fuch an obftinate denial to declare the true caufe of it; tho' 'tis also a fign of being implacable, and revengeful. In which I differ with the Abbot of ST. REAL, who, after affirming rightly that, Les plus grands & les plus fenfibles fujets de plainte fe difent le moins, is yet methinks a little mistaken in judging fuch a fullen filence reasonable, notwithstanding all interpofition of friends. But I fee, no fort of good fortune is without allay; for ATTICUS, so particularly famous for living not only inoffenfively, but almost friendlily with all Men; has yet fome way or other provoked two implacable enemies, this LucCEIUS of old, and our ingenious Abbot now; who, befides his notes on these Letters between ATTICUS and CICERO, has in a little book called Cæfarion, ufed the first of them almost as unmercifully as ANTONY did the other: So that I am confident if our Author had lived in those times, and if private combats had been then in fashion, (which are two If's, I confefs, as far fetch'd as fome of his reflections) he would have been LucCEIUS's fecond, and perhaps have fought a duel with CICERO. II. SUMMUM me eorum ftudium tenet, &c. There can hardly be a greater proof than this of the ravishing delights of Learning. That fuch a man as CICERO, whose agreeable fort of wit fo fitted him for the pleasures of conversation, and whofe great talents help'd him to all the fatisfaction his ambitious humour was capable of; yet to his intimate friend he makes a folemn protestation of being no where fo well pleas'd as among his Books and Papers. But, to his immortal honour, it ought to be observed also, that, notwithstanding all his inclination to Philosophy, and ability of instructing the world that way, yet he always prefer'd doing well, to writing well, and facrificed his own humour [the moft difficult felf-denial, because a continual one] to the publick service, and the safety of his country: For which his great concern at this time, seeing affairs fo ill managed, drew from him this expreffion of fondness for his Library, that now afforded him his only confolation. LET |