laid on musical entertainments alone, in Plato's 2 republic. Nor did the statesman Cicero, in his laws, think Plato's an idle notion. Quamobrem ille quidem fapientiffimus Graeciae vir, longeque doctiffimus, valde hanc labem veretur: negat enim mutari poffe muficas leges fine immutatione legum publicarum. Ego autem nec tam valde id timendum, nec plane contemnendum puto. Matters of these concernments are now left to the management of our women of fashion: and even our poets, whofe end is profit and delight, are exceeding cautious how they incur the cenfure of these fair umpires and critics. Hence what we call honour, love, and gallantry, make up the chief parts of modern tragedies; and our Wicherlys and Congreves, well knowing their audience, took the fureft way to please them. 2 Cicero de Leg. II, 15. Plato's words are, εἶδε γὰρ ΚΑΙΝΟΝ [lego, ΚΟΙΝΟΝ] μεσικῆς μεταβάλλειν εὐλαβητέον, ὡς ἐν ὅλῳ κινδυνέυοντα. Οὐδαμε γὰς κινάναι μεσικῆς τρόποι ἄνου πολιτικῶν νόμων τῶν μεγίσων, ὡς φησί το Δάμων, καί ἐγώ πείθομαι. De Repub. L. IV. p. 424. Edit. Steph. Το the fame purpofe the philologift Dio, Orat. 33. p. 411. Παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ἕλλησι πρότερον δεινὸν ἐδόκει τὸ μετακινεῖν τὴν μεσικήν, και καλεβύων πάντες τῶν ρυθμὸν εἰσαγόνων ἕτερον, καὶ τὰ μέλη ποικιλώτερα ποιέλων, ὡς διαφθειρομένης της Ελλάδα ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις. Οὕτω σφόδρα τὰ ὦτα ἐφύλατίον, και τηλι καύτην ἡγῆνο δύναμιν τὴν ἀκοὴν ἔχειν, ὥτεθηλύνειν τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ἀδικεῖσθαι τὰ τῆς σωφροσύνης, εἰ παρὰ μικρὸν ἐνδως τὸ τῆς ἁρμονίας. C A cor A corruption of taft easily makes way for a corruption of morals and manners; and thefe once depraved foon fit us for the groffeft fervitude both of body and mind. They who can read history fomewhat beyond the common chronologer's and antiquarian's observation, and can trace the progrefs of national manners, are very fenfible of the reciprocal dependence and mutual connexion between civil liberty and polite literature. However half-feeing critics may extol the golden age of Augustus, yet all that blaze of wit was kindled during the ftruggle for liberty: 'twas then indeed they had leifure to exert their faculties, when their country had a little refpite from civil commotions. But this was the laft effort of expiring politenefs and literature. Barbarifm, with gigantic strides, began to advance; and to check its progress there was but one effectual way; and that was, to alter the whole conftitution of affairs. Thus they went on from bad to worse, 'till the finishing ftroke was given by St. Gregory the Great, who in a pious fury fet fire to the Palatine library. In the eastern empire, by the influence of 3 Sapientiffimus ille Gregorius non modo mathefin juffit ab aula recedere, fed ut traditur à majoribus incendio dedit probata lectionis Scripta, of the Greek fathers of the church, all reading of the Attic writers was not only discouraged, but the originals were burnt and deftroyed. If any furvived this religious maffacre, 'twas partly owing to fome particular attachment to a favourite author, and partly to meer accidental causes. About the fame time the northern nations dismantled the empire, and at length left it an eafy prey to the Turk. If we turn our eyes to our own country, we cannot go farther than the invasion of Julius Scripta, Palatinus quæcunque tenebat Apollo. Joannes Sarefberienfis de nugis curial. 1. 2. c. 26. Fertur tamen beatus Gregorius bibliothecam combuffiffe gentilem, quo divina pagina gratior effet locus, et major autoritas, et diligentia ftudiofior. Idem 1. 8. c. 19. 4 Audiebam etiam puer ex Demetrio Chalcondyla Graecarum rerum peritiffimo, facerdotes Graecos tanta floruisse auctoritate apud Caefares Byzantinos, ut integra (illorum gratia) complura de veteribus Graecis poemata combusserint, inprimisque ea ubi amores, turpes lufus et nequitiae amantium continebantur, atque ita Menandri, Diphili, Apollodori, Philemonis, Alexis fabellas, et Sapphus, Erinnae, Anacreontis, Minermimi, [Mimnermi] Bionis, Alcmanis, Alcaei carmina intercidiffe, tum pro his fubftituta Nazianzeni noftri poemata; quae, etfi excitant animos noftrorum hominum ad flagrantiorem religionis cultum, non tamen verborum Atticorum proprietatem et Graecae linguae elegantiam edocent. Turpiter quidem facerdotes ifti in veteres Graecos malevoli fuerunt, fed integritatis, probitatis et religionis maximum dedere teftimonium. Petrus Alcyonius de Exil. p. 29. edit. Bafil. Caefar, Caefar, without being immerged in legends and romances. But even in that late period of arts and sciences, our British barbarity was so very notorious, that our 5 inhofpitality to strangers, our poverty and meanness, and our ignorance of every polite art, made us as contemptible to the Romans, as the lowest of the Indian clans can poffibly at this day appear to us. And even when we were beaten into a better behaviour, and taught by our conquerors a little more civility, yet we always relish'd the Gothic, more than the Roman manners. Our reading, if we could read at all, was fuch as the Monks were pleased 5 Horace, Lib. III. Ode 4. Vifam Britannos hofpitibus feros. See Caefar's defcription of Britain (if 'tis Caefar's, and not inferted by a later hand) de bello Gallic. V, 12. &c. Cicero ad Attic. Epift. IV, 16. Illud jam cognitum eft, neque argenti fcrupulum effe ullum in illa infula, neque ullam Spem praedae, nifi ex mancipiis. If Cæfar did not thoroughly conquer us, the reafon was, because we were not worth conquering. He had other defigns than spending his time in such a miserable country; which Rome foon began to be fenfible of. 6" In our forefathers time, when papistry, as a standing "pool, covered and overflowed all England, few books were read in our tongue, faving certain books of chivalry, as they faid for paftime and pleasure; which, as fome fay, were made in monafteries by idle Monks or "wanton Canons." Afcham's Scholemaster, p. 86. 66 to to allow us, either pious tales of their own forging, or lying hiftories of adventurous knighterrants. Our heroes were of a piece with our learning, formed from the Gothic and Moorish models. A pleasant picture of our ancient chivalry may be seen in Shakespeare's K. Richard II. where Bolingbroke, fon to John of Gaunt, appeals the duke of Norfolk, on an accufation of high treason. He would have been thought a moft irreligious perfon, who fhould have dared to queftion the immediate interpofition of heaven in defending the right cause. The judge therefore allowing the appeal, the accused perfon threw down his gage, whether glove or gauntlet, which was taken up formally by the accufer; and both were taken into safe custody till battle was to decide the truth. The cham-. pions arms being ceremoniously bleffed, each took an oath, that he used no charmed weapons, 7 Macbeth, according to the law of arms, tells Macduff, I bear a charmeď life, which must not yield. To this Pofthumus alludes in Cymbeline, Act. V. 1, in my own woe charm'd Could not find death. 7 Macbeth, A& V. C 3 The |