invokes his muse in the first five lines of the Iliad; and, at the end of the fifth, he gives his reason:

Διὸς δ ̓ ἐτελείετο βουλή.

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For all these things," says he, "were brought about by the decree of Jupiter; and, therefore, he supposes their true sources are known only to the deities. Now, the translation takes no more notice of the AE than if no such word had been there." "Very possibly," answered the author; "it is a long time since I read the original. Perhaps, then, he followed the French translations. I observe, indeed, he talks much in the notes of 10 Madam Dacier and Monsieur Eustathius."

Booth had now received conviction enough of his friend's knowledge of the Greek language; without attempting therefore, to set him right, he made a sudden transition to the Latin. Pray, sir,” said he, “as you have mentioned Rowe's translation 15 of the Pharsalia, do you remember how he hath rendered that passage in the character of Cato?

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Venerisque huic maximus Usus

Progenies; urbi Pater est, urbique Maritus.

For I apprehend that passage is generally misunderstood." "I really do not remember," answered the author. "Pray, sir, what do you take to be the meaning?"

"I apprehend, sir," replied Booth, "that, by these words, Urbi Pater est, urbique Maritus, Cato is represented as the father and husband to the city of Rome."

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'Very true, sir," cries the author; very fine, indeed. Not only the father of his country, but the husband too; very noble, truly."

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"Pardon me, sir," cries Booth; "I do not conceive that to have been Lucan's meaning. If you please to observe the con- 30 text; Lucan having commended the temperance of Cato, in

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the instances of diet and cloaths, proceeds to venereal pleasures; of which, says the poet, his principal use was procreation: then he adds, Urbi Pater est, urbique Maritus, That he became a father and a husband for the sake only of the city."

"Upon my word, that's true," cries the author, “I did not think of it. It is much finer than the other. Urbis Pater

est — what is the other?—ay — Urbis Maritus. - It is certainly as you say, sir."

Booth was, by this, pretty well satisfied of the author's proIo found learning; however, he was willing to try him a little further. He asked him, therefore, what was his opinion of Lucan in general, and in what class of writers he ranked him?

The author stared a little at this question; and after some hesitation, answered, "Certainly, sir, I think he is a fine writer 15 and a very great poet."

"I am very much of the same opinion, cries Booth; but where do you class him- next to what poet do you place him?”

"Let me see," cries the author, "where do I class him! next to whom do I place him! - Ay ! - why! — why, pray, 20 where do you yourself place him?"

"Why, surely," cries Booth; "if he is not to be placed in the first rank with Homer, and Virgil, and Milton-I think clearly, he is at the head of the second; before either Statius or Silius Italicus. - Tho' I allow to each of these their merits; 25 but, perhaps, an epic poem was beyond the genius of either. I own I have often thought, if Statius had ventured no farther than Ovid or Claudian, he would have succeeded better; for his Sylva are, in my opinion, much better than his Thebais." "I believe I was of the same opinion formerly," said the 30 author.

"And for what reason have you altered it?" cries Booth. "I have not altered it," answered the author; “but, to tell you the truth, I have not any opinion at all about these matters

at present. I do not trouble my head much with poetry: for there is no encouragement to such studies in this age. It is true, indeed, I have now and then wrote a poem or two for the magazines; but I never intend to write any more for a gentleman is not paid for his time. A sheet is a sheet with the 5 booksellers; and, whether it be in prose or verse, they make no difference; tho' certainly there is as much difference to a gentleman in the work, as there is to a taylor, between making a plain and a laced suit. Rhimes are difficult things; they are stubborn things, sir, I have been sometimes longer in tagging 10 a couplet, than I have been in writing a speech on the side of the opposition, which hath been read with great applause all over the kingdom."

"I am glad you are pleased to confirm that," cries Booth; "for I protest, it was an entire secret to me till this day. I was 15 so perfectly ignorant, that I thought the speeches, published in the magazines, were really made by the members themselves." "Some of them, and I believe I may, without vanity, say, the best," cries the author, "are all the production of my own pen! but, I believe, I shall leave it off soon, unless a sheet of 20 speech will fetch more than it does at present. In truth, the romance writing is the only branch of our business now, that is worth following. Goods of that sort have had so much success lately in the market, that a bookseller scarce cares what he bids for them. And it is certainly the easiest work in the world; you 25 may write it almost as fast as you can set pen to paper; and if you interlard it with a little scandal, a little abuse on some living characters of note, you cannot fail of success."

"Upon my word, sir," cries Booth, "you have greatly instructed me. I could not have imagined, there had been so 30 much regularity in the trade of writing, as you are pleased to mention; by what I can perceive, the pen and ink is likely to become the staple commodity of the kingdom."

"Alas! sir," answered the author, “it is overstocked-The market is overstocked. There is no encouragement to merit, no patrons. I have been these five years soliciting a subscription for my new translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses, with 5 notes explanatory, historical, and critical; and I have scarce collected five hundred names yet."

The mention of this translation a little surprised Booth; not only as the author had just declared his intentions to forsake the tuneful muses; but for some other reasons, which he had 10 collected from his conversation with our author, he little expected to hear of a proposal to translate any of the Latin poets. He proceeded, therefore, to catechise him a little farther; and by his answers was fully satisfied, that he had the very same acquaintance with Ovid, that he had appeared to have with 15 Lucan.

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XVIII

[THE LITERARY REPUBLIC]

Οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη· εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω,
Εἰς βασιλεὺς, ᾧ ἔδωκε Κρόνου παῖς ἀγκυλομήτεω
Σκῆπτρόν τ' ἠδὲ θέμιστας, ἵνα σφίσιν ἐμβασιλεύῃ.

Here is not allow'd

That worst of tyrants, an usurping crowd.
To one sole monarch Jove commits the sway;
His are the laws, and him let all obey.

HOMER.

POPE.

Though of the three forms of government acknowledged in the schools, all have been very warmly opposed, and as warmly 25 defended; yet, in this point, the different advocates will, I believe, very readily agree, that there is not one of the three which is not greatly to be preferred to a total anarchy; a state in which there is no subordination, no lawful power, and no

settled government; but where every man is at liberty to act in whatever manner it pleaseth him best.

As this is in reality a most deplorable state, I have long lamented, with great anguish of heart, that it is at present the case of a very large body of people in this kingdom. An assertion which, as it may surprize most of my readers, I will make haste to explain, by declaring that I mean the fraternity of the quill, that body of men to whom the publick assign the name of authors.

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However absurd politicians may have been pleased to rep- 10 resent the imperium in imperio, it will here, I doubt not, be found on a strict examination to be extremely necessary. The commonwealth of literature being indeed totally distinct from the greater common-wealth, and no more dependent upon it than the kingdom of England is on that of France. Of this 15 our legislature seems to have been at all times sensible, as they have never attempted any provision for the regulation or correction of this body. In one instance, it is true, there are (I should rather, I believe, say there were) some laws to restrain them for writers, if I am not mistaken, have been 20 formerly punished for blasphemy against God, and libels against the government; nay I have been told, that to slander the reputation of private persons, was once thought unlawful here as well as among the Romans, who, as Horace tells us, had a severe law for this purpose.

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In promulging these laws (whatever may be the reason of suffering them to grow obsolete) the state seems to have acted very wisely; as such kind of writings are really of most mischievous consequence to the publick; but alas! there are many abuses, many horrid evils, daily springing up in the 30 commonwealth of literature, which appear to affect only that commonwealth, at least immediately, of which none of the political legislators have ever taken any notice; nor hath any