despised in discourse, which hath paffed very fmoothly, with fome confideration and efteem, after its preferment and fanction in print. But now, fince, by the liberty and encouragement of the prefs, I am grown abfolute master of the occafions and opportunities to expofe the talents I have acquired; I already discover, that the iffues of my obfervanda begin to grow too large for the receipts. Therefore I fhall here paufe a while, till I find, by feeling the world's pulfe, and my own, that it will be of abfolute neceflity for us both to refume my pen. A full and true Account of the BATTLE fought laft Friday, between the ANCIENT and the MODERN Books in St James's Library. The BOOKSELLER to the READER. HE following difcourfe, as it is unquestion THE ably of the fame Author, so it seems to have been written about the fame time with the former; I mean, the year 1697, when the famous difpute was on foot, about ancient and modern learning. The controverfy took its rife from an effay of Sir William Temple's upon that fubject; which was answered by W. Wotton, B. D. with an appendix by Dr Bentley, endeavouring to deftroy the credit of Æfop and Phalaris for authors, whom Sir William Temple had, in the essay before mentioned, highly commended. In that appendix, the Doctor falls hard upon a new edition of Phalaris, put out by the Honourable Charles Boyle, (now Earl of Orrery); to which Mr Boyle replied at large, with great learning and wit; and the Doctor voluminously rejoined. In this dif pute, pute, the town highly resented, to see a person of Sir William Temple's character and merits roughly used by the two Reverend gentlemen aforesaid, and without any manner of provocation. At length, there appearing no end of the quarrel, our author tells us, that the BOOKS in St James's library, looking upon themselves as parties principally concerned, took up the controverfy, and came to a decifive battle; but the manufcript, by the injury of fortune or weather, being in feveral places imperfect, we cannot learn to which fide the victory fell. I must warn the reader, to beware of applying to perfons, what is here meant only of books in the most literal fenfe. So, when Virgil is mentioned, we are not to understand the person of a famous poet called by that name; but only certain sheets of paper, bound up in leather, containing in print the works of the faid poet; and fo of the reft. The The PREFACE of the AUTHOR. ATIRE is a fort of glass, wherein beholders SAT do generally discover every body's face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind reception it meets with in the world, and that fo very few are offended with it. But if it fhould happen otherwife, the danger is not great; and I have learned, from long experience, never to apprehend mifchief from thofe understandings I have been able to provoke. For anger and fury, though they add strength to the finews of the body, yet are found to relax those of the mind, and to render all its efforts feeble and impotent. There is a brain that will endure but one fcumming: Let the owner gather it with difcretion, and manage his little ftock with husbandry. But of all things, let him beware of bringing it under the lafh of his betters; because that will make it all bubble up into impertinence, and he will find no new fupply: Wit without knowledge being a fort of cream, which gathers in a night to the top, and by a skilful hand may be soon whipped into froth; but once fcummed away, what appears underneath, will be fit for nothing, but to be thrown to the hogs... A |