figned. Some imputed it to a great heap of learned duft, which a perverfe wind blew off from a fhelf of Moderns into the keeper's eyes. Others affirmed, he had a humour to pick the worms out of the schoolmen, and swallow them fresh and fafting; whereof fome fell upon his Spleen, and fome climbed up into his head, to the great. perturbation of both. And lastly, others maintained, that, by walking much in the dark about the library, he had quite loft the fituation of it out of his head; and therefore, in replacing his books, he was apt to mistake, and clap Des Cartes next to Ariftotie; poor Plato had got between Hobbes and the Seven wife mafters; and Virgil was heamed in with Dryden on one fide, and Withers on the other.

Mean while, thofe books that were advocates for the Moderns, chofe out one from among them, to make a progrefs through the whole library, examine the number and ftrength of their party, and concert their affairs. This meffenger performed all things very induftrioufly, and brought back with him a lift of their forces, in all fifty thousand, confifting chiefly of light horse, heavy armed foot, and mercenaries: Whereof the foot were, in general, but forrily armed, and worse clad: Their horfes large, but extremely out of cafe and heart. However, fome few, by trading among the Ancients, had furnished themselves tolerably enough.

While things were in this ferment, Difcord grew extremely high, hot words paffed on both

fides,

fides, and ill blood was plentifully bred. Here a folitary Ancient fqueezed up among a whole fhelf of Moderns, offered fairly to difpute the cafe, and to prove, by manifest reason, that the priority was due to them, from long poffeffion, and in regard of their prudence, antiquity, and, above all, their great merits towards the Moderns. But thefe denied the premises; and feemed very much to wonder, how the Ancients could pretend to infift upon their antiquity, when it was fo plain, (if they went to that), that the Moderns were much the more ancient * of the two. As for any obligations they owed to the Ancients, they renounced them all." It is true," faid they, 66 we are informed fome few of our 66 party have been fo mean to borrow their fub"fiftence from you. But the reft, infinitely the greater number, (and efpecially we French and. English), were fo far from stooping to fo base "an example, that there never paffed, till this very hour, fix words between us. For our 66 horfes were of our own breeding, our arms of

86

our own forging, and our cloaths of our own "cutting and fowing." Plato was by chance upon the next shelf, and obferving those that spoke to be in the ragged plight mentioned a while ago; their jades lean and foundered, their weapons of rotten wood, their armour rufty, and nothing but rags underneath; he laughed aloud, and, in his pleafant way, fwore, By he believed them.

* According to the modern paradox.

Now,

Now, the Moderns had not proceeded in their late negociation, with fecrecy enough to efcape the notice of the enemy. For those advocates who had begun the quarrel, by setting first on foot the difpute of precedency, talked fo loud of coming to a battle, that Temple happened to overhear them, and gave immediate intelligence to the Ancients; who thereupon drew up their fcattered troops together, refolving to act upon the defensive. Upon which feveral of the Moderns fled over to their party, and among the rest Temple himself. This Temple having been educated and long converfed among the Ancients, was of all the Moderns their greatest favourite, and became their greatest champion.

Things were at this crifis, when a material accident fell out. For, upon the highest corner of a large window, there dwelt a certain spider, swollen up to the firft magnitude by the deftruction of infinite numbers of flies, whofe spoils lay fcattered before the gates of his palace, like human bones before the cave of fome giant. The avenues to his caftle were guarded with turnpikes and palifadoes, all after the modern way of fortification. After you had paffed feveral courts, you came to the centre, wherein you might behold the conftable himself in his own lodgings, which had windows fronting to each avenue, and ports to fally out upon all occafions of prey or defence. In this manfion he had for fome time dwelt in peace and plenty, without danger to his perfon by fwallows

fallows from above, or to his palace by brooms from below; when it was the pleasure of Fortune to conduct thither a wandering bee, to whofe curiofity a broken pane in the glafs had difcovered itfelf: And in he went; where expatiating a while, he at laft happened to alight upon one of the outward walls of the Spider's citadel; which yielding to the unequal weight, funk down to the very foundation. Thrice he endeavoured to force his paffage, and thrice the centre shook. The Spider within feeling the terrible convulfion, fuppofed at first, that Nature was approaching to her final diffolution; or elfe, that Beelzebub, with all his legions, was come to revenge the death of many thousands of his fubjects, whom his enemy had flain and devoured. However, he at length valiantly refolved to illue forth, and meet his fate. Mean while the bee had acquitted himfelf of his toils, and, pofted fecurely at fome diftance, was employed in cleanfing his wings, and difengaging them from the ragged remnants of the cobweb. By this time the spider was adventured out; when, beholding the chafms, and ruins, and dilapidations of his fortrefs, he was very near at his wit's end. He ftormed and fwore like a madman, and fwelled till he was ready to burft. At length, cafting his eye upon the bee, and wifely gathering caufes from events, (for they knew each other by fight); "A plague fplit you,” said he, “for a giddy fon of a whore. "Is it you, with a vengeance, that have made

"this litter here? Could not you look before 66 you, and be d--n'd? Do you think I have no"thing elfe to do, (in the devil's name), but to "mend and repair after your arfe?" "Good "words, friend, (faid the bee, having now pruned himself, and being difpofed to droll); “I'll 66 give you my hand and word to come near your "kennel no more; I was never in fuch a con"founded pickle fince I was born." "Sirrah," replied the spider, " if it were not for breaking an "old cuftom in our family, never to stir abroad against an enemy, I fhould come and teach "6 better manners." you

« I I pray, have patience,"

faid the bee," or you will spend your fubftance; ❝and, for aught I fee, you may stand in need of "it all towards the repair of your house." "Rogue, rogue," replied the spider; "yet me"thinks you should have more refpect to a per"fon, whom all the world allows to be fo much "your betters." "By my troth," faid the bee, "the comparison will amount to a very good "jeft; and you will do me a favour, to let me "know the reason that all the world is pleafed "to ufe in fo hopeful a dispute." At this, the Spider, having fwelled himself into the fize and pofture of a difputant, began his argument in the true fpirit of controverfy, with a refolution to be heartily fcurrilous and angry; to urge on his own reafons, without the leaft regard to the anfwers or objections of his oppofite; and fully predetermined in his mind against all conviction.

"Not