Dr. Bentley's Dissertations on the Epistles of Phalaris, and the fables of Æsop, examin'd by the Honourable Charles Boyle, Esq.

THE PREFACE.

SOON after Dr. Bentley's Dissertation came out, I was call'd away into Ireland, to at∣tend the Parliament there. The Publick Business, and my own private affairs, de∣tain'd me a great while in that Kingdom, else the World should have had a much Earlier account of Him, and his Performance. For tho' He took above two Years to make his Learned Reflections on Phalaris; yet Two Months would have been enough to have shown him, that he is but a weak Champion in a very frivolous Cause.

I speak not this one of any vain design of setting up for a Quick Writer, but meerly to avoid being thought to have thrown away any considerable part of my life upon so triflng a subject: which, as Idle a man as I am, is an Imputation I would not wil∣lingly lye under.

I little imagin'd ever to have been engag'd in a Dispute of this nature. I am not very fond of Controversies even where the Points debated are of some importance; but in trivial matters, and such as Mankind is not at all concern'd in, methinks they are unpardonable. This, ever since I came to have any Opinions of my own, has been one of 'em; and is still, tho' I am unluckily at present brought to act contrary to it. But the Case is this — Dr. Bent∣ley has been pleas'd, with some warmth, to fall foul on an Edition and Version of Phalaris's Epistles,

that I some years since offer'd to the World. He has taken a great deal of Good-natur'd pains to prove, that I had been very foolishly busying my self upon a Contemptible and Spurious Author; and had made a bad book much worse by a very ill Edi∣tion of it. I was very Young, when I appear'd on that occasion; and I appear'd rather as one that wish'd well to Learning than profess'd it; and for both these reasons promis'd my self good usage from the men of more profound Skill in such matters. Dr. Bentley was sensible that his Criticisms would lye under some disadvantage on this account; and therefore, to excuse his making so free with the Edition, was pleas'd to make yet freer with Me; and, according to His Breeding, to tell Me, and all the World, that I had set my name to a Book, which did not belong to me.

The first of these Reflections, had it come single, I could easily have neglected: had he stop'd there, I would have left the Book to shift for it self, and Him to the good opinion he has of his own perfor∣mances, without endeavouring to lessen it. But when he carried his Criticisms so far as to assert, not only of Phalaris, but his Editor too, that they neither of 'em wrote what was ascrib'd to 'em; he gave me so plain, and so publick an Affront, that I could not, with any tolerable regard to my reputa∣tion, quietly put it up. Thus was I, much against my inclinations, brought into the Lists. It was necessary for me to say something in defence of my self; and when I did so, I thought it would be judg'd proper for me to say something too in defence of my Author; and to enquire into the justness of those Cri∣ticisms which Dr. Bentley has advanc'd on this oc∣casion; and which, I foresaw, wou'd be look'd upon, as in some measure aim'd at Me, tho' they did not really belong to me.

I have not any where in my Book asserted, that the Epistles, which carry Phalaris's name, are Genuine; and I am not therefore engag'd to defend their Reputation against the Attacks of Dr. Bent∣ley, or any other person, who, by the help of Lei∣sure and Lexicons, shall set up for a Critic in this point. But as I have not undertaken for their be∣ing Genuine, so neither have I, with a decisive and assuming air, pronounc'd 'em Spurious. I express'd my self with that Caution and Reserve in this mat∣ter, which I thought became a Young Writer, who was sensible, that the best and ablest Iudges were divided in their opinions about it; and I thought it would be a very Indecent part in Me, to make my self a Iudge between 'em.

But I was chiefly induc'd to observe these mea∣sures, by the Regard I had for the most Accom∣plish'd Writer of the Age, whom I never think of, without calling to mind those happy Lines of Lucretius,

Qnem Tu, Dea, Tempore in omni Omnibus ornatum voluisti excellere rebus.

a Character, which, I dare say, Memmius did not better deserve, than Sir William Temple. He had openly declar'd in favour of the Epistles: and the Nicety of his Taste was never, I think, dispu∣ted by Such as had any themselves. I quoted his Words with that respect which is due to ev'ry thing that comes from him: but must now beg his pardon for it; for I have by this means, I find, drawn him into a share of Dr. Bentley's displeasure: who has hereupon given himself the trouble of writing almost fourscore pages solemnly to disprove that One of Sir William's which he has prefix'd to his Dis∣sertation; and which, to give him my opinion of his

whole Book at once, is the only good Page there.

I am therefore the rather inclin'd to give Dr. Bentley's Reflections a Due Examination, on Sir William Temple's account; upon whom I so un∣happily occasion'd this Storm of Criticism to fall. In truth, for a Man who has been so great an Or∣nament to Learning, he has had strange usage from Some who are Retainers to it. He had set the world a Pattern of mixing Wit with Reason, Sound Knowledge with Good Manners; and of making the one serve to recommend and set off the other; but his Copy has not been at all follow'd by those that have writ against him, in a very rough way, and without that Respect which was due both to His Character, and their Own.

I will not pretend to determine, on which side, in those Disputes, the Truth lies; only thus much I will venture to say of 'em, that, let Sir W. T. be as much out in some of his Opinions as he's represented to be, yet They, who read both sides, will be apt to fall in with Tully's Opinion of Plato, and say, Cum Illo Ego meherclè errare malim quàm cum istis Scriptoribus vera sentire. I had rather be so Handsomly mistaken as He is, if he be mistaken, than be so Rudely and Dully in the right, as Some of his Opposers, allowing 'em to be in the right, are.

There was also another Consideration that deter∣min'd me to write. Dr. Bentley's Reflections were understood to go further than either Sir William Temple, or my Self; and to be levell'd at a Lear∣ned Society, in which I had the happiness to be edu∣cated: and which Dr. Bentley is suppos'd to at∣tack under those General Terms of Our New Edi∣tors, Our Annotators, and Those Great Ge∣nius's with whom Learning, that is leaving the world, has taken up her last Residence.

By these, and such expressions as these, with which his Familiar Epistle abounds, he would insinuate as if Phalaris, as slight a piece as it is, had been made up by contribution from several hands, and were the Ioint Work of that Eminent Body. But in this he does me too great an honour; and I'm almost tem∣pted to take it, as Terence did the agreeable Re∣proach of Laelius and Scipio's writing his Plays for him; neither to own nor deny it. But Terence wrote what might have become those Noble Pens; and therefore did no injury to their Reputation when he favour'd that mistake: whereas I shou'd be ex∣treamly to blame, if I shou'd suffer a Report to spread to the disadvantage of so many Excellent Men. I think my self therefore oblig'd to declare, that what∣ever the Faults of Phalaris are, they are Mine; and I alone am answerable for them. There is a very Deserving Gentleman indeed, who had a little before been the Director of my Studies, and was then My Particular Friend, to whom I have acknowledg∣ments to make on his occasion. I consulted him up∣on any difficulty, because I thought it not proper for one of my Age to offer any thing to the Public with∣out consulting Some-body. I wish I had advis'd of∣tener with him, for then my Book would have been much more correct. But excepting Him, no one had a hand in it; nay, scarce a line was ever seen by any-body else as I know of, till it was finish'd And now I have confess'd thus much, I don't care if I own a little further to Dr. Bentley, that I have been again oblig'd to the Same person for his Assistance in consulting some Books in the Oxford Libraries at my request, which in the Places where I have been were not at all, or not easily, to be met with. The Dr. may make what advantages of this he thinks fit; I assure him, I will never recriminate;

for I declare to the World, that I sincerely believe the Dr's Dissertation is entirely his own, both as to Matter and Dress; and that no Friend whatever, no not Mr. Wotton himself, had any hand in it. The happy Genius of some Authors will for ever secure 'em from all Scandals of this nature: Terence indeed was suspected, but Bavius and Moevius ne∣ver were. Dr. Bentley has industriously contriv'd to lead his Reader into this mistake; imagining, I suppose, that the Conquest would have been too cheap for a man of his Rank in Letters, unless he engag'd, like the Hero of a Romance, with great numbers at once. But some men have thought themselves He∣roes that were not, and some that were, have mista∣ken their Strength; and in either of these cases have come off but scurvily. The Dr, I'm sure, would have been made very sensible of this in the present Debate, had not I been kinder to him than He was to Himself, and stept in, as I thought it became me, between Him and the just resentments of that Lear∣ned Body. 'Twere pity that any of those worthy Men, who know so well how to employ their hours, should be diverted from the pursuit of Vseful Know∣ledge, into such Trivial Enquiries as these. The Dispute began between Dr. Bentley, and Me; and 'tis fit that We Two should end it.

I have a Request to Such as shall give themselves the Trouble of perusing These Papers, that they would do Me, and Dr. Bentley, the Iustice to com∣pare 'em, Paragraph by Paragraph, with His Dis∣sertations. The Task is a little unreasonable, con∣sidering the Length of the Dispute; but 'tis necessa∣ry, in order to form a true judgment of the Perfor∣mance.