The epistles of Phalaris translated into English from the original Greek by S. Whately ... ; to which is added Sir W. Temple's Character of the epistles of Phalaris ; together with an appendix of some other epistles lately discovered in a French ms.

A more indiffrent Character of the same Author given by another Hand.

THat some of the oldest Books are the best in their kinds, is no new Observation: but the choice of Phalaris and Aesop, as they are now extant, for the two great inimitable Originals, is a piece of Criticism of a peculiar Complexion, and must proceed from a Singu∣larity of Palat and Judgment. Dr Bentley's Appendix to Mr Wotton's Reflections upon Antient and Modern Learning, p. 7. The censures that are made from stile and language alone, are commonly nice and uncertain, and depend upon slender notices. So that if I had no other Argument but the stile to detect the spuriousness of Phalaris Epistles, I my self indeed should be satisfied with that alone, but I durst not hope to convince eve∣ry body else. Ibid. p. 14. To pass by therefore the Ar∣guments from words and language, to me the very matter and business of the Letters sufficiently discovers them to be an Imposture. What force of wit and spi∣rit in the stile, what lively painting of humoursome fancy they discern there, I will not examine nor dis∣pute. But methinks little sense and judgment is shewn in the groundwork and subject of them. What an Im∣probable and Absurd story is that of Epist. 54. Ste∣sichorus was born at Himera, &c. p. 55, 56. It would be endless to prosecute this part, and shew all the silliness and impertinency of the matter of the Epistles. For take them in the whole Bulk; If a great Person would give me leave, I should say, they are a fardle of Com∣mon places, without any Life or Spirit from Action or Circumstance. Do but cast your eye up∣on Cicero's Leters, or any Statesman's, as Phalaris was: What Lively Characters of men there! what descri∣ptions of Place! what notifications of Time! what particularity of Circumstances! what multiplicity of Designs and Events! When you return to these again, you feel by the emptiness and deadness of them, that you Converse with some dreaming Pedant with his el∣blow on the Desk; not with an active Ambitious Ty∣rant, with his hand on his Sword, commanding a mil∣lion of Subjects. All that taker or effects you is a Stiff∣ness, and Stateliness, and Operoseness of Stile: but as that is improper and unbecoming in all Epistles, so especi∣ally it is quite aliene from the Character of Phalaris, a man of Bisiness and Dispatch. Ibid. p. 62, 63.