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EGregious and Sparkling Wits are soon discourag'd and de∣press'd, where Flattery once gets Footing and Prospers, Tacitus Annal. l. 1.
The meaning of the Text is, That there was no want of Egregious and Spark∣ling Wits, till they were Stupifi'd by Adu∣lation. D'Ablancourt renders it, While
there was no speaking of Truth without a Candid Complacency, Which does not does not sufficiently express the Sence of Tacitus, whose meaning is, that where Flat∣tery Reigns, there follows a decay of Towring Ingenuities, for that all Recompences and Rewards go to the Flatterers. Therefore Monsieur Harlay Chanvalon, has render'd the words much better, thus, till Noble Ingenuities had debas'd themselves by Flattery.
There needs no other Comment upon these words, then that of Tacitus himself. Many Authors, saith he, have Compil'd us the History of the Seven First Ages of the Roman Commonweal, at what time they Wrote with no less Freedom then Eloquence: but after it was the Inte∣rest of Peace that the Supream Power should be devolv'd upon one single Per∣son, those lofty Genius's were soon E∣clips'd. And the Reason was, for that Dominion having depriv'd Equality of all Command, every one strove to please and comply with the Prince, that he might render himself capable of Honours and Preferment, to which he could not ascend, but by the steps of Servitude. For so it is, that Servitude and Flattery are two inseparable Companions: And
it was upon the occasion of the shameful Flatteries of the Senate, that Tiberius himself was wont so often to Exclaim: Poor Souls prepar'd for Slavery. The youn∣ger Pliny, whom we shall frequently cite, by reason of the Conformity of his Max∣ims with those of Tacitus, whom he caus'd to examine his Writings, speaking of his Uncles Books, makes an excuse for eight, which were not wrote in the same Stile, and wanted those Sinews of Elo∣quence, that gave manly force to all the Rest; because they were Written under the Reign of Nero, when the Servile Fears of Men would not permit 'em to write with Freedom. And in one of his Epistles, he adds, That he liv'd in the Reign of another Emperour, when the Senate was become altogether Mute, and meerly Stupifi'd, by reason of long Si∣lence.