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From a Picture by Richardson, in the Marquis of Buckingham's Collection at Stowe.

SEE

EPISTLE V.

TO MR. ADDISON.

Occafioned by his *Dialogues on MEDALS.

EE the wild Waste of all-devouring years! How Rome her own fad Sepulchre appears! With nodding arches, broken temples spread! The very Tombs now vanish'd like their dead!

NOTES.

Imperial

THIS was originally written in the year 1715, when Mr. Addifon intended to publifh his book of Medals; it was fome time before he was Secretary of State; but not published till Mr. Tickel's Edition of his works: at which time the verfes on Mr. Craggs, which conclude the poem, were added, giz. in 1720.

POPE.

*Dialogues on Medals.] This treatife on Medals was written by Addison in that pleafing form of compofition, fo unfuccefsfully attempted by many modern authors, Dialogues. In no onè fpecies of writing have the Ancients fo indisputable a fuperiority over us. The dialogues of Plato and Cicero, efpecially the former, are perfect dramas; where the characters are fupported with confiftency and nature, and the reasoning fuited to the characters.

"There are in English three dialogues, and but three," fays a learned and ingenious author †, who has himself practised this agreeable way of writing, "that deferve commendation, namely, the Moralifts in Lord Shaftesbury, Mr. Addison's Treatise on Medals, and the Minute Philofopher of Bishop Berkley." Alciphron did, indeed, well deserve to be mentioned on this occafion; notwithstanding it has been treated with contempt by writers much inferior to Berkley in learning, genius, and tafte. Omitting those paffages in the fourth dialogue, where he has introduced his fanciful and whimsical opinions about vision, an attentive reader will find that there is scarce a fingle argument than can be urged in defence of Revelation, but what is here placed in the AA 3 + Spence.

clearest

Imperial wonders rais'd on Nations spoil'd,

5

Where, mix'd with Slaves, the groaning Martyr toil'd:

NOTES.

Huge

clearest light, and in the most beautiful diction: In this work there is a happy union of reafoning and imagination. The two different characters of the two different forts of free-thinkers, the fenfual and the refined, are ftrongly contrafted with each other, and with the plainnefs and fimplicity of Euphranor.

Thefe dialogues of Addifon are written with that fweetness and purity of style which constitute him one of the first of our profe-writers. The chief imperfection of his Treatife on Medals is, the persons introduced as speakers, in dire& contradiction to the practice of the Ancients, are fictitious, not real; for Cynthio, Philander, Palæmon, Eugenio, and Theocles, cannot equally excite and engage the attention of the reader, with Socrates and Alcibiades, Atticus and Brutus, Cowley and Spratt, Maynard and Somers. It is fomewhat fingular, that fo many of the modern dialogue-writers fhould have failed in this particular, when fo many of the most celebrated wits of modern Italy had given them eminent examples of the contrary proceeding, and, closely following the fteps of the Ancients, conftantly introduced living and real perfons in their numerous compofitions of this fort; in which they were fo fond of delivering their fentiments, both on moral and critical subjects; witness the Il Cortegiano of B. Caftiglione, the Afolani of P. Bembo, Dialoghi del S. Sperone, and the great Galileo, the Naugerius of Fracaftorius, and Lil. Gyraldus de Poetis, and many others. In all which pieces the famous and living geniufes of Italy are introduced difcuffing the several different topics before them. WARTON.

VER. 1. See the wild Wafte] The opening of this beautiful little Poem is highly impreffive and poetical. The attention is awakened in the most powerful manner by the abrupt address, as if the Poet pointed with a penfive dignity to the awful monuments of paft ages:

"See the wild Waste of all-devouring years!" &c. All the moft interefting and picturefque remains of the filent havoc of Time, are then immediately brought before the eye, with the force and effect of the finest painting-" Hugh Theatres,"

"Fanes,"

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