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INSCRIPTION TO MR. ADDISON,

WRITTEN IN 1805.

EXIMIO VIRO,

JOSEPHO ADDISON:

GRATIÂ, FAMA, FORTUNA COMMENDATO;
HUMANIORIBUS LITERIS UNICE INSTRUCTO;
HAUD IGNOBILI POETÆ;
IN ORATIONE SOLUTA CONTEXENDA

SUMMO ARTIFICI;

CENSORI MORUM

GRAVI SANÉ, SED ET PERJUCUNDO,

LEVIORIBUS IN ARGUMENTIS

SUBRIDENTI SUAVITER,

RES ETIAM SERIAS

LEPORE QUODAM SUO CONTINGENTI;
PIETATIS, PORRÒ, SINCERÆ,

HOC EST, CHRISTIANÆ,
FIDE, VITA, SCRIPTIS

STUDIOSISSIMO CULTORI:

EXIMIO, PROINDE, VIRO,

JOSEPHO ADDISON,

HOC MONUMENTUM SACRUM ESTO.

R. W. 1805, Sept. 5.

harder task than to tame the natural wildness of wit, and to civilize the fancy. The generality of our old English poets abound in forced conceits and affected phrases; and even those who are said to come the nearest to exactness, are but too often fond of unnatural beauties, and aim at something better than perfection. If Mr. Addison's example and precepts be the occasion that there now begins to be a great demand for correctness, we may justly attribute it to his being first fashioned by the ancient models, and familiarized to propriety of thought and chastity of style. Our country owes it to him, that the famous Monsieur Boileau first conceived an opinion of the English genius for poetry, by perusing the present he made him of the Musa Anglicana. It has been currently reported, that this famous French poet, among the civilities he showed Mr. Addison on that occasion, affirmed, that he would not have written against Perrault, had he before seen such excellent pieces by a modern hand. Such a saying would have been impertinent and unworthy Boileau, whose dispute with Perrault turned chiefly upon some passages in the ancients, which he rescued from the mis-interpretations of his adversary. The true and natural compliment made by him was, that those books had given him a very new idea of the English politeness, and that he did not question but there were excellent compositions in the native language of a country, that possessed the Roman genius in so eminent a degree.

The first English performance made public by him, is a short copy of verses to Mr. Dryden, with a view particularly to his translations. This was soon followed by a version of the fourth Georgic of Virgil, of which Mr. Dryden makes very honourable mention, in the postscript to his own translation of all Virgil's works; wherein I have often wondered that he did not at the same time acknowledge his obligation to Mr. Addison, for giving him the Essay upon the Georgics, prefixed to Mr. Dryden's translation. Lest the honour of so exquisite a piece of criticism should hereafter be transferred to a wrong author, I have taken care to insert it in this collection of his works.

Of some other copies of verses, printed in the Miscellanies, while he was young, the largest is An Account of the greatest English Poets; in the close of which he insinuates a design he then had of going into holy orders, to which he was

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