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told me, he had not a drop of vinegar in his camp

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I faw Cæfar and Pompey at the head of their troops just ready to engage. I faw the former in his laft great triumph. I defired, that the fenate of Rome might appear before me in one large chani. ber, and a modern reprefentative in another. The first seemed to be an affembly of heroes and demigods, the other a knot of pedlars, pick-pockets, higwaymen, and bullies.

The governor, at my request, gave the fign for Cæfar and Brutus to advance towards us. I was ftruck with a profound veneration at the fight of

* Hannibal feems to have been fummoued with no other view than to cenfure Livy the hiftorian. It is not only improbable, but impoffible, that Hannibal fhould have carried a fufficient quantity of vinegar for the purpose related by Livy; but as vinegar will certainly foften and diffolve ftones, the experiment might have been improved or fo contrived by Hannibal, as to appear to make an eafy and expeditious opening through fome particular paffage already fitted for the purpofe. Such a trial, practifed in that age of darkness, and properly managed, might have been univerfally received as a kind of miracle; fo that Livy could fcarce have avoided inferting the report as an acknowledged truth: efpecially as the fact itself feems to infer that the Romans were invincible, unless from fome fupernatural caufe. Swift, no friend to military men, thinks the Carthaginian general unworthy of any further notice; and haftens to call up the fenate of Rome. This gives him an opportunity of being very fevere upon a certain modern affembly, which he treats in a manner more refembling the Cynic in his cell, than the free-humoured Rabelais in his eafy chair. O rery.

Livy the Roman hiftorian has related that Hannibal burnt a great pile of wood upon a rock that stopped his paffage, and when it was thus heated poured ainegar upon it, by which it was made fo foft as to be easily cut through.

Gulliver's account of his entertainment at Glubbdubdrib is strangely and whimfically divering, Alexander the Great, at the hea of his army just after the battle of Arbela, affured Gulliver upon his honour, that he was not poifoned, but died of a fever by exceffive drinking. And afterwards Hannibal paffing the Alps, declared to him, that he had not a drop of vinegar in his camp. How ridiculous, how contemptible, are thefe plagues of the world, thefe deftroyers of the human race, when firipped of their royalty and com mand, as well as their ability to perpetrate any further mifchief? -Mors fola fatetur Quantula fint hominum corpufcula. Juv. at. 10.

VOL. V.

M

Brutus,

Brutus, and could cafily difcover the moft confummate virtue, the greatest intrepidity and firmness of mind, the trueft love of his country, and general benvolence for mankind, in every lineament of his countenance. I obferved with much pleasure, that thefe two perfons were in good intelligence with each other; and Cæfar freely confeffed to me, that the greatest actions of his own life were not equal, by many degrees, to the glory of taking it away. I had the honour to have much converfation with Brutus; and was told that his ancestor Junius, Socrates, Epaminondas, Cato the younger, Sir Thomas More, and himself, were perpetually together: a fextumvirate to which all the ages of the world cannot add a feventh*.

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Pompey and Cæfar only appear to grace the entry of Brutus, who is Swift's favourite patriot. But as Cæfar generously confefled to Gulliver," that the greatest actions of his life were not equal, by many degrees, to the glory of taking away; it would have been a proper alleviation of the Dictator's crimes, to have acknowledged him the greatest ftate finan, orator, and foldier of the age in which he lived; an age fertile of eminent men; an age when ambition was fcarce looked upon as a crime; and when the Roman virtue (once the fupport and prefervation of the common-wealth) was long fince loft in vice and luxury. At fuch a time a fingle mafler was become necefiary; and Pompey would have feized the reins of government, had not Cæfa interpofed. If the confpirators had reftored liberty to their country, their act had been completely glorious, and would have fhewed, that Cæfar, not Rome, was degenerated. But if we may judge from the confequences, Heaven difapproved of the deed. A particular fate attended the confpirators, not one of whom died a natural death. And even Brutus, perhaps recollecting in his laft moments the benefits which he had received from Cæfar was staggered in his thoughts of virtue, and imagining himself deceived by a shadow, broke out into a pathetical expreffion fignifying, "that he had wor"fhipped virtue as a fubftance, and had found it only a fhadow;" lo that he feems to have wanted that fortitude of mind, which conftantly attends true virtue to the grave. This defect in the character of Brutus, is not improperly expretled in the famous, gallery of the Great Duke of Tufcany, where there is a very fine head of Brutus, begun by Mcha el Angelo, but left unfinished under it is engraven upon a copper-plate this diflich:

Dum BRUTI effigiem fculptor de marmore ducit,

In mentem fceleris venit, et abftinuit,

It would be tedious to trouble the reader with relating what vaft numbers of illuftrious perfons were called up to gratify that infatiable defire I had to fee the world in every period of antiquity placed before

If Brutus erred, it was from a a wrong notion of virtue. The character of Cæfar is perhaps more amiable, but lefs perfect. His faults were great; however, many of them were foils to his virtues. A modern eminent writer has reprefented him as a glutton. He tells us, that when Cæfar went to the public feafts, he conftantly took a vomit in the morning, with a defign to indulge himself with more keenness, and to increase his appetite for the enfuing feaft. The fact is true, but I would willingly believe the inference unjuft.. It is more than probable, that he practifed this cuftom by the advice of his phyficians, who might direct fuch a regimen, as the most certain and immediate preservation against epileptic fits to which the Dictator was often liable. My honoured father, who was excelled by few phyficians in the theory of phyfic, has often told me, that thofe kind of convulfions were of fuch a nature as generally to come on after eating, and more voilently if the ftomach was overloaded. Cæfar was fo careful in obferving a decent dignity in his behaviour, that he dreaded the fhame of expofing publicly this weakness in his conftitution; and therefore guarded against it in a prudent manner, which has fincebeen conftrued into a reproach. This furmife refts upon the ftronger foundation, as all authors agree, that he was most strictly and remarkably abftemious.

In his public character, Cæfar appears a ftrong example, how far the greatest natural and acquired a complishments may lose their luftre, when made fubfervient to falfe glory, and an immoderate thirst of power; as, on the other hand, the hiftory of Brutus may inftruct us, what unhappy effects the rigid exerci'e of fuperior virtue, when mifapplied and carried too far, may produce in the muft ftedfaft mind, or the foundest judgement.

Gulliver has given to Brutus five companions, Junius Brutus, Socrates, Epaminondas, Cato the cenfor, and Sir Thomas More. Such a fextumvirate is not eafily to be increafed yet let me hope, that the reflection is too feverely critical, when he adds," that all the ages

of the world cannot furnish out a feventh," Every age has produced men of virtue and abilities in the highest degree. The race of mankind fince their first creation, have been always the fame, The greatest characters have been blended with the greatest faults. Poets and hiftorians have fingled out particular perfons for fame and immortality they have adorned then with accomplishments which perhaps thy never poffeffed, while other men equally meritorious have been filently buried in oblivion, with only the felf-confticuf nefs of deferving a rank among the companions of Brutus in the Ely. fian fields.

In this illuftrious fextumvirate, Socrates and Sir Thomas More undoubtedly deferve the pre eminence. The extravagant virtue of

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before me. I chiefly fed mine eyes with beholding the destroyers of tyrants and ufurpers, and the reftorers of liberty to oppreffed and injured nations. But

Junius Brutus is fhocking to every parent, and every good-natured mind. The important fervices of the father might justly have claimed from the public, the pardon of his fons: and, when his paternal piety had faved their lives, his precepts and example might fo effectually have reclaimed their errors, as to have made them become ufeful members of the commonwealth. I am fully perfuaded, that if Dr. Switt had been a father, we should not have found the name of Junius Brutus where it is now placed.

In Epaminondas the Theban glory firft appeared, and died. His own merit, in overcoming the greateft difficulties, entirely fixed his reputation. A happy concurrence of circumftances has often given fame to others; but Epaminondas was indebted for his fuperior character, only to himself.

I am in fome doubt, whether Cato the cenfor can fairly claim a rank among so choice a group of ghofts *. He justly indeed condem、 ned the luxury of the Romans, and he punished their vices with an impartial feverity. But herein he feems to have indulged his own natural temper, rather than to have acted abfolutely from a love of virtue. He was a declared enemy to poetry, painting, and all the paliter arts. He was proud, vain, and morofe. But above all, he was fo extremely avaricious, that Rhadamanthus, in the Archbifhop of Cambray's dialogues of the dead, after expreffing some regard to his merits, tells him, as he was an ufurer, he could not be admitted into the Elyfian fields; and therefore orders him to keep the gate as porter, in which fituation he might gratify the cenforioufness of his difpofition, by examining every ghost that attempted to come into Elyfium, and by shutting the door against all those who were not qualified for admittance. Rhadamanthus then gives him money, to pay Charon for fuch paffengers who were not able to pay for themfelves; and at the fame time declares, that he will punith him as a robber, if he offers to lend out that money upon u'ury. How very different are the fentiments of Abp. Fenelon, and of Dr. Swift, in their judgement of Cato? The one thinks him unworthy of a place among millions in Elyfium, while the other diftinguishes him among the greatest men of antiquity. From this diffenfion of opinions may be traced, perhaps, the particular temper both of the Archbishop and of the Dean; and from thence may be deduced the reason why the cenfor was esteemed by the latter, and condemned by the former. Orrery.

"This note of his Lordship is an encomium on the judgement "of our author, who knew that Cato the cenfor and Cato the young"er were very different perfons, and for good reasons preferred the "latter"

The

But it is impoffible to exprefs the fatisfaction I received in my own mind, after fuch a manner as to make it a fuitable entertainment to the reader.

CHAP. VIII.

A further account of Glubbdubdrib. Ancient and modern history corrected. ·

HAV

AVING a defire to fee thofe ancients, who were most renowned for wit and learning, I fet apart one day on purpose. * I propofed that

Homer

The noble author finishes his remarks on this feventh chapter, by obferving, that "Gulliver, a ter having taken a tranfient view of numberless illuftrious perfons, whom he does not name, clofes the "chapter, and gives him an opportunity of finishing his letter," and then addreffs his fon thus: Late, very late, may you become a "ghoft and when one, may you equal one of Swift's fextumviratez "and may his ghoft (grown lefs cynical and better inftructed) rejoice "to admit you into the company, from which he has fo arbitrarily "excluded all future generations."

Gulliver has not excluded all future generations from adding to this fextumvirate. For he fpeaks only of the time paft. What Cato's may appear to blefs the world, and oppofe the torrent of corruption, in after ages, God only knows. Swift.

Gulliver, tired of heroes, changes the scene in this 8th chapter, and becomes curious to know the fituation of poets and philofophets, who, in their turn, have as eagerly contended for fame, as Cæfar did for power, or Brutus for liberty. He defires that Homer and Ariftotle may make their appearance at the head of their commentators. "Homer," fays our traveller, was the taller and comler "S perfon of the two; walked very erect for one of his age, and his -"" eyes were the most quick and piercing I ever beheld t." It is certain, that Homer has rather gained, than left vigour by his years. Twenty-fix centuries have not unbraced his nerves, or given one wrinkle to his brow. And although Gulliver has bestowed upon him the additional ornament of fine eyes, yet I am apt to think they

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"All that is meant by Gulliver is, that Homer had the most quick and piercing genius of all human rase. Swit.

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