X. Of Tropes and Figures; and firft of the variegating, confounding, and reverfing XI. The Figures continued: Of the magnifying MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΘΟΥ Σ. CHA P. I.. IT hath been long (my dear Countrymen) the subject of my concern and furprize, that whereas numberless Poets, Critics, and Orators have compiled and digested the Art of ancient Poefy, there hath not rifen among us one perfon fo public-fpirited, as to perform the like for the Modern. Although it is univerfally known, that our every-way Martinus] The learned Mr. Upton has made an ingenious remark on the title of this piece: "'Tis pleasant enough to confider how the change of a single letter has often led learned Commentators into mistakes; and a II, being accidently altered into a B, in a Greek Rhetorician, gave occafion to one of the best pieces of satire that was ever written in the English language, viz. ПTEPI BAOOTE; a treatise concerning the Art of Sinking in Poetry. The blunder I mean is in the fecond feaion of Longinus: ΕΙ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΥΨΟΥΣ ΤΙΣ Η ΒΑΘΟΥΣ ΤΕΧΝΗ, infead of ΠΑΘΟΥΣ; a mof ridiculous blunder, which has occafioned as ridiculous criticisms." Observations on Shakspeare, p. 256. M. De Larcher, the tranflator of Herodotus, gave a French translation also of this Life of Scriblerus. It is cafy to imagine that the humour has evaporated in a French tranflation. The blunder relating to the word Tales, reminds one of a moft egregious miftake of Rapin the critic, whofe knowledge of Greek has been much queftioned. Relating a ftory of Euphranor the painter, he says, " Apion has related it." Having read the ftory in Euftathius; who fays, aww sypaev; which meant, that Euphranor, bearing a defcription of Jupiter read in Homer, "went away and painted it." |