Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/124

 learning, or genius of the authors, and are seldom met with of any excellency, because they do but trace over the paths that have been beaten by the ancients; or comment, critique, and flourish upon them: and are at best but copies after those originals, unless upon subjects never touched by them; such as are all that relate to the different constitutions of religious laws or governments in several countries, with all matters of controversy that arise upon them.

Two pieces that have lately pleased me (abstracted from any of these subjects) are one in English upon the Antediluvian World, and another in French upon the Plurality of Worlds; one writ by a divine, and the other by a gentleman, but both very finely in their several kinds, and upon their several subjects, which would have made very poor work in common hands. I was so pleased with the last (I mean the fashion of it rather than the matter, which is old and beaten) that I enquired for what else I could of the same hand, till I met with a small piece concerning poesy, which gave me the same exception to both these authors whom I should otherwise have been very partial to. For the first could not end his