Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/164

90 That the Epistles were written by is the opinion of the Learned, , and Sir William Temple, the ornament of our time and nation. With the latter, while I marvel at the freedom of thought shown by the writer of the Epistles, the boldness of expression, the vehemence and diversity of passions upon such variety of occasions, his bounty to his friends, his bitter hatred for his enemies, his regard for learned men, his esteem of the good; when I observe his philosophy of life, his contempt of death, his high spirit, his subtlety in revenge; I am struck by a kind of royal magnificence—I can hardly believe that I do not hear the tyrant speaking. What rhetorician could have painted such greatness of mind? by what art could it be imitated? What writer has ever so completely disguised himself in the character of a tyrant without at the same time showing his own, without letting the sophist appear under the robes of the king?

, on the other hand, Lilio Giraldi, and assign the letters to Lucian, but as they have not thought fit to give any reasons for their opinion, I do not know why they held it; unless