Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/228

154 His last argument is from Pindar, who speaks of Phalaris's cruelty, with detestation. And what follows from thence? that he never heard of his extraordinary dearness with Stesichorus, for the sake of which, Pindar, had he known it, would certainly have forborn giving him so vile a character? This indeed is demonstration, and not to be withstood! I will not attempt to answer it: only I will put the Doctor in mind of one false colour that he has given to his argument; for it does not appear, from any expression in this Ode, that Pindar is there exhorting Hiero to be kind to poets and men of letters. There is not a word of being kind to poets and men of letters, mentioned in the verses themselves, whatever guess the Scholiast (who perhaps knew as little of Pindar's intentions as I, or Dr Bentley, do) may make at their remote meaning. Pindar only praises Hiero for his humanity and hospitality at large, and tells him Croesus was renowned for these virtues, and Phalaris infamous for the want of 'em. Which I would have observed, because if he be not speaking here of beneficence to poets and men of letters, Dr Bentley might as well have undertaken to prove his point from as from the