Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/271

Rh originals, he may be forced by his readers to change one of the places here with me, as he voluntarily did with the sophist in the case of Leucon and his ass.

1. His "first and surest mark of a pedant is, to write without observing the rules of civility or common decency, and without distinguishing the characters of those he writes against." Upon this article he accuses two expressions of mine, and yet both of them are both civilly worded and truly said. Then he mentions some coarse compliments upon himself, which I have already accounted for: only here he says I compare him with "Lucian's ass," which, were it true, would be no "coarse compliment," but a very obliging one; for "Lucian's ass" was a very intelligent and ingenious ass, and had more sense than any of his riders. He was no other than Lucian himself in the shape of an ass; and had a better talent at kicking and bantering, than ever the Examiner will have, though it seems to be his chief one. Let the reader too observe, by the way, that Mr B. in this place has it "Lucian's ass"; but in another he cites it truly, "Leucon's ass": and yet we are told the very same hand wrote both the passages.