Page:Virgil's Pastorals, Georgics and Aeneis - Dryden (1709) - volume 1.pdf/114

 ancient Writer of as good Credit, has assur'd us, that Seven Lives would hardly suffice to read over the Greek Odes; but a few Weeks would be sufficient, if a Man were so very idle as to read over all the French''. In the mean time, I should be very glad to see a Catalogue of but fifty of theirs with''

Exact propriety of word and thought.

Notwithstanding all the high Encomiums, and mutual Gratulations which they give one another; (for I am far from censuring the whole of that Illustrious Society, to which the Learned World is much oblig'd) after all those Golden Dreams at the L'Ouvre, that their Pieces will be as much valu'd ten, or twelve Ages hence, as the ancient Greek, or Roman, I can no more get it into my head that they will last so long, than I could believe the Learned Dr. HK. [of the Royal Society,] if he should pretend to shew me a Butterflye that had liv'd a thousand Winters.

When Mr. F. wrote his Eclogues, he was so far from equalling Virgil, or Theocritus, that he had some pains to take before he could understand in what the principal Beauty, and Graces of their Writings do consist.