No. CXXXII. ON PHILELPHUS AND THEODORE GAZA, POLITE SCHOLARS OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

T

HOUGH the admirer of elegant letters will find his sweetest, most folid and most constant pleafures of the learned kind, in the writings of the Auguftan age; yet he will often feel his curiofity powerfully excited and amply rewarded by thofe among the revivers of learning who are distinguished by the politenefs of their literary accomplishments. I was lately amufing myself in this pleasant walk of claffical literature, when I accidentally met with the epiftles of Philelphus. Though they are not without a few expreffions which mark the barbarifm of his times, they poffefs a confiderable fhare of elegance, and partake much of the graces which fhine fo agreeably in the epiftles of Pliny and Cicero.

Philelphus was born at Tollentino, in Italy, in the year 1398; a very early period for fo uncommon an inftance of proficiency. He died at Florence in 1480, after having filled a long life with the moft laborious application. Let it be remembered, that printing was unknown at that time, and that not only the books which were compofed, but which were also read, were often painfully tranfcribed by the ftudent.

Philelphus was no inconfiderable poet, but was crowned with laurel, according to the fashion of the times, by Alphonfo king of Naples. He wrote five different works in verfe, and, according to his own account in one of his letters, they confifted of ten books of fatires, five books of miscellaneous poems, the Sfortiad in eight books, ten books of epigrams, and three books of Greek poems. The number of verses in the whole, as calculated by himself, amounted to thirty-three thoufand eight hundred. He has omitted, in this computation, his Nicholaus, a poem in two books, and in fapphic verfe, which he compofed in

honour

honour of Pope Nicholas the Fifth, by whom he was greatly esteemed, and who had invited him, by a large prefent, to undertake the tranflation of Homer into Latin. He was fcarcely lefs voluminous in profe, but lefs original, as his profaic works confift chiefly of tranflations from Lyfias, Ariftotle, Xenophon, Hippocrates, and Plutarch. Though he has also written two books of Convivia, three entitled Commentationes Florentinæ, five on Moral Discipline, and the Life and Exploits of Francis Sfortia, in compliment to whom the Sfortiad, which has been mentioned already, was compofed. There are allo Orationes, of which Erafmus fpeaks rather unfavourably in his Ciceronianus.

But the only work of Philelphus which I have had an opportunity of infpecting, is the Epiftles, of which this prolific author, in the courfe of a long life, has written no fewer than thirty-feven books. These abound with eloquence, and with fuch literary anecdotes and particulars, as cannot but afford amufement to the curious fcholar. Though Morhoff rather flights them, yet Erafmus, a much better judge, acknowledges that they refemble Cicero.

I present the reader with an extract from one of them, felected for no other reason than that I happen to be reading it at the time I am writing, and that it characterizes the fpirit of the author, and the great attachment which he bore to books. Cardinal Beffario, the patriarch of Conftantinople, had applied to him, defiring him to fell his copy of Homer's Iliad; to which requeft Philelphus thus replies, "That copy "of Homer's Iliad which the very learned Theodore "Gaza has written out for me, I value fo much, that "I would not part with it to any man, for all the vaft "and wonderful treafures of Crofus. I am really furprized that you should think that I, who always "had the character of generofity, fhould be fo much changed as to be capable of avarice. I have learned to give away many things, but to fell nothing, particularly books; than which I efteem nothing of greater value. But this book of Homer is fo dear to my heart, and affords me fo much pleasure, that "life itfelf can furnish nothing more delightful. There

"fore

"fore pardon me in this one thing. If I can gratify you in any thing elfe, you may command me, and "fhall not be difappointed." My paper will not admit a number of citations, and I will therefore content myself with referring the lover of elegant latinity and literary anecdotes to the original collection.

It is a circumftance which adds to our furprize in contemplating this example of literary induftry, that Philelphus was very much engaged in wars and in embaflies; so true is it, that the greateft exertions of mind are compatible with the most active life. His writings are not free from faults, from that inaccuracy which proceeds from hafte; but he is ftill a ftupendous inftance of diligence and excellence. Who but must lament, that after having done fo much to enlighten a dark age, and enjoyed the friendship of princes and pontiffs, he should die in his eighty-fecond year fo poor, that his bed, and the utenfils of his kitchen, were obliged to be fold to pay the expences of his funeral! But few men of real genius love money; and of the liberality of Philelphus, the fragment which I have inferted is an ample teftimony.

I hope it will not be tedious or difagreeable to the reader, if I mention a few circunftances relative to the friend and contemporary of Philelphus, Theodore Gaza, of whom he fpeaks in his epiftle, as having tranfcribed for him a very fine copy of Homer's Iliad.

Theodore Gaza was born at Theffalonica, but received a part of his education in Italy. He was an elegant writer both in the Greek and the Latin language; but he difplayed his abilities chiefly in tranflation; a most useful labour when the learned languages were imperfectly understood. He tranflated parts of Ariftotle, Theophraftus, and Hippocrates, into Latin; and the treatife of Cicero on Old Age into Greek. He wrote also a treatife on Grammar in four books, which has been greatly celebrated. Greek learning, and indeed all antient learning, is greatly indebted to this diftinguished reviver of it, Theodore Gaza.

But he alfo was unfortunate, and adds to the number of those whom Providence has exhibited to prove,

that

that the rewards of virtuous and useful labour do not confift in riches, honours, or any thing else which the rulers of this world are able to beftow. Poor Gaza had dedicated his Tranflation and Commentaries on Ariftotle's Book on Animals to Pope Sixtus the Fourth, in hopes of procuring from his patronage a little provifion for his old age. The pope gave him only a purfe with a few pieces in it, and accompanied his gift with a manner, which induced Gaza to conclude, that it was the laft favour he should receive. Gaza received it in filence; and as he walked home, all melancholy and indignant, along the banks of the Tiber, he threw the purfe into the ftream; and foon after died of vexation and difappointn ent.

I have introduced thefe examples with a view to animate the student to induftry; and at the fame time, to teach him to feek his reward in his own heart, in the approbation of heaven, in the private fatisfactions of ftudy; and not to depend too much on princes, pontiffs, or popular favour.

No. CXXXIII.

ON THE INEFFICACY OF THAT STYLE OF SPEAKING AND WRITING WHICH MAY BE CALLED THE FROTHY.

N the decline of antient learning and Augustan tafte, there arofe a number of fophifts and declaimers, who, in purfuit of an excellence in ftyle fuperior to the natural graces of a better age, deviated into a moft contemptible affectation. Quaint, awkward, and frivolous, as were their embellishments, they paid their principal attention to them, and totally neglected folidity and fubftance. This ftyle of writing characterizes the decline of a genuine and manly eloquence. It is, indeed, like the hectic efflorescence on the countenance of an invalid far advanced in a confumption.

In feveral departments of modern literature, and even in our own country, a ftyle of writing has ap

peared

peared which very much refembles the fophiftical and declamatory. But I know not that it has been fo confpicuous in any of our publications, as in the popular addreffes from the pulpit. Several of the favourite preachers in the capital, who feldom fail to fill every church in which they harangue, and to raise the largest contributions to charity fchools, have prefented the Public with their fermons, in order to make the experiment, whether that oratory which delights the lower orders in the pulpit, would be equally well received in the clofet. It was an unhappy experiment for the reputation of the orators; for there hardly ever appeared more remarkable specimens of florid, frothy, and meretricious eloquence. Sounding brafs, and tinkling cymbals, are defcriptions of it truly emblematical. If there is any fweetness, it is a sweetnefs which cloys, and makes you fick; if there is any brightnefs, it is a brightness which dazzles and gives you pain; if there is any gold, it is not like the bul lion, but like the leaf, expanded to a fuperficies almoft impalpable, under the operation of the goldbeater. Indeed, this fpecies of ftyle is very well defcribed by the common epithet of the frothy; but, as a means of fupplying aliment, or as a conftant diet, what is a fyllabub to a firloin?

Indeed, almoft all the popular preachers in London, have found it easier to themfelves, and more agreeable to an illiterate and unthinking audience, to addrefs the ears, the fancy, and the paffions, than the faculties of reafon and judgment, If their difcourfes were found to produce any better effect on their hearers, than that of furnishing an amufement for a leifure half-hour, it would be wrong to cenfure them, merely because they are offenfive to a delicate and refined taste. But the truth is, that they excite only tranfient emotions, which, though they may laft long enough to draw from the hearer a fhilling for the churchwardens plate at the church door, will feldom go home with him, or produce an uniform influence on his perfonal and focial conduct. He goes to hear a fine preacher as he goes to a play, to be entertained when he has nothing elfe to do; he pays for his entertainment at the coor, and gives himself