A further account of Glubbdubdrib. Ancient and modern biftory corrected. H AVING a defire to fee those ancients, who were most renowned for wit and learning, I fet apart one day on purpose. I propofed that Homer and Ariftotle might appear at the head of all their commentators; but thefe were fo numerous, that fome hundreds were He * Gulliver, tired of heroes, changes the scene in this 8th chapter, and becomes curious to know the fituation of poets and philofophers, who, in their turn, have as eagerly contended for fame, as Caefar did for power, or Brutus for liberty. defires, that Homer and Ariftotle may make their appearance at the head of their commentators. "Homer, fays our traveller," was the taller and comelier person of the two; walk"ed very erect for one of his age, and his eyes were the most "quick and piercing I ever beheld. †” It is certain, that Homer has rather gained, than loft vigour by his years. Twenty fix centuries have not unbraced his nerves, or given one wrinkle to his brow. And although Gulliver has bestowed upon him the additional ornament of fine eyes, yet I am apt to think they made the figure of this divine old man lefs awful: at least I am glad that he wanted his eye-fight while he lived; fince it is impoffible not to conclude from the productions of Homer and Milton, that the mind's eye becomes more intenfely discerning, when it is not interrupted by external objects. It is an old obfervation, that Homer has nourished more perfons than Sylla, Caefar, and Auguftus; and while their pictures have decayed, not a letter of the Iliad has been loft. The Grecian poet not only preferves his original form, but breathes freely, and looks beautifully, in other languages: a happier metempsychosis than Pythagoras ever dreamed of. However, if Homer was abfo lutely obliged to wear the different dreffes which have been given to him, he would fometimes, I believe, find the motion of his limbs uneafy and confined; and would prefer his own fimple attire even to the birth-day fuit which our English bard has given him. The commentators have done lefs honour to Homer, than the tranflators. Some of thefe learned gedants have entirely + All that is meant by Gulliver is, that Homer had the most quick and piercing genius of all the human race, Swift.- - Sea vol. 6. p. 8. were forced to attend in the court and outward rooms of the palace. I knew and could distinguish those two heroes at firft fight, not only from the croud, but from each other. Homer was the taller and comelier person of the two, walked very erect for one of his age, and his eyes were the most quick and piercing I ever beheld. Ariftotle ftooped much, and made ufe of a staff. His vifage was meagre, his hair lank and thin, and his voice hollow. entirely wafted their obfervations upon particles and words; others have run into a minute exactness, in comparing the propriety of his images; while others, again, have endeavoured to trace out from the Iliad and Odyffey, all the rudiments of arts and fciences. Some there are who dwell on fuch narrow circumftances as were neglected by Homer, and can only be fuitable to their own confined genius. They are not able to pursue him in his fublime flights, and attempt therefore to bring him upon a level with themselves. Their low mechanical notions remind me of an abfurd problem propofed by the famous Monf. Huet, whether the Iliad might not be written upon vellum in so small a hand, that the whole might be contained within a nut-fhell? This important queftion is faid to have engaged the thoughts and attention of the French court, and gives us a true picture of a laborious, tastelefs critic upon Homer. The Dauphin and his train are for putting the Iliad into a nut-fhell, when Alexander and his courtiers chofe the richest and most cu. rious cabinet of Darius, as the only proper repository for Homer's works. Homer and Ariftotle were as oppofite as poffible in their characters but Dr. Swift has placed them together, chiefly with a view of fhewing their commentators in that just and ridicu fous light in which thofe fcholiafts ought to appear. When an age is bleffed with the productions of an uncommon genius, fuch as refembles Homer, it must, in fome measure, be punich ed by bad imitations and comments; in the fame manner that you may have obferved the fun, by its heat and influence, rai fing vapours, and animating infects, that infect, and perhaps corrupt the air, in which he fhines with fo much luftre. when an original admired author, as Aristotle, is really erroneous, and deceives with falfe fpecious principles, what a train of errors must arife from commentators on fuch fubjects, who, while they endeavour to purfue and extend a pleasing inchanted profpect, that has no real foundation, deviate into a dark, dif agreeable road of briers and thorns? But It is on this account that the Dean has introduced Ariftotle in company with Homer. Orrery. hollow*. I foon discovered that both of them were perfect ftrangers to the rest of the company, and had never feen or heard of them before. And I had a whisper from a ghoft, who shall be nameless, that these commen tators This defcription of Aristotle is fine, and in a few words reprefents the true nature of his works. By not having the immortal fpirit of Homer, he was unable to keep his body erect; and his ftaff, which feebly supported him, like his commentators, made this defect more confpicuous. He wanted not some useful qualities; but these real ornaments, like his hair, were thin and ungracefult. His style was harsh, and, like his voice, had neither force nor harmony. He was without doubt a man of great genius and penetration; but he did infinitely more prejudice than fervice to real literature. He studied words more than facts; and delivered his philofophy perplexed with fuch intricate logical terms, as have laid a foundation for the endless scholastic disputations which have corrupted and retarded the progrefs of learning. He waged war with all his predecessors. He never quotes an author but with a view to refute his opinion. Like the Ottoman Emperor, he could not reign in safety, till he had first deftroyed his brethren. He was as ambitious in science, as his pupil Alexander was in arms. He aimed to be a defpotic original; and not only to be the prince, but the tyrant of philoLophy. What then can be expected from the commentators of his works, who were devoid of his ingenuity, and possessed all his intricate follies ? Ramus with his covert ignorance, and Scotus and Aquinas with their subdivisions and imaginary nothings, must make a contemptible figure in the Elyfian fields, which are the fuppofed manfions of chearfulness, truth, and candour, and confequently must be a very improper fituation for that tribe of philofophers. Orrery. He In Gulliver's portrait of Homer we obferve all the marks and delineations of quickness, genius, and fire, accompanied with an exquifite power and felicity in the communication of his ideas, with clearness and force, unto the fouls of his auditors. Swift's portrait of Aristotle is equally strong and masterly. ftooped much, faith he, and made use of a staff; that is, he he thought, he confidered, he ruminated, he pondered deeply, on the most intricate and abftruse points relating to the sciences; and, by the force of reafoning, which is meant by his staff, he cleared his way through briers and thorns, until he struck into the road which leads to science and philofophy. The remaining In this the noble commentator feems to be mistaken; for it cannot be believed that Ariftotle's real ornaments however few were ungraceful, Hawkef. tators always kept in the moft diftant quarters from their principals in the lower world, through a consciousness of fhame and guilt, because they had fo horribly misreprefented the meaning of those authors to pofterity. I introduced Didymus and Euftathius to Homer, and prevailed on him to treat them better than perhaps they deferved; for he foon found they wanted a genius to enter into the spirit of a poet. But Ariftotle was out of all patience with the account I gave him of Scotus and Ramus, as I prefented them to him, and he asked them whether the rest of the tribe were as great dunces as themselves. I then defired the governor to call up Defcartes and Gaffendi, with whom I prevailed to explain their fyftems to Aristotle. This great philofopher freely acknowledged his own mistakes in natural philofophy, because he proceeded in many things upon conjecture, as all men must do; and he found, that Gaffendi, who had made the doctrine of Epicurus as palatable as he could, and the vortices of Defcartes, were equally to be remaining part of Ariftotle's portrait is only the representation of an abftracted fcholar, worn away and decayed with years, hard study, nocturnal lucubrations, and the want of bodily exercife. Some would make Swift treat Ariftotle with very little respect. But, on the contrary, Swift admired Ariftotle beyond all the philofophers which had appeared in the world, from the days of Alexander the Great to the moment he was then writing; I had almost faid, even to the contempt of all others, not excepting Defcartes, Gaffendi, and the famous Sir Ifaac Newton. From a little book of inftructions which Dr. Swift was pleased to draw up for the ufe of a lady, I fhall, in his own words, give his real opinion of Aristotle. Ariftotle, the difciple of Plato, and. 66 66 tutor to Alexander the Great. His followers were called Peripatetics, from a Greek word which fignifies to walk, because he taught his difciples walking. We have not all his works; and "fome of those which are imputed to him, are fuppofed not ge"nuine. He writ upon logic, or the art of reafoning; upon moral "and natural philofophy; upon oratory, poetry, etc. and seems to "be a person of the most comprehensive genius that ever lived.” Swift. be exploded*. He predicted the fame fate to attraction, whereof the present learned are fuch zealous afferters He faid, that new fystems of nature were but new fashions, VOL. II. which R * I believe you will find, that Aristotle is ftill to be preferred to Epicurus. The former made fome useful experiments and difcoveries, and was engaged in a real pursuit of knowledge, altho' his manner is much perplexed. The latter was full of vanity and ambition. He was an impoftor, and only aimed at deceiving. He feemed not to believe the principles which he has afferted. He committed the government of all things to chance. His natural philofophy is abfurd. His moral philofophy wants its proper bafis, the fear of God. Mr. Boyle, one of his warmest advocates, is of this laft opinion, where he fays, On ne sçauroit pas dire affez de bien de l'honnêteté de fes moeurs, ni affez de mal de fes opinions fur la religion. His general maxim, that happiness confifted in pleasure, was too much unguarded, and must lay a foundation of a most destructive practice: altho', from his temper and conftitution, he made his actions fufficiently pleasureable to himfelf, and agreeable to the rules of true philofophy. His fortune exempted him from care and solicitude; his valetudinarian habit of body from intemperance. He paffed the greatest part of his time in his garden, where he enjoyed all the elegant amusements of life. There he ftudied, there he taught his philofophy. This particular happy fituation greatly contributed to that tranquillity of mind, and indolence of body, which he made his chief ends. He had not however refolution fufficient to meet the gradual approaches of death, and wanted that conftancy which Sir William Temple afcribes to him: for, in his last moments, when he found that his condition was defperate, he took fuch large draughts of wine, that he was abfolutely intoxicated, and deprived of his fenfes; fo that he died more like a Bacchanal, than a philofopher; to which the epigram alludes, Hinc Stygias ebrius haufit aquas. I fhould not have ventured into this critcifm and cenfure upon thefe antient philofophers, if my opinion was not in a great meafure fupported by Lord Bacon, who, as he was certainly the most accurate judge of this fubject, might be perhaps, from that preeminence, too fevere a critic. It must be owned, that Epicurus in particular has many followers and admirers among the antients, and |