Tully.

From age to age by your renown'd forefathers.
O never let it perish in your hands. Act 3. Sc.5.

Hanc [libertatem scilt] retinete, quæso, Qui-
rites, quam vobis, tanquam hereditatem, majores
noftri reliquerunt. Philipp. 4a

Addison. The mistress of the world, the seat of empire,

The nurse of Heros the Delight of Gods.
Tully. Roma domus virtutis, imperii dignitatis, domicilium

gloriæ, lux orbis terrarum, de oratore.

“ The first half of the 5 Sc. 3 Act, is nothing but a transcript from the 9 book of lucan between the 300 and the 700 line. You see by this specimen the exactness of Mr. Addison's judgment who wanting sentiments worthy the Roman Cato fought for them in Tully and Lucan. When he wou'd give his subject those terrible graces which Dion. Hallicar : complains he could find no where but in Homer, he takes the assistance of our Shakspeare, who in his Julius Cafar has painted the confpirators with a pomp and terrour that perfectly astonishes. hear our British Ho

mer.

a

Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the Int'rim is
Like a phantasma or a hideous dream,
The genius and the mortal Infiruments
Are then in council, and the state of Man
like to a little Kingdom, suffers then

The nature of an insurrection.
Mr. Addison has thus imitated it:

O think what anxious moments pass between
The birth of plots, and their last fatal periodo
O'tis a dreadful interval of time,

Filled up with horror all, & big with death.
I have two things to observe on this imitation. 1. the decoruna
this exact Mr. of propriety has observed. In the Conspiracy of
Shakespear's description, the fortunes of Cæsar and the roman
Empire were concerned. And the magnificent circumstances
of

“ The genius and the mortal instruments

" Are then in council.” is exactly proportioned to the dignity of the subject. But this wou'd have been too great an apparatus to the desertion of Syphax and the rape of Sempronius, and therefore Mr. Addison omits it.

II. The other thing more worthy our notice is, that Mr. A. was so greatly moved and affected with the pomp of Sh :s description, that infiead of copying his author's sentiments, he has before he was aware given us only the marks of his own impressions on the reading him. For, reading

“O'tis a dreadful interval of time

"Filled up with horror all, and big with death." are but the affections raised by such lively images as thefe

all the Int'rim is
“ Like a phantasma or a hideous dream.

&,

a

“ The state of man-like to a little kingdom suffers therx

" The nature of an insurrection." Again when Mr. Addison would paint the softer passions he has tecourse to Lee who certainly had a peculiar genius that way. thus his Juba

“ True she is fair. O how divinely fair!" coldly imitates Lee in his Alex:

“ Then he wou'd talk : Good Gods how he wou'd talk ! I pronounce the more boldly of this, because Mr. A. in bis 39 Spec. expresses his admiration of it. My paper fails me, or I fhould now offer to Mr. Theobald an objection agt, Shakspeare's acquaintance with the ancients. As it appears to me of great weight, and as it is necessary he shou'd be prepared to obviate all that occur on that head. But some other opportunity will present itselfe. You may now, Sr, juilly complain of my ill manners in deferring till now, what thou'd have been first of all acknowledged due to you, which is my thanks for all your favours when in town, particularly for introducing me to the knowledge of those worthy and ingenious Gentlemen that made up our last night's conversation. I am, Sir, with all efteem your most obliged friend and humble servant

W. Warburton. Newarke Jan, 2. 1726.

[The superscription is thus:] For

Mr. M. Concanen at
Mr. Woodwards at the
half moon in fileetstrete

London.

The foregoing Letter was found about the year 1750, by Dr. Gawin Knight, first librarian to the British Museum, in fitting up

a house which he had taken in Crane Court, Fleet Street. The house had, for a long time before, been let in lodgings, and in all probability, Concanen had lodged there. The original letter has been many years in iny posseflion, and is here most exactly copied, with its several little peculiarities in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. April 30. 2766. M. A.

The above is copied from an indorsement of Dr. Mark Akenside as is the preceding letter from a copy given by him to Mr. Steevens. I have carefully retained all the peculiarities above mentioned. MALONE.

Dr. Joseph Warton, in a note on Pope's Dunciad, Book II. observes, that at the time when Concanen published a pamphlet entitled, A Supplement to the Profund, (1728) he was intimately acquainted with Dr. Warburton. STEEVENS.

Printed by J. PLYMsell, Leather Lane, Holborn, London.