the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第2章

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e　word　of　Temple　who　knew　none；　and　desired　Boyle　to　prepare　a　new　edition　of　these　admirable　compositions　which；　having　long　slept　in　obscurity；　had　become　on　a　sudden　objects　of　general　interest。　The　edition　was　prepared　with　the　help　of　Atterbury；　who　was　Boyle's　tutor；　and　of　some　other　members　of　the　college。　　It　was　an　edition　such　as　might　be　expected　from　people　who　would　stoop　to　edite　such　a　book。　　The　notes　were　worthy　of　the　text；　the　Latin　version　worthy　of　the　Greek　original。　　The　volume　would　have　been　forgotten　in　a　month；　had　not　a　misunderstanding　about　a　manuscript　arisen　between　the　young　editor　and　the　greatest　scholar　that　had　appeared　in　Europe　since　the　revival　of　letters；　Richard　Bentley。　　The　manuscript　was　in　Bentley's　keeping。　　Boyle　wished　it　to　be　collated。　　A　mischief…making　bookseller　informed　him　that　Bentley　had　refused　to　lend　it；　which　was　false；　and　also　that　Bentley　had　spoken　contemptuously　of　the　letters　attributed　to　Phalaris；　and　of　the　critics　who　were　taken　in　by　such　counterfeits；　which　was　perfectly　true。　　Boyle；　much　provoked；　paid；　in　his　preface；　a　bitterly　ironical　compliment　to　Bentley's　courtesy。　　Bentley　revenged　himself　by　a　short　dissertation；　in　which　he　proved　that　the　epistles　were　spurious；　and　the　new　edition　of　them　worthless：　　but　he　treated　Boyle　personally　with　civility　as　a　young　gentleman　of　great　hopes；　whose　love　of　learning　was　highly　commendable；　and　who　deserved　to　have　had　better　instructors。　Few　things　in　literary　history　are　more　extraordinary　than　the　storm　which　this　little　dissertation　raised。　　Bentley　had　treated　Boyle　with　forbearance；　but　he　had　treated　Christchurch　with　contempt；　and　the　Christchurch…men；　wherever　dispersed；　were　as　much　attached　to　their　college　as　a　Scotchman　to　his　country；　or　a　Jesuit　to　his　order。　　Their　influence　was　great。　　They　were　dominant　at　Oxford；　powerful　in　the　Inns　of　Court　and　in　the　College　of　Physicians；　conspicuous　in　Parliament　and　in　the　literary　and　fashionable　circles　of　London。　　Their　unanimous　cry　was；　that　the　honour　of　the　college　must　be　vindicated；　that　the　insolent　Cambridge　pedant　must　be　put　down。　　Poor　Boyle　was　unequal　to　the　task；　and　disinclined　to　it。　　It　was；　therefore；　assigned　to　his　tutor；　Atterbury。　The　answer　to　Bentley；　which　bears　the　name　of　Boyle；　but　which　was；　in　truth；　no　more　the　work　of　Boyle　than　the　letters　to　which　the　controversy　related　were　the　work　of　Phalaris；　is　now　read　only　by　the　curious；　and　will　in　all　probability　never　be　reprinted　again。　　But　it　had　its　day　of　noisy　popularity。　　It　was　to　be　found；　not　only　in　the　studies　of　men　of　letters；　but　on　the　tables　of　the　most　brilliant　drawing…rooms　of　Soho　Square　and　Covent　Garden。　　Even　the　beaus　and　coquettes　of　that　age；　the　Wildairs　and　the　Lady　Lurewells；　the　Mirabells　and　the　Millaments；　congratulated　each　other　on　the　way　in　which　the　gay　young　gentleman；　whose　erudition　sate　so　easily　upon　him；　and　who　wrote　with　so　much　pleasantry　and　good　breeding　about　the　Attic　dialect　and　the　anapaestic　measure；　Sicilian　talents　and　Thericlean　cups；　had　bantered　the　queer　prig　of　a　doctor。　　Nor　was　the　applause　of　the　multitude　undeserved。　　The　book　is；　indeed；　Atterbury's　masterpiece；　and　gives　a　higher　notion　of　his　powers　than　any　of　those　works　to　which　he　put　his　name。　　That　he　was　altogether　in　the　wrong　on　the　main　question；　and　on　all　the　collateral　questions　springing　out　of　it；　that　his　knowledge　of　the　language；　the　literature；　and　the　history　of　Greece　was　not　equal　to　what　many　freshmen　now　bring　up　every　year　to　Cambridge　and　Oxford；　and　that　some　of　his　blunders　seem　rather　to　deserve　a　flogging　than　a　refutation；　is　true；　and　therefore　it　is　that　his　performance　is；　in　the　highest　degree；　interesting　and　valuable　to　a　judicious　reader。　　It　is　good　by　reason　of　its　exceeding　badness。　　It　is　the　most　extraordinary　instance　that　exists　of　the　art　of　making　much　show　with　little　substance。　　There　is　no　difficulty；　says　the　steward　of　Moliere's　miser；　in　giving　a　fine　dinner　with　plenty　of　money：　　the　really　great　cook　is　he　who　can　set　out　a　banquet　with　no　money　at　all。　　That　Bentley　should　have　written　excellently　on　ancient　chronology　and　geography；　on　the　development　of　the　Greek　language；　and　the　origin　of　the　Greek　drama；　is　not　strange。　　But　that　Atterbury　should；　during　some　years；　have　been　thought　to　have　treated　these　subjects　much　better　than　Bentley　is　strange　indeed。　　It　is　true　that　the　champion　of　Christchurch　had　all　the　help　which　the　most　celebrated　members　of　that　society　could　give　him。　　Smalridge　contributed　some　very　good　wit；　Friend　and　others　some　very　bad　archaeology　and　philology。　　But　the　greater　part　of　the　volume　was　entirely　Atterbury's：　　what　was　not　his　own　was　revised　and　retouched　by　him：　　and　the　whole　bears　the　mark　of　his　mind；　a　mind　inexhaustibly　rich　in　all　the　resources　of　controversy；　and　familiar　with　all　the　artifices　which　make　falsehood　look　like　truth；　and　ignorance　like　knowledge。　　He　had　little　gold；　but　he　beat　that　little　out　to　the　very　thinnest　leaf；　and　spread　it　over　so　vast　a　surface　that　to　those　who　judged　by　a　glance；　and　who　did　not　resort　to　balances　and　tests；　the　glittering　heap　of　worthless　matter　which　he　produced　seemed　to　be　an　inestimable　treasure　of　massy　bullion。　　Such　arguments　as　he　had　he　placed　in　the　clearest　light。　　Where　he　had　no　arguments；　he　resorted　to　personalities；　sometimes　serious；　generally　ludicrous；　always　clever　and　cutting。　　But；　whether　he　was　grave　or　merry；　whether　he　reasoned　or　sneered；　his　style　was　always　pure；　polished；　and　easy。　Party　spirit　then　ran　high；　yet；　though　Bentley　ranked　among　Whigs；　and　Christchurch　was　a　stronghold　of　Toryism；　Whigs　joined　with　Tories　in　applauding　Atterbury's　volume。　　Garth　insulted　Bentley；　and　extolled　Boyle　in　lines　which　are　now　never　quoted　except　to　be　laughed　at。　　Swift；　in　his　〃Battle　of　the　Books；〃　introduced　with　much　pleasantry　Boyle；　clad　in　armour；　the　gift　of　all　the　gods；　and　directed　by　Apollo　in　the　form　of　a　human　friend；　for　whose　name　a　blank　is　left　which　may　easily　be　filled　up。　　The　youth；　so　accoutred；　and　so　assisted；　gains　an　easy　victory　over　his　uncourteous　and　boastful　antagonist。　　Bentley；　meanwhile；　was　supported　by　the　consciousness　of　an　immeasurable　superiority；　and　encouraged　by　the　voices　of　the　few　who　were　really　competent　to　judge　the　combat。　　〃No　man；〃　he　said；　justly　and　nobly；　〃was　ever　written　down　but　by　himself。〃　　He　spent　two　years　in　preparing　a　reply；　which　will　never　cease　to　be　read　and　prized　while　the　literature　of　ancient　Greece　is　studied　in　any　part　of　the　world。　　This　reply　proved；　not　only　that　the　letters　ascribed　to　Phalaris　were　spurious；　but　that　Atterbury；　with　all　his　wit；　his　eloquence；　his　skill　in　controversial　fence；　was　the　most　audacious　pretender　that　ever　wrote　about　what　he　did　not　understand。　　But　to　Atterbury　this　exposure　was　matter　of　indifference。　　He　was　now　engaged　in　a　dispute　about　matters　far　more　important　and　exciting　than　the　laws　of　Zaleucus　and　the　laws　of　Charondas。　　The　rage　of　religious　factions　was　extreme。　　High　church　and　Low　church　divided　the　nation。　　The　great　majority　of　the　clergy　were　on