NUMB. 58. SATURDAY, May 25, 1753, Damnant quod non intelligunt. They condemn what they do not understand. CIC. EURIPIDES, having prefented Socrates with the writings of Heraclitus, a philofopher famed for involution and obfcurity, enquired afterwards his opinion of their merit. "What I understand," faid Socrates, "I find to be excellent; and, therefore, be<lieve that to be of equal value which I cannot un"derstand." The reflection of every man who reads this paffage will fuggeft to him the difference between the practice of Socrates, and that of modern critics: Socrates, who had, by long obfervation upon himfelf and others, difcovered the weakness of the ftrongeft, and the dimness of the most enlightened intellect, was afraid to decide haftily in his own favour, or to conclude that an author had written without meaning, because he could not immediately catch his ideas; he knew that the faults of books are often more justly imputable to the reader, who fometimes wants attention, and fometimes penetration; whose understanding is often obftructed by prejudice, and often diffipated by remiffness; who comes fometimes to a new ftudy, unfurnished with knowledge previously neceffary; and finds difficulties infuper able, able, for want of ardour fufficient to encounter them. Obfcurity and clearnefs are relative terms: to fome readers fcarce any book is eafy, to others not many are difficult: and furely they, whom neither any exuberant praife beftowed by others, nor any eminent conquefts over stubborn problems, have entitled to exalt themselves above the common orders of mankind, might condefcend to imitate the candour of Socrates; and where they find inconteftible proofs of fuperior genius, be content to think that there is justness in the connection which they cannot trace, and cogency in the reafoning which they cannot comprehend. This diffidence is never more reasonable, than in the perufal of the authors of antiquity; of those whofe works have been the delight of ages, and tranfmitted as the great inheritance of mankind from one generation to another: furely, no man can, without the utmost arrogance, imagine that he brings any fuperiority of underftanding to the perufal of these books which have been preferved in the devaftation of cities, and fnatched up from the wreck of nations; which thofe who fled before barbarians have been careful to carry off in the hurry of migration, and of which barbarians have repented the destruction. If in books thus made venerable by the uniform attestation of fucceffive ages, any paffages shall appear unworthy of that praife which they have formerly received; let us not immediately determine, that they owed their reputation to dulnefs or bigotry; but fufpect at leaft that our ancestors had fome rea fons fons for their opinions, and that our ignorance of those reasons makes us differ from them. It often happens that an author's reputation is endangered in fucceeding times, by that which raised the loudeft applaufe among his cotemporaries: nothing is read with greater pleafure than allufions to recent facts, reigning opinions, or prefent controverfies; but when facts are forgotten, and controverfies extinguished, these favourite touches lofe all their graces; and the author in his defcent to pofterity must be left to the mercy of chance, without any power of ascertaining the memory of those things, to which he owed his luckieft thoughts and his kindest reception. On fuch occafions, every reader fhould remember the diffidence of Socrates, and repair by his candour the injuries of time; he fhould impute the feeming defects of his author to fome chafin of intelligence, and fuppofe, that the fense which is now weak was once forcible, and the expreffion which is now dubious formerly determinate. How much the mutilation of ancient hiftory has taken away from the beauty of poetical performances, may be conjectured from the light which a lucky commentator fometimes effufes, by the recovery of an incident that had been long forgotten: thus, in the third book of Horace, Juno's denunciations against those that should prefume to raife again the walls of Troy, could for many ages pleafe only by fplendid images and fwelling language, of which no man difcovered the use or propriety, till Le Fevre, by fhewing on what occafion the Ode was written, changed wonder to rational delight. Many paffages yet 171 yet undoubtedly remain in the fame author, which an exacter knowledge of the incidents of his time would clear from objections. Among thefe I have always numbered the following lines: Aurum per medios ire fatellites, Demerfa excidio. Diffidit urbium Stronger than thunder's winged force, FRANCIS. The clofe of this paffage, by which every reader is now disappointed and offended, was probably the delight of the Roman court: it cannot be imagined, that Horace, after having given to gold the force of thunder, and told of its power to ftorm cities and to conquer kings, would have concluded his account of its efficacy with its influence over naval commanders, had he not alluded to fome fact then current in the mouths of men, and therefore more interefting for a time than the conquefts of Philip. Of the like liberty to corrupt the lines which he did not understand. If we imagine that Varius had been by any of his cotemporaries celebrated under the appellation of Mufarum Ales, the fwan of the Mufes, the language of Horace becomes graceful and familiar; and that such a compliment was at least poffible, we know from the transformation feigned by Horace of himself. The most elegant compliment that was paid to Addifon, is of this obfcure and perishable kind; When panting Virtue her last efforts made, These lines must please as long as they are understood; but can be understood only by thofe that have obferved Addifon's fignatures in the Spec tator. The nicety of thefe minute allufions I fhall exemplify by another instance, which I take this occafion to mention, because, as I am told, the commentators have omitted it. Tibullus addreffes Cynthia in this manner: Te fpectem, fuprema mihi cùm venerit hora, Held weakly by my fainting trembling hand. To thefe lines Ovid thus refers in his elegy on the death of Tibullus: Cynthia decedens, felicius, inquit, amata Sum tibi; vixifti dum tuus ignis eram, Cui Nemefis, quid, ait, tibi funt mea damna dolori? Bleft |