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Bishop Atterbury to Mr. Dennis.

SIR,

I

Hear one of my Adverfaries * has not confidered duly your Merit; but, continues firm to the present Fashion of diftinguishing every kind of it, by Ill-treatment.

I am informed, by the News-papers, that there is a voluntary Subfcription † going forwards for your Advantage. I fend you my Mite, which I have really borrowed, in order thereto; for, it fo happens, that fome Enemies of mine enjoy an Affluence I am deprived of; but I have made this little Effort as one Inftance that it is People, not Denominations, I confider; and to the best of my fmall Power of shewing, I always shall be proud of doing it.

Paris, 1730.

A certain Minifter of State:

Your, &c.

FRA. ROFFEN.

For printing fome Select Pieces of Mr. Dennis's in Profe and Verfe. In Two Volumes Octavo.

The Bishop and Mr. Dennis had been very intimate at their first fetting out in the World, (efpecially when his Lordship was Preacher at the Rolls) what he here calls his Mite, was the genteel Prefent of 100l. Mr. Dennis died 1734, and was buried at the Parish-Church of St. Martin in the Fieles

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Monfieur ROLLIN.

Reverende atque Eruditiffime Vir,

UM, monente 'amico, quodam, qui juxta Ædes tuas habitat, fcirem te Parifios revertiffe; ftatui falutatum te ire, ut primùm per valetudinem liceret. Id officii, ex pedum infir

mitate aliquandiu dilatum, cùm tandem me impleturum fperarem, fruftra fui, domi non eras Reftat, ut quod coram exequi non potui, fcriptis faltem literis præftem; tibique ob ea omnia, quibus à te auctus fum, beneficia, grates agam, quas habeo certe, & femper habiturus fum,

maximas.

Reverà munera illa librorum nuperis à te annis editorum egregia ac perhonorifica mihi vifa funt. Multi enim facio, & te, vir præftantiffime: & tua omnia quæcunque in ifto literarum genere perpolita funt; in quo quidem Te cæteris omnibus ejufmodi fcriptoribus facilè antecellere, atque effe eundem & dicendi & fentiendi magiftrum optimum, prorfùs exiftimo: cùmque in excolendis his ftudiis aliquantulum ipfe & operis & temporis pofuerim,

liberè

liberè tamen profiteor me, tua cum legam ac relegam, ea edoctum effe a te, non folùm quæ nefciebam prorfùs, fed etiam quæ antea didiciffe mihi vifus fum. Modeftè itaque nimium de opere tuo fentis, cùm juventuti tantùm inftituendæ elaboratum id effe contendis. Ea certe fcribis, quæ à viris iftiufmodi rerum haud imperitis, cum voluptate & fructu legi poffunt. Vetera quidem & fatis cognita revocas in memoriam; fed ita revocas, ut illuftres, ut ornes; ut aliquid vetuftis adjicias quod novum fit, alienis quod omnino tuum: bonafque dicturas bonâ in luce collocando efficis, ut etiam iis, a quibus fæpiffimè confpectæ funt, elegantiores tamen folitò appareant, & placeant magis.

Certè, dum Xenophontem fæpiùs verfas, ab illo, & ea quæ à te plurimis in locis narrantur, & ipfum ubique narrandi modum videris traxiffe, ftylique Xenophontei nitorem ac venuftam fimplicitatem non imitari tantùm, fed planè affequi: ita ut fi Gallicè fcîffet Xenophon, non aliis illum, in eo argumento quo tractas, verbis ufurum, non alio prorfùs more scripturum judicem.

Hæc ego, haud affentandi causâ (quod vitium procul a me abeft) fed verè ex animi fententiâ dico. Cùm enim pulchris a te donis ditatus fim, quibus, in eodem, aut in alio quopiam doctrinæ genere referendis imparem me fentio, volui tamen propenfi erga te animi gratique teftimonium proferre, & te aliquo faltem munufculo, etfi perquam diffimili, remunerari.

Perge, vir docte admodum & venerande, de bonis literis, quæ nunc neglectæ paffim & fpretæ jacent, benè mereri: perge juventutem Gallicam (quando illi folummodo te utilem effe vis) optimis & præceptis & exemplis informare,

Quod

Quod ut facias, annis ætatis tuæ elapfis multos. adjiceat Deus! iifque decurrentibus fanum te præftat atque incolumem. Hoc ex animo optat ac

vovet.

Tui obfervantiffimus,

FRANCISCUS ROFFENSIS.

P. S. Pranfurum te mecum poft Festa dixit mihi amicus ille nofter qui tibi vicinus eft. Cùm ftatueris tecum quo die adfuturus es, id illi fignificabis. Me certè annis malifque debilitatum, quandocunque veneris, domi invenies.

6. Kal. Jan. 1731.

то

Monfieur ROLLIN.

Reverend and most Learned Sir,

HEN a Friend, who is your near Neighbour, informed me of your Return to Paris, I refolved to see you, as foon as I found myself able to stir abroad. The Gout obliged me to defer that Happiness for fome Time; and when at length I hoped to enjoy it, it was my Misfortune that you was not at home. It remains therefore,

E

that

that I perform by Letter, what I could not do by Word of Mouth; and that I give you hearty Thanks for the many Favours you have conferred on me, of which I fhall always retain a grateful Remembrance.

Those Presents of the Books which you have published of late Years, are to me very valuable, and do me abundance of Honour; for, moft worthy Sir, I greatly esteem you, and every Thing of yours. Every Thing you write in that Kind of Learning, is finely finifhed; and I not only prefer you before all other Writers in that Way, but efteem you as the most perfect Master both of Style and Sentiment: And tho' I have spent fome little Time and Pains myself in Pursuit of this very Study, yet I freely own, that when I read your Works over and over, I learn not only those Things from you which I did not know, but also many Things which I thought I had been Mafter of before. Therefore you speak too modeftly of your Performance, when you fay it is only calculated for the Inftruction of Youth. Men who are well acquainted with this Branch of Learning, may certainly read your Writings with Pleasure, and with Profit. You revive indeed to our Memories Facts that are ancient and well known, but in reviving them, you illuftrate and adorn them; to the Old you add fomething New; to the Works of Others, fomething that is intirely your Own; and by placing good Pictures in a good Light, you bring it to pass, that they give greater Pleasure, and appear more beautiful than ever, even to thofe who have often seen them before.

As you frequently turn over Xenophon, you clearly seem to have borrowed from him both the Matter

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