23<5 CHARACTER OF GEORGE BUCHANAN. 0£t. 26, 



" la, the glory and delight of thy learned parents, and 

 " of thy country -, — 



" Unlefs the Graces love thee better than them- 

 " felves, unlefs the Mufes love thee better than them- 

 " felves, I deny beauty to the Graces, or eloquence to 

 «f the Mufes. 



<' What virgin befides thee has, at fuch tender 

 " years, excelled in learning Minerva, in mufic Apol- 

 " lo and the Mufes, and in wit equals or excels the 

 " Graces r" 



It is ufual to fay that we can diftinguifli an author 

 by the peculiarities of his ftyle, but this rule cannot 

 apply to Buchanan. The beft idea which can be con- 

 veyed of him to a mere Englifli reader may be,com- 

 prifed in five words, " Dryden always at his beft." 

 Indeed there is a very ftriking refemhlance in many 

 points between thefe two poets. Both inherited from 

 nature, in an equal degree, a moft comprehenfive un- 

 derftanding, and a molt fplendid fancy. In variety of 

 numbers, and facility of metrical compofition, they 

 ftand unrivalled in the refpeftive languages in which 

 they wrote. Of wit, that faculty, in whatever it con- 

 fifts of exciting laughter, both poflefled an ample fhare ; 

 yet their proper element was the ferious and fublime. 

 The fmilc of Buchanan is the fmile of indignation ; and 

 as Dryden's talle was much lefs cultivated, his merri- 

 ment fometimes degenerates into grofliiefs. For the 

 ftage both poflefled abilities refpedtable, but moderate. 

 They were by nature, or by habit, better qualified for 

 the dignity of declamation than the vivacity of dia- 

 logue. Both have many pafl^ages truly pathetic, but 

 tendernefs is not the predominant excellence of either. 

 Both had ftudied human nature with clofe attention ; 

 both abound with beautiful portraits of perfonal cha- 

 rafter, and the moil inftruclive maxims for the con- 

 du6l of life. But the profound learning of Buchanan, 

 and his long rcfidcnce in many different countries, af-. 

 ford him numerous advantages in point of force, vi- 



