3l8 CHARACTER OF G. BUCHANAN. Nov. p, 



bounds with the wit, eloquence, and fublimity of Ju- 

 venal ; the copioufnefs of fentiment, the facility of ex- 

 preffion, and the contemptuous rage which difiinguifii 

 the admirable, though neglecfled Claudianf. The 

 Francifcans are exhibited, in every point of view, as 

 vultures tearing out the vitals of fociety. The writer 

 defcribes, at great length, their numberlefs arts of im- 

 pofmg upon the mob, and efpecially upon the weaker 

 fjx. He tells, what we know to be true, that when a 

 wealthy penitent was at the point of death, it was their 

 pradlice to extort, under tlie terrors of eternal perdi- 

 tion, an extravagant legacy to their convent ; and he 

 affirms, what is fufficiently credible, that by fuch ex- 

 aftions, many families had been ruined. He enlarges 

 upon their pride, ignorance, dulnefs, envy, hypocrily, 

 debauchery, and felfiihnefs ; their factious fpirit, treach- 

 ery, cowMrdice, and perfonal naftinefs : their fupcrili- 

 tion, lo(]uacity, and impudent affectation of taciturnity. 

 lie difplays their progrefs in the various fciences of fcan- 

 dal, pimping, treafon, rebellion, feduclion, cuckoldom, 

 and fodomy. He reprefents the various hazards they run 

 of being gelded, and affirms that confeffion, purgatory, 

 and tranfubftantiation are abfurd impoftures. " An 

 " afs," f.iys Buchanan, " though you cloath him in 

 *' Tyrian purple, continues to be ftupid, and a ty- 

 *' ger to be favage. Magpies will always chatter, and 

 ** vipers will always fting." His inference is, that a 

 Francifcan has an invincible propenfity to every human 

 vice. Having in fliort, afierted their utter degrada- 

 tion below the relt of the fpecies, and haying diverfifi- 



■f Euchanan, with the tafte of a fcholar, mentions this great author 

 in t^e moil rtfpedful terms. Dr^'den raflily and impertinently ccn- 

 fures'liim. In many rcfpecfls Claudian has a ftrong refemblanci to the 

 two moderns. Indeed, thoigh much inferior to both, he approaches 

 nearer to their o;eneral char.Kiter than any fingle ancient poet. There 

 is far lefs nonfenfe in hi? text than we commonly imagine. Dry- 

 den ha- prefumed to condemn him for his bad tafte, and has, at the 

 fame tmie, left us fix volumes of plays which contain perhaps an hun-r 

 ifed tcI>.T2bk p»ges. 



