x PREFACE. 



But if the Text may have loft fomewhat of its 

 original merit, the Notes of Mr. Du PILES, which 

 have hitherto accompanied it, have loft much more. 

 Indeed it may be doubted whether they ever had 

 merit in any conriderable degree. Certain it is that 

 they contain -fuch a parade of common-place quo- 

 tation, with fo fmall a degree of illuftrative fcience, 

 that I have thought proper to expel them from 

 this edition^ in order to make room for their betters. 



As to the poetical powers of my Author, I do not 

 fuppofe that thefe alone would ever have given him a 

 place in the numerous libraries which he now holds ; 

 and I have, therefore, -often wondered that M. DE 

 VOLTAIRE, when he gave an account of the authors 

 who appeared in the age of Louis XIV. fhould dif- 

 mifs FRESNOY, with faying, in his decifive manner, 

 that cc his Poem has fucceeded with fuch perfons as 

 could bear to read -Latin Verfe, not of the Auguftan 

 Age *. This is the criticifm of a mere Poet. 

 No body, I fhould fuppofe, ever read FRESNOY 

 to admire, or even criticife his verification, but 



either 



* Du FRENOI (CHARLES) ne a Paris 1611, peintre & poete. Son poeme 

 de la peinture a reuffi aupres de ceux qui peuvent lire d'autres vers latins que 

 ccux du fiecle d'AuguHe. Siedc dc Louis X[V. Tom. I. 



