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him, which being granted, he charged the Englifh artillery with 

 an efiay again ft bombaft declamation in tragedy. This had as 

 terrible an effect upon Corneille as the other had on Shakfpeare ; 

 upon this the battle was renewed with ftill greater obftinacy, 

 but neither being able to obtain a decided advantage over the other, 

 though Shakfpeare had the fuperiority, Corneille propofed a cef- 

 fation, and prefented Shakfpeare with his Cid, who in return 

 gave him his Othello, and both retired to their different parties, 

 fully convinced of each other's abilities. Racine all this while 

 maintained his poft againft the united forces of Otway and Rowe j 

 his were allfelect troops, which were headed by the Athalia, and 

 formed all together a kind of Macedonian phalanx that could not 

 be broke through. Dryden, feeing this, was advancing at the 

 head of fix battalions to the affiftance of his countrymen ; but, 

 upon his coming prettv near to the enemy, being hafty levies, 

 they immediately went off, and left him difconfolate to maintain 

 the attack alone. Newton, in the mean time, perceiving that 

 there was no imprefhon made upon the enemy, fent Sir William- 

 Temple to iuftrucl the Englifh writers of tragedy how to attack 

 Racine in the moft advantageous manner. Temple, with an 

 eager zeal for the honour of his country,, gave Otway a fword^ 

 round the blade of which was engraved fome fhort but excellent 

 objections againft reprefenting Turks and Romans with the man- 

 ners of a Frenchman. This was of fignal ferviee to Otway, for 

 Racine could not prevent its driving fome of his greateft heroes 

 from the field ; but notwithstanding this, with his remaining 

 force, it was hnpofflble to put him in diforder, fo excellent dif- 

 cipline and regularity had he kept up among his troops. Homer,, 

 who had all this while been fpedtator of the fight, thinking that 

 the ftruggle had already lafted too long, fent Tallhybius and 

 Idceus, in order to put a ftop to the conteft, which, by their medi- 

 ation 9 



