THE 
MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
No. 217.] SEPTEMBER V, 1811. [2 of Vol. 32. 
AS long thofe who write are ambitious of making Converts, and of giving their Opinions a Maximum of 
Influence and Celebrity, the moft extenCvely circtilated Mifcellany will repay with the greateft Elieft the 
Curiofity of thofe who read either for Amulement or Inftruition.-JOHNSON. 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
To the Tditor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
T he Perfection of the writings of the 
Ancients has been a universal theme 
of admiration among the Moderns. The 
works of the Greek and Roman authors 
are truly looked upon as Models of Per¬ 
fection, as miracles of Genius, and as 
efforts of god-like minds. Their style, 
their reasoning, their exact and faultless 
manner of treating a subject, approach 
absolute perfection; and the most fa.sti- 
dious critic would seek in vain, in tlie 
works of the Classic Ages, for numerous 
faults which are easily detected in re¬ 
spectable Modern Performances. The 
cause of this perfection is a Problem 
worthy of consideration. The explica¬ 
tion of it may either enable modern 
writers to approximate towards the same 
excellency, or it may reconcile us to the 
level of that humble mediocrity above 
which it' may appear we are unable to 
soar. 
Was it the Originality of their Topics, 
their Untoucheil Arguments, or the No¬ 
velty of their Figures, which conferred on 
ancient authors their peculiar charmsi*— 
Was it the perfection of the languages of 
Greece and Rome, which, by blending 
the study of Logic with Grammar, gave 
in the practice of composition. Perspi¬ 
cacity to thinking, and Perspicuity to 
expression ?—-Was it the force of Patro¬ 
nage, the Honors paid to literary excel¬ 
lency, or the accidental Concurrence of 
favourable circumstances, which raised 
some men of rare genius among the an¬ 
cients to an apparent level with the 
gods? 
Doubtless all these circumstances 
tended, in various degrees, to produce 
that admired perfection which univer¬ 
sally characterizes the productions of the 
ancient Poets, Dramatists, Philosophers, 
Rhetoricians, Historians, and Mathema¬ 
ticians, But I humbly conceive other 
povverful causes may be assigned of a 
iviUure purely mechanicaf, which will 
prove that no phenomena of mind dis- 
.^ioNTiiLY Mao, No. 2i7. 
tinguished those ages of the world; that 
the ancient authors, generally speaking, 
were in no degree superior in intellect to 
the modern, and that the perfect cha¬ 
racter, in which their works appear 
before us, arises from causes susceptible 
of easy and satisfactory ^explanation. 
In the first place it should be observed, 
that we make our selection of classic 
authors out of a period of seven or eight 
hundred years, during whicii time, litera¬ 
ture and philosophy were at least as 
mucfi cultivated and respected in Greece 
and Rome, as they have been in modern 
Europe within the last two hundred 
years. These seven centuries afford¬ 
ed, it seems, about fifty authors and 
philosophers, of the highest degree of 
merit; the moderns therefore cannot be 
sliewn to be inferior to the ancients, 
unless it shall numerically appear that 
we have not in two hundred years pro¬ 
duced' our proportion, or about twelve 
names as deservedly illustrious as any 
twelve, indifferently taken, of those fifty 
ancients. 
I should, however, contend that mo¬ 
dern Europe in two hundred years, Ims 
produced twice twelve; but I conceive 
the veriest idolater of antiquity cannot 
dispassionately deny that we have not 
produced our fall proportion; it follows 
consequently, that among the moderns, 
other considerations applying equally, 
there has not in reality been any dete¬ 
rioration of intellect. 
Either France or England can adduce 
a dozen names within the last two hun¬ 
dred years, equal to any twelve indifferent¬ 
ly taken of the forty or fifty names which 
are the boast of antiquity.—Is it necessary 
to prove this?—Will the pedants of the 
schools challenge u^.? — Will they exult if 
we are silent? —VViii they affect to for¬ 
get in France the transcendant merits of 
Corneille 
P.acine 
Moliere. 
Voltaire 
Bayle 
Boileau 
Montesouieu 
A 
Des Cartes 
La Place 
Lavoisier 
Marmontel 
Le Sage 
o 
D’Alembert 
Rousseau. 
Feaelon 
Ray.nal 
Condillac 
Fontenells 
Or 
