CHAPTER Y. 47 a-kin to the peculiar opinions of father Malebranche ; such as Sect. 51, 53. That we know the finite only by the ideas of the infinite. Sect. 55, 60. That the superior reason in man, is God himself acting in him. Sect. 61, 62. That the idea of unity cannot be taken from creatures but from God only and several of hisSections, from 65 to 63, upon the doctrineof liberty, seem to be inconsistent. Again, toward the end of his book he spends more time and pains than are needful in refuting the Epicurean fancy of atoms moving eternally through infinite changes, which might be done effectually in a much shorter and . better way. So in his Posthumous Essays, and his Letters, thhre are many admirable thoughts in practical and experimental religion, and very beautiful and divine sentiments in devotion ; but some- times in large paragraphs, or in whole chapters together, you find him in the clouds of mystic divinity, and he never descends within the reach of common ideas or common sense. But remember this also, that there are but few such weak authors as this great man, who talks so very weakly sometimes, ,and yet in other places is so much superior, to the greatest part of writers. There are other instances,of this kind where men of good sense in the main set up for judges, but they carry too many of their passions about them, and then like lovers, they are in rap- ture at the name of their fair idol : they lavish out all their incense upon that shrine, and cannot bear the thought ofadmitting a blemish in them. You shall hear Altisino not only admire Casimiro of Poland in his lyrics, as the utmost purity and perfection of Lei poesy, but he will allow' nothing in him to be extravagant or frIty, and will vindicate every line : nor can mach wonder at it, when I have heard him pronounce Lucan the best of the ancient Latins, and idolize his very weaknesses and mistakes. I will readily acknowledge the odes of Casimire to have more spirit and force, more magnificence and fire in them, and in twenty places arise to more dignity and beauty than I could ever meet with in any of our modern poets : yet I am afraid to say, that Palla sutilis e luce has dignity enough in it for a robe made for the Almighty, lib. 4. Od. 1. 1. 37. or that the man of virtue in Od. 3. 1. 44. un- der the ruins of heave:t and earth, will bear up the fragmentsof the fallen world with a comely wound on his shoulders. late rakenti Sutjaciens seacalla cesio M,sudutn decorovulnerefukiet ; Interque anti fragmïna Yet I most needs confess also, that it is hardly possible à man should rise to so exalted and sublime a vein of poesy as
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