the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第2章

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us　cry　was；　that　the　honour　of　the　college　must　be　vindicated；　that　the　insolent　Cambridge　pedant　must　be　put　down。　　Poor　Boyle　was　unequal　to　the　task；　and　disinclined　to　it。　　It　was；　therefore；　assigned　to　his　tutor；　Atterbury。　The　answer　to　Bentley；　which　bears　the　name　of　Boyle；　but　which　was；　in　truth；　no　more　the　work　of　Boyle　than　the　letters　to　which　the　controversy　related　were　the　work　of　Phalaris；　is　now　read　only　by　the　curious；　and　will　in　all　probability　never　be　reprinted　again。　　But　it　had　its　day　of　noisy　popularity。　　It　was　to　be　found；　not　only　in　the　studies　of　men　of　letters；　but　on　the　tables　of　the　most　brilliant　drawing…rooms　of　Soho　Square　and　Covent　Garden。　　Even　the　beaus　and　coquettes　of　that　age；　the　Wildairs　and　the　Lady　Lurewells；　the　Mirabells　and　the　Millaments；　congratulated　each　other　on　the　way　in　which　the　gay　young　gentleman；　whose　erudition　sate　so　easily　upon　him；　and　who　wrote　with　so　much　pleasantry　and　good　breeding　about　the　Attic　dialect　and　the　anapaestic　measure；　Sicilian　talents　and　Thericlean　cups；　had　bantered　the　queer　prig　of　a　doctor。　　Nor　was　the　applause　of　the　multitude　undeserved。　　The　book　is；　indeed；　Atterbury's　masterpiece；　and　gives　a　higher　notion　of　his　powers　than　any　of　those　works　to　which　he　put　his　name。　　That　he　was　altogether　in　the　wrong　on　the　main　question；　and　on　all　the　collateral　questions　springing　out　of　it；　that　his　knowledge　of　the　language；　the　literature；　and　the　history　of　Greece　was　not　equal　to　what　many　freshmen　now　bring　up　every　year　to　Cambridge　and　Oxford；　and　that　some　of　his　blunders　seem　rather　to　deserve　a　flogging　than　a　refutation；　is　true；　and　therefore　it　is　that　his　performance　is；　in　the　highest　degree；　interesting　and　valuable　to　a　judicious　reader。　　It　is　good　by　reason　of　its　exceeding　badness。　　It　is　the　most　extraordinary　instance　that　exists　of　the　art　of　making　much　show　with　little　substance。　　There　is　no　difficulty；　says　the　steward　of　Moliere's　miser；　in　giving　a　fine　dinner　with　plenty　of　money：　　the　really　great　cook　is　he　who　can　set　out　a　banquet　with　no　money　at　all。　　That　Bentley　should　have　written　excellently　on　ancient　chronology　and　geography；　on　the　development　of　the　Greek　language；　and　the　origin　of　the　Greek　drama；　is　not　strange。　　But　that　Atterbury　should；　during　some　years；　have　been　thought　to　have　treated　these　subjects　much　better　than　Bentley　is　strange　indeed。　　It　is　true　that　the　champion　of　Christchurch　had　all　the　help　which　the　most　celebrated　members　of　that　society　could　give　him。　　Smalridge　contributed　some　very　good　wit；　Friend　and　others　some　very　bad　archaeology　and　philology。　　But　the　greater　part　of　the　volume　was　entirely　Atterbury's：　　what　was　not　his　own　was　revised　and　retouched　by　him：　　and　the　whole　bears　the　mark　of　his　mind；　a　mind　inexhaustibly　rich　in　all　the　resources　of　controversy；　and　familiar　with　all　the　artifices　which　make　falsehood　look　like　truth；　and　ignorance　like　knowledge。　　He　had　little　gold；　but　he　beat　that　little　out　to　the　very　thinnest　leaf；　and　spread　it　over　so　vast　a　surface　that　to　those　who　judged　by　a　glance；　and　who　did　not　resort　to　balances　and　tests；　the　glittering　heap　of　worthless　matter　which　he　produced　seemed　to　be　an　inestimable　treasure　of　massy　bullion。　　Such　arguments　as　he　had　he　placed　in　the　clearest　light。　　Where　he　had　no　arguments；　he　resorted　to　personalities；　sometimes　serious；　generally　ludicrous；　always　clever　and　cutting。　　But；　whether　he　was　grave　or　merry；　whether　he　reasoned　or　sneered；　his　style　was　always　pure；　polished；　and　easy。　Party　spirit　then　ran　high；　yet；　though　Bentley　ranked　among　Whigs；　and　Christchurch　was　a　stronghold　of　Toryism；　Whigs　joined　with　Tories　in　applauding　Atterbury's　volume。　　Garth　insulted　Bentley；　and　extolled　Boyle　in　lines　which　are　now　never　quoted　except　to　be　laughed　at。　　Swift；　in　his　〃Battle　of　the　Books；〃　introduced　with　much　pleasantry　Boyle；　clad　in　armour；　the　gift　of　all　the　gods；　and　directed　by　Apollo　in　the　form　of　a　human　friend；　for　whose　name　a　blank　is　left　which　may　easily　be　filled　up。　　The　youth；　so　accoutred；　and　so　assisted；　gains　an　easy　victory　over　his　uncourteous　and　boastful　antagonist。　　Bentley；　meanwhile；　was　supported　by　the　consciousness　of　an　immeasurable　superiority；　and　encouraged　by　the　voices　of　the　few　who　were　really　competent　to　judge　the　combat。　　〃No　man；〃　he　said；　justly　and　nobly；　〃was　ever　written　down　but　by　himself。〃　　He　spent　two　years　in　preparing　a　reply；　which　will　never　cease　to　be　read　and　prized　while　the　literature　of　ancient　Greece　is　studied　in　any　part　of　the　world。　　This　reply　proved；　not　only　that　the　letters　ascribed　to　Phalaris　were　spurious；　but　that　Atterbury；　with　all　his　wit；　his　eloquence；　his　skill　in　controversial　fence；　was　the　most　audacious　pretender　that　ever　wrote　about　what　he　did　not　understand。　　But　to　Atterbury　this　exposure　was　matter　of　indifference。　　He　was　now　engaged　in　a　dispute　about　matters　far　more　important　and　exciting　than　the　laws　of　Zaleucus　and　the　laws　of　Charondas。　　The　rage　of　religious　factions　was　extreme。　　High　church　and　Low　church　divided　the　nation。　　The　great　majority　of　the　clergy　were　on　the　high…church　side；　the　majority　of　King　William's　bishops　were　inclined　to　latitudinarianism。　　A　dispute　arose　between　the　two　parties　touching　the　extent　of　the　powers　of　the　Lower　House　of　Convocation。　　Atterbury　thrust　himself　eagerly　into　the　front　rank　of　the　high…churchmen。　　Those　who　take　a　comprehensive　and　impartial　view　of　his　whole　career　will　not　be　disposed　to　give　him　credit　for　religious　zeal。　　But　it　was　his　nature　to　be　vehement　and　pugnacious　in　the　cause　of　every　fraternity　of　which　he　was　a　member。　　He　had　defended　the　genuineness　of　a　spurious　book　simply　because　Christchurch　had　put　forth　an　edition　of　that　book；　he　now　stood　up　for　the　clergy　against　the　civil　power；　simply　because　he　was　a　clergyman；　and　for　the　priests　against　the　episcopal　order；　simply　because　he　was　as　yet　only　a　priest。　　He　asserted　the　pretensions　of　the　class　to　which　he　belonged　in　several　treatises　written　with　much　wit；　ingenuity；　audacity；　and　acrimony。　　In　this；　as　in　his　first　controversy；　he　was　opposed　to　antagonists　whose　knowledge　of　the　subject　in　dispute　was　far　superior　to　his；　but　in　this；　as　in　his　first　controversy；　he　imposed　on　the　multitude　by　bold　assertion；　by　sarcasm；　by　declamation；　and；　above　all；　by　his　peculiar　knack　of　exhibiting　a　little　erudition　in　such　a　manner　as　to　make　it　look　like　a　great　deal。　　Having　passed　himself　off　on　the　world　as　a　greater　master　of　classical　learning　than　Bentley；　he　now　passed　himself　off　as　a　greater　master　of　ecclesiastical　learning　than　Wake　or　Gibson。　　By　the　great　body　of　the　clergy　he　was　regarded　as　the　ablest　and　most　intrepid　tribune　that　had　ever　defended　their　rights　against　the　oligarchy　of　prelates。　　The　lower　House　of　Convocation　voted　him　thanks　for　his　services；　the　University　of　Oxford　created　him　a　doctor　of　divinity；　and　soon　after　the　accession　of　Anne；　while　the　Tories　still　had　the　chief　weight　in　the　government；　he　was　promoted　to　the　deanery　of　Carlisle。　Soon　after　he　had　obtained　this　preferment；　the　Whig　party　rose　to　ascendency　in　the　state。　　From　that　party　he　could　expect　no　favour。　　Six　years　elapsed　before　a　change　of　fortune　took　place。　　At　length；　in　the　year　1710；　the　prosecution　of　Sacheverell　produced　a　formidable　explosion　of　high…church　fanaticism。　　At　such　a　moment　Atterbury　could　not　fail　to　be　conspicuous。　　His　inordinate　zeal　for　the　body　to　which　he　belonged；　his　turbulent　and　aspiring　temper；　his　rare　talents　for　agitation　and　for　controversy；　were　again　signally　displayed。　　He　bore　a　chief　part　in　framing　that　artful　and　eloquent　speech　which　the　accused　divine　pronounced　at　the　bar　of　the　Lords；　and　which　presents　a　singular　contrast　to　the　absurd　and　scurrilous　sermon　which　had　very　unwisely　been　honoured　with　impeachment。　　During　the　troubled　and　anxious　months　which　followed　the　trial；　Atterbury　was　among　the　most　active　of　those　pamphleteers　who　inflamed　the　nation　against　the　Whig　ministry　and　the　Whig　parliament。　　When　the　ministry　had　been　changed　and　the　parliament　dissolved；　rewards　were　showered　upon　him。　　The　Lower　House　of　Convocation　elected　him　prolocutor。　　The　Queen　appointed　him　Dean　of　Christchurch　on　the　death　of　his　old　friend　and　patron　Aldrich。　　The　college　would　have　preferred　a　gentler　ruler。　　Nevertheless；　the　new　head　was　received　with　every　mark　of　honour。　　A　congratulatory　oration　in　Latin　was　addressed　to　him　in　the　magnificent　vestibule　of　the　hall；　and　he　in　reply　professed　the　warmest　attachment　to　the　venerable　house　in　which　he　had　been　educated；　and　paid　many　gracious　compliments　to　those　over　whom　he　was　to　preside。　　But　it　was　not　in　his　nature　to　be　a　mild　or　an　equitable　governor。　　He　had　left　the　chapter　of　Carlisle　distracted　by　quarrels。　　He　found　Christchurch　at　peace；　but　in　three　months　his　despotic　and　contentious　temper　did　at　Christchurch　what　it　had　done　at　Carlisle。　　He　was　succeeded　in　both　his　deaneries　by　the　humane　and　accomplished　Smalridge；　who　gently　complained　of　the　state　in　which　both　had　been　left。　　〃Atterbury　goes　before；　and　sets　everything　on　fire。　　I　c