Miscellaneous works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire; With memoirs of his life and writings, composed by himself Volume 2 - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1796 edition. Excerpt: ...every man of letters, whether fometimes he has not met with things in books, which he had obferved before he had ever feen thofe books; and things too of an uncommon and particular nature. Even in thofe fublimer mathematics, io different by their evidence and univerfa-lity from our orher fpeculations, the fame difcoveries have been made by different men, who feem rather to have coincided with, than to have iollowed each other. Is not that the decifion of the moderate part of mankind upon the ce-V. Fonte-kbrated difpute of Sir Ifaac Newton and Leibnitz, in the nclle in the beginning of this century? If this is the cafe in thofe ge-Eloge of neral abftra&cd branches, which contain fuch amazing tombnvUp combinations of ideas, it is furely probable that in works rio--531. of imagination, which contain much fewer, this ought.... oftener to happen. Befides, the mod original poetry is in j. faifl imitation, imitation of nature; and in thofe images which which are confefledly natural, it feems difficult to fay why 1762. two men of genius may not have feen them without any v-v' previous knowledge of each other. From thefe reafons, the candid critic will readily allow that there may be Similitude without imitation. But a flight glance on the hiftory of the fciences, and a few reflections oa mankind, will reduce this candour within its due limits. Let us remember that, i. Since the time of Homer, who perhaps was without models to imitate, that author has been introduced into the eaiiieft part of our education, that fucceeding times added to his leflbns thofe of the other Greeks; that the Romans ftudied them with care; and that, Cnee the revival of letters, we are made acquainted, as foon as poflible, with the Greeks and Latins. That rhofe impremons, engraved...