capable of distinguishing between the infancy
and the dotage of Greek literature. So superficial indeed was the
learning of the rulers of this celebrated society that they were charmed
by an essay which Sir William Temple published in praise of the ancient
writers. It now seems strange that even the eminent public services, the
deserved popularity, and the graceful style of Temple should have saved
so silly a performance from universal contempt. Of the books which he
most vehemently eulogised his eulogies proved that he knew nothing.
In fact, he could not read a line of the language in which they were
written. Among many other foolish things, he said that the letters
of Phalaris were the oldest letters and also the best in the world.
Whatever Temple wrote attracted notice. People who had never heard of
the Epistles of Phalaris began to inquire about them. Aldrich, who knew
very little Greek, took the word of Temple who knew none, and desired
Boyle to prepare a new edition of these admirable compositions which,
having long slept in obscurity, had become on a sudden objects of
general interest.

The edition was prepared with the help of Atterbury, who was Boyle's
tutor, and of some other members of the college. It was an edition such
as might be expected from people who would stoop to edite such a book.
The notes were worthy of the text; the Latin version worthy of the Greek
original. The volume would have been forgotten in a month, had not a
misunderstanding about a manuscript arisen between the young editor and
the greatest scholar that had appeared in Europe since the revival of
letters, Richard Bentley. The manuscript was in Bentley's keeping. Boyle
wished it to be collated. A mischief-making bookseller informed him that
Bentley had refused to lend it, which was false, and also that Bentley
had spoken contemptuously of the letters attributed to Phalaris, and of
the critics who were taken in by such counterfeits, which was perfectly
true. Boyle, much provoked, paid, in his preface, a bitterly ironical
compliment to Bentley's courtesy. Bentley revenged himself by a short
dissertation, in which he proved that the epistles were spurious, and
the new edition of them worthless: but he treated Boyle personally with
civility as a young gentleman of great hopes, whose love of learning was
highly commendable, and who deserved to have had better instructors.

Few things in literary history are more extraordinary than the storm