Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/261

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SECOND DISSERTATION
187

virtues, as his own writings will vouch for him: his deposition here against me, his buffoonery upon the learned Dr Lister, and some other monuments of his learning and his morals.

"I have endeavoured," (says the Doctor), "as far as I can, to recollect what passed between Mr Bennet and Dr Bentley concerning a MS. of the Epistles of Phalaris. I cannot be certain as to any other particulars than that, among other things, the Doctor said that if the manuscript were collated, it would be worth nothing for the future." Now the reader may please to take notice, that the Doctor here publicly owns that he cannot be certain as to any other particulars; and yet he endeavoured to recollect, as far as he could; and the scorn (he says) and contempt which he has naturally for pride and insolence, made him remember that, which otherwise he might have forgot. Now if the Doctor, even whetted with his "scorn and contempt," could but call to mind one particular, and if that particular have nothing at all in't about Mr B. nor anything that borders upon "pride and insolence," what pretence has he for traducing me here as a proud and insolent man, and an abuser of