Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1804-03-07

thor himself, 20 acqrains US with all such
mi. ut,e.
1t was sound policy to criticise yeur
own works, and il would have been cru
81 If you rad not said al, on coald in their
nvor. But ala,! in Lcprccis,ins the style
9! he spy you have contradctcd ourself.
You say" While Oh the other hand we
"perceive thar the British Spy groans I'M
! "der the weight Of words, has surround
"cd himself with 50 many references, and
"is bsrricaAcd by so many authorities,
from the rsmote.t antiquity down to the
"pfeSent moment, that every man who hes
met read above three hundred authori
ties, TO which he has referred, named or
"quoted, IN the various languages Of a.
rabic, Copric, Celtic, Greek, Hebrew,
Latin, Spanish, French, English and
Persian, viii shrink from the invcstga-
"tion, and yield" Now how the devil
did you get through the letters. Yen tell
US you have only snatiering OF Greek
and Latin, and knowledge OF English.
! Yet you have not shrunk from The inves.
! legation, but intimate 10 us that you are
master OF the field. Besides, it is not re-
collected thst the Spy has referred, nam
ed or quoted in more than four languages,
| English, French, Greek and Lalin--nor
can 1t be ,hewn that he has surround.
ed him.eif with an uncommon number OF
| references, nor named, nor quoted three
hundred authorities, nor mere than are
every day quoted in works Of the same
!ens h. The c-nsorious and iiiiberal might
say, that the foregoing sentences contain
misrepresentstionde de- signed by you 0 frigh-
ten part of the community from peru
sal of the letters. 20 avoid such re.
mark, the mistake, which is very obvious,
had better be corrected.
I You talk Of - adorniug ideas. and cloth
| ing sentences" There is something OF
gi"al III the expression and Ell PEASANT re.
cei.cs my p!audit.
Vour metaphors, g a twenty fold tier OF
literary artillery" and 1.-The artillery Of
| books" are so much like mine, OF the 4" Ii.
terary scimi,ar," that had l not written
! subsequently, 10 you. should have Claim
cd the merit &c haying suggested them.
But as you have b0asted thai YOUR style is
not o5scured by metaphors, think thew
he'd better be expunged.
You observe, ;; | pay Cool but ! bale a
"pedant. desp:se the British SPY. Be
him whom he may, BECAUSE he has cir
cuiatec! 80 many talsitles, hen withdrawn
"behind the curtain, and defended every
approach hy the artillery of So manv
shocks, in 50 msay different Languages.
g. that it is Impossible, Jor tolcdH~sfed mn
$50 atihr21ch him z.i:.. scfffy. Chance HIS
given 10 the writer Of this, Iiitls. know.
, ledge ofthe Greek and Latin languages :;
but he dIsJaius that SUPERIORITY which
= this gives HIN over his fellow citizens -
and again, would the generality Of read
Gers be improved or gratilied with few
Latin or Greek quotations troc, the most
celebrated Writers in those languages
No, such stuJ would be al af.on, to the
Understanding Of mankind. Every
mans reason would Stew at once, how
ridiculous and impertinent such conduct
would be-"
IL your blaming man for defending
himself with authorities, is nsl funny, do
not snow what is. Il i, repeated that tie
Spy has no. referred to many books, nor
quoted in more than two dead aud oue iiy-
ing language, the English excepted. II
is surprising that you should enumeratc
ten, and there IL no way OF accounting FOR
| it, but by snpposng that imagination was
too strong for matter Of fact.
Ifby thewords educated men, you would
mean men Of acquired information, and if
in your complaint, that uneducated men
cannot approach the Spy, you mean, and
by contrast, the words uncduca,ed men,
would mean men perfectly iiIitsrate, il
would lie very unreasonable 10 hate, or
despi5e the Spy. Neither their misfor-
tune, nor their inability 20 understand him,
can be imputed 60 him as faults, more
than the inability OF horse to understand
Greek" But we will suppose you meant
by the expression, men who have receiv-
eel plain English Notwithstanding,
writing and arithmetic. A writcron Bellies
Lettres, will seldom be comprehended by
persons Of this description the refine
mrnt of ihs one, will not BE- compatible
with the rough simplicity Of the oilers.
Nor is ii to be expected, that a writer is
To make himtelf intelIigi5ls To every mao,
nor that ne is TO rcfisio from a quntaron,
Illustrative Of his doelrine, because macy
have not read, or are not capable cf read
IN the hnCL frof,, "a hicL a. q. tel..n Is