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endeavour to render the charader of this poet at onceheroical and ridiculous ! Compare together his fcenewith his uncle and that with his valet. 1 know that inMuhere’s mafter-piece. the Mifamhrope is at onceridiculous and refpedable But this happens beçaufehis faults c nfifl in virtues carried to excefs ; which,though ridiculous in their effects , are refpedable intheir principle. f here is no connexion in the part ofDamis. "I he bad poet is one charader; the juft andgenerous man who pardons his friend’s faults, andanfwers his infults onlv by good offices, is quite adifferent one If probability is not violated, unityat leaft is not maintained. But how improbable isthe reception which Damis gives to the laft declara-tion of Dorante, ' His tranfports cannot be con*ceived as natural, without fuppofing him domi*neered by the Métromanie in its utmofl^force. Yethe receives an account of the fall of his tragedy withindifference, calling this a trifling matter. Had hepardoned Dorante for attempting to put him to death,but remained inexorable to the crime ofhiffing hisplay, the charader would have appeared to me to bebetter fupported.

March 31 ]—I read Spanheim , Divert. V.p. 476—.494; and Difert VI. p. 494^553. He proceeds tothe confular medals ; the names and furnames of theRomans, and their different offices reprefented onmedals. I expeded to have found more novelty inthis part of his work.

1 went to thé library to read Mr. de la Condamine’sJournal of his Travels in Italy , in the Memoirs of theAcademy of Sciences for 57 5] , p. 386—411. I waspleafed to find the heights of feveral mountains in