When Julius Caesar was Lampoon’d by Catullus, he invited him to a Supper, and treated him with such a generous Civility, that he made the Poet his friend ever after. [3] Cardinal Mazarine gave the same kind of Treatment to the learned Quillet, who had reflected upon his Eminence in a famous Latin Poem.  The Cardinal sent for him, and, after some kind Expostulations upon what he had written, assured him of his Esteem, and dismissed him with a Promise of the next good Abby that should fall, which he accordingly conferr’d upon him in a few Months after.  This had so good an Effect upon the Author, that he dedicated the second Edition of his Book to the Cardinal, after having expunged the Passages which had given him offence. [4]

Sextus Quintus was not of so generous and forgiving a Temper.  Upon his being made Pope, the statue of Pasquin was one Night dressed in a very dirty Shirt, with an Excuse written under it, that he was forced to wear foul Linnen, because his Laundress was made a Princess.  This was a Reflection upon the Pope’s Sister, who, before the Promotion of her Brother, was in those mean Circumstances that Pasquin represented her.  As this Pasquinade made a great noise in Rome, the Pope offered a Considerable Sum of Mony to any Person that should discover the Author of it.  The Author, relying upon his Holiness’s Generosity, as also on some private Overtures which he had received from him, made the Discovery himself; upon which the Pope gave him the Reward he had promised, but at the same time, to disable the Satyrist for the future, ordered his Tongue to be cut out, and both his Hands to be chopped off. [5] Aretine [6] is too trite an instance.  Every

one knows that all the Kings of Europe were his tributaries.  Nay, there is a Letter of his extant, in which he makes his Boasts that he had laid the Sophi of Persia under Contribution.

Though in the various Examples which I have here drawn together, these several great Men behaved themselves very differently towards the Wits of the Age who had reproached them, they all of them plainly showed that they were very sensible of their Reproaches, and consequently that they received them as very great Injuries.  For my own part, I would never trust a Man that I thought was capable of giving these secret Wounds, and cannot but think that he would hurt the Person, whose Reputation he thus assaults, in his Body or in his Fortune, could he do it with the same Security.  There is indeed something very barbarous and inhuman in the ordinary Scriblers of Lampoons.  An Innocent young Lady shall be exposed, for an unhappy Feature.  A Father of a Family turn’d to Ridicule, for some domestick Calamity.  A Wife be made uneasy all her Life, for a misinterpreted Word or Action.  Nay, a good, a temperate, and a just Man, shall be put out of Countenance, by the Representation of those Qualities that should do him Honour.  So pernicious a thing is Wit, when it is not tempered with Virtue and Humanity.