Editing John Arbuthnot (section)

==Literary significance==

Arbuthnot was one of the founding members of the [[Scriblerus Club]], and was regarded by the other wits of the group as the funniest, but he left fewer literary remains than the other members. His satires are written with an ease, a humanity, and an apparent sympathy. Swift and Arbuthnot had similar styles in language (both preferred direct sentences and clear vocabulary) with a feigned frenzy of lists and [[Taxonomy (general)|taxonomies]], and sometimes their works are attributed to each other. The treatise on political lying, for example, has been attributed to Swift in the past, although it was definitely Arbuthnot's. Generally, Arbuthnot's writings are not as vicious or nihilistic as Swift's, but they attack the same targets and both refuse to hold up a set of positive norms for their readers.{{original research inline|date=March 2020}}

Because of Arbuthnot's own insistence on not being recognized, it is difficult to speak definitively of his literary significance. [[Samuel Johnson]] thought highly of him as [[James Boswell|Boswell]] noted: "Talking of the eminent writers in Queen Anne's reign, he observed ,'I think Dr. Arbuthnott the first man among them. He was the most universal genius, being an excellent physician, a man of deep learning, and a man of much humour.'"<ref>James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson, London: Oxford University Press, 1966, Wed. 6th July 1763, p.301.</ref> Arbuthnot was at the heart of many of the greatest satires of his age. He was a conduit and source for a great many of the finest literary accomplishments for over half a century of writing, but Arbuthnot was zealous that he not receive credit.{{original research inline|date=March 2020}}