superfoetation, prejudicial, fountain
The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D., by James Boswell : chapter32
RAMSAY. ‘I am old enough to have been a contemporary of Pope. His poetry was highly admired in his life-time, more a great deal than after his death.’
JOHNSON. ‘Sir, it has not been less admired since his death; no authours ever had so much fame in their own life-time as Pope and Voltaire; and Pope’s poetry has been as much admired since his death as during his life; it has only not been as much talked of, but that is owing to its being now more distant, and people having other writings to talk of. Virgil is less talked of than Pope, and Homer is less talked of than Virgil; but they are not less admired. We must read what the world reads at the moment. It has been maintained that this superfoetation, this teeming of the press in modern times, is prejudicial to good literature, because it obliges us to read so much of what is of inferiour value, in order to be in the fashion; so that better works are neglected for want of time, because a man will have more gratification of his vanity in conversation, from having read modern books, than from having read the best works of antiquity. But it must be considered, that we have now more knowledge generally diffused; all our ladies read now, which is a great extension. Modern writers are the moons of literature; they shine with reflected light, with light borrowed from the ancients. Greece appears to me to be the fountain of knowledge; Rome of elegance.’
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/boswell/james/osgood/chapter32.html
異期復孕（Superfetation）是人類、其它哺乳動物與少數魚類在懷孕期間，又再懷上另一個胎兒的罕見情況。
prejudicial
prɛdʒʊˈdɪʃ(ə)l/
adjective
- harmful to someone or something; detrimental.
"the proposals were considered prejudicial to the city centre"
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