Constant's essay must just about mark the end of Ancients vs Moderns as a set piece. I guess it must have been some time in C17 that (some) Moderns started to think of themselves as having surpassed the Ancients, rather than thinking of a lost golden age. Doubtless you will have a more accurate read on this.
Yes, that becomes increasingly visible throughout the eighteenth century (which also starts to replace a cyclical account of history with one of open ended progress). [I should say, for the record, that on my interpretation Smith's account of liberty is not Constant's liberty of the moderns.]
Constant's essay must just about mark the end of Ancients vs Moderns as a set piece. I guess it must have been some time in C17 that (some) Moderns started to think of themselves as having surpassed the Ancients, rather than thinking of a lost golden age. Doubtless you will have a more accurate read on this.
Yes, that becomes increasingly visible throughout the eighteenth century (which also starts to replace a cyclical account of history with one of open ended progress). [I should say, for the record, that on my interpretation Smith's account of liberty is not Constant's liberty of the moderns.]