fore obvious, that a fevere Critick may find a Colour forhis Severity, with Refpect to the Defign of the Play, but that will not hinder its captivating every one that fees or reads it. The Graces and Excellencies, both of Thought and Expreffion, do much more deferve our Admiration and Applaufe, than the Deficiency in the Fable deferves Cenfure. However, as to Dryden's Virgil and Cato, ask those that admire the one or the other what it is that pleafes them? And I doubt it will be found to be the very Places, which fhould have moft difpleafed, where Dryden offended most against the Character of Epick Poetry by imitating Ovid's Softnefs, and an eternal Feu des Mots, Playing upon Words, and where Cato fufpends the Action and Paffion of the Scene to teach the Audience, Philofophy and Morality.

It is common for the most difcreet and delicate Au thors to take Care of themselves, when they are treating of any of the Sciences. You will always find the Divine, the Lawyer, the Mathematician, the Aftrologer, the Chymift, the Mechanick, &c. referving to themselves the Merit of their particular Sciences when they are difcourfing of the Arts in general. A merry Inftance of this in the Aftrologer is mention'd by the very learned Gregory out of Albumazer, who afferted, that all Religions were govern'd by the Planets; the Mahometan by Venus, the Jewish by Saturn, and the Chriftian by the Sun: Nay, he adds, that one Guido Bonatus a Gymnosophist affirms in his Parallells, that Chrift himself was an Aftrologer, and made ufe of Elections. The Spectator, with all his Modefty, has difcover'd fomething of this Selflove in that of the Sciences, and could not help giving into this Infirmity. Every one knows what a fine Talent he had for Writing, and parricularly how beautiful his Imagination was, and how polite his Language. Himfelf was not a Stranger to it; and we therefore read in the Spectator, N° 291; I might further obferve, that there is not a Greek or Latin Critick, who has not fhewn, even in the Stile of his Criticisms, that he was Master of all the Elegance and Delicacy of his native Language. Here does this excellent Author forbid any one's Claim to the Character of a Critick, who is not like himself Mafter of the Delicacy and Elegance of his native Tongue; though I am apt to believe, that as a Man may be a

B 4

very

very good Judge of Painting without being himfelf a Painter, fo he may make very good Criticisms in Poetry and Eloquence, without being a Poet or an Orator. What would have become of our famous Critick Rymer, whom Mr. Dryden has fo much commended, and fo much abufed, if his Criticisms must not pafs, on Account of his not being Master of the Elegance and Delicacy of our Language, as it does not appear he was by his Tranflation of Ovin's Epiftle from Penelope to Ulyffes.

Here skulk'd Ulyffes.

Dur Sword how Dolon no nor Rhefus 'cap'd,
Banter'd the One, this taken as he napp'd.
Whatever Skippers hither come ashore,
For thee I ask and ask them o'er and o'er.
Perhaps to her your dowdy Wife define
Who cares no more, fo that her Cupboard fhine:
Who revel in your House without Controul,

And eat and wafte your Means our Blood and Soul.

The Bantring and Napping, the Skipper, the Dowdy Wife, the Cupboard, the Means, and the Blood and Soul, agree admirably with the Royal Characters of King Ulyffes and Queen Penelope, and the courtly Manner of Ovid. Radcliff's Letter, from the Skipper's Wife of Newcafile to her Husband at St. Catherines, can hardly have more of the Burlefque in it.

The Truth is, Mr. Addifon, in the above Quotation, has a Fling upon the Author of the Critick upon his Cato. A few general Rules extracted out of the French Authors, with a certain Cant of Words, have fometimes fet up an illiterate heavy Writer, for a moft judicious and formidable Critick. I know no Inftance wherein that Gentleman lofes his Temper fo much as in this. There were but three Authors in our Time who were Criticks by Profeffion, Rymer, Dennis, and Gildon. Rymer is own'd by himself to be a mafterly Critick: He himself knew Mr. Dennis did not want Learning; and as to Fire, he has perhaps rather too much of it, than too little. I can't help thinking, that the Ode he writ on Dryden's Tranflation of the 3d Book of the Georgicks, in Tonfon's Fourth Mifcellany, deferv'd a kinder Word than illiterate or heavy.

STANZA

STANZA II.

Sometimes of humble rural Things

My Mufe, which keeps great Maro ftill in fight,
In middle Air with varied Numbers fings;
And fometimes her fonorous Flight
To Heaven fublimely wings.

But first takes Time with Majefty to rife
Then, without Pride, divinely great
She mounts her native Skies;
And Goddess-like retains her State
When down again fhe flies.

The Paffage, taken out of the Spectator, could not relate to Gildon, becaufe of the French Cant, which he did not affect, nor understand. It is plain therefore, it muft refer to the Critick upon Cato; which fhews us, that as confcious as the most modeft Man may be of his own Infufficiency; yet, when it is in Difpute, he cannot always preferve his Infenfibility. Cato is a very good Dramatick Poem, and fo was the Cid; yet the beft Critick that ever was written in French, was that upon the Cid as La Bruyere obferves.

In another of the Spectators, we meet with fomething which proves to us, that a Man may have as much Modesty as Mr. Addifon; and yet be very jealous of lofing any Part of the Glory which is due to him. Every one knows, that though he was a Mafter of Eloquence, he never attempted to fpeak in Parliament, but it was with fome Confufion; and what he faid, did not answer the Expectation which had been raised by the Character of his Writings. Himself takes notice of this, not as an Infirmity, but as the Effect of Caution and Art. Spectator, N° 231, Cicero tells us, that he never liked an Orator, who did not appear in fome little Confufion at the Beginning of his Speech; and confeffes, that he himself never entered upon an Oration without Trembling and Concern. It is indeed a Kind of Deference which is due to a great Affembly. The bravest Man often appears timorous upon thefe Occafions, as we may obferve that there is generally no Creature more impudent than a Coward. I hope I fhall not be thought invidious, or to endeavour to leffen the Veneration, which all, who love polite Learning, owe to

the

yet

the Memory of the Spectator; yet I could not but take notice, how fenfible the moft Difcreet are in Point of Rivalfhip in Fame. What else can one think of the Spectator's Saying in the Dedication of the Eighth Volume: I need not tell you, that the free and difengaged Behaviour of a fine Gentleman, makes as many aukward Beaux, as the Eafiness of your Favourite Waller bath made infipid Poets. Though the fine Gentleman may be applied to Mr. Waller, and the aukward Beaux to the infipid Poets; the Comparison cannot hold, without doing an Injury to Mr. Waller's Merit. The Beaux may be aukward, by imitating what you call a fine Gentleman, who is generally diffiguifh'd by fome Affectation; but no Poet can be infipid by imitating Mr. Waller's Eafinefs, if he has any Portion of his Wit and Gallantry. The Spectator's Manner was not very different from Mr. Waller's, as ta Eafinefs; and I have as often heard it wished, that there was more Fire in his own Poetry, as that there was more in Mr. Waller's. Two of the politeft Authors in Europe, of the laft Age, St. Evremont and La Fontaine, had fuch an Efteem for Mr. Waller, that it is ftrange he meets with no better Quarter at Home. Thofe two famous French Wits us'd to call him another Anacreon; and the Criticks have not yet complained, that ever Anacreon taught any Poet to be infipid. Mr. Addifon is fo far from thinking that Waller had any fuch Infection about him, that he wishes he had lived to have fung in Praife of King William, the sublimest Subject that ever was offered to a Mufe, by how much the Deliverer of Nations from Slavery is a more godlike Character, than to have fubjected and enslaved them, as did Alexander and Cæfar.

The Courtly Waller next commands my Lays,

Mufe, tune thy Verfe with Art to Waller's Praife.
While tender Airs, and lovely Dames infpire
Soft melting Thoughts, and propagate Defire;
So long fhall Waller's Strains our Paffion move,
And Sachariffa's Beauties kindle Love.

Thy Verfe, harmonious Bard, and flatt'ring Song,
Can make the Vanquish'd great, the Coward ftrong:
Thy Verfe can fhew ev'n Cromwell's Innocence,
And complement the Storms that bore him bence.

Ob!

Oh! had thy Mufe not come an Age too soon,
But feen great Naffau on the British Throne,
How had his Triumphs glitter'd in thy Page,
And warm'd thee to a more exalted Rage.
What Scenes of Death, &c.

So little Danger is there of learning to be infipid by
imitating Waller, that he is praifed by the Editor of
St. Evremond's Works, for the Elevation of his Genius,
Mr. Edmond Waller; s'eft generallement fait admirer par
Elevation de fon Efprit.

I do not in this Effay aim at any Thing more, than, as I have faid before, to put feveral critical Hints, which I had collected, together, and not to form a regular Difcourfe, but take them as they come in my way.

If the Spectator, by the Paffage above-mentioned, infinuates that a Man must be able to perform himself in an Art, to be a good Judge of the Performances of others; confequently, that I ought to be a masterly Hiftorian, to make Remarks on Mr. Echard's Hiftory, he divefts me at once of the Right I pretend to in the following Treatife. Let us therefore enquire into the Reason of this Reflection.

Horace, whom no English Author could understand better than the Spectator, as appears by his admirable Tranf lation, teaches us otherwife,

Munus & Officium, nil fcribens ipfe, docebo.
Yet without writing, I may teach to write.

[Rofc.

Dacier's Notes upon Hippocrates, as I have been informed by my worthy Friend Dr. Allen, are much better than any others, though made by Men of the Faculty, which Dacier did not profefs. Monfieur Corneille, the greatest Genius in France for Tragedy, wrote Exa mens of his Pieces, which, like Dryden's Prefaces, were adapted to the feveral Tragedies, and very often clashed with one another, as the Subject required: but because he would prevent as much as poffible any Attack of Criticifm, he declares in one of his Difcourfes, That the Knowledge which is acquired by Study and Speculation, is of little or no Ufe without Experience. Thus an Author muft produce a Tragedy himself, before he prefumes to

criticife