Find Faults only to difcredit the Author, and build a Reputation on the Ruin of his. One has great Reafon to think fo, when the Critick looks only on one Side; when he hunts after little Slips and Negligences, and will not, or cannot fee, what is beautiful and praife-worthy. If an hiftorical or poetical Performance can no fooner acquire Applaufe, than he falls upon it without Mercy, neglects every Thing commendable in it, and skims off the Filth that rifes on the Top of it; one may be fure his Jealoufy is piqu'd, and he is alarm'd for fear every Encrease of Honour to another fhould be a Diminution of his own Glory; fuch Sort of Criticism is eafily learnt. A Wen or Mole in the Face is fooner perceiv'd than the Harmony of Features, and the fine Proportion of Beauty; or, as Dryden says, Errours like Straws upon the Surface flow, He who would fearch for Pearls must dive below. This Thought is borrow'd from the Lord Bacon; who, fpeaking of Notions and Inferences what may be applied to Families, fays, Time is like a River in which Metals and folid Subftances fink, while Chaff and Straw fwim on the Surface. Such borrowing as Dryden's, is highly commendable; he has paid back what he borrowed with Intereft, and it can by no Means deferve the Scandal of Plagiarism. I cannot doubt, but Mr. Addifon in the fublime Thought, where he reprefents the Duke of Marlborough in the Heat of the War: Rides in the Whirlwind, and directs the Storm; did nor forget thefe two Lines of Boileau to the King: Serene himself the ftormy War he guides, And o'er the Battle like a God prefides. I fhall all along, through this Difcourfe, take the Liberty to pafs from one Subject to another as the Hint offers, without any Method, according to the Freedom of Effays. Mr. Dryden excufes this Freedom, by the Example of Horace's Epiftle to the Pifo's, which is immethodical, and I must excufe my felf by Mr. Dryden's The Tafte and Appetite of thefe ftraw Criticks, may juftly be compar'd to Ravens and Crows, who neglecting clean Food, are always fearching after Carrion. Herace's Horace's Rule is very well worth obferving, when we are about to give Judgement on a Poem or Hiftory, where the Will is not concern'd: Ubi plura nitent in Carmine non ego paucis When in a Poem most are shining Thoughts, As it is much eafier to difcern Blemishes than Beauties, fo is it to cenfure than to commend, as the Duke of Buckingham tells us: Yet whatfoe'er is by vain Criticks thought, Such Criticks need not be in Pain, if a Poem or Hifto ry makes its Way in the World a little; if it is not good, it will lofe Ground of it self faster than it got it. If imperfect Pieces have gain'd Credit, and kept it for fome Time, it was not for what was bad in them, but what, if not really good, was at leaft agreeable. Dryden's Tranflation of Virgil was generally liked for the Diction and Verfification, though it was diflik'd on Account of Equality and Truth; and to have made a Critick upon it, as Milbourn did, without doing juftice to his Numbers and Language, fhew'd the Spirit of the Man was more engaged in it than his Judgement. All Criticisms on Dryden's Language and Numbers are in Defiance of Horace's Rule above-mention'd, because there is no Body but knows that it was impoffible for Dryden to make an ill Verfe, or to want an apt and mufical Word, if he took the leaft Care about it. I could very eafily mark out a thousand Slips and Negligences of that Kind in his Virgil; yet for all that, there are more good Verfes in that Tranflation than in any other, if Mr. Pope's Homer is not to be excepted. It has been often faid by very good Judges, that Cato was no proper Subject for a Dramatick Poem: That the Character B 3 Character of a Cynick Philofopher, is very inconfiftent with the Hurry and Tumult of Action and Paffion, which are the Soul of Tragedy. That the ingenious Author miscarried in the Plan of his Work, but fupported it by the Dignity, the Purity, the Beauty, and the Juftness of the Sentiments and the Diction. This was fo much the Opinion of Mr. Maynwaring, who was generally allow'd to be the belt Critick of our Time, that he was againft bringing the Play upon the Stage, and it lay by unfinish'd many Years. Mr. Maynwaring highly approv'd of the Sentiments and the Diction, but did not fall in with the Defign. That it was play'd at last was owing to Mr. Hughes, who wrote the Siege of Damafcus, a Tragedy. He had read the Four Acts, which were finished, and rightly thought it would be of Service to the Publick, to have it reprefented at the latter End of Queen Ann's Reign,when the old English Spirit of Liberty was as likely to be loft as it had ever been fince the Conqueft. He endeavour'd to bring Mr. Addison into his Opinion, which he did fo far as to procure his Confent, that it fhould be acted if Mr. Hughes would write the laft Act, and he offer'd him the Scenary for his Af fiftance, excufing his not finishing it himfelf on Account of fome other Avocations. He preft Mr. Hughes to do it fo earnestly, that he was prevail'd upon and fet about it. But a Week after, feeing Mr. Addifon again with an Intention to communicate to him what he had thought of it, he was agreeably furpris'd at his producing fome Papers, where near half of the Act was written by the Author himself, who took Fire at the Hint that it would be ferviceable, and upon a fecond Reflection went thorough with the Fifth A&t: Not that he was diffident of Mr. Hughes's Ability, but knowing that no Man could have fo perfect a Notion of his Defign as himself, who had been fo long and fo carefully thinking of it. I was told this by Mr. Hughes, and I tell it to fhew that it was not for the Love Scenes, that Mr. Addifon confented to have his Tragedy acted, but to fupport the old Roman and English Publick Spirit, which was then fo near being fuppreffed by Faction and Bigotry. The moft cunning of their Leaders were fenfible of it, and therefore very dexterously ftole away the Merit of the Poem, by applauding the Poet, and patronizing the Action and Actors. It is there fore 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 thofe 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 moft difcreet and delicate Aur 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 Gymnofophift affirms in his Parallells, that Chrift himself was an Aftrologer, and made use 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 Master 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 |