Sir Henry Saville, that various lections are now grown fo voluminous, that we begin to value the first editions of books as most correct, because leaft corrected. There are other critics who think themselves obliged to fee no imperfections in their author: from the moment they undertake his caufe, they Of partial : look upon him, as a lover upon his mistress, he has no faults, or his very faults improve into beauties this, indeed, is a well-natured error, but still blameable, because it mifguides the judgment. Such critics act no lefs erroneously, than a judge who should refolve to acquit a perfon, whether innocent or guilty, who comes before him upon his trial. It is frequent for the partial critic to praife the work as he likes the author; he admires a book as an antiquary a medal, folely from the impreffion of the name, and not from the intrinfic value: the copper of a favourite writer shall be more efteemed than the finest gold of a lefs acceptable author: for this reafon many perfons have chosen to publish their works without a name, and by this method, like Apelles, who ftood unfeen behind his own Venus, have received a praife, which perhaps might have been denied if the author had been vifible. But there are other critics who act a contrary part, and condemn all as criminals whom they try: Of envious they dwell only on the faults of an author, and mali- and endeavour to raise a reputation by diftics. praifing every thing that other men praise; they have an antipathy to a fhining character, like fome animals, that hate the fun only because of its cious cri bright brightness: it is a crime with them to excel; they are a kind of Tartars in learning, who feeing a perfon of diftinguished qualifications, immediately endeavour to kill him, in hopes to attain just so much merit as they destroy in their adversary. I never look into one of these critics but he puts me in mind of a giant in romance: the glory of the giant confifts in the number of the limbs of men whom he has destroyed; that of the critic in viewing Disjecti membra Poetæ." HOR. If ever he accidentally deviates into praife, he does it that his enfuing blame may fall with the greater weight; he adorns an author with a few flowers, as the antients thofe victims which they were ready to facrifice: he ftudies criticism as if it extended only to dispraise; a practice, which, when moft fuccefsful, is leaft defirable. A painter might juftly be thought to have a perverse imagination, who fhould delight only to draw the deformities and diftortions of human nature, which, when executed by the most masterly hand, ftrike the beholder with most horror. It is ufual with envious critics to attack the writings of others, because they are good; they conftantly prey upon the fairest fruits, and hope to fpread their own works by uniting them to thofe of their adversary. But this is like Mezentius in Virgil, to join a dead carcafs to a living body; and the only effect of it, to fill every well-natured mind with deteftation: their malice becomes impotent, and, contrary, to their defign, they give a teftimony of their enemy's 5 merit, merit, and fhew him to be an hero by turning all their weapons against him: fuch critics are like dead coals, they may blacken, but cannot burn. Thefe writers bring to my memory a paffage in the Iliad, where all the inferior powers, the Plebs Superùm, or rabble of the fky, are fancied to unite their endeavours to pull Jupiter down to the earth: but by the attempt they only betray their own inability; Jupiter is still Jupiter, and by their unavailing efforts they manifeft his fuperiority. Modefty is effential to true criticism: no man has a title to be a dictator in knowledge, and the fenfe of our own infirmities ought to teach us to treat others with humanity. The envious critic ought to consider, that if the authors be dead whom he cenfures, it is inhumanity to trample upon their afhes with infolence; that it is cruelty to fummon, implead, and condemn them with rigour and animofity, when they are not in a capacity to answer his unjust allegations: If the authors be alive, the common laws of fociety oblige us not to commit any outrage against another's reputation; we ought modeftly to convince, not injurioufly infult; and contend for truth, not victory: and yet the envious critic is like the tyrants of old, who thought it not enough to conquer, unless their enemies were made a public fpectacle, and dragged in triumph at their chariot-wheels: but what is fuch a triumph but a barbarous infult over the calamities of their fellowcreatures? The noife of a day, purchased with the mifery of nations? However, I would not be thought to Γ to be pleading for an exemption from criticifm; I would only have it circumfcribed within the rules of candour and humanity: writers may be told of their errors, provided it be with the decency and tenderness of a friend, not the malice and paffion of an enemy; boys may be whipped into fenfe, but men are to be guided with reafon. If we grant the malicious critic all that he claims, and allow him to have proved his adverfary's dulnefs, and his own acutenefs, yet, as long as there is virtue in the world, modest dulnefs will be preferable to learned arrogance: Dulness may be a misfortune, but arrogance is a crime; and where is the mighty advantage, if, while he discovers more learning, he is found to have lefs virtue than his adverfary? And though he be a better critic, yet proves himself to be a worse man? Befides, no one is to be envied the skill in finding fuch faults as others are fo dull as to miftake for beauties. What advantage is such a quickfightedness even to the poffeffors of it? It makes them difficult to be pleased, and gives them pain, while others receive a pleasure : they refemble the fecond-fighted people in Scotland, who are fabled to fee more than other perfons; but all the benefit they reap from this privilege, is to discover objects of horror, ghosts, and apparitions. But it is time to end, though I have too much reason to enlarge the argument for candour in criticism, through a confcioufnefs of my own deficiency: I have in reality been pleading my own caufe, that if I appear too guilty to obtain a pardon, I may find fo much mercy mercy from my judges, as to be condemned to fuffer without inhumanity: But whatever be the fate of these works, they have proved of use to me, and been an agreeable amusement in a conftant folitude. Providence has been pleased to lead me out of the great roads of life, into a private path; where, though we have leifure to chuse the smoothest way, yet we are all fure to meet many obstacles in the journey: I have found poetry an innocent companion, and fupport from the fatigues of it; how long, or how short, the future stages of it are to be, as it is uncertain, fo it is a folly to be over-folicitous about it; he that lives the longeft, has but the fmall privilege of creeping more leifurely than others to his grave; what we call living, is in reality but a longer time of dying and if thefe verfes prove as fhort-lived as their author, it is a lofs not worth regretting: They only die, as they were born, in obfcurity. POEMS |