ledge which has no relation to chivalry, and loads him with martial encumbrances that can add nothing to his civil dignity. He fends him out a colonelling, and yet never brings him within fight of war.

If Hudibras be confidered as the reprefentative of the Presbyterians, it is not easy to say why his weapons fhould be represented as ridiculous or ufelefs; for, whatever judgement might be paffed upon their knowledge or their arguments, experience had fufficiently shown that their fwords were not to be despised.

The hero, thus compounded of swaggerer and pedant, of knight and justice, is led forth to action, with his fquire Ralpho, an Independant enthusiast.

Of the contexture of events planned by the author, which is called the action of the poem, fince it is left imperfect, no judgement can be made. It is probable that the hero was to be led through many lucklefs adventures, which would give occafion, like his attack upon the bear and fiddle, to expofe the ridiculous rigour of the fectaries; like his encounter with Sidrophel and Whacum, to make fuperstition and credulity contemptible; or, like his recourfe to the low retailer of the law, difcover the fraudulent practices of different profeffions.

What series of events he would have formed, or in what manner he would have rewarded or punished his hero, it is now vain to conjecture. His work must have had, as it feems, the defect which Dryden imputes to Spenfer; the action could not have been one; there could only have been a fucceffion of incidents, each of which might have happened without

the reft, and which could not all co-operate to any fingle conclufion.

The difcontinuity of the action might however have been eafily forgiven, if there had been action enough; but I believe every reader regrets the paucity of events, and complains that in the poem of Hudibras, as in the hiftory of Thucydides, there is more faid than done. The fcenes are too feldom changed, and the attention is tired with long converfation.

It is indeed much more eafy to form dialogues than to contrive adventures. Every pofition makes way for an argument, and every objection dictates an answer. When two difputants are engaged upon a complicated and extenfive queftion, the difficulty is not to continue but to end the controversy. But whether it be that we comprehend but few of the poffibilities of life, or that life affords little variety, every man who has tried knows how much labour it will coft to form fuch a combination of circumftances, as shall have at once the grace of novelty and credibility, and delight fancy without violence to reafon.

Perhaps the dialogue of this poem is not perfect. Some power of engaging the attention might have been added to it, by quicker reciprocation, by feasonable interruptions, by fudden questions, and by a nearer approach to dramatic fpritelinefs; without which, fictitious fpeeches will always tire, however sparkling with fentences, and however variegated with allufions.

The great fource of pleasure is variety. Uniformity must tire at laft though it be unifor

mity of excellence. We love to expect; and, when expectation is disappointed or gratified, we want to be again expecting. For this impatience of the prefent, whoever would please, must make provision. The fkilful writer irritat, mulcet; makes a due diftribution of the ftill and animated parts. It is for want of this artful intertexture, and thofe neceffary changes, that the whole of a book may be tedious, though all the parts are praised.

If unexhauftible wit could give perpetual pleasure, no eye would ever leave half-read the work of Butler; for what poet has ever brought fo many remote images fo happily together? It is fcarcely poffible to perufe a page without finding fome affociation of images that was never found before. By the first paragraph the reader is amufed, by the next he is delighted, and by a few more ftrained to astonishment; but astonishment is a toilfome pleasure he is foon weary of wondering, and longs to be diverted.

Omnia vult belle Matho dicere, dic aliquando.

Et bene, dic neutrum, dic aliquando male,

Imagination is ufelefs without knowledge: nature gives in vain the power of combination, unless study and obfervation fupply materials to be combined. Butler's treasures of knowledge appear proportioned to his expence : whatever topick employs his mind, he fhews himfelf qualified to expand and illustrate it. with all the acceffories that books can furnish: he is found not only to have travelled the beaten road, but the bye-paths of literature; not only

R 2

only to have taken the general furveys, but to have examined particulars with minute infpection.

If the French boaft the learning of Rabelais, we need not be afraid of confronting them with Butler.

But the most valuable parts of his performance are thofe which retired ftudy and native wit cannot fupply. He that merely makes a book from books may be useful, but can scarcely be great. Butler had not fuffered life to glide befide him unfeen or unobferved. He had watched with great diligence the operations of human nature, and traced the effects of opinion, humour, intereft, and paffion. From fuch remarks proceeded that great number of fententious diftichs which have paffed into converfation, and are added as proverbial axioms to the general ftock of practical knowledge.

When any work has been viewed and admired, the first question of intelligent curiofity is, how was it performed? Hudibras was not a hafty effufion; it was not produced by a fudden tumult of imagination, or a short paroxyfm of violent labour. To accumulate fuch a mass of fentiments at the call of accidental defire, or of fudden neceffity, is beyond the reach and power of the most active and comprehenfive mind. I am informed by Mr. Thyer of Manchefter, the excellent editor of this author's reliques, that he could fhew fomething like Hudibras in profe. He has in his poffeffion the common-place book, in which Butler repofited, not fuch events or precepts as are gathered by reading: but fuch remarks, fimilitudes, allufions, affemblages, or inferences, as occa

fion prompted, or meditation produced; thofe thoughts that were generated in his own mind, and might be usefully applied to fome future. purpose. Such is the labour of those who write for immortality.

But human works are not eafily found without a perishable part. Of the ancient poets every reader feels the mythology tedious and oppreffive. Of Hudibras the manners, being founded on opinions, are temporary and local, and therefore become every day lefs intelligible and lefs ftriking. What Cicero fays of philofophy is true likewife of wit and humour, that" time effaces the fictions of opi

nion, and confirms the determinations of "Nature." Such manners as depend upon ftanding relations and general paffions are coextended with the race of man; but those modifications of life, and peculiarities of tice, which are the progeny of error and verfeness, or at beft of fome accidental influence or tranfient perfuafion, muft perish with their parents.

prac

per

Much therefore of that humour which tranf ported the last century with merriment is loft to us, who do not know the four folemnity, the fullen fuperftition, the gloomy moroseness, and the stubborn fcruples of the ancient Puritans; or, if we knew them, derive our information only from books, or from tradition, have never had them before our eyes, and cannot but by recollection and study underftand the lines in which they are fatirifed. Our grand-fathers knew the picture from the life; we judge of the life by contemplating the picture.