Unhappy wit, like most mistaken things, To what base ends, and by what abject ways, He obferves, and very juftly, that feverity ought to be pointed at thofe pieces of immorality, obfcenity, and blafphemy, that tend to corrupt the minds of mankind, but withal adds this neceflary caution. Yet fhun their fault, who, fcandalously nice, After this the poet gives rules for the conduct and manners in a critic, and recommends candour, modefty, good-breeding, fincerity, and freedom of advice; yet points out fome cafes where our counfel is to be reftrained, and where advice would be ineffectual. He then draws the characters of an incorrigible poet, an impertinent critic, and a good one. LEARN then what MORALS critics ought to show, 'Tis not enough, tafte, judgment, learning, join; Be filent always, when you doubt your sense; 'Tis not enough your counsel still be true; Be niggards of advice on no pretence: Fear not the anger of the wife to raise; Even to the dregs and fqueezings of the brain, Such fhameless bards we have; and yet 'tis true, But where's the man, who counsel can bestow, Still pleas'd to teach, and yet not proud to know? Unbiafs'd, or by favour, or by spite ; Not dully prepoffefs'd, nor blindly right; Tho' learn'd, well-bred; and tho' well-bred, fincere ; Modeftly bold, and humanly fevere: Who to a friend his faults can freely show, Here the poet introduces a concife hiftory of criticifm, with the characters of the best critics, viz. Ariftotle, Horace, Dionyfius, Petronius, Quintilian, and Longinus. He then speaks of the decay of criticism and of its revival; gives us fhort characters of Erasmus, Vida, Boileau, the duke of Buckingham, lord Rofcommon, and concludes with an elogium on his late friend and preceptor Mr. Walsh. Thus have we given the reader the whole fcope and defign of Mr. Pope's effay, with an abftract of his precepts, and fome of thofe ornamental parts which he has artfully and judiciously thrown in to enrich and adorn his rules, and render them the more permanent and pleafing. Had we introduced all the beauties, we must have transcribed the whole poem, which, notwithstanding the fubject runs so much into common place, is indeed fo full of them, that what the author fays of Longinus, may with propriety be applied to himself. -Him all the nine infpire, And bless their critic with a poet's fire. We fhall conclude this article on criticism with an obfervation of Dr. Garth's, which may help to excité candour in the profeffors of this art; an ingredient very neceffary, yet much wanted by our modern critics.. "Tis to be lamented, fays he, that gentlemen ftill continue to behave thus unfairly, and treat one another every day with most injurious libels. The Muses, should be ladies of chafte and fair behaviour; when they are otherwife, they are Furies. 'Tis certain, that Parnaffus is at best but a barren mountain, and its inhabitants contrive to make it more fo by their unneighbourly deportment. The authors are the only corporation that endeavour at the ruin of their own fociety; yet every day may convince them how much a rich fool is respected above a poor wit. The only talents in esteem at prefent are thofe of Exchange Alley; one tally is worth a grove of bays; and 'tis of more confequence to be well red in the tables of interest, and the rife and fall of flocks, than in the revolution of empires. This reflection was occafioned by the treatment Mr. Dryden met with, who (fays the Doctor) was libelled in his life-time by the very men who had no other excellencies, but as they were his imitators. Where he was allowed to have fentiments fuperior to all others, they charged him with theft: But how did he steal? No otherwise, than like those who fteal beggars children, only to cloath them the better. As his earlier works wanted no maturity, fo his latter wanted no force or fpirit; and the falling off of his hair had no other confequence than to make his laurels be seen the more." Poets who write in the preceptive manner fhould take care to chufe fuch fubjects as are worthy of their muse, and of confequence to all mankind; for to bestow both parts and pains to teach people trifles that are unworthy of their attention, is to the laft degree ridiculous. Among poems of the ufeful and intéresting kind, Dr. Armstrong's Art of preferving health deferves, I think, particular notice, as well in confideration of the subject, as of the elegant and masterly manner in which he has treated it; for he has made those things, which are in their own nature dry and unentertaining, perfectly agreeable and pleafing, by adhering to the rules obferved by Virgil and others in the conduct of these poems. The author has divided this poem into four books, and confidered how our health is promoted or impair'd by air, diet, exercise, and the paffions. It opens with an invocation to Hygeia the goddess of health, whose aid, he obferves, the difficulty of the subject has render'd neceffary. Without thy chearful active energy ! He then pays a compliment to Dr. Mead, and entering on the fubject air, inveighs against that which we breathe in London, and fays, -It is not air That from a thoufand lungs reeks back to thine, Sated with exhalations rank and fell, The spoil of dunghills, and the putrid thaw It is not air, but floats a naufeous mass The reflection he has made on the benefit we receive from burning of pit-coal is truly philosophical, and drawn from experience; for, it has been obferved, that no plague or peftilential diforder (properly fo called) has appear'd in London fince the introduction, and general use of this kind of fuel. The directions he then gives for the choice of air, and of a country fituation, are delivered in a manner very poetical and pleafing. |