I

A N

ESSAY

ON

CRITICISM.

Written in the Year M DCC IX.

CONTENTS

OF THE

ESSAY on CRITICISM.

PART I.

Ntroduction. That 'tis as great a fault to judge ill,
as to write ill, and a more dangerous one to the

public, v. I.

That a true Tafte is as rare to be found, as a true Ge-

nius, v. 9 to 18.

That most men are born with fome Tafte, but spoil'd by

falle Education, v. 19 to 25.

The Multitude of Critics, and causes of them, v. 26

to 45:

That we are to ftudy our own Taste, and know the Li-

mits of it, v. 46 to 67.

Nature the beft guide of Judgment, v, 68 to 87.

Improv'd by Art and Rules, which are but methodis'd

Nature, v. 88.

Rules deriv'd from the Practice of the Ancient Poets,

v. id. to 110.

That therefore the Ancients are necessary to be ftudy'd

by a Critic, particularly Homer and Virgil, v. 120

to 138.

Of Licenfes, and the use of them by the Ancients,

V. 140 to 180.

Reverence due to the Ancients, and praise of them,

v. 181, etc.

G 4

PART

PART II. Ver. 203, etc.

Caufes hindering a true Judgment. 1. Pride, v. 208.

2. Imperfect Learning, v. 215. 3. Judging by

parts, and not by the whole, v. 233 to 288. Cri-

tics in Wit, Language, Verfification, only, v. 288.

305. 339, etc. 4. Being too hard to please, or too

apt to admire, v. 384. 5. Partiality-too much

Love to a Sect,-to the Ancients or Moderns,

v. 394. 6. Prejudice or Prevention, v. 408.

7. Singularity, v. 424. 8. Inconftancy, v. 430:

9. Party Spirit, v. 452, etc. 10. Envy, v. 466.

Against Envy, and in praise of Good-nature, v. 508,

etc. When Severity is chiefly to be used by Critics,

v. 526, etc.

PART III. Ver. 560, etc.

Rules for the Conduct of Manners in a Critic. I. Can-

dour, v. 563. Modefty, v. 566. Good-breed-

ing, v. 572. Sincerity, and Freedom of advice,

v. 578. 2. When one's Caunfel is to be reftrained,

v. 584. Character of an incorrigible Poet, v. 600.

And of an impertinent Critic, v. 610, etc. Cha-

racter of a good Critic, v. 629. The Hiftory of

Criticifm, and Character of the beft Critics, Ari-

ftotle, v. 645. Horace, v. 653. Dionyfius,

v. 665. Petronius, v. 667. Quintilian, v. 670.

Longinus, v. 675. Of the Decay of Criticism,

and its Revival. Erafmus, v. 693. Vida, v. 705.

Boileau, v. 714. Lord Rofcommon, etc. v. 725.

Conclufion.

AN