years

tunes; for it hath happened, that after fourteen attending the court, with a large stock of real merit, a modest and agreeable converfation, a hundred promises, and five hundred friends, hath failed of preferment; and upon a very weighty reafon.”

After fourteen years attending the court.It is more proper to fay, after fourteen years' attendance at court, or, after attending the court for fourteen years. By a typographical error, the pronoun he feems to have been omitted before the words hath failed.-Upon a weighty reason, is an unufual expreffion. We commonly fay, for a weighty reason.

"He lay under the fufpicion of having written a libel, or lampoon against a great minifter. It is true, that great minifter was demonftratively convinced, and publicly owned his conviction, that Mr. Gay was not the author; but having lain under the fufpicion, it feemed very juft, that he fhould fuffer the punishment; because in this most reformed age, the virtues of a prime minifter are no more to be fufpected than the chastity of Cæfar's wife."

The laft fentence is fomewhat ambiguotis. The construction would leave room to fuppofe that the prime minifter had lain under fufpicion of having written a libel or lampoon against himself. The ambiguity might eafily be removed: "But this poet having lain under the fufpicion."

"It must be allowed that the Beggar's Opera is not the frft of Mr. Gay's works, wherein he hath been faulty, with regard to courtiers and ftatefmen. For to omit his other

pieces; even in his Fables, publifhed within two years past, and dedicated to the Duke of Camberland, for which he was promised a reward, he hath been thought fomewhat too bold upon the courtiers.?"

The latter of thefe fentences is rendered harth and clumsy by the concourfe of fo many circumftances; published within two years past,-dedicated to the Duke of Cumberland,for which he was promised a reward......

And although it be highly probable, he meant only the courtiers of former times, yet he acted unwarily, by not confidering, that the malignity of fome people might mifinterpret what he faid, to the difadvantage of prefent perfons and affairs."

The contraft contained in this fentence would be more emphatically expreft in the following manner: "And although it be highly probable, he meant only the courtiers of former times, yet he acted unwarily, by not confidering, that the malignity of fome people might misinterpret what, he faid, to the difadvantage of those of the present times?

"But I have now done with Mr. Gay as a politician; and fhall contider him henceforward only as author of the Beg gar's Opera, wherein he hath by a turn of humour, entirely new, placed vices of all kinds in the ftrongest and most odious light and thereby, done eminent fervice, both to reli gion and morality."

:

The pofition of the adverb only leaves us uncertain whether it be intended to qualify what precedes or what follows. Better thus: "But I have now done with Mr. Gay as a politician; and henceforward fhall only confider him as author of the Beggar's Opera. Here the fentence might very properly have been clofed: and the fucceeding one might have commenced thus: "In this performance he hath by a turn of humour," &c.

"This appears from the unparalleled fuccefs he hath met .with. All ranks, parties, and denominations of men either crouding to fee his Opera, or reading it with delight in their 'ofets; even minifters of ftate, whom he is fuppofed to have moft offended (next to thofe whom the actors reprefent) appearing frequently at the Theatre, from a consciousnefs of their own innocence, and to convince the world how unjust a parallel, malice, envy, and diffatisfaction to the govern ment have made."

At the beginning of this quotation the pronoun this refers not to any particular word that has formerly occurred, but to the general tenor of the foregoing fentence. This pretice is not altogether confiflent with accuracy of ftyle. After the words he hath met with, there ought only to have been a fémicolon. In its prefent ftate the fucceeding fentence has a mutilated appearance. The correfponding words ministers of state, and appearing, ftand at too great distance from

: each other.

"I am affured that feveral worthy clergymen in this city,, want privately to fee the Beggar's Opera reprefented; and

that the fleering coxcombs in the pit, amused themselves with making difcoveries, and fpreading the names of thofe gentlemen round the audience."

This fentence is, fmooth and correct.

"I fhall not pretend to vindicate a clergyman, who would appear openly in his habit at the Theatre, with fuch a vicieus crew, as might probably stand round him, at fuch comedies, and profane tragedies as are often reprefented. Befides, I know very well, that perfons of their function are bound to avoid the appearance of evil, or of giving cause of offence."

The latter of thefe periods difcovers a confufion of ideas.. The author speaks of avoiding the appearance of giving caufe of offence. Now in the cafe which is here alluded to, it is only by appearances that offence can be given it would therefore have been as proper to have spoken of the appearance of the appearance of offence.

"But when the Lords Chancellors, who are keepers of the king's confcience; when judges of the land, whofe title is Reverend, when ladies, who are bound by the rules of their fex to the stricteft decency, appear in the Theatre without cenfure; I cannot underftand, why a young clergyman, who comes concealed, out of curiofity to fee an innocent and moral play, fhould be fo highly condemned: nor do I much approve the rigour of a great prelate, who faid, he hoped none of his clergy were there."

It

In the expreffion, a young clergyman who comes concealed,. out of curiosity, there is fome degree of ambiguity feems rather to imply that he is concealed out of curiofity, than that he vifits the theatre out of curiofity. The following arrangement is more corect: "I cannot understand, why a young clergyman who, out of curiofity, comes concealed to fee an innocent and moral play, fhould be fo highly.

condemned."

"I am glad to hear there are no weightier objections against that Reverend Body planted in this city, and I with there never may. But I thould be very forry, that any of them fhould be fo weak, as to imitate a court-chaplain in England, who preached against the Beggar's Opera; which

will probably do more good, than a thoufand fermons of fo ftupid, fo injudicious, and fo proftitute a divine.*"*.

The metaphor contained in the firft of thefe fentences, feems liable to objection. The author fpeaks of a body planted in the city of Dublin.

The

The other period is fomewhat deficient in unity. laft claufe of it fhould have formed a feparate fentence: "This production will probably do more good," &c.

CHAP. XXVII.

CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF A PASSAGE. IN THE WRITINGS OF HARRIS.

"NOW

OW the language of thefe Greeks was truly like themselves, 'twas conformable to their tranfcendent and. univerfal genius. Where matter fo abounded, words followed of courfe, and thofe exquifite in every kind, as the ideas for which they flood. And hence it followed, there was not a fubject to be found, which could not with propriety be expreft in Greek."

The first of thefe fentences might be improved by the omiffion of the words printed in Italic characters.-Mr. Harris feems to have had a particular affection for contractions. That he should always prefer 'tis to it is, 'twas to it was, 'tavere to it were, appears fomewhat furprifing. This practice certainly cannot encreafe the fmoothnefs or harmony of his periods. But as the Greek language abounds in contractions, he probably thought, that by imitating it in this refpect he might contribute to the improvement of his native tongue.

To many readers the fecond fentence will have the appear. ance of being stiff and quaint. The manner in which the conjunction as is there ufed, is accompanied with fome am biguity. The fenfe may either be, "That the words poffeft the fame degree of exquifitenefs with the ideas for which

*Intelligencer, No. 3.

they food;" or "That the words were exquifite as well as the ideas." If the latter was the author's meaning, the pe riod may be cleared of all ambiguity by fubftituting like in ftead of as.

"Here were words and numbers for the humour of Ariftophanes; for the native elegance of a Philemon or Menan. der; for the amorous ftrains of a Mimnermus or Sappho ; for the rural lays of a Theocritus or Bion; and for the fublime conceptions of a Sophocles or Homer. The fame in profe."

Here were is a phrase which approaches too near vulgar or colloquial language. In other refpects the period is elegant and fonorous.

The English language does not admit of fuch eliptical phrafeology as appears in the latter of thefe fentences.

"Here Socrates was enabled to display his art, in all the accuracy of periods, and the nice counterpoife of diction. Here Demofthenes found materials for that nervous compofition, that manly force of unaffected eloquence, which rushed, like a torrent, too impetuous to be withstood."

This paffage is not devoid of beauty. The expreffions in the first fentence feem peculiarly happy.

"Who were more different in exhibiting their philofophy, than Xenophon, Plato, and his difciple Ariftotle? Different, I fay, in their character of compofition; for as to their phi, lofophy itself, 'twas in reality the fame. Ariftotle, ftrict, methodic, and orderly; fubtle in thought; fparing in ornament; with little addrefs to the paffions or imaginations; but exhibiting the whole with fuch a pregnant liberty, that in every fentence we feem to read a page."

Different, I say, in their character of composition.This is a very unusual and a very awkward method of beginning a fentence. In conftructing the laft of thefe periods, the aut thor feems to have forgotten that he was writing English. Such a conftruction is foreign to the nature of our language, whatever it may be with regard to that of Greece and Rome, The whole paffage discovers marks of affectation.

How exquifitely is this all performed in Greek?

The propriety of his fentence would not be diminished by a