"When mellowing years their full ferfection Nothing, as the effayift candidly admits, was ever fo happily expreffed on the art of painting: a fubject on which POPE always fpeaks con amore, being himself, as will be shown, a practitioner, in that pleasing art. But if, fays our author, any dregs of the four critical humour ftill remain, let them be vented against obscenity and impiety. Here he takes occafion to brand the fat age of pleasure-- "When Love was all an eafy monarch's care.' There is great merit in the following beautiful lines, in which the poet at once cenfures the prurient tafte of the dramatic writers of thofe days, and the indelicacy of the fair fex, to whom that tafte had ceased to be offensive. "The Fair fate panting at a Courtier's play, "And not a Mafk went unimprov'd away: "The modeft fan was lifted up no more, "And Virgins fmil'd at what they blush'd "before." There is a fweetness and melody in thefe lines, which give the elegance and delicacy of the fentiment, a peculiar relish. In the third part, our author confiders the Morals of the critic; under which are comprehended candour, modefty, and good breeding. Without the first effential requifite, he fhews that all other talents are infufficient. ""Tis not enough, tafte, judgment, learning, "join; "In all you speak, let truth and candour fhine." The truth likewife must be communicated with modefty--- "Be filent always, when you doubt your sense; "And fpeak, though fure, with seeming diffi"dence." To make the truth palatable, it must likewife be offered with good-breeding: "Without Good-Breeding, truth is difapprov'd, "That only makes fuperior fenfe belov❜d *." The poet, having established the foregoing precepts, proceeds to illuftrate them by examples drawn from the antients, and opens this part of his fubject, with a striking apoftrophe, in which he has drawn a finished picture of a true critic. * This paffage reminds me of a beautiful thought of Dr. Young's, who fays "Good-breeding is the bloffom of good fenfe." "But "But where's the man, who counfel can beftow, "Still pleas'd to teach, and yet not proud to "know? "Unbiafs'd, or by favour, or by fpite; "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 fhow, "And gladly praise the merit of a foe? "Bleft with a tafte exact, yet unconfin'd; "A knowledge both of books and human "kind; "Gen'rous converfe; a foul exempt from pride; "And love to praife, with reafon on his fide ?" The poet then anfwers the queftion himself, and thews that fuch critics were to be found in the better ages of Athens and Rome, and points out their characters, beginning firft with Ariftotle, whom he defcribes in the following bold metaphor. "The mighty Stagirite first left the fhore, "He fteer'd fecurely, and discover'd far, With the Stagirite, Horace is contrasted, and his character is juftly and happily described in two lines. "Horace "Horace ftill charms with graceful negligence, "And without Method talks us into fenfe." That of Dionyfius fucceeds "See Dionyfius Homer's thoughts refine, "And call new beauties forth from ev'ry "line!" These verses are cenfured by the Effayist, not only as fpiritlefs, and profaic, but as the character they exprefs, is not equal to the merit of the critic whom they are intended to celebrate. Nevertheless, though they do not excel in point of verfification, they are fraught with a great deal of meaning. In the first of these lines, on which the other depends, is defcribed that most material and useful part of an able critic's office, who (like the Refiner) purifies the rich ore of an original writer. For fuch an one, bufied in creating, often neglects to separate and refine the mafs, and pours out his riches rather in bullion, than in fterling. I know not whether the Effayift is not too nice in his objections to the character of Petronius, of whom POPE fays σε Fancy and art in gay Petronius please, "The fcholar's learning, with the courtier's "eafe." The Effayift remarks, that the chief merit of Petronius, is that of telling a story with grace .. and and cafe: But the Poet is not here speaking (nor was it for his purpose to speak) of the chief merit of Petronius, but in what his merit as a critic confifted, which was foftening the art of a scholar with the eafy fancy of a courtier. And whoever reads and understands the critical parts of his abominable licentious fragments will fee, that the poet has truly characterized him. It is obfervable likewise, that though the eflayift confines the merit of Petronius to the art of telling a story with grace and cafe, yet he immediately adds, " that his own ftile is more affected, than even that of his cotemporaries.' How the effayift can reconcile the grace and cafe which he admits, with the affectation which he objects to him, I own I am at a lofs to conceive. Indeed the effayift obferves, with good reason, that many of Petronius's metaphors are far fetched and mixed, of which he produces a very glaring inftance. But this is fo far from contradicting POPE's judgment of him, that it rather tends to establish it. Such as write with the court-like eafe which Mr. POPE fpeaks of, are most apt to fall into a confufion of metaphors. It is not the correctness and accuracy, but the fancy and ease of Petronius, which our poet commends, and which in truth the effayift admits. Our author's character of Quintilian, also falls fhort of the effayift's estimate. Ο |