with an air of fuperiority on those who still remained in the service of WIT and LEARNING.

Difgufted with these desertions, the two rivals, at the fame time, petitioned Jupiter for re-admiffion to their native habitations. Jupiter thundered on the right hand, and they prepared to obey the happy fummons. WIT readily spread his wings and foared aloft, but not being able to fee far, was bewildered in the pathless immenfity of the ethereal spaces. LEARNING, who knew the way, fhook her pinions; but for want of natural vigour could only take short flights: fo, after many efforts, they both funk again to the ground, and learned, from their mutual diftrefs, the neceffity of union. They therefore joined their hands, and renewed their flight: LEARNING was borne up by the vigour of WIT, and WIT guided by the perfpicacity of LEARNING. They foon reached the dwellings of Jupiter, and were fo endeared to each other, that they lived afterwards in perpetual concord. WIT perfuaded LEARNING to converse with the GRACES, and LEARNING engaged WIT in the service of the VIRTUES. They were now the favourites of all the powers of heaven, and gladdened every banquet by their prefence. They foon after married, at the command of Jupiter, and had a numerous progeny of ARTS and SCIENCES.

NUMB. 23. TUESDAY, June 5, 1750.

TH

by his own confcie, without any regard to the opinions of the reft of the world, is one of the first precepts of moral prudence; juftified not only by the fuffrage of reafon, which declares that none of the gifts of heaven are to lie ufelefs, but by the voice likewise of experience, which will foon inform us that, if we make the praife or blame of others the rule of our conduct, we shall be distracted by a boundless variety of irreconcileable judgments, be held in perpetual fufpenfe between contrary impulfes, and confult for ever without determination.

I know not whether, for the fame reason, it is not neceffary for an author to place fome confidence in his own fkill, and to fatisfy himself in the knowledge that he has not deviated from the established laws of compofition, without fubmitting his works to frequent examinations before he gives them to the publick, or endeavouring to fecure fuccefs by a folicitous conformity to advice and criticism.

It is, indeed, quickly discoverable, that confultation and compliance can conduce little to the perfection of any literary performance; for whoever is fo doubtful of his own abilities as to encourage the remarks of others, will find himself every day embarraffed with new difficulties, and will harafs his mind, in vain, with the hopeless labour of uniting heterogeneous ideas, digesting independent hints, and collecting into one point the feveral rays of borrowed light, emitted often with contrary directions.

Of all authors, those who retail their labours in periodical fheets would be most unhappy, if they were much to regard the cenfures or the admonitions of their readers: for, as their works are not fent into the world at once, but by fmall parts in gradual fucceffion, it is always imagined, by those who think themselves qualified to give instructions, that they may yet redeem their former failings by hearkening to better judges, and fupply the deficiencies of their plan, by the help of the criticisms which are fo liberally afforded.

I have had occafion to obferve, fometimes with vexation, and fometimes with merriment, the different temper with which the fame man reads a printed and manufcript performance. When a book is once in the hands of the publick, it is confidered as permanent and unalterable; and the reader, if he be free from perfonal prejudices, takes it up with no other intention than of pleafing or inftructing himself; he accommodates his mind to the author's defign; and, having no intereft in refufing the amusement that is offered him, never interrupts

his own tranquillity by ftudied cavils, or destroys his fatisfaction in that which is already well, by an anxious enquiry how it might be better; but is often contented without pleasure, and pleased without perfection.

But if the fame man be called to confider the merit of a production yet unpublished, he brings an imagination heated with objections to paffages which he has yet never heard; he invokes all the powers of criticism, and ftores his memory with Taste and Grace, Purity and Delicacy, Manners and Unities, founds which, having been once uttered by thofe that understood them, have been fince re-echoed without meaning, and kept up to the difturbance of the world, by a conftant repercuffion from one coxcomb to another. He confiders himself as obliged to fhew, by fome proof of his abilities, that he is not confulted to no purpofe, and therefore watches every opening for objection, and looks round for every opportunity to propofe fome fpecious alteration. Such opportunities a very small degree of fagacity will enable him to find; for, in every work of imagination, the difpofition of parts, the infertion of incidents, and ufe of decorations, may be varied a thousand ways with equal propriety; and as in things nearly equal, that will always feem beft to every man which he himself produces, the critick, whose business is only to propofe, without the care of execution, can never want the fatisfaction of believing that he has fuggefted very important improvements, nor the power of inforcing his advice by arguments, which, as they appear convincing to himself, either his kindnefs or his

vanity will prefs obftinately and importunately, without fufpicion that he may poffibly judge too haftily in favour of his own advice, or enquiry whether the advantage of the new scheme be proportionate to the labour.

It is obferved by the younger Pliny, that an orator ought not fo much to felect the strongest arguments which his caufe admits, as to employ all which his imagination can afford: for, in pleading, those reasons are of moft value, which will moft affect the judges; and the judges, fays he, will be always most touched with that which they had before conceived. Every man who is called to give his opinion of a performance, decides upon the fame principle; he first suffers himself to form expectations, and then is angry at his difappointment. He lets his imagination rove at large, and wonders that another, equally unconfined in the boundless ocean of poffibility, takes a different course.

But, though the rule of Pliny be judiciously laid down, it is not applicable to the writer's caufe, because there always lies an appeal from domestick criticifm to a higher judicature, and the publick, which is never corrupted, nor often deceived, is to pass the last sentence upon literary claims.

Of the great force of preconceived opinions I had many proofs, when I first entered upon this weekly labour. My readers having, from the performances of my predeceffors, established an idea of unconnected effays, to which they believed all future authors under a neceffity of conforming, were impatient of the least deviation from their system, and numerous remonftrances were accordingly made

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