THE RAMBLER. NUMBER XCIII. LONDON, Tuesday, February 5. 1751. Experiar quid concedatur in illos Quorum Flaminia tegitur linis atque Latinâ. T Juv. Here are few books on which more time is fpent by young ftudents, than on treatifes which deliver the characters of authors; nor which oftener deceive the expectation of the reader, or fill his mind with more opinions, that VOL.IV. P the the progress of his ftudies and the encrease of his knowledge oblige him to refign. Baillet has introduced his collection of the decisions of the learned, by an enumeration of the prejudices which mislead the critic, and raise the paffions in rebellion against the judgment. His catalogue,though large, is imperfect. And who can hope to complete it? The beauties of writing have been obferved to be often fuch as cannot, in the present state of human knowledge, be evinced by evidence, or drawn out into demonstrations: they are therefore wholly fubject to the imagination, and do not force their effects upon a mind preoccupied by unfavourable fentiments, or overcome the counteraction of a false principle, or of stubborn partiality. To convince any man against his will, is hard; but to please him against his will, is justly pronounced by Dryden to be above the reach of human abilities. Interest and paffion will hold out long against the closest fiege of diagrams and fyllogifms; but they are abfolutely impregnable to imagery and fentiment; and will ftand unmoved against the notes of Virgil or of Homer, though they may give way in time to the batteries of Euclid or Archimedes. In trusting therefore to the feptence of a critic, we are in danger not only from that vanity which exalts writers too often to the dignity of teaching what they are yet to learn, from that negligence which fometime upon the most vigilant cau tion, and that fallibility to which the condition of ture has fubjected every human understanding; but but from a thousand extrinfic and accidental caufes, from every thing which can excite kindness or malevolence, veneration or pity. Many of those who have determined, with great boldness, upon the various degrees of literary merit, may be juftly fufpected of having palled fentence, as Seneca remarks of Claudius, Una tantùm parte audita, without much knowledge of the cause before them: for it will not eafily be imagined of Langbaine and Felton, Borrichitus or Rapin, that they had very accurately perufed all the books which they praife or cenfure; or that, even if nature and learning had qualified them for judges, they could read for ever with the attention neceffary to a just criticism, Such performances, however, are not wholly without their ufe; for they are commonly juft echoes to the voice of Fame, and tranfmit the general fuffrage of mankind when they have no particular motives to fupprefs it. Critics, like all the rest of mankind, are very frequently milled by intereft. The bigotry with which editors regard the authors whom they illuftrate or correct, has been generally remarked. Dryden was known to have written molt of his critical differtations only to recommend the works upon which he then happened to be employed; and Addifon is fufpected to have engaged against poetical juftice, becaufe his own Cate was condemned to perifh in a good caufe. P 2 There There are prejudices which authors, not otherwife weak or corrupt, have indulged without fcruple; and perhaps fome of them are fo complicated with our natural affections, that they cannot eafily be difentangled from the heart. Scarce any can hear with impartiality a comparifon between the authors of his own and another country and though it cannot, I think, be charged equally on all nations, that they are blinded with this literary patriotism; yet there is none that do not look upon its own authors with particular regard, and efteem them as well for the place of their birth, as for their knowledge or their wit. There is therefore feldom much refpect due to comparative criticism, when the competitors are of different countries, unless the judge is of a nation equally indifferent to both. The Italians could not for a long time believe, that there was any learning beyond the mountains; and the French feem generally perfuaded, that there are no writers equal to their own. I can fcarcely believe, that if Scaliger had not confidered himself as allied to Virgil, by being born in the fame country, he would have found his works fo much fuperior to thofe of Homer, or have thought the controversy worthy of fo much zeal, vehemence, and acrimony. There is, indeed, one prejudice, and only one, by which it may be doubted whether it is any dif honour to be fometimes mifguided. Criticism has fo often given occafion to the envious and ill-natured of gratifying their malignity, that some have thought it neceffary to recommend the virtue of candour without limits or restriction, and preclude from the liberty of cenfure. Writers poffeffed with this this opinion, are always enforcing the duties of civility and decency, recommending to critics the proper diffidence of themfelves, and inculcating the veneration due to celebrated names. I am not of opinion, that these profeffed enemies of arrogance and feverity, have much more benevolence or modesty than the rest of mankind; or that they have, for the most part, any other intention than to distinguish themselves by their softness and delicacy. Some are modeft, because they are timorous; and fome are lavish of praife, because they hope to be repaid. There is indeed some tenderness due to living writers, when they attack none of those truths which are of importance to the happiness of mankind, and have committed no other offence than that of betraying their own ignorance or dulnefs. I fhould think it cruelty to crush an infect who had provoked me only by buzzing in my ear; and would not willingly interrupt the dream of harmlefs ftupidity, or deftroy the jeft which makes its author laugh. Yet I am far from thinking this tenderness univerfally neceffary: for he that writes, may be confidered as a kind of general challenger, whom every one has a right to attack; fince he quits the common rank of life, fteps forward beyond the lifts, and offers his merit to the public judgment. To commence author, is to claim praife; and no man can juftly afpire to honour, but at the hazard of disgrace. But whatever be decided concerning contemporaries, whom he that knows the treachery of the |