INTRODUCTION. That 'tis as great a fault to judge ill, as to write ill, and a more dangerous one to the public, ver. 1. That a true Tafte is as rare to be found, as a true Genius, That most men are born with fome Tafte, but spoiled by falfe The Multitude of Critics, and caufes of them, ver. 26 to 45. That we are to study our own Tafte, and know the Limits of That therefore the Ancients are neceffary to be fludied by Reverene due to the Ancients, and praise of them, ver. 181, &c. Caufes hindering a true Judgment, . Pride, ver. 208. 2. Im- perfect Learning, ver. 215. 3. Judging by parts, and not by the whole, ver. 233 to 288. Critics in Wit, Language, Verfification, only, ver. 288. 305. 339, c. 4. Being too hard to pleafe, or too apt to admire, ver4 384. 5. Partiality- too much love to a Sect,-to the Ancients or Moderns, ver. 324. 6. Prejudice or Prevention, ver. 408. 7. Singularity, ver. 424. 8. Inconftancy, ver. 430. 9. Party Spirit, ver. 452, &c. 10. Envy, ver. 466. Against Envy and PART III. Ver. 560, &c. Rules for the Conduct of Manners in a Critic, 1. Candour, AN ESSAY ON CRITICIS M. 'Tis hard to fay, if greater want of skill But, of the two, lefs dang'rous is th' offence COMMENTARY. An Fay] The poem in one book, but divided into three principal parts or numi The firit [to ver. 201.] gives rules for the Study of the Art Criticifm: the fecond [from thence to ver. 560.xpofes the Causes of curung Judgment; and the third [from thence to the end] marks out the Moral of the Critic. In order to a right conception of this poem, it will be neceffary to obferve, that though it Le intitled Amply An Effay on Criticism, yet feveral of the prece to relate equally to the good writing as well as the true judging of a poem. This is fo far from violating the Unity of the fubject, that it preferves and completes it: or from difordering the regularity of the Farm, that it adds beauty to it, as will appear by the following considerations: 1. It was impoffible NOTES. An Effay] For a perfon of only twenty years old to have produced fuch an Effay, fo replete with a knowledge of life and mansuch accurate obfervations on men and books, fuch variety of literature, such strong good fense, and refined taste and judg ners, VOL. I. ment, Some few in that, but numbers err in this, COMMENTARY. 5 IG In impoffible to give a full and exact idea of the Art of Poetical Criticism, without confidering at the fame time the Art of Poetry; fo far as Poetry is an Art. These therefore being closely connected in nature, the author has, with much judgment, interwoven the precepts of each reciprocally through his whole poem. 2. As the rules of the ancient Critics were taken from Poets who copied nature, this is another reason why every Poet should be a Critic : therefore as the fubject is poetical Criticism, it is frequent.y addreffed to the critical Poet. And 3dly, the Art of Criticism is as properly, and much more ufefully exercised in writing than in judging. WARBURTON. VER. 1. 'Tis hard to fay, &c.] The Poem opens [from ver. 1 to 9.] with fhewing the ufe and feasonableness of the fubject. Its ufe, from the greater mifchief in wrong Criticifm than in ill Poetry; this only tiring, that misleading the reader: Its seasonableness, from the growing number of bad Critics, which now vaft. ly exceeds that of bad Post WARBURTON. VER. 9. 'Tis with our judgments, &c.] The author having fhewn us the expediency of this fubject, the Art of Criticijm, inquires next [from ver. 8 to 15.] into the proper Qualities of a true Critic and obferves firft, that JUDGMENT alone is not fufficient to constitute this character, because Judgment, like the artificial measures of Time, goes different, and yet each man relies upon WARBURTON. his own. NOTES. ment, has been the fubject of frequent, and of juft admiration. It may fairly entitle him to the character of being one of the first of critics, though furely not of poets, as Dr. Johnson afferts. For Didactic poetry being, from its nature, inferior to Lyric, Tragic, 'and |