other affiftance, throws the language off from prose, and very often makes an indifferent phrafe pass unregarded; but where the verfe is not built upon rhymes, there pomp of found, and energy of expreffion, are indifpenfably neceffary to fupport the ftyle, and keep it from falling into the flatnefs of profe.

Thofe, who have not a tafte for this elevation of ftyle, and are apt to ridicule a poet when he departs from the common forms of expreffion, would do well to fee how Ariftotle has treated an ancient author called Euclid, for his infipid mirth upon this occafion. Mr. Dryden ufed to call this fort of

men his profe-criticks.

I fhould, under this head of the language, confider Milton's NUMBERS, in which he has inade use of feveral elifions that are not cuftomary among other English poets, as may be particularly obferved "by his cutting off the letter y, when it precedes a vowel. This, and fome other innovations in the measure of his verfe, have varied his numbers in such a manner, as makes them incapable of fatiating the ear, and cloying the reader, which the fame uniform measure would certainly have done, and which the perpetual returns of rhyme never fail to do in long narrative poems. I fhall close these reflections upon the language of Paradife Loft, with obferving that Milton has copied after Homer

by his cutting off the letter y, &c.] Thefe elifions exifted long before Milton wrote. See the Essay on the Verfification.

TODD.

rather than "Virgil in the length of his periods, the copioufnefs of his phrafes, and the running of his verfes into one another.

I have now confidered the Paradife Loft under thofe four great heads of the FABLE, the CHARACTERS, the SENTIMENTS, and the LANGUAGE; and have shown that he excels, in general, under each of these heads. I hope that I have made feveral difcoveries which may appear new, even to those who are verfed in critical learning. Were I indeed to choose my readers, by whofe judgement I would ftand or fall, they should not be fuch as are acquainted only with the French and Italian criticks, but also with the ancient and modern who have written in either of the learned languages. Above all, I would have them well verfed in the Greek and Latin poets, without which a man very often fancies that he understands a critick, when in reality he does not comprehend his meaning.

It is in criticism, as in all other fciences and fpeculations; one who brings with him any implicit notions and obfervations, which he has made in his reading of the poets, will find his own reflections methodised and explained, and perhaps feveral

"there is much more of Homer

has copied after Homer rather than Virgil &c.] It is obferved by Lord Monboddo also, that Homer was Milton's model for the plan and conduct of his Poem, and for the defcriptions, fimilies, and other ornaments of style: "And I will venture to say," continues this profound critick, in his ftyle than even in Virgil's, though Virgil has very often imitated closely and even tranflated Homer,-Demofthenes was Milton's model for the fpeeches; and it is not eafy to fay which of their manners he has beft copied." TODD.

little hints, that had paffed in his mind, perfected and improved, in the works of a good critick; whereas one, who has not these previous lights, is very often an utter ftranger to what he reads, and apt to put a wrong interpretation upon it.

Nor is it fufficient, that a man who fets up for a judge in criticism, fhould have perused the authors above mentioned, unlefs he has alfo a clear and logical head. Without this talent, he is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders, miftakes the fenfe of those he would confute, or, if he chances to think right, he does not know how to convey his thoughts to another with clearnefs and perfpicuity. Ariftotle, who was the best critick, was alfo one of the beft logicians, that ever appeared in the world.

Mr. Locke's Efay on Human Understanding would be thought a very odd book for a man to make himself mafter of, who would get a reputation by critical writings; though at the fame time it is very certain that an author, who has not learned the art of diftinguishing between words and things, and of ranging his thoughts and setting them in proper lights, whatever notions he may have, will lofe himself in confufion and obfcurity. I might further obferve that there is not a Greek or Latin critick, who has not shown, even in the ftyle of his criticisms, that he was a mafter of all the elegance and delicacy of his native tongue.

The truth of it is, there is nothing more abfurd, than for a man to fet up for a critick, without a good infight into all the parts of learning; whereas many of those, who have endeavoured to fignalize

themselves, by works of this nature, among our English writers, are not only defective in the abovementioned particulars, but plainly discover, by the phrafes which they make ufe of, and by their confufed way of thinking, that they are not acquainted with the most common and ordinary fyftems of arts and fciences. A few general rules, extracted out of the French authors, with a certain cant of words, have sometimes fet up an illiterate heavy writer for a moft judicious and formidable critick.

One great mark, by which you may difcover a critick who has neither tafte nor learning, is this, that he feldom ventures to praife any paffage in an author which has not been before received and applauded by the publick, and that his criticism turns wholly upon little faults and errours. This part of a critick is fo very easy to fucceed in, that we find every ordinary reader, upon the publishing of a new poem, has wit and ill-nature enough to turn feveral paffages of it into ridicule, and very often in the right place. This, Mr. Dryden has very agreeably remarked in thofe two celebrated lines;

"Errours, like ftraws, upon the surface flow;

"He, who would fearch for pearls, must dive below."

A true critick ought to dwell råther upon excellencies than imperfections, to difcover the concealed beauties of a writer, and communicate to the world fuch things as are worth their obfervation. The moft exquifite words, and finest ftrokes, of an author are thofe, which very often appear the moft doubtful and exceptionable to a

man who wants a relifh for polite learning; and they are thefe, which a four undiftinguishing critick generally attacks with the greatest violence. Tully obferves, that it is very easy to brand or fix a mark upon what he calls verbum ardens, or, as it may be rendered into English, "a glowing bold ex"preffion," and to turn it into ridicule by a cold ill-natured criticism. A little wit is equally capable of expofing a beauty, and of aggravating a fault; and, though such a treatment of an author naturally produces indignation in the mind of an understanding reader, it has however its effect among the generality of those whofe hands it falls into; the rabble of mankind being very apt to think, that every thing which is laughed at, with any mixture of wit, is ridiculous in itself.

Such a mirth as this is always unfeasonable in a critick, as it rather prejudices the reader than convinces him; and is capable of making a beauty, as well as a blemish, the subject of derifion. A man, who cannot write with wit on a proper subject, is dull and ftupid; but one, who fhows it in an improper place, is as impertinent and abfurd. Besides, a man, who has the gift of ridicule, is apt to find fault with any thing that gives him an opportunity of exerting his beloved talent; and very often cenfures a paffage, not because there is any fault in it, but because he can be merry upon it. Such kinds of pleasantry are very unfair and difingenuous in works of criticism, in which the greatest masters, both ancient and modern, have always appeared with a ferious and inftructive air.