lity of ftyle, that we hardly know whether he, fhe, or it, be a male, female or Hermaphrodite. As to the Mufe, particularly the late Mr. Gray's, he makes her a mere bench or graverail in a country-church yard t. A profufion and confufion of metaphor, indeed, is this writer's great defect; which, however pardonable in a poet, is fhameful in a critic, though merely a fentimental one. eter From the genius of Poetry and the abufe of Criticifm, our author paffes on to Thomfon's powers of poetic defcription: which fubje&, after abufing the critics in general for their canting and technical jargon, he proceeds to treat in a kind of poetical jargon of his own; which wants nothing but cadence and quantity to be what, he tells us, moft modern poetry is, at best mere prattle or fuftian in manacles. But Mr. More is a genius, and geniufes poffefs the glorious prerogative of talking nonfenfe at pleasure. Of prattle our critic gives us frequent inftances, in defcending, like Mr. Bayes, to the cafy and fa̸miliar talk of common and vulgar minds; who are nally poking into every bye corner," and "making a fufs and a pother" about their bufinefs; with many other fimiliar paffages of equal cafe and familiarity. Of fuftian in manacles (if we may presume to guess what he means by it) he gives us many notable examples. Selfifh and, abject minds, fays he, "have no living but in the fphere; no character but as fatel fites of genius. Nor could they exift but for the nourishment The vouchfafes, but for the fhelter fhe affords them."-" The literary world is over-run with impoftors. Which of the learned profeffions, for example, has not its conjurers? But all are not guilty alike."--No, furely! if Mr. More be of a learned profeffion, we undertake to acquit him of being in any degree a conjuror.-Over thefe, however, we find "Impartial criticifm prefides, and holds the ballance with a fteady and delicate hand."-"This is that true Ithurial fpear!"-How! the balance a fpear!-Why not? doth not peace convert fwords into plough-fhares True, but that Ithurial—were it a Toledo or an Andrew Ferara-Pho! pho! how nice you Genius, in Mr. More's idea, feems, however, to be rather a female, as he calls it be and her on moft occafions. Rev. "His mufe, the native feat of tendernefs and fublimity, lifts up her voice among the dead, &c."-But perhaps there is fome errour of the prefs here, as well as in the lines preceding; where we are told that a mufing dif polition is the only flamina of poetical merit. He talks elsewhere of chaffifing, inftead of chaftening, and commits a multitude of fimilar blunders in grammar and idiom: which is fomewhat extraordinary, as he feems to write with great fluency and fometimes with a mofl agreeable modulation. Rev. are, Mr. Reader, did you never hear of Ithuriel's fpear in Milton-Oh! the difficulty is folved; go on. Another fpecimen or two of fuftian. in manacles. "Genius may break through these clouds [of fcience and erudition] and, like the fun in a vapoury sky, fhine with additional folemnity and magnificence, from the darkness and gloom that seems to interrupt its fplendour, but all others must be loft and expire in the fog." Who all the others are, we are not told, the author's meaning being evidently enveloped in the fog. One fample more, and we have done. "His (Thomson's) Mufe flies on the wings of winter, through the frozen territories of the polar circle, and peers over the dreary horrours of that dark inhospitable region, where froft piles up her liquid ftores in mountains of inflexible ice, the fummits of which, mingle with the clouds."—There's a touch of the fublime for you! Du Bartas's woods, periwigg'd with fnow, is a fool to it. Here are your cloud-capt towers of inflexible ice, mingling with mountains of liquid ftores piled up by the froft: but whether fuch ftores are the poetical property of her, the froft, the polar circle, the writer, or the Mufe, it requires the wisdom of a critical court of equity to determine. Our author affects to admire fimplicity is there any fimplicity in fuch laboured co nundrums? In his fourth chapter, Mr. More confiders the objections that have been made to this favourite poem; fo much a favourite, indeed, with the public, that we are told "those who have no tafte, as well as those who have the most polished ones, are yet confeffedly fufceptible of the pleasures it affords." We look upon this affertion to be as doubtful in fact as it is equivocal in appearance. It is certainly no encomium on the work, to fay it is admired as much by thofe who have no tafte, as by thofe who have. In our author's reply to the objections, made to this poem, he is not fufficiently explicit: he claffes them, indeed, under the diftin&t heads of verfification, want of fimplicity. obfcurity of fentiment, and impropriety of figurative language. Under all thefe heads, however, there have been many objections made, to which our critic, though he is by no means a negligent advocate, has not made a reply. We conceive him alfo to be fometimes miftaken; particularly where he differs from the judicious author of the Elements of Criticism, as to the Poet's introduction of Summer, in which that excellent critic charged him with having "violently the air of writing mechanically and without tafte."-Lord Kaims's remark is, in our opinion, juft; nor is the poet's defcription of Spring a VOL. VI. 3 F whit whit lefs exceptionable, where it is reprefented "looking out of the lucid chambers of the South" like an early-rifer out of a garret window. It is, indeed, difficult for the greateft genius to avoid falling into the anticlimax, when he makes comparifons or adapts allufions to fuch magnificent objects. We fhall not, therefore, dwell on this point, as we join with Mr, More in adopting Addifon's fentiments that a true critic ought to dwell rather upon the excellencies than imperfections of a writer. In doing this, however, we think he ought to be em ployed (in the words of the fame writer) in "discovering the concealed beauties of a writer, and communicating to the world fuch things as are worth its obfervations."-To expatiate on obvious beauties and to tell the world what all the world knew before, is, on the other hand, a task as ufelefs as unprofitable. Chapter the fifth treats of the object of the Seafons. In this chapter Mr. More endeavours to enhance the merit of the poet's choice of fubject, as well as that of defcriptive poetry in general. As to the former, we think him happy, though the preference was obvious: as to the latter, we think it of a fubordinate fpecies; even as landfcape painting, and the delineation of objects in ftill life, falls fhort of more animated compofition. Chapter the fixth treats on the originality: the feventh, on the pathetic, of the Seafons. In treating this laft fubje&t, Mr. More expatiates largely on his favourite topic, fenfibility of heart: a fubject, on which, to make free with a pun, fome late productions have made us almost heart-fick. What does the reader think of the following paffage in the work before us? "The ideas, of a man of genius, are not the crude conceptions of dullnefs, nor his fentiments either the vapid yawning of a liftlefs, er the infignificant prattle of an empty heart."It has been faid that, out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh; but we have here the heart, and that an empty one, talking, infignificantly indeed, for itself. But, as Mr. More obierves, "What is it a truly original genius will not improve? every thing is prolific of novelty in the hand of a mafter." Chapter the eighth and laft treats of the fublimity of the Seafons. On this head, we are unfortunate enough to differ widely, from this florid critic; many of the paffages, he has quoted, appearing to us little better than what he terms Fuftian in manacles. Our tafte for poetry may probably be called in queftion, by thofe who have a tafte for nothing elfe; we cannot help concluding, however, with frankly confeffing that we we prefer the intelligible defcriptions, fenfible reflections, correct figures and harmonious numbers of a Dryden and a Pope to all the high-flown bombaft of all the blank-verfe writers in the univerfe W Efays, Moral and Literary. Small O&avo.. 4s. 6d. Dilly. [Continued from page 332.] It is with pleasure we recur to the Effays of this fenfible and ingenious writer from which we fhall continue our extracts for the entertainment and. edification of our readers. Thefe will excufe us, alfo, if at prefent we prefer fuch as relate to literature rather than morals; for though the latter papers do not want for excellence of compofition or propriety of fentiment, they abound lefs with novelty. We fhall felect, however, a fhort one, as it relates, to a fpecies of affectation, in the retainers to the Mutes, which too often proves fatal to their happinefs. On Affectation of the Vices of Men of Eminence. Decipit exemplar vitiis imitabile. "It has frequently happened, that men, diftinguished by their ge nius, have, from an unfettled habit of life, from an affectation of lìngularity, or from uncommon warmth of conftitution, neglected the common rules of prudence, and plunged themfelves into all the miferies of vice and ditipation. They who are but flightly acquainted with the lives of our English writers, can recollect many inftances of men of the highest parts, whofe lives, after an uninterrupted courfe of mifery, have terminated under the preffure of want in the confinement of a gaol. They have been admired, and at the fame time neglected; praised, and at the same time ftarved. "As the confequences of their imprudence are generally fatal, and generally known, a reasonable mind would fcarcely believe, that any fhould be found ambitious of treading in their footsteps, when they err. Yet, fuch attraction has the brilliancy of literary reputation, that every widing, who pens a ftanza, while he fhould be engroffing a deed, looking upon himself as a genius of uncommon magnitude, thinks it neceflary, in order to complete his character, to plunge into the exceffes of drunkennefs and debauchery; when his follies have thrown him out of his profeffion, ruined his health, and frut him up in a prifon, he confoles himself with reflecting, that he shares the fame fate which the great wits, his predeceflors, have fuffered before him. He is happy even to be wretched with an Otway, a Dryden, or a Savage. This unfortunate conduct is owing to a mistaken opinion, too generally adopted: "That vice is the mark of spirit, and that spirit is 3 F 2 the "the characteristic of genius." Prudence, caution, common fenfe, are, in the idea of many, the concomitants of dullness, The phleg matic difpofitions of a fool, fay they, can guide him through life in the straight road of prudence; but the volatility of genius is continually tempted to turn out of the direct path to gather flowers on the fides, to view every pleafing profpect, and to difcover new ways through unfrequented labyrinths. "But it may be a reasonable queftion, Whether this propenfity to deviation may not be a weakness, rather than a fuperior ftrength of mind? Whether it may not be a restleffuefs of constitution, rather than a more energetic activity, or an acuter perception? Senfibility of mind, and fineness of feeling, are generally the lot of men of genius. Thefe, which by themselves conftitute a good heart, when joined to a good head, naturally have a greater tendency to virtue than to vice: for they are neceffarily charmed with beauty, and difgufted with deformity of every kind. Virtue, therefore, who is amiable in the eyes of her enemies, must have additional charms for those whofe fufceptibility of beauty is more delicate and refined; and vice, who is naturally loathfome, muft appear uncommonly odious to those who are uncommonly fhocked at every species of turpitude. "Nor want there inftances to prove, that men of the most exalted genius can be men of the most unfpotted virtue. Addifon, the glory of our nation, was only equalled in his abilities, by the purity of his morals, the integrity of his heart, and the prudence of his conduct. Pope was a man of exemplary piety and goodness. Gay was uncontaminated by the vices of the world; and though inftances are numerous on the other fide, yet thefe few are fufficient for the refutation of that prevalent notion, that genius is incompatible with pru dence and virtue. The folly of thofe who are only prétenders to genius, and who affect vice as effential to the character they affume, is as pitiable as it is ridiculous. Their egregious vanity will probably render all ad dreffes to them ufelefs; but they may take it as an infallible predic tion, "That dear-bought experience will foon induce them to wik "they had altered their conduct, when it shall be too late to enjoy all "the benefits of amendment." It is cuftomary, with our modern witlings and pretenders to genius, to rail at philological researches under the name of verbal criticifm; the following reflections, addreffed to a friend, may correct their errour, in this particular. When you cenfure verbal critics, you forget how much you are indebted to them. Believe me, you would never have had that ge neral acquaintance with the claffics, had you been obliged to toil through all thofe difficulties, which the Commentators, at the revival of learning, took fuch pains to remove. Refcued from the cells of Monks, whofe minds were as dark as their habitation, the manufcripts of antient authors were replete with errors and interpolations, and it was impoffible to read a page without being embarraffed with obfcurity and impeded by chafms, which conjecture only could fupply. You may laugh, if you please, at the phlegmatic difpofition of thole |