indebted to them for all our Politeness, for all our Arts and Sciences; but then I muft fay that we owe likewife a very great Evil to them, and that is PEDANTRY, which has brought fo great and juft (if I may fay fo) a Scandal on Letters: And this will be discover'd through all the Disguise of a smooth Stile, and Gentleman like Air, more or less according to the degree of Infection, with which the Perfon labours. I am forry I discover so much of this Diftemper in this Author, for there feems a Pride of Knowledge in thefe Languages, which exalts him above any one who does not underftand them; whereas it very often happens, that the most knowing in the dead, are the leaft fo in the living Tongues, which they were born to speak, an Error highly and juftly condemn'd by Mr. LOCKE, in his Difcourfe on Education. Though Mr. MATTAIRE, a Pupil of Doctor BUSBY's, has carried this Notion of the Study of the dead Languages farther than I know of; for he, writing what he calls an English Grammar (by which indeed he plainly discovers that he does not understand English at all) will have it in his Preface, that to know our own Language we must be Mafters of Greek, because the Technical Words or Terms of Art are deriv'd from the Greek; but by Parity of Reafon he might as well have urg'd the neceffity of our understanding all the. Tongues of Europe as well living as dead, fince much of our Tongue is deriv'd from them all. From this falfe Opinion is fprung another as injurious to Learning; and that is the giving the Name of a Scholar chiefly, if not only, to thofe, who are Grecians or Latinifts; whereas I have known a Cheesemonger, one Mr. Potter by Name, who, without one Word of Greek or Latin, was infinitely a greater Scholar than many of these celebrated Linguifts; for this Mr. Potter was a Master of all the Circle of the Arts and Sciences, and could difcourse more rationally on them than many of our Univerfity Men, who contemn'd his Ignorance of all Tongues but his own,

[Vol. I.]

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But

But to answer all these Difficulties by an Example against which there will be no Exception, let us look over the Examen or Criticism of the brightest Perfon concern'd in the TATLERS and SPECTATORS, in his Obfervations on MILTON'S PARADISE LOST, and fee if there be any need of Greek or Latin, or the underftanding of fo many Arts and Sciences, to apprehend what he fays on this Subject. No, it is all plain and eafy to an English Reader; he had elfe mifs'd his Aim, the Praise of that exalted Author, which he has made out with a great deal of Clearness and Ease.

Paffing therefore all this Clamour over as mere Clamour indeed, and Affectation of being thought fingular, and above the Cenfure of all but the Linguifts, I fhall proceed to another Error of this Author you have mention'd; and that is, that he excludes all finding fault from the Duty of a Critic; though it be as plain as any thing can be, that ARISTOTLE in his Art of Poetry has not one Chapter in which he does not expofe and condemn fome Fault of one Poet or other. But then he says the Beauties were likewife fhewn, and had their due Praife; I grant it, but that was because the Poets he confider'd had their Beauties. If any Critic in our Age fhould fall on a celebrated Poem, and expofe the Faults in it, without pointing out the Beauties, he may well be excufed; fince in many of them there is not to be found fo much as one beautiful Line; as I cou'd eafily prove, were this a Place and Time.

I fhall join with him in declaring against thofe falfe Critics, who are fond of finding, and expofing Peccadillo's, and of turning any valuable Thing into Ridicule. I am as much against that unfair Mirth as he, and allow that the Critics of Reputation of all Countries, have treated the Authors, who fall under their Confideration, in another Manner. And yet I muft needs fay, that if a Man were to write on fome Mens Performances, it wou'd be a hard Matter to avoid being Merry at their taking Abfurdities. Nay the REHEARSAL, I believe,

will always be allow'd a very good Criticifm, and yet it is compos'd wholly of Mirth and Ridicule. I know of but one Critic befides in our Tongue who has attempted it, and that is Mr. RIMER, who, notwithstanding what this Gentleman fays and the rest of his Fraternity, will always be allow'd to have been a Man of general Learning, and that his Criticisms are generally, if not wholly, juft. And this is confefs'd by Mr. DRYDEŃ himself, who was not the moft indulgent Person in the World to Men of that Character.

I fhall only add one Remark more, that by this Gentleman's inftancing Paffages, Words, and the like, he feems to refer all Criticism to the Diction, without regard to the more important Parts of Poetry. So that when he talks of Critics finding out Beauties in the Authors they confider, he means only Commentators Makers of Notes, Explainers of Expreffions, of which we have faid fufficient already, but may perhaps en paffant add fomething more hereafter. Such was SCALIGER on HOMER, and moft of those Critics, against whom ARISTOTLE defends HOMER'S Words and Expres fions.

Having thus, Madam, I hope answer'd your Quota, tion from the Spectator in all its Points, and fhewn you, that you may be a very good Judge of an English Poem of any Kind, without the knowledge of Greek and Latin, or being converfant with the Authors in thofe Languages, whether Poetical or Critical; let us proceed, by laying down our Rules of Judgment in all thefe Cafes, to make this plain beyond a Contradiction.

You have indeed (faid MA NILIA) appeas'd my Ap prehenfions, and I begin now again to hope that a Woman may be able to judge for herself, in Matters of Po etry, and not pin her Faith on the Dictates of the Men, who would impofe upon us by their hard Words, which we do not understand. I confefs, I cou'd with we had a little more liberty in our Opinions in Religious Matters, than entirely to depend on the Decifion of the

G&

Prieft;

Prieft; but to be under the fame Hardships in Poetry is a Greivance not to be borne.

I beg you therefore, begin to enlarge my Undertanding by coming to what we met about, that is, the feveral Rules of Excellence in every Kind of Poetry.

I shall willingly comply with your Defires, (faid LAUDON) but fince the Task is something long, I muft beg to be relieved fometimes by my Friend GAMALIE L. And fince we will begin from the loweft Range of Verses, which lays claim to the Name of Poetry, I will lay the Burthen on him, whilft I difpatch a little Business, which has unexpectedly fummon'd my Attendance: But before he has gone through the Epigram, the Paftorals, and fome others, I will be with you again.

LAUDON On this withdrew, and I began in this Manner.

; Of all the Works in Verfe which the Antients have left us, the Epigram is of much the leaft Confideration; yet is it not without its proper Beauties and Defects. Its Beauty, either in a delicate Turn, or in a lucky Word. The Grecians feem to have had another Idea of this Sort of Poem, than what the Latins had. The Greek Epigram runs upon a Turn of Thought, that is natural, but fine and fubtle. The Latin Epigram, by a falfe Tafte, that prevail'd in the first Decay of the pure Latinity or Roman Language, endeavours to furprize the Mind by fome nipping Word, which is call'd a Point. Yet Catullus, who liv'd juft before the Alteration of the Commonwealth into a Monarchy by Auguftus, follow'd the Manner of the Greeks, which is much of a finer Character; for he endeavours to enclose a natural Thought, in a delicate Turn of Words, and in the fimplicity of a foft Expreffion. Martial, who liv'd in the Time of Domitian, was in a manner the

Author

Author of the other Way, of terminating of an ordinary Thought by fome Word that is furprizing. But Men of a delicate Tafte have always prefer'd the Manner of CATULLUS to that of MARTIAL. ANDREAS NANGERIUS, a Noble Venetian of a fine Gufto, facrificed yearly a MARTIAL to the Manes of CATULLUS. "I can fay nothing (fays "Rapin) confiderable on the Epigrammatifts of la(( ter Ages. It is one of the Sorts of Verfe in "which a Man has little Succefs; for 'tis a meer "lucky Hit, if it proves well. An Epigram is little "worth unless it be admirable; and it is fo rare (con"cludes he) to make them admirable, that it is fuf"ficient to have made one in a Man's Life.

Notwithstanding the Contempt with which the beft Judges have ftigmatiz'd Epigram, yet it has found its Admirers; VAVA SOR a fefuit has written a large Book of the Art of Compofing it, and ́ of the Praife which he thinks its due. For my Part, though I have no manner of Relifh of it, I am yet for retaining it as a feparate Body; that the Lovers of pert Turns, quaint Thoughts, and Point may. have fome way of venting themselves, so as not to corrupt the other Parts of Poetry with it, to the prejudice of Nature, and all Poetic Excellence. Petrarch began this abominable Manner, and has been follow'd by Writers of moft Nations, but moft by our English. For as we deriv'd the Polishing our Verfification from Italy, fo we deriv'd too great Evils from the fame Country, which have almoft fpoil'd fome of our most celebrated Authors. I mean the Romantic Vein of Ariofto, which corrupted SPENSER; and this Itch of Points in all manner of Subjects, and in all Sorts of Verfe, by which PETRARCH has debauch'd COWLEY, SUCKLING, and too much of Waller himself.