diftinguishing feature; when, again, in the views which are given of the conduct, the detail is too particular, the author is apt to tire by becoming tedious, or to difguft by being trifling or familiar, or by approaching to vulgarity. Some of our most celebrated hiftorians have committed errors of the first fort; when, at the end of a reign, or at the exit of a hero, they draw the character of the King, or great man, and tell their readers, that the person they are taking leave of was brave, generous, juft, humane; or the tyrant they have been declaiming against, was cruel, haughty, jealous, deceitful; these gene ral qualities are fo little diftinguishing, that they may be applied, almost, to any very good, or very bad man, in the hiftory. When, on the other hand, an author, in order to give a particular view of the perfon of whom he writes, tells his readers, what such person did before, and what after dinner; what before, and what after he flept; if his vivacity prevent him from appearing tedious, he will at least be in danger of difpleafing by the appearance of vulgarity or affectation.

It may be proper here to obferve, that, in making a right choice of the different manM 6

ners

ners in which a character may be drawn, much depends upon the fubject, or defign of the author; one method may be more fuited to one kind of compofition than to another. Thus the author who confines himself merely to drawing characters, the hiftorian who draws a character arifing only from, or illuftrating the events he records, or the novellift who delineates characters by feigned circumftances and fituations, have each their feveral objects, and different manners may be properly adopted by each of them. Writers, fuch as Theophraftus and La Bruyere, take for their object a character governed by fome one paffion, absorbing all others, and influencing the man in every thing; the mifer, the epicure, the drunkard, &c. The bufinefs of the hiftorian is more difficult and more extenfive; he takes the complicated characters in real life; he muft give a view of every dif tinguishing characteristic of the perfonage, the good and the bad, the fierce and the gentle, all the ftrange diverfities which life prefents.

Novel-writers ought, like the profeffed writers of character, to have it generally in view to illuftrate fome one diftinguishing feature

or

or paffion of the mind; but then they have it in their power, by the affiftance of story, and by inventing circumftances and fituation, to exhibit its leading features in every poffible point of view. The great error, indeed, into which novel-writers commonly fall, is, that they attend more to the ftory and to the circumftances they relate, than to giving new and juft views of the character of the perfon they prefent. Their general method is to affix names to certain perfonages, whom they introduce to their readers, whom they lead through dangers and diftreffes, or exhibit in circumftances of ridicule, without having it in view to illuftrate any one predominant or leading principle of the human heart; without making their readers one bit better acquainted with the characteristic features of those persons at the end of the story than at the beginning. Hence there are so few novels which give lasting pleasure, or can bear to be perused oftener than once. From the furprise occafioned by the novelty or nature of the events, they may carry their readers once through them; but, as they do not illuftrate any of the principles of the mind, or give any interesting views of character,they raise no defire for a fecond perufal, and ever after lie neglected on the shelf.

How

How very different from thefe are the novels, which, in place of relying upon the mere force of incident, bring the characters of their perfonages fully before us, paint all their fhades and attitudes, and by making us, as it were, intimately acquainted with them, deeply engage our hearts in every circumftance which can affect them? This happy talent of delineating with truth and delicacy all the features and nice tints of human character, never fails to delight, and will often atone for many defects. It is this which renders Richardfon fo interesting, in spite of his immeafurable tedioufnefs; it is this which will render Fielding ever delightful, notwithstanding the indelicate coarseness with which he too often offends us.

A

N° 32.

SATURDAY, May 15, 1779.

APPINESS has been compared, by one

HA

of my predeceffors, to a Game; and he has prescribed certain rules to be followed by the players. Thefe, indeed, are more neceffary than one might fuppofe at firft fight; this game, like most others, being as often loft by bad play as by ill luck. The circumftances I am placed in, fome of which I communicated to my readers in my introductory paper, make me often a fort of looker-on at this game; and, like all lookers-on, I think I difcover blunders in the play of my neighbours, who frequently lofe the advantages their fortune lays open to

them.

To chafe the allufion a little farther, it is feldom that opportunities occur of brilliant Arokes, or deep calculation. With most of us, the ordinary little ftake is all that is played. for; and he who goes on obferving the common rules of the game, and keeping his temper in the reverfes of it, will find himself a gainer at last. In plainer language, happiness, with the bulk of men, may be faid to confift