said, with what a rough unsightly sketch of nature should we be presented. At the close of the second sentence, where it is said, the fantastic scene breaks up, the expression is lively, but not altogether justifiable. An assembly breaks up; a scene closes or disappears.

Excepting these two slight inaccuracies, the Style, here, is not only correct, but perfectly elegant. The most striking beauty of the passage arises from the happy simile which the Author employs, and the fine illustration which it gives to the thought. The enchanted hero, the beautiful castles, the fantastic scene, the secret spell, the disconsolate knight, are terms chosen with the utmost felicity, and strongly recall all those romantic ideas with which he intended to amuse our imagination. Few authors are more successful in their imagery than Mr. Addison; and few passages, in his works, or in those of any author, are more beautiful and picturesque, than that on which we have been commenting.

It is not improbable, that something like this may be the state of the soul after its first separation, in respect of the images it will receive from matter though, indeed, the ideas of colours are so pleasing and beautiful in the imagination, that it is possible the soul will not be deprived of them, but, perhaps, find them excited by some other occasional cause, as they are, at present, by the different impressions of the subtile matter on the organ of sight.

As all human things, after having attained the summit, begin to decline, we must acknowledge, that, in this sentence, there is a sensible falling off from the beauty of what went before. It is broken, and deficient in unity. Its parts are not sufficiently

*compacted. It contains, besides, some faulty expressions. When it is said, something like this may be the state of the soul; to the pronoun this, there is no determined antecedent; it refers to the general import of the preceding description, which, as I have several times remarked, always renders Style clumsy and inelegant, if not obscure-the state of the soul after its first separation, appears to be an incomplete phrase, and first, seems an useless, and even an improper word. More distinct if he had said state of the soul immediately on its separation from the body. The adverb perhaps, is redundant, after having just before said, it is possible.

-

I have here supposed that my reader is acquainted with that great modern discovery, which is, at present, universally acknowledged by all the enquirers into natural philosophy; namely, that light and colours, as apprehended by the imagination, are only ideas in the mind, and not qualities that have any existence in matter. As this is a truth which has been proved incontestably by many modern philosophers, and is, indeed, one of the finest speculations in that science, if the English reader would see the notion explained at large, he may find it in the eighth chapter of the second book of Mr. Locke's Essay on the Human Understanding.

་

In these two concluding sentences, the Author, hastening to finish, appears to write rather carelessly. In the first of them, a manifest tautology occurs, when he speaks of what is universally acknow ledged by all enquirers. In the second, when he calls a truth which has been incontestably proved; first, a speculation, and afterwards a notion, the Language surely is not very accurate. When he adds, one of

the finest speculations in that science, it does not, at first, appear what science he means. One would imagine, he meant to refer to modern philosophers; for natural philosophy (to which, doubtless, he refers) stands at much too great a distance to be the proper or obvious antecedent to the pronoun that. The circumstance towards the close, if the English reader would see the notion explained at large, he may find it, is properly taken notice of by the Author of the Elements of Criticism, as wrong arranged, and is rectified thus: the English reader, if he would see the notion explained at large, may find it, &c.

In concluding the Examination of this Paper, we may observe, that, though not a very long one, it exhibits a striking view both of the beauties, and the defects, of Mr. Addison's Style. It contains some of the best and some of the worst sentences that are to be found in his works. But, upon the whole, it is an agreeable and elegant Essay.

LECTURE XXIII.

CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE STYLE IN N° 414. OF THE SPECTATOR.

Ir we consider the works of Nature and Art, as they are qualified to entertain the imagination, we shall find the last very defective in comparison of the former; for though they may sometimes appear as beautiful or

strange, they can have nothing in them of that vastness and immensity which afford so great an entertainment to the mind of the beholder.

I had occasion formerly to observe, that an introductory sentence should always be short and simple, and contain no more matter than is necessary for opening the subject. This sentence leads to a repetition of this observation, as it contains both an assertion, and the proof of that assertion; two things, which, for the most part, but especially at first setting out, are with more advantage kept separate. It would certainly have been better, if this sentence had contained only the assertion, ending with the word former; and if a new one had then begun, entering on the proofs of Nature's superiority over Art, which is the subject continued to the end of the paragraph. The proper division of the period I shall point out, after having first made a few observations which occur on different parts of it.

If we consider the works. Perhaps it might have been preferable, if our Author had begun with saying, When we consider the works. - Discourse ought always to begin, when it is possible, with a clear proposition. The if, which is here employed, converts the sentence into a supposition, which is always in some degree entangling, and proper to be used only when the course of reasoning renders it necessary. As this observation, however, may perhaps be considered as over-refined, and as the sense would have remained the same in either form of expression, I do not mean to charge our Author with any error on this account. We cannot absolve him from inaccuracy in what immediately follows

the works of Nature and Art. It is the scope of the Author, throughout this whole Paper, to compare Nature and Art together, and to oppose them in several views to each other. Certainly, therefore, in the beginning, he ought to have kept them as distinct as possible, by interposing the preposition, and saying, The works of Nature and of Art. As the words stand at present, they would lead us to think that he is going to treat of these works, not as contrasted, but as conneeted as united in forming one whole. When I speak of body and soul as united in the human nature, I would interpose neither article nor preposition between them; "is compounded of soul and body." But the case is altered, if I mean to distinguish them from each other; then I represent them as separate; and say, I am to treat of the interests of the soul, and of "the body."

"man

Though they may sometimes appear as beautiful or strange. I cannot help considering this as a loose -I member of the period. It does not clearly appear at first what the antecedent is to they. In reading onwards, we see the works of Art to be meant; but from the structure of the sentence, they might be understood to refer to the former, as well as to the last. In what follows, there is a greater ambiguity

is

may sometimes appear as beautiful or strange. It very doubtful in what sense we are to understand as, in this passage. For, according as it is accented in reading, it may signify, that they appear equally beautiful or strange, to wit, with the works of Nature; and then it has the force of the Latin tam or it may signify no more than that they appear in the light of beautiful and strange; and then it has the