her decrepit age, which make her bobble "fo fo damnably." (a). No lefs peremptory is the cenfure of our hypercritical historian Mr. OLDMIXON: I dare not fay any thing of the Effay ❝on Criticism in verfe; but if any more "curious reader has difcover'd in it fome"thing new, which is not in Dryden's pre"faces, dedications, and his effay on drama"tick poetry, not to mention the French cri"ticks; I fhould be very glad to have the "benefit of the difcovery." (b). He is followed (as in fame, fo in judg ment) by the modeft and fimple-minded Mr. LEONARD WELSTED; Who, out of great refpect to our poet not naming him, doth yet glance at his effay (together with the Duke of Buckingham's, and the criticisms of Dryden and of Horace, which he more openly taxeth.) (c) "As to "the numerous treatifes, effays, arts, &e "both in verfe and profe, that have been "written by the moderns on this ground "work, they do but hackney the fame thoughts over again, making them ftill more trites (a) Reflections critical and fatyrical on a rhapfody call'd, an Effay on Criticism. Printed for B. Lintot. (b) Effay on Criticifm in Profe, 8vo. 1728. (c) Preface to his poems, p. 18, 53. C 2 "Moft "Moft of their pieces are nothing but a KC pert, infipid heap of common place. Ho "rase has even in his Art of poetry thrown "out several things which plainly fhew, he "thought an art of poetry was of no ufe, even while he was writing one." To all which great authorities we can only oppofe that of Mr. ADDISON. (a) The Art of Criticifm (faith he which was published fome months fince, is a "mafter-piece in its kind. The obferva<tions follow one another, like those in Ho"race's art of poetry, without that metho dical regularity, which would have been "requifite in a profe writer. They are "fome of them uncommon, but fuch as the "reader muft affent to, when he fees them "explain'd with that cafe and perfpicuity in which they are delivered. As for thofe "which are the most known and the most re"ceiv'd, they are placed in fo beautiful a "light, and illuftrated with fuch apt allu❝fions, that they have in them all the graces of novelty: and make the reader, who was before acquainted with them, ftill more "convinc'd of their truth, and folidity. And "here give me leave to mention what Monfieur Boileau has fo well enlarged upon, (a) Spectator, No. 253. " in the preface to his works: That wit, and "fine writing, doth not confift fo much in "advancing things that are new, as in giving "things that are known an agreeable turn. "It is impoffible for us who live in the lat"ter ages of the world, to make obferva❝tions in criticifm, morality, or any art or fcience, which have not been touch'd up"on by others: we have little else left us, "but to reprefent the common sense of man kind in more ftrong, more beautiful, or “ more uncommon lights. If a reader ex"amines Horace's art of poetry, he will "find but few precepts in it, which he may "not meet with in Ariftotle; and which were "not commonly known by all the poets of the "Auguftan age. His way of expreffing, and "applying them, not his invention of them, ❝is what we are chiefly to admire. · "Longinus in his reflections has given us "the fame kind of Sublime, which he ob❝ferves in the feveral paffages that occafion❝ed them. I cannot but take notice that << our English Author, has, after the fame 66 manner, exemplify'd several of his Pre(6 cepts, in the very precepts themselves.' He then produces fome inftances of a parti cular kind of beauty in the Numbers, and concludes with faying, that "there are three " poems in our tongue of the fame nature, "and each a mafter-piece in its kind; The "Effay on tranflated verfe,. The Effay on C 3 "the the Art of Poetry; and the Effay on Criticifm." Of WINDSOR FOREST,. pofitive is the judgment of the affirmative Mr. JOHN DENNIS, "That it is a wretched rhapfody, impu-❝dently writ in emulation of the Cooper's Hill "of Sir John Denham. The Author of it. ❝is obfcure, is ambiguous, is affected, is te"merarious, is barbarous." (a). But the. author of the Difpenfary Dr.. GARTH, In the preface to his poem of Claremont, differs from this opinion: " Those who "have feen those two excellent poems of "Cooper's Hill, and Windfor-Foreft, the one "by Sir John Denham, and the other by "Mr. Pope, will fhew a great deal of can-"dour, if they approve of this." Of his EPISTLE of ELOISA, we are told, by the obfcure Author of a " poem "called Sawney, (b). "That because Pri ❝or's Henry and Emma charm'd the finest ❝taftes, our author writ his Eloife, in oppo"fition to it; but forgot innocence and vir"tue. If you take away her tender thoughts, (a) Letters to B. B. at the end of the remarks on Pope's Homer, 1737. (b) Printed 1728. pag 12. " and " and her fierce defires, all the reft is of no "value: "In which, methinks, his judg ment resembled that of a French taylor on a Villa and gardens by the Thames: "All "this is very fine, but take away the river, "and it is good for nothing." But very con-trary hereunto, was the judgment of M. PRIOR himself, faying in his Alma, (a), ○ Abelard! ill fated youth, Dan Pope, for thy misfortune griev❜d, Come we now to his Tranflation of the FLIAD, celebrated by numerous pens, yet hall it fuffice to mention the indefatigable Sir RICHARD BLACKMORE, Kt.m Who (tho' otherwife a fevere cenfurer of our author) yet ftileth this a laudable tranflation. (b) That ready writer (a) Alma Cant. 2. ed for E Curl (6) In his Effays, vol. 1. print @4 Mr. |