HAD

LETTER III.

AD you perused the work of Vavaffor, you would ceafe to wonder at your friend's taking no notice of him in his Effay on Ludicrous Compofition. His book De Dictione Ludicra, which you think must abound with curious matter, is the most vapid perfor mance you can imagine. You likeways miftake its intention. It is written to prove that the ancients either knew nothing of, or else despised, ludicrous writing; and what do you think is the confequence he derives from this discovery which his half-learning enabled him to make? Why to be fure that we, the poor moderns, muft not pretend to feast on more luxurious things than our elders; and must look on a way of writing, unknown to them, as forbidden to us. Ab lepidum caput! His book De Epigrammate is of the fame stuff. The one half of it is filled with invectives, truly jefuitical, against fome Collector of Epigrams, because, as would appear, he did not think any

of Vavaffor's Epigrams worthy a place in his work. However, he afterwards gives his antagonist ample revenge, by presenting us with his own epigrams, in three books; among all which there is not one that will bear reading twice, or indeed once if one could judge of them at first sight.

SUCH are the works of Vavaffor, who has written on subjects of elegance without taste, and on subjects of curiofity without interesting, nay, I may add, on fubjects of erudition without learning.

WHAT muft we think of an author whose works, instead of advancing knowlege, would confine it whofe arguments, if extended, prove, that we must not use gun - powder because unknown at the battle of Marathon ; nor printing, becaufe Cicero does not mention it ?

YET fuch a writer has had his admirers among his countrymen; for, according to one of their own prophets,

Un fot trouve toujours un plus fot qui l'admire.

I ENTIRELY agree with you, that Boffu, and the other French critics, whom Addison followed with blind adoration, cannot be held in too sovereign contempt. How mistaken a critic that fine writer was, may merit difcuffion on another occafion.

A

LETTER IV.

S I know that Akenfide's work on the Pleasures of Imagination is deservedly one of your moft favorite poems, I send you inclofed what, I have no doubt, you will set a due value on; no less than a copy of all the corrections he made with his own hand on that Poem. They were inferted in the margin of the Doctor's printed copy, which afterwards paffed into the hands of a gentleman, from a friend of whom, and of my own, a very ingenious young Templar, I received them. At what time they were written I cannot pretend to fay, much less to reveal the author's reasons for not giving an edition according to them. Most of them are evidently much for the better; one or two, I am afraid, for the worfe. You will obferve that a few of them have been adopted by the author in his propofed alteration of the Poem; as appears from the two books, and part of the third, of that alteration, published by Mr. Dyson in his edition of Akenfide's Poems,

C 3

Poems, 1772, 4to. but far the greater part is unpublished; and that the most valuable, as being evidently written ere the author had taken up the frange idea that poetry was only perfect oratory. So that I will venture to fay, that an edition of The Pleasures of Imagination, adopting most of these corrections, would be the most perfect ever yet known. Read and judge.

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Argument. Erafe the words, or wonderfulness and the fentence, Pleafure from novelty or wonderfulness with its final caufe.

Vetle 1. for attractive, read prevailing.

、,

28. for finer, read nobler.

29. for bloom, read pomp.

30. for gayeft, happiest, read faireft, loftieft.

44, 45. for labour court my fong; Tet, read

bodi

argument

invite Me.

72. for fmile, read deed,

94. erase these words,

or what the beams of morn

Draw forth, diftilling from the clifted rind

In balmy tears.

106. Erafe this line,

That uncreated beauty which delights.

and