COMMON fenfe would lead us to think that the arts and sciences, which are of moft utility to man, ought to be the highest objects of his efteem. In this view to determine the propor tion of legitimate applaufe, which a fuperla tive performance of any kind ought to have, we would only need to clafs it according to its real utility. Experience, however, is against this: for a capital poet or painter hath always larger and more lafting fame, than an inventor of the most useful art. This is easily accounted for. The inventor of an useful art is foon forgotten, because any art that is merely ufeful ceases almoft with its invention to raise any admiration. Its daily use of itself precludes. all gratitude to the inventor. Men, in their ingratitude, instead of wondering at the invention, only wonder why the art was not difcovered before. Befides, the most useful art, if of trivial ufe, tho it may require the utmost power of mind to form the first idea of it, yet can be improved by almost every body and these additional improvements totally ftifle the firft fame of the inventor. Not to mention that the name of the artift never appears on products of useful art, nor do their products themselves

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themfelves laft, how then can his fame be preserved? If it is, it must be in writing, the only immortal art we know: but he who preferves the fame of others in writing of any kind is certainly the more immediate heir of fame than those whofe names he preferves. Hence authors themselves are the fureft poffeffors of celebrity; and, next to them, thofe whom they condefcend to applaud. Hence we fhould know nothing of the ancient painters, muficians, and other artifts, did not we read of them in ancient volumes. Hence Homer will always inherit more renown than the inventor of the windmill; tho I suspect a rigid philofopher would decide, that the reputation of the latter ought to ftand higheft, because he deferves beft of mankind.

Ir is from facts, then, and not from theory, that we fhould form an eftimate of the degrees of scientific fame. One who accurately weighs the estimation, in which the refpective arts and sciences are held by men of erudition, who are their only genuine judges, will find the scale to be much of this tenor.

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I. Epic

I. Epic Poetry.

II. Dramatic Poetry.

III. Moral Philofophy.

IV. Natural Philofophy in general.

V. History.

VI. Lyric Poetry.

VII. Medicine.

VIII. Smaller epic poetry, or tale writing.,

IX. Architecture.

X. Painting.

XI. Mufic.

XII. Sculpture.

XIII. Fables.

XIV. Novels.

XV. Satiric Poetry.

XVI. Didactic Poetry.

XVII. Criticism, and other small prose writing.

XVIII. Mathematics.

XIX. Aftronomy.

XX. Geometry. Chronology. Geography.

THE other arts, if I rightly recollect, are fo minute that they form a galaxy of ftars, in which no difference of magnitude appears to

the eye.

LET

LETTER LVII.

NOTHING
OTHING

can be more just than your ftrictures on the folly and prefumption of most critics, Criticifm, which is indeed only the lady's maid of ability, like all thofe of that defcription, is fond of aping her miftrefs; dreffes herself in her caft cloths, and looks upon herself as being as good as her lady. Criticifm is, at beft, only the pilot of Genius; only knows fhores already explored, with the face of the coast, and foundings: when the captain commands the, veffel upon an expedition to undiscovered ifles, this poor pilot condemns his rafhnefs with bitter exclamations, and defpair of fafety; while the captain is obliged to take the helm himself, attend to every rock and fhoal, and conduct his daring fhip into a port, from which he is to return with treafures yet unknown. When he hath done this, with a fafety which valour always enfures, you cannot imagine how proud Mr. Pilot is. Like the

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fly upon the coach-wheel it was he, and he alone, whofe cautious conduct guided the veffel into harbour. Now that he knows the road, he can inftruct others, and does it with all the infolence of advice. But his inftructions are always of the timid kind, and analogous to his own littleness of intellect. He derives from the fuccefs of this expedition, not arguments of enterprise for others of like adventure, but chilling diffuafions and tales of danger; infomuch that, very much owing to his cowardly information, voyages to new latitudes of art are very rare; and the man who attempts them with fuccefs may well be pronounced to have talents fuperior to thofe which found a state, or fhake a potent empire to its inmoft found

ations.

A

CRITICISM may be defined to be, That fcience by which we are taught to form proper judgements of the merits, and defects, of the other arts and sciences. I have called Criticifm a science, and not an art, because it is theoretical and not practical; because there can be no art where there is no room for invention becaufe Criticifm is merely a science,

and