Having thus wrought him up to his purpose, Jago fwears that he will give himself up entirely to the fervice and revenge of Othello's injury.

In these last quotations it is eafy to fee, that figurative expreffions, when they arise from the subject, unforced, and unfought after, are the most naturally expreffive of paffion; the mind, dilated and carried on by the defire of revenge, rises into metaphor and fimile, with the utmoft propriety; the occafion is equal to the conception and ideas, and not the leaft colour of bombast, or falfe expreffion, appears thro' the whole.

IN all the French theatre I know of no play, in which equal knowledge in human nature is manifefted, where two characters so justly drawn, fo nicely contrafted, and fo well fuftained, are to be found; a common genius would have erred a thousand times in writing fuch parts, Othello would have manifested a thousand marks of being a fool, in not feeing Jago's defigns, and Jago betrayed himself by too bare-faced a conduct of his intention: as it is managed by Shakefpeare, there is no one flip or deviation of character in either, in one fingle inftance,

AN

ANOTHER letter, Madam, may probably bring you farther thoughts on this play; let me here remark however, that great geniuses being difficultly imitated, Shakespeare has been the cause of two vaft mistakes, in the fucceeding authors of this nation.

THE firft is, that they have copied his diverfity of scenery, and not poffeffed the power of conceiving or fuftaining their characters as they ought; for this reason, the plays which appear alert, active, and entertaining to the eye on the ftage, by dint of ftage-trick, and win fome applause in the first presentations, are damned in the closet, and never more revived on the theatre.

THE other is, the admiration of that figurative style in Shakespeare, fo natural, becoming, and juft, as he ufes it, filled with ideas answering the words. This has created a manner of writing, confifting entirely of verbage without imagery to fuftain it, a cold altisonant, gigantefque fhadow, inane and puerile.

THIS, Madam, tho' I fear it may appear to have the air of dictating, has nothing of that in its intent. Permit me then, the honor to know whether you confirm me in this opinion? Whe ther I ought to deem myself a judge in matters of genius, when I place the author of this, above any writer which the French, or any nation, has hitherto produced: your opinion will determine me. I am,

Your most obedient fervant.

LE T

LETTER

LV.

To the Reverend Father ALESSANDRO

ADIMARI, at Rome.

Dear Sir,

A

MONGST the nations of the earth, how few have yet poffeft men of true taste and fuperior genius! and even amongst those, where the human foul has reached that degree which is fo much beyond the common race of mortals, how small is that number in comparison of the whole inhabitants!

A VERULAM, or Newton, are but two of millions, which breathed the fame British air with them at different periods; these have bequeathed the character of science and genius to a whole nation, for ages to come; perhaps all duration; and many millions of Britons draw honor, esteem, and reputation from the nations around, from what has been the conceptions of these two enlighten'd men.

Το

To these and some others it is owing, that the Englishman meets a polite and honorable reception in every court in Europe; not to the battels of Marlborough, Edward the black prince, or Harry the fifth, who have each conquered the French nation in arms; but to these men, who with Milton, Shakespeare, and other eminent writers, have carried the point of genius beyond the wits of the Gallic nation.

ALL kingdoms have in their turn produced men of capacity in military affairs, from the northern Goth, to the fandy plains of Mauritania, perhaps in every nation upon the globe; yet, few have hitherto been favoured with men of great literary genius,

WHEN we recollect alfo, that many things may conduce to establish the reputation of a general, which can never enter into that of men who study letters; the reafon will appear yet plainer, why there are more generals who have acquired fame by arms, than men whe have obtain❜d it by writing.