Page images
PDF
EPUB

PART II. Ver. 203, etc.

Caufes hindering a true Judgment. 1. Pride, 208. 2. Imperfect Learning, ✯ 215. 3. Judging by parts, and not by the whole, 233 to 288. Critics in Wit, Language, Verfification, only, 288. 305. 339, etc. 4. Being too hard to please, or too apt to admire, 3845. Partiality too much love to a Sect, to the Ancients or Moderns, 394. 6. Prejudice or Prevention, 408. 7. Singularity, 424. 8. Inconftancy, 430. 9. Party Spirit, 452, etc. 10. Envy, 466. Against Envy and in praife of Good-nature, 508, etc. When Severity is chiefly to be used by Critics, † 526, etc.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

PART III. Ver. 560, etc,

Rules for the Conduct of Manners in a Critic, 1. Candour, 563. Modefty, 566. Good-breeding, ✯ 572. Sincerity and Freedom of advice, ✯ 578. 2. When one's Counsel is to be restrained, 584. Character of an incorrigible Poet, & 600. And of an impertinent Critic, 610, etc. Character of a good Critic, 629. The Hiftory of Criticifm, and Characters of the best Critics, Ariftotle, 645. Horace, 653. Dionyfius, & 665. Quintilian, 670. Longinus, cay of Criticism, and its Revival. Vida, 705. Boileau, 714. etc.725. Conclufion.

Petronius, 667.
675. Of the De-
Erafmus, 693.
Lord Rofcommon,

AN

ESSA Y

ON

CRITICISM.

[ocr errors]

IS hard to fay, if greater want of skill
Appear in writing or in judging ill;

But of the two, lefs dang'rous is th'offence
To tire our patience, than mislead our sense.

COMMENTARY.

An Efay.] The Poem is in one book, but divided into three principal parts or members. The first [to 201.] gives rules for the Study of the Art of Criticism: the fecond [from thence to 560.] expofes the Causes of wrong Judgment; and the third [from thence to the end] marks out the Morals of the Critic.

In order to a right conception of this poem, it will be neceffary to obferve, that tho' it be intitled fimply An Essay on Criticifm, yet feveral of the precepts relate equally to the good writing as well as to the true judging of a poem. This is fo far from violating the Unity of the Subject, that it preserves and compleats it: or from difordering the regularity of the Form, that it adds beauty to it, as will appear by the following confiderations: 1. It was impoffible to give a full and exact idea of the Art of Poetical Criticism, without confidering at the fame time the Art of Poetry; fo far as Poetry is an Art. These therefore being clofely connected in nature, the Author has with much

Some few in that, but numbers err in this,
Ten cenfure wrong for one who writes amifs;
A fool might once himself alone expose,
Now one in verfe makes many more in profe.
"Tis with our judgments as our watches, none
Go juft alike, yet each believes his own.

COMMENTARY.

Ic

whole poem. 2. As the rules of the antient Critics were taken from Poets who copied nature, this is another reason why every Poet should be a Critic: Therefore, as the fubject is poetical Criticism, it is frequently addreffed to the critical Poet. And 3dly, the Art of Criticism is as neceffarily, and much more usefully exercised in writing than in judging.

But readers have been misled by the modefty of the Title: which only promises an Art of Criticifm, in a treatife, and that no incompleat one, of the Art both of Criticifm and Poetry. This and not attending to the confiderations offered above, was what, perhaps, mifled a very candid writer, after having given this Piece all the praises on the fide of genius and poetry which his true tafte could not refuse it, to fay, that the obfervations follow one another like thofe in Horace's Art of Poetry, without that methodical regularity which would have been requifite in a profe writer. Spec. N° 235. I do not see how method can hurt any one grace of Poetry; or what prerogative there is in verfe to difpenfe with regularity. The remark is falfe in every part of it. Mr. Pope's Effay on Criticism, the Reader will foon fee, is a regular piece: And a very learned Critic has lately fhewn,that Horace had the fame attention to method in his Art of Poetry.

VER. 1. 'Tis hard to fay, etc.] The Poem opens [from ✈ 1 to 9.] with fhewing the use and seasonableness of the fubject. Its ufe, from the greater mischief in wrong Criticism than in ill Poetry, this only tiring, that misleading the reader: Its feafonableness, from the growing number of falfe Critics, which now vaftly exceeds that of bad Poets.

VER. 9. 'Tis with our judgments, etc.] The author having

In Poets as true genius is but rare,

True Taste as feldom is the Critic's fhare;
Both must alike from Heav'n derive their light,
These born to judge, as well as those to write.

COMMENTARY.

fhewn us the expediency of his fubject, the Art of Criticism, next inquires [from 8 to 15] into the proper Qualities of a true Critic: and obferves first, that JUDGMENT, fimply and alone, is not fufficient to conftitute this character, becaufe Judgment, like the artificial measures of Time, goes different, and yet each relies upon his own. The reafon is conclufive; and the fimilitude extremely juft. For Judgment, when alone, is always regulated, or at least much influenced by cuftom, fashion, and habit; and never certain and constant but when founded upon TASTE: which is the fame in the Critic, as GENIUS in the Poet: both are derived from Heaven, and like the Sun (the natural measure of Time) always conftant and equal.

Nor need we wonder that Judgment alone will not make a Critic in poetry, when we fee that it will not make a Poet. And on examination we shall find, that Genius and Tafte are but one and the fame faculty, differently exerting itself under different names, in the two profeffions of Poet and Critic. For the Art of Poetry confifts in felecting, out of all thofe images which present themfelves to the fancy, fuch of them as are truly poetical: And the Art of Criticism in difcerning, and fully relishing what it finds fo felected. 'Tis the fame operation of the mind in both cafes, and exerted by the fame faculty. All the difference is, that in the Poet this faculty is eminently joined with a bright imagination, and extenfive comprehenfion, which provide ftores for the felection, and can form that felection, by proportioned parts, into a regular whole: In the Critic, with a folid judgment and accurate difcernment; which penetrate into the causes of an excellence, and can fhew that excellence in all its variety of lights. Longinus had taste in an eminent degree; fo this, which is indeed common to all true Critics, our Author makes his diftinguishing character,

Thee, bold Longinus! all the Nine inspire,

Let fuch teach others who themselves excel,
And cenfure freely who have written well.
Authors are partial to their wit, 'tis true,
But are not Critics to their judgment too?

15

Yet if we look more closely, we shall find Moft have the feeds of judgment in their mind: 20

COMMENTARY.

VER. 15. Let fuch teach others, etc.] But it is not enough that the Critic hath these natural endowments to entitle him to exercise his Art, he ought, as our author fhews us [from ỷ 14 to 19] to give a further teft of his qualification, by fome acquired talents: And this on two accounts: 1. Because the office of a Critic is an exercise of Authority. 2. Because he being naturally as partial to his Judgment as the Poet is to his Wit, his partiality would have nothing to correct it, as that of the perfon judged hath. Therefore fome teft is reasonable; and the best and most unexceptionable is his having written well himself, an approved remedy against Critical partiality; and the surest means of fo maturing the Judgment, as to reap with glory what Longinus calls "the last and most perfect fruits of much ftudy and experience.” Η ΓΑΡ ΤΩΝ ΛΟΓΩΝ ΚΡΙΣΙΣ ΠΟΛΛΗΣ ΕΣΤΙ ΠΕΙΡΑΣ ΤΕΛΕΥΤΑΙΟΝ ΕΠΙΓΕΝΝΗΜΑ.

VER. 19. Yet if we look, etc.] But having been fo free with this fundamental quality of Criticism, Judgment, as to charge it with inconftancy and partiality, and to be often warped by custom and affection; that this may not be mistaken, he next explains [from 18 to 36.] the nature of Judgment, and the accidents

NOTES.

VER. 15. Let fuch teach others] " "Qui fcribit artificiofe, ab aliis commode fcripta facile intelligere poterit." Cic. ad Herenn. lib. iv. "De pictore, fculptore, fictore, nifi artifex, judicare "non poteft." Pliny. P.

VER. 20. Moft have the feeds] "Omnes tacito quodam fenfu, « fine ulla arte, aut ratione, quæ fint in artibus ac rationibus "recta et prava dijudicant." Cic. de Orat. lib. iii. P.

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »