Gen'rous converse; a foul exempt from pride; And love to praise, with reason on his fide? Such once were Critics; fuch the happy few, Athens and Rome in better ages knew. 645 The mighty Stagirite firft left the shore, Led by the light of the Mæonian star. VARIATIONS. Between ver. 646 and 647. I have found the following lines, fince fuppreft by the author: That bold Columbus of the realms of wit, A boundless empire, and that own'd no fway. NOTES. VER. 642. With REASON on his fide, etc.] Not only on his fide, but in actual Employment. The Critic makes but a mean figure, who when he has found out the beauties of his author, contents himself with fhewing them to the world in only empty exclamations. His office is to explain their nature, fhew from whence they arife, and what effects they produce; or in the better and fuller expreffion of the Poet, "To teach the world with REASON to admire." Poets, a race long unconfin'd, and free, 650 Receiv'd his laws; and ftood convinc'd 'twas fit, 655 The trueft notions in the easiest way. .He, who fupreme in judgment, as in wit, Might boldly cenfure, as he boldly writ, Yet judg'd with coolness, tho' he fung with fire; His Precepts teach but what his works inspire. 660 Our Critics take a contrary extreme, They judge with fury, but they write with flegm: NOTES. VER. 652. Who conquer'd Nature, fhould prefide d'er Wit.] By this we must not understand phyfical Nature, but moral. The force of the obfervation confifts in giving it this fenfe. The Poet not only ufes the word Nature for human Nature, throughout this poem; but allo, where, in the beginning of it, he lays down the principles of the arts he treats of, he makes the knowledge of human nature the foundation of all Criticism and Poetry. Nor is the observation lefs true than appofite. For, Ariftotle's natural enquiries were fuperficial, and ill-made, tho' extenfive: But his logical and moral works are fupremely excellent. In thefe he has unfolded the humanmind, he has laid open all the receffes of the heart and underftanding; and by thofe he has not only conquered Nature, but, by his Categories, has kept her in tenfoid Chains: Not as Dul-, nefs kept the Muses, in the Dunciad, to filence them; but as Ariftæus held Proteus in Virgil, to deliver Oracles. Nor fuffers Horace more in wrong Translations By Wits, than Critics in as wrong Quotations. See Dionyfius Homer's thoughts refine, 665 And call new beauties forth from ev'ry line! Fancy and art in gay Petronius please, The scholar's learning, with the courtier's ease. In grave Quintilian's copious work, we find The justest rules, and clearest method join'd: 670 Thus useful arms in magazines we place, All rang'd in order, and difpos'd with grace, But less to please the eye, than arm the hand, Still fit for use, and ready at command. Thee, bold Longinus! all the Nine inspire, 675 And bless their Critic with a Poet's fire. An ardent Judge, who, zealous in his trust, With warmth gives sentence, yet is always juft: Whose own example strengthens all his laws And is himself that great Sublime he draws. 680 Thus long fucceeding Critics juftly reign'd, Licence repress'd, and useful laws ordain'd. COMMENTARY. VER. 681. Thus long fucceeding Critics, etc.] The next period in which the true Critic (he tells us) appeared, was at the revival and restoration of letters in the West. This occafions his giving a short history [from ver. 682 to 709] of the decline NOTES. VER. 665: See Dionyfius] Of Halicarnaffus. P. Learning and Rome alike in empire grew; VARIATIONS. Between ver. 690. and 691. the author omitted these two, When none but Saints had licence to be proud. P. COMMENTARY. and re-establishment of arts and fciences in Italy. He fhews that they both fell under the fame enemy, defpotic power; and that when both had made fome little efforts to restore themfelves, they were foon again over-whelmed by a fecond deluge of another kind, Superftition; and a calm of Dulness finished upon Rome and Letters what the rage of Barbarifm had begun : "A fecond deluge learning thus o'er-run, "And the Monk finifh'd what the Goth begun.” When things had been long in this condition, and all recovery now feemed defperate, it was a CRITIC, our Author fhews us, for the honour of the Art he here teaches, who at length broke the charm of Dulnefs, diffipated the inchantment, and, like another Hercules, drove those cowl'd and hooded ferpents from the Hefperian tree of knowledge, which they had fo long guarded from human approach. At length Erasmus, that great injur'd name, (The glory of the Priesthood, and the shame!) Stem'd the wild torrent of a barb'rous age, 695 And drove those holy Vandals off the stage. But fee! each Muse, in LEO's golden days, Starts from her trance, and trims her wither'd bays, COMMENTARY. VER. 697.] But fee! each Mufe, in Leo's golden days.] This prefents us with the fecond period in which the true Critic appeared; of whom he has given us a perfect idea in the fingle example of Marcus Hieronymus Vida: For his fubject being poetical Criticism, for the ufe principally of a critical Poet; his example is an eminent poetical Critic, who had written of the art of Poetry in verse. NOTES. VER. 693. At length Erafmus, etc.] Nothing can be more artful than the application of this example: or more happy than the turn of the compliment. To throw glory quite round the Character of this admirable Person, he makes it to be (as in fact it really was) by his affiftance chiefly, that Leo was enabled to restore letters and the fine arts in his Pontificate. VER. 694. The glory of the Priesthood, and the shame!] Our author elsewhere lets us know what he esteems to be the glory of the Priesthood as well as of a Christian in general, where, comparing himself to Erafmus, he says, "In MODERATION placing all my glory," and confequently what he esteems to be the hame of it. The whole of this character belong'd eminently and almost folely to Erafmus: For the other Reformers, fuch as Luther, Calvin, and their followers, understood fo little in what true Christian Liberty confifted, that they carried with them, into the reformed Churches, that very fpirit of perfecution, which had driven them from the church of Rome. VER. 696. And drove thofe holy Vandals off the ftage.] In this attack on the established ignorance of the times, he fuc |