I SPECTATOR, N° 291. -Ubi plura nitent in carmine, non ego paucis But in a Poem elegantly writ, I will notquarrel with a flight Miftake, HOR. Such as our Nature's Frailty may excufe. RoscoMMON. Have now confidered Milton's Paradife Loft under thofe four great Heads of the Fable, the Characters, the Sentiments, and the Language; and have fhewn that he excells, in general, under each of thefe Heads. I hope that I have made feveral Difcoveries which may appear new, even to those who are verfed in Critical Learning. Were I indeed to choose my Readers by whofe Judgment I would stand or fall, they should not be fuch as are acquainted only with the French and Italian Critics, but also with the Ancient and Modern who have written in either of the learned Languages. Above all, I would have them well verfed in the Greek and Latin Poets, without which a Man very often fancies that he understands a Critic, when in reality he does not comprehend his Meaning. IT is in Criticifm, as in all other Sciences and Speculations; one who brings with him any implicit Notions and Obfervations which he has made in his reading of the Poets, will find his own Reflexions methodized and explained, and perhaps feveral little Hints that had paffed in his Mind, perfected and improved in the Works of a good Critic; whereas one who has not these previous Lights is very often an utter Stranger to what he reads, and apt to put a wrong Interpretation upon it. NOR NOR is it fufficient, that a Man who fets up for a Judge in Criticism, fhould have perufed the Authors above-mentioned, unless he has also a clear and logical Head. Without this Talent he is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own Blunders, miftakes the Senfe of those he would confute, or, if he chances to think right, does not know how to convey his Thoughts to another with Clearnefs and Perfpicuity. Ariftotle, who was the best Critic, was also one of the beft Logicians that ever appeared in the World. Mr. Lock's Effay on Human Understanding would be thought a very odd Book for a Man to make himfelf Mafter of, who would get a Reputation by Critical Writings; though at the fame time it is very certain, that an Author who has not learned the Art of diftinguishing between Words and Things, and of ranging his Thoughts, and setting them in proper Lights, whatever Notions he may have, will lofe himself in Confufion and Obfcurity. I might further obferve, that there is not a Greek or Latin Critic, who has not shewn, even in the Stile of his Criticisms, that he was a Master of all the Elegance and Delicacy of his Native Tongue. THE Truth of it is, there is nothing more abfurd than for a Man to fet up for a Critic, without a "good Infight into all the Parts of Learning; whereas many of those who have endeavoured to fignalize themselves by Works of this Nature among our English Writers, are not only defective in the above-mentioned Particulars, but plainly difcover by the Phrafes which they make ufe of, and by their confufed way of thinking, that they are not acquainted with the moft common and ordinary Systems of Arts and Sciences. A few general Rules extracted out of the French Authors, with a certain Cant of Words, has fometimes fet up an illiterate heavy Writer for a moft judicious and formidable Critic. ONE great Mark, by which you may discover a Critic who has neither Tafte nor Learning, is C 2 this, this, that he feldom ventures to praise any Paffage in an Author which has not been before received and applauded by the Public, and that his Criticifm turns wholly upon little Faults and Errors. This Part of a Critic is fo very easy to fucceed in, that we find every ordinary Reader, upon the publishing of a new Poem, has Wit and Ill-nature enough to turn feveral Paffages of it into Ridicule, and very often in the right Place. This Mr. Dryden has very agreeably remarked in those two celebrated Lines, Errors, like Straws, upon the Surface flow; He who would fearch for Pearls must dive below. A true Critic ought to dwell rather upon Excellencies than Imperfections, to discover the concealed Beauties of a Writer, and communicate to the World fuch Things as are worth their Obfervation. The most exquifite Words and finest Strokes of an Author are thofe which very often appear the most doubtful and exceptionable, to a Man who wants a Relish for polite Learning; and they are thefe, which a four undistinguishing Critic generally attacks with the greatest Violence. Tully obferves, that it is very easy to brand or fix a Mark upon what he calls Verbum ardens, or, as it may be rendered into English, a glowing bold Expreffion, and to turn it into Ridicule by a cold ill-natured Criticifm. A little Wit is equally capable of expofing a Beauty, and of aggravating a Fault, and though fuch a Treatment of an Author naturally produces Indignation in the Mind of an underftanding Reader, it has however its Effect among the Generality of those whofe Hands it falls into, the Rabble of Mankind being very apt to think that every thing which is laughed at with any Mixture of Wit, is ridiculous in itself. SUCH a Mirth as this, is always unseasonable in a Critic, as it rather prejudices the Reader than convinces him, and is capable of making a Beauty, as A Man, as well as a Blemish, the Subject of Derifion. who cannot write with Wit on a proper Subject, is dull and ftupid, but one who fhews it in an improper Place, is as impertinent and abfurd. Befides, à Man who has the Gift of Ridicule, is apt to find fault with any thing that gives him an Opportunity of exerting his beloved Talent, and very often cenfures a Paffage, not because there is any Fault in it, but be caufe he can be merry upon it. Such Kinds of Pleafantry are very unfair and difingenuous in Works of Criticifm, in which the greateft Mafters, both ancient and modern, have always appeared with a serious and inftructive Air. AS I intend in my next Paper to fhew the Defects in Milton's Paradife Loft, I thought fit to premise these few Particulars, to the end that the Reader may know I enter upon it, as on a very ungrateful Work, and that I fhall just point at the Imperfections, without endeavouring to inflame them with Ridicule. I muft alfo obferve with Longinus, that the Productions of a great Genius, with many Lapfes and Inadvertencies, are infinitely preferable to the Works of an inferior Kind of Author, which are fcrupulously exact and conformable to all the Rules of correct Writing. I fhall conclude my Paper with a Story out of Boccalini, which fufficiently fhews us the Opinion that judicious Author entertained of the Sort of Critics I have been here mentioning. A famous Critic, fays he, having gathered together all the Faults of an eminent Poet, made a Prefent of them to Apollo, who received them very graciously, and refolved to make the Author a fuitable Return for the Trouble he had been at in collecting them. In order to this, he fet before him a Sack of Wheat, as it had been just threshed out of the Sheaf. He then bid him pick out the Chaff from among the Corn, and lay it aside by itself. The Critic applied himself to the Tafk with great Industry and Pleasure, and, after having made the due Separation, was presented by Apollo with the Chaff for his Pains. SPECTATOR, N° 297. velut fi Egregio infperfos reprendas corpore nævos. A Hor. CREECH. FTER what I have faid in my laft Saturday's Paper, I shall enter on the Subject of this without further Preface, and remark the feveral Defects which appear in the Fable, the Characters, the Sentiments, and the Language of Milton's Paradife Loft; not doubting but the Reader will pardon me, if I alledge at the fame time whatever may be faid for the Extenuation of fuch Defects. The firft Imperfection which I fhall observe in the Fable, is, that the Event of it is unhappy. THE Fable of every Poem, is, according to Arifotle's Divifion, either Simple or Implex. It is called Simple when there is no Change of Fortune in it, Implex when the Fortune of the chief Actor changes from Bad to Good, or from Good to Bad. The Implex Fable is thought the most perfect; I fuppofe, because it is most proper to ftir up the Paffions of the Reader, and furprize him with a greater Variety of Accidents. THE Implex Fable is therefore of two Kinds; in the first the chief Actor makes his way through a long Series of Dangers and Difficulties, 'till he arrives at Honour and Profperity, as we fee in the Story of Ulyffes. In the fecond, the chief Actor in the Poem falls from fome eminent Pitch of Honour and Profperity, into Mifery and Difgrace. Thus we fee Adam and Eve finking from a State of Innocence and Happiness, into the most abject Condition of Sin and Sorrow. THE |