Vapid criticism is verbose and tedious; but invective or adulation are its bafeft and most frequent faults. The popularity of this fpecies of reading has certainly turned us into a nation of difputants and cenfors. Pope complains, that "ten cenfure wrong, for one who writes "amifs ;" and every author feelingly affents to the truth of this oracular declaration. But the character that I have been fo long fupporting, upon recollection, covers me with fhame and terror; fince, however I might hope to escape under cover of my fex as an author, in my new character of critic I can expect nothing but the fate of the difaftrous jackdaw, who ventured into an affembly of peacocks. I fhall not, however, be strip'ped of all my borrowed plumage; much of it belonged to one who cannot now reclaim his own ideas. The grave, which prematurely clofed on as much genius, informa information, and tafte, as can distinguish an individual, effectually conceals my plagiarism. I shall conclude this letter by repeating a caution, which will certainly come unopportunely from one who speaks through the pigmy defile of twenty duodecimos. I mean, that valuable knowledge is not increased by inceffant reading. One welldigested book will improve the mind and the heart more than many volumes haftily devoured for the purpose of faying that we have read them. This appetite for universal scholarship is rather increased by periodical annotators; for they seem to suppose that it is reproachful, for any who pretend to literary taste, to be unacquainted with any celebrated work. I believe few people poffefs fuch clear heads, and retentive memories, as to be able to comprehend a long work at one perufal; and few have fufficient leifure to bestow cir cumfpect cumfpect investigation on a great variety. A felection of found authors of acknowledged merit is, therefore, most serviceable to general readers; for it is not the images of words paffing before the eyes, but ideas imprinted upon the foul by the blended powers of memory and underftanding, that can make us either better or wifer for our studies. I remain, my dear Mifs M, &c. END OF VOL. II. Brooke, Printer, Paternoster-Row, London. |