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our beft writers, which to thofe who are at all acquainted with 

 their ftile, do not readily betray their author. Such favourite 

 forms or ornaments of expreflion, fucli peculiar modes of ar- 

 ranging, combining and conneding, lie within the eafy reach of 

 imitation ; and as every writer of eminence will have many 

 who rely on their fuccefs in copying him for the foundation of 

 their fame, and many who from admiration of his general 

 excellence are led at laft involuntarily to refemble him, criticifm 

 can never be more ufefully employed than in examining thefe 

 peculiarities of authors of acknowledged merit, and determining 

 how far they are deferving of praife or cenfure, how far they are 

 to be imitated or avoided. 



As there are no modern writings higher in public eftimation 

 than Dodor Johnfon's, and as there are none which abound more 

 in appropriate marks of ftile, there are none which can with 

 more advantage be made the fubjecS of critical enquiry. On 

 their obvious and diftinguifhing charaderiftic, the too frequent 

 ufe of Latin derivatives, I have already difcourfed at large. I 

 fhall in this eflay confider fuch other peculiarities of Johnfon's 

 ftile, as, though lefs apt to be taken notice of, will it is pre- 

 fumed when noticed be readily recognized. 



And of all thefe the merit or demerit muft reft with full force 

 on Johnfon : for, however the ftile of his compofitions may 

 correfpond with his ftile of converfation, and however extra- 

 ordinary and perhaps authentic the ftories his biographers tell of 

 his fluency may be, yet nothing in his works can fairly be 

 afcribed to careleffnefs. His ftile in writing, which he had 

 formed early, became familiar by abundant pradice, and in the 



courfc 



