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prefent for paft times, fometimes pairive for active participles', 

 fometimes he even gives us paflages wholly independent of re- 

 gnlar connexion in the confirudion of the fentence, as in his 

 defcription of the Dutch in his Traveller, 



At gold's fupeiior charms ^11 freedom (iics, 

 The needy fell it and the rich man buys ; 

 A laud of tyants and a den of Jlaves, 

 Here wretches feek dillionourable graves. 



In this paffage however, and in all of this fort, it is but fair 

 with refped to our author to ftate that his meaning is not at 

 all obfcure. Goldfmith's conftrudions rarely lead to obfcurily 

 or ambiguity*. Like Addifon he is fimple and familiar, and 

 like Addifon he is elegant and intelligible. 



As the epithets of other poets have met his cenfura his own 

 are fairly fubjed to animadverfion. His penfive plain has been 

 condemned as too bold — I think with little reafon — with lefs 

 certainly than his bleak Swifs which feems more extravagant, 



his 



» There is one form of phrafe ufed frequently by Goldfmith, which, if followed, 

 might in other authors lead to ambiguity— it is the deferring of circumftances which 

 limit a particular fubftantive until other fubltantives fliall have been interpofed. In 

 the couplet, 



\Vhate%'cr blooms in torrid traifis appear 

 Whofe bright fuccefiion decUs chc varied year, 



The bright fucceffion feems rather to belong, by the conflruftion, to traBs than to 

 llooms. 



