438 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION; 



verial, as to be able to form a true, infallible 

 judgment on all fubjedb, and on every author. 

 It is therefore highly advantageous and neceflary 

 that there mould be in the world, learned, 

 laborious and judicious men, who mould make 

 it their bufmefs to point out to the ftudious part 

 of mankind, fuch books of each age and nation 

 as deferve to be known ; and by a clear, im- 

 partial, and fkilful examination, to mow where- 

 in their merit confifts. This fort of learned 

 men are called critics, and their labours, criti- 

 cifms, or productions of the critical art. This 

 art requires, therefore, both difcernment and 

 tafte, in order to form a juft judgment of the 

 matter, and the flyle of any work. Such was 

 the fcience of Scaliger, Erafmus, Gefner, Juftus 

 Lipfius, Cafaubon, Saumaife, &c. 



II. Sometimes by the term criticifm is alfo 

 underftood a cenfure that is made of a work or 

 an author , that malicious trouble which fome 

 writers give themfelves to find out and publifh 

 the defects or inadvertencies of an author. This 

 art is far inferior to the preceding, and in which 

 men of very moderate talents are capable of 

 excelling; by its nature, moreover, it has a 

 ftrong appearance of a depraved temper. A 

 criticifm of this fort, when not ftric~Uy juft, 

 degenerates into infolence, and becomes at once 

 dull and difguftful , for, as M. de St. Real ob- 

 ferves, no critic mould be allowed to infult an 

 author for an imaginary or dubious faqlt. 



We 



