198 Poetry. 



The satires of Churchill display great vigour 

 both of thought and language; and though the 

 boldness of their abuse, and the nature of their 

 subjects were, in some measure, the ground of 

 their popularity, while the author lived; yet they 

 have certainly great strength, and possess no in- 

 considerable merit in their way. Vicious as was 

 the character of the man, he knew how to expose 

 and correct vice. The Rosci ad, and the Prophecy 

 of Famine may be regarded as the best of his 

 poems. London, a poem in imitation of the third. 

 satire of Juvenal, by Dr. Johnson, was one of 

 the early displays of that genius which afterwards 

 shone with such distinguished lustre, and filled so 

 large a space in the literature of the age. The 

 Faust, of the celebrated Goethe, of Germany, 

 occupies a high place in the list of modern satirical 

 writings. The Table Talk, the Progress of Error, 

 and some other satirical pieces, by Cowper, in 

 purity, humour, dignity and force, have seldom 

 been exceeded in any language. The Baviad 

 and Maviad, of Mr. Gifford, have received much 

 applause from some of the critics of Great-Bri- 

 tain. To these may be added The Pursuits of 

 Literature, a satirical poem, published a few 

 years ago, by an anonymous hand. In this work 

 every friend of truth, virtue, and sound learn- 

 ing will find much to approve and admire. A 

 large portion of the literary and moral opinions 

 which it contains are doubtless entitled to the 

 warmest approbation. But the judicious reader 

 will also find much to condemn. The author dis- 

 covers, on many occasions, a bitterness of preju- 

 dice, and a rage for satire, which frequently lead 

 him astray, and which detract greatly both from 

 the dignity and the value of his work. His pe- 

 dantic fondness for quotation is indulged to a de- 

 gree which disfigures his pages, and encumbers 



