374 Romances and Novels, [Chap. XIX. 



teenth century ; but the number was so small, and 

 the character of these, for tlie most part, so low, 

 that even the names of but a small portion of them 

 have reached the present time. The eighteenth 

 century may be peculiarly and emphatically called 

 the Age of Novels. The first great work of this 

 kind, in the English language, was Joseph Andrews, 

 by Mr. Henry Fielding *, a comic performance, 

 which, though sometimes indelicate, and often ex- 

 ceptionable in its moral tendency, yet displays 

 great wit, humour, learning, taste, and knowledge 

 of mankind f. The next was Pamela, by Mr. 

 Samuel Richardson J. This work introduced, and 

 rendered popular, the mode of writing novels in 

 the form of Letters, which has been since adopted 

 by many, both in Great Britain and on the con- 

 tinent of Europe. Pamela was succeeded by Tom 

 Jones, which, though by no means pure in its mo- 

 ral tendency, is esteemed by the ablest critics as 

 the first performance of the heroi- comic kind that 

 was ever written §. The same author next pro- 



* Henry Fielding was born in Somersetshire, in 1 707, and died 

 at Lisbon, whither he had gone* for his health in 1754. His ex- 

 travagant and intemperate habits prevented his rising to those civil 

 honours to which his genius would probably have otherwise con- 

 ducted him. 



f Dr. Eeattie tells us, that lord Lyttleton, once in conversation 

 with him, after mentioning several particulars of Pope, Swift, and 

 other wits of that time, when he was asked some question relating 

 to the author of Tom Jowe^,. began his answer with these words, 

 " Henry Fielding, I assure you, had more wit, and more humour, 

 tlian all the persons we have been speaking of put together." 



X Samuel Richardson was a native of Derbyshire, where he was 

 born in ] 689. He was bred a printer, and carried on that busi- 

 ness for many years. He died in 1 76I . 



§ " Since the days of Homer, says Dr. Beattie, the world 



