Chap. XIX.] Romances and Novels. 39.5 



tery, prostitution, and the indulgence of every pro- 

 pensity tor which a corrupt lieart can plead an in- 

 clination. 



It only remains to speak of the one t/iousandtlt part 

 not included in the classes already characterized. 

 IJf the g-reater portion of these the most favourahle 

 account that can he given is, that they are innocent 

 and amusing compositions. But even with regard 

 to a considerahle numher which have been com- 

 monly placed among the good and useful novels, 

 a correct judge would scarcely be willing to pio- 

 nounce them innocent without some (jualification. 

 After all these deductions, how small is the num- 

 ber of those which can be said to merit a perusal, 

 or which can be considered as tending, in any to- 

 lerable degree, to enlighten the mind, or to pro- 

 mote the interests of virtue and happiness ! So 

 small, indeed, that out of the numerous volumes 

 which a simple catalogue of the novels produced 

 in the eighteenth century would fill, a single page 

 would embrace all that could be with propriety 

 recommended to the attention of ^lie youtliful 

 mind. • # 



Many novels which contain no licentious prin- 

 ciples or indelicate descriptions, are still defective, 

 inasmuch as they are not pictures of nature. A\'hen 

 this is the case, though they be not chargeable 

 with making a direct attack on the fortress of vir- 

 tue, yet they are only fitted to mislead. To fill 

 the mind with unreal and delusive pictures of life, 

 is, in the end, to beguile it from sober duty, and to 

 cheat it of substantial enjoyment. Were all the 

 mischief presented to our view which has been 

 done to thoughtless, unsuspecting miuds, by ficti- 



