Criticism 



namy and expedition ; and many scraps of critical au- 

 gury were secured from the fate of the Sibyl's leaves, 

 or becoming, by their disconnection, rapidis ludibria 

 vcntis. 



France led the way, in her Journal de Scavans, which 

 began to be published by Salle in 1665, and was fol- 

 lowed in 1684, by the Nouveltesde la Republic des Let- 

 ires 01 Bayle, and, in 1686, by the Bibtiolheque Umver- 

 selle etHislonque of Le Clerc. Early in the 18th cen- 

 tury, the plan was adopted by England, where the fol- 

 lowing works successively appeared. The Memoirs of 

 Literature, after eight volumes had been completed, 

 ended m 1722: The New Memoirs of Literature be- 

 gan in] 725, making 6 vols. : The Present State of the 

 Republic of Letters in 1728, making 18 vols. • The His- 

 tor.a Litcrana in 1730, making 4 vols. : The History 

 oflhe Works of the Learned in 1737, making 13 vols.1 

 ■I he Literary Journal (published at Dublin) in 1744 

 toaking 5 vols Most of the preceding works profess- 

 ed to gixe an abstract, rather than a character, of con- 

 temporary publications. But, in 1749, the Monthly 

 Review, projected by Griffiths,* a bookseller, who con- 

 ducted it for more than half a century, succeeded in 

 accommodating the public taste with that form of cri- 

 ticism which it still prefers; and the popularity of this 

 £ork led Dr Smollet, ,n 1755, to establish the Critical 

 Review, on a plan exactly similar. These two journals 

 continue their regular appearance at the present day, 

 while numerous competitors have either perished in 

 the infancy ot their attempts, or faintly protract a pre- 

 vious existence. Still, however, there was room for 

 bolder adventurers in critical speculation. The old 

 regime of literary censorship had, from sanguine re- 

 liance on a stability so long enjoyed, and indolent dis- 

 like to innovation or reform, become feeble and cor- 

 rupt Those in its administration employed, from cu- 

 pidity substitutes of cheap and inferior talents, who ye- 

 tffied the remark.of Rousseau, qu'il est trap difficile tie 

 denser nnhipmp-nt „„ — ,.; : ._ - -» *" . 



I T I C I S M 345 



sed tacticians. They first treated a deep impression of dm 

 then- power, by an exhibition of talent far beyond the ' 

 standard of the old tribunals, and by assigning each 

 article to a person who, from the peculiar direction of 

 his studies, could not be chargeable, like the all-Korh 

 critics, with knowing less of the subject than the au- 

 thor whom he undertook to correct. They next made 

 it evident, by an early display of vituperative ingenui- 

 ty, of which the consciousness generally secures the 

 exercise, that the power they possessed would not be 

 tamely or tremblingly exerted. Aware of the fashion- 

 able taste for raillery and ridicule, with which even the 

 senate is so much infected, that we may say, like Ju- 

 venal, Natio comceda est, they shewed their purpose to 

 indulge it, " and sharply smile prevailing folly dead :" 

 and thus made their readers sure, that, whatever might 

 be the substance of the repast to which they were in- 

 vited, its seasoning would be of the keenest pungency. 

 At their outset, too, they took a tone of higher autho- 

 rity than critics of the longest standing had dared to 

 arrogate, and seemed to imitate the celebrated Busby, 

 when he told his royal visitor, as an apology for re- 

 maining covered, that " in his own school no one must 

 appear greater than he." They knew that lofty pre- 

 tensions, though they may not gain all that is demand- 

 ed, seldom fail, from the timidity or indolence of man- 

 kind, to obtain more than would have been granted 

 without them ; and, notwithstanding the amplitude of 

 then- means, they did not disdain the aid of something 

 akin to what was called in Johnson his bow-wow man- 

 ner, nor of those intimidating insinuations of their own 

 might, and contempt for their destined object of at- 

 tack, which a contemporary conqueror had found so 

 efficient an accession to means equally ample in a dif- 

 ferent department. By this combination of ability and 

 address, and by the diligence with which both were 

 sustained, the new oligarchs have risen to a dominion 

 which was never yielded to others, and continue to be 



icnni. 



— — ~, ^<* tv cot- til 



^roYucir^ZyCaurt- *? ****«*«*• theogony. Such is the popularly of their work, not- 



which denrfved hen it ? and secret influence, withstanding the frequent forfeiture of its original pro- 



Ispect P SL^eiZTT ff C0 f« e ™ e and *■*»* that 10,000 copies are periodically circulated; 



public of le e P so^eabTe g an lfv kened ?" ? e *g* *" taX* at i* reasonings being forgot in the sple^ 



Litters ^T&^^S^T^'^T^ d r ° f hS m « strat ? ons > and the occasional immolkorr 



der of of an innocent victim pardoned for the pleasure deri- 



.; ■ i • i , "■""•""" «i a. new oraer or 



iJm,gs, which they accomplished, in 1802, by institu- 

 ting, in this metropolis, a critical journal, which soon 



£fcfi ° th ;T lnt °, Ule Sh * de > ^ *» P ro - ise °f supe- 

 rior independence of pnne.ple, and vigour of execution. 



On the first appearance of the Edinburgh Review, itsau- 

 thois shewed their acquaintance with the propensities of 

 human nature, and their readiness to tak e P acLntage of 

 £e tZv 68 ' 'TV* ? the r ticU,ar temper of the present 

 I Int. Jr!7F St a,m ° St be £ "PP osed to have borrowed a 



o succ .i e n rT sy tT/ f T a , r ' which the y had seen 



S"- ll i- Though they did not decline the occa- 

 sional aid of veterans, yet their « sacred cohort" was 



S Wn Sf? f dv n UrerSj Wh0Se quahficat^ 

 were kj.ovn to each other, but not to the public and 

 • hose reputation and rank were yet to be a?™ red by 

 ha inventive enterprise from which they am cipated 

 more splendid effects than from the caution of pE 



vedfrom the occurrences of the chace. An attempt at 

 partition of empire has recently been made by a Lon- 

 don journal, (the Quarterly Review ;) but though a re- 

 spectable force has been embodied for the enterprise, 

 the predominance still remains with our countrymen. 



After this slight sketch of the past and present state 

 of criticism, we shall subjoin a few remarks on its ad- 

 vantages and disadvantages. The most important of 

 the former ought to be an improvement of authors in 

 the_ matter and style of composition. If a scholar is 

 excited to diligence and accuracy, by the certainty that 

 his exercise will be severely scrutinized by the master; 

 if an accountant is guarded from error, by knowing 

 that his calculations will be checked by a board of au- 

 ditors ; the same effect should be produced on writers, 

 who are aware that their work will be stopt at its out- 

 set, and examined with rigorous jealousy, before it re- 



to London as a bookseller, and soon lft« . SJ 'l review,n e is somewhat singular. He had been bred a watchmaker, hut came 



the*, who was a Mr defend, (son to cm < T i" i T'T HaV ,' Dg P u,chase << * e Afemow of a Woman of Pleasure from the au- 

 promole the sale. For this publication C . ' ^P^'^r s Will Honeycomb.) Griffiths praised the work in his review, to 



and removing all his copies of the book ■ i hi ' ,r ", sccutc /'. l)Ut esra P ed conviction, by anticipating the search of the police officers, 

 bookseller in Salisbury. Griffiths h7v » ' ° wareh,,use - He afterwards failed, and the review was sold to Collin?, a 



The short characters of books in hi. MnntM« °? ' mana « e,N aml recovered the property in 1780. He aftenraid* became -vitl- 



*oi.. vrr. part j. monthly catalogue were written by Mrs Griffiths. 



