270 
NOVEL. 
Clinker that Smollet appears to the bell advantage: it is 
not, perhaps, going too far to afiert, that the character 
of Matthew Bramble is as exquifitely and finely drawn 
as any character exhibited in fictitious writing. The idea 
which Smollet formed to himfelf of this character, is 
complete and confident in all its parts ; and there is not 
3 fentintent uttered, not a feeling expreffed, nor an ac¬ 
tion performed, by Matthew Bramble, but what is per¬ 
fectly in character. An acute and vigorous intellect, a 
warm and benevolent heart, are united to an odd and ec¬ 
centric humour, a quick irritability of temper, and a re¬ 
tiring fhynefs of difpofition. He is fo afraid of being 
'known for what he really is, that he takes as much pains 
to appear, and be deemed, ntorofe and felfifh, as moil men 
would do toconceal thole qualities. In fiiort, the character 
of Matthew Bramble not only difplays an intimate ac¬ 
quaintance with the human heart, butalfo with thofe pe¬ 
culiar manners, which fo frequently mark out, very dif- 
tinCtly, the Britilh philanthropic. 
Goldfmitil has written only one novel; but that, in 
every point of view, is an exquifite one : for the Vicar of 
Wakefield difplays almoft unequalled humour, of the pu- 
reftand higheli nature, while italfo contains paflages that 
are irrefiftioly pathetic. Nothing can be conceived more 
perfectly drawn than his character of Dr. Primroie; it is 
a truly Engiilh character, exhibited, where fuch a cha¬ 
racter appears to the greateft advantage, at home, by his 
fire-fide, in the midlt of his family. Indeed, the great 
merit, and the molt powerful and attractive intereft, of 
this novel, confiit in its difplay of domeftic feelings. 
The fable alfo deferves much commendation : all the 
perfonages are conducted through their various viciffi- 
tudes in the molt natural manner; the events are Itri- 
king, yet fimple and probable; and the conclufion is 
brought about without the leaft appearance of exaggera¬ 
tion or force. Of the Ityle, it may be fufficient to fay, 
that it fully merits the praife which Johnfon bellowed on 
Goldfmith’s writings; ISihil quod tetigit, non ornavit. 
The novels of Richardlon are of a very peculiar cha¬ 
racter. His great excellence confifts in the extreme mi- 
mi tenets and fulnels of his defcriptions, and in the pains 
which he takes to make his readers molt intimately ac¬ 
quainted with the character and feelings of the per¬ 
fonages with whom they are occupied. Inftead of hur- 
j-ying over the preparatory fcenes, and referving the 
whole of the reader’s attention for thofe parts when a 
grand difplay of incident is to be brought forward, 
or the working of fome great pallion is to be pour- 
trayed, Richardlon introduces his readers into the do- 
meltic privacy of his characters ; and every thing that is 
faid or done, is thus, as it were, heard or feen by them. 
The refult is, that we take an intereft in all the perfo¬ 
nages, and almoft acknowledge them as our molt intimate 
acquaintance. In order to eft’eCt this, Richardlon has 
been obliged to enter into prolix defcriptions, and to re¬ 
peat rambling and tedious conventions: in the midlt of 
thefe, the reader is frequently tired or difgulted, but 
they neverthelefs leave on his mind a more diltinCt idea 
of the character of the perfonages, and give, them a 
ltronger hold, not only on his curioiity, but his intereft. 
When, therefore, any thing important or difaftrous oc¬ 
curs to them, we feel as for old friends and companions, 
and are irreliftibly led to as lively a conception of their 
fenfations as if we were actually prefent. By this means, 
Richardlon has the advantage of bringing readers, al¬ 
ready interefted in the highelt degree, to the perufal of 
thofe fcenes, where his knowledge of the human heart, 
and his powers of pathetic defcription, are brought for¬ 
ward to the greateft advantage and effect. 
Novels generally profels above all tilings to exhibit the 
nature of love,, and its confequences. Whether this be 
efi’ential to fuCh performances, may perhaps be queltioned: 
but it .has been made an important part of the drama in 
molt novels, and, we think, with great propriety. It is 
the objeCt of the novelift to give a true picture oflife, di- 
verfified only by accidents that daily happen in the world, 
and influenced by palfions and qualities which are really 
to be found in converfing with mankind. To accomplim 
this objeCt, he conceives a hero or heroine, whom he 
places in a certain rank of life, endues with certain qua¬ 
lities of body and mind, and conducts through many vi- 
ciilitudes of fortune, either to the fummit of happinefs 
or to the abyfs of mifery, according to the pallion which 
he wilhes to excite in his readers. In the modern novel, 
this hero or heroine is neither placed on a throne nor bu¬ 
ried in a cottage ; becaufe, to the monarch and the cotta¬ 
ger no difficulties occur which can deeply intereft the 
majority of readers. But, among the virtuous part of 
the intermediate orders of lociety, that afteCtion which 
we call love feldom fails, at fome period of life, to take 
poffeffion of the hearts of both lexes; and, wherever it 
has place, it mull be productive of happinefs or of mifery. 
In the proper managemen t of this paffion confifts much of 
the difficulty of the novel-writer. He mult exhibit his 
hero as feeling all the pangs and pleafures of love; as 
fometimes animated with hope, and fometim.es ready to 
fink into defpair; but always exerting himfelf to obtain 
the gratification of his willies. In doing this, care 
Ihould be taken, either that he never tranfgrefs the laws 
of virtue, or, at leaft, that he never tranfgrels them with 
impunity. 
In narratives where hiftorical veracity has no place, 
there Ihould be exhibited the moll perfeCt idea of virtue; 
of virtue not angelical, nor above probability (for what 
we cannot credit we lhall never imitate); but the higheli 
and pureft that humanity can reach, which, exercifed in 
luch trials as the various revolutions of things fnall bring 
upon it, may, by conquering fome calamities and endu¬ 
ring others, teach us what we may hope, and what we 
can perform. Vice (for vice is neceflary to be Ihown) 
Ihould always difguft; nor Ihould the graces of gaiety, or 
the dignity of courage, be fo united with it, as to recon¬ 
cile it to the mind. Wherever it appears, it Ihould raife 
hatred by the malignity of its practices, and contempt 
by the meannefs of its ftratagems; for, while it is fup- 
ported by either parts or fpirit, it will feldom be heartily 
abhorred. 
If thefe obfervations be juft, Richardfon’s Lovelace is a 
character which ought never to have been drawn. In the 
graces of gaiety, and the dignity of courage, in liberality 
without profufion, in perfeverance and addrefs, he every¬ 
where appears as the firft of men ; and that honour with 
which he protects the virtue of his Rofebud, if any in- 
ftruCtion is to be drawn from it, can only lead the admi¬ 
rers of Richardlon to believe that another Clarifla might 
be in perfeCt fafety, were (lie to throw herfelf upon the ho¬ 
nour of another Lovelace. Yet, in the compolition of 
this fplendid character, there is not one principle upon 
which confidence can lecurely reft; and Lovelace, whilft 
he is admired by the youth of both fexes, and efcapes the 
contempt of all mankind, mult excite in the breail of the 
cool moralift fentiments of abhorrence and deteftation. 
A French critic, fpeaking of this character, lays, “By 
turns I could embrace and fight with Lovelace. His 
pride, his gaiety, his drollery, charm and amufe me; his 
genius confounds me, and makes me fmile; his wicked- 
nefs aftonilhes and enrages me ; but, at the fame time, I 
admire as much as I deteft him.” Surely this is not the 
character which ought to be prefented to the inexperienced 
and ardent mind. 
Before proceeding to the conlideration of the fenti- 
mental clajs of novels, it may be proper very briefly and 
rapidly to charaCterife the novels of Cumberland, Moore, 
and Burney. Cumberland evidently imi.utes Fielding; 
but he is inferior to him in humour, in the nice delinea¬ 
tion of manners and character, and in the ftruCture and 
management of his fable; while he excels him in pre- 
fenting a more extenlive view of human life, in pathe¬ 
tic defcription, and in chaftenefs and elegance of ftyle. 
It is a remarkable, unaccountable, but lamentable, faCt, 
that 
