vartiés. 
' 
‘know what they would be at. 
218 
*schill penury,”? nor fo clofely ‘pent up 
st in the dark unfathom’d cave,” but-that 
it will contrive to peep through the cran- 
nies, getting firt one feot out and then 
another. 1 acknowledge, neverthelefs, 
that I have been rather bitterly dilap point 
ed in fome of my poetical geniufes. I 
have been more than once obliged to put 
an infant Shakefpeare apprentice to fome 
honeft handicraft employment, in which 
he might be free fromthe temptations and 
evil examples of pen andink ; anda Pope, 
of whom I expected great things, has been 
very expenfive to me, becaufe, on his firtt 
pajreral, I prevailed on his matter to give 
him up his indenture, and he is now 
fearcely worth a dull prologue to a new 
play. But I was moft difappointed in 
«<a mute inglorious Milton,’? who was 
remarkably promifing. 
fellow I induls ced great expectations, and 
} hoped ere now to have been congratu- 
Fated as the munificent patron of a New 
Paradife Lot. So fanguine was I that I 
had almof applied to Bulmer and the 
Sixteen fhillings a-week, and wafhing. I 
never could get him beyond an enigma or 
a Vauxhall fons. My laf letter from him 
at Port Jackfon mentions, however, that 
he is doing very weil, and has folemnly 
abjured the errors. of Parnaflus. On the 
fabjet of poetry, I ought to add, al- 
though no difcovery of mine, that no fla- 
tien, whether high or low, can “ reprefs 
its noble rage.” Mechanics of all de- 
fcriptions will vindicate the rights of 
poetical genius, and we havea very recent 
example that even a Lord of the Treafury 
could not contain himfelf. 
issih the oe fome difappointments 
vadcubtedly every man muft meet with 
who sadeitades ‘the difcovery of geniufes, 
on fo large a feale as T have. But I may 
confele myfelf that k have proved there is 
mo real fear city of the article, either from 
the badnefs of the feafons or the nefarious 
arts of monopolizers. And E might now 
confirm this by detatling the refult of my 
ingairs after philofophers, heroes, and 
Cromwells ‘‘guiltiefs of their country’s 
blood.” But I fhall only add, that our 
philofo; shers have feldom waited for my 
saquiries, bringing themfelves forward 
with all the configence of men who knew 
what they were, although fome of them, 
in my humble cpinion, did not precifely 
Ft is faid 
that a man neyer mounts fo high, as when 
he does not know how far he means to go. 
Wodern philofophy, indeed, like freanz, is 
‘mot to be cemprefied; and we all know 
s j ¥ 
Genius:in Objcurity detected. 
Of this young’ 
Alas! I wifh F had Teft him at~ 
‘the {pur of the moment. 
that fome late explofions have been very: 
terrible to the party as well as to the 
neighbourhood. As to our heroés, our 
navy has made unparallelled progrefs im 
' preventing them from waiting their valour 
<< on the defart air.” But for.our Crom- 
wells, ‘* guiltlefs of their country’s blood,” 
I cannot fay that I have ever yet difco- 
vered any perfon duly qualified to adopt 
the Sosa and abide by the ii onrieg 
tion annexed. 
I fall now conclude this letter with an 
obfervation or two which principally con- 
cern myfelf. Albeit [have thought it my 
duty to inveftigate and explore the hidden 
recefles of genius, the employment has not 
been altogether of a pleafurable kind. It 
has produced in.me a fearfulnefs and ti- 
midity of manner that almoft unfits'me for - 
the bufinefs of. commen life and thofe ca- 
fuai intercourfes to which we are all fub- 
ject. I have often been afraid to {peak 
harfhly to a rude hackney coachman, left 
what I deemed rudenefs fhould prove the 
ebullition of ‘‘a ftrong-minded genius.” 
I never can difpute the fcore,of a milk- 
woman, leit I affront a Dacier, or a Sappho. 
I am particularly civil to.the fhowmen at 
the Tower and Exeter-change; I think E 
fee, the: curbed ‘pivit of a Linnzus ora 
Buffon. I fubmit to any kind of cattle 
from my ftable-keeper ; the man has really 
the look of a privy-counfellor; and no 
poor wretch ever fuffered more than Ido 
ina mob, for I know not but I may be 
joftling a Sir Ifaac, or treading on the toes 
of a Bacon or a Boyle. 
Your's, &c. 
A HUNTER aFTER GENIUSs 
To the Euitar of ithe Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ; 
{'F was very far from my intention, 
] when I fent the tranflation and expla- 
nation of the wcalade verfes to the Monthly, 
Magazine, to engage in a difpute with 
learned philologifts ; and when I made a 
curfory obfervation on the evricpepovte, my 
object was as far, perhaps, as poflible, 
fiom that of con stroverly. The writing 
of the obfervations was perhaps. indif- 
ereet (for [ acknowledge I went out 
of my way). They were made, too, on 
a hafty view of Mr. ‘Carey’ s letter, nie on 
But my hints, 
though penned in hatte, were not writter 
without reficétion. And Mr. Carey’s 
fyllogifms, if they add nothing to my 
fmall ftock of wifdom, may yet be of fer- 
‘vice, by increafing my prudence. 
} faid, that Mx. | Carey? s conclufion fror 
the 
[May 1, 
