104 
poor—the eafy tafk of any common plod- 
der. No, his firft obje& is to fhew him- 
{elf off. He begins, therefore, as if all 
knowledge-was to commence from the 
oracle in his own breaft, with a general 
differtation upon the fabjea of the work, 
in which he delivers the language and 
opinions of the {chool that has had the 
honour of educating him, and treats with 
profound contempt every notion derived 
from a different fource. In this difplay, 
the book before him is long totally for- 
golten, and pages are confumed in telling 
the world all that he knows and thinks 
on the topic in gueltion. Having thus 
fhewn how he would have wriiten himfelf, 
he proceeds to con'raft it with what the 
author has done; but of this, he is nat 
folicitous to exhibit more than what be- 
dongs to the contralt; for he accultoms 
himielf to regard every author as a com- 
petitor for fame, and never lofes fight of 
advantageous comparifon. 
If the author's performance be in the 
department of fine writing, or what ad- 
dreffes the tate and imagination, the cri- 
tic has not the fame opportunity of placing 
himfelf in competition, yet he is not defti- 
tute of means for arrogating fuperiority. 
Senfible that to admire, is in fome mea- 
fure to acknowledge a {uperior, he is care- 
ful not to do it without great exceptions 
and qualifications; and though he knows 
he could not have: written as the auther 
has done, he need not defpair to make the 
reader believe that he could have written 
- much better. He can give ideas of per- 
Fefion beyond the power of human attain- 
ment; and it cofts him nothing to ima- 
gine an accumulation of excellencies in 
their nature incompatible. Fattidiou{ne(s 
will always pals, with the vulgar, fora 
proof of tafle;-and it is'a very natural 
exclamation, ** What a great genius this 
mut be! why, nothing pleafes him.” 
Thefe very clever fellows are probably 
very young men, for-that is the age of 
wooderful ability. Now, young men are 
too full of th-mf{élves, and have had their 
feelings too little exercifed, to fympathi‘e 
much with others. It colts them little 
to hurl contempt and farcafm upon men 
of worth, to irritate morbid fenfibility, to 
moriify exalted hopes, and doom to ne= 
glect thelabours of half a life.’ They 
never refilt the temptation of faying ae 
thing lively, becaule it is ill-natared ; 
of pouring forth a torrent of Sh bhent 
abuie, becaufe it may overwhelm humble 
modefty. -: Ambitious of the credit of 
being formidable combatants, they deal 
their blows to right and left, regardlefs 
on whom they fall ; ; and feldom refiect, 
On Reviewers —Letter from Count Truchfefs. 
[March 1, 
either on their own undue advantage in 
fighting concealed, or oa’ the inoffenfive 
nature and unproteéted condition of an 
antagonift. 
When they form a junto or knot of af- 
fociates, perhaps in fome feat of literature 
of local celebrity, their conceit is tenfold 
augmented. By converfing orly with one 
another, they think all fenfe and tafte con- 
fined to their little circle ; and in mucual 
admiration place one another refpedctively 
at the head of every branch of {cience and 
literature. They divide the world of let- 
ters into two parties; one compofed 
of themfelves and their friends, the other; 
of all befides who prefume to write; and 
the great object of their labours is to give 
coniequence ta the fit, and vility the 
laft. 
Your readers, Mr. Editor, will probably 
recognize that I have,not been defcribing 
creatures of the imaginations Te will be 
proper for them in that cale to reflect, 
whether by inconfiderate applaule aad en- 
couragement, they have not favoured a 
mode of carrying on the critical office 
equally prejudicial tothe interefts of liter- 
ature, and offenfive to the moval feelings 
Such. is the malignity of human Citar, 
that feverity pleales more than candour, 
and tco many find an inhuman gratifica- 
tion in feeing a figure fet up as the bute 
of iportive Tie But, a little confiter- 
ation would fhew, that it is the common 
intereft of fociety to difcountenance fuch 
pe'ty warfare; for every one is liable to 
fuffer, at leaft, in the perfon of his friends ; 
and furely it is not defirable that the at- 
tempt to pleafe and inftruét mankind, 
fhould neceffarily expofe a perfon to wan- 
ton feurrility. Your’s, &c. Micro. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
STR, 
HAVE delayed giving you my opinion 
Chaucer, 
concerning the ancient painting of 
wh:ch has been engraved and 
inferted at the-clofe of Mr. Godwin’s: Life 
of that poer, in the hope of meeting with - 
fome friend converfant with ancient writ- 
ings, who might have b en able to decy- 
pher the characters, which are fo diltinctly 
sale in that picture, . 
I have vot been wholly faccefsful in my 
enquiries, 0 or refearches. Neither myfelf, 
norany of my friends, have hitherto dif- 
covere:l among the languages of the con- 
tinent any ciue to what may be the idiom 
or thé meaning of the in{cription i in quef- 
tion, though beyond all doubt the painter, 
who. bettowed ‘fo much pains apne a had 
fome meaning in view. 
a return to ae i ee itl aie 
fyle 
