I shall not pretend to vindicate a clergyman, who would appear openly in his habit at a theatre, with such a vicious crew as might probably stand round him, at such comedies and profane tragedies as are often represented. Besides, I know very well, that persons of their function are bound to avoid the appearance of evil, or of giving cause of offence.

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The latter of these periods discovers a confusion of ideas. The author speaks of avoiding the appearance of giving cause of offence; but in such cases as that to which he alludes, it is only by appearances that offence can be given.

But when the lords chancellors, who are keepers of the king's conscience; when judges of the land, whose title is reverend; when ladies, who are bound by the rules of their sex to the strictest decency, appear in the theatre without censure; I cannot understand why a young clergyman, who comes concealed, out of curiosity to see an innocent and moral play, should be higbly condemned; nor do I much approve the rigour of a great prelate, who said, he hoped none of his clergy were there.

In the expression, “a young clergyman who comes concealed out of curiosity,” there is some degree of ambiguity: it seems rather to imply that he is concealed out of curiosity, than that he visits the theatre out of curiosity. The following arrangement is more correct: “ I cannot understand why a young clergyman who, out of curiosity, comes concealed to see an innocent and moral play, should be so highly condemned.”

I am glad to hear there are no weightier objections against that reverend body planted in this city, and I wish there never may. But I should be very sorry, that any of them should be so weak as to imitate a court-chaplain in England, who preached against the

Beggar's Opera ; which will probably do more good than a thousand sermons of so stupid, so injudicious, and so prostitate a divine. The author speaks of a body planted in the city of Dublin; and thus employs a metaphor which is somewhat exceptionable, or at least unpleasing. Whatever opinion may be formed of his style, the meek and charitable spirit of this divine may be clearly discerned in the concluding sentence.

CHAP. XXVIII.

CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF A PASSAGE IN THE

WRITINGS OF HARRIS.

Now the language of these Greeks was truly like themselves, it was conformable to their transcendent and universal genius. Where matter so abounded, words followed of course, and those exquisite in every kind, as the ideas for which they stood. And hence it fol. lowed, there was not a subject to be found, which could not with propriety be expressed in Greek. The first of these sentences might be improved by the omission of the words printed in Italic characters. To many readers the second must appear stiff and quaint. The manner in which the particle as is there used, is accompanied with some ambiguity: the sense may either be, that the words possess the same degree of exquisiteness with the ideas for which they stood ; or that the words were exquisite as well as the ideas. If the latter was the author's meaning, the period may be cleared of all ambiguity by substituting like instead of as. In the last sentence there is an ungraceful repetition of the word followed.

periods, the author seems to have forgotten that he was writing English : such a construction is foreign to the usage of our language, whatever it may be with regard to those of Greece and Rome. The whole passage discovers marks of affectation.

How exquisitely is this all performed in Greek! The propriety of this sentence would not be diminished by a slight change in the collocation of the words : “ How exquisitely is all this performed in Greek !"

Let those who imagine it may be done as well in another language, satisfy themselves either by attempting to translate bim, or by perusing his translations already made by men of learning. On the contrary, when we read either Xenophon or Plato, nothing of this method and strict order appears. The formal and didactic is wholly dropt. His translations is an ambiguous phrase : instead of denoting what the sense of the passage requires, it may signify translations executed by Aristotle. “ The translations already made,” would have expressed the author's meaning with sufficient accuracy.

Wbatever they may teach, it is without professing to be teachers; a train of dialogue and truly polite address, in which as a mirror, we behold human life, adorned in all its colours of sentiment and

manners.

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To render the sense of this passage complete, the reader must, at the beginning of the second clause, supply some phrase equivalent to the following: 66 their writings exhibit a train,” &c. As the sentence now stands, it is loose and disjointed.

And yet, though these differ in this manner from the Stagirite, how different are they likewise in character from each other? Plato, copious, figurative, and majestic; intermixing at times the facecious and satiric; enriching his works with tales and fables, and the mystic theology of ancient times. Xenophon, the pattern of perfect simplicity; everywhere smooth, harmonious, and pure; declining the figurative, the marvellous, and the mystic ; ascending but rarely into the sublime; nor then so much trusting to the colours of style as to the intrinsic dignity of the sentiment itself. Of these sentences, the last two, from the omission of the substantive verb, are deficient in idiomatical propriety. This is a piece of affectation of which Mr. Harris is very frequently guilty. The word itself, which occurs at the close of the last period, is redundant. without contributing to the sense, it tends to injure the sound.

The language, in the mean time, in which he and Plato wrote, appears to suit so accurately with the style of both, that when we read either of the two, we cannot help thinking that it is he alone who has hit its character, and that it could not have appeared so elegant in any other manner. This is a very impressive sentence. It is not however unexceptionable: in the mean time is in this instance little better than an idle phrase.

And thus is the Greek tongue, from its propriety and universality, made for all that is great, and all that is beautiful, in every subject, and under every form of writing.

Graiis ingenium, Graiis dedit ore rotundo

Musa loqui. “ A tongue made for all that is great,” has no very dignified sound. The sentence might, I think, be improved by substituting fitted instead of made.

It were to be wished, that those amongst us, who either write or read, with a view to employ their liberal leisure (for as to such as do either from views more sordid, we leave them, like slaves, to their destined drudgery) it were to be wished, I say, that the liberal (if they have a relish for letters) would inspect the finished models of

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