NOR is it fufficient, that a Man who fets up for a Judge in Criticifm, fhould have perufed the Authors above-mentioned, unless he has also a clear and logical Head. Without this Talent he is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidft his own Blunders, miftakes the Senfe of those he would confute, or, if he chances to think right, does not know how to convey his Thoughts to another with Clearnefs and Perfpicuity. Ariftotle, who was the best Critic, was also one of the best Logicians that ever appeared in the World.

Mr. Lock's Effay on Human Understanding would be thought a very odd Book for a Man to make himfelf Master of, who would get a Reputation by Critical Writings; though at the fame time it is very certain, that an Author who has not learned the Art of diftinguishing between Words and Things, and of ranging his Thoughts, and setting them in proper Lights, whatever Notions he may have, will lofe himself in Confufion and Obfcurity. I might further obferve, that there is not a Greek or Latin Critic, who has not fhewn, even in the Stile of his Criticisms, that he was a Mafter of all the Elegance and Delicacy of his Native Tongue.

THE Truth of it is, there is nothing more abfurd than for a Man to fet up for a Critic, without a 'good Infight into all the Parts of Learning; whereas many of those who have endeavoured to fignalize themselves by Works of this Nature among our English Writers, are not only defective in the above-mentioned Particulars, but plainly difcover by the Phrafes which they make use of, and by their confused way of thinking, that they are not acquainted with the most common and ordinary Systems of Arts and Sciences. A few general Rules extracted out of the French Authors, with a certain Cant of Words, has fometimes fet up an illiterate heavy Writer for a moft judicious and formidable Critic.

ONE great Mark, by which you may discover a Critic who has neither Tafte nor Learning, is C 2

this,

this, that he feldom ventures to praise any Paffage in an Author which has not been before received and applauded by the Public, and that his Criticism turns wholly upon little Faults and Errors. This Part of a Critic is fo very easy to fucceed in, that we find every ordinary Reader, upon the publishing of a new Poem, has Wit and Ill-nature enough to turn feveral Paffages of it into Ridicule, and very often in the right Place. This Mr. Dryden has very agreeably remarked in those two celebrated Lines,

Errors, like Straws, upon the Surface flow;

He who would fearch for Pearls must dive below.

A true Critic ought to dwell rather upon Excellencies than Imperfections, to discover the concealed Beauties of a Writer, and communicate to the World fuch Things as are worth their Obfervation.

The

moft exquifite Words and fineft Strokes of an Author are thofe which very often appear the most doubtful and exceptionable, to a Man who wants a Relish for polite Learning; and they are thefe, which a four undistinguishing Critic generally attacks with the greatest Violence. Tully obferves, that it is very easy to brand or fix a Mark upon what he calls Verbum ardens, or, as it may be rendered into English, a glowing bold Expreffion, and to turn it into Ridicule by a cold ill-natured Criticism. A little Wit is equally capable of expofing a Beauty, and of aggravating a Fault, and though fuch a Treatment of an Author naturally produces Indignation in the Mind of an underftanding Reader, it has however its Effect among the Generality of those whofe Hands it falls into, the Rabble of Mankind being very apt to think that every thing which is laughed at with any Mixture of Wit, is ridiculous in itself.

SUCH a Mirth as this, is always unfeasonable in a Critic, as it rather prejudices the Reader than convinces him, and is capable of making a Beauty,

as

MILTON'S PARADISE LOST.

29

A Man,

as well as a Blemish, the Subject of Derifion. who cannot write with Wit on a proper Subject, is dull and stupid, but one who fhews it in an improper Place, is as impertinent and abfurd. Befides, a Man who has the Gift of Ridicule, is apt to find fault with any thing that gives him an Opportunity of exerting his beloved Talent, and very often cenfures a Paffage, not because there is any Fault in it, but becaufe he can be merry upon it. Such Kinds of Plea

fantry are very unfair and difingenuous in Works of Criticism, in which the greateft Mafters, both ancient and modern, have always appeared with a serious and inftructive Air.

AS I intend in my next Paper to fhew the Defects in Milton's Paradife Loft, I thought fit to premise these few Particulars, to the end that the Reader may know I enter upon it, as on a very ungrateful Work, and that I shall just point at the Imperfections, without endeavouring to inflame them with Ridicule. I must also obferve with Longinus, that the Productions of a great Genius, with many Lapfes and Inadvertencies, are infinitely preferable to the Works of an inferior Kind of Author, which are fcrupulously exact and conformable to all the Rules of correct Writing.

I fhall conclude my Paper with a Story out of Boccalini, which fufficiently fhews us the Opinion that judicious Author entertained of the Sort of Critics I have been here mentioning. A famous Critic, fays he, having gathered together all the Faults of an eminent Poet, made a Prefent of them to Apollo, who received them very gracioufly, and refolved to make the Author a fuitable Return for the Trouble he had been at in

collecting them. In order to this, he fet before him a Sack of Wheat, as it had been just threshed out of the Sheaf. He then bid him pick out the Chaff from among the Corn, and lay it afide by itself. The Critic applied himself to the Tafk with great Induftry and Pleasure, and, after having made the due Separation, was prefented by Apollo with the Chaff for his Pains.

SPECTATOR, N° 297.

-velut fi

Egregio infperfos reprendas corpore nævos.
As perfect Beauties often have a Mole.

A

Hor.

CREECH.

FTER what I have faid in my last Saturday's Paper, I fhall enter on the Subject of this without further Preface, and remark the feveral Defects which appear in the Fable, the Characters, the Sentiments, and the Language of Milton's Paradife Loft; not doubting but the Reader will pardon me, if I alledge at the fame time whatever may be faid for the Extenuation of fuch Defects. The firft Imperfection which I fhall obferve in the Fable, is, that the Event of it is unhappy.

THE Fable of every Poem, is, according to Ariftotle's Divifion, either Simple or Implex. It is called Simple when there is no Change of Fortune in it, Implex when the Fortune of the chief Actor changes from Bad to Good, or from Good to Bad. The Implex Fable is thought the most perfect; I fuppofe, becaufe it is moft proper to ftir up the Paffions of the Reader, and furprize him with a greater Variety of Accidents.

THE Implex Fable is therefore of two Kinds; in the first the chief Actor makes his way through a long Series of Dangers and Difficulties, 'till he arrives at Honour and Prosperity, as we fee in the Story of Ulyffes. In the fecond, the chief Actor in the foem falls from fome eminent Pitch of Honour and Profperity, into Mifery and Difgrace. Thus we fee Adam and Eve finking from a State of Innocence and Happiness, into the moft abject Condition of Sin and Sorrow.

THE

THE moft taking Tragedies among the Antients were built on this laft Sort of Implex Fable, particularly the Tragedy of OEdipus, which proceeds upon a Story, if we may believe Aristotle, the most proper for Tragedy that could be invented by the Wit of Man. I have taken fome Pains in a former Paper to fhew, that this Kind of Implex Fable, wherein the Event is unhappy, is more apt to affect an Audience than that of the firft Kind; notwithstanding many excellent Pieces among the Antients, as well as most of those which have been written of late Years in our own Country, are raised upon contrary Plans. I must however own, that I think this Kind of Fable, which is the most perfect in Tragedy, is not fo proper for an Heroic Poem.

MILTON feems to have been fenfible of this Imperfection in his Fable, and has therefore endeavoured to cure it by feveral Expedients; particularly by the Mortification which the great Adverfary of Mankind meets with upon his Return to the Affembly of Infernal Spirits, as it is described in a beautiful Paffage of the tenth Book; and likewife by the Vifion wherein Adam at the Clofe of the Poem fees his Offspring triumphing over his great Enemy, and himself restored to a happier Paradife than that from which he fell.

THERE is another Objection against Milton's Fable, which is indeed almost the fame with the former, though placed in a different Light, namely, That the Hero in the Paradife Loft is unfuccefsful, and by no Means a Match for his Enemies. This gave

Occafion to Mr. Dryden's Reflexion, that the Devil was in reality Milton's Hero. I think I have obviated this Objection in my first Paper. The Paradife Loft is an Epic or a Narrative Poem, and he that looks for an Hero in it, fearches for that which Milton never intended; but if he will needs fix the Name of an Hero upon any Person in it, 'tis certainly the Meffiah who is the Hero, both in the Principal Action,

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and