the Italians call the Gufto grande in these arts, which is what we call the Sublime in writing. In the next place, our critics do not feem fenfible that there is more beauty in the works of a great genius who is ignorant of the rules of art; than in thofe of a little genius who knows and obferves them. It is of thefe men of genius that Terence speaks, in opposition to the little artificial cavillers of his time : Quorum amulari exoptat negligentiam Potiùs, quàm iftorum obfcuram diligentiam. Whofe negligence he would rather imitate, than thefe mens obfcure diligence. A critic may have the fame confolation in the illfuccefs of his play, as Dr. South tells us a phyfician has at the death of a patient, that he was killed fecundum artem. Our inimitable Shakespear is a stumbling block to the whole tribe of thefe rigid critics. Who would not rather read one of his plays, where there is not a fingle rule of the stage observed, than any production of a modern critic, where there is not any one of them violated? Shakespear was indeed born with all the feeds of poetry, and may be compared to the stone in Pyrrhus's ring, which, as Pliny tells us, had the figure of Apollo and the nine mufes in the veins of it, produced by the fpontaneous hand of nature, without any help from art. 0 2 MONDAY, No 593. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13. Quale per incertam lunam fub luce maligna MY dreaming correfpondent, Mr. Shadow, has fent me a fecond letter, with feveral curious obfervations on dreams in general, and the method to render fleep improving: An extract of his letter will not, I prefume, be difagreeable to my readers. SINCE we have fo little time to spare, that none of it may be loft, I fee no reason why we fhould neglect to examine thofe imaginary fcenes we are presented with in fleep, only because they they have a lefs reality in them than our waking meditations. A traveller would bring his judgment in queftion, who fhould defpife the direc'tions of his map for want of real roads in it, be• caufe here ftands a dot inftead of a town, or a cipher instead of a city, and it must be a long day's journey to travel through two or three inches. Fancy in dreams gives us much fuch another landfcape of life as that does of countries, and though ⚫ its appearances may seem strangely jumbled together, we may often obferve fuch traces and footfteps of noble thoughts, as, if carefully purfued, might lead us into a proper path of action. There is fo much rapture and extafy in our fancied blifs, and fomething fo difmal and fhocking ⚫ in our fancied mifery, that though the inactivity of the body has given occafion for calling fleep the image of Death, the brifknefs of the fancy af fords fords us a strong intimation of something within 6 us that can never die. I have wondered, that Alexander the Great, who came into the world fufficiently dreamt of by his parents, and had himself a tolerable knack at dreaming, fhould often fay, that fleep was one thing which made him fenfible he was mortal. I who have not fuch fields of action in the day-timeto divert my attention from this matter, plainly perceive, that in thofe operations of the mind, ⚫ while the body is at reft, there is a certain vast• nefs of conception very fuitable to the capacity, and demonstrative of the force of that divine part ⚫ in our compofition which will laft for ever. Neither do I much doubt, but had we a true account. ⚫ of the wonders the hero laft mentioned performed in his fleep, his conquering this little globe would hardly be worth mentioning. I may affirm, without vanity, that when I compare feveral actions in Quintus Curtius with fome others in my own noctuary, I appear the greater hero of the I fhall clofe this fubject with obferving, that while we are awake we are at liberty to fix our thoughts on what we please, but in fleep we have not the command of them. The ideas which ftrike the fancy arife in us without our choice, either from the occurrences of the day paft, the temper we lie down in, or it may be the direction of fome fuperior Being. It is certain the imagination may be fo differently affected in fleep, that our actions of the day might be either rewarded or punifhed with a little age of happiness or mifery. St. Auftin was of opinion, that if in Paradise there was the fame viciffitude of fleeping and waking as in the prefent world, the dreams of its inhabitants would be very happy. And fo far at prefent our dreams are in our power, that they are generally conformable to our waking O 3 waking thoughts, fo that it is not impoffible to con vey ourselves to a confort of mufic, the converfation of diftant friends, or any other entertainment which has been before lodged in the mind. My readers, by applying these hints, will find the neceffity of making a good day of it, if they hearti ly with themfelves a good night. I have often confidered Marcia's prayer, and Lucius's account of Cato, in this light. Marc. O ye immortal powers that guard the juft, Watch round his couch, and foften his repofe, Banifh his forrows, and becalm his foul With eafy dreams; remember all his virtues, And fhew mankind that goodness is your care. Luc. Sweet are the flumbers of the virtuous man O Marcia, I have feen thy god-like father; Some power invisible supports his foul, And bears it up in all its wonted greatness. A kind refreshing fleep is fallen upon him: I saw him ftretch'd at ease, his fancy loft In pleafing dreams; as I drew near his couch, He fmil'd and cry'd, Cæfar, thou canst not hurt me. Mr. Shadow acquaints me in a poftfcript, that he has no manner of title to the vifion which fucceeded his first letter; but adds, that as the gentleman who wrote it dreams very fenfibly, he fhall be glad to meet him fome night or other, under the great elm tree, by which Virgil has given us a fine metaphorical image of fleep, in order to turn over a few of the leaves together, and oblige the public with an account of the dreams that lie under them. WEDNESDAY, *********************** No 594. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. Abfentem qui rodit amicum; Qui non defendit alio culpente; folutos Qui captat rifus hominum, famamque dicacis ; He that fhall rail against his abfent friends, can, And only to be thought a witty man; Tells tales, and brings his friend in difefteem: That man's a knave; be fure beware of him. CREECH. WERE ERE all the vexations of life put together, we fhould find that a great part of them proceed from thofe calumnies and repches which we fpread abroad concerning one another. There is scarce a man living who is not, in fome degree, guilty of this offence; though, at the fame. time, however we treat one another, it must be confeffed, that we all confent in speaking ill of the perfons who are notorious for this practice. It generally takes its rife, either from an ill-will to man. kind, a private inclination to make ourselves efteemed, an oftentation of wit, a vanity of being thought in the fecrets of the world, or from a defire of gratifying any of thefe difpofitions of mind in those persons with whom we converfe. The publisher of fcandal is more or lefs odious to mankind, and criminal in himfelf, as he is influenced by any one or more of the foregoing motives. But whatever may be the occafion of spread ing |