ly beautiful; and much more expreffive than a comparison would have been. The likeness is very ftriking, and the circumstances naturally rife out of one another.

4. From flashing Bentley down to pidlingTibalds*:

"This great man, fays Dr. Warburton, with all his faults, deferved to be put into better company." Pope fpeaks of him as a man of fuperior abilities to Theobald. That he had very great learning was never difputed, but the epithet flashing characterised his critical abilities extremely well. No one could better explain a corrupted paffage in a claffic writer; but his fault was his attacking the found places, and when once he had pitched on a line to be altered, he

* Verse 164.

was

was most unmerciful on his author, to make way for his own emendations *.

Theobald, the fecond of thefe worthies, was fo unfortunate as to offend Pope by publishing an edition of Shakespear against him, for which he was put into the Dunciad.

* Bentley showed the way to critics to correc paffages merely for the fake of confonance of metaphor, and gave a fpecimen in his notes on Callimachus of his emendations of Horace, by corre&ting the following verse,

Et male tornatos incudi reddere verfus.

Hor. art. poet. 441. where he reads ter natos, for confonance of metaphor. But pray take notice ter natos is a metaphorical expreffion; for nafcor, natus, fignifies to be born; and are things born brought to the an vil? Is not here diffonance of metaphor with a witness For an examination of fome of the Doctor's corrections, vide Upton's Critical Obfervations on Shakespear, fect. 1. and p. 99, 119, 137, $78.

E 3

There

There hapless Shakespear, yet of Tibbald fore,
Wish'd he had blotted for himself before.

But his edition is preferable to Mr. Pope's; and indeed is his only labour that has escaped oblivion. The publick at this time waits with impatience for the edition of Shakespear which the celebrated Mr. Johnfon is preparing. We have great reafon to believe that fo learned and ingenious a gentleman will do as much justice to the merits of that immortal man, as the unhappy state of his works will admit.

5. Ev'n fuch fmall critics fome regard may claim, Preferv'd in Milton's or in Shakespear's name. Pretty in amber to obferve the forms

Of hairs, or ftraws, or dirt, or grubs, or worms! The things we know, are neither rich nor rare, But wonder how the devil they got there *.

*Verfe 167.

The

The imagery in thefe lines is exceffively beautiful, the fatire poignant to the laft degree, and the thought expreffed with great propriety. Nothing fo deteftable, but its reprefentation in amber, or in works of art, gives great pleasure. Dr. Warburton justly obferves on this paffage, that the thought is extremely beautiful.

6. How did they fume, and ftamp, and roar, and chafe !

And fwear, not Addison himself was fafe.

Peace to all fuch! but were there one whofe
fires,

True genius kindles, and fair fame infpires;
Bleft with each talent and each art to please,
And born to write, converfe, and live with ease;
Should fuch a man, too fond to rule alone,
Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne,
View him with fcornful, yet with jealous eyes,
And hate for arts that caus'd himself to rife;
Damn with faint praise, affent with civil leer,
And without fneering, teach the reft to fneer;

E 4

Willing

1;

Willing to wound, land yet afraid to frike,
Juft hint a fault, and hesitate diflike;
Alike referv'd to blame or to commend,
A tim'rous foe, and a fufpicious friend
Dreading ev'n fools, by flatterers befieg'd,
And fo obliging that he ne'er oblig'd;
Like Cato give his little fenate laws,
And fit attentive to his own applause ;
While wits and templars ev'ry fentence raise,
And wonder with a foolish face of praise-
Who but muft laugh, if such a man there be?
Who would not weep, if Atticus were he ?

This celebrated fatire on Addison is drawn in fo masterly a manner, and contains fo many beautiful ftrokes, that I could not forbear quoting it at length. That line, not Addifon himself was fafe, is a very artful preparative for the following character, which is certainly one of the finest pieces of fatire extant.

Addifon was envious of Pope's reputation as a poet, and endeavoured to fup

prefs