mately determined, by comparing them with the general tafte of mankind. In every compofition, what interefts the imagination and touches the heart, pleafes all ages and nations. There is a certain firing, which being properly ftruck, the human heart is fo made as to answer it. Defcription (with an elegant Engraving) of the celebrated Tomb of Madame Langhans, executed by Mr. John Auguftus Nahl, late Sculptor to the King of Pruffia, and which is to be seen in the choir of the parish church of Hindlebanck,two leagues from Berne. THIS Lady, who was efteemed to fentiments of mankind in polifhed and flourishing nations; when arts are cultivated and manners refined; when works of genius are fubje&t to free difcuffion, and tafte is improved by fcience and philofophy. Even among nations, at fuch a period of fociety, I admit that accidental caufes may occafionally warp the proper operations of tafte; fometimes the fate of religion, fometimes the form of government, may for a while pervert it; a hcentious court may introduce a tafte for falfe ornaments and defolate writings. The ufage of one admired genius may procure admiraBon for his faults, and even render them fashionable. Sometimes envy may have power to bear down, for a little, produ&ions of great merit; while popular humour, or party (pirit, may, at other times, exalt to a high though fhort-lived reputation, what little deferved it. But though such cisual circumftances give the appearance of caprice to the judgments of tafte, that appearance is easily correcred. In the courfe of time, the genu ine tate of human nature never fails to difclose itself, and to gain the af cendant over any fantaftic and corrupted modes of tafte which may chance to have been introduced. There may have currency for a while, and milead fuperficial judges; but being fubjected to examination, by grees they pafs away; while that alone remains which is founded on found reafon, and the native feelings of n men. Not that there is any ftandard of tafte, to which, in every particular inftance,we can refort for a clear and immediate determination. The conclufion which is fufficient for us to en upon, is, that tafle is far from beog an arbitrary principle, which is Tabject to the fancy of every individual, and which admits of no criteri- The innumerable variety of thefe en for determining whether it be falle monuments of human fragility appearer true. Its foundation is the fame ed to have exhaufted all the refources in all human minds. It is built upon of art and genius; but M. Nahl was fentiments and perceptions, which be- not deterred by this vulgar fentitong to our nature, and which, in ge- ment. Madame Langhans having dineral, operate with the fame unifor-ed on Eafter-eve, the circumftance of mity as our other intellectual principles. When thefe fentiments are perverted by ignorance and prejudice, they are capable of being rectified. Their found and natural ftaté is ulti be the greatest beauty in Switzerland, died in child bed at Hindlebanck, in the delivery of her first infant, at the age of twenty eight. Her hufband, who was parfon of the village, deeply afflicted at the lofs, found in M.Nahl,an artift, who, by his efforts, eternized the grief of the husband, and the memory of the beloved wife. This ingenious man, whom the chief magiftrate of Erlach in Berne, had previously engaged to erect in the fame church, the Maufoleum of his illuftrious father, affected with the forrow of the pious and widowed clergyman, in whofe houfe he lodged, employed his chiffel for his confolation, and faifhed with a fkilful and a friendly hand, the TOMB of which we have here given the engraving. the event happening in that critical moment, infpired him with fo happy an allufion to the certainty of our refurrection, fonew, fo fimple, and at the fame time fe fublime, that we can not .not withhold from it our admirati on. From a fingle block of free ftone, but of a very fine grain, he formed the figures and the tomb. The tomb bursts afunder, as if the day of general retribution was arrived, when the fepulchres muft render up their dead. The ftone which covers the tomb rifes up as it breaks in the centre, and difcovers within its opening breast this beautiful woman and her infant juft recovered from the dead. She rifes on the inftant of her awakening, and feems on the point of taking her flight Serenity fucceeds to grief and ftrife, In this bleffed hope Repofes in this Tomb, Guarded by a tender and forrowful husband, MARY MAGDALEN WABER, And who departed this life on Eafter Eve, 1751, The wite of GEORGE LANGHANS, to the Heavens. The fentiment of her Preacher of the gofpel at Hindel happy immortality gives a ferene and majefticcompofure to her countenance. With one arm the appears to push up the ftone, which yet opposes her paffage, and with the other preffes to her bofom her re animated infant, who alfo with his little hands feems inclined to affift in difengaging themfelves from the difmal abode. The cleft, where the ftone feparates into three pieces is fo naturally expressed, that the fpectator is difpofed to wait in expectation of feeing the tomb open altogether. As the infcription and verses of the Tombstone, which were written by the celebrated M de Haller, could not with propriety be introduced in the engraving, we infert them here in a free tranflation from the original German. Hark! the majeftic found! the trumpet hear! See the aftonish'd tombs give up Oh God! my Saviour! 'tis thy voice And with my child, I come t'eter nal day, banck. On Criticism and Genius. TR By Dr. BLAIR. RUE Criticifm is the applicatio of tafte and of good fenfe to t feveral fine arts. The object wh it proposes is, to diftingu th what be utiful and what is faulty in eve performance; from particular infta ces to afcend to general principles, a fo to form rules or conclufions co cerning the several kinds of beau in works of genius. The rules of criticifm are not for ed by an induction a priori, or a trẻ of abftra&t reafoning independent facts and obf.rvations. Criticifm an art founded wholly on experien on the obfervation of fuch beaut as have come nearest to the ftandi of taste; that is of fuch beauties have been found to please mank moft generally. For example; A totle's rules concerning the unity action in dramatic and epic comp tion, were not rules first discove by logical reasoning, and then app to poetry; but they were drawn fr the practice of Homer and Sophoc they were founded upon obferv the fuperior pleasure which we rece from the relation of an action wl is one and entire, beyond what receive from the relation of fcatt and unconnected facts. Such ob vations taking their rise at first f feeling and experience, were fo upon examination to be so confo to reafon, and to the principles of ticrím. A malterly genius, it is true, will of nimfelf, untaught, compofe in fuch a manner as fhl be agree ble to the moft material rules of criticism; for as these rules are founded in nature, nature will often fuseft them in prac tice. Homer, it is more than probable, was acquainted with no fyflems of the art of poetry. Guided by genius alone, he compofed in verfe a regular fory, which all pofterity has admired. But this is no argument against the usefulness of criticism as an art. For as no human genius is perfe&t, there is no writer but may receive affiftance from critical obfervat ons upon the beauties and faults of those, who have gone before him No obfervations or rules can indeed fupply the defect of genius, or infpire it where it is wanting. But they may often direct it into its proper channel; they may correct its extravagances, and point out to it the moft juft and proper imitation of nature. Critical rules are defigned chiefly to fhew the faults, that ought to be avoided. Bature we must be indebted for the To production of eminent beauties. From what has been faid, we are enabled to form a judgment concerning thofe complaints, which it has long been fashionable for petty authors to make against critics and criticifm. Crifics have been reprefented as the great abridgers of the native liberty of genius; as the impofers of unnatutal hackles and bonds upon writers, from whofe cruel perfecutions they daft fly to the public, and implore its protect on. Such fupplicatory prefaces are not calculated to give very favourable ideas of the genius of the author. For every good writer will be pleafed to have his work examined by the principles of found underftandng, and true tafte. The declamations againft criticifm commonly proceed upon this fuppofition, that critics are luch as judge by rule, not by feeling ; which is fo far from being true, that Bey, who judge after this manner, are pedants, not critics. For all rules of ed on feeling; and tafte and feeling are genuine criticifm are ultimately foundneceffary to guide us in the application of thefe rules to every particular inftance. As there is nothing in ly affect to be judges than in works which all forts of perfons more readiof tafte, there is no doubt that the number of incompetent critics will always be great. But this affords no more foundation for a general invective againft criric fm, than the numaffords against reafon and philofophy. ber of bad philofophers or reasonings formed again ft criticifm, from the apAn objection more plaufible may be plaufe, that fome performances have received from the public, which, to contradict the rules eftablished by when accurately confidered, are found criticifm. Now, the public is the fupreme judge, to whom the laft appeal must be made in every work of taste; the fentiments, that are natural and as the ftandard of tafte is founded on common to all men. But with respect to this we may obferve, that the fenfe The genuine public tafte does not alof the public is too haftily judged of. ways appear in the firft applaufe given upon the publication of any new work. There are both a great vulgar and a by very fuperficial beauties, the adfmall, apt to be catched and dazzled miration of which in a little time paffes away; and fometimes a writer may merely by his compliance with the acquire great temporary reputation fprit or fuperftitious notions, that paffions or prejudices, with the partya whole nation. In fuch cases, though may chance to rule for a time almoft criticifm may with reafon condemn; the public may feem to praise, true the afcendant; for the judgment of and it will in progrefs of time gain true criticism and the voice of the public, when once become unprejucide at last. diced and difpaffionate, will ever coin Inftances, I admit, there are of greffions of the laws of criticifm, acfome works that contain grofs tranfquiring, nevertheless, a general and even a lafting admiration. Such are the plays of Shakespeare, which, confidered as dramat c poems, are irregular in the highest degree. But then |