nels, than to establish a reputation: fo that nothing regular or just can be expected from him. All that regards defign, form, fable (which is the foul of poetry) all that concerns exactness, or consent of parts (which is the body) will probably be wanting; only pretty conceptions, fine metaphors, glittering expreffions, and fomething of a neat caft of verse (which are properly the dress, gems, or loose ornaments of poetry) may be found in these verfes. This is indeed the case of moft other poetical writers of mifcellanies; nor can it well be otherwife, fince no man can be a true poet, who writes for diverfion only. These authors fhould be confider'd as verfifiers and witty men, rather than as poets; and under this head will only fail the thoughts, the expreffion, and the numbers- These are only the pleafing part of poetry, which may be judged of at a view, and comprehended all at once. And (to express myfelf like a painter) their colouring entertains the fight, but the lines and life of the picture are not to be infpected too narrowly.

This author form'd himself upon Petrarch, or rather upon Marine. His thoughts, one may observe, in the main, are pretty; but oftentimes far fetch'd, and too often train'd and ftiffen'd to make them appear the greater. For men are never fo apt to think a thing great, as when it is odd or wonderful; and inconfiderate authors would rather be admir'd than understood. This ambition of surprizing a reader, is the true natu ral caufe of all fustian, or bombast in poetry. To confirm what I have said, you need but look into his first Poem of the Weeper, where the 2d, 4th, 6th, 14th, 21ft stanza's are as fublimely dull, as the 7th, 8th, 9th,

16th, 17th, 20th and 23d ftanza's of the fame copy, are soft and pleasing: and if these last want any thing, it is an éafier and more 'unaffected expreffion. The remaining thoughts in that poem might have been spared, being either but repetitions, or very trivial and mean. And by this example in the first one may guess at all the reft; to be like this, a mixture of tender gentle thoughts and fuitable expreffions, of forced and inextri- . cable conceits, and of needlefs fillers up to the rest. From all which it is plain, this Author writ fast, and set down what came uppermoft. A reader may fkim off the froth, and use the clear underneath; but if he goes too deep will meet with a mouthful of dregs; either the top or bottom of him are good for little, but what he did in his own, natural, middle-way, is beft.,

To speak of his numbers, is a little difficult, they are fo various and irregular, and mostly Pindaric; 'tis evident his heroic verse (the best example of which is his Mufic's Duel) is carelefly made up; but one may imagine from what it now is, that, had he taken more care, it had been musical and pleasing enough, not extremely majeftic, but fweet: and, the time confider'd of his writing, he was (even as uncorrect as he is) none of the worst verfificators.

I will just observe, that the best pieces of this author are, a Paraphrafe on Pfal. xxiii. On Leffius, Epitaph on Mr. Afhton, Wishes to his fuppos'd mistress, and the Dies Ira.

IR

LETTER XXVII.

Dec. 30. 1710.

Refume my old liberty of throwing out myself upon paper to you, and making what thoughts float uppermolt in my head, the subject of a letter. They are at prefent upon laughter, which (for ought I know) may be the caufe you might fometimes think me too remifs a friend, when I was most entirely fo: for I am never fo inclin'd to mirth as when I am moft pleas'd and most easy, which is in the company of a friend like yourself.

As the fooling and toying with a mistress is a proof of fondness, or difrefpect, fo is raillery with a friend. I know there are prudes in friendship, who expect distance, awe, and adoration, but I know you are not of them; and I for my part am no Idol-worshipper, tho' a Papift. If I were to address Jupiter himself in a heathen way, I fancy I fhould be apt to take hold of his knee in a familiar manner, if not of his beard like Dionyfius; I was jult going to say, of his buttons; but I think Jupiter wore none (however I won't be positive to fo nice a critic as you, but his robe might be fubnected with a Fibula.) I know fome philofophers define laughter, A recommending ourselves to our own favour, by comparison with the weakness of another; but I am fure I very rarely laugh with that view, nor do I believe children have any fuch confideration in their heads, when they express their pleafure this way: I laugh full as innocently as they, for the moft part,

and as fillily. There is a difference too betwixt laughing about a thing and laughing at a thing: one may find the inferior man (to make a kind of casuistical distinction) provoked to folly at the fight or observation of, fome circumstance of a thing, when the thing itself appears folemn and august to the fuperior man, that is, our judgment and reason. Let an Ambaffador speak the best sense in the world, and deport himself in the most graceful manner, before a Prince, yet if the tail of his shirt happen (as I have known it happen to a very wife man) to hang out behind, more people fhall laugh at that than attend to the other; Ptill they recollect themselves, and then they will not have a jot the lefs refpect for the minifter. I must confefs the iniquity of my countenance before you; feveral muscles of my face fometimes takes an impertinent liberty with my judgment, but then my judg ment foon rifes, and fets all right again about my mouth and I find I value no man fo much, as him in whose fight I have been playing the fool. I cannot be fub perfona before a man I love; and not to laugh with honesty, when nature prompts, or folly (which is more a fecond nature than any thing I know) is but a knavish hypocritical way of making a mask of one's own face. To conclude, thofe that are my friends I laugh with, and those that are not I laugh at; fo am merry in company, and if ever I am wife, it is all by myself. You take juft another course, and to thofe that are not your friends, are very civil; and to thofe that are, very endearing and complaifant: thus when you and I meet, there will be the Rifus & Blanditia united together in converfation, as they com

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monly are in a verfe. But without laughter on the one fide, or compliment on the other, I affure you I am, with real esteem,

Your, &c.

LETTER

XXVIII.

From Mr.

CROMWELL.

OA. 26, 1711.

MR. Wycherley vifited me at Bath in my fickness,

and exprefs'd much affection to me

hearing from me how welcome his letters would be, he prefently writ to you; in which I inferted my ferall, and after, a fecond. He went to Gloucester in his way to Salop, but was difappointed of a boat, and fo return'd to the Bath; then he fhewed me your answer to his letters, in which you speak of my goodnature, but, I fear, you found me very froward at Reading; yet you allow for my illness. I could not poffibly be in the fame houfe with Mr. Wycherley, tho' I fought it earnestly; nor come up to town with him, he being engaged with others; but, whenever he met, we talk'd of you. He praises your (c) Poem, and even out-vies me in kind expreffions of you. As if he had not wrote two letters to you, he was for writing every poft; I put him in mind he had already. Forgive me this wrong; I know not whether my talking fo much of your great humanity and tenderness to me,

(1) Efay on Criticism.