I ILLINOIS Production Note Digital Rare Book Collections Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign 2020 ~~r 14¢.“ 2, ’1 m‘ .— wH—w "a", w ("lsw‘qv'wufl A N Towards a. N E W’ / ART-of CRITICISM ES TOWardsa N EW ART of CRITICISM As the fame is at 151efc11t pra~ (5113’ d with great S U C C E s s by fe: veral eminent DIVINES, LAWYERS, PHYSICIANS, and FELLOWS 0f the” COLLEGE in th1s KINGDOM. W a...“ ”pH—«m unusa- B32 JoHN' NEUSEBIUS SMYTH; Plan éfitio‘ncr 111 Philology and Church-11124 ck. ~ ‘-...__.-—— . ”M‘W-~pmw v...— 1.. n Avid Pieridum pz’mgro. DUBLIN: P1i11tedby8. BovinLL,” Fer G E o R G E R I s K» at the Ska/2. efpmr" 5 Head, GEORGE EWING, at the 422an and Biéle, And W1LL1AM 81/111111, at the H9rmles, Bookie 1ch 111 13.111729115791211 M D C C x x x; a___».»w»_1..~__-~1 .. 1.._..........__ .1... _.,___-_ ,... . _._. '__ , _ :rHE- he the Food of the Mind 3 then, I helie've, it may he allow’a’, that what _. M672 call a good Taf’te, is the heft Mean: to clirefi aha. a’etermiue out Choice to that which i5_ mofl wholefltme. For this Reafou, good Ctitichs may he coufla’et’a’ in’ the Character of excelleut Phyficians, who take Care of the Health of the WZJtlcl 5 a: had one: are the (lgacks that deflroy it. For my own Part, I pretehcl to he more thau the Merit of a faithful Apothecary, who makes the hefl Oh/etvatiom he can upon Prafiice, and is careful to keep Receipts up? oh hi5 File. _ , If it he euguir’a’ why I call my Syflem a NEW Art? I aufivcr, that I call it M New, IF Kuowlege (a: wife Meal aflure uc‘) ,-\_...,..\.\w_.-_...._. _ ._ . _. ._..__....._.._._ .—-—— ”a“. _ 7' he P R E F A C E. New, not heeaa/e it is anhnown (for in truth, ’tis already well known and throng/hm 1y praitis’d) hat heeaa/e ’tisl intirely diferent from all the Kale: of that Art known to Antiquity. flied tho’ ’ti: a common Calanzny upon the left modern W’ritings, that they are little more than Tran/tripts and Iniitationt of the flntient: 5 I may venture to aflare the , Reader, that this Woe/c has the fall Merit of heing fa e from that fleenfation. I defy the whole World to _/h'e-w, that any one Kale, or one Ohflervation in this whole Sj/ieni is either flelen, or” horrowed, or imitated from either Arif’cotle, (lu-intilian, Long'inus, Dionyf. Halggarllaifenfis, or Mr. Pope. vale: Aimee Leecor 8?. Hum. N. B. A'lnzofl prepar’a’ for the Prefi, and will fpeedily he pnhli/h‘d, Charafters of all the eminent Crities in this 13mm; from the great Author of a Letter upen’ a Letter, fie. to the great Hero of the Cenforiad. AN ESSAY: 63%; RULE 1+ Fim’fimlt, 4t firfl Sig/at, wit/y eve— ;jy t/az'zzg that if fab/Maw}. _ HIS is the firf’: and fundamental Rule of all good Criticifln; and is it {elf founded- upon folid Reafons. For, . Ifl, ’Tisten.to one but you are in the right : There being, at leaf’c, ten bad Produaions publiflch, eve- ‘gy Day, for one good one. zdly, Becaufe findiug fault implies a plain Supefio- 3;in of Genius. ' And,what a fine Light is aMan {cen in, when hisGea nius is niferting to it {elf a bold Superiority over every thcr! the very Claim is agood Founqation of Emi- ‘ ' ' ‘ ’ ’ nence. '( :2 3‘ hence. Claim boldly then : For-Criticifm hath, in this rcfpeé’c, fome Refemblance t0 Calumny; (and indeed is {0 like it, in fome Hands, that none but an Adept can diflinguiih them.) And you know the Rule, ca— lumm'are fortifir (in Englifh, criticife boldly) and fame- thing wiflcertainly‘adhere}, both to your felf and to your {luthora- » ‘ ’ Befides this, {itch a Conclué’tj is a {hang Prefumption of Right. Forwhotanbeimagin’d fo impudent, as to claim withoutfome Colour of Jufl'ice? and there- fore, the bolderyourClaim is, the better; if you are importunate and perfif’t, ’tis ten to one but the World, and theAuthor too, will be glad at length to com- pound the Matter with you, upon the Foot of an Iri I; Reference, ‘ and giVe up one half“ to fe cure the refl. " ’Tis a clear Confequence from this Rule, thatym flyou’d always ceizfure tho/e“ Writ: moff, which are thought mofi to excel. For, fince Criticzfin is a Claim of Superiority, What have you to do, but toraif’e yOur Claim as high as you can, fince your Right mufl always rife with it 2' No Man ever arriv’d to any great Eminence above 0-: thers, from the Back. of an Afs, or the Shoulders of a Dwarfe ‘ I ' ‘ "i A true Critick is a true Emblem of that flately maiefiick Animal, Who never Zails to raife his Crefi, burnit‘h his Gills, dif’lend his Dewlap and {well his Breaf’t with a becoming Indignation, at the firfl: Sight of that proud Colour, that fhould pretend to glowwith more Glory than his own: And no wonder if, in Confequence of fuchaPrefumption, he aflhult it with a juf’t Degree of Rage; and, if poflible, trample it under Foot. Oéj. But, here it may be objeé’ted, what if you fltou’d be in the Wrong? 2122f. :12. (3) , £22]: 1]}. To this ’tis obvious to aniwer; Ifl, That; f you are early in your Out-Cry, “3 ten to one but gou damn the thing at once; and then, you can never be in the Wrong. . 2411;), If you fhou’d be found fo in the End, ’tis ten to one but the Difcovery comes too late. For the Au» thor may be dead, or undone long before; and to may you too. 35/! , ’Tis time endugh to retraé‘t, when the rel} of the World are convinc’d: Your Delay willbe plac’d to the Account of your Delicacy. And in the laft Place, if the W'OI‘H‘. comes to the worfh Singularity hasa thouland Advantages to ballance every thing, that can be laid againlt it. There are lnftan» ces, Wherein one Man has been known to be in the Right, againi’t all the reftm ATHANASIUS comm mmzdumm is a glorious Situation. Vifirix caufa Dir; plamit, fed with Calm. But, {uppofe you are in the W/rong, and allow’d to be to: What are you the worfe? I know a Man, that hath carried this Point fo far, an hundred times, as to dea- ‘ny Virgilto bea Poet, or Cicero an Orator; and yet is he allovv’d to bea Man of Senfe and Tafte, by half his Ac-e quaintance, to this Day. SOme People indeed, maybe filly enough to (hurt his Converfation on this Account: What then? l’ll undertake, he’ll never want a Doéi‘or, :1 Square, a Low], or a Pmflm, at the Coffeeéhoufe, to ad— mire and to imitate him, And they. areindubitably in‘ the R;ghti For a Candidate for Eminence in this Art fhou’dr if poliible, never lofe fight of fuch a Genius. There is always iomething to be learnt, from a Spirit of flean’y Difléfit: And, if there were nothing elfe, a happy Faci'ity and Afih’rance of objeéting and difclaim-j ring, is eVery thing to? atrue Critick, e 4 RULE (4) RULEIL Deal in generals. i. e. Dz'flz'lte or rejeé‘r’ 7"éz’ngr in the Whole, wit/00w deflefidmg to Par- ticularr. Cou’d foon recOunt to you along Lift of great Men, who have fucceecied to Admirat’ion inathoufand In~ glances, by vertue of this fingle Rule. And the Rea— fon is evident; The Bulk of Mankind are feldom able to pronounce upon the Whale of Things, tho’ they are fufficient Judges of the feveral Parts: For Example, A, Phyfician may fifely pronounce upon any Man a-, live, that he hath avery bad Conflitution, and half the World, nay thevery Patient himfeli, will be apt e- pough to believe him, tho’ he hath all the Symptoms of 'Health, and all the Signs of a good Habit. But if the Doé’cor ihou’d go fo far, as to fay he had an Ulcer upon his Arm, oraCancer upon his Lip, poffibly he might not find it altogether {o eafie to face him dOWn, againfl: the Evidence of all his Senfes. So, in the Point before us, ’tis very fafe to fay in the general, that any Writing whatfoever is Stuf and Non- fenfiz: Butif you (hou’d fay the fame thing of the firfl: eight Lines, or theflcond Paragraph, or the third Page, Where every Underf’canding is as good a Judge of the Truth as’ your own 5 you Will be in‘ great Danger of gomg too far. Becaufe, fuch Affertions, if not Very well founded, will be interpreted by your Enemies not f0 much cenfures upon Authors, as Infults upon com- mon Senfe. _ “D , And here I muff beg leave to lay down one or two Cautions, very neceii’ary to good Succefs in this Science. In g. ‘ijdr: :5: (r) In the firf’c Place, 5e 'carefillaéo'ue all things to avail inconfifiem Cenfmes. -For Example, If one of you affirms, that a certain Addreis to a Great Mam-is poaraml winging,- take care; that no other of you affirm at the fame time that it is Win and familiar. ' ' " ‘ ' Or if one of] you {hou’d draw up an Advertifement in Profe, to‘certify to the World, that fuel] an Addrefs was an humble Imitation of S..___.ly, who imitated~ . S_._.———t, who imitated Horace; take care, that no other of you immediately publilh an Advertifement in Verfe, to certify the contrary, and (what’s worfe) to” ’ prove it toobv undeniable Qiotations. For tho’ it he never [0 true, that the Matter, and Manner, and Mea- fure of the Verfe is altogether different in th‘efe Per- formances; yet why fliou’d you contradiét your Bro- ther? fince you can’t but know, that contradictory; Critieifms are, in this RefpeEt, very like contradic‘i‘om ‘ Propofitions, and may very eafily, be both falfe, but can’t poffibly be. both true, at the fame time. However, If you are prefs’d hard upon. this Head, Idon’t think it impoffible to find a fair Evafion: For few things, are {'0 difiant as not to have fome Refem- blance. So, in the Point before us, I think you may infii’t boldly upon it s that the Imitation is evident: For, did 'not both write in Verfia 2 Did not both write; to Patrons: Were not both Patrons Lords .2 And, were not both Lords Lord: lieutenants? What wou’d Peo-x ple-be at? Did any Man, in his Senf'es. ever expeé‘t that ,Similitude: ihou.’d run upon more than all fol-tr 3 B, 2. Give t *_r.-Kjr A ‘— 4‘>w~»W-‘—b~ ‘m -9... . ....., . A. .,.' all-'3‘ A J: A V Tennwm“ ( 8 > Suppofe, for Example, that the Qiefiion were about: the Merits of aDialoguejui’t publifh’d; and your Adver.‘ fary {liou’d infifl', that it had every thing requifite to the Beauty and Eerteétion of that kind of Writing: And {hou’d talk to youot Politenefs, and Eafe, and Elegance, and God knows what—.m—let him Talk, and do you Shrug—A—It he {hou’d grow noify and pedantick upon you, and pretend to quote Examples from Plato, and Authorities from Ari/forte; let him quote on, and do you flimg—lf he "fliou’d perfifi; in his Impertinence; why then you have norhing to do, but to {hake your Head, and eccho his laft Words; F‘ Ay, ay, Plato, Ariflotle, Enfe, Elegance, 8cc.-——— then {mile a little, and by de— greeslaugh out loud~__my Life for yours, his Bufinefs is done at once. He hangs his Ears, and you hear no more of him. I don’t believe there ever was that Author {0 hard’en’d, or that Author’s Admirer fo impertinent, as not to be quell’d by fuch an irrefiflible Series of Criticifms: If the Shrug does not filence him, ’tis ten thouland to one but the Sneerlubdues him; there is fuch Triumph, fuck a confcious Superiority in the Criticifm of awell-con-w duéted Sneer, as no lmpudence is able to refifi; orif it fhou’d, a Hark-laugh lays it flat—a Hark-laugh knocks it down at once..._ The cenfum cachilmi is irrcfifiible, never was conluted or putout of Countenance, from the Foundation of the W orld to this Day; In one Word, b’tis as invincible as Sir—k B.__g.__.m. Befides all this, Criticks, lam fatisfied, are often" more candid, even in the Cenfure of their Shrugs and §miles, than their Enemies imagine: Nor is it juft, immedately to arraign them of Malignity, or an Averfion to Truth, Whenever they happen to diflike an Excel- lence, or to vend an U/zzmtb. For, as a Spirit of Cri- tieifm doth not always imply every pofllble Pei'teétion; ’tis poflible, that a Critick may want Capacity in partit eular Points, and, for that Reafon, mif’take Beauties tor Blemifhes. Every good Colour hath not equal Beau- ‘Y {’8 FE‘ BIA «a; z: r: n 9 JJ ty to every Eye; nor is every good Savour equally a4 greeable to every Palate. 'Tis exaétly [0 in the Mind: :1 Genius, with a firong Turn to the Serious and Sublme in Writing, feldom makes any great account of law He:- egzour ; a Genius, with a flrong Turn to Humour, bath, for the molt part, little Relith of Elegance, and lefs of Summit}. I confider a Critick as a Creature with What Phyfici- - ans call a firong Acid upon his Stomach,- which, tho’ it helps digef’tien, in general, yet is too apt to turn fome of fhenoblel’t Foods and perfeéi: Nourifhments of Nature into Cholerand Indigeflion. And therefore, when Cri- ticks cenfure any Performance Whatfoever as emfbtyM/d infigm’fieam; all that can be fairly inferr’d from thence (if they fhou’d chance to be mif’taken ) is only this, that there is nothing in it to their Tafie, or nothing but What they diflike and difrelifh. And under this Difiinétion a good Critick may, very often, with a good Confcience pronounce upon the belt Performance in its Kind, that there is nothing in’t. RULE N. If your own flutboriiy is not fufiez’em 2‘0 quell Oppoflz‘z'oo, and carry your Poim‘ 3 we}! the”, two or three of you join Forees---- and cell year felves z‘lye W O R L D----- and the Work’s done; T H I S is every Day experienc’d with wonderful Suc- ceis. Lady A.tells her Friend, “ That the World 6‘ makes very free with Mrs. M..._’s Reputation: That “ Ld.L. Was feen to flip into her Houfe in thedusk of “ the Evening, and flea] out again at Onein the Mom- .“ ing.” The Friend tells the fame Story to her Coufin, the coufio to her Sf/lers and all four hurry to all thfir " ' ' ' Vi its N": E (Io) Vifits that very Evenin 1r, to tell the Nears, under the flffingfifl Ties of Secrecy. And, In four and twenty , Hours, Lady A. is juftified in every Syllable {he iaid: F013 by that time, the World does really make very free with Mts.M ' ’5 Reputation 5 and {he 15 infarnmis from that Moment. Or, take the thing in another Light—g.— Ride our a hunting with my Ld. HM, th, and if H‘VU or three: of the wretchedcft 1311171622: in the Worid do but open warmly and lfoudly, tho’ upon neVer {o Wronga Scent, my Liie for’t the whole Pack will run in witntheCry, tiHih-fy run themielves out of Breath, and perhaps too, {0 far as never to recover the rightScent again, And will any Man, it; his Wits, compare the Cry of three éablmg CW5, to the Out-cry of three Stamk Critickr .9 in this indeed, but Enemies will fay, the Simiiitude ““5 5 that we always run down our Prey be& upon a wrong Scent, and are moi}; fuccefit‘ulwhen the right is IKCVér recover’d, But fuppofe People {hou’d he prevokfidi and te31you phiniy, “ That any one of thofe things, Which you “ vilify, hath more Wit, and Senfe, and fine thinking in it, than all the CriticLs in the World couid extraé’c “ from ah the Writings of you, and ail your Aflociates ‘9' puttegether. K n Why, the Anfwerisea‘fy. What is that to [the Put-3 leofl? whiz nave Crxtit‘ksto do with Wit and EXecilence i3 er, M; {,Eit‘iclg in 11.9552; and everyone knows, the ’Jr of a m ’g'3 is: “0: to draw up taleadings, hut in,» 12mm euna‘e'Sent: ncg' Smpoic any Man fhuu’d he {oin‘ipea'tinent is toaflirm that ;'),,.._........{y had more Law t3 an '1 t , or 5' dawned more Eloquence than. 3‘ Wm W", 1"» Q,_.,,,,__,.t._¢.. and 5‘ mafia t0 13 VC‘.‘}’ gt’jguj T; :35 {gr (In: itcaunl, 0f IhCiI‘ DC“ trees to be Valid 2 “glow, (3nd turbid. ' ‘1 I"? R U L E s ,s, be”. m: U '(tt) RULE V. Win nothing éut Sarina-med Satirize mm but Perfim of E mimme. ' A TI RE is the Pine—Apple of Wit: It hits every y Tafle; and contains every Flavour of every other fine Fruit of the Mind. The Vicious and the Whrtbld} are glad to fee others brought down byitfome Degree: nearer to their own Demerit, or Infigmfimncy: The Wife and Virtuous, unhurt, take a fecret Pleafure in the un— tarnilh’d Luftre, and untainted Purity of their own Per- feétions: And the R4555}: are delighted with it, becaufe it humbles their Batters, and brings them nearer to their own Level. And indeed, Satire 15, next to Death, the greatefl: Leveller in this World. And, likethattoo, can rob every Man living of every Ability, every Beauty, and every Elefling ot Life—and not only [0, but can con— vert them all into Deformity and Filth”: and by that Means, make the melt amiable Creatures alive, the Ab- horrence of their befl: Friends. And for this Reafon, lam apt to believe it may be true, what a Hawker of my Acquaintance hath otren aITur’d me; “ that, next to Blow} Murders, Satites fillhelt of “ all Papers whatfoever; and for the fame reafon protefl: Panegyricks (if Men had Talents for them,) wou’d cer- tainly fell the worfl. For, as Satires recommend and reconcile us to ourfelres, Panegyricksdiigul’t us,. The: one is fetting up a Tyranny, the other is reducing things to a Common—wealth: €116 Praife of eminent: Merit 15 the Reproach of every thing below it: And no wonder if the World don’t defirc to he inlultcd. And for the Reafon, I am fatisfiecl. it is, that both I, and {$31chth my Friends, found it very eafy to convince our Audi- ences, that the flrfl: eight Line: in alate Epifile to a cert C rain (my) tain great Lord, were downrigkt Nonfenjé: Tho” we found more Difficulty to fet them right in feveralother Parts. And yet, it is certain, that. nothing, but the ‘ Praiie of the Patron for great Abilities, made thofc Lines dit'tinguiihably worfe than all the refi. ‘ For theie reafons let all good Criticks, if they mufi: write, (which indeed is none of their BufinefsJ write Satires. Arid, for the fame reafon, let them ihtérize none but Perions of Eminence. For the fame Rule holds equally in Satire, as in Love5 - " Level at Beauty, and at Wit,— The fairefl Marks are eaflefl hit. The LuPtre of an high Reputation diffuftas fucha Light round the Owner,as gives the Satitift (together with the aid of his ownObfeurity,lall poffibleAdvantages of woundn. ing him Wherever he likes. in vain does the mangled Wretch roar out, like furious A J A X in HQ ME R," for Day and the Enemy: He, fafe under the proteétion of Nox and Nemofi: his guardian Deities, flinks, like Milton’s Hero, to his Covert, after he hath wrought his Vengeance; and waits the refult of his bold Atchieveg mentin Security and Silence. ' i A RULE VI? {Whatever Hood you foz‘irize any Man mz-v ' o’er, before you have done with him, he- fure you clmrge [aim looms upon the Hood of 711N171? ' OR, this is a Vice which is fore to render every .‘ Man lIthg obnoxious to every other. And, as c~ yery Man listing hath 3 eompctent Portion of it, ¢-' (:3), Very Man will admit your Charge with Eafe, and join init with Eagernefs. ‘ *1 - . . ' . .2 If the Vanity, you cenfure, is ill founded, it Will raife. the more Indignation in' your Readers: If otherfi wile, the} Merit of the 'Author" will make itreafier eredited 5 el'pecially’ if he bea Candidate for‘Fame, or Honour, or Preferment of any Kind: For then, the V whole Crew of‘Competitors Will'be flare tojoin in the Cry againfi him. 'And "indeed, nothing more ‘infallibly in-‘ cenfes any-Number of Men againftthe moft deferving Man inthe World, than the leaft Appearance on Sufpicion of a Claim of Merit: As nothing can be more provoking, than to boalt one’s Wealth among a Broa’ therhood of Beggars. * ‘ - “ y‘ R U L E VI . Zmee'ver you cwflire may Man’s 7470M: 07f Ahz’litier in one C/aaraéi‘er, écfltre, 2f, pafléle, to pmzfl: [aim and flaw; in ano» t1161‘. , J , . _,.. t, ; 7 _=. F O R Example; If the fime Man fhou’d rife to Repth tation both in Preaching and in Poetry, When yon” cenfure his Poetry, befure to praiie his Preaching at the fame time; For this will give your Critieiims the Cha-A ratSter of Candour and Ingenuity; andi‘youi‘ Cenfu‘re , Will, by that Means, carry more Weight.- fi'ld to this, , that there are twenty good Judges of Preaching, for one that pretends to any judgment in Poetry: 80 that, an Attempt upon him that Way where you might meeta thoufand People, in every Qlarter of the Town, to contradiéi: you, wou’d but deltroy yoiit own Charaé’cer—g infiead of hurting his, ‘ ' . - w...— And What greater Injury does a good Critick to any Man, in denying him difi‘erent Execllencies, than what 3;“qu herfclf. hath done to almofl; all Mankind. Are fl ' . , Z“ —;.--,___ - ~~4 ~ —--_.w.~ ”H -,.. out» _, “a: \ (14-) hOtdifierent Talents, almof’t always, Draw-hack: upon one another? Is norafine Imagination often obferv’tito hurt the judgment? and Wit to impair the Memory? How unreafo‘nable is it in any Man to pretend to ex‘» cel in many things, when to few excel in any one? Will it be any lmputation upon any Man now alive, to fay that of him which was undoubtedly true of Cicero? _.._. i own indeed that the Warmth; and Elegance, and Elevation of a true poetick Spirit are fome of the no» blet’c ingredients in the Competition of a Chrif‘tian Ow tor: What then 2 Are not many Men deem ’d good Prea- chers Without them 9 What have you to do then; but to follow Nature; and give good anlities as {paringly as .8483 ufes to do. _ If it {hou’dhc {till hrg’d, “ That fome of this lame 3‘ Man’s poetick Works are allow'd to excel,- and that “ he hath receiv’d high Compliments on that Head from :5 fame of the grearefi Genius’s of the Age, (9%” 11%;: E; all that m you 3 Do you. {till foilow Nature, and hefiow with 2. wife Frugality/e But above all? be {are you rever bellow, but under this prudentialDircétion .- Let the Bounty of your Praifealways 33,0 firll, like Pimmr/y’s ”Years of Plenty; and then, let the Frugality ot your Crititifm follow fal’t alter, like the Years of Famine 5 even tho’ it ihou’d be thought to devour all that went bc~ tuteit. Give and mke, is the great critical Aphorifm 5 that is, give all that you cannot take amflyfimd take away all #29; rm mm a m. m _ _ a w w