By the word critic, at this day fo frequent in all converfations, there have fometimes been diftinguished three very different fpecies of mortal men, according as I have read in antient books and pamphlets. For first by this term was understood fuch perfons as invented or drew up rules for themselves and the world, by observing which a careful reader might be able to pronounce upon the productions of the learned, form his tafte to a true relish of the fublime and the admirable, and divide every beauty of matter or of ftile from the corruption that apes it: in their common perufal of books, fingling out the errors and defects, the naufeous, the fulfome, the dull and the impertinent, with the caution of a man that walks through Edinborough streets in a morning, who is

indeed as careful as he can to watch diligently, and spy out the filth in his way; not that he is curious to observe the colour and complexion of the ordure, or take its dimenfions, much lefs to be paddling in, or tafting it; but only with a defign to come out as cleanly as he may. These men seem, though very erroneously, to

have understood the appellation of critic in a literal fenfe; that one principal part of his office was to praise and acquit ; and that a critic, who fets up to read only for an occafion of cenfure and reproof, is a creature as barbarous as a judge, who should take up a up a refolution to hang all men, that came before him upon a tryal.

Again, by the word critic have been meant, the restorers of antient learning from the worms, and graves, and duft of manuscripts.

Now the races of those two have been for fome ages utterly extinct; and befides, to discourse any farther of them would not be at all to my purpose.

The third and nobleft fort is that of the TRUE CRITIC, whofe original is the moft antient of all. Every true critic is a hero born, descending in a direct line from a celestial stem by Momus and Hybris, who begat Zoilus, who begat Tigellius, who begat Etcetera the elder, who begat Bentley, and Rymer, and Wotton, and Perrault, and Dennis, who begat Etcætera the younger.

And these are the critics, from whom

the

the commonwealth of learning has in all ages received fuch immenfe benefits, that the gratitude of their admirers placed their origine in heaven, among those of Hercules, Thefeus, Perfeus, and other great defervers of mankind. But heroic virtue itself hath not been exempt from the obloquy of evil tongues. For it hath been objected, that those antient heroes, famous for their combating fo many giants, and dragons, and robbers, were in their own perfons a greater nuifance to mankind, than any of those monsters they fubdued; and therefore, to render their obligations more compleat, when all other vermin were deftroyed, should in confcience have concluded with the fame juftice upon themselves. Hercules moft generously did, and hath upon that score procured to himfelf more temples and votaries, than the best of his fellows. For thefe reasons, I fuppofe, it is, why fome have conceived, it would be very expedient for the public good of learning, that every true critic, as foon as he had finished his task affigned, fhould immediately deliver himself up to ratfbane, or hemp, or from fome conve

nient altitude; and that no man's pretenfions to fo illuftrious a character fhould by any means be received, before that operation were performed.

Now, from this heavenly descent of criticism, and the close analogy it bears to heroic virtue, it is eafy to affign the proper employment of a true antient genuine critic which is, to travel through this vaft world of writings; to pursue and hunt those monftrous faults bred within them; to drag out the lurking errors, like Cacus from his den; to multiply them like Hydra's heads; and rake them together like Augeas's dung: or elfe drive away a fort of dangerous fowl, who have a perverse inclination to plunder the best branches of the tree of knowledge, like thofe ftymphalian birds that eat up the fruit.

These reasonings will furnish us with an adequate definition of a true critic: that, he is discoverer and collector of writers faults; which may be farther put beyond dispute by the following demonstration: that whoever will examine the writings in all kinds, wherewith this antient fect has honoured the world, fhall im

mediately

mediately find, from the whole thread and tenour of them, that the ideas of the authors have been altogether converfant and taken up with the faults and blemishes and overfights, and mistakes of other writers; and, let the subject treated on be whatever it will, their imaginations are fo intirely poffeffed and replete with the defects of other pens, that the very quinteffence of what is bad does of neceffity diftil into their own; by which means the whole appears to be nothing else but an abstract of the criticisms themselves have made.

Having thus briefly confidered the original and office of a critic, as the word is understood in its most noble and univerfal acceptation, I proceed to refute the objections of thofe, who argue from the filence and pretermiffion of authors by; which they pretend to prove, that the very art of criticifm, as now exercised, and by me explained, is wholly modern; and confequently, that the critics of Great-Britain. and France have no title to an original fo antient and illuftrious as I have deduced. Now, if I can clearly make out on the

contrary,