FOR THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. STRICTURES ON THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE; A Satirical Poem in four Dialogues, with Notes. The Eight Edition, revised. I vol. 8vo. London. Becket. Price 8s. 6d. 1798. THE Satirifts of antiquity is, that their writings are the moft copious flores of the enormities they reprehend. Let the moft paffionate admirers of Horace, Juvenal, and Perfius, read with the confideration of moralifts and Chriftians, only a few of the productions of these Poets, and blush at the crime of having recommended them as teachers of virtue. That Horace poffeffed the talent of expofing the leaft failing with good nature; that Juvenal, the leaft exceptionable of the three, is often nobly fublime; and that Perfius could with glowing pencil contraft the dignified precepts of Zeno with the profligacy of his age, we have no defire to difpute; but merely the propriety of the manner, in which they undertook to reclaim their countrymen. HE office of Satire, either grave or ridiculous, has always been understood to confift in correcting fuch vices of the head and heart as cannot be repreffed by the convincing efforts of reafon, or the falutary ftatutes of any eftablished tribunal. By difplaying thefe blemishes to the public eye, it checks their progrefs in the individual, by alarming him for his own reputation, and warns the unthinking crowd to guard against their contagion. Wit, ridicule, fancy, and genius, may all be fuccefsfully employed in the cause of truth and virtue; in fuppreffing the prefumption of ignorance in the intellectual, or mifled and wilful aberra tions from rectitude, in the moral world. Such are the uses, fuch the office, and fuch are the dignified affiftants of Satire. While, with the Befides, a writer of Satire takes unbiaffed hand of justice, fhe deals the liberty of naming individuals; of out to ignorance its contempt, and ridiculing their faults, or of praising to vice its infamy; yet merit of any their merits. Here, there is occafion defcription, and virtue under any for circumfpection indeed. The judg fet of opinions, fhould not efcape her ment of many who attempt fuch penetration, nor be defrauded of its compofition is often inferior to their reward. The Satirift fhould remem- abilities as poets and wits. A man ber, that he has seated himself on the of virtue fhould furely confider, when' throne of judgment; that not only prompted by honeft defire to deknown individuals, but even diftant clare his fentiments of men and books, pofterity, are concerned in his deci- that there are many kinds of merit fions: and that the leaft deviation from both in fcience and conduct of which fact is to employ the united force of he cannot pretend to be a competent wit, imagination, learning, and abili- judge; and that every fentence from ties, to expose defert to the mockery the mouth of an able fatirift, if it be not of a feduced multitude. He who pronounced with juftice, degenerates inventures to reprefs the vices of man- to abfolute flander and bloquy. He' kind, should himself show no difpofi- would do well to confider if his own tion to excite them. Can we endure decifions have not been influenced by to hear a cenfor of vice and folly, re- narrow fundamental principles in li proving licentioufnefs, and blafphe- terature, morality, religion, and polimy, while he himself is either licen- tics. He fhould diftruft the jauntious or blafphemous. The principal diced mediums of his own understandobjection against the most approved ing, when they feem to defpoil of Ed. Mag. April 1799. I i every fervices oft provincial bigotry or nar row political mania. We know the importance, and the duty of Satire, we rejoice when it executes its task with truth and ability; but we hefitate not to affirm, that its verdict is entirely different from that of private opinion; when falfe or erroneous, is nothing lefs than the petulance of ignorance, and the flander of conceited pedantry. We would now proceed to examine the firft of thefe Dialogues Previously, however, we must inform our readers, that by far the greater part of the book confifts of prefaces, and accumulated notes to the feveral divifions of the poetical compofition. In thefe, the Author unfolds to the public his reafons for writing Satire; for concealing his name, and alfo his political and literary opinions concerning living characters, and the times. The notes, a mixture of English, French, Italian, Latin, and particularly Greek, are defigned to illuftrate the text of the poem; and declare in faithful profe the dark fen. every good quality the man who differs from himself in opinion. These reflections have been excited by the perufal of an anonymous Poem entitled "The Purfuits of Literature &c." The Author, for reafons infufficient to be fatisfactory, conceals his name, and feems to think that he has a right to raife and degrade the literary world at his will and pleasure; and that the greatest and fafeft execution can be performed in the dark. This work confifts of four dialogues, evidently formed on the plan of Perfius or Horace The execution of thefe is very various; the poetry is often flat and profaic, but in many places it difcovers the vigour and imagination of a mind truly fitted to ftrike to awful notes the lyre. As this compofition profeffes to have an object of national importance in view; and by comprehending in one fubject the whole li terary eminence of the day with the article of politics, has found an extenfive circulation, we flatter our felves that a fhort account of its real merits, opinions, and fentiments, will not be unacceptable to a Scottish_timents of his Mufe *. The first Direader. Thefe we fhall offer without the leaft partiality for the perfon condemning or the perfons condemn ed; careless of the latent defence that he has fecured in the applaufe of party; and convinced, that while we regard with pleasure any effort to fup. port OUR EXCELLENT NATIONAL CONSTITUTION, we abhor the needlefs foundation that misguided zeal would endeavour to frame for it amid the ruins of truth. The times have need of a cenfor in morals, philofophy, and politics where the author has difcharged this office with juftice we will carefully applaud; we will even mark where he has prostituted the finest poetry to be the vehicle of mifreprefentation and falfehood, to the alogue was published in 1794; the fecond and third in 1796; and the fourth, double in length to any of the foregoing, in 1797. These and their refpective prefaces are preceded in this edition by an introductory letter of 29 pages, addreffed to a friend, on the general fubject of the Poem on the Pufuits of Literature. An advertilement (p. iii.) relating to the corrections made fince its first publication; and the author's main object in writing, concludes with a paflage of a fpeech by Mr Pitt, (Lord Chatham) from Dr Johnfon's Parliamentary Debates in 1741. Next an anecdote of Erafmus is prefented to the reader; it informs us that this great man miftook an anonymous oration of *Like the fiend in Milton,- "Nigh founder'd, on he fares, Treading the crude confistence, half on foot, Halt flv g: behoves him now both oar and fail." See his frequent reprobation of Calvinism and other Chriftian fyftems of religion, paffim. of Scaliger against his Ciceronianus for the work of one Hieronimus Aleander; that he was abfolutely miftaken, though confident in his own judgement. Whence we are caution ed to beware of (p. 2.) imputing this production to any perfon, on the authority of refemblance in ftyle. As to the name of the Author, he affures us "The town is enquiring yet, and will" (for a matter of no great con fequence, truly!) enquire, I think a long time." ibid.) To proceed to the introductory letter, (from p. 8. to 37.) This addrefs to the friend of the Author" commences with the common reafon for new editions, because the public has read the old; with " fmiling at the various authors to whom his work has been afcribed, Doctors, Dramatic Writers, (p. 4.) Royal Treasurers, &c. &c. Criticifms and diffenting conjectures, on the fubject (fays this arbiter of the Literature of his age) are alike the object of my ineffable contempt." He laments, that being hampered by the concealment of his name he cannot blazon the virtues of his friend: he affirms that the public expects neither thanks nor gratitude from the writer of a fuccefsful work, (p. 5.) "If it is unworthy of notice (fays he) it is left to perifh with the poetry of Knight or the profe of Lauderdale. Yet, when I have commanded filence within my own breaft, I think a ftill fmall voice may whisper thofe gratulations from which an honeft man may best derive comfort from the paft and motives for future action." We are happy to find that this gentleman entertains hopes of confolation and literary immortality; from fome happier paffages in his book he alfo may have a still small reafon; but we are not inclined to promife too much for popular performances, not even for Blue Beard *, though hallowed with univerfal applaufe, and doubly deferving, as we are told in its preface, for having difplayed wonderful mufic and matchlefs fcenery. But the motive of this Author's work fhould command immortality. He declares (p. 5.) that it is "an endeavour, by a folemn, laborious, and difinterested appeal to his countrymen, to preferve the civil and religious liberties of this kingdom, and the rights of fociety. It is defigned to conduct them thro' the labyrinths of literature; to convince them of the manner by which the understanding and affections are either bewildered, da kened, enervated, or degraded; and to point out the fatal paths, which would lead us all to final deftruction, or to complicated milery." How arduous the undertaking, how laudible the object! May the laurels which time thall never deftroy, flourish round the head of him who fhall, either by the pen or the fword, fupport the INDEPENDENCE of his COUNTRY, or ftruggle for the preservation of those privileges which reafon and expe rience have united in approving. This much we fay for the defign, let us fee how he has executed. Patriots, fuch as he profeffes himself, will fcarcely be fuppofed capable of derogating from merit, on rafhly-formed prejudices against thofe who differ from themselves in fome punctilio of religion or politics. We dread, with the author, the vaulting ambition, and unprincipled madness of the French republic; her "parallelifm of the fword, and infinuating fophif try;" but we truft, that by BRAVERY abroad, and CIRCUMSPECTION Ii2 A ftupid ftage-trick performance by Colman, Jun. Verum EQUITUM quoque jam migravit ab aure voluptas at HOR. Ep. I. B. II. v. 186. ` a on at home, we may defy her utmoft; fity, which, with the good leave of nd have no defire to make use of the author of the Pursuits of Literature, may, as well as (p. 192.) Cam or Ifis, be addreffed with the fulve magna parens, &c. when lecturing on veracity, affirmed that "nothing contributes more to the deftruction of the habit of speaking truth, than the open impunity of anonymous publication." The darkeft and deepest ftabs of character may be, and are countenanced in newspapers, pamphlets, and other uninveftigable conveyances. Our EXCELLENT LAWS often cannot reach the villany; we can fcarcely, however, be fo mad as to think that THEY have need of an anonymous defender. We cannot delay to hear all his tedious defence of nameless fatire; his fincere proteftations that his defign is pure; and that we are not to cenfure any of his opinions, forfooth! because he cannot be guilty of blafphemy, immorality, treaton, fedition, fcandal, &c. (p. 11.) unlefs "courts and fages of the law" can indict him for them; and we must be "Jacobins, Democrats, and witlings," thould we venture forward to accufe him. But let him know, that we are as fenfible of our danger, and of the value of our national conftitution as he, though we abominate to infult the understandings of mankind with obloquy; against Fox, because he may fpeak of the rights of the people; or Erskine, because he has faid and written that miniftry loofed the rein from the furies of the French. Never be ours "the laudible obliquity and feasonable (p. 16.) fear" that depart from truth. We would lament, but do not "hope," that the best flatefmen in the kingdom should "often free the fenate and the throne" for the retreats of St Ann's Hill or Drury Lane; but have no doubts that "Mr Pitt, or any other minifter, (p. 17.) will always find a board fuch quaint and profane cant *Libelling is nothing but flandering the intentions and characters of men of merit and innocence. Even to expose the foibles of great and good men is immoral ; as it enables vice to ridicule and despise their virtues. board of controul." We are affured, in French, that this author is "a folitary being, but that if he had but a little time, he could produce a volume of memoirs*, which the king and his minifters would find to be no fool's work indeed." Refpect for the Greek language, the molt perfect in any age, induced us to be partial to the vaft difplay of tongues in this book; but after confidering the abfurdity of writing in democratic French, what the author might have told us in English, we mark the pedant with indelible condemnation, who veils in obfcurity what even his brow of braís would have blush'd at in English. "Yet there are men, (and women too,) (ibid.) fays he, "who tunderftand it !" The reft of this letter confits of accounts-of the pernicious philofophy of Voltaire and his school of the danger of Chriftianity from it-of Popish priefts in Englandof the (p. 26.) value of the Italian poets, finding them worthy to be quoted in the P. of L.-of Latin, and moreover Greek; all of which may be used in this work, when there is occafion, and very frequently when there is none,—of a ferious with for the ampolla of (p. 29.) Aftolpho; (we pray in charity that he may find one from Anticyra,) and of characters of the only fix poets whom, in "fullnefs of fatirical glory," orbe fub omni jam vix feptenâ numerat fapientia fama. (p. 32.) What an admirable niche he has here carved for his own idol in the temple of Satire ! Lucilius, Horace, Juvenal, Perfius, Boileau, Dryden, and Pope. (p. 33.) To the memories of thefe illuftrious fhades we will always facrifice with gratitude. We will not, however, forget in the intoxication of antiquity, that Horace pandered for the honours of deity to the cool-blooded, infinuating tyrant Auguftus. Can effrontery deny it? Horace made genius labour in the galleys to rivet the chains of the battle of Pharfalia, and crown with glory the affenting murderer of Cicero. Ill-requited PARENT of thy country! thou diedft among its ruins. Would thy speeches against the anarchy of mobs and the corruption of rulers have met with the epithet (p. 362 et paffim.) of plunging" or the panegyrift of thy affaffin have gained applause for it in the Purfuits of Literature? Again we exprefs our pointed abhorrence of French politics, French impiety and ambition; but we are till Britons, and will execrate the fervile flatteries of defpotifm, while we can diftinguish duty from flavery. Next, of (p. 34) Boileau. "This" abfolute "gentleman and man of genius," in "true delicacy of ancient French language," with "a true fenfe of the dignity of the human character, when undebafed," with 66 great good manners, good literature," and "original poetry," extolled to heaven "the majesty of Louis XIV. which," in that cultivated age flet mortal never dispute it,) was as worthy of homage as the deity of the Roman "Auguftus." Dryden follows. (p. 35.) The powers of genius fo eminent in this great writer are transferred from their centre in Mac flecknoe, by our author, to the more favourite party-poem of Abfalom and Achitophel. * Le roi et fes miniftres peutêtre se fairoient lire ces memoires qui affuièment ne font pas ceux d'un Ignorant. +We can affure the reader, that if any ladies have furmounted the Herculean tafk, they will not, if they tell the truth, boaft afterwards of the amusement and inftruction obtained. The word "gentleman" is a term of perpetual occurrence in this author; it feems to go into his catalogue of the virtues, and often to fland for all of them. |