A N

ESSAY

ΟΝ

CRITICISM.

Written in the Year MDCC IX.

L 2

CONTENTS

OF THE

ESSAY on CRITICISM.

IN

PART I.

Ntroduction. That 'tis as great a fault to judge ill,
as to write ill, and a more dangerous one to the public,

ver. I.

That a true Tafte is as rare to be found, as a true Ge-
nius, ver. 9 to 18.

That most men are born with some Tafte, but fpoiled by false
Education, ver. 19 to 25.

The Multitude of Critics, and caufes of them, ver. 26
to 45.

That we are to ftudy our own Tafte, and know the Limits

of it, ver. 46 to 67.

Nature the best guide of Judgment, ver. 68 to 87.

Improv'd by Art and Rules, which are but methodis'd

Nature, ver. 88.

Rules derived from the practice of the Ancient Poets,

ver. id. to 110.

That therefore the Ancients are neceffary to be ftudy'd by

a Critic, particularly Homer and Virgil, ver. 120

to 138.

Of Licenfes, and the use of them by the Ancients, ver.

140 to 180.

Reverence due to the Ancients, and praise of them, ver.

PART II. Ver. 203, etc.

Caufes hindering a true Judgment, 1. Pride, ver. 208.

2. Imperfect Learning, ver. 215. 3. Judging by

parts, and not by the whole, ver. 233 to 288. Critics

in Wit, Language, Verfification, only, ver. 288.

305. 339, etc. 4. Being too hard to please, or toa

apt to admire, ver. 384. 5. Partiality-too much

love to a Sect,-to the Ancients or Moderns, ver.

394. 6. Prejudice or Prevention, ver. 408. 7.

Singularity, ver. 424. 8. Inconftancy, ver. 430.

9. Party Spirit, ver. 452, etc. 10. Envy, ver. 466.

Against Envy and in praise of Good-nature, ver. 508,

etc. When Severity is chiefly to be used by Critics,

ver. 526, etc.

PART III. Ver. 560, etc.

Rules for the Conduct of Manners in a Critic, 1. Can-

dour, ver. 563. Modefty, ver. 566. Good-breed-
ing, ver. 572. Sincerity and Freedom of advice,
ver. 578.
2. When one's Counsel is to be restrained,
ver. 584. Character of an incorrigible Poet, ver.
600. And of an impertinent Critic, ver. 610, etc.
Character of a good Critic, ver. 629. The History
of Criticism, and characters of the best Critics, Aristo-
tle, ver. 645. Horace, ver. 653. Dionyfius, ver.
665. Petronius, ver. 667. Quintilian, ver. 670.
Longinus, ver. 675. Of the Decay of Criticism, and
its Revival. Erafmus, ver. 693. Vida, ver. 705.
Boileau, ver. 714. Lord Rofcommon, etc. ver. 725.
Conclufion.

A N

ESSAY

ON

CRITICISM.

'T

IS hard to fay, if greater want of skill
Appear in writing or in judging ill;

But, of the two, lefs dang'rous is th' offence
To tire our patience, than mislead our sense.

COMMENTARY.

An Efay.] The poem is in one book, but divided into three principal parts or members. The first [to ver. 201.] gives rules for the Study of the Art of Criticism: the fecond [from thence to ver. 560.] expofes the Caufes of wrong Judgment; and the third [from thence to the end] marks out the Morals of the Critic.

In order to a right conception of this poem, it will be neceffary to obferve, that tho' it be intitled fimply An Essay on Criticifm, yet feveral of the precepts relate equally to the good writing as well as to the true judging of a poem. This is fo far from violating the Unity of the fubject, that it preserves and completes it: or from difordering the regularity of the Form, that it adds beauty to it, as will appear by the following confiderations: 1. It was impoffible to give a full and exact idea of the Art of Poetical Criticifm, without confidering at the fame time the Art of Poetry; fo far as Poetry is an Art. These therefore being clofely connected in nature, the author has, with much judgment, interwoven the pre