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CIVILITY

The civilities of the great are never thrown

away.

Memoirs of the K. of Pruffia, p. 107.

CONTENT.

The foundation of content must spring up in a man's own mind; and he who has fo little knowledge of human nature as to feek happiness by changing any thing but his own difpofition, will wafte his life in fruitless efforts, and multiply the griefs which he purposes to remove.

Rambler, v. 1, p. 35.

CONSOLATION.

No one ought to remind another of misfortunes of which the fufferer does not complain, and which there are no means propofed of alleviating. We have no right to excite thoughts which neceffarily give pain, whenever they return, and which perhaps might not have revived but by abfurd and unfeafonable compaffion.

Ditto, v. 2, p. 122.

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CURIOSITY.

Curiofity, like all other defires, produces

pain as well pleasure.

Ditto, v. 4, p. 8.

CRITICISM.

The eye of the intellect, like that of the body, is not equally perfect in all, nor equally adapted in any to all objects. The end of Criticism is to fupply its defects. Rules are the inftruments of mental vision, which may indeed affift our faculties when properly ufed, but produce confusion and obscurity by unfkilful application.

Ditto, ditto, p. 91.

In Criticifm, as in every other art, we fail fometimes by our weakness, but more frequently by our fault. We are fometimes bewildered by ignorance, and fometimes by prejudice, but we feldom deviate far from the right, but when we deliver ourselves up to the direction of vanity.

Ditto, ditto, p. 92.

What.

Whatever is much read, will be much cri

ticised.

Life of Sir T. Browne, p. 257.

An account of the labours and productions of the learned was for a long time among the deficiencies of English literature, but as the caprice of man is always ftarting from too little to too much, we have now, among other disturbers of human quiet, a numerous. body of reviewers and remarkers.

Preliminary Difcourfe to the London Chronicle, p. 156..

He who is taught by a critic to dislike that which pleased him in his natural state, has the fame reason to complain of his inftructor, as the madman to rail at his Doctor, who when he thought himfelfmafter of Peru, phyficked him to poverty.

Idler, v. 1, p. 16..

No Genius was ever blafted by the breath of Critics; the poifon, which if confined, would have burst the heart, fumes away in empty hiffes, and malice is fet at eafe, with very little danger to merit.

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The critic will be led but a little way towards the juft eftimation of the fublime beauties in works of Genius, who judges merely by rules; for whatever part of an art that can be executed, or criticised thus, that part is no longer the work of Genius, which implies excellence out of the reach of rules.

Ditto, ditto, p. 130.

That reading may generally be fufpected to be right, which requires many words to prove it wrong; and the emendation wrong, which cannot, without fo much labour, appear to be right,

Preface to Shakespeare, p. 66.

CONVIC T.

Imprifonment is afflictive, and ignominious death is fearful, but let the convict compare his condition with that which his actions might reasonably have incurred. The robber might have died in the aft of violence by lawful refiftance. The man of fraud might have funk into the grave, whilst he was enjoying the gain of his artifice, and where then had been their hope? By imprisonment,

even

even with the certainty of death before their eyes, they have leisure for thought; opportunities for inftruction; and whatever they fuffer from offended laws, they may yet reconcile themselves to God, who, if he is fincerely fought for, will moft affuredly be found. Convicts Addrefs, p. 12,- -Generally attributed to the late Dr. Dodd, but written for him, whilft under fentence of death, by Dr. Johnson.

CHILDREN.

It cannot be hoped that out of any progeny, more than one fhall deferve to be mentioned.

Life of Roger Afcham, p. 235.

CREDULITY.

We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know, because they never have de

ceived us.

Idler, v. 2, p. 157.

COMPILATION.

Particles of fcience are often very widely fcattered-Writers of extenfive comprehenfion have incidental remarks upon topics very remote from the principal fubject, which

are

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