With regard to the fecond divifion of our prefatory fermon, refpecting the manner in which this Review is written; the author can readily forefee, that he shall be thought to have treated both Dr. Johnson and Dr. Warburton with an ill-becoming levity, if not with unmerited severity: at least, this he conceives will be the opinion of those, whom an innate consciousness of their own weakness infpires with a timidity, which they mifcall, and flatter themselves to be, CANDOUR. The Reviewer confeffes indeed he should have been glad to have had, on this occafion, lefs to do with the commentary of the reverend gentleman laft mentioned. And this, he hath reason to think, would have been the case, had not Dr. Johnfon been prevailed on by his printer prudentially to cancel feveral annotations, in which he had strongly expreffed his diffent from that learned fcholiaft. But having, on fecond thoughts, judged it expedient to fhelter himself, as it were, under the wing of the bishop of Gloucester; it is hoped the juftice due to Shakespeare will excufe the Reviewer, tho' he fhould be fometimes obliged, in correcting his prefent editor, to ruffle and expofe an irreverend feather or two of the Bishop's.

That he may not be fufpected, however, of at, tempting to injure either, from a principle of spleen or refentment, he can fafely aver, with regard to both, what another of Dr. Warburton's antagonists hath declared in refpect to him alone; i, e. That

'he

he is perfonally a stranger to either of thefe gentlemen; never converfed with them; never faw them [but once); never had the leaft communication with them of any kind; never hath received or ⚫ folicited any favour from either; nor, on the other hand, hath been ever perfonally difobliged by them; fo that it is impoffible this proceeding can have been influenced either by disappointment or refentment. The truth is, that the Reviewer hath always understood it to be an established law in the republic of letters, wifely calculated to reftrain the exceffes of infult, petulance and illnature, too apt to fhoot up in the fplenetic re• ceffes of folitary literature, that every writer fhould be treated on the fame foot of civility, on which, when unprovoked by prior ill ufage, he hath been • accustomed to treat others*. Now, whether he he hath treated either of thefe gentlemen worse than they have treated Shakespeare, he dares appeal to the impartiality of the public; which, at whatever low estimation it may rate an obfcure author, who hath never fet his name to a book; it will hardly think there can be a greater difference between him and this par nobile fratrum of commentators, than there is between them and the inimitable writer on whofe works they have fo freely commented. If the Reviewer hath at any time, indeed, behaved towards these gentlemen with little ceremony, it hath been always when they deferved much lefs: for it is

See the preface to the Revifal of Shakespeare's text.

to

to be observed, he had nothing to do with the political characters of either. He did not think it neceffary, therefore, to pay any deference to Dr. Johnfon, as his majesty's penfioner; nor to Dr. Warburton, as bishop of Gloucester. Their literary character was all that concerned him; and even, viewing them in this light, he had to refpect them only as commentators on Shakespeare.

Not that the Reviewer piques himself on being deficient in point of civility, or would take upon himself to infringe the neceffary forms of decency and decorum. He admits, as Dr. Johnson observes, 'that respect is due to high place, and tenderness for

living reputation:' but then he conceives that respect to be limited both as to place and time; and cannot admit that any tenderness for the Living gives us a right to trample inhumanly and facrilegiously on the Dead.

Had the Bishop of Gloucefter, when he entered on that right-reverend function, made a public recantation of the errors of poetry, and formally renounced the pomps and vanities of verbal criticism; not one of the herefies he maintained, or the fins he committed in this kind, abfurd and enormous as they were, should, with the Reviewer's confent, have rifen up in judgment against him; or have been dragged from that oblivion, to which they feemed eternally configned. But if either Dr. Warburton, or his friends, prefume on the influence of lawnb. fleeves

fleeves in the republic of letters, it is proper to inform them there are neither Bishops, Priefts nor Deacons in that community. The republic of letters is a perfect democracy, where, all being equal, there is no respect of perfons, but every one hath a right to speak the truth of another, to censure without fear, and to commend without favour or affection. Nor is the literary community of lefs dignity than the political. Popularity and influence, indeed, may be obtained, for a while, by finifter means in both; but though birth and wealth may confer eminence and power in the one, not the defcent of an Alexander, nor the riches of Crafus, confer prerogative or authority in the other.

In the primitive state of society, a superiority of intellectual abilities was the foundation of all civil pre-eminence; and hence the fceptre continued to be swayed by fuperior wifdom through a fucceffion of ages. The acquifitions of fcience and learning were held among the ancients, in no lefs efteem than those of conqueft, and in as much greater than the poffeffions of royalty, as a chaplet of laurel was preferred to a coronet of mere gems and gold. Xenophon reaped more honour from his Cyropædia, than from the famous retreat of the ten thousand; and Cæfar still more from his commentary, than from all the military exploits recorded in it. As to the examples of modern times; to fay nothing of James. and Christina, left it be objected that one was a weak man, and the other a foolifh woman, we have

feen the kings of Pruffia and of Poland, the Alexander and the Neftor of our age, ambitious to become authors, and be made denizons of our little state. Frederick hath been more than once heard to fay, he would give his crown, and Stanislaus, if he had not loft it, would have given another, to poffefs the fcientific fame of Leibnitz, or the literary reputation of Voltaire.

Is it, by the way, then, to be wondered at, that a private individual, like Samuel Johnson, fhould be even prepofteroufly elated at finding that homage paid to him, which has been in vain folicited by fovereigns, and is refused even to the King on his throne? Graduated by univerities, penfioned by his prince, and furrounded by pedagogues and poetafters, he finds a grateful odour in the incenfe of adulation; while admiring bookfellers ftand at a distance, and look up to him with awful reverence, bowing the knee to Baal, and holding in fearful Temembrance the exemplary fate of Tom Ofborne; prefumptuous Tom Ofborne! who, braving the vengeance of this paper-crowned idol, was, for his temerity, transfixed to his mother-earth by a thundering folio! It may be a pity to difturb Dr. Johnson from fo pleasing a reverie, and to diffipate so agreeable a fcene of delufion; he will exclaim doubtlefs, with the honeft citizen of Argos.

Pol me occidiftis.

cui fic extorta voluptas,

Et demptus per vim mentis gratiffimus error.