And, his religion, however regular he might have been in the obfervance of its forms, or however punctual in his devotions, did not certainly manifest itself either in his heart or life; and he was a strong inftance how much a man may deceive himself as well as others in this respect.

The leading features, however, feem to have been vanity, envy, and an auftere kind of arrogance that led him to defpife and abuse, not only equal or inferior, but far fuperior merit to his own.

Upon the whole, Dr. Johnfon's merit is only to be confidered apart from his faults, if it is at all poffible to feparate them. His merit, as a man of genius, was confpicuous where it fhone by itself, and untainted by the peculiarities and infirmities of his difpofition.

As author of the Rambler and Idler, and the Prince of Abyffinia, he must be always mentioned with praife, as here his genius appears to molt advantage, and with feweft of his faults. He was then a young writer, and fhewed not much of that severe arrogance which afterwards marked, so strongly, both his literary and philosophical effufions.

A certain fublimity, as well as melancholy of imagination, marks even his earliest productions. He was more ftruck with the terrible and tragic than the beautiful or gay. In nature he always defcribed the most awful or folemn fcenes; and in the moral world he took moft delight in the recital of human mifery, the fall of greatnefs, the difappointments of ambition, or misfortunes from levity or extravagance in the lower spheres of life.

His ftyle was even then stiff and majestic; but it was also strong and nervous, and full of that pompous and fplendid eloquence which, at first fight, is fo generally agreeable.

The chief merit of the Rambler feems to be its moral tendency, its just remarks on human life in general, and its excellent delinea. tions of fome particular characters. His views of life are exhibited in affecting attitudes, that both intereft and inftruct; and they are fo natural, though fet off by his peculiar manner, that they both reach the heart, and delight the imagination.

In this work he has been imitated by Dr. Hawkefworth in the Adventurer, with a good deal of his manner, but little of his stiffness or pompofity. Thefe two books, indeed, deferve to be read on every account, as they are entertaining, moral, and full of character. The Adventurer, though inferior in fome refpects to the other, is perhaps more lively, humorous, and more in the manner of Addison.

The fimilarity betwixt them is accounted for by Hawkesworth's being the conftant companion, difciple, and humble admirer of Dr. Johnson.

• His immoderate ufe of words of Latin derivation is affected; they are often far-fetched, and give an air of pedantry rather than of elegance to his ftyle. Suavity, perfpicacity, efflorefcence, fugacity, hilarity, are words peculiar to this writer, and wear too foreign an air to appear natural in our language. Corrufcations or fcintillations of wit, ebullitions of decency, rotundity of periods, and fuch like, are all favourite expreffions with him, and are too often repeated to be in general pleafing.

As

As an inftance of this affected ftyle, take the following out of many from the Rambler:

"It is common for those who have never accustomed themselves to the labour of inquiry, nor invigorated their confidence by any conquefts over difficulty, to fleep in the gloomy quiefcence of aftonish. ment, without any effort to animate languor, or difpel obfcurity."

Is not this highly turgid and unnatural? It were endless to mention inftances which abound every where in this author; but is it not proper to condemn fuch a mode of writing as an innovation in the profe part of our language, tending to corrupt and debase it from its original purity?

As compiler of the Dictionary that goes under his name, he merits the praife of diligence at least. And, though it is not free of faults, particularly erroneous or useless definitions, and feveral omiffions, it is at the same time an amazing work to be executed by one man, and that too at intervals, amidst fickness and other avocations. But he was a laborious genius that worked with vigour and hafte, and did much in a short time. He had also a most tenacious memory, and wide observation, that particularly fitted him for a lexicographer. His life has been written with great induftry by Sir John Hawkins, Mr. Boswell, and others; no late author has been spoken of with more eclat, but we cannot help thinking, that like fome other modern writers, he has obtained a fame and reputation rather above his merits.'

The precept, de mortuis nil nifi bonum, is here wholly reverfed. There is no great heroism in attacking a dead foe. When living, the fecret author of Lexiphanes, and the anonymous abettors of Mr. Wilkes in the newspapers, were Johnfon's chief affailants, till the publication of his Tour to the Hebrides; in which the pleafantries on the North Britons and their country have never been forgiven. Since his decease, the great moralift and philologer has had the number of his enemies increased by the imprudence and want of delicacy of his biographers; who, unwarrantably divulging his private opinions of living characters, have provoked many persons to hoftilities, on the principle of felf-defence.

The difpute between Mr. A. and Dr. J. concerning the merit of authors is only the opinion of one writer oppofed to that of another; and the whole controverfy will probably be reduced. to this fimple queftion: which is the moft refpectable writer, and the most able critic and judge, Dr. Johnfon or Mr. Alves? We were never partial to Dr. Johnfon's politics, nor to his prejudices, and we have frequently combated his opinions: but we ever must allow him to have been a great moral writer, and a man of genius, learning, probity, and piety.' Where his prejudices do not operate, his criticifms are fo deep, juft, and original, that in all probability they will long guide the public tafte; which they are the more likely to do, as he must ever be ranked himfelf among our profe writers of the first class: nor can

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he with juftice be denied a distinguished place among our poets, of the second class, at least.

Our honeft North Briton very unwillingly allows the traveller to the Hebrides, and the denouncer of Offian, any other merit than that of diligence as a lexicographer: but, if (like the antient Kings of Egypt,) Johnson after his decease were to be tried for high crimes and mifdemeanors against the republic of letters, in empannelling a jury, perhaps Wilkites (of firft principles) and Scotfmen fhould be challenged.

We cannot, in our judicial capacity, difmifs Mr. Alves without obferving that he, who fo freely cenfured the style of fome modern writers of high rank, without even fparing Cæfar and Cicero among the antients, (fee p. 277,) was frequently guilty of Scotticifms, colloquial barbarifms, and other inaccuracies, in the very language in which he cenfured others. We have wide off (for of) the truth.' Withal, frequently; a word which has feldom been used by any good English writer during the present century. 'As inferior as the found of a pipe to the found of an organ.' Now an organ being entirely compofed of pipes, we fuppofe the author meant, as inferior as the found of a fingle pipe to that of a full organ-which would be violent exaggeration. In regard of invention,' for to.Total filence of Homer,' for about or concerning Homer.Pled for pleaded. Perfcriptive for prefcriptive. Befides for except. In fuch a degree,' for to fuch a degree. We have only but (for nothing but) fketches.' Thereafter, for after this. Along with her husband,' for jointly with her husband. Neither can we fee almost any thing;' but wit, if one has any, will shine out but one way :' here we have the Gallicifm one (on) as a pronoun, and one ufed numerically, in the fame period. Pretty much equal,' for pretty equal, &c.

For typographical errors, in a pofthumous work, the author is not accountable; and perhaps, if Mr. Alves had not treated men greatly his fuperiors in genius and judgment, with that certain air of arrogance and furly difdain,' as if he was infinitely above thofe of whom he writes,' of which he accuses Dr. Johnfon in his Lives of the English poets, we should have made less use of our fpectacles in difcovering the faults which we have already pointed out.

4s. Boards.

ART. III. An Essay on the Manners and Genius of the Literary Charader. By J. D'Ifraeli. Crown 8vo. pp. 226. Cadell jun. and Davies. 1795. THE ingenious and active writer of this tract, having tried the ftrength of his wing by compilation, fluttering from tree to tree, and finding with what facility he performed fuch

THE

exploits,

exploits, now adventures at higher flights. He modeftly tells us in his preface, that he prefents the reader with an imperfect attempt on an important topic:' for the materials defigned for this effay having been accidentally deftroyed, his sketches are not fo numerous as he could wifh, and as the fubject appears to promife; and that therefore they claim all the indulgence of the title. Now, if by delaying this publication he could have made it more perfect, we might afk why he haftened to the prefs? We have heard of no fubfcription nor engagement for its appearance at any particular time; and the humility of calling his work an Effay will, we fear, have little effect on fuch readers as recollect that Locke and Pope have condefcended to call two of the moft perfect productions in our language, effays; nor would the metaphyfics of the one, and the ethics of the other, have obtained pardon, if defective, from the modefty of the title :-but De la Baumelle tells us in his little book entitled Mes Penfees, that if a man has a good thing to fay, he should fay it foon: or, fo numerous are the candidates for literary fame, fome one will be beforehand with him."

Mr. D'Ifraeli takes frequent occafion to remind us of his youth: but, when we obferve the firmnefs and decifion with which he speaks on most subjects, this circumftance may not render his readers more charitable, and more ready to fubfcribe to his opinions on very deep and important fubjects. Chriftians and Deifts will perhaps equally conftrue into flippancy his having refolved impiety and blafphemy into a matter of taste *, and will condemn the levity with which he treats the profound theologian Clarke, and the pious moralift Johnson, for imagining that the thoughts which Milton has given to Satan "are fuch as no obfervation of character can justify, because no good man would willingly permit them to pafs, however tranfiently, through his own mind." It was a want of tafte perhaps in Milton himself, that put fuch impious fentiments into the mouth of Satan, and which made him tire his moft determined and perfevering admirers with Free-will and Predeftination. To draw the most atrocious character in a drama, such as Iago, for instance, throws no difgrace on the poet: but impiety and blafphemy would not be borne on our ftage. Milton, however, was a truly pious man, who has breathed in his works the moft fublime and reverential fentiments of the Supreme Being, and has defcribed and defended virtue and morality in the ftrongest reasoning and moft glowing colours of any one of our poets: fo that the language of Satan feems to have flowed from no licentious intention in the writer.

There are, however, many ingenious and lively thoughts in this effay, and proofs of extenfive reading and acute obfervation. Though we are not always of the fame opinion, we shall not often dispute the author's principles. Yet, as critics, it becomes our duty to point out inaccuracies of affertion, as well as of language, which perhaps have efcaped the author through precipitancy of publication.

The author has treated his fubject under the following heads: Chap. I. Of literary men. II. Of authors. III. Men of letters. IV. The characteristics of a youth of genius. V. Of the domeftic life of a man of genius. VI. Of literary folitude. VII. On the meditations and converfations of men of genius. VIII. Men of genius limited in their art. IX. Of the infirmities and defects of men of genius. X. Of literary friendships and enmities. XI. The characters of writers not difcoverable in their writings. XII. Of Some private advantages which induce men of letters to become authors. XIII. Of the utility of authors to individuals. XIV. Of the political influence of authors. XV. On an academy of polite literature, penfions, prizes.

The first four chapters are written with that kind of spirit which attaches a reader. The 5th contains little perfpicacity, and few moral difcoveries. In chap. VI. the author describes the love of folitude, its neceffity to fome ftudious men, and its irkfomeness to others, with fuch equal force and illuftration, that we are unable to discover which he thinks right, or most eligible.

The VIIth and VIIIth chapters feem to call for little more than verbal criticism, which precipitate publication never fails to require. An abridgment of Chap. IX. we fhall present to our readers as no unfavourable specimen of the work *.

• The modes of life of a man of genius are often tinctured with eccentricity and enthufiafm. Thefe are in an eternal conflict with the ufages of common life. His occupations, his amusements, and his ardour, are difcordant to daily pursuits, and prudential habits. It is the characteristic of genius to display no talent to ordinary men; and

In a note, p. 107. fpeaking of a literary fund established in attic London, for which the claimants were too many and the fubfcribers too few, he tells us that it has died away; while the mufical fund is patronized by the Great, which feems to prove that they have finer ears than understandings.' Juftice requires that we should exculpate the Great' from the charge of munificence and conftancy towards the mufical fund for they have left the fociety, or the fociety has left them. The late benefits for this charity (which was not originally a royal eftablishment,) have been unpatronized by all the Great Directors; and we are told that they have been productive of no enviable fum to the fund. Indeed, it seems as if none of the Great had been conftant in zeal for this inftitution, except their Majefties.

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