Rapin, St. Evremont, and fome other French "Criticks, do the English wrong, in the Judgments 66 they pafs upon their Plays: The English Criticks e are even with them, for generally they judge as "ill of French Poetry,

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"There is a great reach of Difcernment, a deep Knowledge, and abundance of Candor requir'd to qualifie a Man for an equal Fudge of the Poetry and ingenious Compofitions of two Nations, "whofe Tempers, Humours, Manners, Cuftoms, and "Taftes, are fo vaftly different as the French are "from the English: Rapin, St. Evremont, and Rymer, "are candid, judicious, and learned Criticks, I own "it; but yet neither the two firft are fufficiently "acquainted with England, nor the latter with "France, to enter equally into the Genius of both "Nations; and confequently they cannot pass a juft Sentence upon the Performances of their re"Ipective Writers..

"Tis a great piece of Injuftice in us, to charge "the French with Ficklenefs; for, to give them "their due, They are ten times more conftant in "their Judgments, than we; Their Cid and Iphige"nia in Aulis, are Acted at this very day, with as "much Applause as they were thirty Years ago: "All London has admir'd the Mourning Bride one "Winter, and endeavour'd to find fault with it the next.

'

"Philo comes piping hot out of the College, and "having his Head full of Poetical Gingles, writes an Elegy, a Panegyrick,or a Satyr upon the leaft fri"volous Occafion: This brings him acquainted "with all the Second-Rate Wits; One of thefe introduces him at Will's, and having a Play upon "the Stocks, and ready to be Launch'd, he pre"vails with Philo to write him a Song, a Dialogue, a Pro

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True Eubulus; we allow Poetry to be a Divine Art, and the name of Poet to be Sacred and Honourable, when a Sophocles, a Terence, a Virgil,

a Corneille, a Boileau, a Shakespear, a Waller, a "Dryden, a Wycherly, a Congreve, or a Garth bears "it: But then we intend it as a Scandal, when we give it to Mavius, Chapelain, Ogilby, W "D—, D, S and your felf

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"I queftion whether fome Poets allow any other "Poets to have Perform'd better than themselves, in that kind of Poetry which they profefs. Sir "R---- B-----, I fuppofe, tho' he has declaim'd againft Wit, yet is not fo conceited, as to Vie with Horace and Juvenal for Satyr; but as to "Heroick Poetry, methinks he Reasons thus with himself, Homer has writ the Ilias and the Odyffeis, "and Virgil only the Aneid, I have writ Prince "Arthur, and King Arthur; am I not then equal "to Homer, and Superior to Virgil? No, B-----re, "we judge of Poetry as we do of Metals, not by "the Lump, but the intrinfick Value. New caft

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your Poems, purge 'em of their Drofs, reduce "'em to the Bulk of the Difpenfary, and if then "they weigh in the Balance with that, we will "allow you a Place among the Firft-Rate Heroick

"Poets.

"The Wits of mean Defcent and fcanty Fortune, "are generally apt to reflect on Perfons of "Quality and Eftates, whom they rafhly tax with "Dullness and Ignorance, a Normanby, a Dorfet, a

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Spencer, a Hallifax, aBoyle, à Stanhope, and a Codrington, (to pafs over abundance more) are fuffi"cient to convince the World, that either an Ilu"ftrious Birth, or vaft Riches, are not incompati"ble with deep Learning, and Sterling-Wit.

Rapin, St. Evremont, and fome other French "Criticks, do the English wrong, in the Judgments "they pafs upon their Plays: The English Criticks are even with them, for generally they judge as "ill of French Poetry.

"There is a great reach of Difcernment, a deep "Knowledge, and abundance of Candor requir'd to qualifie a Man for an equal Judge of the Poetry and ingenious Compofitions of two Nations, "whofe Tempers, Humours, Manners, Cuftoms, and "Taftes, are fo vaftly different as the French are "from the English: Rapin, St. Evremont, and Rymer, "are candid, judicious, and learned Criticks, I own "it; but yet neither the two firft are fufficiently acquainted with England, nor the latter with "France, to enter equally into the Genius of both "Nations; and confequently they cannot pass a "juft Sentence upon the Performances of their re"fpective Writers.

'Tis a great piece of Injuftice in us, to charge "the French with Ficklenefs; for, to give them "their due, They are ten times more conftant in "their Judgments, than we; Their Cid and Iphige"nia in Aulis, are Acted at this very day, with as "much Applaufe as they were thirty Years ago: "All London has admir'd the Mourning Bride one "Winter, and endeavour'd to find fault with it the next.

"Philo comes piping hot out of the College, and "having his Head full of Poetical Gingles, writes "an Elegy, a Panegyrick,or a Satyr upon the leaft fri"volous Occafion: This brings him acquainted "with all the Second-Rate Wits; One of thefe in"troduces him at Will's, and having a Play upon "the Stocks, and ready to be Launch'd, he pre"vails with Philo to write him a Song, a Dialogue, "a Pro

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Prologue and Epilogue; in fhort, the Trimming "of his Comedy. By this time, Philo begins to "think himself a great Man, and nothing less than "the writing of a Play, can fatisfie his towring "Ambition; well, the Play is writ, the Players, upon the Recommendation of those that lick'd it over, like their Parts to a Fondness, and the "Comedy, or Tragedy, being fupported partly by its "real Merit, but moft powerfully by a Toafting, "or Kit-cat-Club, comes off with univerfal Ap "plaufe. How flippery is Greatness! Philo puff'd

up with his Succefs, writes a fecond Play, fcorns "to improve it by the Corrections of better Wits, "brings it upon the Stage, without fecuring a

Party to protect it, and has the Mortification to "hear it Hift to death. Pray how many Philos "do we reckon in Town fince the Revolution?

"The reafon we have had fo many ill "Plays of late, is this; The extraordinary Succefs "of the worft Performances encourages every Pre"tender to Poetry to Write; Whereas the indiffe"rent Reception fome excellent Pieces have met "with, difcourages our beft Poets from Wriપ ting.

"After all, one of the boldeft Attempts of Human Wit, is to write a taking Comedy: For, how many different forts of People, how many va"rious Palates muft a Poet pleafe, to gain a gene"ral Applaufe? He muft have a Plot and Defign, "Coherence and Unity of, Action, Time and Place,

for the Criticks, Polite Language for the Boxes, "Repartee, Humour, and Double Entendres for the "Pit; and to the fhame of our Theatres, a mix"ture of Farce for the Galleries, What Man of "Senfe now will venture his Reputation upon these "hard Terms?

The

"The Poet often arrogates to himself the Applaufe, which we only give to Mrs. Barry or Bracegirdle's inimitable Performances: But then "he muft take as often upon his Account the Hiffes, which are only intended for Cafonia, and Co"rinna's abominable Acting. One makes amends for 'tother.

re

"Many a pert Coxcomb might have paft for "a Wit, if his Vanity had not brought him to "Will's.

"The fame thing that makes a Man appear with "Affurance at Court; qualifies him alfo to appear "unconcern'd among Men of Senfe at Will's: I "mean Impertinence.

"As fome People Write, fo others talk themselves "out of their Reputation.

* The name of a Wit,is little better than a Slander, fince it is generally given by thofe that have none, to thofe that have little.

"How ftrangely fome words lofe their Primitive "Senfe! By a Critick, was originally understood a good Judge, with us now-a-days, it fignifies no more than a Fault-finder.

.

* A Critick in the Modern Acceptation, feldom rifes, either in Merit, or Reputation; for it argues a mean grov❜ling Genius, to be always finding Fault; whereas, a candid Judge of Things, not only improves his Parts, but gains every Body's Esteem.

*None keep generally worfe Company than your Establish'd Wits, for there are a fort of Coxcombs, that stick continually to them like Burrs, to make the Town think from their Company, that they are Men of Parts.