The manner in which this decifive literary hiftorian treats Dryden and Pope feems to border on pertnefs and arrogance. Neither of thefe great poets had the good fortune to be born north of the Tweed: a circumftance highly favourable to Lord Kelly, celebrated (according to Mr. A.) all over Europe for a bold and fpirited ftyle of mufic peculiarly his own.' Now though this mufical and bacchanalian Lord is allowed by profeffors to have poffeffed more genius, fire, and knowlege of mufic than any dilettante in our ifland, yet his ftyle was not his own, but that of the elder Stamitz, his mafter, which he imitated well; yet his fame, we fear, has not extended over Europe fouth of London, nor far north of Edinburgh.

The merit of Scotch philofophers, hiftorians, poets, and phyficians, is difplayed by our author with no lefs accuracy than zeal but we are unable to difcover how Dr. Pitcairn, born at Edinburgh, Dec. 1652,' could have been phyfician to James and Charles I.' unless in a pre-existent state.

We now come to our author's Literary Effays, containing comparisons and illuftrations of antient and modern authors; with various other fubjects of literature.' Thefe amount to eighteen. The firft-Milton, Shakspeare, Homer, and Virgil comparedbegins with a declaration of war against Dr. Johnson, of which we fhall take fome notice hereafter. The 2d effay contains illuftrations of Homer, concluding with remarks on Hefiod. The 3d, illuftrations on Virgil, concluding with remarks on Lucretius. Eflay 4. Illuftrations on the fatires and epiftles of Horace, in which the feveral merits of that most admirable claffic are pointed out with no vulgar tafte and difcrimination. Effay 5. Herodotus and Livy compared. In this paper, if the author had topped after having faid that Herodotus was the most antient of all hiftorians if we except the facred,' his affertion would not have been difputed: but, when he adds, and the moft antient of all profane writers except Hefiod and Homer,' he forgot the long lift of Greek lyric poets given in Fabricius, not only anterior to the time of Herodotus, but even to that of Homer and Hefiod. Among thofe that preceded Herodotus, are enumerated Terpander, Alcæus, Alemon, Tyrtæus, Anacreon, Pindar, Sappho, Pythagoras, and fop. Effay 6. Thucydides, Salluft, and Tacitus compared. The effayift fhould have mentioned Smith's tranflation of Thucydides, as well as that of Hobbes. While Mr. Alves's critical remarks and encomiums are confined to antient authors, they are generally candid, judicious, and in good tafte: but, in the fubfequent effays, his opinions feem tinctured with national prejudice and partiality. His 14th effay, however, on the fublime and pathetic of the Holy

Scriptures,

Scriptures, and of their fuperiority to all human compofitions, is written with great force, reverence, and zeal. The friends of our religion will fee with pleasure this fubject treated in a manner equally free from fanaticism and bigotry, by a volunteer in theology.

In effay 15, speaking of different kinds of ftyle, it is eafy to perceive that the cold, unadorned, Calviniftical style of the inhabitants of North Britain is greatly preferred by our author to the glowing, polished, metaphyfical ftyle of fome of the natives of the more fouthern parts of the island.

Throughout these effays, the author feizes every opportunity of manifefting an implacable hatred of Dr. Johnson, against whom the 18th effay is a moft furious Philippic; which he calls a charater of Dr. Johnson:

To draw even a sketch of this character is extremely difficult *; fo mixed and rude an original is fcarcely to be found; and from this ftrange mixture in his character, it is extremely difficult to affign its leading features.

As a critic and drawer of characters, in which he fo much de lights, and has got fo much fame, he affects caricatura grotesque, and the terrible, tragic manner of Salvator Rofa. He is bold and imperious, and dafhes, with feverity and gloom, the greatest part of his portraits. Sometimes one paffion, fometimes another predominates, and holds the pencil to the delineation. Prejudice, ill-nature, whim, vanity, envy, all take their turns,

One principle, however, feems to reign through the whole, and to prevail on all occafions, to wit †, a certain air of arrogance and furly difdain, as if the author was infinitely above those of whom he writes.

He was a Diogenes in criticism, always querulous and grumbling ; a Scaliger, whimfical and vain; a Zoilus, abufing a Shakespeare, a Milton, or a Gray; a finder of faults in his cotemporaries from envy; fnarling and backbiting them without mercy, and pouring out against them inceffant floods of gall, that fhewed how much his heart was torn with ever-gnawing envy, and the moft fiery jealousy.

He is faid to be religious; but he was rather fuperftitious, and for which fome of his friends were pleased to call him one of the beft of men, as well as one of the greatest geniuses.

It is difficult to avoid indignation, or to exprefs it without feverity. To the friends and admirers of Dr. Johnfon, the author can only offer, as his apology, the unjust and abusive attack made by the Doctor upon moft, if not all the best of our English poets, with a view, as it would appear, to humble all merit except his own, and ftrike to the duft the nobleft monuments of human genius.'

This is particularly visible in his Lives of the English poets.' See his account of Gray, Shenftone, Lyttelton, Hammond, &c. but the tender Hammond he has abused on account of his connection with Chesterfield, whom the Doctor hated."

REV. DEC. 1795.

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And, his religion, however regular he might have been in the obfervance of its forms, or however punctual in his devotions, did not certainly manifeft 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 despise 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 separate 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 most advantage, and with feweft of his faults. He was then a young writer, and fhewed not much of that fevere arrogance which afterwards marked, fo ftrongly, both his literary and philofophical 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 greatness, 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 interest and instruct; 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. Hawkesworth in the Adventurer, with a good deal of his manner, but little of his ftiffnefs or pompofity. These two books, indeed, deserve 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 Addifon.

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

• 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 style. 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 themfelves to the labour of inquiry, nor invigorated their confidence by any conquests over difficulty, to fleep in the gloomy quiefcence of aftonishment, 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 leaft. And, though it is not free of faults, particularly erroneous or ufelefs definitions, and several omiffions, it is at the fame time an amazing work to be executed by one man, and that too at intervals, amidst sickness and other avocations. But he was a laborious genius that worked with vigour and haste, and did much in a short time. He had also a most tenacious memory, and wide obfervation, that particularly fitted him for a lexicographer. His life has been written with great induftry by Sir John Hawkins, Mr. Bolwell, and others; no late author has been fpoken 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 re-, verfed. There is no great heroifm in attacking a dead foe.. When living, the fecret author of Lexiphanes, and the anonymous abettors of Mr. Wilkes in the newfpapers, were Johnfon's cigief 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 deceafe, 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 opposed to that. of another; and the whole controverfy will probably be reduced to this fimple question: which is the most respectable 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 criticisms 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 himself among our profe writers of the first class: nor can

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he with juftice be denied a diftinguished place among our poets, of the fecond clafs, at leaft.

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 first principles) and Scotfmen fhould be challenged.

We cannot, in our judicial capacity, difmifs Mr. Alves without obferving that he, who fo freely cenfured the ftyle 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 ufed by any good English writer during the prefent 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.

f

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) sketches.' 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 disdain,' as if he was infinitely above those of whom he writes,' of which he accuses Dr. Johnson 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.

1795.

4s. Boards.

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

exploits,