and who had fome great and noble qualities, accompanying a ftupendous reach of understanding."

His character, as a poetical biographer, has been given by his townfman Dr. Newton, in his pofthumous work, not perhaps with his powers, but with his decifion and severity of cenfure.

“Dr. Johnson's Lives of the Poets afford much amusement, but candour was hurt and offended at the malevolence that preponderated in every part. Never was any biographer more fparing of his praises, or more abundant in his cenfures. He delights more in expofing blemishes, tha in recommending beauties; flightly pafies over excellencies; enlarges upon imperfections; and, not content with his own fevere reflections, revives old fcandal, and produces large quotations from the long-forgotten works of former critics. The panegyrift of Savage in his youth, may, in his old age,

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become the fatirift of the most favoured authors, his encomium as unjust and undeferved as his cenfures."

The teftimony of the claffical editor of Milton may be compared with the eulogy pronounced by Dr. Parr, the learned and eloquent editor of "Bellendenus," in his edition of “ Tracts by Warburton and a Warburtonian."

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Of literary merit, Johnson, as we all know, was a fagacious but a most severe judge. Such was his difcernment, that he pierced into the most secret springs of human actions; and fuch was his integrity, that he always weighed the moral characters of his fellow creatures in "the balance of the fanctuary.”

His peculiarities and foibles are painted in ftrong colours by Mr. Courtenay, in his "Poetical Review;" but, in return, his virtues and abilities are candidly acknowledged, and placed in their proper light. Hav

ing alternately commended his merits, and cenfured his faults, he fums up the whole in the following lines, which strongly mark the character of his work.

"Thus fings the mufe, to Johnson's mem❜ry juft,
And scatters praise and cenfure o'er his duft;
For, through each chequer'd scene a contrast ran,
Too fad a proof, how great, how weak is man!
Though o'er his paffions confcience held the rein,
He shook at difmal phantoms of the brain;
A boundless faith that noble mind debas'd,
By piercing wit, energic reason grac'd :
Ev'n fhades like these, to brilliancy allied,
May comfort fools, and curb the fage's pride;
Yet learning's fons, who o'er his foibles mourn,
To latest time shall fondly view his urn;
And, wond'ring, praise, to human frailties blind,
Talents and virtues of the brightest kind.
The fculptur'd trophy and imperial buft,

That proudly rise around his hallow'd dust,
Shall mould'ring fall, by time's flow hand decay'd;
But the bright meed of virtue ne'er shall fade.
Exulting genius ftamps his facred name,

Enroll'd for ever in the dome of fame.”

FINI S.

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