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AN

ESSAY

ON

CRITICISM.

Written in the Year MDCCIX.

CONTENTS

OF THE

ESSAY

on

CRITICISM.

ntroduction.

PART. I.

That 'tis as great a fault to judge ill, as to write

ill, and a more dangerous one to the public, VI.

That a true Taste is as rare to be found, as a true Genius, v9 to 18.

That most men are born with some Taste, but spoil'd by false Education, v. 19 to 25.

The Multitude of Critics, and causes of them, v 26 to 45.

That we are to study our own Taste, and know the Limits of it, v 46 to 67.

Nature the best guide of judgment, v 67 to 87.

Improved by Art and Rules, which are but methodis'd Nature, v 88.

Rules deriv'd from the Practice of the Ancient Poets, v id to IIO. That therefore the Ancients are necessary to be study'd by a Critic, particularly Homer and Virgil, v 120 to 138.

of Licenses, and the use of them by the Ancients, V 140 to 180. Reverence due to the Ancients, and praise of them, v 181, etc.

PART. II. Ver. 203, etc.

Causes hindering a true judgment. perfect Learning, v 215. the whole, v 233 to 288. tion, only, v 288. 305-339. etc. 4. Being too hard to please, or too apt to admire, v 384. 5. Partiality a Sect, to the Ancients or Moderns, v 424. 8. Inconstancy, v 430. 9. Party Spirit, v 451, etc. 10. Envy, v 466.

1. Pride, v 208. 3. im3. Judging by parts, and not by Critics in Wit, Language, Verfifica

too much love to

Against Envy and in praise of Good-nature, v 508, etc.

Severity is chiefly to be used by Critics, v 526, etc.

When

1

PART III. Ver. 560, etc.

Ruler for the Conduct and Manners in a Critic, I. Candour, v. 563. Modesty, v 566. Good breeding, v 5721. Sincerity and Freedom of advice, v 578. 2. When one's Counsel is to be restraicd, v 584. Character of an incorrigible Poet, v600. And of an impertinent Critic, v 610, esc. Character of a good Critic, v 629. The History of Criticism, and Characters of the bef Cri tics, Ariftotle, v 645. Horace, v 653. Dionyfius, 665. Pe. tronius, 667. Quintilian, v 670. Longinus, v 675. the Decay of Criticism, and its Revival. Erasmus, v 693. Vida, v 705. Boileau, v 714. Lord Roscommon, etc. v 725. Conelusion.

Of

AN

ESSAY

ON

CRITICISM.

'T

IS hard to say, if greater want of skill Appear in writing or in judging ill; But of the two, less dang'rous is th' offence

An Effay.) The Poem is in one book, but divided into three principal parts or members. The first (to v. 201.) gives rules for the Study of the Art of Criticism: the second (from thence to v. 560.) exposes the Causes of wrong Judgment; and the third (from thence to the end) marks out the Morals of the Critic.

In order to a right conception of this poem, it will be neceffary to observe, that tho' it be intitled fimply An Essay on Criticism, yet several of the precepts relate equally to the good writing as well as to the true judging of a poem. This is so far from violating the Unity of the subject, that it preserves and compleats it: or from disordering the irregularity of the Form, that it adds beauty to it, as will appear by the following confiderations: I) It was impossible to give a full and exact idea of the Art of Poetical Criticism, without confidering at the fame time the Art of Pocso far as Poetry is an Art. These therefore being closely connected in nature, the Author has with much judgment reciprocally interwoven the precepts of each thro' his whole poem. 2) As the rules of the antient Critics were taken from Poets, who copied nature, this is another reason why every should be a Critic: Therefore, as the subject is poetical Criticism, it is frequently addressed to the critical Poet. And 3dly the Art of Criticism is as necessarily, and much more usefully exercised in writing than in judging.

try;

But readers have been misled by the modefty of the Title which only promises an Art of Criticism, in a treatise, and that no incompleat one, of the Art both of Criticism and Poetry. This

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