IT is often charged upon writers, that with all their pretenfions to genius and discoveries, they do little more than copy one another; and that compofitions obtruded upon the world with the pomp of novelty, contain only tedious repetitions of common fentiments, or at beft exhibit a tranfpofition of known images, and give a new appearance to truth only by fome flight difference of drefs and decoration.

The allegation of resemblance between authors, is indifputably true; but the charge of plagiarism, which is raifed upon it, is not to be allowed with equal readiness. A coincidence of fentiment may easily happen without any communication, fince there are many occafions in which all reasonable men will nearly think alike. Writers of all ages have had the fame fentiments, because they have in all ages had the fame objects of fpeculation; the interefts and paffions, the virtues and vices of mankind, have been diverfified in different times, only by uneffential and cafual varieties; and we muft, therefore, expect in the works of all those who attempt to describe them, fuch a likeness as we find in the pictures of the fame perfon drawn in different periods of his life.

It is neceffary therefore, that before an author be charged with plagiarifm, one of the most reproachful, though perhaps not the most atrocious, of literary crimes, the fubject on which he treats fhould be carefully confidered. We do not wonder, that historians, relating the fame facts, agree in their narration; or that authors, delivering the elements of science, advance the fame theorems, and lay down the fame definitions: yet it is not wholly without ufe to mankind, that books are multiplied, and that different authors lay out their labours on the fame fubject; for there will always be fome reafon why one fhould on particular occafions, or to particular perfons, be preferable to another; fome will be clear, where others are obfcure; fome will please by their ftile, and others by their method;

OVID.

fome by their embellishments, and others

by their fimplicity; fome by closeness, and others by diffufion.

The fame indulgence is to be fhewn to the writers of morality: right and wrong are immutable; and thofe, therefore, who teach us to diftinguish them, if they all teach us right, muit agree with one another. The relations of focial life, and the duties refulting from them, must be the fame at all times and in all nations: fome petty differences may be, indeed, produced, by forms of government or arbitrary customs; the general doctrine can receive no alteration.

Yet it is not to be defired, that morality should be confidered as interdicted to all future writers: men will always be tempted to deviate from their duty, and will, therefore, always want a monitor to recall them; and a new book often feizes the attention of the public, without any other claim than that it is new. There is likewife in composition, as in other things, a perpetual viciffitude of fashion; and truth is recommended at one time to regard, by appearances which at another would expole it to neglect; the author, therefore, who has judgment to difcern the tafte of his cotemporaries, and skill to gratify it, will have always an opportunity to deferve well of mankind, by con veying inftruction to them in a grateful vehicle..

There are likewife many modes of compofition, by which a moralift may deferve the name of an original writer: he may familiarife his fyftem by dialogues after the manner of the ancients, or fubtilize it into a series of fyllogiftic arguments: he may enforce his doctrine by ferioufnefs and folemnity, or enliven it by fprightlinefs and gaiety; he may deliver his fentiments in naked precepts, or illuftrate them by historical examples; he may detain the studious by the artful concatenation of a continued difcourfe, or relieve the bufy by fhort ftrictures, and unconnected effays.

To excel in any of thefe forms of writing,

writing will require a particular cultivation of the genius; whoever can attain to excellence, will be certain to engage a fet of readers, whom no other method would have equally allured; and he that communicates truth with fuccefs, must be numbered among the frit benefactors to mankind.

The fame obfervation may be extended likewife to the paffions: their influence is uniform, and their effects nearly the fame in every human breaft: a man loves and hates, defires and avoids, exactly like his neighbour; refentment and ambition, avarice and indolence, discover themselves by the fame fymptoms, in minds diftant a thousand years from one another.

Nothing, therefore, can be more unjuft, than to charge an author with plagiarism, merely because he afligns to every cause it's natural effect; and makes his perfonages act, as others in like circumftances have always done. There are conceptions in which all men will agree, though each derives them from his own obfervation: whoever has been in love, will represent a lover impatient of every idea that interrupts his meditations on his miftrefs, retiring to fhades and folitude, that he may mufe with out disturbance on his approaching happiness, or affociating himself with fome friend that flatters his paffion, and talking away the hours of abfence upon his darling fubject. Whoever has been fo unhappy as to have felt the miferies of long-continued hatred, will, without any affistance from ancient volumes, be able to relate how the paffions are kept in perpetual agitation, by the recollection of injury and meditations of revenge; how the blood boils at the name of the enemy, and life is worn away in the contrivances of mischief.

Every other paflion is alike fimple and limited, if it be confidered only with regard to the breaft which it inhabits; the anatomy of the mind, as that of the body, muft perpetually exhibit the fame appearances; and though by the continued indultry of fucceffive inquirers, new movements will be from time to time difcovered, they can affect only the minuter parts, and are commonly of more curiofity than importance. It will now be natural to inquire, by what arts are the writers of the prefent and future ages to attract the notice and favour of mankind. They are to ob

ferve the alterations which time is always making in the modes of life, that they may gratify every generation with a picture of themselves. Thus love is uniform, but courtship is perpetually varying: the different arts of gallantry, which beauty has infpired, would of themfelves be fufficient to fill a voluine; fometimes balls and ferenades, fometimes tournaments and adventures have been employed to melt the hearts of ladies, who in another century have been fenfible of fcarce any other merit than that of riches, and listened only to jointures and pin-money. Thus the ambitious man has at all times been eager of wealth and power; but these hopes have been gratified in fome countries, by fupplicating the people, and in others by flattering the prince: honour in fome states has been only the reward of military atchievements, in others it has been gained by noisy turbulence and popular clamours. Avarice has worn a different form, as the actuated the ufurer of Rome, and the ftock-jobber of England; and idleness itself, how little foever inclined to the trouble of invention, has been forced from time to time to change it's amufements, and contrive different methods of wearing out the day.

Here then is the fund, from which those who study mankind may fill their compofitions with an inexhaustible variety of images and allufions: and he must be confeffed to look with little attention upon fcenes thus perpetually changing, who cannot catch fome of the figures before they are made vulgar by reiterated defcriptions.

It has been difcovered by Sir Ifaac Newton, that the diftinct and primoge nial colours are only feven; but every eye can witnefs, that from various mixtures, in various proportions, infinite diverifications of tints may be produced. In like manner, the paffions of the mind, which put the world in motion, and produce all the bustle and eagerness of the bu fy crowds that fwarm upon the earth; the paffions, from whence arife all the pleafures and pains that we fee and hear of, if we analyte the mind of man, are very few; but thofe few agitated and combined, as external caufes fhall happen to operate, and modified by prevailing opinions and accidental caprices, make fuch frequent alterations on the surface of life, that the fhow, while we are bus

fied in delineating it, vanishes from the view, and a new fet of objects fucceed, doomed to the fame fhortness of duration with the former: thus curiofity may always find employment, and the bufy part of mankind will furnish the contemplative with the materials of fpecu, lation to the end of time.

The complaint, therefore, that all

IN

topics are preoccupied, is nothing more than the murmur of ignorance or idlenefs, by which fome difcourage others, and fome themfelves: the mutability of mankind will always furnish writers with new images, and the luxuriance of fancy may always embellish them with new decorations,

T

N proportion as the enjoyment and infelicity of life depend upon imagination, it is of importance that this power of the mind fhould be directed in it's operations by reafon, and, perhaps, imagination is more frequently bufy when it can only imbitter difappointment and heighten calamity; and more frequently flumbers when it might increafe the triumph of fuccefs, or animate infenfibility to happiness, than is generally perceived.

An ecclefiaftical living of confiderable value became vacant, and Evander obtained a recommendation to the patron. His friend had too much modelty to fpeak with confidence of the fuccefs of an application fupported chiefly by his intereft, and Evander knew that others had folicited before him; as he was not, therefore, much elevated by hope, he believed he fhould not be greatly depreffed by a difappointment. The gentleman to whom he was recommended, received him with great courtesy; but upon read ing the letter, he changed countenance, and difcovered indubitable tokens of vexation and regret; then taking Evander by the hand- Sir,' faid he, I

think it fcarce lefs a misfortune to myself than you, that you was not five minutes fooner in your application. The gentleman whofe recomendation you bring, I wish more than any fother to oblige; but I have juft prefented the living to the perfon whom you faw take his leave when you entered the room.'

This declaration was a stroke, which Evander had neither skill to clude, nor force to refift. The ftrength of his in

VIRG.

DRYDEN.

A

tereft, though it was not known time enough to increafe his hope, and his being too late only a few minutes, though he had reafon to believe his application had been precluded by as many days, were circumitances which imagi nation immediately improved to aggra vate his difappointment: over thefe he mufed perpetually with incxpreffible anguish, he related them to every friend. and lamented them with the moft paffionate exclamations. And yet, what happened to Evander more than he expected? Nothing that he poffeffed was diminifhed, nor was any poffibility of advantage cut off. With refpect to thefe and every other reality, he was in the fame ftate, as if he had never heard of the vacancy, which he had fome chance to fill: but Evander groaned under the tyranny of imagination; and in a fit of caufelefs fretfulness caft away peace, becaufe time was not stopped in it's career, and a miracle did not interpofe to fecure him a living.

Agenor, on whom the living which Evander folicited was bestowed, never conceived a fingle doubt that he should fail in his attempt: his character was unexceptionable, and his recommendation fuch as it was believed no other could counterbalance; he, therefore, received the bounty of his patron without much emotion; he regarded his fuccefs as an event produced, like rain and fun-fhine, by the common and regular operation of natural caufes; and took poffeffion of his rectory with the fame temper, that he would have reaped a field he had fown, or received the interest of a fum which he had placed in the funds. But

having,

having, by accident, heard the report which had been circulated by the friends of Evander, he was at once ftruck with, a fenfe of his good fortune; and was fo affected by a retrofpect on his danger, that he could fcarce believe it to be paft. How providential, faid he, was it, that I did not stay to drink another ⚫ difh of tea at breakfast, that I found a hackney-coach at the end of the street, and that I met with no ftop by the way! What an alteration was produced in Agenor's conception of the advantage of his fituation, and the means by which it was obtained! and yet at laft he had gained nothing more than he expected; his danger was not known time enough to alarm his fear; the value of his acquifition was not increased; nor had Providence interpofed farther than to exclude chance from the government of the world. But Agenor did not before reflect that any gratitude was due to Providence but for a miracle; he did not enjoy his preferment as a gift, nor estimate his gain but by the probability of lofs.

As fuccefs and difappointment are under the influence of imagination, fo are cafe and health; each of which may be confidered as a kind of negative good, that may either degenerate into wearifomnefs and difcontent, or be improved into complacency and enjoyment.

About three weeks ago I paid an afternoon visit to Curio. Curio is the proprietor of an eftate which produces three thoufand pounds a year, and the husband of a lady remarkable for her beauty and her wit; his age is that in which manhood is faid to be compleat, his conftitution is vigorous, his perfon graceful, and his understanding strong. I found him in full health, lolling in an eafy-chair; his countenance was florid, he was gayly dreffed, and furrounded with all the means of happiness which wealth well ufed could beftow. After the first ceremonies had paffed, he threw himself again back in his chair upon my having refufed it, looked wiftfully at his fingers ends, croffed his legs, enquired the news of the day, and in the midft of all poffible advantages feemed to poffefs life with a liftlefs indifference, which, if he could have preferved in contrary circumftances, would have invested him with the dignity of a stoic.

It happened that yesterday I paid Cu

rio another vifit. I found him in his chamber; his head was fwathed in flannel, and his countenance was pale. I was alarmed at thefe appearances of difeafe; and enquired with an honest folicitude how he did. The moment he heard my question, he started from his feat, fprang towards me, caught me by the hand, and told me, in an extafy, that he was in Heaven.

What difference in Curio's circumftances produced this difference in his fenfations and behaviour? What prodigious advantage had now accrued to the man, who before had eafe and health, youth, affluence, and beauty? Curio, during the ten days that preceded my laft vifit, had been tormented with the tooth-ach, and had, within the last hour, been reftored to eafe, by having the tooth drawn.

And is human reafon fo impotent, and imagination fo perverfe, that eafe cannot be enjoyed till it has been taken away? Is it not poffible to improve negative into pofitive happiness, by reflection? Can he who poffeffes eafe and health, whofe food is tafteful, and whose fleep is fweet, remember, without exul tation and delight, the feafons in which he has pined in the languor of inappetence, and counted the watches of the night with restless anxiety?

Is an acquiefcence in the difpenfations of Unerring Wifdom, by which fome advantage appears to be denied, without recalling trivial and accidental circumftances that can only aggravate difappointment, impoffible to reasonable beings? And is a fenfe of the Divine Bounty neceffarily languid, in propartion as that bounty appears to be lefs doubtful and interrupted?

Every man, furely, would blufh to admit thefe fuppofitions; let every man, therefore, deny them by his life. He who brings imagination under the dominion of reafon, will be able to diminish the evil of life, and to increase the good he will learn to refign with complacency, to receive with gratitude, and poffefs with chearfulness: and as in this conduct there is not only wisdom but virtue, he will under every calamity be able to rejoice in hope, and to anticipate the felicity of that ftate, in which, the Spirits of the Juft fhall be made PERFECT.'

W Horace, to form a character

HOEVER ventures," fays

totally original, let him endeavour to preferve it with uniformity and con'ftency; but the formation of an original character is a work of great dif'ficulty and hazard. In this arduous and uncommon talk, however, Shake peare has wonderfully fucceeded in his Tempeft: the moniter Calyban is the treature of his own imagination, in the formation of which he could derive no afiftance from obfervation or experience. Calyban is the fon of a witch, begotten by a demon: the forceries of his mother were fo terrible, that her countrymen banished her into this defart riand as unfit for human fociety: in conformity, therefore, to this diabolical propagation, he is reprefented as a prodgyof cruelty, malice, pride, ignorance, idienefs, gluttony, and luft. He is introduced with great propriety curfing Profpero and Miranda whom he had endeavoured to defile; and his execrarons are artfully contrived to have reference to the occupation of his motherAs wicked dew, as e'er my mother brush'd With raven's feather from unwholesome fen, Drop on you both!

-All the charms

from the cold was neither eafy nor ufuals and it has a farther peculiar beauty, becaufe the gathering wood was the occu pation to which Calyban was fubjected by Profpero, who, therefore, deemed it a fervice of high importance.

The grofs ignorance of this monfter is reprefented with delicate judgment; he knew not the names of the fun and

moon, which he calls the bigger light and the lefs; and he believes that Stephano was the man in the moon, whom his mitrefs had often fhewn him: and when Profpero reminds him that he first taught him to pronounce articulately, his anfwer is full of malevolence and rage:

You taught me language; and my profit on't Is, I know how to curie:

the propereft return for fuch a fiend ta make for fuch a favour. The fpirits whom he fuppofes to be employed by, Profpero perpetually to torment him, and the many forms and different methods they take for this purpose, are defcribed with the utmost livelinefs and force of fancy:

Sometimes like apes, that moe and chatter at me,

And after bite me; then like hedge-hogs, which

Lietumbling in my bare-foot way, and mount Their prick's at my foot-fall: fometimes am All wound with adders, who with cloven tongues

Do hifs me into madness.

It is fcarcely poffible for any fpeech to be more expreffive of the manners and fentiments, than that in which our poet has painted the brutal barbarity and un. feeling favagenefs of this fon of Sycorax, by making him enumerate, with a kind of horrible delight, the various ways in failors to furprize and kill his master; which it was poffible for the drunken

-There thou may'ft brain him, Having firft feiz'd his books; or with a log Batter his fkull; or paunch him with a stake; Or cut his wezand with thy knife