refufing to admit this excufe, or at leaft, admitting it only as an apology for the author, not for the performance. In my opinion, the proper boundaries in this subject have seldom been fixed between the contending parties. Where any innocent peculiarities of manners are represented, fuch as thofe abovementioned, they ought certainly to be admitted; and a man, who is fhocked with them, gives an evident proof of false delicacy and refinement. The poet's monument more durable than brass, muft fall to the ground like common brick or clay, were men to make no allowance for the continual -revolutions of manners and customs, and would admit of nothing but what was fuitable to the prevailing fashion. Muft we throw afide the pictures of our ancestors, be cause of their ruffs and fardingales? But where the ideas of morality and decency alter from one age to another, and where vicious manners are defcribed, without being marked with the proper characters of blame and difapprobation; this must be allowed to disfigure the poem, and to be a real deformity. I cannot, nor is it proper I fhould, enter into fuch fentiments; and however I may excuse the poet, on account of the manners of his age, I never can relish the compofition. The want of humanity and of decency, fo confpicuous in the characters drawn by feveral of the ancient poets, even fometimes by HoMER and the GREEK tragedians, diminishes confiderably the merit of their noble performances, and gives modern authors an advantage over them. We are not interested in the fortunes and fentiments of fuch rough heroes: We are displeased to find the limits of vice and virtue fo confounded: And whatever indulgence we may give to the writer on account of his prejudices, we cannot prevail on ourselves to enter into his fentiments, or bear an affection VOL. 1. S affection to characters, which we plainly discover to be blameable. The cafe is not the fame with moral principles, as with fpeculative opinions of any kind. Thefe are in continual flux and revolution. The fon embraces a dif ferent fyftem from the father. Nay, there scarcely is any man, who can boast of great conftancy and uniformity in this particular. Whatever fpeculative errors may be found in the polite writings of any age or country, they detract but little from the value of those compofitions. There needs but a certain turn of thought of imagination to make us enter into all the opinions, which then prevailed, and relish the fentiments or conclufions derived from them. But a very violent effort is requifite to change our judgment of manners, and excite fentiments of approbation or blame, love or hatred, different from thofe to which the mind from long custom has been familiarized. And where a man is confident of the rectitude of that moral ftandard, by which he judges, he is juftly jealous of it, and will not pervert the fentiments of his heart for a moment, in complaifance to any writer whatsoever. Of all fpeculative errors, thofe, which regard religion, are the most excufable in compofitions of genius; nor is it ever permitted to judge of the civility or wifdom of any people, or even of fingle perfons, by the groffness or refinement of their theological principles. The fame good fenfe, that directs men in the ordinary occurrences of life, is not hearkened to in religious matters, which are supposed to be placed entirely above the cognizancę of human reafon. On this account, all the abfurdities of the pagan system of theology must be overlooked by every critic, who would pretend to form a just notion of ancient poetry; and our pofterity, in their turn, must have the fame indulgence to their forefathers. No religious principles can ever be imputed as a fault to any poet, while they remain merely principles, and take not fuch ftrong poffeffion of his heart, as to lay him under the imputation of bigotry or fuperftition. Where that happens, they confound the fentiments of morality, and alter the natural boundaries of vice and virtue. They are therefore eternal blemishes, according to the principle abovementioned; nor are the prejudices and falfe opinions of the age fufficient to justify them. It is effential to the ROMAN catholic religion to inspire a violent hatred of every other worship, and to reprefent all pagans, mahometans, and heretics as the objects of divine wrath and vengeance. Such fentiments, though they are in reality very blameable, are confidered as virtues by the zealots of that communion, and are reprefented in their tragedies and epic poems as a kind of divine heroifm. This bigotry has disfigured two very fine tragedies of the FRENCH theatre, POLIEUCTE and ATHALIA; where an intemperate zeal for particular modes of worship is fet off with all the pomp imaginable, and forms the predominant character of the heroes. "What is this," fays the fublime JOAD to JOSABET, finding her in difcourfe with MATHAN, the priest of BAAL," Does the daughter of DAVID speak to this "traitor? Are you not afraid, left the earth fhould "open and pour forth flames to devour you both? Or left thefe holy walls fhould fall and crush you toge"ther? What is his purpose? Why comes that enemy "of God hither to poifon the air, which we breathe, "with his horrid prefence?" Such fentiments are received with great applaufe on the theatre of PARIS; but at LONDON the fpectators would be full as much pleased to hear ACHILLES tell AGAMEMNON, that he was a dog in his forehead, and a deer in his heart, or JUPITER threaten JUNO with a sound drubbing, if she will not be quiet. RELIGIOUS principles are alfo a blemish in any polite compofition, when they rife up to superstition, and intrude themselves into every fentiment, however remote from any connection with religion. It is no excuse for the poet, that the customs of his country had burthened life with fo many religious ceremonies and obfervances, that no part of it was exempt from that yoke. It must for ever be ridiculous in PETRARCH to compare his mistress, LAURA, to JESUS CHRIST. Nor is it lefs ridiculous in that agreeable libertine, BOCCACE, very seriously to give thanks to GOD ALMIGHTY and the ladies, for their affiftance in defending him against his enemies. |