Thought and cultivation are necessary equally to the happiness of a country and city life. In the first place, they prevent the uneasy sensations of indolence, and afford a sublime pleasure in the taste they create for the beautiful and the grand : they make dissipation less an object of necessity, and consequently of interest."-Mysteries of Udolpho, vol. i. p. 16. Plays and Paintings. Much fastidious and false criticism has been displayed on these two popular subjects, and grounded upon a wrong supposition, viz. that they must be exact imitations of their objects. Now some fallacy with regard to the eye and mind must take place in both. A plain surface in a picture cannot really represent projecting figures, but by means of light and shade. Should a player mutter to himself the secret workings of his mind, the audience would not hear him; and much waggery of observation would be lost to the audience, were not the actors allowed to express their thoughts" aside," though much grace and much · of propriety are thereby sacrificed. But licences, poetical and pictorial, must be allowed to the best artists in their respective pursuits. Practice tells this. When Alexander the Great made some false criticisms on the works of Apelles, his colourgrinder laughed at the monarch's ignorance of the subject, on which he had undertaken to speak without theory or practice. Voltaire. What a lesson has this amusing, acute, and unprincipled writer given on the danger of metaphysical pursuits, even to uncommon intellects. He ended his researches in philosophy by settling in fatalism. Gray the poet has said, with poignant wit, and just contempt of this then fashionable philosopher," He must have a very good stomach that can digest the crambe recocta of Voltaire. Atheism is a vile dish, though all the cooks of France combine to make new sauces to it."Gray's Letters, 4to. p. 385. Ibid. Voltaire, who prefers telling a lively story, to investigating the truth of a dubious one, relates, that he often asked Pope why Milton did not write his grand poem in rhyme? and that Pope answered," because he could not." This seems very improbable to have been the opinion of the * Questions sur l'Encyclopedie, part 19. bard of Twickenham with respect to the preference to be given to rhyme, as his acknowledged master in this part of the art, John Dryden, used to hold the opinion, "that though rhyme might add sweetness to verse, yet it diminished the sense." Rhyme. A very elegant writer, and excellent classical scholar, has spoken very decidedly, and perhaps justly, on this modern appendage to poetry, which we call rhyme. "Rhyme is rather a burden on versification than an ornament. It loads it with useless epithets: it introduces affected phrases, and invests it with a tawdry dress: it often, by extending the paragraph, lessens the force of it; it often occasions a bad and weak line to be introduced, in order to bring in a good one.-Fenelon, Letters to M. De la Motte: à Cambray, 1719. N.B. Is not this more observable in the French than in English versification, from the poverty of the former language? President Montesquieu. From the upright character which this eminent writer on "the Philosophy of Laws" has always supported, we may trust his opinion of the literary character of his contemporary, Voltaire. Speaking of his great work, "As to M. de Voltaire, he has too much wit to understand me; besides, most of the books which he reads, he writes himself, and then reviews and applauds them." Speaking afterwards of Voltaire's flight from Berlin, after lamenting his forlorn state, in consequence of his abrupt dismissal from the Court of Prussia, adds, in a phrase not easily to be translated, though very intelligible to his friend," Le bon esprit vaut beaucoup mieux que le bel esprit." --Letters to Count Guasco. Acquaintance. After a "certain age," (to use a French phrase,) how little we wish for company of this description, whose kindnesses may indeed blossom in common attentions, but seldom exuberate into the mature fruit of friendly affections! Indeed, what are acquaintances in general, but dubious things; sometimes spies on our words and actions, sometimes latent rivals in our schemes, and selfish allies in our pleasures; but an old friend is the "core of the heart." Honest Ben has well advised, on this important and difficult subject, the prudent choice of friends: True happiness Consists not in the multitude of friends," But in the worth and choice; nor would I have Let them be good that love me, tho' but few. B. Jonson's Cynthia's Revels. Novels. The grand objection made to this species of composition is, that they continually, often falsely, and generally too warmly, treat of the passion of love, to the corruption of the young of both sexes, and especially of the fairest part of the creation. Novels remind us of French engravings, where Cupids, whatever may be the subject, flourish and abound in the frontispiece, vignettes, and tailpiece. That right pleasant poet, the author of the "Fairie Queen," seems aware that grave persons would object to his frequent love-stories in his very amusing poem, and thus commences his introduction to his fourth book: The rugged forehead, that with grave foresight, Wote, know. + Wite, blame, Saxon. |