Son of Nox and Somnus, of Darkness and Sleep Idle Men, who have not been at the Pains to accomplish or diftinguish themselves, are very apt to detract from others; as ignorant Men are very subject to decry those Beauties in a celebrated Work which they have not Eyes to discover. Many of our Sons of Momus, who dignify themselves by the Name of Criticks, are the genuine Defcendants of those two illuftrious Ancestors. They are often led into thofe numerous Abfurdities, in which they daily inftruct the People, by not confidering that, 1, There is fometimes a greater Judgment fhewn in deviating from the Rules of Art, than in adhering to them; and 2dly, That there is more Beauty in the Works of a great Genius who is ignorant of all the Rules of Art, than in the Works of a little Genius, who not only knows, but fcrupulously obferves them.

FIRST, We may often take Notice of Men who are perfectly acquainted with all the Rules of good Writing, and notwithstanding chufe to depart from them on extraordinary Occafions. I could give Inftances out of all the Tragick Writers of Antiquity who have fhewn their Judgment in this Particular; and purpofely receded from an established Rule of the Drama, when it has made way for a much higher Beauty than the Obfervation of fuch a Rule would have been. Those who have furveyed the noblest Pieces of Architecture and Statuary both ancient and modern, know very well that there are frequent Deviations from Art in the Works of the greatest Masters, which have produced a much nobler Effect than a more accurate and exact way of Proceeding could have done. This often arifes from what the Italians call the Gufto Grande in thefe Arts, which is what we call the Sublime in Writing.

IN the next Place, our Criticks do not feem fenfible that there is more Beauty in the Works of a great Genius who is ignorant of the Rules of Art, than in those of a little Genius who knows and obferves them. It is of these Men of Genius that Terence fpeaks, in Oppofition to the little artificial Cavillers of his Time;

Quorum

Quorum æmulari exoptat negligentiam.

Potiùs, quàm iftorum obfcuram diligentiam.

A Critick may have the fame Confolation in the ill Succefs of his Play, as Dr. South tells us a Phyfician has at the Death of a Patient, That he was killed fecundum artem. Our inimitable Shakespear in a Stumbling Block to the whole Tribe of these rigid Criticks. Who would not rather read one of his Plays, where there is not a fingle Rule of the Stage obferved, than any Produ&ion of a modern Critick, where there is not one of them violated? Shakespear was indeed born with all the Seeds of Poetry, and may be compared to the Stone in Pyrrhus's Ring, which, as Pliny tells us, had the Figure of Apollo and the Nine Mufes in the Veins of it, produced by the fpontaneous Hand of Nature, without any Help from Art.

එම එම එම එම එම එම ඒ රට to So So So do to S SØ

No. 593. Monday, September 13.

Quale per incertam Lunam fub luce maligna
Eft iter in Sylvis :

Virg.

Y dreaming Correfpondent, Mr. Shallow, has sent me a second Letter, with feveral curious Obfervations on Dreams in general, and the Method to render Sleep improving; An Extract of his Letter, will not, I prefume, be difagreeable to my Readers.

INCE we have fo little Time to fpare, that

SIN

no

we should neglect to examine thofe imaginary Scenes we are prefented with in Sleep, only because they have lefs Reality in them than our waking Medita⚫tions. A Traveller would bring his Judgment in

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Queition

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Queftion who fhould defpife the Directions of his Map for want of real Roads in it, because here ftands a Dott inftead of a Town, or a Cypher instead of a City, and it must be a long Day's Journey to travel thro' two or three Inches. Fancy in Dreams gives us much fuch another Landskip of Life as that ⚫ does of Countries, and tho' its Appearances may feem frangely jumbled together, we may often obferve fuch Traces and Footsteps of noble Thoughts, as, if carefully purfued, might lead us into a proper Path of Action. There is fo much Rapture and Ecstasy in Our fancied Blifs, and fomething fo diímal and fhocking in our fancied Mifery, that tho' the Inactivity of the Body has given Occafion for calling Sleep the Image of Death, the Brisknefs of the Fancy affords us a frong Intimation of fomething within us that " can never die.

I have wondered, that Alexander the Great, who came into the World fufficiently dreamt of by his Parents, and had himself a tolerable Knack at dreaming, fhould often fay, that Sleep was one thing which • made him fenfible he was Mortal. I who have not fuch Fields of Action in the Day-time to divert my • Attention from this Matter, plainly perceive, that in thofe Operations of the Mind, while the Body is at reft, there is a certain Vaftnefs of Conception very fuitable to the Capacity, and demonftrative of the • Force of that Divine Part in our Compofition which ⚫ will laft for ever. Neither do I much doubt but had we a true Account of the Wonders of the Hero laft mentioned performed in his Sleep, his conquering this little Globe would hardly we worth mentioning. I may affirm, without Vanity, that when I compare feveral Actions in Quintus Curtius with fome others in my own Noctuary, I appear the greater Hero ⚫ of the two.

I fhali clofe this Subject with obferving, that while we are awake we are at Liberty to fix our Thoughts on what we pleafe, but in Sleep we have not the Command of them. The Ideas which ftrike the Fancy, arise in us without our Choice, either from the Occurrences

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of the Day past, the Temper we lye down in, or it may be the Direction of fome fuperior Being.

IT is certain the Imagination may be fo differently affected in Sleep, that our Actions of the Day might be either rewarded or punished with a little Age of Happinefs or Mifery. St. Auftin was of Opinion, that if in Paradife there was the fame Viciffitude of fleeping and waking as in the prefent World, the Dreams of its Inhabitants would be very happy.

AND fo far at prefent our Dreams are in our Power, that they are generally conformable to our waking Thoughts, fo that it is not impoffible to convey ourselves to a Confort of Mufick, the Converfation of diftant Friends, or any other Entertainment which has been before lodged in the Mind.

My Readers, by appling thefe Hints will find the Neceffity of making a good Day of it, if they heartily wifh themselves a good Night.

I have often confider'd Marcia's Prayer, and Lucius's Account of Cato, in this Light.

Marc. O ye immortal Powers, that guard the Juft, Watch round bis Couch, and foften his Repofe, Banish his Sorrows, and becalm his Soul. With eafy Dreams; remember all his Virtues! And fhew Mankind that Goodness is your Care.

Luc. Sweet are the Slumbers of the virtuous Man! O Marcia, I have feen thy Godlike Father; Some Pow'r invifible fupports his Soul, And bears it up in all its wonted Greatness, A kind refreshing Sleep is fallen upon him: I faw him ftretch'd at Eafe, bis Fancy loft In pleafing Dreams; as I drew near his Couch, He fmil'd, and cry'd, Cæfar thou canst not hurt me.

Mr. Shadow acquaints me in a Poftfcript, that he has no manner of Title to the Vifion which fucceeded his firft Letter; but adds, that as the Gentleman who wrote it dreams very fenfibly, he fhall be glad to meet him fome Night or other, under the great Elm Tree, by which Virgil has given us a fine Metaphorical Image of

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Sleep,

Sleep, in order to turn over a few of the Leaves together, and oblige the Publick with an Account of the Dreams that lye under them.

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No. 594. Wednesday, September 15.

Abfentem qui rodit amicum,
Qui non defendit, alio culpante; folutos
Qui captat rifus hominum, famamque dicacis,
Fingere qui non vifa poteft, commissa tacere

Qui nequit, hic niger eft: hunc tu Romane caveto. Hor.

ERE all the Vexations of Life put together, we

W should find that a great Part of them proceed

from those Calumnies and Reproaches which we

fpread abroad concerning one another.

THERE is fcarce a Man living who is not, in fome Degree, guilty of this Offence; tho', at the fame Time, however we treat one another, it must be confeffed, that we all confent in speaking ill of the Perfons who are notorious for this Practice. It generally takes its Rife either from an Ill-will to Mankind, a private Inclination to make ourselves efteemed, an Oftentation of Wit, and Vanity of being thought in the Secrets of the World, or from a Defire of gratifying any of thefe Difpofitions of Mind in thofe Perfons with whom we converfe.

THE Publisher of Scandal is more or lefs odious to Mankind, and criminal in himself, as he is influenced by any one or more of the foregoing Motives. But whatever may be the Occafion of fpreading these false Reports, he ought to confider, that the Effect of them is equally prejudicial and pernicious to the Perfon at whom they are aimed. The Injury is the fame, tho' the Principle from whence it proceeds may be different. As every one looks upon himself with too much rence, when he paffes a Judgment on his own

Thoughts