Style, notwithstanding the many difcuffions with which it has been honoured by fome of the first writers of our nation, is a subject ftill involved in obfcurity. BLAIR acknowledges, that "the peculiar manner in which a man expreffes his conceptions, by means of language," is the beft definition he can give. JOHNSON fays it is "the manner of writing with regard to language." SWIFT, long before, had laid down that "proper words in proper places made the true definition of a ftyle," which is not however a definition, but the character of a good style.

The divifions of ftyle are numerous, and have been multiplied by the critics as faft as they could multiply epithets to diftinguish them; but in every nation, and at every period of its literary history, it has been the custom to beftow the honors of style on a few authors, in whom collectively all its excellencies are supposed to be found. These in our country, in the prose style, are HOOKER, CLARENDON, TILLOTSON, CLARKE, BARROW, ATTERBURY, SHAFTESBURY, TEMPLE, SWIFT, ADDISON, BoLINGBROKE, FIELDING, and JOHNSON: to whom of late have been added HUME, ROBERTSON, GIBBON, BLAIR, and BURKE *. But when we inquire how many of these are to be held up as models, the lift becomes smaller as we approach nearer to the fevere criticism of our own times. HOOKER is now

* "Such authors," fays Lord ORFORD, speaking of AdDISON, SWIFT, BOLINGBROKE and Dr. MIDDLETON, "fix a standard by their writings, Grammarians regulate niceties, and try careless beauties in works, where careleffness often is a beauty, by the fame rigorous laws that they have enacted againit graver offenders. Such jurymen, no doubt, write their own letters with as much circumfpection as their wills, and are ignorant that it is easier to obferve fome laws than to violate them with grace." Royal and Noble Authors, art. ROSCOMMON.

recommended principally for the importance of his matter: CLARENDON is confidered as an hiftorian of unquestionable authority; but his lengthened periods and general prolixity are prohibited to the young writer, TILLOTSON, whom BIRCH characterifed as the reformer of pulpit eloquence, is now faid to be chiefly valuable for the religious inftruction and biblical criticisms to be found in his works. CLARKE, with more perfpicuity, is cold and inanimate. The readers of BARROW are cautioned against his redundancy, and most of them with great fafety, for it is the redundancy of an original and fertile genius. To ATTERBURY'S ftyle few objections have been offered on the score of purity and elegance; and his want of depth, or original thinking, will not be readily discovered by those who are forming a ftyle only. SHAFTESBURY is generally and very justly pointed out as a dangerous precedent. TEMPLE is allowed to excel TILLOTSON in all the estimable qualities of ftyle, and, although he partakes of the common incorrectness attributed to writers of fimplicity, familiarity and ease, he is ftill recommended as an useful model. BOLINGBROKE, is a declaimer, with many of those beauties of declamation which are too frequently contrived to conceal poverty of argument. BOLINGBROKE was an enemy to religion, probably because it did not flatter his practice. He is now, however, little read, and it is to the honour of our nation that few infidel writers have enjoyed a long popularity. FIELDING's ftyle is original, and his humour (different from that of ADDISON, yet excel lent in its kind) is fo copious as to extend over his voluminous writings with undiminished force. He has had no fuccefsful imitators. Of the other names mentioned, it is not neceffary to add more, than that they are the founders of different fchools

of style, which have as yet produced few scholars of great eminence.

From the whole lift, therefore, we can only collect two or three who are univerfally acknowledged to deserve the attention of thofe who are ambitious to form a correct ftyle. Yet when the beauty and defects of all are fully difplayed before us, as they have been by modern critics of acknowledged tafte, are we not induced to fufpect that much of the improvement to be derived from fuch critical labour is impracticable; that between the ftyle and the mind of every author the connection is indiffoluble; and that he who would write like another muft always have his genius, and fometimes even his subject *?

The Life of ADDISON was firft written by TICKELL, but his account is meagre and unfatisfactory. It was confiderably enlarged in the first edition of the Biographia, and ftill more in the second; but the life prefixed to his poems, in Dr. JOHNSON'S edition, is, with few exceptions, the most faithful and the most candid. This biographer had long revered ADDISON's character, and in one of the RAMBLERS, in which he is about to offer fome criticisms on MILTON, he modeftly admits that "he may fall below the illuftrious writer that has fo long dictated to the commonwealth of learning." Nor was this the compliment of a junior willing to re

*Far be it from the writer of this, perhaps impertinent digreffion, to decry the induftry of criticifm, to arraign its jealoufy, or to undervalue the fagacity by which we are taught the right and wrong of language. All he would venture, and venture with fubmiffion, against the common opinion, is, that critical rules, however useful in affairs of grammar, will not form a ftyle; that ftyle is as much an attribute of genius as invention; and that the varieties of manner to be found in English literature arife from the varieties of mind and of matter. Excellence in writing, as in painting, can be attained only by labour: rules and examples may improve, but nature only can initiate.

commend himself by deference to those who were already in poffeffion of the public opinion. Thirty years afterwards, when his praise had its weight and value, he vindicated the originality and utility of ADDISON'S criticisms with equal spirit and justice.

The limits of this preface will not admit us to dwell fo long as would be agreeable on a character which every man loves to contemplate. " Of ADDISON'S virtue it is a fufficient teftimony, that the refentment of party has tranfmitted no charge of any crime." From the charge brought against him by the friends of POPE, he has been amply vindicated in the fecond edition of the Biographia, by Mr. Juftice BLACKSTONE: but for the publication of POPE's abufive character of him, after his death, no apology has yet been offered. That ADDISON had the jealoufy of an author is an accufation which he shares in common with, perhaps, every author of celebrity *, and that he was confcious of his fuperiority is only faying that he was confcious of what his opponents never have denied. In that species of compofition, which gained him popularity, he had then no rival, and has had no rival fince, whose pretenfions it would not be abfurd to admit. Amidft many revolutions of tafte, the judgment of all readers, learned and illiterate, has felected his papers as excelling in the milder graces of compofition, and the fascinations of wit.

It may not, however, be improper to advert to one circumftance in his private hiftory, which has

* "How noble does the character of ADDISON appear, who though equally (with POPE) attacked by DENNIS as a Critic, yet never mentioned his name with asperity, and refused to give the least countenance to a pamphlet which POPE had written upon the occafion of DENNIS's ftrictures on Cato?" BowLES's edition of POPE, vol. iv. p. 28. ADDISON'S Conduct to POPE is also ably vindicated in p. 39-44, and vol. vii, p. 292.

of late been brought before the public, it is hoped with fome exaggeration.

Dr. JOHNSON has mentioned this failing with moderation and delicacy. "He" (ADDISON) " often fat late, and drank too much wine. In the bottle discontent feeks for comfort, cowardice for courage, and bashfulness for confidence. It is not unlikely that ADDISON was first feduced to excefs by the manumiffion which he obtained from the fervile timidity of his fober hours. He that feels oppreffion from the presence of those to whom he knows himfelf fuperior, will defire to fet loose the powers of converfation: and who, that ever asked fuccour from Bacchus, was able to preserve himself from being enslaved by his auxiliary?"

The fame fact has been related by others in coarser language, and with an apparent defign to depreciate a character not eafily affailable in other points, That ADDISON did, however, indulge too much in the pleasures of the tavern is reported with great confidence, and an excufe has been attempted, by attributing the vexations he thus endeavoured to alleviate, to the capricious conduct of his wife. An excufe for what is in itself wrong is generally, what it ought to be, very unfatisfactory. It were to be wifhed, therefore, that fome caufe could be difcovered more adequate to the effect, than what has been commonly alleged. JOHNSON feems to confider ADDISON'S propensity as an original habit, and this appears to me moft confiftent with probability. It was the vice of the day among the wits, and wits have feldom difcovered that it is a vice,

As to ADDISON's domeftic vexations, the cafe ftands thus. After a tedious courtship he obtained the hand of the dowager COUNTESS of WARWICK,