same place; who, having received the first scent from the post-boy who conducted his daughter to Hambrook, very easily traced her afterwards to Gloucester; whence he pursued her to Upton, as he had learned Mr. Jones had taken that route (for Partridge, to use the 'squire's expression, left every where a stong scent behind him), and he doubted not in the least but Sophia travelled, or, as he phrased it, ran the same way. He used, indeed, a very coarse expression, which need not be here inserted; as fox-hunters, who alone would understand it, will easily suggest it to themselves.

BOOK XI.

Containing about three days.

IN

CHAPTER I.

our last initial chapter, we may be supposed to have treated that formidable set of men, who are called critics, with more freedom than becomes us; since they exact, and indeed generally receive, great condescension from authors. We shall in this, therefore, give the reasons of our conduct to this august body; and here we shall, perhaps, place them in a light in which they have not hitherto been seen.

This word critic is of Greek derivation, and signifies judgement. Hence I presume some persons, who have not understood the original, and have seen the English translation of the primitive, have concluded that it meant judgement in the legal sense, in which it is frequently used as equivalent to condemnation.

I am the rather inclined to be of that opinion, as the greatest number of critics hath of late years been

found amongst the lawyers. Many of these gentlemen, from despair, perhaps, of ever rising to the bench in Westminster-hall, have placed themselves on the benches at the playhouse, where they have exerted their judicial capacity, and have given judgement, i. e. condemned, without mercy.

The gentlemen would, perhaps, be well enough pleased, if we were to leave them thus compared to one of the most important and honourable offices in the commonwealth, and, if we intended to apply to their favour, we would do so; but as we design to deal very sincerely and plainly too with them, we must remind them of another officer of justice, of a much lower rank; to whom, as they not only pro nounce, but execute, their own judgement, they bear likewise some remote resemblance.

But, in reality, there is another light, in which these modern critics may, with great justice and propriety, be seen; and this is, that of a common slanderer. If a person, who pries into the charac ters of others, with no other design but to discover their faults, and to publish them to the world, de. serves the title of a slanderer of the reputation of men; why should not a critic, who reads with the same malevolent view, be as properly styled the slanderer of the reputation of books?

Vice hath not, I believe, a more abject slave; society produces not a more odious vermin; nor can the devil receive a guest more worthy of him, nor possibly more welcome to him, than a slanderer. The world, I am afraid, regards not this monster with half the abhorrence which he deserves; and I am more afraid to assign the reason of this criminal lenity shown towards him; yet it is certain that the thief looks innocent in the comparison; nay, the murderer himself can seldom stand in competition with his guilt; for slander is a more cruel weapon than a sword, as the wounds which the former gives are always incurable. One me thod, indeed, there is of killing, and that the basest

and most execrable of all, which bears an exact analogy to the vice here declaimed against, and that is poison;a means of revenge so base, and yet so horrible, that it was once wisely distinguished by our laws from all other murders, in the peculiar severity of the punishment.

Besides the dreadful mischiefs done by slander, and the baseness of the means by which they are. effected, there are other circumstances that highly aggravate its atrocious quality: for it often proceeds from no provocation, and seldom promises itself any reward, unless some black and infernal mind may propose a reward in the thoughts of hav ing procured the ruin and misery of another.

Shakespeare hath nobly touched this vice, when he says,

Who steals my purse steals trash, 'tis something, nothing;

'Twas mine, 'tis his, and hath been slave to thousands:

But he that filches from me my good name,"

Robs me of that which not enriches him,
But makes me poor indeed!

With all this my good reader will doubtless agree; but much of it will probably seem too severe, when applied to the slanderer of books. But let it here. be considered, that both proceed from the same wicked disposition of mind, and are alike void of the excuse of temptation. Nor shall we conclude the injury done this way to be very slight, when we consider a book as the author's offspring, and indeed as the child of his brain.

The reader, who hath suffered his muse to continue hitherto in a virgin state, can have but a very inadequate idea of this kind of paternal fondness. To such we may parody the tender exclamation of Macduff, Alas! thou hast written no book.' But the author, whose muse hath brought forth, will

feel the pathetic strain, perhaps will accompany me with tears (especially if his darling be already no more), while I mention the uneasiness with which the big muse bears about her burden, the painful labour with which she produces it, and lastly, the care, the fondness, with which the tender father nourishes his favourite, till it be brought to maturity, and produced into the world.

Nor is there any paternal fondness which seems. less to savour of absolute instinct, and which may so well be reconciled to worldly wisdom, as this. These children may most truly be called the riches of their father; and many of them have with true. filial piety fed their parent in his old age: so that not only the affection, but the interest, of the author may be highly injured by these slanderers, whose poisonous breath brings his book to an untimely end.

Lastly, the slanderer of a book is, in truth, the slanderer of the author: for as no one can call another bastard, without calling the mother a whore; so neither can any one give the names of sad stuff, horrid nonsense, &c. to a book, without calling the author a blockhead; which, though in a moral sense it is a preferable appellation to that of villain, is, perhaps, rather more injurious to his worldly in

terest.

Now, however ludicrous all this may appear to some, others, I doubt not, will feel and acknowledge. the truth of it; nay, may perhaps think I have not treated the subject with decent solemnity; but surely a man may speak truth with a smiling coun tenance. In reality, to depreciate a book maliciously, or even wautonly, is at least a very ill-natured office; and a morose snarling critic may, I believe, be suspected to be a bad man.

I will, therefore, endeavour, in the remaining part of this chapter, to explain the marks of this character, and to show what criticism I here intend to obviate; for I can never be understood, unless