finds of these perfections in the same object; so it is capable of receivng a new satisfaction, by the assistance of another sense. Thus any continued sound, as the music of birds, or a fall of water, awakens, every moment, the mind of the beholder, and makes him more attentive to the several beauties of the place that lie before him. Thus if there arise a fragrancy of smells or perfumes, they heighten the pleasures of the imagination, and make even the colours and verdure of the landscape appear more agreeable; for the ideas of both senses recommend each other, and are pleasanter together, than when they enter the mind separately; as the different colours of a picture, when they are well disposed, set off one another, and receive an additional beauty from the advantage of their situation.

X.-Liberty and Slavery:-STERNE.

DISGUISE thyself as thou wilt, still, slavery! still thou art a bitter draught; and though thousands, in all ages, have been made to drink of thee, thou art no less bitter on that account. It is thou, liberty! thrice sweet and gracious Goddess, whom all, in public or in private worship; whose taste is grateful, and ever will be so till nature herself shall change. No tint of words can spot thy snowy mantle, or chymic power turn thy sceptre into iron. With thee, to smile upon him as he eats his crust, the swain is happier than his monarch, from whose court thou art exiled. Gracious heaven! Grant me but health, thou great bestower of it! And give me but this fair goddess as my companion; and shower down thy mitres, if it seem good unto thy Divine Providence, upon those heads which are aching for them.

Pursuing these ideas, I sat down close by my table; and leaning my head upon my hand, I began to figure to myself the miseries of confinement. I was in a right frame for it, and so I gave full scope to my imagination. I was going to begin with the millions of my fellowcreatures, born to no inheritance but slavery; but findjog, however affecting the picture was, that I could not bring it near me, and that the multitude of sad groups in it did but distract me, I took a single captive; and having first shut him up in his dungeon, I then looked through the twilight of his grated door, to take his picture.

I beheld his body half wasted away, with long expec tation and confinement; and felt what kind of sickness of the heart it is which arises from hope deferred. Upon looking nearer, I saw him pale aud feverish. In thirty years the western breeze had not once fanned his blood he had seen no sun, no moon, in all that time-nor had the voice of friend or kinsman breathed through his lat tice. His children—but here my heart began to bleedand I was forced to go on with another part of the por trait.

He was sitting upon the ground, upon a little straw, in the farthest corner of his dungeon, which was alternately his chair and bed. A little calender of small sticks was laid at the head, notched all over with the dismal days and nights he had passed there. He had one of these little sticks in his hand; and, with a rusty nail, he was etching another day of misery to add to the heap. As I darkened the little light he had, he lifted up a hopeless eye towards the door-then cast it down-shook his headand went on with his work of affliction. I heard his chains upon his legs, as he turned his body to lay his little stick upon the bundle. He gave a deep sigh-I saw the iron enter into his soul. 1 burst into tears. I could not sustain the picture of confinement which my fancy had drawn.

X1.-Cant of Criticism.-STERNE.

AND how did Garrick speak the soliloquy last night -Oh, against all rule, my Lord; most ungrammatically! Betwixt the substantive and adjective (which should agree together, in number, case and gender) he made a breach thus-stopping as if the point wanted settling. And after the nominative case (which your Lordship knows should govern the verb) he suspended his voice, in the epilogue, a dozen times, three seconds and three fifths, by a stop watch, my Lord, each time. Admirable grammarian! But, in suspending his voice, was the sense suspended likewise? Did no expression of attititude or countenance fill up the chasm? Was the eye silent? Did you narrowly look? I looked only at the stop watch, my Lord. Excellent observer!

And what of this new book the whole world makes such

a rout about? Oh, 'tis out of all plumb, my Lord-quite an irregular thing; Not one of the angles at the four corners was a right angle. I had my rule and compasses, my Lord, in my pocket. Excellent critic.

And for the epic poem, your Lordship bade me look at -upon taking the length, breadth, height and depth of it, and trying them, at home, upon an exact scale of Bossu's, 'tis out, my Lord, in every one of its dimensions. Admirable connoisseur !

And did you step in, to take a look at the grand picture, in your way back? 'Tis a melancholy daub, my Lord; not one principle of the pyramid in any one group! And what a price! For there is nothing of the colouring of Titian-the expression of Rubens-the grace of Raphael-the purity of Dominichino-the corregiosity of Corregio-the learning of Poussin-the airs of Guido -the tase of the Carrachis-or the grand contour of Angelo !

Grant me patience! Of all the cants which are canted, in this canting world-though the cant of hypocrisy may. be the worst-the cant of criticism is the most tormenting!I would go fifty miles on foot, to kiss the hand of that man, whose generous heart will give up the reins of his imagination into his author's hands, be pleased, he knows not why, and cares not wherefore.

His

XII.-Parallel between Pope and Dryden.-JOHNSON. IN acquired knowledge, the superiority must be allowed to Dryden, whose education was more scholastic, and who, before he became an author, had been allowed more time for study, with better means of information. mind has a larger range, and he collects his images and illustrations from a more extensive circumference of science. Dryden knew more of man, in his general nature; and Pope, in his local manners. The notions of Dryden were formed by comprehensive speculation; those of Pope, by minute attention. There is more dignity in the knowledge of Dryden, and more certainty in that of Pope. Poetry was not the sole praise of either; for both excelled likewise in prose: But Pope did not borrow his prose from his predecessor. The style of Dryden is capricious and varied; that of Pope is cau tious and uni

form: Dryden obeys the motions of his own mind; Pope constrains his mind to his own rules of composition.-Dryden is sometimes vehement and rapid; Pope is always smooth, uniform and gentle. Dryden's page is a natural field, rising into inequalities, and diversified by the varied exuberance of abundant vegitation; Pope's is a velvet lawn, shaven by the sythe, and levelled by the roller.

Of genius-that power that constitutes a poet; that quality, without which judgment is cold and knowledge is inert; that energy which collects, combines, amplifies and animates-the superiority must, with some hesitation, be allowed to Dryden. It is not to be inferred, that of this poetical vigour, Pope had only a little, because Dryden had more; for every other writer, since Milton, must give place to Pope; and even of Dryden it must be said, that if he has brighter paragraphs, he has not better poems. Dryden's performances were always hasty; either excited by some external occasion, or extorted by domestic necessity; he composed without consideration, and published without correction. What his mind could supply at call, or gather in one excursion, was all that he songht, and all that he gave. The dilatory caution of Pope enabled him to condense his sentiments, to multiply his images, and to accumulate all that study might produce or chance supply. If the flights of Dryden therefore are higher, Pope continues longer on the wing. If of Dryden's fire the blaze is brighter; of Pope's the heat is more regular and constant. Dryden often surpasses expectation, and Pope never falls below it. Dryden is read with frequent astonishment, and Pope with perpetual delight.

XIII.-Story of Le Fever.-STERNE.

IT was sometime in the summer of that year in which Dendermond was taken by the allies, when my uncle To by was one evening getting his supper, with Trim sitting behind him, at a small sideboard-I say sitting-for in consideration of the coporal's lame knee (which sometimes gave him exquisite pain)-when my uncle Toby dined or supped alone, he would never suffer the corporal to stand: And the poor fellow's veneration for his master was such, that, with a proper artillery, my uncle Toby could have taken Dendermond itself, with less trouble

than he was able to gain this point over him; for many a time when my uncle Toby supposed the corporal's leg was at rest, he would look back, and detect him standing behind him, with the most dutiful respect; this bred more little sqaubbles betwixt them, than all other causes, for five and twenty years together.

He was one evening sitting thus at his supper, when the landlord of a little inn in the village came into the parlor, with an empty phial in his hand, to beg a glass or two of sack 'Tis for a poor gentleman-I think of the army, said the landlord, who has been taken ill at my house four days ago, and has never held up his head since, or had a desire to taste any thing till just now, that he has a fancy for a glass of sack, and a thin toast."I think," says he, taking his hand from his forehead-"It would comfort me.".

-If I could neither beg, borrow, nor buy such a thing -added the landlord-I would almost steal it for the poor gentleman he is so ill. I hope he will still mend, continued he-we are all of us concerned for him.

Thou art a good natured soul, I will answer for thee, cried my uncle Toby; and thou shalt drink the poor gentleman's health in a glass of sack thy self-and take a couple of bottles with my service, and tell him he is heartily welcome to them, and to a dozen more, if they will do bim good.

Though I am persuaded, said my uncle Toby, as the landlord shut the door, he is a very compassionate fellow, Trim-yet I cannot help entertaining a high opinion of his guest too; there must be something more than common in him, that in so short a time, should win so much upon the affections of his host.-And of his whole family, added the corporal, for they are all concerned for him.Step after him, said my uncle Toby-do Trim, and ask if he knows his name.

I have quite forgot it, truly, said the landlord, coming back into the parlour with the corporal-but I can ask his son again-Has he a son with him, then? said my uncle Toby. A boy, replied the landlord, of about eleven or twelve years of age;-but the poor creature has tasted almost as little as his father; he does nothing but mourn and lament for him night and day. He has not stirred from the bed side these two days.