understood, that it is unneceffary to confume paper or time upon them. Take the few following examples.

Falstaff. I do remember him at Clement's inn, like a man made after fupper of a cheese-paring. When he was naked, he was for all the world like a forked radish, with a head fantastically carved upon it with a knife.

Second part, Henry IV. at 3. fc. 5.

The foregoing is of difproportion. The following examples are of flight or imaginary misfortunes.

Falstaff. Go fetch me a quart of fack, put a toaft in't. Have I liv'd to be carried in a basket, like a barrow of butcher's offal, and to be thrown into the Thames? Well, if I be ferv'd fuch another trick, I'll have my brains ta'en out and butter'd, and give them to a dog for a new-year's gift. The rogues flighted me into the river with as little remorse as they would have drown'd a bitch's blind puppies, fifteen i' th' litter; and you may know by my fize, that I have a kind of alacrity in finking: if the bottom were as deep as hell, I should down. I had been drown'd, but that the fhore was shelvy and fhallow; a death that I abhor;

for

for the water fwells a man: and what a thing fhould I have been, when I had been fwell'd? I fhould have been a mountain of mummy.

Merry wives of Windsor, alt 3. Sc. 150

Falstaff. Nay, you fhall hear, Master Brook, what I have fuffer'd to bring this woman to evil for your good. Being thus cramm'd in the bafket, a couple of Ford's knaves, his hinds, were call'd forth by their mistress, to carry me in the name of foul cloaths to Datchet-lane. They took me on their shoulders, met the jealous knave their mafter in the door, who afk'd them once or twice what they had in their basket. I quak'd for fear, left the lunatic knave would have search'd it; but Fate, ordaining he fhould be a cuckold, held his hand. Well, on went he for a fearch, and away went I for foul cloaths. But mark the fequel, Mafter Brook. I fuffer'd the pangs of three egregious deaths: first, an intolerable fright, to be detected by a jealous rotten bell-weather; next, to be compafs'd like a good bilbo, in the circumference of a peck, hilt to point, heel to head; and then to be ftopt in, like a strong diftillation, with stinking cloaths that fretted in their own greafe. Think of that, a man of my kidney; think of that, that am as fubject to heat as butter; a man of continual diffolution and thaw; it was a miracle to 'scape fuffoca

tion,

tion. And in the height of this bath, when I was more than half-stew'd in greafe, like a Dutch dish, to be thrown into the Thames, and cool'd glowing hot, in that furge, like a horfe-shoe; think of that; hiffing hot; think of that, Master Brook.""

Merry wives of Windjor, act 3. fc. 17.

CHA P. VIII.

Refemblance and Contraft.

H

AVING difcuffed thofe qualities and circumstances of fingle objects that feem peculiarly connected with criticism, we proceed, according to the method proposed in the chapter of beauty, to the relations of objects, beginning with the relations of refemblance and contraft.

Man being unavoidably connected with the beings around him, fome acquaintance with their nature, their powers, and their qualities, is requifite for regulating his conduct. As an incentive to acquire a branch of knowledge fo effential to our well-being, motives alone of reafon and intereft are not fufficient. Nature hath providently superadded curiofity, a vigorous propenfity which never is at rest. It is this propenfity which attaches us to every new object *; and in

* See chap. 6.

VOL. I.

X x

particular

particular incites us to confider objects in the way of comparison, in order to discover their differences and refemblances.

Refemblance among objects of the fame kind, and diffimilitude among objects of different kinds, are too obvious and familiar to gratify our curiofity in any degree. The gratification lies in discovering differences among things where refemblance prevails, and in difcovering refemblances where difference prevails. Thus a difference in individuals of the fame kind of plants or animals is deemed a difcovery, while the many particulars in which they agree are neglected: and in different kinds, any resemblance is greedily remarked, without attending to the many particulars in which they differ.

"A comparison however may be too far ftretched. When differences or resemblances are carried beyond certain bounds, they appear flight and trivial; and for that reafon will not be relished by one of taste. Yet fuch propenfity is there to gratify paffion, curiofity in particular, that even among good writers, we find many comparifons too flight to afford fatisfaction. Hence the frequent

inftances