THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER. DEO. OPT. MAX. FATHER of All! in ev'ry age, In ev'ry clime, ador'd, By faint, by favage, and by fage, Thou Great First Caufe, least understood, To know but this, that thou art good, Yet gave me in this dark estate, To fee the good from ill; And, binding Nature faft in Fate, What confcience dictates to be done, This teach me more than hell to fhun, For God is paid when men receives : Yet not to Earth's contracted span Let not this weak unknowing hand And deal damnation round the land If I am right, thy grace impart, Still in the right to itay; If I am wrong, oh! teach my heart 5 10 15 20 25 30 Save me alike from foolish pride At aught thy witdom has deny'd, Teach me to fed another's woe, That mercy I to others fhow, This day be bread and peace my lot; All elfe beneath the fun Thou know'ft if belt beftow'd or not, To Thee, whofe temple is all space, 35 40 45 59 [Written in the Year 1709.] CONTENTS. PART I. INTRODUCTION. That it is as great a fault to judge ill as to write ill, and a more dangerous one to the public, ver. 1. That a true tafte is as rare to be found as a true genius, v. 9,-18. That most men are born with some taste, but spoiled by false education, v. 19,-25. The multitude of critics, and caufes of them, v. 26,-45. That we are to study our own tafte, and know the limits of it, v. 46,—67. Nature the best guide of judgment, v. 68,-87; improved by art and rules, which are but methodized Nature, v. 88. Rules derived from the practice of the ancient poets, v. 88,-170; that therefore the Ancients are neceffary to be ftudied by a critic, particularly Homer and Virgil, v. 118,-138. Of licenses, and the use of them, by the Ancients, v. 141,-180.. Reverence due to the Ancients, and praise of them, V. 181, &c. PART II. Caufes hindering a true judgment. 1. Pride, v. 209. 2. Imperfect learning, v. 215. 3. Judging by parts, and not by the whole, v. 233,-288. Critics in wit, language, verfification only, v. 289, 305, 337, &c. 4. Being too hard to please, or too apt to admire, v. 384. 5. Partiality,-too much love to a fect,-to the Ancients or Moderns, v. 394. 6. Prejudice or prevention, v. 468. 7. Singularity, v. 424. 8. Inconftancy, v. 430. 9. Party ipirit, v. 452, &c. 10. Envy, v. 456. Againft envy, and in praise of good-nature, v. 508, &c. When feverity is chiefly to be used by critics, v. 526, &c. PART PART III. Rules for the conduct of manners in a critic. Candour, v. 563. Modesty, v. 566. Good breeding, v. 572. Sincerity and freedom of advice, v. 578. 2. When one's counsel is to be restrained, v. racter of an incorrigible poet, v. 600; and of an im- pertinent critic, v. 610, &c. Character of a good cri- tic, v. 631. The hiftory of criticism, and characters of the best critics. Ariftotle, v. 645. Horace, v. 653. Dionyfius, v. 665. Petronius, v. 667. Quintilian, v. 669. Longinus, v. 675. Of the decay of criticism, and its revival. Erafmus, v. 693. Vida, v. 705. 'TIS PART I. IS hard to fay if greater want of skill Yet, if we look more clofely, we fhall find Or with a rival's or an eunuch's spite. All fools have still an itching to deride, 25 There are who judge ftill worfe than he can write. VOL. I. 10 15 20 30 36 Some |