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Falfe criticks have been the plague of all ages; Milton himself, in a very polite court, has been compared to the rumbling of a wheel-barrow; he had been on the wrong fide, and therefore could not be a good poet. And this perhaps, may be Mr. Philips's cafe.

But I take generally the ignorance of his readers to be the occafion of their diflike. People that have formed their taste upon the French writers, can have no relish for Philips: they admire points and turns, and confequently have no judgement of what is great and majestick: he must look little in their eyes when he foars fo high as to be almost out of their view. I cannot therefore allow any admirer of the French to be a judge of Bleinheim, nor any who takes Bouhours for a compleat critick. He generally judges of the ancients by the moderns, and not the moderns by the ancients; he takes thofe paffages of their own authors to be really fublime which come the neareft to it; he often calls that a noble and great thought which is only a pretty and a fine one, and has more inftances of the fublime out of Ovid de Triftibus, than he has out of all Virgil.

I fhall allow, therefore, only those to be judges of Philips, who make the antients, and particularly Virgil, their standard.

But, before I enter on this fubject, I shall confider what is particular in the style of Philips, and examine what ought to be the ftyle of heroick poetry, and next, enquire how far he is come up to that ftyle.

His style is particular; because he lays afide rhyme, and writes in blank verfe, and ufes

old

old words, and frequently poftpones the adjective to the fubftantive, and the fubftantive to the verb; and leaves out little particles, a, and the; her, and his; and ufes frequent appofitions. Now let us examine, whether thefe alterations of ftile be conformable to the true fublime,

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SMIT H.

EDMUND

DMUND SMITH is one of those lucky writers who have, without much labour, attained high reputation, and who are mentioned with reverence rather for the poffeffion than the exertion of uncommon abilities.

Of his life little is known; and that little claims no praise but what can be given to intellectual excellence, feldom employed to any virtuous purpose. His character, as given by Mr. Oldifworth, with all the partiality of friendship, which is faid by Dr. Burton to fhow what fine things one man of parts can fay of another; and which, however, comprises great part of what can be known of Mr. Smith, it is better to transcribe at once, than to take by pieces. I fhall fubjoin fuch little memorials as accident has enabled me to collect.

Mr. EDMUND SMITH was the only fon of an eminent merchant, one Mr. Neale, by a daughter of the famous baron Lechmere. Some misfortunes of his father, which were

foon

foon after followed by his death, were the occafion of the fon's being left very young in the hands of a near relation (one who married Mr. Neale's fifter) whofe name was Smith,

This gentleman and his lady treated him as their own child, and put him to Westminsterschool under the care of Dr. Bufby; whence after the lofs of his faithful and generous guardian (whofe name he affumed and retained) he was removed to Chrift-church in Oxford, and there by his aunt handsomely maintained till her death; after which he continued a member of that learned and ingenious fociety, till within five years of his own; though fome time before his leaving Chrift-church, he was fent for by his mother to Worcester, and owned and acknowledged as her legitimate fon; which had not been mentioned, but to wipe off the afperfions that were ignorantly caft by fome on his birth. It is to be remembered for our author's honour, that, when at Weftminster election he stood a candidate for one of the univerfities, he fo fignally diftinguifhed himself by his confpicuous performances, that there arofe no fmall contention between the reprefentative electors of Trinitycollege in Cambridge and Chrift-church in Oxon, which of thofe two royal focieties should adopt him as their own. But the electors of Trinity-college having the preference of choice that year, they refolutely elected him; who yet, being invited at the fame time to Chriftchurch, chofe to accept of a studentship there. Mr. Smith's perfections, as well natural as acquired, feem to have been formed upon Horace's plan; who fays in his Art of Poetry,

-Ego

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