A duel he feems to have thought one of the highest efforts of human virtue; and playing dextroufly at billiards a very genteel accomplishment. Two of his pieces, however, deferve to be mentioned with more refpect. Count Fathom, though an improbable tale, is pleafing, and upon the whole not immoral, though in fome paffages very indelicate. And Sir Launcelot Greaves, though ftill more improbable, has great merit; and is truly original. in the execution, notwithffanding that the hint is borrowed from Don Quixote.

2. The fécond fpecies of the New Comick Romance is that, which, in the arrangement of events, follows the poetical order; and which may properly enough be called the Epick Comedy, or rather the Comick Epick poem: Epick, because it is narrative; and Comick, because it is employed on the bufinefs of common life, and takes its perfons from the middle and lower ranks of mankind,

This form of the Comick Romance has been brought to perfection in England by Henry Fielding, who seems to have poffeffed more wit and humour, and more knowledge of mankind, than any other perfon of modern times, Shakespeare

The great Lord Lyttleton, after mentioning feveral particulars of Pope, Swift, and other wits of that time, when I asked some question relating to the Author of Tom Jones, began his answer with these words, " Henry Fielding, I affure you, had more wit and more humour than all the persons we "have been speaking of put together." This teftimony of his Lordship, who was intimately acquainted with Fielding, ought not to be forgotten.

fpeare excepted; and whofe great natural abilities were refined by a claffical tafte, which he had acquired by studying the best authors of antiquity: though it cannot be denied, that he appears on fome occafions to have been rather too oftentatious, both of his learning, and of his

wit.

Some have faid, that Jofeph Andrews is the best performance of Fielding. But its chief merit is parfon Adams; who is indeed a character of masterly invention, and, next to Don Quixote, the moft ludicrous perfonage that ever appeared in romance. This work, though full of exquifite humour, is blameable in many refpects. Several paffages offend by their indelicacy. And it is not eafy to imagine, what could induce the author to add to the other faults of his hero's father, Wilfon, the infamy of lying and cowardice; and then to difmifs him, by very improbable means, to a life of virtuous tranquillity, and endeavour to render him upon the whole a refpectable character. [Some youthful irregularities, rather hinted at than defcribed, owing more to imprudence and unlucky accident than to confirmed habits of fenfuality, and followed by inconvenience, perplexity, and remorfe, their natural confequences, may, in a comick tale, be affigned even to a favourite perfonage, and, by proper management, form avery inftructive part of the narration: but crimes, that bring difhonour, or that betray a hard heart, or an injurious difpofition, fhould never be fixed on a character whom the poet or novel-writer means to recommend to our esteem. On this principle, Fielding might be vindicated in regard to all the cenfurable conduct of Tom Jones,

Jones, provided he had been lefs particular in de fcribing it and, by the fame rule, Smollet's fyftem of youthful profligacy, as exemplified in fome of his libertines, is altogether without excufe.

Tom Jones and Amelia are Fielding's best performances; and the most perfect, perhaps, of their kind in the world. The fable of the latter is entirely poetical, and of the true epick species; beginning in the middle of the action, or rather as near the end as poffible, and introducing the previous occurrences, in the form of a narrative. epifode. Of the former, the introductory part follows the hiftorical arrangement; but the fable becomes ftrictly poetical, as foon as the great action of the piece commences, that is, if I mistake not, immediately after the fickness of Alworthy: for, from that period, the incidents proceed in an uninterrupted feries to the final event, which happens about two months after.

Since the days of Homer, the world has not feen a more artful Epick fable. The characters and adventures are wonderfully diverfified: yet the circumftances are all fo natural, and rife fo eafily from one another, and co-operate with fo much regularity in bringing on, even while they feem to retard, the catastrophe, that the curiofity of the reader is kept always awake, and, inftead of flagging, grows more and more impatient as the ftory advances, till at last it becomes downright anxiety. And when we get to the end, and look back on the whole contrivance, we are amazed to find, that of fo many incidents. there fhould be fo few fuperfluous; that in fuch variety of fiction there fhould be fo great probability; and that fo complex a tale fhould be fo perfpicuously

perfpicuously conducted, and with perfect unity of defign.-These remarks may be applied either to Tom Jones or to Amelia: but they are made with a view to the former chiefly; which might give scope to a great deal of criticifm, if I were not in hafte to conclude the subject. Since the time of Fielding, who died in the year one thoufand feven hundred and fifty-four, the Comick Romance, as far as I am acquainted with it, feems to have been declining apace, from fimplicity and nature, into improbability and affectation.

Let not the usefulness of Romance-writing be eftimated by the length of my difcourfe upon it. Romances are a dangerous recreation. A few, no doubt, of the beft may be friendly to good tate and good morals; but far the greater part are unfkilfully written, and tend to corrupt the heart, and ftimulate the paffions. A habit of reading them breeds a diflike to history, and all the fubftantial parts of knowledge; withdraws the attention from nature, and truth; and fills the mind with extravagant thoughts, and too often with criminal propenfities. I would therefore caution my young reader against them: or, if he muft, for the fake of amufement, and that he may have fomething to fay on the fubject, indulge himself in this way now and then, let it be fparingly, and feldom.

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ARRIAGE might be proved to be natural from its univerfality: for no nation has yet been discovered, where, under one form or other, it not take place. Whether this be the effect of a law prefcribed in the beginning by the VOL. II. Creator,

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* There are modern authors, who, from an exceffive admiration of the Greek policy, feem to have formed erroneous opinions in regard to fome of the points touched on in this Difcourfe. With a view to thofe opinions, the Difcourfe was written feveral years ago. Afterwards, when a book called Thelyphthora appeared, I had thoughts of enlarging these remarks, fo as to make them comprehend an examination of it. This the Authors of the Monthly Review rendered unneceffary, by giving a very ingenious, learned, and decifive confutation of that profligate fyftem. I therefore publifh my Effay, as it was at firft written: fatisfied, that Mr. Madan's Book, whatever private immoralities it may promote among the licentious and ignorant, will have no weight with the publick; nor deserve further animadverfion, unlefs he should fubjoin to it, as an appendix, or premife, by way of introduction, (what indeed feems wanting to complete his p'an), an argument to prove, that the only true religion is the Turkish, and that of all forms of policy a free government is the worst. For, as the world is now conftituted, the fcheme of this Reverend Projećtor (REVERENDI -it is, it feems, even fo!) is not compatible with any other political establishment, than that of Mahometan Defpotifm.