plication? Let his Sentiments be confidered as Reflexions from his own Mind, let this Piece on the Sublime be regarded as the Picture of its Author. It is pity we have not a larger Pourtrait of him; but as that cannot be had, we muft take up at prefent with this incompleat, tho' beautiful Miniature. The Features are graceful, the Air is noble, the Colouring lively enough, to fhew how fine it was, and how many Qualifications are neceffary to form the Character of a Critic with Dignity and Applause.

Elevation of Thought, the greatest Qualification requifite to an Orator or Poet, is equally neceffary to a Critic, and is the moft fhining Talent in Longinus. Nature had implanted the Seeds of it within him, which he himself improved and nursed up to Perfection, by an Intimacy with the greatest and fublimeft Writers. Whenever he has Homer in view, he catches his Fire, and increases the Light and Ardor of it. The Space between Heaven and Earth marks out the Extent of the Poet's Genius; but the World itself feems too narrow a Confinement for that of the Critic *. And tho' his Thoughts are fometimes ftretched to an immeasurable

b 2

*See Sect. IX.

measurable Size, yet they are always great without Swelling, bold without Rashness, far beyond what any other could or durft have faid, and always proper and judicious

As his Sentiments are noble and lofty, so his Stile is masterly, enlivened by Variety, and flexible with Eafe. There is no Beauty pointed out by him in any other, which he does not imitate, and frequently excel, whilst he is making Remarks upon it. How he admires and improves upon Homer, has been hinted already. When Plato is his Subject, the Words glide along in a smooth, and eafy, and peaceable Flow. When he fpeaks of Hyperides, he copies at once his engaging Manner, the Simplicity, Sweetness and Harmony of his Stile. With Demofthenes he is vehement, abrupt, and disorderly regular; he dazles with his Lightning, and terrifies with his Thunder. When he parallels the Greek with the Roman Orator, he shews in two Periods the diftinguishing Excellencies of each; the firft is a very Hurricane, which bears down all before it; the laft, a Conflagration, gentle in its Beginning, gradually difperfed, increafing and getting to fuch a Head, as to rage beyond Refift

ance,

ance, and devour all Things. His Senfe is every where the very thing he would express, and the Sound of his Words is an Echo to his Senfe.

His Judgment is exact and impartial, both in what he blames and what he commends. The Sentence he pronounces is founded upon, and fupported by Reasons, which are fatisfactory and juft. His Approbation is not attended with Fits of ftupid Admiration, or Gaping, like an Ideot, at fomething surprising which he cannot comprehend; nor are his Cenfures fretful and wafpifh. He ftings, like the Bee, what actually annoys him, but carries Honey along with him, which, if it heals not the Wound, yet affuages the Smart.

His Candor is extenfive as his Judgment. The Penetration of the one obliged him to reprove what was amifs; the fecret Workings of the other biafs him to excufe or extenuate it, in the beft manner he is able. Whenever he lays open the Faults of a Writer, he forgets not to mention the Qualities he had, which had, which were deferving of Praife. Where Homer finks into Trifles, he cannot help reproving him; but tho' Homer nods fometimes, he is Homer ftill; excelling

all the World when broad awake, and in his Fits of Drowfinefs dreaming like a God.

The Good-nature alfo of Longinus muft not pass without notice. He bore an Averfion to the Sneers and Cavils of thofe, who, unequal to the weighty Province of Criticifm, abuse it, and become its Nufance. He frequently takes Pains to fhew, how mifplaced their Animadverfions are, and to defend the Injured from Afperfions. There is an Inftance of this in his Vindication of

Theopompus from the Cenfure of Cecilius*. He cannot endure to fee what is right in that Author, perverted into Error; nor where he really errs, will he fuffer him to pass unreproved †. Yet here his Good-nature exerts itself again, and he proposes divers Methods of amending what is wrong.

The Judgment and Candor and Impartiality, with which Longinus declares his Sentiments of the Writings of others, will, I am perfuaded, rife in our Efteem, when we reflect on that exemplary piece of Juftice he has done to Mofes. The manner of his quoting that celebrated Paffage § from him, is as honourable to the Critic, as the Quotation itself to the Jewish Legiflator. Whe

Sect. XXXI. † Se&t. XLIII. § Sect. IX.

ther

ther he believed the Mofaic Hiftory of the Creation, is a Point, in which we are not in the leaft concerned; but it was plainly his Opinion, that tho' it be condescendingly fuited to the finite Conception of Man, yet it is related in a manner not inconfiftent with the Majefty of God. To contend, as fome do, that he never read Mofes, is trifling, or rather litigious. The Greek Tranflation had been difperfed, throughout the Roman Empire, long before the Time in which he lived; and no Man of a serious, much lefs of a philofophical Turn, could reject it, as unworthy a perufal. Befides, Zenobia, according to the Teftimony of Photius * was a Jewish Convert. And I have fomewhere feen it mentioned from Bellarmine, that fhe was a Chriftian; but as I am a Stranger to the Reasons, on which he founds the Affertion, I fhall lay no Strefs upon it.

But there is strong probability, that Longinus was not only acquainted with the Writings of the Old Teftament, but with those also of the New, fince to a Manuscript of the latter in the Vatican Library, there is prefixed a Paffage from fome of this Author's Writings, which is preferved there, as an Inftance of his Judgment. He is drawing up a List of the greatest Orators, and at the close he fays, " And further, Paul

*Prefixed to Hudson's Longinus.

b 4

"of