1000000030

e o

creon,

~re

in the numbcr o(

¡'úla/or"

yet

rceeive our

highell

~ppldu(e ;

our ,n(wer is, that they, though not

".1,

.re

RCcidtnlal origindiJ;

the IVorks lhey imuatod.

(eIV

eX~I·pted.

,re loll: lhty, on

ti,."

(.lIher's deccale,

enter as

I.IV

(ul hcirs on .hei ..

dla.~s

in (,me : the f.l·

lhers o( Our eopyifls

~re

l!tll in polfcnion;

~nd

(ecureJ in

it, in (pitl o(

Goth~, ~nd

n.mes, hy lhe p"p:.u.ting

pOIVer of tht prc(s. Very Idle mur! a modnn

11IIi/a/ors

fame .¡rive, i( it IVaits for thei r

deee.fe.

Anorlgina/

enters early onrepuwion:

(am.,

(ond o(neIV

glories, founds her trumpe¡ in triumph at il! birth; and yet

holV f"IV are ' IVakeneJ by it into the noble ambition of

like lIte",pts? Ambition is fometimes no vice io I,fe; it

is .IIVays • virtue in eompolition. Hlgh in the tOIVer·

ing Alps is the fountain o( the Po ; high in (ame, antl

in antiquuy, i, the fountain o( ao

i1lli,",0" ,

undertaking;

bUI the riyer, and the inlltation, humbly ereep along the

vale.

few are our

origin.-/"

that, i( all other books

were to be' burnt, the Imered \Vorld IVould refemblc

fome mmopoli, in Bames, \Vhere a (ew incombuOible

buildings. a (ome(s, temple, or tdIVer, lift their heads,

in melaneholy graodeur, amid the miglHY ruin. Co",

p.rtJ IVllh this conflagwion. old Omar lighttd up but a

¡inall bonfir<. IVhen he heated the bnths o(

lh~

barharians,

(or eight montla to¡:cther, ",id, the (amed Alexaudrian

library's incllimable fpoils,

lh~t

no .propharoe book might

obOrutl the triumphant progrefs o( his holy Alcoran

round the globe.

Hut why ate original! (o (elV? not beeaufe Ihe writer's

harvefi is over, the great

reap~rs

of antiquity having 'e(l

nothlOg

be gleaned alter them; nor b,eJufe tbe hu·

man mind's leeming time ís pall, or beeau(e it i, inea–

pable o( pUlling (orth unpreeedchtcd births; UUl beeau le

iHullrious examples

eJlgr~(i,

prrjudi"

, and

i"li//lida/•.

They

tngroJi

ou r anelllion, and fo prevenl a due in.

fpellion of our(e!vcs; they

prrjlldiceOllr

judgment in

(~.

VOUr of their abililies, and (o Icfren the Cen(e o( our oIVn;

and thei

in/illlldlll.

us IVith the (plendor o( their renolVn,

and lhus under dillidence bury our flrength. Nature's

impoflibilities, aud thoCe o( diffideoee, lie IVide a(under.

After all, the 6r11 aneienlS had not merit in being

original!:

they could

nol

i",ilalor¡.

Modern IVme,s

have a

ch.i"

make; and there(ore have a OIerit in

their pOIVer. T hey mdy foa r in the regrons o(

lib,r/y,

or move in the fofl (etters o( ea(y

imila/ion;

and

imi·

la/hn

has

m.ny

plluGble reafons to urge, as

plra/"r,

had to cfl'cr tOHerculcs. Hereoles made lhe choice

an hero, and

beeanle immortal.

Yet let not afl'enors of claflie exeellence imagine, that

lI'edeny lhe tribute it (o well dererves. He that admires

not aneient authors, bltrays a (eerel he IVould eoneeal,

and tclls the IVorld, tha! he does not underflaod them.

Let us be

as (ar

from negleéling, as (rom eopying, their

admi rable eompofitions : (,ered be their righls, and in· '

violable their (ame. Lel our underllandiog (eed on

thei,,; they afl'ord the nobldl nourin,ment: but let

them oourifh , and annihilate, ou r oIVn. When IVe read,

let our imaginativn kindle at their eharms; when IVe

write,

1ft

ou r judgmeot nlut t"em OU! o( our thoughts;

treal even Homer hirnftif, as his royal admirer IVas

trwed by the eynie; bid him fland alide, nor fhade our

VOL . II. No. 40.

e o

eompofition (rom Ihe beams o( ou, OlVn genios; (or nO–

thiog

original

can rife, nothing im01onal, e.n ripen,

in any other fun.

MuO IVe, Iheo, not imitate ancient aothors? Imi–

tate ,hem, by all means; but illlitate aright.

that imitates the divine lIiad, does

001

imitate HOOler;

UUt he who takes the fame mcthod, IVhieh Homer

took , for arriving at a eapaeity of aceomplifhiog a IVork

lo grea!. Tread in his f1eps tO lhe (ole fOllnlai n o( im–

monaltty; drink IVhere he

dr.nk

, at the

tr~e

rlicoll,

that is ,

the oreall of nature. Imime; but imitate

oot th.

c&l/Ipoji/iOTl,

but lhe

17Ian.

For OIay not this pa·

radox país inlO a maxim?

VIZ •

The lefs IVe

eopv

Ihe

renolVncd aoeienlS, we Ihall re(emble t"em the more."

Hot poflibly it Ola ybe rcplied, that IVe mufl tither imi·

tate Homer, or ,l<pon (rom "ature. Not (o: (or (up.

por, )'ou was to ehange place, in time, IVith Homer;

then,

yuu IVrite naturally, )'OU mighl as IVell charge

Homer IVith an imitJlion of

)'011.

Can you be (aid to

imitate Homer for IVrillng

[o,

as you IVould have IVrillen

i( Homer had never becn ? As fae

a regard to natu re,

and (ound (en fe, ",ill permit

departure (rom your

grea! preclccefl'ors ;

(o (or,

ambitiollOy, dcput (roOl

them; the (.rther from tllClo in

jil/lilituJ.,

the nearer

are you tO thom in

'.feel/mee;

)'ou rife by it into an

or;'

¡;il!al;

bceome a ooble eollateral, not an hum!>le ne·

(ecndant from them. Let U\ ollild our eompofitions IVitl,

the (pirit, and in the toOe

01'

th" aneitnts; but not with

thei r material! : thus \ViII theyre(embie

th~

flruélures o(

Pericles at Athens, ",hieh Plutarch eommends for ha–

ving had an air of antiqui,)' as (noo as ,hey IVere built.

AII eminenee, and dillinaion, ties out of lhe

be~' en

road ;

exeu rfion, and devianon, are neeefl'ary

hlld it; and

lhe more remote your path (roOl

th~

highway, the more

reputahle; ir, like peor Gulliver, you (all not into

di teh, in yOllr IVay to glory.

WIIdl

glory !O come oear, IVhat glor)' to 1'eaeh,

what glory (prefumpluoos lhought

(urpa(s our pre–

decefl'ors? And is that then in oature abfolutely im–

poflible? or is it not rather eontrary to

nat~re

f¡¡jl in it? Natu re herfe tf

the ladder,

al/

Want·

ing is our ambition

climb. For by the uouot)' of

nature IVe are as Orong as ou r predecefl'"rs; and by the

favou, o( time (whieh i, but aoorher round in oaturó

feale) IVe fland on higher grbund.

As to the

'prfl,

IVere

/hry

more than men ? or are

'W.

lefs ? Are not our

minds call in the (ame mould \Vith tho(e be(ore the

~ood

The flood a[eéled maner : mind e(eaped.

to the

ftcond;

though IVe are moderos, the IVorld is

¡¡II

ancient;

more aneient far, thao IVhen they, whom \Ve mofl ad

mire, 611ed it IVith their fame. Have we not tbei, bea• •

ties, as

flan,

to nuide; their dcfeéls, as rocks, to be

fh nnned; the judgmeqf o( ages on bOlh, as a ehart !O

condua, and a fure

h~lm

tO lIeer

liS

io Our pafl'age to

gremr per(eaion than their,? And fhall we be OOpt in

o~r

rival pretenlions tO fame by !his jll(l reprcof?

S/al "n/ra, dicilqu.libi lua t agino,

Fur

<J.

MART.

is by a (ort of ooble contagian, (rom

general fa.

miliarity with their writinc" and not by Iny particular

fordid theft, thal IVe can be the belter for rbofe IVho

3 S

IVent