reckon it to be compleat for want of fuch a codicil: I will therefore faften one in its proper place very dextroufly; I have bad it by me fome time; it was written by a dog-keeper of my grand-father's, and talks a great deal, as good luck would have it, of this very flame-coloured fatin. The project was immediately approved by the other two ; an old parchment fcrowl was tagged on according to art in the form of a codicil annexed, and the fatin bought and worn.

Next winter a player, hired for the purpose by the corporation of fringe-makers, acted his part in a new comedy all covered with † filver fringe, and according to the laudable cuftom gave rife to that fashion. Upon which the brothers confulting their father's will, to their great aftonishment found thefe words; item, I charge and command my faid three fons to wear no fort of filver fringe upon or about their faid coats, &c. with a penalty, in cafe of difobedience, too long here to infert. However, after fome pause the brother fo often mentioned for his erudition, who was well skilled in criticisms, had found in a certain author, which he faid fhould be namelefs, that the fame word, which in the will is called fringe, does alfo fignify a broom-stick : and doubtless ought to have the fame interpretation in this paragraph. This another of the brothers disliked, because of that epithet filver, which could not, he humbly conceived, in propriety of fpeech be reasonably applied to a broomfick but it was replied upon him, that this epithet was understood in a mythological and allegorical fenfe. However, he objected again, why their father fhould forbid them to wear a broom-flick on their coats, a caution that feemed unnatural and impertinent; upon which he was taken up short, as one that spoke irre

I believe this refers to that part of the apocrypha, where mention is made of Tobit and his dog.

This is certainly the farther introducing the pomps of habit and ornament.

The next fubject of our author's wit, is the gloffes and interpretations of fcripture, very many abfurd ones of which are allowed in the moft authentic books of the church of Rome. W. Wotton.

verently

verently of a mystery, which doubtless was very useful and fignificant, but ought not to be over-curiously pried into, or nicely reafoned upon. And in short, their father's authority being now confiderably funk, this expedient was allowed to ferve as a lawful difpenfation for wearing their full proportion of filver fringe.

A while after was revived an old fashion, long antiquated, of embroidery with * Indian figures of men, women, and children. Here they remembered but too well, how their father had always abhorred this fashion; that he made feveral paragraphs on purpose, importing his utter deteftation of it, and bestowing his everlasting curfe to his fons, whenever they fhould bear it. For all this, in a few days they appeared higher in the fashion than any body elfe in the town. But they folved the matter by saying, that these figures were not at all the fame with thofe, that were formerly worn, and were meant in the will. Befides, they did not wear them in the fenfe, as forbidden by their father; but as they were a commendable cuftom, and of great ufe to the publick. That these rigorous claufes in the will did therefore require fome allowance, and a favourable interpretation, and ought to be understood cum grano falis.

But fashions perpetually altering in that age, the fcholaftic brother grew weary of fearching farther evafions, and folving everlasting contradictions. Refolved therefore at all hazards to comply with the modes of the world; they concerted matters together, and agreed unanimously to + lock up their father's will in a strong box, brought out of Greece or Italy, I have forgotten

*The images of faints, the bleffèd virgin, and our Saviour an infant.

Ibid. Images in the church of Rome give him but too fair a handie, the brothers remembered, &c. The allegory here is direct. W. Wotton.

The papitts formerly for bad the people the ufe of fcrip

ture in a vulgar tongue. Peter therefore locks up his father's will in a strong box, brought out of Greece or Italy: thefe countries are named, because the New Teftament is written in Greek; and the vulgar Latin, which is the authentic edition of the bible in the church of Rome, is in the language of old Italy. W. Wotten.

*

which, and trouble themselves no farther to examine it, but only refer to its authority whenever they thought fit. In confequence whereof, a while after it grew a general mode to wear an infinite number of points, moft of them tagged with filver: upon which, the scholar pronounced ex cathedra, that points were abfolutely jure paterno, as they might very well remember. It is true indeed, the fashion prescribed fomewhat more than were directly named in the will; however, that they, as heirs general of their father, had power to make and add certain claufes for public emolument, though not deducible, totidem verbis, from the letter of the will, or elle multa abfurda fequerentur. This was understood for canonical, and therefore on the following Sunday they came to church all covered with points.

The learned brother so often mentioned was reckoned the best scholar in all that, or the next flreet to it; infomuch as, having run fomething behind-hand in the world, he obtained the favour of a † certain lord, to receive him into his house, and to teach his children. A while after the lord died, and he, by long practice of his father's will, found the way of contriving a deed of conveyance of that house to himself, and his heirs: upon which he took poffeffion, turned the young fquires out, and received his brothers in their stead .

The popes in their decretals and bulls, have given their sanction to very many gainful doctrines, which are now received in the church of Rome, that are not mentioned in fcripture, and are unknown to the primitive church: Peter, accordingly, pronounces

ex cathedra, that points tagged with filver were abfolutely jure paterno; and fo they wore them in great numbers. W. Wotton.

This was Conftantine the Great, from whom the popes

pretend a donation of St. Peter's patrimony, which they have been never able to produce.

Ibid. The bishops of Rome enjoyed their privileges in Rome at firft by the favour of emperors, whom at laft they shut out of their own capital city, and then forged a donation from Constantine the Great, the better to justify what they did. In imitation of this, Peter, having run fomething bebind band in the world, obtained leave of a certain lord, &c. W. Wotton.

SECT

SECT. III.

A digreffion concerning criticks.

LTHOUGH I have been hitherto as cautious

A as I could, upon all occafions, moft nicely to fol

low the rules and methods of writing laid down by the example of our illustrious moderns; yet has the unhappy fhortness of my memory led me into an error, from which I must extricate myself, before I can decently pursue my principal fubject. I confefs with fhame, it was an unpardonable omiffion to proceed fo far as I have already done, before I had performed the due discourses, expoftulatory, fupplicatory, or deprecatory, with my good lords the criticks. Towards fome atonement for this grievous neglect, I do here make humbly bold to prefent them with a fhort account of themselves and their art, by looking into the original and pedigree of the word, as it is generally understood among us, and very briefly confidering the antient and prefent ftate

thereof.

By the word critick, at this day fo frequent in all converfations, there have fometimes been diftinguished three very different fpecies of mortal men, according as I have read in antient books and pamphlets. For firft by this term was understood fuch perfons as invented or drew up rules for themselves and the world, by obferving which a careful reader might be able to pronounce upon the productions of the learned, from his tafte to a true relifh of the fublime and the admirable, and divide every beauty of matter or of ftyle from the corruption that apes it in their common perufal of books, fingling our the errors and defects, the nauseous, the falfome, the dull and the impertinent, with the caution of a man that walks through Edinborough streets in a morning, who is indeed as careful as he can to watch diligently, and fpy out the filth in his way; not that he is curious to obferve the colour and complexion of the ordure, or take its dimenfions, much lefs to be paddling in, or tasting it; but only with a design to come out as cleanly

as he may. These men feem, though very erroneoufly, to have understood the appellation of critick in a literal fenfe; that one principal part of his office was to praise and acquit; and that a critick, who sets up to read only for an occafion of cenfure and reproof, is a creature as barbarous as a judge, who fhould take up a resolution to hang all men, that came before him upon a trial.

Again, by the word critick have been meant, the reftorers of antient learning from the worms, and graves, and duft of manufcripts.

Now the races of those two have been for fome ages utterly extinct; and befides, to discourse any farther of them would not be at all to my purpose.

The third, and nobleft fort is that of the TRUE CRITICK, whofe original is the most antient of all. Every true critick is a hero born, descending in a direct line from a celeftial ftem by Momus and Hybris, who begat Zoilus, who begat Tigellius, who begat Etcetera the elder, who begat Bentley, and Rymer, and Wotton, and Perrault, and Dennis, who begat Etcætera the younger.

And these are the criticks from whom the commonwealth of learning has in all ages received fuch immense benefits, that the gratitude of their admirers placed their origine in heaven, among those of Hercules, Thefeus, Perfeus, and other great defervers of mankind. But heroic virtue itself hath not been exempt from the obloquy of evil tongues. For it hath been objected, that those antient heroes, famous for their combating fo many giants, and dragons, and robbers, were in their own perfons a greater nuifance to mankind, than any of those monfters they fubdued; and therefore, to render their obligations more compleat, when all other vermin were deftroyed, fhould in confcience have concluded with the fame juftice upon themfelves. Hercules moft generously did, and hath upon that score procured to himself more temples and votaries, than the best of his fellows. For these reasons, I fuppofe, it is, why fome have conceived, it would be very expedient for the public good of learning, that every true critick, as

foon