thrown out by the earl of Shaftefbury, to the prejudice of the fcriptures, have been frequently animadverted upon, and fully confuted. Occafional ftrictures on his writings occur in Berkley's "Minute Philopher," in Warburton's "Divine Legation of Mofes," and in a multitude of other works. Bishop Warburton has entered pretty copiously into the queftion, whether ridicule be a teft of truth. In the productions of Mr. Balguy, Dr. Brown, and Dr. Leland, lord Shaftesbury's direct and principal antagonifts, will be found a complete anfwer to whatever is justly exceptionable in the Characteristics; and a particular confideration of that part of his lordship's fcheme which represents a regard to future rewards, as derogating from the dignity and excellency of virtue, as well as of his objections to the New Teftament, because it does not inculcate, as pofitive duties, the love of our country and private friendship. fert, that had lord Shaftesbury lived in the prefent century, when Chriftianity is more perfectly understood, he would have been a good Chriftian. The intolerant doctrines of the church, which in the laft century were unfortunately too prevalent, and the intemperate zeal of thofe minifters who fignalized themselves by enforcing those doctrines, gave great offence to the benevolent mind of this philofopher: and the tranfition, from a diflike of fuch teachers, to difapprobation of the fyftem, which he erroneously conceived to inculcate and encourage perfecution and fpiritual pride, was eafy and natural. And hence it feems to have arifen, that the let-ters in which Mr. Locke recommended Chriftianity to his lordfhip, were of no avail. It is to be lamented that these letters are not now to be found; though many years have not elapfed fince they were read by two gentlemen, who were fo affected by the ftrong and preffing terms in which Mr. Locke expreffed his fentiments, that they could not abftain from tears. Perhaps however thefe letters might have less effect on his lordship's mind, from a degree of dislike with which he confidered Mr.Locke's philofophy refpecting the human mind, and its being void of natural tendencies to what is right and fit. Mr. Locke docs not feem to have been fo thoroughly read in ancient philofophy, or indeed ancient learning of any kind, as lord Shaftesbury was; and it is faid that disputes on the real excellence of fuch learning were fometimes carried on between them with a degree of warmth; infomuch that Mr. Locke, in a great measure, loft the affection of lord Shaftesbury. No man feems to have ftudied the Greek philofophers to more effectual purpose than the au "That a man of lord Shaftesbury's excellent character, and whofe principles were, in various refpects, fo favourable to piety and virtue, fhould, in any degree, have been hostile to revelation, has been matter of regret to many of his admirers; and they have endeavoured to account for fo difagreeable a circumftance. Mr. Huntingford has favoured us with fome anecdotes and obfervations upon the fubject, which we infert with peculiar pleafure. "From undoubted authority it is related, that the preface prefixed to Dr. Whichcot's volume of Sermons, was dictated by lord Shaftesbury to his fifter the lady Elizabeth, who with her own hand wrote it as he proceeded in pronouncing it. From the fentiments contained in this preface, there is every reafon to befieve what bishop Butler ufed to af thor of the Characteristics; for he has not only caught their manner of inveftigating the fubject, not only explained the magnanimous principles on which the beft fchool founded its fyftem, but has left in difputable marks of a mind deeply impreffed with a love of rectitude." "There is a tradition, that, amongst other difficulties which occurred to the earl of Shaftesbury with regard to the truth of the Christian revelation, he was startled at the idea of its containing the doctrine of the eternity of hell torments; that he confulted fome eminent churchmen, whether the New Teftament pofitively afferted that doctrine; and that, upon being affured that it did, he declared himfelf incapable of affenting to a fyftem of religion which maintained a tenet fo repugnant to all his views of the benignity of the great Governor of the univerfe. If his lordship had lived in the prefent day, he would have found a number of divines who would have given him quite a different answer. They would have informed him, that, in their opinion, Christianity holds out no doctrine of fo dreadful a nature; and that, at the very utmoft, it only denounces the final extinction of the impenitently wicked; fo that fuch, if there be any fuch, who after all, hall remain incorrigibly corrupt and abandoned, will, at length, no Jonger exift in the creation of God. "The ftyle of lord Shaftesbury's compofitions is a point upon which various and contradictory fentiments have been entertained. For a confiderable time he was deemed one of our most polite and elegant writers; and how highly he was thought of in this refpect, has appeared from feveral of the paffages already cited." "On the re-perufal of the Characteristics, we have been clearly convinced that the noble author was almost always excellent in the dif pofition of his words, but that in the choice of them he is frequently liable to cenfure. A ftriking inftance of his nicety, not to fay faitidioufnefs, with regard to compofition, is difplayed in the difference between the furreptitious edition of his Inquiry concerning Virtue, and the corrected one, as it now ftands in his works. It affords a curious and useful example of the Lime Labor; the art of polishing language, breaking long fentences, and working up an imperfect draught into a highly finished performance. There is one difagreeable circumftance in reading lord Shaftesbury's compofitions, which is, that he adoptthe fashion which at that time prevailed, of writing many of our words in a contracted form. This was then fuppofed to contribute to the eafe and politenefs of ftyle; but it was far from producing fuch an effect; and accordingly, it is now wifely rejected by our beft authors." "The fate of lord Shaftesbury as an author, may furnish useful inftruction to those who build their expectations on literary fame. For a confiderable time he ftood in high reputation as a polite writer, and was regarded by many as a ftandard of elegant compofition. His imitators, as well as admirers, were numerous, and he was esteemed the head of the fchool of the fentimental philofophy. Of late years, he has been as much depreciated as he was heretofore applauded; and in both cafes the matter has been carried to an extreme. At length, it is to be hoped, that he will find his due place in the ranks of literature; and that, without being extrava gantly gantly extolled, he will continue to be read, and in fome degree to be admired. This tribute, at least, is due to his "Inquiry concerning Virtue," and to his "Moralifts;" and in a great measure to his " Advice to an Author." "But whatever becomes of lord Shaftesbury's character as a writer, he was excellent as a man. This appears from every teftimony that remains concerning him. "It must be owned," fays bishop Warburton, "that this lord had many excellent qualities, both as a man and a wri ter. He was temperate, chaste, honeft, and a lover of his country." There is a paffage in one of the earl of Shaftesbury's letters to Robert Molefworth, efq. which is worthy of notice. "I am perfuaded," fays his lordship, "to think no vices will grow upon me for in this I have been ever fincere, to make myfelf as good as I was able, and to live for no other end." The man who could fpeak thus concern. ing himself is entitled to the beft applaufe, the applaufe of the heart." ESSAY on MUSICAL CRITICISM. [From the Third Volume of Dr. BURNEY'S General HISTORY OF MUSIC. A S mufic may be defined the the art of pleafing by the fucceffion and combination of agreeable founds, every hearer has a right to give way to his feelings, and be pleafed or diffatisfied without know ledge, experience, or the fiat of critics; but then he has certainly no right to infift on others being pleafed or diffatisfied in the fame degree. I can very readily forgive the man who admires a different mufic from that which pleafes me, provided he does not extend his hatred or contempt of my favourite mufic to myself, and imagine that on the exclufive admiration of any one style of mufic, and a close adherence to it, all wisdom, taste, and virtue depend. "Criticifm in this art would be better taught by fpecimens of good compofition and performance than by reafoning and fpeculation. But there is a certain portion of enthufiafm connected with a love of the fine arts, and which bids derance to every curb of criticism; and the poetry, painting, or mufic that leaves us on the ground, and does not tranfport us into the regions of imagination beyond the reach of cold criticifm, may be correct, but is devoid of genius and paffion. There is, however, a tranquil pleasure, fhort of rapture, to be acquired from mufic, in which intellect and fenfation are equally concerned; the analyfis of this pleafure is, therefore, the fubject of the prefent fhort effay; which, it is hoped, will explain and apologize for the critical remarks which have been made in the courfe of this hiftory, on the works of great mafters, and prevent their being conftrued into pedantry and arrogance. judgment was warped by many prejudices. He exalted Rameau and Geminiani at the expense of Handel, and was a declared fee to modern German fymphonies. There have been many treatifes publifhed on the art of musical compofition and performance, but none to inftru&t ignorant lovers of mufic how to liften, or to judge for themfelves. So various are mufical ftyles, that it requires not only extenfive knowJedge, and long experience, but a liberal, enlarged, and candid mind, to difcriminate and allow to each its due praife: "Nullius additus jurare in verba magiftri." A critic fhould have none of the contradictions and narrow partialities of such as can fee but a small angle of the art; of whom there are fome fo bewildered in fugues and complicated contrivances that they can receive pleasure from nothing but canonical anfwers, imitations, inverfions, and counter-fubject; while others are equally partial to light, fimple, frivolous melody, regarding every fpecies of artificial compofition as mere pedantry and jargon. A chorus of Handel and a graceful opera fong fhould not preclude each other each has its peculiar merit; and no one mufreal production can comprife the beauties of every fpecies of compofition. It is not unufual for difputants, in all the arts, to reafon without principles; but this, I believe, happens more frequently in mufical debates than any other. By principles, I mean the having a clear and precife idea of the conftituent parts of a good compofition, and of the principal excellencies of perfect execution. And it feems as if the merit of mufical productions, both as to compofition and performance, might be eftimated according to De Piles' fteel-yard, or teft of merit among painters. If a complete mufical compofition of different movements were analyfed, it would perhaps be found to confift of fome of the following ingredients: melody, harmony,modulation, invention, grandeur, fire, pathos, tafte, grace, and expreffion; while the executive part would require neatness, accent, energy, fpirit, and feeling; and, in a vocal performer, or inftrumental, where the tone depends on the player, power, clearnefs, fweetnefs; brillancy of execution in quick movements, and touching expreffions in flow. "But as all these qualities are fedom unite d in one compofer or player, the piece or performer that comprifes the greatest number of thefe excellencies, and in the moft perfect degree, is entitled to preeminence: though the production or performer that can boast of any of thefe conftituent qualities cannot be pronounced totally devoid of merit. In this manner, a compofition, by a kind of chemical procefs, may be decompounded as well as any other production of art or nature. "Prudent critics, without fcience, feldom venture to pronounce their opinion of a compofition, decifively, till they have heard the name of the mafter, or difcovered the fentiments of a profeffor; but here the poor author is often at the mercy of prujudice, or envy. Yet the opinion of profeffors of the greatest integrity is not equally infallible concerning every fpecies of mufical merit. To judge minutely of finging for inftance, requires ftudy and experience in that particular art. Indeed, I have long fufpected fome very great inftrumental performers of not fufficiently feeling or respecting real good finging. Rapid paffages neatly executed feem to please them infinitely more than the finest meffa di voce, or tender expreffion of flow notes, which the sweetest voice, the greatest art, and most exquifite fen. fibility , ibility can produce. They frequently refer all excellence fo much to their own performance and per fections, that the adventitious qualities of fingers who imitate a hautbois, a flute, or violin, are rated higher than the colouring and refinements that are peculiar to vocal expreffion; which inftrumental performers ought to feel, refpect, and try to imitate, however impoffible it may be to equal them: approximation would be fomething, when more cannot be obtained. Of compofition and the genius of particular inftruments, whofe opinion, but that of compof rs and performers, who are likewife poffeted of probity and candour, can be trufted? There are, alas! but too many profeffors who approve of nothing which they themselves have not produced or performed. Old muficians complain of the extravagance of the young; and thefe again of the drynefs and inelegance of the old. "And yet, among the various ftyles of compofition and performance, the partial and capricious taftes of lovers of mufic, and the different fects into which they are divided, it seems as if the following criteria would admit of little difpute. "In church mufic, whether ju bilation, bumility, forrow, or contrition are to be expreffed, the words will enable the critic to judge; but of the degree of dignity, gravity, force, and originality of the corpofition, few but profeffors can judge in detail, tho' all of the general defect. "in hearing dramatic mufic little attention is pointed by the audience to any thing but the airs and powers of the principal fingers; and yet, if the character, paffion, and import ance of each perfonage in the piece is not diftinctly marked and fupported; if the airs are not contrafted with each other, and the part of every finer in the fame fcene fpecifically different in measure, compafs, time, and ftyle, the compofer is not a complete mafter of his profeffion. "Good finging requires a clear, fweet, even, and flexible voice, equally free from nafal and guttural defects. It is but by the tone of voice and articulation of words that a vocal performer is fuperior to au inftrumental. If in fwelling a note the voice trembles or varies its pitch, or the intonations are falfe, ignorance and fcience are equally offended; and if a perfect thake, good tafte in embellishment, and a touching expreffion be wanting, the finger's reputation will make no great progrefs arong true judges. If in rapid divifions the paffages are not executed with neatnefs and articulation; or in adagios, if light and fhade, pathos, and variety of colouring and expreffion are wanting, the finger may have merit of certain kinds, but is ftill diftant from perfection. "Of perfect performance on an inftrument, who can judge accurately but thofe who know its genius and powers, defects and difficulties? What is natural and eafy on one inftrument, is often not only difficult but impracticable on an other. Arpeggios, for inftance, which are fo eafy on the violin and harpfichord, are almoft impoffible on the hautbois and flute. And the rapid iteration of notes which give the violin player fuch little trouble, are impracticable on the harpsichord with the fame finger. Those inftruments of which the tone and intonation depend on the player, as the violin, flute, hautbois, &c. are more difficult than harps and keyedinftruments, where the player is neither anfwerable for the goodness of the tone nor truth of intonation. However, |