lence than that which could bring fome remedy for indigence.

IT was now known in the neighbourhood that Gelaleddin was returned, and he fate for fome days in expectation that the Learned would visit him for confultation, or the Great for entertainment. But who will be pleased or inftructed in the manfions of Poverty? He then frequented places of publick resort, and endeavoured to attract notice by the copioufnefs of his talk. The fpritely were filenced, and went away to cenfure in fome other place his arrogance and his pedantry; and the dull liftened quietly for a while, and then wondered why any man should take pains to obtain fo much knowledge which would never do him good.

He next follicited the Vifiers for employment, not doubting but his fervice would be eagerly accepted. He was told by one that there was no vacancy in his office; by another, that his merit was above any patronage but that of the Emperor; by a third, that he would not forget him; and by the Chief Vifier, that he did not think literature of any

great

great ufe in publick bufinefs. He was fometimes admitted to their tables, where he exerted his wit and diffused his knowledge; but he observed, that where, by endeavour or accident, he had remarkably excelled, he was feldom invited a second time.

He now returned to Baffora, wearied and difgufted, but confident of resuming his former rank, and revelling again in fatiety of praise. But he who had been neglected at Tauris, was not much regarded at Baffora; he was confidered as a fugitive, who returned only because he could live in no other place; his companions found that they had formerly over-rated his abilities, and he lived long without notice or esteem.

No

No 76. Saturday, September 29.

SIR,

I

To the IDLER.

WAS much pleased with your ridicule of thofe fhallow Criticks, whofe judgment, tho' often right as far as it goes, yet reaches only to inferior beauties, and who unable to comprehend the whole, judge only by parts, and from thence determine the merit of extenfive works. But there is another kind of Critick ftill worse, who judges by narrow rules, and those too often falfe, and which, tho' they fhould be true, and founded on nature, will lead him but a very little way towards the just estimation of the fublime beauties in works of Genius; for whatever part of an art can be executed or criticised by rules, that part is no longer the work of Genius, which implies excellence out of the reach of rules. For my own part, I profess myself

8

myself an Idler, and love to give my judgment, such as it is, from my immediate perceptions, without much fatigue of thinking; and I am of opinion, that if a man has not thofe perceptions right, it will be vain for him to endeavour to fupply their place by rules; which may enable him to talk more learnedly, but not to distinguish more acutely. Another reafon which has leffened my affection for the ftudy of Criticifm is, that Criticks, fo far as I have obferved, debar themselves from receiving any pleasure from the polite arts, at the fame time that they profess to love and admire them for thefe rules being always uppermoft, give them fuch a propenfity to criticize, that instead of giving up the reins of their imagination into their Author's hands, their frigid minds are employed in examining whether the performance be according to the rules of art.

To those who are refolved to be Criticks in fpite of Nature, and at the fame time have no great difpofition to much reading and ftudy, I would recommend to them to affume the character of Connoiffeur, which may be purchased at a much cheaper rate than that

of a Critick in Poetry. The remembrance of a few names of Painters, with their general characters, with a few rules of the Academy, which they may pick up among the Painters, will go a great way towards making a very notable Connoiffeur.

WITH a Gentleman of this caft, I vifited laft week the Cartoons at Hampton-court; he was just returned from Italy, a Connoiffeur of course, and of course his mouth full of nothing but the Grace of Raffaelle, the Purity of Domenichino, the Learning of Pouffin, the Air of Guido, the Greatness of Taste of the Charaches, and the Sublimity and grand Contorno of Michael Angelo; with all the rest of the cant of Criticifin, which he emitted with that volubility which generally those orators have who annex no ideas to their words..

As we were paffing through the rooms, in our way to the Gallery, I made him observe a whole length of Charles the first by Van dyke, as a perfect representation of the character as well as the figure of the man: He agreed it was very fine, but it wanted spirit and contrast, and had not the flowing line,

without