To mention all his Excellencies and Perfections were a Task too difficult for us, and perhaps for the greatest Criticks alive; so very few there are that perfectly understand all of 'em; yet we shall venture at some of the most Remarkable.
The Friendship of Eneas for Achates in the Eneid, is found Fault with much for the same Reasons that some Criticks might carp at this of Hamlet's for Horatio, viz.
The best Philosophers and Poets, Criticks and Orators, both Greek and Latin, both Antient and Modern, give the Cause against him.
Tis to these African Criticks that Mr. Dryden seems to make his Appeal.
De Nores expresses the general sense of the Criticks on this passage.
The greatest Modern Criticks have laid it down as a Rule, that an Heroick Poem should be founded upon some important Precept of Morality, adapted to the Constitution of the Country in which the Poet writes.
I have often observed a Passage in Socrates's Behaviour at his Death, in a Light wherein none of the Criticks have considered it.
Some of the ancient Criticks will have it, that the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer are Fables of this Nature: and that the several Names of Gods and Heroes are nothing else but the Affections of the Mind in a visible Shape and Character.
D] but the storm began, and the criticks musick of cat-calls join'd in the chorus.
The animadversions of criticks are commonly such as may easily provoke the sedatest writer to some quickness of resentment and asperity of reply.
The rest of his gentle Advertisement consists, (as he pleases to call it) of the Sentiments of the Criticks upon these Memoirs when they first came out.
Mr. Dryden's Genius did not appear in any Thing more than his Versification; and whether the Criticks will have it ennobled for that Versification only, is a Question.
These professed Criticks cannot put ten Words together with Elegance, or common Propriety.
Again, several of these Criticks have laid it down as a Maxim, that whatever Dramatick Poem has a long Run, must of Necessity be good for nothing, which is a Misrepresentation.
Such Criticks need not be in Pain, if a Poem or History makes its Way in the World a little; if it is not good, it will lose Ground of it self faster than it got it.
These Criticks fall upon a Play, not because it is ill written, but because it takes: This is not the whole Truth.
Menage makes as little of him as Dacier; yet Dryden says, were all the Writings of other Criticks lost, Rapin's Works alone would be sufficient to teach us the whole Art of Criticism.
I only offer it as an Instance, that the Best of our Criticks do not seem to have gone to the Bottom of this Subject.
Those two famous French Wits us'd to call him another Anacreon; and the Criticks have not yet complained, that ever Anacreon taught any Poet to be insipid.
Whatever others thought of Mr. Dryden's Criticisms, he did himself full Justice, and seem'd to despise all other Criticks at the same Time that he laid himself most open to them.
There's nothing more common with small Genius's and small Judges, than to demand of all Criticks to write themselves before they criticise upon others Writings.
These little Criticksdo not well consider what the Work of the Poet is, and what the Graces of a Poem; the Story is the least Part of either.
The critickssay I have "happily renderd the sea-brease bloing through his epithettes.
Criticks indeed are valuable men, But hyper-criticks are as good agen.
Now admitting, that all the Profession are not such sowr Criticks as Mr. Collier, yet this is a Liberty, which I do not remember to have heard, that any Modern Divines of that Church allow.
I will add agen to our Criticks morsel, for he notes but the four first lines in a place, and give ye one whole Stanza.
Writers possessed with this opinion are continually enforcing civility and decency, recommending to criticks the proper diffidence of themselves, and inculcating the veneration due to celebrated names.
This licence, though an innovation in English poetry, is yet allowed in many other languages ancient and modern; and therefore the criticks on Paradise Lost have, without much deliberation, commended Milton for introducing it.
These rules and these examples have taught our present criticks to inquire very studiously and minutely into sounds and cadences.
There is no great Demand for Plot in a Farce, but to please theCriticks we'll have a little.
To remedy that, Sir, we will bring in your Character at the End of the Farce as a Satyr upon all Criticks who find fault with Trifles.
The style of this work has been censured by some shallow criticks as involved and turgid, and abounding with antiquated and hard words.
Comedy (says Vossius) is divided by some Greek and Roman Criticks into the Moral and the Merry: The first gives a natural and sober View of common Life; the other is all over Pleasantry and Ridicule.
Mr. Upton and some other Criticks have thought it very scholar-like in Hamlet to swear the Centinels on a Sword: but this is for ever met with.
Malvolio in the Twelfth-Night of Shakespeare hath some expressions very similar to Alnaschar in the Arabian Tales: which perhaps may be sufficient for some Criticks to prove his acquaintance with Arabic!
This hath been the universal cry, from Mr. Pope himself to the Criticks of yesterday.
This is admitted by the Editors and Criticks of every Denomination.
This was necessarily a previous Inquiry; and I hope I may assume with some confidence, what one of the first Criticks of the Age was pleased to declare on reading the former Edition, that “The Question is now for ever decided.
The criticks on ancient authors have, in the exercise of their sagacity, many assistances, which the editor of Shakespeare is condemned to want.
How far the Heroe or the Comedian was in the wrong, let the Clergy and the Criticks decide.
But so it is--Twopenny Criticks must live as well as Eighteenpenny Authors!
Aristotle observes[1], that the Fable of an Epic Poem should abound in Circumstances that are both credible and astonishing; or as the French Criticks chuse to phrase it, the Fable should be filled with the Probable and the Marvellous.
I shall conclude my Paper with a Story out of Boccalini [6] which sufficiently shews us the Opinion that judicious Author entertained of the sort of Criticks I have been here mentioning.
There follows one, at the very End of the first Book, which is what the French Criticks call Marvellous, but at the same time probable by reason of the Passage last mentioned.
For this Reason I think there is nothing in the World so tiresome as the Works of those Criticks who write in a positive Dogmatick Way, without either Language, Genius, or Imagination.
Milton has by this means filled a great part of his Poem with that kind of Writing which the French Criticks call the Tender, and which is in a particular manner engaging to all sorts of Readers.
The beautiful Distich upon Ajax in the foregoing Lines, puts me in mind of a Description in Homer's Odyssey, which none of the Criticks have taken notice of.
Those who have read Bossu, and many of the Criticks who have written since his Time, will not pardon me if I do not find out the particular Moral which is inculcated in Paradise Lost.
They give us a Taste of her Way of Writing, which is perfectly conformable with that extraordinary Character we find of her, in the Remarks of those greatCriticks who were conversant with her Works when they were entire.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "criticks" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
