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,transliterations of the two ,greek     
quotations are given at the end of the  
text4       ,the ,augustan ,reprint     
,society     ,critical ,remarks on ,sir 
,charles   ,grandison1 ,clarissa1 and   
,pamela   7#aged7     ,with an          
,introduction by   ,alan ,dugald        
,mc,killop     ,publication ,number #ba 
7,series ,,iv1 ,no4 #c7     ,los        
,angeles   ,william ,andrews ,clark     
,memorial ,library   ,university of     
,california   #aiej     ,,general       
,,editors    ,h4 ,,richard ,,archer1    
,clark ,memorial ,library   ,,richard   
,c4 ,,boys1 ,university of ,michigan    
,,edward ,,niles ,,hooker1 ,university  

of ,california1 ,los ,angeles   ,h4 ,t4 
,,swedenberg1 ,,jr41 ,university of     
,california1 ,los ,angeles  ,,assistant 
,,editors    ,w4 ,,earl ,,britton1      
,university of ,michigan   ,,john       
,,loftis1 ,university of ,california1   
,los ,angeles  ,,advisory ,,editors     
,,emmett ,l4 ,,avery1 ,state ,college of
 ,washington   ,,benjamin ,,boyce1      
,university of ,nebraska   ,,louis ,i4  
,,bredvold1 ,university of ,michigan    
,,cleanth ,,brooks1 ,yale ,university   
,,james ,l4 ,,clifford1 ,columbia       
,university   ,,arthur ,,friedman1      
,university of ,chicago   ,,samuel ,h4  
,,monk1 ,university of ,minnesota       
,,ernest ,,mossner1 ,university of      
,texas   ,,james ,,sutherland1 ,queen   
,mary ,college1 ,london                 
,,introduction   ,the present pamphlet  
was published in ,february #aged1 after 
six volumes of ,sir ,charles ,grandison 
had appeared and about a month before   
the appearance of the seventh and last  
volume4 ,though ,grandison was          

technically anonymous1 its authorship   
was generally known1 and the pamphlet   
refers to ,richardson by name4 ,sale's  
bibliography gives further details      
7,samuel ,richardson3 ,a                
,bibliographical ,record1 ,new ,haven1  
#aicf1 pp4 #aca-cb71 including the      
suggestion of the ,monthly ,review 7,x1 
#aei-fj7 that the author was ,alexander 
,campbell1 who also wrote ,a ,free and  
,candid ,examination of ,lord           
,bolingbroke's ,letters on ,history     
7#agec74 ,the pro-,bolingbroke and      
deistic sentiments of the ,critical     
,remarks lend color to this attribution4
 ,nichols' ,literary ,anecdotes 7,,ii1  
#bgg7 says under the year #agee that    
,william ,bowyer printed a few copies of
 two pamphlets on ,grandison1 one by    
,francis ,plumer and one by ,dr4 ,john  
,free4 ,to ,plumer is attributed ,a     
,candid ,examination of the ,history of 
,sir ,charles ,grandison 7,april #aged2 
#crd ed41 #agee71 and the inference     
might then be that ,free was the author 

of the ,critical ,remarks1 even though  
the date #agee given by ,nichols is not 
right1 since these two are the only     
known early ,grandison pamphlets4 ,but  
,free's orthodox religious views seem to
 eliminate him as a possibility4        
,whoever the author was1 his references 
to ,henry and ,sarah ,fielding are      
decidedly friendly1 and he speaks well  
of ,mason1 ,gray1 ,dodsley1 and ,pope4  
,the ,remarks represents a type of      
pamphlet occasionally called forth by   
works which engaged the general         
attention of the town1 such as the great
 novels of the period2 thus before the  
,grandison pamphlets we have ,pamela    
,censured1 ,lettre sur ,pamela1 ,an     
,examen of the ,history of ,tom ,jones1 
,an ,essay on the ,new ,species of      
,writing ,founded by ,mr4 ,fielding1 and
 ,remarks on ,clarissa4 ,usually these  
fugitive essays are hostile to the work 
they discuss1 and represent the attempt 
of some obscure writer to turn a        
shilling by exposing for sale a title   

page which might catch the eye with a   
well known name4 ,the ,j4 ,dowse who    
sold the ,critical ,remarks was an      
obscure pamphlet-shop proprietor1 not a 
prominent bookseller4 ,richardson and   
his correspondents were of course       
irritated at both the ,grandison pieces3
 ,mrs4 ,sarah ,chapone was indignant at 
the ,critical ,remarks1 venturing the   
absurd suggestion that ,fielding might  
be the author 7,victoria and ,albert    
,museum1 ,forster ,collection1          
,richardson ,,mss41 ,,xiii1 #a1 ff4     
#ajb-jc1 letter of #f ,april #aged72 and
 ,lady ,bradshaigh and ,richardson      
considered the more favorable ,candid   
,examination an unfriendly work         
7,forster ,collection1 ,richardson      
,,mss41 ,,xi1 ff4 #ih1 #ajj-jb74 ,yet   
these obscure publications give an      
interesting view of some current        
approaches and reactions before opinion 
has taken a set form1 and help us to get
 access to the contemporary reading     
public4  ,the present author airs some  

cynical and skeptical views in religion 
and ethics which are not of great       
critical interest4 ,his ideas about     
8sentimental unbelievers0 and 8political
 chastity10 his simulated disapproval of
 contemptuous references to the clergy1 
the attack on ,john ,hill's ,inspector  
to which he devotes his                 
,postscript--these points are little to 
our purpose4 ,as to literary opinions1  
he falls into the usual way of judging  
fiction by its supposed overt           
intellectual and moral effects4 ,his    
admiration for ,clarissa is based on his
 acceptance of the complete idealization
 of the heroine1 and of ,richardson's   
declared intention to show 8the         
distresses that may attend the          
misconduct both of parents and children 
in relation to marriage40 ,in formal    
literary criticism he is pompous and    
scholastic4 ,he approves the plot of    
,clarissa in terms of the ,iliad1 but   
judges subtle and complex characters by 
an over-simplified standard of decorum  

and censures ,lovelace as an intricate  
combination of ,achilles and ,ulysses6  
,his unnecessary labors to show that    
,richardson is not really ,homeric      
illustrate the sterile application of   
epic canons to the novel that vitiates  
much early criticism of fiction4  ,in   
general1 he represents the reader with  
pretensions to culture which make him   
feel superior to ,richardson's novels4  
,he thinks they have been attracting too
 much attention1 yet finds himself      
forced to attend to what he professes to
 despise4 ,the stories are far too long1
 he complains1 and ,richardson pads them
 to increase the profits of authorship4 
7,the ,candid ,examination concurs on   
this point1 and both writers agree that 
,clarissa should have been in five      
volumes instead of eight47 ,the ,remarks
 echoes the common complaint that       
,richardson is responsible for the flood
 of new fiction1 and prophesies that his
 novels will be merely the first in a   
succession of ephemeral best sellers4   

,all in all1 we have here a fairly      
common pattern of opinion3 ,pamela is   
low and has no sound moral2 ,grandison  
is tedious and excessively mannered2    
,clarissa at its best must be admitted  
to be supreme1 despite moralistic       
objections to the ,mother ,sinclair     
scenes and to the character of          
,lovelace4 ,the pamphleteer's silences  
are sometimes significant3 ,pamela is   
not condemned as a scheming little minx1
 and he does not seem to be much        
interested in her2 despite his approval 
of ,fielding and his preference of      
,allworthy to ,grandison1 he shows      
little interest in the                  
,fielding-,richardson opposition1 even  
omitting the ,tom ,jones-,grandison     
antithesis which seemed obvious to many2
 he passes over the admired ,italian    
story1 the madness of ,clementina1 and  
the issues raised by ,sir ,charles'     
proposed marriage with a ,catholic2 nor 
does he offer the familiar comment1 soon
 to become a clich1 on the excessive    

idealization of ,sir ,charles4  ,his    
best points do not follow from his      
jejune critical principles1 but from    
close reading that forces him at times  
to admit that he is interested even     
while he carps and cavils4 ,his         
predictions about the last volume of    
,grandison show that the story has at   
least carried him along4 ,his admiration
 for the character of ,clarissa1 though 
based on his approval of idealization1  
is really a tribute to ,richardson's    
art1 and his qualification that         
,clarissa is 8rather too good1 at least 
too methodically so10 is fair enough1 as
 is the comment about ,grandison's      
8showy and ostentatious0 benevolence and
 his excessive variety of               
accomplishments4 ,the judgment about    
,richardson's incessant emphasis on sex 
anticipates much later criticism1 and is
 made at first hand1 though connected   
with the stock comment that modern      
tragedies dwell too exclusively on the  
passion of love4 ,there is truth in the 

observation that ,mr4 ,b-- and ,lovelace
 think nothing can be done with women   
except by bribery1 corruption1 and      
terror1 that ,richardson is unable to   
describe a plausible seducer4 ,the      
author of the ,candid ,examination seems
 to take up this cue when he says of the
 same pair1 8,i am of ,opinion1 that    
neither of the two ,gentlemen conducted 
themselves so1 as to overcome an        
ordinary ,share of ,virtue0 7p4 #bd74   
,nevertheless the discussion in the     
,critical ,remarks is thrown out of     
balance by exaggerated talk about the   
portrayal of licentious scenes4  ,one   
important observation is that ,grandison
 duplicates some of the principal       
characters in ,clarissa3 ,charlotte     
,grandison is ,anna ,howe2 her          
much-enduring husband ,lord ,g-- is ,mr4
 ,hickman 7the writer expands ,g-- to   
8,goosecap0 on the model of ,fielding's 
,mr4 ,booby72 ,pollexfen is ,lovelace4  
,this is self-evident1 but may have been
 suggested by the conversation in which 

,harriet ,byron calls ,charlotte 8a very
 ,miss ,howe10 while ,charlotte refers  
to ,lord ,g-- as 8a very ,mr4 ,hickman0 
7,grandison1 #aged1 ,,ii1 #g-h74 ,the   
,candid ,examination1 in a postscript   
commenting on the last volume of        
,grandison1 repeats the charge of       
duplication in a rather odd way3 8,the  
,conduct and ,behaviour of ,sir ,charles
 and his ,lady1 after the ,marriage1 is 
an ,imitation of that of ,mr4 ,b-- and  
,pamela2 but does not equal the         
,original0 7p4 #db74  ,the pamphleteer  
has more to say about ,charlotte than   
about ,harriet1 ,sir ,charles1 or       
,clementina1 the characters with whom   
later criticism has been chiefly        
concerned4 ,charlotte's 8whimsical0 or  
8arch0 way evidently got on his nerves4 
,he catches up a phrase which ,harriet  
applies to her1 8dear flighty creature10
 and derisively repeats it several      
times4 ,contemporary readers paid her   
considerable attention4 ,the ,candid    
,examination names among the fine things

 in the book 8a ,profusion of ,wit and  
,fancy in ,lady ,g--'s ,conversation and
 ,letters10 and thinks that ,harriet at 
times treats her levity too severely    
7pp4 #f1 #ad-af74 ,the author of        
,louisa3 ,or1 ,virtue in ,distress      
7#agfj7 remarks that ,lady ,g-- is one  
of the most imitated of ,richardson's   
characters--8,i have observed that most 
of our modern novels abound with a lady 
,g--0 7p4 x74 ,there were objections    
even among ,richardson's admirers1      
however1 as by ,mrs4 ,delany3 8,miss    
,grandison is sometimes diverting1 has  
wit and humour1 but considering her     
heart is meant to be a good one1 she too
 often behaves as if it were stark      
naught0 7,autobiography and             
,correspondence1 ,london1 #ahfa1 #a     
,ser41 ,,iii1 #bea74 ,the evidence seems
 to show that early readers of          
,grandison did not isolate the principal
 characters1 except perhaps ,clementina1
 but considered them with due reference 
to the secondary characters and to the  

whole social context in which they      
appear4  ,finally1 this critic is       
irritated by the conversational and     
epistolary style which ,richardson      
evolves in the process of 8writing to   
the moment02 he is particularly vexed at
 the coined or adapted words which are  
sometimes italicized and dwelt on as    
characteristic of an individual4 ,he    
cites only a few1 such as ,uncle        
,selby's scrupulosities1 but he has     
others in mind1 both from ,grandison and
 from ,lovelace's letters in ,clarissa1 
and wonders whether such words as these 
will get into the dictionary4 7,it      
happened that ,johnson was entering     
words from ,clarissa in his ,dictionary 
during these years47 ,he burlesques an  
epistle from ,charlotte1 slipping in a  
few of ,lovelace's locutions as well    
7pp4 #dg-dh2 cf4 ,grandison1 #aged1     
,,vi1 #bhh74 ,the author of the ,candid 
,examination distinguishes between what 
he considers the low mawkish talk of    
some of ,richardson's characters1 which 

he condemns 7pp4 #aa-ab71 and           
,richardson's freedom in coining words1 
which he approves 7p4 #cf74 ,these      
slight instances may serve to remind us 
that many of ,richardson's early readers
 must have been keenly aware of his     
innovations in style1 and that these    
developments form an important link in  
the #agej's between ,richardson and the 
further innovations of ,sterne4  ,the   
present reproduction is made by         
permission from a copy in the           
,university of ,michigan ,library4      
,alan ,dugald ,mc,killop   ,the ,rice   
,institute       ,,critical    ,,remarks
    ,,on    ,sir ,,charles ,,grandison1 
,,clarissa and ,,pamela4    ,,enquiring1
    ,whether they have a ,tendency to   
corrupt   or improve the ,public ,taste 
and ,morals4    ,,in ,a    ,,letter to  
the ,,author4     ,by a ,,lover of      
,,virtue4     ,,london3    ,printed for 
,j4 ,,dowse1 opposite ,fountain ,court  
in the ,strand4 ,,mdccliv4    ,price    
,one ,shilling4     ,decoration         

,critical ,remarks1 c4   ,,sir1  ,i hope
 you will take nothing amiss that may be
 said in the following remarks on your  
compositions2 ,i firmly believe that    
your motive in writing them was a       
laudable intention to promote and revive
 the declining causes of religion and   
virtue4 ,and when ,i have said so much1 
,i have surely a right from you to the  
same favourable interpretation of my    
design1 in publishing these             
,considerations on them1 and            
endeavouring to shew how far you have   
fallen short of your commendable        
purpose4  ,that your writings have in a 
great measure corrupted our language and
 taste1 is a truth that cannot be       
denied4 ,the consequences abundantly    
shew it4 ,by the extraordinary success  
you have met with1 if you are not to be 
reckoned a classical author1 there is   
certainly a very bad taste prevailing at
 present4 ,our language1 though capable 
of great improvements1 has1 ,i imagine1 
been for some time on the decline1 and  

your works have a manifest tendency to  
hasten that on1 and corrupt it still    
farther4 ,generally speaking1 an odd    
affected expression is observable       
through the whole1 particularly in the  
epistles of ,bob ,lovelace4 ,his many   
new-coin'd words and phrases1           
,grandison's meditatingly1 ,uncle       
,selby's scrupulosities2 and a vast     
variety of others1 all of the same      
,stamp1 may possibly become ,current in 
common ,conversation1 be imitated by    
other writers1 or by the laborious      
industry of some future compiler1       
transferred into a ,dictionary1 and     
sanctioned by your great ,authority4    
,your success has farther corrupted our 
taste1 by giving birth to an infinite   
series of other compositions all of the 
same kind1 and equally1 if not more1    
trifling than your's4 ,a catalogue of   
them would look like a ,bible genealogy1
 and were ,i to undertake the task of   
giving it1 ,i should be obliged to      
invoke the muse1 as ,homer does before  

he begins the catalogue of the ships in 
his second ,iliad4 ,how long the        
currency of such compositions may       
continue1 how many may be annually      
poured forth from the press1 is more    
than any man can say1 without being     
endued with the spirit of prophesy4     
,but1 without making any such           
pretensions1 ,i can foretel1 that if    
ever a good taste universally prevails1 
your romances1 as well as all others1   
will be as universally neglected1 and   
that in any event their fate will not be
 much better2 for what recommends them  
to the notice of the present age is1    
their novelty1 and their gratifying an  
idle and insatiable curiosity4 ,in a few
 years that novelty will wear off1 and  
that ,curiosity will be equally         
gratified by other ,compositions1 it may
 be1 as trifling1 but who will then have
 the additional charm of novelty1 to    
recommend them4 ,such1 ,sir1 must be the
 fate of all works which owe their      
success to a present capricious humor1  

and have not real intrinsic worth to    
support them4  ,short-lived then as they
 are1 and must be1 in their own nature1 
it might be thought cruel to hasten them
 to the grave1 could that be effected by
 any thing ,i have in my power to say1  
if they did not prevent the success1 and
 stifle in the birth1 works which have a
 just title to life1 fame and           
immortality4 ,human genius is pretty    
much the same in all ages and nations1  
but its exertion1 and its displaying    
itself to advantage1 depend on times1   
accidents1 and circumstances4 ,there    
are1 no doubt1 writers in the present   
age1 who1 did they meet with proper     
encouragement1 might be capable of      
producing what would last to posterity1 
and be read and admired by them4 ,we    
have some good poets1 such as the       
authors of ,elfrida1 the ,church-yard   
,elegy1 and the ,poem on ,agriculture2 a
 performance which would have been      
highly valued in an ,augustan age1 and  
is the best1 perhaps the only ,georgic  

in our language4 ,by the great manner in
 which the author has executed the first
 part of his noble plan1 he has shewn   
himself sufficiently able for the rest2 
but by his not prosecuting it1 ,i       
imagine he has not met with the deserved
 success4 ,this may possibly be imputed 
to its coming abroad at an improper     
time4 ,i remember it was first          
advertised just when the ,memoirs of    
,sir ,charles ,grandison were appearing 
by piece-meal4 ,this was a very         
injudicious step1 for who could be      
supposed to attend to any thing else1   
when the lovely ,harriet ,byron         
continued in suspence1 when the fate of 
,lady ,clementina was undetermined1 when
 it was not yet settled1 whether she was
 to marry ,grandison1 retire to a       
,nunnery1 or continue crack-brain'd all 
her lifetime4 ,after all1 ,i am         
well-pleased to see ,grandison and      
,harriet fairly buckled4 ,and ,i hope   
soon to hear1 that the ceremony is      
performed between the ,count de         

,belvedere and ,lady ,clementina4 ,i am 
afraid there could have been no compleat
 happiness in the matrimonial union of  
the ,english ,gentleman and the ,italian
 ,lady4 ,the marriage state may be aptly
 enough compared to two fiddles playing 
in concert3 if the one can sound no     
higher than ,tweedle-dum1 and the other 
no lower than ,tweedle-dee1 there never 
can be any thing but a perpetual jarring
 discord and dissonance betwixt them4   
,in the same manner the difference in   
religious sentiments would have been a  
great allay in the felicity of that     
illustrious couple4  ,i now proceed1    
,sir1 to the principal business of this 
address1 which is1 to enquire how far   
your writings have contributed to       
promote the causes of religion and      
virtue1 for which1 as you say1 and ,i   
believe1 they were chiefly intended4    
,it is1 no doubt1 the indispensable duty
 of every writer to promote1 as far as  
lies in his power1 in the society1 of   
which he is a member1 the advancement of

 virtue1 especially the moral and social
 duties of mutual good-will and         
universal benevolence4 ,and as far as   
the established religious system of a   
country has the same tendency1 so far is
 every man1 who writes a popular        
treatise1 let his private sentiments1   
with respect to the pretensions it makes
 to truth and a divine original1 be what
 they will1 obliged to recommend it to  
the belief of the people4 ,it is equally
 his duty1 if not more so1 to inculcate 
on their minds a reverence and regard   
for the established religious           
corporation1 and to avoid saying or     
doing any thing which may subject them  
to ridicule and contempt4 ,it must be   
owned1 that your conduct in these       
articles1 especially the last1 cannot be
 sufficiently commended4 ,your works are
 designed for the perusal of people in  
all ranks1 they have had an universal   
run1 and in them you have not only shewn
 yourself a pious ,christian1 and a good
 ,bible-scholar1 but you have made all  

your heroines the same1 and have besides
 introduced the ,characters of several  
pious and worthy clergymen1 and         
represented them acting in very         
advantageous lights4 ,for these things1 
as ,i observed just now1 you cannot be  
more than enough applauded2 and no doubt
 your writings have in so far produced a
 good effect2 but ,i am afraid you have 
not acted consistently throughout1 for  
you have not only brought in your hero  
,lovelace1 but ,mr4 ,moden1 the only    
virtuous male character in your         
,clarissa1 expressing contempt for the  
clergy4 ,now1 in my opinion1 a virtuous 
man1 and we have had several instances  
of that kind among the ancients1 may    
very consistently despise the public    
religion1 but he will never allow       
himself to bring the order belonging to 
it under contempt4 ,in fact1 it is the  
clergy alone who render a public        
religion useful and valuable1 let its   
divine original be a truth never so     
evident1 it could have no influence upon

 the people1 unless they should be      
catechized and instructed in it by the  
clergy2 and though we should suppose it 
downright nonsense1 yet that order of   
men must always be reckoned a venerable 
and necessary institution1 in as far as 
they are teachers of moral duties to the
 people1 and recommend to them the      
practice of virtue1 either by precept or
 example4  ,another thing in which ,i   
humbly conceive you have been in the    
wrong1 is this3 you constantly express a
 great virulence against those whom you 
call sentimental unbelievers1 and take  
all opportunities to render them the    
objects of public odium and detestation4
 ,you cannot but be sensible1 that such 
a conduct is contrary to the first and  
great duties of social virtue4 ,ought   
you to quarrel with any man because he  
is taller or shorter1 fairer or blacker 
than yourself8 ,and yet we can no more  
help our differing in speculative       
opinions than in stature or complexion4 
,if you happen to feel the knowledge and

 perception of divine things            
supernaturally implanted on your mind1  
rejoice and be happy1 but let not your  
,wrath arise against those who are not  
blest with the same sensations4 ,would  
you be angry with any man because his   
eye-sight cannot distinguish objects at 
such a great distance as yours8 ,why    
then quarrel with another for a         
deficiency of the same kind in spiritual
 optics8 ,no doubt you will assert1 that
 the truth of the present religious     
system may be proved by a long connected
 chain of demonstrative arguments4 ,but 
if ,i might be allowed1 without offence1
 to give my opinion in this matter1 as  
far as you are concerned1 ,i should say1
 that such an assertion is in you       
unbecoming1 as well as the conduct you  
observe in consequence unjust and       
imprudent4 ,the assertion is in you     
unbecoming1 because1 whatever you may   
think1 the question1 whether there was  
ever a divine revelation given1 or a    
miracle wrought1 or whether1 supposing  

such things done1 they can be proved to 
the conviction of a rational            
unprejudiced man1 by moral evidence1 and
 human testimony1 requires more learning
 and judgment than you are possessed of1
 to determine with any precision4 ,it   
requires1 indeed1 the greatest and most 
universal skill and knowledge in nature 
and her philosophy1 which has not come  
to your share1 as appears from your     
writings1 where1 as may easily be       
perceived1 you retail all that little   
you have pickt up4 ,the more knowledge a
 man has1 he will always be the less    
assuming2 and a positive stiffness1     
especially in commonly-received         
opinions1 is a certain sign and constant
 attendant of ignorance4 ,socrates1 the 
wisest man among the wisest people1     
after all his researches declared1 that 
all that he knew was1 that he knew      
nothing4 ,cicero1 the greatest master of
 reason that ever lived1 was a professed
 academic or sceptist4 ,and a learned   
and virtuous modern1 whom ,i forbear to 

name1 in a letter to an intimate friend1
 confessed1 that the more he thought1 he
 found the more reason to doubt1 and had
 always been more successful in         
discovering what was false1 than what   
was true4 ,those illustrious three1     
learned1 virtuous1 and lovers of their  
country1 to whom it would be difficult1 
perhaps impossible1 to add a fourth1    
were all sentimental unbelievers1 and   
all at the same time inculcated a       
reverence and regard to the established 
religions of their respective countries4
 ,nay1 all sentimental unbelievers1 had 
they not been provoked by the ill-judged
 bigotry of their adversaries1 would    
have adhered unanimously to the same    
maxims4 ,if their unbelief proceeds from
 a consciousness of the weakness and    
limited state of the human              
understanding1 the constant result of   
true learning and philosophy1 they will 
be the more firmly convinced of the     
great utility and absolute necessity of 
a public form of worship1 and a         

religious corporation1 and uniformly    
square their conduct accordingly4 ,it   
was therefore unjust1 as well as        
imprudent1 in you1 ,sir1 who are a      
popular writer1 and whose works are read
 by every body1 to endeavour to render  
sceptical free-thinkers1 from their own 
principles the fastest and sincerest    
friends to religion in general1 the     
objects of odium and detestation to the 
believers in that particular religion1  
which happens to be at present          
established by law4 ,this1 ,sir1 and ,i 
shall say no more1 ,i hope may be said1 
from general principles1 without offence
 to any party1 without determining or   
declaring my own sentiments1 which are  
in the right1 and which in the wrong1   
with respect to the truth of their      
opinions4  ,i now proceed to the last   
thing proposed in these remarks1 to     
examine how far your compositions have a
 natural tendency to advance virtue4    
,they are all strictly dramatical1 and  
therefore1 whether they have a good or a

 bad tendency1 they must exert          
themselves with a stronger influence on 
the minds of those who are affected by  
them4 ,in all works of this kind1 in    
order to make them truly valuable and   
useful1 all1 at least one of these three
 things ought to be done4 ,first1 by the
 constitution of the plot or the fable1 
some great and useful moral ought to be 
enforced and recommended4 ,in the second
 place1 the characters which are        
introduced ought to be so contrived1    
that the readers should be induced to   
imitate their virtues1 or avoid their   
vices4 ,or1 lastly1 some one great moral
 virtue ought to be inculcated1 by      
making it the characteristic of the     
,hero1 or the chief person in the       
dramatic work4 ,in these1 as in every   
other species of poetry and composition1
 the divine ,homer has excelled all     
other writers1 he reigns unrivalled in  
them all1 and will for ever be without a
 competitor2 insomuch1 that one certain 
way of judging the merit or demerit of  

all other authors1 is1 to enquire how   
near they have approached1 or how far   
they have fallen short of this standard 
of perfection in writing4 ,i shall now  
examine how far you1 in your several    
performances1 have succeeded1 with      
respect to these articles1 in the same  
order wherein they are set down4 ,i have
 perused your late work1 ,grandison1    
carefully1 and ,i hope impartially1 with
 this view1 and for my ,heart ,i cannot 
so much as perceive the least shadow of 
either plot1 fable1 or action4 ,if there
 are any1 they certainly lie far out of 
the reach of my gross observation4      
,obvious they are not1 which they ought 
to be to the most common reader4 ,it    
may1 indeed1 be said1 that no certain   
judgment can be formed of it1 in that   
respect1 till the whole is compleated4  
,but it is no difficult matter to make  
probable conjectures about the contents 
of the volume still in embrio4 ,we shall
 probably be entertained with a         
description of the nuptials between     

,lady ,clementina and the ,count de     
,belvedere2 that happy couple1 with     
,signor ,jeronymo1 and the rest of the  
,porretta family1 will certainly pay a  
visit to ,grandison and his admired     
,harriet2 ,beauchamp will be married to 
that rogue ,emily1 in whom he already   
meditates his future wife2 the good     
doctor ,bartlet may possibly pick up the
 dowager ,lady ,beauchamp2 but if the   
dowager ,lady should chuse a younger    
bedfellow1 a match may be made up       
between him and old aunt ,nell2 or if   
old aunt ,nell should continue          
obstinately determined against          
matrimony1 the good doctor and grandmama
 ,shirley may go to church together4    
,and now1 ,sir1 though all these        
desirable events should be happily      
accomplished1 ,i should still be of the 
same opinion2 nor can ,i see any moral  
that could be drawn from them1 unless it
 be this1 that men and women1 old and   
young1 after a certain ceremony is      
performed1 may go to bed together1      

without shame or scandal1 or any fear of
 being called to account for so doing by
 the churchwardens4 ,the plot and fable 
of your ,pamela may indeed be easily    
enough discovered4 ,they consist in ,mr4
 ,b4's attempts to debauch his beautiful
 waiting-maid2 in her resistance1 and   
their happy nuptials4 ,if we look for a 
moral1 we shall find the only one that  
can be extracted out of it to be very   
ridiculous1 useless1 and impertinent2 it
 appears to be this1 that when a young  
gentleman of fortune cannot obtain his  
ends of a handsome servant girl1 he     
ought to marry her2 and that the said   
girl ought to resist him1 in expectation
 of that event4 ,thus it is manifest1   
that these two compositions are equally 
below criticism1 in this article1 and1  
to do you justice1 it must be confessed1
 that your ,clarissa is as much above   
it4 ,when considered in this light1 it  
seems to be entirely ,homerical4 ,that  
divine poet1 in his ,iliad1 has         
inculcated by one fable1 and in the     

continuation of one action1 two great   
and noble morals4 ,the first is1 that   
discord among chiefs or allies engaged  
in a confederacy1 ruins their common    
designs1 and renders them unsuccessful2 
and the second1 that concord and        
agreement secure them prosperity in all 
their undertakings4 ,in the same manner1
 in the first part of ,clarissa1 we find
 the bad consequences of the cruel      
treatment of parents towards their      
children1 and forcing their inclinations
 in marriage2 and in the second part1 we
 see a fine example of the pernicious   
effects of a young lady's reposing      
confidence or engaging in correspondence
 with a man of profligate and debauched 
principles4 ,i do not at present        
recollect any composition which1 view'd 
in this light1 can be compared with the 
,iliad and ,clarissa4 ,the morals of the
 first are of the utmost importance in  
public life1 and those of the last in   
private life4 ,if the little states and 
republicks of ,greece1 for whom ,homer's

 poems were originally calculated1 had  
adhered uniformly to their maxims1 they 
would have been invincible1 and must    
have subsisted to this day in all their 
glory and splendor4 ,in the same manner1
 if the morals contained1 and so        
admirably enforced by example1 in your  
,clarissa1 had their due weight1 a vast 
variety of mischiefs and miseries in    
private life would be prevented4 ,there 
is nothing in which parents are apter to
 stretch their authority too far1 than  
in the article of marriage2 there is    
nothing in which they pay less regard to
 the happiness of their children2       
nothing in which they allow less to the 
influence of passion and inclination in 
them2 and nothing in which they are more
 sway'd by the dirty grovling passions  
of vanity1 pride1 and avarice1          
themselves4 ,on the other hand1 there is
 nothing in which young ladies1 even of 
the greatest modesty and discretion1    
more readily fall into errors4 ,it is   
pretty certain1 that where they are     

allowed freely to follow their own      
biass1 they generally prefer either real
 or reputed rakes1 to men of a regular  
life and more sober deportment4 ,i have 
often been puzzled in endeavouring to   
account for this conduct in the female  
world1 so entirely contrary to what all 
of them think their real and most       
valuable interests4 ,i have sometimes   
been tempted to impute it to the truth  
of this satyrical maxim in the poet1    
,that every woman is at heart a rake1   
and that1 custom and education having   
deterred them from the practice1 they   
cannot help loving the theory in        
themselves1 and preferring the practice 
in others4 ,but ,i rather incline to    
attribute it to a cruel and unjust      
policy in the other sex1 who have       
deceived and bubbled them in this1 as   
well as several other articles1 and have
 persuaded them of the truth of this    
notable maxim1 that rakes make the best 
husbands1 than which1 as experience     
abundantly testifies1 nothing can be    

more false4 ,a rake1 indeed1 may be a   
good husband while the honey-moon lasts1
 for so long1 perhaps1 may novelty have 
a charm2 but when that is ended1 the    
lust of variety1 the distinguishing     
characteristic of a rake1 haunts him    
incessantly1 like a ghost1 and soon     
extinguishes all his principles of love1
 justice1 and generosity4 ,it is true1  
indeed1 the proverb goes1 that a        
reformed rake makes the best husband4   
,it may be so1 but then it is a truth of
 equal importance with this1 that a     
pick-pocket going to the gallows is an  
honest man4 ,his hands are tied behind  
him1 and he has it not in his power to  
be otherwise2 in the same manner a      
reformed rake is honest1 because he has 
lost the ability to be otherwise1 and he
 naturally fondles and doats upon his   
wife1 that she may overlook deficiencies
 in more essential articles4 ,he acts   
entirely from the same principles with  
those profuse and liberal old keepers1  
who are said to pay for what they cannot

 do4  ,should we now examine how you    
have succeeded in contriving your       
characters1 so as to be fit objects of  
imitation1 if virtuous1 and if vicious1 
so as to be proper examples for         
deterring others from the like          
practices1 we shall find the principal  
ones extremely faulty1 generally quite  
destitute of poetical probability1 and  
in a word1 far short of the ,homeric    
standard4 ,homer's characters are for   
the most part drawn beyond the life2 but
 the art with which he has reduced them 
to truth1 and probability1 is           
surprising4 ,he has prodigiously        
exaggerated the bodily strength of      
,ajax1 but then he has rendered all     
probable1 by representing him of dull   
and heavy intellects4 ,for it is a fact1
 that1 with bulky unwieldy force1 we    
generally connect the idea of a slow    
understanding4 ,how consistently prudent
 is ,ulysses1 thro' the whole of his    
character2 we never see him err thro'   
rashness1 but rather commit faults1     

thro' an over caution4 ,how wonderfully 
are we reconciled to the great garrulity
 of the venerable ,nestor1 which would  
be inexcusable1 did we not reflect1 at  
the same time1 on his extreme old age1  
of which the poet never fails to remind 
us8 ,how readily do we excuse the       
ferocity of ,achilles1 when we reflect  
that the generous youth prefers a short 
life1 with fame and reputation1 to a    
length of days1 with peace and          
happiness8 ,how artfully are we         
prevented from being shocked at his     
cruelty1 in slaughtering without        
distinction1 or remorse1 all who come in
 his way8 ,when we are told that he     
himself is acting under the certainty of
 meeting his death before the ,trojan   
,wall8 ,in short1 ,homer is possessed of
 this peculiar secret1 to contrive and  
add such circumstances that render all  
his characters probable1 and to blend   
vices and virtues of a similar quality  
so together1 as to render them all      
uniformly consistent4 ,and now tho' ,i  

confess1 with pleasure1 that you are far
 from being destitute of merit1 in some 
of the characters you draw1 yet you seem
 to be intirely unacquainted with this  
secret4 ,in order to illustrate my      
assertion1 ,i shall run thro' your      
principal characters in a cursory and   
desultory manner4  ,in ,grandison1 you  
have endeavoured to give an example of  
universal goodness and benevolence4 ,but
 ,i am afraid you have strained and     
stretched that character too far2 you   
have furnished him with too great a     
variety of accomplishments1 some of them
 destructive1 at least not so consistent
 with the principal and most shining    
virtue4 ,the man is every thing1 as     
,lucy or ,harriet says2 which no man    
ever was1 or will be4 ,homer in the     
,odyssey1 and in the character of       
,euemus1 has given an example of        
universal benevolence2 but then he      
represents him an entire rustic1 living 
constantly in the country1 shunning all 
public concourse of men1 the court      

especially1 and never going thither1 but
 when obliged to supply the riotous     
luxury and extravagance of the suitors4 
,mr4 ,fielding has imitated these       
circumstances1 as far as was consistent 
with our manners1 in the character of   
,allworthy1 and has with admirable      
judgment denied him an university       
education1 made him a great lover of    
retirement1 seldom absent from his      
country seat1 never at the metropolis   
but when called by business1 and        
constantly leaving it1 when that was    
over4 ,the ingenious authoress of ,david
 ,simple1 perhaps the best moral romance
 that we have1 in which there is not one
 loose expression1 one impure1 one      
unchaste idea2 from the perusal of      
which1 no man can rise unimproved1 has  
represented1 her hero1 a character      
likewise of universal benevolence1      
agreeably to the part he was to act2 of 
tender years1 quite unimproved by       
education1 unexperienced1 and ignorant  
of the ways of the world4 ,should we now

 consider the matter a little deeply1 we
 shall find a reason in nature for the  
practice of these just painters of men  
and manners4 ,a human creature1 in a    
simple unimproved state1 is naturally   
generous and benevolent2 but when he    
comes abroad into the world1 and        
observes the universal depravity of     
morals1 and the narrow selfishness that 
every where prevail1 according to his   
particular temper or circumstances1 he  
is either contaminated by the example1  
or contracts a misanthropical           
disposition1 and hates or despises the  
greatest part of his species4 ,there may
 be1 and no doubt there are1 men who    
have seen the world1 who have been      
conversant1 even in courts1 during their
 whole lives1 who yet have retained and 
exercised humane and benevolent         
dispositions2 but such characters are   
very rare1 and1 for the reasons above   
specified1 never can be poetically      
probable4 ,such1 ,sir1 is your          
,grandison2 he seems never to have      

enjoyed retirement1 to have been abroad 
almost all his life-time1 to have seen  
all the courts in ,europe1 and been     
conversant1 with the great1 rich1 and   
powerful1 in all nations4 ,you represent
 him likewise to be a man universally   
learned1 and tell us1 at the same time1 
in capital letters1 that ,,sir ,,ch4    
,,gran4 is a ,,christian2 and that too1 
in the strictest and most bigotted sense
 of the word2 for he refuses the woman  
he loves1 for a difference in religious 
principles4 ,this1 in my humble opinion1
 is likewise an inconsistency1 for      
universal learning naturally leads to   
scepticism1 and the most useful1 as well
 as solid branch of human knowledge1    
consists in knowing how little can be   
known4 ,there are several other         
inconsistencies in his character1       
particularly in some of his duelling    
stories2 besides1 at any rate1 his      
benevolence has something showy and     
ostentatious in it2 nothing in short of 
that graceful and beautiful nature which

 appears in ,fielding's ,allworthy4     
,the character of ,lovelace is yet more 
inconsistent1 still more deficient in   
poetical probability1 and indeed        
intirely contradictory to ,homer and    
nature4 ,in all ,homer's works1 there   
are not two characters between whom     
there is a greater contrast and         
opposition1 than between those of       
,achilles and ,ulysses4 ,they enjoy no  
quality in common1 but that of valour2  
and the valour of the one is as         
different from that of the other1 as can
 well be imagin'd2 for they all along   
partake of their general characters1 and
 are consistent with them4 ,but you1    
,sir1 who1 in the mouth of ,harriet     
,byron and that dear flighty creature   
,lady ,g4 sometimes take upon you to    
criticize that great master of nature1  
shew that you have either never studied 
him1 or profited very little by him2 for
 in this one character of ,lovelace1 you
 have united these two dissimilar and   
discordant characters of ,achilles and  

,ulysses2 you have given him all the    
fierceness1 cruelty1 and contempt of    
laws1 impetuosity1 rashness1 in short1  
all the furious ungovernable passions of
 the one1 and have at the same time     
provided him with all the cunning1      
craft1 dissimulation1 and command over  
his passions1 which so much distinguish 
the other4 ,how to reconcile to         
probability1 or even to possibility1 the
 existence of such opposite and         
contradictory qualities in one human    
bosom1 is a task which ,i leave to you4 
,the fine1 or rather the naughty        
gentleman1 in your ,pamela1 to whom ,mr4
 ,fielding very properly gives the      
sirname of ,booby1 is indeed one of the 
greatest bubbles1 and blunderers that   
one can meet withal4 ,you have informed 
us1 that he had been a great rake1 and  
had debauched several women2 'tis well  
you have done so1 but he certainly had  
made little proficiency in that laudable
 science1 for1 from his whole behaviour 
towards his ,pamela1 one should be apt  

to think him the meerest novice in the  
world4 ,he opens trenches before her    
properly enough1 by giving her silk     
stockings and fine cloaths to feed her  
pride and vanity2 but when he comes to  
make a more direct attack in the        
summer-house1 how sheepishly does he    
act1 and what blunders does he not      
commit8 ,he attempts to kiss her1 the   
girl1 as is natural1 struggles1 and     
grows angry2 he lets her go1 and bribes 
her1 with five guineas1 to keep the     
secret4 ,this was knocking his project  
in the head at once2 and had he been    
guilty of no other blunders1 as he was  
of innumerable1 was sufficient to ruin  
his cause with her for ever4 ,he was not
 to expect1 that a girl1 piously        
educated1 would surrender at the very   
first1 especially to a summons given in 
so blunt and indelicate a manner2 on the
 contrary1 he ought to have laid his    
account with meeting a good deal of     
anger and resistance2 to have born all1 
with patience1 and laughed off his      

attempt for an innocent frolic2 and if  
she threatened to inform ,mrs4 ,jervis1 
to have bidden her do so1 and told her1 
that he would kiss ,mrs4 ,jervis and her
 both4 ,in which case she never would   
have opened her lips about the matter2  
in every succeeding attempt1 he would   
have met with less and less resistance1 
till at last he might have accomplished 
his desires1 before ,miss ,pamela had   
certainly known what he would be at4    
,but by his offering to bribe her to    
silence1 he betrayed all his designs1   
and informed her she had a secret to    
keep1 which unless she had been         
constitutionally vicious1 it was        
imposible for her not to disclose4 ,mr4 
,booby shews likewise the utmost        
ignorance of human nature1 in thinking  
to gain his ends with a young and       
innocent girl by the force of money4    
,all young girls are taught to put a    
value on their virginity1 and unless    
debauched by their own sex1 they never  
will part with it1 but to those they    

like4 ,none but well-disciplin'd ladies 
of the town are to be gained upon by    
meer money2 and ,mr4 ,booby1 by the     
whole of his conduct1 appears to be     
nothing but a downright ,covent-garden  
rake4 ,he was resolved to have ,pamela1 
and marriage was indeed the only way    
left for him4 ,this your first          
performance concludes with that happy   
event1 and having sold well1 ,i imagine 
you was induced to continue the story4  
,but had ,i undertaken that task1       
without violating the probability or the
 consistency of the characters1 ,i      
should have introduced ,parson ,williams
 very fairly making a cuckold of ,booby1
 and providing him with an heir to his  
estate1 which is the way all such       
,boobies ought to be treated1 and a     
proper catastrophe for all such         
preposterous matches4  ,your three      
,heroines are1 ,pamela1 ,harriet1 and   
,clarissa1 ladies all renowned for      
chastity and ,bible-scholarship4 ,the   
chastity of the first was from beginning

 to end never well attackt1 and the     
defence she made is so far from being   
extraordinary1 that had she surrendered 
at discretion1 it ought to have been    
reckoned miraculous4 ,there is nothing  
very characteristic about ,harriet1 yet 
is she a good sort of a girl enough1    
especially as times go4 ,the men are    
sunk1 and the women barely swim1 saith  
the lively ,charlotte ,grandison4 ,but  
the character of ,clarissa is1 indeed1  
admirable throughout the whole4 ,nature 
and propriety are not only strictly     
observed1 but we see the greatest       
nobleness of soul1 generosity of        
sentiments1 filial affection1 delicacy1 
modesty1 and every female virtue1 finely
 maintained and consistently conspicuous
 all along4 ,the circumstances which    
induced her noble and generous spirit to
 contract a liking for ,lovelace1 are   
finely imagin'd2 her delicacy and       
reserve1 her disgust at his teazing     
ways1 after she was in his power1 are   
naturally to be expected from a woman of

 her superior accomplishments4 ,there is
 something excessively pathetic1 and    
even sublime1 in her first address to   
him1 after she was betrayed2 her        
constant refusal of his proffer'd hand1 
her resignation to her fate1 and her    
behaviour to her hard-hearted relations1
 are all equally noble1 and all natural 
in a ,clarissa4 ,her character1 in      
short1 is such1 that unless one should  
be hunting for faults1 scarce any can be
 found2 and perhaps it is owing to such 
a disposition in me1 that ,i cannot help
 observing she is rather too good1 at   
least too methodically so3 ,the division
 of her time1 and her diary had been    
better omitted2 all such things detract 
from the nature and simplicity of a     
character4 ,the characters of her family
 are finely marked and distinguished1   
and well adapted for bringing on the    
catastrophe4 ,there is something        
likewise extremely noble and generous in
 the friendship between ,clarissa and   
,miss ,howe4 ,but ,i must here observe1 

that in this1 your capital performance1 
you seem in a good measure to have      
exhausted your invention with respect to
 characters4 ,for instance1 that dear   
flighty creature ,lady ,g4 is nothing   
else but a second edition of ,madam     
,howe's lively daughter4 ,they are both 
wits1 and have both high notions of     
female prerogative1 and the pre-eminence
 of their own sex over the other2 they  
had both like to have run away with too 
worthless fellows1 and both afterwards  
treated two honest well-meaning men1    
during the time of their courtship1 like
 dogs2 and both1 ,i imagine1 for all    
these reasons1 will be great favourites 
with the female part of your readers4   
,pollexfen and his crew very much       
resemble ,lovelace and his ,beelzebubs2 
and ,grandmamma ,shirley is nothing else
 but a second mamma ,horton2 as ,lord   
,goosecap is another ,hickman4  ,it     
would take up too much time to          
animadvert upon all the rest of your    
male and female characters4 ,i shall    

only observe in general1 that you seem  
to have succeeded better in your        
subordinate ones1 than in the principal2
 the divine ,clarissa1 as you justly    
call her1 always excepted4 ,though some 
are faulty1 yet many appear to be well  
marked and distinguished4  ,the third   
and last thing that is to be done in an 
epic or dramatic composition is1 to     
inculcate some one great moral virtue1  
by making it the characteristic of the  
hero or the chief person4 ,thus ,homer1 
in his ,odyssey1 proposes ,ulysses as an
 example of prudence he professes to    
sing1      4    ,the man for wisdom's   
various arts renown'd4  ,and ,virgil1 in
 the person of neas1 gives an example of
 piety to the ,gods1 he sings the pious 
neas4 ,in the same manner1 in the       
memoirs of ,sir ,cha4 ,grandison you    
propose an example of benevolence1 and  
in ,pamela of chastity2 you celebrate   
the benevolent ,grandison and the chaste
 ,pamela4 ,i have already1 in the two   
foregoing articles1 given my opinion    

sufficiently of the first1 and shall    
here say somewhat more of the latter1   
and enquire a little into the nature of 
chastity4  ,the influence of custom1    
habit1 and education1 over human minds  
is prodigious and inconceivable4 ,it is 
so great and extensive1 that perhaps it 
is utterly impossible to determine what 
principles or conceptions we receive    
from nature1 and what from the other    
sources4 ,all women of honour and       
condition among civilized nations       
imagine1 that what are called virgin    
delicacy and reserve1 female chastity   
and modesty1 are not only fit and       
proper1 but natural and inherent in     
their sex4 ,fit and proper they         
certainly are1 as the universal consent 
of all ages and nations shews2 and      
besides1 that fitness and propriety is  
founded on the nature of things1 but    
natural and inherent they are not1 as is
 equally manifest from experience4 ,in  
ancient ,greece1 where the women were   
remarkable both for continence before   

marriage1 and fidelity after it1 customs
 prevailed diametrically opposite to all
 our most established notions of modesty
 and delicacy4 ,it was customary among  
them1 for the women to perform the      
offices of rubbers1 sweaters1 and       
cuppers to the men1 when bathing2 nor   
was this the employment of the servants1
 or female slaves1 but of young ladies  
of the highest rank and quality4 ,thus1 
in the third ,odyssey1 when ,telemachus 
is entertained at ,nestor's palace1 his 
youngest daughter1    ,sweet ,polycaste1
 takes the pleasing toil1   ,to bathe   
the prince1 and pour the fragrant oil4  
,how would ,clarissa's delicacy have    
been shock'd and disgusted1 had brother 
,james laid his commands upon her to rub
 down ,mr4 ,solmes6 nor would that      
office have been in the least less      
disagreeable1 had she been to perform it
 on the handsome person of ,bob         
,lovelace2 she would have sooner died1  
than have done it to either4 ,again1 in 
the sixth ,odyssey1 when ,ulysses1      

awakened by the noise which ,nausicaa   
and her nymphs make at their sports1    
comes quite naked out of her hiding     
place2 the nymphs1 indeed1 run away1 not
 at the sight of a naked man1 but for   
fear of an enemy1 while the princess    
stays1 and1 without betraying the least 
disgust or uneasiness at his appearance1
 holds a long conversation with him1    
calls back her fugitive companions1 and 
reprimands them very sharply for their  
timorousness4 ,had such an adventure1   
,sir1 happened to your ,harriet1 how do 
you think she would have behaved8 she   
who was not able1 without the utmost    
palpitation1 nor unless her trembling   
hand had been guided1 to sign the       
marriage articles with her beloved      
,grandison4 ,instead of giving          
assistance to the naked hero1 she would 
have wanted help herself2 the dear      
creature would have fainted away4 ,among
 the northern nations in ,america1 who  
lead a simple life1 and where conjugal  
fidelity is very strictly observed1 it  

is customary for parents to provide     
their guests with companions for the    
night in the persons of their daughters4
 ,they reckon it a necessary branch of  
hospitable duty1 and the young ladies   
think themselves affronted1 if their    
embraces are rejected4 ,had ,pamela and 
,clarissa been bred up near the great   
lake of ,hurons1 they would have gone to
 bed to ,booby and ,lovelace1 without   
any scruple1 had they come to their     
father's houses1 in the character of    
,english envoys2 and had an ,iroquois   
damsel received her education in        
,northamptonshire1 under the wings of   
grandmamma ,shirley1 and kept company   
constantly with ,lucy and ,nancy ,selby1
 she would have been as delicate as     
,harriet herself4 ,from whence does this
 mighty difference proceed1 among       
creatures of the same species1 all      
endued with the same passions1          
appetites1 and desires8 ,undoubtedly    
from custom1 habit1 and education2 and  
the reason that women of candid and open

 dispositions1 who can freely examine   
into themselves1 are never sensible of  
it1 and cannot make the discovery1 is   
this2 they feel these principles        
immoveably rooted in their minds1 and   
they had received them so early1 that   
they never remember the time when they  
had them not4 ,this chastity1 this      
delicacy1 c4 may probably enough be     
termed political2 some people have      
reckoned it the meer invention of the   
statesman or politician2 but1 as ,i     
observed before1 its fitness and        
propriety are founded on the nature of  
things and of human society4 ,in all    
societies there are families1           
inheritances1 and distinctions of ranks 
and orders4 ,to keep these separate and 
distinct1 to prevent them from falling  
into confusion1 on all which the good   
oeconomy and internal happiness of the  
state much depend1 the chastity and     
continence of women are absolutely and  
indispensably necessary4 ,therefore it  
has been universally agreed1 to educate 

the sex in the principles leading to    
that continence1 and to make their      
honour and reputation consist in        
adhering to them4 ,in women of          
condition1 in short in all above a      
certain rank1 the inconveniencies of    
deviating from these principles are     
always very observable1 and sensibly    
felt2 particular families are hurt1     
orders are confused1 inheritances are   
uncertain1 the example is bad1 and the  
scandal great4 ,therefore in all such we
 perceive this political chastity       
strongly to prevail2 but in the rank    
below them we find it1 for obvious      
reasons1 exerting no great influence4   
,however it has so far exerted its      
influence1 that it has universally      
become customary for the woman to deny1 
and of course it must be the prerogative
 of the man to ask4 ,this has rendered a
 greater indulgence necessary1 and      
introduced a greater latitude in the    
practice of the male sex1 with respect  
to amours4 ,but ,i am afraid they have  

stretched this indulgence too far1      
indeed far beyond what the oeconomy of  
nature requires1 and much farther than  
is confident with public utility4 ,i may
 likewise add1 that the fair sex have   
been too remiss1 that they have suffered
 themselves to be outwitted1 and allowed
 the other sex to carry this inequality 
in their manners to too great a length4 
,nothing certainly appears more         
inconsistent1 than that the same action 
which brings the greatest disgrace and  
ruin1 the utmost shame and infamy on the
 woman1 should not at all affect the    
man1 though the most guilty1 as he is   
always the temptor and seducer4 ,nay1 it
 is unjust to the highest degree2 for   
compliance and weakness are the worst   
that can be laid to the charge of the   
one1 whereas the other can seldom be    
excused from premeditated villainy4     
,many undergo capital punishments daily 
for crimes much less attrocious in their
 own nature1 and much less destructive  
to the interests of ,society4 ,for what 

can be in itself more infamous1 than to 
rob a creature of its most valuable     
possession1 and then abandon it to a    
life of vice and a death of misery8 ,if 
there be in nature a tender and delicate
 passion1 love is certainly such4 ,yet  
how different and inconsistent is the   
conduct of the sexes in this article4 ,a
 man who loves a woman with an          
honourable intention1 rejects her with  
abhorrence1 if he has a suspicion that  
she has been blown upon by another1     
especially a person of a subordinate    
rank4 ,a woman again1 who is addressed  
by the man she loves1 makes no          
objection1 and feels little uneasiness1 
even at the certainty of his            
prostituting his person to all the women
 of the town4 ,nay1 if he has the       
reputation of having ruined two or three
 of rank and character1 so far from     
hurting1 that generally recommends him  
to her favour4 ,these are facts         
incontestable1 they can be accounted for
 by no principle in nature1 they are    

quite contrary to all the maxims of     
delicacy1 but prove at the same time the
 prodigious force of habit and custom4  
,this is a thing undoubtedly wrong1 and 
perhaps the women are rather more to    
blame than the men4 ,in all general     
affairs1 indeed1 in all matters of      
consequence1 the male sex must ever     
lead1 and the other follow2 but surely  
they have something in their power1 were
 they to exert themselves4 ,they ought  
never1 by a silent approbation1 to      
encourage looseness and profligacy among
 the men1 and thus be accessary to the  
prostitution of numbers in the lower    
rank of their own sex2 and if they have 
it not in their power to reform their   
gallants altogether1 they can at least  
make them throw the mask of decency over
 their vices4  ,there is another species
 of chastity1 which may properly enough 
be stiled religious1 and is equally     
obligatory on all ranks2 but is only    
found among those nations where the     
,christian system is established4 ,the  

founder of our religion was himself a   
bright and a shining pattern of this    
virtue1 and he and his immediate        
disciples recommended and enforced it   
strongly1 both by precept and example4  
,it was this1 chiefly1 that1 in the     
first ages of the church1 filled the    
mountains and desarts with hermits of   
all sexes and ages2 it was this that    
gave rise to the religious orders of    
monks and nuns1 and the celibacy of the 
clergy1 which still subsist in ,popish  
countries4 ,but these consequences were 
pernicious to the publick good1 they    
discouraged marriage1 and established   
that ecclesiastical tyranny1 under which
 all ,europe groaned before the         
reformation and the resurrection of     
letters4 ,but as these precepts and     
examples are now applied in protestant  
countries1 they are useful and proper2  
they are only applied to recommend      
conjugal fidelity and continence before 
marriage1 and thus in some measure      
supply the deficiencies of the political

 chastity1 among women of the lower     
rank1 to whom that does not extend4 ,and
 even though it were to be granted1 that
 ,christianity is no divine institution1
 yet1 on account of this and several    
other excellent maxims it contains and  
strongly enforces1 in common with other 
religions1 its divine origin ought to be
 inculcated on the minds of those people
 who can believe it4 ,but though this   
kind of chastity is more comprehensive1 
yet its influence1 as experience shews  
us1 is infinitely weaker than that of   
the other4 ,i believe it may be said1   
with justice1 that there are fewer      
unchaste women1 even in proportion to   
their numbers1 among those of rank and  
condition1 than there are chaste among  
these of an inferior order1 though the  
lives of the first are generally lazy   
and luxurious1 and much the greatest    
part of their reading lies among modern 
plays1 novels and romances1 which1      
instead of curbing and restraining1 have
 a manifest tendency to heighten and    

inflame their passions4 ,all these      
circumstances shew the superior efficacy
 of the political over the religious    
chastity4 ,from the nature of things it 
must be so1 for the punishments of a    
future state are objects too remote to  
have any great weight in deterring      
people from yielding to the importunate 
sollicitations of a present powerful    
passion4 ,when once a woman has got the 
length to undervalue the immediate      
shame1 ruin and disgrace she has to     
dread from being detected in an amour1  
religious motives never can restrain her
 from indulging her inclinations4 ,far  
be it from me1 by any thing here said1  
to derogate in the least from the       
utility of this great and fundamental   
article in all religions1 the commonly  
received doctrine of rewards and        
punishments in a future state4 ,on the  
contrary1 ,i am sensible of its utility 
in the highest degree1 and that too in  
cases where it is most necessary1 by    
inciting men to virtues to which no     

temporal rewards are annexed1 and       
deterring them from crimes and vices1   
where they have no temporal punishments 
to dread1 or where1 from the secrecy of 
the commission1 they have hopes to      
escape the punishments provided for them
 by the laws4 ,in all cases of the last 
kind1 thought and deliberation are      
required1 to contrive and put them in   
execution2 the mind is then cool1 at    
least not transported out of itself by  
hurrying passion1 and has time and      
leisure to weigh and reflect on every   
circumstance2 religious motives1 no     
doubt1 then exert their influence1      
awaken fears and terrors1 and keep many 
faithful and honest1 who would otherwise
 yield to the temptations of revenge1   
ambition1 and interest4 ,for these      
reasons1 this doctrine can never be too 
sedulously inculcated on the minds of   
the people by their public teachers1 nor
 represented to their imaginations in   
too lively or too affecting colours4    
,it is very possible1 ,sir1 that a great

 deal of this philosophy may lie too    
deep for your conception2 it is         
possible1 that not understanding1 or not
 being able to answer it1 you may       
incline to fix an odium on it1 and      
alledge1 that it has an affinity with   
that of ,hobbes and ,mandevill4 ,but    
granting it were so1 which it is not1   
truth ought only to be regarded1 and    
names to have no weight in a dispute of 
this kind4 ,i wanted to say something on
 female chastity and delicacy1 about    
which you and your heroines make such a 
rout and a pother1 and ,i shall now     
apply it to examine how far your ,pamela
 is a proper example of either4 ,in the 
first place1 she was not of that rank or
 situation in life which could entitle  
her to those notions of honour and      
virtue1 which are extremely proper and  
becoming in ,clarissa or ,harriet4 ,in  
the next place1 the principles which she
 imbibed from her religious education   
under ,booby's lady mother never could  
have been sufficient to preserve her    

virtue1 as it is called1 had it been    
properly besieged4 ,no doubt their may  
have been servant girls who have        
withstood the earnest sollicitations of 
great 'squires1 their masters2 but then 
they have either disliked the persons1  
their affections have been pre-ingaged1 
or1 like ,pamela1 they have had a ,booby
 to deal with4 ,in short1 your whole    
atchievement1 in your first performance1
 amounts to no more than this2 by giving
 so circumstantial an account of        
,booby's fruitless operations1 you have 
pointed out to young gentlemen1 who may 
have the same designs1 the quite        
contrary method1 by which they may      
assuredly promise themselves better     
success4  ,nor even do ,i think ,bob    
,lovelace himself1 who glories so much  
in intrigue1 a very formidable man among
 the ladies1 if we except his potions   
and his doses of opium1 which an        
apothecary's 'prentice could have       
managed better than either mother       
,sinclair or him4 ,he possibly might    

have taken all the freedoms he did with 
,clarissa1 except the last shocking one1
 and not offended her half so much1 if  
he had ordered his conduct otherwise4   
,but you seem to have a notion1 at least
 you represent your heroes acting as if 
nothing could be done with women1 but by
 down-right bribery and corruption1 and 
by teazing and terrifying them out of   
their senses4 ,you are however mistaken2
 women are never mercenary in their     
amours1 until they are totally          
debauched1 and prostitution has become  
their trade1 and many not even then1    
where they like their man4 ,the youngest
 and most artless of them all know1 that
 when money is offered beforehand they  
are treated like prostitutes1 a         
character which they naturally hate and 
despise1 they are sensible their man    
entertains the same sentiments of them1 
and they as naturally hate and despise  
him for doing so4 ,neither is the       
greatest success to be expected from    
putting them in ill humour1 and keeping 

their tempers constantly on the fret2   
surely more is to be done when their    
hearts are at ease1 their fears asleep1 
and their minds softened by sympathizing
 love and tenderness4 ,at the same time 
there is a due medium between an abject 
whiner1 and an obstinate insulting      
teazer1 which characters women know well
 how to distinguish2 they despise the   
one1 and they hate the other3 all your  
lovers are of these kinds2 ,hickman and 
,lord ,goosecap of the first2 ,lovelace 
and ,booby1 when he put on his stately  
airs after the summer-house adventure1  
of the last4 ,you have not been able to 
describe an agreeable1 artful1 and      
accomplish'd seducer1 who1 without      
raising fears and terrors1 could melt1  
surprize1 or reason a woman out of her  
virtue4 ,it is well you have not1 for   
such a character could do no good1 and  
might do a great deal of mischief4 ,nay1
 there is reason to fear1 that the      
characters you have already drawn1      
whatever your intentions may be1 have   

not quite so innocent a tendency as you 
imagine4  ,having now enquired into the 
merit of your compositions1 with respect
 to the manner of their execution1 ,i   
shall next proceed to examine what      
tendency their subject1 or the matter   
contained in them1 has to promote       
chastity1 modesty1 and delicacy2        
virtues1 the advancement of which ,i    
believe you have sincerely at heart4    
,you and ,i1 perhaps1 entertain quite   
different notions about their nature and
 origin2 but while we are agreed as to  
their utility and fitness1 and that the 
conduct of both sexes ought to be more  
under the influence of these principles 
than it generally is1 we need not       
trouble ourselves about such abstract   
speculations2 so that it is to be hoped 
we shall reason henceforth upon common  
principles1 and the natural and         
necessary connection between causes and 
effects4 ,love1 eternal ,love1 is the   
subject1 the burthen of all your        
writings2 it is the poignant sauce1     

which so richly seasons ,pamela1        
,clarissa and ,grandison1 and makes     
their flimzy nonsense pass so glibly    
down4 ,love1 eternal love1 not only     
seasons all our other numerous          
compositions of the same kind1 but      
likewise engrosses our theatres and all 
our dramatic performances1 which were   
originally calculated to give examples  
of nobler passions4 ,from this situation
 of affairs among our authors1 one would
 be apt to imagine1 that the propagation
 of the species was at a stand1 and     
that1 not to talk of marrying and giving
 in marriage1 there was hardly any such 
thing as fornication going forward among
 us1 and that therefore our             
publick-spirited penmen1 to prevent the 
world from coming to an end1 employ'd   
all their art and eloquence to keep     
people in remembrance1 that they were   
composed of different sexes4 ,but       
provident nature has rendered all their 
endeavours unnecessary1 nay1 she has    
rather erred1 if ,i may be allowed the  

expression1 in making that passion      
already too strong of itself4 ,she has  
rather implanted too many allurements1  
and has affixed too great a variety of  
pleasures to the intercourse between the
 sexes1 and has likewise allow'd that   
passion to display itself much sooner   
than is consistent either with the good 
of society1 or the happiness of         
individuals4 ,therefore ,i must always  
maintain1 that those writings which     
heighten and inflame the passion1 which 
paint in lively colours the endearments 
between the sexes1 are of a bad and     
pernicious tendency1 and do much more   
evil than they can possibly do good1    
especially to the young and amorous1    
whose appetites are by nature furious   
and ungovernable4 ,your writings are all
 evidently of this kind1 and fall within
 this censure in the strongest manner2  
and none of your brother romancers are1 
in my opinion1 entirely free from it1   
except the moral and ingenious authoress
 of ,david ,simple4 ,indeed1 if they    

employed what power they may have to    
raise the passions1 and made use of the 
possession they have got of the public  
ear1 to inculcate patriotism1 the love  
of a country1 and other public and      
private virtues1 which perhaps were     
never scarcer than at present1 they     
would in that case be as much to be     
commended1 as they now ought to be      
blamed4  ,many1 ,sir1 share equally in  
this guilt with you2 however1 it is not 
the less for being divided2 but if this 
were all1 you might pass undistinguished
 in the general censure4 ,there is one  
species of iniquity1 for so ,i must call
 it1 in which you so much excel1 in     
which you have acquired a pre-eminence  
so conspicuous1 that all other writers1 
when you appear1 must hide their        
diminished heads1 like stars before the 
sun3 that consists in drawing characters
 the most shockingly vicious1 and giving
 examples of villainy the most infamous1
 and by that means instructing the      
ignorant and innocent in the theory of  

crimes1 which1 without a thorough       
knowledge of the town1 they could never 
have suspected human nature to have been
 capable of4 ,any one who remembers the 
correspondence between ,lovelace and    
,belford1 and what passes in that       
infernal brothel1 to which ,clarissa was
 conducted1 will at once perceive what  
,i have in view4 ,equally admirable and 
just is this aphorism of our noble and  
inimitable poet4    ,vice is a monster  
of so frightful mien1   ,as to be hated 
needs but to be seen2   ,but seen too   
oft1 familiar with her face1   ,we first
 endure1 then pity1 then embrace4  ,the 
truth of this is confirmed1 both by     
experience and the nature of things4    
,the hearts of men are very corruptible1
 especially where there is an incitement
 from a natural passion2 when they hear 
an unexampled piece of villainy1 they   
are at first shocked1 but if they dwell 
much upon it1 they are at last          
familiarized to it1 they are ingenious  
at inventing excuses for that to which  

they find an inclination1 and at last   
feel less remorse at the actual         
commission1 than they had conceived     
horror at the bare recital4 ,but ,mr4   
,pope is a ,poet1 and as you entertain  
no great affection for the tuneful      
tribe1 perhaps his authority may have   
little weight2 you are1 however1 a      
staunch believer1 and an excellent      
,bible-scholar2 ,i shall therefore try  
the efficacy of a scriptural inference4 
,moses1 in his celebrated apologue of   
the fall1 has introduced a fanciful     
imaginary scene1 which he calls         
paradise2 he has placed there a human   
couple1 under the name of ,adam and     
,eve2 he supposes them created in a     
state of innocence and happiness1 and   
prohibited to eat of one tree in the    
garden1 which he calls the tree of the  
knowledge of good and evil1 under the   
penalty of being subjected to death and 
misery2 but that1 being tempted by the  
serpent1 they eat of this tree1 and are 
driven out of ,paradise4 ,many and      

various allegorical interpretations have
 been given of this fable1 but the      
following1 which has been adopted by    
some of the most eminent of the         
primitive fathers1 and our modern       
divines1 pleases me best1 and seems most
 agreeable to the intention of the      
author4 ,it is said1 that by ,adam we   
are to understand the mind or reason of 
man2 by ,eve1 the flesh or outward      
senses2 and by the serpent1 lust or     
pleasure4 ,this allegory1 we are told1  
clearly explains the true causes of     
man's fall and degeneracy1 when his     
mind1 through the weakness and treachery
 of his senses1 became captivated and   
seduced by the allurements of lust and  
pleasure1 he was driven by ,god out of  
,paradise2 that is1 lost and forfeited  
the happiness and prosperity which he   
had enjoyed in his innocence4 ,this     
interpretation is certainly very        
ingenious1 and conveys a noble and a    
beautiful moral2 but ,i am of opinion1  
that1 without straining it in the least1

 it may be carried a good deal farther1 
and that ,moses1 by prohibiting his     
imaginary pair to taste of the tree of  
the knowledge of good and evil1 intended
 to warn men against1 and shew them the 
dangerous consequences of1 an idle      
curiosity and researches into vain and  
useless ,things1 and to make them       
sensible1 that all they could acquire   
thereby would be pain and misery1 the   
necessary consequences of the loss of   
virtue and innocence1 and a shameful    
sense of their own nakedness2 that is1  
the corruption and depravity of human   
nature4 ,this interpretation is not only
 deducible in a very obvious manner from
 the fable itself1 but is likewise      
agreeable to experience4 ,it is certain1
 that an ignorance of vice is1 with     
great numbers1 the best1 and sometimes  
the only preservative against it1 and   
that a simple and rural life is the     
proper soil wherein every virtue        
flourishes4 ,neither is such a state    
incompatible with the improvement of    

mankind in natural and moral philosophy1
 or their advancement in all the        
valuable arts and sciences4  ,the       
application of this doctrine to you is  
very obvious4 ,not to mention many      
faulty scenes in your ,grandison and    
,pamela1 several volumes of your        
,clarissa contain nothing else but a    
minute and circumstantial detail of the 
most shocking vices and villainous      
contrivances1 transacted in the most    
infamous of places1 and by the most     
infamous characters1 and all to satisfy 
the brutal and the sensual appetite4    
,thus you act the part of the serpent1  
and not only throw out to men the       
tempting suggestions of lust and        
pleasure1 but likewise instruct the weak
 head and the corrupt heart in the      
methods how to proceed to their         
gratification4 ,that is1 you tempt them 
to swallow the forbidden fruit of the   
tree which they were commanded not to   
eat2 ,i mean the tree of the knowledge  
of good and evil4 ,this is a heavy1 and 

indeed the principal charge against you2
 and ,i shall now condemn1 or1 if you   
please1 judge you out of your own mouth4
 ,lady ,g4 in the letter she wrote to   
,harriet1 just as she was setting out   
for ,northamptonshire1 to witness her   
happy nuptials with ,grandison1 has this
 remarkable passage4  ,let me whisper   
you ,harriet--sure you proud maiden     
minxes think--,but ,i did once--,i      
wonder in my heart oftentimes--,but men 
and women are cheats to one another4    
,but we may in a great measure thank the
 poetical tribe for the fascination4 ,i 
hate them all4 ,are they not inflamers  
of the worst passions8 ,with regard to  
,epics1 would ,alexander1 madman as he  
was1 have been so much a madman had it  
not been for ,homer8 ,of what violences1
 murders1 depredations1 have not the    
,epic ,poets been the occasion1 by      
propagating false honour1 false glory1  
and false religion8 ,those of the       
amorous class ought in all ages 7could  
their future geniuses for tinkling sound

 and measure have been known7 to have   
been strangled in their cradles4        
,abusers of talents given them for      
better purposes 7for all this time ,i   
put sacred poesy out of the question7   
and avowedly claiming a right to be     
licentious1 and to overleap the bounds  
of decency1 truth and nature4  ,what a  
rant6 7a rant indeed1 ,charlotte7 how   
came these fellows into my rambling     
head8 ,o ,i remember my whisper to you  
led me into all this stuff4  ,well1 and 
you at last recollect the trouble you   
have given my brother about you4 ,good  
,girl6 ,had ,i remembered that1 ,i would
 have spared you my reflections on the  
poets and poetasters of all ages1 the   
truly inspired ones 7who are these1 my  
dear7 excepted4 ,and yet ,i think the   
others should have been banished our    
commonwealth as well as ,plato's4 ,so it
 seems we are to have a female republic1
 of which ,i suppose these ,varletesses 
,harriet and ,charlotte will be         
,consulesses4  ,there is good reason to 

believe that her lively ladyship speaks 
here your own sentiments1 but what you  
can understand by sacred poesy is1 ,i   
confess1 above my comprehension4 ,does  
it consist in celestial ballads1 holy   
madrigals1 spiritual garlands1 or       
bellmen's verses8 for ,i hardly know any
 other species of sacred poesy in our   
language1 our religion being the most   
unpoetical in the world2 so that a      
sacred subject can never appear with any
 grace1 dignity1 or beauty in a poem4 ,i
 have already declared my opinion very  
explicitely about amorous writers1      
whether in prose or verse2 but if the   
sentence which the dear flighty creature
 passes upon them all1 without          
distinction1 could have been executed1  
what must have become of her good friend
 ,mr4 ,samuel ,richardson4 ,he too is a 
poet1 for though he does not write in   
verse1 yet he draws characters1 and     
deals in fiction1 and is besides one of 
the most amorous poets in the world2 he 
does not indeed paint a ,chloe or a     

,sachurissa in an ivy bower1 or a shady 
grove1 there is something of delicacy in
 that2 but he represents all the        
preparations to the good work1 and the  
good work itself1 going forward1 in a   
downright honest manner1 among whores   
and rakes1 in brothels and bagnios4 ,he 
not only raises the passions1 but kindly
 points out the readiest and the easiest
 way to lay them4 ,that man must have a 
very philosophical constitution1 indeed1
 who does not find himself moved by     
several descriptions1 particularly that 
luscious one1 which ,bob ,lovelace gives
 of ,clarissa's person1 when he makes   
the attempt on her virtue1 after the    
adventure of the fire4 ,not that ,i     
think any genius is required for such an
 atchievement2 nature1 with the least   
hint1 is more than sufficient for the   
purpose2 few good writers have attempted
 such things1 and the very worst have   
succeeded4 ,however1 the passions of the
 reader being now raised1 his next      
business is to satisfy them2 and he     

cannot but reflect that this virtuous   
scene passes in a brothel1 where1 though
 ,clarissa may be impregnable1 unless a 
dose of opium be first administered1    
there are such girls as ,sally ,martin  
and ,polly ,horton2 but they not being  
every man's girls1 as ,bob ,lovelace    
tells us1 and our adventurer1 perhaps1  
not having money1 address1 or patience1 
to come to the ultimatum with those     
first-rate ladies of pleasure1 he very  
sagely concludes1 that one woman is as  
good as another1 especially as the same 
,bob ,lovelace1 so experienced in the   
ways of women1 informs him1 that that   
prime gift differs only in its external 
customary visibles1 and that the skull  
of ,philip is no better than another    
man's1 he very contentedly resolves to  
take up with ,dorcas ,wykes1 or the     
first ready non-apparent he can meet    
with in the outer house4 ,accordingly   
our amorous youth sallies forth1 fully  
bent to enjoy ,clarissa in imagination2 
but before he has got half way to mother

 ,sinclair's1 he meets a pretty girl in 
the streets1 who invites him to a glass 
of wine1 and the next tavern stands open
 for their reception4 ,this is the      
natural catastrophe of a serious perusal
 of the fire-adventure2 and ,i believe  
it has ended this way much oftener than 
in any good way4 ,thus if her flighty   
,ladyship would be impartial in the     
execution of her sentence1 we may easily
 conjecture what would become of ,samuel
 ,richardson1 at least of his works4    
,let me whisper you1 ,charlotte4--,ought
 not this writer of the amorous class   
7could his future genius for loose and  
lascivious description have been known7 
to have been strangled in his           
cradle8--,i see the charming archness   
rising in your eyes1 which makes one    
both love you and fear you4--,yet you   
look meditatingly--,tell me1 thou dear  
flighty creature--,am ,i not            
right8--,very right1 ,sir4--,huzzah1    
,sam4--well said--that's a good         
girl--give me a buss for that1          

,hussy--,heyday1 ,,sirr--,who allows you
 these liberties1 ,,sirr6--,i take them1
 ,charlotte4--,do not think you have    
wemmell'd me quite--so none of your     
scrupulosities with me ,varletess--but  
oh6 what an eye-beam was there1--she has
 soul-harrow'd me by her frowns1--yet   
her anger may slide off on its own      
ice4--,then hey for lady ,goosecap1--,o 
,jack1 the charmingest bosom1 ever mine 
eyes beheld4  99  99  99  99  99  99    
99  99  99  99  99  99  99  99  99  99  
99  99  99  99  99  99  99  99  99  99  
,this is a small specimen of the manner 
and stile ,richardsonian1 that is my    
word1 so greatly and so justly admired  
by the present age1 with which1 no less 
than eighteen large volumes are stuffed 
from beginning to end4 ,but to return to
 our argument4  ,you have been already  
found fault with for the shocking       
description ,jack ,belford gives of that
 levy of damsels who attended mother    
,sinclair on her death-bed1 such a scene
 must certainly be shocking enough1 yet 

could not be near so much on the part of
 the ladies as is represented2 but it   
must be remembered1 that ,jackey had    
then got into his ,horribles1 as ,bob   
terms it1 and1 as ,bays has it1 he      
rounded it off egad4 ,i have one great  
objection to all such descriptions which
 is implied in the verses above cited   
from ,mr4 ,pope1 but there is another   
and a greater against this1 that it is  
contrary to truth4 ,few1 or none of our 
,english ladies of pleasure exercise the
 mystery of painting1 and bating the    
odoriferous particles of gin1 which     
sometimes exhale from their breaths1    
there are many of them1 without any     
disparagement1 as little slatternly in  
their persons1 as most other fine ladies
 in a morning2 indeed1 if such          
descriptions had the same effect on the 
minds of youth1 that raw-head and       
bloody-bones have upon children1 to     
frighten them from the objects they     
ought to shun they might be of some     
service1 but when upon trial they find  

them better than they have been taught  
to believe them1 they are apt to imagine
 them not so bad as they really are4    
,let us now return to the dear flighty  
creature1 and the sentence which she    
passes upon the ,poets4 ,she has a fling
 at ,homer1 whom the beauteous ,harriet1
 in her dispute with the university     
pedant1 had before criticized upon in a 
masterly manner1 and like a good        
,englishwoman1 from the authority of her
 godfather ,deane1 concluded1 that our  
,milton has excelled him in the         
sublimity of his images1 this1 is a     
controversy which ,i shall not enter    
into1 with so lovely a disputant1 whose 
eyes1 whatever her lips may be1 are     
always in the right4 ,we are asked1     
would ,alexander1 madman as he was1 have
 been so much a madman1 had it not been 
for ,homer1 of what violences1 murders1 
depredations1 have not the ,epic poets  
been the occasion1 by propagating false 
honour1 false glory1 and false          
,religion8 ,these remarks are1 ,i       

suppose1 occasioned by the great        
veneration which the ,macedonian hero   
professed for ,homer's writings1 and by 
his famous imitation1 or rather         
improvement1 on the cruelty of          
,achilles1 in dragging round the walls  
of a conquered city its brave defender4 
,but may it not be asked with equal1 if 
not greater propriety1 would many       
profligate and abandoned1 as they       
naturally are1 be so very profligate and
 abandoned1 were it not for ,richardson8
 ,and1 of what rapes1 violences1 and    
debaucheries1 have not the ,romance     
writers been the occasion1 by           
propagating false love1 false chastity1 
and false1 ,i shall not add religion1   
'till you1 who are so well qualified1   
have demonstrated which is the true one8
 ,if ,alexander exceeded ,achilles in   
cruelty1 may not many go beyond         
,lovelace in that1 as well as in        
debauchery8 ,none but such as ,alexander
 have ever proposed to imitate          
,achilles1 but every man of a moderate  

fortune may set up ,lovelace for a      
pattern1 by whom to model his conduct4  
,should it be said1 that in ,lovelace1  
,richardson gives the example of a man1 
who brought ruin and destruction on     
himself by his vices1 and that he       
constantly expresses the utmost         
abhorrence of his bad morals1 with      
equal1 nay1 with greater justice1 must  
not the same be said of ,homer8 ,nay1 as
 it happens1 he expresses in his own    
person a thing not usual with him1 his  
disapprobation in the strongest terms1  
of ,achilles's barbarous usage of       
,heistor's dead ,body1 that piece of    
cruelty which ,alexander particularly   
imitated4       are his words1 when he  
introduces the narration of that event4 
,no doubt ,homer's writings have been1  
and may be abused1 and so may the best  
and most useful of all human inventions2
 religion itself has not escaped1 and   
its abuse has been ever attended with   
the most pernicious and destructive     
consequences4 ,but surely they are not  

so liable to be abused as your          
compositions2 ,homer1 indeed1 describes 
vicious characters1 but all their       
viciousness consists in the natural     
passions being carried to a blameable   
excess1 he paints no improvement1 no    
refinement1 no elaborate contrivance in 
villany1 this is what you excell in1    
above all the authors antient or modern1
 ,i remember to have read4 ,the anger of
 ,achilles was raised by a most         
provoking insult which he received from 
,agamemnon4 ,he thus expresses himself3 
,my maid1 my black-ey'd maid he forc'd  
away1   ,due to the toils of many a     
dreadful ,day1   ,from me he forc'd her1
 me1 the bold and brave1   ,disgrac'd1  
dishonour'd1 like the vilest slave4     
,what could be more natural than a      
resentment on such an occasion8 ,and    
what could be more natural1 than for a  
man of ,achilles's temper to carry that 
resentment too far8 ,both he and        
,agamemnon suffer severely for the      
errors they commit2 and what renders the

 fable still more beautiful1 and the    
moral still more instructive1 is this   
consideration1 that their sufferings    
appear to be the unavoidable and        
necessary consequences of their errors2 
of course1 nothing can more effectually 
deter others in similar circumstances   
from being guilty of the like faults for
 the future4 ,but the oeconomy of your  
plot1 and the disposition of your       
characters1 are entirely different4     
,lovelace determines on the ruin of     
,clarissa1 from motives and passions    
altogether unnatural1 which could       
subsist no where1 but in a heart        
debauched of itself1 initiated in all   
the mysteries of villany1 and regularly 
educated in an academy of wickedness2   
his motives and passions are an aversion
 to marriage1 a resentment against      
,clarissa's family1 an infamous         
resolution to wreak his revenge on the  
only person in it1 who loved him2 a     
ridiculous doubt of her virtue1 and a   
vain-glorious pride1 in having a        

reputation for intrigue1 and adding an  
honourable name to a list1 which it     
seems he kept1 of the credulous fools he
 had already ruined1 and the tricks     
which he put in practice1 to bring about
 that diabolical end1 are all uniformly 
of a piece with the motives and passions
 which inspired them2 nor is the matter 
in the least mended by the catastrophe  
which ensues2 for it is not the         
necessary and unavoidable consequence of
 his committed crimes1 you are at the   
greatest pains to let us know so much   
out of his own mouth3 ,who could have   
thought it1 says he to his friend       
,belford1 ,i have said it a thousand    
times1 surely there never can be such   
another woman2 thus1 you must be        
sensible you have entirely destroyed the
 moral1 and any good effect that could  
be expected from the example2 for1 if   
there never can be such another woman as
 ,clarissa1 and such a catastrophe is   
not again to be dreaded1 there is       
nothing to deter another ,rake from     

putting in practice the same infamous   
schemes1 upon any other woman he may    
happen to have in his power4  ,thus far1
 ,sir1 have ,i carried the parallel     
between ,homer and you1 with respect to 
the moral tendency of your works1 a     
parallel in any other view1 you yourself
 must be sensible would be ridiculous4  
,were ,i to extend it farther1 it would 
still conclude more to your             
disadvantage1 but ,i think enough is    
said to convince any impartial person1  
that if the one1 with the smallest      
appearance of justice1 was denied an    
admission into the ,platonic            
commonwealth1 the other would have been 
kick'd out of it with shame and         
disgrace2 yet1 you have very pleasantly 
contrived to find a place there for     
yourself1 in ,homer's room4 ,you have   
adopted and inserted in your ,clarissa  
the four following verses1 of a poetical
 encomium which was made upon it4       
,even ,plato in ,lyceum's awful shade1  
,th' instructive page1 with transport   

had survey'd1   ,and own'd its author1  
to have well supplied1   ,the place1 his
 laws1 to ,homer's self denied4  ,under 
these lines we have this note4 ,by the  
laws of ,plato's commonwealth1 ,homer   
was denied a place there1 on account of 
the bad tendency of the morals he       
ascribes to his ,gods and his ,heroes2  
but from the short parallel ,i have     
drawn1 let the impartial determine whose
 writings have the worst tendency4 ,i   
know nothing of your poet ,laureate1    
therefore shall say as little of him1   
but ,i cannot tell which most to wonder 
at1 your own ignorance or vanity1 the   
last is conspicuous in numberless other 
places as well as this1 the first is    
scarce less so4 ,tho' you have mention'd
 ,plato's commonwealth oftener than once
 in your works1 yet1 it appears that you
 know nothing of its nature or          
constitution1 by which it was rendered  
impossible1 for such characters as you  
describe1 to have either an existence1  
or an admission into that imaginary     

republic4 ,the pride of wealth in the   
,harlow family1 and the pride of titles 
and descent in the ,lovelace family1 can
 no where be found1 save1 in a          
monarchial and commercial state1 where  
there is a hereditary noblesse1 and a   
great inequality among the fortunes of  
the citizens4 ,neither can such         
characters as ,lovelace and his         
associates1 or mother ,sinclair and her 
nymphs1 display themselves1 or such a   
place as the mother's brothel1 subsist  
any where but in a city like ,london1   
the overgrown metropolis of a powerful  
,empire1 and an extensive commerce2 all 
these corruptions1 are the necessary and
 unavoidable consequences of such a     
constitution of things4 ,in order to    
prevent which1 ,plato made the basis of 
his republic consist in a perfect       
equality of the citizens1 both with     
respect to honours and estates1 and to  
banish commerce1 in his opinion1 the    
other great corrupter of the morals of a
 people1 forever from the state2 he     

supposes that his city is built in an   
inland country1 at a distance from the  
,ocean or ,sea-ports4 ,i shall not      
pretend to justify ,plato in all his    
whims2 but it is certain1 that if such  
an establishment were practicable1 every
 public and private virtue would have a 
better chance to flourish there1 than in
 any other ,state1 where different      
principles prevail4 ,from these         
circumstances it is manifest1 that if we
 could suppose a ,platonic citizen1     
entirely unacquainted with what passes  
in the world1 beyond the verges of his  
own republic1 he would imagine1 if such 
a book as ,clarissa was recommended to  
his perusal1 that the characters        
described in it were monsters1 not men1 
and existed no where1 except in the     
depraved fancy of its author4  ,here1   
,sir1 ,i put a period to my general     
remarks on your compositions2 ,i cannot 
say they are thrown altogether into a   
regular order1 but they may do well     
enough in a loose essay1 as this is     

intended to be4 ,it would require a     
bulky volume to contain remarks on all  
the passages which deserve it1 whether  
it were to point out innumerable faults1
 or some few shining beauties4 ,i am not
 equal to the task1 and1 though ,i were1
 should not undertake it4 ,had you wrote
 nothing else1 ,pamela would have been  
consigned1 long before now1 to utter    
neglect and oblivion4 ,such soon will be
 the fate of ,grandison1 admired and    
sought after as it is at present4       
,people must some time or other tire of 
conning over such quantities of flimzy  
stuff4 ,i wonder at their present       
patience and perseverance1 and can never
 sufficiently admire the contexture of  
that brain which can weave with         
unwearied toil such immense webs of idle
 tittle-tattle1 and gossipping nonsense4
 ,clarissa perhaps deserves a better    
fate4  ,great are its faults1 but       
glorious is its flame1 may not          
improperly be said of it1 as has been   
said of ,shakespear's ,othello4  ,it    

must be owned1 you have fallen upon a   
manner of writing1 in a series of       
,letters1 which is very affecting1 and  
capable of great improvements4 ,it      
preserves a great probability in the    
narration1 and makes every thing appear 
animated and impassioned4 ,it is to be  
regretted1 that you have trifled so     
egregiously as you have done2 you are   
one of those who1 having an exuberant   
genius1 and little judgment1 never know 
when they have said enough4 ,the manner 
in which you have published your pieces 
is a proof of this2 ,pamela came out    
first in two volumes1 and was then      
compleat1 however two more were         
afterwards added2 ,clarissa made her    
first appearance in seven volumes1 and  
there are now eight2 and ,grandison1 ,i 
suppose1 will in a short time be        
improved in the same manner4 ,this      
conduct1 ,sir1 may at first encrease the
 profits of authorship1 but in the end  
will always destroy the credit of the   
author4 ,there never was a good writer  

yet1 who blotted not out ten lines for  
one that he added4 ,it has been said of 
,virgil1 that when composing1 he used to
 dictate a great many lines in the      
morning1 and employ the rest of the day 
in reducing them to a small number4 ,it 
was said in commendation of ,shakespear1
 that he never blotted a line2 ,ben     
,johnson replied1 he wished he had      
blotted a thousand1 in which ,i believe 
every body now concurs with him4 ,homer 
alone seems to be an exception to this  
rule1 in all his writings there are so  
much ease and nature1 that ,i can hardly
 think he either blotted or corrected1  
his verses appear to have been wholly   
dictated by the inspired ,muse herself4 
,but you1 ,sir1 are not a ,homer1 and   
are besides totally ignorant of that    
art1 without the frequent exercise of   
which no other authors have ever        
attained to a great and lasting         
reputation1 ,i mean the art of blotting 
judiciously1 and lopping off            
superfluities and excrescences1 without 

tenderness or remorse4 ,instead of      
adding one volume to ,clarissa1 as      
originally printed1 had you taken three 
away1 it might have been made a valuable
 performance4 ,the best1 perhaps1 the   
only way to correct ,grandison and      
,pamela1 would be to make them pass     
thro' the fire4  ,to conclude1 ,i think 
your writings have corrupted our        
language and our taste2 that the        
composition of them all1 except         
,clarissa1 is bad2 and that they all1   
particularly that1 have a manifest      
tendency to corrupt our morals4 ,i have 
likewise shewn that your principal      
characters are all1 except ,clarissa's1 
faulty1 ridiculous1 or unmeaning4       
,grandison is an inconsistent angel1    
,lovelace is an absolute devil1 and     
,booby is a perfect ass2 ,pamela is a   
little pert minx1 whom any man of common
 sense or address might have had on his 
own terms in a week or a fortnight1     
,harriet appears to be every thing1 and 
yet may be nothing1 except a ready      

scribe1 a verbose letter-writer2 and as 
to ,clarissa1 ,i believe you will own   
yourself1 that ,i have done you ample   
justice4 ,i now leave you seriously to  
contemplate the merit of your           
performances1 and shall only add1 that  
,i hope you will have the candour not to
 impute these animadversions to any     
spiteful envy conceived at your great   
reputation and extraordinary success2   
yet1 this ,i will say1 that some        
expressions might perhaps have been     
pointed with less severity1 had ,i not  
observed that your constant endeavours  
are to render a certain set of men      
amongst us1 the objects of public hatred
 and detestation2 for any thing you know
 to the contrary they may be in the     
right1 and you in the wrong1 at least1  
as ,i told you before1 you are no proper
 judge in the controversy1 whether they 
are or not4 ,at any rate this conduct of
 yours must proceed either from a       
weakness of the head1 or a badness of   
the heart4 ,a weakness in the head1 that

 your understanding still continues     
blinded with all those prejudices1 in   
their full strength1 which you imbibed  
in the years of your childhood1 from the
 old women in the nursery4 ,a badness of
 the heart1 that makes you imagine any  
difference in opinions1 merely          
speculative1 ever can give just occasion
 to an unfavourable distinction among   
members of the same society1 partakers  
of the same human nature1 and children  
of one common indulgent ,parent1 the    
almighty and beneficent ,creator of all 
things4    ,i am1 c4     ,,postscript4  
,after having animadverted warmly1 yet1 
,i hope1 justly1 upon one author1 a     
worthy and virtuous man1 as ,i believe1 
for shewing an indiscreet zeal in behalf
 of a religion1 in the profession of    
which he is undoubtedly sincere2 it     
would be an unpardonable neglect1 to    
take no notice of another author1 a     
daily journalist too1 whose sincerity at
 the best is dubious1 but whose zeal1   
whether real or pretended1 flames out   

beyond all the bounds of order or       
decency4 ,the zeal of ,richardson1 when 
weigh'd against the zeal1 or rather the 
fury of ,hill1 would be found wanting1  
and as dust in the balance4 ,the        
,inspectors which have given occasion to
 this postscript1 are those of ,saturday
 the #ith1 and ,wednesday the #acth of  
this present month of ,february2 neither
 of which had made its appearance before
 the foregoing remarks were compleated  
and sent to the press4 ,in these the    
journalist has done his utmost1 not only
 to prejudice weak minds against ,lord  
,bolingbroke's posthumous works1 and the
 ,essays on ,crucifixion1 ,fainting     
,fits1 ,resurrections and ,miracles1    
proposals for printing which by         
subscription have been lately published2
 but to raise the furies of religious   
rage and persecution against the editor 
of the one1 and the author of the other4
 ,he tells the first1 that were he a    
robber and a murderer1 he would be less 
criminal1 less worthy capital punishment

 and the ,detestation of all ,mankind4  
,he declares he shall do all a private  
man can do to bring him to punishment4  
,of the last he says1 that not the      
religious alone1 but all who have       
wisdom1 and a sense of decency1 join to 
say1 that no punishment can be too      
severe for him3 ,and1 after having given
 some charitable hints1 drawn from the  
death of ,socrates1 and the practice of 
the ,heathens1 he thus apostrophizes4   
,will ,christians suffer what they could
 not bear8 ,it cannot be3 ,it is not    
possible4 ,laws will be put in          
execution1 and the histories of the     
whole world cannot produce a greater    
criminal4  ,the bare recital of these   
distempered ravings is a sufficient     
confutation of them1 is sufficient to   
inspire all men of sense and common     
humanity with a detestation for them1   
and a contempt for their author4 ,this  
is not the language of a protestant     
writer1 but of a furious blood-thirsty  
popish inquisitor4 ,that he would be    

gladly invested with such a character1  
and that he would act most furiously and
 bloodily in it1 is evident from his    
journals2 but that he is only a private 
man1 and even as such his influence     
small1 is surely a happy circumstance   
for our native country4  ,should it be  
enquired1 what has given occasion to    
this flaming manifestation of popish    
zeal1 the candid reader would           
undoubtedly be surprized1 should he be  
told1 that one article is1 a random and 
incredible report1 concerning ,lord     
,bolingbroke's expected posthumous      
works1 that their design is to prove1   
there is no human soul1 no deity1 no    
spirit1 and nothing but matter in the   
universe4 ,whoever is acquainted with   
his lordship's writings1 which have     
already been published2 whoever knows   
that ,mr4 ,pope was indebted to him for 
the plan of the noblest poem extant in  
any language1 ,i mean his ,essay on     
,man1 must at once be convinced1 from   
ocular demonstration1 of the infamous   

falshood of this assertion4 ,that his   
lordship was a theist1 and a disbeliever
 in miracles and revelations1 cannot and
 need not be denied4 ,but that he was no
 atheist1 no materialist1 his           
acknowledged good sense is1 alone1 a    
sufficient proof4 ,i do think scepticism
 the best and truest philosophy2 and ,i 
scruple not to own1 ,i have called in   
question1 one time or other1 the truth  
of most things which cannot be          
demonstrated4 ,but the existence of     
spirit and deity was never one of those 
things4 ,of this ,i am certain1 from    
consciousness1 from reason1 from        
demonstration4 ,but ,i have often       
doubted the real existence of matter2   
for this ,i have not even the testimony 
of my senses1 only prejudice and        
instinct4 ,it is only such a philosopher
 as our inspector1 who believes animals 
are mere machines1 who can be an atheist
 and a materialist4  ,the other article 
which has given an opportunity to our   
,jesuitical journalist to flame forth   

with the true spirit of a popish        
inquisitor1 is1 the publication of      
proposals for printing by subscription1 
,essays on ,crucifixion2 ,syncopes1 or  
,fainting-,fits2 the uncertainty of the 
signs of ,death1 and the real nature and
 frequency of those ,accidents which    
have been called ,resurrections from the
 ,dead2 and on ,miracles1 their ,nature1
 and the ,evidence for them4 ,there is  
surely nothing1 either in this title or 
the proposals themselves1 which appears 
to have a pernicious tendency against   
any religious establishment whatsoever2 
and he1 surely1 must be endued with a   
wonderful penetration1 who can discover 
any thing like it in them4 ,they seem   
only to promise medical and             
philosophical enquiries into medical and
 philosophical subjects4 ,why may not an
 essay on ,crucifixion be as harmless as
 a dissertation on ,tar-,water8 and what
 destructive consequences can attend a  
treatise on ,fainting-,fits and         
counterfeited ,death1 more than a       

treatise on broken heads or bloody      
noses8 ,they are all physical subjects1 
and fall within the province of a       
medical writer1 which it is to be       
supposed the author of the proposals is1
 otherwise he cannot be equal to the    
task he has undertaken4 ,but our        
admirable and sagacious inspector thus  
addresses the public1 ',tis palpable1   
'tis evident1 says he1 that this man    
means to tell you1 the ,saviour of the  
world did not die upon the cross2 that  
he did not rise from the dead2 that he  
did not work miracles4 ,i shall only    
observe1 that the words ,jesus1         
,christianity1 or even ,religion1 are   
not so much as once mentioned in these  
proposals1 and probably may not be found
 in the work itself1 when it appears4   
,hence we may reasonably infer1 that the
 world is indebted for these discoveries
 to the wonderful acuteness of the      
,inspectorial nostrils1 which can smell 
out irreligion and infidelity1 where no 
such things are intended1 or even dreamt

 of4 ,if such1 indeed1 are the          
intentions of this proposer1 he is1     
doubtless1 greatly obliged to his good  
friend1 the ,inspector1 or rather the   
would-be inquisitor1 for discovering to 
the public what it seems he himself     
either would not1 or durst not1 so much 
as hint at4 ,but 'tis malice1 'tis      
fiction all1 and 'tis most probable1 the
 author himself never had any such      
things in his thoughts4  ,but to be     
serious1 for the subject requires it2   
too much detestation1 too much          
abhorrence1 can never be shewn for the  
principles and practices of this        
journalist1 and they can never be       
sufficiently exposed and exploded4 ,if  
he is not sincere1 if he makes religion 
only a stalking horse1 to gratify his   
passions1 his pride1 his vanity1 his    
ambition1 or his interest1 there never  
was a character more infamous1 more     
detestable4 ,if he is sincere1 his      
principles are equally destructive1     
equally pernicious1 to all the most     

valuable interests of civil government  
and social life4 ,i would incline to the
 more favourable interpretation2 but1   
without any breach of charity1 it may be
 said1 that his dirty interest is one of
 his great motives for such a conduct4  
,in a late famous letter of his1 where1 
in so many words1 he affirms1 that no   
other1 unless he be conjured from the   
dead1 is qualified to be ,keeper of ,sir
 ,hans ,sloane's ,museum1 except        
himself1 he thus addresses the          
,chancellor3 ,my ,lord1 ,i shall        
conclude with saying that1 to his grace 
of ,canterbury1 ,i hope that respect ,i 
have1 in all my writings1 shewn to the  
religion of my country1 will prove some 
recommendation4 ,here the cloven foot   
manifestly appears2 and1 do doubt1 he   
greedily laid hold of these proposals1  
to display1 at this seasonable juncture1
 that recommending respect to the       
religion of his country1 which he       
imagined1 though perhaps erroneously1   
was intended to be attacked4    ,,finis4

         99       99       99       99  
99            99       99       99      
99    ,the ,editors of ,,the ,,augustan 
,,reprint ,,society    are pleased to   
announce that    ,,the ,,william        
,,andrews ,,clark ,,memorial ,,library  
of ,the ,university of ,california1 ,los
 ,angeles  will become the publisher of 
the ,augustan ,reprints in ,may1 #aidi4 
,the editorial policy of the ,society   
will continue unchanged4 ,as in the     
past1 the editors will strive to furnish
 members inexpensive reprints of rare   
seventeenth and eighteenth century      
works4  ,all correspondence concerning  
subscriptions in the ,united ,states and
 ,canada should be addressed to the     
,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial      
,library1 #bbje ,west ,adams ,blvd41    
,los ,angeles #g1 ,california4          
,correspondence concerning editorial    
matters may be addressed to any of the  
general editors4 ,membership fee        
continues #b4ej per year 7#b4ge in      
,great ,britain and the continent74     

,british and ,european subscribers      
should address ,b4 ,h4 ,blackwell1      
,broad ,street1 ,oxford1 ,england4      
,publications for the fourth year       
7#aidi-aiej7  7,at least six items will 
be printed in the main from the         
following list7    ,where available1    
,project ,gutenberg e-text numbers are  
shown in   brackets4 ,the numbering     
system using 8,series ,i-,,vi0 was      
abandoned   after ,year #c1 and earlier 
publications were retroactively         
renumbered4  ,,series ,,iv3 ,,men1      
,,manners1 ,,and ,,critics  ,john       
,dryden1 ,his ,majesties ,declaration   
,defended 7#afha7  #aejgd  ,daniel      
,defoe 7871 ,vindication of the ,press  
7#agah7  #adjhd 7year #e7  ,critical    
,remarks on ,sir ,charles ,grandison1   
,clarissa1 and ,pamela 7#aged7 present  
text  ,,series ,v3 ,,drama  ,thomas     
,southerne1 ,oroonoko 7#afif7  not      
published  ,mrs4 ,centlivre1 ,the ,busie
 ,body 7#agji7  #afgdj  ,charles        
,johnson1 ,caelia 7#agcc7  not published

  ,charles ,macklin1 ,man of the ,world 
7#agha7  #addfc 7year #e7  ,,series     
,,vi3 ,,poetry ,,and ,,language  ,andre 
,dacier1 ,essay on ,lyric ,poetry  not  
published  ,poems by ,thomas ,sprat  not
 published  ,poems by the ,earl of      
,dorset  not published  ,samuel         
,johnson1 ,vanity of ,human ,wishes     
7#agdi71 and one of the #agej ,rambler  
papers4  #accej  ,,extra ,,series3      
,lewis ,theobald1 ,preface to           
,shakespeare's ,works 7#agcc7  #afcdf   
,a few copies of the early publications 
of the ,society are still available at  
the original rate4   ,,general ,,editors
    ,h4 ,,richard ,,archer1 ,clark      
,memorial ,library   ,,richard ,c4      
,,boys1 ,university of ,michigan        
,,edward ,,niles ,,hooker1 ,university  
of ,california1 ,los ,angeles   ,h4 ,t4 
,,swedenberg ,,jr41 ,university of      
,california1 ,los ,angeles              
----------------------------------------
--------------------    ,,to ,,the      
,,augustan ,,reprint ,,society          

,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial      
,library   #bbje ,west ,adams ,blvd41   
,los ,angeles #g1 ,california    ,,as   
,,membership ,,fee ,i enclose for3      
,name      ,address      ,the fourth    
year                            #b4ej   
,the third and fourth year              
#e4jj    ,the second1 third and fourth  
year           #g4ej    ,the first1     
second1 third1 and fourth year  #aj4jj  
,add 4#be for each year if ordering from
 ,great ,britain      or the continent  
,make check or money order payable to   
,,the ,,regents ,,of ,,the ,,university 
,,of ,,california4  ,note3 ,all income  
of the ,society is devoted to defraying 
cost of printing and mailing4           
,,publications ,,of ,,the ,,augustan    
,,reprint ,,society    ,all titles from 
the first three years are available from
 ,project   ,gutenberg2 e-text numbers  
are given in brackets4   ,first ,year   
7#aidf-aidg7  #a4 ,richard ,blackmore's 
,essay upon ,wit 7#agaf71 and ,addison's
 ,freehold ,no4 #de 7#agaf74 7,i1 #a7   

#acdhd  #b4 ,samuel ,cobb's ,of ,poetry 
and ,discourse on ,criticism 7#agjg74   
7,,ii1 #a7  #adicg  #c4 ,letter to ,a4  
,h4 ,esq42 concerning the ,stage        
7#afih71 and ,richard ,willis'          
,occasional ,paper ,no4 ,,ix 7#afih74   
7,,iii1 #a7  #adjdg  #d4 ,essay on ,wit 
7#agdh71 together with ,characters by   
,flecknoe1 and ,joseph ,warton's        
,adventurer ,nos4 #abg and #acc4 7,i1   
#b7  #adebh  #e4 ,samuel ,wesley's      
,epistle to a ,friend ,concerning       
,poetry 7#agjj7 and ,essay on ,heroic   
,poetry 7#afic74 7,,ii1 #b7  #afejf  #f4
 ,representation of the ,impiety and    
,immorality of the ,stage 7#agjd7 and   
,some ,thoughts ,concerning the ,stage  
7#agjd74 7,,iii1 #b7  #aefef  ,second   
,year 7#aidg-aidh7  #g4 ,john ,gay's    
,the ,present ,state of ,wit 7#agaa72   
and a section on ,wit from ,the ,english
 ,theophrastus 7#agjb74 7,i1 #c7  #adhjj
  #h4 ,rapin's ,de ,carmine ,pastorali1 
translated by ,creech 7#afhd74 7,,ii1   
#c7 #addie  #i4 ,t4 ,hanmer's 787 ,some 

,remarks on the ,tragedy of ,hamlet     
7#agcf74 7,,iii1 #c7  #adhii  #aj4      
,corbyn ,morris' ,essay towards ,fixing 
the ,true ,standards of ,wit1 etc4      
7#agdd74 7,i1 #d7  #afbcc  #aa4 ,thomas 
,purney's ,discourse on the ,pastoral   
7#agag74 7,,ii1 #d7  #aecac  #ab4       
,essays on the ,stage1 selected1 with an
 ,introduction by ,joseph ,wood ,krutch4
 7,,iii1 #d7  #afcce  ,third ,year      
7#aidh-aidi7  #ac4 ,sir ,john ,falstaff 
7pseud471 ,the ,theatre 7#agbj74 7,,iv1 
#a7  #aeiii  #ad4 ,edward ,moore's ,the 
,gamester 7#agec74 7,v1 #a7  #afbfg     
#ae4 ,john ,oldmixon's ,reflections on  
,dr4 ,swift's ,letter to ,harley        
7#agab72 and ,arthur ,mainwaring's ,the 
,british ,academy 7#agab74 7,,vi1 #a7   
#bejia  #af4 ,nevil ,payne's ,fatal     
,jealousy 7#afgc74 7,v1 #b7  #afiaf     
#ag4 ,nicholas ,rowe's ,some ,account of
 the ,life of ,mr4 ,william ,shakespear 
7#agji74 7,extra ,series1 ,i7  #afbge   
#ah4 ,aaron ,hill's ,preface to ,the    
,creation2 and ,thomas ,brereton's      

,preface to ,esther4 7,,iv1 #b7  #aehgj 
99       99       99       99       99  
99       99       99       99  ,errors  
and ,inconsistencies  ,in the body text1
 variable spellings such as 8villany0 3 
8villainy0 and 8intire0 3 8entire0 are  
unchanged4 ,unless otherwise noted1 all 
spelling1 punctuation and capitalization
 are as printed4  ,introduction3    8444
 an ordinary ,share of ,virtue0 7p4 #bd7
  7p4#bd7  ,critical ,remarks3    there 
never can be any thing but a perpetual  
jarring discord     pertpeual   limited 
state of the human understanding        
understandng   according to his         
particular temper or circumstances      
cricumstances   ,how to reconcile to    
probability     printed                 
8proba-_/bability0 at line break   ,but 
as these precepts and examples are now  
applied     8a0 in 8and0 printed        
upside-down   and by the serpent1 lust  
or pleasure4 ,this allegory  pleasure1  
just as she was setting out  just us    
paint a ,chloe or a ,sachurissa         

unchanged3 error for 8,sacharissa08     
,ben ,johnson replied1 he wished        
spelling unchanged   any difference in  
opinions1 merely speculative  opinions4 
the ,detestation of all ,mankind  first 
8l0 in 8all0 invisible  ,greek          
,quotations3      4   ,ton andra        
polutropon4           ,hektora dion     
aeikea mdeto erga