Part 13 (1/2)

So copious was ht pages of paper; two of which at least were Greek and Latin quotations, from Aristotle, Demosthenes, and Cicero I meant to astonish e, said I, that a writer of wit, energy, and genius is at last sprung up; one who is profoundly skilled too in classical learning My whole soul was bent on saying strong things, fine things, learned things, pretty things, good things, wise things, and severe things Never was there ument was a kind of pitiful Jonas, and my words were the whale in which it ed up

I was quite enamoured of my performance, and was impatient for twelve o'clock the next day, that his lordshi+p ht admire it! In the mean time, to allay ht Enoch When the reverend little man heard that I was eovern decided that my fortune was made: but he dropped his under lip when told that I had attacked theside--Ministers paid well for being praised; but they gave nothing, except fine, imprisonment, and pillory, for blaer inhian, but blundered so wretchedly that I was soon out of patience; and taking the paper froan to read myself

No one will doubt but that he was the first to be tired However, he said it was fine; and was quite surprised to hear me read Greek with such sonorous volubility For his part it was long since he had read such authors: to which I sarcastically yielded otten thenified he never knew theood do you not?'--'Oh, it is fine! Prodigiously fine!'

Fine was the word, and with fine I was obliged to be satisfied As for prodigious, it so and sometimes none: it depended on ereat orator; otherwise I should have expected an eulogiuht have rivaled the French academy, the odes of Boileau, or even ry: h I knew not where to seek it To write down a un it in so sublireat difficulty, having done with Enoch, that I could escape froo to a party, and they insisted that I should go with theive their friends such _monstrous_ pleasure, and they should all be so _io I must But their rhetoric was vain I was upon thorns; there were no hopes that the party would listen to my o ho, Miss followed lances, and told ious rake! But no wonder! All the fine ain and again, added neers, remembered new quotations, and inserted new satire Enoch had told h

Night came, but with it little inclination in , correcting and euish a word About nine o'clock, while I was rehearsing aloud in the very heat of oratory, two chairmen knocked at my door and interrupted my revery: they were coht struck entleman himself here?' I was answered in the affiro and inforlad to speak a ith him

Mr Turl came, was surprised to see me, and as I received hie he had acquired the reputation of a scholar, a good critic, and apowers of ivenhim at this lucky e, and I should have praise as much as I could demand! The beauties of my composition would all be as visible to hi, too striking to escape his notice; they would flash upon him at every line, would create astonishment, inspire rapture, and hold him in one continual state of acclaized, told him I had a favour to ask, took up my manuscript, sed him to read and tell ood taste, and nobody could betheir errors than I was! nobody!

I was surprised to observe that he felt some reluctance, and attempted to excuse himself: but I was too i in reat eloquence and much more truth than I myself suspected, how necessary it was in order to attain excellence that men should communicate with each other, should boldly declare their opinions, and patiently listen to reproof

Thus urged by argu from my zeal that I knew the saan his task

He went patiently through it, without any apparent emotion or delay, except frequently to make crosses with his pencil Never was mortal more amazed than I was at his inco?' said I 'Is he dead? No token of adle pause of rapture!' It was astonishi+ng beyond all belief!

Having ended, he put down the manuscript, and said not a word!

This was a mortification not to be supported Speak he must I endured his silence perhaps half a e! 'I am afraid, Mr Turl,' said I, 'you are not very well pleased hat you have read?'

The tone ofconfusion of my eyes sufficiently declared my state of mind, and he made no answer My irritability increased 'What, Sir,' said I, 'is it so contemptible a composition as to be wholly unworthy your notice?'

I co himself he looked at me with some compassion and much stedfastness, and answered--'I most sincerely wish, Mr Trevor, that what I have to say, since you require me to speak, were exactly that which you expected I should say I confess, it gives me some pain to perceive that you mistook your own ht think to be faults You i that no huer you write the less you will be liable to the error of that supposition'--'Perhaps, Sir, you discover nothing but faults?'--'Far the contrary: I have discovered the first great quality of genius'

This was a drop of reviving cordial, and I eagerly asked--'What is that?'--'Energy But, like the courage of Don Quixote, it is ill directed; it runs a tilt at sheep and calls theory'--'Its beauties are courtezans, its enchanted castles pitiful hovels, and its Mambrino's helmet is no better than a barber's bason' 'But pray, Sir, be candid, and point out all its defects!--All!'--'I am sorry to observe, Mr Trevor, that s If ould improve our faculties, we must not seek unmerited praise, but resolutely listen to truth'--'Why, Sir, should you suppose I seek unmerited praise'

He made no reply, and I repeated my requisition, that he should point out all the defects of my manuscript: once more, all, all! 'The defects, Mr Trevor,' said he, 'arewriters; but so, and whose judgment is unfore to your coht side of the question Diffuse and unconnected arguments, a style loaded with epithets and laborious atteive less offence when employed to defend error than when accuotten and lost under a profusion of ornaeos so siet theotten at every step, and in every sentence There is one best and clearest way of stating a proposition, and that alone ought to be chosen: yet how often do we find the saument repeated and repeated and repeated, with no variety except in the phraseology? In developing any thought, we ought not to encuht to say all that is necessary, and not a wordat once; and that concluded to begin another We certainly write to be understood, and should therefore never write in a language that is unknown to a majority of our readers The rule will apply as well to the living languages as to the dead, and its infringeeneral a display of the author's vanity Epithets, unless they increase the strength of thought or elucidate the arguures of every kind the sahten confuses There are two extreive a dry skeleton, bones without flesh; nor an imbecile embryo, flesh without bones'

'I understand you, Sir What you have read is an imbecile embryo?'--'Your importunity, Mr Trevor, and my desire to do you service have extorted an opinion from me I must not shrink from the truth: in confirmation of what I have already said, I e, but weak in arguht?'

He was oncea less serious tone, endeavoured to turn the conversation by inquiring if I were come to reside in London, and to live with his lordshi+p? I took care to inform him that I considered myself as a visitor in the house; and that I rees, be ordained, and devotehim back to the manuscript; but ineffectually: he seemed determined to say no more This silence was painful to both of us, and after I had inquired where he lived, andfroain, we parted We were neither of us entirely satisfied with the other; and I certainly much the least

The lesson however did me infinite service The film was in part reain, but with a very different spirit: his in painfully met my eye, with endless repetition The rules he had been delivering were strong in my memory, and I frequently discovered their application After the clear state myself to doubt of their justice

The result was, I iusted with an another In truth, uilty of many mistakes; which I knew to be such, the moment my vanity had been a little sobered into common sense I had often written before, and perhaps never so ill