Hence arofe an obvious, and, perhaps, an un avoidable error: for thefe critics being men of fhal low capacities, very eafily miltook mere form for fubftance. They acted as a judge would, who fhould adhere to the lifelefs letter of law, and reject the fpirit. Little circumitances which were, perhaps, accidental in a great author, were by these critics confidered to constitute his chief merit, and tranfmitted as effentials to be obferved by all his fucceffors. Το thefe encroachments, time and ignorance, the two great fupporters of impofture, gave authority; and thus, many rules for good writing have been established, which have not the leaft foundation in truth or nature; and which commonly ferved for no other purpofe than to curb and refrain genius, in the fame manner as it would have reftrained the dancing mafter, had the many excellent treatifes on that art laid it down as an effential rule, that every man muft dance in chains.

To avoid, therefore, all impurasian of laying down a rule for poterity, founded only on the authority of ipfe dixit; for which, to lay the truth, we have not the profoundelt veneration, we fhall here wave the privilege above contended for, and proceed to lay be fore the reader the reafons which have induced us to interfperfe thefe feveral digreffive effays, in the courfes of this work.

And here we fall of neceffity be led to open a new vein of knowledge, which, if it hath been difcovered, hath not, to our remembrance, been wrought on by any ancient or modern writer. This vein is no other than that of contraft, which runs through all the works of the creation, and may probably have a large fhare in conftituting in us the idea of all beauty, as well naturai as artificial for what demonftrates the beauty and excellence of any thing, but its reverfe? Thus the beauty of day, and that of fummer, is fet off by the horrors of night and winter. And, I believe, if it was poffible for a man to have feen only the two former, he would have a very imperfect idea of their beauty.

:

But

But to avoid too ferious an air: can it be doubted, but that the finest woman in the world would lose all benefit of her charms, in the eye of a man who had never seen one of another caft? The ladies themselves feem fo fenfible of this, that they are all induftrious to procure foils; nay, they will become foils to themfelves: for I have obferved (at Bath particularly) that they endeavour to appear as ugly as poffible in the morning, in order to fet off that beauty which they intend to fhew you in the evening.

Moft artists have this fecret in practice, though fome, perhaps, have not much ftudied the theory. The jeweller knows that the finest brilliant requires a foil; and the painter, by the contraft of his figures, often acquires great applause.

A great genius among us will illuftrate this matter fully. Lcannot, indeed, range him under any general head of common artifts, as he hath a title to be placed among those

Inventas qui vitam excoluere per artes.

Who by invented arts have life improv'd.

I mean here the inventor of that most exquifite entertainment, called the English Pantomine..

This entertainment confifted of two parts, which the inventor diftinguished by the names of the ferious and the comic. The ferious exhibited a certain number of heathen gods and heroes, who were certainly the worth and dulleft company into which an audience was ever introduced; and (which was a fecret known to few) were actually intended fo to be, in order to contraft the comic part of the entertainment, and to display the tricks of Harlequin to the better advantage:

This was, perhaps, no very civil ufe of fuch perfonages; but the contrivance was, nevertheless, ingenious enough, and had its effect. And this will now plainly appear, if inftead of ferious and comic, we fupply the words duller and dulleft; for the comic was certainly duller than any thing before fhewn on

the

the stage, and could be fet off only by that fuperlative degree of dulnefs, which compofed the ferious. So intolerably ferious, indeed, were thefe gods and heroes, that Harlequin (though the. English gentleman of that name is not at all related to the French family, for he is of a much more ferious difpofition) was always welcome on the ftage, as he relieved the audience from worfe company.

Judicious writers have always practifed this art of contraft with great fuccefs. I have been furprized that Horace fhould cavil at this art in Homer; but indeed he contradicts himself in the very next line:

Indignor quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus,
Verum opere in longo fas eft abrepere fomnum.

I grieve if e'er great Homer chance to fleep,
Yet flumbers on long words have right to creep.

of

For we are not here to underftand, as, perhaps, fome have, that an author actually falls afleep while, he is writing. It is true that readers are too apt to be fo overtaken; but if the work was as long as any Oldmixon, the author himself is too well entertained to be fubject to the leaft drowfinefs. He is, as Mr. Pope obferves,

Sleeplefs himself to give his readers fleep.

To fay the truth, thefe foporific parts are fo many fcenes of Serious artfully interwoven, in order to contraft and fet off the reft; and this is the true meaning of a late facetious writer, who told the public, that whenever he was dull, they might be affured there was a defign in it.

t

In this light then, or rather in this darkness, 【 would have the reader to confider thefe initial efflays. And after this warning, if he fhall be of opinion, that he can find enough of ferious in other parts of this hif tory, he may pass over these, in which we profefs to be laboriously dull, and begin the following books at the fecond chapter.

CHAP. II.

In which Mr. Jones receives many friendly vifits during his confinement; with fome fine touches of the paffion of love, fcarce vifible to the naked eye.

TOM Jones had many vifitors during his confine

ment, though fome, perhaps, were not very agreeable to him. Mr. Allworthy faw him almost every day; but though he pitied Tom's fufferings, and greatly approved the gallant behaviour which had occafioned them; yet he thought this was a favourable opportunity to bring him to a fober fenfe of his indifcreet conduct; and that wholesome advice for that purpose could never be applied at a more proper season than at the prefent; when the mind was foftened by pain and fickness, and alarmed by danger; and when its attention was unembarraffed with those turbulent paffions, which engage us in the purfuit of pleasure.

At all feafons, therefore, when the good man was alone with the youth, efpecially when the latter was totally at eafe, he took occafion to remind him of his former mifcarriages, but in the mildeft and tenderest manner, and only in order to introduce the caution, which he prefcribed for his future behaviour; on which alone,' he affured him, would depend his own felicity, and the kindness which he might yet promife himself to receive at the hands of his fa ther by adoption, unless he fhould hereafter forfeit his good opinion: for as to what had past,' he said, it fhould be all forgiven and forgotten. He, therefore, advised him to make a good use of this acci dent, that fo in the end it might prove a vifitation for his own good.'

Thwackum was likewife pretty affiduous in his vifits; and he too confidered a fick bed to be a convenient fcene for lectures. His (tile, however, was more fevere than Mr. Allworthy's: he told his pupil, that he ought to look on his broken limb as a judgment from heaven on his fins. That it would be

come

come him to be daily on his knees, pouring forth, thanksgivings that he had broken his arm only, and not his neck; which latter,' he said, was very probably referved for fome future occafion, and that, perhaps, not very remote. For his part,' he faid, he had often wondered fome judgment had not overtaken him before; but it might be perceived by this, that divine punishments, though flow, are always fure.' Hence likewife he advifed him,

to

forefee, with equal certainty, the greater evils which < were yet behind, and which were as fure as this, of overtaking him in his ftate of reprobacy. Thefe are,' faid he, to be averted only by fuch a thorough and fincere repentance, as is not to be expected or hoped for, from one fo abandoned in his youth, and whofe mind, I am afraid, is totally corrupted. It is my duty, however, to exhort you to this repentance, though I too well know all exhortations will be vain. and fruitlefs. But liberavi animam meam. I can ac cufe my own confcience of no neglect; though it is at the fame time, with the utmost concern, I fee you travelling on to certain mifery in this world, and to as certain damnation in the next.'

Square talked in a very different train; he faid, fuch accidents as a broken bone were below the • confideration of a wife man. That it was abundantly fufficient to reconcile the mind to any of thefe • mischances, to reflect that they are liable to befall. the wifeft of mankind, and are undoubtedly for the good of the whole.' He faid, it was a mere abuse of words, to call thofe things evils, in which there was no moral unfitnefs: that pain, which was the worft confequence of fuch accidents, was the most contemptible thing in the world; with more of the like fentences, extracted out of the fecond book of Tully's Tufculan queftions, and from the great Lord Shaftesbury. In pronouncing thefe he was one day fo eager, that he unfortunately bit his tongue; and in fuch a manner, that it not only put an end to his difcourfe, but created much emotion in him, and caufed him to mutter an oath or two: but what was