It is afferted by Horace, that "if matter be once got together, words will be found with very little difficulty" a pofition which, though fufficiently plaufible to be inferted in poetical precepts, is by no means ftrictly and philofophically true. If words were naturally and neceffarily confequential to fentiments, it would always follow, that he who has most knowledge muft have moft eloquence, and that every man would clearly exprefs what he fully underftood: yet we find, that to think, and discourse, are often the qualities of different perfons: and many books might furely be produced, where juft and noble fentiments are degraded and obfcured by unfuitable diction.

Words, therefore, as well as things, claim the care of an author. Indeed of many authors, and thofe not useless or contemptible, words are almoft the only care: many make it their ftudy, not fo much to ftrike out new fentiments, as to recommend those which are already known to more favourable notice by fairer decorations; but every man, whether he copies or invents, whether he delivers his own thoughts or thofe of another, has often found himfelf deficient in the power of expreffion, big with ideas which he could not utter, obliged to ranfack his memory for terms adequate to his conceptions, and at laft unable to imprefs upon his reader the image existing in his own mind.

It is one of the common diftreffes of a writer, to be within a word of a happy period, to want only a fingle epithet to give amplification its full force, to require only a correfpondent term in order to finish a paragraph with elegance, and make one of its

members answer to the other: but these deficiencies cannot always be fupplied; and after a long ftudy and vexation, the paffage is turned anew, and the web unwoven that was fo nearly finished.

But when thoughts and words are collected and adjufted, and the whole compofition at laft concluded, it feldom gratifies the author, when he comes coolly and deliberately to review it, with the hopes which had been excited in the fury of the performance: novelty always captivates the mind; as our thoughts rife fresh upon us, we readily believe them juft and original, which, when the pleasure of production is over, we find to be mean and common, or borrowed from the works of others, and fupplied `by memory rather than invention.

But though it fhould happen that the writer finds no fuch faults in his performance, he is ftill to remember, that he looks upon it with partial eyes: and when he confiders, how much men who could judge of others with great exactness, have often failed of judging of themselves, he will be afraid of deciding too haftily in his own favour, or of allowing himself to contemplate with too much complacence, treasure that has not yet been brought to the teft, nor paffed the only trial that can ftamp its value.

From the publick, and only from the publick, is he to await a confirmation of his claim, and a final juftification of self-esteem; but the publick is not eafily perfuaded to favour an author. If mankind were left to judge for themselves, it is reasonable to imagine, that of fuch writings, at least, as defcribe the movements of the human paffions, and of which every man, carries the archetype within him, a juft

И

opinion

opinion would be formed; but whoever has remarked the fate of books, muft have found it governed by other caufes, than general confent arifing from general conviction. If a new performance happens not to fall into the hands of fome who have courage to tell, and authority to propagate their opinion, it often remains long in obfcurity, and perishes unknown and unexamined. A few, a very few, commonly conftitute the taste of the time; the judgment which they have once pronounced, fome are too lazy to difcufs, and fome too timorous to contradict it may however be, I think, obferved, that their power is greater to deprefs than exalt, as mankind are more credulous of cenfure than of praise.

This perverfion of the publick judgment is not to be rafhly numbered amongst the miseries of an author; fince it commonly ferves, after miscarriage, to reconcile him to himself. Because the world has fometimes paffed an unjuft fentence, he readily concludes the fentence unjuft by which his performance is condemned; because fome have been exalted above their merits by partiality, he is fure to ascribe the fuccefs of a rival, not to the merit of his work, but the zeal of his patrons. Upon the whole, as the author feems to fhare all the common miseries of life, he ар pears to partake likewife of its lenitives and abate

ments.

THE

HISTORY

O F

RAS SE LA S,
ELAS,

PRINCE OF ABISSINIA.

СНАР. І.

DESCRIPTION OF A PALACE IN A VALLEY.

Y

E who liften with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promifes of youth, and that the deficiencies of the prefent day will be supplied by the morrow; attend to the hiftory of Raffelas Prince of Abiffinia,

Raffelas was the fourth fon of the mighty emperour, in whofe dominions the Father of Waters begins his courfe; whofe bounty pours down the ftreams of plenty, and scatters over half the world the harvefts of Egypt.

According to the cuftom which has defcended from age to age among the monarchs of the torrid zone, Raffelas was confined in a private palace, with the other fons and daughters of Abiffinian royalty, till the order of fucceffion fhould call him to the throne. The place, which the wifdom or policy of antiquity had deftined for the refidence of the Abiffi