thing!—not one of the angles at the four corners was a right angle.—I had my rule and compasses, etc. , my lord, in my pocket.—Excellent critick!
⸺And for the epick poem your lordship bid me look at⸺upon taking the length, breadth, height, and depth of it, and trying them at home upon an exact scale of Bossu’s ⸺’tis out, my lord, in every one of its dimensions.—Admirable connoisseur!
⸺And did you step in, to take a look at the grand picture in your way back?—’Tis a melancholy daub! my lord; not one principle of the pyramid in any one group!⸺and what a price!⸺for there is nothing of the colouring of Titian —the expression of Rubens —the grace of Raphael —the purity of Dominichino —the corregiescity of Corregio —the learning of Poussin —the airs of Guido —the taste of the Carrachis —or the grand contour of Angela .—Grant me patience, just Heaven!—Of all the cants which are canted in this canting world—though the cant of hypocrites may be the worst⸺the cant of criticism is the most tormenting!
I would go fifty miles on foot, for I have not a horse worth riding on, to kiss the hand of that man whose generous heart will give up the reins of his imagination into his author’s hands⸺be pleased he knows not why, and cares not wherefore.
Great Apollo! if thou art in a giving humour—give me—I ask no more, but one stroke of native humour, with a single spark of thy own fire along with it⸺and send Mercury , with the rules and compasses , if he can be spared, with my compliments to—no matter.
Now to anyone else I will undertake to prove, that all the oaths and imprecations which we have been puffing off upon the world for these two hundred and fifty years last past as originals⸺except St. Paul’s thumb ⸺ God’s flesh and God’s fish , which were oaths monarchical,