s_ born to excel is condemned always to pursue and
never overtake.

The [first great] _fundamental_ principle of wisdom and of virtue.'

_Various Readings in the Life of_ PHILIPS.

'His dreaded [rival] _antagonist_ Pope.

They [have not often much] _are not loaded with_ thought.

In his translations from Pindar, he [will not be denied to have reached]
_found the art of reaching_ all the obscurity of the Theban bard.'

_Various Readings in the Life of_ CONGREVE.

'Congreve's conversation must surely have been _at least_ equally
pleasing with his writings.

It apparently [requires] _pre-supposes_ a familiar knowledge of many
characters.

Reciprocation of [similes] _conceits_.

The dialogue is quick and [various] _sparkling_.

Love for Love; a comedy [more drawn from life] _of nearer alliance to
life_.

The general character of his miscellanies is, that they shew little wit
and [no] _little_ virtue.

[Perhaps] _certainly_ he had not the fire requisite for the higher
species of lyrick poetry.'

_Various Readings in the Life of_ TICKELL.

'[Longed] _long wished_ to peruse it.

At the [accession] _arrival_ of King George.

Fiction [unnaturally] _unskilfully_ compounded of Grecian deities and
Gothick fairies.'

_Various Readings in the Life of_ AKENSIDE.

'For [another] _a different_ purpose.

[A furious] _an unnecessary_ and outrageous zeal.

[Something which] _what_ he called and thought liberty.

A [favourer of innovation] _lover of contradiction_.

Warburton's [censure] _objections_.

His rage [for liberty] _of patriotism_.

Mr. Dyson with [a zeal] _an ardour_ of friendship.'

In the Life of LYTTELTON, Johnson seems to have been not favourably
disposed towards that nobleman[193]. Mrs. Thrale suggests that he was
offended by _Molly Aston's_[194] preference of his Lordship to him[195].
I can by no means join in the censure bestowed by Johnson on his
Lordship, whom he calls 'poor Lyttelton,' for returning thanks to the
Critical Reviewers for having 'kindly commended' his _Dialogues of the
Dead_. Such 'acknowledgements (says my friend) never can be proper,
since they must be paid either for flattery or for justice.' In my
opinion, the most upright man, who has been tried on a false accusation,
may, when he is acquitted, make a bow to his jury. And when those who
are so much the arbiters of literary merit, as in a considerable degree
to influence the publick opinion, review an authour's work, _