her Persons, when his own has really been the meanest;
to Accuse others of Inconsistency with the utmost Vehemence, when his
own Works have not been without their AEra's, and to find fault with
every Line in a Poem, when he has been wholly at a loss to Correct, or
at least not capable of Writing one single Page of it.

There are another sort of Criticks, which are equally ill-natur'd to
these I have mention'd, tho' in all other respects vastly inferior to
them: They are such as no sooner hear of a Performance compos'd by a
Juvenile Author, or one not hitherto known in the way of Writing he
has undertaken; but immediately without reading a Line give it a Stamp
of Damnation; (not considering that the first Performance of an Author
in any way of Writing done carefully, is oftentimes the best) and if
they had thoroughly perus'd it, they were no ways capable of Judging
of either the Sense, Language, or Beauty of any one Paragraph; and
what is still worse, these ignorant Slanderers of Writings frequently
take what other Persons report for Authority, who know as little, or
perhaps are more Ignorant than themselves, so little Regard have they
to the Reputation of an Author.

And sometimes you'll find a pert _Bookseller_ give himself the Airs of
Judging a Performance so far, as to Condemn the Correctness of what he
knows nothing of these there's a pretender to Authorship in the City,
who Rules the young Fry of Biblioples about the _Royal-Exchange_.

But the _Booksellers_ in general, (tho' they commonly Judge of the
Goodness of Writings, by the greatness of the Sale,) are Very sensible
that their greatest Security in respect to the Performance of any
Work, is the Qualification of the Person that Composes it, the
Confidence they can Repose in him; his Capacity, Industry and
Veracity; And the Author's Reputation is so far concern'd in a
Performance, which he owns that the _Bookseller_ will sooner rely upon
that, than his own Judgment.

To descend still to a lower Order of Criticks, you'll find very few
Coffee-Houses in this opulent City without an illiterate Mechanick,
Commenting upon the most material Occurrences, and Judging the Actions
of the greatest Councils in _Europe_, and rarely a Victualing House,
but you meet with a _Tinker, a Cobler, or a Porter_, Criticizing upon
the Speeches of Majesty, or the Writings of the most celebrated Men of
the Age.

This is entirely owing to Party, and there is such a Contagion
diffuses