desire of {104}being approved and noticed,
arises every effort which constitutes the variety of employments and
excellencies the world possesses. It actuates the prince and the beggar,
the peasant and the politician, the labourer and the scholar, the
mechanic and the soldier, the player and the divine. In a word, there
is not an individual in the community whose conduct is not influenced by
its dictates. It is, therefore, not surprising that mankind should be
so impressive to the power of satire, whose object is to describe their
vices and follies, for the finger of public infamy to point at their
deformities and delinquencies. Thus, where law cannot extend its awe
and authority, satire wields the scourge of disgrace; and where religion
cannot convince the atheist, attract the attention of the debauchee, or
reform those who are subject to the power of habit and fashion, satire
affords effectually her assistance. Satire reforms the drunkard, by
exposing to the view of himself and the world the brutality of his
actions and person when under the influence of intoxication. Satire
reforms, likewise, the inordinate actions of those who are not awed by
the belief of future reward and punishment, by exposing them to infamy
during their present {105}existence. And those who are subject to the
dominion of depraved habits satire awakens to a practice of reformation,
from the poignant sense of being the derision and contempt of all their
connexions; for there is no incentive so powerful to abandon pernicious
customs as the sense of present and future disgrace. We may, therefore,
conclude, that nothing tends so much to correct vice and folly as this
species of public censure. Having thus made some observations on the
general utility and necessity of satire, we shall proceed to examine
which of its species is the most likely to be effective.

The most remarkable species of satire are, the narrative, dramatic, and
picturesque; which have also their separate species peculiar to each.
The narrative contains those that either reprove with a smile or a
frown, by pourtraying the characteristics of an individual, or the
general manners of a society, people, or nation; and are either
described in verse or prose. The dramatic contains perfect resemblance,
which is described by comedy; or caricature, which is described by
farce. And the picturesque is what exercises the painter, engraver,
and sculptor. In all these species the satirist may eith