Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/14

2 To works, however, of which the excellence is not abolute and definite, but gradual and comparative; to works not raied upon principles demontrative and cientifick, but appealing wholly to obervation and experience, no other tet can be applied than length of duration and continuance of eteem. What mankind have long poeed they have often examined and compared, and if they perit to value the poeion, it is becaue frequent comparions have confirmed opinion in its favour. As among the works of nature no man can properly call a river deep, or a mountain high, without the knowledge of many mountains, and many rivers; o in the productions of genius, nothing can be tiled excellent till it has been compared with other works of the ame kind. Demontration immediately diplays its power, and has nothing to hope or fear from the flux of years; but works tentative and experimental mut be etimated by their proportion to the general and collective ability of man, as it is dicovered in a long ucceion of endeavours. Of the firt building that was raied, it might be with certainty determined that it was round or quare; but whether it was pacious or lofty mut have been referred to time. The Pythagorean cale of numbers was at once dicovered to be perfect; but the poems of Homer we yet know not to trancend the common limits of human intelligence, but by remarking, that nation after nation, and century after century, has been able to do little more than tranpoe his incidents, new name his characters, and paraphrae his entiments. The