Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 2.djvu/162

110 to take note, and render a rational account to their tutors. Fleshed at these smaller sports, like young wolves, they grew up in time to be nimble and strong enough, for hunting down large game. For it has been observed, both among ancients and moderns, that a true critick has one quality in common with a whore, and an alderman, never to change his title or his nature; that a gray critick, has been certainly a green one, the perfections and acquirements of his age, being only the improved talents of his youth; like hemp, which some naturalists inform us is bad for suffocations, though taken but in the seed. I esteem the invention, or at least the refinement of prologues, to have been owing to these younger proficients, of whom Terence makes frequent and honourable mention, under the name of malevoli.

Now, it is certain, the institution of the true criticks, was of absolute necessity to the commonwealth of learning. For all human actions seem to be divided, like Themistocles and his company; one man can fiddle, and another can make a small town a great city; and he, that cannot do either one or the other, deserves to be kicked out of the creation. The avoiding of which penalty, has doubtless given the first birth to the nation of criticks; and withal, an occasion for their secret detractors to report, that a true critick is a sort of mechanick, set up with a stock and tools for his trade, at as little expense as a taylor; and that there is much analogy between the utensils, and abilities of both: that the taylor's hell is the type of a critick's common-place book, and his wit and learning held forth by the goose; that it requires at least as many of Rh