Page:The history of Tom Jones (1749 Volume 2).pdf/121

 Legilators in the everal Sciences over which they preided. This Office was all which the Critics of old apired to, nor did they ever dare to advance a Sentence, without upporting it by the Authority of the Judge from whence it was borrowed.

But in Proces of Time, and in Ages of Ignorance, the Clerk began to invade the Power and aume the Dignity of his Mater. The Laws of Writing were no longer founded on the Practice of the Author, but on the Dictates of the Critic. The Clerk became the Legilator, and thoe very peremptorily gave Laws, whoe Buines it was, at firt, only to transcribe them.

Hence aroe an obvious, and, perhaps, an unavoidable Error: For thee Critics being Men of hallow Capacities, very eaily mitook mere Form for Subtance. They acted as a Judge would, who hould adhere to the lifeles Letter of Law, and reject the Spirit. Little Circumtances which were, perhaps, accidental in a great Author, were, by thee Critics, conidered to contitute his chief Merit, and tranmitted as Eentials to be oberved by all his Succeeors. To thee Encroachments, Time and Ignorance,