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Article THE HYPERCRITIC. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Hypercritic.
THE HYPERCRITIC .
A SATIRE . How oft you'll hear some fool pretend To censure what he cannot mend , Scorn and condemn each work of art , Arraign and analyze each part , Juding it rightbcritic law
g , y , To magnify each trifling flaw , To find some fault , or wrong or right , To prove his taste and show his spite . If such e ' er go to see a play , They go determined to display Their skill , by finding fault with all That ' neath their venom'd lash may fall :
To be found out they are afraid , So have a jargon for their trade ; As thus : " that pause was much too long—The antithesis is mark'd too strong . Poets are now devoid of sense—The verb is placed in the wrong tense ; Actors on ranting have reliance , ^ So set all grammar at defiance : " Then , to give an air , they quote The names of authors learned by rote ; Talk of the metres of the Greek ,
Of Sophocles or Terence speak ; Bepraise some ancient poet ' s fire , But deprecate each modern lyre . Sometimes these fools will go to stare At some rich painting chaste and fair , Raising the glass with stupid leer , They vow the distance is too near ; ht
The colours too are much too brig . Who ever saw such horrid light ? Clouds look as if they were on fire , Figures like puppets worked by wire ; And to conclude with critic grin They vote it a complete take in . Show them a statue , lovely , bold ,
Formed in old Greece ' s classic mould ; They rack their brains and instant try Some imperfection to descry . The head too stiff ; if that should fail , They instantly attach a nail . On any thing , to keep the law Of finding out some hidden flaw ,
'J heir malice such , it were in vain For them to read the poet ' s strain , Though wit and genius struck the lyre , And Phcebus did the verse inspire ;
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Hypercritic.
THE HYPERCRITIC .
A SATIRE . How oft you'll hear some fool pretend To censure what he cannot mend , Scorn and condemn each work of art , Arraign and analyze each part , Juding it rightbcritic law
g , y , To magnify each trifling flaw , To find some fault , or wrong or right , To prove his taste and show his spite . If such e ' er go to see a play , They go determined to display Their skill , by finding fault with all That ' neath their venom'd lash may fall :
To be found out they are afraid , So have a jargon for their trade ; As thus : " that pause was much too long—The antithesis is mark'd too strong . Poets are now devoid of sense—The verb is placed in the wrong tense ; Actors on ranting have reliance , ^ So set all grammar at defiance : " Then , to give an air , they quote The names of authors learned by rote ; Talk of the metres of the Greek ,
Of Sophocles or Terence speak ; Bepraise some ancient poet ' s fire , But deprecate each modern lyre . Sometimes these fools will go to stare At some rich painting chaste and fair , Raising the glass with stupid leer , They vow the distance is too near ; ht
The colours too are much too brig . Who ever saw such horrid light ? Clouds look as if they were on fire , Figures like puppets worked by wire ; And to conclude with critic grin They vote it a complete take in . Show them a statue , lovely , bold ,
Formed in old Greece ' s classic mould ; They rack their brains and instant try Some imperfection to descry . The head too stiff ; if that should fail , They instantly attach a nail . On any thing , to keep the law Of finding out some hidden flaw ,
'J heir malice such , it were in vain For them to read the poet ' s strain , Though wit and genius struck the lyre , And Phcebus did the verse inspire ;