There were, of course, not wanting voices of detraction. A graduate of Oxford attacked _Cato_ in a pamphlet entitled _Mr. Addison turned Tory_, in which the party spirit of the play was censured. Dr. Sewell, a well-known physician of the day--afterwards satirised by Pope as "Sanguine Sewell"--undertook Addison's defence, and showed that he owed his success to the poetical, and not to the political, merits of his drama. A much more formidable critic appeared in John Dennis, a specimen of whose criticism on _Cato_ is preserved in Johnson's _Life_, and who, it must be owned, went a great deal nearer the mark in his judgment than did Voltaire. Dennis had many of the qualities of a good critic. Though his judgment was often overborne by his passion, he generally contrived to fasten on the weak points of the works which he criticised, and he at once detected the undramatic character of _Cato_. His ridicule of the absurdities arising out of Addison's rigid observance of the unity of place is extremely humorous and quite unanswerable. But, as usual, he spoiled his case by the violence and want of discrimination in his censure, which betrayed too plainly the personal feelings of the writer. It is said that Dennis was offended with Addison for not having adequately exhibited his talents in the _Spectator_ when mention was made of his works; and he certainly did complain in a published letter that Addison had chosen to quote a couplet from his translation of Boileau in preference to another from a poem on the battle of Ramilies, which he himself thought better of. But the fact seems to have been overlooked that Dennis had other grounds for resentment. In the 40th number of the _Spectator_ the writer speaks of "a ridiculous doctrine of modern criticism, that they (tragic writers) are obliged to an equal distribution of rewards and punishments, and an impartial execution of poetical justice." This was a plain stroke at Dennis, who was a well-known advocate of the doctrine; and a considerable portion of the critic's gall was therefore expended on Addison's violation of the supposed rule in _Cato_. Looking at _Cato_ from Voltaire's point of view--which was Addison's own--and having regard to the spirit of elegance infused through every part of it, there is much to admire in the play. It is full of pointed sentences, such as-- "'Tis not in mortals to command success, But we'll do more, Sempronius, we'll deserve it." It has also many fine descriptive passages, the best of which, perhaps, occurs in the dialogue between Syphax and Juba respecting civilised and barbarian virtues: