Monsieur _Dacier_ is so far from being of _Corneille_'s Opinion, that he thinks a Man who never did write a Tragedy, may criticise on another's Poem the better for that he never wrote himself. _Nay, I do not know_, says he in his Preface to _Aristotle_, _whether he who has written Dramatick poems, is so proper to explain the Rules of the Art, as he, who never wrote any: For it would be a Miracle if the former were not seduced by Self-love; whereas the latter is disinterested, and the more likely to be an impartial Judge._ Again, _if it was necessary to be a good poet to make Criticisms on Poetry, we should never have had any Critick at all; for I do not know one Critick upon Poetry, that was himself a Poet._ By this one would think, that he did not look upon _Rapin_ as a Critick in Poetry, for he wrote a Poem on _Gardening_. _Menage_ makes as little of him as _Dacier_; yet _Dryden_ says, were all the Writings of other Criticks lost, _Rapin_'s Works alone would be sufficient to teach us the whole Art of Criticism. We all know _Aristotle_ and _Horace_ wrote upon Epick Poetry and Tragedy, yet neither of them ever wrote a Tragedy or Epick Poem; and perhaps neither of them would have succeeded if he had. _Rymer_ made one poor Attempt that Way in his _Edgar_: But, as if it had been written only to prove that a Man may judge well of an Art, without being a Performer, like an ill-built Ship, it sunk in the very launching, and seem'd to be written only to be damned. The _Guardian_ seconds the _Spectator_, and forbids any one to criticise, that cannot write to Perfection. _If I find by his own Manner of Writing, that he is heavy and tasteless, I throw aside his Criticisms with a secret Indignation, to see a Man without Genius or Politeness, dictating to the World on Subjects which I find are above his Reach._ Thus Mr. _Rymer_, the best Critick we had till then, and all his Rules, are void and of no Effect; He has cancelled them with a Dash of his Pen. If a Man must not only have Politeness, but a Genius, what will become of _Aristotle_ and _Longinus_, _Bossu_ and _Dacier_? They were all polite Writers, but have not discover'd that they had Genius. I ever had as little Opinion of heavy tasteless Criticks as the _Spectator_ or _Guardian_, yet I never could endure an arbitrary Judgement; for, what else is _tasteless_ and _heavy_ without Proof? But then, that Proof could not be produced without the _Criticisms_, which, let them be ever so poor, are often more easily despis'd than answer'd.