_Oh then, that with surpassing Glory crown'd, Look'st from thy sole Dominion like the God Of this new World._-- The Other in the tender Kind. _Adam_ to _Eve_. _Her Hand soft touching whisper'd thus, Awake My Fairest, my espous'd, my best belov'd, Heavens last, best Gift, my ever new Delight; Awake._ which had before been a thousand Times repeated as the Perfection of _English_ Poetry, in their several Kinds. And the Author, who shall have occasion to quote them as such after the _Spectator_, will not discover his Want of Taste or Learning by it. Very just is his Observation, _A true Critick ought to dwell rather upon Excellencies than Imperfections, &c._ But as this has Relation chiefly to those Compositions which require Genius, Judgement and Eloquence; and consequently, cannot relate to Mr. _Echard_'s History of _England_, we shall now say no more of it. That I may not be guilty of the Fault I blame in others, the neglecting of Beauties, and falling unmercifully upon the Blemishes of Authors. I must sincerely acknowledge, that it was not for Want of Will, that I did not mention what is beautiful in our Historian, but for Want of Opportunity. What Part of his Performance should I have applauded! Is it the _Design_! The Author does not himself pretend, that it is regular, if by _Design_ in _History_, we are to understand the _Plan_ as in _Poetry_: He will not deny, but that his Method is too much diversified, and too confused; sometimes it is _General History_, sometimes _Annals_, sometimes a _Diary_, sometimes _Biography_; all which he seems to think he has sufficiently provided against, by dividing the whole Work into _Sections_, and putting Pales between his Paragraphs. This Confusion will be easily pardoned by his Readers, there being hardly one in a Thousand that knows the Difference between _Biography_ and _History_, or between an _Annalist_ and an _Historian_; or who does not take _Buck_'s _Richard_ III, or _Cambden_'s Queen _Elizabeth_, to be as much of the historical Kind, as _Samuel Daniel_'s History of _England_, which is the only _English_ History that has the least Appearance of Uniformity and Regularity of Design.