Some Account xlii
contains such a body of just criticism on an
extremely difficult subject, clothed in such
confuted, I took no notice of it ; leaving those who
were weak enough to give credit to such an opinion, to
reconcile it with the account given by our author himself
in a former page, in which, while he acknowledges how
much he had profited by the conversation and instruction
of that extraordinary man, who “ had qualified his mind
to think: justly,” he at the same time informs us, that
Johnson had not contributed even a single sentiment to
his Discourses.
A new hypothesis, however, has been lately suggested :
and among many other statements concerning the late
Mr. Burke, which I know to be erroneous, we have
been confidently told that they were written by that
gentleman.
The readers of poetry are not to learn, that a similar
tale has been told of some of our celebrated English poets.
According to some, Denham did not write his admired.
Cooper’s Hill; and with a certain species of criticks,
our great moral poet tells us,
" _________ most authors steal their works, or buy ;
" Garth did not write his own Dispensary."
Such insinuations, however agreeable to the envious and
malignant, who may give them a temporary currency, can
have but little weight with the judicious and ingenuous
part of mankind, and therefore in general merit only
silent contempt. But that Mr. Burke was the author of
all such parts of these Discourses as do not relate to painting