The Truth is, that this Piece, as it stands, would have properly proceeded from another Person, who had intended to expose the Impertinence and Impudence of the Fellow, and freely to rally poor Horace, with some Mixture of Ridicule, upon his unfortunate Embarrassment; upon this Basis it will appear with Propriety; Without which all Compositions of Wit, or Humour, or Taste, tho’ at first they may pleasurably strike the Fancy or Sight, are at last disgusting to the Judgment.

Having here occasionally offer’d some Remarks upon this Composition, as it now stands, it may be proper to point out the Manner in which the Humour and Raillery of such an Embarrassment, might have been carried to the highest Pitch; And the Description of it have been given by Horace himself, without any Diminution of his own Gentility or Importance;—­Imagine then that he had been join’d in his Walk by a weak, ignorant Person, of Good-nature, and the utmost Civility; one who fancy’d himself possessed of the greatest Talents, and fully persuaded that he gave all he convers’d with a particular Pleasure;—­ Upon such an Attack, no Resentment or Anger could have been decently shewn by Horace, As the Person thus pestering him, was all the while intending the highest Compliment; And must therefore be received, and attended to, with perfect Complaisance; The Humour of this Person would have been very entertaining, in the strange Conceit which he held of his own Abilities, and of the paticular Pleasure he was granting to Horace, in condescending to give him so much of his Company; In these Sentiments he should regard all Horace’s Excuses, Endeavours, and Struggles to be gone, as Expressions of his Sense of the Honour done him; which should be an Argument with this Person for obstinately persisting to honour him still further; All the while he must be supported by some real Importance belonging to him, attended with good Breeding, and strengthened by such occasional Instances of Sense, as may secure him from being trampled upon, or becoming absolutely contemptible; In such an Adventure the Mortification, and Distress of Horace, would be excessively whimsical and severe; especially as he would be depriv’d of all Succour and Relief; being in Decency oblig’d, not only to suppress all Anger or Uneasiness, but, what is exquisitely quick, to receive this whole Treatment with the utmost Complacency; An Embarrassment of this sort, finely described, would have yielded the greatest Pleasure to the Reader, and carried the Raillery upon Horace, without hurting or degrading him, to the highest Degree of Poignancy; And from hence may be conceiv’d, what delightful Entertainments are capable of being drawn from Humour and Raillery.