y　can　praise　or　censure　without　reference　to　the　differences　which　exist　between　them。　　In　a　literary　body　this　can　never　be　the　case。　　Literature　is；　and　always　must　be；　inseparably　blended　with　politics　and　theology；　it　is　the　great　engine　which　moves　the　feelings　of　a　people　on　the　most　momentous　questions。　　It　is；　therefore；　impossible　that　any　society　can　be　formed　so　impartial　as　to　consider　the　literary　character　of　an　individual　abstracted　from　the　opinions　which　his　writings　inculcate。　　It　is　not　to　be　hoped；　perhaps　it　is　not　to　be　wished；　that　the　feelings　of　the　man　should　be　so　completely　forgotten　in　the　duties　of　the　academician。　　The　consequences　are　evident。　　The　honours　and　censures　of　this　Star　Chamber　of　the　Muses　will　be　awarded　according　to　the　prejudices　of　the　particular　sect　or　faction　which　may　at　the　time　predominate。　　Whigs　would　canvass　against　a　Southey；　Tories　against　a　Byron。　　Those　who　might　at　first　protest　against　such　conduct　as　unjust　would　soon　adopt　it　on　the　plea　of　retaliation；　and　the　general　good　of　literature；　for　which　the　society　was　professedly　instituted；　would　be　forgotten　in　the　stronger　claims　of　political　and　religious　partiality。
  Yet　even　this　is　not　the　worst。　　Should　the　institution　ever　acquire　any　influence；　it　will　afford　most　pernicious　facilities　to　every　malignant　coward　who　may　desire　to　blast　a　reputation　which　he　envies。　　It　will　furnish　a　secure　ambuscade；　behind　which　the　Maroons　of　literature　may　take　a　certain　and　deadly　aim。　　The　editorial　WE　has　often　been　fatal　to　rising　genius；　though　all　the　world　knows　that　it　is　only　a　form　of　speech；　very　often　employed　by　a　single　needy　blockhead。　　The　academic　WE　would　have　a　far　greater　and　more　ruinous　influence。　　Numbers；　while　they　increase　the　effect；　would　diminish　the　shame；　of　injustice。　　The　advantages　of　an　open　and　those　of　an　anonymous　attack　would　be　combined；　and　the　authority　of　avowal　would　be　united　to　the　security　of　concealment。　　The　serpents　in　Virgil；　after　they　had　destroyed　Laocoon；　found　an　asylum　from　the　vengeance　of　the　enraged　people　behind　the　shield　of　the　statue　of　Minerva。　　And；　in　the　same　manner；　everything　that　is　grovelling　and　venomous；　everything　that　can　hiss；　and　everything　that　can　sting；　would　take　sanctuary　in　the　recesses　of　this　new　temple　of　wisdom。
  The　French　academy　was；　of　all　such　associations；　the　most　widely　and　the　most　justly　celebrated。　　It　was　founded　by　the　greatest　of　ministers：　　it　was　patronised　by　successive　kings；　it　numbered　in　its　lists　most　of　the　eminent　French　writers。　　Yet　what　benefit　has　literature　derived　from　its　labours？　　What　is　its　history　but　an　uninterrupted　record　of　servile　compliancesof　paltry　artificesof　deadly　quarrelsof　perfidious　friendships？　Whether　governed　by　the　Court；　by　the　Sorbonne；　or　by　the　Philosophers；　it　was　always　equally　powerful　for　evil；　and　equally　impotent　for　good。　　I　might　speak　of　the　attacks　by　which　it　attempted　to　depress　the　rising　fame　of　Corneille；　I　might　speak　of　the　reluctance　with　which　it　gave　its　tardy　confirmation　to　the　applauses　which　the　whole　civilised　world　had　bestowed　on　the　genius　of　Voltaire。　　I　might　prove　by　overwhelming　evidence　that；　to　the　latest　period　of　its　existence；　even　under　the　superintendence　of　the　all…accomplished　D'Alembert；　it　continued　to　be　a　scene　of　the　fiercest　animosities　and　the　basest　intrigues。　　I　might　cite　Piron's　epigrams；　and　Marmontel's　memoirs；　and　Montesquieu's　letters。　　But　I　hasten　on　to　another　topic。
  One　of　the　modes　by　which　our　Society　proposes　to　encourage　merit　is　the　distribution　of　prizes。　　The　munificence　of　the　king　has　enabled　it　to　offer　an　annual　premium　of　a　hundred　guineas　for　the　best　essay　in　prose；　and　another　of　fifty　guineas　for　the　best　poem；　which　may　be　transmitted　to　it。　　This　is　very　laughable。　　In　the　first　place　the　judges　may　err。　　Those　imperfections　of　human　intellect　to　which；　as　the　articles　of　the　Church　tell　us；　even　general　councils　are　subject；　may　possibly　be　found　even　in　the　Royal　Society　of　Literature。　　The　French　academy；　as　I　have　already　said；　was　the　most　illustrious　assembly　of　the　kind；　and　numbered　among　its　associates　men　much　more　distinguished　than　ever　will　assemble　at　Mr　Hatchard's　to　rummage　the　box　of　the　English　Society。　　Yet　this　famous　body　gave　a　poetical　prize；　for　which　Voltaire　was　a　candidate；　to　a　fellow　who　wrote　some　verses　about　THE　FROZEN　AND　THE　BURNING　POLE。
  Yet；　granting　that　the　prizes　were　always　awarded　to　the　best　composition；　that　composition；　I　say　without　hesitation；　will　always　be　bad。　　A　prize　poem　is　like　a　prize　sheep。　　The　object　of　the　competitor　for　the　agricultural　premium　is　to　produce　an　animal　fit；　not　to　be　eaten；　but　to　be　weighed。　　Accordingly　he　pampers　his　victim　into　morbid　and　unnatural　fatness；　and；　when　it　is　in　such　a　state　that　it　would　be　sent　away　in　disgust　from　any　table；　he　offers　it　to　the　judges。　　The　object　of　the　poetical　candidate；　in　like　manner；　is　to　produce；　not　a　good　poem；　but　a　poem　of　that　exact　degree　of　frigidity　or　bombast　which　may　appear　to　his　censors　to　be　correct　or　sublime。　Compositions　thus　constructed　will　always　be　worthless。　　The　few　excellences　which　they　may　contain　will　have　an　exotic　aspect　and　flavour。　　In　general；　prize　sheep　are　good　for　nothing　but　to　make　tallow　candles；　and　prize　poems　are　good　for　nothing　but　to　light　them。
  The　first　subject　proposed　by　the　Society　to　the　poets　of　England　was　Dartmoor。　　I　thought　that　they　intended　a　covert　sarcasm　at　their　own　projects。　　Their　institution　was　a　literary　Dartmoor　scheme；a　plan　for　forcing　into　cultivation　the　waste　lands　of　intellect；for　raising　poetical　produce；　by　means　of　bounties；　from　soil　too　meagre　to　have　yielded　any　returns　in　the　natural　course　of　things。　　The　plan　for　the　cultivation　of　Dartmoor　has；　I　hear；　been　abandoned。　　I　hope　that　this　may　be　an　omen　of　the　fate　of　the　Society。
  In　truth；　this　seems　by　no　means　improbable。　　They　have　been　offering　for　several　years　the　rewards　which　the　king　placed　at　their　disposal；　and　have　not；　as　far　as　I　can　learn；　been　able　to　find　in　their　box　one　composition　which　they　have　deemed　worthy　of　publication。　　At　least　no　publication　has　taken　place。　　The　associates　may　perhaps　be　astonished　at　this。　　But　I　will　attempt　to　explain　it；　after　the　manner　of　ancient　times；　by　means　of　an　apologue。
  About　four　hundred　years　after　the　Deluge；　King　Gomer　Chephoraod　reigned　in　Babylon。　　He　united　all　the　characteristics　of　an　excellent　sovereign。　　He　made　good　laws；　won　great　battles；　and　white…washed　long　streets。　　He　was；　in　consequence；　idolised　by　his　people；　and　panegyrised　by　many　poets　and　orators。　　A　book　was　then　a　sermons　undertaking。　　Neither　paper　nor　any　similar　material　had　been　invented。　　Authors　were　therefore　under　the　necessity　of　inscribing　their　compositions　on　massive　bricks。　Some　of　these　Babylonian　records　are　still　preserved　in　European　museums；　but　the　language　in　which　they　are　written　has　never　been　deciphered。　　Gomer　Chephoraod　was　so　popular　that　the　clay　of　all　the　plains　round　the　Euphrates　could　scarcely　furnish　brick…kilns　enough　for　his　eulogists。　　It　is　recorded　in　particular　that　Pharonezzar；　the　Assyrian　Pindar；　published　a　bridge　and　four　walls　in　his　praise。
  One　day　the　king　was　going　in　state　from　his　palace　to　the　temple　of　Belus。　　During　this　procession　it　was　lawful　for　any　Babylonian　to　offer　any　petition　or　suggestion　to　his　sovereign。　As　the　chariot　passed　before　a　vintner's　shop；　a　large　company；　apparently　half…drunk；　sallied　forth　into　the　street；　and　one　of　them　thus　addressed　the　king：
  〃Gomer　Chephoraod；　live　for　ever！　　It　appears　to　thy　servants　that　of　all　the　productions　of　the　earth　good　wine　is　the　best；　and　bad　wine　is　the　worst。　　Good　wine　makes　the　heart　cheerful；　the　eyes　bright；　the　speech　ready。　　Bad　wine　confuses　the　head；　disorders　the　stomach；　makes　us　quarrelsome　at　night；　and　sick　the　next　morning。　　Now　therefore　let　my　lord　the　king　take　order　that　thy　servants　may　drink　good　wine。
  〃And　how　is　this　to　be　done？〃　said　the　good…natured　prince。
  〃O　King；〃　said　his　monitor；　〃this　is　most　easy。　　Let　the　king　make　a　decree；　and　seal　it　with　his　royal　signet：　and　let　it　be　proclaimed　that　the　king　will　give　ten　she…asses；　and　ten　slaves；　and　ten　changes　of　raiment；　every　year；　unto　the　man　who　shall　make　ten　measures　of　the　best　wine。　　And　whosoever　wishes　for　the　she…asses；　and　the　slaves；　and　the　raiment；　let　him　send　the　ten　measures　of　wine　to　thy　servants；　and　we　will　drink　thereof　and　judge。　　So　shall　there　be　much　good　wine　in　Assyria。〃
  The　project　pleased　Gomer　Chephoraod。　　〃Be　it　so；〃　said　he。　　The　people　shouted。　　The　petitioners　prostrated　themselves　in　gratitude。　　The　same　night　heralds　were　despatched　to　bear　the　intelligence　to　the　remotest　districts　of　Assyria。
  After　a　due　interval　the　wines　began　to　come　in；　and　the　examiners　assembled　to　adjudge　the　prize。　　The　first　vessel　was　unsealed。　　Its　odour　was　such　that　the　judges；　without　tasting　it；　pronounced　unanimous　condemnation。　　The　next　was　opened：　it　had　a　villainous　taste　of　clay。　　The　third　was　sour　and　vapid。　They　proceeded　from　one　cask　of　execrable　liquor　to　another；　t