ABSTRACT
Proceedings at the Court of Criticism, Thursday March 3 The following Letter was read, and approved, and the Thanks of the Court were ordered
to be return’d to the Writer. To John Trott-Plaid, Esq; Censor of Great Britain. The Observations on Clarissa in your 5th Journal gave me very great Pleasure, not only
as being (in my Opinion) extremely just, but as giving me Hopes that something, besides Abuse of an Author, might possibly be received and relish’d by the Publick. But how was I mortified in almost every Set of Company I went into afterwards, by hearit said with a Sneer, that Clarissa was finely puff’d in. the last Jacobite Journal. Pray, Sir, is it fair to call all Commendation Puffing? As you have undertaken the Office of Censor, I wish you would endeavour to convince the World how unjust and cruel a Thing it is to give a Name of Reproach to the most deserved Praises that can be bestowed; and at the same time not only to suffer, but to encourage all Sorts of Abuse that can be thrown on the most ingenious Productions of the Age.
