Chapter 4

[57]Exuerint silvestrem animum, cultuque frequenti,In quascunque voces artes, haud tarda sequentur.Will in Time unlearnTheir salvage Temper, and not slow obeyWith frequent Culture, what your Art commands.

[57]Exuerint silvestrem animum, cultuque frequenti,In quascunque voces artes, haud tarda sequentur.

Will in Time unlearnTheir salvage Temper, and not slow obeyWith frequent Culture, what your Art commands.

Again, in the same Book,

[58]Inque novos soles audent se gramina tutoCredere, nec metuit surgentes pampinus Austros.To new Suns the HerbsDare trust themselves; nor aught the tender VineFrom risingAusterfears.

[58]Inque novos soles audent se gramina tutoCredere, nec metuit surgentes pampinus Austros.

To new Suns the HerbsDare trust themselves; nor aught the tender VineFrom risingAusterfears.

There are many other Metaphors of different Kinds, which tho' they may seem, as indeed they are, a little of the boldest, yet are agreeable to Nature, and true Elegance. As that ofVirgil,

[59]Insequitur nimbus peditum;A Storm of Foot succeeds.

[59]Insequitur nimbus peditum;

A Storm of Foot succeeds.

And in another Place,

[60]—It toto turbida cæloTempestas telorum, & ferreus ingruit imber.An Iron Tempest, and a Storm of DartsHovers aloft, and blackens all the Sky.

[60]—It toto turbida cæloTempestas telorum, & ferreus ingruit imber.

An Iron Tempest, and a Storm of DartsHovers aloft, and blackens all the Sky.

These lofty Metaphors, however, are to be used with great Judgment, for fear they should seem too far fetch'd, and the Style more swelling than weighty.

As I am now upon the Subject of Figures, I can't help making a Remark or two on those Books of Rhetorick that are usually read in Schools. They contain, indeed, many Things of Use, and worthy of Observation: But surely there's no Necessity that an Art designed for the Refinement of the Minds of Youth, should be treated of in so rough a Method, so full of dry, logical Definitions, as must be hard for Boys to understand, and much harder to remember. Nor is there any Need of all those Sub-divisions of Figures, one under another, which, when Boys have once made themselves Masters of, before they have Judgment enough to use them, they think their Business is to adorn their little Performances with these sort of Flowers, as they call them, and fling them in, at any Rate, without any Regard to Propriety: Their Style, by being thus overcharged,as it were, instead of appearing with fresh Vigour, abounds only with disagreeable Excrescencies. A Knowledge of these Things will be much better arrived at by Experience, than Precept: And every one that is conversant with the best Authors, that reads them with Understanding, and true Relish, cannot but be acquainted with all the Figures of Speech, and the Art of using them, tho' he never heard so much as their Names, or their Definitions.

It is common with all Sorts of Writers to express the same Thing by different Modes of Speech, and such Variety is often reckoned a Proof of their Elegance. Now Poets have in this Particular a greater Liberty allow'd them, than any other Writers, for the Reason I have often mention'd, because their Works consist more in Ornament and Decoration. But the Exercise of this Liberty ought to be conducted with great Judgment and Caution; lest, by an ill Use of it, the Style grow too luxuriant. The just Medium, and the vicious Extreme, cannot be better learnt than by making a Comparison betweenVirgilandOvid. Both of them, you'll see, express the same Thought different Ways; the one never fails of Beauty, the other falsly aims at it.Ovidtells you the very same Thing, in many Words, and sometimes with very little Difference between them:Virgilillustrates one Thing ingeneral, by distinguishing its several Species or Adjuncts, and his Description of each is perfectly new. A few Examples, out of many, will make this plain. SaysOvid,

[61]Omnia pontus erat, deerant quoque littora ponto.For all was Sea, nor had the Sea a Shore.Sandys.

[61]Omnia pontus erat, deerant quoque littora ponto.

For all was Sea, nor had the Sea a Shore.Sandys.

And in another Place,

[62]O! ego quantum egi! quam vasta potentia nostra est!What Feats I've wrought! how mighty is my Pow'r!

[62]O! ego quantum egi! quam vasta potentia nostra est!

What Feats I've wrought! how mighty is my Pow'r!

And in the next Verse almost,

[63]—Sic est mea magna potestas.—So mighty is my Pow'r.

[63]—Sic est mea magna potestas.

—So mighty is my Pow'r.

In the Sixth BookNiobemagnifying her own Happiness, and extolling herself above Measure, boasts thus,

[64]Sum felix; quis enim negat hoc? felixque manebo;Hoc quoque quis dubitat? tutam me copia fecit.Major sum quam cui possit Fortuna nocere; &c.Excessere metum bona jam mea, &c.Thrice happy I, for who can that contest?Or who deny that I shall long be blest?By Plenty crown'd I dread no Change of Fate,Despise both Fortune's Friendship, and her Hate.My Bliss is plac'd above the Reach of Fear, &c.

[64]Sum felix; quis enim negat hoc? felixque manebo;Hoc quoque quis dubitat? tutam me copia fecit.Major sum quam cui possit Fortuna nocere; &c.Excessere metum bona jam mea, &c.

Thrice happy I, for who can that contest?Or who deny that I shall long be blest?By Plenty crown'd I dread no Change of Fate,Despise both Fortune's Friendship, and her Hate.My Bliss is plac'd above the Reach of Fear, &c.

But to omit other Instances, only take a View ofNarcissusin the same Poet, desperately in Love with himself:

[65]Cunctaque miratur, quibus est mirabilis ipse;Se cupit imprudens, & qui probat ipse probatur.Dumque petit, petitur; pariterque accendit & ardet:&c.Atque oculos idem qui decipit, incitat, error.By his own Flames consum'd the Lover lies,And gives himself the Wound by which he dies.Addison.

[65]Cunctaque miratur, quibus est mirabilis ipse;Se cupit imprudens, & qui probat ipse probatur.Dumque petit, petitur; pariterque accendit & ardet:&c.Atque oculos idem qui decipit, incitat, error.

By his own Flames consum'd the Lover lies,And gives himself the Wound by which he dies.Addison.

And afterwards, as if all he had done was nothing, he only changes the Person, and brings inNarcissushimself speaking thus:

[66]Ille ego sum, sensi; nec me mea fallit imago;Uror amore mei, flammas moveoque, feroque;Quid faciam? roger? anne rogem? quid deinde rogabo?Quod cupio mecum est; inopem me copia fecit.Ah! wretched me, I now begin, too late,To find out all the long perplex'd Deceit:It is myself I love, myself I see,The gay Delusion is a Part of me.I kindle up the Fires by which I burn,And my own Beauties from the Well return.Whom shou'd I court? how utter my Complaint?}Enjoyment but produces my Restraint,}And too much Plenty makes me die for Want,}Addison.

[66]Ille ego sum, sensi; nec me mea fallit imago;Uror amore mei, flammas moveoque, feroque;Quid faciam? roger? anne rogem? quid deinde rogabo?Quod cupio mecum est; inopem me copia fecit.

Ah! wretched me, I now begin, too late,To find out all the long perplex'd Deceit:It is myself I love, myself I see,The gay Delusion is a Part of me.I kindle up the Fires by which I burn,And my own Beauties from the Well return.Whom shou'd I court? how utter my Complaint?}Enjoyment but produces my Restraint,}And too much Plenty makes me die for Want,}Addison.

Very justly may the last Words, with some small Alteration, be applied toOvidhimself, in whom a Fecundity of Words occasioned a Barrenness of Sense. How far is this from him,qui nil molitur inepte, who ne'er attempts a Thought in vain?Virgil, I mean, much better entitled, in my Opinion, to that Character, than he for whomHoracedesign'd it. With how much greater Propriety does that divine Poet express the same Thing in different Ways, where he describes the Manner of Grafting and Inoculating?

[67]Et sæpe alterius ramos impune videmusVertere in alterius; mutatamque insita malaFerre pyrum, & prunis lapidosa rubescere corna.Oft too we see one Tree's ingrafted SpraysChange to another's, nor repent that Change.The Pear's hard Trunk with alien Apples bend:And on the Plumb's the stony Cornel grew.

[67]Et sæpe alterius ramos impune videmusVertere in alterius; mutatamque insita malaFerre pyrum, & prunis lapidosa rubescere corna.

Oft too we see one Tree's ingrafted SpraysChange to another's, nor repent that Change.The Pear's hard Trunk with alien Apples bend:And on the Plumb's the stony Cornel grew.

[68]Inseritur vero ex fœtu nucis arbutus horrida;Et steriles platani malos gessere valentes,Castaneæ fagos; ornusque incanuit alboFlore pyri, glandemque sues fregere sub ulmis.But with a Filberd's Twig the prickly ArbutusIs grafted: Oft the barren Plane has borneThe ruddiest Apples: Chesnuts bloom'd on Beech,The wild Ash blossom'd with the Flow'rs of Pears,Snow-white; and Swine crack'd Acorns under Elms.

[68]Inseritur vero ex fœtu nucis arbutus horrida;Et steriles platani malos gessere valentes,Castaneæ fagos; ornusque incanuit alboFlore pyri, glandemque sues fregere sub ulmis.

But with a Filberd's Twig the prickly ArbutusIs grafted: Oft the barren Plane has borneThe ruddiest Apples: Chesnuts bloom'd on Beech,The wild Ash blossom'd with the Flow'rs of Pears,Snow-white; and Swine crack'd Acorns under Elms.

By this Comparison ofOvidandVirgil, how tedious seem the Trifles, and how nauseous the Repetitions of the former; how various the Description, how diffusive, and yet how chaste the Elegance of the latter? The one with wonderful Art represents, as I said, the same Thing, or the same Thought, by different Species or Adjuncts; the other gives you the same Thing ten Times over, under the very same Species, by changing the Words only; from which superabundant Luxuriance, as his Style must needs want Nerves, so must his Readers Patience. I would not, however, condemn it throughout; he has many Passages that are worthy of Praise, and some, ofVirgilhimself. Of this Sort is that Description of the Fate ofNiobe's Children:

[69]E quibus Ismenos, qui matris sarcina quondamPrima suæ fuerat, certum dum flectit in orbemQuadrupedis cursus, spumantiaque ora coërcet;Hei mihi! conclamat: medioque in pectore fixaTela gerit, frœnisque manu moriente remissis,In latus à dextro paulatim defluit armo.Of theseIsmenos, who by Birth had beenThe first fair Issue of the fruitful Queen,Just as he drew the Rein, to guide his HorseAround the Compass of the circling Course,Sigh'd deeply, and the Pangs of Smart express'd,While the Shaft stuck engorg'd within his Breast:And the Reins dropping from his dying Hand,Gently he fell upon the yielding Sand.Croxall.

Of theseIsmenos, who by Birth had beenThe first fair Issue of the fruitful Queen,Just as he drew the Rein, to guide his HorseAround the Compass of the circling Course,Sigh'd deeply, and the Pangs of Smart express'd,While the Shaft stuck engorg'd within his Breast:And the Reins dropping from his dying Hand,Gently he fell upon the yielding Sand.Croxall.

But in many Places, it must be own'd, he is guilty of that Luxuriance I just now mention'd; I cannot, therefore, sufficiently wonder at their Ignorance, who presume to compare him toVirgil. But of this, perhaps, I shall have a more convenient Opportunity hereafter; when I make a farther Comparison between some other Authors. I beg Leave, at present, as I have cited a remarkable Place out ofVirgil'sGeorgics, to present you with one or two more, that are no less deserving your Attention: I am sure, nothing can shew the Force and Elegance of the poetic Style, more than what that Model of Perfection has left us, even upon the plainest, and most ignoble Subject. Among his Precepts of Agriculture, he gives you these, in the following Words:

[70]Sæpe etiam steriles incendere profuit agros,Atque levem stipulam crepitantibus urere flammis.Sive inde occultas vires & pabula terræPinguia concipiunt; sive illis omne per ignemExcoquitur vitium, atque exudat inutilis humor:Seu plures calor ille vias, & cæca relaxatSpiramenta, novas veniat qua sucrus in herbas;Seu durat magis, & venas astringit hiantes, &c.Oft too it has been painful found, to burnThe barren Fields with Stubble's crackling Flames.Whether from thence they secret Strength receive,And richer Nutriment: Or by the FireAll latent Mischief, and redundant Juice,Oozing sweats off; or whether the same HeatOpens the hidden Pores, that new SuppliesOf Moisture may refresh the recent Blades:Or hardens more, and with astringent ForceCloses the gaping Veins: &c.

Oft too it has been painful found, to burnThe barren Fields with Stubble's crackling Flames.Whether from thence they secret Strength receive,And richer Nutriment: Or by the FireAll latent Mischief, and redundant Juice,Oozing sweats off; or whether the same HeatOpens the hidden Pores, that new SuppliesOf Moisture may refresh the recent Blades:Or hardens more, and with astringent ForceCloses the gaping Veins: &c.

Nothing can exceed the Beauty of this Passage, unless that where he describes the various Methods of Grafting and Inoculating:

[71]Nec modus inserere, atque oculos imponere simplex;Nam qua se medio trudunt de cortice gemmæ,Et tenues rumpunt tunicas, augustus in ipsoFit nodo sinus; huc aliena ex arbore germenIncludunt, udoque docent inolescere libro.Aut rursum enodes trunci resecantur, & alteFinditur in solidum cuneis via: deinde feracesPlantæ immittuntur; nec longum tempus, & ingensExiit ad cœlum ramis felicibus arbos,Miraturque novas frondes, & non sua poma.Nor single is the Manner to ingraft,Or to inoculate. For where the GemsBud from the middle Bark, and gently burstThe filmy Coats; ev'n in the Knot is madeA small Incision: From an alien TreeAn Eye is here enclos'd, and taught to growCongenial, blending with the humid Rind.Or else into the knotless solid TrunkThey force a Cleft with Wedges; then insertThe fertile Sprigs: Nor long the Time; to Heav'nThe Tree with loaden Branches shoots away,Admires new Leaves, and Apples not her own.

Nor single is the Manner to ingraft,Or to inoculate. For where the GemsBud from the middle Bark, and gently burstThe filmy Coats; ev'n in the Knot is madeA small Incision: From an alien TreeAn Eye is here enclos'd, and taught to growCongenial, blending with the humid Rind.Or else into the knotless solid TrunkThey force a Cleft with Wedges; then insertThe fertile Sprigs: Nor long the Time; to Heav'nThe Tree with loaden Branches shoots away,Admires new Leaves, and Apples not her own.

I hope I shall deserve your Pardon for producing these Examples; they are of no ordinary Nature, for that very Reason because their Subject is so. Iknow very well, how absurd it would be to repeat to you, upon this Head, all the beautiful Passages that occur in the best Poets: What else would this be, but to transcribe the greatest Part of them? But I thought it not improper to give you these Specimens from theGeorgics, that you might view in them the Force of Poetry andVirgil, who was able to throw such a Splendor upon so mean Materials, and make them at once the Pleasure and Envy of Posterity.

To shun the Repetition of the same Words, as much as possible, is a Precept not only applicable to Poets, but to all other Writers; because the same Sounds tire the Ears of the Reader. Here those Figures of Elegance, theEpizeuxisandAnadiplosis, are manifestly excepted. Some, however, out of a Detestation of this Fault, fall into a greater; and in their Zeal for Variety, by wresting Words from their natural Signification, are guilty of the very worst Fault in Writing, Obscurity. The best Writers never run into this Extreme, but chuse rather to repeat the same Words, than use others in an improper Sense, as may be seen very frequently inVirgil. It is probable, indeed, a Desire of Elegance first brought in a Diversity of Words; for if Convenience only were considered, each Conception of the Mind would have but a single Word appropriated to it: Whereas now, in learning a new Language, to our great Trouble we find many Words affixed to one Idea, or many Ideas to one Word. Nor is Disagreeableness of Sound to be avoided only in the Repetition of the same Words, but often (for the Rule does not always hold) in using different Words of the same Termination. As these inJuvenal:

—tarda per densa cadavera prorâ.

'Tis certain, in poetical Compositions we ought to have great Regard to Harmony, and to endeavour to captivate the Ear, as well as please the Imagination of our Readers. For tho' nothing is more contemptible thanversus inopes rerum, nugæque canoræ, poor shallow Verse, mere bubbling Trifles, that have no other Recommendation but Sound; yet they err, on the other Hand, who have a View only to the Sense, and none to the Musick that should echo to it. This was the Case of many of our Countrymen, ofCouley, particularly, and others of the last Age; who, studious only for the Beauty of Thought, neglected, or did not rightly understand the Melody of Verse: Till at length ourDrydenarose, who added toEnglishPoetry what it only wanted, Numbers, Harmony, and Accuracy; by which Means, if we are not too partial in our Judgment of ourselves, it now bears the Laurel from all the Nations inEurope.

The best Poets among the Antients were solicitous about the Disposal of their Words, as well as the Choice of them. It is an Elegance, which, tho' often unobserved, pleases the Mind insensibly. And yet any one, with the least Attention, will perceive, that there's not a little Difference, whether the same Word is placed in one Part of a Verse, or another. How much, for Instance; would that ofVirgil

Admonet in somnis, & turbida terret imago

suffer in the Change, if it were read,

—& imago turbida terret!

Various Examples there are, of this Sort, which it would be needless to alledge. But I would here observe, that the Harmony of Verse does not only consist in its being free from all Asperity, and flowing gently with one steddy Course: Some Asperity is often necessary; a Poem may labour for theWant of, and offend the Ears even with its Smoothness. Many, therefore, much wrong their Judgment, who preferOvid,Claudian, and others, toVirgil, on this Account; because, forsooth, they find less Roughness in their Verse: Whereas the very Want of this is their Defect; andVirgildoes not more excel them in Versification, than in every other Requisite of a good Poet. He is generally harmonious, full, and fluent; and if he does not always keep one even Tenor, this is not owing to any Inability, but, as we observed before, in another Particular, the Effect of his Choice. He knew it would be more grateful to his Reader to change, now and then, the usual Smoothness of Style, and mix with it somewhat of an agreeable Harshness. His Periods, likewise, he concludes very variously; generally, indeed, where the Verse ends, but often in different Parts of it, with this Foot or that, as the Sound requires. In the Conduct of this Variety, of as small a Moment as it may seem, there's no little Labour, nor less Elegance. It is rarely aimed at byOvid,Claudian,Statius, and the rest, who fall short ofVirgilin that boasted Sweetness of Verse, whenever his Subject demands it of him. It is a great Mistake to thinkOvid's Negligence is a Matter of Merit, and that his Verses flow with the more Ease, for his Want of Care in their Composition; because, as it is urged, they are not so much the Effect of Study, as of Nature. Every Excellence in Writing must proceed from both; the more a Poem is laboured, the more natural it shall often seem; and its Stiffness may be owing to Neglect. To illustrate what I have said ofVirgil, by one Example, out of many: In which of the abovemention'd Poets shall we find any Lines, I will not say that exceed in Harmony and Softness his Description ofOrpheusandEurydice, but come near it? The whole is sweet; but nothing can be more so than the following Part of it.

[72]Illa quidem Stygia nabat jam frigida cymba:Septem illum totos perhibent ex ordine menses,Rupe sub aëria, deserti ad Strymonis undam,Flevisse, & gelidis hæc evolvisse sub antris,Mulcentem tigres, & agentem carmine quercus.Qualis populea mœrens Philomela sub umbraAmissos queritur fœtus, quos durus arator,Observans, nido implumes detraxit; at illaFlet noctem, ramoque sedens miserabile carmenIntegrat, & mœstis late loca questibus implet.She, shiv'ring, in theStygianSculler sail'd:He, sev'n whole Months, 'tis said, beneath a bleakAerial Cliff, onStrymon's Desart Bank,Wept lonesome; and in freezing Caves revolv'dThis mournful Tale; while crouding Oaks admir'dHis Lays, and Tygers soften'd at the Sound.As when, complaining in melodious Groans,SweetPhilomelbeneath a Poplar Shade,Mourns her lost Young; which some rough Village HindObserving, from their Nest, unfledg'd, has stole:She weeps all Night; and perch'd upon a Bough,With plaintive Notes repeated fills the Grove.

She, shiv'ring, in theStygianSculler sail'd:He, sev'n whole Months, 'tis said, beneath a bleakAerial Cliff, onStrymon's Desart Bank,Wept lonesome; and in freezing Caves revolv'dThis mournful Tale; while crouding Oaks admir'dHis Lays, and Tygers soften'd at the Sound.As when, complaining in melodious Groans,SweetPhilomelbeneath a Poplar Shade,Mourns her lost Young; which some rough Village HindObserving, from their Nest, unfledg'd, has stole:She weeps all Night; and perch'd upon a Bough,With plaintive Notes repeated fills the Grove.

In reading these, and the like Passages, how naturally may we apply to the Poet, what he does to hisDaphnis?

[73]Tale tuum carmen nobis, divine poeta,Quale sopor fessis in gramine, quale per æstumDulcis aquæ saliente sitim restinguere rivo.Such, heav'nly Poet, is thy Verse to me,As Slumbers to the Weary on the Grass;Such as fresh purling Rills, in Summer's Heat,To thirsty Travellers.

[73]Tale tuum carmen nobis, divine poeta,Quale sopor fessis in gramine, quale per æstumDulcis aquæ saliente sitim restinguere rivo.

Such, heav'nly Poet, is thy Verse to me,As Slumbers to the Weary on the Grass;Such as fresh purling Rills, in Summer's Heat,To thirsty Travellers.

And again,

[74]Nam neque me tantum venientis sibilus Austri,Nec percussa juvant fluctu tam littora, nec quæSaxosas inter decurrunt flumina valles.For neither does the BreezeOf whisp'ringZephyr, when it rises fresh,Bless me so much: Nor Waves that beat the Shore;Nor Rivers, which thro' stony Vallies glide.

[74]Nam neque me tantum venientis sibilus Austri,Nec percussa juvant fluctu tam littora, nec quæSaxosas inter decurrunt flumina valles.

For neither does the BreezeOf whisp'ringZephyr, when it rises fresh,Bless me so much: Nor Waves that beat the Shore;Nor Rivers, which thro' stony Vallies glide.

Whether it was from Chance, or Design, that these Verses, by their very Sound, represent the Thing they describe, is not worth enquiring. It is certain, some Words are so naturally formed for this Purpose, and Poetry for the proper Disposal of them, that this Felicity can't well be avoided; and 'tis to Chance alone we are often indebted for these beautiful Echo's. Sometimes, however, they are the undoubted Effect of Art. Whence soever they proceed, they frequently occur, and are an ample Proof of the Force and Elegance of the poetic Style. That ofVirgilis well known, where we see the Ox knock'd down, and hear the Noise of his sudden Fall, and lumpish Weight,

[75]Sternitur, exanimisque tremens procumbit humi bos.Down falls the BeastDead, trembling, to the Ground.

[75]Sternitur, exanimisque tremens procumbit humi bos.

Down falls the BeastDead, trembling, to the Ground.

In the same Book, in the Description of the Naval Course, we have the following Lines:

[76]Ille inter navemque Gyæ scopulosque sonantesRadit iter lævum interior, subitusque prioremPræterit, & metis tenet æquora tuta relictis.He betwixtGyas, and the sounding Rocks,Interior, skims the Left Hand Way, and swiftOutstrips his Rival, and beyond the GoalSmooth shoots along, and gains the safer Seas.

[76]Ille inter navemque Gyæ scopulosque sonantesRadit iter lævum interior, subitusque prioremPræterit, & metis tenet æquora tuta relictis.

He betwixtGyas, and the sounding Rocks,Interior, skims the Left Hand Way, and swiftOutstrips his Rival, and beyond the GoalSmooth shoots along, and gains the safer Seas.

What could better express the swift Motion with which the Ship brush'd by its Rival, and sail'd away clear of the Shelves, into the open Sea. In the last Verse, particularly, the Words seem with their Briskness to protrude one another, and skim away to the Goal. In another Part of the Description the same Image is thus represented:

[77]Agmine remorum celeri, ventisque vocatis,Prona petit maria, & pelago decurrit aperto.With his rowing Crowd,And all the Winds invited to his Sails,Gains the prone Deep, and swiftly shoots awayUpon the Ocean.

[77]Agmine remorum celeri, ventisque vocatis,Prona petit maria, & pelago decurrit aperto.

With his rowing Crowd,And all the Winds invited to his Sails,Gains the prone Deep, and swiftly shoots awayUpon the Ocean.

After this, follows that beautiful Comparison of the sailing of this Ship, and the Flight of the Dove, the Swiftness and Evenness of which is thus most admirably express'd:

[78]—Mox aëre lapsa quietoRadit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas.Then smoothly gliding thro' the quiet Air,Skims the thin Way, nor moves her nimble Wings.

[78]—Mox aëre lapsa quietoRadit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas.

Then smoothly gliding thro' the quiet Air,Skims the thin Way, nor moves her nimble Wings.

On the other Hand, how clearly do we see the dishonourable Tardiness with which the inglorious Ship drags on, after she had bulged upon the Rock?

[79]Cum savo à scepulo multa vix arte revulsus,Amissis remis, atque ordine debilis uno,Irrisam, sine honore, ratem Sergestus agebat.When with much Art and Pain,Torn from the cruel Rock his Oars half lost,And one Side maim'd,Sergestustugg'd alongHis slow dishonour'd Skiff.

[79]Cum savo à scepulo multa vix arte revulsus,Amissis remis, atque ordine debilis uno,Irrisam, sine honore, ratem Sergestus agebat.

When with much Art and Pain,Torn from the cruel Rock his Oars half lost,And one Side maim'd,Sergestustugg'd alongHis slow dishonour'd Skiff.

Can any Thing move slower than the Verse, or with greater Art? But what deserves all Admiration, or rather what exceeds it, is, the same Poet's Description of the Giants Attempt against Heaven, by heaping Mountain upon Mountain.

[80]Ter sunt conati imponere Pelio OssamScilicet, atque Ossæ frondosum involvere Olympum.Thrice they assay'd onPelionto heaveOssa; onOssastill more high to rollWoodyOlympus.

[80]Ter sunt conati imponere Pelio OssamScilicet, atque Ossæ frondosum involvere Olympum.

Thrice they assay'd onPelionto heaveOssa; onOssastill more high to rollWoodyOlympus.

How the Verse labours!Conati imponere—Pelio Ossam—Without any Elision of the Vowels, it moves on with Difficulty, and totters, as it were, with an unweildy Load, to represent to us the stupendous Image of the straining of the Giants. In the Words,atque Ossæ frondosum involvere Olympum, there seems to be a Redundancy of Syllables, and we see in them the enormous Superstructure rise higher and higher, by one Layer of Mountains heaped upon another.

Since, then, it is the Nature of Poetry to express the Things it describes by the very Sound of the Verse; how little Share of the Spirit of it have they, who, by an unnatural Constraint, smother their Thoughts with Words that are dumb to the Sense? And yet this is a Fault many are guilty of; who will set before you a rapid Torrent in the slow Length of anAlexandrine; rural Pleasures, in Words that represent the Clangor of a Trumpet; the Din of War, with the soft and easy Strain of Elegy; the Triumphs of Love, with the rough and unpolish'd Address of a Clown; and debase this divine Art with a thousand such Contradictions. A Lover ofVirgil,that reads him with Discernment, will never fall into these, and the like Enormities; for which Reason, 'tis from him I produced the several Examples that have illustrated each Part of this Dissertation. No one can have Reason to complain of their Number; for nothing else could have so display'd the hidden Charms of Poetry. Let me recommend it, therefore, to my young Audience, who are fired with the Love of so engaging an Art, to make him the Bent of all their Care and Application; letVirgilbe often in your Hand, and never out of your Thoughts,

Nocturna versate manu, versate diurna.Read him by Day, and meditate by Night.Pope.

Nocturna versate manu, versate diurna.

Read him by Day, and meditate by Night.Pope.

Sixth Lecture.

It is a common Opinion, that those mutilated Verses that occur up and down in theÆneis, were left so by the Author out of Design, and to add a certain Beauty to his Style. I am rather inclined to think them the Marks of an imperfect Work, and that they would have been fill'd up by the Author, if he had put his last Hand to that divine Performance. It is an agreed Point, that theGeorgicsare more correct than theÆneis; now in them we don't find any of these Mutilations, and in theÆneisone that leaves the Sense imperfect. In a Place or two, indeed, some seeming Reason may be assign'd for this sudden breaking off;viz.to represent more naturally the Thing in Description. As in this:

[81]Italiam non sponte sequor——Tis with Regret I seekTh'ItalianCoasts.

[81]Italiam non sponte sequor——

Tis with Regret I seekTh'ItalianCoasts.

Tho' even here, I would observe by the Way, the unalterable Resolution ofÆneas, and his abruptleaving the Queen, might have been express'd as well, if his Speech had ended where it does now, and the Verse been continued on afterwards. It is certain, no good Account can be given of most of theseHiatus's; and therefore it is very difficult to find out the Elegance of them. There may be a Grace, possibly, in some seeming Defects; as in those false Quantities, whichVirgilsometimes, but sparingly admits, to awaken in his Reader an Attention to the Rules of Poetry, by so becoming a Violation of them. But tho' a Lisp, a Mole, or a slight Cast of the Eye, may add new Beauties to the Beautiful, Lameness and Deformity never can.

But whatever is the Determination concerningVirgil(for I would not be too peremptory in mine) modern Writers, and especially those of our own Country, take, undoubtedly, too great a Liberty in imitating him, who purposely leave many half Lines, both in theirEnglishandLatinPoems. This is often but an Indulgence of their Sloth; sometimes of their Want of Words, or of Wit; they leave part of a Verse, because they know not how to finish it; and sometimes, perhaps, it is owing to an Affectation of Elegance. To me, I must confess, these Gaps, in Reading, are always offensive; not to say absurd and ridiculous. But so it is, they receive a Sanction, it seems, from the Authority ofVirgil. Allowing he left some designedly, it does not follow our Writers have a Pretence to the same Liberty. They shall have it in abundance, if they'll attempt anotherÆneis. In the mean Time, I would have them consider a little the Difference between a Poetical Essay, and an Epic Poem; or if that be their Attempt, the Difference, still, between theirs andVirgil's.

Nor are they guilty of less Presumption, who, under the sacred Name ofVirgil, arrogantly transgressthe Laws of Quantity. In the Course of a long Work, that requires the greatest Nicety and Conduct, such a Liberty, when used with Caution and Modesty, is not only excuseable, but elegant: But what is this to our little poetical Businesses? In vain isVirgilhere alledg'd, of all Authorities the greatest, orCæsura, of all Figures the usefullest! 'Tis true, that immortal Poet uses this License sometimes, not only in theÆneis, but in theGeorgics, and even in theEclogues: The Prince of Poets, and the great Arbiter of Verse, might claim a discretionary Power of suspending the Laws of it, as he saw Occasion; but for us to invade his Prerogative, under Pretence of imitating his Example, is the same as if a Subject should usurp the Authority of a King, and justify himself by that very Authority. We are not, however, totally debarr'd this Liberty; nor yet indulged it in the same Degree withVirgil; much less ought we to extend it beyond him.

Scarce any Thing is of greater Difficulty, or Moment, in the poetic Style, than the true Use of Epithets. Nothing loads a Poem, or tires the Reader more, than too great a Redundancy of them. Now they are always redundant, unless their Substantives receive from them either new Ideas, or some Illustration and Ornament too of their own. And yet with the Observation of these Rules, it is possible they may be redundant, that is, a Poem may be clogg'd with too many of them. I shall lay before you some Examples of both Kinds of Epithets; and shall take Care to make Choice of such as may not only illustrate the Point before us, but many other Beauties of the poetic Style.

Of the former Sort of Epithets, that add new and distinct Ideas to their Substantives, the following Verses will furnish many. InVirgil's most admirable Description of the Plague raging among the Cattle, in the third Book of the Georgics, we have these Lines:

[82]Sæpe in honore Deum medio stans hostia ad aram,—Inter cunctantes cecidit moribunda ministros.Oft standing at the Altar, and with Wreaths,And woolly Fillets bound, the Victim Bull,In the mid Honour of the Gods, fell deadBetween the ling'ring Sacrificer's Hands.

[82]Sæpe in honore Deum medio stans hostia ad aram,—Inter cunctantes cecidit moribunda ministros.

Oft standing at the Altar, and with Wreaths,And woolly Fillets bound, the Victim Bull,In the mid Honour of the Gods, fell deadBetween the ling'ring Sacrificer's Hands.

And a few Lines after:

[83]Labitur infelix studiorum, atque immemor herbæVictor equus.——Unhappy of his Toils, the Victor SteedSinks, and forgets his Food.

[83]Labitur infelix studiorum, atque immemor herbæVictor equus.——

Unhappy of his Toils, the Victor SteedSinks, and forgets his Food.

Again:

[84]Tum vero ardentes oculi, atque attractus ab altoSpiritus, interdum gemitu gravis; imaque longoIlia singultu tendunt; it naribus aterSanguis, & obsessas fauces premit aspera lingua.His Eyes are all inflam'd; from his deep BreastHis Breath with Labour heaves; long Sobs and GroansDistend his Entrails: From his Nostrils dropsBlack ropy Gore, and to his Jaws his TongueClotted with Filth, and Putrefaction, cleaves.

[84]Tum vero ardentes oculi, atque attractus ab altoSpiritus, interdum gemitu gravis; imaque longoIlia singultu tendunt; it naribus aterSanguis, & obsessas fauces premit aspera lingua.

His Eyes are all inflam'd; from his deep BreastHis Breath with Labour heaves; long Sobs and GroansDistend his Entrails: From his Nostrils dropsBlack ropy Gore, and to his Jaws his TongueClotted with Filth, and Putrefaction, cleaves.

Afterwards:

[85]Ecce! autem duro fumans sub vomere taurusConcidit, & mixtum spumis vomit ore cruorem,Extremosque ciet gemitus: it tristis arator,Mœrentem abjungens fraterna morte juvencum,Atque opere in medio defixa relinquit aratra.Smoking beneath the Plough the sturdy SteerFalls down, and spues a Flood of Gore and Foam,And groans his last: The pensive Hind unyokesHis mourning Fellow Lab'rer, and amidstTh' unfinish'd Furrow leaves the sticking Share.

Smoking beneath the Plough the sturdy SteerFalls down, and spues a Flood of Gore and Foam,And groans his last: The pensive Hind unyokesHis mourning Fellow Lab'rer, and amidstTh' unfinish'd Furrow leaves the sticking Share.

In the foremention'd Description of the Fate ofOrpheusandEurydice:

[86]Illa, quis & me, inquit, miseram, & te perdidit, Orpheu?Quis tantus furor? en! iterum crudelia retroFata vocant, conditque natantia lumina somnus.Jamque vale; feror ingenti circumdata nocte,Invalidasque tibi tendens, heu! non tua, palmas.She; Who, myOrpheus, whoHas Me unfortunate and Thee undone?What Fury This? Again the cruel FatesRemand me back; Sleep seals my swimming Eyes.And now Farewel: With Darkness round enclos'dI flit away; and vainly stretch to Thee(Ah! now no longer Thine) these helpless Hands.

She; Who, myOrpheus, whoHas Me unfortunate and Thee undone?What Fury This? Again the cruel FatesRemand me back; Sleep seals my swimming Eyes.And now Farewel: With Darkness round enclos'dI flit away; and vainly stretch to Thee(Ah! now no longer Thine) these helpless Hands.

In these Examples there are only two Epithets,viz.aterandduro, the second Sort of which I shall speak of presently. But the rest, you may observe, as incunctantes ministros, equus infelix studiorum, ardentes oculi, aspera lingua, defixa aratra, &c.add a new Idea, quite distinct from the general Nature of the Substantive, and rising from the special Adjuncts and Circumstances of the Thing described.

The second Sort of Epithets are those, that are not so distant from the general Nature of the Substantives, and yet not perfectly coincident with it; but bring with them Light and Ornament, tho' not new Ideas. As in the abovemention'd Description ofVirgil:

[87]—Timidi damæ, cervique fugaces,Nunc interque canes, & circum tecta vagantur.Now the tim'rous Hinds and DeerAmong the Dogs, and round the Houses, rove.

[87]—Timidi damæ, cervique fugaces,Nunc interque canes, & circum tecta vagantur.

Now the tim'rous Hinds and DeerAmong the Dogs, and round the Houses, rove.

And in the firstÆneid:

[88]Nimborum in patriam, loca fœta furentibus Austris,Æoliam venit; hic vasto rex Æolus antroLuctantes ventos, tempestatesque sonorasImperio premit.——The Goddess toÆoliacomes,The Land of Storms, where struggling Gusts of AirEngender: Here, in his capacious Cave,GreatÆoluswith absolute CommandControls, imprisons, and confines in Chains,The noisy Tempests, and reluctant Winds.

[88]Nimborum in patriam, loca fœta furentibus Austris,Æoliam venit; hic vasto rex Æolus antroLuctantes ventos, tempestatesque sonorasImperio premit.——

The Goddess toÆoliacomes,The Land of Storms, where struggling Gusts of AirEngender: Here, in his capacious Cave,GreatÆoluswith absolute CommandControls, imprisons, and confines in Chains,The noisy Tempests, and reluctant Winds.

Intimidi damæ, cervi fugaces, andtempestates sonoras, the Epithets we see are of near Affinity with the Substantives; for they express some Adjuncts, or Properties, which are always inherent in them. Therefore are of a different Kind fromtristis aratror, natantia lumina, invalidas palmas, and the rest above cited, that exhibit Ideas totally distinct from the universal Nature of the Subject, and agree with it onlypro hic & nunc, as the Schoolmen speak. The Epithets of this distinct Kind entertain the Mind with a more agreeable Variety; but those of the other require, perhaps, more Care and Judgment in the proper Choice of them: For tho' they border upon the general Nature of their Substantives, expressing, as we said, some of their inherent Qualities; yet, we likewise observed, they don't perfectly coincide with them, but express an Idea somewhat different, and yet not totally so. These Expressions, for Instance, thefearful Deer, and theloud Tempests,are not like those Absurdities we shall have Occasion hereafter to expose; such asburning Fire,cold Ice, which are but other Words forhot Heat, andcold Cold; but represent to us somespecial, and lessessentialAdjuncts of their Substantives; and therefore are not to be indiscriminately used upon every Occasion, but then only, when they are agreeable to the Nature of the Subject. For Instance, becauseVirgilhas said, thefearful Deer, andflitting Stags, it by no means follows that these Epithets are always applicable, wheneverStagsorDeershall happen to be mention'd. In the Place he used them, they were proper, because the Wonder of what he was describing turn'd wholly upon the Circumstance they describe,viz.that the Plague, which was common to all the Beasts, brought them all to such an Equality and Unanimity, that even those that were by Naturefearful, and formed forFlight, associated with such as lived upon Rapine and Slaughter. So, again, because the same Author hasLuctantes ventos, tempestatesque sonoras, we are not to conclude we may use the same Epithets, with the same Words, at any Time. He made Choice of them to remind his Reader of the Difficulty ofÆolus's Province to restrain the Impetuosity of the boisterous Winds.

Upon this Occasion, I cannot but think, theGradus ad Parnassum, and other Books of that Stamp, no small Prejudice to Learners. Here Boys meet with Heaps of undistinguish'd Epithets, and synonymous Words, before they are come to Maturity of Judgment to make a proper Choice of them; and consequently blindly pick out such as theHiatusof the Verse requires, with little Regard to Sense, and less to Propriety and Elegance. By relying upon these Helps, they give themselves up to Sloth, their Ideas are confounded, and their Judgments corrupted. The Patrons of these sort of Books have nothing tourge in their Defence, but that by facilitating the Scholar's Pains, they allure him to that Study, which he would otherwise have declined, on account of its Difficulty. But, before these Helps were thought of, Poetry was in as flourishing a Condition as in our Time; and it seems much more adviseable for the Boys to receive all proper Assistances from their Master, or School-fellows, than from theseFasciculi. To banish them from the Schools, would only have this Consequence; that it would put the Youth upon reading the best Poets, in order to whet their Imagination, and ripen their Judgment. If these Books are to any allowable, let them be indulged, not to Boys, but to confirm'd Poets, who have Judgment enough to select proper Words out of them. But to these such childish Helps are contemptible. All Things, therefore, consider'd, it would be no Disadvantage to Poetry, if theGradus ad Parnassum, Flores Poetarum, Elegantiæ Poeticæ, and the otherThesaurus'sof this Nature, were committed to the Flames, or for ever buried in Oblivion. But to return:

There are other Epithets, of sogenerala Nature, that in allpoetical Descriptionsthey arealwaysapplicable to their Substantives, and yet are different from those I just now mention'd, thatperfectly coincidewith them. As inVirgil:

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