LECTURE XVI.OfLyric Poetry.

—& honos erit huic quoque Pomo.And to this Apple Honours shall be paid.

—& honos erit huic quoque Pomo.

And to this Apple Honours shall be paid.

Among thePleasuresof a Country Life, we may reckonHunting,Fishing,Hawking, and the like; which are excellent Subjects for Didactic Verse, and are very fruitful of poetic Matter. We have only some Essays of this Sort, and those by modern Hands, except onlyGratius'sCynægeticon, which owes all its Value to Fortune, rather than any true Merit of its own;viz.that it has the Advantage of being writ in theAugustanAge, and being recommended byOvid, a Contemporary, in the following Verse,

Aptaque venanti Gratius arma dabit.AndGratiusto the Hunter Arms supplies.

Aptaque venanti Gratius arma dabit.

AndGratiusto the Hunter Arms supplies.

Oppian'sHalieuticaandCynegeticaare scarce to be reckon'd among the Writings of the Ancients, but to be plac'd rather in the Middle Age[276].

The Rules for writing upon these Subjects are the same with what I have mention'd under theGeorgics; I have no Occasion, therefore, to add new ones here. The same may be said for that Species of Poetry, that consists in teaching theArt of Poetry; the Manner of Writing is the same, as far as the Difference of the Matter will admit.

The Pieces that have been writ in this Way, are known to all; and Poetry seems never to have employ'd her Time better, than upon herself. The Ancients have left us only one Specimen of this Kind, but such as may compensate for all the rest,Horace's Epistle to thePiso's; a Work that ought to be got by Heart by all true Lovers of Poetry, in which 'tis hard to say, whether we should admire the Wit or Judgment most, both in the Choice of the Precepts, and the Manner of delivering them. Among the Moderns, the celebratedFrenchPoet[277], and several of our Countrymen[278], have succeeded, each in his native Tongue, very happily.

These are the several Kinds of Didactic Poetry, with which the Writers of the past or present Age have furnish'd us. In this Number I might reckon Ovidof the Art of Love; but I pass it by, on account of its Levity, not to say its Indecency. Much less excusable areClaudius Quilletus, andHieronymus Fracastorius, among the Moderns; who, it were to be wish'd, had chosen Subjects less obnoxious to Censure.

I would, however, observe, that any Thing in the World may be the Subject of this Kind of Poem: The Business or Recreations of the City, or the Country; even the Conduct of common Life, and civil Converse: But none more suitable than Arts and Sciences. And among those, which of them so proper to receive Instructions from the Hand of Poetry, as its two Sister Arts, Painting and Music? In the former, particularly, there is Room for the most entertaining Precepts concerning the Disposal of Colours; the Arrangement of Lights and Shades; the secret Attractives of Beauty; the various Ideaswhich make up that one; the distinguishing between the Attitudes proper to either Sex, and every Passion; the representing Prospects, of Buildings, Battles, or the Country; and, lastly, concerning the Nature of Imitation, and the Power of Painting. What a boundless Field of Invention is here? what Room for Description, Comparison, and poetical Fable? How easy the Transition, at any Time, from the Draught to the Original, from the Shadow to the Substance? And, from hence, what noble Excursions may be made into History, into Panegyric upon the greatest Beauties or Hero's of the past or present Age? The Task, I confess, is difficult; but, according to that noted, but true Saying,[279]So are all Things that are great. Let the Man, therefore, that is equal to such an Undertaking, be fir'd with a noble Ambition to attempt a Work untouch'd before; and let theGeorgics, which have been our great Example, furnish him with this noble Incentive:

[280]—Tentanda via est, qua me quoque possimTollere humo, victorque virum volitare per ora.A Way by me, too, must be try'd, to raiseMyself from Earth, and fill the Mouths of Men.

[280]—Tentanda via est, qua me quoque possimTollere humo, victorque virum volitare per ora.

A Way by me, too, must be try'd, to raiseMyself from Earth, and fill the Mouths of Men.

Spoke in theTheatre,before thePhilological Act,July 10, 1713.

The Subject I now engage in, however mean it may appear in my Hands, is not only noble in itself; but, at this Time, peculiarly seasonable: At this Time, I say, when Odes and Music are the Instruments of our present Festivity, and Peace restor'd toEurope, under the Conduct of the greatest and best of Queens, the happy Occasion of it. And no Kind of Poetry is so proper to express either our Joy, or the Heroes Triumphs, as the Lyric:

[281]Quem virum, aut heroa, lyra, vel acriTibia sumes celebrare, Clio?What Man, what Hero wilt thou claim,What Godhead, Muse? For whom inspireThy warbling Pipe or Lyre?Oldsworth.

[281]Quem virum, aut heroa, lyra, vel acriTibia sumes celebrare, Clio?

What Man, what Hero wilt thou claim,What Godhead, Muse? For whom inspireThy warbling Pipe or Lyre?Oldsworth.

Since, then, it is incumbent upon me to bear a Part in this Solemnity, let me prevail with my usual Audience, and those additional Guests that make upthis chearful Assembly, to restrain their Impatience for the Verses and Orations, that are to follow, only while I lay before them the Original and Antiquity of Lyric Poetry, the distinguishing Properties of it, the Variety of its Matter, and the Difference between modern Writers in this Way, and the ancient.

That this is the most ancient Kind of Poem, is pretty evident.Jubal, in sacred Writ, is said to be the first Inventor of musical Instruments; and little Doubt is to be made, but vocal Music was added to them. And we are farther told, by aJewishAuthor, of venerable Antiquity[282], tho' his Works are not admitted into the Canon, that the samewhich found out musical Tunes, recited Verses in Writing. We have before observ'd, that Poetry took its Rise from those Festival Hymns which were sung at the Conclusion of Harvest, in Gratitude to the Deity. Odes, therefore, and Poetry, date their Original from the same Æra: And, in Truth, if we consider the internal Motions of the Soul, it will seem very probable that Poetry, which is so peculiarly adapted to express the several Emotions of Joy, or Praise, or Gratitude, owes its Rise to Nature herself, and was therefore join'd with Music. We have no Instance of Poetry older than the celebrated Song, or rather Ode, ofMoses[283]. The Antiquity of the other Hymns mention'd in sacred History, and, particularly, the Collection of them in the Book ofPsalms, is so well known, that I shall dwell no longer upon this Particular.

As to the Nature of the Lyric Poem, it is, of all Kinds of Poetry, the most poetical; and is as distinct, both in Style, and Thought, from the rest, as Poetry in general is from Prose. I have before observ'd, the Peculiarity of its Diction; the Thought, only, now comes under Consideration. Now this isthe boldest of all other Kinds, full of Rapture, and elevated from common Language the most that is possible; so that whatHoracesays at the Beginning of one of his Odes, may not improperly be applied to all the rest:

[284]Odi profanum vulgus, & arceo.I hate, I scorn the Vulgar Throng.

[284]Odi profanum vulgus, & arceo.

I hate, I scorn the Vulgar Throng.

Some Odes there are, likewise, in the free and loose Manner, which seem to avoid all Method, and yet are conducted by a very clear one; which affect Transitions, seemingly, without Art, but, for that Reason, have the more of it; which are above Connexion, and delight in Exclamations, and frequent Invocation of the Muses; which begin and end abruptly, and are carried on thro' a Variety of Matter with a sort of divinePathos, above Rules and Laws, and without Regard to the common Forms of Grammar.

Hence, then, we learn the chief Property of Lyric Poetry,viz.that it abounds with a Sort of Liberty which consists in Digressions and Excursions.Pindarset his Successors this Example, insomuch that this Style, when applied to Odes, is generally call'd Pindaric; not that he is to be esteem'd the Inventor of it: For it is plain that he, and the rest of theGrecians, receiv'd their Learning from the Nations of the East, theJewsandPhœnicians: And it is well known, the eastern Eloquence abounded not only with Metaphors, and bold Hyperboles, but in long Digressions; as is sufficiently evident from the sacred Writings. TheRoman Pindaroften imitates theTheban, and sometimes exceeds him, even in his characteristic Excellence. Thus in that Ode, where he addresses himself to the Ship that bore so valuable a Freight asVirgil,

[285]Sic te, Diva potens Cypri, &c.

at the Conclusion of the eighth Verse, he inveighs against the Temerity of Mankind, and pursues this Argument to the End of the Ode, which is not a very short one. So, again, speaking of the Tree which had like to have fallen upon him,

[286]Ille & nefasto te posuit die, &c.

a few Lines after he adds;

Quam pene furvæ regna Proserpinæ,Et judicantem vidimus Æacum,Sedesque descriptas piorum;&Æoliis fidibus querentemSappho puellis de popularibus;Et Te sonantem plenius aureo,Alcæe, plectro, dura navis,Dura fugæ mala, dura belli?How near was I to Realms of Night?WhereMinosdoes in Judgment sit;Where pious Shades walk o'er the Plains;WhereProserpineand Darkness reigns:WhereSappho's warbling Measures tellBy what disastrous Cause she fell:Alcæus, in sublimer Strains,Of Toils by Sea and Land complains.Oldsw.

Quam pene furvæ regna Proserpinæ,Et judicantem vidimus Æacum,Sedesque descriptas piorum;&Æoliis fidibus querentem

Sappho puellis de popularibus;Et Te sonantem plenius aureo,Alcæe, plectro, dura navis,Dura fugæ mala, dura belli?

How near was I to Realms of Night?WhereMinosdoes in Judgment sit;Where pious Shades walk o'er the Plains;WhereProserpineand Darkness reigns:

WhereSappho's warbling Measures tellBy what disastrous Cause she fell:Alcæus, in sublimer Strains,Of Toils by Sea and Land complains.Oldsw.

He then expatiates into their Praises, and so concludes this elegant Ode with them. It is, indeed, just Matter of Complaint, that we have only some Fragments of both these Poets remaining, to whom we owe the Invention of the two chief Kinds of Lyric Poetry. In this loose Way of Writing, the Poet just touches upon the Subject at first propos'd, and strait diverts to another:

[287]——Cætera fluminisRitu feruntur, nunc medio alveoCum pace delabentis EtruscumIn mare, nunc lapides adesosStirpesque raptas, & pecus, & domos,Volventis una, non sine montiumClamore, vicinæque silvæ;Cum fera diluvies quietosIrritat amnes.All worldly Things, like Waters, flow,Sometimes too high, sometimes too low:Sometimes the even Current gently glidesDown to the Deep, and oft with mighty RoarBears Rocks upon its swelling Tides,Sweeps Herds and Houses from the Shore,And Trunks of Trees; the Rivers quit their Bounds,Whilst ev'ry lofty Hill, and neighb'ring Wood resounds.Oldsworth.

All worldly Things, like Waters, flow,Sometimes too high, sometimes too low:Sometimes the even Current gently glidesDown to the Deep, and oft with mighty RoarBears Rocks upon its swelling Tides,Sweeps Herds and Houses from the Shore,And Trunks of Trees; the Rivers quit their Bounds,Whilst ev'ry lofty Hill, and neighb'ring Wood resounds.Oldsworth.

Nothing can describe the unbounded Nature of this Kind of Ode better than those Lines ofHorace, which, at the same Time, give us a lively Instance of it. We may add, to the same Purpose, his Description of theThebanPoet;

[288]Monte decurrens velut amnis, imbresQuem super notas aluere ripas,Fervet, immensusque ruit profundoPindarus ore.Pindar's a mighty raging Flood,That from some Mountain flows,Rapid, and warm, and deep, and loud,Whose Force no Limits knows.Oldsworth.

[288]Monte decurrens velut amnis, imbresQuem super notas aluere ripas,Fervet, immensusque ruit profundoPindarus ore.

Pindar's a mighty raging Flood,That from some Mountain flows,Rapid, and warm, and deep, and loud,Whose Force no Limits knows.Oldsworth.

From what has been said, some will be induc'd to think, that to write a Lyric Poem, which is indulg'dwith so many Liberties, is the easiest Thing imaginable: But, in Reality, it is the most difficult in every Respect, except its Shortness, as it is the most elegant. It demands not only a flowing Imagination, Brightness, Life, Sublimity, and Elegance, but the nicest Art, and finest Judgment, so as to seem luxuriant, and not to be so; and under the Shew of transgressing all Laws, to preserve them. For it is not impossible but a Writer's Fire may be temper'd with the severest Judgment; and Poets may be said, tho' Lovers cannot, to bemad with Reason.

Those Digressions which quite leave the Subject, and never return to it again, please me less than some others of a very different Kind. The former, no doubt, are defensible, and sometimes highly commendable; for a Poet is not always oblig'd to dwell upon the same Argument from one End to the other; and I would rather call them Transitions, than Digressions: But the Digressions which I chiefly admire, are such astake Occasionfrom someAdjunctorCircumstanceof the Subject, to pass on tosomewhat elsenot totally distinct from it, with which the Imagination having been diverted for some Time, new Matter starts up, and from some new Adjunct of that, the Poet is brought back, of a sudden, to his first Design. I cannot produce a better Instance of this, out ofHoracehimself, than from a late Ode of one of our own Countrymen[289], who, since he has paid the Debt of Nature, may, without Envy, receive the Tribute of our Praise; that beautiful Ode, I mean, upon the Death of the famous Dr.Pocock; where the Poet describes his Travels to the East, in these Words[290]:

Quin nunc requiris tecta virentiaNini ferocis, nunc Babel arduum,Immane opus! crescentibusqueVertice sideribus propinquum!Nequicquam; amici disparibus sonisEludit aures nescius artifex,Linguasque miratur recentes,In patriis peregrinus oris.Vestitur hinc tot sermo coloribus,Quot Tu, Pococki, dissimilis TuiOrator effers, &c.NowNinus'Walls you search with curious Eye,NowBabel's Tow'r, the Rival of the Sky.In vain! the mad Attempt new Tongues confound,The Toil eluded by discordant Sound:To his own Sire the SonBarbariangrown,Unletter'd, starts a Language not his own.Hence various Bounds to Nations set by Speech;}But not to You, who, Orator in each,}His proper Tongue th'admiring Native teach.}

NowNinus'Walls you search with curious Eye,NowBabel's Tow'r, the Rival of the Sky.In vain! the mad Attempt new Tongues confound,The Toil eluded by discordant Sound:To his own Sire the SonBarbariangrown,Unletter'd, starts a Language not his own.Hence various Bounds to Nations set by Speech;}But not to You, who, Orator in each,}His proper Tongue th'admiring Native teach.}

With what Elegance does the Poet divert from his Purpose, that he may bring in a beautiful Description ofBabel, and the Confusion of Tongues: Then, with no less Elegance, he returns to the Praise of his venerable Traveller, surprizingly skill'd in most of them. Afterwards, with a peculiar Delicacy, his Comment uponJoelis hinted at, and from thence Occasion taken to represent that terrible Day of the Lord, which the Prophet speaks of, and then the holy Ardour of his Interpreter:

Ac sicut albens perpetua niveSimul favillas, & cineres sinuEructat ardenti, & pruinisContiguas rotat Ætna flammas:Sic te trementem, te nive candidum,Mens intus urget, mens agit igneaSequi reluctantem JoelemPer tonitru, aereasque nubes.Annon pavescis, dum Tuba pallidumCiet Sionem? dum tremulum poloCaligat astrum, atque incubantiTerra nigrans tegitur sub umbra?Quod agmen! heu! quæ turba sequacibusTremenda flammis! quis strepitantiumFlictus rotarum est! O PocockiEgregie! O animose VatisInterpres abstrusi! O simili fereCorrepte flamma!——AsÆtna's lucid with perpetual Snow,While heaving Flames within its Entrails glow;O'er the hoar Frost the raging Fury's spread,And ruddy Flouds of Fire beam round its Head:So trembling thou, and venerably white,Thy urging Soul tries sacredSion's Height,Attends thyJoel, clad in dark Array,Where Clouds and Lightnings mark his awful Way.Hark! dost not shudder while the Trumpet's SoundThe tott'ring Tow'rs ofSolymarebound?Behold what Troops come rolling from afarWith Gleams of Terror, and the Din of War!In the bright Front consuming Fires ride,And Slaughter stalks indignant by their Side.Oh! whither, whither tends thy eager Course,Rapt by thy own, thy kindred Prophet's Force?

Annon pavescis, dum Tuba pallidumCiet Sionem? dum tremulum poloCaligat astrum, atque incubantiTerra nigrans tegitur sub umbra?Quod agmen! heu! quæ turba sequacibusTremenda flammis! quis strepitantiumFlictus rotarum est! O PocockiEgregie! O animose VatisInterpres abstrusi! O simili fereCorrepte flamma!——

AsÆtna's lucid with perpetual Snow,While heaving Flames within its Entrails glow;O'er the hoar Frost the raging Fury's spread,And ruddy Flouds of Fire beam round its Head:So trembling thou, and venerably white,Thy urging Soul tries sacredSion's Height,Attends thyJoel, clad in dark Array,Where Clouds and Lightnings mark his awful Way.Hark! dost not shudder while the Trumpet's SoundThe tott'ring Tow'rs ofSolymarebound?Behold what Troops come rolling from afarWith Gleams of Terror, and the Din of War!In the bright Front consuming Fires ride,And Slaughter stalks indignant by their Side.Oh! whither, whither tends thy eager Course,Rapt by thy own, thy kindred Prophet's Force?

The Matter and Thoughts are sublime and elegant, the Transitions artful; and it is, in short, all over wonderful.

This, likewise, is a Peculiarity in Lyric Poetry, that (as the Name implies) it is attended with musical Instruments more than any other.More than any other, I say, because there's no Necessity that Odes should be always sung; they are often repeated:Nor is Music so peculiar to them, as to be suitable to no other Poems; for the Flute was anciently join'd with Elegy; and now a-days we see other Kinds of Poetry accompanied with Music, nay, even Prose itself; tho' anciently, I say, it was thought morepeculiarlyadapted to the Ode. Hence we find many Ideas among the Lyrics, that we meet with no where else; hence the frequent mention of musical Instruments, I may say the frequent Invocation of them.

[291]—Age dic Latinum,Barbite, carmen.[292]—Nec turpem senectamDegere, nec cithara carentem.[293]——Si neque tibiasEuterpe cohibet, nec PolyhymniaLesboum refugit tendere barbiton.

[291]—Age dic Latinum,Barbite, carmen.[292]—Nec turpem senectamDegere, nec cithara carentem.

[293]——Si neque tibiasEuterpe cohibet, nec PolyhymniaLesboum refugit tendere barbiton.

Which are Circumstances that often throw an additional Ornament on a Poem.

The Ancients have left us very imperfect Accounts of their Music. They that would see a Description of their chief Instruments, the Harp and Flute, may consultVossius, and others. But the Manner of theirComposinghas been scarce touch'd upon by any. For my Part, I cannot but think it was more simple than our modern Way, and consisted of fewer Divisions. And my Reason is, because we meet with very few Encomiums of this Art, or of those that excell'd in it; nay, scarce any of their Names are handed down to Posterity. There's frequent mention, indeed, among the Lyrics, of musical Instruments, as Adjuncts of that Kind of Poetry; but it is scarce credible the Ancients shouldhave said so little of this Art, if it had flourish'd as much in their Time, as it does in ours. As, therefore, we are much inferior to them in Lyric Poetry, so in its Sister Science we far exceed them. We have not theirHoraces; nor had they those masterly Hands which are now, or lately have been the Admiration of allEurope; none to be compar'd with ourBritish Orpheus[294], or his worthy Successor[295], that receives, on this Day, Academical Honours.

The proper Subjects forOdes, are almost all comprehended in the following Lines ofHorace:

[296]Musa dedit fidibus divos, puerosque deorum,Et pugilem victorem, & equum certamine primum,Et juvenum curas, & libera vina referre.Gods, Heroes, Conquerors,OlympicCrowns,Love's pleasing Cares, and the free Joys of Wine,Are proper Subjects for the Lyric Song.Roscom.

[296]Musa dedit fidibus divos, puerosque deorum,Et pugilem victorem, & equum certamine primum,Et juvenum curas, & libera vina referre.

Gods, Heroes, Conquerors,OlympicCrowns,Love's pleasing Cares, and the free Joys of Wine,Are proper Subjects for the Lyric Song.Roscom.

Heroes and Triumphs, we before observ'd to be the principal Subjects; andHorace, accordingly, places them first. But, in Course of Time, Love and Entertainments were likewise thought very suitable ones.Horacehas left us several of both Sorts, writ with a Sweetness and Elegance that always distinguish him: Nay, he more than once insinuates, that light Subjects come peculiarly within his Province, and that he stands in need of Apology when he presumes to meddle with greater:

[297]Nos convivia, nos prælia virginum, &c.Of Treats we sing, and Love Intrigues.

[297]Nos convivia, nos prælia virginum, &c.

Of Treats we sing, and Love Intrigues.

And after a Recital ofJuno's Speech to the Gods, he concludes:

[298]Non hæc jocosæ conveniunt lyræ;Quo, Musa, tendis?Stay, Muse; this suits but ill the sportive Lyre.

[298]Non hæc jocosæ conveniunt lyræ;Quo, Musa, tendis?

Stay, Muse; this suits but ill the sportive Lyre.

But these Expressions are the Effects of the Poet's Modesty, not to be understood critically; not as spoken of Lyrics in general, but of his own, which with a becoming Decency, he says, are unequal to greater Subjects. For the Ode in its own Nature ischieflyadapted to the Sublime; and nothing can have more of that Quality than some ofHorace's. Who, for Instance, can read, without Rapture,

[299]Motum ex Metello Consule civicum, &c.Jam nunc minaci murmure cornuumPerstringis aures; jam litui strepunt;Jam fulgor armorum fugacesTerret equos, equitumque vultus.Audire magnos jam videor ducesNon indecoro pulvere sordidos;Et cuncta terrarum subacta,Præter atrocem animum Catonis.Methinks I hear the horrid Din of Arms:Bright gleaming Armour paints the Field:The rattling Trumpet pours its dread Alarms:The Brave lie low in Dust, the Valiant yield:Revenge and Honour the stern Warrior warms,And ev'ry Breast, butCato's, is with Horror fill'd.Oldsworth.

Methinks I hear the horrid Din of Arms:Bright gleaming Armour paints the Field:The rattling Trumpet pours its dread Alarms:The Brave lie low in Dust, the Valiant yield:Revenge and Honour the stern Warrior warms,And ev'ry Breast, butCato's, is with Horror fill'd.Oldsworth.

Or this:

[300]Descende Cœlo, & dic, age, tibia,Regina, longum, Calliope, melos, &c.

And to mention one more:

[301]Qualem ministrum fulminis alitem, &c.

And many others I might produce, from the same Poet, of equal Sublimity.

But in the Verses abovemention'd he has omitted one Subject very suitable to the Ode, and which he himself has often happily attempted; that, I mean, which relates to moral Reflections; which not only affords the greatest Advantage to the Reader, but, for aught I know, the greatest Elegance to the Writer. Many of his Odes are full of it:

[302]Æquam memento rebus in arduisServare mentem, &c.Be calm, my Friend, be easy, and sedate,And bend your Soul to ev'ry State.Oldsworth.

[302]Æquam memento rebus in arduisServare mentem, &c.

Be calm, my Friend, be easy, and sedate,And bend your Soul to ev'ry State.Oldsworth.

[303]Cedes coemptis saltibus, & domo,Villaque flavus quam Tiberis lavitCedes, & extructis in altumDivitiis potietur hæres.You must your Fields and pleasant Seat forego,WhereTiber's yellow Waters flow;You must toPluto's gloomy Realm repair,And leave your Heaps of Wealth to a luxurious Heir.Oldsworth.

[303]Cedes coemptis saltibus, & domo,Villaque flavus quam Tiberis lavitCedes, & extructis in altumDivitiis potietur hæres.

You must your Fields and pleasant Seat forego,WhereTiber's yellow Waters flow;You must toPluto's gloomy Realm repair,And leave your Heaps of Wealth to a luxurious Heir.Oldsworth.

Again:

[304]Eheu! fugaces, Posthume, Posthume,Labuntur anni, &c.

And, to omit innumerable other Instances of this Nature, I will add only his Ode on Avarice:

[305]Crescit indulgens sibi dirus hydrops,Nec sitim pellit, nisi causa morbiFugerit venis, & aquosus alboCorpore languor.'Tis great this Passion to controul,For 'tis the Dropsy of the Soul:Unless you purge each sickly Vein,'Twill thirst, and drink, and thirst again.Oldsw.

[305]Crescit indulgens sibi dirus hydrops,Nec sitim pellit, nisi causa morbiFugerit venis, & aquosus alboCorpore languor.

'Tis great this Passion to controul,For 'tis the Dropsy of the Soul:Unless you purge each sickly Vein,'Twill thirst, and drink, and thirst again.Oldsw.

These moral Odes are often interspers'd with Encomiums on a Country Life, on moderate Circumstances, and the like; which always afford Matter for entertaining Descriptions:

[306]Vivitur parvo bene, cui paternumSplendet in mensa tenui salinum;Nec leves somnos timor, aut cupidoSordidus, aufert.Blest he with little, on whose thrifty BoardThat Salt still shines, that call'd his Father Lord;No vexing Fears his Breast can seize,No sordid Lust will break his Ease.Creech.

[306]Vivitur parvo bene, cui paternumSplendet in mensa tenui salinum;Nec leves somnos timor, aut cupidoSordidus, aufert.

Blest he with little, on whose thrifty BoardThat Salt still shines, that call'd his Father Lord;No vexing Fears his Breast can seize,No sordid Lust will break his Ease.Creech.

Upon the whole, then, we see, that the Ode may be either Sublime, or of the lower Strain; jocose or serious; mournful or exulting; even satirical sometimes, epigrammatical never. It may consist of Wit, but not of that Turn which is the peculiar Characteristic of Epigram. They that have a Mind to know the various Classes of Odes, with their uncouth Titles, into which they are by some Writers distinguish'd; may consultVossius,Scaliger, and others. This to me is an Enquiry not more superfluous than disagreeable; since any Thing, we find, may be the Subject of them, if they are but dress'd up in their own peculiar Manner.

From whence the Pleasure arises with which this Kind of Poetry affects us, may be known fromwhat we have before discours'd of the Pleasure of Poetry in general, when we examin'd how it address'd itself to the Passions, the common Principles of human Nature, and human Happiness. I would only now observe, that what we said of Poetry in general, is applicable to the Lyric more particularly: Besides the Advantages of a florid and figurative Style, it commands that Sweetness and Variety of Numbers; that Diversity of Thought; that Elegance of Conciseness; that Energy of Expression; that Quickness of Transition, and Liberty of Excursion; that lively Ardour, and noble Sublimity, which can never fail to raise in the Soul all those agreeable Sensations, we before describ'd.

It is not my Design to give an historical Account of the ancient Writers in this Kind of Poetry:Vossiusreckons up several among theGreeksof both Sexes; we have nothing but Fragments of all of them remaining, except the Poems ofPindarandAnacreon. The former I have already spoke of; those of the latter are so few, and the peculiar Nature of them so well known, that tho' they deserve much Praise, they need no farther Explication. Among theRomans, we have none of any Note, exceptHorace; but he, alone, indeed, is equal to many; and we may venture to affirm, that his Odes exceed any Collection of Poems the learned World has yet been bless'd with.

To come now to later Times; it must be own'd, the Moderns are excell'd by the Ancients in no Kind of Writing more than this; they succeed best, when they make use of their Language; for many of the Moderns are very good Masters of it.Casimireis often very happy this Way; but often harsh, turgid, and pompously empty; of which the present Solemnity reminds me of one Instance. The Poet isspeaking in Praise of a Peace lately made; and after he had begun well enough,

[307]Jam minæ sævi cecidere belli,Jam prophanatis male pulsa terrisEt salus, & pax.

he goes on thus,

——niveis revisitOppida bigis.

Then comes, a little after:

[308]Grandinat gemmis, riguoque cælumDepluit auro.

The Verses are smooth and sonorous; only they have the Misfortune to want common Sense. But in another Ode he is much happier, unless, perhaps, a little too bold:

[309]Vive, jucundæ metuens juventæ,Crispe Lævini; fugiunt avaræMensium lunæ, nimiumque volviLubricus Æther.

But the Lines that follow, a little after, are perfectly just, and beautiful:

Quod tibi larga dedit hora dextra,Hora furaci rapuit sinistra;More fallentis tenerum jocosæMatris alumnum.

OurHannesneeded only to have writ more to have made himself second toHoracein all future Ages. But the Odes that are writ in the modern Languages, inFrench,Italian, andEnglish, have nothing of the Genius of the Ancients. Ours, which generally go under the Name ofPindarics,are such empty, trifling Performances, that they are below even the Censure of a Critic. A Heap of Verses, tho' never so insipid and ridiculous, form'd as little upon the Laws of Reason, as of Metre, a monstrous Product of the Brain, shall be call'd, forsooth, aPindaric! a Scandal which it is to be wish'd the Learned would no longer suffer to be offer'd to so sacred a Title. Our Songs and Catches, likewise, which are daily set to Music, whatever Charms they may borrow from thence, have very rarely any of their own; nay, it is observable, that often the worst Verses are set to Music best; as if true Poetry, and good Music, Sisters as they are, cou'd never agree: Which is a Reproach that redounds no less to the Dishonour of Music, than the former, I just mention'd, was toPindar. But better Times appear, in which we hope to see these, and all other Arts, improv'd to their utmost Perfection; in this happy Age, I mean, wherein (that I may conclude my Discourse as I began, with a View at once to our present Solemnity, and our present Subject)

[310]Jam Fides, & Pax, & Honor, PudorquePriscus, & neglecta redire VirtusAudet, apparetque beata plenoCopia cornu.NowHonour,ChastityandPeace,Virtueand banish'dFaith, return;Now Plenty broods a fair Increase,And fills with Flow'rs her fragrant Horn.Olds.

[310]Jam Fides, & Pax, & Honor, PudorquePriscus, & neglecta redire VirtusAudet, apparetque beata plenoCopia cornu.

NowHonour,ChastityandPeace,Virtueand banish'dFaith, return;Now Plenty broods a fair Increase,And fills with Flow'rs her fragrant Horn.Olds.

It is Merit enough for a Writer on a Subject that has been often canvass'd, if he can reduce into a short Compass whatever hath been said before, and add something material of his own. Whether I have done this in the present Case, must be submitted to the Judgment of the Audience; I am sure I shall make it my Endeavour, not only to represent my own Sentiments in an advantageous Light, but those of others; for I have a large Field of Writers before me, on this Subject; not onlyHorace,Quintilian, and the rest of the Ancients, but the learnedCasaubon,Scaliger,Vossius,Dacier, and some others.

A Difficulty occurs upon our first Entrance; for a Doubt has been made about the Name ofSatire, and the Orthography of it: The Reason of which Doubt will appear, from the uncertain History we have of this Kind of Poem. It cannot be denied, but that theGrecianSatire differ'd from theRoman; but yet the Difference seems not so great, as some are apt to imagine: The former was of the dramatic Kind, a Sort of Interlude annex'd to Tragedy, to remove from the Audience too melancholy Impressions. It isHorace's Observation,

[311]Carmine qui Tragico vilem certavit ob hircum,Mox etiam agrestes Satiros nudavit, & asperIncolumi gravitate jocum tentavit; eo quodIllecebris erat, & grata novitate, morandusSpectator.The first Tragedians found that serious StyleToo grave for their uncultivated Age,And so brought wild and naked Satires in,(Whose Motion, Words, and Shape, were all a Farce)As oft as Decency wou'd give them Leave;Because the mad ungovernable Rout,Full of Confusion, and the Fumes of Wine,Lov'd such Variety, and Antic Tricks.Roscom.

[311]Carmine qui Tragico vilem certavit ob hircum,Mox etiam agrestes Satiros nudavit, & asperIncolumi gravitate jocum tentavit; eo quodIllecebris erat, & grata novitate, morandusSpectator.

The first Tragedians found that serious StyleToo grave for their uncultivated Age,And so brought wild and naked Satires in,(Whose Motion, Words, and Shape, were all a Farce)As oft as Decency wou'd give them Leave;Because the mad ungovernable Rout,Full of Confusion, and the Fumes of Wine,Lov'd such Variety, and Antic Tricks.Roscom.

TheScenewas laid in the Country, thePersonsSatyrs, and rural Deities. Sometimes Peasants and Rustics were mix'd with them. The Subject was jocose, and full of Sneer and Banter; the Style a Medium between Comedy and Tragedy. This, as I said, was the satirical Poetry of theGrecians; but Satire, as we now have it, is entirelyRoman, if we may believeQuintilian, who says[312],Satira quidem tota nostra est; orHorace[313], who stylesEnniustheInventor of a Poem unknown to theGrecians, meaningSatire, according to the Opinion of most of his Interpreters.Scaliger, however, expresly denies it to be ofRomanOriginal; and there is Reason, indeed, as we shall see hereafter, to understand those Expressions ofQuintilianandHoracewith some Abatement. Those that will not allow it to be deriv'd from theGrecians, but entirelyRoman, maintain, thatSatirashould be writ with ani, not ay; and that it is not deriv'd fromSatyrus, butSatur;Satira, therefore, is the same asSatura, asMaximusancientlyMaxumus. NowSatursignifiesfullof a Mixture of Things, asLanx Satura, a Dish full of Varieties; and, asDacierobserves[314], "those Laws were call'dLeges Saturæ[315], which contain'd several Heads and Titles under them; as theJulian-Papian-PoppæanLaw, which was otherwise call'd theMiscella, which is but another Word forSatura. Hence that Expression,per Saturam legem ferre, when the Votes of the Senators were not taken in Order, or counted, but were given together promiscuously. And this is properlyper Saturam sententias exquirere, which is an ExpressionSallustmakes use of afterLælius. Nor is this all; some Books anciently bore this Title; asPescennius FestusleftHistorias Saturas, orper Saturam." Thus farDacier.Satire, then, when applied by a Metaphor to Writing, is a Miscellaneous Poem, full of Variety of Matter: According to that ofJuvenal,

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