By more Incidents then I do not mean (as I said) more Men killed, more Battles fought, more Speeches spoke; but more memorable and surprizing Events. Take these Poems therefore purely as Romances; and consider them only with regard to the History, and Facts contained in them, the Plots, the Actions, Turns, and Events; That ofVirgilis more copious, full, various, and surprizing, and every way more entertaining, than Those ofHomer. Then is there any Comparison between the Subjects of the Poems? Between the Anger ofAchilles, (if That be the Subject of theIliad) and the Return ofUlyssesin Those of the Greek Poet; and the Founding ofRome, and the Glory of theRomansin That of the Latin one?
It is said by Mr.Dryden[12], and others, thatHomer's Moral is more Noble thanVirgil's; but for what Reason I know not. The Quarrel ofAchillesandAgamemnonteaches us the ill Consequences of Discord in a State; and the Story of the Dogs, the Sheep, and the Wolf, inÆsop's Fables, does the same.[13]This indeed is a very good Lesson; but it seems too narrow, and particular, to be theGrand Moralof an Heroic Poem. It is proper, if you please, to beinsertedin such a Work; and many more as important as This are interspersed up and down, and mentioned among other Things, both in That ofVirgil, and in Those ofHomer. But how much more noble, extensive, and truly Heroic a Moral is This; That Piety to God, and Justice and Goodness to Men, together with true Valour, both Active, and Passive, (not such as consists in Strength, Intrepidity, and Fierceness only, which is the Courage of a Tyger, not of a Man) will engage Heaven on our Sides, and make both Prince, and People, victorious, flourishing, and happy? And This is the Moral of theÆneis, properly so called. For tho'Virgilhad plainly another End in view, which was to conciliate the Affections of theRomanPeople to the new Government ofAugustus Cæsar; upon whichBossu, and after him Mr.Dryden, have largely, and excellently discoursed: Yet this is rather of a Political, than of a Moral Nature. Mr.Popeseeming to acknowledge that the Moral of theÆneisis preferable to That of theIliad, only says that the same Arguments upon which that Preference is grounded might set theOdysséeabove theÆneis. But as he does not give Reasons for that Assertion, it will be sufficient to say, that there seems to me to be at least as much Morality inVirgil's Poem, as in theOdysséeit self; and that particularly in the Characters of the Heroes,Æneasas much excelsUlyssesin Piety, asAchillesdoesÆneasin rapid Valour. And for Virtue in general, the Point between the two Heroes last mentioned is entirely yielded by every Body in favour ofVirgil's; the very Moral of theIliadrequiring that it's Heroe should be immoral. But sure it is more artful and entertaining, as well as useful and instructive, to have the Moral of the Poem so cast and contrived, that the principal Person in it may be good and virtuous, as well as great and brave. It will be said,Homercould not avoid that Inconvenience;Achilleshaving a known Character before: It may be so; and I am glad of that Excuse: But stillso it is; and it would have beenbetter, if it had beenotherwise. Or if you will have it as Mr.Popeputs it, (less, I think, toHomer's Advantage) He did not design to do otherwise: "They blame him (says he) for not doing what he never designed: As becauseAchillesis not as good, and perfect a Prince asÆneas, when the very Moral of his Poem required a contrary Character." I wish then his Design had beendifferent: Because if it had, it would have beenbetter. If a Man does ill; is it an Answer to say, He designed to do so? The Account whichHoracegives ofAchillesis a very true one:
Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer;Jura negat sibi nata, nihil non arrogat armis.
Heroic Virtues, no doubt! An admirable Character of a Demi-god!
But who will contend that theGrecianPoet is comparable to theRoman, in his exquisite Understanding of humane Nature, and particularly in his Art of moving the Passions? Which is one of the most distinguishing Characters of a Poet, and in which he peculiarly triumphs and glories. I mention only the fourthÆneid, (tho' an hundred other Instances might be mentioned) and desire That Book alone may be matched in this respect by allHomer's Works put together. And yet I am not unmindful of several excellent pathetical Passages in both those immortal Poems.
What has been hitherto discoursed, includes both Judgment and Invention. ThatHomerexcelsVirgilin the latter of These, is generally taken for granted. That he inventedbeforehim, and inventedmore, is an undoubted Truth: But it does not from thence follow that he inventedbetter, or that he had abetter Invention. For to say thatVirgilbetrays a Barrenness of Genius, or Scantiness of Imagination, (even in comparison withHomer) is a most groundless, and unjust Reflection upon him. It is his exact Judgment which makes both his Fancy, and his Fire seem less to Some, than they really are. And then we must consider that it was the Fashion among theRomansto adopt all Learning of theGreeksinto their own Language: It was so in Oratory, and Philosophy, as well as in Poetry. And therefore it is no Consequence thatVirgilwas of a narrower Invention thanHomerhimself, because in many things he copied from him: And yet That Inference is continually made, and those things unreasonably confounded. And after all;Virgildid not copy so much fromHomer, as some would make us believe; from whose Discourse, if we had no other Evidence, one would imagine the Latin to be little more than a Translation, and an Abridgment of the Greek. The admirable Choice of his Subject, and Heroe, for the Honour of his Country; his most artfully interweaving theRomanHistory, especially at those three remarkable Divisions in the First, the Sixth, and the Eighth Books; his Action, and the Main of his Fable; the exquisite Mechanism of his Poem, and the Disposition of it's Parts, are entirely his own; as are most of his Episodes: And I suppose it will be allowed that his Diction and Versification were not taken fromHomer. To pass over many other things which might be mentioned, and some of which I shall mention in my Notes; Why mustDidoandÆneasbe copied fromCalypsoandUlysses? The Reason is plain:DidoandCalypsowere Women, (if the latter, being a Goddess, may be called so;) andUlyssesandÆneaswere Men; and between those Men and Women there was a Love-Adventure, and a Heroe detained by it. That is all the Resemblance between the Persons immediately concerned.Jupiter's Message byMercuryindeed is plainly taken fromHomerbyVirgil: ButVirgilmight very well think of that Imitation, after he had laid the Plan ofDido's Episode; which is quite of another Nature fromCalypso's, and introduced with a quite different Design. For the same Reason, I suppose, the Conversation betweenVenusandJupiterin the FirstÆneidmust be taken fromHomer; becauseThetishas a Conference with that God (in favour of her Son too) in the FirstIliad.Virgilmentions Sea and Land, Heaven and Earth, Horses and Chariots, Gods and Men; nay he makes use of Hexameter Verse, and theLetters of the Alphabet; andHomer, tho' in a different Language, had I confess, done all This before him. But whereVirgilreally does (as he often does) imitateHomer; how does he at the same timeexceedhim! What Comparison is there between the Funeral Games forPatroclus, and those forAnchises? Between the Descent ofUlyssesinto Hell, and that ofÆneas? Between the merely ornamental Sculptures uponHomer'sVulcanianShield, and theRomanHistory, and the Triumphs ofAugustusuponVirgil's? In my Notes I shall be more particular: At present, I cannot forbear saying, that to besuchan Improver is at least almost as much Glory, as to be the original Inventer.[14]
As the Case is stated between these two great Poets by the most moderate Criticks;Homerexcelled in Fire, and Invention; andVirgilin Judgment.Inventionhas been already enough considered:Judgment, andFireare farther to be discoursed of. ThatVirgilexcelled in Judgment, we all allow. Buthow fardid he excel? Did he notvery much? Almost beyond Comparison? I shall here say very little ofHomer's Errours, andVirgil's Excellencies in that Respect. The latter I shall speak of in my Notes; And the former I have no mind to: Both, because it has been so frequently, and largely done already; and also, because it is an uneasy Task; and I had much rather remark upon Beauties, than upon Faults; especially in one of the greatest Men that ever lived; and for whom I have an exceeding Love, and Veneration. I think he is unjustly censured by my LordRoscommon, and Others, for hisRailing Heroes, and Wounded Gods. The one was agreeable to the Manners of those Ages, which he best knew: And as to the other, Those who are thus wounded are subordinate Deities, and supposed to have Bodies, or certain Vehicles equivalent to them. Indeed, asJupiteris invested with Omnipotence, and other Attributes of the supreme God; I know not how to account for his being bound and imprisoned by his Subjects, and requiring the Assistance of a Giant to release him: And tho' theWoundofMarsmay be no Impropriety; yet hisBehaviourupon it is very strange: He roars, and runs away, and tells his Father; and the God of War is the veriest Coward in the Field. Nor can I forbear thinking, notwithstanding all the Refinements of Criticks, and Commentators, that the Figure whichVulcanmakes in the Synod ofthe Gods is a little improper, and unheroical. But, as I said, I care not to insist upon these Things; nor do I deny thatVirgilhas Faults, and that too in his first Six Books, which are most correct, and least liable to Exception. I shall in my Remarks take Notice of some Passages, which I think to be such. NoMortalwas ever yet the Author of a Work absolutely perfect: There are butTwosuch in the World; if we may properly say so: For theWorldit self is one of them.
Virgilthen greatly excelledHomerin Judgment: So much, that had he been greatly excelled by him in Fire, the Advantage, upon the Comparison in these two Respects, would have been on his Side. But I shall not consider, on the other hand, how farHomerexceededVirgilin Fire; because I utterly deny that he exceeded him in it at all.
This, I am sensible, will seem a bold Assertion. Many who, upon the Whole, preferVirgil, give him up here: Many, I say; for Some do not. And never was any Author more injured, than he has been, by some Criticks, especiallyModern ones, in the Article of Genius, and Poetical Fire. What do these Gentlemen call Fire? Or how much Fire would they have? It is impossible to instance in Particulars here; I shall do That in my Notes: I can now only refer to some general Heads, among a Multitude more, which I cannot so much as mention. In the First Book,Juno's Speech,Æolus, the Storm, the Beginning ofDido's Passion: Almost the whole Second Book throughout:Polyphemus, andÆtnain the Third: The Sports, and the Burning of the Ships, in the Fifth: The Sibyl's Prophetick Enthusiasm, and the Descent into Hell in the Sixth:Juno's Speech again, the FuryAlecto, the Occasion of the War, and the Assembling of the Forces in the Seventh: The Story ofCacusin the Eighth, theCyclops, and the Shield: In the Ninth, the Beginning of warlike Action; at
Hic subitam nigro glomerari pulvere nubemProspiciunt Teucri, & tenebras insurgere campis, &c.
NisusandEuryalus; and the amazing Exploits ofTurnusin the Enemy's City: In the Tenth, the Arrival ofÆneaswith his Fleet and Forces, at
Ardet apex capiti, cristisque à vertice flammaFunditur, & vastos umbo vomit aureus ignes, &c.
It is needless, and would be almost endless, to recite the Rapidity of the War in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Books;Mezentius;Camilla; the Speeches ofTurnus, toDrances, toLatinus, to his SisterJuturna; and lastly, the single Combat betweenÆneasand Him:
At Pater Æneas, audito nomine Turni,Deserit & muros, & summas deserit arces;Præcipitatque moras omnes, opera omnia rumpit,Lætitia exultans, horrendumque intonat armis:Quantus Athos, &c.
Which reminds me, by the way, that the same Persons, who blameVirgilfor want of Fire, blame his Heroe for want of Courage; and with just as much Reason. I agree, that each of these Poets in his Temper and Spirit extremely resembles his Heroe: And accordingly,Homeris no more superior toVirgilintrue Fire, thanAchillesis toÆneasintrue Courage. But what necessarily supposes the Poetical Fire, and cannot subsist without it, has not been yet mentioned upon this Head; tho' it was taken Notice of upon another: I mean,Moving the Passions, especially those of Terrour and Pity. The Fourth Book throughout I have above referred to: The Death ofPriam; The Meeting ofÆneasandAndromache;NisusandEuryalusagain:Evander's Concern for his Son before his Death, and his Lamentation after it; The Distress ofJuturna, and the Fury in the Shape of an Owl flapping upon the Shield ofTurnus, are some Instances selected out of many. The Truth is, (so far as it appears from their several Works) theGreekPoet knew little of the Passions, in comparison of theRoman.
It must be observed, that tho' most of the Instances, which I have now produced out ofVirgil, are taken from warlike Adventures; yet it is a great Errour to think (as some do) that all Fire consists in Quarrelling and Fighting: as do nine Parts in ten ofHomer's, in hisIliad. The Fire we are speaking of, isSpiritandVivacity;EnergyofThought, andExpression; which way soever itaffects us; whether it fires us byAnger, orotherwise; nay, tho' itdoes not fire us at all, but even produces aquite contrary Effect. However it may sound like a Paradox; it is the Property of this Poetical Flame to chill us with Horrour, and make us weep with Pity, as well as to kindle us with Indignation, Love,or Glory: It is it's Property to cool, as well as to burn; and Frost and Snow are it's Fuel, as much as Sulphur.
——Jamque volans, apicem, & latera ardua cernitAtlantis duri, cœlum qui vertice fulcit;Atlantis, cinctum assidue cui nubibus atrisPiniferum caput, & vento pulsatur, & imbri:Nix humeros infusa tegit, tum flumina mentoPræcipitant senis, & glacie riget horrida barba.
In these Lines we have the Images of a hoary old Man, a vast rocky Mountain, black Clouds, Wind and Rain, Ice and Snow; One shrinks, and shivers, while one reads them: And yet the World affords few better Instances of Poetical Fire; which is as much shewn in describing a Winter-piece, as in describing a Battle, or a Conflagration. However, as it appears from the Examples before cited,Virgilwas not deficient even in That sort of Fire which is commonly called so, the fierce, the rapid, the fighting: And where he either shews not That, or none at all, 'tis not because hecan't, but because hew'on't; because 'tis not proper. To explain my self, I refer the Reader to my Remark upon V. 712 of the First Book. Excepting some uncorrect Verses,Virgilnever flags: Or when he appears to do so, it is on purpose; according to that most true Opinion of my LordRoscommon:
For I mistake; or far the greatest PartOf what some call Neglect, was study'd Art.WhenVirgilseems to trifle in a Line;'Tis like a Warning-piece, which gives the Sign,To wake your Fancy, and prepare your SightTo reach the noble Height of some unusual Flight.
His very Negligences are accurate, and even his Blemishes are Beauties. Besides; a considerable Number of Verses together may have little, or no Fire in them; and yet be very graceful, and deserve great Praise.Virgil(which I think is not so observable inHomer) can be elegant, and admirable, without being in a Hurry, or in a Passion. He is sometimes higher indeed, and sometimes lower: but he always flies; andthat too (as Mr.Segraisjudiciously observes) always at a Distance from the Ground: He rises, and sinks, as he pleases; but never flutters, or grovels. Can the same be as truly said ofHomer? His Fire in the main is divine; but as I think he has too much of it in some Places, has he not too little in others? Mr.Drydensays,[15]Milton runs into a flat Thought, sometimes for a hundred Lines together. Which, I think, is not true: He sometimes flags in many Lines together; and perhaps the same may be as truly said of his Greek Master. InHomermethinks I see a Rider of a noble, generous, and fiery Steed; who always puts him upon the Stretch, and therefore sometimes tires him:Virgilmounted upon the same, or such another, gives him either the Reins, or the Curb, at proper times; and so his Pace, if not always rapid, as it should not be, is always stately, and majestick; and his Fire appears by being suppressed, as well as by being indulged. For the Judgment of this incomparable Poet, in alternately suppressing, and indulging his Divine Fury, puts me in mind of his ownApollooverruling and inspiring his ownSibyl; which whole Passage, by the way (for I shall cite but Part of it) is it self one of the noblest Instances of Poetical Fire this Day extant in the whole World. My Application a little perverts it: But That is a small Circumstance in Allusions.
At Phœbi nondum patiens immanis in antroBacchatur vates, magnum si pectore possitExcussisse Deum; tanto magis ille fatigatOs rabidum, fera corda domans, fingitque premendo.
But afterwards;
Talibus ex adyto dictis Cumæa SibyllaHorrendas canit ambages, antroque remugit,Obscuris vera involvens; ea fræna furentiConcutit, & stimulos sub pectore vertit Apollo.
What was my LordRoscommon's Precept, wasVirgil's Practice,
To write with Fury, but correct with Phlegm:
Things very consistent in their own Nature. And therefore I must insistthatVirgilwas no way deficient in Poetical Fire; and thatHomerexcelled him not in that Particular. By which last I always mean, that eitherHomerhad notmoreof it, or if he hadmore in the Whole, he hadtoo muchinsomeInstances, andtoo littleinothers. If His weremorethanVirgil's, (tho' even That I question) it was notbetter; no norso good: considering how their Fire was disposed, or (if I may so speak) situated in their several Constitutions; and what use they severally made of it in their Writings. And therefore upon this Article I must take the Liberty to say, Mr.Popeis not just toVirgil, as well as to some other Poets, in the Preface to his admirable Translation ofHomer. "This Fire (says he) is discerned inVirgil; but discerned as through a Glass, reflected, and rather shining than warm, but every-where equal and constant: InLucan, andStatius, it bursts out in sudden, short, and interrupted Flashes: InMilton, it glows like a Furnace, kept up to an uncommon Fierceness by the Force of Art: InShakespear, it strikes before we are aware, like an accidental Fire from Heaven: But inHomer, and in Him only, it burns every where clearly, and every where irresistibly." Supposing his Account ofLucanandStatiusto be true: I no more know how to distinguish it from his Account ofShakespear, than I agree with him in the Character he gives of that great Man. For Fires from Heaven do notoftenstrike; and when they do, are of no long Continuance: And soShakespear's, like That of the other Two before mentioned, is supposed toburst out in short, sudden, and interrupted Flashes: For Instance, like Lightning; which is the only Fire from Heaven that we ordinarily see, or hear of, and even That not very frequently. For if any other Celestial flashes are here meant, they indeed may be more Divine; but they are much more rare, and short, than Those ofStatiusandLucan. WhereasShakespear, in my Judgment, has more of the Poetical Fire, than either of those Poets.Miltonindeed had more of it than He: and therefore I am no less suprized at the Character here given of his Fire, thatit glows like a Furnace, kept up to an uncommon Fierceness by the Force of Art: Because, tho' his Art, Learning, and Use of Books, especially ofHomer, be very great; yet he is most distinguished by natural Genius, Spirit, Invention, and Fire; in all which perhaps he is not very much inferiour toHomerhimself. Whose Fire again does not, I conceive,burn every where clearly, and irresistibly: Or if it did, it would be no Commendation. For the smallPraise here given toVirgil, is, in my Opinion, no true Praise at all: His Fire is not every where equal: and it would be a Fault in him, if it were; as I have above observed. But waving That; Surely such an Account ofVirgil's Fire was never given by any Critick before.It is discerned: As faint, and lessening an Expression, as could have been thought of. And how is it evendiscerned? Onlythrough a Glass: And lest we should imagine That Glass to be aBurning-Glass; it isreflected, andrather shining, than warm. Now I desire to be informed, what truer Idea any one can have of the coldest, and most spiritless Writer in the World; supposing him only to be a good Judge, and a Man of tolerable Parts. If I am my self a little warm upon this Subject, I hope it may be pardoned upon such an Occasion; when so great a Genius asVirgil's is unjustly censured by so great a Genius as Mr.Pope's. However it be;Homer, according to this Account, remains the Sun of Poetry: For I know of no other Luminary (to which he may be compared) whose Fireburns every where clearly, and every where irresistibly. Whereas, if we must pursue these Similes of Light, and Fire, (tho', like other Similes, they do not answer in every Particular) I should rather say, as I hinted in the Beginning of this Preface, that the Fire of Poetry arose inHomer, like Light at the Creation; shining, and burning, it is true, but enshrined in a Cloud: But was afterwards transplanted intoVirgil, as into the Sun; according to the Account whichMiltongives of Both:[16]
Let there be Light, said God; and forthwith LightEthereal, first of Things, Quintessence pure,Sprang from the Deep; and from her native EastTo journy thro' the airy Gloom began,Sphear'd in a radiant Cloud: For yet the SunWas not; She in a cloudy TabernacleSojourn'd the while.——
Afterwards:
Of Light by far the greater Part he took,Transplanted from her cloudy Shrine, and plac'dIn the Sun's Orb, made porous to receiveAnd drink the liquid Light; firm to retainHer gather'd Beams, great Palace now of Light.
If it be said, that according to this Account,Homerhas the Advantage; becauseallthe Light is supposed to have been first in him, and only aPartof it (tho' the greatest) transferred toVirgil: it must be remembered that we are only making aComparison: For if it were an exactParallel, we must conceive (which we are far from doing) that thevery individualFire of theGreekPoet was transferred into theRoman; and that the one ceases to exist separately from the other. But besides; admittingHomerto have the Advantageso faras this Objection supposes; yet stillVirgilhas itupon the Whole, even with respect to Fire, of which we are now discoursing. Tho' the Light in the cloudy Shrine weremorethan That in the Sun; yet in the Sun it is placed in ahigher, and moreregularSphere; moreaptly disposedforwarmingandilluminating, and morecommodiously situatedfor the Delight and Benefit of Mankind. "TheRomanAuthor (we are told) seldom rises into very astonishing Sentiments, where he is not fired by theIliad.[17]" Tho' I absolutely deny the Matter of Fact yet supposing it were true, stillfired he is: The Poetical Spirit is in him, however he came by it; and that toobetter, if notmore, than in him from whom he is imagined to have received it. How far the Reader will be of my Opinion upon this Head I know not: But to me the Truth of what I have urged resembles theThingsof which I have been speaking: Itshineslike theLight, andburnslike theFire.
As toSimiles,Homeris supposed to have the full Propriety ofThem; and even the greatest Part ofVirgil's must be His. That a great Number ofVirgil's are taken from him, I deny not; but most of them are exceedingly improved by being transplanted: Tho' I believe if he had taken fewer fromHomer, and given us more of his own, his Poem would have been so much the better. Not that he really has copy'd fromHomerin this Instance, near so much as some Criticks pretend; and he has more Similes entirely his own; than the aforesaid Criticks will allow him. In my Remarks I shall mention some Particulars.
Generally speaking,Homer's Descriptionsare admirable. But even in this View, I think Those are unjust toVirgil, who do not allow thathe excels his Master. Consider the several Instances already cited, upon the Article of Poetical Fire; for most of them may be equally applied to This. What Images! what Paintings! what Representations of Nature! what Nature it self, do we find and feel in them! Besides a Multitude of others, which cannot now be so much as mentioned: I must here again refer to my Notes for Particulars.
ForStyle,Diction, andVerification,Homer, I acknowledge, is allowed the Triumph, even by the Generality ofVirgil's Party: particularly byRapin; as he is likewise by him in the Instances ofFire, andDescription, above-mentioned. However, that I may not be thought singular in my Opinion, a Character which I by no means desire; it may be considered that I agree withScaligerin his express Assertions, and with my LordRoscommonin his Hints and Insinuations, not to mention other Authorities; when I frankly declare my Sentiments, that theRomanPoet is superiour to theGrecianeven in this Respect. TheGreekLanguage, it is true, is superiour to theLatin, in This, as well as in every thing else; being the most expressive, the most harmonious, the most various, rich, and fruitful, and indeed, upon all Accounts, the best Language in the World. But if notwithstanding this great Advantage,Virgil's Diction and Versification be preferable toHomer's; his Glory for That very Reason will be so much the greater.Homer's Epithets, for the most part, are inThemselvesexceedingly beautiful; but are not many of themsuperfluous? Whether many, nay all, of those Particles which are commonly (and indeed, I think, falsly enough) called Expletives, be significant or no, I do not now dispute: But admitting them to be so; are not too many little Words, whetherExpletives, nay whetherParticles, or not, often crouded together? Ἤ εἰ δή ποτέ τοι κατὰ,&c.and Ἦ ῥὰ νύ μοί ποτὲ καὶ σὺ,&c.are not, I own, very agreeable Sounds to my Ears; and many more of the same Kind are to be met with. Moreover, does notHomermake an ill use of one great Privilege of his Language, (among many others) I mean That of dissolving Diphthongs, by so very frequently inserting a Word of five, or six Syllables, to drag his Sense to the End of a Verse, which concludes with the long Word aforesaid? Those Words, even at the End of a Verse, are sometimes indeed very agreeable: But are they not often otherwise? Especially at the Close of a Paragraph, or Speech; when for the most part too they are Epithets: and yet more especially, when those Epithets are of littleSignificancy? I shall give but one Instance, tho' it were very easy to produce many; and That shall be the last Line of theIliad: Upon which, compared with the last of theÆneis, I cannot but think that
Vitaque cum gemitu fugit indignata sub umbras,
is a nobler Conclusion of an Heroic Poem, than
Ὣς οἲ γ' ἀμφίεπον τάφον Ἕκτορος ἱπποδάμοιο.
A thousand things of the same, or of the like Nature, might be mentioned: And I am aware that such Observations will by some Criticks be calledmodern Criticisms. But be That as it will; I am for Truth and Reason, whether it be called Ancient, or Modern.
To display the Excellence ofVirgil's Style, Diction, and Versification, cannot be the Business of this Preface: Here again I must refer to my Notes. I only observe, that nothing can be more sublime, and majestick, than some Parts; nothing more sweet, and soft, than others; nothing more harmonious, flowing, numerous, and sounding than both his Soft, and his Sublime. As to which latter, when he describes the Fury, Noise, and Confusion of War, I recollect That of my LordRoscommon;
Th'ÆneianMuse, when she appears in State,Makes allJove'sThunder on her Verses wait.
And That ofVirgilhimself:
——Quo non præstantior alterÆre ciere viros, Martemque accendere cantu.
For those Lines may as well be applied to the Trumpet ofVirgil, as ofMisenus. Not but that in this way of Writing, I mean the Martial, and the Furious,Homer, setting aside his Redundancy, is at least equal toVirgil; perhaps superiour. But then he is not comparable to him in the other Part, the smooth, the soft, and the sweetly flowing. This inVirgilalways puts me in mind of some Verses of his own, which I have elsewhere cited: Verses, which, in the Sixth Eclogue, the Speakers applyto each other; and which, above all Writers, are most applicable to Him, who gives Speech to them both.
Tale tuum carmen nobis, divine Poeta,Quale sopor fessis in gramine, quale per æstumDulcis aquæ saliente sitim restinguere rivo.Nam neque me tantum venientis sibilus Austri,Nec percussa juvant fluctu tam littora, nec quæSaxosas inter decurrunt flumina valles.
But the exquisite Art ofVirgil's Versification is seen in his varying the Pauses, and Periods, and Cadence of his Numbers; in being rough or smooth, soft or vehement, long or short,&c.according to the Nature of the Ideas he would convey to the Mind: in which, I think, he exceeds all Writers, whether Ancient or Modern; and is in particular the best Versifier, as well as, upon the whole, the best Poet in the World.
Upon the Subject ofSpeeches, Mr.Popetells us, "That inVirgilthey often consist of general Reflections, or Thoughts, which might be equally just in any Person's Mouth upon the same Occasion. As many of his Persons have no apparent Characters; so many of his Speeches escape being applied, and judged by the Rule of Propriety. We oftner think of the Author himself, when we readVirgil, than when we are engaged inHomer. All which are the Effects ofa colder Invention, that interests us less in the Action described:Homermakes us Hearers, andVirgilleaves us Readers." I have the Misfortune to be of a quite different Sentiment. IfVirgiloutshinesHomerin any thing, it is especially in hisSpeeches. Which are all, so far as it is necessary, adapted to the Manners of the Speakers, and diversified by their several Characters. Nor do I know of any one Beauty by whichVirgilis more peculiarly distinguished, than That of his Speeches: Considering the Sweetness and Softness of some, the Cunning and Artifice of others; the Majesty and Gravity of a third sort; the Fire and Fury of a fourth: In which two last Kinds especially we have the united Eloquence of Oratory, and Poetry; and readTullyinvolved inVirgil. That the Characters of the Heroes are more particularly marked and distinguished in theGreek, than in theLatin, I readily acknowledge.In That theIliadexcels theÆneis; and, I think, in nothing else. And the Controversy between these two great Poets Should, in my Opinion, be thus determined: "ThatVirgilis very much obliged toHomer; andHomer's Poems, upon the whole, very much exceeded byVirgil's."
But I am sensible, that by arguing forVirgilI have all this while been arguing against my self. For the more excellent the Author, the more presumptuous the Translator. I have however thus much to plead in my Excuse, That this Work was very faradvanced, before it wasundertaken; having been for many Years the Diversion of my leisure Hours at the University, and growing upon me by insensible Degrees; so that a greatPartof theÆneiswasactually translated, before I hadany Designofattempting the Whole. But with regard to thePublick Office in Poetry, with which the University ofOxfordwas afterwards pleased to honour me, (an Honour which I Now enjoy, and which I shall Forever gratefully acknowledge) I thought it might not be improper for me to review, and finish this Work; which otherwise had certainly been as much neglected by Me, as perhaps it will now be by Every body else.
It is to That renowned Seat of Learning and Virtue, (the Pride and Glory of our Island!)
——cujus amor mihi crescit in horas,
and my Love and Veneration for which I Shall never be able to express: It is to That famous University, I say, that I owe a very considerable Part of my Encouragement in this Undertaking; tho' at the same time I have great and signal Obligations to manyOthers, who were not only Subscribers to it themselves, but Promoters of it by their Interest in their Friends. With the most grateful Sense of the Favour, and Honour done me, I return mygeneralThanks toAllThose of the Nobility, and Gentry, and all Others, who appear as my Subscribers: But These myespecial Benefactorsare desired to accept of my moreparticularAcknowledgments. Even These (many of whom are Persons of Quality) are so numerous, that to mention them would be to transcribe a great Part of my List into my Preface: And Since I cannot properly name themAll, I think it the best Manners to nameNone. I wish for Their sakes, as well as my Own, that, when they have read this Translation,they may not repent of thegenerous Encouragementthey have given it.
One Thing of which, I hope, I may say; and That is, thatit is a Translation. And if it be; I believe I may add, that it is almost the only one in Verse, and of a considerable Length. And this I am very far from speaking, upon the Account of any great Opinion which I have conceived of my own Performance. For besides that a Translation may be veryclose, and yet verybad. Others could have done the same thing much better, if they would: But they thought it either impracticable, or improper. They have been so averse from the Folly of rendering Word for Word, that they have ran into the other Extreme; and their Translations are commonly so very licentious, that they can scarce be called so much as Paraphrases. Whereas, were it practicable to translateverbatimin the strictest Sense; and yet preserve the Elegance, and Sublimity, and Spirit of the Author, as much as if one allowed one's self a greater Latitude: That Method ought to be chosen before the other. And in proportion, the nearer one approaches to the Original, the better it is; provided the Version be in other Respects no way prejudiced, but rather improved by it: A Thing, in my Apprehension, by no Means inconceivable. A Translator shoulddraw the Pictureof his Author: And in Painting, we know,Likenessis thefirstBeauty; so that if it has notThat, all the rest are insignificant. DrawVirgilaslikeas you can; To think ofimprovinghim isarrogant; and to flatter him, isimpossible. I have not added, or omitted very many Words: Many indeed are varied; the Sense of the Substantive in the Latin, being often transferred to the Adjective in the English; and so on the Reverse: with a great Number of such like Instances, which it is needless to mention. Yet many Lines are translated Word for Word: But, upon the Whole, to give a tolerable, and yet a perfectly litteral Version, I take to be in the Nature of Things absolutely impossible.
I am sensible too, as I said before, that it may be a true Translation, a close Translation; and yet, after all, a very bad Translation. Whether This be so, or not, is with all imaginable Deference submitted to the Judgment of the World. To render the bare Sense, and Words of a Poet, is only to paint his Features, and Lineaments; but to render hisPoetry, that is, thepeculiar Turnof his Thoughts, andDiction, is to paint hisAirandManner. And as the Air of a Face arises from a Man'sSoul, as well as from his Body; it is just the same here: Or rather, This peculiar Turn of the Poet's Sentiments and Expressionsis it selfthe Soul of his Poetry: If we are asked what That is; the Answer must be, if we may properly compare aModeto aSubstance, that the Soul of Poetry, like the Soul of Man, is perceivable only by its Effects; like That, immaterial, and invisible; and like That too, immortal.
But then all this being taken care of, certainly the nearer to the Original, the better: Nay indeed it is impossible to hit the Air right; unless you hit the Features, from which the Air, so far as it relates to the Body, rises, and results. Should my Translation be approved of for the Spirit of Poetry; I should not be sorry, nay I should be glad, if at the same time it served for a Construing-Book to a School-Boy. But still whenever it happens (as it very often does, and must) that a close Version, and a graceful Expression are inconsistent; the latter is always to be preferred. Aless litteral Translationis very frequently beautiful; but nothing can justifyan ill Verse. In This Case, one departs from the Original by adhering to it; and such an Author asVirgilmight justly say of his bad Translator, whatMartialsays of his bad Neighbour;
Nemo tam prope, tam proculque nobis.
For the Version would retain more not only of theBeauty, but of thereal Senseof the Original; and soupon the whole, be morelikeit: If it were a less faithful Interpretation of Words and Expressions.
Here therefore we can no longer pursue the Comparison between Painting and Translating: When true Beauty is to be imitated, the Features cannot be too exactly traced in the One, to make a handsom Likeness; but Words may be too exactly rendered in the Other. Upon this Head I cannot avoid transcribing a Passage from the ingenious, and (in all Instances, but one) judicious Dr.Felton's Dissertation uponReading the Classicks addressed to the Lord Marquis ofGranby. "When therefore ([18]says He) you meet with any Expressions which will not be rendered without this Disadvantage, the Thing to be regarded is the Beauty and Elegance of the Original; and your Lordship, withoutminding any thing but the Sense of the Author, is to consider how that Passage would be best expressed inEnglish, if you were not tied up to the Words of the Original: And you may depend upon it, that if you can find a Way of expressing the same Sense as beautifully inEnglish; you have hit the true Translation, tho' you cannot construe the Words backwards, and forwards into one another: For then you certainly have translated, as the Author, were he anEnglishman, would have wrote." And since I have cited thus much from That Treatise; I will borrow a little more from it upon the Nature, and Difficulty of Translations in general: Because it entirely expresses my Sentiments, in far better Words than I am able to make use of. "[19]'Tis no exceeding Labour for every great Genius to exert, and manage, and master his own Spirit: But 'tis almost an insuperable Task to compass, to equal, to command the Spirit of another Man. Yet this is what every Translator taketh upon himself to do; and must do, if he deserves the Name. He must put himself into the Place of his Authors, not only be Master of their Manner as to their Style, their Periods, Turn, and Cadence of their Writings; but he must bring himself to their Habit, and Way of Thinking, and have, if possible, the same Train of Notions in his Head, which gave Birth to Those they have selected, and placed in their Works." For the Rest, I refer my Reader to the Dissertation it self; of which I would say that it is a most curious and delicate Piece of Wit, and Criticism, and polite Learning; did I not fear that (for a Reason which I will not mention) it would look like Vanity in Me to do common Justice to it's Author. At the same time I must acknowledge that the Doctor represents a Translation ofVirgilafter Mr.Dryden's as a desperate Undertaking: Which would be no small Mortification to me; were not mine of a different Nature from His: Of which more in it's proper Place.
Endeavouring to resembleVirgilas much as possible, I have imitated him in hisBreaks. For tho' I am satisfied he never intended to leave those Verses unfinished, and therefore he is in that Particular absurdly mimicked by some Moderns in their Original Writings; yetunfinished they are: And this Imitation is not (with Mr.Dryden's Leave) "like the Affectation ofAlexander's Courtiers, who heldtheir Necks awry, because He could not help it." For besides that awry Neckis one thing, and aScaris another;Apellesin aPictureought to have imitated his Master's Imperfection, if he intended to draw an exact Likeness, tho' hisCourtierswere ridiculous Flatterers for doing the Same in theirGestures.
A Work of This Nature is to be regarded in Two different Views; both as aPoem, and as aTranslated Poem. In the one, all Persons of good Sense, and a true Taste of Poetry, are Judges of it; tho' they are skilled in no Language, but their Own. In the other, Those only are so; who besides the Qualification just mentioned, are familiarly acquainted with the Original. And it may well admit of a Question, to which of these Species of Readers a good Translation is the more agreeable Entertainment. The Unlearned are affected like Those, who see the Picture of One whose Character they admire; but whose Person they never saw: The Learned, like Those who see the Picture of one whom they love, and admire; and with whom they are intimately acquainted. The Reason of the first Pleasure is clear; but That of the last requires a little more Consideration. It may all, be resolved into the Love of Imitation, Comparison, and Variety; which arises from the Imperfection of human Happiness; for a Reason which I have elsewhere[20]assigned. Delightful therefore it is to compare the Version with the Original: Through the whole Course of which Comparison, we discover many retired Beauties in the Author himself, which we never before observed. Delightful it must be to have the same Ideas started in our Minds, different ways; and the more agreeable those Ideas are in themselves, the more agreeable is this Variety. Therefore, the better we understand a Poet, the more we love and admire him; the more Pleasure we conceive in reading him well translated: As we most delight to see the Pictures of Those whom we best love; and to see the Persons themselves in Variety of Dresses. Upon which Account, I will be bold to affirm; that he who says he values no Translation of this, or that Poem, because he understands the Original, has indeed no true Relish, that is, in effect, notrue UnderstandingofEither.
It is indeed no less certain on the Reverse, that a Man is as much provoked to see an ill Picture of his Friend, or Mistress, as he is pleased to see a good one; and it is just the same in Translations. But it isevident that thebare Understandingof a Poet (as that Word is commonly used) is not theonlyArgument of one'strulyunderstanding him: that is, understanding him as aPoet. Because what I have just now said, concerning the Agreeableness of a good Translation, holds as true, when it is from our own Language to another, as when it is from another to our own. It may be presumed thatMilton'sParadise Lost, being inEnglish, is wellunderstood(vulgarly speaking) byEnglishmen. But notwithstanding That, were it possible (as I think it is not) to have all That amazing Poem as well translated intoLatin, orGreek, as some Parts of it certainly may be; with what Pleasure should we read it! And he who would not read such a Translation with Pleasure, will, I believe, be allowed by all who have a right Taste of Poetry nottrulyto understand the Original. Besides what I have said concerning the Delight arising from Imitation, Comparison, and Variety, which respects the Relation between the Version, and the Original; the Translator's Work, even to Those who understand the Original, is in a great measure aNew Poem: The Thought, and Contrivance are his Author's; but his Language, and the Turn of his Versification, and Expressions, are his own. What I have offered upon this Subject relates to Translations in general: Of my own in particular I have nothing to say, but what I have said before; which is to submit it to the Judgment of Others.
In Pursuance of my Design of endeavouring to be as likeVirgilas possible; I have chosen Blank Verse, rather than Rhime. For besides that the Fetters of Rhime often cramp the Expression, and spoil the Verse, and so you can both translate more closely, and also more fully express the Spirit of your Author, without it, than with it; I say besides This, supposing other Circumstances were equal, Blank Verse isin it self better. It is not only more Majestick, and Sublime, but more Musical, and Harmonious: It has moreRhimein it, according to the ancient, and true Sense of the Word, than Rhime it self, as it is now used. For in it's original Signification, it consists not in the Tinkling of Vowels, and Consonants; but in the metrical Disposition of Words, and Syllables, and the proper Cadence of Numbers; which is more agreeable to the Ear, without the Jingling of like Endings, than with it. The Reader may say, To whose Ear is it so? To Yours perhaps; but not to Mine. And I grant all This to be matter of Fact, rather than of Reason;and to be determined by Votes, rather than Arguments. And accordingly a great Majority of the best Genius's, and Judges in Poetry now living, with many of whom I have frequently conversed upon this Subject, have determined in favour of this way of Writing. And among Those who are dead, the same was the Opinion not only of my LordRoscommon(to omit others,) but of[21]Mr.DrydenHimself; who was the best Rhimer, as well as the best Poet, of the Age in which he lived. And indeed let but a Man consult his own Ears.
——Him the Almighty Pow'rHurl'd headlong, flaming from th' ethereal Sky,With hideous Ruin, and Combustion, downTo bottomless Perdition; there to dwellIn Adamantine Chains, and penal Fire;Who durst defy th' Omnipotent to Arms.Nine times the Space that measures Day, and NightTo mortal Men, he with his horrid CrewLay vanquish'd, rowling in the fiery Gulph,Confounded, tho' immmortal——
Who that hears This, can think it wants Rhime to recommend it? Or rather does not think it sounds far better without it? I purposely produced a Citation, beginning and ending in the Middle of a Verse; because the Privilege of resting on this, or that Foot, sometimes one, and sometimes another, and so diversifying the Pauses, and Cadences, is the greatest Beauty of Blank Verse, and perfectly agreeable to the Practice of our Masters, theGreeks, andRomans. This can be done but rarely in Rhime: For if it were frequent, the Rhime would be, in a manner, lost by it: The End of almost every Verse must be something of a Pause; and it is but seldom that a Sentence begins in the Middle. The same may be said of placing the Verb after the Accusative Case; and the Adjective after the Substantive; both which, especially the last, are more frequent in Blank Verse, than in Rhime. This Turn of Expression likewise is agreeable to the Practice of the Ancients; and even in our own Language adds much to the Grandeur, and Majesty of the Poem, if it be wrought with Care, and Judgment. As does alsothe judicious interspersing (forjudicious, andsparingit must be) ofantiqueWords, and of such as, being derived fromLatin, retain the Air of That Language: Both which have a better Effect in Blank Verse, than in Rhime; by Reason of a certain Majestick Stiffness, which becomes the one, more than the other.Miltonindeed has, I think, rather too much of This: And perhaps the most ingenious Mr.Philipshas too much imitated him in it; as he has certainly well nigh equalled him in his most singular Beauties. I speak of this Stiffness only in some particular Passages, for which it is proper: For Blank Verse, when it pleases, can be as smooth, as soft, and as flowing, as Rhime. Now these Advantages alone (were there no other) which Blank Verse has above Rhime, would more than compensate for the Loss of that Pleasure which comes from the Chiming of Syllables; the former, by reason of those Advantages, being, all things considered, even more musical, and harmonious, as well as more noble, and sublime, than the latter.
Upon Varying the Pauses it is to be observed, that Two Verses together should rarely pause at the same Foot; for a Reason too plain to be mentioned. I saidrarely; because there is no Law so strict in Things of This Nature, but that it is sometimes a Vertue to break it. And tho' it be one great Privilege in this sort of Verse, to make a full Period at the Beginning, or in the Middle of a Line; yet you may do it too often.Milton, I think, does so; who sometimes gives you thirty, or forty Verses together, not one of which concludes with a full Period. But to return to our Comparison.
Tho' all This be rather Matter of Sense, than of Reason; yet I appealed to the best Genius's, and Judges in Poetry; because it is a great Mistake to think that all Ears are equally Judges. It may as well, nay better, be affirmed that all Persons have equally Ears for Musick. This Sentiment is notpurelyOrganical, and depends notsolelyupon the Mechanism of Sense. The Judgment hasa Sharein it: Or if it has not; there is (which amounts to much the same) so close an Union between the Soul and Body of Man, as also between the Spirit and the Diction, which may be called the Soul and Body of Poetry; that the Poetical Turn of any Person's Mind affects the very Organs of Sense. Readers of vulgar and mean Tastes may relish Rhime best; and so may Some even of the best Taste; because they have been habituated to it. But the more they accustom themselves to Blank Verse; the better they will like it:
———Si propius stes,Te capiet magis——
After all, I cannot agree with Those, whoentirely condemnthe Use of Rhime even in an Heroic Poem; nor can I absolutely reject That in Speculation, which Mr.Dryden, and Mr.Popehave ennobled by their Practice. I acknowledge too that, in some particular Views, tho' not upon the Whole, This Way of Writing has the Advantage over the other. You may pick out more Lines, which, singly considered, look mean, and low, from a Poem in Blank Verse, than from one in Rhime: supposing them to be in other respects equal. Take the Lines singly by themselves, or in Couplets; and more in Blank Verse shall be less strong, and smooth, than in Rhime: But then take a considerable Number together; and Blank Verse shall have the Advantage in both Regards. Little, and ignoble Words, asThus,Now,Then,Him, &c. on the one Hand; and long ones, asElements,Omnipotent,Majesty, &c. on the other, would in a Poem consisting of Rhime sound weak, and languishing, at the End of a Verse: because the Rhime draws out the Sound of those Words, and makes them observed, and taken notice of by the Ear: Whereas in Blank Verse they are covered, and concealed by running immediately into the next Line. And yet a considerable Number of Lines are not, in the Main, Prosaick, or Flat; but more Noble, than if they were all in Rhime. For Instance, the following Verses out ofMilton'sParadise Lost, Book II.
Of Heav'n were falling, and these Elements——
Instinct with Fire, and Nitre hurry'd him——
taken singly, look low, and mean; but pray read them in Conjunction with others; and then see what a different Face will be set upon them.
——Or less than if this FrameOf Heav'n were falling, and these ElementsIn Mutinie had from her Axle tornThe stedfast Earth. At last his sail-broad VansHe spreads for flight; and in the surging Smoke, &c.
——Had not by ill chanceThe strong Rebuff of some tumultuous CloudInstinct with Fire, and Nitre, hurry'd himAs many miles aloft. That fury stay'd;Quench'd in a boggy Syrtis, neither Sea,Nor good dry Land: Nigh founder'd on he fares,Treading the crude Consistence——
Thus again in the VIth Book.
Had to her Center shook. What wonder? when——
Had not th' Eternal King Omnipotent——
And limited their Might; tho' number'd such——
These Verses disjointed from their Fellows make but an indifferent Figure: But read the following Passage and I believe you will acknowledge there is not one bad Verse in it:
So under fiery Cope together rush'dBoth Battles maine, with ruinous Assault,And inextinguishable Rage: All Heav'nResounded; and had Earth been then, all EarthHad to her Center shook. What wonder? whenMillions of fierce encountring Angels foughtOn either side; the least of whom could wieldThese Elements, and arm him with the forceOf all their Regions. How much more of pow'r,Army 'gainst Army, numberless, to raiseDreadful Combustion, warring, and disturb,Tho' not destroy, their happy native Seat:Had not th' Eternal King OmnipotentFrom his strong Hold of Heav'n high over-rul'dAnd limited their Might; tho' number'd suchAs each divided Legion might have seem'dA num'rous Host in strength, each armed handA Legion——
In Short, a Poem consisting of Rhime is like a Building in which the Stones are all (or far the greatest part of them)hewn with equal Exactness; but are all of a Shape, and not so well jointed:Every oneof them,by it self, is better squared, thansomein another Building, in which they are of different Figures. But tho' in this latter there shall be a few, which, taken separately, do not look so well: yet somerunning into others, and all beingbetter adjustedtogether; it shall not onlyupon the Whole, but with regard to anyconsiderable Part, by it self, be a stronger, and a more beautiful Fabrick, than the former.
But we are told that Blank Verse is not enough distinguished from Prose. The Answer must be, It is according as it is. That of ourEnglishTragedies, I confess, is not; tho' very proper for the Purpose to which it is apply'd. This indeed is what theFrenchrightly callProse mesurée, rather than Verse. But much worse is to be said ofanyPoem, which is only written in the Shape of Metre, but has no more of Verse in it, than of Rhime; no Harmony, or Prosody, no true Metrical Cadence; half the Lines concluding with double Syllables, asTorment,Greatness, and the Participles ending ining. This deserves not so much as the Name ofProse on Horseback; 'Tis Prose upon Crutches; and of all Prose the vilest. But if Blank Verse be laboured, as it ought to be; it is sufficiently distinguished from Prose. We have no Feet, nor Quantities, like the Ancients; and nothing in our poor Language will ever supply That Defect: Rhime is at least as far from doing it, as the more Advantageous Variety of Cadences in Blank Verse: Which requires so much the more Care, and Art, to work it up into Numbers, and Support it from groveling into Prose.
Which naturally leads us to observe further, that many Imperfections, both in Thought, and Expression, will be overlooked in Rhime, which will not be endured in Blank Verse: So that the same may be said of This, whichHoraceapplies to Comedy;
Creditur——habereSudoris minimum; sed habet——tantoPlus oneris, quanto veniæ minus——
I do not say, Rhime is, all things considered, more easy than the other: That Point cannot be well determined; because it relates to the particular Genius's of particular Persons. For my own part, if I never made one good Verse, I have made many good Rhimes: But supposing Both to be equally easy, I should chuse Blank Verse, for the Reasons already alledged.
After all which, if some Gentlemen are resolved thatBlank Verse shallbeProse; they have my free Leave toenjoy their Saying: provided I may have Theirs to think they mean nothing by it; unless they can prove that Rhime is essential to Metre; consequently that theGoths, andMonkswere the first Inventers of Verse; and thatHomer, andVirgil, as well asMilton, wrote nothing but Prose.
Miltonindeed hastoo manyof those looser and weaker Verses; as he has some Lines which are no Verses at all. These for Instance,
Burnt after them to the bottomless Pit:In the Visions of God; It was a Hill:
are Lines consisting of ten Syllables; but they are no moreEnglishVerses, than they areGreekones. ManyirregularandredundantVerses, and more of an ill Sound and Cadence, are to be met with in his Poem; sometimes a considerable Number of them together. Whether This wasNegligencein him, orChoice, I know not. Certain it is from the main Tenour of his Verification, than which nothing can be more heroically sonorous, that it was not Want of Ear, Genius, or Judgment. What is the true Cadence of anEnglishVerse, is sufficiently known to the Ears of every one who has a Taste of Poetry. Sometimes it is not only allowable, but beautiful, to run into harsh, and unequal Numbers. Mr.Drydenhimself does it; and we may be sure he knew when he did it, as well as we could tell him. In a Work intended for Pleasure,Varietyjustifies the Breach of almost any Rule, provided it be done butrarely. Among the Ancient Poets, what are many of thoseFigures(as we call them) both in Prosody, and Syntax, but so many Ways of makingfalse Quantity, andfalse Grammar, for the sake ofVariety? False, I mean, ordinarily speaking; for Variety, and That only, makes it elegant.Miltonhowever has too much irregular Metre: But if his overruling Genius, and Merit might in Himauthorizeit, or at leastexcuseit;yetnobis non licet esse tam audacibus: especially when I am translatingVirgil, the most exact, and accurate Versificator in the World: A Character, however, which he would not deserve (for the Reason just mentioned) were he not insomeVerses irregular, and unaccurate. I am sure I have truly imitated him inThat; I wish I may have done so inany thing else.
Two Things remain to be taken notice of, equally relating to Rhime, and Blank Verse. It is a known Fault in our Language, that it is too much crouded withMonosyllables: Yet some Verses consisting wholly of them sound well enough: However, the fewer we have of them, the better it is. I believe there are as few of them in this Translation as in anyEnglishPoem of an equal Length; which is all I shall say upon This Article.
The Other is theElision of Vowels: Upon which, in my Opinion, the Criticks have ran into Extremes on both Sides. Mr.Drydendeclares for it as a general Rule which he has observed without Exception, in his Translation of theÆneis;[22]and is utterly againsta Vowel gaping after another for want of a Cesura, as he expresses himself. Another great Master and Refiner of our Language[23]is for very little, or no Abbreviation; if I do not mistake his Meaning. It is true, in the Letter, to which I refer, he instances only in cutting off the Vowel E at the End of our Participles ending ined; but I presume his Argument is equally designed against the Elision of a Vowel before a Vowel in two different Words: And, if I do not forget, he has declared himself of That Opinion, when I have had the Honour and Pleasure of his most agreeable and instructive Conversation. But with humble Submission to both these great Men, the Elision seems sometimes proper, and sometimes not, in the ParticleThe; for upon That, and the ParticleTo, the Question chiefly turns;He, andShebeing but very rarely abbreviated by any tolerable Writer: And therefore Mr.Drydenexpresses himself too much at large, when he speaks of Vowels in general. And when this Elision is proper, and when not, the Ear is a sufficient Judge. TheFrench, we know, continually use it in theirLe, and that in Prose, and common Discourse, as well as in Verse:L'Amour,L'Eternel,L'Invincible, &c. As also in their Pronouns,me,te, andse. In ourEnglishPoetry, I think it may be either,Th' Eternal,Th' Almighty; orThe Eternal,The Almighty; but rather the former: It should be always,The Army,The Enemy;neverTh' Army, orTh' Enemy. And so in other Instances: Of which the Ear (which by the way will never endure the Sound ofTh' Ear) is always to be Judge. But of these Things too much.
The Kind of Verse therefore, which I have chosen, distinguishes this Translation from Those of Others, who have gone before me in this bold Undertaking: For I had never heard of Dr.Brady's Design, 'till long after This was in a great Forwardness. And His being not yet executed; He is not to be reckoned among my Predecessors: of whom I presume it is expected that I should now give some Account. When I say my Translation is thus distinguished from Those of Others, I speak of our own Countrymen; becauseHannibal Caro'sItalian Æneisis in Blank Verse, such as it is: For[24]Mr.Dryden's Character of it is a very true one; and I need not add any thing to it. Few Persons were ever more familiarly acquainted with theÆneis, had a truer Gust, and Relish of it's Beauties, or enter'd more deeply into the Sentiments, into the very Soul, and Spirit of it's Author, than MonsieurSegrais. His Preface is altogether admirable; and his Translation perhaps almost as good as theFrenchLanguage will allow; which is just as fit for an Epic Poem, as an ambling Nag is for a War-Horse. It is indeed my Opinion of theFrench; that none write betterofPoetry, and few (as toMetre) worseinit. Their Language is excellent for Prose; but quite otherwise for Verse, especially Heroic. And therefore tho' the Translating of Poems into Prose is a strange, modern Invention; yet theFrenchTransposers are in the right; because their Language will not bear Verse. The Translation of theÆneisintoScotishMetre byGawin DouglasBishop ofDonkeld, is said to be a very extraordinary Work by Those who understand it better than I do: There being added to it a long List of great Men, who give him a wonderful Character, both as an excellent Poet, and a most pious Prelate. What Mr.Popesays ofOgilby's Homer, may as well be apply'd to hisVirgil, that his Poetry is too mean for Criticism. Mr.Drydentells us, that no Man understoodVirgilbetter than the Earl ofLauderdale; and I believe few did. His Translation is pretty near to the Original; tho' not so close, as it's Brevity would make one imagine; and it sufficiently appears that he had a right Taste of Poetry in general, and ofVirgil's in particular. He shews a true Spirit; and in many Places is very beautiful. But we should certainlyhave seenVirgilfar better translated by a Noble Hand; had the Earl ofLauderdalebeen the Earl ofRoscommon; or had theScotishPeer followed all the Precepts, and been animated with the Genius of theIrish.
But the most difficult, and invidious Part of my prefacing Task is yet to come. How could I have the Confidence to attempt a Translation ofVirgil, after Mr.Dryden? At least to publish it; after Mr.Popehas in effect given us his Opinion before-hand, that such a Work must be unsuccessful to any Undertaker (much more to so mean a one, as I am) by declaring thatHewould never undertake itHimself? I do not say he makes That Inference; but if hisModestywould not suffer him to do it, hisMeritmust oblige others to do it for him. I so far agree with That most ingenious Gentleman, that Mr.Dryden's is, in many Parts, a noble, and spirited Translation; and yet I cannot, upon the Whole, think it a good one; at least, for Mr.Dryden. Not but that I think his Performance is prodigious, and exceedingly for his Honour, considering the little time he allowed himself for so mighty a Work; having translated not theÆneisonly, but allVirgil's Poems in the Compass of three Years. Nobody can have a truer Respect for That great Man, than I have; or be more ready to defend him against his unreasonable Accusers; who (as Mr.Popejustly observes) envy, and calumniate him. But I hope I shall not be thought guilty of either (I am sure they are the Things of the World which I abhor) if I presume to say that his Writings have their dark, as well as their bright Side; and that what was said of somebody else may be as well applied to Him:Ubi bene, nemo melius; Ubi male, nemo pejus.