S^^ ^B>g>^^^>§>'^^^^^§--^^l ^SiJ^\:SiN,\Si:g? JVil desperandum. FRANCIS M. L. PHELPS. Ji€€^€€€- €#€€li vr^^j. '%/ PRINCETON, N. J. \ Presented h^^V&c\, IVLST, TV. P> BLAKE, E. LARKIN^ B J. WE^T^ yi DCC XCYI. *'*■ %0 c:i^=====^^^^il-^^<' ==^ ELEMENTS o t CRITICISM. CHAPTER XVIIL Beauty of Language. I kJ F all the fine arts, painting only aiidl fculpture are in their nature imitativei An orna-' mented field is not a copy or imitation of nature, but nature itfelf embelliihedi | Archite6t-ure is produc-1 tive of originals! and copies not from nature. ySoundi and motion may in fome meafure be imitated by mu-| fic ; but for the moft part mufic, like architeclurej is produdlive of originals. /Languagejcopies not from nature, more than mufic or architefture ; unlefs, "wherej/nkejnuficj-si^is imitative of found or motion77 (Thus, m the defcription of particulgj founds, lan^ guage fometimes furnifheth words, which, befide their cuftomary power of exciting ideas, refemble by their foftnefs or harflrnefs the founds defcribed ; and there are words which, by the celerity or flownefs of pronunciation, have fome refemblance to the mo- tion they fignify. The imitative power of words goes one flep farther : ^e. loftlnefs of fome words I makes them proper fymfels of lofty ideas ; a rough / fubjea / Vol. II. ^ # ♦ 4 Beauty of Language. Ci-i. XVIII. fubj^ct is imitated by harfii-founding Vvords ; and words of inany fyllables pronounced flow and fmooth, r.re expreffi??,e of grief and melancholyJ Words /have a fepai^tc elie<5l on the mind, ablTracting from thdir fignification and from their imitative power : they are more or lefs agreeable to the' ear^ by the '' fuhiefs, fweetne^, faintnefs, or roughiTHsof their tones. i.Thcfc are but faint beauties, being, known tothofe , ,, only \vho,have more than ordinary acutenefs of per- . cepti^n. "^^Language poflejQTeth a beauty fuperior / greatly in degree,|'of which we are eminently fenfi- blelCvhen a thought is communicated with perfpicuity ancrfprightlin^s.f This beauty of language, arifmg fr6m.its power of expreffing thought, is apt to be confounded with the beauty of the thought itfelf : the beauty of thought, transferred to the expreffion, makes, it appear more beautiful.* But thefe beau- ties, if we wiih to think accurately, mud be diflin- 1 guiihed from each other. , They are in reality fo dif- *^tincl, that v/e fometimes are confcious of the higheil pleafure language can aflbrd, when ■ the, fubjeft ex- preiied is difagreeablc : a thing that is loathfome, or a fcene of horror to make one's hair fland on end, mav be defcribfed in a manner fo lively, as that the ■ difagreeablenefs of the fubje6l fli&ll not even bbfcure the agreeablenefs of the defcription. The caufes of the original beauty of language, confide.red as fig- nificant, which is a branch of the prefent fubjecr, will be explained in their order. I fnall only at pref- ent .1 * Cliap. e. part i. fc£l. .5. Demctiius Plialcreus (of Elocution, fefl. j-^ ) makes the fame obfervation. We are apt, •4'ays that author, to i confound the laneuare with the fuhjefl | and if the latter be nervous, we '.judge the fame of the- former. But iItcv aie clearly diflintJuifhabie j and It is not uncommon to find fubjefls of great di;;nity dielT d in mean lan- guage. Thcopcnipous IS celebrated for tlie force of his dittion ; but er- loiieoully : his fuhjcCt indeed has great force, but bis ftyie very iiitle. *■ .'* Sect. L l^eauVj of Language, ,"' ■ 5 ent obferve, that this beauty is the beauty of means fitted to an end, that of communicating thought: : and hence it evidently appears, that of feveral ex- preffions all conveying the fai$e^ thought, the moll: beautiful,, in the fenfe now mentioned, is that whicl in the mod perfect manner anf'vers its end. The feveral beauties of language above mentioned, being of different kinds-, ought to be handled fepa- rately. / i Ih all begin with thofe beauties of Ian-/ guage that arife from found ; after which will follow the beauties of language confidered as fignificant ; \^ this order appears natural ; for the found of a word is attended to, before we confider its fignification. In a third fection eome thofe fmgular beauties of Ian- a guage that are derived from a refemblance betweSii ^ found and fignification. The beauties of verfe are handled in the lafl fection : for though the foregoing / beauties are found in verfe as well as in profe, yetn^ verfe has many peculiar beauties, which for the fake 5f ' connection m.uft be brought under one view ; and verfihcatlon, at any rate, is a fubjecl of fo great im- portance as to deferve a place by itfelf. SECTION L Beauty of Language ivith refpeB lo Sound. r I ■% X HIS fubjedt requires the following or der. The founds of the diiferent letters come firfl : U next, thefefounds as united in fyllables ; third, fyllables IfL, united In words : fourth, words united, in a period :/^ and in the lafi place, periods united in^ difcourfe. iJL . With refpeft to the fir It articl^, every vowel is /^t'WtJ founded with a^.i^le expiration, of air froin the wind-pipe, througy'^the cavity of the mouth. By varying this cavity, the dilierent vowels are foundeu ; for the air in palling through caviucs differing in lize, . ^t.^",:- A 2' • ''' produceth 6 Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIL produceth various founds, fome high or fharp, fome low or fiat : a fmall cavity occafions a high found, a large cavity a low found. The five vowels accord- ingly, pronounced with the fame extenfion of the wind-pipe, but with different openings of the mouth, form a regular feries of founds, defcending from high to low, in the following order, /, e, a^ o, u* Each of thefe founds is agreeable to the ear : and if It be required which of them is the mod agreeable, it is perhaps fafefl to hold, that thofe vov/els which •are the fartheft removed from the extremes, will be the mod relifhed. This is all I have to remark upon the firfl article : for confonants being letters that of themfelves have no found, ferve only in conjunction with vowels to form articulate foui^ds ; and as every articulate found makes' a fyllable, confonants come naturally under the fecond article j to which we pro- Vceed. /a confonant Is pronounced v/ith a lefs cavity than ar^y vowe!!; and confequently every fyllable into •which a confonant enters, mull have more than one found, though pronounced with one expiration of air, or with one breath as commonly expreffed : for however readily two founds may unite, yet where thcv differ in tone, both of them mufl be heard if neither of them be fuppreifed. For the fame reafon, every fyllable mufl be compofed of as "many founds as there are lecters, fuppofmg every letter to be dif- j , tinclly pronounced. (ju^Jf |We next inquire, how far fyllables are agreeable to the ear.l Few tongues are fo poliflied, as entirely ito have rejected founds that are pronounced with dif- ficulty \ * In this fcalc of founds, the letter /mufl be pronounced as in the vord interrjl, and as in other woids beginiiin<^ with the fyllable in ; the letter.;, as in perfuajion ; the letter c as la /a/ ; and. the letters as in Sect. L Beauty of Langmge* j;, . * ficulty ; and it is a noted obfervation, That fuch^ founds are to the ear harih and difagreeable. But* ^^th refpe£l to agreeable founds, it appears, that a ■ double found is always more agreeable than a fuigle founS^: every one who has an ear muft be fenfible, " thaFme dipththong oi or ai is more agreeable than \ any of thefe vowels pronounced fmgly : ftlie fame • holds where a confonant enters into the double fouiid^ the fyllabte k has a more agreeable found than tHe '; vowel €, or than any vowel. And in fupport of ex- ' perience, a fatisfaftory argument may be drawn from the wifdom of Providence : fpeech is beflowed on man, to qualify him for fociety ; and his pro* Vifion of articulate founds Is proportioned to the ufe he hath for them ; but if founds that are agreeable fmgly, were not alfo agreeable in .conjunftion, the neceility of a painful fele6lion would render language intricate and difficult to be attained in any perfec- tion ; and this felection, at the fame time, would abridge the number of ufeful founds, fo as perhaps not to leave fufficient for anfwering the different ends of language. In this view,/tne harmony^jaf pronunciation dify / fers widely froniThat of mu fic iproperly fo called. /Tn the latter are difcovered many founds fmgly agreea- ble, which in conjunction are extremely difagreea- bleTlnpne but what are called concordant founds hav- ing agood effect in conjunction. /TrTthe former, all founds, fmgly agreeable, are in conjunction concord- . anfy and ought to be, in order to fulfil the pur- poles of language. O- Having difcuffed fyllables, we proceed to words ; j^^ which make the third article. Monofyilables belong to the former head : polyfyllables open a different icene. In a curfory view, one would imagine, t'hafr the 4 ^ AAf* Beautpfif Language,- Ch. XVIlI, , . i the ag^-eeablenefs or difagreeablenefs of a word with ^ i rerpeft to its found, fhould depend upon the agreea- .'blenefs or difagreeablenefs of its component fyllables-i which is true in part, but not entirely ; for we mufl alfo take under conlideration, the eftefl: of fyjlables i in fucceffion. Iln the firfl: place, fyllables in irifmedi- 'i ate fucc-effion, pronounced, each of them, with the /A.ikme, or 'nearly the fame aperture of the mouth, produce a fucceffion of weak and feeble founds); witnefs the French words dit-il^ pathetlque : on the other hand, a fyllable of the greateft aperture fuc- ceeding one of the fmalleft, or the contrary, makes a fucceffion, which, becaufe of its remarkable difar greeablenefs, is diflinguifhed by a proper name, hia-^ t-us. p?he mod agreeable fucceffion is, where the /cavity is increafed and diminiffied alternately within /moderate limits.) Examples, alternative^ longevity^ fUjillanifnom. ) Secondly, words confilting wholly of /fyllables pronounced ilow, or of fyllables pro- ynounced quick, commonly called long and Jhort \ fyllables, have little melody in them ; witnefs thq wQrds petJtio?ier, fruiterer, dizzinefs : on the other >handi /me intermixture of long -and fhort fylla- ^, /bles is remarkably agreeabl^; for example, degree^ "^ repent, wonderful, altimde, rapidity. Independent, im- petuofity* The caufe will be explained afterward, ii> treating of verfilication. / Diftinguifliable from the beauties above merftion- fed, there is a, bea-i^ty of fome words which arifes. "'^'^' from their figniticalion, when the emotion raifed-by the length or fhormefs, the roughnefs or fmoothilefs, of the found, refembles in any degree whaf is raifed by * Iialian words, like tliofc-. of Latin and Greek, have this prope. ty jslmoft uuiverfally : Enj;lifh aad French words are generally deficirn:. In the former, the Ion;;; Ivllahlp is removed from the end, as far as the "••i" /o.ind will permit ; :inJ in ths'laiicr, ihe lad fyllable is. generally lon;^,** ^ ^ For cxamplf, Scnaioi in Encliih, Senator in Latin, and ScnatC'ir ia *^ Prcnfh. .•^\ ■:' ^^j j5ect. I. Beatify of Language. ^ by the fenfe, we feel a very remarkable pleafure/ j But this fubjeft belongs to the third feftion. ^ The foregoing oblervations aiford a ftandard to 1 5 every nation, for eflimating, pretty accurately, the comparative merit of the words that enter into their own language : but they are not equally ufeful in comparing the words of different languages ; V/hich will thus appear. Different nations judge differently of the harftmefs qr fmpothnefs of articulate founds ;, a found, for example, harfh and difagreeable to ail Itahan, may be abundantly fmooth to a northern ear : here every nation muff judge for itfelf ; nor can there be any folid ground for a preference, when, there is no common ftandard to which we can ap- peal. The cafe is precifely the fame as in behaviour and manners : plaiii-dealing and fmcerity, liberty ia words and actions, form the charafter of one peo- ple ; politenefs, referve, and a total difguife of eve- ry fentiment th^t can give offence, form the charac-* ter of another people ; to each the manners of the other are difagreeable. An effeminate mind cannot bear the lead of that roughnefs and feverity which is generally efleemed manly, when exerted upon proper occafions : neither can an effeminate ear bear the harlhnefs of certain words, that are deemed nerv- ous and founding by thofe accuftoraed to a rougher tone of fpeech. Muff we then relinquifh ail thoughts of comparing languages in point of roughnefs and fmoothnefs, as a fruitlefs inquiry ? Not altogether ; for we may proceed a certain length, though vvith- out hope of an ultimate decifion. A language pro- nounced with diiilcuky even by natives, muff yield to a fjnepther language : and fupppofmg two languages pronounced with equal facility by natives, the rougher isinguage, in my judgment, ought to be preferred. •-h i h ■Vv Ifo Beatify of Language, Ch. XVIIL 'preferred, provided it he alfo ftored with a compe- tent fliare of more mellow founds ; which will be evi- dent from attending to the different effects that ar- i ' ticulate found hath on the mind. A fmooth gliding found is agreeable, by calming the mind, and lulling It to reft : a rough bold found, on the contrary, ani- mates the mind : the effort perceived in pronouncing, is communicated to the hearers, who feel in their own minds a fimilar effort, roufmg their attention, and difpofmg them to a£tion. 1 add another confid- teration : the agreeablenefs of contrafl in the rougher language, for which the great variety of founds .gives ample opportunity, muft, even in an effeminate ear, prevail over the more uniform founds of the fmoother language.* This appears all that can be fafely determined upon the prefent point. With refpeft to the other circumllances that conftitute the beauty of words, the ftandard above mentioned is infallible when applied to foreign languages as well as to our own : for every man, whatever be his mother-tongue, is equally capable to judge of the length or fliortnefs of words, of the alternate opening and clofmg of the mouth in fpeaking, and of the relation that the found bears to the fenfe : in thefe particulars, the judgment is fufceptible of no prejudice from cuftom, at leaft of no invincible prejudice. That the Engliih tongue, originally harfli, is at prefent much foftened by dropping in the pronuncia- tion many redundant confonants, is undoubtedly true : that it is not capable of being further mellow- ed without fuffering in its force and energy, will fcarce be thought by any one who poffelfes an ear ; and yet fach in Britain is the propenfity for difpatch^ that * That the Italian tongue is too fmooth, fcems probable, from con* ^derin=r, that in vnrlificatlon, vowels are frerjucntly fupprcU'ed, in orde* to produce a roug,jier ijM.ijI^older tone* ,56^ Sect. I. Beauty of Language, i j that, overlooking the majefly of words compofed of many fyllables aptly connefted, the prevailing tafle is to fhorten words, even at the expenfe of making them difagreeable to the ear, and hailh in the pro- nunciation. But I have no occafion to infill upon this article, being prevented by an excellent writer, who polTefTed, if any man ever did, the true genius of the Englilh tongue.* I cannot however forbear urg- ing one obfervation, borrowed from that author: fever- al tenfes of our verbs are formed by adding the final fyjlable ed, which, being a weak found, has remarka- bly the worfe efiPed by poflefTmg the mofl confpicuous place in the word : upon which account, the vowel in * common fpeech is generally fuppreffed, and the con- fonant added to the foregoing fyllable ; whence the following rugged founds, drud^d^ dijiurb'd, rehuk^d^ fledg'd. It is ftill lefs excufable to follow this pradice in writing ; for the hurry of fpeaking may excufe what would be altogether improper in compofition : the fyllable ed, it is true, founds poorly at the end of a word ; but rather that defeft, than multiply the number of harlh words, which, after all, bear an over-proportion in our tongue. The author above mentioned, by fhov/ing a good example, did all in his power to reftore that fyllable : and he well de- ferves to be imitated. Some exceptions however I "would make. /"A word that fignifies labour or any\ thing harlh or rugged, ought not to be fmooth ; I therefore forced, with an apoftrophe, is better than \ forced, without it. /Another exception is where the penult fyllable ena"rwith a vowel ; in that cafe the final fyllable ed may be apoftrophizeHTwithout mak- inc: o * Sec Swift'5 propofiil for correBlng the Englifli tongue, in a letisj to the Earl of Oxford. I J Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIL ing the word harfli : examples, betrafdy carrfd, deftroyd^ cmplofd. ^ The article next In ordei^ is. the mufic of words as united in a period. Ana as the arrangement of words in fucceiTion fo as to afford the greateft pleaf- ure to the ear, depends on principles remote from ^yr^^ycommon view, it will be neceffary to premife fome *^ ^^^.^^eneral obfervations upon the appearance that obje6ls '^^ rV , mdce, when placed in an increafmg or decreafmg -y W Jenes. "Where the objects vary by fmall differences, 4^^^y fo as to have a m.utual refemblance, we in afcending <^^*V ^/Jfcbnceive the fecond object of no greater fize than the / ' iI^^-> ^'^^ third of no greater fize than the fecond, and ^!^^/'J^ of the reft ; which diniiniflieth in appearance the ~^^ I hze of every objeft except the firft : but when, be- ^2 ginning at the greateft objeft, we proceed gradually / Ij^pjp the leaft, refemblance makes us imagine the fecond Y 4rr moje, but tied Murin'ring, and with him fled the ihades of night. Parad'tje Loft, b. 4. at the end. There is no natural connection between a perfon's flying or retiring, and the fucceffion of day-liqht to darknefs ; and therefore to conneit artincialiy the terms that fignify theie things cannot have a fvveet clFea. /Tv/o members of a thought connected by their re- ^^, ^'^ lation to the fame action, will naturally be expreifed ''^i^i^ ^ by two members of the period governed by the fame ^ verbTT in which cafe thcfe members, in order to im- prove their connexion, ought to be conftruded in. the fame manner. / This beauty is fo common among good writers, as to have been lictle attendevl to j but the neglect of it is remarkably difagreeable : For example, " He did not mention Leonora, nor that her fiUher was dead." Better thus : " He did not mention Leonora, nor her father's death." ^^ Where tv^^o ideas are fo connefted as to require/ q^ ^/^ but a copulative, it is pleafant to fmd a connettionj in the words that exprefs thefe ideas, were it eveni fo flight as were both begin with the fame letter : | B 3 The 22 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII. The peacock in all his ptide, does not difplay half the colour that appears in the garments of a Britifh lady, when llie is either drefled for a ball or a birth day. Sfedator, No. 265. Had not my dog of a fteward run away as he did, with- out making up his accounts, 1 had ftill been emerfed in iin anji Tea -coal. Ibid^ No. 530. My life's companion and my bofom-friend, One faith, one fame, one fate fhall both attend. Dry den y Travjlat'ion of JEneid. There is fenfibly a defe<5l In neatnefs when uniform- ity in this cafe is totally neglcded ;* witnefs the folio wing example, where the conflrudlion of two members conne61:ed by a copulative is unnecelTarily varied. For it is confidently reported, that two young gentlemen of real hopes, bright wit, and profound judgment, who upon a thorough examination of caufes and effeds, and by the mere force of natural abilities, without the leaft tinc- ture of learning, have made a difcovery that there was no God, -xwdi gfneroiijly communicating their thoughts for the good ot the public, were fomc time ago, by an unparalleled ftve- rity, and upon I know not what obfolete law, broke for blafphemy.t [Better thus :] — having made a difcoVery that tiiere was no God, and having generoudy communi- cated their thoughts for the good of the public, were fome time ago, iSc. He had been guilty of a fault for which his matter would have put him to death, had he not tound an oppor- tunity to efcape out of his hands, ■^inlfltd into the defarts o( 4Numidia. Guardian^ No. 139. If t An argument againft abolifhing ChriUlanity, Swjh , • See Girard's French Grammar, dlfcouifc is:. / Sect. II. Beauty of Language , 23 If all the ends of the Revohition are already obtained, it is not only impertinent to argue for obtaining any of them, but fa£lious defigns 7Hight be imputed, and the name of in- cendiary be applied wiih foine colour, perhaps, to any one who Ihould perliil in prefling this point. Di[fertation upo?i parties, Dedication. Next as to examples of disjunQion and oppofition in the parts of the thought, hnitated in the expref- | fion ; an imitation that is difiinguifhed by the name I ■ of mitithefis. Speaking of Cojriolanus foliciting the people to be made conful : With a proud heart he wore his humble weeds. Coriolanus. Had you rather Casfar were living, and die all flaves, than that C^efar were dead, to live all free men ? Julius Cafar. He hath cool'd my friends and heated mine enemies. Shalejpear. An artificial connection among the words, is un- doubtedly a beauty when it reprefents any peculiar ^onnedion among the conilituent parts of the thought ; but where there is no fuch connexion, it is a pofitive deformity, as above obferved, becaufe it (7 ^^ makes a difcordance between the thought and ex- j JjOt prefTion. i'or the farne reafon, Twe ought alfo to ^^ »void every artificial oppofitioir^f words where there is none in the thouGf ppoiii D?*lC This lafl, termed 'ver- bal antithefis, is ftudied t5y^ow writers, becaufe of a certain degree of livelinefs in it. They do not con- Itder how incongruous it is, in a grave compofition, to cheat the reader, and to make him expect a con^ ' B4 trail t4 B^aufy s/Lan^ua^e. Ch. XVIlt,, traft in the thought, which upon examination is not found there. A light wife doth make a heavy hufband. Merchant of Venice. Here is fludied cppofition in the words, not only without any oppofition in the fenfe, but even where there is a very intimate connexion, that of caufe and effect ; for it is the levity of the wife that torments the hufband. Will maintain Upon his bad life to make all this good. King Richard II. a^ I'Jc. 3. Lucetfa. What, (hall thefe papers lie like tell-tales here J jfuUa. If thou refpetl them, beft to take them up. Lucetta. Nay, I was taken up for laying them down. Two Gentlemen ofrerona, a6l \. Jc. 3. A fault direftly oppofite to that lafl: mentioned, is to conjoin artificially words that exprefs ideas oppof- ed to each other.) This is a fault too grofs to be in common pradice ; and yet writers are guilty of it in fome degree, when they conjoin by a copulative, things tranfafted at different periods of time. Hencw a want of neatnefs in the following expreffion. The nobility too, whom the King had no means of re- taining by fuitable offices and preterments, had been feized "with the general difcontent, and unwarily threw themfelves into the. fcale which began already too much to pre- ponderate. Hijiory of G. Britain, vol. i. p. 250. In periods of this kind, it appears more neat to cx« prefs the pail time by the participle pafiive, thus : The Sect. II. Beauty of Language. 35 The nobility having been feized with the general difcon- tent, unwarily threw themfelves, &c. (or) The nobility, who had been feized, Sec. unwarily threw themfelves, &:c. It is unpleafant to find even a negative and affirm- ative proportion conneded by a copulative ; Nee excitatur clafllco miles truci. Nee horret iratum mare ; Forumque vitat, et fuperba civium Potentiorum iimina. Horace y Epod, 2. If it appear not plain, and prove untrue, Deadly divorce ftep between me and you. Shaheff)ear. ' In mirth and drollery it may have a good efFe^ to conned verbally things that are oppofite to eachi other in the thought. Example : Henry the Fourtli\ of France introducing the Marefchal Biron to fom^ of his friends, " Here, Gentlemen,** fays he, " is the Marefchal Biron, whom I freely prefent both to my friends and enemies." This rule of fludying uniformity betM^een the thought and expreffion, may be extended to the con-^y^^^ flruftion of fentences or periods. JK fentence or ^^/^ period ought to exprefs one entire thought or mental ^ ^^'L^ propofition ; and different thoughts ought to be fepa- / j-j^^^ rated in the expreffion by placing them in different Jj , fentences or periods. It is therefore offending againfl ^'^^^'^^" neatnefs, to crowd into one period entire thoughts '/■^^^^/' requiring more than one ; which is joining in lan- guage things th^t are feparated in reamyT Of errors againft this rule take the following examples. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea pleafant ; alfo our feed is green. Caefar, 20 Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIII, Csefar, defcribing the Suevi : ■ Atqiie in earn fe confuetiidinem adduxenint, ut locis frigidillimis, neque vertiius, pra;ter pellcs, habeant c\\\id- quam, quaium propter exiguitatem, magna ell corporis pars apcrta, et laveniur in iluminihus. Cofmnentariuy 1. 4. prin. Burnet, in the hiflory of his own times, giving Lord Sunderland's character, fays. His own notions were always good ; but he was a man of great expenle. I have feen a woman's face break out in heats as fhe has been talking againft a great lord, whom fhe had never feeu in her Ute ; and indeed never knew a party- woman that kept her beauty tor a twelvemonth. SpefiatoTy No. 57. Lord Bollngbroke fpeaking of Strada : 1 fingle him cut among the moderns, becaufe he hid the foolilh prelumption to cenfurc Tacitus, and tp write hillo^ ry himl'elt ; and your Lordfiiip will forgive this Ihort ex- curlion in honour ot a favourite writer. Letters an hifioryy vol. i. let. 5. It fcemsto me, that in order to maintain the moral fyfteni of the world at a certain point, far below that ot ideal per- tedlioii, (tor we are made capable ot conceiving what we are incapable of attaining,) but however futiicient upon the whole to conltituie a (tale eafy and happy, or at the worifc tolerable : 1 lay, it feems to me, that the Author of nature ■fcas thought ii-t to mingle from time to time, among the io~ ciciics ot men> a (tw, and but 4 tew of thofeon whom he is gracioullv plcafcd to bellow a larger proponion ot the etlic- yial fpirU tlian is given in the ordinary courfe ot his provi- tlcncc to the fcjus ot men. Bolin'^bnle en ihefpirit of patriotifm, let. i. To C^T-*-/ Sect. II. Beauty of Language, 37 /To crowd Into a fingle member of a period differ- ent fubjefts, is flill worfe than to crowd them into one period :| Trojam, genitore Adamafto Paupere (manfiiTctque utinam tortuua) prottdus. Mneid. iii. 614. Prom conjuniEtions and disjun£lions in general, we A,^»^k»^ proceed to comparifons, which make one fpecies of ^ them, beginning with fimiles. And here alfo, the intimate connedtion that words have with their mean- ing requires, thatynT defcribing two refembling ob- jeds, a refemblance in the two members of the period ought to be fludiedJ To illufhrate the rule in this cafe, I fhall give various examples of deviations from it ; beginning with refemblances exprelfed in words that have no refemblance. I have obfcrved of late, the ftyle of fome ^rreat mhufiers very much to exceed that of any other pr.d-iSllons. Letter to the Lord High Treajurer. Swift. This, inflead of ftudying the refemblance of words in a period that exprelTes a comparifon, is going out of one's road to avoid it. Inflead of prodiiSiions, which refemble not minift ers great nor fmall, the proper word is writers or authors. If men of enainence are expofed to cenfure on the one hand, they are as much liable to flattery on the other. If they receive reproachti; which are not due to them, they likewife receive praifcs which they do not deforve. Spe^ator. Here the fubjed plainly demands uniformity in ex- prefiion inflead of variety 5 and therefore it is fub« mittcd. iS Beauty of Language* Ch. XVIII* mitted, whether the period would not do better in the following manner : If men of eminence be cxpofed to cenfure on the one hand, they arc as much ex poled to flattery on the other. If they receive reproaches that are not due, they likewjfe re- ceive praifes that are not due. I cannot but fancy, however, that this imitation, whiclt pafles fo currently with other judgmenlsy muft at fome time or other have fluck a little with your Lonljhip* [Better thus :] I cannot but fancy, however, that this imitation which paffes fo currently with oihcn, muft at fome lime or other have ftuck a Utile with your Lordjliip. A glutton or mere fenfualift is as ridiculous as the other two charadlers. Shaftefburyt vol. \. p. 129. They wifely prefer the generous ejfhrts of good-will a7:ii ajfeciioriy to the reluctant compliances of Juch as obey by torcc. Remarks on the hijiory of England, letter 5. BoUnghrshe. Titus Livlus, mentioning a demand made by the people of Enna of the keys from the Roman gov- ernor, makes him fay, QiTas fimul tradiderimus, Carthaginienfium extemplo Enna erit, tocdiufque hie trucidabimur, quam Murganttae pr.tfidium interfe6luvn eft. /. 24. § 38. Quintus Curtms, fpeaking of Porus mounted oi^ in Elephant, and leading jhis army to battle : Magnitudini * Ltttei" concerning cmhufiafm. Shafultur Sect. 11. JBeduty of Langiiags, j2cj Magnitudini Fori adjicere videbatur bcUiia qua vcheba- tijr, tantum inter caeteras eminens, quanto aliis ipfe piae- ftabat. /. 8. cap, 14. I It is ftill a greater deviation from congrulty, to af- fect not only variety in the words, but alfo in thti conftrudionJ Defcribing Thermopylae, Titus Livi- us fays, Id jugum, ficut Apennini dorfo Italia dividitur, ita me- diam Grasciam direniit. /. 36. § 15. Speaking of Shakefpear. There may remain a fufplclon that wc over- rate the greatnefs ot his genius, in the fame manner as bodies ap- pear more giganiic on account of their being difproportion- ed and mislhapen. Hijiory of G. Briiain, vol. i. p. 138. This is ftudying variety in a period where the beau- ty lies in uniformity. Better thus : There may remain a fufpicion that we over-rate the greatnefs of his genius, in the fame manner as we over-rate the greatnefs of bodies that are difproportioned and mil- lliapen. Next as to the length of the members that fignify the refembling objects. I To produce a refemblancej between fuch members, they ought not only to be/ ccnflruded in the fame manner, but as nearly as! poifible be ec|ual in length.l By neglecting this cir-1 cumftance, the following example is defective in neatnefs. As 3€> Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIiT, As the performance of all other religions duties will not avail in the fight of God, without charity ; fo neither will the difcharge of all other miniiieri-il duties avail in the fight of menj without 'a faithful dij charge of this principal duty. DiJJertation upon parties. Dedication. in the following palTage ate accumulated all the errors that a period expreffing a refemblance can well admit. Miniflers are anfwerable for every "thing done to the prejudice of the conftitution, in the fame proportion as the prefervation of the conftitution in its purity and vigour, or tlie perverting and weakening it, are of greater confe- quence to the nation, than any other inftances of good or bad government. DiJJertation upon parties. Dedication. Kext of a comparlfori where things are oppofed to each other. /And here it muft be obvious, that if refemblance ought to be ftudied in the words which exprefs two refeinbling objeds, there is equal reafon for fludying oppofition in the words which exprefs contrafted objeds./ This rule will be bed illuflrated by examples of deviations from it ; A friend exaggerates a man's virtues, an enetnv inflames his crimes. Spectator^ No. 399. Here the oppofition in the thought is neglefted in, the words, which at firft: view feem to import, that the friend and the enemy are employed in different matters, without any relation to each other, whether of refemi)lance or of oppofition. And therefore the contrafh or oppofition will be better marked by ex- preffing the thought as follows. A friend exaggerates a man's virtues, an enemy his crimes. The Sect. II. Beauty of Language* %t ' The following are examples of the fame kind : The wife man is happy when he gains his own appro*- batlon ; the fool when he recommends hiinCelf to the ap- plaiife of thole about him. Ibid. Noi 73. Better : The wife man is happy when he gains his own apprcH bation ; the fool when he gains that of others. Siciit in frngihus pecudihurque, non tantum femina ad fervandum indolem valent, quantum terrae proprietas coe- lique, fub quo aluntur, mutat. Livy^ lib. 3S. § 17. We proceed to a rule of a different kind. /During the courfe of a period, the fcene ought to be contin- ued without variatior^ the changing from perfon to perfon, from fubje'^to fubjecf, or from perlon to fubjeft, within the bounds of a fmgle period, diftracls the mind, and affords no time for afolid impreffion. I illuftrate this rule by giving examples of deviations from it Honos alit artes, omnefque incenduntur ad fludia gloria; jacentque ea femper quae apud quofque iraprobantur, Ckeroy TufciiL quejl. l. i. Speaking of the diftemper contracted by Alexan- der bathing in the river Cydnus,and of the cure of- fered by Philip the phyfician : Inter hzec a Parraenione fidifllmo pnrpuratorum, literas accipit, quibns ei denunciabaty ne laUitem fuam Philippo committeret. J^uintus Curt ins y L 3. cap. 6. Hook, in his Roman hlllory, fpeaking of Eumenes, who had been beat to the ground with a (lone, fays, Alter 32 beauty of Language. Ch. XVIlL After a fhort time he came to himfelf ; and the next day, they put liirn on board his fliip, which conveyed him firft to Corinth, and thence to the ifland of iEgina. I give another example of a period which is unpleaf- ant, even by a very flight deviation from the rule : That fort of inftru6lion which is acquired by inculcating an important moral truth, ^r. This expreffion includes two perfons, one acquiring^ and one inculcating ; and the fcene is changed with- out neceflity. "Jo avoid this blemifli, the thought may be exprefled thus : That fort of inflru£lion which is afforded by inculcat- ing, i^c. The bad effeft of fuch change of perfon is remarka* ble in the following paflage. The Britonsy daily haralTed by cruel inroads from the Pi6^s, were forced to call in the Saxons for their defence, zvho confequently reduced the greateft part of the ifland to their own power, drove the Britons into the moft remote and mountainous parts, and the rej] of the countryy in cuf- toms, religion, and language, became wholly Saxons. noiiy 'reajuj Letter to the Lord High Treajurer. Swift > The following paflage has a change from fubje6t to perfon. This proJ^itutioH of praife \s not only a deceit upon the grofs of mankind, who take their notion of characters from the learned ; but alfo the better fort muff by this means lofe ftune part at lead of that defire of fame which is the incentive to generous a£lions, when they find it pro- niifc-uoully bcilovveU on the meritorious and undeferving. Guardian^ No. 4. Even Sect. II. Beauty of Language, , 32 (Even fo flight a change as to vary the conftrudion / in the fame period, is unpleafantf: ' Annibal luce prima, Balearibus levique alia armatura prasmifTa, tranfgreffus flumen, ut quofque traduxerat, ita in acie locabat ^ Gallos Hifpanofcjue equites prope ripam lasvo in cornu adverfus Romanum equitatura 5 dextrum cornu Numidis equitibus datum. Tit. Liv. I. 22. § 46. Speaking of Hannibal's elephants drove back by the enemy upon his own army : Eornagis ruere in fuos belluae, tantoque majorem flragem edere quam inter hoftes ediderant, quanto acrius pavor con- flernatam agit, quam infidentis magiftri imperio regitur. Liv . 1. 27. § 14. This paffage is alfo faulty in a different refpeft, that there is no refemblance between the members of the fentence, though they exprefs a fimile The prefent head, which relates to the choice of materials, fhall be clofed with a rule concerning the ufe of copulatives. Longinus obferves, that it ani- mates a period to drop the copulatives ; and he gives the following example from Xenophon. Clofmg their fhields together, they were pufli'd, they fought, they flew, they were llain. Treat ije of the Sublime , cap. 16, The reafon I take to be what follows. /A continued found, if not loud, tends to lay us afieep : an inter- rupted found roufes and animates by its repeated im- pulfes. / Thus feet compofed of fyllables, being pro- nounced with a fenfible interval between each, make more lively imprelTions than can be made by a contin- ued, Vol. XL C 34 Benuif of Language, Ch. XVIIL lied found. A period of which the members are con- nefted by copulatives, prodiiceth an effect: upon the mind approaching to that of a continued found ; and therefore the fuppreffing copulatives muft animate a defcription. It produces a different effeft akin to that mentioned : the members of a period canne£led by proper copulatives, glide fmoothly and gently along ; and are a proof of fedatenefs and leifure in the fpeak- er : on the other hand, one in the hurry of paflloa neglefting copulatives and other particles, expreffes the principal image only ; and for that reafon, hurry or quick action is befl expreifed without copulatives : Veni, vidi, vici. •Tte: Feite citi flammas, date vela, impellke remos. Mne'id. iv. 593, Q^iis globus, O civt«, caligine volvitur atra r Ferte ciii termm, date tela, fcaiidite inuros. Hoilis adeft, eja. JEnc'td. ix. 3y. In this viev/ Longinus* juflly compares copulatives in a period to ftrait tying, which in a face obllruQs the freedom of motion. /It follows, that a plurality of copulatives in the fame period ought to be avoided ; for if the laying afide copulatives give force and livelinefs, a redun- dancy of them mufl render the period languid. I appeal to the following indance, though there are but two copulatives. Upvon looking over the letter?; cf my female correfpond- ents, I find fevcral from women compbining of jealous hufbaiids j * Treaiifc oftb; Subliffic, cap. iH, Sect. II. Beauty of Language. 35 huibands ; and at the fume time protefting their own inno- cence, and defiring my advice upon this occalion. ope£fatory No. 170. -n -/ T* I except the cafe fvhere the words are intended to j^ujcyi exprefs the coldneis of the fpeakei^; for there the t^^ redundancy of copulatives is a beauty : Dining one day at an alderman's in the city, Peter ob- fefved him expatiating after the manner of his brethren, in the praifes of his fiiloin of bttf. '* Beef," faid the fage magiltrate, '* is the king of meat : Beef comprehends in it the quinteffcnce of partridge, and quail,_ and venifon, and pheafant, and plum-pudding, and cullard. Tale of a Tuhy § 4. And the author fhows great delicacy of taile by va- rying the expreflion in the mouth of Peter, who is reprefented more animated : ** Bread," fays he, " dear brothers, is the flafT of life ; in which bread is contained, inchifve, the quintelTence of, beef, mutton, veal, venifon, partridges, plum-pudding, and cuflard." Another cafe mud alfo be excepted : copulatives have a good effect where the intention is to give an impreiTion of a great multitude confiding of many divifions ; for example : " The army was compofed of Grecians, and Carians, and Lycians, ajid Pam- phylians, and Phrygians." The reafon is, that a ieifurely furvey, which is exprelTed by the copula- tives, makes the parts appear more numerous than ihey would do by a hafly furvey : in the latter cafe the army appears in one group j in the former, we take Ca ..^ J 6 Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIl. take as it were an accurate furvey of each nation and of each divifion.* / i We proceed to the fecond kind of beauty ; which OJ C't^^coi\i\^s in a due arrangehient of the words or ma- /hlt^rH terials.^ This branch of the fubjeft is no lefs nice / than extenfive ; and I defpair of fetting it in a clear light, except to thofe who are well acquainted with the general principles that govern the flruclure or compofition of language. / (in a thought, generally fpcaking, there is at leafl pne capital ol3Ject confidered as afting or as fufFering. /This objed: is expreffed by a fubftantive noun ; its f adion is expreffed by an aftive verb ; and the thing /affe6led by the action is expreffed by another fub- / ftantive noun : its fuffering or paffive flate is expreff- ed by a paffive verb ; and the thing that ads upon it, by a fubftantive noun.l Befide thefe, which are the capital parts of a fentence or period, there are gener- ally under-parts ; each of the fubftantives as well as the verb, may be qualified : time, place, purpofe, motive, means, inftrument, and a thoufand other circumftances, may be neceffary to complete the thought. And in what manner thefe feveral parts are conneded in the expreffion, will appear from j| " what follows. ' i In a complete thought or mental propofition, all /the members and parts are mutually related, fome /flightly, fome intimately. To put fuch a thought in / words, it is not fufficient that the component ideas / be clearly expreffed ; it is alfo neceffary, that all the / relations contained in the thought be expreffed ac- I cording to their different degrees of intimacy! To annex a certain meaning to a certain found or word, requires * See Demetrius Flialcieus of Elocution, fed. 63. •Sect. IL ' Beauty of Language. 37 requires no art : the great nicety in all languages is, to exprefs the various relations that conne<^l: the parts of the thought. Could we fuppofe this branch of language to be ftill a fecret, it would puzzle, I am apt to think, the acuteft grammarian, to invent an expeditious method : and yet, by the guidance mere- ly of nature, the rude and illiterate have been led to a method fo perfect, as to appear not fufceptible of any improvement ; and the next ftep in our progrefs fhall be to explain that method. Words that import a relation, mult be diftinguilli- y^ ed from fuch as do not. Subftantives commonly ^^^^j imply no relation ; fuch as animal^ man^ tree\ river. *"'/ Adjectives, verbs, and adverbs, imply a relation : the adjedtive good muft relate to fome being poflelfed of that quality : the verb write is applied to fome perfon who writes ; and the adverbs moderately^ dil- igently, have plainly a reference to fome ac- tion which they modify. /When a relative word is introduced, it mufl be fignified by the expreffion to what word it relates, without which the fenfe is not ^rv'^ complete./ For anfwering that purpofe, I obferve in ^i^^^ Greek and Latin two diiferent methods7 Adjectives /:^^y/^ are declined as well as fubitantives ,5 and declenfion %. ferves to afcertain their connection : If the word that ^^ exprefles the fubject be, for example, in the nomina- ^^j-^^y. tive cafe, fo alfo .mufl the word be that exprelfes its ^^l^ quality ; example, vir bonus : again, verbs are relat- j^ ed, on the one hand, to the agent, and, on the other, ^/t^/^ to the fubject upon which the action is exerted : and (am^^ a contrivance fimilar to that now mentioned, ferves to exprefs the double relation ; the nominative cafe is appropriated to the agent, the accufative to the paf- five fubject ; and the verb is put in the firft, fecond, pr third perfon, to intimate its connedion with thp word C3 3 5 Beauty of Language. ' Ch. XVIII, word that fignifies the agent : examples. Ego amo Tul" liam ; tu amas Semproniatn ; Brutus afnat Portiam, The other method is by juxtapofition, wh.ch is neceffa- ry with refped to fuch words only as are not declined, adverbs, for example, articles, prepofirions, and con- junctions. \ In' the Engiilh languague there are few I declenfion? ; and therefore juxtapofition is our chief refource : adjeftives accompany their fubftantive* j* an adverb accompanies the word it qualifies ; and the verb occupies the middle place between the ?.6tive and paflive fubicfts to which it relates. It mult l.e obviou;}, that thofe terms which have nothing relative in their fignification, cannot be con- nected in fo eafy a manner. When two fubflantives happen to be connedted, as caufe and efl'cd, as princi- pal and acceiTory, or in any other manner, fuch con- nexion cannot be exprefled by contiguity folely ; for words muf: often in a period be placed togetiier which are not t^us related : the relation between fubflan- tives, therefore, cannot otherwife be exprefied but by panicles denoting the relation. Latin indeed and Greek, by their declenfiontj, go a certain length to exprcfs fuch ' relations, without the aid of particles. The relation of property for exam.ple, betv/een Csefar and his horfe, is expreifcd by putting the latter in the nominative cafe, the former in the genitive : cquus Cie- faris : the fame is alfo exprciTed in Enolilli without the aid of a parricic, Capr\ horfe. But in other in- flances, declenfions not being ufed in the EngHfh language, * Taking acivantap,o of a d* dcnfT'ii to frnnratc dd adjeflive from iis fiib- flantivc. ai is connrn-nlv prattifcd in Latin, though it detraft not from pfif ictii'v, isre tbinly lers neat tliaii ihe Eng'ili; method of Juxtapofition. Contiyuitv is more expfpffive of an imimate relation, than refcinblance merely < f t!'- final fvllahlfs. Lntio irtleed has evidently the advantaije wher. the ac!jcffive and lublfant vc hr-pren to be connecltd by contiguity, as v'/eil a> by refcmblar.cc of tl;c fiDal IvJLb'i^^s. Sect. II. Beauty of language* yy language, relations of this kind are comrnouiy eK}3]:eff- ed by prepofitions. Examples : That wine came from Cyp-iius. He is going to Paris. The fmi is be- low the horizon. This formof conneding by prepofitions, is not con- jfined to fubllantives. Quahties, attributes, manner of exilting or acting, and ail other circumflances, may ia the fame manner be connected with the fubltances to which they relate. This is done artificially by Qon- verting the circumftance into a fubftantive ; in which condition it is quahfied to be connected with the prin- cipal fubjedl by a prepofition, in the manner above defcribed. For example, the adjective 'ujife being con- verted into the fubftantive iL-ifdom^ gives opportunity for the exprellion " a man of wifdom," inftead of the more fimple exprefiion a ivfe man : this variety in the expreffion, enriches language. I obferve, be- fide, that the ufuig a prepontion in this cafe, is not always a matter of choice : it is indifpenfable with refped to every circumftance that cannot be cxprefl- ^x, .^ ed by a fmgle adjective or adverb. i/^A . To pave the way for the rules of arrangement, t la^Z'h^ one other preliminary is neceffary ; which is, to ex- ^/ul/^^, plain the difference between a natural ftyle, and that where tranfpofition or inverfion prevails. There are, it is true, no precife boundaries between them, for they run into each other like the fliades of different qolours- No perfon, however, is at a lofs to dilHn- guilli them in their extremes : and it is neceffary to make the dillindion : becaufe thouGfh fonie'of the o rules I iliall have occafion to mention are conunon to both, yet each have rules peculiar to itfelf. fin a natural ityle, relative word.? are by juxtapofition \on- nedted with thofe to v^hich thev relate, going before or after, according to the peculiar genius of the lan- guage.^ Again, a circumftance connefted by a prep>« 2~. y "^ C 4 ofition. 4© Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIH. ofition, follows naturally the word with which it is conneded. But this arrangement may be varied, when a different order is more beautiful i/STcircum- ance may be placed before the word wim which it is conneded by a prepofitioft ; and may be interjeft- ed even between a relative word and that to which it relates. When fuch liberties are frequently taken, the ftyle becomes inverted or tranfpofed. But as the liberty of inverfion is a capital point in the prefent fubjed, it will be neceflfary to examine it more narrowly, and in particular to trace the fev- eral degrees in which an inverted flyle recedes more and more from that which is natural. And firft, as to the placing a circumftance before the word with which it is connefted, I obferve, that it is the eafiefl of all inverfion, even fo eafy as to be conliftent with a ftyle that is properly termed natural : witnefs the following examples. In the fincerity of my heart, I profefs, &c. By our own ill management, we are brought to folovr an ebb of wealth and credit, that, &c. On Thurfday morning there was little or nothing tranf- afled in Change-alley. At St Bribe's church in Fleet-ftreet, Mr. Woolfton, (who writ againfl; the miracles of our Saviour) in the ut- molt terrors ot confcience, made a public recantation. The interjecting a circumftance between a relative word, and that to which it relates is more properly termed inverfion ; becaufe by a disj\m£lion of words intimately connefted, it recedes farther from a natu- ral ftyle. But this licence has degrees ; for the dif- j unction is more violent in fome inftances than in others. Sect. II. Beauty of Language. 41 others. And to give a jufl notion of the diiTerence, there is a neceffity to enter a Httle more into an ab- ftra 43 _-—,.. On a fudden open fly With impetuous recoil and jarring found, Th' internal doors. Wherein remain 'd. For what could elfe ? to our ahnighty foe Clear 'victory, to our partlofs and iowt. . Forth rufh'd, Avith \^hirlvvind found The chariot of paternal Deity. Language would have no great power, were it contined to the natural order of ideas. I fhali foon have opportunity to make it evident, that by inver- fion a thoufand beauties may be compafTed, which muft be relinquiftied in a natural arrangement. In the mean time it ought not to cfcape obfervation, that the mind of man is happily fo conllituted as to relifli inverfion, though in one refpe61; unnatural ; and to relifli it fo much, as in many cafes to admit a feparation between words the moft intimately con- nected. It can fcarce be faid that inverfion has any limits ; though I may venture to pronounce, that the disjimclion of articles, conjundions, or prepo- fnions, from the words to which they belong, has very feldom a good effect. The following example with relation to a prepofition, is perhaps as tolerable as any of the kind : He would r.either feparate/^-^PW nor ad againft ihem. I give notice to the reader, that I am now ready to enter on the rules of arrangement ; beginning with a natural ftyle, and proceeding gradually to what is the moft inverted. And in the arrangement of a period, as v/ell as in a right choice of words, the firll and great objed being perfpicuity, the rule above 44 Beauty of Language. Ch. X VIIL above laid down, that perfpicuity ought not to be fac- rificed to any other beauty, holds equally in both. Ambiguities occafioned by a wrong arrangement - ; are of two forts ; one where the arrangement /I '^ 1 * ^}^'^^'^ ^^ ^ wrong fenfe, and one where the fenfe is )Jpfy^Mt^ek doubtful. The firft, being the more culpable, / /ihall take the lead, beginning with examples of words put in a wrong place. H )vv much the imagination of fuch a prefencc mufl ex- alt a genius, we m^y obferve merely from the iufiuence wiiich an ordinary prefence has overmen. CharaEler'iJi'ics. vol. i. p. 7. This arrangement leads to a wrong fenfe : the ad- verb merely feems by its pofition to affecl the preced- ing word ; whereas it is intended to affect the fol- lowing words, an ordinary prefence / and therefore the arrangement ought to be thus : How much the imagination of fuch a prefence mult ex- alt a genius, we may obferve trom the influence which an ordinary prefence merely has over men. \Oty better,^ which even an ordinary prefence has over men. The time of the election of a poet-lauret being now at band, it may be proper to give fome account ot the rites and ceremonies anciently ufed at that folemnity, and o«/y ttifcontinucd through the negie<5\ and degeneracy of later times. Guardian. The term oyily is intended to qualify the noun de- generacy, and not the participle difcontiniied ; and t-hetefore the arrangement ought to be as follows : ■^ at)d difcontinued through the iiegkft and degeneracy only of later times. Slxtu& Sect. n. Beauty of Language, 45 Sixtus the Fourth was, if I miftake not, a grea-t collec- tor ot books at Icaft. Letters on Hijhryy vol. i. let 6. BoUnghrohe, The expreffion here leads evidently to a wrong fenfe j the adverb at leq/i, ought not to be connefted with the fubftantive books, but with colk6lor thus : Sixtus the Fourth was a great colledlor at lead of books. Speaking of Lewis XIV. If lie was not the greateft king, he was the bell aflor of majefty at lealt, that ever filled a throne. Ibid, Utter 1^ Better thus : If he was not the greateft king, he was at leaft the bell aclor of majefty, &c. This arrangement removes the wrong fenfe occafion- ed by the juxtapofition of ;nj/'^}' and at leaji. The following examples are of a wrong arrange- ment of members. I have confined myfelf to thofe methods for the advance- ment of piety, which are in the power of a prince limited like ours by a flri6l execution of the laws. A projeSl for the advancement of religion. Swift. The ftrudure of this period leads to a meaning which is not the author's, 'viz. power limited by a ftriiSi execution of the laws. That wrong fenfe is removed by tte following arrangement : I have confined myfelf to thofe methods for the advance- ment of piety, which by a firidt execution of the laws, are in the power of a prince limited like ours. This 4^ Beautf ofLan^ta^e. Ch. XVIIL This morniiig, when one of Lady Lizard's daughters was looking ovdr fome lioods and r'bands brought by her tirevvoman, with great care and diligence, I employed no lefs in examining the box which contained them. Guardian, No. 4. The wrong fenfe occafioned by this arrangement, may be eafily prevented by varying it thus : This morning v/hen, with great care and diligence, one ot Lady Lizard's daughters was looking over lomc hoods and ribands, &.C. A great ftone that I happened to find after a long fearcb by the fca-fhore, ferved me for an anchor. Gulliver s Travels, part I . chap, 8. One would think that the fearch was confined to the fea-{hore ; but as the meaning is, that the great ftone was found by the fea-Iliore, the period ought to be arranged thus : A great floncj that, after a long fearch, I happened to find by the fea-ihore, ferved me lor an anchor. Next of a wrong arrangement where the fenfe is left doubtful ; beginning, as in the former fort, with examples of wrong arrangement of words in a member : Thefe forms of converfation by degrees multiplied and grew troublefome. SpeElator, No. 119. Here it is left doubtful whether the modification hy degrees relates to the preceding member or to what follows : it fliould be, Thcfe forms of converfaiicr\ multiplied by degrees. Noc Sect. II. Beauty of Language, ^f Nor does this falfe modefty expofe us only to Tuch actions as are indifcreet, but very ofttn to fuch as are highly criminal. . Spe^atovy No. 458. The ambiguity is removed by the following arrange* ment : Nor does this falfe modefty expofe us to fuch a6lions only as are indifcreet, &c. The empire of Blefufcu is an ifland fituated to the nortli- eaft fide oi Li'.liput, from whence it is parted only by a chan- nel of 800 yards wide. ' Gul/iver's Travels, par/ i. chap. 5. The ambiguity may be removed thus : from whence it is parted by a channel of 8co yards wide only. In the following examples the fenfe is left doubt' ful by wrong arrangement of members. The minifter who gfows lefs by his elevation, like a lit' tie Jiatue placed on a mighty pcdcjlal, will always have his jealoufy ilrong about him. Dijprtaticn upon parlies. Dedication. BoJingbroke. Here, as far as can be gathered from the arrange- ment, it is doubtful, whether the objeft introduced by way of fmiile, relate to what goes before or to whjt follows : the ambiguity is removed by the following arrangement : THc minifter, who, liice a little ftatue placed on a mighty pedeflal, grows Icfs by his elevation, Vviil wlways, £^:c. 4^ Beauty of Language. Ch. JVIII, Since this is too much to afk of freemen, nay of flaves, tfhhexpt£iation he not anjvuered, fliall he forma lading di\ifion upon fucli tranfient motives ? Ibid. Better thus : Since this is too much t6 afk of freemen, nay of flaves, iliaU he, it his expectations be not anfwered, form, &c. Speaking of the fuperflitious praftlce of locking up the room where a perfon of diflinftion dies. The knight feeing his habitation reduced to fo fmall a compafs, and himfelf in a manner fhut out of his own houfe, upon the death of hh mother^ ordered all the apart- ments to be flung open, and exercifed by his chaplain. Spectator y No. iio. Better thus : The knight, feeing his habitation reduced to fo fmall a compafs, and himfelf in a manner Ihut out of his own houfe, ordered, upon the death of his mother, all the apartments to be flung open. Speaking of fome indecencies in converfation : As it is impoffible for fuch an irrational way of conver- fation to lait long among a people that make uny profef- ilon of religion, or fhow ot modefty, if the country genile- vien get into ity they will certainly be left in the lurch. Spe£latory No. 119. The ambiguity vanifhes in the following arrange- ment. the country gentlemen, if they get into it, will certainly be left in the lurch. Speaking of a difcovery in natural philofophy, that colour is not a quality of matter : As Sect. II. Beauty of Language* 49 As this is a truth which has been proved inconteftably by many moden> philofophers, and is indeed one of the fineft rpeculations in that Icience, if the Englijh reader would fee the notion explained at large, he may find it in the eighth chap- ter of the fecond book of Mr. Locke's efTay on human un- derftanding. Spe£latory No. 413. Better thus : As this Is a truth, &c. the Englifli reader, if he would fee the notion explained at large, may find it, Sec. A woman feldom afks advice before (he has bought her vvedding-cloaths. When fhe has made her own choice, for form's fake (lie fends a conge d'elire to her friends. Ibid^ No. 475. Better thus : ■ fhe fends, for form's fake, a conge d'ellre to her friends. And fince it is neceiTary that there fhould be a perpetual intercourfe of buying and felling, and dealing upon credit, where fraud is permitted or connived at, or hath no law to punij}} ity the honefl dealer is always undone, and the knave gets the advantage. Gulliver s Travels, part I. chap. 6. Better thus : And fince it is necefiary that there fliould be a perpetual inrcrcourfe of buying and felling, and dealing upon credit, the honeft dealer, where fraud is permitted or connived at, or hath no law to punifh it, is always undone, and the knave gets the advantage. From thefe examples, the following obfervation will occur, that a circumftance ought never to be Vol. II. D placed tt 50 Beauty cf Language. Ch. XVIlL placed between two capital members of a period : for by fuch fituation it mud always be doubtful, as far as we gather from the arrangement, to which of the two members it belongs ; where it is interjefted, as It ought to be, between parts of the member to which it belongs, the ambiguity is removed, and the capital members are kept dillind, which is a great beauty in cqmpofition. Jin general, to preferve 'members didind that fignify things diilinguifhed in the thought, the bed method is, to place firft in the confequent member, fome word that cannot con- nect with what precedes it. \ If it lliall be thought, that the objections here are too fcrupulous, and that the defedl of perfpicuity is eafily fupplied by accurate punftuation ; the anfwer is, That punctuation may remove an ambiguity, but will never produce that peculiar beauty which is perceived when the fenfe comes out clearly and dif- tin£tly by means of a happy arrangement. Such influence has tliis beauty, that by a natural tranfition of perception, it is communicated to the very found of the words, fo as in appearance to improve the mu- fic of the period. But as this curious fubjeft comes in more properly afterward, it is fufficient at prefent to appeal to experience, that a period fo arranged as to bring out the fenfe clear, feems always more mu- fieal than were the fenfe is left in any degree doubt- ful. A rule defervedly occupying the fecond place, is, IJ /That words expreffing things connetled in the ^Ythought, ought to be placed as near together as pof- /fiblc. ' This rule is derived immediately from human / nature, prone in every inltance to place together things in any manner connected :^ where things are arranged •, * Sec chap. I. Sect. II. Beauty of Language > rj arranged according to their connexions, we have a fenfe of order ; otherwife we have a fenfe of difor- der, as of things placed by chance : and we natu- rally place words in the fame order in which we would place the things they fignify. The bad effe£t of a violent feparation of words or members thus in- timately conneded, will appear from the following examples. For the Engli{h are naturally fanciful, and very often difpofed, by that gloominefs and melancholy of temper ■which is fo frequent in our nation, to many wild notions and vifions, to which others are not fo liable. SpeSiatory No. 419. Here the verb or affertion Is, by a pretty long cir- cumflance, violently feparated from the fubjed: to which it refers : this makes a harlh arrangement ; the lefs excufable that the fault is eafily prevented by placing the circumflance before the verb, after the following manner : For the Englifh are naturally fanciful, and, by that gloominefs and melancholy of temper which is fo frequent in our nation, are often difpofed to many wild notions, ^c. For as no mortal author, in the ordinary fate and vicifll- tude Qf things, knows to what ufe his works may, fome time or oliier be applied, &c. SpeSlatsr, No. 85. Better thus : For as, in the ordinary fate and viclffitude of things, no mortal author knows to what ufe, fome time or other, his works may be applied, &c. From whence we may date like wife the rival (hip of the houfe of Fiance, for we may reckoii^that of Valois and that Dz of 52 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII. of Bourbon as one upon this occafion, and the houfe of Aii- Itrla, tliat continues at this day, and has olt cod fo much blood and fo much treafure in the courfe of it. Letters on hifLory, vol. i . let. 6. Bolinghroke, It cannot be impertinent or ridiculous therefore in fuch a country, whatever it might be in the Abbot of St. Real's, v>'hioh was Savoy I think ; or in Peru, under the Incas, where Garcilalfo de la Vega fays it was lawful for none but the nobility to fludy — for men of all degrees to inftruft themfelves, in thofe affairs wherein they may be adors^ or judges of thofe that ad, or controllers of thofe that judge. Letters on hijioryy vol. i . let. 5. BoUngbrole. If Scipio, who was naturally given to women, for which anecdote we have, if I miibkc not, the authority of Poly- bius, as well as fome verfes of Nevius prefcrvcd by Auius Gellius, had been educated by Olympias at the court of Philip, it is improbable that he would have rcitored tiie beautiful Spaniard. Ibiii. let. -7^. . If any one have a curiofity for more fpecimens of this kind, they will be found without number in the works of tlie fame author. lA pronoun which faves the naming a perfon or thing a fecond time, ought to be placed as near as pollible lO the name of that perfon or thingi This is a branch of the foregoing rule ; and wnh the rcafon there given another concurs, viz. That if other ideas intervene, it is difficult to recal the per- fon or thing by reference : If I had leave to print the Latin letters tranfmitted to me from foreign parts, they would fill a volume, and be a full defence againll all that Mr. Partvivlge, or his accomplices of thic 'rcnugal ir.quifiiion, Vv'ill be ever able 10 objcd j Sect. II. Beaitty of Language. 53 who, by the way, are the only enemies my predi£lions have ever met v.'ith ;U home or abroad. Better thus : . and be a. full defence againft all that can be objeded by Mr. Partridge, or his accomplices of the Por- tugal inqiiifaion ; who, by the way, are, &c. There being a round million of creatures in human fig- ure, throughout this kingdom, ivhofe whole fubfiltence, &c. A tnodejl propojalyho.. Swift, Better : There being throughout this kingdom, around million of creatuies in hia"nan figure, v.'hofe whole fubfiltence, i^fc, Tom is a lively impudent clown, and has wit enough to h.ave made him a pleafant companion, had //been poiilhed and rectified by good manners. Guardian, No. 162. It is the cuftom of the Alaliometans, if they fee any printed or written paper upon the' ground to take it up, and lay it afide carefully, as not knowing but it may con- tain fome piece of their Alcoran. Spe£Jator, No. 85. The arrangement here leads to a wrong fenfe, as if the ground were taken up, not the paper. Bet- ter thus : It is the cuftom of the Mahometans, if they fee upon the ground any printed or v\'iitten paper, to take it up, i^V. The following rule depends on the cominunlcation of emotions to related objefts ; a principle in hu- man nature that hath an exceniivc operation : and D3 . we 54 Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIL we find this operation, even where the objeftsarenot otherwife related than by juxtapofition of the words that exprefs them. /Hence, to elevate or deprefs an ^objeft, one method is, to join it in the expreffion with another that is naturally high or loW: witnefs the following fpeech of Eumencs to the Roman fenate. Caufam veniendi fibi Roman fuiiTe, praetcr cupiditatem vifendi decs hominejque, quoium beneticio in ea tortuna ef- fet, fupra quam ne optare quidein auderet, etiam ut coram munerct fenatum ut Perfei conatus obviam iret. Z/Vc, I- 42. cap. 1 1 . To join the Romans with the gods in the fame enun- ciation, is -cJi artful flroke of flattery, becaufe it tac- itly puts them on a level. On the other hand, the degrading or vilifying an objeft, is done fuccefsful- ly by ranldng it with one that is really low ; I hope to have this entertainment in a readinefs for the next wi'iter ; and doubt not but it will pleafe more than the opera or puppet- Ihow. Sptttator^ No. 28. Manifold have been the judgments which Heaven from t'l ; to time, for the chaftifement of a finful people, has i.fiicted upon whole nations. For when the degeneracy b.-r(H«t? co'iimon, 'tis but jufl: the punilhment Ihould be general. Of this kind, in our own unfortunate country, vtaf that delhu6tive peftilence, whofe mortality was fo fatal ^': to fwecp away, if Sir William Petty may be believed, five Uiiilions of ChriiUan fouls, befides women and Jews. God's revenge againji ■punning. Arbuthnot. Spch alfa was .that dreadful conflagration enfuing in this fiiUiuus metropolis of Loinion, which confumed, according to tiie compulation of Sir San\uel Moreland, 100,000 houfes, not to mention churches and {tables. Ibid. But on condition it might pafs into a law, I wotild glad- ly exempt both law)'e:s of all ages, fubaUcrn and field ol^tcers. Sect. II. Beatify of Language. SS officers, young heirs, dancing mailers, pickpockets, and |)Iayers. An infallible fcheme to fay the public debts. Sivift. Sooner let earth, air, fea, to chaos fall, Men, monkeys, lap-dogs, parrots, perilh all. Rape of the Loch. Clrcumflances In a period refemble finall (lones In a building, employed to fill up vacuities among thofe of a larger fize. In the arrangement of a period, fuch under-parts crowded together make a poor fig- ure ; and never are graceful but when Interfperfcd among the capital parts. I iliuftrate this rule by ihe following example. It is likewife urged, that there are, by computation, in this kingdom, above io,oco parfonr, whofe revenues, added to thofe of my Lords the Biihops, would fuffice to main- tain, ^c. Argument againjl aholifoing Chrijiianity. Swift. Here two clrcumflances, 1^%. by coinputaiion and in this kingdom^ are crowded together unneceflarily : they make a better appearance feparated in the fol- lowing manner : It is likewife urged, that in this kingdom, there arc, by comp\itation, above 10,000 parfons, {jfr. If there be room for a choice, )the fooner a clr- cumltance is introduced, the bette^; becaufe clr- cumflances are proper for that cooinefs of mind, with which we begin a period as well as a volume : in the progrefs, the mind warms, and has a greater reliih for matters of importance. /When a circiim- ftance is placed at the beginning of the period^ or near the beginning, the tr anfition from it to the \x\v^- D 4 cipal c/a 5^ Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIIL cipal fubje61; is agreeable A it is like afcending, or going upward. On the other hand, to place it late in the period has a bad effeft ; for after being en- gaged in the principal fubje(^, one is with reluclance brought down to give attention to a circumftance. Hence evidently the preference of the following ar- rangement : Whether in any country a choice altogether unexception- able has been made, feems doubtful. Before this other : Whether a choice altogether unexceptionable has in any country been made, ^c. For this reafon the following period is exceptiona- ble in point of arrangement. I have confidered formerly, with a good deal of attention, the fubjeft upon which you command me to communicate my thoughts to you. Bollngbrokc of the Jludy of hijloryy letter i. which, with a flight alteration, may be improved thus : I have formerly, with a good deal of attention, confider- ed the fubjeft, ^c. Swift fpeaking of a virtuous and learned educa- tion ; And although they may be, and too often are drawn, by the temptations of youth, and the opportunities of a large fortune, into feme irregularities, xvhen they come forward hi- to the great worid ;'(\^ is ever with relucUnce and compunc- tion, of mind, becaufe thdr bias to virtue itill continues. The InlelllgeKcer, No. 9. Better : jtt. Sect. II. Beaniy ofLangua^c* 57 Better : And although, zvhcn they come forward into ihe great worldy they inay be, and 100 often, ^c. The bad effect of placing a circumftance lafi: or late in a period, will appear from the following ex- amples. Let us endeavour to eilablifh to ourfelves an intereft in him who holds the reins of the whole creation in his hand. Spe^atcr, No. 12. Better thus : Let us endeavour to eflablilTi to ourfelves an interefl in him, who, in his hand, holds the reins of the vvliole crea- tion. Virgil, who has cafi: the whole fyftem of Platonic phi- lofophy, fo far as it relates to the foul of nnan, into beauti- ful allegories, /« the fixth book of his Mneidy gives us the puniihnient, 1?V. SpeSiator, No. 90. Better thus : Virgil, who in the fixth book of his i^^neid, has cafi;, iSc. And Philip the Fourth was obliged at laft to conclude a peace on terms repugnant lo his inclination, to that ot his people, to the intcreit of Spain, and to that oi all Europe, in the Pyrenean treaty. Letters onhtjiory, vol. I. let. 6. BoUngbroke. Better thus : And at laft, in the Pyrenean treaty, Philip the Fourth was obliged to conclude a peace, ought to be placed in the fame' order.) The beauty of this figure, which may be termed.^ climax in fcnfe^ T^ .(. has efcaped lord Bolingbroke in the firfl member of the following period. Let bnt one grcri;, brave, difinterefled, a£live man arife, and he will be received, followed, and alinoft adored. The follov/ing arrangement has fenfibly a better effed: Let but one brave, great, aciive, difintcrcilcd nnan arife. Whether the fame rule ought to be followed in enu- merating men of different ranks, feems doubtful : en the one hand, a number of perfons prcfented to Sect. II. "Beautj of Language. 6t the eye in form of an increafing feri es, Is undoubt- edly the moil agreeable order il6n the other hand, 4^^^^ in every lift of names, we fet the perfon of the great- ^ '^'^j^ eft dignity at the top, and defcend gradually through /^ ' his inferiors. Where the purpofe is to honour the yH^ perfons named according to their rank, the latter ^^^-it order ought to be followed ; but every one who re- 'I'J^tff gards himfelf only, or his reader, will choofe the ^"^^ former order. 3dly, As the fenfe of order direds ^ the eye to defcend from the principal to its greateft acceffory, and from the whole to its greateft part, and in the fame-order through all the parts and accef- fories till we arrive at the minuteft ; the fame or- der ought to be followed in the enumeration of fucli particulars. I fhall give one familiar example. Talking of the parts of a column, the bafe, the Ihaft, the capital, thefe are capable of fix difterent arrangements, and the queftion is. Which is the beft ? When we have in view the ereding a column, we are naturally led to exprefs the parts in the order above mentioned j which at the fame time is agreea- ble by afcending. But confidering the column as it ftands, without reference to its ertftion the fenfe of order, as obferved above, requires the chief part to be named firft : for that reafon we begin with the Ihaft ; and the bafe comes next in order, that we may afcend from it to the capital. Laftlv, In trac- ing the particulars of any natural operation,/^der requires that we follow the courfe of nature : Tiiltor- ical fa6ts are related in the order of tim3T we begin at the founder of a family, and proceed nom. him to his defcendants : but in defcribing a lofty oak, we begin with the trunk, and afcend to the branches. yWhen force and livelinefs of expreffion are de- manded, the rule is, to fufpend the thought as long , as pofiible, and to bring it out full and entire at they €i Beaufy of Language, Ch. XVIIL clofe : which cinnot be done but by Inverting the natural arrangeroent. By introducing a word or member before its time, curiofity is raifed about what is to follow ; and it is agreeable to have our curiofity gratified at the clofe of the period : the pleafure we feel refembles that of feeing a flroke ex- erted upon a body by the whole collected force of the agent. On the other hand, where a period is fo conftruded as to admit more than one complete clofe in the fenfe, the curiofity of the reader is exhaufled at the firft clofe, and what follows appears languid or fuperfluous : his difappointment contributes alfo to that appearance, when he finds, contrary to expedation, that the period is not yet finilhed. Cicero, and after him Quintilian, recommend the verb to the laft place. This method evidently tends to fufpend the fenfe till the clofe of the period ; for without the verb the fenfe cannot be complete : and when the verb happens to be the capital word, which it frequently is, it ought at any rate to be the iaft, according to another rule, above laid down. I proceed as ufual to illullrate this rule by examples. The following period is placed in its natural order. Were inftni<3ion an efTential circumftance in epic poe- try, I doubt whether a Tingle inllance conid be given of this fpecies of compofition, in any language. The period thus arranged admits a full clofe upon the word mnpofition ; after which it goes on lan- guidly, and clofes without force. This blemifli will be avoided by the following arrangement. Were inftiuclion an efiential circiimftance in epic poe^- %ry, I doubt vvheiher, in any language, a fingle inftance 9puld be given of this fpecies of compofition. Some Ch. XVIII. Beauty of Language, 6-3 Some of our moft eminent divines have made ufe of this Platonic notion, as far as it regards the fubfiftence of our pallions after death, with great beauty and ftrength of reafon. Spe^afory No. 90. Better thus : Some ofour moft eminent divines have with great beauty and ftrength of reafon, made ufe of this Platonic no- tion, &c. Men of the heft fenfe have been touched, more or lefs, with thefe groundlefs horrors and prefages of futurity, upon furveying the moft indifferent works of nature. SpeSiatory No. 505. Better, Upon furveying the moft indifferent works of nature, men of the beft fenfe, &:c. She foon informed him of the place he was in, which, netwithftanding all its horrors, appeared to him more fvveet than the bower ot Mahotnet, in the company ot his Balfora. Guardiariy No. 167. Better, She foon, &c. appeared to him, in the company of his Balfora, more fvveet, &c. The Emperor was fo intent on the eftablifhment of his abfolute power in Hungary, that he expofcd the Empire doubly to defolation and ruin for the fuke of it. Letters on bijiory, vol. i. let. 7. Bdir.ghrcke. Better, that for the fake of it h-e expofed the empire doubly to defolation and ruin. None 64 ^ Beauif of Language, Ch, XVIII, None of the rules for the compofition of periods are more liable to be abufed, than thofe laft men- tioned ; witneft many Latin writers, among the moderns efpeciaily, whofe ftyle, by inverfions too violent, is rendered harfh and obfcure. /Sufpenfion of the thought till the clcfe of the period, ought never to be preferred before perfpicuity?7^ Neither ought fuch fufpenfion to be attempted in a long pe- riod ; becaufe in that cafe the mind is bewildered amidfl a profufion of words : a traveller, while he is puzzled about the road, relilhes not the fined prof- ped: : All the rich prefents wliich Aflyages had given him at parting, keeping only feme Median horfes, in order to propagaie the breed of them in Peilia, he diftribnted among his friends whom he left ut the couit of Ecbatana. T nil! els of Cyrus y book r. The foregoing rules concern the, arrangement of a fingle period : I add one rule more concerning the difhibution of a difcourfe into different periods. A fliort period is lively and familiar : a long period, requiring mere attention, makes an impreilion grave and folemn.*/ In general, /^writer ought to ftudy a mixture of long and fhort periods, which prevent an irkfonie uniformity, and entertain the mind with va- riety ofimpreiiion|J.In particular, long periods ought to be avoided tillthe reader's a'ctention be thoroughly engaged ; and therefore a difcourfe, efpeciaily of the familiar kind, ought never to be introduced with a long period. For that reason, the commencement of a letter to a very young lady on her marriage is faulty : Madam, * Demetrius Phalcrrus fof Elociiti.^n, fcft. 44. '\ obferves, that long members in a perixl make nn iinpicirion of gravity and impoitaiicc. The fame obleivauon is applicable to peiiods. SucT. II. Beauty of Language. 6^ Madam, The hurry and impertinence of receiving and paying vifits on account of your marriage, being now over,; you are beginning to enter into a courfe of life, where you ■will want much advice to divert yoti from falling into many errors, fopperies, and follies, to which your fex is fubjed. / • Swift. r/' See another example^ flill more faulty, in the commencement of Cicero's oration, Pro Archiapoeta. Before proceeding farther, it may be proper to i^eview the rules laid down in this and the preceding fe£lion, in order to make fome general obfervations^ That order of the words and members of a period is juftly termed natural, which correfponds to the nat- ural order of the ideas that compofe the thought. The tendency of many of the foregoing rules is to fubftitute an artificial arrangement, in order to catch fome beauty either of found or meaning for which, there is no place in the natural order. But feldom it happens, that in the fame period there is plac;^ for a plurality of thefe rules : if one beiiuty q^n l?e re- tained, another muft be relinquiflied ; and the 'only quefliion is. Which ought to be preferred ? This queftion cannot be refolved by any general rule : if the natural order be not reliflied, a few trials will difcover that artificial order which has thejbeft ef- fect ; and this exercife, fupported by a good taile, will in time make the choice eafy. All that can be faid in general is, that in making a choice, •found ought to yield to fignification. The tranfpofmg words and members out of their natural order, fo remarkable in the learned lan- guages, has been the fubje£t of much fpeculation. It is agreed on all hands, that fuch tranfpofition or inverfion bellows upon a period a very fenfible de- gree • Vol. 11. E / 66 JBeauly of La7igud^e. Ch. XVIII, gree of force and elevation ; and yet writers feem to be at a lofs how to account for this efFedt. Cerceau* afcribes fo much power to inverfion, as to make it the charaderiftic of French verfe, and the fingle cir- cumftance which in that language diftinguifhes verfe from profe ; and yet he pretends not to fay, that it hatli any other efte6l but tO: raife furprife ; he mufl mean curiofity, which is done by fufpending the thought during the period, and bringing it out en- tire at the clofe. This indeed is one effect of inver- . fion ; but neither its fole eifeft, nor even that which is. the moft remarkable, as is made evident above. But waving cenfure, which is not an agreeable tafk, I enter into the matter ; and begin with obferving, that if conformity between words and their meaning be agreeable, it muft of courfe be agreeable to find the fame order or arrangement in both. Hence the beauty of a plain or natural ftyle, where the order of the words correfponds precifely to the order of the idea*.. Nor is this the fmgle beauty of a natural ftyle :• it is alfo , refemblances between found and fignification, ac- companied with an endeavour to explain why fuch refemblances are beautiful. I begin with examples where the refemblance between the found and fignif- ication is the mofl entire ; and next examples v/here the refemblance is lefs and lefs fo. rrhere being frequently a ftrong refemblance of one found to another, it will not be furprifing to find an articulate found refembling one that is not artic- , ulate): thus the found of a bow-ftring is imitated by \ tike words that exprefs it : \ The firing let fly, Twang dpiort and jharpy liketlie IhriU fwallow's cry. Od^ey, xxi.'449. E z The 6$ Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIIL The found of felling trees in a wood : Loud fofunds the ax, leiloubUng ftrokes on ftrokes, On all fides round the forell hurls her oaks Headlong. Deep echoing groan the tiiickets brown, Then rnjillngy crackling., crajhing^ thunder do^vn. Iliady xxiii. 144. But when loud furges lafli the founding fhore, The hoarfe rou^H verfe ihould like the torrent roar. Pope's Efjay on Criticijrny 369. Dire Scylla there a fcene of horror fojrms, And here Charybdis fills the deep with ftorms : Wlien the tide ruflies from her rumbling caves, The roiigh rock roars : tumultuous boil the waves^. Pope. (\No perfon can be at a lofs about the caufe of this beauty : it is obvioufly that of imitation.^" That there is any other natural releniblance of found to fignification, fnuft not be taken for granted. There is no refemblance of found to motion, nor of J found to fentiment. f We are however apt to be de- \ ceived by artful pronunciatiorJ: the fame palfage may be" pronounced in many different tones, elevat- ed or humble, fweet or harfh, brifli or melancholy, fo as to accord with the thought or fentiment : fuch concord muft be diflinguiflied from that con- cord between found and fenfe, which is perceived in fome expreflions independent of artful pronuncia- tion : the latter is the poet's work ; the former muil be attributed to the reader. /Another thing contrib- lutes flill more to the deceit ; in language, found I and fenfe being intimately connected, the properties I of the one are readily communicated to the other/; for example, the quality of grandeur, of fweetneis, or of melancholy, though belonging to the thought folely, Sect. III. Beaut'j cf Language. 69 folely, is transferred to the words, which by that means refemble in appearance the thought that is ex- prefled by them.* I have great reafon to recommend thefe obfcrvations to the reader, confidering how inaccurately the prefent fubjed is handled by critics : not one of them diflinguilhes the natural refemblance of found ai)d fignification, from the artificial refem- blances now defcribed ; witnefs Vida in particular, who in a very long pafTage has given very few exam- ples but what are of the latter kind.f That there may be a refemblance of articulate founds to fome that are not articulate, is felf-evident ; and that in fadt there exilt fuch refemblances fuccefs- l\illy employed by writers of genius, is clear from the foregoing examples, and from many others that might be given, But we may fafely pronounce, that this natural refemblance can be carried no farther : the objefts of the different fenfes, differ fo widely from each other, as to exclude any refemblance ; found in particular, whether articulate or inarticu- late, refembles not in any degree tafte, fmell, nor motion ; and as little can it refemble any internal fen- timent, feeling or emotion. But mufl we then ad- mit, that nothing but found can be imitated by found ? Taking imitation in its proper fenfe, as importing a refemblance between two objeds, the proportion muff be admitted : and yet in many paffages that are not defcriptive of found, every one mufl be fenfible of a peculiar concord between the found of the words and their meaning. As there can be no doubt of the fad, what remains is to inquire into its caufe. iRefembling caufes may produce effeds that have no refemblance j and caufes that have no refera- blance * Sec chap, 2. part 1. feft. 5, + Poet. L. 3. 1. 365. 454, ^o Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII. blan(?e may produce refembling GffeSis.f A magnifi- cent building, for example, refembles not in any degree an heroic aclion ; and yet the emotions they produce, are concordant, and bear a refemblance ta each other. We are ftill more fenfible of this refem- blance in a fong, when the mufic is properly adapt- ed to the fentiment : there is no refemblance be- tween thought and found ; but there is the ftrongefl refemblance between the emotion raifed by mufic tender and pathetic, and that raifed by the complaint of an unfuccefsful lover. Applying this obfervation to the prefent fubjefl:, it appears, that in fome in- ftances, the found even of a f ingle word makes an im- preffion refembling that which is made by the thing it lignifies : witnefs the. word running, compofed of two fnort fyllables ; and more ren^rkably the words rapidity, impetuofity, precipitation. Brutal manners produce in the fpectator an emotion not unlike what is produced by a harfh and rough found ; and hence the beauty of the figurative expreffion rugged man- ners. Again, the word little, being pronounced with a very fmall aperture of the mouth, has a weak and fahit found, which makes an imprefTion refembling that made by a diminutive obje61:. This refemblance of effects is fliil more remarkable where a number of words are connefted in a period : words pro- nounced in fuccefTion make often a flrong impref- fion ; and when this imprefTion happens to accord with that made by the fenfe, v/e are fenfible of a com- plex emotion, peculiarly pleafant ; one proceeding from the fentiment, and one from the melody or found of the words. But the chief pleafure proceeds from having thefe two concordant emotions combin- ed in perfed harmony, and carried on in the mind to a full ciofe :* I Except in the fmgle cafe where I found * See chap. 2. part 4. /- Sect. Ill, Beauty of Language. yi found is defcrlbed, all the examples given by ciitics / of fenfe being imitated in found, refolve into a re- ' femblanee of effe<51:s|t emotions raifed by found and./ fignification may have a refemblance ; but found it- felf cannot hav^ a refemblance to any thing but found. Proceeding now to particulars, and beginning with thofe cafes where the emotions have the ftrongell refemblance, I obferve, firit,/rhat by a number of i fyllables in fucceflion,'an emotion is fometimes raif-f ed extremely fmiilar to that raifed by fucceffive mo- 1 tion ; fwhich may be evident even to thofe who are defettive in tafte, from the following fa6t, that the term movement in all languages is equally applied to both. |In this manner, fucceffive motiomlfuch as / walking, running, galloping, /;an be imitated by a fucceffion of long or fhoi-t fyllables, or by a / due mixture of both.J For example, flow motion may be juftly imitated in a verfe where long fylla- bles prevail ; efpecially when aided by a flow pro- nunciation. > llli inter fefe magna vi brachia tollunt. Georg. iv. 174, (On the other hand, fwiit motion is imitated by a fucceflTion of fliort fyllables :l Quadrupedanteputrem fonitu quaut ungula campum. Again : • Radit iter liquidum, c^leres neque commovet ala?. \ Thirdly, A line compofed of monofyllables, make;? an impreffion, by the frequency of its paufes, fimi- lai to what is made by laborious interrupted motion; I E4 ' Wiih ' yi Biaufy of Language. 6h. XVIII. With many a weary llep, and many a grban, Up the high hill he heaves a huge round ftone. • Odjrfj, xi. 736. Firft march the heavy mules fecurely flow ; O'er hiils, o'er dales, o'er craggs, o'er rocks they fo. Iliad, xxiii. 13B. / Fourthly, The impreffion made by rough founds m fuccefTion, refembles that made by rough or tu- multuous motion : on the other hand, the impiefr fion of fniooth founds refembles that of gentle mo- tion. The following is an example of both. 1 Tvyo craggy rocks proje£ling to the main, The roaring wind's tempeituous rage reftrain ; Wkhin, the waves in fofter murrnurs glide, > Ana ihips fcciire without their haulfers ride. Odyjfey, iii. 1 1 8. Another example of the latter : Soft is the ftrain when Zephyr gently blows. And the faiooth (tream in fmoother numbers flows. Ejfay on Crit. 366. V Fifthly, Prolonged motion is expreffed in an Alex- anarine line. > The firft example fhall be of flow motion prolonged. A needlefs Alexandrine ends the fong ; That like a wounded fnake, drags its flow length along. Effay on Crit. 356. The next example is of forcible motion prolonged : The waves behind impel the waves before, Wide-rolling, foaming high, and tumbling to the (hore. Iliad, xiii. 1004. The lafl: fhall be of rapid motion prolonged : Not fo when fvvift Camilla fcours the plain, Flies o'er th'unbending corn, and flcims along the main, EjTay en Crit. 373. Again I Sect. III. Bemdy of Language. 73 Again fpeaking of a rock torn from the brow of a jnountain : Still gath'ring force, it Imokes, and urg'd amain, Whirls, leaps, and thunders down, impetuous to the plain. Il'iady xiii. 197. t,SixthIy, a period confiding moftly of long fylla- bles, that is, of fyllables pronounced flow, prodiiceth an emotion refembling faintly that which is pro- duced by gravity and folemnity.l Hence the beauty of the following verfe : Olli fedato refpondit corde Latinus. It refembles equally an objeft that is infipid and ur^- interefting. Tasdet quotidianarum harujn formarunl. Terence y Eunuchus, aSi 2.fc. 3. (^Seventhly, A flow fucceflion of ideas is a circum- ftance that belongs equally to fettled melancholy, and to a period compofed of polyfyllables pronounc- ied flow : and hence by fmiilarity of emotions, the latter is imitative of the former : ) In thofe deep folitudes, and awful cells, Where heav'dy'penfive Contemplation dwells, And ever mufing melancholy reigns. Popey Eloifa to Abelard. ^Eighthly, A long fyllable made fiiort, or a fnort Tyllable made long, raifes, by the difficulty of pro^ tiouncing contrary to cuftom, a feeling fimilar to that of hard labour/: When Ajax drives fome rock's vaft weight to throw. The line too labours, and the words move flow. EjJ'ay on Crit. 370. (Ninthly, Harfli or rough words pronounced with difficulty, excite a feeling fimilar to that which pro- ceeds from the labour of thought to a dull writer :\ Jua ^ 74 Beauty of Lan^iage, Ch. X VIIL Juft writes fo make his barrennefs appear, And (trains from hard-boimd brains eight lines a-year. Popii epijlle to Dr. Arbuthnot, 1. i8l. I fhall clofe with one example more, which of all makes the fined figure. In the firft fedion mention is made of a cHmax in found ; and in the fecon'^, of a chmax in fenfe^ ' It belongs to the prefent fub- jecl to obferve, that when thefe ^coincide in the (i^ ^yl^ame paflage, the concordance of found and fenfe > ^ v^delightfuff : the reader is confcious not only of rjAj^^MLi^^J^^^^"^^ frcrm the two climaxes feparately, but of an -V^f°^'^^^^ additional pleafure from their concordance, and from finding the fenfe fo juftly imitated by the found. In this refped, no periods are more perfe£t than thofe borrowed from Cicero in the firft fedion. JThe concord between fenfe and found is no lefs agreeable in what may be termed an anticlimax, where the progrefs is from great to little\; for this has the effeft to make diminutive objeds afppear flill more diminutive, t/ Horace affords a flriking ex-- ample. ^ Parturiunt mWes, nafcetur ridiculus mus. The arrangement here is fingulariy artful : the firil place is occupied by the verb, which is the cap- ital word by its fenfe as well as found : the clofe is referved for the word that is the meaneft in fenfe/as well as in found. And it mufl not be overlooked, that the refembling founds of the two lad fyllables give a ludicrous air to the whole* Reviewing the foregoing examples,/it appearsjto me, contrary to expedation, that/in pamng from the ftiongefl refemblances to thofe that are fainter, eve- ry flep affords additional pleafure. I Renewing t^^e experiment again and again, I feel no wavering, but .-the greatefl pleafure conflantly from the faintefl re^ femblances. Sect. Ill, Beauty of Language, 75 femblances. c And yet how can this be ? for if the pleafure lie in imitation, muft not the ftrongeft re- lemblance afford the greateft pleafure ? From this vexing dilemma I am happily relieved, by reflecting on a doftrine eftablifhed in the chapter of refem- blance and contrail, that/the pleafure of refemblance I 13 the greateft, where it is leaft expeded, and where I the objeds compared are in their capital circura- ftances widely different J ° Nor will this appear fur- ( prifing, when we defcend to familiar examples, j? It raifeth no degree of wonder to find the mofi: perfect refemblance between two eggs of the fame bird : it is more rare to find fuch refemblance between two human faces ; and upon that account fuch an ap- pearance raifes fome degree of wonder : but this emotion rifes to a ftill greater height, when we find in a pebble, an agate, or other natural produftion, \ any refemblance to a tree or to any organifed body. We cannot hefitate a moment, in applying thefe ob- ' fervations to the prefent fubjecl : what occafion of wonder can it be to find one found refembiing another, where both are of the fame kind ? It is not fo common ta find a refemblance between an articu- ' late found and one not articulate ; which accordingly affords fome flight pleafure. But the pleafure fwells greatly, when we employ found to imitate things it refembles not otherwife than by the eftects produced in the mind. I have had occafion to obferve, that to complete the refemblance between found and fcnfe, artful pro- ; i^. nunciation contributes not a little. Pronunciation therefore may be confidered as a branah of the pres- ent fubjeft ; and with fome obfcrvations upon it the fedlion fhall be concluded. In order Ao give a jufl idea of pronunciation, it j «nuft be diftinguiflied from finging. The latter is car- 1 ried I 7^ Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIIJ, iried on by notes, requiring each of them a different /aperture of the windpipe : the notes properly belong- ' ing to the former, are expreffed by different aper- I tures of the mouth, without varying the aperture of the windpipe. This however doth not hinder pro- nunciation to borrow from, fmging, as one fome- times i^ naturally led to do, in expreff^^g a vehement paffion. In reading, as in finging, therd is a key-note : above this note the voice is frequently elevated, to make the found correfpond to the elevation of the fubjeft : but the mind in an elevated (late, is difpofed t;o action ; therefore, in order to a red, it mud be brought dawn to. the key-note. Hence the term cadence. The only general rule that can be given for dire£l- ing the pronunciation, is, ITo found the words in fuch a manner as to imitate the things they fignify. 9 In pronouncing words fignifying what is elevated,^ the voice ought to be raifed above its ordinary tone ; a;nd words fignifying dejedion of mind, ought to be pronounced in a low note. To imitate a ftern and impetuous paffion, the words ought to be pronounc- ed rough and loud ; a fweet and kindly paffion, on the contrary, ought to be imitated by a foft and me- iodious tone of voice ; in Dryden's ode of Alcxan- d^r's feaji, the line Fabiy fain, fain, fain, rcprefents a gradual fmking of the mind ; and therefore is pro- V nounced with a falling voice by every one of tafte, ^/without inflrudion. fin general, words that make / the greateff figure ought to be marked with a pecu- I liar emphafis. I Another circumftance contributes to / the refemblance between fenfe and found, which is / ilow or quick pronunciation : for though the length ' / cr fliortncis of the fyilables with relation to each / Qther, be in profe afcertained in forae meafure, an|j ' in Sect. III. Beauty of Language ^7 in verfe accurately ; yet, taking a whole line oi- pe- riod together, it may be pronounced flow or fait. /A period accordingly ought to be pronounced flow, when it expreflTeS what is folemn or deliberate^ and ovight to be pronounted quick, when it expreile^ ' what is brilk, lively, or impetuous. / / The art of pronouncing with propriety and grace, being intended to make the found an echo to the fenfe, fcarce admits of any other general rule than that above mentioned. It may indeed be branched out irito many particular rules and obfervations ,; but without m.uch fuccefs ; becaufe no language furniflieth words to fignify the dilFerent degrees oi high and low, loud and foft, faft and flow. Before thefe differences can be made the fubjeft of regular inilru6lion, notes mufl be invented, refembling thofe employed in mufic. We have reafon to believe, that in Greece every tragedy was accompanied with fuch notes, in order to afcertain the pronunciation ; but the moderns hitherto have not thought of this refine- ment. Cicero indeed,* without the help of notes, pretends to give rules for afcertaining the various tones of voice that are proper in exprefllng the dif- ferent pafiions ; an>J it muft be acknowledged, that in this atttempt he hath exhaufl:ed the whole power of language. At the fame time, every perfon of difcernment will perceive, that thefe rules avail little in point of inftruftion : the very words he employs, are not intelligible, except to thofe who beforehand {C^^^**'f^ are acquainted with the fubjed:. io^^u^jt^y^^ To vary the fcene a little, I propofe to clofe with ^\^ ^^ a flight comparifon, between fmging and pronounc- \/^^.-.-^ ing. In this comparifon, the five following circum- ftances relative to articulate found, mufl: be kept i;i view. / sfl:, A found or fy liable is harfli or fmooth./ / S'i* 4 * De oratorc, I. 3. cap. j8. i^iuC' mf 78 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII. 2d, It is long or fhort. 3d, It is pronounced high or low. 4th, It is pronounced loud or foft. And, laflly, a number of words in fucceffion, con- llituting a period or member of a period, are pronounced flow or quick. Of thefe five the iirfl depending on the component letters, and the fecond being afcertained by cuftom, admit not any variety in pronouncing. The three lad are ar- bitrary, depending on the will of the perfon who pronounces j and it is chiefly in the artful manage- ment of thefe that juft pronunciation condlls.j With jpefped: to the firft circumftance, mufic has evidently the advantage ; for all its notes are agreeable to the ear ; which is not always the cafe of articulate founds. With refpe(^ to the fecond, long and fhort fyllables varioufly combined, produce a great variety of feet ; yet far inferior to the variety that is found in the multiplied combinations of mufical notes. With refpeft to high and low notes, pronunciation is ilill more inferior to fmging ; for it is obferved by Di- onyfuis of Halicarnalfus,* that in pronouncing, /. e. without altering the aperture of the wind- pipe, the voice is confined within three notes and a half : fmging has a much greater compafs. With refpeft to the two laft circumftances, pronun- ciation equals fmging. In this chapter I have mentioned none of the beauties of language but what arife from words tak- en in their proper fenfe. Beauties that depend on the metaphorical and figurative power of words, are referved to be treated chap. 20. SECT. * Dc ftiuflura orationis, feci. 9.. B£CT*IV« Bemtty of Langmge. 79 SECT; IV. Verfification. Ti HE mufic of verfe, though handled by ev- ery grammarian, merits more attention than it has been honoured with. It is a fubjeft intimately con- liecled with human nature ; and to explain it thor- oughly, feveral nice and delicate feelings mufl be employed. But before entering upon it, we mufl fee what verfe is, or, in other words, by what mark it is diltinguifhed from profe j a point not fo eafy as may at firft be apprehended. It is true, that the conftrudion of verfe is governed by precife rules ; whereas profe is more loofe, and fcarce fubjefted to any rules. But are the many who have no rules, left without means to make the diftindion ? and even with refpedt to the learned, mufl they apply the rule before they can with certainty pronounce whether the compofition be profe or verfe ? This will hardly be maintained ; and therefore inftead of rules, the ear mufl be appealed to as the proper judge. But by v/hat mark does the ear diflinguifh verfe from profe ? The proper and fatisfadory anfwcr is. That thefe make different imprefTions upon every one ^^ ho hath an ear. This advances us one flep in our inquiry. Taking it then for granted, that verfe and profe make upon the ear different i-mpreffions : nothing remains but to explain this difference and to afTign its caufe./ To this end, I call to my aid, an obferva- tion made above upon the found of words, that they are more agreeable to the ear when compofed of long and fhort fyllables, than when all the fyllables are of the fame fort : a continued found in the fame tone, pc Beauty of Language, Cif. XVIII, tone, makes not a mufical impreffion : the fame note fucceilively renewed by intervals, is more agreeable ; but flill makes not a mufical impreiiion. To pro- duce that impreflion, variety is neceifary as well as number : the fucceflive founds or fyllables, mud be fome of them long, fome of them fhort ; and if alfo high and low, the mufic is the more perfect. The mufical impreffion made by a period confifting of long and fhort fyllables arranged in a certain order, is what the Greeks call rbythmus, the Latins nuinerus, and we melody or mcafiu'c, Cicero jufiily obferves, that iri one continued found there is no melody : " Numerus in continuatione nullus eft." But in what follows he is wide of the truth, if by numerus he means melody or mufical meafure : " Diitindio, et sequalium et faspe variorum in tervalloriim percufTio, numerum conficit ; quern in cadentibus guttis, quod intervallis diftinguuntur, notare pofiumus." Falling drops, whether with equal or unequal intervals, are certainly not mufic : yve are not fenfible of a mufic- al impreffion but in a fuccefhon of long and fliort notes. And this alfo was probably the opinion -of the author cited, though his expreflion be a little unguarded. * It will probably occur, that melody, if it depend on long and fhort fyllables combined in a fentence, may be found in profe as well as in verfe ; confider- ing efpecially, that in both, particular words are ac- cented or pronounced in a higher tone than the reft ', and therefore that verfe cannot be diftinguifhed from profe by melody merely. The obfervation is juft j and * From this pafTage, however, we difcover flie etymology of the Latin term for mufical imprenion. Every orte being fenfible that there is no mufic in a continued found ; the firR: inquiries were probably carried no f irther than to dlfiover, that to produce a mufical impreflion a number of founds is necefl'aiy ; and mufical impreffion obtained the name of r.ii' merus, before it was clearly afcertaincd, that variety is neccffary as wcH as number. Sect. IV. Beauty of Language, Si and it follows, that the diftindlon between them, fince it depends not fingly on melody, muft arife from the difference of the melody : which is precifely the cafe 5 though that difference cannot with any accu- racy be explained in wofds ; all that can be faid is, that verfe is more mufical than profe, and its melody more perfedl. The difference between verfe and profe, refembles the difference, in mufic properly fo called, between the fong and the recitative : and the refemblance is not the lead complete, that thefe differ- ences, like the ihades of colours, approximate fome- times fo nearly as fcarce to be difcernible : the melo- dy x)f a recitative approaches fometimes to that of a fong : which, on the other hand, degenerates fome- times to that of a recitative. . Nothing is more dif- tinguifliable from profe, than the bulk of Virgil's Hexameters : many of thofe compofed by Horace, are very little removed from profe : Sapphic veife has a very fenfible melody : that, on the other hand, of an Iambic, is extremely faint.* This more perfect melody of :irticulate founds, is what diftinguiflieth verfe from profe. Verfe is liib- jeded to certain inflexible laws ; the number and variety of the component fyllables being afcertairted, and in fome meafure the order of fuccefiion. Such reftraint makes it a matter of difficulty to compofe in verfe ; a difficulty that is not to be furmounted but by a peculiar genius. Ufeful Iclfons conveyed to us in verfe, are agreeable by the union of mufic with in- ftrudion : but are we for that reafon to reje6l knowl- edge ofiered in a plainer drefs ? That would be ri- diculous : *Mnfic, properly fo called, is analyfcd into melody and harmony. A fnccclfion of fovinds fo as to be agreeable to the ear, contlitiites melody : harmony arifes from co-cxifting founds, Veifc therefore can only reach melody, and not harmony. Vol. IL F S2 Beauty of La7igua^e, Ch. XVIIL diciilous ; for knowledge is of intrinfic merit, inde- pendent of the means of acquifition ; and there arc many, not lefs capable than willing to inftrud us, who have no genius for verfe. Hence the ufe of profe ; which, for the reafon now given, is not con- lined to precife rules. There belongs to it, a cer- tain melody of an inferior kind, which ought to be the aim of every writer ; but for fucceeding in it, practice is necelTary more than genius. Nor do we rigidly infill for melodious profe : provided the work convey inftruclion, its chief end, we are the lefs fo- licitous about its drefs. Having afcertained the nature and limits of our fubjecl, 1 proceed to the laws by which it is regulat- ed. Thele would be endlefs, were verfe of all diifer- ent kinds to, be taken under confideration. I propofe therefore to, confine the inquiry, to Latin or Greek exameter, and to French and Englifli Heroic verfe ; which perhaps may carry me farther than the reader will choofe to follow. 'j The obfervations I Ihall have occafion to make, will at any rate be fufficient for a fpecimen ; and thele, with proper variations, may eafily be transferred to the compofition of other forts of verfe. Before I enter upon particukws, it muft be premif- ed in general, that to verfe of every kind, five things are of importance, ill, The number of fyllables hat compofe a verfe line. 2d, The different lengths of fyllables, /. e. the difference of time taken in pro- nouncing. 3d, The arrangement of thefe fyllables combined in words. 4th, The paufes or ftops in pronouncing. . 5th, The pronouncing fyllables in a high or a low tone. The three firft mentioned are ob\'ioufly effential to verfe : if any of them be want- ing, there cannot be that higher degree of melody which diflinguilheth verfe from profe. To give a juft $ECT. IV. Beauty ofhangiiag^. 83 juft notion of the fourth, It muft be.obferved, that paufes are necelfary for three different purpofes : one, to feparate periods, and members of the fame period, according to the fenfe ; another, to improve the melody of verfe \ and the lall, to afford oppor- tunity for drawing breath in reading. A paufe of the firft kind is variable, being long or fhort, fre- quent or lefs frequent, as the fenfe requires. A paufe of the fecond kind, being determined by the melody, is in no degree arbitrary. The lait fort is in a meafure arbitrary, depending on the reader's command of breath. But as one cannot read with grace, unlefs, for drawing breath, opportunity be taken of a paufe in the fenfe or in the melody, this paufe ought never to be diftinguifiied from the others ; •and for that reafon fhall be laid afide. With refpe'6t then to the paufes of fenfe and of melody, it may be affirmed without hefitation, that their coincidence in verfe is a capital beauty : but as It cannot be expell- ed, in a long work efpecially, that every line fnould be fo perfeft ; we (hall afterward have occafion to fee, that the paufe necelfary for the fenfe muft often, in fome degree, be facrificed to the verfe -paufe, and the latter fometim.es to the former. The pronouncing fyllables in a high or low tone^ contributes alfo to melody. In reading whether verfe or profe, a certain tone Is aifumed, which may be called the key-note ; and in that tone the bulk of the words ar6 founded. Sometimes to humour the fenfe, and fometimes the melody, a particular fyl- lable Is founded In a higher tone ; and this Is term- ed accenting a fyllable^ or gracing it with an accent. Oppofed to the accent is the cadence, which I have not mentioned as one of the requifites of verfe, bc- caufe it is entirely regulated by the fenfe, and hath cn*tc^ no F2 84 Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIL no peculiar relation to verfe. The cadence is a fall- ing of the voice below the key-note at the clofe of every period j and fo little is it effential to verfe, that in correft reading the final fyllable of every line is accented, that fyllable only excepted which clofes the period, where the fenfe requires a cadence. The reader may be fatisfied of this by experiments ; and for that purpofe I recommend to him the Rape cf the Lock^ which, in point of verfification, is the mofl complete performance in the Englifh language. Let him confult in a particular period canto 2. be- ginning at line 47. and clofed line 52. with the word gay, which only of the whole nnal fyllables is pro- nounced with a cadence. He may alfo examine an^* other period in the 5th canto which runs from line 45. to line52\ Though the five requifites above mentioned, en- ter the compofition of every fpecies of verfe, they are however governed by different rules, peculiar to each fpecies. Upon quantity only, one general obfer- '^ » , vation may be premifed, becaufe it is applicable to ev- / . T *^^y fpecies of verfe. That fyllables, with refpeft to the '^^A^mr^i^^ixYiQ. taken in pronouncing, are long or Ihort ; two fliort fyllables, with refpett to time, being precifely equal to a long one. Thefe two lengths are effential to verfe of all kinds j and to no verfe, as far as I know is a greater variety of time neceffary in pronouncing fyllables. The voice indeed is frequently made to reil longer than ufual upon a word that bears an important fignification ; but this is done to humour the fenfe, and is not neceffary for melody. A thing not more neceffary for melody occurs witli refpett to accenting, fimllar to that now mentioned : A word fignifying any thing hum.blc, low, or dejeded is naturally, in profc, as well as in verfe, pronounc- ed in a tone below the key-note. We Sect. IV. Beauty of Language, 85 We are now fufEciently prepared for particulars ; beginning with Latin or Greek Hexameter, which are the fame. What I have to obferve upon this fpecies of verfe, will come under the four following heads ; number, arrangement, paufe, and accent : For as to quantity, what is obferved above may fuf- iice. Hexameter lines as to time are all of the fame length ; being equivalent to the time taken in pro- nouncing twelve long fyllables or twenty -four fhort. An Hexameter line may confiH of feventeen fyllables ; and when regular and not Spondiac, it never has fewer than thirteen ; whence it follows, that were the fyllables are many, the plurality mufl be Ihort 5 where few, the plurality mufl be long. This line is fufceptible of much variety as to the fucceflion of long and fhort fyllables. It is however fubjefted to laws that confine its variety within cer- tain limits ; and for afcertaining thefe limits, gram- marians have invented a rule by Da6tyles and Spon- dees, which they denominate yt'^/'. One at firil: view is led to think, that thefe feet are alfo intended to reg- ulate the pronunciation : which is far from being the cafe ; for were one to pronounce according to thefe feet, the melody of a Hexameter line would be deflroyed, or at bell be much inferior to what it is when properly pronounced.* Thefe feet mud be confined to regulate the arrangement, for they ferve no * After giving fome attention to this fubjeft, and weighing dcliberafcly every ciicumflance, I was ncce.ffarily led to the foregoing conclufion, That the Datlyle and Spondee are no other tlian artificial meafures, in- vented for trying the accuracy of conipcjfition. Repeated experiments have convinced me, that though the fenfe ftiould be neg'cficd, an Hex- ameter line read bv Daflyles and Spondees will not be nulodius. And the compofition of an Hexameter line demonflrates this to be true, with- out - F3 8^ Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII. no othei' purpofe. They are withal fo artificial and complex, that I am tempted to fubftitute in their flead, o:hsr rules more fimple and of more eafy ap- plication ; for example, the following, ifl, The line muft always commence with a long fyllable, and ciofe with tvvo long preceded by two fhort. 2d, More than two fnort can never be found together, nor fewer than two. And 3d', Two long fyllables which have CtU ncceflitv of an experiment; for, as vill appear afterward, there muft alwa'-s in this 'i' e, be a cap'tal paiife at the end ©f the fil h lonq f; liable, reckoning, as above, t paufe is cffcntial to the m lodv of an Hexameter verfe. If, on the ether hand, the melodv be i referved b, rn iking thjt paufe, the pronouncing by Da£lyles or SpondvCs muft \)- abandoned. What has led g'-ammarians into the ufe of Daflv'e^ and Spondees, fff ms not bevoi'd the reach of cinj^fture. To pi educe im-iodr, the I)a£tvle and the S ondec, which c of^ everv Hexameter line, muft be d'ftinftly expieff d ia the pronuncidiion. Thi.s di'covery joined with Another, that the foregoi ig > art of ihe veife could be meafured bv the fame ieet, pr:bably led grammaiians to adopt thefe art ificial meafures, ai^d perhaps rafhly to concliide, that the ptonunciation is dirroiiuticiition as well as the crm;^ofi- tion ; but in the f re^^Qing part of the line, th>.-y regulate the compodtioa only, not the pronunciation. If we muft have feet in verfe to regulate the pronunciation and con^ fequently the melodv, thefs feet miiit be determined bv the paufes. All the fyllables interjeftcd between two paufes ought to be deemed one tnufica- fo t ; becaufe to prelerve the melody, they muft all be pro- nounced t 'gether, without any ftop. And therefore, whaiever number there are of paufes in a Hexameter line, the parts into which it is divid- ed by :hefe paufes, make jgil fo many mudcai feet. Connexion obliges me here to anticipate, and to cbfetve, that the fame doftrine is applicable to Engllfli heroic verfe. Con(iderino ics omoofition merely, it is of tv.'o kinds; one compofcd of five Iambi; and one of a Trcchaeus, followed by four Iambi : but thele feet afford |io rule for prono mcing ; the mufical feet being obvioufly tliofe parts of the line that are interjefled b-i ween two paufes. To biingout the inelodv, thefe feet muft be expieft'ed in the pronunciation; or, wliicli comes to the fame, the pronui)cia(i^>'i rnufi be diiei-tcd by the pauiesi yithout regaid to the Iambus orTiocbjeus, ♦Sect. IV. Beauty of Language, S7 have been preceded by two fhort, cannot alfo be followed by two fliort. Thefe few rules fulfil all the conditions of a Hexameter line, with relation to order or arrangement. To thefe again a fingle rule may be fubftituted, for which I have a ftill greater relilh, as it regulates more affirmatively the con- ftruction of every part. That I may put this rule into words with perfpicuity, I take a hint from the twelve long fyllables that compofe an Hexameter line, to divide it into twelve equal parts or portions, being each of them one long lyllable or two fhort. A portion being thus defined, I proceed to the rule. The ift, 3d, 5th, 7th, 9th, nth, and 12th portions, mull each of them be one long fyllable; the ioth,mull always be two fhort fyllables : the 2d, 4th 6th and 8th, may either be one long or two fliort. Or to ex- prefs the thing flill more curtly, The 2d, 4th, 6th, and 8th portions may be one long fyllable or two fliort ; the 10th mufl be two fhort fyllables ; all the reft muft ccnfift each of one long fyllable. This fulfils all the conditions of an Hexameter line, and comprehends all the combinations of Dadyles and Spondees that this line admits. Next in order comes the paufe. At the end of every Hexameter line, every one muft be fenfible of a complete clofe or full paufe ; the caufe of which follows. The two long fyllables preceded by two ihort, which always clofe an Hexameter line, are a fme preparation for a paufe : for long fyllables, or fyllables pronounced flow, refembling a flow and languid motion, tending to reft, naturally incline the mind to reft, or to paufe ; and to this inclination the two preceding fhort fyllables contribute, which by contraft make the flow pronunciation of the final fyllables the more confpicuous. Befide this com- plete F4 SS Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIL plete clofe or full paufe at the end, others are alfo requifite for the fake of melody : of which I dif* cover two clearly, and perhaps there may be more. The lop.gefl and moft remarkable, fucceeds the 5th /? , / portion : the other, which, being fhorter and more ,; ;y/^^|^^^^^^ "^"^^y be called the femipaufe\ fucceeds the 3th / ' poriion. So ftriking is the paufe firfl mentioned, as to be diftinguifhed even by the rudeft ear : the monkifli rhymes are evidently built upon it ; in. which by an invariable rule, the final v/ord always chimes with that which immediately precedes tho iaid paufe : De plandlu ciido \ metrum cum carmine nudo Mingere cum bumbis |j res eft faluberrima lumbis. The diffeience of time in the paufe and femipaufe, occafions another difference no lefs remarkable ; that it is lawful to divide a word by a femipaufe, but never by a paufe, the bad efled of which is fenfibly felt ill \};\t following examples ; • E-Tufus labor, at ]| que inmitis rupta Tyranni 4g^in : Obfeivans nido im |I plumes detraxit ; at ilia Again : Loricam quam De || moleo detraxerat ipfe The dividing a vCord by a femipaufe has not the fame bad effect : Jamque pcdem referens j| cafus ejvaferat omnes. Again ; Sect. IV» Bemty of Language. t^ Again : Qualis populea j] mcerens Philojinela fub umbra Again ; Ludere que vellem ]] calamo perjmifit agrefti, Lines, however, where words are left entire, ^without being divided even by a femipaufe, run by that jneans much the more fweetly : Nee gemere aerea jj cefTaibit j tu-rtur ah ulmo. Again : Qiiadrupedante putrem jj fonitu quatjt j ungula camjputp^ Again : Eurydicen toto ]] referebant | flumlne ripse. The reafon of thefe obfervations will be evident up^ on the flighted: refledion.J Between things fo in- timately conne6led in readmg aloud, as are fenfe find found, every degree of difcord is impleafant : and for that reafon, it is a matter of importance, to make the mufical paufes coincide as much as poffible with thofe of fenfe j which is requifite, more efpecially, with refped to the paufe, a deviation from the rule being lefs remarkable in a femipaufe. Confidering the matter as to melody foiely, it is indifferent whether the paufes be at the end of words or in the middle ; but when we carry the fenfe along, it is difagreeable to find a word fplit into two by a paufe, as if there were really two words : and though the difagreeable- nefs here be connedled. with the fenfe only, it is by an eafy tranfition, of perceptions transferred to the found J 90 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII, found ; by which means we conceive a line to be '\. harfli and grating to the ear, when m reaUty it is on- ly fo to the underflanding.* /) I To the rule that fixes the paufe after the fifth por- ^^X^on, there is one exception, and no more : if the y^^y iyTlable fucceeding the 5th portion be fliort, the paufe is fometimes poflponed to it. Pupillis (juos dura |[ pre mit cudodia matrum. Again, In terres opprefla [| gravi fub religione. Again ; Et quorum pars magna [j fui ; quls talia fando, This contributes to diverfify the melody ; and where the words are fmooth and liquid, is not ungraceful ; ^s in the following examples : Formofam refonare \\ doces Amaryllida fylvas. Again : Agricolas, quibus Jpfa jj procul difcordibus armis. If this paufe, placed as aforefaid after the fhort Syllable, happen alfo to divide a word, the melody by thefe circumfbances is totally annihilated, Witnefs the following line of Ennius which is plain profe. Romac moenia tcrru ]j it impiger ] Hannibal armis. Hitherto the arrangement of the long and fhort fyllables of an Hexameter line and its different paufes, have . '• ^See chap. 2. part i. ftfl. f . Sect. IV. Beauty of Language. 9! have been confidered with refpeci to melody, but to have a juft notion of Hexameter verfe, thcfe par- ticulars mull alfo be confidered with reipedt to lenfe. There is not perhaps in any other fort of verfe, luch latitude in the long and fliort fyllabies ; a circum- ftance that^- contributes greatly to that richnefs of melody which is remarkable in Hexameter verfe, and which made Aviflotle pronounce, that an epic poem in any other verfe would not fucceed.* One defect, however, muft not be diifembled, that the fame means which coniribute to the richnefs of the melody, render it Isfs ht than feveral other forts for a narrative poem. There cannot be a more artful contrivance, as above obferved, than to clofe an Hex- ameter line with two long fyllabies preceded by two (hort : but unhappily this conflrudion proves a great erabarralfment to the ioii-i^ ; which, will thus be evi- dent. As in general, there ou^ht to be a {i:ri<51: con- cordance between a thought and the words in which it is dreifed ; fo in particular, every clofe in the fenfe ought to be accompanied Vvith a clofe in the found. In profe this law may be ftri^lly obferved ; but in verfe, the fame ftriftnefs would occafion infuperable . difficulties. Willing to facriiice to the melody of a verfe, fome fhare of tlie concordance betvvreen thought N^ and expreffion, we freely excufe the feparation of '^ the mufical paufe from that of the fenfe, during the qJT courfe of a line ; but the clofe of an Hexameter line is ^ too confpicuous to admit this liberty : for which rea- ^ fon there ought always to be fome paufe in the fenfe ^ ;it the end of every Hexameter line, v/ere it but fuch ^■^ a paufe as is marked with a comma ; and for the (j fame reafon, there ought never to be a full clofe in fhe fenfe but at the end of a line, becaufe there the * Poet. cap. 25, 92 Beaufy of Language, Ch, XVIII. melody is clofed. An Hexameter line, to preferve its melody, cannot well admit any greater relaxation ; and yet in a narrative poem, it is extremely difficult to adhere ftriftly to the rule even with thefe indul- gences. Virgil, the chief of poets for verfification, is forced often to end a line without any clofe in the fenfe, and as often to clofe the fenfe during the run- ning of a line ; though a clofe in the melody during the movement of the thought, or a clofe in tha thought during the movement of the melody, can«. pot be agreeable, .#-' The accent to which we proceed, is no lefs elTen- ]XJ14^'I tjal than the other circumftances above handled. By a good ear it will be difcerned, that in every line there is one fyllable diftinguilTiable from the reft by a capital accent : that fyllable, being the 7th poy« $ion, is invariably long. Nee bene promeritis |j capitur nee j tangitur ira. Again ; Non fibi fed toto j] genitura fe } credere mundo. Again : Qualis fpelunca || fubito comjmota columba. In thefe examples, the accent is laid upon the laft fyllable of a word j which is favourable to the mel-. ody in the following refpect, that the paufe, which for the fake of reading diftinftly muft follow every word, gives opportunity to prolong the accent. And for that reafon, a line thus accented, has a more fpirited air, than when the accent is placed on any other Sect, IV. Beauty of Language* 93 other fy liable. Compare the foregoing lines with the following : Alba neque Aflyrio jj fucatur j lana veneno. Again : Panditur interea [j domus omnipojtentis Olympi. Again : Olli fedatoH refpondit j corde Latinus. Ill lines where the paufe comes after the fliort fyl- lable fucceeding the fxfth portion, the accent is clif- placed, and rendered lels fenfible : it feems to be fplit into two, and to be laid partly on the 5th por* tion, and partly on the 7th, its ui'ual place j as in Nuda genu, nodoque |1 finus coljleila fiuentes, Again : Formofam refonare |j doces Amarjyllida fylvas. Befide this caDital accent, flig;hter accents are laid upon other portions : particularly upon the 4th, un^ lefs where it confifts of two Ihort fyllables ; upon the 9th, which is always a long fyllable ; and upon the nth, where the line concludes with a monofyl- lable. Such conclufion by the by, impairs the mel- ody, and for that reafon is not to be indulged unlefs where it is expreflive of the fcnfc. The following lines are marked with all the accents. Ludere qua^ vellem calanw permlfit agrefli. Again ; §4: teauty of Langunge. Ch. !K VIIL Again • Et dura? qucicus fudabunt rofcida mclla. Again ; Partnriunt monte?, nafcetui* ridicniiis mtis. Reflecling upon the melody of Hexameter Terfej we find, that order or arrangement doth not conili- tute the whole of it \ for when we compare different lines, equally regular as to the fucceffion of long and fhort fyllables, the melody is found in very di^'erent degrees pf perfection ; which is not oc<:afioned t^y any particular combination of Daclyles and Spon- dees, or of long and iliort fyllables, becaufe we find lines where Dadyles prevail, and lines where Spon- dees prevail, equally melodious. Of the former take the following inftance : j^neadum genitrix homuium divumque voluptas. Of the latter : Molli paulatiin fluvefcet campus arifta. What can be more different as to melody thari the two following lines, which, however, as to the fucceffion of long and fhort fyllables, are conltru<^ed precifely in the fame manner ? S:>ond. Da£l. Spoiid. Spond. Daft. Spond. Ad talos itola diniiiia et circmndata palla. Hor. Spond. Dafl:. Spond. Spond. D:ift. Spond. Placatumque nitet diffufo luminc coeium. Lucr4 In the former, the paufe falls in the middle of a word, which is a great blemilh, and the accent is difturbed 1Sect.IV. Beauty of Langimgd. ^^ diflurbed by a harfh elifion of the vowel a upon the - Jjarticiple et. In the latter, the paufes and the ac- cent are all of them diflintl and full : there is no elifion ; and the words are more liquid and founding. In thefe particulars confilts the beauty of an Hexam- eter line with refped; to melody : and by neglecting thefe, many lines in the Satires ^nd Epiflles of Ho- race are lefs agreeable than plain profe ; for they are neither the one nor the other in perfection. To draw melody from thefe lines, they mud be prc- nouuced without relation to the fenfe : it mud not be regarded, that words are divided by paufes, nor that harfh elihons are multiplied. To add to the ac- count profaic low-founding words are introduced :' and which is ftill worfe, accents are laid on them. Of ^ fiich faulty hnes take the following inftances. "-/i^'mc "^Ci^ Candida re mull be handled feparateiy, becaufe there are many peculiarities g6 JSeduty of Language* 'Ch. XVIII. peculiarities in each. ^3eginning with rhyme or me- t'tjfuJ^X.XQ, the lirll article (hail be difcuiTed in a few words. / Every line confiils of ten fyllables, five fliort and five long ; from which there are but two exceptions, both of them rare. The firft is, where each line of a couplet is made eleven fyliables, by an additional fyllabie at the end f\ There heroes' wits are kept in pond'rous vafes, AvA bcaus' in fnuff-bo>:es and tweezer-cafes. The piece, you think, is incorre<5l ? ^liy, take it ; I'm ail fubmifiion j what you'd have it, make it. This licence is fufFerable In a fmgle couplet j but if frequent, would give difguft. The other exception concerns the fecond line of a couplet, which is fometimes ftretched out to twelve fyliables, termed an Alexandrine line : A needlefs Alexandrine ends the Tong, Thar, like a wounded fnake, drags its flow length along* It doth extremely v/ell when employed to clofe a pe- riod with a certain pomp and folemnity, where the fubjeft makes that tone proper. ^ ^ . With regard to quantity it is unnecefiary to (/iijpimJhi '^'ic'^tiort a fecond time, that the quantities era- ^ I ployed in verfe are but two, the one double of the other ; that every fyllabie is reducible to one or other of thefe ftandards ; and that a fyllabie of the larger quantity is termed k?2^, and of the lefKn- quantity y/jc;-/. It belongs more to the prefent aru- cle, to examine what peculiarities there may be in the Englilh language as to long and fhort fyliables. Ev- ery language has .fyliables that may be pronounced long or ihort at pleafure j but the EngliOi above all abounds -Sect. IV. Beauty of Language. 9^ •abounds in fyllables of that kind : in fvords of three or more fyllables, the quantity for the moH part is invariable : the exceptions are more frequent in dif* fyllables : but as to monofyllables, they may, with- out many exceptions, be pronounced either long- or ihort ; nor is the ear hurt by a liberty that is render- •ed familiar by cuftora. This fhows, that the melo- dy of Enghfh verfe muft depend lefs upon quantity, than upon other circumilances : in which it diifers widely from Latin verfe, where every fyllable, hav- ing but one found, llrikes the ear uniformly with its accullomed impreifion ; and a reader muft be de- lighted to find a number of fuch fyllables, difpofed ■fo artfully as to be highly melodious. Syllables va- riable in quantity cannot poifefs this power : for though cuftom may render familiar, both a long and a Ihort pronunciation of the fame word ; yet the mind wavering between the two founds, cannot be fo much affeded as \n)'here every fyllable has one fixed ibund. What I have further to fay upon quantity, will come more properly under the following head, of arrange- ment. ' /^ And with rcfpefl to arrangement, which may be i^x-^^^'f'^' brought within a narrow compafs, the Ei^gliih He- roic line is commonly Iambic, the fird fyllable fhort, the fecond long, and fo on alternately through the ^,-, whole line. One exception there is, pretty frequent, O^^^^^/a of lines commencing with a Trochseus, /'. e. a long ^^ / and a fhort fyllable : but this aliects not the order cf the following fyllables, which go on alternately a:J iifual, one fhort and one long. The fQllowing coup- let aifords an example of each Idnd." SomP t'l t!^e fields Xy^ pureH TtVier p'av, ^jid balk and wblt'in an the blaze of d3v. Ic Vol. II, 9S Beauty of Language. Ch. TYWi, \It is a great Imperfedion In Englifli verfe, that it excludes the bulk of polyfyllables, which are the mofl founding words in our language ; for very few of them have fuch alternation of long and fhort fylla- bles as to correfpond to either of the arrangements mentioned.^ Englifh verfe accordingly is almoft to- tally reduced to dilfyllables and monofyllables : 7nagna7iimity is a founding word totally excluded : impetuoftty is ftill a finer word, by the refemblance of the found and fenfe ; and yet a negative is put upon it, as v/ell as upon numberlefs words of the fame kind. Polyfyllables compofed of fyllables long and fhort alternately, make a good figure in verfe ; for example, oBfervance^ opponent^ ojienfive, pindaric, prO' duclive, prolific, and fuch others of three fyllables. J;!iitatio?2, imperfe^iion., mij demeanor^ mitigation, mode- ration, obfervator, ornamental, regulator, and others fnnilar of four fyllables, beginning with two fliort fyl- lables, the third long, and the fourth Ihort, may find a place in a line commencing with a Trochseus. I know not if there be any of five fyllables. One I know of fix, viz. mifinterpretation : but words fo compofed arc not frequent in our language. One would not imagine without trial, how un- couth falfe quantity appears in verfe ; not lefs than a provincial tone or idiom. The article the is one of the few m-onofyllables that is invariably lliort : ob- ferve how harfli it makes a line where it muft be pronounced long ; This nymph, to the defliu£lion of mankind. Again, Th' advent'rous baifjn the biYght locks admir'd. Let it be pronounced Ihort, and it reduces the melody alnioll to nothing : better fo however than falfe quantity. Sect. IV. Beauty ef Language. 95 quantity. In the following examples we perceive the fame defed : And old impertinence || expel by new With varying vanities || from ev'ry part Love in thefe labyrinths [] his flaves detains New (Iratagems j| the radiant lock to gain Her eyes halt langiiifliing || half drown'd in t^rs Roar'd for the handkerchiet || that caus'd his pain Pi^llions like elements || though born to fight. The great variety of melody confpicuous in Eng- lilh verfe, arifes chiefly from the paufes and accents ; which are (?f greater importance than is commonly thought. . '^here is a degree of intricacy in this branch of our fubjed:, and it will be difficult to give a diflindl view of it ; but it is top late to think of / difficulties after we are engaged. '\ The paufe, which /0^ ^ paves the way to the accent, offers itfelf firfl to our examination ■; and from a very fliort trial, the fol- lowing fafts will be verified, aft, A line admits but one capital paufe. 2d, In different lines, we find this paufe after the fourth fyllable, after the fifth, after the fixth, and after the feventh.i jThefe four places of the paufe lay a folid foundation for divid- ing Englifh Heroic lines into four kinds ; and I warn the reader beforehand, that unlefs he attend to this diftindion, he cannot have any jufl notion of the richnefs and variety of Englifli verfification. Each kind or order hath a melody peculiar to itfelf, read- ily diftinguiffiable by a good ear : and I am not with- out hopes to make the caufe of this peculiarity fuffi- ciently evident. It muft be obferved, at the fame time, that the paufe cannot be made indifferently at any of the places mentioned : it is the fenfe that reg- ulates the paufe, as will be feen afterward ; and cou- fequentlv, G2 loo Beauty of Lan^ua^e. Ch. XVIIL fequently, it Is the f fpring. ner, But ought to be pronounced in the following man- If Delia fmile, j] the flow'rs begin to fpring. If then it be not a matter of indifference where to *make the paufe, there ought to be rules for deter- mining what words may be feparated by a paufe, and what are incapable of fuch feparation. ' I fhall en- deavour to afcertain thefe rules ; not chiefly for their utility, but in order to unfold fome latent principles, that tend to regulate our tade even where we are fcarce fenfible of them : and to that end, the method that appears tlie moft promifmg, is to run over the verbal relations, beginning with the moft intimate. /The firft that prefents itielf is that of adjeftive and fubftantive, being the relation of fubjecl and quality, the moil intimate of all : and with refpeft to fuch in- timate companions, the queftion is. Whether they can bear to be feparated by a paufe.j What occurs is, that a quality cannot exift independent of a fub- jecl ; nor are they feplrable even in imagination, be- caufe they make pr.rts of the fame idea.: and for that reafon, with refpe6l to i^ielody as well as fenfe, it. mull be difagrceable, to beftow upon the adjective a* foit Q 4 1^4 . Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIIf» fort of independent exiftence, by interjefting a paufe between it and its fubftantive. I cannot therefore approve the following lines, nor any of the fort j foF to my tafte they are harili and unpleafant. Of thoufand bright jj inhabitants of air The fpritesot fiery |1 tennagaiits inilaine The relt, his many-colour d || robe conceal'd The fame, his ancient |j peif /nnge to deck Ev'n here, where frozen j| Challiiy retires I fit, with fad Ij civility, 1 read Back to rny native j| moderation Aide, Or ihall Ave ev'ry || decency co-nfound Time was,^ a fober |] Engl ifii man would knock And place, on good || fecurity, his gold Tafte, that eternal {j wanderer, which flies But ere the tenth j[ revolving day was run I'irit let the juft |} equivalent be paid. f Go, threat thy earth-born f, Myrmidons ; but here ' • Hade to tb.e fierce jj Achilles' tera (iie cries) A.il but the ever wsKeful jj eyes of Jove Your own refiftlefs jj eloqiicnce employ I have upon this article multiplied examples, that in a cafe where I h.ave the misfortune to diflike what paifes current in practice, every man upon the fpot i;iay judge by bio own tafte. And to tafte I appeal ; for ♦though i]\t foregoing reafaning appears to me juft, it is hov/eVer fco lubtife to afford conviclion in oppofition to tafte. Conhuerine this. matter fiineruciallv, one might be apt to ini'igiue, that it- muft be the fame, whether the adjec^tive go firftj .which is-.the natural order, or the fubftantivj, which is indulged by theUws.of in- verfion. Bai:j.:vYs;''forji dif^^oyei' this,to be a miilake : colour, for example, cannot be conceived independ- ent of die furface coloured^ but a tree may be con^ ccived^ as. grovvin^ in a certain T]iot, as^of a certain kind, and as fpreading its extended branches ail around. Si;cT. IV. Beauty of Language. 105 around, without ever thinking of its colour. In a word, a fubjed: may be confidered with fome ot its qualities independent of others ; though we cannot iorm an image of any fingle quahty independent of the fubjeftJ (Thus then, though an adje^cive named firfl be infepiiable ft^om the fubftantive, the propo- fition does not reciprocate;: \\\ image can be formed of the fubftantive independent of the adjecliv^ ; and for that reafon they may be feparated by a paufe, when the fubftantive takes the lead. For thee the fates jj feverely kind ordain And curs'd with hearts j{ unknowing how to yield. The verb and adverb are precifely in the fame con- dition with the fubftantive and adjective. An ad- terb, which modifies the adion exprefled by the terb, is not feparable from the verb even in imagin- ation : and therefore I muft alio give up the follow^ jng hues : And which It much jl becomes you to forget 'Tis one thing madly jj to difperfe my ftore. But an acbion may be conceived with fome of its mod- iiications, leaving out others ; precifely as a fubjeO: may be conceived with fome of its qualities, leaving out others \ and therefore, when by inverfion the yerb is firft introduced, it has no bad eifeft to inter, jeft a paufe between it and the adverb that follows. This may be done at the clofe of a line, where the paufe is at leaft as full as that is v/hich divides the line ; While yet he fpoke, the Prince advancing drew Nigh 10 ihe lodge, •»t7'f. The agent and its adion come next, exprefied in grammar by the aftive fubuautivc and its verb. Be« tweea io6 Beauiy of Langhage. Ch. X"\1II. twcen thefe, placed in their natural order, there is no difficulty of interjecling a paufe : an adive being is not always in motion, and therefore it is eafily fepa- rable in idea from its action : when in a fentence the fubftantive takes the lead, we know not that aftion is to follow ; and as reft: mud precede the com- mencement of motion, this interval is a proper op- portunity for a paufe. But v^hen by inverfion the verb is placed firft, is it lawful to fepurate it by a paufe from the active fub- flantive ? I anfwer, No : becaufe an aftion is not an idea feparable from the agent, more than a quality from the fubject to which it belongs. Two lines of the firft rate for beauty, have ahvays appeared to ms exceptionable, upon account of the paufe thus inter- je6:ed between the verb and the consequent fubftan- tive ; and I have now diicovered a reafon to fupport my tafte : In ^hefedecp foil tudes and awful cells, Where heav'nly-peniive jj Contemplation dwells, And ever-mufing || Melancholy reigns. The point of the greateft: delicacy regards the ac- tive verb and the pafiive fubftantive placed in their natural order. On the one hand, it will be obferved, that thefe words fignify things which are not fepara- ble in idea. KiUing cannot be conceived without a being that is put to death, nor painting without a furnace upon which the colours are fpread. On the other hand, an adibn and the thing on which it is exerted, are not, like fubjed and quality, united *in one individual dbjeiSl : the active fubftantive is per- fectly diltinft from that which is paliiye ; and they are couiipfted by one circumftance pnlyj^ that the action of the former ia, exerted upon the latter. 'This' makes it poiTiblc to take the adion to pieces, and to confider Sect. IV. Beauty of Language* 107 confider it firfl with relation to the agent, atid nex' with relation to the patient. But after all, fo inti- mately conneded are the par:s of the thought, that it requires an eftbrt to make a feparation even for a moment : the fubtilifmg to fuch a degree is not agree- able, efpecially in works of imagination. The befl poets, however, taking advantag;e of this fubtilty, fcruple not to feparate by a paufe an adive verb from the thing upon which it is exerted. Such paufes in a long work may be indulged ; but taken fmgly, they certainly are not agreeable ; and I appeal to tiie following examples : The peer now fpreads jj thegnu'rirfgi-forfcx wiJe As ever fiiUy'ci |] the fair face of light Repair'd to fearch j] the yluomy cave of Spleen Nothing, to make || Philofonliyithy friend Shou'd chance to make |] thfe well-drefsM rabble flare Or crofs, to plunder |j provinces, the main Thefe madmen ever hnrt j| the chOrch or ftate How ihall we till {| a library with wit Whai better teach (1 a foreigner the tongtie Soie, it I fpire || the miniiler, no rules Of honour bind me, not to uiatil his tools. On the other hand, when the r-afTive fcbfiantive Is by inverfion firll named, there is no difiicalty of inter- jeding a paufe between it ai^d th? verb, more than when the aclive fubilantive is firft named. The fame reafbn holds in both, that thoiigh a verb cannot be feparateH in idea ^f ropi-' the" fubftantive wfiich gov- erns it, and fcarcely from t^o. fulbftantiye it governs ; yet a fubltantivean^iy always l^e conceifed^indepen- dent of the verb : \vl]eif the psilive ^ujp'ftahtive- is m- troduced before, the verb^' \te kpoV-.not*rbat an ac- tion is to be exerted upon il ; thef¥fore'%'€;jiiciy reft fill the action Commenrc I o^/ lift fSike^ oi iliui- tr::tion take the foljowiur; .^x.unplcs : Shrines ! i,oS Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIL Shrines ! wl'.ere there vigils || pale-ey'd virgins keep Soon as thy letters Ij trembling I tinclofe No happier tafk |1 thefc tadcd eyes piirfue. What is faid about the paufe, leads to a general obfervation, That the natural order of placing the aftive fubllantive and its verb, is more friendly to a paufe than the inverted order ; but that in all the- other connedions, inverfion affords a far better op- portunity for a paufe. And hence one great advan- tage of blank verfe over rhyme ; its privilege oY in- verfion giving it a much greater choice of paufes than can be had in the natural order of arrange- ment. "^ We novi^ proceed to the flighter connexions, which {hall be difcuffed in one general article. Words con- nefted by conjunclions and prepofitions admit freely a paufe between them, which will be clear from the following inftances : AfTiime what fexe? {| and what fhape they pleafe The light militia [j of the lower fty Connefting particles were invented to unite in a pe- riod two fubllances fignifying things occafionally unit- ed in the thought, but which have no natural union: and between tvv'o things not only feparable in idea, but really diftin^t, the mind, for the fake of mel- ody chterfuily admits by a paufe, a momentary dif- junftion of their occafional union. One capital branch of the fubjed is flill upon hand, to x^ hich I am direded by what is jufl now faid.- It concerns thofe parts of fneech which fmgly reprefent no idea, jmd which become not fignificant till they be joined to other words.' I mean conjundions, prepofitions, j^rticlcs and fuch like accefTorlesi palling Sect. IV. Bmuty of Langiw^^. 109 pafling under the name of particles. Upon thefe the queilion occurs. Whether, they can be feparated by a paufe from the words that make them fignificajit I Whether, for example, m the following lines, tha reparation of the acceifory prepofition from the prin- cipal fubflantive be according to rule ? The goddefs with j| a difcontentcd air And iieighten'd by |i tl:e diamond's circling rays When victims at 1| yon altar's foot we lay So take it in 1) th.e very Vvords of Creech An enfignofjl the delegates of Jove Two ages o'er j] his native realm he reigii'd While angels, vvitn }| their iiiver wii^s o'erlhade. Or the feparation of the conjunflion from the word that is connefted by it with the antecedent word i Talthybius and Jl Eurybates the good It will be obvious at the firll glance, that the fore* going reafoning upon objeds naturally connected, is not applicable to words which of themfelves are mere ciphers : we mufl therefore have recourfe to fom($ other principle for folving the prefent queilion. Thefe particles out of their place are totally infignif* leant : to give them a meaninn;, they m.ufl be- joined to certain words ; and the neceffity of this junclionj together Avith cuftom, forms an artificial connection that has a flrong influence upon the mind : it cannot bear even a momentary feparation, which deflroys the fenfe, and is at the fame time contradidory to praclice. Another circumP:ance tends ftill m.ore to make this feparation difagi eeable in lines of the firft and third order, that it bars the accent, which willb^ explained afterward, in treating of the accent. HitheriO no Beauty of Language, Ch. XVIIT, Hitherto upon that paufe only which divides the liiite. We proceed to the paufe that concludes the line ; and the queftion is, Whether the fame rules be applicable to both i* This muft be anfwered by making a diftinclion. In the firft line of a couplet, the concluding paufe differs little, if at all, from the paufe that divides the line ; and for that reafon, the rules are applicable to both equally. The conclud- ing paufe of the couplet is in a different condition :■ it refembles greatly the concluding paufe in an Hex- ameter line. Both of them indeed aie fo remarka- ble, that they never can be graceful, unlefs where they accompany a paufe in the fenfe. Hence it fol- lows, that a couplet ought always to be finilhed with fome clofc in the fenfe ; if not a point, at leaft a comma. The truth is, that this rule is feldom tranf- greffed. In Pope's works, 1 find very few deviations from the rule. , Take the following inllances ; Nothinc: is foreign : parts relate to whole ; One all-extending, all-preferving foul Conneds each being Another : ... >j To draw frefn colours from the vernal flow'rs. To Ileal from rainbows ere tliey drop in fhow^'rs A brighter walh I add, with refpecl to paufes In general, that fup- pofmg the connexion to be fo {lender as to admit a paufe, it follows not that a paufe may in every fuch cafe be admitted. There is one rule to which every other ought to bend, That the fenfe muff never bs wounded or obfcured by the mufic ; and upon that account I condemn the following lines : Ulyffts, firft [[ in public cares, fhe found And, Sect. IV. Beauty of Language. 1 1 1 And, Who riling, high |1 th' imperial fceptre rais'd. With refpeft to mverfion, it appears, both from reafon and experiments, that many words which can- not bear a feparation in their natural order, admit a paufe when inverted.) And it may be added, that "when two words, or two members of a fentence, in their natural order, can be feparated by a paufe, fuch feparation can never be amifs in an inverted or- der. ;An inverted period, which deviates from the natural train of ideas, requires to be marked in fome meafure even by paufes in the fenfe, that the parts may be diftindly known. Take the following ex- amples : As with cold lips [| I kifs'd the facred vfil With other beauties || charm my partial eyes Full in my view || let all the brigiit abode With words like thcfe || the troops Ulylfes rul'd Back to th' alFembly xoW jl the thronging train Not for th(^r grief j| the Grecian holt I blame. The fame where the feparation is made at the clofe of the iirft line of the couplet : For fpirits, freed from mortal laws, with eafe, Aflame what fexes and what fhapes they plpal'e. The paufe is tolerable even at the clofe of the couplet, for the reafon juft ncJw fuggefted, that in- verted members require fome flight paufe in ths fenfe : 'Twas where the plane-tree fpreads Its (hades around The alters heav'd ; and from the*cruinbling ground A mighty dragon iliot. Thus 11^ J^eaut^ of Langiuyge, Ch. !X!Vlil. Thus a tniln of reafoning hath infenfibly led us to concUifions with regard to the mufical paufe, ve- ry diflercat iVom thofe in the firll ledion, concern- ing the feparating by a circumftance words intimate- ly connefi:ed. One would conjecture, that where- ever words are feparable by interjecting a circum- ftance, they Ihould be equally feparable by interject- ing a paufe : but upon a more narrow inlpe»5tion, the appearance of analogy vanilheth. This will be evident from confidering, that a paufe in the fenfe diilinguiflies the different members of a period from each other ; whereas, when two words of the Came member are feparated by a circumftance, all the three make Hill but one member ; and therefore that words may be feparated by an interje^led circuih- llance, though thefe words are not feparated by a paufe in the fenfe. This fets the matter in a clear light ; for, as obferved above, a mufical paufe is in- timately conne6ted with a paufe in the fenfe, and ought, as far as poilible, to be governed by it : par- ticularly a mufical paufe ought never to be placed where a paufe is e>tcluded by the fenfe ; as, for ex- ample, between the adjeclive and following fubllan- tlve, which make parts of the fame idea : and ftiil lefs between a paiticle and the word that makes it fignificant. Abfrracling at pfefent from the peculiarity of mel- ody arifmg from the different paufes, it cannot fail to be obferved in general, that they introduce into oar vcrfc no flight degree of variety. A number of uniform lines having all the fame paufe, are extreme- ly fatiguhig ; which is remarkable in French verli- fication. Thir. imperfeftion will be difcerned by a fine ear even in the fliorted fucceflion, and becomes iiUok'i able in a long poem. Pope excels in tlie va- riety Sect. IV. Beauty of Language, 113 rlety of his melody ; which, if different kinds can be compared, is indeed no lefs perfe<5t than that of Virgil. From what is laft laid, there ought to be one ex- ception* IjJniformity in the members of a thought demands eiqual uniformity in the verbal members which exprefs that thought. \ When therefore refem* bling objeds or things are estprelfed in a plurality of verfe-lines, thefe lines in their ftrudure ought to be as uniform as poffible ; and the paufes in particular ought all of them to have the fame place. Take the following examples : By foreign hands j[ thy dying eyes were ch)s'd. By foreign hands || thy decent limbs compos'd, By foreign hands || thy humble grave adorn'd. Again t Bright ns the fun [j her eyes the gazers ftrike : And, like the lun, [j they lliine on all alike. Speaking of Nature, or the God of Nature : Warms in the fun || refreflies in the breeze. Glows in the ftars jj and bloiroms in the trees ; " Lives through all life || extends through ail extent. Spreads undivided H operates unfpent. Paufes will detain us longer than was forefeen ; for the fubject is not yet exhauiled. It is laid down above, that Englifli Heroic verfe admits no more but four capital paufes j and that the capital paufe of ev- ery line is determined by the fenfe to be after the fourth, the fifth, the fixtli, or feventh fyllable. That this dodrine holds true as far as melody alone is con- cerned, will be teftilied by every good ear. At the fame time, I admit, that this rule may be varied where Vol, ir, H 114 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIIL ^here the fenfe or expreflion requires a variation^ and that fo far the melody may juftly be facrificed. Examples accordingly are not unfrequent, in Milton cfpecially, of the capital paufe being after the firfl, the fecond, or the third fyllable. And that this li- cence may be taken, even gracefully, when it adds vigour to the expreflion, will be clear from the fol- lowing example. Pope, in his tranflation of Homer, defcribes a rock broke off from a mountain, and hurling to the plain, in the following words : From deep to fleep the rolling ruin bounds ; At every fhock the crackling wood refounds ; Still gathering force, it fmokes ; and urg'd amain, Whirls, leaps, and thunders down, impetuous to th« plain : There ftops {| So He£lor. Their whole force he prov'd, Refiftlefs when he rag'd ; and when he ftopt, unmov'd. In the penult line, the proper place of the mufical paufe is at the end of the fifth fyllable ; but it en- livens the expreflion by its coincidence with that of the fenfe at the end of the fecond fyllable : the flop- ping fliort before the ufual paufe in the melody, aids the impreflion that is made by the defcription of the flone's fl:opping fliort ; and what is loft to the melo- dy by this artifice, is more than compenfated by the force that is added to the defcription. Milton makes a happy ufe of this licence : witnefs the following examples from his Faradife loft, -Thus with tiie year Seafons return, but not to me returns Day jl or tiie fweet approach of even or morn. Celcdial voices to the midnight-air Sole li or refponfive each to others note. And Sect. IV. Beauty of Language, 115 And over them triumphant Death his dart Shook 11 but delay 'd to ftrike. -And wild uproar Stood ruVd ]j flood vaft infinitude confin'd. -And hard'ning in his ftrength Glories jl for never fmce created man Met fuch embodied force. From his flack hand the garland wreath'd for Eve Down dropp'd ]| and all the faded rofes Ihed. Of uneflential night receives him next, Wide gaping || and with utter lofs of being, Threatens him, i^c. For now the thought Both of loft happinefs and lading pain Torments him jj round he throws his baleful eyes, i^c. If we confider the foregoing palTages with refpefc to melody fingly, the paufes are undoubtedly out of their proper place ; but being united with thofe of the fenfe, they enforce the expreffion, and enliven it g-reatly ; for, as has been more than once obferv- ed, the beauty of expreffion is communicated to the found, which, by a natural deception, makes even, the melody appear more perfect than if the mufical paufes were regular. To explain the rules of accenting, two general obfervations mufl be premifed. riho. firft is. That accents have a docible elfed : th^y contribute to the melody, by giving it air and fpirit : they contribute no lefs to the fenfe, by diftinguifliing important words from others.* I'hefe two efiefts never can be feparatedj without impairing the concord that ought * An accent conCdered with refpeft to fenfe is tcrnicd empkaf.s. H 2 ^ 1 1 S Beauty of Language. Cm. XVIII. ought Jo fubfifl between the thought and the melo- dy :/an accent, for example, placed on a low word, has tlTe effect to burlefque it, by giving it an unnat- ural elevation ; and the injury thus done to thefenfe does not reft there, for it feems alfo to injure the melody. Let us only reflect what a ridiculous fig- ure a particle muft make with an accent or emphafis put upon it, a particle that of itlelf has no meaning, and that ferves only, like cement, to unite words fig- nificant. The other general obfervation is. That a word of whatever number of fyllables, is not' accent- ed upon more than one of them. The reafonis, that the obje6l is let in its beil light by a fmgle accent, fo as to make more than one unneceffary for the fenfe : and if another be added, it rnuft be for the found merely ; which w'ould be a tranfgrefTion of the fore- going rule, by feparating a mufical accent from that which is requifite for the fenfe. Keeping in view the foregoing obfcrvations, the doftrine of accenting Englilli Ileroic verfe is extreme- ly fmiple. In the firfl place, accenting is confined to the long fyllables ; for a fhort fyllable is not ca- pable of an accent.; In the next place, as the melody is enriched in proportion to the number of accents, every word that has a long fyllable may be accented ; unlefs the fenfe interpofe, which rejeds the accenting a word that makes no figure by its fignification. Ac- cording to this rule, a line may admit five accents ; a cafe by no means rare. , — But fuppofing every long fyllable to be accented, I there is, in every line, one accent that make>s a greater * "figure than the reft, being that which precedes the capital paufe: It is diftinguiflied into two kinds : one that is immediately before the paufe, and one that is divided from the paufe by a fliort fyllable. The former belongs to lines of the firfl and third or- der J Sect. IV. Beauty of Language. 117 der ;' the latter to thofe of the fecond and fourth. , Examples of the firfl kind : Smooth flow the waves j] the zephyrs gently play, Belinda fmil'd || and aU the world was gay. ^He rais'd his azure wand || and thus began. Examples of the other kind : There lay tlirce garters |1 half a pair of gloves, Abd all the trophies H ot his toriner loves. Our humble province [j is to tend the fair, Not a lefs pleating [| though lefs glorious care. And hew triumphal arches |j to the ground. Thefe accents make different imprefTions on the mind, which will be the fubjed of a following fpeculation. .In the mean time, it may be fafely pronounced a "'^capital defed in the compofition of verfe, to put a low word, incapable of an accent, in the place where this accent ihould be : this bars the accent alto- gether ; than which I know no fault more fubver- five of the melody, if it be not the barring a paufe altogether., I may add affirmatively, that no fmgle circunirtance contributes more to the energy of verfe, than to put an important , word where the accent fhould be, a word that merits a peculiar emphafis. To ihow the bad efFe£l: of excluding the capital ac- cent, I refer the reader to fome inflances given above,* where particles are feparated by a paufe from the capital words that make them fignificant ; and which particles ought, for the fake of melody, to be accented, were they capable of an accent. Add to thefe the following inltances from the Eflay on Crit- icifm. Of * Page log. H3 1 1 8 Bediiiy of Language, Ch. XVIII, Of leaving what |1 is natural and fit Vine 44S. Not yet purg'd ofF, 1| of fpleen and four difdain /. 528. No pardon vile \ obfcenity fnould find i$ I 531. When love was all [| an eafy monarch's care ^' 537- For 'tis but half }| a judge's taflc to know /. 562. 'Tis not enough, ij tafte, judgment, learning, join /. 563. That only makes H fuperior fenfe belov'd /. 5780 Whofe right it is, [} uncenfur'd, to be dull /. 590. 'Tis bed fometimes j| yourcenfure to reftrain. /. 597. When this fault is at the end of a line that clofes a couplet, it leaves not the ilightefl trace of melody : But of this frame the bearings, and the ties. The itrong connexions, nice dependencies. In a Ime expreilive of ^.vhat is humble or dejected. It improves the refemblance between the found and fenfe to exclude the capital accent. This, to my tafte, is a beauty in the following lines. In ihl-fe deep folitudes (j and a^Ful cells The poor inhabitant || beholds in vain. To Sect. IV. Beauty of Language, tig To conclude this article, the accents are not, like the fyllables, confined to a certain number : fome lines have no fewer than five, and there are lines that admit not above one. This variety, as we have feen, depends entirely on the diiferent powers of the com- ponent words : particles, even where they are long by pofition, cannot be accented ; and polyfyllables whatever fpace they occupy, admit but one accent. Polyfyllables have another defecl:, that they gener- ally exclude the full paufe. It is fhown above, that fe>.v polyfyllables can find place in the conftrudion. of Englifh verfe ; and here are reafons for exclud- ing them, could they find place. I am now ready to fulfil a promife concerning the '^a^^^^'^ four forts of lines that enter into Englifli Heroic verfe. That thefe have, each of them, a peculiar melody diftinguifhable by a good ear, I ventured to fugged, and promifed to account for : and though the fubjed is extremely delicate, I am not without hopes of making good my engagement. But fird, by way of precaution, I warn the candid reader not to expeO: this peculiarity of modulation in every inftance. The reafon why it is not always percep- tible has been mentioned more than once, that the thought and expreffion have a great influence upon the melody ; fo great, as in many inflances to make the pooreft melody pafs for rich and fpirited, 'ITiis confideration makes me inriH: upon a conceffion or two that will not be thought unreafonable : firil. That the experiment be tried upon lines equal with refped: to the thought and cxprciTion : for other- wife one ma)'^ eafily be milled in judginp; of the mel-' ody : and next. That thefe lines be regularly accent- ed before the paufe ; for upon a matter abun- dantly refined in itfelf, I would not wiliingly be em- barraUed with faulty and irregular line^i"^ H4 Thefe 120 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII. Thefc preliminaries adjufted, I begin with fome general obfervations, that will fave repeating the fame thing over and over upon every example. And, firft, an accent fucceeded by a paufe, as in linds of the firfl and third order, makes a much greater figure than where the voice goes on without a flop. ' The fad is fo certain, that no perlon who has ah^ear can be at a lofs to diftinguiih that accent from others. ' Nor have we far to feek for the efficient caufe : the eleva- tion of an accenting tone produceth in the mind a fimilar elevation, which continues during the paufe:* but where the paufe is feparated from the accent by a flrort fyllable,,as in hnes of the fecond and fourth order, the impreflion made by the accent is more flight when there is no flop, and the elevation of the accent is gone in a moment by the falhng of the voice in pronouncing the fliort fyllable that ibllows. 'The paufe alfo is fenfibly affefted by the polition of the accent. In lines of the firfl and third order, the clofe conjuncllon of the accent and paufe, occafions a hidden flop without preparation, which roufes the^ mind, and beflows on the melody a fpirited air., ^ When, on the other hand, the paufe is feparated from the accent by a fhort fyllable, which always happens in lines of the fecond and fourth order, the paufe is foft and gentle : for this fhort unaccented fyllable, fucceeding one that is ^accented, mud of courfe be pronounced with a falling voice, which naturally prepares for a paufe j and the mind falls gently * Hence the livelinefs cf the French language as to found, above the Eng,lifli ; tlic laft rvHahle in the former being generally Ion" and accent- ed, the long fvllabls in the la'te.r being generally as far hack in the •'A'ord as pofTib'e, and often XKithouf an accent. For this dilR rcuce I find no caufe fo probable as temperament and .dlfpotifion ; the Fiench b.elno bn(k and liv, !v, the Englifh ledate and i tier ved : and this, if it hold, is a urcgnant ini^ance of a lefcmblaiice betweci: the chaiatkr of SS people and that of their language, Sect. IV. Beauty of LangViige. 1 2 1 gently from the accented fylkble, and Hides into lell as it were infenlibly. Further, the hnes thenilelxc^ derive different powers from the pofition of the paule, V'hich will thus appera*. \K paufe after the fourth fylLible divides the hne info two unequal portions, of which the larger comes jail % this circumftance rc- folving the line into an afcending feries, makes an imprefiion in pronouncing like that of alcending ; and to this imprefiion contribute the redoubled effort in pronouncing the larger portion, which is lail in order. The mind has a diiiercnt feeling when the paufe fucceeds the fifth iyllable, which divides the line into two equal parts : thefe parts, pronounced with equal effort, are agreeable by their uniformity. A line divided by a paufe after the fixth fy liable, makes an impreffion oppofite to that firff mentioned : being divided into two unequal portions, of which the fliorter is lafl in order, it appears like a flow de- fending feries ; and the fecond portion being pro- nounced with lefs effort than' the firft, the diminiih- ed effort prepares the mind for reft. And this prep- aration for reft is ftill more fenfibly felt where the paufe is after the feventh fyllable, as in lines of the fourth order. To apply thefe obfervations is an eafy talk. A line of the firil order is of all the moil fpirlted and hvely : the accent, being followed inftantly by a paufe, makes an illulfrious figure : the elevated tone of the accent elevates the mind : the mind is fup- ported in its elevation by the fudden unprepared paufe, which roufes and animates : and the line it- lelf, reprefenting by its unequal divifion an alcend- ing feriey, carries the mjnd {iiU higher, making an iniprelfion funiha- to that of going upw^ard. The Iccond order has a modulation ferilibly fweet, foft, and flowing j the accent is not {o Iprlghtly as in the - former. 2 23 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII, former, becaufe a fliort fyllable intervenes between it and the paufe : its elevation, by the Tame means, van- iiheth inftantaneoufiy : the mind, by a falling voice, is gently prepared for a (top : and the pleafure of uniformity from the divifion of the line into two equal parts, is calm and fweet. The third order has a modulation not fo eafily expreffed in words : it in part refembles the fird order, by the livelinefs of an iicccnt fucceeded inilantly by a full paufe : but then the elevation occafioned by this circumftance, is bal- anced in fome degree by the remitted effort in pro- nouncing the fecond portion, v/hich remitted effort has a tendency to red. Another circumftance dif« tinguiiiieth it remarkably : its capital accent comes late, being placed on the fixth fyllable : and thiS cir- cumftance beflows on it an air of gravity and fo- lemnity. The laft order refembles the fecond in the mildnefs of its accent, and foftnefs of its paufe j it is ftill more folemn than the third, by the latenefs of its capital accent : it alfo poifeifes in a higher degree than the third, the tendency to reft ; and by that cir- cumftance is of all the bed quahfied for doling a pe- riod in the completed manner. But thefe are not all the didinguifning chara^lers .of the different orders. Each order alfo is didin- guiihed by its final accent and paufe : the unequal divifion in the firft order, makes an impreffion of af- cending ; and the mind at the clofe is in the higheft elevation, v/hich naturally prompts it to put a drong emphafis qpon the concluding fyllable, whether by raifmg the voice to a ffiarper tone, or by exprelfrng the word in a fuller tone. This order accordingly is of all the lead proper for concluding a period, where a cadence is proper and not an accent. The fecond order being deditute of the impreffion of af- cent, caimot lival the firft order in the elevation of its Sect. IV. . BeLiuiy of Language, J 23 its concluding accent, nor confequently in the dignity of its concluding paufe ; for thefe have a mutual influ- ence. This order however with refpecl to its clofe, maintains a fuperiority over the third and fourth or- ders : in thefe the clofe is more humble, being brought down by the impreffion of defcent, and by the re- jnitted effort in pronouncing: confiderabiy in the third order, and fliil more confiderabiy in the lall. According to this defcription, the concluding accents and paufes of the four orders being reduced to 9. fcale, will form a del'cending ferics probably in an arithmetical progreffion. After what is faid, will it be thought refining too much to fuggeft, that the different orders are quali- fied for different purpofes, and that a poet of genius will naturally be led to make a choice accordingly ? I cannot think this altogether chimerical. /' As it ap- pears to me, the firil order is proper for afehtiment that is bold, lively, or impetuous ; the third order is proper for what is grave, folemn, or lofty ; the fee- ond for what is tender, delicate, or melancholy, and in general for all the fympathetic emotions ; and the lad for fubjecls of the fame kind when tempered with any degree of folemnityT'T I do not contend, that any one order is fitted'for no other talk than that alfigned it ; for at that rate, no fort of melody would be left for accompanying thoughts that have nothing peculiar in them. I only venture to fuggeil, and I do it with diffidence, that each of the orders is peculiarly adapted to certain fubjefts, and better qualified than the others for expreffmg them. The beH: way to judge is by experiment ; and to avoid the imputation of a partial fearch, I (hall confine my in-> Itances to a lingle poem, beginning with the Firil 1 24 Beauty of La?i^uage, Ch. XVIIL Firfl order. On her white brenfl, a fparkling crofs (he wore. Which jews might kifs, and infidels adore. Her lively looks a fprightly mind difclofe, Qiiick as her eyes, and as unfix'd as thole ; Favours to none, to all Ihc finilcs extendi ; Oft (he rejeil." is quits nej^lcRed in I'lciir.ii veifificatinn. Even Boileau mal bf:e,ifi a new fiibji fl viiih the Tecond. Such licence, however l'^ its fhortnefs, is indeed more biifk and lively, but much lefs fitted for the fublime. ;' And, thirdly, the ^ long high-founding words that Hexameter admits, add greatly to its majefly. To compenfate thefe ad- / vantages, Englifh rhyme poflefles a greater number ^ and greater variety both of paufes and of accents. Thefe two forts of verfe Hand indeed pretty much in oppofition : in Hexameter, great variety of arrange- ment, none in the paufes nor accents ; in Englifli rhyme, great variety in the paufes and accents, very little in the arrangement. I 2 In Mhiwhi:^. 132 Beauty of Lmiguage. Ch. XVIII* 111 blank verfe are united, in a good meafure, the '/'^r'^everal properties of Latin Hexameter and Englllh ^ ^L/"^"'*'^hyme ; and it noflefles befide many fignal proper- ^liL I ^^^^ of its own. (It is not confined, like Hexameter, ' by a full clofe attlie end of every line^ nor, like ^ rhyme, by a full clofe at the end of every couplet. /Its conftrudion, which admits the lines to run into each other, gives it a flill greater maiefty than arifes from the length of a Hexameter li neTj ^y the fame means, it admits inverfion even bey ona 'he Latin or Greek Hexamete^ for thefe fulFer fome confine- ment by the regular clofes at the end of every line, C^-^'ii^ mufic it is illuflrious above all/ the melody of ^ nexameter verfe is circumfcribed to a line ; and of Englifh rhyme, to a couplet : the melody of blank verfe is under no confinement, but enjoys the utmoft privilege, of which melody of verfe is fufceptible ; which is, to run hand in hand with the fenfe. In a word, blank verfe is fuperior to Hexameter in many articles ; and infenor to it in none, fave in the free- dom of arrangement, and in the ufe of long words. (yf^u^ And prove the torments of the lad de:^ir. J Having defcribed, the beft way I can, the impref- fion that rhyme makes on the mind ; I proceed to examine whether there be any fiibje6>s to which rhyme is peculiarly adapted, and for what fubjedls it is im.proper. Grand and lofty fubjecls, which have a powerful influence, claim precedence in this inquiry. In the chapter of Grandeur and Sublimity it is eftab- lifhed,'that a grand or fublime objed, infpires a warm enthufiaffcic emotion difdaining llridl regularity and order ; which emotion is very different from that in- fpired by the moderately enlivening mufic of rhyme. Suppofing then an elevated fubjeft to be expreffed in rhyme, what mmft be the effect ? The intimate union of the mufic with the fubjeft, produces an inti- mate union of their emotions ? one infpired by the fubjeft, which tends to elevate and expand the mind ; and one infpired by the mufic, which, confining the mind vs^ithin the narrow limits of regular cadence and fimilar found, tends to prevent all elevation above its own pitch. Emotions fo little concordant, cannot in union have a happy effect. But it is fcarce neceffary to reafon upon a cafe that never did, and probably never will happen, viz. an important fubjed: clothed in rhyme, and yet fupport- ed in its utniolt elevation. A happy thought or warm exprcllion, ,may at times give a fudden bound upv;ard ; 13S Beauty df Language, Ch. XVIIL upward ; but it requires a genius greater than has hitherto exiiied, to fupport a poem of any length in a tone elevated much above that of the melody. Taffo and Ariofto ought not to be made exceptions, and ftill lefs Voltaire. And after all, where the poet has the dead weight of rhyme conflantly to if ruggle with, how can we exped an uniform elevation in a high pitch ; v/hen fuch elevation with all the fupport it can receive from language, requires the utmolf effort of the human o-enius ? But now, admitting rhyme to be an unfit drefs for grand and lofty images ; it has one advantage how- ever, which is, to raife a low fubjecl to its own degree of elevation. Addifon* obferves, " That rhyme, without any other affiftance, throws the lan- guage off from profe, and very often makes an in- different phrafe pafs unregarded ; but where the verfe is not built upon rhymes, there, pomp of found and energy of expreffion are indifpenfably neceffary, to fupport the ftyle, and keep it from falling into the flatnefs of profe.'* This effect of rhyme, is remark- able in French verfe : which, being fimple, atid little qualified for inverfion, readily fmks down to profe where not artificially fupported : rhyme is therefore indifpenfable in French tragedy, and may be proper even in French comedy. Voltaire f affigns that very reafon for adhering to rhyme in thefe compofitions. He indeed candidly owns, that, even with the fup- port of rhyme, the tragedies of his country are little better than converfation-pieces ; which feems to in- fer, that the French language is weak, and an im- proper drefs for any grand fubject. Voltaire was fenfible of the imperfeflion ; and yet Voltaire at- tempted an epic poem in that language. The * SpcAalor, No. 285. + Preface to his OEdipus. and in his difcoutfe upon tragedy, prefixed to t'i'J tr;i3C(ly oi Brutus, Sect. IV. Beauty of Language* 13^ The cheering and enlivening power of rhyme, is ftill more remarkable in poems of fhort lines, where the rhymes return upon the ear in a quick fuccef- fion ; for which reafon rhyme is perfedly well adapt- ed to gay, light, and airy fubjeds. Witnefs the fol- lowing : O the pleafing, pleafmg anguiHi, When we love and when we languifh ? Wilhes rifing, Thoughts furprifing, Pleufure conning, Clianiis tranfporting. Fancy viewing, Joys enfuing, O the pleafing, pleafing anguIHi ! Rofamondf a6l i.fc. 2, For that reafon, fuch frequent rhymes are very im- proper for any levere or ferious pafTion : the ditfo-. nance between the fubjecl and the melody is very fen- fibly felt. I Witnefs the following : Ardito ti renda, T'accenda Di fdegno D'un figlio II periglio T)\n\ regno L'amor- E'dolce ad iin'alma Che afpetta Vendetta II perder la calma Fra Tire del cor. Metajiafio. Artaferfe^ aB 3. fc. 3. A^ain : Now under hanging mountains, Bellde the tall of fountains, Or 14<3 Beauty ofLanpmie, Ch. XVIIL Or where Hebrus wanders. Rolling ill meanders. All alone. Unheard, unknown. He makes his moan. And calls her glioll, For ever, ever, ever loft ; Now with furies furrounded, Defpi-irino;, confounded. He trembLs, he glows, Amidii Rhodope's fnows. Pope, Ode on MuftCj h 97. Rhyme is not lefs unfit for anguifii or deep diftrefs, than for fubjeds elevated and lofty ; and for that reafon has been long difufed jn the EngHfli and Ital- ian tragedy.; In a work where the fubject is ferious though not elevated, rhyme has not a good elfect; ,, becaufe the airinefs of the melody agrees not with the gravity of the fubjeft : the Effliy on Man, which treats a fubjed great and important, would make a better figure in blank verfe. Sportive love, mirth, gaiety, humour, and ridicule, are the province of rhyme. The boundaries afligned it by nature, were extended in barbarous and illiterate ages ; and in its ufurpations it has long been protected by cuftom : but tafte in the fine arts, as well as in morals, im- proves daily ; and m.akes a progrefs toward perfec- tion, flow indeed but uniform ; and there is no rea- fon to doubt, that rhyme, In Britain, will in time be forcM to abandon its unjuft conquefts, and to confine itfelf within its natural Hmits. Having faid what occurred upon rhyme, I clofe the fecHon with a general obfervation. That the melody of verfe fo powerfully enchants the mind, as to draw a veil over very grofs faults and imperfedlons. " Of this power a ftronger example cannot be given than the Sect. IV. Beaufy of La-agwge, 1 4 1 the epifodeof Ariftjeus, which clofes the fourth book of the Georgics. To renew a flock of bees when the former is loft, Virgil alferts, that they may be pro* duced in the entrails of a bullock, fiain and managed in a certain manner. This leads him to fay how this flrange receit was invented ; which is as follows. Ari- flaeus having loft his bees by difeafe and famine, never dreams of employing the ordinary means for obtain- ing a new ftock : but, like a froward child, complains heavily to hts mother Cyrene, a water-nymph. She advifes him to confult Proteus, a fea-god, not how he was to obtain a new ftock, but only by what fatality he had loft his former ftock : adding, that violence "was neceflary, becaufe Proteus would lay nothing vol- untarily. Ariftasus, fatisfied with this advice, though it gave him no profped of repairing his iofs, proceeds to execution. Proteus is caught fteeping, bound ■with cords, and compelled to fpeak. He declares, that Ariftssus was puniftied with the Icfs of his bees, for attempting the chaftity of Euridice the wife of Orpheus ; ftie having he^n ft'ung to death by a fer- pent in flying his embraces. Froteus, whole fullen* nefs ought to have been converted into wrath by the lough treatment he met with, becomes on a fudden courteous and communicative. He gives the whole hiftory of the expedition to hell which Orpheus un- dertook in order to recover his fpoufe : a very en- tertaining ftory, but without the leaft relation to what was in view. Ariftasus, returning to his mother, is advifed to deprecate by facrifices the wrath of Or- pheus, who was now dead. A bullock is facrificed, and out of the entrails fpring miraciiloufly a fwarni ot bees. Does it follov/, that the fame may be ob- tained without a miracle, aS is ftippofed in the icceit ? A LIST 142 Beauty of Language. Ch. XVIII. A LIST OF THE DIFFERENT FEET, AND OF THEIR NAMES, 1. Pyrrhichius, confifls of two fliort fyllables. Examples : Dens, given, cannot, hillock, running, 2. Spondeus confifts of two long fyllables : omnes^ pojfefs, forewarn, mankind, fometime. 3. LvMTiUS, compofed of a fhort and a long : pios, intent, degree, appear, confcnt, repent demand, re' port, fufped:, ajfront, event. 4. Trochaeus, or Choreus, a long and fliort : fcrvat, whereby, after, legal, meafure, burden^ holy, lofty, 5. Tribrachys, three fliort : melius, property. 6. MoLossus, three long : deleElant. 7. Anapaestus, two fliort and a long : animos, condefcend, apprehend, overheard, acquiefce, im- mature, overcharge, ferenade, opportune. 8. Dactylus, a long and two fliort : carmina, evident, excellence, eftimate, wonderful, altitude ^ burdened, minijier, tenement. 9. Bacchius, a fliort and two long : dolor es. 10. Hyppobacchius or Antibacchius, two long and a fliort : pelluntur. 11. Creticus, or Amphimacer, a fliort fyllable between two long : infito, afternoon. 12. Amphibrachys, a long fyllable between two fliort : honore, confider, imprudent, procedure, at- tended. Sect. IV. Beauty of L anguage. 143 tended, propofed, refpondent, concurrence^ epprsn* tice, refpedive, revenue. 13. PRocELEUsMATicuSjfour fiiort fyllables : horn- inibus^ neceffliry. 14. DisPONDEUs, four long fyllables: Injinith, 1 5. DiiAMBUS, compofed of two Iambi : feveritas. 16. DiTROcHAEUS, of two Troch^i : pcrmanere^ procurator, 17. loNicus, two fnort fyllables and two long : propcrabant. 18. Another foot pafles under the fame name, com- pofed of two long fyllables and two fliort : caU ca?'ibus, pojfejfory, 19. Chori AMBUS, two fiiort fyllables between two ■ long : nobilitas. 20. Antispastus, two long fyllables betvveen two fliort : Alexander. 21. Paeon id, one long fyllable and three Ihort : temporibus, ordinary, inventory, te7nperame7it. 22. Paeont 2d, the fecond fyllable long, and the other three fhort : rapidity, fokmnity, minority, conjidercd, imprudently^ extravagant, rejpeclfull\\ accordingly. 23. Paeon 3d, the third fyllable long and the other three fliort : animatus, independent, condcfccnd- ence,facerdotaI, rcimburfement, manufaaure. Paeon 144 Beauty of Language, Ch.XVIIL 24. Paeon 4th, the lafl: fyllable long and the other three lliort : celeritas* 25. Epitritus I ft, the firft fyllable fliort and the other three long : 'uoluptates, 26. Kpitritus 2d, the fecond fyllable (hort and the other three long : pcs?iitentes. 27. Epitritus 3d, the third fyllable fhort and the other three long : difcordias. 28. Epitritus 4th, the lafl: fyllable lliort and the other three long : fortunatiis* 29. A Word of five fyllables compofed of a Pyr- rhichius and Dadylus : minijlerial. 30. A word of five fyllables compofed of a Tro- chaeus and Daftylus : ftngularity. 31. A word of five fyllables compofed of a Dac- tylus and Trochaeus : precipitation, examination, 32. A word of five fyllables, the fecond only long: fignijicancy, 33. A word of fix fyllables compofed of two Dac- tyles : impetuofiiy, 34. A word of fix fyllables compofed of a Trlbra-* chys and Dactyle : pufillanimity, N. B. Every word may be confidered as a profe foot, becaufc every word is diPcinguifhcd by a paufe ; and every foot in verfe may be confidered as a verfe word, compofed of fyllables pronounced at once *^'ithout a paule. CHAP. CHAP. XIX. Companfons. •MPARisoNs, as obferved above,* ferve two purpofes : when addreffed to the underftanding, their purpofe is to inflrud ; when to the heart, their purpofe is to pleafe.; Various means contribute to the latter : firft, the fuggefting fome unufual refem- blance or contrail ; fecond, the fetting an objed in the ftrongeft light ; third, the aObciating an object with others that are agreeable ; fourth, the elevating an objeft ; and, fifth, the deprefling it.- And that comparifons may give pleafure by thefe various means, appears from what is faid in the chapter above cited ; and will be made dill more evident by examples, which fiiall be given after premifnig fome general obferA'ations. Objects of different fenfes cannot be compared to- gether;; for fuch objects, being entirely feparated from each other, have no circumftance in common to admit either refemblance or contraft. Objefts of hearing may be compared together, as alfo of rafte, of fmell, and of touch : but the chief fund of com- parifon are objefts of fight; ; becaufe, in writing cr fpeaking, things can only be compared in idea, and the ideas of fight are more diilind and lively than thofe of any other fenfe. When a nation emerging out of barbarity begins to think of the fine arts, the beauties of languag^e cannot long lie concealed ; and when dlfcovered, they are generally, by the force of novelty, carried beyond moderation. Thus, in the early poems of every * Chap. 8. J Vol. IL K 146 Comparifons, . Ch. XIX. every nation, we find metaphors and fimlles founded on flight and diftant refeniblances, which, lofmg their grace with their novelty, wear gradually out of repute ; and now, by the improvement of tafte, none but corredt metaphors and fmiiles are admitted into any polite compofition. To illuftrate this obfer- vation, a fpecimen fiiall be given afterward of fuch metaphors as I have been defcribing j with refped to fmiiles, take the following fpecimen. Behold thou art fair, my love : thy hair is as a fiock of goats that appear from Mount Gilead : thy teeth are like a flock of ftieep from the wafhing, every one bearing twins : thv lips are like a thread of fcarlet : thy neck like the tower of David built for an armoury, whereon hang a thoufand fliields of mighty men : thy two breads like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies : thy eyes like the firti-pools in Hefhbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim ; thy nofe like the tower of Lebanon, looking toward Da- mafcus. Song of Solomon, Thou art like fnow on the heath ; thy hair like the mill of Cromla, when it curls on the rocks and fhines to the beam of the weit ; thy breads are like two fmooth rocks feen from Brano of the ftreams ; thy arms like two white pillars ia the hall of the mighty Fingal. Fingal, It has no good effe6l to compare things by way of fimile that are of the fame kind ; nor to compare by contrail things of different kinds. The reafon is given in the chapter quoted above ; and 'the reafon ihall be illuflrated by examples. The firft is a com- parifon built upon a refemblance fo obvious as to make little or no impreflion. This juft rcb\jke inflam'd the Lycian crew, I They join, they thicken, and the affault renew : Ch. XIX, Companfomt, 147 Unmov'd th' embody'd Greeks their fury dare, And fix'd fupport the weight of all the war ; Nor could the Greeks repel the Lycian pow'rs. Nor the bold Lycians force the Grecian towr's. As on the confines of adjoining grounds, Two ftubborn fwains with blows difpute their bounds ; They tug, they fweat \ but neither gaiii, nor yield, One foot, one inch, of the contended field : Thus obftinate to death, they fight, they fall ; Nor thefe can keep, nor thofe can win the wall. Iliad xii. 505. Another, from Milton, lies open to the fame objec- tion. Speaking of the fallen angels fearching for mines of gold. A numerous brigade haften'd : as when bands Of pioneers with fpade and pick-ax arm'd, Forerun the royal camp to trench a field Or call a rampart. The next fliall be of things contrafted that are of different kinds. ^een. What, is my Richard both in fliape and mind Transform'd and weak ? Hath Bolingbroke depos'd Thine intelledl ? Hath he been in thine heart I The lion thrufteth forth his paw, And wounds the earth, if nothing elfe, with rage To beo'erpower'd : and wilt thou, pupil-like. Take thy correction mildly, kifs the rod. And fawn on rage with bafe humility ? Richard II. ad ^>fc, i. This comparifon has fcarce any force : a man and a lion are of different fpecies, and therefore are proper fubjecls for a fimile j but there is no fuch refem- blance between them in general^ as to produce any itrpng 148 Comparifont. Ch. XIX, flrong efTed by contrafting particular attributes or circumflances. ' A third general obfervation is, That abflrad terms can never be the fubject of comparifon, otherwife than by being perfonified. ■ Shakefpear compares ad- verfity to a toad, and fianider to the bite of a croco- dile ; but in fuch comparifons thefe abftracl terms muft be imagined fenfible beings. .To have a juft notion of comparifons, they mufl be" diftinguifhed into tvi'o kinds ; lone common and familiar, as where a man is compared to a lion in courage, or to a horfe in fpeed j^ the other more diflant and refined, where two things that have in themfelves no refemblance or oppofition, are com- pared with refped to their eftefts.N This fort of com- parifon is occafionally explained 'above ;* and for further explanation take what follows. There is no re- femblance between a flower-pot and' a cheerful fong ; and yet they m.ay be compared with refpeft to their efFed^s, the emotions they produce being fimilar. There is as little refemblance between fraternal con- cord and precious ointment ; and yet obferve how fuccefsfully they are compared with refped to theim- preffions they make. Behold how good and how pleafant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon Aaron's beard, and de- fcended to the flvirts of his garment. Pfahi 133. For illullraling this fort of comparifon, I add fome more examples : Delightful is thv prefence, O Fingal ! it is like the fun on Cromla, when the hunter mourns his abfence tor a fea- fon, and fees him between the clouds. Did * P. 70. Ch. XIX. Comparifons* I4y Did not OHian hear a voice ? or is it the found of days that are no more ? Often, like the evening fun, comes the memory of former times on my foul. His countenance is fettled from war ; and is calm as the evening-beam, that from the cloud ot the welt looks on Cona's filent v^e. Sorrow, like a cloud on the fun, fhades the foul of Clef- fammor. The mufic was like the memory of joys that are paH:, pleafant and mournlul to the foul. Pleafant are tiie words of the fong, faid Cuchullin, and lovely are the tales of other times. They are like the cairn dew of the morning on the hill of roes, when the fun is faint on its fide, and the lake is fettled and blue in the vale. Thefe quotations are from the poems of Ollian, who abounds with comparifons of this delicate kind, and appears fmgularly happy in them.* I proceed to illuftrate by particular inftances the different means by which comparifons, whether of the one fort or the other, can afford pleafure ; and, in the order above eltabllfhed, I begin with fuch in- (tances as are agreeable, by fuggeffing fome unufuai refemblance or contrail : Sweet are the ufes of Adverfity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in her head. As you like it, a5i 2. fc. I. Gardener'. Bolingbroke hath feized the wafteful King. What pity is't that he had not fo trimm'd And drefs'd his land, as we this garden drefs, And wound the bark, the fkin of our fruit-trees ; Left, being over proud with fap and bloodj With too much riches it confound itfelf. Had * The nature and merit of OfTian's compaiUbnf! is fully illuflrated, in a differtation on the poems of that Author, by Dr. Blair, proftflbr of rhetoric in (he college of Edinburgh j a deiicious morlel of criticifm. K3 t$0 Compan/om. Ch. X1X„ Had he done fo to great and growing men, They might have liv'd to bear, and he to tafte Their fruits of duty. All fuperfluous branches We lop away, that bearing boughs may live : Had he done fo> himfelf had borne the crown. Which walte and idle hours have quite thrown down. Richard 11. a6i '^-Jc. 7. See how the Morning opes her golden gates. And takes her farewell of the glorious Sun ; How well refembles it the prime of youth, Trimm'd like a younker prancing to bis love I Second party Henry VI. a£i 1>fc. t. Brutus. O Caffius you are yoked with a lamb, That carries anger as the flint bears fire : Who, much enforced, ihows a hafty fpark. And ilraight is cold again. Julius Cafary a£f J^'fc. 3. Thus they their doubtful confultations dark Ended, rejoicing in their matchlefs chief : As> when from mountain-tops, the dufky clouds Afcending, while the North-wind fieeps, o'erfpread Heav'n's cheerful face, the low'ring element Scowls o'er the darken'd landfcape, fnow and fhow'r ; If chance the radiant fun with farewell fweet Extends his ev'ning-beam, the fields revive, The birds their notes renew, and bleating herds Atteft their joy, that hill and valley rings. Paradife Loji^ b. J?., As the bright liars, and milky way, Show'd by the night are hid by day : So we in that accomplifh'd mind, Help'd by the night new graces find. Which by the fplendor of her view. Dazzled before, we never knew. fFaller. The lafl exertion of courage compared to the blaze ©f a lamp before extinguilhing, Tajfo Cieru/alem, canto i^'Ji- 22. None Ch. six. Comparifons, 151 None of the foregoing fi miles, as they appear to me, tend to illuftrate the principal fubjed : and there- fore the pleafure they afford mull arife from fuggeft- ing refemblances that are not obvious : I mean the chief pleafure ; for undoubtedly a beautiful fubjed introduced to form the fmiile affords a feparate pleaf- ure, which is felt in the fimiles mentioned, particu- larly in that cited from Milton. The next effe£l of a comparifon in the order men- tioned, is to place an obje£t in a flrong point of view ; which effed is remarkable in the following fmiiles : As when two fcales are charg'd with doubtful loads, From fide to fide the trembling balance nods, (While fome laborious matron, ju(t and poor. With nice exadnefs weighs her woolly itore,} Till pois'd aloft, the reding beam fufpends jEach equal weight ; nor tliis nor that defcends : So flood the war, till Hc6tor's matchlefs might. With fates prevailing, turn'd the fcale of fight. Fierce as a whirlwind up the wall he flies. And fires his hoft with loud repeated cries, Iliad f b. xii. 521. Ut flos in feptis fecrctis nafcitur hortis, Ignotus pecori, nuUo contufus aratro. Quern mulcent aurje, firniat fol, educat imber, » Multi ilium pueri, mults cupiere puella." ; Idem, cum tenui carptus dctioruit ungui, Nulli iilum pueri, nullie cupiere puellas : Sic virgo, dum intac\a manet, dum cara fuis ; fed Cum caltuin amifit, polluto corpore, florem. Nee pueris jucunda manet, nee cara puellis. Catullus. The K 4 152 Comparifons. Ch. XIX. The imitation of this beautiful fimile by ArioJlOi canto i.Ji. 42. falls fhort of the original. It is alfo in p^rt imitated by Pope.* Lucctta. I do not feck to quench your love's hot fire. But quality the fire's extreme rage. Left it Ihould burn above the bounds of reafon. Julia. The more thou damm'lt it up, the more it burns : The current, that with gentle murmur glides, Thou know'ft, being ftopp'd, impatiently doth rage ; But when his faircourfe is not hindered, He makes fweet mufiC with th' enamel'd ftones. Giving a gentle kifs to every fedge He overtakeih in his pilgrimage : And fo by many windmg nooks he ftrays With willing fport, to the wild ocean. Then let me go, and hinder not my courfe : Til be as patient as a gentle ftream. And make a paftime of each weary ftep, Till the lafl ftep have brought me to my love ; And there I'll reft, as, after much tiiraioil, A blefled foul doth in tlyfium. Two Gentlemen of Verona y a6l 1. Jc. 10. She never told her love ; But let concealment, like a worm i' the bud, Feed on her damalk cheek : the pin'd in thought ; And vvith a green and yellow melancholy, She fat like Patience on a monument. Smiling at Grief. Twelfth -Kighty a£i 2.fc. 6. Torh. Then, as I faid, the Duke, great Bolingbroke, Mounted upon a hot and fiery fteed. Which his afpiring rider feem'd to know, With How but ftaiely pace, kept on his courfe : While all tongues cry'd, God fave thee, Bolingbroke. Duchefs, * Punciad, b. 4. I. 405. Ch. XIX. Comparifons, 153 Ducbejs. Alas ! poor Richard, where rides he t.h( ' while ! York. As in a theatre, the eyes of men, After a welJ-grac'd atSlor leaves the llage, Are idly bent on him that enters next, Thinking his prattle to be tedious : Even fo, or with much more contempt m.en's eyes Did fcowl on Richard ; no man cry'd, God fave him ? No joyful tongue gave him his welcome home \ But dud wa> thrown upon his facred head : V/hich with fuch gcuile forrow he (hook off. His face ftill combating with tears and Imiles, The badges of his griet and patience ; That had not God, for fome (trong purpofe, fteel'ti The hearts of men, they miift perforce have mehed, And baibarifm itfelf have pitied him. Richard W. a6l ^.fc. 3. Northumberland. How doth my fon and brother r Thou trembled, and the whitenefs in thy cheek Is apter than thy tongue to tell thy errand. Even fuch a man, fo faint, fo fpiriilefs. So dull, fo dead in look, fo wo-be-gone, Drew Priam's curtain in the dead of night, And would have told him, half his Troy was burn'd ; But Priam found the hre, ere he his tongue : And I my Piercy's death, ere thou report'il it. Second part, Henry IV. ad i.j'c. 3. "Why, then I do but dream on fov'reignty, Like one that Itands upon a promontory, And fpies a far-off fhore where he would tread, Wilhing his foot were equal wiih his eye, And chides the fea that funders him from thence. Saying, he'll lave it dry to have his way : So do I wilh, the crown being fo far off, And fo I chide the means t'aat keep me from it, And fo (I fay) I'll cut the caufes off, Flatt'ring my mind with tilings impodible, ^I bird part, Henry VI. ad 3./^. 3. Out, out brief candle ! Life's but a walkini^ ihudcv.', a poor player, Thut 154 Comparifons, Ch. XlXt That ftruts and frets his hour upon the ftage. And then is heard no more. Macbethy aSi ^.fc. 5, O thou Goddefs, Thou divine Nature ! how thyfelf thou blazon'ft In thefe two princely boys ! they are as gentle As zephyrs blowing below the violet, Not wagging his fweet head ; and yet as rough, (Their royal blood inchaf d) as the rudeft wind. That by the top doth take the mountain pine. And make him floop to th' vale. CymleVmey afl ifjc. 4. Why did not I pafs away in fecret, like the flower of the rock that lifts its fair head unfeen, and ftrows its withered leaves on the blad ? FingoL There is a joy in grief when peace dwells witli the for- rowful. But they are wafted with mourning, O daughter of Tofcar, and their days are few. They fall away like the tlower on which the fun looks in his flrength, after the mildew has pafled over it, and its head is heavy with the drops of night. Flngul. The fight obtained of the city of Jerufalem by the Chriftian army, compared to that of land difcovered after a long voyage, Taffo*s Gierufalem, canto '^'Ji' 4. The fury of Rinaldo fubfiding when not oppofed, to that of wind or water when it has a free paflage, canto 10. Ji. 58. As words convey but a faint and obfcure notion of great numbers, a poet, to give a lively notion of the object he defcribes with regard to number, does well to compare it to what is familiar and commonly knov,^n. Thus Homer * compares the Grecian ar- my * Book 2, 1. m. Ch. XIX. Comparifom* 1 55 my in point of number to a fwarm of bees : in another palTage * he compares it to that profufion of leaves and flowers which appear in the fpring, or of infers in a fummer's evening : and Milton, As when the potent rod Of Amram's fon, in Egypt's evil day, Wav'd round the coaft, up call'd a pitchy cloud Of locufts, warping on the eaftern wind, That o'er the realm of impious Pharaoh hung Like night, and darkened all the land of Nile : So numberlefs were thofe bad angels feen. Hovering on wing under the cope of hell, *Twixt upper, nether, and furrounding fires. Paradije Lofty h. i. Such comparifons have, by fome writers ,t been con^ demned for the lownefs of the images introduced : but furely without reafon ; for, with regard to num- bers, they put the principal fubjedt in a fcrong light. The foregoing comparifons operate by refem- blance j others have the fame effect by contraft, Torh. I am the laft of Noble Edward's fons, Of whom thy father, Prince of Wales, was hrR ; In war, was never lion rag'd more fierce ; In peace, was never gentle lamb more mild ; Than was that young and princely gentleman. His face thou had, for even fo look'd he, Acconiplilh'd with the number of tliy hours. But when he frown'd it was againft the French, And not againll his friends. His noble hand Did win what he did fpend \ and fpent not that Which his triumphant father's hand had won. His hands were guilty of no kindred's blood. But bloody with the enemies of his kin. Oh, Richard ! York is too far gone wiih grief, Or elfehe never would compare between. Richard li. a£i 2. fc. 3. Miltoii * Book 2. 1. 551. + See Vide Pociic, lib. 2. 1. abe. 15^ Comparifom. Ch. XIX, Milton has a peculiar talent in embellilhing the principal fubjed by aflbciating it with others that are agreeable ; which is the third end of a comparifon. Similes of this kind have, befide, a feparate efFed : they diverlify the narration by new images that are not ftridly neceffary to the comparifon : they are fhort epifodes, which, without drawing us from the principal fubjed, afford great delight by their beauty and variety : He fcarce had ceas'd when the fuperior fiend Was moving toward the fhore ; his pond'rous fliield. Ethereal temper, mally, large, and round, Behind him call ; the broad circumference Hung on his fhoulders like the moon, whofe orb Through optic glafs the Tufcan artiit views At ev'ning trom the top of Fefole, Or in Valdarno, to defcry new lands. Rivers, or mountains, in her fpotty globe. Miltariy h. I. Thus far thefe, beyond Compare of mortal prowefs, yet obferv'd Their dread commander. He above the reft In Ihape and geliure proudly eminent. Stood like a tow'r ; his form had yet not loft Ail her original brightnefs, nor appear'd Lefs than archangel ruin'd, and th' excefs Of glory obfcur'd : as when the fun new-rifen Looks through the horizontal mifty air Shorn ot his beams ; or from behind the moon In dim eclipfe, difaftrous twilight Iheds On half the nations, and with fear of change Perplexes monarchs. MUtoHyb. I. As when a vulture on Imaus bred, Whofe fnowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds, Diflodging from a region fcarce of prey To gorge the iiclh of lambs, or yeanling kids, On Ch. XIX. Comparifons. 157 On hills where flocks are fed, flies toward the fprings Of Ganges or Hydafpes, Indian ftreams. But in his way lights on the barren plains Of Sericana, where Chinefes drive With fails and wind iheir cany M'aggons light : So on this windy fea q\ land, the hend Walk'd up and down alone, bent on his prey. Milton^ b. 3. Yet higher than their tops The verdurous wall of paradife up fprung : Which to our general fire gave profpedl large Into this nether empire neighbouring round. And higher than that wall, a circling row Of goodlieft trees loaden wiih fairelt truit, Bloiibms and fruits at once of golden hue, Appear'd, with gay enamel'd colours mix'd, On which the fun more glad imprefs'd his beams Than in fair evening cloud, or humid bow, When God had ihow'r'd the earth ; fo lovely feem'd Thai huidfcape : and of pure now purer air Meets his approach, and to the heart infpires Vernal dtlight and joy, able to drive All fadnefs but defpair : now gentle gales Fanning their odoriferous wings difpcnfe Native perfumes, and whifper whence they (lole Thofe balmy fpoils. As when to them who fail Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are pad Mozambic, off at fea north-ealt winds blow Sabean odour from the fpicy fhore Of Araby the Blelt ; with fuch delay Well-pleas'd they flack their courfe, and many a league Cheer'd with the graceful fmell, old Ocean fmiles. Miiton, b. 4. With regard to fimiles of this kind, it will readily occur to the reader, that v/hen a refembling fubjed: is once properly introduced in a fimile, the mind is tranfitorily amufed with the new objeft, and is not diflatisfied with the flight interruption. Thus, in fine weather, the momentary excurfions of a traveller for agreeable 158 Compan/otm Ch. XlX* agreeable profpe£ls or elegant buildings, cheer his mind, relieve him from the languor of uniformity, and without much lengthening his journey, in real- ity, Ihorten it greatly in appearance. Next of comparifons that aggrandize or elevate. Thefe affed us more than any other fort : the reafon of which may be gathered from the chapter of Gran- deur and Sublimity ; and, without reafoning, will be evident from the following inflances : As when a flame the winding valley fills, And runs on crackling (hrubs between the hills, Then o'er the ftubble, up the mountain flies. Fires the high woods, and blazes to the flcies. This way and that^ the fpreading torrent roars ; So Iweeps the hero through the wafted ihores. Around him wide, immenfe deftrudlion pours. And earth is delug'd with the fanguine fhow'rs. Iliad %x. ^6g, Through blood, through death, Achilles flill proceeds^ O'er flaughtered heroes, and o'er rolling ft;eeds. As when avenging flames with fury driv'n On guilty towns exert the wrath of Heav'n, The pale inhabitants, fome fall, fome fly, And the red vapours purple all the flcy : So rag'd Achilles ; death and diredifmay, And toils, and terrors, fiU'd the dreadful day. Iliad xx\. 605. Methinks, King Richard and myfelf (hould me«t With no lefs terror than the elements Ot Are and water, when their thund'rinjr fhock, At meeting, tears the cloudy cheeks of Heav'n. Richard II. a^--" f Meanwhile ihe troops beneath Patroclus' carCj, Invade the Trojans, and conamence the wax. As wafps, provok'd by children in their play, Pour from their manlions by the broad highway, In fwarms the guiltlefs traveller engage, Whet all their iiings, and call forth all their rage ; All rife in arms, and with a general cry AlTert their waxen domes, and buzzing progeny : Thus from the tents the fervent legion fwarms. So loud their clamours, and fo keen their arms. J Had xvi. 312, So burns the vengeful hornet (foul all o'er) Repuls'd in vain, and thirily iiill of gore ; (Bold fon of air and heat) on angry wings Untam'd, untir'd, he turns, attacks and itings. Fir'd with like ardour fierce Atridcs iiew, And fent his foul with ev'ry lance he threw. J Had xvii. 642, Inftant ardentes Tyrii : pars ducere muros, Molirique arcem, et manibus fubvclvere faxa ; Pars aptare locum te6lo, et concludere fulco. Jura nvagiflratufque legunt, fan£luraque fenatum. Hie portus alii cffodiunt : hie aha theatrls Fundanicnta locant alii, immancfque coluinnas Rupibus excldunt, fcenis decora alta fuluris. Qiialis apes xltate nova per tlorca rura Exercet fjjb fole labor, cum gcntis adultos Educunt foetus, aut cum liquentia mclia Stipant, ct dulci diitendunt nettare cellas Aut onera accipiunt venientmn, aut agmine fa£lo Jgnavum tucos pecus a pra_fepibus arcent. J'exvet opus, redolentque thymo fragrantia mella. ffLhe'id. i. J-27, 'To J 70 Comparifons. Ch. XIX» To defcribe bees gathering honey as refembling the builders of Carthage, would have a much bettey cffea.* Turn vero Teucri incumbunt, et littore celfas Dcducunt toto naves : natat un«Sla carina ; Fiondentefque ferunt remos, et roborafylvis Infabricata, fiigas itudio. Migrantes cernas, totaque ex urbe ruentes. Ac veluti ingentem Formicas farris acervum Cum populant, hyemis meraores, tedloque reponunt : It nigrum campis agmen, praedamque per herbas Convedlant callc angufto : pars grandia trudunt Obnixse trumenta humeris : pars agmina cogunt, Caitigantque moras : opere omnis femita fervet. JEneid. iv. 397. The following fimlle has not any one beauty to recommend it. The fubjeft is Amata, the wife of King Latinus. Turn vero Infelix, ingentibus^ excita monfiris, Immenfam fine more furit lymphata per urbem ; Ceu quondam torto volitans fub verbere turbo. Quern pucri magno in gyro vacua atria circum latent! kulo exercent. Il!e a£lus habena Curvatis fertur fpatiis : llupet infcia turba, Impubefque manus, mirata volubile buxuni ; Dant aninios plagie. Non curfu fegnior illo Per niedias urbes agitur, populofque teroces. JEnc'id. vii. 376. This fimile feenis to }:order upon the burlefque. An error oppofite to the former, is the introduc- ing a refembhng image, fo elevated or gjreat as to bear no proportion to the principal fubjed. Their remarkable difparity, feizing the mind, never fails tci deprefs the principal fubjecl by contrafl, inftead of railing * ^nd accordingly Demetrius Phalerius fof Elocution, feft. 85.) ob. fervcs, tliat it has a better cfFeti lo compare luiall things to great than great things to finall. Ch. XIX* Comparifons, i 7 y raifing it by refemblance : and if the difparity be very great, the fimile dep;enerate3 into buricfquc ^ nothing being more ridiculous than to force an ob- jed out of its proper rank in nature, by equalling it with one greatly fuperior or greatly inierior. Tlii^s \vill be evident from the following coinparifons. Fervet opus, redolentque thymo fragrantta niella. Ac veluti lentis Cyclopes fulmina inallis Cum properant : alii taurinis tolHbus a'lras Accipiunt, redduntque : alii (tiidentia tingunt Biv'd lacu : geuiii impofuis incudibus y^tna : Illi inter fefe magna vi brachia tollunt In numerum ; verfantque tenaci forcipe ferrum. Non alitor (fi parva licet componere mai^nisj Cecropias innatus apes amor urget habeiidi, Munere quamqiie fuo. Grandxvis oppida curse, Et munire favos, et Dasdala fmgeie teita. At teifas multa referunt fe no6te minores, > Crura thymo plenae: pafcuntur et arbuta paiTim, Et glaucas falices, caiiamque crocumque nibeniem, £t pinguem tiliam, et terrugineos hyacinthos. Oninibus una quies operum, labor omnibus nnus. Ceorcic. iv. 169. The Cyclopes make a better figure in the follow- jng fimile : -The Thracian leader prefl, With eager courage, far before the reft ; Him Ajax met, inflam'd with equal rage : Between the wond'ring hods the cliiefs engage ; Tneir weighty weapons round their -heads they throw, Andfwift, and heavy, falls each thund'ring blow. As when in jEtna's'caves the giant brood. The one-ey'd fervants of the Lemnian god. In order round the burning anvil {land. And torge, with weighty itrokcs, the forked brand j The ihaking hills their tervid toils conftfs. And echoes rattling through each dark reccfs : De rag'd i\vt fight. Epigoniady h. 8. Turn 172 Comparlfom. Ch. XIX» Turn Bit Ian ai'(jentem oculis animifque frementem ; Noil jaculo neque enim jaculo vitam ille dediffet; Sed magnum itiidens contorta falarica venit Fulminis aila modo, quam nee duo taurea terga, Ntc diiplici fquaiVia lorica fidelis et auro Siiftinuit : collapfa riiunt immania membra i Dat tellus gemitum, et clypeum fuper intonat ingens. Qi^ialis in Euboico Baiarum littore quondam Saxea pila cadit, magnis quam molibus ante Conftruilam jaciunt ponto : fic ilia ruinam Prona trahit, penitufque vadis iliifa recumbit : Miicent fe maria, et nigras attolluntur arenas : Turn IbniUi Prochyfa alta tremit, durumque cubilc Inarime Jovis imperils impolla Typhoeo. Mne'td. ix. 703. ^ Loud as a bull makes hill and valley ring, {50 roai'd the lock when it releas'd the fpring. Odyjfey, xxi. 51. Such a fimile upon the fimplefl: of all adions, that of opening a door, is pure burlefque. A writer of delicacy will avord drawing his com- parifons from any image that is naufeous, ugly, or remarkably difagreeable : for however ftrong the re- femblance may be, more will be loft than gained by fuch comparifon. Therefore I cannot help condemn- jng, though with fome reludance, the following fma-. jle, or rather metaphor, O thou fond many ! with what loud applaufe Did'ft thou beat heav'n with bleffing Bolingbroke Before he was what thou would'ft have him be ? And now being trimm'd up in thine own defires. Thou, beaflly Feeder, art fo full of him. That thou provok'ft thyfelf to cad him up. And fo, thou common dog, didlt thou diigorge Thy glutton bofora of the royal Richajd, And Ch. XIX* C-Qmparifo7is. 173 And now thou wonld'ft eat thy dead vomit up, And howril to find it. Second ^arty Henry IV. aft i.fc. 6. The ftrongefl objecllon that can lie againll a com- parifon is, that it confifts in words only, not in fenfe. Such falfe coin, or ballard wit, does extremely well in burlefque ; but is far below the dignity of the epic, or of any ferious compolition : The noble fifler of Poplicola, The moon of Rome ; chalie as the ificle That's curdled by the froll from pnrel'l fnow. And hangs on Dian's temple. Coriolanus, a5i ^•fc 3, There is evidently no refemblance betwe-en an ificle and a woman, chafte or unchafte : but chafiiity Is cold in a metaphorical fenfe, and an ificle is cold in a proper fenfe : and this verbal refemblance, in the hurry and glow of compofmg, has been thought a fufficient foundation for the fimile. Such phantom fimiles are mere witticifms, which ought to have no quarter, except v/here purpofely introduced to pro- voke laughter. Lucian, in his differtation upon hif- tory, talking of a certain author, makes the following companion, which is verbal merely : This author's defcriptions are fo cold, that they furpafs the Cafpian fnow, and all the ice of the north. Virgil has not efcaped this puerility : Galatha^a thymo mihi dulcior HybLx. Bucol. vii. 37. Ego Sardois videar tibi amarior herbis. Ih'id. 41. Gallo. ^74 Companfons, Ch. aIX# Gallo, cujus amer tantum niihi crefcit in horas, Quantum vere novo viridis le fubjicit alniis. Bucol. X. 37. Nor Taflb, in his Aminta : Picciola e' l' ape, e fa col picctol morfo Pur gravi, e pur molefte le ferite \ Ma, qual cofa e piii picciola d'amore, Ss in ogni breve fpatio antra, e s' afconde In ogni breve fpatio ? hor, lotto a I'ombra De le paipebre, hor tra minuii rivi D'un biondo crine, hor dentro le pozzctte Che forma un dolce rifo in bclla guancia ; E pur fa tamo grandi, e fi mortali, E cofi immedicabili ie piaghe. Aa 2.fc. r. Hor Boileau, the chafleH: of all writers j and that even in his art of poetry : Ainfi tel autrefois, qu'on vit avec Faret Charbonner de fes vers les mnrs d'un cabaret. Sen va mal a propos d'une voix infolente, Chanter du peuple Hebreu la fuite triomphante, Et pourfuivant Mcife au travers des deferfs, Court avec Pharaon fe noyer dans les mers. Chant. I. I. 21. Mais allons voir le Vrai jufqu.'en fa fourcc meme. Un devot aux yeux creux, et d'abllinence blcme, S'il n'a point le coeur julte, cli: atfreux devant Dieu. L'Evangile au Chretien ne dit, en aucun lieu, Sois devot : elledit, Soisdoux, (imple, equitable : .Car d'un devot fouvent au Chretien veri'rable La diftance elt deux fois plus longue, a nion avis, Qiic uu Pole Antarctique au Detroit ue Davis. Boileau y Satire 1 1 . But for their fpirits and fouls Tills word rebellion had lro:i:e ihcm up As filh are in a pond. Second party Henry W . aB \.Jc, 3. ^Hcen. Ch*XIX. Comparifons* ijr^ ^een. The pretty vaulting fea refused to drown me. Knowing, that thou wou'dft have me drown'd on fhore, With tears as fait as Tea, through thy unkindnefs. Second party Henry VI. ad '7^'fc. 6, Here there is no manner of refemblance but in the woid drown ; for there is no real refemblance be- tween being drown'd at fea, and dying of grief at land. But perhaps this fort of tinfel wit may have a propriety in it, when ufed to exprefs an affeeled, not a real pallion, which was the Queen's cafe. Pope has feveral fmiiles of the fame ftamp. t fhall tranfcribe one or two from the -E^ay on Man, the graveft and moil inftrudive of all his perform- ances : And hence one mafter paflion in the bread. Like Aaron's ferpent, fvvallows up the reft. Epi/i. 1. I. 131. And again, talking of this fame ruling or mafler pafTion : Nature its mother, H^jbit is its nurfe : Wit, fplrit, faculties, bat make it worfe ; Reafon itfelf but gives it c^g& and power ; As heuv'n's blefs'dbeara turns vinegar more four. Ibid, I, 145. Lord Bolingbroke, fpeaking of hiflorians : Where their finccrity as to fa6l is doubtful, we ftrike out truth by the confrontation of different accounts ; as ws (frike out fparks of fire by the collifion of flints and fleei. Let us vary the phrafe a very little, and there will not remain a faadow of refemblance. Thus, We i7<^ Comparifons. Ch. XIX, We dlfcavcr truth by the confrontation of different ac- counts ; as we ftrike out fparks of fire by the collifion of flints and fteel. Racine makes Pyrrhus fay to Andromaque, Vaincu, charge de fers, de regrets cbnfunae, Brule de pkis de feux que je n'en aUumai, Helas ! fus-je jamais fi cruel que vous I'etes ? And Orefles in the fame drain : Q^i. les Scythes font moins cruel qu' Hermoine. Similes of this kind put one in mind of a ludicrous French fong : Jc croyois Jannetoii Audi douce que belle : Je croyois Janneton Plus douce qu'un mouton ; Helas ! helas ! EUe eft cent fois, mille fois, plus cruelle Qi^ie n'eft le tigre aux hois. Again Helas ! I'amour m'a pris, Comme le chat fait la fouris. A vulgiar Irifli ballad begins thus : I have as much love in flore As there's apples in Portmore. Where the fubje£l is burlefque or ludicrous, fuch fiitiilcs are far from being improper. Horace fays pleafantly, Qyanquam tu levior cortice. L. 3. ode 9. And Ch. XIX. Comparlfons* 177 And Shakefpear, In breaking oaths he's ftronger than Hercules. And this leads me to obferve, that befide the fore- going comparifons, which are all ferious, there is a ^ecies, the end and purpofe of which is to excite gai- ety or mirth. Take the following examples : FalftafF, fpeaking to his page : I do here walk before thee, like a fow that hath over* whelmed all her litter but one. Second part ^ Henry IV. a£l l.fc. 4. I think he is not a pick-purfe, nor a horfe-ftealer ; but for his verity in love, I do think him as concave as a cov- er'd goblet, or a worra-eaten nut. As you like itjcSf 2t'f'^' lo* This fword a dagger had his page, That was but little for his age ; And theretore waited on him fo. As dwarts upon knights-errant do. HudibraSf canto 1. Defcription of Hudibras's horfe : He was well ftay'd, and in his gait Preferv'd a grave, majeftic ftate. At fpur or fwitch no more he (kipt. Or mended pace, than Spaniard whipt : And yet fo hery, he would bound As if he griev'd to touch the ground : That Caefar's horfe, who, as fame goes. Had corns upon his feet and toes. Was not by half fo tender hooft. Nor trod upon the ground fo foft. And as that bead would kneel and ftoop, (Some write) to take his rider up j Vol. II. M ^^ %y^ Comparifons, Ch. XIX* So HurHbras his ('tis well known) Would often do to fet him down. Canto I. ilDnour is, like a widow won With briik aitempft and putting On, With entering manfully, and uru,ing ; Not flow approaches, like a virgin. Canto I. The fun had long fince in the lap Of Thetis taken out his nap ; And, like a lobfter boil'd, the morn From black to red began to turn. Part 2. canto 2. Books, like men their authors, have but one way of comirtg into the world ; but there are ten thoufand to go out of it, and return no more. Tale of a Tub. And in this the world may perceive the difference be- tween the integrity of a generous author, and that of a common friend. The latter is obferved to adhere clofe in profpcrity ; but on the decline of fortune, to drop fudden- ly off : whereas the generous author, jufl: on the contrary, finds his hero on the dunghill, from thence by gradual fteps raifes him to a throne, and then immediately %\ithdraws, expeding not fo much as thanks for his pains. Tale of a Tub, The mofl accomplidi'd way of ufing books at prefent is, to ferve them as fome do lords, learn their //V/Vj, and then brag of their acquaintance. Tale of a Tub. 35ix'd in a chair, the beau impatient fits. While fpouts rim clatt'ring o'er the roof by fits ; And ever and anon with frightful din The leather founds ; he trembles from within. So when troy chairmen bore the wooden (teed, r . Pregnant with Greeks, impatient to be freed, (Thof-ath his court ; and there the antic fits, Scoffing his ftate, and grinning at his pomp ; AUovvnig him a breath, a little {ctcio. To monarchi^e, be fear'd, and kill with looks ; Infufing him with felt" and vain conceit, As if his fle'ih, which wails about our life, Were brafs impregnable ; and humour'd thus. Comes at the lart, and with a little pin Bores through his ca(tle-»walls, and farewell king. Richard II. a£l 1- Jc. 4. ]N"ot lefs fuccefsfully is life and aftion given even to ileep : King Henry. How many thoufands of my pooreft fub- jeds Are at this hour afleep ! O gentle Sleep^ Nature's foft nurfc, how have I frighted thee, That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down. And fteep my fenfcs in forgettulnefs ? \Vhy rather Sleep, lieil thou in fmoky cribs, Upon * yEncid iv. 173. Sect. I. Figures. 189 Upon uneafy pallets ftretching thee, And hmli'd with buzzing night-flies to thy {lumber, Than in the perfum'd chambers of the great, Un'lcr the canopies of coltly ftate. And lull'd with founds ui fweeteft melody ? O thou dull god, why ly"ft thou with the vile In loathfome beds, and leav'il the kingly couch, A watch-cafe to a common larum-beli ? Wilt thou, upon the high and giduy triaft, Sa?.! up the Ihip-boy's eyes, and rock his brains In cradle of the ruuc imperious furge, And in the vifitation of the winds, Who iake the ruffian billov;s by the top, Curling their monitrous heads, and hanging them With deaf'ning clamours in the ilippery fhrouds. That, with the hurly Death itfelf awakes ? Cun'ft thou, O p. itial Sltep, give thy repofe To the wet fo-bby in an hour fo rude ; And, in the calmeft and the flilleft night, With all appiiinces and means to boot. Deny it to a King ? Then, happy low ! lie down ; Uneafy lies the head that wears a crown. Second part, Henry IV. aB 1' Jc' I. I (hall add one example more, to fhow that defcrip- tive perfonification may be ufed with propriety, even where the purpofe of the difcourfe is inflrudion merely: Oh ! let the fteps of youth be cautious. How they advance into a dangerous w^orld ; Our duty only can conduct us fafe. Our padions are feducers : but of all. The llrongeft Love. He firlt approaches us In childilh play, wantoning in our walks : It heedlefsly we wander aher him, As he will pick out all the dancing-way, We're lolf, and hardly to return again. We fliould take warning : he is painted blinds, To fhow us, if we fondly follow him, The precipices we may tall into. Therefore 190 Figures: Ch. XX, Therefore let Firtue take him by the hand : Diredled lb, he leads to certain joy. Southern, Hitherto fuccefs has attended our flaps : but \vhethei" we fhall complete our progrefs with equal fuccefs, feems doubtful ; for when we look back to the expreffions mentioned in the begining, thirjly ground, furious dart, and fuch like, it feems no lefs difHcult than at firll, to fay whether there be in them any fort of perfonihcation. Such expreffions evidently raife not the flighteft convidion of fenfibility : nor do I think they amount to defcriptlve perfonifica- tion ; becaufe, in them, we do not even figure the ground or the dart to be animated. If fo, they can- not at all come under the prefent fubjed. To fhow which, I fhall endeavour to trace the effecl that fuch expreffions have m the mind. Doth not the expref- fion angry ocean, for example, tacitly compare the ocean in a ftorm to a, man in wrath ? By this tacit comparifon, the ocean is elevated above its rank ia nature ; and yet perfonlfication is excluded, becaufe, by the very nature of comparifon, the things com- pared are kept diftlndt, and the native appearance of each is preferved. It will be fhown afterward, that expreffions of this kind belong to another figure, which I term a figure of fpcech, and which employs the feventh feftion of the prefent chapter. Though thus in general we can diftinguifli def- criptlve perfonlfication from what is merely a figure of fpeech, it is however, often difficult to fay, with refpeft to fome expreffions, whether they are of the one kind or of the other. Take the following in- flances. The moon fhines bright : in fuch a ni^ht as this, When the fwcet wind did gently h'fs the trees. And S«CT. I. Figures. 891 And they did make no nolfe ; in fuch a night, Troilus methinks mountejj the Tmjan v;a!l, And figh'd his foul towards the Grecian tents Where Creflid lay that night. Merchant of Venice t a£} ^'/c. I, _, -. 1 have fecn Th' atnhiticut ocean fweil, and rage, and foam, To be exalted with the threat'ning clouds. y alius Cafar, a6i i.fc. 6, With refpe^ to thefe and numberlefs other exam- ples of the fame Idnd, it muft depend upon the reader, whether they be examples of per fonifi cation, or of a figure of fpeech merely : a fprightly imagination will advance them to the former clafs j with a plain reader they will remain in the latter. Having thus at large explained the prefent figure, its different kinds, and the principles upon v/hlch it is founded : what comes next in order, is, to fiiow in what cafes it may be introduced with propriety, when it is fuitable, when unfuitable. I begin with obferving, that pafFionate perfonifi cation is not pro- moted by every paflion indifferently. All difpiriting paffions are averfe to it ; and remorfe, in particular, is too ferious and fevcre to be gratified with a phan- tom of the mind. I cannot therefore approve the following fpeech of Enobarbus, who had deferted his mafler Antony : - "^ Be witnefs to me, O thou WefTed mooft, When men revolted (hall upon record Bear hateful memory, poor Enobarbus did Before ,thy face repent Oh fovereign miftrefs of true melancholy, The poifonous damp of night difpunge upon me, That life, a very rebel to my wili> May hang no longer on me. Antony and Cleopatra^ ad 4. fc. 7. If tg2 Figures. Ch. XX: If this cat! be juftified, it mufl: be upon the Heathen fyftem of theology, which converted into deities the fun, moon, and ftars. Secondly, After a paflionate perfonification is properly introduced, it ought to be confined to its proper province, that of gratifying the paffion, vi^ith- out giving place to any fentiment or action but what anfwers that purpofe ; for perfonification is at any rate a bold figure, and ought to be employ*d with great referve. The paffion of love, for example, in a plaintive tone, may give a momentary life to woods and rocks, in order to make them fenfible of the lov- er's diflrefs ; but no pafllon will fupport a convidion fo far flretched, as that thefe woods and rocks fhould be living witnefles to report the diflrefs to others : Ch' i' t'aiii pill de la mia vita, Se til nol fai, crudele, Chiedilo a quelle felve Che te'l diranno, et te'l diran con efTc Le fere loro e i duri fterpi, e i falli Di quefti alpeftri monti, Ch' i' ho fi fpeffe volte Intenerili al fuon de' miei lamenti, Pajior Fidoy a£i 1-fc. 3. No lover who is not crazed will utter fuch a fenti- ment : it is plainly the operation of the writer, in- dulging his inventive faculty without regard to na- ture. The fame obfervation is applicable to the fol- lowing paffage : In winter's tedious nights fit by the fire With good old folks and let them tell thee tales Of woful ages, long ago betid : • « • And ere thou bid good night, to quit their grief. Tell them the lamentable fall of me, And fend the hearers weeping to their beds. Foj S Bect. I, Figures^ 193 For why ; the fenfelefs brands will fympathife The heavy accent of thy moving tongue, And in compalTion weep the fire out. Richard l\. aSi ^. fc. I. One muA. read this paflage very ferioufly to avoid laughing. The following palTage is quite extrava- gant : t-he different parts of the human body are too intimately connected with felf, to be perfonified by the power of any pafTion ; and after converting fuch a part into a fenfible being, it is ftill worfe to make it be conceived as rifmg in rebellion againfl felf : Cleopatra. Haftej bare my arm, and roufe the ferpent's fury. Coward iielh Wouldll thou confpire with Caefar, to betray me. As thou wert none of mine r Til force thee to't. Dryden, Ail for Love, a£l 5, Next comes defcriptlve perfonlfication ; upon which I muft obferve, in general, that it ought to be cautioufly ufed. A perfonage in a tragedy, agitated by a ftrong paffion, deals in warm fentiments ; and the reader catching fire by fympathy, reliflieth the boldeft perfonifications : but a writer, even in the moih lively defcription, taking a lower flight, oupht to content himfelf with fuch eafy perfonifications as agree with the tone of mind infpired by the defcrip- tion. Nor is even fuch eafy perfonlfication always admitted ; for in plain narrative, the mind, ferious and fedate, rejeds perfonificadon altogether. Strada, in his hillory of the Belgic wars, l^as the following paiTage, which, by a drained elevation ^bove the tone of the fubjed, deviates into burlefque. Vix defcenderat a praetoria navl Ca^far; cum focda illico exorta in porta tcmpedas, clalfem impetu disjecit, prxtori- Vol. II. N 1 94 *"■ Figures. Ch. 'LXj am hauGt ; quafi non vecluram ampliiis Csfarem, Ca^fa- rilqi:e tortunam. Dec. I. A I. Neither do I approve, in Shakefpear, the fpeech of King John, gravely exhorting the citizens of Angiers to a furrender ; though a tragic writer has much greater latitude than a hiilorian. Take the follow- ing fpecimen : The cannons have their bowels hill of wrath ; And ready rxionnted are they lo I'pit forth Their iron-indignaiion 'gainfl your walls. A^ l.fc. 3. Secondly, If extraordinary marks of refped to a perfon of low rank be ridiculous, no lefs fo is the perfonification of a low fubje(!R:. This rule chiefly regards defcriptive perfonification ; for a fubjecl can hardly be low that is the caufe of a violent pafTion j in that circumflance, at leaft, it mufl be of import- unce* But to afiign any rule other than tafte mere- ly, for avoiding things below even defcriptive perfon- ificatioil, will, I am afraid, be a hard tafk. A poet of fuperior genius, polTcliing the power of inflaming the mind, may take hberties that would be too bold in others. Homer appears not' extravagant in ani- mating his darts and arrows : nor Thompfon in ani- mating the feafcns, the winds, the rains, the dews ; he even ventures to animate the diamond, and doth it Vv'ith propriety : That poiiHi'd bright And all its native luftre let abroad, D,ares, as it fparkles on the fair-one's breafty-:. With vain anibition emulate her eyes. But there are things familiar and bafe, to which per- fonification cannot defcend. In a conipofed flate of mind, Sect. I. Figures. ig^ mind, to animate a lump of matter even in the mod rapid flight of fancy, degenerates into burlefque : How now ! What noife ! what fpirits poflciTed with hafte, That wounds th' unrefiftini^ poftern with thefe ftrokes. Shake/pear, Meajure for MeaJurCj a£l ^. Jc. 6. Or from the fhore The plovers when to fcatter o'er the heath, And ling their wild notes to the lift'ning wafie, Tkompfsn, Springs 1. 23. Speaking of a man's hand cut off in battle : Te declfa fuum, Laride, dextera qiia-^rit : Semiunimefque micant digiti ; terrumque retraclant. Mneiil, \. 395. The perfonlfication here of a hand is infafferable, ef- pecially in a plain narration : not to mention that fuch a trivial incident is too minutely defcribed. The fame obfervation is applicable to abdraft terms, which ought not to be animated uniefs they have fome natural dignity. Thompfon, in this arti- cle, is Hcentious ; witnefs the following inftances out of many : O vale of bllfs ! O foftly fwelling hills ! On which the power of cultivation lies, And joys to fee the wonders of liis toil. Summer^ L 1435. Then fated Hunger bids his brother Ihirji Produce the mighty bowl : Nor wanting is the brown 06lober, drawn Mature and perfe6l, from his dark retreat Of thirty years ; and now his hone ji front Flames in the light refulgent. Autumn y I, 516. N 2 Thirdlvp 196 Figures, Ch. XX« Thirdly, It is not fufficient to avoid improper fub* je£ts : fome preparation is neceflary, in order to roufe the mind ; for the imagination refufes its aid, till it be warmed at lead, if not inflamed. , Yet Thompfon^ •without the lead ceremony or preparation, introduce eth each feafon as a fenfible being : From brightening fields of asther fair c'ifclos'd. Child ot the fun, refulgent Summer comes, In pride of youth, and felt through Natuie's depth. He comes attended by the fiiltiy hours, And ever fanning breezes, on his wny ; While trom his ardent look, the turning Spring Averts her blulhfiil face, and earth, and Ikies, All fmiling to his hot dominion leaves. Summery L lo See Jointer comes, to rule the vary'd year. Sullen and fad vvith all his lifing train. Vapours and clouds znd forms. Winter, I. I. This has violently the air of v;rlting mechanically without tafte. It is not natural that the imagination of a writer fhould be fo much heated at the very commencement ; and, at any rate, he cannot expeft fuch dudility in his readers. But if this pradlice can be juflified by authority, Thompfon has one of no mean note : Vida begins his firft eclogue in the fol- lowing words : Dicite, vos MuHe, et juvenum memorate querelas ; Dicite ; nam motas ipfas ad carmina cautes Et reqiiieiTe fuos perhibent vaga flumina curfus. Even Shakefpear is not always careful to prepare the mind for this bold figure. Take the following in- flance. Upon thefe taxations. The clothiers all, not able to maintain The Sect. L Figures. 197 The many to them 'longing, have put off The fpiiilters, carders, iullers, weavers ; who, Unfit tor other life, comprU'd by hunger, And lack of other means, in defp'rate manner Daring th' event to th' teeth, are all in uproar. And Da}7ger ferves among t-iieni. Henry VIII. ^^ i.fc, 4. Fourthly, Defcriptive perfonification, ftlll more than what is pafiionate, ought to be kept within the bounds of moderation^ A reader warmed with a beautiful fubject, can imagine, even without paffion, the winds for example, to be animated : but Hill the winds are the fubjecl ; and any adlion afcribed to them beyond or contrary to their ufual operation, appearing unnatural, feldom fails to banifli the illu- fion altogether : the reader's imagination too far ftrained, refufes its aid ; and tlie defcription becomes obfcure, inft ead of being more lively and ftriking. In this view, the following paflage, defcribing Cleo- patra on fhipboard appears to me exceptionable. The barge flie fat in, like a burnifh'd throne. Burnt on the w^ater : the poop was beaten gold. Purple the fails, and fo perium'd, that The winds were love-fick with 'em. Antony and Cleopatra^ hd 1. Jc, 3. The winds in their impetuous courfe have fo much the appearance of fury, that it is eafy to figure them wreaking their refentment againll their enemies, by deflroying houfes, lliips, Uq. but to figure them love- lick has no rcfemblance to them in any circumftance. In another palfage, where Cleopatra is alfo the fub- jeifl:, the perfoniiication of the air is carried beyond all bounds : -The city cafl Its people out upon her ; and Antony N -? Inthron'i tgt Figures. Ch. XX. Inthron'd 1' th' market-place did fit slone, WhiltUng to th' air, which but tor vacancy, liad gone to gaze on Cleopatra too, And made a gap in nature. Antony and Clc.pntra, aB 2. fc. 3. The r ilow'Ing perfonification of the eaiih or foil is not kfs wild : She ihall be dip-nifi'd with this high honour, To bear my Lady's train ; left the bafe earth Should from her vefturc chance to fleal a kifs i And ot' fo great a favour growing proud, Difd^in to root the fummer-fwelling flower, And make rough winter everlaltingly. Two Gentlemen of Verona^ a£i 1. Jc. 7. Shakefpear, far from approving fuch intemperance of imagination, puts this fpeech in the mouth of a rant- ing lover. Neither can I relilh what follows. Omnia quje, Phoebo quondam meditante, beatus Audit Eurotas, juliitque cdifccre lauros, Ille canit. Virgil. Bite. vi. 82. The chcerfulnefs fmgly of apaftoral fong, will fcarce fupport perfonification in the lowed degree. But admit- ting, that a river gently flowing may be imagined a fen- fible being iiftening to a fftng, I cannot enter into the conceit of the river's ordering his laurels to learn the fong : here all refemblance to any thing real is quite ioft. This however is copied Hterally by one of our greateft poets ; early indeed, before maturity of tafle or judgment : Thames heard the numbers as he fiow'd along, And b.vJe his willows iearn the moving long. Pope' J pcijlorahj prjl. 4. I. 1 3. This Sect. I. ^ Figures. 19^ This author, In riper years is guilty of a much greater deviation from the rule. Dullnefs may be imagined a deity or idol, to be worfhipped by bad writers ; but then fome fort of difguife is requifite, fome baf- tard virtue mufl be bellowed, to make fuch worfliip in fome degree excufible. Yet in the Dunciad, Dullnefs without the leaft difguife, is made the ob- je6l of worlhip. The mind rejefts fuch a fitSlion as unnatural ; for dullnefs is a defedl, of whicji even the duileit: mortal is afhamed : Then he : Great tamer of all human art ! Fird in my care, and ever at my heart ; Dullnefs ! whufe good old caufe I yet defend. With whom my Mufe began, with whom Ihall end, E'er fince Sir Fopling's periwig was praife. To the lafl honours of the Bull and Bays ! O thou ! of bus'nefs the direfting foul ! To this o'.ir head, like bias to the bowl, Which as rnore pond'rous,madc its aim more true. Obliquely wadling to the mark in viev/ : O ! ever graciovvs to perplex'd mankind. Still fpread a healing mift before the mind : And, lell we err by Wit's wild dancing light, Secure us kindly in our native night. Or, if to wit a coxcomb make pretence, Guard the fure barrier betv/een that and fenfe ; Or quite unravel all the reas'ning tl-.read, And hang fome curious cobweb in its (lead ! As, forc'd from wiftd-guns, lead itfclf can fly, And pond'rous (lugs cut fwiitly through the flcy ; As clogks to weight their nimble motion owe, The wheels above urg'd by the load below : Me Emptinefs and Dullnefs could infpire, And were my elafticity, and lire. ' B. i. 163. The following inftance is ftretched beyond all refem- blance : it is bold to take a part or member of a liv- ing creature, and to beflov/ upon it hfe, volition, and N4 adion : ^o Figures* Ch. XX^' action : after animating two fuch members, it is ftiU bolder to make one envy the other j for this is wide pf any refemblance to reality : •— De noftri baci Meritamenti fia giudice quella, Che la bocca ha plu bclla. Tutte concordemente ElelTer la beliffima Amarilli ; Ed' ella i fuoi begli occhi Dolcemente chinando, Di modefto rollbr tutta fi tlnfe, E mbflro ben, che non men bella e deatra Di quel che fia di fuori j O foife, che'l hel volto AvciTe invidia all' onorata bocca, E s'adornaflTe anch' egli Delia purpurea lua pompofa, veftaj Q^iafi voleffe dir, fon hello anch'io. Pajior Fldoy aB 2.fc. I. Fifthly, The enthuliafm of pafiion may have the efle6l to prolong paflionate perlbnification : but def» criptive peribnification camiot be difpatched in too few words : a circumftamiate defcription dilTolves the charm, and makes the attempt to perfonify appear ridiculous. Homer fucceeds in animating his darts; and arrows : but fuch perfonification fpun out in ^ French tranllation, is mere burlefque : Et la fieche en furie, avide de fon fang, Part, vole a lui, I'atteintj et lui perce ie flanc, , Horace fays happily. Pod equitem fedet atra Cura. Obferve how this thought degenerates by being di-. vided, like the former, into a number of minute parts : ' - Un Sect. I. Figures^ '201 Un foil rempli d'erreurs, que le trouble accompagnc Et malade a la ville ainTi qu' a la carapagne, En vain monte a cheval pour troinpcr fun ennui, Le Chagrin monte en ei-oupe, et galope avec lui. A poet, in a fhort and lively expreffion, may ani- mate his mufe, his "genius, and even his verfe : but to animate his verfe, and to addrefs a whole epifLle to it, as Boileau doth,* is infuppor table. The following paflage is not lefs faulty : Her fate is whifper'd by the gentle breeze. And told in lighs to all the trembling trees ; The trembling trees, in ev'ry plain and wood. Her fate remurmur to the lilver flood j The filver flood, fo lately cahr., appears Swelld with new pallion, and o'erflows -yvith tears; 1 he winds, and trees, and floods, her deatli deplore, Paphnc, our grief ! our glory ! now no more. Pope's FaJloralSf iv. 6i. Let grief or love have the power to animate the winds, the trees, the floods, provided the figure be difpatched in a fmgie expreffion : even in that cafe, the figure feldom has a good effect ; becaufe grief" or love of the paftoral kind, are caufes rather too faint for fo violent an effeft as imaccining the winds, trees, or floods, to be fenfible beingis. But when this figure is deliberately fpread out, with great reg- ularity and accuracy, through many lines, the read- er, initead of relifliing it, is (truck with its ridicu- lous appearance.. SECT, ^ Epiflle JOo f soa Figures, Ch. XX» SECT. II. Apojirophe. Ti HIS figure and the former are derived from the fame principle. If, to humour a plaintive paffion, we can beftow a momentary fenfibihty upon an inanimate object, it is not more difficult to beflow a momentary prefence upon a fenfible being who is abfent : Hinc Drepani me portus et illjetabilis ora Accipit. Hie, pelagi tot tempertatibus 26IUS, Heu ! genitorem, omnis curae cafutque levamen, Amitto Anchifen : hie me pater opt'utte fejfutn Dejeris, heu ! tantis nequicquam erepte periclis. Nee vates Helenus, cum miilta horreada ir.oneret, Hos mihi prasciixit lu6lus ; noii dira Cel^sno. JEneidy iii. 707. Strike the harp In praife of Bragela, whom I left in the ille of mift, the {i^oufe of my love. Dolt thou raife x\\y fair face from the rock to iind the Auls of Cuchullin r I'iie fca is rolling far diltant, and its white foam flrall de- ceive thee for my fails. Reiire for it is night my love, and the dark winds ligh in thy hair. Retire to the hall of my feafts, and think of the times that are pad ; for I will not return till the ftorm of war is gone. O Connal fpeak of •wars and arms, and fend her from my mind ; for lovely with her raven-hair is tHi white-bofom'd daughter of Sor- glan. F'mgalf h, I. Speaking of Fingal abfent. Happy are thv people, O Fingal ; thine arm fliall figbt their battles. Thou art the firll in their dangers ; the wif- eft in the days of their peace : thou fpeakeft, and thy thou- > fands M. Sect.il Figures. 203 fands obey ; and armies tremble at the found of thy fteel. Happy are thy people, O Fingal. This figure is fometimes joined with the former : things inanimate, to qualify them for hitening to a paflionate expoflulation, are not only perfoniEed, but alfo conceived to be prelent : Et fi fata Deiim, fi mens non Ixva fuilTet, Impulerat ferro Argoiicas loedare laiebras : Trojaque nunc Jiures y Priainique arx alia manetrf. Mneldy ii. 54. Helena- Poor Lord, is'"t I Thai chafe thee from thy country, and expofe Tiiofe tender limbs of thine to the event Of non-fparing war ? And is it I That drive thee from the fportive court, where thou Wafl Ihot at with tair eyes, to be the mark Of Imoky mufkets r you leaden virjfcngcrs. That ride upon the violent fpeed ot hre, Fly with falfe aim ; pierce the (till moving air That fmgs with piercing ; do not touch my Lord. JlFs zvell that ends zvell, ail t^.Jc. 4. And let them lift ten thoufand fvvords, faid Nathos with a fmile : the ions of car-borne Ulhoth will never tremble in danger. Why dod thou roll wjth all thy foam, thou roaring fea of Ullin r M'hy df; ye ruftle on your dark wings, ye whitliing tempehs of the Iky ? Do ye think, ye ftorms, that ye keep Nathos on the coaft r No ; his foul detains him ; children of the night ! AUhos, bring my fatiier's armsj &c. Fingal. Whither hafl thou fled, O wind, faid ihe King of Mor- ven ! Dolt thou rulUe in the chaiTd->ers of the fouth, and purfue the fhovvcr in other lands r Why conicit not thou to my fails, to the blue iarc of my fcas ? The toe is in the land of iVlorven, and the king is abftut. FingnL Haft ¥©4 Figures, Gh. Xr* Haft thou left thy bhie courfe in heaven, golden-hair'd fon of the iky ! The weft, hath opened its gates ; the bed of thy repofe is there. The waves gather to behold thy beauty : they lift their trembling heads ; they fee thee love- ' ly in thy fleep ; but they fhrink away with fear. Rell ir> thy ftiadowy cave, O Sun ', and let thy return be in joy. fingal. Daughter of Heaven, fair art thou ! the filence cf thy face is pleajfant. Thou comeft forth in lovelinefs : the ilars attend thy blue (teps in the eaft. The clouds lejoicQ in thy prefence, O Moon ! and brighten their dark-brown fides. Who is like thee in heaven, daughter ot the night ? The (tars are afhamed in t!;y prefence, and turn afide their fparkling eyes. Whither doll thou retire from thy courfe, when tlie darknefs of thy countenance grows ? Hafl thou thy hall like OfRan ? Dwellelt thou in the-ihadovv of grief? Have thy filters fallen trom heaven ? and aie they who re- joiced with thee at night no more ? Yes, they have fall- en, fair light ; and often doft thou retire to mourn. But thou thyfelf flialf, one night, fall ; and leave thy blue path in heaven. The ihirs will then lift their heads : they, who in thy prefence were alhamed, will rejoice. FingaL This figure, like all others, requires an agitatiom of mind. In plain narrative, as, for example, in giving the genealogy of a family, It has no good effeft : Fauno Picus pater ; ifque parentcm Te, Saturne, refert ; tu fanguinis uliimus sudor. /Eneii/f vii. 48. SECT. III. Hyperbole, I .N this figure, by which an objecl is magni- fied or diniiniilied beyond truth, ive have another eiFed of the foregoing principle. An object of an uncommon Sect. IIL figures* 205 uncommon fize, either very great of its kind or very little, flrikes us with furprife ; and this emotion pro- duces a momentary convidion that the objeft is greater or lefs than it is in reality :* the fame effefl, precifely, attends figurative grandeur or Httlenefs : and hence the hyperbole, which expreflfes "that mo- mentary convidion. A v/riter, taking advantage of this natural delufion, warms his defcription greatly by the hyperbole : and the reader, even in his cool- eft moments, relifhes the figure^ being fenfible that it is the operation of nature upon a glowing fancy. It cannot have efcaped obfervation, that a writer iS commonly more fucccfsful in magnifying by a hy- perbole than in diminifliing. The reafon is, that a minute objedl contrails the mind, and fetters its pow- er of imagination ; but that the mind, dilated and inflamed with a^grand objeft, moulds cbjeds for its ^^ratification with great facility. Longinus, with re- ipeft to a diminifliing hyperbole, quotes the following ludicrous thought from a comic poet : " He was owner of a bit of ground no larger than a Lacede- monian letter."! But, for the reafon now given, the hyperbole has by far the greater force in magnifying objefts 5 of which take the following examples : For all the land Vvhich hou feefl, to tl e^ will I give it, and to th y feed for ever. A;ul I will make thy feed as the duft of the earth ; fothat if a man can number the duft of the earth, then fliall thy feed alfo be numbered. Gencjis xiii. i^. i6. Ilia vel inta^lse fegC^s per fiimma volaret Gramina : nee teneras curfu IsefiSret ariCias. Myie'id, vii, 808. Atqup * See Chap. 8. t Chap. 31. of his Trcsrifc on the Sublime, 2o6 Figures, Ch. XX. Atque imo barathri ter gurgite vaftos Sorbet in abiuptum llu6tus, rurfufqiie fub auras Eiiijit altcjiios, ex fidera verberat unda. jEneid, iii. 421. Horificis jiixta tonat j^tna ruinis, Jntcrdumque atram proruinpit ad a:thera nubem. Turbine fumantem piceo et candente faviila : Atiollitque globos flammaruir., et iidera lambit. Mneuly iii. 571, Speaking- of Polyphemus : Ipfe arduus, au?.que piilfat Mneidy iii. 619. When he fpeaks, Sidcra. The air, a charter'd libeitine, is ftiil. HenrfW, a£i l.fc. i. Now fbield with flileld, with behnet helmet clos'd, To arniour armour, lance to lance oppos'd. Hoft againft hoft with ihadovvy fquadzon? drew, The founding darts in iron tempells flew, Vidlors and vanquidvd join promifcuous cries. And Ihrilling fhouts and dyin^groans arife ; With dreaming blood the ilipp'ry fields are dy'd,^ And Uaughter'd heroes fwell the dreadful tide. Iliad IV. 508- The following may alfo pafs, though far flretched. E conjungendo a temerario ardire , Eftrema forza, e intaticabi^ lena Vien che fi'impetuofo il ferro gire, Che ne trema'la terra, el ciel balena. Gierujahm, cant. 6. ft. 46. Quintilian * Is fenfible that this figure is natural : « For," fays he, " not contented with truth, we are naturally * L. B. cap, 6, in fin. Sect. III. Figures. ' £07 naturally inclined to augment or diminifli beyond it ; and for that reafon the hyperbole is familiar even among the vulgar and illiterate :" and he adds, very juflly, " That the hyperbole is thtin proper, when the fubjeft of itfelf exceeds the common meafure.'* From thefe premifes, one «vould not expeft the fol- lowing inference, the only reafon he can find for juftifying this figure of fpeech, " Ccnceditur enim amplius dicere, quia dici quantum ell, non potefl : meliufque ultra quam citra flat oratio." (We are indulged to fay more than enough, becaufe we can- not fay enough ; and it is better to be above than under.) In the name of wonder, why this childifh reafoning, afier obferving that the hyperbole is found- ed on human nature ? I could not refill this perfonal (Iroke of criticifm ; intended not againfl our author, for no human creature is exempt from error, but againll the blind veneration that is paid to the an- cient claflic writers, without dillinguilhing their blemiQies from their beauties. Having examined the nature of this figure, and the principle on which it is erefted, I proceed, as in the firfl fedion, to the rules by which it ought to be governed. And, in the firfl place, it is a capital fault, to introduce an hyperbole in the defcription of any thing ordinary or familiar ; for in fuch a cafe, it is altogether unnatural, being defiitute of furpriiie, its only foundation. Take the following inflance, where the fubjed:. is extremely familiar, viz. fwirn- ming to gain the fhore after a fliipwreck. I fuw him beat the furies under him, And ride upon their backs ; he trode tlie water ; Whofe enmity he flung afidc, and breafted The furge molt fwoln that met him : his bokf head 'Bove the contentious waves he kept, and oar'j] Himfelf with his good arms, in kilty ftrokes To ':o^ Figures, . Ch. XS4 To tW fiore, that o'er his wave-borne bafis bow'd. As {looping to relieve him. Te?npe/i, ad l.Jc. i. In tile next p^ace, It may be gathered from what is faid, that an hyperbole can never fuit the tone of any difpiriting palTion : forrow in particular will Jiever prompt fuch a figure ; for which reafon the following hyperboles muft be condemned as un- natural : K. Rich. Aumerle, thou weep'ft my tender-hearted coufin ! We'll make ioul weather with defpifed tears : Dur fighs, and they, lliall lodge the lummer-corn. And make a dearth in this revolting land. RicJmrdll. aa l.Jc. 6. Draw them to Tyber's bank, and weep your tears Into the channel, till the kiweit itream Do kifs the nioft exalted fhores of all. Julius Cicfar, aSi i . _/?. i . Thirdly, A writer, if he widi to fucceed, ought always to have the reader In his eye : he ought in particular never to venture a bold thought or ex- prefTion, till the reader be warmed and prepared. For that reafon, an hyperbole in the beginning of a %vork can never be in its place. Example : Jam pauca aratro jugere regia; Moles rclinquent. Horat. Ccinn. I. I. ode 15. The nicefl point of all, is to afcertain the natural Umits of an hyperbole, beyond which being over- fLrained it hath a bad cilea;. . Longinus, in the above- cited chapter, with great propriety of thought, en- ters a caveat againft an hyperbole of this kind : he compares it to a bow-ftring, which relaxes by ovcr- Uraining, Sect. III. Figures. sog flraining, and produceth an effect diredly oppofite to what is intended. To afcertain any precife bound- ary, would be difficult, if not impracticable. Mine fhall be an humbler talk, which is, to give a fpeci- men of what I reckon overflrained hyperbole ; and I fhall be brief upon them, becaufe examples are to be found every where : no fault is more common among writers of inferior rank ; and inftances are found even among claffical writers ; witnefs the following hyperbole, too bold even for an Hotfpur. Hotfpur talking of Mortimer : In fingle oppofitlon hand to hand, He did confound the belt part of an hour In changing hardiment with great Glendowcr. Three times they brcath'd, and three times dleafure here, that of refemblance, belongs to the thought. An ^ 1 3 Figures, Ch. XX, An additional pleafure arifes from the exprefTion : the poet, by figuring his hero to be a Hon, goes on to de:cribe the Hon in appearance, but in reaHty the hero : and his defcription is pecuHarly beautiful, by exprelTmg the virtues and quaHties of the hero in new terms, which, properly fpeaking, belong not to him, but to the Hon. This will better be underllood by examples. A family conne6ted with a common pa- rent, refembles a tree, the trunk and branches of which are connedted with a common root : but let us fuppofe, that a family is figured, not barely to be like a tree, but to be a tree ; and th*=n the fimile will be converted into a metaphor, in the following manner : Edward's fevV. fons, whereof thyfelf art one, Were fev'n tair branches fpringing from one root : SoiTiC of thefe branches by the deft'nies cut : But Thoaias, my dear lord, my life, my Glo'fler, One flouiilhing branch of his nno't royal root, Is hack'd down, and his fummer-leaves all faded. By Envy's hand and Murder's bloody axe. Richard 11. a£i l.fc. 3. Figuring human Hfe to be a voyage at fea : There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the tiood, leads on to fortune ; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in lliallows and in miferies. On fiich a full fea are we now afloat, And we mull take the current while it ferves. Or lofe our ventures. yuUus defur, aui A.fc. 5. Figuring glory and honour to be a garland of flowers, liotjpur. Wou'd to heav'n, Thy name in arms were now as great as mi'^e ! Fr. Henry. Sect. VI. Figiirgjs, 219 Pr. Henry. I'll make it greater, ere I part from thee. And all the budding honours on thy creil I'll crop to make a garland tor my head. Firji party Henry IV. a^ S'f'-' 9* Figuring a man who hath acquired great reputation and honour to be a tree full ot fruit ; ■> — Oh, boys, this (lory The world may read in me : my body's mark'd With Roman Ivvords \ and my report was once Firfl with the bed of note. Cymbeline lov'd me j And when a foldier was the theme, my name Was not far off : then was I as a tree, Whofe boughs did bend with fruit. But in one night, A ftorm or robbery call it what you will, Shook down my mellow hangings, nay my leaves ; And left m? bare to weather. Cymbeline, aB 'l-fc. 3. Bled be thy foul, thou king of Ihells, faid Swaran of the dark-brown llhield. In peace thou art the gale of fpring ; in war, the mountain-florm. Take now my hand in friend- ihip, thou noble king of Morven. Fitigal. Thou dwelled in the foul of Malvina, fon of mighty Oflian. My fighs aiife with the beam of the cad : iriy tears dcfcend with the drops of night. I was a lovely tree in thy prefence, Ofcar, with all my branches round me : but thy death came like a blalt from the defart, and laid my green head low ; the fpring returned with its iliowers, but, no leaf of mine arofe. » Fingal. I am aware that the term -metaphor has he^in ufed in a more extenfive fenfe than I give it ; but I thought it of confequeuce, in a difquifition of fome intricacy, to confine the term to its proper ienfe, and to fepa- rate from it things |hat are diilinguiihed by different names. An allegory differs from a metaphor ; and vvhat 320 Figures, Ch. XX, what I would choofe to call a figure offpeech, differs from both. 1 proceed to explain thefe difterences. A metaphor is defined above to be an a6t of the imagination, figuring one thing to be another- An allegory requires no fuch operation, nor is one thing figured to be another : it confifts in choofmg a fub- jecl having properties or circumftances refembling thofe of the principal fubjed ; and the former is de- cribed in fuch a manner as to reprefent the latter j the fubjed thus reprefented is kept out of view : we are left to difcover it by reflection ; and we are pleafed with the difcovery, becaufe it is our own work. Quin- tiliaii* gives the following inftance of an Allegory, O navis, referent in mare te novl Fludlus. O (juid agis ? fortiter occupa portura. Ho rat. lib. i. ode 14. and explains it elegantly in the following words : " Totufque ille Horatii locus, quo navim pro re-i publica, rluctuum tempeftates pro bellis civilibus, portum pro pace atque concordia, dicit." A finer or more correQ: allegory is not to be found than the following, in which a vineyard is made to reprefent God's own people the Jews. Thou haft brought a vine out of Egypt : thou haft caft out the Heathen, and planted it. Thou didft caufe it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were cov- ered v/ith its Ihadovv, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. Why haft thou theo broken down her hedges, fo that all which pafs do pluck her ? The boar out ot the wood doth wafte it, and the wild beaft doth devour it. Re- turn, we befeech thee, O Gxi of holls : look down from heaven, and behold, and vifit this vine, and the vineyard thy right hand hath planted, and the branch thou madcft ilrong for thyrL;If. .^ PJahn 80. * \l\ * L. 8. cap. 6. fea. s. Sect. VI, Fmires^ sii "6 In a word, an allegory is in every refpeft fimilar to an hieroglyphical painting, excepting only that words are ufed inftead of colours. Their efFeds are precifely the fame : a hieroglyphic raifes two images in the mind ; one feen, which reprefents one not Teen : an allegory does the fame ; the reprefentative fub- j eft is defer ibed ; and rcfemblance leads us to apply the defcription to the fubjed reprefented. In a fig- ure of fpeech, there is no fidlion of the imagination employed, as in a metaphor, nor a reprefentative fubjed introduced, as in an allegory. This figure, as its name implies, regards the exprelllon only, not the thought ; and it may be defined, the ufing a word in a fenfe different from what is proper to it. Thus youth, or the beginning of life, is expreffed figuratively by mor?img of life : morning is the be- ginning of the day ; and in that view it is employed to fignify the beginning of any other feries, life efpecial- ly, the progrefs of which is reckoned by days. Figures of fpeech are referved for a feparate fec- tion ; but metaphor and allegory are fo much con- neded, that they muft be handled together : the rules particularly for diftinguifhing the good from the bad, are common to both. We fhall therefore proceed to thefe rules, after adding fome examples to illuflrate the nature of an allegory. Horace, fpeaking of his love to Pyrrha, which was now extinguiflied, exprefT- eth himfelf thus : —•' — Me tabula facer Votivu paries indicat uvida Sufpendiire potenti Vcftirnenta maris Deo. Carm. J. i. ode 5. Again ; 22 1 figures. Ch. XX* Again s Phoebus volentem praelia me loqui, Victas et urbes, increpuit lyra : Ne parva Tyrrhenum per aquor Vela dare. Carm. /. 5. ode 15. ^ueen. Great Lords, wife men ne'er fit and wail their lofs. But cheerly fcek how to redrefs their harms, What though the maft be now thrown overboard. The cable broke, the holding anchor loft. And half our failors fwallow'd in the flood ; Yet lives our pilot flill. Is't meet, that he Should leave the helm, and, like a fearful lad. With tearful eyes, add water to the fea, And give more ftrength to that which hath too much ; While in his moan Jc. I* "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind, to fufFer The I'tings and arrov7s of ontrag'ous fortune ; Or to take arms ag.iiijlt a fea of troubles. And by oppofing end them. Hamlet, oM 1-fc. 2. In the fixth place. It Is unpleafant to join differ- ent metaphors in the fame period, even where they are prefer ved diftind: : for when the fubjeft is iniag- med to be firfl one thing and then another in the fame period without interval, the mind is dillrafted by the rapid tranfition ; and when the imagination is put on fuch hard duty, its images are too faint to produce any good effeO. : At regina gravi jamdudum faucia cura, Vulnus alit venis, et case© carpitur igni. Mneidf iv. i. Eft mollis flamma medullas Interea, et taciturn vivit fub peclore vulnus. /Eneid, iv. 66. Motum ex- Metello confule civicum, Bellique caufas, et vitia, et modos, Lndtimque fortu-ia: gravefque Principum amicitias, et arma Nondum expiatis iincla cruoribus, Periculofa; plenum opus alea;, Tra£tas, et incedis per igncs Subpofitos cineri dolofo. Horat. Carm. I. 2. ode r. In the lafl place, It is ftill worfe to jumble to- gether metaphorical and natural expreflion, fo as that the ^Segt. VI. Figures'. 42a the period mufl be underftood in part metaphorical- ly, in part literally ; for the imagination cannot fol- low with fufficient eafe, changes fo fudden and unpre- pared : a metaphor begun and not carried on, hath no beauty ; and inftead of light there is nothing but obfcurity and confufion. Inflances of fuch incor- re£t compofition are without number. I ihall, for a fpecimen, feleft a few from different authors. Speaking of Britain, This precious flone fet in the fea, Which ferves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defenfive to a houfe Againft the envy of lefs happier lands. Richard II. aSi 1. fc I. In the firfl line Britain is figured to be a precious flone : in the following lines, Britain, diverted of her metaphorical drefs, is prefented to the reader in her natural appearance. Thefe growing feathers pluck'd from Casfar's wing, Will make hiin fly an ordinary pitch, Who elfc would foar above the view of men, And keep us all in fervile iearfiilntfs. Julius Cctfarj a6l l.fc. i. Rebus anguRis animofus atque Fortls adpare : fapienter idem Contrahes vento nimium fecundq Turgida vela. Hor. The following is a miferable jumble of expreffions, arifmg from an unlleady view of the fubjeft, between its figura.tive and natural appearance : But now from gath'ring clouds deftrudion pours, Whioh ruins with mad rage our halcyon hours : Mifls P3 t3« Ft^um. €h.X2;^ Mifts from black jealoufies the tempeft form, Whilfl late divifions reinforce the florm. , Dijpenjary^j canto 3. To thee, the world its prefent homage pays, The harvell early, but mature the praife. Pope's Imltaticn of Horace ^ h. %» \ Oui, fa pudeur n'efl: que franche grimace, Qu'une ombre de venue qui garde mal la place, tt qui s'eyanouit, comme Ton peut favoir, Aux rayons du foleil qu'une bourfe fair voir. M-olier CyV Etourdi^ a£l '^' fc 2. Et fon feu, depourvu dc fenfe et de le6lure, S'eteient a chaque pas, faute de nourriture. BoikaUy rArt poeiique, chant, 3. /. 319. Dryden, in his dedication pf the tranflatipn of Ju.^ venal^ fays. When thus, as I may fay, before the ufe of the load-flone^, or knowledge of the compafs, I was failing in a vaft ocean, without other help than the pole-flar of the ancients, and the rules of the French ftage among the moderns, Sec. There is a time when fa6lions, by the vehemence of their own fermentation, flun and oiiable one another. Bol'mghrole. This fault of jumbling the figure and plain expref- fion into one confufed mafs, is not lefs common in allegory than in metaphor. Take the rollovving ex-* 5imples. Hen ! quoties fidem, Mutatofque Deos ficbit, el afpera Nigris asquora ventis Emirabitur infolens, Qui nunc te fruit ur creduhis aurea : Qui femper vaciiam, femper amabilem Sperat, nefcius aura3 Fallacts. HoraU Cmm. 1. i. ode 5. Pour Sect. VL Figures. f 3f Pour moi fur cette tner, qu'ici bas roiis courons, , Je fonge a ine pourvoir d cfquif et d'avirons, A regier mes defirs, a prevcnir I'orage, Et fauver, s'il fe peut, ma Raifon du naufrage. Boileau, ep'ttre 5. Lord Halifax fpeaking of the ancient fabulifts : "They (fays he) wrote in figns and fpoke in parables : all their fables carry a double meaning ; the flory is one and entire ; the charaders the fame throughout ; not broken or changed, and always conformable to the nature, of the creature they introduce. They never tell you, that the dog which fnapp'd at a fhad- ow, loft his troop of horfe ; that would be unintelligi- ble. This is his (Dryden's) new way of telling a ftory, and confounding the moral and the fable to- gether." After inftancing from the hind and pan- ther, he goes on thus : " What relation has the hind to our Saviour ; or what notion have we of a pan- ther's Bible ? if you fay he means the church, how does the church feed on lawns, or range in the for- ^fl ? Let it be always a church or always a cloven- footed beail, for we cannot bear his Shifting the fcene every line." A few words more upon allegory. Nothing gives greater pleafure than this figure, when the reprefent- ative fubjed bears a ftrong analogy, in all its circum- ftances, to that which is reprefented : but the choice is feldom fo lucky ; the analogy, being generally io faint and obfcure, as to puz^^le ?.nd not pleafi?. Kn allegory is ftill more difficult in painting than in po- etry : the former can (liov.^ no rcfemblance but what appears to the eye ; the latter hath many other re- fources for (bowing the refemblance. And therefore, •^\\h refped to what the Abbe du Bos* • erms mixt allegorical * Refleflions fur la Pocfic, vol. i. feft. 24. P4 43 « Figures^ Ch. XX. allegorical compofitions,, thefe may do in poetry ; be- caule in writing, the allegory can eafily be diftinguifh- ed from the hiftorical part : no perfon, for example, mlftakes Virgil's Fame for a real being. But fuch a mixture in picture is intolerable ; becaufe in a pic- ture the obje6ls mud appear all of the fame kind, wholly real or wholly emblematical. For this reafon, the hiftory of Mary de Medicis, in the palace of Luxr enbourg, painted by Rubens, is unpleafant by a per^ petual jumble of real and allegorical perfonages, which produce a difcordance of parts, and an obicu-. tity upon the whole ; witnefs in particular, the tabla-. ture repr'efenting the arrival of Mary de Medicis at Marfeilles ; where, together with the real perfonages, the Nereids and Tritons appear founding their fhells : fuch a mixture of fidlon and reality in the fame group, is ftrangely abfurd, Th^ pifture of Alexan- der and Roxana, defcribed by Lucian, is gay and fanciful ; but it fufFers by the allegorical figures. It is not in the wit of man to invent an allegorical rep- refentation deviating farther from any fhadow of re- femblance, than one exhibited by Lewis XIV. anno 1664 ; in which an enormous chariot, intended to reprefent that of the fun, is diagg'd along, furround- cd with men and women, reprefenting the four ages of the world, the celeftial figns, the feafons, the hours, &c. a monftrous compofition, fuggefted prob- abV by Guido's tablature of Aurora^ and Hill more aboard. in an allegory as well as in a metaphor, terms ouc^ht to be chofen that properly and literally are applicable to the reprefcntative fubjefl: : nor ought an/ circumftance to be added that is not proper to the reprefcntative fubje Ovid. Vultus for the man : Jam fulgor armorum fugaccs Terret equos, equitumque vultus, HoraU Qi^ils defiderio fit pudor aut modus Tarn chari capitis f Horat. Dumque virent genua P Horaf. Thy growing' virtues juftify'd my cares, And promis'd comtbrt to myfilver hairs. Ill ad, ix. 616. ■Forthwith from the pool he rears His vm^Wy Jiaiure. Paradije LoJ}. The filent heart with grief alTails. Parnell. The peculiar beauty of this figure confifls in mark- ing that part which makes thegreateft figure. 10. The name of the container, employed figur- atively to fignify what is contained. Grove for the birds in it, Vocal grove. Ships for the feamen. Agonizing /?>/))„'■. Mountains for the fheep pafturing upon them, Bleating mountains. Zacynthus, Ithaca, kc. for the inhabitants. Ex mcejlis do?nibus, Livy. 11. The name of the fuftainer, employed figura- tively to fignify what is fuftained. Altar for the facrifice. Field for the battle fought upon it, Well-fought^f/^/. Qj . 12. The 24^ Figures. Ch. XX. 12. The name of the materials, employed figura- tively to fignify the things made of them» Ferrwn for gladius, 13. The names of the Heathen deities, employed figuratively to fignify what they patronife. Jove for the air. Mars for war, Venus for beauty, Cupid for love, Ceres for corn, Neptune for the fea, Vulcan for fire. This figure beftows great elevation upon the fub- jed ; and therefore ought to be confined to the higher Itrains of poetry. SECOND TABLE. ' Attributes exprejfed figuratively. 1. "When two attributes are conne^led, the name of the one may be employed figuratively to exprefs the other. Purity and virginity ^re attributes of the fame per- fon : hence the expreffion. Virgin fnow, for pure fnow. 2. A Vv'ord fignifying properly an attribute of one fubjeft, employed figuratively to exprefs a refembhng attribute of another fubjeft. Tottering flate. Imperious ocean. Angry flood. Raging tempeft. Shallow fears. My Sect. VII. Figures, ' 247 My fure divinity fhall bear the Ihield, And edge thy fword to reap the glorious field. OdyJJ'ey, XX. 61. Black omen^ for an omen that portends bad for- tune. Iter odor. Virgil. The peculiar beauty of this figure arlfes from fug- gefting a comparifon. 3. A word proper to the fubjed, employed to ex- prefs one of its attributes. Mem for intelle6lus, Mens for a refolution : Iftam, oro, exue mentem, 4. When two fubje£ts have a refemblance by a common quality, the name of the one fubjeft may be employed figuratively to denote that quaUty in the other. SuriMiier life for agreeable life, 5. The name of the inilrument made to fignify the power of employing it, -Melpomene, cui llquidam pater Vocem cum cithara dedit. The ample field of figurative exprefiion difplayed in thefe tables, afl'ords great fcope for reafoning. Several of the obfervations relating to metaphor, are applicable to figures of fpcech : thefe I fliall llightly retouch, with fome additions peculiarly adapt>id tOJ the prefent fubjccl. 0^4 I» 64S figures. Ch. XX* In the firfl place, as the figure under confideraiioii is built upon relation, we find from experience, and it mud be obvious from reafon, that the beauty of the figure depends on the intimacy of the relation between the figurative and proper fenfe of the word. A flight refemblance, in particular, will never make this figure agreeable : the expreilion, for example, Drink dozen afecret, for liflening to a fecret with attention, is harfh and uncouth, becaufe there is fcarce any refemblance between lijiening a,nd drinking. The expreffion weighty cracky ufed by Ben Johnfon for loud cracky is worfe if poffible : a loud found has not the ilighteft refemblance to a piece of matter that is weighty. The following expreffion of Lucretius is not iefs faulty, " Et lepido quse i\3Xi\.fucata fonore.'* i. 645. Sed magis Pugnas et exa«5tos tyrannos Denlum humeris bibit aure vnlgus. Horat. Carm. 1. 2- cde 13. Phemlus ! let a£ls of gods, and heroes old. What ancient bards in halt and bow'r have told, Atteinper'd to the lyre, your voice employ, Such the pleas'd ear will drink with filent joy. Odyjfeyy i. 433. Strepitumque exterritus haujit. -Write, my Qiieen, Mne'ulf vi. 559. And with mine eyes III dn7ih the words you fend. Cyinbeiine, aCt l.Jc. 3- As thus th' effulgence tremulous I drinh. Summer, I. 1684. NequQ Sect. VII. Figures, 249 Neque audit currus habenas. Georg. i, 514. O Prince ! (Lycaon's valiant fon reply'H,) As thine the Itteds, be thine the talk to guide. The horfes pradis'd to their lord's command. Shall hear the rein, and anfwer to thy hand, Iliad, V. 288. The following figures of fpeech feem altogether VJiXd. and extravagant, the figurative and proper mean- ing having no connedion whatever. Moving foft- nefs, Frefhnefs breathes^ Breathi7ig profped. Flowing fpring. Dewy light. Lucid coolnefs, and many others of this falfe coin, may be found in Thompfon's Seafons* Secondly, The proper fenfe of the word ought to bear fome proportion to the figurative fenfe, and not foar much above it, nor fink much below it. This rule, as well as the foregoing, is finely iiluf- trated by Vida : Hasc adeo cum fint, cum fas audere poetis Multa m(:dis multis ; tamen obfervare memento Si qiiando baud propriis rem mavis dicere verbis, Tranllatifque aliunde notis, longeque petitis, Ne nimiam oftendas, quasrendo tali, curam. Namque aliqui cxcrcent vim duram, et rebus inique Nativam eripiunt formain, iudignantibus iplis, Invitalque jubent alirnos fumere vultus Hand magis imprudens mini erit, et himlnis expers, Qn\ puero ingc-ntes habilus det lerre gigantis, Qiiam fiquis itabula alia lares appellet equinos, Aut crines rrjagnae genitricis gramina dicat. Poet. iii. 148. Thirdly, In a figure of fpeech, every circumftance ought to be avoided that agrees with the proper fenfe only. 250 , Figures, Ch. XX* only, not the figurative fenfe ; for it is the latter that exprefles the thought, and the former ferves for no other purpofe but to make harmony : % Zacynthus green with ever-fhady groves, And Ithaca, prefumptuous boaft their loves ; Obtrudhig on my choice a fecond lord, They prefs the Hymeneaji rite abhorr'd. Odyffey^ xix. 152. . Zacynthus here (landing figuratively for the inhab- itants, the defcription of the ifl-and is quite out of place : it puzzles the reader, by making him doubt whether the word ought to be taken in its proper or figurative fenfe. Write, my Qiieen, - — , — J -.^^^ ^ And wdth mine eyes I'll drink the words you fend. Though ink be made of gall. Cymbeline, a£l i.Jc. 2. The difgufl one has to drink ink in reality, is not to the purpofe Vi'here the fubjeQ: is drinking ink figura- tively. In the fourth place. To draw confequences from a figure of fpeech, as if the word were to be under- ftood literally, is a grofs abfurdity, for it is con- founding truth with fidion. B; Moubray's fins fo heavy in his bofom, That they may break liis foaming courfer's back, And throw the rider headlong in the lifts, A caitiff recreant to my coufin Hereford, , Richard II. aSI I . fc. 3. Sin may be imagined heavy in a figurative fenfe : but weight in a proper fenfe belongs to the acceffory on- ly J and therefore to defer ibe the efi'ecls of weight, is to Sect. VIL Figures^ 251 to defert the principal fubje£t, and to convert the ac- ceflbry into a principal : Cromwell. How does your Grace ? Wolfey. Why, v/cll ; Never fo truly iiappy, my good Cromwell, I know myfelf now, and I feel within me A peace above all earthly dignities, A Hill and quiet confcience. The King hascur'd mc, I humbly thank his Grace ; and from thefe Ihoulders, Thefe niin'd pillars, out of pity, taken A load would fink a navy, too much honour. Henry Vill. a£l i-fc. 6. Ulyfies fpeaking of He£lor ; I wonder now how yonder city ftands, When we have here the bufe and pillar by us. Tro'dus and Crcjjida, adl 4 fc. 9. Othello. No \ my heart is turn'd to (lone : I ftrike it and it hurts my hand. Othello, aul ^' jc.<^' Not lefs, even in this defpicable now, Than when my name till'd Afric with affrights, And froze your hearts beneath your torrid zone. Don Sebojllan, Kii'g of Portugal, a£f I. How long a fpace, fince firfl: I lov'd, it is ! To look into a glafs I fear, And am furpris'd with woncier, when I mifs Grey hairs and wrinkles ilieie, Ci^wicy, vol. I. p. 86. I chofe the flonrifliing'fl: tree in all the park. With frelhcll boughs and falrefi head ^ I cut my love into Ins gentle bark, And in three days beliold 'tis dead ; My very written flames fo violent be, 71iey've burnt and wither'd up the tree. Cowlev,vol. I. p. 136. Ah. 252 ■ Figures, Ch. XX. Ah, mighty Love, that it were inward heat Which made this precious limbeck fweat ! But what, alas ! ah what does it avail, That file weeps tears fo wond'rous cold, As fcarce the afs's hoof can hold, So cold, that I admire they tall not hail, Cowley, vol. i.p. 132. Such a play of words is pleafant in a ludicrous poem* Almeria. O Alphonfo, Alphoiifb ! Devouring feas have wafli'd thee from my fight, No time fiiall rafe thee from my memory ; No, I will live to be thy monument : The cruel ocean is no more thy tomb ; But in my heart thou art interr'd. AIo Liming Bride, a£l l-Jc. r. lliis would be very right, if there were any inconfift- ence, in being interred in one place really, and in an-, other place figuratively, Je crains que cette faifon Ne nous amene la pclle ; La gueule du chien celefte Vomit feu fur I'liorifon. Afin que je m'en delivre, Je veux lire ton gros livre Jufques an dernier feuillet : Tout ce que la plume trace, Robiner, a de la glace i'\ fiiire trembler J uillet. Maynard^ In me tota ruf^ns Venus Cypium defcruit. Horat. Cann. I. I. ode 19. From confiderlng that a Vv^ord ufed in a figurative fenfe fugged s at the fame time its proper meaning, we difcover a fifth rule, That we ought not to cm- ploy a word in a figurative fenfe, the proper lenfe of which Sect. Vll.' Tiguref* 25^ which is Tftconfiftent or incongruous with the fubjed : for every inconfiflency, and even incongruity, though in the exprefTion only and not real, is unpleafant. Interea genitor Tyberini ad fluminis undam Vyiin&tz ficcabat lymphit. — ' Mneidf x. 83,3. Tres adeo incertos caeca caHgineyi/?^ Erramus pslago, totidem fine fidere no6les, JEyieid., iii. 203. The foregoing rule may be extended to form a fixth. That no epithet ought to be given to the figur^ ative fenfe of a word that agrees not alfo with its proper fenfe : -Dicat Opuntije Pirate r Megilla;, quo beatus Vulnere. Horaf, Carm.Iib. i. ode 27. Parens deorum cultor, et infrequens, hifanientis durn fapientias Confulius erro. Herat. Carm. lib. i. ode 34. Seventhly, The crowding into one period or thought different figures of fpeech, is not lefs faulty than crowding metaphors in that manner : the mind is diftraded in the quick tranfition from one image to another, and is puzzled inftead of being pleafed : I am of la»;ies moft deje6l and wretched, That fuck'd die honey of his mufic-vows. Hamlet. My bleeding bofom fickens at the found. OdyJJ'ey, i. 439. . Ah mi Per, Q^ianta laboras in Charyhdi ! Digne puer m^Woxc Jlamma, Quae ft54 Pigurei, / Ch, XX» Q^itt faga, quls te folvere TlKiTalis '' Ma^us vencuisy quis poteiit deus ? Vix illigatuiTite tritormi Pegafus expediet Chimera. Herat. Carm. I'lh. t. ode 27. Eighthly, If crowding figures be bad, it is ftill worfe to graft one figure upon another : For in- ftance, . While his keen falchion drinks the warriors lives. Iliady xi. 211. A falchion drinking the warriors blood is a figure built upon refemblance, which is pafiable. But then in the expreffion, lives is again put for blood ; and by thus grafting one figure upon another the expref- fion is rendered obfcure and unpleafant. Ninthly, Intricate and involved figures that can fcarce be analyfed, or reduced to plain language, are lead of all tolerable t Voiis incendimus aras. Mne'idy iii. 279. . — Onerantque caniflris Duna laboratae Cereris. Mncldf viii. 180. Vulcan to the Cyclopes : Arma acri facienda viro : nunc viribns iifiis, Nunc manibus rapidis, omni nunc arte magiftra : Prcedp'itate moras. Mr.eid, viii. 441, Huic gladio, pcrquc xrea futa Per tunicam fqualcutcni auro, latus haur'it apertum. JEneldy X. 313. Serantique puris tarda neceflltas Lcthi, corripuit gradun:!. Herat. Carm. lib. I. ode 3. Scriberis Sect. VII. Figures, i2j5 Scriberis Vario fartis, et hoftium ViiSlpr, Maeonii carminis alite. Horat. Carm. Uh. i. ode 6. Elfe fhall our fates be number'd with the dead. Iliady V. 294. Commutual death the fate of war confounds. Iliad y viii. 85. andxu 117. Speaking of Proteus : Inftant he wears, ekifive of the rape, The mimic force of every favage Ihape. Odyffeyy iv. 563. Rolling convulfive on the floor, is feen The piteous obje<5l of a proftrate Qiieen. Ibid. iv. 952. The mingling temped waves its gloom. Jufiunn, 33y, A various fweetnefs fwells the gentle race. Uid. 640. A fober calm fleeces unbounded ether. Uid. 967. The diftant water-fall fwells in the breeze. fFinter, 738. In the tenth place. When a fubjeft is introduced by its proper name, it is abfurd to attribute to it the properties of a different fubjed: to which the word is fometimes applied in a figurative fenfe : Hear me, oh Neptune ! thou whofe arms are hurVd From fhore to fliore, and gird the lolid v/orld. Qdyjfey, ix. 617. Neptune . ft $6 Figures. Ch. XX, Neptune is here introduced perfonally^ and not fig- uratively for the ocean : the d-fcription therefore, which is only appHcable to the latter, is altogether improper. It is not fufficient, that a figure of fpeech be regu- larly conflructed, and be free from blemifh : it requires tzile to difcern when it is proper, when im- proper ; and tafle, I fufpeft, is our only guide. One however may gather from refleftion and experience, that ornaments and graces fuit not any of the difpir- iting paffions, nor are proper for expreffing any thing grave and important. In familiar converfaticn, they are in fome meafure ridiculous : Profpero, in the Tempeji, fpeaking to his daughter Miranda, fays, The fringed curtains of thine eyes advance. And fay what thou fecft yond. No exception can be taken to the julfnefs of the figure ; and circumftances may be imagined to make it proper ; but it is certainly not proper in familiar converfaticn. In the laft place, Though figures of fpeech have a charming effect when accurately conitrudled and properly introduced, they ought however to be fcat- tered with a fparing hand : nothing is more lufcious, and nothing confequently more fatiating, than redun- dant ornaments of any kind. CHAP. Ch. XXL Narration a?id Defcription, 257 CHAP. XXL Narration and Defcription. H^ .OR.ACE, and many critics after him, exhort writers to chcofe a fubjeft adapted to their genius. Such obfervations would multiply rules of criticifm \vithout end ; and at any rate belong not to the prefent work, the obje£t of which is human nature in general, and what is common to thefpecies. But though the choice of a fubje6t comes not under fuch, a plan, the manner of execution comes under it ; becaufe the manner of execution is fubje£led to general rules, derived from principles common to the Ipecies. Thefe rules, as they concern the things cxprelTed as well as the language or exprefTion, require a divifion of this chapter into two parts ; firft of thoughts, and next of words. I pretend not to juftify this divifion as entirely accurate : for in difcourfmg of thoughts, it is difficult tQ/ abftraft altogether from the words ; and Hill more difficult, in difcourfmg of words, to abilrad altogether from the thought. The firft rule is, That in hiltory, the refleclions ought to be chafle and folid ; for while the mind is intent upon truth, it is little difpofed lo the operations of the imagination. Strada's Belgic hiftory is full of poetical images, which difcording with the fubjed:, are unpleafant ; and they have a {till worfe effeft, by giving an air of fiftion to a genuine hiPtory. Such flowers ought to be fcattered with a fparing hand, even in epic poetry j and at no rate are they proper, till Vol. IL R 258 Narration and Defcript'ion, Ch. XXL till the reader be warmed, and by an enlivened imagination be prepared to relifh them : in that ftate of mind they are agreeable ; but while \^e. are fedate' and attentive to an hifhorical chain of facls, we reje6b with difdain, every fiction. This Belgic hiflory is indeed wofully vicious both in matter and in form : it is fluffed with frigid and unmeaning reflections f and its poetical flaflies, even laying afide their impro- priety, are mere tinfel. Second, Vida,* following Horace, recommends a modeil commencement of an epic poem ; giving for a reafon, That the writer ought to hulband his fire. This reafon has weight ; but what is faid above fug- geds a reafon llill more weighty : bold thoughts and figures are iiever reliflied till the mind be heated ^nd thoroughly engaged, which is not the reader's cafe at the commencement. Homer introduces not a fingle fimile in the firft book of the Iliad, nor in. the firfl book of the Odyffey. On the other handy Shakefpear begins one of his plays wirh a fentiment too bold for the mofl heated imagination i Bedford. Hung be the heav'jis with black, yield day Xo night ! Comets, importing change of times and ftatcs, Brandilh your cryftal trelles in the iky, And with them fcourge the bad revolting fears. That have confenied unto Henry's death ! Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long ! England ne'er loft a king of fo much worth. Fir/i Part, Henry VI. The palfage with which Strada begins his hiilory, is too poetical for a fubject of that kind ; and at any rate too high for the beginning of a grave perform- ance. A third reafon ought to have no lefs influence than either of the former, That a man, who, upon- his *■ Poet, lib, 2. 1. 30. Ch. XXL Narration and Defcriptlom ^59 his firfl appearance, ftrains to make a figure, is too oflentatious to be relifhed. Hence the firfl fentences of a work ought to be ihort, natural and fimple. Cicero, in his oration pro Archia poeta, errs againffc this rule : his reader is out of breath at the very firft; period ; which feeins never to end. Burnet be- gins the Hiilory of his Own Tirties with a period long nnd intricate. A third rule or obfervation is. That where the fubjecl is intended for entertainment folely, not for inflrudion, a thing ought to be defcribed as it ap- pears, not as it is in reality. In running, for ex- ample, the impulfe upon the ground h proportioned in fome degree to the celerity of motion : though in appearance it is otherwife ; for a perfon in fwift mo- tion feems to fldm the ground, and fcarcely to totich it. Virgil, with great tafte, defcribes quick running according to appearance ; and raifes an image far more lively than by adhering fcrupuloufly to truth : Hos fuper advenit Volfca de gente Camilla, Agmen agens equitum et florcntes asre catervas, Bellairix : non ilia colo calathifve Mincrvai Foemineas aiVueta mamis ; fed pra;lia virgo Dura pati, curluqae pedum praivertcre v^tos. Ilia vel inta<^x fegetis per furnma volaret Gramina : nee teneras curfii iirlliret ariftas : Vel mare per medium, fludu fiitpenfa tiimenti. Ferret iter j celcres nee tingeret xqnore pla'ntas. JEneici, vii. 80?. This example is copied by the author of Telejnachus : Les Brmiens font legeres a la coinie comme Ics cei f^:, et comme les daims. On croiroit qne i'hcrbememe la plus tcndre n'eft point fou'ee feus leurs pieds ; a peine laiilent- ils dans Ic Table quelques traces de Icui^ ^.^:. Liv. lo. R 2 Again : 26o Narration and Dcfmption, Cri. XX t Again : Deja il avoit abattu Eufilas fi leger a la courfe, qii'a peine il imprimoit la trace de fes pas dans le fable, tt qui devancolt dans fon pays les plus rapides flots de I'Eurotas et de rAlpl;ee. Liv. 20. Fourth, In narration as well as in defcription, ob- jeds ou^ht to be painted fo accurately as to form in the mind of the reader diflinft and hvely images. Every ufelefs circumftance ought indeed to be fup- prefTed, becaufe every fuch circumftance loads the narration ; but if a circumftance be necelTary, how- ever flight, it cannot be defcribed too minutely. The force of language confifts in raifmg complete im- ages ;* which have the efFed to tranlport the reader as by magic into the very place of the important adlion, and to convert him as it were into a fpecl:ator, be- holding every thing that paffes. The narrative in an epic poem ought to rival a piclure in the livelinefs and accuracy of its reprefentations : no circumftance muft be omJtted that tends to make a complete image ; be- caufe an imperfeft image, as well as any other im- perfeft conception, is cold and uninterefting. I fhalt illuftrate this rule by feveral examples, giving the firft place to a beautiful palTage from Virgil : Qualis populeci mocrens Philomela Tub umbra Amilfos queritur foetus, quos durus arator Obfervans nido implumei detraxit. Georg, lib. 4. /, 511. The poplar, ploughman, and unfledged young, though not eifential in the defcription, tend to make a complete image, and upon that account are an: embellilhment. Again j f Chap. 2. part 1. fe£l. 7, Ch. XXI. } a pea- cock^ s feather." The peacock's feather, not to men- tion the beauty of the object, completes the image : an accurate image cannot be formed of that fanciful operation, without conceiving a particular feather ; and one is at a lofs when this is negledled in the de- fcription. Again, " the rogues flighted me into the river with as little remorfe, as they would have drown'd a bitch's blind puppies, fifteen i' th' litter.t" Old Ladp You would not be a queen ? Anne. No not tor all the riches under heav'n. Old Lady. 'Tis {{range : a threepence bowVt would hire me, old as I am, to queen it. lie riry\^ ill. atil.fc ^. In * Henry V. zfl 4. Tc. 4. f Merry Wives cf Wiiidfor, aQ 3. Tc. ij^ ^62 'Narration and Defcriptlon, Ch. XXL In the following paflage, the adion with all its ma- terial circumflances, is reprefented fo much to the life, that it would fcarce appear more diftindl to a, real fpeftator ; and it is the manner of defcription that contributes greatly to the fublimity of the paf" fage. He rpake ; and to confirm his words, out -flew Millions ot flaming fwords, drawn from the thighs Of mighty cherubim ; the fudden blaze Far round illumin'd hell : highly they rag'd Again ft the Higheft, and fierce with grafped arms Cbili'd on their founding Ihields the din of war. Hurling defiance toward the vault of heav'n. Milton y b. I. A paflage I am to cite from Shakefpear, falls not much fliort of that now mentioned in particularity of defcription : O you hard hearts ! you cruel men of Rome ! Knew you not Pompey ? Many a time and oft Have you climb'd up to walls and battlements. To towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops, Yoiir infants in your arms ; and there have fat The live-k)ng day with patient expectation To fee great Pompey pafs the ftrcets of Rome ; And when you faw his chariot Ixit appear, H^ve you not made an univerfal fliout. That Tyber trembled underneath his banks, To hear the replication of your founds, Made in his concave ftiores ? Jul ins Co- far, a£l i. fc. I. The following paflage is fcarce inferior to either of thofe mentioned : Far before the refl:, the Ton of Oilian comes ; bright ia the fmiles of youth, fair as the firit beams of the fun. His long Ch. XXI. Narration and Dcfcripiion, iG^ lono- hair waves on his back : his dark brow is half be- neath his helmet. The fword hangs loofe on the hero's fids \ and his fpear glitters as he moves. I fled from his terrible eye, King of high Tcmora. Flngal. The Henriade of Voltaire errs greatly agalnft the foregoing rule : every incident is touched in a fum- mary way, without ever defcending to circumftances. This manner is good in a general hiilory, the pur- pofe of which is to record important tranfaftions : but in a fable it is cold and uninterefling ; becaufe it is impracticable to form diftind images of perfons or things reprefented in a manner fo fuperficial. It is obferved above, that every ufelefs circumflance ought to be fupprefled. The crowding fuch circum- ftances, is, on the one hand, no lefs to be avoided, than the concifenefs for which Voltaire is blamed, on the other. In the Mneid,*" Barce, the nurfe of Si- chasus, whom v/e never hear of before nor after, is introduced for a purpofe not more important than to call Anna to her fifter Dido : and that it might not be thought unjuft in Dido, even in this trivial circum- flance, to prefer her hulband's nurfe before her own, the poet takes care to inform his reader, that Dido's nurfe was dead. To this I mull oppofe a beautiful paffage in the fame book, where, after Dido's laft fpeech, the poet, without detaining his readers by defcribing the manner of her death, haftens to the lamentation of her attendants : Dixerat : atque illam media inter talia ferro Collapfam afpiciunt comiics, cnfcmque cruorc Spumantem, fparfvifque mantis. It clamor ad alta Atria, concultam bacchatur fama per urbem ^ Lamentis gemitnque et t(]emineo uhrKitii Tecla fremunt, refonat magnis plangoiibus a:ther. l,b. 4. /. 66-. As *l,ib. 4. 1. 63-}. 264 Narration and t)efcnption. Ch. XXL As an appendix to the foregoing rule, I add the following obfervation, That to make a fudden and flrong imprefilon, fome fingle circumflance happily feledted, has more power than the moil laboured de- fcripiion. Macbeth, mentioning to his lady fome; voices he heard while he was murdering the King, fays, There's one did laugh in fleep, and one cry'd Murder ! They wak d each otlier ; and 1 ftood and heard them ; But they did fuy their prayers, and addrefs them Again to fleep. ' • Lady. There are two lodg'd together. Macbeth. One cry'd, God blefs usl and Amen the other ; As they hatl feen me with thelc hangman's hands. Liftening their fear, I could not lay Auicn, When tnev did fay, God blefs uf. Lady. Conhder it not To deeply. Macbeth. But wherefore could not I pronounce i'lmcn ? 1 had moft need of blefling, and Amen Stuck in my throat. Lady. Tiiefe deeds muR not be thought Alter thefe ways ; fo it will make us mad. Macbeth. Methoitght, I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more ! Macbeth doth murder lleep, lye. A£f 2. fc. 3. Alphonfo, in the Mourning Bride, fhut up in the fame prifon where his father had been confined : In a daik corner of my cell I found Thir, paper, what it is this light will fiiow. •' If iny Aiphonfo" ^-Ha ! ^ IReadi/ig. *' If my Aiphonfo live, reftore him, Heav'n ; Give t-ne more weight, crulh my declining years With bolts, with chains, irnprilonment and want ; 33ut biefs my fon, vifit not him for me." It is his hand ; this was his pray'r — Yet more ; «< Let ev'ry hair, which forrow by the roots [Reading. Tears from rny hoary and devoted head, Be doubled in thy mercies to my fon : Not for mvfelf, but him, hear mc all-gracious" — *Tis wanting what Ihouldioliow Heav'n ihould follow. But Ch. XXI. Narration and Defcrlptlon, 265 But 'tis torn off — Why fhould that word alone Be torn from liis petition ? 'Twas to Heav'n, But Heav'n was deaf, Heav'n heard him not ; but thus. Thus as the name of Heav'n from this is torn, So did it tear the ears of mercy from His voice, fliutting the gates of pray'r againft him. If piety be thus debarr'd accefs On high, and of good men the very befl Is Tingled out to bleed, and bear the fconrge, What is reward ? or what is punilbment r But who fl^all dare to tax eternal jultice ? Mourning Bride, a£i '}^- Jc- I. This incident is a happy invention, and a mark of uncommon genius. Befcribing Prince Henry : I favv young Harry, with his beaver on. His cuilTes on his thighs, gallantly armd, Rife from the ground like feathcr'd Mercury ; And vaulted with fuch cafe into his feat, As if an angel drf)pt down from the clouds, To turn and wind a fiery Pegafus, And witch the world with noble horfemanfhip. Firji part, Henry IV. acl 4. fc. 2. King Henry. Lord Cardinal, if thou think'll on Heav- en's blifs, Hold up thy hand, make fignal of tliy hope. He dies, and makes no fign ! Second part, Henry VI. aSl y P' lc>« The fame author fpeaking ludicroufiy of an army debilitated with difeafes, favs, Half of them dare not Tnake the fnow from off their caf- focks, leil they Ihake thenifelves to pieces. I have feen the walls of Balclutha, but they were defo- late. The tiames had refounded in the h.alls : and the voice ot the people is heard no more. The Itreara of Cluiha was removed ^66 Narration and Defcription, Ch. XXL removed from its place by the fdl of the walls. Thethiftle fliook there its lonely head : the mofs whiftled to the wind. The iox looked out from the windows : and the rank grafs of the wall waved ro^md his head. Defolate is the dwell- ing of Morna : filence is in the houfe of her lathers. To draw a characler is the mafter-ftroke of de» fcrlption. In this Tacitus excels : his portraits are natural and lively, not a feature wanting nor mif- placed. Shakefpear, however, exceeds Tacitus in livelinefs, fome chara^leriillcal circumftance being generally invented or laid hold of, which paints more to the life than many words. The following inftances vdll explain my meaning, and at the fanie time prove my obfervation to be jufl. Why fliould a man, whofe blood is warm within, Sit like liis grandfire cut in alabafler ? Sleep when Ire wakes, and creep into the jaundice, Bv bt-ing peeviih ? I tell tliee what, Anthonio, (1 love thee, and it is my love that fpeaks,) There are a fort of men, whofe vifuges Do cream and mantle like a (landing pond ; And do a wilfu! ftillnefs entertain, With purpofe to be drefs'd in an opinion Of wifdom, gravity, profound conceit ; J\s who fhould fay, I am Sir Oracle, , And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark ! O my Anthonio, 1 do know ot thole, That thcretore only are reputed wife, For faying nothing. Merchant cfVcKice, aCl l.fc. 2, Again : Gratiano fpeaks an infiiiite deal of nothing, rnore than any man in all Venice : his rcafons are tvv-o grainsof wheat hid in two buHicls of chaff ; you fhall feek all day ere you find t'aem, and when you have them they are not worth tl.c fearch. . //">/. In Ch. XXI. Narration and Defcription. i6y In the following paflage a character is completed' by a fingle Itroke. Shallow. O the mad days that I have fpent : and to fee how many of mine old acquaintance are dead. Silence. We (hall all follow, Coufm. Shallow. Certain, 'tis certain, very fure, very fure ; Death (as the PfalmilT: faith) is certain to all : all Ihall die. How a good yoke of bullocks at Stamford fair ? Slender. Truly, Coufm, I was not there. Shallow. Death is certain. Is old Double of your tov/n living yet ? Silence. Dead, Sir. Shallow. Dead ! fee, fee ; he drew a good bow : and dead. He fhot a fine Ihoot. How a fcore of ewes now i' Silence. Thereafter as they be. A fcore of good ewes may be worth ten pounds. Shallow. And is old Double dead ? Second party Henry IV. aSl I'fc 3. Defcrlbing a jealous hufband : Neither prefs, coffer, chert, trunk, well, vault, but he hath an abftradl for the remembrance ot fuch places, and goes to them by his note. Tljere is no hiding you in the houfe. Merry Wives of IVindfor, a£l 4.fc. 3. Congreve has an inimitable llroke of this kind in his comedy of Love for Love : Ben Legend. Well, father, and how do all at home ? how does brother Dick, and brother Val } Sir Sampfon. Dick : body o' me, Dick has been dead thefe two years. I writ you word when you were at Leghorn. Ben. Mefs, that's true : marry, 1 had forgot. Dick's dead, as you fay. ASl y J<^' 6. FalllafF fpealdng of ancient Piflol : He's no fwaggerer, hoftefs : a tame cheater i'faith ; yoii may flrcak him as gently as a nuppy-grey-hound ; he wi'l liOt 268 Narration and Defcription. Ch. XXI, not fvvagger v/ith a Barbary hen, if her feathers turn back in any ihew of refiftance. Second Part, Henry IV. a5i 1. Jc. 9. Offian, among his other excellencies, is eminently fuccefsful in drawing characters ; and he never fails to delight his reader with the beautiful attitudes of his heroes. Take the following inllances. O Ofcar ! bend the frroug in arm -^ but fpare the feeble hand. Be thou a Ilream of many tides againfl the foes of thy people ; but like the gale that inoves the grafs to thofe who aflc thine aid. — So Tremor lived ; fuch Trathal was ; and fuch has Fingal been. My arm was the fupport of the injured ; and the weak refled behind the lightning of my Heel. VVe heard the voice of joy on the coaft, and we thought that the mighty Cathmore came. Cathmore the friend of , Grangers the brother of red-haired Cairbar. But their fouls were not the fame ; for the light of heaven was in tho- Lofom of Cathmore. His towers rofe on the banks of Atha : feven paths led to his halls : feven chiefs Hood on thefe paths, and called the ftranger to the feaih But Cath- more dwelt in the wood to avoid the voice of praife. Dermid and Ofcar Avere one : they reaped the battle to- gether. Their friendlhip was flrong as their Heel ; and death walked between them to the iield. They ruih on the foe like two rocks failing from the brow ot Aidveiu Tiicir fwords arc (tained vviUi the blood ot the valiant : vvarriois faint at their name. Who is equal to Olcar bur Dermid r who to Dermid but Ofcar i Son of Comhai, replied the chief, the fftength of Mor- ni's arm has failed ; 1 attempt to draw the iword ot my youth, but it remains in its place :' i throv/ the fprar, but It falls Ihort ot the mark : and I feel the weight ot my ihicld. We decay like the grafs of the mountain, and our llre.ngih returns no more. I have a fon, O f*in,",al, his foul has delighted in the adlions of Moral's youth ; btiv his fwcid ha;^ not been failed a^ainlt the foe^ neithei^ lias his. fame Ch. XXI. Narration and Defcript'wn, 269 fame begun. I come with him to battle, to dlre£l his arm. His renown will be a fun to my foul, in the dark hour of my departure. O that the name ot Morni were forgot among the people ! that the heroes would only fay, " Be- hold the father of Gaul." Some writers 5 through heat of hiiagination, fall into contradidion ; fome are guilty of downright abfurd- ities J and fome even rave like madmeni Againfl fuch capital errors one cannot be more effectually warned than by collecting infhances ; and the firfl fliall be of a contradiction, the moil venial of all. Virgil fpeaking of Neptune, Interea magno mifceri murmnre pontum, tmiifamque hyemem fenfit Neptunus, et fmis Stagiia refufa vadis : graviter commotus, et alto Profpiciens, Cumm^ placii/um caput extulit unda. .'Eneidf i. 128. Again : When firft young Maro, in his boundlefs mind, A work t' outlait immortal Rome defign'd. F-lfay on Cnticifm, I. 1 7o. The following examples are of abfurdlties. Alii pulfis e tormento catenis difcerpti feitiquejdiniidiatoi corporc pui^nabant fibi fuperdites, ac peremptre partis u! tores. Strada, Dec. 2. /. 2. II pover huomo, che non fen' era accorto, Andava combattendo, ed era morto. Be mi. He fled ; but flying, left his life behind. Iliad, xi. 433. Full through his neck the weighty falchion fped : Along the pavement roU'd the nniutt'rin.'z head. Od\JJe)',\:i\\.'76t^. This 57^ Narration and Defcripilori, Ch. XXL' The laft article is of raving like one mad. Cleo- patra fpeaking to the alpic, Welcome thou kind deceiver, Thou beft of thieves ; who, with an eafy key, D()(t open Hfe^ and unperceiv'd by us, Ev'n flcal us from ourfelves ■; difcharging fo Death's dreadful office, better than himfelf ; Toucliing our limbs fo gently into (lumber, That Death ilands by, deceiv'd by his own image. And thinks himfelf blit Sleep. Drydetiy All for Lovcy a£l 5. Reafons that are common and known to every one, ought to be taken for granted : to exprefs them is childifh, and interrupts the narration. Quintus Cur- tius, relating the battle of liTus, Jam in confpe6iu, fed extra teli ja<5lnm, utraque acies erat ; quum priores Perfas inconditum et trucem fuftulere clamoreni. Rcdditur et a Macedonibus major, exercitus impar numero, fed jugis montium vaftifque faltibus reper- culias : quippefemper ctrcumjeBa nemora petraque, quantum^ cunque accepere vccem, miiltiplicatofotio referunt. Having difcQiTed what obfervations occurred upon the thoughts or things expreffed, I proceed to what more peculiarly concern the language or verbal drefs. The language proper for expr effing paiTion being handled in a former chapter, feveral obfervations there made are appHcable to the prefent fubjetl ; particularly, That as words are intimately connected with the ideas they renrefent, the emotions raifed by the found and by the fenfe ought to be concordant. An elevated fabjeift requires an elevated flyle ; what is famihar, ought to be familiarly exprelfed : a fub- jed that is ferious and important, ought to be clothed in plain nervous language : a defcription on the other hand, addreffed to the imagination, is fufceptible of the Ch. XXI. Narration and De/cHption, 27s the higheft ornaments that founding words and figur- ative expreffion can beftow upon it. I fhall give a few examples of the foregoing rules, A poet of any genius is not apt to drefs a high fub- je£t in low words ; and -yet blemifhes of that kind are found even in clafTical works. Horace, obferving that men are fatisfied with themfelves, but feldon\ with their condition, introduces Jupiter indulging to each his own choice ; Jam faclam quod vuUis : eris tu, qui modo miles, Mercator : tu, confultus modo, rudicus : hi^c vos, Vos hinc mutatis difctdite partibus : eia, Qi^iid ftatis ? nolint : atqiii licet efle beatis. Qiiid caufx eft, merito quin illis Jupiter ambas Iratas buccas inflet ? neque fc tore pollhac Tam tacilem dicat, votis ut prcebeat aurem ? Sat. lib. I. fat. I. /. 1 6, Jupiter in wrath puiHng up both cheeks, is a low and even ludicrous expreffion, far from fuitable to the gravity and importance of the fubjed; : every one mufi feel the difcordance. The following couplet, finking, far below the fubject, is no lefs ludicrous. Not one looks backward, onward ftill he goes, Yet ne'er looks for"vvard farther than his nofe. EJfay on Many ep. iv. 223. Le Rhin tretrible et fremit a ccs trifles nouvelies ; Le feu fort a t ravers fes huinides prunelles. C'eft dj;mc trop peu, dit-il, que TEfcaut en deux mo'iA A'm appris a couler fousde nouvelies loix \ Et de tr.ille rernparts mon onde enviroiinee De ces fleuvesfans nom fuivrala deftinee ? Ah ! periifcint mes eaux, ou par d'tlluiires coups Montrons qui doit cedar des mortels ou de nous. A ces mots eljniantfa barbe limonneuje, II pread d'uu vieu:; guerrier la i>^ure poudreufe. So a •272 Narration and Defcription. Ch. XXI. Son front cicatrice rend Ton air furieux, Et Taidtur tlu combat etincelie ea fes yeux. Boileauy epitrc 4. /. 61. A god wiping his dirty beard is proper for burlefque poetry only ; and altogether unfuitable to the drained elevation of this poem. On the other hand, 10 raife the expreflion above the tone of the fubject, is a fault than which none is more common. Take the following inflances : Orcan le plus ficie'c a ferver fes deflfeins, Ne fous le ciel biiilant des plus noirs Affricains. Baja-zctj ail 'i^- Jc. 8. Les ombres par trois fois ont obfcurci les cieux Depuis que le fommeil n'efl entre dans vos yeuX ; Et ie jour a trois fois chalfe la nuit obfcure Depuis que votve corps languit fans nourriture. Phedra, a£l i-fc. 3. AJfuerus. Ce inortel, qui montra tant de zele pour moi, Vit-il encore ? Ajaph. II voit raflre qui voiis ecalire. Ejiber, a£l l.fc. 3. Oui, c'efl Agamemnon, c'eft ton roi qui t' eveille j Viens, reconnois la voix qui f rappe Ion oreiile, Iphtgen'ie- No jocund health that Denmark drinks to-day. But the great cannon to the clouds Ihall tell ; And tiic King's rowfe the heav'ns ihall bruit again, Rcfpeaking earthly thunder. Hamlet y a£l i . fc. 2. In the inner room I fpy a winkin;t!; lamp, that weakly llrikes The' ambient air, fcaice kindling into lij^ht. Southern, Fuie of Capua, afi 3. In Ch. XXI; Narration and Defcription, 573 In the funeral orations of the Bifhop of Meaux, the following paffages are raifed far above the tone of the fubjed : L'Ocean etonne de fe voir traverfe tant de fois, en des appareils ft divers, et pour des caufes fi difFerentes, i^c. p. 6. Grande Reine, je fatisfais a vos plus tendres defirs, quand je celebre ce monarque ; et fon cceur qui n'a jamais vecu que pour lui, fe eveille, tout poudre qu'il eft, et devient ien- fible, me mcfousce drap mortuaire, au nom d'un epoux ft cher. p. 32. Montefquieu, m a dida£tic work, Uefprit des Lolx^ gives too great indulgence to imagination : the tone of his language fvi^ells frequently above his fubjedt. I give an example : , Mr le Comte de Boulainvilliers et Mr 1' Abbe Dubos ©nt fait chacun un fyfteme, dont Turn femble etre une con- juration contre le tiers-etat, et I'autre une conjuration cen- tre la noblelTe. Lorfque le Soleil donna a Phaeton fon char a conduire, il lui dit, Si vous montez trop haut, vous bruierez la demeure celefte ; fi vous defcendez trop has, vous reduirez en cendres la terre : n'allez point trop a droite, vous toinberiez dans la conftellation du ferpent ; n'allez point trop a gauche, vous iriez dans celle de I'autel ; tenez-vous entre les deux. L. -lo. ch :>"• 10. The following palTage, intended, one would imagine-, as a receipt to boil water, is altogether burlefque by the laboured elevation of the didion : A mafiy caldron of ftiipendous frame They brought, and plac'd it o'er the rifing flame ; Then heap the lighted wood ; the flame divides Beneath the vafe, and climbs around the fides : In its wide womb they pour the rufhing liream : The boiling water bubbles to the brim. Iliads xviii. 405, Vol. II. S Jn ;*, mt^ ^y4 Narration and Dejcripilon. Ch. XXI» In a paflage at the beginning of the 4th book of Tel- emachus, one feels a fudden bound upward without preparation, which accords not with the fubjeft : Calypfo, qui avoite ete jufqu' a ce moment immobile et tranfportee de plaifir en ecoutant les avantures de Telcma- que, i'interrompit pour lui taire prendre quelque repos. II eft terns, lui dit-elle, qui vous alliez gouier la douceur du lommeil apres tant de travaux. Vous n'avez rien a crain- dre ici ; tout vous eft favorable. Abandonnez vous done a. la joye. Goutez la paix, et tons les autres dons des dieux dont vous allez etre comble. Demain, quand V Aurore avee Jes doigts de rofes entronvrira les partes dories de I'Orient, et que le Chevaux du Soleiljortans de Vonde aniere repandront les jiames du joury pour chajj'er devant eux tonics les etoiles du ciel^ nous reprendrons, mon cher Tdlemaque, I'hiftoire de vos malheurs. This obvioufly is copied from a fimilar paflage in the ^neld, which ought not to have been copied, becaufe it lies open to the fame cenfure 5 but the force of au- thority is great : At reglna gravi jamdudum faucia cura Vulnus alit venis, et casco carpitur ignl. Multa viri virtus animo, muliufque recurfat Gentis honos : hasrent infixi peftore vultus, Verb.ique : nee placidam membris dat cura quietem. Fo/iera Phosbea lujlrabat lampade terras^ Humentemque Aurora polo dhnoverat unikram ; Cum fic unanimem alloquitur malefana tororem. Lib. iv. I, Take another example where the words rife above the fubjedl : Ainfi les peuples y arcoururent bien'ot en foule de toutes partes ; le commerce de cette villa ctoit iemblable au flux et au reflux de la mer. Les trefors y entroient comme les fiots viennent I'un fur I'autre. Tout y etoit apporte et en fortoit Ch. XXL iSfarratlon and Defcriptlon4 275 fortolt llbrement ; tout ce qui y entroit, etoit utile ; tout ce qui en fortoit, hiiroit en fortant d'autres richefles en fa place. JLa jultice fevere prefidoit dans le port au milieu de tant de nations. La franchife, la bonne foi, la candeur, fembloient du haut de ces fuperbs tours appellor les marchands des terres le plus eloignees : chacun de ces marchandsj/i?// ^u'il Vint des rives orienfales ou le JoUll jort chaque jour du Jem des cndes,foit qiiilfutpart'i de cette grande mer ou le Joleii lafje de Jon coiirs va eteindre Jes feuxy vivoit paifible et en futrcie dans Salente comme dans fa patrie ! TeJemaque, l. 12, The language of Homer Is fuited to his fubjed, no lefs accurately than the adions and fentiments of his heroes are to their charafters. Virgil, in that particular, falls fhort of perfection : his language is flately throughout ; , and though he defcends at times to the fimpleli branches of cookery, roafting and boiling for example, yet he never relaxes a moment from the high tone.* In adjuding his language to his fubjeft, no writer equals Swift. I can recolleft but one exception, which at the fame time is far from being grofs : The journal of a modern lady Is com- pofed in a (lyle blending fprightlinefs with familiarity, perfeftly fuited to' the fubjedl : in one paiTage, how- ever, the poet deviating from that ftyle, takes a tone above his fubje6l. The paffage I have in view begins, /. 116. But let me novj a while Jur-vcy ^ ^c. and ends at/. 135. It is proper to be obferved upon this head, that writers of inferior rank are continually upon the ftretch to enliven and enforce their fubjeftby exag- geration and fuperlatives. This unluckily has au effeft contrary to what is intended ; the reader, dif- gufted with language that fwells above the fubjcct, is led by contrail, to think more meanly of the fubjedt than * See ^'Eueid. li:>. i, iS^S, — 210, S2 iy6 fhrrdtioH arid befcriptioH, Ch. XXt than it may pofTibly defcrve. A man of prudence, befide, will be no lefs careful to hufband his Ilrengih in writing than in walking : a writer too liberal of fuperlatives, exhaufts his whole ilock upon ordinary incidents, and referves no fhare to exprefs, with greater energy, matters of importance.* Many "vvriters of that kind abound fo in epithetSj as if poetry confiiled entirely 'in high-founding words^ Take the follo'wing inftance. When black-brow'd Night her daiky mantle fpread. And M'rapt in folemn gloom the fable llry : When foothing Sleep her opiate dews had ihedj And feal'd in filkcn Htimbers ev'ry eye : My Wakeful thoughts admit iro balmy refl, Nor the hveet blifs of foft oblivion Ihare : But watchful wo diftrad^s my aching brcalt, My heart the fubjedl; of corroding care : From haunts of men with wand'ring (teps and flow I folitary Ileal, and footh my penfive wo. Here every fubftantive Is faithfully attended to by fome tumid epithet ; like young maftcr who cannot walk abroad without having a lac'd livery man at his heels. Thus in reading withr ut tafte, an em- phafis is laid on every word ; and in fmging withouf tafle, every - note is grac'd. Such redundancy of epithets, inftead of pleafmg, produce fatiety and dif- guft. The power of language to imitate thought, is not confined to the capital circumftances above men- tioned : it reacheth even the ilighter modifications. Slow * Montaif;nc, reflfclin^ upon tlie then prefent niorles, fibferves, that there never was at any other titne fo alijefl and fervile proflitution of worf^s in the addrrfTes made by people of falhion to one anotlier ; the *hu«iihle(l tenders of life and foul, rr> profefTions under tiiat of devotion and adoration; the writer conflainly declaring himfelf a vafTal, nav a il:ive : (o that v hen any incre fcricus occalion of fricndflup or {jratitu^ jcqukcsmorc genuine profei'IIons, woids arc vvatititig to expre(s tbcra. Ch. XXI, Narrniion and Defcription, 277 Slow a6lion, for example, is imitated by words pro- nounced flow : labour or toil, by words harfli or rough in their found. But this fubjedt has been al- ready handled.* In diaIo[^ue-writing, the condition of the fpeaker js chiefly to be regarded in framing the expreffion. The fentjnel in Hamlet^ interrogated with relation to the ghoft whether his watch had been quiet, anfwers with great propriety for a man in his Itation, " not a moufe If irring.f" I proceed to a fecond remark, no iefs important than the former. Mo perfon of refledion but mull be fenfible, that an incident rnakes a ftronger im- preffion on an eye-vv'itnefss than when heard at fec»- ond hand. Writers of genius, fenfible that the eye is the bell avenue to the heart, reprefent every thing as paffing in our fight ; and, from readers or hear- ers, transform us as it were into fpedators : a fkil- ful writer conceals himfelf, and prefents his perfon- Jlges : in a word, every thing becomes dramatic as much as poifible. Plutarch de gloria Aihenieitfium, obferves, that Thucydides makes his reader a fpec» tator, and infpires him with the fame paifions as if he v/ere an eye-witnefs : and the fame obfervation h applicable to our countryman Swift. From this happy talent arlfes that energy of ftyle which is pe* culiar to him : he cannot always avoid narration ; but the pencil is his choice, by which he bellows life and colouring upon his objeds. Pope is richer in <*Ch. iS. fea. 3. t Onecanfcarcc avoid fmiling at the blindnefsofa certain critic, who, with an air of felf fuflkiency, condemns this expreffion as low and vulgar. A French poet, fays he, v.-ou!d exprefs the fame thou;^!)t in a more fublimc manner : " Mais tout dort,' ct I'iirmee, et les vents, ft Neptune." And he adds, *• The Kn^lifii poet may picafe at Lon- don, but the Freiich every where elfe." S3. ayS Narration and Defcrlption. Ch. XXI'., in ornament, but poiTefleth not in the fame degree the talent of drawing from the life. A tranflation of the fixth fatire of Horace, begun by the former and finiflied by the latter, affords the faireft oppor- tunity for a comparifcn. Pope obvioufly imitates the picturefque manner of his friend : yet ev- ery one of tafte mufl be fenfible, that the imita- tion, though fine, falls fhort of the original. In other inllances, where Pope writes in his own ftyle, the difference of manner is ftill more confpicuous. Abftract or general terms have no good effe61; in ;any compofition for amufement ; becaufe it is only of particular objects that images can be formed.* Shakefpear's flyle in that refpeft is excellent : every article in his defcriptions is particular, as in nature ; and if accidentally a vague expreffion flip in, the hlemifji is difcernible by the bluntnefs of its impref- fion. Take the following example : Falftaff, excuf- ing himfelf for running away at a robbery, fays. By the Lord, I knew ye as well as he .that inaJe ye. Why, hear ye, my mafters ; was it for me to kill the heir- apparent ; ihouid I turn upon the true prince ? Why, thou knowcit, I am as valiant as Hercules ; but beware initincl, the lion will not touch the true prince : injiincl is a great ■inatier. I was a coward on inlUu(5l : 1 ihall think the better of myff^lf, and thee, during my lite ; I tor a violent lion, and thou for a true prince. But, by the Lord, lads, I am glad you have the money. Holtefs, clap too the doors. Watch to-night, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts oi gold, all the titles of good iellowihip come to you \ What, Ihall we be merry r fiiall we have a play (xtanpore ^ Fit Jl part, Hii.ry IV. act 2. Jc. 9. The fcntence I obje£l to is, inJlirM is a great matter^ which makes but a poor figure, compared with the li\'elincfs of the refl of the incech. it v. as one of Ho- mer'. 'Oh. XXI. Narration and Defcripthn. 279 mer's advantages, that he wrote before general terms were multiplied: the fuperior genius of Shakefpear difplays itfelf in avoiding them after they were multi- plied. Addifon defcribes the family of Sir Roger de Coverley in the following words : You would take his valet de chambre for his brother, his butler is grey-headed, his groom is one ot the graveft men that I have everfeen, and his coachman has the looks of a privy councellor. Spe Bator y Nc. 106. The defcription of the groom is lefs lively than of the others ; plainly becaufe the expreffion being vague and general, tends not to form any image. " Dives opumvariarum,*'* is an expreffion fiiil more yague j and fo are the following ; . Maecenas, niearum Grande decus, columenque rerum. Ho rat. Curm. lib. 2. ode in. . et fide Xe'ja Dices luboranies in una Penelopen, vitreamquc Circen. Ibid. lib. I. ods 17. Ridiculum acri Foitius et mcUus maj^nas plerumtjue^^^^rrt^/ res. Hjrut. Stiiir. lib. i.fut. 10. In the .fine arts it is a rule, to put the capital ob- jects in the Itrongefl point of view ; and even to pre- fent them oftener than once, where it can be done. In hiftory-painting, the principal figure is placed in the front, and in the befl Hghr : an eqaeiirian ftatue is placed in a centre of liicets, that it may be feen from * Georg. 2. 468. S4 iSo Narration and Defcription* Ch. XXI. from many places at once. In no compofition is there greater opportunity tor this rule than in writing : Sequitur pulcherrimus Aftur, Ailur equo fidens et verlicoloribus armis. jEnsidf X. 1 80, -Full many a lady I've ey'd with bed regard, and many a time; Th' harmony ot their tongues hath into bondage Brought my too diliget^t ear ; for f-veral virtues Have 1 lik'd feveral women, never any "With (o full foul, butfome dete6l in her Did quarrel with the rioblelt grace (lie ow'd, And put it to thf toil. But you, O you, So perfcdl, and fo peerlefs, are created Of every creature's belt. Crhndo. Whate'er you are Thai in this defart inacceilible. Under the Ihade ot melancholy boughs, _ Lofe and negledl the creeping hours of time \ If ever you have look'd on better days ; If ever been where bells have knoU'd to church \ If ever fat at any good man's teaii ; If ever from your eye-lids wip'd a tear, And know what 'tis to pity and be pity'd ; Let gentlenefs my Itrong enforcement be. In the which hope I blulh and hide my fword. Duke Jen. True is it that we have feen better days '^ And have with holy bell been knoU'd to church \ And fat at good niens fealts \ and wip'd our eyes Of drops that facred pity had engender'd : And therefore lit you down in gentlenefs, And take upon command what help we have; That to your wanting may be niiniltfcd. Ai you like it. With thee converfing I forget all time ; AH feafons and ih^iir change, all plcaft^ alike. Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing fwcet, With Ci|, XXI; "Narration and Defcriptwiu 2 31 With charm of earlie!^ birds ; pleafant tl'.e fun When firfl; on this (Jelighxhil land he fpreads His orient beams, on herbs, trt-e, truit, and flow'r, Glilt'ring with dew \ fragrant the tertile earth ■ After fok Ihovvers ; and fweet the coming on Q\ grateful evening mild, the fjlent night With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon. And thefe the gems of heav'n, her ftarry train. But neither breath of morn, when ihe afcends With charm of earlielt birds, nor rifing fun On this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, fiow'r, Gliftering with dew, nor fragrance after Ihovvers, Kor grateful evening mjld, nor iilent night, With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon Or glittering Itar light, without thee is fweet. Paradije Lojly b. 4. /. 634. What mean ye, that ye ufe this proverb, Tlie fathers have eaten four grapes, and the children's teeth are fet on edge ? As I live, faith the Lord God, ye Ihall not have occafion to ufe this proverb in Ifrael, If a inan keep my judgments tq deal truly, he is jult, he Ihall furely live. But if he l)e a robber, a fhedder of biood ; it he have eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife ^ if he have oppreflfed the poor and needy, have fpoiled by violence, haye not reitored the pledge, have lift up his eyes to idols, have given forth upon ufury, and have taken in- creafe : ihall he live ? he ihall not live : he ihall furely die : and his blood fliall be upon him. Now, lo, if he be- get a fon, that feeth all his father's fins, and confidereth, and docth not fuch like ; that hath not eaten upon the mountains, hath not lift up his eyes to idols, nor defiled his neighbour's wife, hath not oppreiTed any, nor with- held the p!e4ge, neither hath fpoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment ; that hath not received ufury nor increale, that hath executed my judgments, and walked in my Itatutes ; he ihall not die for the iniquity of his father ; he Lhall furely live. The foul that ilnncth, it fliall die \ the (on Ihuii not bear the iniquity of ihe father, neitlicr iliall the father bear the iniquity of the fon ; the righteoufnefs of the righteous ihall be upon him, and the v/ickeduefs of the wicked Ihail lp« sSift Narration and Defcription, Ch. XXTa be upon him. Have I any pleafure that the wicked fhould die, faith the Lord GoJ ; and not that he fliould return from his ways and live ? Ezekieiy xviii. The repetitions in Homer, which are frequent, have been the occalion of much criticifm. Suppofe we were at a lofs about the reafon, might not tafte be fufficient to juflify them ? At the fame time, we are at no lofs about the reafon : they evidently make the narration dramatic, and have an air of truth, by making things appear as pafling in our fight. But fuch repetitions are unpardonable in a didaclic poem. In one of Hefiod's poems of that kind, a long paf- fage occurs twice in the fame chapter. A concife comprehenfive flyle is a great ornamejit m narration ; and a fuperfluity of unnecejGTary words, no lefs than of circumfliances, a great nuifance. A judicious feledlion of the flriking circumilances clothed in a nervous %le, is dehghtful. In this ftyle, Tacitus excels all writers, ancient and mod- ern. Indances are numberlefs : take the following fpecimen. Crebra hinc praelia, et faepius in modum latrocinli : per faltus, per paludes ; lit ciiiqne fors aut virtus : temere, provifo, ob iram, ob prasdam, julfa, et aliquando ignaris ducibus. Anna!, lib. 12. § 39. After Tacitus, Oflian in that refped juftly merits the place of diftindion. One cannot go wrong for examples in any part of the book ; and at the firfl opening the following inftance meets the eye : Nathos clothed his limbs in Ihining (letl. The ftride of the chief is lovely: the joy of his eye terrible. The wind rulUes in his hair. Darthiila is lilent at. his fide: her look is hxed on the chief. Striving to hide the riling fieb, tv.'O tears iVcU in hur eyes. I add Ci^. XXI. Narration and Defcription. $83 I add one other inftance, which, befide the prop- erty under confideration, raifes delicately our molt Render fympathy. Son of Fingal ! dofl: thou not behold the darknefs of Crothar's hall of fhells ? Pvly foul was not dark at the feaft, >vhen my people lived, i rejoiced in the prefence of ftrangers, when ray fon fhone in the hall. But, Oflian, he is a beam that is departed, and left no llreak ot light be- hind. He is fallen, fon of l^ing:^], in the battles of his father. Rothmar, the chief of gralfy Tiomlo, heard that my eyes had failed ; he heard that my arras were fixed in the hail, and the pride of his foul arofe. Hti came towards Croma : my peoole fell before him. I took my arms in the hall, but v*'hat could figlulefs Ciothar do ? My fteps were unequal ; my grief was great. I wilhed for the days that were paft : days ! wherein I fought, and won in the field of blood. My fon returned from tlje chace ; the fair-haired Fovar-gormo. He bad not lilted his fword in battle, for Ivis arm was young. But the foul of tjie youth was great j the fire of valour burnt in his eyt-. He faw the difordered itcps ot his fatlier, and his figli arole. King ot Croma, he faid, is it becaufe thou halt no fon ? is it for the weaknefs of Fovar-gormo's arm that thy fighs arife : 1 begin, my tather, to feel the llrenRih of my arm ; I have drawn the fword of my youth, and I have bent llie bow. Let me ineet this Rothinar, with the youths oL' Croma : let me meet him, O my father, for I feel my burning foul. And thou ihalt meet him, I faid, fon of the fightlcfs Croihar ! but let others advance betore thee, that 1 may hear the tiead of thy feet at thy reui'rn \ for my eyes be- hold thee not, fair-haired Fovar-gormo ! He went ; he met the foe ; he fell.* The foe advances towards Cro- ma. He who Hew my fon is near, with all his pointed fpears. If a coDcife or nervous flylebe a beauty, tautology niuii: be a blemifii ; and yet writers, fettered by verfe, are not fuiliciently careful to avoid' this llovenly practice : they may be piiied, but they cannot be juftified. Take for a fpecimen the ix^Uowing inftances, from 284 Narration and De/cription, Ch. XXI. from the bed poet, for verfification at leafl, that England has to boaft of. High on his helm celeflial light'nings play, His beamy ilueld emits a living ray, Th' unvveary'J blaze inceffant'ilreams fiipplies. Like the red liar that fires th'autumnal Ikies. Iliad t V. 5. Strength and omnipotence inveft thy throne. Iliady viii. 5y6, So filent fountains, from a rock's tall head. In fable {^^eams foft trickling waters Ihed. liiiidy ix. 19. His clanging armour rung, Iliady xii. 94, J'ear on their cheek, and horror in their eye. litudy XV. 4, The blaze of armour flafh'd againfl: the day. Iliady xvii. 736. As when the piercing blaRs of Boreas blow. Iliad, xix. 380. And like the rnooHj the broad refulgent Ihield Blaz'd with long rays, and gleam'd athwart tlie field, Iliad, xix. 402. No — co'vild our fwittnefs o'er the winds prevail. Or beat the pinions of the wcllcra gale, All were in vain — Iliady xix. 460. 'yiic humid fweat from ev'ry pcrc defcends. Iliad, xxiii. 829. Redundant Ch. XXI. Narration mid DcfcnpUo72, 2S5 Redundant epithets, fuch as humid in the laft cita- tion, are by Quintilian dilallowed to orators ; but indulged to poets,* becaufe his favourite poets, in a few inftances, are reduced to fuch epithets for the fake of verfification ; for inftance, Praia canis alhi- cant pruinis of Horace, and liquidos fontes of Virgil. As an apology for fuch carelefs exprefficns, it may well fuffice, that Pope, in fubmitting to be a tranflator, a.ds below his genius. In a tranllarion, it is hard to require the farhe fpirit or accuracy, that is cheerfully beitowed on an original work. And to fupport the reputation of that author, I fhall give fome inftances from Virgil and Horace, more faulty by redundancy than any of thofe above mentioned : Ssepe etiam immenfiim coelo venit agmen aquarum, Et foedam glomerant tempeftatem imbribns alris Colleotse ex alto nubes : ri:it ardiuis ether, Et pluvia ingenti fata laeta, boumque labores Diluit. Gcorg. lib. \. 3-2. Podqiiani altum tentiefe rates, nee jam amplius nils; Apparent terras ; ccelum iindique et undique pontus r Xum mihi caenilcus fiipra caput aftitit imber, No£lem hyememque ferens : et inhorrnit unda tenebrls. /Eiie'id, lib. in. 192. HInc tibi copiai Manabit ad plenum benigno Ruris honorum opidenta cornii. Horat. Carm. Jib. i. ode 17. VIdere fefTos vomerem inverfum boves Collo traiientes ianguido. Herat. cpQcl. ii. 63- Here * L. 8. cap. 6. fea. 2. 2^6 Narrallon and Defenption, Ch/XXL Here I can luckily apply Horace's rule agalnfl him- feif : • Eft brevitate opus, nt currat fententia, neii fe Impediat verbis lafl'as onerantibus aures. Satir. lib. l- Jut. X. 9. 1 clofe this chapter with a curious Inquiry. An objeft, however ugly to the fight, is far from being fo when reprefenteJ by colours or by words. What is the cauf^ of this difference ? With refpe(5l to paint- ing, the caufe is obvious : a good picture, whatever the fubjeft be, is agreeable by the pleafure we take in imitation ; and this pleafure overbalancing the dif- agreeablenefs of the fubjecl, makes the picture upon the whole agreeable. With refpecl to the defcrip- tion of an ugly objeft, the caufe follows. To con- nect individuals in the focial (late, no particular con- tributes more than language, by the power it poffeifes of an expeditious communication of thought, and a lively reprefentation of tranfaftions. But nature hath not been fatisfied to recommend language by its utility merely : independent of utility, it is made fufceptl- ble of many beauties, which are directly felt, without anv Intervening refleftion.* And this unfolds the myftery ; for the pleafure of language is fo great, as in a lively defcription to overbalance the difagreeable- nefs of the image raifed by It.f This, however, is no encourao-ement to cboofe a difag-reeable fubie£t ; for the pleafure is incomparably greater where the fub- jeft" and the defcription are both of them agreeable. The following defcription is upon the whole agree- able, though the fubjeft defcribed is in itfelf difmal : Nine * See cliap. iS. f See chap, 2. part 4. €h. XX!. Narration and Defcripiion, ^Zf Nine times the fpace that meafures day and night To mortal men, he with his horrid crew Lay vanquifh'd, rolling in the fiery gulf, Confounded though immortal ! but his doom Referv'd him to more wrath \ for now the thought Both of loft happinefs and lafting pain Torments him ; round he throws his baleful eyes That witnefs'd huge affliilion and difmay, Mix'd with obdurate pride and ftedfad hate ; At once as far as angels ken he views The difmal fituation wafte and wild : A dungeon horrible, on all fides round As one great furnace flam'd ; yet from thofe flames No light, but rather darknefs vifible Serv'd only to difcover fights of wo. Regions of forrow, doletul lliades, where peace And reft can never dwell, hope never comes That comes to all ; but torture without end Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed Wi-th ever burning fulphur unconfum'd ! Such place eternal juflice had prepar'd For thofe rebellious. Paradifi Lcfiy b. i. /. 50^ An unmanly depreflion of fplrlts in time of danger is not an agreeable fight ; and yet a fine defcription or reprefentation of it will be relifhed : K. Richard. What muft the King do now ? muf^ he fubmit ? The King fhall do it : muft he be depos'd ? The King fliall be contented : muft he lofe The name of King ? o' God's name, let it go ; I'll give my jewels for a fet of beads ; My gorgeous palace for a hermitage ; My gay apparel, for an almfman's gown ; My figur'd g(jblets, for a dilh of wood ; My fceptre, for a palmer's walking ftatf ; My fubjcdls, for a pair of carved faints j And my large kingdom for a little grave ; A little^ little grave ; an obfcure grave. Or, ^8S Narratlcn and Defcription, Ch, XXI, Or, I'll be bnry'd In the Kiiuij's high-wa)' ; Sonie way of common tread, where fiibjc6l's feet Msy hourly tr.Tmpie on their fovereign's head ; For on my heart they tread now whilft I live ; And bury'd once, why not upon my head ? Richard II. a£i yjc. 6. bhje£ls that ftrike teiTor in a fpeclator, have in poetry and painting a fine efFedl. The picture by raifmg a flight emotion of terror, agitates the mind ; and in that condition every beauty makes a deep im- preflion. May not contrail heighten the pleafure, by oppofing our prefent fecurity to the danger of en- countering the objeft reprefented ? The other (hape, If Oiape it might be call'd, that fhape had tiiane Diftinguilhable in member, joint, or limb ; Or fubitance might be call'd that (hadow feem'd^ For each feem'd either \ black it (tood as night. Fierce as ten fiii-iesj terrible as hellj And Ihook a dreadful dart. Paradtfe Loflj hook 2. I. 666. Now florming fury rofe, And clamour fuch as heard in heaven till now Was never : arms on armour claflting bray'd Horrible dilcord, and the madding wheels Of brazen chariots rag'd ; dire was the noife Of confii6l : overhead the difmal hifs Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew, And Hying vaulted either huCx. with fire. S") under iicry cope together rulh'd J3oth battles main, with ruinous ailault And inextinguilhable rage : all heaven Pvcfoundcd ; and had earth been then, all earth Had to her centre fnook. Paradlje Lojl^ hook 6. /. 207. Choft. But that I am forbid To tell the fecrets of my prifon-houfe, I could Cfe. XXI: Narration and Befcripiioiu i'^'^ I could a tale unfold, whofe lighteft word Would harrow up thy foul, freeze thy young blood, Make ihy two eyes, like ftars, ftart from their fpheres. Thy knotty and conibined locks to part, And each particular hair to ftand on end, Like quills upon the frettiil porcupine ; But this eternal blazon mud not be To cars of flelh and blood, Hamlet y a'5i i.fc. 8". Gratlano. Poor Derdemoni ! I'm glad thy father's dead ; Thy match was mortal to him ; and pure grief Shore his old thread in twain. Did he live now. This fight would make him do a defperate turn : Yea, curfe his better angel from his ilde, And fall td reprobation. Oihello, a£l ^.fc. if. Objects "of horror mufl be excepted from the fore- going theory ; for no defcription, however lively, is fufficient to overbalance the difgufl raifed even by the idea of fuch objects. Every thing horrible ought therefore to be avoided in a defcription. Nor is this a fevere law : the poet will avoid flich fcertes for his own fake, as wel! as for that of his reader ; and to vary his defcriptions, nature affords plenty of objefts that difgufl us in fome degree without raifmg Iiorror. i am obliged therefore to condemn the picture of Sin in the fecond book of Paradife Loji^ though a mafterly performance : the original would be a horrid fpedVacle ; and the horror is not much ioftened in the copy ; Pen five here 1 fat Alone ; but long 1 fat not, till my v/ombj Pregnant by thee, and now excelTive grown, Prodigious motion felt and rueful throes. At lad this odious offspring whom thou feefl, Thine own'bcgoiten, breaking violent way, Vol. II. T Toro 290 Narration and Defcrlpiloif. Ch. XXIi Tore through my intrails, that with fear and pain Diftorted, all my nether fhape thus grew Transform'd ; but he my inbred enemy Forth iH'u'd, brandifhing his fatal dart, Made to deflroy : I fled, and cry'd out Death ; Hell trembl'd at the hideous name, and figh'd From all her caves, and back refoundcd Death. I fled ; but he purfu'd, (though more, it feems, Inflam'd with lull than rage), and fwifter far. Me overtook, his mother all difmay'd, And in embraces forcible and foul Ingendering with me, of that rape begot Thefe yelling monfters that with ceafelefs cry Surround me, as thou faw'ft, hourly conceiv'd And hourly born, with forrow infinite To me ; for when they lilt, into the womb That bred them they return, and howl and gnav^r My bowels, their repalt ; then burfting forth, Afrefh with confcious terrors vex me round, That reft or intermillion none I find. Before mine eyes in oppofition fits Grim Death, my fon and foe, who fcts them on," And me his parent v/ould full foon devour For want of other prey, but that he knovrs, His end with mine involved ; and knows that I Should prove a bitter morfel and his bane, Whenever that (hall be. Book 2. /. 777. lago's character In the tragedy of Othello^ is infuffera* biy monftrous and Satanical : not even Shakefpear's mafterly hand can make the picture agreeable. Though the objects introduced in the following fcenes are not altogether fo horrible as Sin is in Milton's defcription ; yet with every perfon of del- icacy, difgufl will be the prevailing emotion : -Strophades Graio fi;ant nomine dicl^ Iiifulffi lonio in magno : quas dira CeLriio, Hcirpyiaeque colunt alia; : Phineia portquam Claufa domusp menfafque nietu liquere priores. Triftiu? Ch. XXL Narration and Defcnptm, is 91 Triftius baud illis monftrum, nee fxvior ulla Pedis et ira Deum Stygiis fefe extulit undis. Virglneivolucrum vultus, foedifiima ventris Proluvies, uncseqiie manusj et pallida Temper Ora fame. Hue ubi delati portus Intravlmus : ecce Lncta bourn paffim carapis armenta videmus, Caprigenumqiie pecus, nullo cuttode, per herbas. Irruimus terro, et Divos ipfumqae vocr.mus In prsedam partemque Jovem : tunc I'utore curvo Extruimufque toros, dapibulque epulamur Gpimis. At fubitai horriftco lapfu de montibus adfunt Harpyia; : et magnls quatiunt clangoribus alas : Diripiuntquc dapes, contaftuque omnia foedant Irrimundo : turn vox tetrum dira inter odor em. JEneidy lib. iii. 210. Sum patria ex Ithacaj comes in felicis Ulyffei, Nomen Achemcnides : Trojam, genitore Adamafto Paupere (raanfiiretque utinam fortuiia !) prote£lus. Hie me, dum trepidi crudclia llmina linquunt, Immemores focii vafto Cyclopis in antro Deferuere. Domus fanie dapibufque cruentis^ Intus opaca, ingens : ipfe aniuus, altaque puilat Sidera : (Dii, talem terris avcrtite peliemj Nee vifu tacilis, wto. diclu affabilis ulli. Vifceribus miferorum, et fanguine vefcitiir atro. Vidi egomet, ■ duo de numero cum corpora noltro^ Prenfa manu magna, medio refupinus in antro, Frangeret ad faxum, fanleque afperfa natarent Limina : vidi, atro cum m.embra fluentl:i tabo Mandereti et tepidi trcmuerent Tub deniibus artus* Hand inipune quidem ; nee talia pallus Ulylles, Oblitufve fui elt Iihacus difcriminc tauto. Nam fimul expletus dapibus, vinoque fepultus Ccrvicem inflexam, pofuit, jacuitquc per antrum Imtnenfus, faniem eiudlans, ac frufla crueuto Per roamiim commixta mero ; nos, magna precati Numina, fortitiquc vices, una undique circum Fundimur, ettelo lumen terebramus acuto Ingens, quod torva Iblum fub fronte late bat. Mne'ul, ///^. iii. 613. Ts CHAP. C H A P. XXIL Epic a?id Dramatic Compofitlon, JL RAGEDY differs not from the epic iri fubftance : in both the fame ends are purfued, name- ly, initruclion and amufement ; and in both the fame mean is employed, namely, imitation of human ac- ' tions. They differ only in the manner of imitating : epic poetry employs tiarration ; tragedy repr-efents Its fa£ls as pailing in our fight : in the former, the poet introduces himfelf as an hiftorian ; in the lat- ter, he prefents his aftors, and never himfelf.* This difference regarding form only, may be thought flight : but the effects it occafions, are by no means fo ; for what we fee makes a deeper im- preffion than what we learn froni others. A narra- tive * The dialogue in a dramatic compofitlon diftinguifiies it fo clearly from other compofitions, that no writer hastliouglit it ncccffary to feafck for any o'hcr dillinguifliing mark. But much ufclefs labour has been be!!cwed, to diflinguifli an epic j^oem bv fume pecnuar mark. Boflil defire;, it to be, " A compolitlon in verfe, intended to form the man- ners bv infttufticns difguired under the alieg;ories of an important ac- tion ;" which excludes every epic poem founded upon real faBs, and perhaps includes feveral of ^fop's fables. Voltaire reckons verfe fo effential, as for Urat fmsile reaTon to exclude the adventures of Telema- chus. See his EJfay upon Epic Poetry. Others, afFe£led with fubllatice more tlian with form, hcfitate not to pronounc that poem to be epic- It isnut a little diveitiiig to fee fo manv profound critics hunting for what is not : they take for granted, without the leaft foundation, that there mul be fume prccife criterion to diflinguifh epic poetry from every Other r.,t:cifs of writing. Literary cornpoiitions run into eacii other, precifely hl^e colours : in thoir ftrong tints they are ealily diflinguilhcd, but are fufceptible of fo much variety, and of fo many different forms, that we never can fay where one fpecies ends and another begins. As to the gf-neral tafle, there is little reafon to doubt, that a work where he- roic actions are related in an elevated fl)'le, will, without fuithcr re<}ui= fite, be deemed an epic poem, ■* Ch. XXII. Epic and Dramatic Compofitlonu 293 tive poem Is a ftory told by another : fadts and inci- dents pafilng upon the ftage, come under our own obfervation ; and are befide much enHvened by ac- tion and gefture, expreffive of many fentiments be- yond the reach of words. A dramatic compofition has another property, in- dependent altogether of a6lion y which is, that it makes a deeper impreffion than narration : in the former, perfons exprefs their own fentiments ; in' the latter, fentimei^ts are related at fecond hand. For that reafon, Ariftotle, the father of critics, lays :t down as a rule, That in an epic poem the author 1 ought to take every opportunity of introducing his: I aftors, and of confini:ig the narrative part within the/ narroweft bounds.* Homer underftoo.d perfeclly the advantage of this method ; and his two poems abound in dialogue. Lucan runs to the oppofite ex- trem.e, even fo far as to fluff his Pbarfalia with cold and languid reflexions : the merit of which he af- lumes to himfelf, and deigns not to fl;iare with his ac- tors. Nothing can be more injudicioudy timed, thart a chain of fuch reflettiqns, which fufpend the battle of Pharfalia after the leaders had made their fpeeches, and the two armies are ready to engage. f Ariftotle, regarding the fable only, divides trage- dy into fimple and complex : but it is of greater mo- ment, with refpecl to dramatic as well as epic poe- try, to found a diftintlion upon the different ends at- T^ / tained by fuch compofitions. A poem, whether 1 a^ Jf/fAr dramatic or epic, that has nothing in view but x.^)' ,/'\^ ^ move the pafTions and to exhibit pictures of virtuej^'^^^'/'^ and vice, may be diitinguifhed by the name of pa-] 4^fj^'^''^^ thetic i * Poet. chap. 25. fe£l. 6. t Lib. 7. from line 385. to line 460, T3 294 Epic and Dramatic Ch. XXH, ~^ Ij I ihetic : but where a ftory is purpofely contrived to r. Y'^^Wi'' ilinO-rnl-p rnmp mnrnl trntfi h.v {nowino" that rlifnr- r ly iliuftrate fome moral truth, by fnowing that difor* \vfh^Tiii^ deriy pafTions naturp.lly lead to external misfortunes ; A^At^. fuch compofition may be denominated wsr*?/.* Be- ide making a deeper impreflion than can be done by cool rcafoning, a moral pcem does not fall fhort of leafoning in affording convidion : the natural con- ncdion of vice with mifeiy, and of virtue with happi- nefs, maybe illullrated by ftating a faft as well as by urging an argument. , Let us afiume, for example, the following moral truths \ that difcord among the chiefs renders ineftedual all common meafures ; and tha<- the confequences of a llightly founded quairelj foftered by pride and arrogance, are no lefs fatal thari thofe of the groilcft injury : thefe truths may be in- culcated, by the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles at the fiege of Troy. If fa6ls or circum- ilances be wanting, fuch as tend to roufe the turbulent paffions, they muft be invented ; but no accidental nor unaccountable eveiit Ought to be admitted ; for the neceflary or probable connection between vice and mifery is not learned from any events but what are naturally occafioned by the characters and paffions of the perfons reprefented, acting in fuch and fuch circumftances. A real event of which we fee not the caufe, m^ay atYcrd a ielTcn, upon the prefumptioii that what hath happened may again happen : but this cannot be inferted from a ftory that is known to be a fiction. Many * The farrie diflir.fiion is applicable tq that fort of fable which is \c]tl to be the !:;vcntion o! /Efop. A moir.I, it is tiuc, is by all ciitics ccn:- {i(l( Tpcl as f H'cntiyi to luch a f.iLle.' r>ui iioihiiig is more conmuni than to l)f led 1/iiiiuly by auihoritv ; fdr of tlic ml^lelOll^ collections I iiave r^virtues, figure bed in adion : tender pailions, and "^^^^T ^^^ whole tribe of fympathetic affedions, figure belt CP^f ^'^ fentiment. It clearly follows, that tender paf- '*^ ^^''1!^°'^^ are more peculiarly the province of tragedy, Vr* dsJAW''^^^'^ ^^'^ heroic addons of epic poetry.* ^riiiV^y''^ 1 have no occafion to fay mare upon the epic, ?^ confidered as peculiarly adapted to certain fubjeds. iW J^j^ ^^LBut as dramatic fubjeds are more complex, I mull ^^'^^ A take a narrower view of them ; which I do the more 'Vi (QJJf^'^^^^^^Z^y i^^ order to clear a. point involved in great; - '' < i^'^^ obfcurity by critics. In the chapter of Emotions andPaffions,t it is oc- cafionally fhown, that the fubjed bed fitted for trag- edy is where a man has himfelf been the caufe of his misfortune ; not fo as to be deeply guilty, nor alto- ether innocent : the misfortune mult be occafioned y a fault incident to human nature, and therefore in 'fome degree venial. Such misfortunes call forth the focial atledions, and warmly intereft the fpedator. An accidental misfortune, if not extremely fingular, doth * In Rapine tender fentiments prevail ; in Corneille, grand and he- roic manners. Hence clearly the :^refcrence of tlie former before the latter, as dramatic poets. Corneille would have figured better in an he- foic poem. t Part 4. .0 •fen. XXII' Compofiilms, 297 idoth not greatly move our pity : the perfon who fuffers, being innocent, is freed from the greateft of all torments, that anguifli of mind which is occa- iioned by remorfe : Poco e funefta L' altnii ioriuria Qi^iando ncia iclta Ragione alcana Ne di pentiifi, i:e darrofir. Metnfiajio, An atrocious criminal, on the other hand, who ) brings misfortunes upon himfelf, excites little pity,/ for a different reafon : his remorfe, it is true, aggra- vates his diflrefs, and fwells the firft emotions of pity • but thefe are immediarely blunted by our hatred of him as a criminal. Misfortunes that are not inno- cent, nor highly criminal, partake the advantages of each extreme : they are attended with remorfe to embitter the diflrefs, which raifes our pity to a height ; and the flight indigiiation we have at a ve- nial fault, detraQ;s not fenfibly from our pity. The happieflof all fubjecls accordingly for raifiiig pity, is where a man of integrity fails into a gre:it misfortune by doing an action that is innocent, but Vv'hich, by fome fmgular means, is conceived by him to be crim- inal : his remorfe aggravates his diltrefs ; and oar compaffion, unrcllrained by indignation, knows no bounds. Pity comes thus to be the ruling pafiion of a pathetic tragedy ; and by proper reprelentatioii, may be raifed to a height fcarce exceeded by any thing felt in real hfe. A moral tragedy takes in a larger field ; as it not only cxercifes our pity, but vaifes another paffion, which, though feliifli, deferves , to be cherifned equally with the focial affection. The' pailion I have in view is fear or terror 5 for when a ' ' misfortune €9^ ' Epic and Dramatic Gh. XXIL misfortune Is the natural confequence of fome wrong . bias in the temper, every fpectaf;or who is confcious of.fuch a bias in hiinfelf, takes the alarm, and dreads his falling into the fame misfortune : and by the emotion of fear or terror, frequently reiterated in a variety of moral tragedies, the fpeftators are put up^ pn their guard againfl the diforders of paffion. > The commentators upon Ariflotle, and other crit- ics, have been much gravelled about the account [given of tragedy by that authoY : " That by means .^^ Jof pity and terror, it refines or purifies In us all forts /^ ^'H^of paffion." But no one v/ho has a clear conception ^ (r{ IC)'*^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^--^^ effects of a good tragedy, can have ^^^l 2.ny difficulty about Arillotle's meaning : our pity is engaged for the perfons reprefented ; and our terror is' -upon our own account. ^ Pity indeed is here made to ftand for all the fympathetic emotions, becaufe of thefe it is the capital. There can be no doubt that our fympathetic emotions are refined or improved by daily exercife ; and in what manner our other paffions are refined by terror, I have jufl now faid. One thing is certain, that no other meaning can juflly be given to the foregoing doctrine than that now mentioned ; and that it was really Arillotle's mean- ing, appears from his 13th chapter, where he delivers feveral propofitions conformable to the doclrine as here explained. Thefe, at the fame time, I take hb- ;^,^4rrl/ \erty to mention ; becaufe, as far as authority can gOj l^ ^they confirm the foregoing reafoning about fubjecis ^ v-CT>j I proper for tragedy. The lirft propofition is, That it being the province of tragedy to excite pity and ter- ror, an innocent perfon failing into adverfity ought 7iever to be the fubjeft. This propofition- is anece: - jQ-ry confequence of his doctrine as explained : a fubjecl of that nature may indeed excite pity and terror ; but in the former in an inferior degree, an4 ^ t:H. XXII, Compcfitionu ^99 *''• the latter no degree for moral inftruftion. The fecond propofition is, That the hiilory of a wicked perfon m a change from mifery to happinefs, ought not to be reorefented. It excites neither terror nor compafTion, nor is agreeable in any refpeCl. The . third is, That the misfortunes of a wicked perform. -^ ought not to be reprefented. Such reprefentation iJ may be agreeable in fome meafure upon a principle of juftice : but it will not move our pity ; nor any degree of terror, except in thofe of the fame vicious difpcfiticn with the perfon reprefented. The lafl prop- ofition is, That the only character fit for reprefenta- tion lies in the middle, neither eminently good nor eminently bad ; where the misfortune is not the effect of deliberate vice, but of fome involuntary fault, as our author expreifes it.* The only objection I find to Ariflotle's account of tragedy, is, that he confines it Vvithin too narrow bounds, by refufing admittance to the pathetic kind : for if terror be eifential to tragedy, no reprefentation defer ves that name but the moral kind, where the misfortunes exhibited are caufed by a wrong balance of mind, or fome diforder in the internal conRitution : fuch mis- fortunes always fuggeft moral inflruction ; and by fuch misfortunes only, can terror be excited for our improvement. Thus Ariflotle's four propofitlotis above mentioned^ relate foicly to tragedies of the moral kind. Thofe of the pathetic kind, are not confined within fo nar- row limits : fubjecls fitted for the theatre, are not iii fuch plenty as to make us reject innocent misiortune;s which roufe our fympathy, though they inculcate no moral. With refneil indeed to fabiccts of that kindj 'I ic * If ary one, can be .imufcd with a grave difcourfe wliicli promif'i'tli jnucli and pci'oir.is uotlniig, I refer to Bruni'.A' w; iks T'leatrc Qrec, jf'iellr.vuery dil'ccuir.; on the piigin ot" ir?gt(iy. 300 Epic and Dramatic, Ch. XX^; ^vv^cfi^^fit may be doubted, whether the conclufion ougrnt f 4-, not always to be fortunate. Where a perfon of in* |j_ l^l tegrity is reprefented as fuffering to the end under Tniisfortunes purely accidental, we depart difcontented, i and with fome obfcure fenfe of injuflice : for feldoni is man fo fubmiffive to Piovidence, as not to revolt againft the tyranny and vexations of blind chance j he will be tempted to fay. This ought not to be. Chance, giving an imprefiion of anarchy and mifrule, produces always a damp upon the mind. I give for an example the Romeo and yuliet of Shakefpear, y/here tb+e fatal cataiirophe is occafioned by Friar Laurence's coming to the monum.ent a minute too late : we are vexed at the unlucky chance, and go away diilatished. S,uch impreilions, which ought not to be cherifned, are a fufticient reafon for exclud- ing (lories of that kind from the theatre. The mif- fortunes of a virtuous perfon, arifmg fi'om neceflary (caufes or from a chain of unavoidable circumft ances, are confidered in a different Hght. A regular chain pf caufes and effefts direded by the general laws of nature, never fl\ils to fugged the hand of Providence ; to v/hich we fubmit without refentment, being con- Icious that fubmifiion is our duty.* For that reafon, we are not difgufted with the diilreffes of Voltaire's Mariamne^ though redoubled on her till her death, without the leail fauit or failing on her part : her misfortunes are owing to a caufe extremely natural, and not unfrequent, the jealoufy of a barbarous hufband. The fate of Defdeniona, in the Moor of Venice^ aftecls us in the faiiie manner. We are not fo eafily reconciled to the fate of (Cordelia in King Lear : the caufcs of her misfortune are by no means fo evident, as to exclude the gloomy notion of chance. In fcort, a perfect character fuffering under misfor-^ taneSj t See Eir^ys on the Piinciples of Morality, edit. 2. p. 291* .tn. XXn. Compofitlons. ^oi tunes, is qualified for being the fubjed of a pathetic tragedy, provided chance be excluded. Nor is a perfed: character altogether inconfident with a moral tragedy : it may fuccefsfully be introduced in an un- der-part, if the chief place be occupied by an inipcr- fecl charaQer, from which a moral can be dra^.vn. This is the cafe of Defdemona and Mariamne juIl mentioned ; and it is the cafe of Monimia and Bel- videra, in Otway's two tragedies, The Orphan, and Venice Prefervcl. I had an early opportunity to unfold a curious doftrine. That fable operates on our paiTions, by reprefenting its events as pafHng in our fight, and by /-) deluding us into a conviction of reahty.* Hence, ill l(^i-€'ru epic and dramatic compofitions, e^ery circumflance ^J^^-^ / ought to be ehiploy'd that may pro*iote the delu- af^L^^ fion i)Tuch ks the borrov/ino; from hilldry fome noted \ ^ , .... event, with the addition or circtmltances tnat may 7 J ^ anfwer the author's purpofe : the principal faQ:s are l/^ j knovv'n to be true ; and we are difpofed to extend 'v^ ; our belief to every circumflance. But in choofmg a ^T fubjecl" that makes a figure in hiftory, greater precaii- tion is ncceflary than where the whole is a fiaiono ^c^/n.j, In the latter cafe there is full fcope for invention : the author is under no reflraint other than that the characters and incidents be jufl copies of nature. But where the flory is founded on truth, no circum- flanccs mufl be added, but fuch as connect naturally Jf^^ with what are known to be true ;^^hillory may be ^^^ fupplied, but mu^ not be contradidcd \ further, th^ ""yy^ (^ fubje61: chofen mufl be diflant in timC', or at lenfl. iri ^^y^h place ; for the familiarity of recent perfons and ^^yt,,. events ought to be avoided. Famj'liarity ought nrore ^^t.^fj^ efpecially to be avoided in an epic poem, the peculiar ^^^t^yt^fz^ charaQer f ^' Chnp. o, part 1. fcQ. 7, ^ci Epic and Dramatic* Ch. XXIL characler of which Is dignity and elevation : moderHi manners make no figure in fuch a poem.* After Voltaire, no writer, it is probable, will think of rearing an epic poem upon a recent event in the hiitory of his own country. But an event of that kind is perhaps not altogether unqualified for tragedy : it was admitted in Greece ; and 8hake- fpear has employ'd it fuccefsfiilly in fevei-al of his pieces. One advantage it poffeiTes above ficlion, that of more readily engaging our belief, which tends above any other circumftance to raife our fympathy. The fcene of comedy is generally laid at home i familiarity is no objeftion ; and we are peculiarly fenfible of the ridicule of our own manners. '^ After a proper fubjed is chofen, the dividing It In-. \'hX^ to parts requires fome art. The conclufion gf a // Jj book in an epic poem, or of an act in a play, can- i^OoTf) not be altogether arbitrary ; nor be intended for io ^f^/u-^j^ight a purpofe as to make the parts of equal length. .^^^/t^'The fuppofed paufe at the end of every book, and 2it^ /Zi^ie real paufe at the end of every acl, ought always -^fftWcj-io coincide with fome paufe in the aftion. In this v--"-^ "^^efpecl, a dramatic or epic poem ought to refemble a fcntence or period in language divided into mem- bers that aie diftinguiflied from each other by proper paufes J or it ought to refemble a piece of mufic, having a full clofe at the end, preceded by imperfect clofes that contribute to the melody. Every aft in a dramatic poem ought therefore to clofe v/ith fome in- cident that makes a paufe in the action j for other- wife * I would not from this cbfervntlon be tbou!;1it to undervalue modern manners. Tlie roiighn'^fs and impctuofity of ancient mnnners, may be l)et:er fitted for an epic poem, vithout b^ing better fitted for fociety. Biit without regard to that circiimflancc, it is the familiarity of modem manneis that unqualifies them for a lolty fubjeft. The dignity of our prefcnt manners, will be better underliood in future ages, when they are itJO lonpfr f;;j7iiliar. Ch, XXlt Compofitionsi ^ 5c;5 wife there can be no pretext for interrupting the rep- refentation : it would be abfurd to break off in the very heat of aftion ; againfl which every one would exclaim : the abfurdity ftill remains where the aftion relents, if it be not aftualiy fufpended fo? feme time. This rule is alfo applicable to an epic po^m : though in' it a deviation from the rule is iefs remarkable ; becaufe it is in the reader V power to hide the abfurd- ity, by proceeding inflantly to another book. The firft book of Paradife Loft ends without any clofe, perfed or imperfed : it breaks off ' abruptly, where Satan, feated on his throne, is prepared to harangue the convocated hoft of the fallen an- gels ; and the fecond book begins with the fpeech. Milton feems to have copied the JEncid^ of which the two firft books are divided much in the fame manner. Neither is there any proper paufe at the end of the fifth book of the Mne'id. There is no proper paufe at the end of the feventh book of Para- dife Loji, nor at the end of the eleventh. In the iHad little attention is given to this rule. This branch of the fubjecl fhail be clofed with a; general rule, That atStion being the fundamental ,/) part of every compofition whether epic or dramatic, the fentiments and tone of language ought to be fub- fervient to the action, fo as to appear natural, and proper for the occafion. The application of this rule to our modern plays, would reduce the bulk of them to a (keleton.* After * En gSncral il y a benncnnp de difconrs ct r'cu d'aflion fur la fcene F/anfcMlc, Quelqu'un difoit en fortant d'une idece de Denis !e Tiran, Je n'ai risii vii, mais j'ai tntendii force paroles. Voila ce qii'on pcut dire en fortant des pieces Franfoifes. Racine et Corneillc avcc tout !rur genie nc Hmt eux-mtmes que des parlcurs ; et leur fucccfTcur pH \r. premier qui, a limitation des Anglois ait ole inetire quelquefois la fv-ene en rcprefcntaiion. Communcmenl tout fe pafTe en beaux dialogues Jjieij agenc^s, bicn rorilans, cu Ton voit d'abcrd que le premier fcin d/r chariur' m *04 ' Epic and Dra7nHtk Ch. SXin After carrying on together epic and dramatic tom^- pofitions, I fliall mention circumftances peculiar tc> each ; begining with the epic kind. In a theatrical entertainment, which employs both the eye and the car, it would be a grofs abfurdity, to introduce upon, the ftage fnperior beings in a vifible- fnape. . There s no place for fuch objection in an epic poem ; and l3oileau5'* with many other critics, declares flrongly ^J^^f^'-^ov that fort of machinery in an epic poem. But wav- rj^.^^' ing authority, which is apt to impofe upon the judg- „ inent, let us draw what light we can from reafon. I Y begin with a preliminary remark, That this matter is but indictinctiy handled by critics : the poetical priv- ilege of animating jnfenfible objects for enlivening a defcription, is very different from, what is termed ?;2^- cbinery, where deities, angels, devils, or other fuper- natural powers, are introduced as real perfonages. mixing in the a£tion, and contributing to the cataftro- phe ; and yet thefe are conftantly jumbled together in the reafoning. The former is founded on a natural principle y\ but can the latter claim the fame chaq-ae interlccnteur eR toujours cf.lul dc brllier. Prefqae tout s'enoncs en niaximes gcneralcs. Qiielque agitt's qiriU puilTcnt ctre, i!s fongriit toujoui: eft piefque aufu fciupuleufemcnt banni de la kene I'rancoife que dcs ecrits de Port-Royal ; et ies pafTion.s bumaines, aufTi modcftes que i'hu- rniliit CbretiennC} n'y parlcnt jamais que par on. II y a encore unecertaine dignite mnnieree dans ja ^elie et dans le propos, qui ne peimet jamais a la pafTicn de parler exafc-tement fon language, ni a I'auCeur <^c reven: fon perfonas;e, et de fe trarfporter au lieu de la fcene ; niais le tient tou- jours cnchainc fur le theatre, et fous les yeux des {peftateurs. Aiufli les fituation.s les plus vivcs ne iui foi'^-elies jamais oviblier un bel airange- ment de phrafes, ni des attitudes elctfanics ; et fi le de feipoir lui plAng* un poionard dans le coeur, non content d'obr-rver la decence en tombant comme Po'ixene, il ne tombe point ; la decence le maintient debout uprc^ fa mort, et tou3 ceux qui vicnncnt d'expirer s'en retournert l'in« llant d'apies fur leurs janibes. RcuJJcaii, * Tbird part of his art of poetry. t Chap, Co. fcft. 1. Ch.XXII. Compofitiom, 305 fame authority ? far from it ; nothing is more un- ^^^^^^^ natural. Its effeds, at the fame time, are deplorable, ^f^^^ -«i^ Firft, it gives an air of .fidion to the whole; andl lyHo^dfu^ prevents that impreffion of reaUty, which is requifiteVy ; j/ > to interefl our aifedions, and to move our paflions.*' '''' ' / *^ This of itfelf is fufficient to explode machinery, ^ ft^'^^ whatever entertainment it may afford to readers of a h^ft^*'^'' fantaftic tafte or irregular imagination. And, next, T*^**^-'**^'*^ were it poffible, by difguihng the fiction, to delude \(j] J crrf us into a notion of reality, which I think can hardlvl'^s,^ ./^v-c be ; an infuperable objedion would flill remain,/^J7'''"Y^^' thatJthe aim or end of an epic poem can never be 7^<^/-^^^>^ attained in any perfedion, >vhere machinery is intro- 'f'^^Vt^ duced ; for an evident reafon, that virtuous emo- '(■^^f7l^''y^, tions cannot be raifed fuccefsfuliy, but by the adions o^^^^^^f^jT of thofe who are endued with paflions and affedions l^t^TT^'^^'^^^ like our own, that is, by human adions : and as for moral inftrudion, it is clear, that none can be drawn from beings who ad not uponthe fame principles with us. A fable in j^fop's manner is no objedibn to this reafoning : his lions, bulls, and goalSj are truly men in difguife : they ad and feel in every re- " I]:)ed as huraan beings ; and the moral we draw is founded on that fuppofition. Homer, it is true, in- troduces the gods into his fable : but the religion of his country authorifed that liberty ; it being an ar- ticle in the Grecian, creed, that the gods often inter- pofe vihbly and bodily in human affairs. I mull 'liowever obferve, that Homer's deities do no hon- our to his poems : fictions that, tranfgreis the bounds of nature, feldom have a good effe61: : they may in- flame the imagination for a moment, but will not be relifhed by any perfon of a corred tafle. They may be * See chap. 2. part I. fef^, 7, Vol. II. U 3o5 Epic and Dramatic. Ch. XXIL be of fome ufe to the lower rank of writers ; but arf- author of genius has much finer materials of Na- ture's produftion, for elevating his fubjed, and mak-- ing it interefting. One would be apt to think, that Boileau, de- claring for the Heathen deities as above, intended them only for embellifhing the didion : but unluckily he banifhes angels and devils, who undoubtedly make a figure in poetic language, equal to the Heathen deities. Efceau, therefore, by pleading for the lat- ter in oppontpgn to the former, certainly meant, if he had any diitindl meaning, that the Heathen dei- ties may be introduced as aclors. And, in fa6l, he himfelf is guilty of that glaring abfurdity, where it is not fo par^nablfeas in an epic poem. In his ode upon the'takihg\6rNamur he demands with a moft ferious countenance,- whether the walls were built by Apollo or Neptune? and 'in 'relating"^ the paflage of the Rhine anno 1672, he defcribes thegod of that river as fighting with all his might to oppofe the French monarch : which is confounding fidion with reality at a flrange rate. The French writers in gen- eral run into this error : wonderful the effeft of cuftom, to hide from them how ridiculous fuch fic- tions are ! That this is a capital error in the Gierufakmme liherata^ Taflb's greatefi: admirers mufl acknowledge: a fituation can never be intricate, nor the reader ever in pain about the cataitrophe, as long as there is an angel, devil, or magician, to lend a helping hand. Voltaire, in his eflay upon epic poetry, talk- ing of the P bar/alia, obferves judicroufly, " That the proximity of time, the notoriety of events, the character of the age, enlightened and political, joined with the folidity of Lucan's fubjeft, deprived "him of poetical fiction." Is it not amazing, that a critic X^H, XXIL Compofitioru. 307 eritic who reafons fo juflly with refpe£t to others, can be fo blind with refpedl to himfelf ? Voltaire, not fatisfied to enrich his language with images drawn from invifible and fuperior beings, introduces them into the adtion : in the fixth canto or the Henriade St. Louis appears in psrfon, and terrifies the foldiers in the feventh canto, St. Louis fends the god of Sleep to Henry ; and m the tenth, the demons of Difcord, Fanaticifm, War, &c. ailift Aumale in a iingle combat with Turenne, and are driven away by a good angel brandifhing the fword of God. To blend fuch fidtitious perfonages in the fame adion with mortals, makes a bad figure at any rate ; and is intolerable in a hiftory fo recent as that of Henry IV. But perfedlion is not the lot of man.* I have tried ferious reafonings upon this fubjecl : but ridicule, I fuppofe, will be found a more fuccefs- ful weapon, which Addifon has applied in an elegant manner : " Whereas the time of a general peace is, in all appearance, drawing near; being informed that there are feveral ingenious perfons who intend to fhow their talents on fo happy an occafion, and be- ing willing, as much as in me lies, to prevent that efFufioii * When I commenced author, my aim was to amufe, and perhaps to inftruft, but never to give pain. I accordingly avoided every living author, till the Henriade occurred to me as the bed inflance I could find for illuftrating the doftrine in the text; and I yielded to the temptation, ■tf judging that my flight criticifms would never reach M. de Voltaire. They have, however rcarhcd him ; and have, as I am informed, flirred up fome refentment. I am af}Ii£ted at this information ; for vhat title have I fo wound the minrt more than the body ? It would bcfide fliow ingratitude to a celebrated writer, who is highly entertaining, and who has bellowed on me manv a delicious morfel, Mv only excufc tor giv» - ing offence is, that it was undefigned; for to plead that the ccnfnre is ^jurt, is no excufe. As the offence was public, I take this oppoiiunitv to make the apology equally fo. I hope it will be fatisfaflory : reihaps act, — I owe it however to my owncharafter. U2 ^£)S Epic and Dramatic Ch. XXIL efFufion of nonfenfe, which we have good caufe to apprehend ; I do hereby ftriftly require every per- fon who fhali write on this fubjetl, to remember that he is a Chriftiati, and not to facrifice his catechifmto his poetry. In order to it, I do expe£l of him, in the firfl ^lace, to make his own poem without depend- ing upori^hoebus for any part of it, or calling out for aid upba any of the nlufes by name. I do like- wife pofifiyely forbid the fending of Mercury with any particular meffage or difpatch relating to the peace ; aitd ftall by no means fuffer Minerva to take upon her the fliape of any plenipotentiary con- cerned in this great work. I do farther declare, that I fliall not allow the deflinies to have had an hand in the deaths ofthefeveral thoufands who have been flain in the late war ; being of opinion that all fuch deaths may be well accounted for by the Chrift- ian fyflem of powder and ball. I dj^ therefore ftrid:- ly forbid the fates to cut the thread of man's life up- on any pretence whatfoever, unlefs it be for the fake of the rhyme. And whereas I have good reafon to fear, that Neptune will have a great deal of bufmefs on his hands in feveral poems which we may now fuppofe are upon the anvil, I do alfo prohibit his appearance, un- lefs it be done in metaphor, fimile, or any very fnort allufion : and that even here he may not be permit- ted to enter, but v^ith great caution and circumfpec- tion. I defire that the fame rule may be extended to his whole fraternity of Heathen gods ; it being my defign, to condemn every poem to the flames in which Jupiter thunders, or exercifes any other aft of authority which does not belong to him. In fhort, I exped that no Pagan agent fiiall be introduced, or any fa£t related which a man cannot give credit to with a good confcience. Provided always^ that noth- ing herein contained ihail extend, or be conftrued £0 Cii. XXII* Compofiilons, 309 to extend, to feveral of the female poets in this na- tion, who iliall dill be left in full pofleffion of their gods and goddeifes, in the fame manner as if this pa- per had never been written.*" The marvellous is indeed fo much promoted by machinery, that it is not wonderful to find it embrac- ed by the plurality of writers, and perhaps of read- ers. If indulged at all, it is generally indulged to excefs. Homer introduceth his deities with no greater ceremony than as mortals ; and Virgil has ftill left moderation : a pilot fpent with watching cannot fall afleep, and drop into the fea by natural means : one bed cannot receive the two lovers, iEneas and Dido, without the immediate interpofition of fuperior pow- ers. The ridiculous in fuch nciions, muff appear even through the thickeft vail of gravity and folemnity. Angels and devils fervc equally with Heathen de- ities as materials for figurative language ; perhaps • better among Chriflians, becaufe we believe in them, ?.nd not in Heathen deities. But every one is fenfi- ble, as well as Boilcau, that the invihble powers in our creed make a much worfe figure as a*5lors in a modern poem, than the invifible powers in the Hea- then creed did in ancient poems ; thecaufe of which is not far to feek. The Heathen deities, in the opinion of their votaries, were beings elevated one itep only above mankind, fubje^l to the fame paf- fions, and directed by the fame natives ; therefore not altogelher improper to mix Vv^ith men in an im- portant action. In our creed, fuperior beings are placed at fuch a mighty diftance from us, and are of a nature fo different, that with no propriety *can we appear with them upon the faine ftage.: man, a crea- ture much inferior, lofcs ail dignity m the compari- ion. There * Speflator, No. 5123. U3 3^^ Epic and Dramatic Ch. XXIL / .J, ^ /jf Y t^yi^^JM^\\tre. can be no doubt that an hiflorical poem '^t^jT'^i^admits the embellifliment of allegory, as well as of ,^i//^///-^>U4A^etaphor, limile, or other figure. Moral truth in f^,ff!f particular. Is finely illuftrated in the allegorical man- ''^f^/iV}^ J^er : it amufes the fancy to find abflracl terms, by /tyyi--^^*^ a fort of iridic, metamorphos'd into aftive beings ; and it is highk pleafing to difcover a general propo- fition in a piaured event. But allegorical beings lould be confined within their own fphere,- and ever be admitted to mix in the principal adtion, nor f^tiAMJitp co-operate in retarding or advancing the cataftro- j, ^^^iV-^y^ptie. This would^aje a flitl worfe effecl: than in- /ix^t^ vifible powers ; and lam ready to allign the reafon. The impreilion of real exiftence, efiential to an epic poem, is inconfiflent with that figurative exiftence which is eflential to an allegory ;* and therefore no means can more effeftually prevent the impreffion of reality, than to introduce allegorical beings co-ope- rating with thofe whom we conceive to be really ex- ifting. The love-epifode, in the Rcnriade^\ infuffer- able by the difcordant mixture of allegory with real life, is copied from that of Rinaldo and Armida, in the Gicrufakmme Uberafai, which hath no merit to in- titie it to be copied. An allegorical objed, fuch as Fame in the JEneid^ and the Temple of Love in the Henriadej may find place in a defcription : But to introduce Difcord as a real perfonage, imploring the alTiftance of Love, as another real perfonage, to ener- vate the courage of the hero, is making thefe figur- ative beings a(5t beyond their fphere, and creating a {Irange jumble of truth and fidion. ' The allegory of Sin and Death in the Faradifc Lojl^ is, I prefiime, not generally reliflied, though it is not entirely of the fame nature with what I have been condemning : in a Work comprehending the achievements of luperior beings, * See chap. 2c. fcfl. 6. + Qi.vAo g. €h. XXII. Conipofitions, ;ii beings., there is more room for fancy than where it is confined to human adions. What is the true notion of an epifode ? or how is it to be diflinguifhed from the principal adion ? Every incident that promotes or retards the cataftro- phe, muft be part of the principal action. This clears the nature of an epifode ; which may be defined, *' An incident connefted with the principal adion, but contributing neither to advance nor to retard it." The defcent of iEneas into hell doth not advance fior retard the cataftrophe, and therefore is an epif- ode. The (lory of Nifus and Euryalus, producing an alteration in the affairs of the contending parties, is a part of the principal adion. The family fcene in the fixth book of the Iliad is of the fame nature ; for by Hedor's retiring from the field of battle to vifit his v/ife,the Grecians had opportunity to breathe, and even to turn upon the Trojans. The unavoid- able efFed of an epifode, according to this defini- tion, muft be, to break the unity of adion ; and therefore it ought never to be indulged, unlefs to unbend the mind after the fatigue of a long narra tion. ' An epifode, when fuch is its purpofe, re- "^^ quires the following conditions : it ought^ to be well i conneded with the principal adion : it ought to be ^ lively and interePdng : it ought to be fliort : and a 5 time ought to be chofen when the principal adion Ia relents.* In the following beautiful epifode, v/hich clofes the fecond book of Fingal, all thefe conditions are united, Comal * Homer's Hefcription of ihe fliield of Achilles is properly introduc- ed at a tiii.c when the aclion relcnti, and the reader can bear an inter- ruption. But the author of 1'clemachus defcrihes the fliield of that youn^ hero in the heat of battle : a very improper time for an Inter- ruption. U4 31^ Epic and Dramatic Ch. XXII. Comal was a fon of Albion ; the chief of an hundred hills. His deer drank of a thoufand ftreams ; and a thou- fand rocks replied to the voice of his dogs. His face was the mildnefs of youth ; but his hand the death of heroes. One was his love, and fair was (he ! the daughter of iiiighiy Conloch. She appeared like a fun-beam among women, and her hair was like the wing of the raven. Her foul was fixed on Comal, and (he was his companion in the chace. Often met their eyes of love, and happy were their v.^ords in ^^j^><-"^ pying the mind. But even there, to make a dcubleM^€/U l plot agreeable, is no flight effort of art : the under- ^^ plot ought not to vary greatly in its tone from the ' principal ; for difcordant emotions are unpleafant j ^. ^ when jumbled together ; which, by the way, is an / *^\^ t-^ infuperable objection to tragi-comedy. Upon that / -^^-t^c^ account, the Provok'd Hnjband delerves cenfure : (f^vjLjof-i all -^'f^^tuj * Pv3cine, in Tils preface to the tragedy of Eerenicr, is fenfible th?)t-. / Simplicity is a great beauty in tragedy, but miflakes the caufe. ♦' Noth- ing iTayshe) but veiifimilitude pieafes in tragedy : but where is the vcr^ ifimilitude, that within tiie compaTs of a day, events fliould be crowded which commonly are ex-tended through months ?" This is miliakin;^ '.he accuracy of imitation for the probr.bility or improbability of future events. I explain mylelf. The verifimilitude required in tr.ngcdy is, that the aftions correfpond to the manners, and the manners to natuie. When this rcfemblance is preferved, the imitation is juR, becaufe it is, a true copy of nature. But I deny that the verifimilitude of future events, meaning the pobabilify of future events, is any rule in tragedy. A ' number of extraordinary events, are, it is true, feldom crowded with- in the ccmpafs of a day : but what feldom happens may happen ; and when fuch events fall out, they appear no lefs natural than the moR oidinary accidents. To make VL-rilimilitude in the fenfe of probability a governing rule in tragedy, would anniiihte that fort of writing altogether; for it would exclude all cxtrauidinary events, in which the life of tragedy confills. It is very improbable or unlikely, pitching upon any man at random, that he will facrifice his life and for- tune for his miftxefs or for his country : yet when that event happens, fuppofing it conformable to the charaQcr, we recognife the verifimili- tude as to nature, whatever want of verifimilitude or of probability there was a priori that fuch would be the event. ,H Epic and Dramatic Ch.XXII. all the fcenes that bring the family of the Wrong- heads into adion, being ludicrous and farcical are in a very different tone from the principal fcenes, dif- playing fevere and bitter expoftulations between Lord Townley and his lady. The fame objeftion touches not the double plot of the Carelefs hujband ; the differe||t Hibjeds being fweetly connecled, and having onlyii|) much variety as to refemble fhades of colours harniVnioufly mixed. But this is not all. The under-plot ought to be connected with that which is principal^, fo much at leaft as to employ the fame perfons : '^e under-plot ought to occupy the intervals or paufes of the principal action ; and both ought to be concluded together. This is the cafe of the Merry Wives of Wind/or. Violent action ought never to be reprefented on the flage. While the dialogue goes on, a thoufand particulars concur to delude us into an impreffion of reality ; genuine fentiments, paffionate language, and t^perfuafive gefture : the fpedator once engaged, is iUing to be deceived, lofes fight of himfelf, and without fcruple enjoys the fpeftacle as a reality, *7^rom this abfent flate, he is roufed by violent aftion, . he awakes as from a pleafing dream, and gathering ■his fenfes about him, finds all to be a fidlion, Ho- race delivers the fame rule, and founds it upon the ■ fame reafon : Ne pueros coram populo Medea tnicidet ; Aut humana palaui coqu-ar exta nefarius Atreus ; Aut in avcm Pr(n!,ne vertatur, Cadmus in agnem : Q^iodcumque oflendis mihi fie, ip.credulus odi. The French critics join with Horace in excluding blood from the (cage ; but overlooking the m.ofl fub- itantial objection, they urge only, that it is bnrbarous, and fhcK:king to a polite audience. The Greeks had no 'm -Ch. XXII. Compofitiom. 315 no notion of fuch delicacy, or rather effeminncy : witnefs the murder of Clytemnellra by her fon Oref- tes, pafling behind the fcene as reprefented by Soph- ocles : ' her voice is heard calling out for mercy, bitter expoftulations on his part, loud fhrieks upon her being llabb'd, and then a deep filence. I appeal to every perfon of feeling, whether this fcene be not niore horrible than if the deed had been committed in fight of the fpeftators upon a fudden gufl of paf- fion. If Corneille, in reprefenting'the aftair between Horatius and his filler, upon which murder enfues behind the fcene, had no other view but to remove from the fpedators a Ihocking aftion, he was guilty of a capital miilake : for murder in cold blood, which in fome meafure was the cafe as reprefented, is more fhocking to a polite audience, even where the conclufive (tab is not feen, than the fame aft perform- ed in their prefence by violent and unpremeditated paffion, as fuddenly repented of as committed. I heartily agree with Addifon,* that no part of this in- cident ought to have been reprefented, But referved for a narrative, with every alleviating circumflance in favour of the hero. ^ *■ / A few woids upon the dialogue ; which ought toTZ^'^^J be fo conduced as to be a true reprefentation of n?,-h^"^j^~ ture. I talk not here of the fentiments, nor of xht^^jy^^^ language ; for thefe come under diiFerent heads : I ^^^^^r^t talk of what properly belongs to dialogue- vvriting :'4is-i^c>^ where every fmgle fpeech, fhort or long, ought Xo'i^.^.^^j^ arife from what is faid by the former Ipeaker, and furnifh matter for what comes after, till the end of the fcene. In this view, all the fpeeches, from firit to lail, reprefcnr fo many links of one continued chain. No author, ancient or modern, poflefi'es the art of di- alogue equal to Shakefpear. Dry den, in that partlcu- « iar, * Spcflator, No. ^4. 0i.ti lv^^:ir expreffed in plain language : to hear, for example, a footman deliver a fmiple meffage in blank verfe, mufl appear ridiculous to every one who is not bialfed by cullom. In fhort, that variety of characters and of fituations, which is the life of a play, requires not only a fuitable variety in the fentiments, but alfo in the didion. K /V'i/J (~'. CHAP. CHAP. XXIII. The Three Unities. I .N the firft chapter is explained the pleafure we have in a chain of conne6ted fads. In hiftories of the world, of a country, of a people, this pleafure is faint ; becaufe the connexions are flight or ob- fcure. We find more entertaiment in biography ; becaufe the incidents are connected by their relation to a perfon who makes a figure, and commands our attention. .But the greatefl entertainment is in the hiftory of a fingle event, fuppofing it interefliing ; and the reafon is, that the fadts and circumllances are conneded by the flrongeft of all relations, that of caufe and effect : a number of fads that give birth to each other form a delightful train ; and we have great mental enjoyment in our progrefs from the beginning to the end. But this fubjed merits a more particular difcuf- fion-.* When we confider the chain of caufes and effects in the material world, independent of pur- pofe, defign, or thought, we find a number of inci- dents in fuccefTion, without beginning, middle or 'end : every thing that happens is both a caufe and an effecl ; being the effect of what goes before, and the caufe of what follows : one incident may affect ns more, another lefs ; but all of them are links in the univerfal chain : the mJnd, in viewing thefe inci- dents, cannot reft or fettle ultimately upon any one \ but is carried along in the train without any clofe. But when the intellectual world is taken under view, in conjundion with the material, the fcene is varied. Man afts with deliberation, will, and choice : be tJH. SXIIL The Three Unities, 319 he aims at fome end, glory, for example, ^ or riches^ or conqueft, the procuring happinefs to individualsj or to his country in general : he propofes means, and lays plans to attain the end purpofed. Here are a number of fadls or incidents, Meading to the end in view, the whole compofmg one chain by the relation of caufe and effect. In running; over a feries of fuch*^ f) ^ ' faces or mcidents, we cannot relt upon any one ; be- / " / , qaufe they are prefented to us as means only, \Q2.d\ngi,//^^J(U to fome end : but we reft with fatisfadion upon the \ Qji^ end or ultimate event ; becaufe there the purpofe or Vy^ aim of the chief perfon or peifons is accomplifhed. / Y''^^' This indicates the beginning, the middle, and they end, of what Ariftotle calls an entire adion.* The ftory naturally begins with defcribing thofe circum- ftanc'es which move the principal perfon to form a plan, in order to compafs fome defired event : the profecution of that plan and the obftru£tions, carry the reader into the heat of acdon : the middle is properly where the aftion is the moft involved ; and the end is where the event is" brought about- and the plan accomplifhed. A plan thus happily accompliflied after many obilruQions, affords wonderful delight to the reader ; to produce which, a principle mentioned above f , mainly contributes, 'the fame that difpofes the mind | to complete every work commenced, and in general/ to carry every thing to a conclufion. I have given the foregoing example of a plan crowned with fuccefs, becaufe it affords the clearefl conception of a beginning, a middle, and an end, iu which confifts unity of a£tion ; and indeed ftrifler unity cannot be imagined than in that cafe.# But an aclion may have unity, or a beginning, middle, and end, without fo intimate a relation of parts ; as where *^ Poet, np: G. See alfo cap. 7. ^ Cl'.ip. 8, «".^' 32a The Three Vnltks. Ch. XXIIL where the cataftrophe is different from what is in- tended or defired, which frequently happens in our beft tragedies. In the Mneid, the hero, after many obilru(Slions, makes his plan effectual. The ///Wis formed upon a diifcrent model : It begins with the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon ; goes on to defcribe the feveral efieds produced by that caufe ; and ends in a reconcihation. Here is unity of a£tion, no doubt, a beginning, a middle, and an end ; but inferior to that of the JEneid^ which will thus appear. The mind hath a propenfity to go forward in the chain of hiftory : it keeps always in view the expeded event ; and when the incidents or under-parts are connected by their relation to the t,sf^A\.^ the mind runs fweetly and eafily along them. This pleafure we have in the JEneid, It is not altogether fo pleafant, as in the Iliad, to conned ef- fe6ls by their common caufe ; for fuch connexion forces the mind to a continual retrofpeS: : looking back is hke- walking backward. Homer's plan is flill more defective upon another account. That the events defcribed are but imper- fe£lly connected with the wrath of Achilles, their caufe : his wrath did not exert itfelf in adion ; and the misfortunes of his countrymen were but nega- tively the effeds of his wrath, by depriving them of his affiftance. If unity of adion be a capital beauty in a fable imitative of human affairs, a plurality of unconneft- ed fables muft be a capital deformity. For the fake of variety, we indulge an under-plot that is conneft- ed with the principal : but two unconnefted events are extremely unpleafant, even where the fame ac- tors are engaged in both. Ariofto is quite licentious in that particular : he carries on at the fame time a pluraUty of unconneded ftories. Kis only excufc C!h. XXIII. The Three Unitks, 521 i«, that his plan is perfe6lly well adjufted to his fub- jecl ; for every thing in the Orlando Furiofo is wild and extravagant. Though to (late fads in the order of time is nat- ural, yet that order may be varied for the fake of j confpicuous beauties.* If, for example, a noted 1 flory, cold and fnnple in its firft movements, be made the fubject of an epic poem, the reader may be hur- ried into the heat of adion : referving the prehmi-i naries for a converfation-piece, if thought neceifary ;' and that method, at the fame time, hath a peculiar beauty from being dramatic.f But a privilege that J deviates from nature ought to be fparingly indulged ;/ and yet romance-writers make no difficulty of pre- fenting to the reader, without the leaft preparation, unknown perfons engaged in fome arduous adven- ture equally unknown. In Cajfandra^ two perfon- ages, who afterward are difcovered to be the heroes of the fable, ftart up completely armed upon the banks of the Euphrates, and engage in a fmgle combat.]; A play analyfed, is a chain of connected fatls,| of which each fcene makes a link. Each fcene, ac- cordingly, ought to produce fome incident relative to, the cataftrophe or ultimate event, by advancing or retarding it. A fcene that produceth no incident, and for that reafon may be terrned barren, ought not to be indulged, becaufe it breaks the unity of aflion : a barren fcene can never be intitled to a place, be- caufe the chain is complete without it. In the Old Bachelor, * See chap, t, + See chap. 21. :J: I am fenfible that a comrnencement of this fort is much relifhed by readers difpofed to the marveUous. Their curiolity is raifed, and ihey- are much tickled in its gratification. But curiofity is at an end with the fiift readmt^, btcaufe the perfunages are no lonoer unknown; and there- fore at the fe<:nnd readirg, a commencement fo artificial lofes its powes sven over the vulgar. A writer of genius prefers lalling beauties-i Vol. IL W 322 The Three Unities, Ch. XXIIF. Bachelor, the 3d fcene of a£l 2. and all that follow to the end of that aft, are mere converfation-pieces, produdive of no confequence. The i oth and 1 1 th Scenes, act t^. Double Dealer, the loth, nth, 12th, ■13th, and 14th fcenes, aft i. Love for Love, are of the fame kind. Neither is The way of the World en- tirely guiltlefs of fuch fcenes. It will be no juftification,. that they help to difplay charafters : it were better, like Dryden, in his dramatis perfoncc, to defcribe char- afters beforehand, which would not break the chaia of aftion. But a writer of genius has no occafion for fuch artifice : he can difplay the charafters of his perfonages much more to the life in fentiment and aftion. How fuccefsfully is this done by Shake- fpear ! in whofe works there is not to be found a fin- gle barren fcene. Upon the whole, it appears, that all the fafts In an hillorical fable, ought to have a mutual conneftion^ by their common relation to the grand event or ca- taftrophe, and this relation, in which the unity of ac- .tion confifl:s, is equally effential to epic and dramatic compofitions. C In handling unity of aftion, it ought not to efcape ' obfervation, that the mind is fadsfied with flighter unity in a pifture than in a poem ; becaufe the per- ceptions of the former are more lively than the ideas of the latter. In Hogarth's Enraged Muftcran,. we have a colleftion of every grating found in na- ture, without any mutual conneftion except that of place. But the horror they give to the dehcate ear of an Italian fidler, who is reprefented almoft in con- vulfions, beflows unity upon the piece, with which the mind is fatisfied. f How far the unities of time and of place are ef- Ifential, is a queftion of greater intricacy.^Thefe uni- ties were ftriftly obfcrved in the Greek and Roman theatres ; fcn, XXIir. The Three Vmt'ies, 323 theatres : and they are inculcated by the French and Englifh critics, as elTential to every dramatic compofition. They are alfo acknowledged by our bed poets, though in pra£tice they make frequent deviation, which they pretend not to juftify, againft the practice of the Greeks and Romans, and againft the folemn decifion of their own countrymen- But in the coui fe of this inquiry it will be made evident, that in this article we are under no neceUity to copy the ancients ; and that our critics are guilty of a miftake, in admitting no greater latitude of place and time than was admitted in Greece and Rome. Suffer me only to premife, that the unities of place | and time, are not by the moft rigid critics required in / a narrative poem. In fuch a compofition, if it pretend j to copy nature, thefe unities would be abfurd ; be-lj caufe real events are feldom confined within narrow limits either of place or of time. And yet we can follow hiftory, or an hiftorical fable, through all its changes with the greateft facility : we never once think of meafuring the real time by wh?it is taken in reading ; nor of forming any connexion between the place of action and that which we occupy. I am fenfible, that the drama differs fo far from the epic, as to admit different rules. It will be ob- ferved, " That an hiftorical fable, intended for read-i ing folely, is under no limitation of time nor of place, more than a genuine hiftory ; but that a dramatic compofition cannot be accurately reprefented, unlefs it be limited, as its reprefentadon is, to one place and to a few hours ; and therefore that it can admit no fable but what has thefe properties : becaufe it would be abfurd to compofe a piece for reprefentation that cannot be juftly reprefented." This argujnent, I ac- knowledge, has at leaft a plaufible appearance ; and yet 324 The Three Unities. Cn. XXIll yet one is apt to fufpe6b fome fallacy, confidering thai! no criticv however ftrid:, has ventured to confine the unities of place and of time within fo narrow bounds.* A view of the Grecian drama, compared with our OWL, may perhaps relieve us from this dilemma : if tl'cybe oiiferently conftructed asfliali be made evident, it is pollible that the foregoing reafoning may not be equally applicable to both. This is an article that, V ith rehiiiion to the prcfcnt iubjett, has net been ex- amined by any writer. AH authors agree, that tr:igedy in Greece was derivfd from the hymns in pi aife of Bacchus, which were fungin partsby a chorus.\ Thefpis to relieve the fingers, and for the fake of variety, introduced die aclor ; whofe province it was to explain hiftor- ically the fubjed of the fong, and who occafionally reprefented one or other perfonage.. Efchylus, in- troducirig a fecond ador, formed the dialogue, by which the performance became dramatic ; and the actors were mulripiied when the fubjeft reprefented made it neceflaiy. But ftill, the chorus, which gave a beginning to tragedy, was confidered as an eifential part. The firfl fcene, generally unfolds the prelim- inary circumflances that lead to the grand event ::, and this fccne is by Arillotie termed the prologue. In the fecond fcene, where the action properly begins, the chorus is introduced, which, as originally, con- tinues upon the ftage during tne whole performance : the chorus frequently makes one in the dialogue ^ and * BofTii, after obferving with wohderous critical ragacity, that winter is an iiiipiopcT feafon for an epic poem, and night no iefs improper for tragedy; admits however, that an epic poem may be fpiead tiircugh the whdle fiimmer months, and a rrapedy through the whole funfhinc hours of the longeft fummer-day. Dit pae?n epiquc, I. o^. Chap. 12. At that rate an Englifli tragedy moy be longer than a French tragedy ; and in Nova Zeuibla the time of a tragedy and of an epic poem may be tha fames €h. XXIII. The Three Unities. 32^ and when the dialogue happens to be fufpended, the chorus, during the interval, is employ'd in fmging. Sophocles adheres to this plan religiouliy. Euripi- des is not altogether fo correft. In fome of his pieces, it becomes neceilary to remove the chorus for a little time. But when l;hat unufual ifep is rifked, matters are fo ordered ^s not to interrupt the repre- fentaticn : the chorus never leave the ftage of their own accoi'd, but at the command of fome principal perfonage, who conftantly waits their return. Thus the Grecian drama is a conrinued reprefen- tation without interruption ; a circumftance that merits attention. A continued reprefentation with- out a paufe, affords not opportunity to vary the place of action, nor to prolong the time of the a(?:ion. beyond that of the reprefentation. To a reprefenta- tion fo confined in place and time, the foregoing rea- foning is ftridly applicable : -a real or feigned aftion that is brought to a eonclufion after confideiable in- tervals of time and frequent changes of place, cannot accurately be copied in a reprefentation that admits no latitude in either. Hence it is, that the unities of place and of time, were, or ought to have been, itriftly obferved in the Greek tragedies ; which is made neceffary by the very constitution of their drama, for it is abfurd to compofe a tragedy that can= not be juiUy reprefented. Modern critics, who for our drama pretend to eftablifh rules founded on the pradice of the Greeks, are guilty of an egregious blunder. The unities of place and of time were in Greece, as we fee, a mat- ter of neceffity, not of choice ; and I am nov/ ready to iliow, that if we fubmit to fuch fetters, it muft be from choice, not neceffity. This will be evident upj pn taking a view of the conftitution of our drama, ■isyhich differs widely from that of Greece ; whethei; W 3 more ' 326 ^he Three Unities. Ch. XXKL more or lefs perfeft, is a different point, to be hand- led afterward. By dropping the chorus, opportunity is afforded to divide the reprefentation by intervals of time, during which the ilage is evacuated and the fpeftacle fufpended. This quahfies our drama for fubjecls fpread through a wide fpace both of time and of place : the time fuppofed to, pafs during the fufpen- fion of the reprefentation, is not meafured by the time of the fufpenfion ; and any place may be fup- ^ pofed when the reprefentation is renewed, with as much facility as when it commenced : by which means, many fubjecls can be juftiy reprefented in our theatres, that were excluded from thofe of ancient Greece. This doctrine may be illuftrated, by com- paring a modern play to a fet of hiftorical pictures ; let us fuppofe them five in number, and the refem= blance will be complete. Each of the pidures refem- bles an aQ: in one of our plays : there muft neceffari- ly be the ftri^left unity of place and of time in each pidture ; and the fame neceffity requires thefe two unities during each aQ: of a play, becaufe during ai^ act th^re is no interruption in the fpedacle. Now, when we view in fucceffion a number of fuch hiftor- ical pictures, let it be, for example, the hiftory of Alexander by Le Brun,we have no difficulty to con- ceive, that months or years have paffed between the events exhibited in two different piftures, though the interruption is imperceptible in paffmg our eye from the one to the other ; and we have as little difficulty to conceive a change of place, however great. In which view, there is truly no difference betv/een five afts of a modern play, and five fuch piftures. "Where the reprefentation is fufpended, we . can with the greateft facility fuppofe any length of I time or any change of place : the fpedator, it is true, I may be confciousthat the real time and place are not \ the Ch. XXIIL The Three Unities, 327 the fame with what are employed in the reprefentation: hut this is a work of refledion ; and by the fame re- iieftion he may alfo be confcious, that Garrick is not King Lear, that the playhoufe is not Dover cUffs, nor the noife he hears thunder and lightning. In a word, after an intermption of the reprefentation, it is no more difficult for a fpedator to imagine a new place, or a liifFerent time, than at the commencement of the play, to imagine himfelf at Rome, or in a period of lime two thoufand years back. And indeed, it is abundantly ridiculous, that a critic, who is willing to hold candle-light for fun-lhine, and fome painted can- vaffes for a palace or a prifon, (hould be fo fcrupulous about admitting any latitude of place or of time in the fable, beyond what is neceflary in the reprefentation. There are, I acknowledge, fome eftecls of great j latitude in time that never ought to be indulged in / a compofition for the theatre : nothing can be more / abfurd, than at the clofe to exhibit a full grown per-/ fon who appears a child at the beginning : the mind/ rejefts, as contrary to all probabiUty, fuch latitude of time as is requifite for a change fo remarkable. The greateft change from place to place hath not al- together the fame bad efFedl. In the bulk of human affairs place is not material ; and the mind, when occupied wdth an interefting event, is little regardful of minute circumftances : thefe may be varied at will, becaufe they fcarce make any impreflion. But though I have taken arms to refcue modern poets from the defpotifm of modern critics, I would not be underflood to juftify liberty without any referve. An unbounded licence with relation to place and time, is fauky for a reafon that feems to have been overlooked, which is, that it fel- dom fails to break the unity of adion. In the ordi- nary courfe of human aifairs, fmgle events, fuch as 9-re, fit to be reprefented on the ftage, are confined tu W 4 a narrow 328 , The Three Uniiles. Ch. XXIil. a narrow fpot, and commonly employ no great extent of time : we accordingly feldom find ftrid unity of aiSlion in a dramatic compofition, where any remarka- ble latitude is indulp;ed in thefe particulars. I fay further, that a compofition which employs but one place, and requires not a greater length of time than is neceffary for the reprefentation, is fo much the more perfect : becaufe the confining an event within fo narrow bounds, contributes to the unity of adion : and alfo prevents that labour, however flight, which the mind mufl undergo in imagining frequent changes of place and many intervals of time. But flill I mufl infifl, that fuch limitation of place and time as was neceffary in the Grecian drama, is no rule to us ; and therefore, that though fuch Hmitation adds one beauty more to the compofition, it is at beft but a refinement, which may juftly give place to a thou- fand beauties more fubff antial. And I may add, that it is extremely difHcult, I was about to fay impradi- cable, to contrad within the Grecian limits, any fa- ble fo fruitful of incidents in number and variety, as, to give full fcope to the fluctuation of paffion. It may now appear, that critics who put the uni- ties of place and of time upon the fame footing with the unity of adion, making them all equally effential, have not attended to the nature and conflitution of the modern drama. If they admit an interrupted reprefentation, with vvhich no writer finds fault, it is abfurd to rejed its greatefl advantage, that of repre- fenting many interefling fubjeds excluded from the Grecian ffage. If there needs mufl be a reforma- tion, Y^hy not reftore the ancient chorus and the an- cient continuity of adion ? There is certainly no me- dium : for to admit an interruption wiihout relaxing from the ftritl unities of place and of time, is in ef- itd:. to load us with all the inconveniences of the an- cient Ch. XXIIL The Three Unities, 329 dent drama, and at the fame time to with-hold from us its advantages. The only proper queflion, therefore, is. Whether \ Gur model be or be not a real improvement ? Thi§ I indeed may fairly be called in queftion : and in or- . der to a comparative trial, forae particulars mull be premifed. When a play begins, -we have no diffi- culty to adjuPt our imagination to the fcene of ac- / tion, however diilant it be in time or in place ; be-l caufe we know that the play is a reprefcntation only. The cafe is very ditTerent after we are engaged : it is the perfection of reprefcntation to hide itfelf, to ini- pofe on the fpedator, and to produce in him an im- prelTion of reality, as if he were a fpettatof of a real event ;* but any interruption annihilates that im- preffion, by roufmg him out of his waking dream, and unhappily reiloring him to his fenfes. So diHi- cuk it is to iapport ihe impreliion o^ reality, that much fiighter interruptions than the interval between two a6ts, are fufficient tp difiolve the charm : in the 5th ad; of the Mourning Bride, the three firft fcenes are in a room of (late, the fourth in a prifon ; an4 the change is operated by fliifting the fcene, which is done in a trice: but however quick the tranfition may be, it is imprafticable to impofe upon the fpeda-i tors, fo as to make them conceive that they are actu- ally carried from the palace to the prifon ; they im^ mediately lefieft, that the palace and prifon are im- aginary, and that the whole is a fi£lion. From thefe premifes, one will naturally be \cd, at firil view, to pronounce the frequent interruptions in the modern drama to be an imperfcdion. It wid occur, " That every interruption muft have the ef- fect to banilh the dream of reality, and with it to banifh * Chap. 2. part 1. fttl. 7. ^^o The Three Umties, Ch. XXIIL banifli our concern, which cannot fubfifl while we are confcious that all is a fiftion ; and therefore, that in the modern drama fufficient time is not afforded for fluftuaticn and fwelling of paff.on, like what is aff(3|fded in that of Greece, where there is no inter- ruption." This reafoning, it muft be owned, has a fpecious appearance : but we muft not become faint-hearted upon the firft repulfe ; let us rally our troops for a fecond engagement. Confidering attentively the ancient drama, we find, that though the reprefentation is never inter- rupted, the principal action is fufpended not lefs fre- quently than in the modern drama : there are five acts in each ; and the only difference is, that in the former, when the action is fufpended as it is at the end of every act, opportunity is taken of the interval to employ the chorus in fmging. Hence it appears, that the Grecian continuity of reprefentation cannot have the effcd to prolong the irapreffion of reality : to banillr that impreffion, a paufe in the action while the chorus is employ'd in fmging, is no lefs effectual than a total fufpenfion of the reprefentation. / But to open a larger view, I am ready to fhow, I that a reprefentation with proper paufes, is better / qualified for making a deep impreffion, than a con- 1 tinned reprefentation without a paufe. This will be / evident from the following confiderations. Repre- I fentation cannot very long fupport an impreffion of reality ; for when the fpiii-ts are exhaufied by clofe attention and by the agitation of paffion, an uneafi-, nefs enfues, which never fails to banilh the waking dream. Now fuppofing the time that a man can em- ploy with ftrift attention without wandering, to be' no greater than is requifite for a fingle ad, a fuppo- fition that cannot be far from truth ; it fclloA^^, that a continued reprefentation of longer endurance than an CH,XXm. The Three Unities, 331 sn aft, inftead of giving fcope to flu6luation an4 {weeing of paffion, would overftrain the attention, and produce a total abfence of mind. In that refpeftj the four paufes have a fine efi'e6l ; for by affording j to the audience a feafonable refpite when the impref- / fion of reality is gone, and while nothing materiiii is/ in agitation, they relieve the mind from its fatigue j'^ and confequently prevent a wandering of thought at the very tim^ poffibly of the moR interefting fcenes. In one article, indeed, the Grecian model has greatly the advantage ; its chorus during an inter- val not only prelerves alive the inipreiTions made upon the audience, but alfo prepares their hearts finely for new impreflions. In our theatres, on the contrary, the audience, at the end of every aft, be- ing left to trifle time away, lofe every warm imprefr fion ; and they begin the next ad: cool and uncon- jcerned, as at the commencement of the reprefenta» tion. This is a grofs malady in our theatrical repre- fentations ; but a malady that luckily is not incurable. To revive the Grecian chorus, would be to revive the Grecian Havery of place and time ; but I can figure a detached chorus coinciding with a paufe in the reprefentation, as the ancient chorus did with a paufe in the principal a6lion. What objection, for/ example, can there lie againft mufic between the acts, vocal and inflrumemal, adapted to thefubjed ? Such detached chorus, without putting us under any lim- itation of time or place, would recruit the fpirits, and 1 would preferve entire the tone, if not the tide of pafiion : the mufic, after an aft fliould commence in the tone of the preceding pafTion, and be gradually varied till it accord with the tone of the paillon that is to fucceed in the next a6t. The mufic and the reprefentation would both of them be gainers by their conjundlon ; which will thus appear* Mufic that 3.3^ ^TfC' Three Unhies* Ch. XXIIL ihat accords with the prefent tone of mind, is, on that account, doubly agreeable ; and accordingly, kfiough mufic fnigly hath not power to raife a paffion,At tends greatly to fupport a paffion already raifed.| Further, niuhc prepares us for the paffion that follows, by making cheerful, tender, melancholy, or animated impreflions, as the fubjeQ: requires. Take for an example the fir ft fcene of the Mourning Bride, where foft mufic, in a melancholy ftrain, prepares us for Ahneria's 4e with ornament. Superfluity of decoration hath an- other bad effeO: : it gives the objed a diminutive I look : an ifland in a wide extended lake makes it appear larger ; but an artificial lake, which is al- ways little, appears dill lefs by making an ifland in it.* Iix * See appendix w part 5. chap. £. "g/j-* Gardening and ArcUteElure. Ch. XXIV^ In forming plans for embellifhing a field, an artift without tafte employs ftraight lines, circles, fquares ; /] becaufe thefe look beft upon paper. He perceives not, ^that to humour and adorn nature, is the perfedion. of his art ; and that nature, negle£ting regularity, difhributes her objeds in great variety with a bold hand. A large field laid out with flrid regularity, ^n is fliff and artificial.* Nature indeed, in organized ) ^t^7Lr|^^^.^^ comprehended under one view, ftudies regu- larity, which, for the fame reafon, ought to be lludi- ed in architecture : but in large objeds, which can- not otherwife be furveyed but in parts and by fuc- ceffion, regularity and uniformity would be ufelefs properties, becaule they cannot be difcovered by the eve.f Nature therefore, in her large works, negledls thefe properties ; and in copying nature, the artifl ought to negled them. Having thus far carried on a comparifon between ■^ gardening and archite^ure ; rules peculiar to each come next in order, beginning with gardening. The \ fimplefl: plan of a garden, is that of a fpot embellifh- ' ed with a number of natural objefts, trees, walks, polifhed parterres, flowers, ftreams, i^c. One more a complex comprehends ftatues and buildings, that nature and art may be mutually ornamental. A (^ third, approaching nearer perfedlion, is of objeds afi- ; fembled together in order to produce, not only an ^ emotion of beauty, but alfo feme other particular emotion, grandeur, for example, gaiety, or any other above * In France and Italy, a garden is difpofcd like ihe human body, alleys, like legs and arms, anfvieiing each other; the great walk in the middle reprefenting the trunk of the body. Thus an artill void of tads carries felf along into every operation. f A fquare field appears not fuch to the eye when viewed from any part of it ; and the centre is the only place where a circular Held pre* fcrves in aj-pearance its regular figure. Ch. XXIV. Gardening and ArchiteBure^ 343 above mentioned. The completefl plan of a garden is an improvement upon the third, requiring the fev- / eral parts to be lb arranged, as to infpire all the dif- Y ferent emotions that can be raifed by gardening. In this plan, the arrangement is an important circum- flance ; for it has been iliov^^n, that fome emotions figure befl in conjunQion, and that others ought al- ways to appear in fucceffion, and never in conjunc- tion. It is mentioned above,* that when the mofl oppofite emotions, fuch as gloominefs and gaiety, ftillnefs and aftivity, follow each other in fucceffion, the pleafure, on the whole, will be the greateft ; but that fuch emotions ought not to be united, becaule they produce an unpleafant mixture.! For this rea- fon, a ruin affording a fort of melancholy pleafure, ought not, to be feen from a flower-parterre which is gay and cheerful.]; But to pafs from an exhilar- ating objeft to a ruin, has a fine effect ; for each of the emotions is the more fenfibly felt by being con- trafted with the other. Similar emotions, on the other hand, fuch as gaiety and fweetnefs, ftillnefs and gloominefs, motion and grandeur, ought to be raifed together ; for their effecis upon the mind are greatly heightened by their conjundion. f/ J^ y Kent's method of embelliiliing a field, is admirable; /^f which is to replenilh it with beautiful objefts, natural i^^^H-», and artificial, difpofed as they ought to be upon a canvas in painting.j' It requires indeed more genius to paint in the gardening way : in forming a land^ fcape upon a canvas, no more is required but to ad- juft the figures to each other : an artift who would form a garden in Kent's manner, has an additional tafiv ; which is, to adjufl his figures to the feveral va- iicties of the field. A fingle * Chap. 8, i Ch?p.i2. part 4. i; See the place immediately abovt; cited. X4 KyJiMJ^ 344 Gardening and ArchiteSlicre, Ch. XXIV. A fingle garden muft be diftlnguifhed from a plu- 'j"ality ; and yet it is not obvious in what the unity of 'iitvj ^ garden confifts. We have indeed fome notion of '^'^^ unity in a garden furrounding a palace, with viewii from each window, and walks leading to every corner : but there may be a garden without a houfe ; in which cafe, it is the unity of defign that makes it one garden ; as where a fpot of ground is fo art- iully dreifed as to make the feveral portions appear to be parts of one whole. The gardens of Ver- failles, properly exprelfed in the plural number, be- ing no fewer than fixteen, are indeed all of them <:onne6led with the palace, but have fcarce any mu- tual connedion : they appear not like parts of one %vhole, but rather like fmall gardens in contiguityo A greater diftance between thefe gardens would pro- duce a better eifel«»," Ch. XXIV". Gardening and Architecture. 349 monument of a tafle the mofh depraved : the faults above mentioned, inftead of being avoided, are chofen as beauties, and multiplied without end. Nature, it v.'ould feem, was deemed too vulgar to be imitated in the works of a magnificent monarch : and for that reafon preference vv^as given to things unnatural, which probably were miftaken for fupernatural. I have often amufed myfelf with a fanciful refemblance between thele gardens and the Arabian tales : each of them is a performance intended for the amufe- ment of a great king : in the fixteen gardens of Verfailles there is no unity of defign, more than in the thoufand and one Arabian tales : and, lallly, they are equally unnatural ; groves of jcfs d'eau^ flatues of a^jimals converfrng in the manner of .^Sifop, wa- ter ifluing out of the mouths of wild beafe, give an impreffion of faix"y-land and witchcraft, no kfs than diamond-palaces, invifible rings, Ir^ells and incanta- tions. A flraight road Is the moft agreeable, becaufe it .(liortens the journey. But in an embeliifhed field -^ a flraight walk has an air of formality and confine- ment : and at any rate is lefs agreeable than a wind- ing or waving walk ; for in furveying the beauties of an ornamented field, we love to roam from place to place at freedom. Winding walks have another ad- vantage : at e^'ery flep they open new views. In iliort, the walks in pleafure-ground ought not to have any ap< pearance of a road: my intention is not to make a jour^ neybut to feaft myeyeonthebcauties of art and nature.. This rule excludes not openings directing the eye to diftant obje6ls. Such openings, befide variety, iire agreeable in various refpeds : firll:, as obfc-rved above, they extend in appearance the fize ef the field : next, an objed, at whatever diflance, continues the open- ing, and deludes the fj^edator into a conviction, that the hciiM 2^9" Gardening and Archite8ur€c Ch. XXlV* the trees which confine the view are continued till they join the object. Sraight walks in recefles do well : they vary the fcenery, and are favourable to meditation. Avoid a flraight avenue direded upon a dwelling- .AJf- houfe : better far an oblique approach in a waving , ' line, with fingle trees and other fcattered objefts in- ^^;'*''*^ /terpofed. In a direO: approach, the fir ft appearance l*^ «/v^t^3 continued to the end : we fee a houfe at a diftance, -< and we fee it all along in the fame fpot without any va- riety. In an obhque approach, the interpofed objeds put the houfe feemingly in motion : it moves with the palfenger, and appears to direct its courfe fo as hofpitably to intercept him. An oblique approach contributes alfo to variety : the houfe, feen fuccef- fively in different directions, affumes at each ftep a new fioure. o r- A garden on a flat ought to be highly and vari- efbW-oufly ornamented, in order to occupy the mind, and (j;revent our regretting the infipidity of an uniform plain. Artificial mounts in that view are common : but no perfon has thought of an artificial walk elevat- ed high above the plain. Such a walk is airy, and tends to elevate the mind : it extends and varies the profpect ; and it makes the plain, feen from a height, appear more agreeable. [ Whether fliould a ruin be in the Gothic or Gre- -y^JU-d \ clan form ? In the former, I think ; becaufe it ex- . I hibits the triumph of time over ftrength ; a melan- choly, but not unpleafant thought : a Grecian ruin fuggeils rather the triumph of barbarity over tafte j a gloomy and difcouraging thought. There are not many fountains in a good taftcr Statues of anininls vomiting water, w^hich prevail every where, ftand condemned as unnatural. A ftatue of a whale fpouting water upv/ard from its head is in one A^ Ch. XXIV. Gardening and Ai'chkedure* 351 one fenfe natural, as certain whales have that power; but it is a fufficient objeclion, that its fingularity would make it appear unnatural ; there is another reafon againfl it, that the figure of a whale is in itfelf not agreeable. In many Roman fountains, ftatues of fifhes are employed to fupport a large bafon of water. This unnatural conceit is not accountable, tinlefs from the connection that water hath with the fifli that fwim in it ; which by the way fhows the influ- ence of even the llighter relations. The bell defign for a fountain I have met with, is what follows. In. an artificial rock, rugged and abrupt, there is a cav* ity out of fight at the top : the water conveyed to it by a pipe, pours or trickles down the broken parts of the rock, and is collefted into a bafon at the foot : it is fo contrived as to make the water fall in fheets or in rills at pleafure. Hitherto a garden has been treated as a work in- tended folely for pleafure, or, in other words, for giv- ing impreffions of intrinfic beauty. What comes next in order, is the beauty of a garden deftined for ufe, termed relative beauty ;* and this branch fliall b difpatched in a few words. In gardening, luckily relative beauty need never fland in oppofition to in trinfic beauty : all the ground that can be requifit for ufe, makes but a fmall proportion of an orna jnented field : and may be put in any corner without obfiiruding the difpofition of the capital parts. At the fame time, a kitchen-garden or an orchard is fuf- ceptible of intrinfic beauty ; and may be fo artfully difpofed among the other pares, as by variety and con- trail to contribute to the beauty of the whole. In this refpeft, architecture requires a greater flretch of art, as v/ill be feen immediately ; for as intrinfic and relative beauty mull often be blended in the fame building, * See thcfs terms defined, Chap. t. 35 2i Carde7i'mg and Archlte^ure, Ch. XXIV. building, it becomes a difficult tafe to attain both in any perfeftion. U In a hot country it is a capital objed to have what / may be termed ^fum?ner-garden ; that is, a fpot of /ffiWyvu'-r^j.Qyj-i^j (jifpofed by art and by nature to exclude the f.Ji^yd/) iun, but to give free accefs to the air. In a cold ^^ J country, the capital objed Ihould be a wintei'-garde?!^ (fg/lAAT^open to the fun, fheltered from wind, dry under foot, /and taking on the appearance of fummer by va- riety of evergreens. The relilh of a country-life, to- tally extind in France, is decaying fail in Britain. But as flill many people of fafliion, and fome of tafte, pafs the v/inter, or part of it, in the country, it is amazing that winter-gardens fhould be overlooked. During fummer, every field is a garden ; but during half of the year, the weather is feldom fo good in Britain as to afford comfort in the open air without fhelter ; and yet feldom fo bad as not to afford com- fort with fhelter. I fay more, that befide providing for exercife and health, a winter-garden may be made fubfervient to education, by introducing a habit of thinking. In youth, lively fpiiits give too great a* propenfity to pleafure and amufement, making us averfe to ferious occupation. That untoward bias may be correded in fome degree by a winter-garden, which produces in the mind a calm fatisfadion, free from agitation of paflion, whether gay or gloomy j a fine tone of mind for meditation and reafoning.* Gardening * A correfpondent, whofe name I hitherto have concealed, that I might not be thought vain, and which I can no longer conceal [a,) writes to me as follows : " In life we generally lay our account with profperi- ty, and feldom, very feldom, prepare for adverlity. We carry that pro- penfity even into the flrufture of our gardens: we cultivate the gay or- naments of fummer, relifhing no plants but what flourifli by mild dews and graciou; funflunc : we banifli from our thoughts ghadly winter, when the benign influences of the f m cheering us m more, are doubly regretted bv yeilding to the piercing non'i wind and nip- ping froft. Sage is the gardener, in the metaphorical as well as literal fenfe, who procuies a friendly {helter to proteft us from Dc« ccciber (aj Mrs. Montagu, Cii. XXIV. Garde ?uj!x and ArchiuBiife, 353 Gardening being in China brought to greater per:-, fection than in any other known country, we Ihall , clofe our prefent fubjccl with a flight view of the / J Chinefe gardens, which are found entirely obfequi- /^^ If ous to the principles that govern every one of the jc/'^^ fine arts. In general, it is an indifpenfable law there^ . never to deviate from nature : but in order to pro- ^^^VV'T duce that degree of variety which is pleafmg, every iIza^iM^^ method confident with nature is put in praftice. Na- f , ture is llridly imitated in the banks of their artificial iW^>^^ ' lakes and rivers ; which fometimes are bare and ^tc-v'^-y gravelly, fometimes covered with wood quite to , the brink of the water. To flat fpots adorned v.'ith flowers and (lirubs,are oppofed others ileepand rocky* We fee meadows covered with cattle ; rice grounds that run into lakes; groves into which enter navigable creeks and rivulets : thcfe generally conducb to fome intereiling objecl, a magnificent building, terraces cut in a mountain, a cafcade, a grotto, an artificial rock. Their artificial rivers are generally ferpentine ; fome- times narrow, noify, and rapid ; fometimes deep, broad, and flow : and to make the fcene flill more atlive, mills and other moving machines are often creeled. In the lakes are interiperfed iflands ; fome barren, furrounded with rocks and flioals ; others enriched with evety thing that art and nature caa furniHi. Even in their cafcades they avoid regulari- ty, as forcing nature out of its courfe : the waters are ieen burft:ing from the caverns and windings of the artificial rocks, here a roaring catarad, there many gentle falls ; and the ftream often impeded by trees and ftones, that feem brought down by the violence of Climber florms, and ciiltivptps the plants that adorn and enliven tliat dreary «, fonlon. He is no pliilofopher who cannot retire into the Stoic's wa k, when the garden*; of Epicurus are out of bloonn : he is too much a phi- lofooher who will ri^idiv profcribe the flowers and aromatics of fammcrj «i) fit confiamly under the cvprefs fliade.'* Vol. II. Y 354 Gardening and Archiieclure. Ch. XXlV* of the current. Straight lines are fometimes indulg- ed, in order to keep in view fome interefting object at a diitance. Senfible of the influence of contraft, the Chinefe / jf Jj artiflis deal in fudden tranfitions, and in oppofmg to 7h^(ffnrMr ^^^^ other, forms, colours, and fliades. The eye is ^ conducted, from limited to extenfive views, and from ^'^'^r. lakes and rivers to plains, hills, and woods : to dark and gloomy colours, are oppofed the more brilliant : the different malfes of light and fliade are difpofed in fuch a manner, as to render the compofition diftindt in its parts, and ftriking on the whole. In planta- tions, the trees are artfully mixed according to their Ihape and colour ; thofe of fpreading branches v/ith the pyramidal, and the light green with the deep green. They even introduce decayed trees, fome erect, and fome half out of the ground.* In order to heighten contrail, much bolder ftrokes are rifked : they fometimes introduce rough rocks, dark caverns,, tfees ill formed, and feemingly rent by tempefts,or blalted by lightning ; a building in ruins, or half confumed by lire. But to relieve the mind from the harllinefs of fuch objects, the fweetefl and mofl beau- tiful fcenes always fucceed. The Chinefe fludy to give play to the imagination : hey hide the termination of their lakes ; and com- , ' monly interrupt the view of a cafcade by trees, ^~~ through which are feen obfcurely the waters as they fall. The imagination once roufed, is difpofed to magnify every objedt. Nothing is more ftudied in Chinefe gardens than to raife wonder or furprife. In fcenes calculated for that end, every thing appears like fairy-land ; a tor- rent, for example, conveyed under ground, puzzles .a ftranger •* Tafle hes fuggeHed to Kent the fame artifice. A decayed tree placed properly, contTibutes lo coiuraft ; and alfo in a penlivc or fedaie Date of mind produces a fort of pity, grounded on an jmnsmary pcifor!- j(icaiion. fy\A4A LtUi^l Ch. XXIV. Gardenmg and ArchiteBure* 2,S$ a ftranger by its uncommon found to guefs what it may be ; and to multiply fuch uncommon founds, the rocks and buildings are contrived with cavities and interftices. Sometimes one is led infenfibly into a dark cavern, terminating unexpectedly in a landfcape enriched with 'all that nature affords the moft deli- cious. At other times, beautiful walks infenfibly condud to a rough uncultivated field, where bufhes, briers, and flones interrupt the paffage : looking about for an outlet, fome rich profped unexpectedly opens to view. Another artifice is, to obfcure fome capital part by trees, or other interpofed objefts : our curiofity is raifed to know what lies beyond ; and after a few fleps, we are greatly furprifed v^ith fome fcene totally different from what was expelled. Thefe curfory obfervations upon gardening, fhall be clofed with fome reflections that mufl touch every readei'. Rough uncultivated ground, difmal to the eye, infpires peevifhnefs and difcontent : may not this be one caufe of the harfh manners of favages ? A field richly ornamented, containing beautiful ob- jects of various kinds, difplays in full luflre the good- nefs of the Deity, and the ample provifion he has made for our happinefs. Ought not the fpeftator to be filled with gratitude to his Maker, and with be- nevolence to his fellow creatures ? Other fine arts may be perverted to excite irregular, and even vic- ious emotions : but gardening, which infpires the purefl and moft refined pleafures, cannot fail to pro- mote every good affeftion. The gaiety and harmo- ny of mind it produceth, inclining the fpedator to communicate his fatisfadion to others, and to maks them happy as he is himfelf, tend naturally to cflab- lifh in him a habit of humanity and benevolence.* It * The manufaflures of filk, flax, and cotton, in tlieir prpferit advance tov,-ar ferent principles, muff be handled feparateiy. I be- gin with relative beauty, as of the greater import- ance. The proportions of a door are determined by the ufe to which it is deffined. The door of a dwelling- houfe, which ought to correfpond to the human fize, is confined to feven or eight feet in height, and three or four in breadth,. The proportions proper for the door of a barn or coach-houfe, are widely different. Another confideration enters. To ftudy intrinfic l^eauty in a coach-houfe or barn, inr?ended merely for ufe. Is obviouffy improper. But a dwelling-houfe may admit ornaments ; and the principal door of a palace demands all the grandeur that is confiftent with the foregoing proportions dictated by utility : it pught to be elevated, and approached by ffeps ; and it * A building mufl be large to produce anv fonfihle C'notion of jeg\\- larity, proportion, or beauty ; wliicli is an additional lealon for miiidirg 5,'->nvcniencc o:)!/ in a dwelling-houle of Imall iizc. Y -s CntM^j^U 358 Cardenmg and Archlteclttre. Ch. XXIV*, it may be adorned with pillars fupporting an archi- trave, or in any other beautiful manner. The door of a church ought to be wide, in order to afford au eafy paflage for a multitude : the width, at the fame time, regulates the height, as will appear by and by. The fize of windows ought to be proportioned to that of the room they illuminate ; for if the apertures be not/afficiently large to convey light to every corner, the room is unequally lighted, which is a great de- formity. The (leps of a Itair ought to be accommo- dated to the human figure, without regarding any other proportion : they are accordingly the fame in. large and in fmall buildings, becaufe both are In^* habited by men of the fame fize, I proceed to confider intrinfic beauty blended with that which is relative. Though a cube in Itfelf is ^^-^n. y >^^niore agreeable than a parallelopipedon, yet a large jj^_"i|^J^ fet on its fmaller bafe, is by Its ele- jLx^^_JT vation more agreeable; and hence the beauty of a Tv*^ Gothic tower. But fuppofmg this figure to be def- tined for a dwelling-houfe, to make way for rela- tive beauty, v/e immediately perceive that utility ought chiefly to be regarded, and that the figure, in- convenient by its height, ought to be fet upon its larger bafe : the loftinefs is gone ; but that lofs is more than compenfated by additional convenience ; for which reafcn, a figure fpread more upon the ground than raifed in height, is always preferred for a dwelling-houfe, without excepting even the moil fuperb palace. As to the divifions within, utility requires that the rooms be redangular ; for otherwife void fpaces will be left, which are of no ufe. A hexagonal figure leaves no void fpaces ; but it determines the rooms to be all of one fize, wlilch is inconvenient. A room of , a moderate fize may be a fquare 5 but. in very large rooms Ch. XXIV. Gardening and ArchiUdure, 359 rooms this figure muft, for the mofl part, give place to a parallelogram, which can more eafiiy be adjufted, than a fqiiare, to the fmaller rooms contrived entire- ly for convenience. A parallelogram, at the fame time, is the bell calculated for receiving light ; be- caufe, to avoid crofs lights, all the vifindows ought to be in one wall ; and the oppofite wall muft be fo near as to be fully lighted, otherwife the room will be obfcure. The height of a room exceeding nine or •ten feet, has little or no relation to utility j and there- fore proportion is the only rule for determining a greater height. As all artifts who love what is beautiful, are prone to ;entertain the eye, they have opportunity to exert their iaite upon palaces and fumptuous buildings, where, as above obferved, intrinfic beauty ought to have the af- cendant over that which is relative. But fuch pro- pen fity is unhappy with refpett to dwelling-houfes of moderate fize ; becaufe in thefe, intrinfic beauty can- not be difplayed in any perfection, without wound- ing relative beauty : a fmall houfe admits not much variety of form ; and in fuch houfes there is no in- stance of internal conveiiizrxe being accurately ad- jufted to external regularity : I am apt to believe that it is beyond the reach of art. And yet architeits never give over attempting to reconcile thefe two in- compatibles : how otherwife fliould it happen, that of the endlefs variety of private dweUing-houfes, there is fcarce an inftance of any one being chofen for a pattern ? the unwearied propenfity to make a houfe regular as well as convenient, forces the archited:, in fam.e articles to facrihce convenience to regularity, and in others, regularity to convenience ; and the lioufe which turns out neither regular nor conveni- ent, never fails to diiphafc : the faults are obvious j, and Y 4 iJ«Mn> '3^0 Gardening and ArchiteBure. Ch. jtXiV* and the difficulty of doing better is known to the artift only.* Nothing can be more evident, than that the form of a dwelHng-houfe ought to be fuited to the climate : and yet no error is more common, than to copy in Britain the form of Italian houfes ; not forgetting even thofe parts that are purpofely contrived for air, and for excluding the fun. I fliall give one or two inftances. A colonnade along the front of a build- ing, hath a fine effe^St in Greece and Italy, by pro- ducing coolnefs and obfcurity, agreeable properties in warm and luminous climates : but the cold climate of Britain is altogether averfe to that ornament ; and therefore, a colonnade can n^ver be proper in this country, unlefs for a portico, or to communicate with a detached building. Again, a logio laying the houfe open to the north, contrived in Italy for gathering cool air, is, if pollibie, ftill more improper for this climate: fcarce endurable in- fummer, it, in winter, cxpofes the houfe to the bitter blafls of the north, and to every Ihower of fnovv and rain. Having faid what appeared neceffary upon relative auty, the next ftep is, to view architetlure as one ^of the fine arts ; which will lead us to the examina- ' tion of fuch buildings, and parts of buildings, as are ' calculated folely to pleafe the eye. , In the works of Nature, rich and magnificent, variety prevails ; and in works of Art that are contrived to imitate Nature, the great art is to hide every appearance of art ; which IS done by avoiding regularity, and indulging variety. But in works of art that are original, and not imitative, the timid hand is guided by rule and compafs ; and accordingly in architefture ftriO: regularity and uni- formity are fcudied, as far as confident with utility. T Proportion I t " Houfes are built to live in, and not to look on.; therefore let ufc be preferred before uniformity, except whcie both may be had " Lord Vcrv.lavi, r the following fuit of rooms : firft, a portico ; fecond, a paftage with-^ in the houfe, bounded by a double row of columns con- neded hi\ yft*^ Ch. XXIV. Gardenbig and Archiie^ure, 369 nefted by arcades 5 third, an odagon room, or of any other figure, about the centre of the building j, and laflly, the great room. A double row of windows mud be difagreeable by diftributing the light unequally : the fpace in partic- ulai between the rows is always gloomy. For that reafon, a room of greater height than can be conveniently ferved by a fingle row, ought regularly to be lighted from the roof. Artids have gener- ally an inchnation to form the great room into a double cube, even v/ith the ^ inconvenience of a double row of windows: they are pleafed with the regularity, overlooking that it is mental only, and not vihble to the eye, which feldom can diilinguifh be- tv^een the height of 24 feet and that of 30.* Of all the emotions that can be raifed by archi- leclure, grandeur is that which has the greateft in- ■ fluence on the mind ; and it ought therefore to be^ the chief ftudy of the artift, to raife this emotion in great buildings deftined to pleafe the eye. But as grandeur depends partly on hze, it feems fo far un- lucky for architecture, that it is governed by regu- larity and proportion, which never deceive the eye by m^aking objects appear larger than they are in re- ality : fuch deception, as above obfcrved, is never found but with fome remarkable difproportion of parts. But though regularity and proportion con- tribute nothing to grandeur as far as that emotion depends on fize, they in a diiferent refpe£t contribute greatly to it, as has been explained above. f Next * One who has not given peculiar attention will fcarce imagine havr imperf(.£t our judgment is about diflances, wiiliont cxpericr.ce. Our looks heinCT oenerally dirpc^rtl to objefts upon the ground around us, we jud<;e tolerablv of horizontal difiances : but feldom having occafion to look upward in a perpendicular line, we (carce can furm any judgment of dil-iancei in that direftlon. + Cha^. 4. Vol. II, 2i 37c> Gardening and Architeclure. Ch. XXIV. ^ J Next of ornaments, which contribute to give build- f^fTlU^i^^^^ings a peculiar expreffion. It has been doubted whether a building can regularly admit any orna- ment but what is ufeful, or at leail has that appear- ance. But confidering the different purpofes of arch- itecture, a fine as well as an ufeful art, there is no good reafon why ornaments may not be added to pleafe the eye without any relation to ufe. This liberty is allowed in poetry, painting, and gardening, and why not in architedlure confidered as a fine art ? A private dwelling-houfe, it is true, and other edi- fices where ufe is the chief aim, admit not regularly any ornament but what has the appearance, at leaft, of ufe ; but temples, triumphal arches, and other buildings intended chiefly or folely for fliow, admit every fort of ornament. A thing intended merely as an ornament may be of any figure and of any kind that fancy can fug- geft ; if it pleafe the fpeo good reafon for adding, a fourth order, more than a fifth, a fixth, l^c. without any pollible circumfcription. To iiluftrate this dodrine, I make the following , obfervation. If M^e regard dellination only, the / Tufcan is of the fame order with. the Doric, and the \ XZ!ompofite with the Corinthian ; but if we regard \ form merely, they are of different orders. The ornaments of thefe three orders ought to be fo contrived as to make them look like what they are intended for. Plain and ruftic ornaments would be not a httle difcordant with the elegance of the Co- rinthian order ; and ornaments fweet and delicate no iefs fo, with the ftrength of the Doric. For that rea- fon, I am not altogether fatisfied with the ornaments of the laft mentioned order : if they be not too deli- cate, they are at leall too numerous for a pillar in which the character of utility prevails over that of beauty. The crowding of ornaments would be more fufferable in a columh of an oppofite character. But this is a flight obiecllon, and I wiili I could think the fame of what foUov/s. The Corinthian order has been the favourite of two thoufand years, and yet I cannot force myfelf to reiifli its capital. The inven- tion of this florid capital is afcribed to the fculptor Caliimachus, who took a hint from the plant Acan- ihus^ growing round a bafket placed accidentally upon it ; and in faft the capital under confideration reprc- fents pretty accurately a bafket fo ornamented. This objecl:, or its imitation in flone, placed upon a pillar, may look well j but to make it the capital of a pillay intended Ch. XX'IV. Gardening and ArchiteBure. 377 intended to fupport a building, mult give the pillar an appearance inconfiflent with its dellination : an Acanthus, or any tender plant, may require iupport, but is altogether infufiicient to iupport any thing heavier than a bee or a butterfly. This capital mu(t alfo bear the weiprht of another objeftion : to repre* fent a vine wreathing round a column with its root feemingly in the ground, is natural ; but to reprefent an Acanthus, or any plant, as growing on the top of a column, is unnatural. The elegance of this capital did probably at hrfl draw a vail over its impropriety ; and now by long ufe it has gained an eftablilhment, rel|>e6ted by every artift. Such is the force of cuf- tom, even in contradiction to nature ! ^ It will not be gaining much ground to urge, that the bafl-iet, or vafe, is underftood to be the capital, and that the ftems and leaves of the plant are to be con- fidered as ornaments merely ; for, excepting a plant, nothing can be a more improper fupport for a great building than a bailsLetorvale even of the firme/i: texture. Yv-^ith refped: to buildings of every fort, one rule, dic- tated by utility, is, that they be firm and ftable. An- other rule, dictated by beauty, is, that they alfo appear fo : for what appears tottering and in hazard of tumb- ling, produceth in the i|3e6tator the painful eniotion of fear, inftead of the pleafant emotion of beauty ; and, accordingly, it is the great care of the artiit, that eve- ry part of his edifice appear to be well iiipported. Procopius, defciibing the church of St. Sopliia in Conllantinople, one of the wonders of the'world, ntentions with applaufe a part of the fabric placed above the eait front in form of a half-moon, fo con- trived as to infpirc both fear and admiration: for though, fays he, it is perfectly well fupported, yet it is fufpended in fuch a manner as if it were to tumble 4owu the ne;it moment. This conceit is a foit of fuife 37 3 Gardening and Architedure. Ch. XXIV, falfe Vv'it in archlteclure, which men were fond of in the infancy of the fine arts. A turret jutting out from an angle in the uppermoft flory of a Gothic tower, is a witticifm of the fame kind. To fucceed in allegorical or emblematic orna- jnents, is no flight effort of genius ; for it is extreme- ly difficult to difpofe them fo in a building as to pro- duce any good effeft. The mixing them with reali- ties, makes a miferable jumble of truth and fidion.* In a balTo relievo on Antonine's pillar, rain obtained by the prayers of a Chriftian legion, is expreffed by joining to the group of foldiers a rainy Jupiter, with water in abundance falling from his head and beard. De Piles, fond of the conceit, carefully informs his reader, that he muft not take this for a real Jupiter, but for a fymbol which among the Pagans fignified rain : he never once confiders, that a fymbol or em- blem ought not to make part of a group reprefenting real objects or real events ; but be fo detached, as even at firil view to appear an emblem. But this is not all, nor the chieJP point : every emblem ought to be rejected that is not clearly expreffive of its meaning ; for if it be in any degree obfcure, it puz- zles, and doth not pleafe. The temples of Ancient and Modern Virtue in the gardens of Stow, appear not at firft view emblematical ; and when we are in- formed that they are fo, it is not eafy to gather their meaning : the fpeclator fees one temple entire, another in ruins ; but without an explanatory in- fcription, he may guefs, but cannot be certain, that the former being dedicated to Ancient Virtue, the, latter to Modern Virtue, are intended a fatire upon the prefent times. On the other hand, a t?ite em- blem, like 'a trite fimile, is difguftful.t Nor ought an emblem more than a fmiile to be founded on low or * See chap. 20. feft. 5. f See chap. 8. Ch. XXIV. Gardenhig and Archtte&ure. 379 or familiar objects ; for if thefe be not agreeable as well as their meaning, the emblem upon the whole will not be reliflied. A room in a dwelling-houfe containing a monument to a deceafed friend, is ded- icated to Melancholy : it has a clock that ftrikes ev- ery minute, to fignify how fwiftly time paifes — upon, the monument, weeping figures and other hackney'd. ornaments commonly found upon tomb-flones, with a (luffed raven in a corner— -verfes on death, and other ferious fubjeds, infcribed all around. The objeds are too familiar, and the artifice too apparent, to produce the intended effe6l.* The flatue of Moles ftriking a rock from which water actually ilfues, is alfo in a falfe tafte ; for it is mixing reality with reprefentation. Mofes himfelf may bring water out of the rock, but this miiacle is too much for his flatue. The fame objection lies againft a cafcade where the flatue of a w^ater-god pours out of his urn real water. I am more doubtful whether the fame objection lies againll the employing ftatues of animals as fup- -^ ports, that of a negro, for example, fupporting a dial, ftatues of fiih, fupporting a bafon of water, Tejines fupporting a chimney-piece ; for when a ftone is ufed as a fupport, where is the incongruity, it will be faid, to cut it into the form of an animal ? But leav- ing this doubtful, another objection occurs. That fuch defigns mufl in fome meafure be difagreeable, by the appearance of giving pain to a feniitive being. ' It is obferved above of gardening, that it contrib- n'^'*'*^ utes to re(5titude of manners, by inlpiring gaiety and^<^^^ benevolence. 1 add another obfervation. That both 0''* i gardening J" ■•'■ lii the citv of Mexico, ilicrc vas a palace termed the hciifc of of. Jliciiiu, where Montezuma retiied iij)oii lofipo any of liis 'fncnds, or up. on ;inv public c.ilamitv. This lioufe was better adjuiied to its dcfliiia- tion : it inlpircd a fott of liorror : all was black and dilmal : fmnlj windows (hut up with giatcs, i'carce allowing pelFage to ilu- li.alit, 5S0 Gardening and Anhiie&ure, Ch. XXIV^. gardening and archlte^ure contribute to the fame end, by infpiring a tafte for neatnefs and elegance. In Scotland, the regularity and polilh even of a turn- pike-road has fome influence of this kind upon the low people in the neighbourhood. They become fond of regularity and neatnefs ; which is difplayed, firft upon their yards and little inclofures, and next within doors. A tafte for regularity and neatnefs thus acquired, is extended by degrees to drefs, and. even to behaviour and manners. The author of a hiftory of Switzerland, defcribing the fierce manners of the Plebeians of Bern three or four centuries ago, continually inured to fuccefs in war, which made them. infoientiy aim at a change of government in order to cftabiiib: a pure democracy, obferves, that no circum- ftance tended more to fweeten their manners, and to inake them fond of peace, than the public buildings carried on by the fenate for ornamenting their capital ; particularly a fme town-houfe, and a magnificent church, which to this day, fays our author, (lands iti giound as one of the finefl in Europe. C H A P» CHAP. XXV, Standard of Tajle. HAT there is no difputing about, taile,'* jtiieaning tafle in its figurative as well as proper fenfe^ is a faying fo generally received as to have become a proverb. One thing even at firfl view is evident, that ' if the proverb hold true with refpeO: to tafte in its proper meaning, it mull hold equally true with refpe^t to our other external fenfes : if the plcafures of the • palate dildain a comparative trial, and reject all criti* cifm, the pleafures of touch, of ihicll, of found, and even of fight, muil be equally privileged. At that rate, a man is not within the reach of cenfure, even v/here he prefers the Saracen's head upon a fign-polt before the beft tablature of Raphael, or a rude Gothic tovv^er before the fineft Grecian building ; or where he prefers the fmell of a rotten carcafs before that of the moft odoriferous flower, or difcords before the moft exquifite harmony. But v/e cannot ftop here. If the pleafures of ex- ternal fenfe be exempted from criticifm, why not every one of our pleafures, from whatever fource deriv- ed ? if tafte in its proper fenfe cannot be difputed, there is little room for difputing it in its figurative fenfe. The proverb accordingly comprehends both ; and in that large fenfe may be refolved into the following' general propofition. That with refpect to the percep- tions of fenfe, by which fonie objefts appear agreea- ble, fome difagreeable, there is not fuch a thing as a good or a had^ a right or a ivrong ; that every maji's tafte is to himfelf an ultimate ftandard without ap- peal j 3 §2 Standard of Tajle. Ch. XXV, peal ; and confequently that there Is no ground of cenfure againft any one, if fuch a one there be, who prefers Blackmore before Homer, feJiiflmefs before benevolence, or cowardice before magnanimity. The proverb In the foregoing examples is indeed carried very far : it feems difficult, however, to fap its foundation, or with fuccefs to attack it from any quarter : for is not every man equally a judge of what ought to be agreeable or difagreeable to him- felf ? doth it not feem whimfical, and perhaps abfurd, to aflert, that a man ought not to be pleafed when he is, or that he ought to be pleafed when he is not ? This teafoning may perplex, but will never afford convidion : every one of tafte will reje6l it as falfe, however unqualified to detect the fallacy. At the fame time, though no man of tafle will afient to the proverb as holding true in every cafe, no man will affirm that It holds true in no cafe : objeds there are, ■ undoubtedly, that we may like or diflike indifferently, ifvlthout any imputation upon our tafte. Were a philofoper to make a fcale for human pleafures, he would not think of making divifions without end ; but would rank together many pleafures ariiing per- haps from different objeds, either as equally conduc- ing to happlnefs, or differing fo imperceptibly as to make afeparation unneceffary. Nature hath taken this courfe, at lead it appears fo to the generality of man- kind. There may be fubdivifions without end ; but we are only fenfible of the groffer divifions, compre- hending each of them various pleafures equally af- feftlng ; to thefe the proverb Is applicable in the ftrlclefl fenfe ; for with refpecl to pleafures of the fame rank, what ground can there be for preferring one before another ? if a preference In fact be given by any individual, it cannot proceed from tafte, but from cuftom, Imitation, or fome peculiarity of mind. Nature, Ch. XXV. Standard of Tap. 383 Nature, in her fcale of pleafures, has been fparing of divifions : Ihe hath wifely and benevolently filled every divifion with many pleafures ; in order that individuals may be contented with their own lot, without envying that of others. Many hands mufh be employed to procure us the conveniences of Ufe 5 and it is neceffary that the different branches of bufinefs, whether more or lefs agreeable, be filled with hands : a taile too refined would obllrucl that plan ; -for it would crowd fome employments, leaving others, no lefs ufeful, totally neglected. In our pref-^ ent condition, lucky it is that the plurality are not delicate in their choice, but fall in readily with the occupations, pleafures, food and company, that for^ tune throv.'s in their way ; and if at firft there be any difpleahng circumftance, cuftom foon makes it eafy. The proverb will hold true as to the particular,^ now explained ; but when applied in general to everv fubjecl of tafte, the difficukies to be encountered are infuperable. We need only to mention the difficulty that arifes from human nature itfelf ; do we not talk of a good and a bad tafte ? of a right and a wrong taffe ? and upon that fuppofition, do we not, with great confidence, cenfure writers, painters, architedls, and every one who deals in the fine arts ? Are fuch criticifms abfurd, and void of common fenfe ? have the foregoing expreffions, familiar in all languages and among all people, no fort of meaning ? This can hardly be ; for what is univerfal, mull have a foun- dation in nature. If we can reach that foundation, the flandard of tade will uo longer be a fecret. We have a fenfe or conviction of a common \v,\- ture, not only in our ov/n fpecies, but in every fpe- cies of animals : and our ■ conviclion is verified bv experience ; for there appears a reaiarkable uniform- ■ \\\ 384 Standard of Taje. Ch. XXV. ity among creatures of the fame kind, and a deform- ity no lefs remarkable among creatures of different kinds. This comtnon nature is conceived to be a model or ftandard for each individual thatbelonp-s to , o the kind. Hence it is a wonder to iind an individual deviating from the common nature of the fpecies, whetht-r in its internal or external conftrudion : a child born with averfion to its mother's milk, is a wonder, no lefs than if born without a mouth, or v/ith more than one.* This conviSlion of a cemmon nature in every fpecies, paves the way finely for dif- tributing things mto genera ^md. fpecies y to which we arc extremel}^ prone, not only with regard to animals and vegetables, where nature has led the way ; but alfo with regard to many other things, where there is no ground for fuch diftribution, but fancy merely. With refpeft to the common nature of man in particular, we have a conviction that it is invariable not lefs than univerfal ; that it will be the fame here- after as at prefent, and as it was in time pad ; the fame among all nations and in all corners of the earth. Nor are we "deceived ; becaufe, giving allowance for the difference of culture and gradual refinem.ent of manners, the fadt correfponds to our conviction. We are fo conftituted, as to conceive tliis common nature, to be not only invariable, but alfo ^pcrfeft or right ; and confequently that individuals ought to be made conformable to it. Every remarkable deviation from the ftandard, makes accordingly an impreffion upon us of imperfeftion, irregularity, or diforder : it is difagreeable, and raifes in us a pahiful emotion : monflrous births, exciting the curiofity of a philofo- pher, fciil not at the fame time to excite a fort of horror. This * See Effdys on Morality and Natural Religion, part j, cffay a.ch. x^ Ch. XXV. Standard of ToftC* 385 This convidion of a common nature or flandard and of its perfcdtion, accounts clearly for that re- , markable conception we have, of a right and a wrong fenfe or tafte in morals. It accounts not lefs clearly , for the conception we have of a right and a wrong * fenfe or tafte in the fine arts. A man v/ho, avoiding objeds generally agreeable, delights in objects gener- ally difagreeable, is condemned as a monller : we difapprove his tafte, as bad or wrong, becaufe v/e have a clear conception that he deviates from the common flandard. If man were fo framed as not to have any notion of a common ilandardjthe proverb mentioned in the beginning v.'ould hold univerfally, not only in the fine arts, but in morals : upon that fuppofition, the tafte of every man, with refpedl to both, would to himfelf be an ultimate ftandard. But as the con- viction of a common ftandard is univerfal and a branch of our nature, we intuitively conceive a taile to be right or good if conformable to the commion. ftandard^ and w^rong or bad if difconformable. No particular in human nature is more univerfal,.' 'than the uneafmefs a man feels when in matters off importance his opinions are rejefted by others : why'' ftiOuld ditFerence in opinion create uneaftnefs, m^ore than diiTerence in ft.ature, in countenance, or in drefs ? Ihe conviclion of a common ft:andard explains the myftery : every man, generally fpeaking, taking it for granted that his opinions agree with the comimou fenfe of mankind, is therefore difgufted with thofe who think differently, not as differing from him, but as diflering from the common ftandard : hence in all difputes, we find the parties, each of them equally appealing conftantly to the common fenfe of mankind as the ultimate rule or ftandard. With reipetf to points arbitrary or indifferent, which are not fuppofed to be regulated by any ftandard^ individuals are per- VoL.'lI. A a milted J 86 Standard of Tajh, Ch. XXsT^ mitted to think for themfelves with impunity : the fame liberty is not indulged with refpecl to points that are reckoned of moment ; for v/hat reafon, other than that the ftandard by which thefe are reg- ulated, ought, as we judge, to produce an uniformity of opinion in all men ? In a word, to this conviftion of a common ftandard muft be wholly attributed, the pleafure we take in thofe who efpoufe the fame prin- ciples and opinions with ourfelves, as well as the averfion we have at thofe who differ from us. In matters left indifferent by the flandard, we find noth- ing of the fame pleafure or pain : a bookilh man, unlefs fwayed by convenience, relifheth riot the con- templative man more than the active ; his friends and companions are chofen indifferently out of either clafs : a painter conforts with a poet or mufician, as readily as with thofe of his own art ; and one is not the more agreeable to me for loving beef, as I do, nor the lefs agreeable for preferring mutton. I have ventured to fay, that my difgufl is raifed, not by differing from me, but by differing from v/hat I judge to be the common ftandard. This point, be- ing of importance, ought to be firmly eflablifhed» Men, it is true, are prone to flatter themfelves, by taking it for granted that their opinions and their talle are in all refpects conformable to the common ftandard ; but there may be exceptions, and experi- ence fliows there are fome : there are inftances with- out number, of perfons who are addided to the grofier amufements of gaming, eating, drinking, without having any relifli for more elegant pieafures, fuch, for example, as are afforded by the fine arts ; yet thefe very perfons talking the fame language with, the reft of mankind, pronounce in favour of the more elegant pieafures, and they invariably approve thofe who have a more refined tafte, being afliamed of their own Ch. XXV. Standard of Tajie. 387 own as low and fenfual. It is in vain to think of giving a reafon for this fnigular impartiality, other than the authority of the common ftandard with re- fped to the dignity of human nature :* and from the inflances now given, we difcover that the authority of that ftandard, even upon the moft grovelHng fouls, is fo vigorous, as to prevail over felf-partiality, and to make them defpife their own tafte compared with the more elevated tafte of others. Uniformity of tafte and fentiment vefuking from • our conviction of a common ftandard, leads to two \ important final caufes : the one refpefting our duty,| the other our paftime. Barely to meniion the firft( iOiall be fufficient, becaufe it does not properly belong \ to the prefent undertaking. Unhappy it would be '' for us did not uniformity prevail in morals : that our actions ftiould uniformly be directed to what is good and againft what is ill, is the greateft bleffing in fociety ; and in order to unifolrmity of action, uniformity of opinion and fentiment is indifpenfable. With refpe6t to paftime in general, and the fine arts in particular, the final caufe of uniformity is iliuftrious. Uniformity of tafte gives opportunity for fumptuous and elegant buildings, for fine gardens, and extenfive embeliiiliments, which pleafe univer- fally ; and the reafon is, that without uniformity of tafte, there could not -be any fuitable reward, either of profit or honour, to' encourage men of genius to labour in fiich works, and to advance them toward perfeftion. The fame uniformity of tafte is equally necefiary to perfect the art of mufic, fculpture, and painting, and to fupport the expenfe they require after they are brought to perfeftion. Nature is in every particular ccnfiftent with herfelf : we are framed by Nature to have a high relifh for the fine arts, * ?cs cbap. II, A a 2 388 Standard of Tap. Gh. XXV, arts, which are a great fource of happmefs, and friendly in a high degree to virtue : we are, at the fame time, framed with uniformity of tafte, to furnifh proper objeds tor that high rehfli ; and if uniformity did not prevail, the fine arts could never have made ■ any figure. And this fuggefls another final caufe no lefs illuf- trious. The f^paration of men into different claifes, jhy birth, office, or occupation, however necefl'ary, y! tends to relax the connection that ought to be among r members of the fame ft ate ; which bad effect is in \ fome meafure prevented by the accefs all ranks of i! people have to public fpeclaclesj and to amufements that are befl enjoyed in company. Such meetings, where every one partc^kes of the fame pleafures in. common, .'.re no flight fupport to the focial affedions. Thus, upon a conviction common to the fpecies is erecled a ftandard of tafte, which without hefitaticn is applied to the tafte of every individual. That ftandard-, afcertaining what aftions are right, what wrong, what proper, what improper, hath enabled moralifls to eftablifh rules for our conduct, from which no perfon is permitted to fwerve. \\[q. have the fame iiandard for afcertaining in all the fine arts, what is beautiful or ugly, high or low, proper or im- proper, proportioned or difpropordoned : and here, as in morals, we juftiy condemn every tafte that deviates from what is thus afccrtained by the common ftandard. That there exifts a rule or ftandard in nature for trying the tafte of individuals, in the fine arts as well as in morals, is a tiiicovery ; but is not fufficient to comiplete the tailv undertaken. A branch liill more important remains upon hand ; which is, to afcer- tain what is truly the ftandard of nature, that we may not lie open to have a fiilfe ftandard impofed on- us. But what means fhall be employed for bringing to light this natural llaij^dard ? This is not obvious ; for Ch. XXV. Slandat^d of Tap, 3S9 for when we have recourfe to general opinion and general pracllce, we are betrayed into endlefs pclplex- kies. Hiftory informs us, that nothing is more vari- able than tafle in the iine arts : judging by numbers, the Gothic tafte of architedure muft be preferred before that of Greece, and the Chinefe taile proba- bly before either. It would be endlefs to recount the various taftes that have prevailed in diirerent ages with refpe6t to gardening, and ffill prevail in diirer- ent countries. Defpifing the modeil colouriiig of nature, women of fafliion in France daub their cheeks with a red powder ; nav, an unnatural fwelling irt the neck, peculiar to the inhabitants of the Alps, is reliflied by that people. But we ought not to be dif- couraged by fucli untoward inftances, when we find as great variety in moral opinions : was it not among fome nations held lawful for a man to fell his chil- dren for flaves, to expofe them in their infancy to wild beads, and to puniih them for the crime of their parents ? was any thing more common than to mur- der an enemy in cold blood ? nay more, did not law once authorife the abominable practice of human fac- rlfices, no lefs impious than immoral ? Such aberra- tions from the rules of morality prove only, that men, originally favage and brutal, acquire not rationality nor delicacy of tade till they be long difciphned in fociety. To afcertain the rules of morality, we ap- peal not to the common fenfe of favages, but of men in their more perfed ftate : and we make the fame appeal in forming the rules that ought to govern the fme arts : in neither can we fafely rely on a local or tranfitory tafte ; but on what is the moil general and the molt lading among polite nations. In this very manner, a fuandard for morals has been • afcertalned with a good dpat of accuracy, and is daily '< applied by able judges with general fatisfaiflon. The {landaid of tafte in the faie arts, Is not yet brought A a 3 tq S90 Standard of Tajle, ' Ch. XX V« > to fuch perfedion; and we can account for its flower I progrefs : the fenfe of right and wrong in ac- ' tions is vivid and diftind, becaufe its objetls are clearly diftinguifhable from each other ; whereas the fenfe of right and v/rong in the fine arts is faint and wavering, becaufe its objeds are commonly not fo clearly diftinguifnable from each other, and there appears to me a ftriking final caufe in thus diflin- guifhing the moral fenfe from the fenfe of right and wrong in the fine arts. The former, as a rule of condud, and as a law we ought to obey, mult be clear and authoritative. The latter is not entitled to the fame privilege, becaufe it contributes to our pleaf-. ure and amufement only : were it flrong and livelya it would ufurp upon our duty, and call off the atten- tion from matters of greater moment : were it clear and authoritative, it would banifh all difference of tafte, leaving no diftindion between a refined tafte and one that is not fo : which would put an end to rivalfhip, and confequently to all improvement. But to return to our fubjed. However languid and cloudy the com.mon fenfe of mankind may be as to the fine arts, it is notwithfianding the only fland- srd in thefe as v.'cii as in morals. True it is indeed, that in gathering the common fenfe of mankind, • more circumfpedion is requifite with refped to the fine arts than with refped to morals : upon the lat- ter, any perfon maybe confulted: but in the former, a. wary choice is neceifary, for to colled votes in- differently would certainly miilead us. Thofe who depend for food on bodily labour, are totally void of tafle ; of fuch a tafte at leaf! as can be of ufe in the fine arts. This confideration bars the greater part of mankind ; and of the remaining part, many by a cor- • rupted tafte are unqualified for voting. The com- \mon fenfe of mankind muft then be confined to the few €h. XXV. Standard of Tafic, 391 -few that fall not under thefe exceptions. But as\ fuch feleftion feems to throw matters again into un- certainty, we mufl be more explicit upon this branch of our fubjed. Nothing tends more than voluptuoufnefs to cor- rupt the whole internal frame, and to vitiate our tafte, not only in the fine arts, but even in morals : ' Voluptuoufnefs never fails, in courfe of time, to ex- tinguifh all the fympathetic affeftions, and to bring on a beaftly felfilhnefs, which leaves nothing of man but the fliape : about excluding fuch perfons there will be no difpute. Let us next bring under trial, | the opulent who delight in expenfe : the appetite for j fuperiority and refpeft, inflamed by riches, is vented ' upon coilly furniture, numerous attendants, a prince- ly dwelling, fumptuous feafts, every thing fuperb and gorgeous, to amaze and humble all beholders : fimplicity, elegance, propriety, and things natural, fweetor amiable, are defpifed or neglected : for thefe are not appropriated to the rich, nor make a figure in the public eye : in a word, nothing is relifhed, but what ferves to gratify pride, by an imaginary ex- altation of the poffeffor above thofe who furround him. . Such fentiments contrad the heart, and make every principle give way to felf-love : benevolence and public fpirit, with all their refined emotions, are little felt, and lefs regarded ; and if thefe be exclud- ed, there can be no place for the faint and delicate emotions of the fine arts. The exclufion of claiTes fo many and numerous, reduces within a narrow compafs thofe who are qual- ified to be judges in the fine arts. Many circum-; fiances are neceffaiy to form fuch a judge : There ' mufl be a good natural tafle ; that is, a tafle ap-| proaching, at leafi: in fonie degree to the delicacy; jof tafle above defcribed :* that tafle mull be im- proved ' * Chap. 2. part c, A a 4 392 Standard of Tajie, Ch. XXV. proved by education, refieclion, and experience :* it mud be preferved in vigour by living regularly, by ufing the goods of fortune with moderation, and by following the didates of improved nature, which give welcome to every rational pleafure without in- dulging any excefs. This is the tenor of life which of all contributes the moft to refinement of tafte ; and the fame tenor of life contributes the moil to happinefs in general. If there appear much uncertainty in .a ftandard that requires fo painful and intricate a feledion, we may poffibly be reconciled to it by the following confideration, That, with refpecl to the fine arts, there is lefs difference of ta[l:e than is commonly imagined. Nature hath marked all her works Vv'ith indelible characlers of high or low, plain or elegant, ftrong or weak : thefc, if at all perceived, are feidora mil- apprehended ; and the fame marks are equally per- • teptible in works of art. A defective tafte is incur- able J * That triefe particulars are ui'eful, it rnay be fii'td neceffary, for ac- quiring a dii'ceinin^T ta'ie in the fine arts, will appear from the following fa61s, which 'bow ihe influence of ex'jerience fi;:gly. Thofe who live in' the world and in go'.id conioany, are quick-fighted with relpeft to every defi'fl or irreg\i!aritv in behaviour : the very flighted fingularity in mo- tion, in fpeech, or in dr fs, which to a pcafant would be invifible, efcapes no! th.eir obfeivation. The mod minuie differences in the human coun- tenance, fo minute a? to be far beyond ihe reach of words, are diflinftly perceived by the plained perfon ; while at the fame time, the generality liave very liitle difcernment in the faces of other animals to which they are lef^ accudomed : Sheep, for example, appear to have all the fame face, except to the diepherd, who knows every individual in his flock as he does his relations and neighbours. The very populace m Athens were critics in language, in pronunciation, and even in eloquence, harrangues being their d^ily entertainment. In Rome, at prefcnt, the mod illiterate ibopkeeper is a better judge of flatucs and of piflures, than perfons of re- lined education in London. Thefe fafts a.Tord convincing evidence, that a dlfceruing tade depends dill more on experience than on nature. But thefe fafts merit peculiar regard for another reafon, that they open to u-? a fure method of improving our tade in the fine arts ; which, with thole vyho have leilure for improvements, ought to be a powerful incitement to cultivate a tade in thefe aits: an occupation that cani,ot fail to em- bellith their inantiers, and to fwcetcn fociety. Ch. XXV. Standard of Tafle. 393 able ; and It hurts none but the poiTefibr, becaufe It carries no authority to impcfe upon others. I know not if there be fuch a thmg as ataile naturally biul or wrong ; a talte tor example, that prefers a groveling pleafure before one that is high and ele- gant : groveling pleafures are never preferred ; they are only made welcome by thofe who know no bet- ter. Differences about objefts of tafte, it is true, ^re endleis ; but they generaiiy concern trifles, or poiiibiy matters of equal rank, where preference may be given either way with impunity : if, on any occa- . fion, perfons dijter where they ought not, a deprav- ed talle will readily be difcovered on one or other fide, occafioned by imitation, cuftom, or corrupted manners, fuch as are defcribed above. And confid- ering that every individual partakes of a commoa nature, what is there that fhould occafion any wide- difference in tafte or fentiment ? By the principles that conftitute the fenfative part of our nature, a wonderful uniformity is preferved in the eniotions and feelings of the dilterent races of men ; the fame object making upon every perfon the fame impref- iion, the fame in kind, if not in degree. There have been, as above obferved, aberrations from thcfe principles ; but foon or late they prevail, and reltore the wanderer to the right tra^L I know but of one other means for afcertaining the common fenfe of nicjaikind ; vv-hich I micntion, not in defpair, but in great confidence of fucceis. A?, 1 the tafte of every individual oug-ht to be gov- \ crncd by the principles above mentioned, an appeal '' to thefe piinciples jnuft nccefiarily be decifive of ev- ery controveriv that can arife upon matters of tafte. 4n general, every doubt with relation to the connnon enfc of man, or-ftandard of'tafte, rnay be cleared by the fame appeal ; and to unfold thcf^ principles is tlic declared purpofe of tlic prefect undertaking. ylppcndix. APPENDIX. Terms Defined or Explained* LIVERY ihijig we perceive or are con- fcious of, whether a being or a quality, a paflion or an ad ion, is with refpefl: to the percipient termed an obje8. Some objefts appear to be internal, or within the mind ; paifion, for example, thinking, volition : Some external ; fuch as every objed; of fight, of hearing, of fmell, of touch, of tafte. 2. That aft of the mind which makes known to me an external objecl', is termed perception. That a6l of the mind which makes known to me an inter- nal objed:, is termed conjcioufnefs. The power or faculty from which confcioufnefs proceeds, is termed an internal fenfe. The power or faculty from which perception proceeds, is termed an external fenfe. This diilinction refers to the objeds of our knowl- edge ; for the fenfes, whether external or internal, are all of them powers or faculties of the mind.* 3. But as felf is an objeft that cannot be termed either external or internal, the faculty by which I have * I have complied ^^^'lth all who have gone before me in defcribing the fenfes internal and external to be powers or faculties; and yet, after i;uich attention, I, have not difcoveied any thing aftive in their operations 40 entitle them to that character. The following chain of thought has led me to hefitatc. One being operates on another : the firft is aSivc, the other pnllive. If the fiiR aft, it muH li'ave a power to aft : if an ef- feft be pioduccd on the other, it muft have a capacity to have that ef- feft producfd upon it. Fire melts wax, fro'O fire has a power to pro- duce that efFeft ; and wax muR be capable to have that effcft produced in it. Now as to liie fenfes. A tree in flourifli makes an imprefiion od jnc, and by that means 1 fee the tree. But in this operation I do not iind that the mitid is aftive ; feeing the tree is only an cfteft produced «)nit by intervention of the rays of liiht. What feems to have led us into an error is the word feeing, which, under the foim of an aftive v;-ib, i-.as a paflivc fi^nification. ^fcd is a fiinilar example ; for io feel* is ceitaiidy not to aft, but the fffcftof beioE; aflcd upon : thefecliiJ plcafuie is the tifefl produced in my m;nd wheti a beautii'^iil objeft is l.icfcnted. Peiccpiion accordingly is net an aftion, but an cfTeft (:ro- di;ced in the mind. " Senfation is another elTeft : it is the nlcaiure { iz'A apon perceiving whjt is agreeable. Terms Defined or Explained, 395 liave knowledge of myfelf, is a fenfe that cannot properly be termed either internal or external. 4. By the eye we perceive figure, colour, motion, &;c. by the ear we perceive the different qualities of found, high, low, loud, foft : by touch we perceive rough, fmooth, hot, cold, &c. by taile we verceive fweet, four, bitter, &c. by fmell we perceive fragrant, fetid, &c. Thefe qualities partake the common na- ture of all qualities, that they are not capable of an. independent exiflence, but muft belong to fome be- ing of which they are properties or attributes. A being with refped to its properties or attributes is termed a fiibjcd or fuhjlraivm. Every fubftratum of vifible qualities, is tcYmedfuh/fa?2ce ; and of tangible quali- ties, body. 5. "Subftance and found are perceived as exifting at a diilance from the organ ; often at a confiderable diftance. But fmell, touch, and tafte, arc perceived as exifling at the organ of fenfe. 6. The objeds of external fenfe are various. Sub- ilances are perceived by the eye ; bodies by the touch. Sounds, tafles, and fmells, pafTmg common- ly under the niyne of fecondary qualities, require more explanation than there is room for here. All the objefts of internal fenfe are attributes : witnefs deliberation, reafoning, refolution, willing, confent- ing, which are internal anions. Pafiions and emo- tions, which are internal agitations, are alfo attributes. With rep-ard to the former, I am confcious of beino- aftive ; with regard to the latter, I am confcious of being pailive. 7. Again, we are confcious of Internal aclion as ir^ the head ; of pailions and emotions as in the heart. ^ 8. Many acHons may be exerted internally, and ^lany elfcds produced, of which we are unconfcious : when we invefiigatc the ultimate cap.fe of the mo- 39^ Terms Defined or EKjjIalned. tion of the blood, and of other internal motions upon which hfe depends, it is the mofl probable opinion, that fonie internal power is the caiife ; and if fo, we are unconicious of the operations of that power. But confcionfnefs being implied in the very meaning of delibw/ating, reafoni ng, refolving, willing, confent- ing, fuch operations cannot efcape our knowledge. The fame is the cafe of paffions and emotions ; for no internal agitation is denominated a paffion or emotion, but wliat we are cojifcious of. 9. The mind is not always the fame : by turns it is cheerful, melancholy, calm, peevifii, &c. Thefe differences may not improperly be denominated toties. 10. Perception and f^nfation arc commonly reck- oned fynonimous terms, fignifying that internal adt by which external ob]e6ls are made known to us. But they ought to be difliinguiihed. Perceiving is a general term for hearing, f::jeing, tading, touching, fmelling ; and therefore perception figniiies every in- ternal acl by which we are made acquainted with ex- ternal objects : thus we are faid to perceive a certain animal, a certain colour, found, tafte, fmell, &c. SeUf- fdtion properly fignihes that internal a'5t by which v;e are made confcio.us of pleafure or pain felt at the organ of fenfe : thus we have a fenfation of the pleaf- ure arifing from warmth, from a fragrant fmell, from a fweet tafle ; and of the pain arlfmg from a wound, from a fetid fmell, from a difagreeable talle. In per- ception, my attention is direcled to the external ob- jecl : in fenfa,tion, it is direftcvl to the pleafure or- pain I feel. The terms pcrrchlim and fcnfailon are fometimes employed to 'figulfy the objects of perception and fenfation. Perception in that fenfe is a general term ^ for every external thing we perceive ; and fenfation^ a general term for every pleafure and pain felt at the orggin of fenfe. II. Conception, Ternis Defined or Explained. 397 ; !i. Conception is different fi-om perception. The latter includes a conviclion of the reality of its ob- ject : the former does not ; for I can conceive the moft extravagant flories told in a romance, without having any conviction of their reality^ Conception diiFers alfo from imagination. By the power of fancy I can imagine a golden mountain, or an ebony fliip with fails and ropes of filk. When I defcribe a pic- ture of that kind to another, the idea he forms of it is termed a conception. Imagination is adive, con- ception is pallive/^ 12. Feeling, befide denoting one of the external fenfesj is a general term, fignifying that internal act by which we are made confcious of our pleafures and our pains ; for it is not limited, as fenfation is, to any one fort. Thus, feeling being the genus of which fenfation is a fpecies, their meaning is the fame when applied to pleafure and pain felt at the or- gan of fenfe : and accordingly we fay indifferently, " I feel pleafure from heat, and pain from cold," or, *' I have a fenfation of pleafure from heat, and of pain from cold." But the meaning of feeling, as is laid, is much more extcnfive : It is proper to fay, I feel pleafure in a fumptuous building, in love, in friend- fliip ; and pain-in lofmg a child, in revenge, in envy : fenfation is not properly applied to any of thefe. ']'he icnw feeling is frequently ufed in a lefs proper fenfe, to lignify what we feel or are confcious of : and in that fenfe it is a general term for ail oar paf- fions and emotions, and for all our other pleafures and pains. 13. That we cannot perceive an external objedi: till an impreffion is made upon our body, is probable jfc-om reafon, and is afcertained by experience. But It is not neceffary that we be made fenfible of the im- prefiion : in touching, in tailing, .jmd in fmcllinr;, we are 39^ Terms Defined or Explained, are fenfible of the impreffiori ; but not in feeing and hearing. VxTe know indeed from experiments, that before we perceive a vifible object, its image is fpread iipon the retina tunica ; and that, before we perceive a found, an impreffion is made upon the drum of the '^ar : but we are not confcious either of the organic image or of the organic impreffion ; nor are we con- fcious of any other operation preparatory to the acl of perception : all we can fay, is, that we fee that river, or hear that trumpet.* 14. Objefts once perceived may be recalled to the mind by the power of memory. When I recal an objecl of fight in that manner, it appears to me precifely the fame as in the original furvey, only lefs diftii^iSt. For example, having feen yeflerday a fpreading oak growing on the brink of a river, I en- deavour to recal thefe objects to my mind. How is this operation performed ? Do I endeavour to form in my mind a pitbure of them or reprefentative im- age ? Not fo. I tranfport myfelf ideally to the place where I faw the tree and river yeiferday ; upon which I have a perception of thefe objects, fimilar in all re- fpefts to the perception I had when I vievv-ed them with my eyes, only lefs didinft. And in this recollec- tion, I am not confcious of a picture or reprefentative image, more than in the original furvey : the percep- tion is of the tree and river tliemfclves, as at firil. I confirm this by another experiment. After atten- tively furveying a fine flatue, I clofe my eyes. What follov^'s ? The fame objefl continues, without any difference * Yet a finoular opinion that impreiTion^ are t'le only objefls of per- ception, has bscn efpoiifed by fomc phiiofophers of no mean rank ; not attending to the forcnomg peculiarity \n the fenfcs of feeing and hcaring|k^ th:n \vc perceive objetls without being confcious of an organic impreffici^Bf cr of any imprelTicn. Sec the Trcatife upon Huir.nn Nature : where '.ve find the following DafFacre, bonk !. p. 4. feft. 9. " Properly fpcaking, it is not our bodv we perceive when we regard our limbs and members ; T) that the afcribing a real and corporeal exiflcnce to thefe impreffions, or to tlicir object-, is an aft of thi.- mind as diflicult to explairj, &c.'' Terms Defined or Explained* 39^ -difterence but that it is lefs diflind than formerly.* This * This experiment, which every one may reiterate till entire fatisfac- tion be obtained, is of greater importance thanat firll view may appear ; for it flrikes at the root of a celebrated dofirine, which for moie than two thoufand yeais has miiled many philofophers. This doflrine as de- lived by Ariftotle is in fiibllancc, "That of every objefl of thought there mud he in the mind fome form, phantafm, or fpccies ; that things fenfible are perceived and remembered by means ot lenlible phantafms, and things intelligible by mtelligible phantafms ; and that thefe phan- tafms have the form of the objeti without the matter, as the impreflioi! of a fcal upon wax has the foim of a feal without its matter." The fol- lowers of Aridotle add, " That the fenfible and intelligible forms of things, are fent forth from the things themfelves, and make impreiTions upon thepaffive intellett, which impreffions are perceived by the atlive intelleft.'' This notion dirlers very little from that of Epicurus, which is, " That all things fend foith conilantly and in every direftion, flender gholls or films of themfelves. [ttimia fmulacra, as expreffecf by his commentator Lucretius ;) which ftriking \ipovi t'.ie mind, are the means of perception, dreaming," £?c.' Des Cartes, bent to oppofe Ariflotle, rejefts the doftiine of ienhble and intelligible phantafms ; maintaining however the fame doitriiii: jji tflcfl, namely, That vvc perceive nothing -external but by means of fome image either in the brain or in the mind : and thefe images he terms ideas. According to thefe philofophers, we perc.'ive nothing immediately but phantafms or ideas ; and ftom thefe we infer, by reafoJiing, the exiftence of external objc6ls< Lccke, adopt- ing this doftrine, employs almoil the whole of his book about ideas. He holds, that we cannot perceive, remember, nor imagine, any thin?, but by having an idea or image of it in the m.lnd. fie agrees with Des Caites, tirat we can have no knowledge of things external, but what we acquire by leafoniiig upon their ideas or images in the mind; takingit for granted, that we are confcicus of thefe ideas or images; and of noth- ing elfe. Thofe who talk the molt intclUgibly explain the doftrine thus : When I (ee in a mirror a man Handing behind me, the immedi- ate objeft of my fight is his image, without which I could not fee him r jnlike manner, when I fee a tree or a hou''e, there mull; be an image of thelc objefts in my brain or in my mind ; which image is the immediate olijeft of my perception ; and by means of that image I perceive the external objeft. One would not readily fufpeft any harm in this ideal fydem, other than the leading us into a labyrinth of m.etaphifical errors, in order to account for our knowledge of external objef-ls, which is more trulv •and more limply accounted for by direcs perception. And yet fome late writers have been able to extratf from it death and deHruflion to the whole world, levelling all doA-n to a mere ciiaos of ideas. Dr. Berkeley, upon authority of the phiioiophers named, taking for granted, that wr «nnot perceive any object but what is in the mind, difcovercd, that the afoning employed by Des Caitts and Locke to infer the exiftence of external objects, is inconclulive ; and upon that difcovery ventured, rcainll common fcnfc, to anniliilate totally the materia! woild. And j iater ^(bh 'Tcrhis Defined or Explained, This iiidiftinft fecondary perception of an obje£l> v^ termed an idea. And therefore the precife and ac-^ curate Ia!€r'\vtitcr, difcoveringthat Berkeler's arguments miplit with equal, fuc- Ceis.be applied agaiuft imniateiial beings, ventures ii ill more boldly to. re- jet to impoic upon the reader,- •who lA willing to conlider it as a dcmonflration, becaufe he dues not clearly fee the fallacy. The bed way to give it a fair tiial, is to draw it out of its obfcurity, and to fiate It in a clear light, as follows. " No fubje£l can be perceived unjefs it atl upon the mind, but no diflant fub- jc tt can aft upon the mind, bccaufe no beitig can aft but where it is : and, therefore, the immediate objeft of [crccption imiill be fomething united lo the mind fo as to be able to aft upon it.". Heie the argument is com- pleted in all its parts; and from itis derived the fuppofed nccellity of phan- tal'ins or ideas united to the mind, as the only ubjcfts of perception. It is fingularlv unluck", that this argument concludes direttly againlt the very fyllcm of which it is the only fouridation ; for how can phantai'ms or ideas be railed in the mind by things at a diflancc, if things at a diilancc can- riot aft upon the m;nd i* I fay more, that it affumcs a jjropoiition as true^ vyithout evidence, namely^ That nodiltant fubjetf can aft upon the mind^ This [iropofition undoubtedly retjuires evidence, for itis not intuitively- certain. And, therefore, till the propolition be de.inonil rated, eveiy man ■without fcruple may rely upon the convi£tion of his Icnfes, that he hears and fees things a; a diilancc., " But I Vv?iuure a bolder I'ep, which is, to fhow that the propolition is falfe. A.dniitting that no being can aft but where itis, is there any thing more (imple or mnre common, than the sfting upon Iubjefts at a diila.ncc by intf-rniediate me-ins ? This holds in fa£t with refpcft both to feeing and hearing. When 1 f. c a tree for example, rays of light arc rcJltft- t;d fi(;iii the tree to mv eve, forming a piftuic upon the retina tunica i but t!ie objeft perceived is the tree itfelf, not the rays of light, rur the pifturc. In this n)anner diilant rbjcfcls are peiceived, without any ac- tion of the obje61 upon the mind, or of the mind upon the objtft.. leaving is in a limilar cafe : the ear, put in motion by thunder, makes i»n imprcffion upon the drum of the ear ; biit this inipreffion is not what I hear, it is the thunder itfelf by means of that impreflion. ^ With refpo6l to vifion in particular, wc arc profoundly ignorant by ^vhat means and in what manner the pifture oii the retina tunica contiih- utes to produce a fight of the objeft. One thing only is clear, that a.s vvc have no knowledge of that pifturc, it is as natuial to conceive that u Paould Terms Defined or Explained. 4^t curate definition of an idea in contradiftindion to ati original perception, is, " That perception of a real ob- jed which is raifed in the mind by the power of memory." Every thing we have any knowledge of, whether internal or external, paflions, emotions, thinking, refolving, willing, heat, cold, &c. as well as external objefts, may be recalled as above, by the power of memory.* 15. External objeds are diftingulfhable into fim- ple and complex. Certain founds are fo fimple as not to be refolvable into parts ; and fo are certain taftes and fmells. Objeds of touch are for the moft part complex : they are not only hard or foft, but alfo fmooth or rough, hot or cold. Of all external objefts, vifible objefts are commonly the mofl com- plex : a tree is compofed of a trunk, branches, leaves : it has colour, figure, fize. But as an ac- tion is not refolvable into parts, a perception being an acl of fenfe, is always fimple. The colour, figure, umbrage of a fpreading oak, raife not different per*, ceptions : the perception is one, that of a tree, col- oured, Ihould be made the JnRrument of difcovenng the external objeft, and not iifelf, as of difcovering itfelf only, and not the external objeft. Upon the chimerical confequences drawn from the ideal lyfiem, I (hall make but a fingle refleftion. Nature determines us neceffarily to rely on the veracity of our fenfes ; and upon their evidence the exiflence of ex- ternal objefts is to us a matter of intuitive knowledoe and abfolute cer- tainty. Vain therefore is the attempt of Dr. Berkeley and of his fol- lowers, to deceive us, by a metaphyseal fubtility, into adilbelief of what we cannot entertain even the flightell doubt. * From this definition of an idea, the following propofition mud be evident, That there can be no fuch thing as an innate idea. If the orig- inal perception of an nbjeft be not innate, which is obvious ; it is nos lefs obvious, that the idea or fecondary perception of that objed cannot be inn.tte. And yet to prove ihis i''elf-evldent propofition, Locke has beftowed a whole book of his Treaiife upoa Human Underiianding. Sonecen"ary it is to give accurate definitions, and fo preventive of dif- pute are definitions when accurate. Dr. Berkeley has taken great pains to prove another propofition equally evident, that there can be no fuch t'.ing as a general idea : all our original perceptions are of particular eb- rcQs, and our fecondary perccr>tionsor ideas jnuft be equally fo. Vol. 11, Bb ■40 i' "^erms Defined or "Explained* cured, figured, hz. A quality is never perceived fep=. araiely from the fubjed ; nor a part from the whole* There is a mental power of abftraclion, of v/hich af-» tetvvard ; but the eye never abilrads, nor any othe'/ external fenfe. 1 6. Many particulars befide thofe mentioned en- ter into the perception of vifible obje6:s, motion, reft, place, fpace, time, number, &c. Thefe, all of them denote fmiple ideas, and for that reafon admit not of a definition. All that can be done, is to point out how they are acquired. The ideas of motion and of reft, are familiar even tcJ a child, from feeing its nurfe fometimes walking, fometimes fitting : the former it is taught to call motion ; the latter, refi. Place enters into every perception of a vifible obje£l: the objed: ia perceived to exift, and to exift fomewhere, on the right hand or on the left, and where it exifts is i^xx^" ^di place. Afk a child where its mother is, or in what place : it will anfwer readily, flie is in the garden. Space is connecled with fize or bulk ; every piece- pf matter occupies rootn 01 fpace in proportion to its bulk. A child perceives that when its little box is- filled with playthings, there is no room or fpace for more. Space is alfo applied to fignify the diftance of vifible objects from each other ; and fuch fpace accordingly can be meafiired. Dinner comes after breakfaft'-, and fupper after dinner : a child perceives an inteival, and that interval it learns to call time, xA child fometimes is alone with its nurfe : its mother is fometimes in the room ; and fometimes alfo its brother and flfters. It perceives a difference be- t\?een many and few ; and that difl'erence it is taught to call number. 17. The primary percept-" on of a vifible objeft, is mere crn.p]ete, lively and diftincl, than that of any other cbjcd. And for that reafon an ideaor fecond- ary perception of a vifible objeft, is alfo more com- plete, lively, and 'diftinct, than that of any other ob- jed. Serins Defined or Explame^, 403 jefi:. A fine paiTage in mufic, may, for a moment, be recalled to the mind with tolerable accuracy j but after the lliortefl interval, it becomes no lefs ob- icure than the ideas of the other objects mentioned* 1 8. As the range of an individual is commonly with- • in a narrow fpace, it rarely happens, that every thing neceflary to be known comes under our own per- ceptions. Language is an admirable contrivance for fupplying that deliciency ; for by language every man's perceptions may be communicated to all: and the fame may be done by painting and other imita- tive arts. The facility of communication depends on the livelinefs of the ideas ; efpecially in language, ■which hitherto has not arrived at greater perfeftioii than to exprefs clear ideas : hence it is, that poets and orators, who are extremely fuccefsful in defcrib- ing objects of fight, find objeds of the other fenfes: too faint and obfcure for language. An idea thus acquired of an object at fecond hand, ought to be diflinguifned from an idea of memory, though their refemblance has occalioned the fame term idea to be applied to both ; which is to be regretted, becaufe ambiguity in the fignification of words is a great ob- ftruftion to accuracy of conception. Thus Natnre. hath furnifiied the means of multiplying ideas with-- out end, and of providing every individual with a fufficient flock to anfv/er, not only the necefiities, but even the elegancies of life. 19. Further, man is endued with a fort of creative power : he can fabricate images of things thtit have no exiftence. The materials employed in this opera- tion, are ideas of fight, W'hich he can take to pieces^ and combine into new forms at pleafure : their com- plexity and vivacity make them fit materials : But a man hath no fuch power over any of his other ideas, whether of the external or internal fenfes : he Can- not, after the utmiod effort, combine thefe into new forms, being too obfcure foj that operation. An ini* Bb 2 ' acre 4ti4 '^erms T)ejined or Exphhtfcl* age thus fabricated cannot be called a fecon^aiV'- perception, not being derived from an original per- ception : the poverty of language, however, as in the cafe immediately above mentioned, has occafioned the fame term idea to be applied to all. This fmgu- lar power of fabricating images without any founda- tion in reality, is diftinguiflied by the name imaginotlatiw^ 10. As ideas are the chief materials employed ia reafoning and refle£ling, it is of confequence that their nature and differences be underftood. It ap' pears now, that ideas may be diilinguifhed into three kinds : firfl. Ideas derived from original perceptions properly termed ideas of memory ; fecond, Ideas com* municated by language or other figns ; and, third. Ideas of imagination. Thefe ideas differ from each other in many refpeds ; but chiefly in refpe£t of ~ their proceeding from different caufes : The firil kind is derived from real exiftences that have been objefts of our fenfes : language is the caufe of the fecond, or any other fign that has the fame powe^ with language : and a man's imagination is to him- felf the caufe of the third. It is Jcarce neceffary to add, that an idea, originally of imagination being conveyed to others by language or any other vehi- cle, becomes in their mind an idea of the fecond kind ; and again, that an idea of this kind, being afterward recalled to the mind, becomes in that cir- cumftance an idea of memory. 2 1 . We are not fo conflituted as to perceive ob- jefl:s with indifference ; thefe, with fery few excep- tions, appear agreeable or difagreeable ; and at the fame time raife in us pleafant or painful emotions. With refped: to external objefts in particular, we dirtinguifii thofe which produce organic imprefiions, from thofe which affect us from a dillance. When we touch a foft and fmooth body, we have a pleafant feel- ing as at the place of contad: ; which fcehng we dif- tinguifii not, at lerfil not accurately, from the agree- * ' abkneis ^srms Defined or Explained. . 405 tabieiiefs of the body itfelf ; and the fame holds in general with regard to all organic impreffions. It is otherwife in hv*aring and feeing : a found is perceiv- ed as in itfelf agreeable, and raifes in the hearer a pleafant emotion : an objed of fight appears in itfelf* agreeable, and raifes in the fpeftator a pleafant emo- tion. Thefc are accurately diftinguiihed : the pleaf- ant emotion is felt as within the mind ; the agreea- blenefs of the objeft is placed upon the object, and is perceived as one of its qualities or properties. The agreeable appearance of an object of %ht is termed beauty ; and the difagreeable appearance of fuch an objeQ: is termed uglincfs. 22. But though beauty and uglinefs, in their proper and genuine fignification, are confined to objeds of light 5 yet in a more lax and figurative fignification, they are applied to objects of the other fenfes : they jare fom£times applied even to abftracl terms : for it is not unufual to fay, a beautiful Theorem^ a beautiful cenfiitution of go-vertunent, 23. A line compofed by a fingle rule, is perceived and faid to be regular : a flraight line, a parabola, a hyperbola, the circumference of a circle, and of an ellipfe, are all of them regular lines. A figure com- pofed by a fingle rule, is perceived^ and faid to be regular : a circle, a fquare, a hexagon, an equilat* eral triangle, are regular figures, being compofed by a fingle rule, that determines the form of each. When the form of a line or of a figure is afcertained by a fingle rule that Ieav.es nothing arbitrary, the line and the figure are faid to be perfe^tlv regu- lar ; which is the cafe oi the figures now mentioned, 5ind the cafe of a flraight line and of the circumfer- ence of a circle. A figure and a line that require more than one rule for their conflruclion, or than bave any of their parts left arbitrary, are not perfecl- if regular j a parallelogram and a rhomb are Mn 13 b 3 regular 40 5 Terms Defined or Explained. ' regular than a fquare ; the parallelogram being fub^ jeded to no rule as to the length of fides, other than that the oppofite fides be equal ; the rhomb be- ing fubjeded to no rule as to its angles, other than that the oppofite angles be equal : for the fame rea- fon, the circumference of an ellipfe, the form of Avhich is fufceptible of much variety, fs lefs regular than that of a circle. 24. Regularity properly fpeaking, belongs, like beaut)'-, to objeds of fight ; and, hke beauty,, it is 3.U fo applied figuratively to other objeds : thus we fay, <7 regular governntent, a regular compofitlon of mufic^ and. Tegular difciplinc. 25. When two figures are compofed of fimilar parts, they are faid to be uniform. Perfcd uniform- ity is where the conltituent parts of two figures are equal : thus two cubes of the fame dimenfions are perfedly uniform in all their parts. Uniformity lefs perfed is, where the parts mutually correfpond, but without t^ing'' equal : the uniformity is imperfed be- ty/een two fquares or cubes of unequal dimenfions ; and ffiil more fo between a fquare ancl a parallelogram. 26. Uniformity is alfo applicable to the conditu- ent parts of the fame figure. The confiituent parts of a fquaie are perfedly uniform ; its fides are equal and its angles are equal. Wherein then differs reg- ularity from uniformity ? for a figure compofed of uniform parts muft undoubtedly be regular. Reg-*, uiarity is predicated of a figure confidered as a whole compofed of uniform parts : uniformity is predicat- ed of thefe parts as related to each other by refem- blance : we fay, a fquare is a regular, not an uniforn\ figure ; but with refped to the conflituent parts of a ■iquaiej we ly not, that they are regular, but tha$ they are unifier m. 27. In things deilined, for the fa'me ufe, as legs, arms, eyes, windov/s, fpoons, we exped uniformity^ Proportion ou^ht to govern parts intended for dif^ fereni; ^Terms Defined or Explained* 407 ferent ufes : v/e require a certain proportion between a leg and an arm ; in the bafe, the Ihaft, the capital of a pillar ; and in the length, the breadth, the height of a room : fome proportion is alfo required an different things intimately conne8;ed, as between a dwelling-houfe, the garden, and the ftables ; but we require no proportion among things ilightly conneft- ed, as between the table a man writes on and the dog that follows him« Proportion and uniformity never coincide : things equal are uniform ; but proportion is, never applied to them : the tour fides and angles of a fquare are equal and perfectly uniform ; but we fay iiot that they are proportional. Thus, proportion al- v/ays implies inequality or difference j but then it im- phes it to a certain degree only : the molt agreeable proportion refembles a maximum in mathematics ; a greater or lefs inequality or difference is lefs agreeable. 28. Order regards various particulars. Firft, in iracing or furveying objeds, we are directed by a fenfe of order : we perceive it to be more orderly, that we fhould pafs from a principal to its acceflbries, and from a whole to its parts, than in the contrary diredion. Next, with refped to the pofition of things, a fenfe of order direfts us to place together things intimately connected. Thirdly, in placing things that have no natural connexion, that order appears the mod perfeQ:, where the particulars are made to bear the llrongeil relation to each other that pofition can give them. Thus paralielifm is the ilrongefl relation that pofition can beftow upon llraight lines : if they be fo placed as by produdiori to interfeft, the relation is lefs perfedt, A large body in the middls, and tv\'-o e^jual bodies of lefs fize, one on each fide, is an order that produces the ftrongeft relation the bodies are fufceptible of by pofition : the relation between the two equal bodies would be ftronger by juxtapofition ; but tb«y woul4 liot both have the fame relation to the third. jBb4 29. TU^ ^o8 Terms Defined or Explained. 29. The beauty or agreeablenefs of a vifible ob^ jecl, is perceived as one of its qualities ; which holds not only in the primary perception, but alio in the fecondary perception or idea : and hence the pleafure that ariles from the idea of a beautiful objed:. An idea of imagination is alfo pleafant, though in a lower degree than an idea of memory, wjlere the objects are of the fame idnd j for an evident leafon, that the former is more diftind and lively than the latter. But this inferiority in ideas of imagination, is more than compenfated by their greatnefs and va- riety, which are boundlefs ; for by the imagination, exerted without control, we can fabricate ideas of iiner vifible objects, of more noble and heroic actions, of greater wickednefs, of more furprifmg events, than ever in fact exifled : and in communicating fuch ideas by words, painting, fculpture, he. the influ- ence of the imagination is no lefs extenfive than great. 30. In the nature of every man, there is fomewhat original, which diflinguilhes him from others, which tends to form his charafter, and to make him meek or fiery, candid or deceitful, refolute or timorous, cheerful or morofe. This original bent, termed dif- ■pofition, mull be diftinguifhed from a principle : the latter, fignifying a law of human nature, makes }'^art of the common nature of man ; the former makes part of the nature of this or that man. Propenfity is a name common to both ; for it fignifies a principle as well as a difpofition. 31. .i^'r7/(5«, fignifying a fettled bent of mind to^ ward a particular being or thing, occupies a middle place between difpofition on the one hand, and paf- fion on the other. It is clearly diftinguiiliable from difpofition, which, being a branch of one's nature originally, muft exift before there can be an oppor- tunity to exert it upon any particular objeQ: ; where- as affedfion can never be original, becaufe, having grate the fenfe, when enter'd here from groans And howls of flaves condemn"d, from clink ot chains^ And craih ot rufty bars and creaking hinges : And ever a ul anon the fight was dalh'd With fri^iuful faces and the meagre looks Of grint and ghaltly executioners. Yet m;)re this tfillnefs terrifies my foul Than did that fcene of complicated horrors. Mounimg Bride y a£l <,> fc, 8. And hence it is, that an obje6l feen at the termina- tion of a confined view, is more agreeable than when feea in a group with the furrounding objects ; The crow do'.h fing as fweetly as the lark When neither is attended \ and, 1 think. The * Bacon, in his Natural Hiflorr. makes the following obfervations. 6. unds aie mclioia'cd bv the intenfion of the (enl'e, where the common icnfei- colle6}ed moft to the particular I'cnre of hoaring, and 'he light furpendtd. Theref irc f unds are fweeter, as well as greater, in the night than in the day ; and 1 fuppofe they are fweeter to blind men ihan to others: and it is manifef), that between fleepin;^ and waking, when all ' the {enfes are bound and fufpcnded, mufic is far Tweeter than whtuonc i? fully wakirif. Terms Defined or Explained*. ^I'f The nightingale, it llie lliould ling by day, When ev'ry goufe is cackling, woiiltt be thought No bcticr a muhcian than the wren.- Alcrchant of Venice. 35. In matters of flight importance, attention is moftly directed by wiU ; and for that realon, it is our own iault if trifling objedls make any deep im-> preffion. Had -^ve power equally to withhold our fittention from matters of importance, we might be proof againil any deep imprcflion. But our power fails us here : an mrerefling object feizes and fixes the attention beyond the poffibility of control ; and while our attention is thus, forcibly attached to one pbjeQ:, others may folicit for admittance ; but in vain, for they will not be regarded. Thus -a fmall lirisfortune is fcarce felt in prefence of a greater ; Lear. Thou think'il 'tis much, that this contentious llorm Invades us to the fl^'in ; {c> 'tis to thee ; But where the greater malady is hx'd, The lellcr is fcarce felt. Thou'dll Ihun a bear ; But if thy flight lay tow'rd the roaring fea, Thou'dft meet the bear i' th' mouth. When the mind's free, The body's delicate : the temped: in my mind Doth from my fcnies take all feeling elfe, gave what beats there. King Lear, qlI t^./c. 5. ^6. Genus, fpecks^ ?iicdiJicntion, are terms invented to diflinguilhbcings from each other. Individuals are diftinguiflicd by their C[ualitie3 : a number of in- dividuals confidcred with refpect to quaUties that dif- tinguifh them from others, is termed ■A.fpecles ; a plu- rality oi /pedes coniidered with refpeQ: to their diftin- guifhing qualities, is termed a genus. That quality which dlilmguilheth one genus, one fpecies, or even one individual, from another, is termed a inodifica- t'lon- : thus the fame paiticyhir that is termed a pro^. erty 4 1 i Terms Defined or Explamd!', erty or quality when confidered as belonging to an in- dividual, or a clafs of individuals, is termed a jnodifi' cation when confidered as diflinguifhing the individ- ual or the clafs from another : a black fkin and foft curled hair, are properties of a negro : the fame circumftances confidered as marks that dlftinguifh a negro from a man of a different fpecies, are denom- inated modifications. 37. Objefts of fight, being complex, are diftin- guifhable into the feveral particulars that enter into the compofition : thefe objects are all of them col- oured ; and they all have length, breadth, and thick- nefs. When I behold a fpreading oak, I diftinguifli in that objecl, fize, figure, colour, and fometimes motion : in a flowing river I diftinguifh colour, fig- ure, and conflant motion ; a dye has colour, black fpots, fix plain furfaces, all equal and uniform. Ob- jeds of touch have all of them extenfion : fome of them are felt rough, fome fmooth : fome of them are hard, fome foft. With refpett to the other fenfes, fome of their objeds are fimpie, fome com- plex : a found, a tafte, a fmell, may be fo fimpie as not to be dillinguifnable into parts : others are per- ceived to be compounded of different founds, difFer- ent taftes, and different fmells. 38. The eye at one look can grafp a number of ob- jefts, as of trees in a field, or menin a crowd: thefe ob- jects having each a feparate and independent exiffence, are diftinguifhable in the mind, as well as in reality ; and there is nothing more eafy than to abdract from fome and to confine- our contemplation to others. A large oak with its fpreading branches fixes our at- tention upon itfelf, and abflrad us from the fhrubs that furround it. In the fame manner, with refpe«S: to compound founds, tailes, or fmells, we can fix our thoughts upon any one of the component parts, labftrading our altenrion from the rell. The power ef Iterms Defined or Explained* W'^i iDf abilra£lion is not confined to objeds that are fep- arable in reality as well as mentally ; but alfo takes place where there can be no real reparation : the fize, the figure, the colour of a tree, are infeparably con- ne^ltd, and have no independent exiftence ; the fame of ktigth, breadth, and thicknefs : and yet we can menially confine our obfervations to one of thefe^ abfh-aftirig from the reft. Here abflraftion takes place "vheie there cannot be a real feparation. 39. Space and time have occafioned much meta- phyfical jargon j but after the power of abftraclion is explained as above, there remains no difSculty about them. It is mentioned above, that fpace as well as place enter into the perception of every vih- ble object : a tree is perceived as exifting in a certain place, and as occupying a certain fpace. Now, by the power of abftraftion, fpace may be confidered abftraftedly from the body that occupies it ; and hence the abftradl term fpace. In the fame manner, exiftence may be confidered abftra^ceilent purpofes ; by it different figures, different colours, can be compared, without the trouble of conceiving them as belonging to any particular fub-* }e6t ; and they contribute with words fignificant to raife images or ideas in the mind. 42. Th^ power of abftraftion is bellowed on man, for the purpofe folely of reafoning. It tends greatly to the facility as well as clearnefs of any procefs of rea'oning, that, laying afide every other circumftance, we can confine our attention to the fmgle property we defire to inveftigate. 43. Abflracr terms may be feparated into three different kinds, all equally fubfervient to the reafon- ing faculty. Individuals appear to have no end ; and did we not poffefs the faculty of diftributing them into claffes, the mind would be loft in an endlefs maze, and no progrefs be made in knowledge. It is by the faculty of abftraftion that we diflribute beings into genera 2J\difpedes : finding a number of individuals connected by certain qualities common to all, we give a name to thefe individuals confidered as thus con- nected, which name, by gatheiing them together into ©ne clafs, jferves to exprefs the whole of thefe indi- viduals as diflincl from others. Thus the word animal ferves to denote every being that can move vol- untarily ; and the words man^ horfe^ Uon^ 'isfc. anfwer fimilar purpofes. This is the firlt and moft common fort of abitractloii ; and it is of the moil extenfive ufe, by enabling us to comprehend in our reafoning whole kinds and forts, inflead of individuals without end. The next fort of abftract terms comprehends a number of individual objefts, confidered as con- nected by fome occafional relation. A great number of perfons colleded in one place, without any other relation but merely that of contiguity, ate denominated a croiud : in forming this term, we abftracl from fex, from age, from condition, from drefs, ^c. A num- ber «}.i^ "Tehns Dejlned or Explained ber of perfons conneded by the fame laws and by th^ fame government, are termed a nation : and a num- ber oi men under the fame military command, are termed an army. A third fort of abftraftion is, v,'here a fmgle property or part, which may be com- mon to many individuals, is feleded to bg the fubjeft of our contemplation ; for example, whitenefs, heat, beauty, length, roundnefs, head, arm. 44. Abftracl terms are a happy invention : it is by their means chiefly, that the particulars which make the fubjetl of our reafoning, are brought into clofs union, and feparated from, all others however natur- ally connefted. Without the aid of fuch terms, the mind could nevet be kept Heady to its proper fubjed:, but be perpetually in hazard of alTuming foreign cir- cumflances, or neglecling what are effential. We can, without the aid of language, compare real objecls by intuition, when thefe objecls are prefent ; and when abfent, we can compare them in idea. But when we advance farther, and attempt to make inferences and draw conclufions, we always employ abftrad: terms, even in thinking 5 it would be as dif- ficult to reafon without them, as to perform operations in algebra without figns ; for there is fcarce any rea- foning without fome degree of abllraciion, and we cannot eafily abltraft without ufmg abftraft terms. Hence it follows, that without language man would fcarce be a rational being. 45. The fame thing, in different refpe6ts, has dif- ferent name?. With refpeft to certain qualities, it is termed 2. fiihjlance ; \i\\h refpecl to other quahties, a body ; and with refpeft to qualities of all forts, ?ifuh^ jcd. It is termed •d.pajjl've fubjecl with refpedt to an action exerted upon it ; an ohjcEl with refpeft to a percipient ; a caufe with refpc£t to the effeft it pro- duces J and an c£(id with refped to its caufe. INDEX. .VI 's^- - .;?•' ,-^:'\ * . . . ^ V '*i .ft"* /