The description of the groom is lefs lively than of the others; plainly because the expreffion, being vague and general, tends not to form any image. "Dives opum variarum *,” is an expreffion still more vague; and fo are the following:

Mæcenas, mearum

Grande decus, columenque rerum.

Horat. Carm. I. 2. ode 17.

et fide Tela

Dices laborantes in uno

Penelopen, vitreamque Circen.

Horat. Carm. lib. 1. ode 17.

In the fine arts, it is a rule, to put the capital objects in the strongest point of view; and even to present them oftener than once, where it can be done. In hiftory-painting, the principal figure is placed in the front, and in the best light: an equestrian statue is placed in a centre of streets, that it may be feen from many places at once. In no compofition is there a greater opportunity for this rule than in writing:

Sequitur pulcherrimus Aftur,

Aftur equo fidens et verficoloribus armis.

Georg. l.ii. 468.

Eneid. x. 180.

-Full

Full many a lady

I've ey'd with beft regard, and many a time
Th' harmony of their tongues hath into bondage
Brought my too diligent ear; for several virtues
Have I lik'd feveral women, never any

With fo full foul, but fome defect in her

Did quarrel with the nobleft grace fhe ow'd,

And put it to the foil. But you, O you,
So perfect, and fo peerlefs, are created
Of every creature's best.

The Tempest, act 3. sc. 1.

With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing fweet,
With charm of earlieft birds; pleafant the fun
When firft on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r,
Gliftering with dew; fragrant the fertile earth
After foft fhowers; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild, the filent night
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heav'n, her starry train:
But neither breath of morn, when the afcends
With charm of earliest birds, nor rifing fun
On this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, flower,
Gliftering with dew, nor fragrance after showers,
Nor grateful evening mild, nor filent night,
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon,
Or glittering ftar-light, without thee is sweet.

Paradife Loft, book 4. 1.634.

What mean ye, that ye ufe this proverb, The fathers have eaten four grapes, and the childrens teeth are fet on edge? As I live, faith the Lord God, ye fhall not have

occafion

occafion to use this proverb in Ifrael. If a man keep my judgements to deal truly, he is just, he shall surely live. But if he be a robber, a fhedder of blood; if he have caten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife; if he have oppreffed the poor and needy, have fpoiled by violence, have not restored the pledge, have lift up his eyes to idols, have given forth upon ufury, and have taken increase: fhall he live? he fhall not live: he fhall furely die; and his blood fhall be upon him. Now, lo, if he beget a fon, that feeth all his father's fins, and confidereth, and doth 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 oppreffed any, nor with-held the pledge, 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 increase, that hath executed my judgements, and walked in my ftatutes; he thall not die for the iniquity of his father; he fhall furely live. The foul that finneth, it fhall die; the fon fhall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the fon; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked fhall be upon him. Have I any pleasure that the wicked should die? faith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways and live? Ezekiel xviii.

The repetitions in Homer, which are frequent, have been the occafion of much criticism. Suppose we were at a lofs about the reafon, might not taste be fufficient to justify them? At the fame time, one must be devoid of understanding not to be fenfible, that they make the narration

dramatic;

dramatic; and give an air of truth, by making thing's appear as paffing in our fight.

A concife comprehenfive ftyle is a great ornament in narration; and a fuperfluity of unneceffary words, not lefs than of circumstances, a great nuifance. A judicious felection of the ftriking circumstances clothed in a nervous style, is delightful. In this ftyle, Tacitus excells all writers, ancient and modern. Inftances are numberlefs: take the following fpecimen.

Crebra hinc prælia, et fæpius in modum latrocinii : per faltus, par paludes; ut cuique fors aut virtus: te mere, provifo, ob iram, ob prædam, juffu, et aliquando ignaris ducibus. Annal. lib. 12. § 39.

After Tacitus, with refpect to this property, Offian justly merits the place of distinction. His whole works may be given for an example, which are perfectly uniform in this respect. I give the following inftance, meeting my eye at the first opening of the book:

Nathos clothed his limbs in fhining fteel. The ftride of the chief is lovely: the joy of his eye terrible. The wind ruftles in his hair. Darthula is filent at his fide: her look is fixed on the chief. Striving to hide the rifing figh, two tears fwell in her eyes.

I cannot forbear adding one other inftance, which, befide the property at present under confideration, raises delicately our most tender fympathy:

VOL. II,

2

Son

Son of Fingal! doft thou not behold the darkness of Crothar's hall of fhells? My foul was not dark at the feast, when my people lived. I rejoiced in the presence of ftrangers, when my fon fhone in the hall. But, Offian, he is a beam that is departed, and left no ftreak of light behind. He is fallen, son of Fingal, in the battles. of his father. — Rothmar the chief of graffy Tromlo heard that my eyes had failed; he heard that my arms were fixed in the hall, and the pride of his foul arose. He came towards Croma; my people fell before him. I took my arms in the hall, but what could fightless Crothar do? My fteps were unequal; my grief was great. I wished for the days that were paft; days! wherein I fought; and won in the field of blood. My fon returned from the chace; the fair-haired Fovar-gormo. He had not lifted his fword in battle, for his arm was young. But the foul of the youth was great; the fire of valour burnt in his eyes. He faw the difordered fteps of his father, and his figh arofe. King of Croma, he said, is it because thou haft no fon? is it for the weakness of Fovargormo's arm that thy fighs arife? I begin, my father, to feel the ftrength of my arm; I have drawn the sword of my youth, and I have bent the bow. Let me meet this Rothmar, with the youths of Croma: let me meet him, O my father, for I feel my burning foul.

And thou fhalt meet him, I faid, fon of the fightless Crothar! But let others advance before thee, that I may hear the tread of thy feet at thy return; for my eyes behold thee not, fair-haired Fovar-gormo! He went, he met the foe; he fell. The foe advances towards Croma. He who flew my fon is near, with all his pointed fpears.

If a concife or nervous style be a beauty, tautology must be a blemish; and yet writers, fettered,