tered by verse are not fufficiently careful to avoid this flovenly practice they may be pitied, but they cannot be justified. Take for a specimen the following inftances, from the best poet, for verfification at least, that England has to boast of. High on his helm celeftial lightnings play, Strength and omnipotence inveft thy throne. Iliad, v. 5. Iliad, viii. 576. So filent fountains, from a rock's tall head, And like the moon, the broad refulgent shield No-could our fwiftnefs o'er the winds prevail, Iliad, xix. 460. The humid fweat from ev'ry pore defcends. Iliad, xxiii. 829. Redundant epithets, fuch as humid, in the last citation, are by Quintilian difallowed to orators, but indulged to poets *; because his favourite poets, in a few inftances, are reduced to fuch epithets for the fake of verfification; for instance, Prata canis albicant pruinis, of Horace, and liquidos fontes, of Virgil. As an apology for fuch careless expreffions, it may well fuffice, that Pope, in fubmitting to be a tranflator, acts below his genius. In a tranflation, it is hard to require the same spirit or accuracy, that is chearfully bestow'd on an original work. And to fupport the reputation of this author, I fhall give fome inftances from Virgil and Horace, more faulty by redundancy than any of thofe above mentioned: Sæpe etiam immenfum cœlo venit agmen aquarum, Georg. lib. i. 322, Poftquam altum tenuere rates, nec jam amplius ullæ Apparent terræ; cœlum undique et undique pontus ; L. 8. cap. 6. fect. 2, Tum Eft brevitate opus, ut currat fententia, neu se Serm. lib. 1. fat x. 9. I close this chapter with a curious inquiry. An object, however ugly to the fight, is far from being fo when reprefented by colours or by words. What is the cause of this difference? With respect to painting the caufe is obvious a good picture, whatever the fubject be, is agreeable, because of the pleasure we take in imitation; and this pleasure overbalancing the difagreeableness of the fubject, makes the picture upon the whole agreeable. With respect to the description of an ugly object, the caufe is what follows. To connect individuals in the focial ftate, no particular contributes more than lan guage, by the power it poffeffes of an expeditious communication of thought, and a lively reprefentation of tranfactions. But nature hath not been fatisfied to recommend language by its utility merely independent of utility, it is made fufceptible of many beauties, which are directly felt, without the intervention of any reflection *. And this unfolds the mystery; for the pleasure of language is fo great, as in a lively description to overbalance the difagreeableness of the image raifed by itt. This however is no encouragement to deal in difagreeable fubjects; for the pleasure is incomparably greater where the fubject and the defcription are both of them agreeable. The following defcription is upon the whole agreeable, though the fubject defcribed is in itfelf difmal : Nine times the space that measures day and night Lay vanquish'd, rowling in the fiery gulf, Torments him; round he throws his baleful eyes At once as far as angels ken he views A dungeon horrible, on all fides round As one great furnace flam'd; yet from those flames Serv'd only to discover fights of wo, Regions of forrow, doleful fhades, where peace Still urges, Paradife Loft, book 1. İ. 50. An unmanly depreffion of fpirits in time of danger is not an agreeable fight; and yet a fine defcription or reprefentation of it will be relished: K. Richard. What muft the King do now? muft he The King fhall do it: must he be depos'd? |