תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

of SOLOMON's time. Poets are allowed the fame liberty in their defcriptions and comparisons, as painters in their draperies and ornaments their perfon-` ages may be drefs'd, not exactly in the fame habits which they wore; but in fuch as make them appear moft graceful. In this cafe probability muft atone for the want of truth. This liberty has indeed been abused by eminent mafters in either fcience. RAPHAEL and TASSO have fhewed their difcretion, where FAUL VERONESE and ARIOSTO are to an fwer for their extravagancies. It is the excefs, not the thing itself, that is blameable.

I would fay one word of the measure, in which this, and most poems of the age are written. Heroic with continued hime, as DONNE and his contemporaries used it, carrying the fenfe of one verfe most commonly into another, was found too diffolute and wild, and came very often too near profe. AS DAVENANT and WALLER corrected, and DRYDEN perfected it; it is too confined: it cuts off the fenfe at the end of every firft line, which must always rhime to the next following and confequently produces too frequent an identity in the found, and brings every couplet to the point of an epigram. It is indeed too bro-ken and weak to convey the fentiments and reprefent the images proper for Epic. And as it tires the writer while he compofes, it must do the fame' to the reader while he repeats; efpecially in a poem of any confiderable length.

If ftriking out into Blank Verfe, as MILTON did, (and in this kind Mr. PHILIPS, had he lived, would have excelled), or running the thought into Alternate

And

and Stanza, which allows a greater variety, and still preferves the dignity of the verfe; as SPENSER and FAIRFAX have done; if either of thefe, I say, be a proper remedy for my poetical complaint, or if any other may be found, I dare not determine: I am only inquiring, in order to be better informed; without prefuming to direct the judgment of others. while I am speaking of the verse itself, I give all just praife to many of my friends now living; who have in Epic carried the harmony of their numbers as far, as the nature of this measure will permit. But once more; he that writes in thimes, dances in fetters: and as his chain is more extended, he may certainly take larger steps.

I need make no apology for the fhort digrellive Panegyric upon GREAT BRITAIN, in the first book: I am glad to have it obferved, that there appears throughout all my verfes a zeal for the honour of my country and I had rather be thought a good Englishman, than the best poet, or greatest scholar that ever wrote.

And now as to the publishing of this piece, tho' I have in a literal fenfe obferved HORACE's nonum prematur in annum ; yet have I by no means obeyed our poetical lawgiver, according to the fpirit of the precept. The poem has indeed been written and laid afide much longer than the term prefcribed; but in the mean time I had little leifure, and lefs inclination to revife or print it. The frequent interruptions I have met with in my private ftudies, and great variety of public life, in which I have been employed; my thoughts (fuch as they are) having generally been

[ocr errors]

expreffed in foreign language, and even formed by a habitude very different from what the beauty and ele-gance of English poetry requires: all these, and fome other circumstances which we had as good pass by at prefent, do justly contribute to make my excufe in this behalf very plaufible. Far indeed from defigning to print, I had lock'd up thefe papers in my fcritoire, there to lie in peace till my executors might have taken them out. What alter'd this defign; or how my fcritore came to be unlocked before my coffin was nailed; is the queftion. The true reason I take to be the best: many of my friends of the first quality, fineft learning, and greatest underftanding, have wreft-ed the key from my hands by a very kind and irrestible violence and the poem is published, not without my confent indeed, but a little against my opinion: and with an implicit fubmiffion to the partiality of their judgment. As I give up here the fruits of many of my vacant hours to their amusement and pleasure; I shall always think myself happy, if I may dedicate my most ferious endeavours to their intereft and fervice. And I am proud to finish this preface by faying, that the violence of many enemies, whom I never july of fended, is abundantly recompenfed by the goodness of more friends, whom I can never fufficiently oblige. And if I here affume the liberty of mentioning my Lord HARLEY and Lord BATHURST as the authors of this amicable confederacy, among all those whose names do me great honour in the beginning of my book, in the folio edition: thefe two only ought to be angry with me: for I difobey their politive order, whilft I make even this fmall acknowledgment of their particular kindness.

[ocr errors]

རྩྭ

THE

FIRST BOOK.

THE ARGUMENT.

SOLOMON Seeking happiness from knowledge, con venes the learned men of his kingdoms requires them to explain to him the various operations and effects of nature; difcourfes of vegetables, animals, and man; proposes Jome questions concerning the origin, and fituation of the habitable earth; proceeds to examine the System of the vifible heaven; doubts if there may not be a plurality of worlds; enquires into the nature of [pirits and angels: and wishes to be more fully informed, as to the attributes of the fupreme Being. He is imperfectly answered by the Rabbins, and: doctors; blames his own curiofity; and concludes, that, as to human Science, ALL IS VANITY.

TEXTS chiefly alluded to in this BOOK.

The words of the Preacher, the son of David King of Jerusalem. Eeclefiaftes, Chap, I. verse 1,

Vanity of vanities, faith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity,

ver. 2.

I communed with mine own heart, faying, lo, I am come to great efiate, and have gotten more wisdom, than all they that have been before me in Jerufalem: yea my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. ver. 16.

He fpake of trees, from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon, even unto

the hyffop that fpringeth out of the wall; he spake also of beasts. and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes, 1 Kings, Chap. IV. ver. 33.

I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it; and God doth it, that men fhould fear before him, Ecclefiaftes, Chap. III. ver. 14.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time; alfo he hath fet the world in their heart, fo that no man can find out the work that God: maketh from the beginning to the end. ver. II.

For in much wifdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth forrow. Chap. I. ver. 18.

And further, by thefe, my fon, be admonished; of making many books there is no end; and much study is a wearinefs of the flesh, Chap XII. ver. 12

« הקודםהמשך »