found in Ariofto's Satires; and is perhaps yet older. But the merit of such stories is the art of telling them.

"In his amorous effufions he is lefs happy; for they are not dictated by nature, nor bent by paffion. They have the coldnefs of Cowley without his wit, the dull exercises of a skilful verfifier, refolved at all adventures to write fomething about Chloe, and trying to be amorous by dint of study. His fictions are therefore mythological. Venus, after the example of the Greek Epigram, afks when she was feen naked and bathing. Then Cupid is mistaken, then Cupid is disarmed, and then he lofes his darts to Gannymede; then Jupiter fends him a summons by Mercury; then Chloe goes a hunting with an ivory quiver graceful at her fide; Diana mistakes her for one of her nymphs, and Cupid laughs at the blunder: and even when the poet tries to act the lover without the help of gods or goddeffes, his thoughts are unaffecting or remote, he talks not like a man of this world.'

"The greatest of all his amorous effays is Henry and Emma. The example of Emma who refolves to follow an out lawed murderer wherever fear or guilt fhall drive him, deferves no imitation; and the experiment by which Henry tries the lady's conftancy is such as must end either in infamy to her, or in difappointment to himself.

"His occafional poems neceffarily loft part of their value, as their occafions, being less remembered, raised less emotion,Som of them are however well preserved by their inherent excellence. The burlefque of Boileau's ode on Namur, has in fome parts, fuch airiness and levity, as will always procure it readers, even among those who cannot compare it with the original. The epiftle to Boileau is not fo happy. Of the Carmen Seculare I cannot but fufpect that I might

praise or

cenfure it by caprice without danger of detection: Yet the time has been when this work was fo popular, that it was tranflated into Latin by no common mafter.

very

«In his epilogues to Phedra and to Lucius, he is happily facetious; but in his prologues before the Queen, the Pedant has found his way with Minerva, Perfeus, and Andromeda. His epigrams and lighter pieces are like those of others, fometimes elegant, fometimes trifling, and fometimes dull amongst the best is the Camelion.

"Scarcely any one of our poets has written fo much and tranflated fo little; the version of Callimachus is licentious; the paraphrafe on St. Paul's Exhortation to Charity is eminently beautiful.

“Alma is written in professed imitation of Hudibras, and has at least one accidental resemblance. Hudibras wants a plan because it is left imperfect; Alma is imperfect because it feems never to have had a plan. Prior appears not to have propofed to himself any drift or defign, but to have written the cafual dictates of the prefent moment.

"What Horace faid when he imitated Lucilius might be faid of Butler by Prior; his numbers were not smooth or neat: Prior excelled him in versification; but he was like Horace, inventore minor; he had not Butler's exuberance of matter and variety of illuftration. The fpang'es of wit which he could af ford, he knew how to polish; but he wanted the bullion of his mafter. Butler pours out a negligent profufion, certain of the weight, but careless of the stamp. Prior has comparatively little; but with that little he makes a fine fhew. Alma has many admirers, and was the only piece among Prior's works, of which Pope faid he should wish to be the author.

"Solomon is the work to which he entrusted the protection of his name, and which he expected fucceeding ages to regard with veneration. His affection was natural; it had undoubtedly been written with great labour. He had infused into it much knowledge, and much thought; had often polished it to elegance, often dignified it with splendour, and sometimes heightened it to fublimity : he perceived in it many excellencies, and

did not difcern that it wanted that without which all others are of finall avail; the power of engaging attention and alluring curiofity.

"Yet the work is far from deferving to be neglected. He that shall perufe it, will be able to mark many paflages, in which he may recur for inftruction or delight; many from which the poet may learn to write, and the philofopher to reafon.

"If Prior's poetry be generally confidered, his praise will be that of correctness and industry, rather than of compass of comprehenfion, or activity of fancy. He never made any effort of invention; his great pieces are only tiffues of com· mon thoughts; and his fmaller, which confifts of light images or fingle conceits, are not always his own, what he has valuable, he owes to his diligence and his judgment. His diligence has Juftly placed him amongst the most correct of the English poets : and he was one of the first that refolutely endeavoured at correctnefs. He never facrifices accuracy to hafte, nor indulges himself in contemptuous negligence, or impatient idleness; ha has no careless lines, or entangled fentiments; his words are nicely felected, and his thoughts fully expanded. He h parently fuch rectitude of judgment as fecured him from every thing that approached the ridiculous or abfurd; but as laws operate in civil agency, not to the excitement of virtue, but the repreffion of wickedness; fo judgment, in the operations of intellect, can hinder faults, but not produce excellence.

"Prior is never low, nor very often fublime. Whatever he obtains above mediocrity, feems the effort of struggle and of toil. He has many vigorous, but few happy lines; he has every thing by purchase, and nothing by gift ; he had no nightių vifitations of the mufe; no infufious of fentiment or felicities of fancy. His diction, however, is more his own than that of any among the fucceffors of Dryden; he borrows no lucky turns or commodious modes of language from his predeceffors. His phrafes are original; but they are sometimes harsh; as he

inherited no elegancies, none has he bequeathed.

His expref

fion has every mark of laborious study; the line feldom stems to have been formed at once; the words did not come till they were called, and were then put by constraint into their places, where they do their duty, but do it fullenly. In his greater compofitions there may be found more rigid ftateliness than graceful dignity.

"Of versification he was not negligent: what he received from Dryden he did not lose; neither did he increase the difficulty of writing by unneceflary severity. In his preface to Solomon he proposes some improvements, by extending the sense from one couplet to another with variety of pauses. This he has attempted, but without fuccefs; his interrupted lines are not pleafing, and his fenfe is lefs diftinct, is lefs ftriking.

"Some of his poems are written without regularity of meafure; for when he commenced poet, he had not recovered from our Pindaric infatuation: but he probably lived to be convinced, that the effence of verse is order and confonance.

"His numbers are fuch as mere diligence may attain; they feldom offend the ear, and feldom foothe it; they commonly want airiness, lightnefs, and facility; what is fmooth is not foft. His verfes always roll; but they seldom flow !

"A furvey of the life and writings of Prior may exemplify a fentence which he doubtlefs understood well, when he read Horace at his uncle's: "The veffel long retains the scent which it first receives." In his private relaxation, he revived the tavern; and in his amorous pedantries he exhibited the college; but on nobler subjects, when habit was overpowered by the neceffity of reflection, he wanted not wisdom as a statefman, nor elegance as a poet."

Though the character of Prior is given, by this great critic, with admirable precifion, difcrimination, and force, candour must admit that it adds to many other proofs of that austerity and rigidity which feem congenial to his nature, and no incon

fiderable fhare of merit must be attributed to thofe, whofe productions though they escape not his cenfure, appear to him in any degree worthy of his commendation.

If no eulogy is to be found of Prior, in the writings of contemporary poets, he has not remained unnoticed in fucceeding times. Gay, Mallet, and Lloyd, have done juftice to his memory in ftrains that do honour to their genius and candour; and Doctor Felton has left upon record the following profaic encomium:

"Mr. Prior enjoys the freeft and eafieft mufe in the world, and perhaps is the only man who may rival Horace in an admirable felicity of expreffion, both in the fublime and familiar way. Like our celebrated Cowley he hath excelled in all kinds of poetry. In his works we meet an affembly of the Mufes. Since the Roman Swan expired, none hath taken bolder and happier flights, or touched the lyre with a more masterly hand; and fince Chaucer's days, none hath told a merry or heroic tale fo well."