A maffy caldron of ftupendous frame They brought, and plac'd it o'er the rifing flame: Pope's Homer, book xvii. 405. In a paffage near the beginning of the 4th book of Telemachus, one feels a fudden bound upward without preparation; which accords not with the fubject: Calypfo, qui avoit été jufqu'à ce moment immobile et tranfporté de plaifir en écoutant les avantures de Telemaque, l'interrompit pour lui faire prendre quelque repos. Il eft tems, lui dit-elle que vous alliez goûter la douceur du fommeil aprés tant de travaux. Vous n'avez rein à craindre ici tout vous eft favorable. Abandonnez-vous, donc a la joye. Goutez la paix, et tous les autres dons des dieux dont vous allez être comblé. Demain, quand l'Aurore avec fes doigts de roses entr'ouv rira les portes dorées de l'Orient, et que les chevaux du foleil fortans de l'onde amére repandront les flames du jour, pour chaffer devant eux toutes les etoiles du ciel, nous reprendrons, mon cher Telémaque, l'hiftoire de vos malheurs. This obviously is coped from a fimilar paffage in the Eneid, which ought not to have been copied, becaufe it lies open to the fame cenfure: but the force of authority is great. At regina gravi jamdudum faucia cura, Humentemque Aurora polo dimoverat umbram; Take another example where the words rife above the fubject: Ainfi les peuples y accoururent bientôt en foule de toutes parts; le commerce de cette ville étoit femblable au flux et reflux de la mer. Les tréfors y entroient comme les flots viennent l'un fur l'autre. Tout y etoit apporté et en fortoit librement : tout ce qui y entroit, étoit utile; toute ce qui en fortoit, laiffoit en fortant d'autres richeffes en fa place. La juftice fevére prefidoit dans le port au milieu de tant de nations. La franchife, la bonne foi, la candeur, fembloient du haut de ces fuperbs tours appeller les marchands des terres les plus éloignées : chacun des ces marchands, foit qu'il vint des rives orientales où le foleil fort chaque jour du fein des ondes, foit qu'l fût parti de cette grande mer où le foleil laffe'de fon cours va eteindre fes feux, vivoit plaifible et en fureté dans Salente comme dans fa patrie ! Telemaque, l. 12. * The language of Homer is fuited to his fubject, not lefs accurately than the actions and fentiments of his heroes are to their characters. Virgil, in this particular, falls fhort of perfection his language is ftately throughout; and though he defcends at times to the fimpleft branches of cookery, roafting and boiling for example, yet he never relaxes a moment from the high tone. In adjufting his language to his fubject, no writer equals Swift. I can recollect but one exception, which at the fame time is far from being grofs. The journal of a modern lady, is compofed in a style where fprightliness is blended with familiarity, perfectly fuited to the fubject. In one paffage, however, the poet affumes a higher tone, which corresponds *See Æneid. lib. i. 188.-21.9. neither neither to the fubject nor to the tone of language employ'd in the reft of that piece. The paffage I have in view begins l. 116. "But let me now a "while furvey," &c. and ends at l. 135. It is proper to be observed upon this head, that writers of inferior rank are continually upon the stretch to enliven and enforce their subject by exaggeration and fuperlatives. This unluckily has an effect oppofite to what is intended: the reader, difgufted with language that fwells above the subject, is lel by contrast to think more meanly of the subject than it may poffibly deferve. A man of prudence, befide, will be not lefs careful to husband his ftrength in writing than in walking: a writer too liberal of fuperlatives, exhaufts his whole stock upon ordinary incidents, and referves no share to exprefs, with greater energy, matters of importance.* The power that language poffeffes to imitate thought, goes farther than to the capital circumstances above mentioned: it reacheth even the flighter modifications. Slow action, for example. is imitated by words pronounced flow; labour or toil, by words harfh or rough in their found. But this fubject has been already handled.† In dialogue-writing, the condition of the speaker is chiefly to be regarded in framing the expreffion. The centinel in Hamlet, interrogated about the ghoft, *Montaigne, reflecting upon the then present modes, obferves, that there never was at any other time fo abject and fervile prostitution of words in the addreffes made by people of fashion to one another; the humbleft tenders of life and foul, no profeffions under that of devotion and adoration; the writer conftantly declaring himself a vaffal, nay a flave: fo that when any more ferious occasion of friendship or gratitude requires more genuine profeffions, words are wanting to express them. Ch. 18. fect. 3. Ch. XXI. ghoft, whether his watch had been quiet? answers with great propriety for a man in his itation. "Not a moufe ftirring. I proceed to a fecond remark, not lefs important than the former. No perfon of reflection but must be fenfible, that an incident makes a ftronger impreflion on an eye-witnefs, than when heard at fecond hand Writers of genius. fenfible that the eye is the beft avenue to the heart, reprefent every thing as paffing in our fight; and from readers or hearers, transform us, as it were, into fpectators. A fkilful writer conceals himfelf, and prefents his perfonages. In a word, every thing becomes dramatic as much as poffible. Plutarch, de gloria Athenienfium, obferves, that Thucydides makes his `reader a spectator, and infpires him with the fame paffions as if he were an eye-witnefs. I am intitled to make the fame obfervation upon our countryman Swift. From this happy talent arifes that energy of ftyle which is peculiar to him he cannot always avoid narration; but the pencil is his choice, by which he beftows life and colouring upon his objects. Pope is richer in ornament, but poffeffes 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 finifhed by the latter, affords the fireft oppertunity for a comparifon. Pope cbviously imitates the picturefque manner of his friend: yet every one of tafte must be fenfible, that the imitation, though fine, falls fhort : of * One can scarce avoid fmiling at the blindefs of a certain critic, who, with an air of felt fufficiency, cendemns this expreffion as low and vulgar. A French peet, fays he, would exprefs the fame thought in a more fublime manner: "Mais tout dort, et l'armée, " et les vents, et Neptune." "And he adds, "The English poet may pleafe at London, but the French every where else. 165 of the original. In other inftances, where Pope writes in his own ftyle, the difference of manner is ftill more confpicuous. * Abstract or general terms have no good effect in any compofition for amufement; because it is only of particular objects that images can be formed. Shakespear's ftyle in that refpect is excellent. Every article in his defcriptions is particular, as in nature; and if accidentally a vague expreffion flip in, the blemish is extremely difcernible by the bluntnefs of its impreffion. Take the following example. Falstaff, excufing himself for running away at a robbery, fays, upon By the Lord, I knew ye, as well as he that made ye. Why, hear ye, my mafters; was it for me to kill the heir-apparent? fhould I turn upo the true prince? Why, thou knoweft, I am as valiant as Hercules; but beware inftinct, the lion will not touch, the true prince: inftinct is a great matter. I was a coward on inftinct I fhall think the better of myself, and thee, during my life I, for a valiant lion, and thou for a true prince. But, by the Lord, lads, I am glad you have the money. Hoftefs, clap to the doors watch tonight, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship come to you! What, fhall we be merry? fhall we have a play extempore? e; First Part of Henry V, act 2. fc. 9. The particular words I object to are, inftinct is a great matter, which make but a poor figure, compared with the livelinefs of the reft of the fpeech. It was as one of Homer's advantages, that he wrote before general terms were multiplied: the fuperior genius of Shakefpear difplays itfelf in avoiding them after they were multiplied. Addifon defcribes the family of Sir Roger de Coverly in the following words. VOL. II. MAX * See chap. 4. You |