In a paffage at the beginning of the 4th book of Telemachus, one feels a fudden bound upward without preparation, which accords not with the subject : Calypfo, qui avoite été jusqu'à ce moment immobile et transportée de plaifir en écoutant les avantures de Télémaque, l'interrompit pour lui faire prendre quelque repôs. Il eft tems, lui dit-elle, qui vous alliez goûter la douceur du fommeil aprés tant de travaux. Vous n'avez rien à craindre ici; tout vous eft favorable. Abandonnez vous donc à 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 rôfes entr'ouvrira les portes dorées de l'Orient, et que le Chevaux du Soleil fortans de l'onde amére repandront les flames du jour, pour chaffer devant eux toutes les etoiles du ciel, nous reprendrons, mon cher Télémaque, l'hiftoire de vos malheurs. This obviously is copied from a fimilar paffage in the Æneid, which ought not to have been copied, because it lies open to the fame cenfure; but the force of authority is great: At regina gravi jamdudum faucia cura Gentis honos: hærent infixi pectore vultus, Verbaque nec placidam membris dat cura quietem. Humentemque Aurora polo dimoverat umbram; Cum fic unanimem alloquitur malefana fororem. Lib. iv. 1. Take another example where the words rife above the fubject: Ainfi les peuples y accoururent bientôt en foule de toutes partes; le commerce de cette ville étoit femblable au flux et au reflux de la mer. Les tréfors y entroient comme les flots viennent l'un fur l'autre. Tout y étoit apporté et en fortoit fortoit librement; tout ce qui y entroit, étoit utile; tout ce qui en fortoit, laifloit 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 le plus éloignées : chacun de ces marchands, foit qu'il vint des rives orientales où le foleil fort chaque jour du fein des ondes, foit qu'il fût parti de cette grande mer où le foleil laffe de fon cours va eteindre fes feux, vivoit paisible et en fureté dans Salente comme dans fa patrie! Telemaque, l. 12. The language of Homer is fuited to his fubject, no lefs accurately than the actions and fentiments of his heroes are to their characters. Virgil, in that 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 composed in a style blending fprightlinefs with familiarity, perfectly fuited to the fubject: in one paffage, however, the poet deviating from that ftyle, takes a tone above his fubject. The paffage I have in view begins, 1. 116. But let me now a while furvey, &c. and ends at l. 135. It is proper to be obferved upon this head, that writers of inferior rank are continually upon the ftretch to enliven and enforce their fubject by exaggeration and fuperlatives. This unluckily has an effect contrary to what is intended; the reader, difgufted with language that fwells above the fubject, is led by contrast, to think more meanly of the fubjec than *See Eneid. lib. i. 183.-219. than it may poffibly deferve. A man of prudence, befide, will be no lefs careful to husband his ftrength in writing than in walking: a writer too liberal of fuperlatives, exhaufts his whole ftock upon ordinary incidents, and referves no fhare to exprefs, with greater energy, matters of importance.* Many writers of that kind abound fo in epithets, as if poetry confifted entirely in high-founding words. Take the following inftance. When black-brow'd Night her dufky mantle fpread, Here every fubftantive is faithfully attended to by fome tumid epithet; like young mafter who cannot walk abroad without having a lac'd livery man at his heels. Thus in reading without tafte, an emphafis is laid on every word; and in finging without tafte, every note is grac'd. Such redundancy of *epithets, instead of pleafing, produce fatiety and difguft. The power of language to imitate thought, is not confined to the capital circumstances above mentioned it reachreth even the flighter modifications. Slow * Montaigne, reflecting upon the then prefent modes, obferves, that there never was at any her time fo abject and fervile profitution 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 to that when any more fericus occafion of friendship or gratitude requires more genuine profeffions, words are wanting to exprefs them. : 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 fpeaker is chiefly to be regarded in framing the expreffion. The fentinel in Hamlet, interrogated with relation to the ghost whether his watch had been quiet, anfwers with great propriety for a man in his ftation, " not a moufe ftirring.t" ઃઃ I proceed to a fecond remark, no lefs important than the former. No perfon of reflection but muft 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 himself, 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 fpectator, and inspires him with the fame paflions as if he were an eye-witnefs: and the fame obfervation is applicable to our countryman Swift. From this happy talent arises that energy of ftyle which is peculiar to him he cannot always avoid narration; but the pencil is his choice, by which he beltows life and colouring upon his objects. Pope is richer Ch. 18.a. in + One can scarce avoid fmiling at the blindness of a certain critic. who, with an air of felf fufficiency, condemns this expreffion as low and vulgar. A French poet, fays he, would expres 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 Lon don, but the French every where else." in ornament, but poffeffeth 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 finished by the latter, affords the faireft opportunity for a comparifon. Pope obviously imitates the picturefque manner of his friend: yet every one of tafte must be fenfible, that the imitation, though fine, falls fhort 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 flyle 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 difcernible by the bluntnefs of its impreffion. Take the following example: Falstaff, excuf ing himself for running away at a robbery, fays, By the Lord, I knew ye as well as he that made ye. Why, hear ye, my mailers; was it for me to kill the heirapparent; fhould I turn upon 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 matier. I was a coward on inftinct: I fhall think the better of myself, and thee, during my life; I for a violent lion, and thou for a true prince. But, by the Lord, lads, I am glad you have the money. Hoftefs, clap too the doors, watch to-night, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship come to you! What, thall we be merryhall we have a play extempore? Firft part, Henry IV. act 2. fc. 9. The fentence I object to is, inflinct is a great matter, which makes but a poor figure, compared with the livelinefs of the reft of the fpeech. It was one of Ho * See chap. 4. mer's |
