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mer's advantages, that he wrote before general terms were multiplied: the fuperior genius of Shakespear displays itself in avoiding them after they were multiplied. Addifon defcribes the family of Sir Roger de Coverley in the following words:

You would take his valet de chambre for his brother, his butler is grey-headed, his groom is one of the graveft men that I have ever feen, and his coachman has the looks of a privy councellor.

Spectator, No. 106.

The defcription of the groom is lefs lively than of the others; plainly because the expreffion being vague and general, tends not to form any image. "Dives opum variarum," is an expreffion ftill more vague; and fo are the following;

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Fortius et melius magnas plerumque fecat res.

Harat. Satir. lib. 1. fat. 10.

In the fine arts it is a rule, to put the capital objects in the strongest point of view; and even to prefent them oftener than once, where it can be done. In hiftory-painting, the principal figure is placed in the front, and in the beft light: an "equeftrian statue is placed in a centre of ftreets, .that it may be seen

* Georg. 2. 468,

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from many places at once. In no compofition is there greater opportunity for this rule than in writing:

-Sequitur pulcherrimus Aftur,

Aftur equo fidens et verficoloribus armis.

-Full many a lady

Eneid, x. 180.

I've ey'd with best regard, and many a time;
Th' harmony of their tongues hath into bondage
Brought my too diligent ear; for several virtues
Have I lik'd feveral women, never any
With fo full foul, but fome defect in her
Did quarrel with the nobleft grace the ow'd,
And put it to the foil. But you, O you,
So perfect, and fo peerlefs, are created
Of every creature's best.

Crlando.

The Tempest, a&t 3. fc. x.

Whate'er you are

That in this defart inacceffible,

Under the fhade of melancholy boughs,

Lofe and neglect the creeping hours of time;
If ever you have look'd on better days;
If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church;
If ever fat at any good man's feaft ;
If ever from your eye-lids wip'd a tear,.
And know what 'tis to pity and be pity'd;
Let gentlenefs my ftrong enforcement be,

In the which hope I bluth and hide my fword.

Duke fen. True is it that we have feen better days; And have with holy bell been knoll'd to church; And fat at good mens feafts; and wip'd our eyes Of drops that facred pity had engender'd : And therefore fit you down. gentleness, And take upon command what help we have, That to your wanting may be miniftred.

As you like it.

With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing fweet,

With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun
When first on this delightful land he fpreads
His orient beams, on herbs, tree, fruit, and flow's,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth
After foft fhowers; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild, the filent night
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heav'n, her starry train.
But neither breath of morn, when the afcends
With charm of earlieft birds, nor rifing fun
On this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, flow'r,
Gliftering with dew, nor fragrance after showers,
Nor grateful evening mild, nor filent night,
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon
Or glittering ftar light, without thee is fweet.
Paradife Laft, b. 4. l. 634+

What mean ye, that ye use this proverb, The fathers have eaten four grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, faith the Lord God, ye fhall not have occafion to use this proverb in Ifrael. If a man keep my judgments to deal truly, he is juft, he fhall furely live. But if he be a robber, a fhedder of blood; if he have eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife; if he have oppreffed the poor and needy, have fpoiled by violence, have not restored the pledge, have lift up his eyes to idols, have given forth upon ufury, and have taken increase: fhall he live? he fhall not live: he thall furely die and his blood fhall be upon him. Now, lo, if he beget a fon, that feeth all his father's fins, and confidereth, and doeth not fuch like; that hath not eaten upon the mountains, hath not lift up his eyes to idols, nor defiled" his neighbour's wife, hath not oppreffed any, nor withheld the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment; that hath not received ufury nor increase, that hath executed my judgments, and walked in my ftatutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he thall furely live. The foul that finneth, it fhall die; the fon fhall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither fhall the father bear the iniquity of the fon; the righteoufnefs of the righteous fhall be upon him, and the wickednefs of the wicked thall

be

be upon him.

die, faith the from his ways

Have I any pleafure that the wicked should Lord God; and not that he should return and live ?

Ezekiel, xviii.

The repetitions in Homer, which are frequent, have been the occafion of much criticifm. Suppose we were at a lofs about the reafon, might not taste be fufficient to justify them? At the fame time, we are at no lofs about the reafon : they evidently make the narration dramatic, and have an air of truth, by making things appear as paffing in our fight. But fuch repetitions are unpardonable in a didactic poem. In one of Hefiod's poems of that kind, a long pasfage occurs twice in the fame chapter.

A

A concife comprehenfive style is a great ornament in narration; and a fuperfluity of unneceffary words, no less than of circumftances, a great nuifance: judicious felection of the ftriking circumftances clothed in a nervous ftyle, is delightful. In this ftyle, Tacitus excels all writers, ancient and modern. Inftances are numberlefs: take the following fpecimen.

Crebra hinc prælia, et fæpius in modum latrocinii: per faltus, per paludes; ut cuique fors aut virtus: temere, provifo, ob iram, ob prædam, jutla, et aliquando ignaris ducibus. Annal. lib. 12. § 39

After Tacitus, Oan in that refpect justly merits the place of diftinction. One cannot go wrong for examples in any part of the book; and at the firft opening the following inftance meets the eye:

Nathos clothed his limbs in fhining fteel. The ftride of the chief is lovely: the joy of his eye terrible. The wind ruftles in his-hair. Darthula is filent at his fide: her look is fixed on the chicf. Striving to hide the riling figh, two tears fweil in her eyes.

I add one other inftance, which, befide the property under confideration, raises delicately our most tender fympathy.

Son of Fingal! doft thou not behold the darkness of Crothar's hall of fhells? My foul was not dark at the feast, when my people lived. I rejoiced in the prefence of ftrangers, when my fon fhone in the hall. But, Offian, he is a beam that is departed, and left no ftreak of light behind. He is fallen, fon of Fingal, in the battles of his father.Rothmar, the chief of graffy Tromlo, heard that my eyes had failed; he heard that my arms were fixed in the hall, and the pride of his foul arofe. He came towards Croma: my people tell before him. Itcok my arms in the hall, but what could fightlefs Crothar do? My steps were unequal; my grief was great. I wished for the days that were paft: days! wherein I fought, and won in the field of blood. My fon returned from the chace; the fair-haired Fovar-gormo. He had not lifted his fword in battle, for his arm was young. But the foul of the youth was great; the fire of valour burnt in his eye. He faw the difordered fteps of his father, and his figh arofe. King of Croma, he faid, is it becaufe thou haft no fon? is it for the weaknefs of Fovar-gormo's arm that thy fighs arife I begin, my father, to feel the ftrength of my arm; I have drawn the fword of my youth, and I have bent the bow. Let me meet this Rothmar, with the youths of Croma let me meet him, O my father, for I feel my burning foul.

And thou shalt meet him, I faid, fon of the fightlefs Crothar but let others advance before thee, that I may hear the tread of thy feet at thy return; for my eyes behold thee ir, fair-haired Fovar-gormo He went; he met the foc; he tell. The toe advances towards CroHe who flew my fon is near, with all his pointed

ma.

fpears.

If a concife or nervous ftyle be a beauty, tautology must be a blemish; and yet writers, fettered by verie, are not fufficiently careful to avoid this flovenly practice they may be pitied, but they cannot be juftified. Take for a fpecimen the following inftances,

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