little before, comes infelicis Ulyffei joined to Achæmenides, fills up the hemiftich with this illplaced addition :

"Litora Achaemenides [comes infelicis Ulyffei."

In the fixth Aeneid, the hero fpeaks to the Sybil.

"Foliis tantum ne carmina manda, "Ne turbata volent, rapidis ludibria ventis: Finem dedit ore loquendi."

Ipfa canas, ora.

The river God Tyber is fpeaking of himself. Aen. VIII.

"Ego fum, pleno quem flumine cernis Stringentem ripas, et pinguia culta fecantem "Coeruleus Tybris. Coelo gratiffimus amnis."

Some other fufpected places may be pointed out: but I fubmit to the judgment of the reader, whether he can think these additions, any other than botches in poetry: and how much more virgilian would these verses appear, were they left as I have here marked them?

IT ought not to be forgotten that Shakespeare has many words, either of admiration or exclamation, &c. out of the verfe. Nor is this without example in the Greek tragedies. In the Hecuba of Euripides y. 863.

"Gh. So art thou to revenge, when thou fhalt

"hear.

"Ham. What?

"Gh. I am thy father's fpirit."

And presently after,

"Gh. If thou didst ever thy dear father love"Ham. Oh heav'n!

"Gh. Revenge his foul and most unnatural "murther!

"Ham. Murther!

"Gh. Murther moft foul, as in the best it is."

In Othello, A& III.

"Oth. Oh, yes, and went between us very oft. "Iago. Indeed!

"Oth. Indeed! ay, indeed. Discern'st thou

"ought in that ?"

I

And in many other places exactly after the caft of the ancient plays. There are fome poetic liberties that our author takes, fuch as lengthening words in fcanfion, as witěness, fiděler, āngěry, Heněry, sārjĕānt, căptăîn, statue, desire, villain, fire, boūr, grăce, great, &c.

VOSSIUS spoke very ignorantly of our language when he afferted that our verses run all, as it were, in one measure, without diftinction of

1 Our editors not knowing this have turned fome paffages into profe: viz. Midsummer Night's dream, A& IV.

66

Queen. I have a venturous Fairy that shall seek

The fquirrels board, and fetch thee new nuts.”

Other paffages they have altered. viz. Macbeth, A&t I.

"Mal. This is the sērjeānt

"Who like a good and hardy soldier fought.'

Thus arbitrarily changed,

"This is the ferjeant, who

"Like a good right and hardy foldier fought."

And presently after,

"Difmay'd not this

"our captains, Macbeth and Banquo. Capt. Yes "As fparrows eagles.”

Altered into,

"Our captains, brave Macbeth and Banquo. Capt. Yes."

There

1

regard to the na

of members or parts, or any tural quantities of fyllables. For are not these fubftantives as much trochees, conduct, cónfort, cónteft, &c. and the verbs from these substantives, as much iambics, conduct, confórt, contést, &c. as any Latin or Greek words whatever? Again, sinful, faithful, náture, vénture, &c. have all. the first fyllable long. However our pofition in the main determines the quantity, and a great deal is left to the ear.

There is no need at present to mention more of these alterations. Let us now turn to fome other poets. Spencer. B. 2. c. 9. ft. 15.

"And evirmore their cruel captăïne."

And B. 6. c. 10. ft. 36.

"And hewing off its head, it presented."

Fairfax. B. VI. ft. 103.

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Spred frostie pearle on the canded ground.”

And B. XV. ft. 12.

"Some fpred their failes, fome with ftrong ōars fweep."

The Latin writers are not without inftances of adding to the fyllables of words in fcanfion. Lucretius, Lib. VI.

Qua calidum faciunt aquãē tactum atque faporem."

Horatius, Lib. 1. od. 23.

Here

"Aurarum et siluãē metu."

aquæ and fylva of two fyllables, are both to be read

as if of three fyllables.

Bb 3

But

But let us take any verfe in Milton or Shakefpeare, for example.

Sǎy first for heav'n hides nothing from thỹ view.

I

2

And transpose the words,

4

5

Say first for heav'n nothing from thy view hides.

I

2

4

5

who cannot ' feel the difference, even supposing he could not give a reason for it?

THE greatest beauty in diction is, when it corresponds to the fenfe. This beauty our language, with all its disadvantages, can attain; as I could easily inftance from Shakespeare and Milton. We have harfh, rough confonants, as well as the foft and melting, and these should found in the fame mufical key. This rule is most religiously observed by Virgil; as is likewife that of varying the paufe and cefura, or as

1 Quotufquifque eft, qui teneat artem numerorum ac modorum? At fi in his paulum modo offenfum eft, ut aut contractione brevius fieret, aut productione longius, theatra tota reclamant. Cicero in Orat. "Hôn ♪ ïswse xj év Tois 800λυανθρωπολάτοις θεάτροις, ἃ συμπληροῖ πανοδαπὸς καὶ ἄμεσος όχλος, ἔδοξα καλαμαθεῖν ὡς φυσική τις ἐςὶν ἀπάνων ἡμῶν οἰκειότης πρὸς εὐμέλειάν τε καὶ εὐρυθμίαν. Dionyf. Hal. p. 72. Edit. Lond.