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"Men would be angels, angels would be Gods." Effay on Man, Ep.1. †126,,

Without all question from Sir Fulk Grevil,

Men would be tyrants, tyrants would be Gods.

Works, Lond. 1633. P.73.

XIV. The feeming quaintness and obfcurity of an expreffion frequently indicates imitation. As when in Fletcher's Pilgrim we read,

"Hummings of higher nature vex his brains.

A. 11. S. 2.

Had the idea been original, the poet had expreffed it more plainly. In leaving it thus, he pays his reader the complement to fuppofe, that he will readily call to mind,

aliena negotia centum

Per caput, et circa faliunt latus.

which fufficiently explains it: As we may fee from Mr. Cowley's application of the fame paffage. "Aliena negotia centum per caput et circa faliunt latus. A hundred bufineffes of other men fly continually about his head and ears, and strike him in the face like Dorres." Difc. of Liberty." And still more clearly, from Mr. Pope's,

A hundred other men's affairs,

Like bees, are humming in my cars.

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Learned writers of quick parts abound in these delícate allufions. It makes a principal part of modern elegancy to glance in this oblique manner at well known paffages in the claffics.

XV. I will trouble you with but one more note of imitated expreffion, and it fhall be the very reverse of the last. When the paffages glanced at are not familiar, the expreffion is frequently minute and circumftantial, correfponding to the original in the order, turn, and almoft number of the words. The reasons are, that the imitated passage not being known, the imitator may give it, as he finds it, with fafety, or at leaft without offence; and that, befides, the force and beauty of it would escape us in a brief and general allufion. The following are inftances.

1. "Man never is, but always to be bleft. Effay on man, Ep. 1.69.

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from Euripides in the Troad. . 676.

—ἐδ', ὃ πᾶσι λέιπε]αι βροτοῖς,
Ξύνεσιν ἐλπὶς, -

3. But

3. But above, that in Johnfon's Cataline'

He shall die:

Shall was too flowly faid: He's dying: That
Is ftill too flow: He's dead.

from Seneca's Hercules furens, A. 1II.

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Lycus Creonti debitas pœnas dabit,

Lentum eft,dabit: dat: hoc quoque eft lentum,dedit.

You have now, Sir, before you a specimen of those rules, which I have fancied might be fairly applied to the discovery of imitations, both in regard to the SENSE and EXPRESSION of great writers. I would not pretend that the fame ftrefs is to be laid on all, but there may be fomething, at least, worth attending. to in every one of them. It were easy, perhaps, to enumerate still more, and to illuftrate these I have given with more agreeable citations. Yet I have fpared you the difguft of confidering thofe vulgar paffages, which every body recollects and fets down for acknowledged imitations. And these I have used are taken from the most celebrated of the ancient and modern writers. You may obferve indeed that I have chiefly drawn from our own poets; which I did, not merely because I know you despise the pedantry of confining one's felf to learned quotations, but because I think we are better able to difcern thofe circumftances, which betray an imitation, in our own language than in any other. Amongst other reasons, an identity of words and phrafes, upon which so much

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depends, especially in the article of expression, is only to be had in the fame language. And you are not to be told with how much more certainty we determine of the degree of evidence, which fuch identity affords for this purpose, in a language we speak, than in one which we only lifp or fpell.

But You will beft understand of what importance this affair of expreffion is to the discovery of imitations, by confidering how feldom we are able to fix an imitation on Shakespear. The reason is, not, that there are not numberlefs paffages in him very like to others in approved authors, or that he had not read enough to give us a fair hold of him; but that his expreffion is so totally his own, that he almost alway, fets us at defiance.

You will ask me, perhaps, now I am on this fubject, how it happened that Shakespear's language is everywhere fo much his own as to fecure his imitations, if they were fuch, from difcovery; when I pronounce with fuch affurance of thofe of our other poets. The answer is given for me in the Preface to Mr. Theobald's Shakespear; though the observation, I think, is too good to come from that critic. It is, that, though his words, agreeably to the ftate of the English tongue at that time, be generally Latin, his phraseology is perfectly English: An advantage, he owed to his flender acquaintance with the Latin idiom. Whereas the other writers of his age, and fuch others of an older date as were likely to fall into his hands, had not only the most familiar acquain

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tance with the Latin idiom, but affected on all accafions to make ufe of it. Hence it comes to pass, that, though he might draw sometimes from the Latin (Ben Johnson, you know, tells us, He had lefs Greek) and the learned English writers, he takes nothing but the fentiment; the expreffion comes of itself, and is purely English.

me.

I might indulge in other reflections, and detain you ftill further with examples taken from his works. But we have lain, as the Poet speaks, on these primrofe beds, too long. It is time that you now rife to your own nobler inventions ; and that I return myself to those, lefs pleafing, perhaps, but more useful ftudies from which your friendly follicitations have called Such as these amusements are, however, I cannot repent me of them, fince they have been innocent at least, and even ingenuous; and, what I am fondest to recollect, have helped to enliven thofe many years of friendship we have pafs'd together in this place. I fee indeed, with regret, the approach of that time, which threatens to take me both from it, and you. But however fortune may dispose of me, fhe cannot throw me to a distance, to which your affection and good wishes, at leaft, will not follow me.

And for the reft,

"Be no unpleafing melancholly mine.

The

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