cients. Indeed in all the common fubjects of Poetry, the thoughts are fo obvious (at least if they are natural) that whoever writes last must write things like what have been faid before: But they may as well applaud the Ancients for their arts of eating and drinking, and accuse the mo derns of having stolen those inventions from them; it being evident in all fuch cases, that whoever liv'd first, must first find them out. 'Tis true, indeed, when unus et alter Affuitur pannus, when there are one or two bright thoughts ftolen, and all the reft is quite different from it, a poem makes a very foolish figure: But when 'tis all melted down together, and the Gold of the Ancients fo mix'd with that of the Moderns, that none can distinguish the one from the other, I can never find fault with it. I cannot however but own to you, that there are others of a different opinion, and that I have fhewn your verses to some who have made that objection to them. I have so much company round me while I write this, and such a noise in my ears, that 'tis impoffible I should write any thing but nonfenfe, fo must break off abruptly. I am, Sir, Your most affectionate, and most humble Servant, LETTER V. From Mr. WALSH. Sept. 9, 1706. AT my return from the North, I received the favour of your letter, which had lain there till then. Having been abfent about fix weeks, I read over your Paftorals again, with a great deal of Pleasure, and to judge the better read Virgil's Eclogues, and Spenfer's Calendar, at the fame time; and, I affure you, I continue the fame opinion I had always of them. By the little hints you take upon all occafions to improve them, 'tis probable you you will make them yet better against winter; tho' there is a mean to be kept even in that too, and a man may correct his verses till he takes away the true fpirit of them; especially if he submits to the correction of fome who país for great Critics, by mechanical rules, and never enter into the true defign and Genius of an author. I have feen fome of these that would hardly allow any one good Ode in Horace, who cry Virgil wants fancy, and that Homer is very incorrect. While they talk at this rate, one would think them above the common rate of mortals; but generally they are great admirers of Ovid and Lucan; and when they write themselves, we find out all the myftery. They fcan their verfes upon their fingers; run after Conceits and glaring thoughts; their poems are all made up of Couplets, of which the firft may be laft, or the laft firft, without any fort of prejudice to their works; in which there is no defign, or method, or any thing natural or juft. For you are certainly in the right, that in all writings whatsoever (not poetry only) nature is to be followed; and we fhould be jealous of ourfelves for being fond of Similes, Conceits, and what they call fine Things. When we were in the North, my Lord Wharton fhew'd me a letter he had receiv'd from a certain great General in Spain; I told him I would by all means have that General recall'd, and fet to writing here at home, for it was impoffible that a man with fo much Wit as he fhew'd, could be fit to command an Army, or do any other bu finefs t. As for what you fay of Expreffion; 'tis indeed the fame thing to Wit, as Drefs is to Beauty: I have feen many women over drefs'd, and feveral look better in a careless night-gown, with their hair about their cars, than Mademoiselle Spanheim drefs'd for a ball. I do not defign to be in London till towards the parliament: then I fhall certainly be there; and hope by that time you *The Earl of Peterborow. Mr. Walsh's remark will be thought very innocent, when the reader is informed that it was made on the earl of Peterborow, juft before the glori ous campaigns of Barcelona and Valentia. J will have finifh'd your Paftorals as you would have them appear in the world, and particulary the third, of Autumn, which I have not yet feen. Your laft Eclogue being upon the fame fubject as that of mine on Mrs. Tempeft's Death, I fhould take it very kindly in you to give it a little turn, as if it were to the Memory of the same Lady, if they were not written for some paticular Woman whom you would make immortal. You You may take occafion to thew the difference between Poets Miftreffes, and other mens. I only hint this, which you may cither do, or let alone juft as you think fit. I fhall be very much pleas'd to see you again in Town, and to hear from you in the mean time. I am, with very much efteem, Your, etc. LETTER VI. Oct. 22, 1706. AFTER the thoughts I have already fent you on the fubject of English Verfification, you defire my opinion as to fome farther particulars. There are indeed certain Niceties, which, tho' not much obferved even by correct verfifiers, I cannot but think, deferve to be better regarded. 1. It is not enough that nothing offends the ear, but a good Poet will adapt the very Sounds, as well as Words, to the thing he treats of So that there is (if one may exprefs it fo) a Style of Sound. As in defcribing a gliding stream, the numbers fhould run eafy and flowing; in defcribing a rough torrent or deluge, fonorous and fwelling; and fo of the reft. This is evident every where in Homer and Virgil, and no where elfe, that I know of, to any obfervable degree. The following examples will make this plain, which I have taken from Vida. Molle viam tacito lapfu per levia radit. · Telum Telum imbellefine itu, conjecit. Tolle moras, cape faxe manu, cape rolora, Paftor. This, I think, is what very few obferve in practice, and is undoubtedly of wonderful force in imprinting the image on the reader: We have one excellent example of it in our language, Mr. Dryden's Ode on St. Cæcilia's day, entitled Alexander's Feast. 2. Every nice ear muft (I believe) have obferv'd, that in any smooth English verfe of ten fyllables, there is naturally a Pause at the fourth, fifth, or fixth fyllable. It is upon these the ear refts, and upon the judicious change and management of which depends the variety of verfification. for example, At the fifth. Where'er thy navy | spreads her canvas wings, At the fourth. Homage to thee and peace to all she brings. At the fixth. Like tracks of leverets | in morning fnow. Now I fancy, that, to preferve an exact Harmony and Variety, the Paufe at the 4th or 6th fhould not be continued above three lines together, without the interpofition of another; elfe it will be apt to weary the ear with one continued tone, at least it does mine: That at the 5th runs quicker, and carries not quite fo dead a weight, fo tires not fo much, tho' it be continued longer. 3. Another nicety is in relation to Expletives, whether words or fyllables, which are made ufe of purely to fupply a vacancy: Do before verbs plural is abfolutely fuch; and it is not improbable but future refiners may explode did and does in the fame manner, which are almoft always used for the fake of rhyme. The fame caufe has occafioned the promifcuous ufe of you and thou to the fame perfon, which can never found fo graceful as either one or the other. 4. I would alfo object to the irruption of Alexandrine verfes, of twelve fyllables, which, I think, fhould never U u 2 be be allow'd but when fome remarkable beauty or propriety in them atones for the liberty: Mr. Dryden has been too free of thefe, efpecially in his latter works. I am of the fame opinion as to Triple Rhimes. 5. I could equally object to the Repetition of the fame Rhimes within four or fix lines of each other, as tirefome to the ear thro' their Monotony. 6. Monofyllable Lines, unless very artfully managed, are ftiff, or languifhing: but may be beautiful to express Melancholy, Slownefs, or Labour. 7. To come to the Hiatus, or Gap between two words, which is caus'd by two vowels opening on each other (upon which you defire me to be particular) I think the rule in this cafe is either to use the Cæfura, or admit the Hiatus, juft as the ear is least shock'd by either: for the Cæfura fometimes offends the ear more than the Hiatus itfelf, and our language is natually overcharged with confonants: As for example; if in this verse, The old have Int'reft ever in their eye, we fhould fay, to avoid the Hiatus, But th' old have int'reft. The Hiatus which has the worft effect, is when one word ends with the fame vowel that begins the following; and next to this, thofe vowels whofe founds come nearest to each other, are most to be avoided. O, A, or U, will bear a more full and graceful Sound then E, I, or Y. I know, fome people will think these Obfervations trivial, and therefore I am glad to corroborate them by fome great authorities, which I have met with in Tully and Quintilian. In the fourth book of Rhetoric to Hirenius, are thefe words: Fugiemus crebras vocalium concurfiones, quae vaftam atque biantem reddunt orationem; ut hoc eft, Baccae aeneae amoeniffimae impendebant. And Quintilian, 1. ix. cap. 4. Vocalium concurfus cum accidit, hiat et interfiftit, et quafi laborat oratio. Peffime longae quae eafdem inter fe literas committunt, fonabunt: praecipuus tamen erit hiatus earum quae cavo aut patulo ore efferuntur. E plenior litera eft, I anguftior. But he |