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painting is to be confulted, and the whole regard had to those circumftances which contribute to form a full, and yet not a confufed, idea of a thing.

Epithets are of vast service to this effect, and the right use of these is often the only expedient to render the narration poetical.

The great point of judgment is to distinguish when to speak fimply, and when figuratively: but whenever the Poet is obliged by the nature of his subject to defcend to the lower manner of writing, an elevated style would be affected, and therefore ridiculous; and the more he was forced upon figures and metaphors to avoid that lowness, the more the image would be broken, and confequently obfcure.

One may add, that the ufe of the grand style on little fubjects, is not only ludicrous, but a fort of tranfgreffion against the rules of proportion and me. chanics: 'tis ufing a vaft force to lift a feather.

I believe, now I am upon this head, it will be found a just observation, that the low actions of life cannot be put into a figurative style without being ridiculous, but things natural can. Metaphors raise the latter into dignity, as we fee in the Georgics; but throw the former into ridicule, as in the Lutrin. I think this may very well be accounted for; laughter implies cenfure; inanimate and irrational beings are not objects of cenfure; therefore these may be elevated as much as you pleafe, and no ridicule follows: but

when

when rational beings are represented above their real character, it becomes ridiculous in art, because it is vicious in morality. The Bees in Virgil, were they rational beings, would be ridiculous by having their actions and manners represented on a level with creatures fo fuperior as men; fince it would imply folly or pride, which are the proper objects of ridicule.

The ufe of pompous expreffion for low actions or thoughts is the true fublime of Don Quixote. How far unfit it is for Epic Poetry, appears in its being the perfection of the Mock Epic. It is fo far from being the fublime of Tragedy, that it is the caufe of all bombaft; when Poets, instead of being (as they imagine) constantly lofty, only preferve throughout a painful equality of fuftian: that continued fwell of language (which runs indifcriminately even through their lowest characters, and rattles like fome mightinefs of meaning in the most indifferent fubjects) is of a piece with that perpetual elevation of tone which the players have learned from it; and which is not Speaking, but vociferating.

There is still more reafon for a variation of style in Epic Poetry than in Tragic, to distinguish between that language of the Gods proper to the mufe who fings, and is inspired; and that of men who are introduced speaking only according to nature. Farther, there ought to be a difference of ftyle obferved in the fpeeches of human perfons, and thofe of deities; and again, in those which may be called fet harangues

or

or orations, and those which are only converfation or dialogue. Homer has more of the latter than any other Poet: what l'irgil does by two or three words of narration, Homer still performs by specches: not only replies, but even rejoinders are frequent in him, a practice almost unknown to Virgil. This renders his Poems more animated, but lefs grave and majeftic; and confequently neceffitates the frequent ufe of a lower style. The writers of Tragedy lie under the fame neceflity, if they would copy nature; whereas that painted and poetical diction, which they perpetually ufe, would be improper even in orations defigned to move with all the arts of rhetoric: this is plain from the practice of Demofthenes and Cicero; and Virgil in those of Drances and Turnus gives an eminent example, how far removed the style of them ought to be from fuch an excefs of figures and ornaments: which indeed fits only that language of the Gods we have been speaking of, or that of a mufe under inspiration.

To read through a whole work in this strain, is like travelling all along on the ridge of a hill; which is not half fo agreeable as fometimes gradually to rise, and fometimes gently to defcend, as the way leads, and as the end of the journey directs.

Indeed the true reason that fo few Poets have imitated Homer in thefe lower parts, has been the extreme difficulty of preferving that mixture of ease and dignity effential to them. For it is as hard for

an

an Epic Poem to stoop to the narrative with fuccefs, as for a prince to defcend to be familiar, without diminution to his greatness.

The fublime ftyle is more easily counterfeited than the natural *; something that passes for it, or founds like it, is common in all false writers: but nature, purity, perfpicuity, and fimplicity, never walk in the clouds; they are obvious to all capacities; and where they are not evident, they do not exist.

The most plain narration not only admits of these, and of harmony, (which are all the qualities of style,) but it requires every one of them to render it pleasing. On the contrary, whatever pretends to a fhare of the fublime, may pass notwithstanding any defects in the reft, nay sometimes without any of them, and gain the admiration of all ordinary readers.

Homer in his lowest narrations or speeches is ever eafy, flowing, copious, clear, and harmonious. He fhews not lefs invention, in affembling the humbler,

than

*Nothing can be more juft, and happily expreffed, than are these remarks on the "falfe fublime," and the "natural" style: these sentiments are most nobly illuftrated by Shakespear. It is indeed much easier to defcribe paffion, as is done by Rowe, Addifon, &c. than it is to exhibit the genuine feelings and exact workings of nature.

See a moft ftriking inftance of this kind in Othello :

Iago. I fee this hath a little dafh'd

Othello.-Not a jot! not a jot!

Iago. Trust me, I fear it has.

your spirits.

I hope you will confider what is spoke

Comes from my love-but I do see you're mov❜d. Othello.-No-not much mov'd, &c.

than the greater, thoughts and images; nor lefs judg ment, in proportioning the ftyle and the verfification to thefe than to the other. Let it be remembered, that the fame genius that foared the highest, and from whom the greateft models of the fublime are derived, was also he who ftooped the loweft, and gave to the fimple narrative its utmost perfection. Which of these was the harder taík to Homer himself, I cannot pretend to determine; but to his Tranflator I can affirm (however unequal all his imitations must be) that of the latter has been much the more difficult.

Whoever expects here the fame pomp of verse, and the fame ornaments of diction, as in the Iliad; he will, and he ought to be disappointed. Were the original otherwife, it had been an offence against nature; and were the tranflation fo, it were an offence against Homer, which is the fame thing.

It must be allowed that there is a majefty and harmony in the Greek language, which greatly contribute to elevate and fupport the narration. But I must also obferve that this is an advantage grown upon the language fince Homer's time; for things are removed from vulgarity by being out of ufe: and if the words we could find in any prefent language were equally fonorous or mufical in themselves, they would ftill appear lefs poetical and uncommon than thofe of a dead one, from this only circumftance, of being in every man's mouth. I may add to this another dif advantage to a tranflator, from a different caufe:

Homer

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