ceived the mother of mankind, WHAT TIME HIS PRIDE HAD CAST HIM out of heaven. Milton. Some of these, with others to be found in Milton, seem to have been adopted for the sake of brevity, which in the poetical tongue is indispensable. For the same reason perhaps, the articles a and the are sometimes omitted by our poets, though less frequently in serious than burlesque composition.* In English, the adjective generally goes before the substantive, the nominative before the verb, and the active verb before (what we call) the accusative. Exceptions, however, to this rule, are not uncommon even in prose. But in poetry they are more frequent. Their homely joys, and DESTINY OBSCURE. Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight; and all

* In the Greek poetry, the omission of the article is more frequent than the use of it. The very learned and ingenious author of a Treatise On the Origin and Progress of Language, supposes, that in the time of Homer, who established their poetical language, the article was little used by the Greeks: and this supposition appears highly probable, when we consider, that in the Latin, which was derived from the Pelasgick tongue, (a very ancient dialect of Greek), there is no article. Yet, though the article had been in use in Homer's age, I imagine that he, and every other Greek poet who wrote hexameters, would have often found it necessary to leave it out.

the air a solemn stillness holds. In general, that versification may be less difficult, and the cadence more uniformly pleasing; and sometimes, too, in order to give energy to expression, or vivacity to an image, the English poet is permitted to take much greater liberties, than the prose writer, in arranging his words, and modulating his lines and periods. Examples may be seen in every page of Paradise Lost.

2. Some of our poetical words take an additional syllable, that they may suit the verse the better; as, dispart, distain, disport, affright, enchain, for part, stain, sport, fright, chain. Others seem to be nothing else than common words made shorter, for the convenience of the versifier. Such are auxiliar, sublunar, trump, vale, part, clime, submiss, frolick, plain, drear, dread, helm, morn, eve, mead, and even, gan, illume and illumine, ope, họar, hide, swage, scape; for auxiliary, sublunary, trumpet, valley, depart, climate, submissive, frolicksome, complain, dreary, dreadful, helmet, morning, meadow, evening, began or began to, illuminate, open, hoary, abide, assuage, escape. Of some of these the short form is the more ancient. In Scotland, even, morn, bide, swagę, are still in vulgar use; but morn, except when contradistinguished to even, is synonymous, not with morning, (as in the English poetical dialect,) but with morrow. The Latin poets, in a way

somewhat similar, and perhaps for a similar reason, shortened fundamentum, tutamentum, munimentum, &c. into fundamen, tutamen, munimen.*

3. Of the following words which are now almost peculiar to poetry, the greater part are ancient, and were once no doubt in common use in England, as many of them still are in Scotland. Afield, amain, annoy (a noun), anon, aye (ever), behest, blithe, brand (sword), bridle, carol, dame (lady), featly, fell (an adjective), gaude, gore, host (army), lambkin, late (of late), lay (poem), lea, glade, gleam, hurl, lore, mecd, orisons, plod (to travel laboriously), ringlet, rue (a verb), ruth, ruthless, sojourn (a noun), smite, speed (an active verb), save (except), spray (twig), steed, strain (song), strand, swain, thrall, thrill, trail (a verb), troll, wail, welter, warble, wayward, woo, the while (in the mean time), you, of yore.

4. These that follow are also poetical; but, so far as I know, were never in common use. Appal, arrowy, attune, battailous, breezy, car (chariot), clarion, cates, courser, darkling, flicker, floweret,

* Quod poetæ alligati ad certam pedum necessitatem, non semper propriis uti possint, sed depulsi a recta via necessario ad eloquendi quædam diverticula confugiant; nec mutare quædam modo verba, sed extendere, corripere. convertere, dividere, cojantur. Quintilian

emblaze, gairish, circlet, impearl, nightly, noiseless, pinion (wing), shadowy, slumberous, streamy, troublous, wilder (a verb), shrill (a verb), shook (shaken), madding, viewless. I suspect too, that the following, derived from the Greek and Latin, are peculiar to poetry. Clang, clangour, choral, bland, boreal, dire, ensanguined, ire, ireful, lave (to wash), nymph (lady, girl), orient, panoply, philomel, infuriate, jocund, radiant, rapt, redolent, refulgent, verdant, vernal, zephyr, zone (girdle), sylvan, suffuse.

5. In most languages, the rapidity of pronunciation abbreviates some of the commonest words, or even joins two, or perhaps more, of them, into one; and some of these abbreviated forms find admission into writing. The English language was quite disfigured by them in the end of the last century; but Swift, by his satire and example, brought them into disrepute: and, though some of them be retained in conversation, as don't, shan't, can't, they are now avoided in solemn style; and by elegant writers in general, except where the colloquial dialect is imitated, as in comedy. 'Tis and 'twas, since the time of Shaftesbury, seem to have been daily losing credit, at least in prose; but still have a place in poetry; perhaps because they contribute to conciseness. 'Twas on a lofty vase's side. Gray. 'Tis

true, 'tis certain, man though dead retains part of himself. Pope.-In verse too, over may be shortened into o'er, (which is the Scotch, and probably was the old English, pronunciation) never into ne'er; and from the and to, when they go before a word beginning with a vowel, the final letter is sometimes cut off. O'er hills, o'er dales, o'er crags, o'er rocks they go. Pope.-Where'er she turns, the graces homage pay. And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave. Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unrol. Gray.-T' alarm th’ eternal midnight of the grave. These abreviations are now peculiar to the poetical tongue, but not necessary to it. They sometimes promote brevity, and render versification less difficult.

6. Those words which are commonly called compound epithets, as rosy-finger'd, rosy-bosom'd, many-twinkling, many-sounding, mossgrown, bright-eyed, straw-built, spirit-stirring, incense-breathing, heaven-taught, love-whispering, lute-resounding, are also to be considered as part of our poetical dialect. It is true we have compounded adjectives in familiar use, as highseasoned, well-natured, ill-bred, and innumerable others. But I speak of those that are less common, that seldom occur except in poetry, and of which in prose the use would appear affected. And that they sometimes promote brevity and VOL. VI.

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