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joins his voice to theirs in adoring the Fa

ther of the universe.

Thus at their fhady lodge arrived, both stood,
Both turn'd, and under open sky adored

The God that made both fky, air, earth, and hea

ven,

Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe,
And ftarry pole: - Thou also mad'st the night,
Maker Omnipotent, and thou the day,

Which we in our appointed work employ'd
Have finifh'd.

Milton took the hint of this fine contrivance from a well-known paffage of Virgil:

Hic juvenum chorus, ille fenum; qui carmine

laudes

Herculeas et facta ferant ;

ut duros mille labores

Rege fub Euryftheo, fatis Junonis iniquæ

Pertulerit :-Tu nubigenas, invicte, bimembres
Hylæum Pholoumque manu; tu Crefia mactas
Prodigia.

*

The beauty arifing from diverfified compofition is the fame in both, and very great in each. But every reader must feel, that the figure is incomparably more affecting to the mind in the imitation, than in the original. So true it is, that the moft rational

See a fimilar inftance, Taffo Gier. lib. 18. ft. 14.

emotions

emotions raise the most intenfe fellow-feeling; and that the apoftrophe is then the most emphatical, when it difplays those workings of human affection, which are at once ardent, and well-founded.

A full difcuffion of the present topic would require a methodical and more particular account of the several tropes and figures, their congruity to human emotions, and their effects in compofition. But these few remarks will perhaps be thought to prove with fufficient evidence, the utility of figurative expreffion in making language more pleafing and more natural. I fhall therefore only add, that tropes and figures, particularly the metaphor, fimilitude, and allegory, are further useful in beautifying language, by fuggefting, together with the thoughts effential to the fubject, an endless variety of agreeable images, for which there would be no place, if writers were always to confine themselves to the proper names of things. And this beauty and variety, judiciously applied, is fo far from diftracting, that it tends rather to fix, the attention, and captivate the heart of the reader, by giving light, and life, and pathos to the whole compofition.

II. The end of Poetry, above all other literary arts, is to please by imitating nature. I have now shown, that by tropes and figures language may be made more natural and more pleafing, than it could be without them. It follows, that tropes and figures

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are more neceffary to poetry, than to any other mode of writing: - which is the fecond point propofed to be illuftrated in this fection.

The fame point might be proved from other confiderations. Language, as fhown already, is then natural, when it is fuitable to the fuppofed condition of the speaker. Figurative language is peculiarly fuitable to the fuppofed condition of the poet; because figures are fuggested by the fancy; and the fancy of him who compofes poetry is more employed, than that of any other author. Of all historical, philofophical, and theological researches, the object is real truth, which is fixed and permanent. The aim of rhetorical declamation (according to Cicero) is apparent truth; which, being lefs determinate, leaves the fancy of the speaker more free, gives greater fcope to the inventive powers, and supplies the materials of a more figurative phrafeology. But the poet is fubject to no restraints, but those of verifimilitude ; which is ftill lefs determinate than rhetorical truth. He feeks not to convince the judgement of his reader by arguments of either real or apparent cogency; he means only to please and interest him, by an appeal to his fenfibility and imagination. His own imagination is therefore continually at work, ranging through the whole of real and probable existence, glancing from "heaven to earth, from earth to heaven,"

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in queft of images and ideas fuited to the emotions he himself feels, and to the fympathies he would communicate to others. And, confequently, figures of speech, the offspring of excurfive fancy, must (if he speak according to what he is fuppofed to think and feel, that is, according to his fuppofed condition) tincture the language of the poet more than that of any other compofer. So that, if figurative diction be unnatural in geometry, because all wanderings of fancy are unfuitable, and even impoffible, to the geometrician, while intent upon his argument; it is, upon the fame principle, perfectly natural, and even unavoidable in poetry; because the more a poet attends to his fubject, and the better qualified he is to do it justice, the more active will his imagination be, and the more diverfified the ideas that prefent themselves to his mind.

Befides, the true poet addreffes himself to the paffions and fympathies of mankind; which, till his own be raised, he cannot hope to do with fuccefs. And it is the nature of many paffions, though not of all, to increase the activity of imagination: and an active imagination naturally vents itself in figurative language; nay, unless restrained by a correct tafte, has a tendency to exceed in it; - of which Bishop Taylor, and Lord Verulam, two geniufes different in kind, but of the highest order, are memorable examples.

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I faid, that "the poet feeks not to con"vince the judgement of his reader by arguments of either real or apparent co"gency." I do not mean, that in poetry argument has no place. The most legitimate reasoning, the foundeft philofophy, and narratives purely hiftorical, may appear in a poem, and contribute greatly to the honour of the author, and to the importance of his work. All this we have in Paradife Loft. I mean, that what diftinguishes pure poetry from other writing, is its aptitude, not to fway the judgement by reafoning, but to please the fancy, and move the paffions, by a lively imitation of nature, Nor would I exclude poetical embellishment from history, or even from philofophy. Plato's Dialogues and Addison's Moral Effays abound in poetic imagery; and Livy and Tacitus often amuse their readers with poetical defcription. In like manner, though Geometry and Phyfics be different fciences;

though abstract ideas be the subject, and pure demonftration or intuition the evidence, of the former; and though the material universe, and the informations of fenfe, be the fubject and the evidence of the latter; have these sciences been united by the yet best philofophers, and very happy effects refulted from the union.. -In one and the fame work, poetry, history, philosophy, and oratory, may doubtlefs be blended; nay, these arts have all been actually blended in

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