fierceness, of that mis-fhapen and horrid mosfler.

Our Spenfer, one of the best poets this nation has bred, and whofe faults are not to be imputed either to want of genius or care, but to the age he lived in, was very happy and judicious in the choice of his rambers; of which take this example, not together foreign or unparallel to that of Virgil juft mentioned.

He heard a dreadful found,
Which through the wood loud-bellowing did re-
bound.
And then,

His monrous enemy
Wh sturdy steps came ft lking in his fight,
An hideous glan, horrible and high*.
Tafe verfes in the first Georgic,
Ter fit con ti imponere Pelio Offam
Scnicet, atque Olle frondofum involvere
Olympum †

e contrived with great art to reprefent prodigious pains the giants took in aping mountains upon mountains to fcale heaven, and the flowness of their progrefs in that unwieldy work.

For a vowel open before a vowel, makes chim, and requires a ftrong and full reach,therefore a paufe muit follow, which atrally expreffes difficulty and oppofi

But when fwiftnefs and feed are to be ribed, fee how the fame wonderful man varies his numbers, and fill fuits his me fe to his fubject!

Qadrupedante putrem foni u quatit ungula

Campum.

Here the rapid numbers, and fhort fylles, fustained with ftrong vowels, admioly reprefent both the vigour and fpeed fa horfe at full ftretch fcouring over the Flin.

When Horace fings of mirth, beauty, and other fubjects that require delicacy and fiveetnefs of compofition, he fmooths he lines with foft fyllables, and flows in fy and melting numbers. Scarce any render is fo much a ftoic, but good-huour fteals upon him; and he reads with fomething of the temper which the author was in when he wrote. How inexpreffibly fweet are thofe neat lines!

Urit me Glyceræ nitor,
Splendentis Pario marmore purius:
Urit grati protervitas,
E: vultus nimium lubricus afpici.

* Fairy Queen.
t Georg. I. v. 281.

Innumerable beauties of this nature are fcattered through his lyric poetry. But when he undertakes lofty and noble subjects, he raises his ftyle, and ftrengthens his expreffion. For example, when he propofes to do honour to Pindar, and fing the glories of Auguftus, he reaches the Grecian's nobleft flights, has all his magnificence of thought, his ftrength of fancy, and daring liberty of figures.

The Roman iwan foars as high as the Theban: he equals that commanding fpirit, thofe awful and vigorous beauties, which he generously pronounces inimitable; and praifes both his immortal predeceffor in lyric poetry, and his royal bene factor, with as much grandeur, and exalted eloquence, as ever Pindar praifed any

of his heroes.

§ 153. Tranflations cannot be fufficient Subfitutes for fuch Originals.

A reader of fuch authors can fcarce ever be weary; he has the advantage of a traveller for many miles round Damafcus; he never removes out of Paradife, but is regaled with a conftant fucceffion of pleasures, and enjoys in a fmall compafs the bounty and gaiety of univerfal nature. From hence may be feen the injuftice and folly of thofe people, who would have tranflations of the claffics: and then, to fave the trouble of learning Greek and Latir, throw away the great originals to duft and oblivion. I would indeed have all the claffics turned into our language by the most masterly hands, (as we already have fome) among other reafons, for this, that ingenious and inquifitive people, who have the misfortune not to be well acquainted with the learned tongues, may have some tafe of their excellencies. Ignorant perfons, who know nothing of their language, would foon be perfuaded to believe; and fhallow pretenders, who know nothing of their beautics, would boldly pronounce, that

for e

your reafon, nor enlarge your knowledge of ufeful things, but only amufe and d vert you with artificial turns of words, and flourishes of rhetoric. Let out a man of capacity read a few lines in Plato, Demofthenes, Tully, Salluft, Juvenal, &c. and he will immediately difcover all fuch objections either to proceed from ignorance, a depraved tafte, or intolerable conceit. The claffics are intimately ac quainted with thofe things they undertake to treat of; and explain and adorn their fubject with found reafoning, exact di pofition, and beautiful propriety of lan guage. No man in his right mind would have people to study them with negle and exclufion of other parts of wif knowledge, and good learning. No; k a man furnish himfelf with all the arts and fciences, that he has either capacity t opportunity to learn; and he will fill find, that readiness and skill in thefe correct and rational authors is not the leaft ornamen tal or ferviceable part of his attainments. The neatnefs and delicacy of their com pofitions will be refreshment and mufic, after the toils of feverer and harther fludies. The brightness of their fenfe, and the purity and elegance of their diction, will qualify moft people, who duly admire and ftudy their excellencies, to commun cate their thoughts with energy and clearnefs. Some gentlemen, deeply read in old fyftems of philofophy, and the abftruer part of learning, for want of a fufficier: acquaintance with thefe great mafters of ftyle and politenefs, have not been able fo to exprefs their notions, as to make their labours fully intelligible and affl to mankind. Irregular broken periods, long and frequent parenthefes, and har tropes, have perplexed their notions; and much of their fenfe has lain buried under the confufion and rubbish of an obfcure and horrid ftyle. The brightest and mo rational thoughts are obfcured, and in a great meafure fpoiled, if they be encumbered with obfolete and coarfe words unskilfully placed, and ungracefully turned. The matchlefs graces of fome fine odes in Anacreon or Horace, do chiefly arife from the judicious choice of the beautiful words. and the delicacy and harmonioufnels of the ftructure. Blackwall.

fome tranflations we have go beyond the originals; while fcholars of clear and found judgment are well fatisfied, that it is impoflible any verfion fhould come up to them. A tranflation of the noble claffics out of their native tongue, fo much in many refpects inferior to them, always more or less flattens their fenfe, and tarnifhes their beauties. It is fomething like tranfplanting a precious tree out of the warm and fruitful climes in which it was produced, into a cold and barren country: with much care and tendernefs it may live, bloom and bear; but it can never fo chearfully flourish, as in its native foil; it will degenerate and lofe much of its delicious flavour, and original richnefs. And befides the weakening of the fenfe (though that be by far the most important confideration) Greek and Latin have fuch a noble harmony of found, fuch force and dignity of numbers, and fuch delicacy of turn in the periods, that cannot entirely be preferved in any language of the world. Thefe two languages are fo peculiarly fuf. ceptive of all the graces of wit and elocution, that they are read with more pleafure and lively guft, and confequently with more advantage, than the moft perfect tranflation that the ableft genius can compofe, or the ftrongeft modern language can bear. The pleasure a man takes in reading, engages a clofe attention; raifes and cheers the fpirits; and impreffes the author's fentiments and expreffions deeper on the memory. A gentleman travels through the finest countries in the world, is in all refpects qualified to make obfervations, and then writes a faithful and curious history of his travels. I can read his relations with pleature and improvement, and will pay him the praife due to his merits; but must believe, that if I myfelf travelled through those countries, and attentively viewed and confidered all thofe curiofities of art and nature which he defcribes, I fhould have a more fatisfactory idea, and higher pleafure, than it is polfible to receive from the exacteft accounts. Authors of fuch dininguished parts and perfections, cannot be ftudied by a rational and difcerning reader without very valuable advantages. Their strong fenfe and manly thought, cloathed in the moft fignificant and beautiful language, will improve his reafon and judgment: and enable him to acquire the art of genteel and fenfible writing. For it is a moft abfurd objection, that the Claffics do not improve

$155. The peculiar Excellence of the Speeches

of the GREEKS and ROMANS. Befides the other advantages of ftudying the claffical hiftorians, there is one,

which gentlemen of birth and fortune, qualified to manage public bufinefs, and fit as members in the most auguft affemblies, have a more confiderable fhare in, than people of meaner condition. The fpeeches of the great men among the Greeks and Romans deferve their peculiar ftudy and imitation, as being mafter-pieces of clear reafoning and genuine eloquence: the orators in the Claffics fairly ftate their cafe, and frongly argue it: their remarks are furprising and pertinent, their repartees quick, and their raillery clear and diverting. They are bold without rafhnefs or infolence; and fevere with good manners and decency. They do justice to their fubject, andipeak agreeably to the nature of things, and characters of perfons. Their fentences are fprightly, and their morals found. In fhort, no part of the compofitions of the ancients is more finished, more inftructive and pleafing, than their orations. Here they feem to exert their choiceft abilities, and collect the utmost force of their genius. Their whole histories may be compared to a noble and delicious country, that lies under the favourable eye and perpetual fmiles of the heavens, and is every where crowned with pleafure and plenty: but their choice defcriptions and fpeeches feem like fome peculiarly fertile and hapFy fpots of ground in that country, on which nature has poured out her riches with a more liberal hand, and art has made the utmost improvements of her bounty. They have taken fo much pains, and ufed fuch accuracy in the fpeeches, that the greater pleasure they have given the reader, the more they have expofed themfelves to the cenfure of the critic. The orations are too fublime and elaborate; and thofe perfons to whom they are afcribed, could not at thofe times compofe or speak them. 'Tis allowed, that they might rot deliver themfelves in that exact number and collection of words, which the hiflorians have fo curiously laid together; but it can fcarce be denied, but the great men in history had frequent occafions of freaking in public; and 'tis probable, that many times they did actually speak to the fame purpose. Fabius Maximus and Scipio, Cafar and Cato, were capable of making as good fpeeches as Livy or Sallut; and Pericles was an orator no ways inferior to Thucydides. When the reafon of the thing will allow that there was time and room for premeditation, there is no question but many of thofe admirable men

in history fpoke as well as they are reprefented by thofe able and cloquent writers. But then the hiftorians putting the fpeeches into their own ftyle, and giving us thofe harangues in form, which we cannot tell how they cou'd come at, trefpafs against probability, and the frict rules of writing history. It has always been allowed to great wits fometimes to ftep out of the beaten road, and to foar out of the view of a heavy fcholiaft. To grant all that is in the objection: the greatest Claffics were liable to human infirmities and crrors; and whenever their forward cenfures fhall fall into fuch irregularities, and commit fuch faults joined to fuch excellencies, the learned world will not only pardon, but admire them. We may fay of that celebrated fpeech of Marius in Salluft, and others that are most attacked upon this foot, as the friends of Virgil do in excufe of his cffending against chronology in the ftory of Eneas and Dido; that had there been no 100m for fuch little objections, the world had wanted fome of the most chaiming and confummate productions of human wit.

Whoever made thofe noble fpeeches and debates, they fo naturally arife from the pofture of affairs, and circumftances of the times which the authors then defcribe, and are fo rational, fo pathetic, and becoming, that the pleasure and inftruction of the reader is the fame. A complete differtation upon the uses and beauties of the chief fpeeches in the claffical hiftorians, would be a work of curiofity, that would require an able genius and fine pen. I shall just make some short ftrictures upon two; one out of Thucydides, and the other out of Tacitus.

Blackwall.

§ 155. On the Funeral Oration of Pe

RICLES.

The funeral oration made by Pericles upon his brave countrymen who died in battle, is full of prudence and manly eloquence; of hearty zeal for the honour of his country, and wife remarks. He does not lavish away his commendations, but renders the honour of the flate truly defirable, by fhewing they are always conferred with judgment and warinefs. He praifes the dead, in order to encourage the living to follow their example; to which he propofes the ftrongeft inducements in the most moving and lively manner; from the confideration of the inmortal honours paid to the memory of the deceased; and, Hh

the