mates and the line itself, reprefenting by its unequal divifion an afcending feries, carries the mind ftill higher, making an impreffion fimilar to that of mounting upward. The fecond order has a modulation fenfibly fweet, foft, and flowing the accent is not fo fprightly as in the former, because a fhort fyllable intervenes between it and the paufe: its elevation, by the fame means, vanifheth inftantaneously: the mind, by a falling voice, is gently prepared for a ftop: and the pleasure of uniformity from the divifion of the line into two equal parts, is calm and fweet. The third order has a modulation not fo easily expreffed in words: it in part resembles the firft order, by the liveliness of an accent fucceeded inftantly by a full paufe: but then the elevation occafioned by this circumftance, is balanced in fome degree by the remitted effort in pronouncing the fecond portion, which remitted effort has a tendency to reft. Another circumftance diftinguisheth it remarkably: its capital accent comes late, being placed on the fixth fyllable; and this circumftance beftows on it an air of gravity and folemnity. The laft order resembles the fecond in the mildness of its accent, and softness of its paufe; it is ftill more folemn than the third, by the latenefs of its capital accent it alfo poffeffes in a higher degree than the third, the tendency to reft; and by that circum. ftance is of all the beft qualified for clofing a period in the completeft manner.

But thefe are not all the diftinguishing characters of the different orders. Each order alfo, is diftinguished by its final accent and paufe: the unequal divifion in the first order, makes an impreffion of afcending; and the mind at the clofe is in the highett elevation, which naturally prompts it to put a ftrong emphafis upon the concluding fyllable, whether by raifing the voice to a fharper tone, or by exprefling the word in a fuller tone. This order accordingly is of all the least proper for concluding a period, where a cadence is proper, and not an accent. The fecond order, being deftitute of the impreffion of afcent, cannot rival the firit order in the elevation of its concluding accent, nor confequently in the dignity of its concluding paufe; for thefe have a mutual Influence. This order, however, with refpec

to its clofe, maintains a fuperiority over the third and fourth orders: in these the close is more humble, being brought down by the impreffion of defcent, and by the remitted effort in pronouncing; confiderably in the third order, and ftill more confiderably in the laft. According to this defcription, the concluding accents and paufes of the four orders being reduced to a fcale, will form a defcending feries probably in an arithmetical progreffion.

After what is faid, will it be thought refining too much to fuggeft, that the different orders are qualified for different purposes, and that a poet of genius will be naturally led to make a choice accordingly? I cannot think this altogether chimerical. As it appears to me, the first order is proper for a fentiment that is bold, lively, or impetuous; the third order is proper for fubjects grave, folemn, or lofty; the fecond for what are tender, delicate, or melancholy, and in general for all the fympathetic emotions; and the last for subjects of the fame kind, when tempered with any degree of folemnity. I do not contend, that any one order is fitted for no other task than that affigned it; for at that rate, no fort of melody would be left for accompanying thoughts that have nothing peculiar in them. I only venture to fuggeft, and I do it with diffidence, that each of the orders is peculiarly adapted to certain fubjects, and better qualified than the others for expreffing fuch fubjects. The belt way to judge is by experiment; and to avoid the imputation of a partial fearch, I fhall confine my inftances to a single poem, beginning with the first order. On her white breaft, a fparkling cross he wore, Which Jews might kifs, and infidels adore. Her lively looks a fprightly mind disclose, Quick as her eyes, and as unfix'd as those: Favours to none, to all fhe fmiles extends; Oft the rejects, but never once offends. Bright as the fun, b her eyes the gazers flrike, And, like the fun, they fhine on all alike. Yet graceful eafe, and fweetnefs void of pride, Might hide her faults, if belles had faults to hide : If to her share fome female errors fall,

Look on her face, and you'll forget 'em all.

VOL. II.

E

Rape of the Lock.

ΤΗ

In accounting for the remarkable liveliness of this paf-
fage, it will be acknowledged by every one who has an
ear, that the melody must come in for a fhare. The
lines, all of them, are of the firft order; a very unusu-
al circumftance in the author of this poem, fo eminent
for variety in his verfification. Who can doubt, that,
in this paffage, he has been led by delicacy of tafte to
employ the first order preferably to the others?
Second order.

Our humble province is to tend the fair,
Not a lefs pleafing, though lefs glorious care;
To fave the powder from too rude a gale,
Nor let th' imprifon'd effences exhale;

To draw fresh colours from the vernal flow'rs;

To fteal from rainbows, ere they drop their fhow'rs, &r. Again :

Oh, thoughtless mortals! ever blind to fate,

Too foon dejected, and too foon elate.

Sudden, thefe honours fhall be fnatch'd away,
And curs'd for ever this victorious day.
Third order.

To fifty chofen fylphs, of special note,
We trust th' important charge, the petticoat.
Again:

Oh fay what stranger caufe, yet unexplor'd,
Could make a gentle belle reject a lord?

A plurality of lines of the fourth order, would not have a good effect in fucceffion; because, by a remarkable tendency to reft, their proper office is to clofe a period. The reader, therefore, must be fatisfied with inftances where this order is mixed with others.

Not louder thrieks to pitying Heav'n are caft,
When husbands, or when lap dogs, breathe their laft,
Again:

Steel could the works of mortal pride confound,
And hew triumphal arches to the ground.
Again:

She fees, and trembles at th' approaching ill,
Juft in the jaws of ruin, and codille.

Again :

With earneft eyes, and round unthinking face,
He first the fnuff-box open'd, then the cafe.

And this fuggefts another experiment, which is, to fet the different orders more directly in oppofition, by giving examples where they are mixed in the fame paffage.

First and fecond orders.

Sol through white curtains shot a tim'rous ray,
And ope'd thofe eyes that must eclipse the day.
Again :

Not youthful kings in battle feiz'd alive,
Not fcornful virgins who their charms furvive,
Not ardent lovers robb'd of all their bliss,
Not antient ladies when refus'd a kiss,
Not tyrants fierce that unrepenting die,
Not Cynthia when her mantua's pin'd awry,
E'er felt fuch rage, refentment, and defpair,
As thou, fad virgin! for thy ravish'd hair.
First and third,

Think what an equipage thou haft in air,
And view with scorn two pages and a chair.
Again :

What guards the purity of melting maids,
In courtly balls, and midnight masquerades,
Safe from the treach'rous friend, the daring fpark,
The glance by day, the whifper in the dark?
Again:

With tender billet-doux he lights the pyre,
And breathes three am'rous fighs to raise the fire;
Then proftrate falls, and begs, with ardent eyes,
Soon to obtain, and long poffefs the prize.
Again:

Jove's thunder roars, heav'n trembles all around,
Blue Neptune ftorms, the bellowing deeps refound,
Earth fhakes her nodding tow'rs, the ground gives way,
And the pale ghofts ftart at the flash of day!

Second and third.

Sunk in Thaleftris' arms; the nymph he found,
Her eyes dejected, and her hair unbound.

E 2

Again:

Again :

On her heav'd bofom hung her drooping head,
Which with a figh fhe rais'd; and thus the faid.

Mufing on the foregoing fubject, I begin to doubt whether all this while I have not been in a reverie, and whether the scene before me, full of objects new and fingular, be not mere fairy-land. Is there any truth in the appearance, or is it wholly a work of imagination ? We cannot doubt of its reality; and we may with assurance pronounce, that great is the merit of English Heroic verfe: for though uniformity prevails in the arrangement, in the equality of the lines, and in the refemblance of the final founds; variety is ftill more confpicuous in the paufes and in the accents, which are diverfified in a furprising manner. Of the beauty that refults from a due mixture of uniformity and variety *, many inftances have already occurred, but none more illuftrious than English verfification: however rude it may be in the fimplicity of its arrangement, it is highly melodious by its paufes and accents, fo as already to rival the most perfect fpecies known in Greece or Rome; and it is no difagreeable profpect to find it fufceptible of ftill greater refinement.

We proceed to blank verfe, which hath fo many circumftances in common with thyme, that what is peculiar to it may be brought within a narrow compafs. With refpect to form, it differs from rhyme in rejecting the jingle of fimilar founds, which purifies it from a childifh pleasure. But this improvement is a trifle compared with what follows. Our verfe is extremely cramped by rhyme; and the great advantage of blank verse is, that, being free from the fetters of rhyme, it is at liberty to attend the imagination in its boldeft flights. Rhyme neceffarily divides verfe into couplets; each couplet makes a complete mufical period, the parts of which are divided by paufes, and the whole fummed up by a full close at the end; the melody begins anew with the next couplet: and in this manner a compofition in rhyme proceeds couplet after couplet. I have often had occafion to mention the correfpondence and concord that ought to fubfift between found and

*, See chap. 9.

fenfe;