Gracchus ut hic illi foret; huic ut Mucius ille. "Carmina compono, hic elegos; mirabile visu, Cælatumque novem Mufis opus. aspice primùm, Quanto cum faftu, quanto molimine circumfpectemus vacuam Romanis vatibus adem. Mox etiam (fi fortè vacas) fequere; et procul audi NOTES. Idem, VER. 135. all poetic merit,] The words of the Original alluded to, contain a beautiful metaphor of a work, Cælatum Mufis Novem, polished and finished by the hands of the Mufes themfelves. Bentley has wantonly and taftlessly altered the word to Sacratum; as he has done the word alterius, ver. 176, to alternis, and the word contrada, ver. 80, to non tata; and in ver. 90, he has changed vexat for verfat; and in ver. 87, frater for pactus; and would have procul repeated, ver. 199. Pauperies immunda procul, procul WARTON. VER. 140. but Stephen,] Mr. Stephen Duck, a modeft and worthy man, who had the honour (which many who thought themselves his betters in poetry, had not) of being esteemed by Mr. Pope.Queen Caroline, who moderated in a Sovereign between the two great Philofophers, Clarke and Leibnitz, in the most fublime points in Metaphyfics and Natural Philosophy, chose this man for her favourite Poet. WARBURTON. By the intereft of Mr. Spence, who had a fincere regard for Stephen Duck, whose life he wrote, and published his poems, he obtained the living of Byfleet in Surry. He was unfortunately drowned at Reading, 1756. WARTON. ""Twas, Sir, your law," and "Sir, your elo 66 quence," "Yours, Cowper's manner-and yours, Talbot's "fenfe." * Thus we dispose of all poetic merit, 135 Yours Milton's genius, and mine Homer's spirit. Call Tibbald Shakespear, and he'll fwear the Nine, Dear Cibber! never match'd one Ode of thine. Lord! how we ftrut through Merlin's Cave, to fee No Poets there, but Stephen, you, and me. 140 Walk with respect behind, while we at ease Weave laurel Crowns, and take what names we please. "My dear Tibullus!" if that will not do, "Let me be Horace, and be Ovid you: "Or, I'm content, allow me Dryden's ftrains, 145 "And you fhall rise up Otway for your pains." Much do I fuffer, much, to keep in peace This jealous, wafpifh, wrong-head, rhyming race; NOTES. And VER. 145 allow me Dryden's firains,] The older he grew, the better Dryden wrote. We may apply to him, what Oppian fays of the spirited horses of Cappadocia ; χραίπνοτεροι δε πελῶσιν ἐσω μαλὰ γήρασκέσι. Lib. i. Cynegytic, ver. 201. It has been imagined that Horace laughs at Propertius in that line of the Original, Quis, nifi Callimachus ?” WARTON. VER. 146. And you shall rise up Otway for your pains.] An imitation of Dryden, at Virg. Ecl. iii. 162. Tell that, and rife a Phalus for thy pains. VER. 147. Much do I fuffer,] Multa fero, in the Original, has been idly interpreted to mean, " I carry with me a great many compliments, foothing speeches," &c. WARTON. Idem, finitis ftudiis, et mente receptâ, Obturem patulas impune legentibus aures. Ridentur mala qui componunt carmina: verum Gaudent fcribentes; et se venerantur, et ultro, Si taceas, laudant; quidquid fcripfere beati. Obfcurata diu populo bonus eruet, atque NOTES. Proferet VER. 154. They treat themselves] Literary history scarce affords a more ridiculous example of the vanity and self-applause of authors, than what is related of Cardinal Richlieu, (in the Melanges d'Histoire of M de Vigneul Marville,) whofe tragedy of Europa having been cenfured by the French Academy, who did not know the author, the Cardinal, in a fit of indignation, tore the copy into a thousand pieces, scattered it about his chamber, and retired full of rage to his bed. But at midnight, called for light and for his attendant, and with great pains and difficulty gathered up the fragments of his beloved play, and carefully pasted them together. WARTON. VER. 162. Nay tho' at Court] Not happily turned from intra penetralia Veftæ -But he could not forbear a fling at the Court. In ver. 164. why, "in downright charity ?" WARTON. VER. 167. Command old words that long have flept, to wake,] Warburton fays, "The imagery is here very fublime. It turns the Poet to a Magician, evoking the dead from their fepulchres: "Et mugire folum, manesque exire fepulchris!!” Horace has not the fame force, "Proferet in lucem fpeciofa vocabula rerum ! !” And much muft flatter, if the whim should bite 150 To ftop my ears to their confounded stuff. о * In vain, bad Rhymers all mankind reject, They treat themselves with most profound respect; your tongue, 156 161 Nay tho' at Court (perhaps) it may find grace: Such they'll degrade; and fometimes, in its ftead, In downright charity revive the dead; Mark where a bold expreffive phrafe appears, 165 Bright through the rubbish of fome hundred years; Command old words that long have flept, to wake, Words, that wife Bacon, or brave Raleigh fpake; NOTES. Or VER. 167. old words] Mr. Harte told me, he had often talked on this fubject with his friend Pope, and the following was the refult of their converfations: "That language of ours may be called Claffical English, which is to be found in a few chosen writers inclufively from the times of Spenfer till the death of Mr. Pope; for false refinements, after a language has arisen to a certain degree of perfection, give reasons to fufpect that a language is upon the decline. The fame circumftances have happened formerly, and the event has been almoft invariably the fame. Compare Statius and Claudian with Virgil and Horace; and yet the former was, if one may fo fpeak, immediate heir at law to the latter. VOL. IV. R "I have Proferet in lucem fpeciofa vocabula rerum, Quæ prifcis memorata Catonibus atque Cethegis, NOTES. Vehemens "I have known fome of my contemporary poets, (and those not very voluminous writers,) who have coined their one or two hundred words a man; whereas Dryden and Pope devised only about threescore words between them; many of which were compound-epithets. But most of the words which they introduced into our language, proved in the event to be vigorous and perennial plants, being chofen and raifed from excellent offfets. Indeed, the former Author revived also a great number of ancient words and expreffions; and this he did (beginning at Chaucer) with so much delicacy of choice, and in a manner fo comprehenfive, that he left the latter Author (who was in that point equally judicious and fagacious) very little to do, or next to nothing. "Some few of Dryden's revived words I have prefumed to continue; of which take the following inftances: as, grideline, filamet, and carmine, (with reference to colours and mixture of colours,) cymar, eygre, trine, EYPHKA, paraclete, panopy, sood, dorp, eglantine, orifons, afpirations, &c. I mention this left any one fhould be angry with me, or pleased with me in particular places, where I difcover neither boldness nor invention.-I owe alfo to Fenton the participle meander'd; and to Sir W. Davenant the Latinifm of funeral ILICET. "As to compound-epithets, those ambitiofa ornamenta of modern poetry, Dryden has devifed a few of them, with equal diffidence and caution; but those few are exquifitely beautiful. Mr. Pope feized on them as family diamonds, and added thereto an equal number, dug from his own mines, and heightened by his own polishing. "Compound-epithets first came into their great vogue about the year 1598. Shakespear and Ben Jonfon both ridiculed the oftentatious and immoderate ufe of them, in their Prologues to Troilus and Creffida, and to Every Man in his Humour. By the above-named Prologues it appears that bombait grew fashion |