a century has paffed, they have nothing yet uncouth or obfolete.

be

He who writes much, will not eafily efcape a manner, fuch a recurrence of particular modes as may eafily noted. Dryden is always another and the fame, he does not exhibit a fecond time the fame elegances in the fame form, nor appears to have any art other than that of expreffing with clearness what he thinks with vigour. His ftyle could not eafily be imitated, either feriously or ludicrously; for, being always equable and always varied, it has no prominent or dif criminative characters. The beauty who is totally free from difproportion of parts and features, cannot be ridiculed by an overcharged refemblance,

From his profe, however, Dryden derives only his accidental and fecondary praife; the veneration with which his name is pronounced by every cultivator of English literature, is paid to him as he refined the language, improved the fentiments, and tuned the nume bers of English Poetry.

After about half a century of forced thoughts, and rugged metre, fome advances towards nature and har mony had been already made by Waller and Denhami; they had fhewn that long difcourfes in rhyme grew more pleafing when they were broken into couplets, and that verfe confifted not only in the number but the arrangement of fyĺlablés.

But though they did much, who can deny that they left much to do? Their works were not many, nor were their minds of very ample comprehenfioni. More examples of more modes of compofition were neceffary for the establishment of regularity and the introduction of propriety in word and thought. CC

VOL. II.

Every

Every language of a learned nation neceffarify divides itself into diction fcholaftick and popular, grave and familiar, elegant and grofs; and from a nice diftinction of these different parts, arifes a great part of the beauty of style. But if we except a few minds, the favourites of nature, to whom their own original rectitude was in the place of rules, this delicacy of felection was little known to our authors; our speech lay before them in a heap of confusion, and every man took for every purpose what chance might offer

him.

There was therefore before the time of Dryden no poetical diction, no fyftem of words at once refined from the groffness of domestick ufe, and free from the harfhnefs of terms appropriated to particular arts. Words too familiar, or too remote, defeat the purpose of a poet. From those founds which we hear on small or on coarfe occafions, we do not easily receive ftrong impreffions, or delightful images; and words to which we are nearly ftrangers, whenever they occur, draw that attention on themfelves which they should tranfmit to things.

Thofe happy combinations of words which diftinguish poetry from profe, had been rarely attempted; we had few elegances or flowers of fpeech, the rofes had not yet been plucked from the bramble, or different colours had not been joined to enliven one another.

It may be doubted whether Waller and Denham could have over-born the prejudices which had long prevailed, and which even then were fheltered by the protection of Cowley. The new verfification, as it was called, may be confidered as owing its establishment to Dryden; from. whofe time it is apparent that English

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poetry

poetry has had no tendency to relapfe to its former favagenefs.

The affluence and comprehenfion of our language is very illuftriously difplayed in our poetical tranflations of Ancient Writers; a work which the French seem to relinquish in defpair, and which we were long unable to perform with dexterity. Ben Jonfon thought it neceffary to copy Horace almoft word by word; Feltham, his contemporary and adverfary, confiders it as indifpenfably requifite in a tranflation to give line for line. It is faid that Sandys, whom Dryden calls the beft verfifier of the laft age, has struggled hard to comprise every book of his English Metamorphofes in the fame number of verfes with the original. Holyday had nothing in view but to fhew that he understood his author, with fo little regard to the grandeur of his diction, or the volubility of his numbers, that his metres can hardly be called verfes; they cannot be read without reluctance, nor will the labour always be rewarded by understanding them. Cowley faw that fuch copyers were a fervile race; he afferted his liberty, and spread his wings fo boldly that he left his authors. It was referved for Dryden to fix the limits of poetical liberty, and give us juft rules and examples of transla

tion.

When languages are formed upon different principles, it is impoffible that the fame modes of expreffion fhould always be elegant in both. While they run on together, the clofeft tranflation may be confidered as the beft; but when they divaricate, each must take its natural courfe. Where correfpondence cannot be obtained, it is neceffary to be content with fomething equivalent. Tranflation therefore, fays DryCc 2

den,

den, is not fo loofe as paraphrafe, nor fo close as metá« phrafe.

All polished languages have different ftyles; the concife, the diffufe, the lofty, and the humble. In the proper choice of ftyle confifts the refemblance which Dryden principally exacts from the tranflator. He is to exhibit his author's thoughts in fuch a drefs of diction as the author would have given them, had his language been English: rugged magnificence is not to be foftened; hyperbolical oftentation is not to be repreffed; nor fententious affectation to have its points blunted. A tranflator is to be like his author: it is not his bufinefs to excell him.

The reasonableness of these rules feems fufficient for their vindication; and the effects produced by obferving them were fo happy, that I know not whether they were ever oppofed but by Sir Edward Sherburne, a man whofe learning was greater than his powers of poetry; and who, being better qualified to give the meaning than the fpirit of Seneca, has introduced his verfion of three tragedies by a defence of close translation. The authority of Horace, which the new trans lators cited in defence of their practice, he has, by a judicious explanation, taken fairly from them; but reafon wants not Horáce to fupport it.

It feldom happens that all the neceffary caufes concur to any great effect: will is wanting to power, or power to will, or both are impeded by external obftructions. The exigences in which Dryden was condemned to pass his life, are reafonably fuppofed to have blafted his genius, to have driven out his works in a ftate of immaturity, and to have intercepted the fullblown elegance which longer growth would have fupplied.

Poverty,

Poverty, like other rigid powers, is fometimes too haftily accused. If the excellence of Dryden's works was leffened by his indigence, their number was increased; and I know not how it will be proved, that if he had written lefs he would have written better; or that indeed he would have undergone the toil of an author, if he had not been folicited by fomething more preffing than the love of praife,

But as is faid by his Sebaftian,

What had been, is unknown; what is, appears.

We know that Dryden's feveral productions were fo many fucceffive expedients for his fupport; his plays were therefore often borrowed, and his poems were almost all bccafional.

In an occafional performance no height of excellence can be expected from any mind, however fertile in itfelf, and however ftored with acquifitions. He whofe work is general and arbitrary, has the choice of his matter, and takes that which his inclination and his ftudies have beft qualified him to display and decorate. He is at liberty to delay his publication, till he has fatisfied his friends and himself; till he has reformed his first thoughts by fubfequent examination; and polifhed away thofe faults which the precipitance of ardent compofition is likely to leave behind it. Virgil is related to have poured out a great number of lines in the morning, and to have paffed the day in reducing them to fewer,

The occafional poet is circumfcribed by the narrownefs of his fubject. Whatever can happen to man has happened fo often that little remains for fancy or invention. We have been all born; we have most of us been married; and fo many have died before us,

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that