Alas! one bad example shown,

How quickly all the fex pursue ! See, madam! see the arts o'erthrown Between John Overton and you.

It is the prerogative of eafy Poetry to be understood as long as the language lafts; but modes of speech, which owe their prevalence only to modifh folly, or to the eminence of those that use them, die away with their inventors, and their meaning, in a few years, is no longer known.

EASY Poetry is commonly fought in petty compofitions upon minute fubjects; but ease, tho' it excludes pomp, will admit greatness. Many lines in Cato's Soliloquy are at once easy and sublime.

'Tis the Divinity that ftirs within us;

'Tis heav'n itself that points out an hereafter, And intimates eternity to man.

If there's a pow'r above us,

And that there is all Nature cries aloud

Thro' all her works, he must delight in virtue,
And that which he delights in must be happy.

Nor is ease more contrary to wit than to fublimity; the celebrated ftanza of Cowley, on a

Lady

Lady elaborately dreffed, lofes nothing of i freedom by the spirit of the sentiment.

Th' adorning thee with fo much art

Is but a barb'rous skill,

"Tis like the pois'ning of a dart, Too apt before to kill.

Cowley feems to have poffeffed the power of writing easily beyond any other of our Poets, yet his pursuit of remote thoughts led him often into harshness of expreffion. Waller often attempted, but feldom attained it; for he is too frequently driven into transpofitions. The Poets, from the time of Dryden, have gradually advanced in embellishment, and confequently departed from fimplicity and ease.

To require from any Author many pieces of easy Poetry, would be indeed to oppress him with too hard a tafk. It is lefs difficult to write a volume of lines fwelled with epithets, brightened by figures, and ftiffened by tranfpofitions, than to produce a few couplets graced only by naked elegance and fimple purity, which require fo much care and

fkill

1

fkill, that I doubt whether any of our Authors has yet been able, for twenty lines together, nicely to obferve the true definition of easy Poetry.

N° 78. Saturday, October 13.

HAVE paffed the Summer in one of those

places to which a mineral spring gives the idle and luxurious an annual reafon for reforting, whenever they fancy themselves offended by the heat of London. What is the true motive of this periodical affembly, I have never yet been able to discover. The greater part of the vifitants neither feel diseases nor fear them. What pleasure can be expected more than the variety of the journey, I know not, for the numbers are too great for privacy, and too fmall for diverfion. As each is known to be a spy upon the reft, they all live in continual restraint; and having but a narrow range for cenfure, they gratify its Cravings by preying on one another.

BUT

BUT every condition has fome advantages. In this confinement, a smaller circle affords opportunities for more exact obfervation. The glass that magnifies its object contracts the fight to a point, and the mind must be fixed upon a fingle character to remark its minute peculiarities. The quality or habit which passes unobferved in the tumult of fucceffive multitudes, becomes confpicuous when it is offered to the notice day after day; and perhaps I have, without any diftinct notice, feen thoufands like my late companions; for when the scene can be varied at pleasure, a flight difguft turns us aside before a deep impreffion can be made upon the mind.

THERE was a felect fett, fuppofed to be distinguished by fuperiority of intellects, who always paffed the evening together. To be admitted to their converfation was the highest honour of the place; many youths aspired to diftinction, by pretending to occafional invitations; and the Ladies were often wishing to be men, that they might partake the pleafures of learned fociety.

I KNOW not whether by merit or destiny, I was, foon after my arrival, admitted to this envied party, which I frequented till I had learned the art by which each endeavoured to fupport his character.

TOM STEADY was a vehement affertor of uncontroverted truth; and by keeping himfelf out of the reach of contradiction, had acquired all the confidence which the confciousness of irresistible abilities could have giv en. I was once mentioning a man of eminence, and after having recounted his vir tues, endeavoured to represent him fully, by mentioning his faults. Sir, faid Mr. Steady, that he has faults I can easily believe, for who is without them? No man, Sir, is now alive, among the innumerable multitudes that fwarm upon the earth, however wife, or however good, who has not, in fome degree, his failings and his faults. If there be any man faultless, bring him forth into publick view, shew him openly, and let him be known; but I will venture to affirm, and, till the contrary be plainly fhewn, fhall always maintain, that no fuch man is to be found. Tell not me, Sir, of impeccability and perfection; fuch talk is for those that are

Strangers