ftyle, that it introduces us into fociety with all nature, and interests us even in inanimate objects, by forming a connexion between them and us, through that fenfibility which it ascribes to them. This is exemplified in the following beautiful paffage of Thomfon's Summer, wherein the life which he beftows upon all nature, when defcribing the effects of the rifing fun, renders the fcenery uncommonly gay and interesting:

But yonder comes the powerful king of day
Rejoicing in the east. The leffening cloud,
The kindling azure, and the mountain's brow
Tipt with ethereal gold, his near approach
Betoken glad.

-By thee refined,

In brifker measures, the relucent ftream
Frisks o'er the mead. The precipice abrupt,
Projecting horror on the blacken'd flood,
Softens at thy return. The defart joys,
Wildly, through all his melancholy bounds.
Rude ruins glitter; and the briny deep,
Seen from fome pointed promontory's top,
Reflects from every fluctuating wave,
A glance extenfive as the day.

The fame effect is remarkable in that fine paffage

of Milton:

-To the nuptial bower,

I led her blushing like the morn. All heaven
And happy conftellations, on that hour,
Shed their felecteft influence. The earth'
Gave figns of gratulation, and each hill.
Joyous the birds: fresh gales, and gentle airs
Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings
Flung rofe, flung odour from the spicy fhrub,
Difporting.-

The third and highest degree of this figure remains to be mentioned, when inanimate objects are introduced, not only as feeling and acting, but as speaking to us, or hearing and liftening when

we addrefs ourfelves to them. This, though on feveral occafions far from being unnatural, is, however, more difficult in the execution, than the other kinds of perfonification. For this is plainly the boldest of all rhetorical figures; it is the ftyle of ftrong paffion only; and, therefore, never to be attempted, unlefs when the mind is confiderably heated and agitated. A flight perfonification of fome inanimate thing, acting as if it had life, can be relished by the mind, in the midst of cool defcription, and when its ideas are going on in the ordinary train. But it must be in a state of violent emotion, and have departed confiderably from its common track of thought, before it can fo far realife the perfonification of an infenfible object, as to conceive it liftening to what we fay, or making any return to us. All ftrong paffions, however, have a tendency to ufe this figure; not only love, anger, and indignation, but even thofe which are feemingly more difpiriting, fuch as, grief, remorfe, and melancholy. For all paffions ftruggle for vent, and if they can find no other object, will, rather than be filent, pour themfelves forth to woods, and rocks, and the moft infenfible things; efpecially if thefe be in any degree connected with the caufes and objects that have thrown the mind into this agitation. Hence, in poetry, where the greatest liberty is allowed to the language of paffion, it is easy to produce many beautiful examples of this figure. Milton affords us an extremely fine one, in that moving and tender addrefs which Eve makes to paradife, just before fhe is compelled to leave it.

Oh! unexpected ftroke, worfe than of death!
Muft I thus leave thee, Paradife! thus leave
Thee, native foil, thefe happy walks, and fhades,
Fit haunt of gods! where I had hope to fpend
Quiet, though fad, the refpite of that day,
Which must be mortal to us both O flowers,

That never will in other climate grow,
My early vifitation, and my laft

Ar ev'n, which I bred up with tender hand,
From your first op'ning buds, and gave you names!
Who now shall rear you to the fun, or rank
Your tribes, and water from th' ambrofial fount?
Book XI. 1. 268.

This is altogether the language of nature, and of fe nale pallion. It is obfervable, that all plaintive paffions are peculiarly prone to the use of this figure. The complaints which Philoctetes, in Sopaocles, pours out to the rocks and caves of Lemnos, amidit the excefs of his grief and despair, are remarkably fine examples of it*. And there are frequent examples, not in poetry only, but in real life, of perfons, when just about to fuffer death, taking a paífionate farewel of the fun, moon, and ftars, or other fenfible objects around them.

There are two great rules for the management of this fort of perfonification. The firft rule is, never to attempt it, unlefs when prompted by ftrong paffion, and never to continue it when the pation begins to flag. It is one of thofe high ornaments, which can only find place in the moft warm and fpirited parts of compofition; and there, too, must be employed with moderation.

The fecond rule is, never to perfonify any object in this way, but fuch as has fome dignity in itfelf, and can make a proper figure in this eleva

Ω λιμένες, ο προβλητες, ω ξυνουσιας
Θηρών ορείπον, ως καταρρώγες πέτραι
Υμίν τάδ'. και γαρ άλλον οιος ότω λεγω
Ανακλαίομαι παρεσι τοις ειώθεσιν, &c.

"O mountains, rivers, rocks, and favage herds,
"To you I fpeak! to you alone, I now

"Muft breathe my forrows! you are wont to hear
"My fad complaints, and I will tell you all
"That I have fuffered froin Achilles' fon!"

FRANKLIN.

tion to which we raife it. The obfervance of this rule is required, even in the lower degrees of perfonification; but ftill more, when an addrefs is made to the perfonified object. To addrefs the corpfe of a deceased friend, is natural; but to addrefs the clothes which he wore, introduces mean and degrading ideas. So alfo, addressing the several parts of one's body, as if they were animated, is not congruous to the dignity of paffion. For this reason, I must condemn the following paffage, in a very beautiful poem of mr. Pope's, Eloifa to Abelard :

Dear fatal name! reft ever unreveal'd,

Nor pafs thefe lips in holy filence feal'd.
Hide it, my heart, within that clofe difguife,
Where, mix'd with God's, his lov'd idea lies:
Oh! write it not, my hand!—his name appears
Already written-blot it out, my tears!

Here are several different objects and parts of the body perfonified: and each of them is addreffed or fpoken to; let us confider with what propriety. The first is, the name of Abelard: "Dear fatal "name! reft ever," &c. To this, no reafonable objection can be made. For, as the name of a perfon often ftands for the perfon himself, and fuggefts the fame ideas, it can bear this perfonification with fufficient dignity. Next, Eloifa fpeaks to herfelf; and perfonifies her heart for this purpose: "Hide it, my heart, within "that clofe, &c." As the heart is a dignified part of the human frame, and is often put for the mind, or affections, this alfo may pafs without blame. But, when from her heart fhe paffes to her hand, and tells her hand not to write his name, this is forced and unnatural; a perfonified hand is low, and not in the ftyle of true paffion; and the figure becomes ftill worfe, when, in the laft place,

fhe exhorts her tears to blot out what her hand had written, "Oh! write it not," &c. There is, in these two lines, an air of epigrammatic conceit, which native paffion never fuggefts; and which is altogether unfuitable to the tenderness which breathes through the rest of that excellent poem. In profe compofitions, this figure requires to be ufed with still greater moderation and delicacy. The fame liberty is not allowed to the imagination there, as in poetry. The fame affiftances cannot be obtained for raifing paffion to its proper height by the force of numbers, and the glow of ftyle. However, addreffes to inanimate objects are not excluded from profe; but have their place only in the higher fpecies of oratory. A public speaker may on fome occafions very properly addrefs religion or virtue; or his native country, or fome city or province, which has fuffered, perhaps, great calamities, or been the fcene of fome memorable action. But we muft remember, that as fuch addreffes are among the highest efforts of eloquence, they should never be attempted, unless by perfons of more than ordinary genius. For if the orator fails in his defign of moving our paffions by them, he is fure of being laughed at. Of all frigid things, the most frigid are the aukward and unseasonable attempts fometimes made towards fuch kinds of perfonification, efpecially if they be long continued. We fee the writer or fpeaker toiling and labouring, to exprefs the language of fome paffion, which he neither feels himfelf, nor can make us feel. We remain not only cold, but frozen; and are at full leifure to criticife on the ridiculous figure which the perfonified object makes, when we ought to have been tranfported with a glow of enthufiafm. Some of the French writers, particularly Boffuet and Flechier, in their fermons and funeral orations, have attempted and execut