faved them a vaft deal of pains, and freed them from a world of embarraffment. • I mean, that in the fentence διὰ Ελέα καὶ Φόβε περαίνεσα τὴν τῶν τοιέτων παθημάτων κάθαρσιν, the three laft words, τοιύτων. Talμáτ álago, have been, each of them, altogether mif taken. For ToloÚTwo does not refer to the preceding words ἐλές καὶ φόβα; nor does παθημάτων mean pafions ; nor καθαρwa purification or refinement. The miftaking of tμator has drawn in along with it the mistake of the other two words. The tranflators have not attended to the propriety of the language in the different acceptation of the two words made; and πάθημα. This opinion concerning the fenfe of the word παθημάτων in the context, the learned Author fupports by an appeal to the conftant usage of all the chief Greek writers. He fhews that the word which Ariftotle uniformly ufes to exprefs the paffions, is wan, and that by rabnara is always meant jufferings or calamities; which he confirms by quotations from Herodotus, Thucydides, and Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus. The fense, therefore, of these words of Ariftotle's concerning the End of Tragedy, he concludes to be, that it proposes to effect the removal of fuch calamities out of human life by means of exciting the paffions of pity and terror. ' And thus, continues he, I will venture to affert, that Ariftotle has, in as plain and precife words, as the Greek language could poffibly have enabled him to do, defined that to be the final end and aim of Tragedy, which I believe, every body readily enough apprehends it to be, and even thofe very critics themfelves, when they are not immediately under the bias and warp of imagination, with which they had been prepoffeffed by that falfe unexamined tranflation which I have juft now been endeavouring to rectify.' Common sense, as well as the fidelity of translation, the rules of grammar, and juftice of criticism, muft oblige every impartial reader to concur with the learned Glasgow Profeflor in his interpretation of this paffage; a paffage of the greatest importance, not merely affording an opportunity to display the ingenuity of verbal criticifm, but containing the opinion of Ariftotle concerning the End and Intention of Tragedy, which fhould certainly be, to draw a moral from an example. In order to have added to the perfpicuity of this Effay, we could have wished that the Author had laid the whole fentence, as it ftands in Ariftotle, before the Reader; by which the propriety of his own interpretation would have appeared ftill REY. Jan. 1764. F ftronger, των stronger, as it would have fhewn that TooT could not refer to the words, which indeed precede it according to the free-, dom of ftyle, but which, according to the ftrictnefs of conftruction, are fubfequent. Ariftotle's definition at large is in these words: Εσιν εν τραγωδία μίμησις πράξεως σπεδαιας και τελείας, μεγε θος εχέσης, ηδυσμένω λόγω, χωρίς εχασα των ειδων ἓν τοις μορια εις δρωνίων, καὶ ε δι επαγίελίας, αλλα δι' ελες και φοβε περαίνεσα την των τοιέτων παθημάτων καθαρσιν. This fentence, literally conftrued, like a school-boy's lef fon, it is plain, would run thus: Τραγωδία &v Tragedy therefore, εςιν μιμησις πράξ ως σπεδαι as TEλEas, is the imitation of a ferious and entire action; μέγεθος εχέσης, having due greatnefs, [* ηδυσμένω λόγω, by pleafurable language, χωρίς εχασα των ειδών εν τοις μορίοις δρωνTw, each of the forms acting feparately in their parts,] XIV and endeavouring to effect Tv nabago the removal, των τοιέτων παθημάτων, of the like calamities, ε δι επαγίε Alas, not by narration, aλλa di ɛλ Qobe, but by pity and terror. The fecond part of this Effay contains a learned investigation of the original of the word Kabagris, tending to confirm the above interpretation, and fhewing the nice propriety with which Ariftotle ufes it in this place. On the whole, we cannot but applaud the labours of the ingenious Profeffor, earnestly recom-. mending them to the notice of all thofe who are, or would endeavour to be, critics and fcholars. The two claufes between crotchets relate merely to the form of the ancient Greek tragedy. MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JANUARY, POETICAL. 1764. Art. 1. Poems. By William Mason, M. A. T Horsfield. 8vo. 38. HIS is a collection of all the poems Mr. Mafon has hitherto publifhed, except Isis an Elegy, and his Ode on the Duke of Newcable's Inftallation; both of which, probably, are fupprefied from predential or from political confiderations. Here is nothing new, except the following dedicatory Sonnet to the Earl of Holderness: SONNE T. SONNET. D'ARCY, to thee, whate'er of happier vein, I weave the bower, around the tufted mead, With rural toils ingenuous arts I blend, Yet not unknown to Fame, if D'Arcy lend The Mufes' Patron, but the Poet's Friend. Art. 2. An Epifle to the Irreverend Mr. C―s C—ll, in his own Style and Manner. 4to. Is. A fifhwoman abufing a night-man. Art. 3. The Jumble. A Satire. Nicoll. Addreffed to the Rev. Mr. Ch-rch-ll. 4to. Is. Johnfton. The best part of this poem is the Author's addrefs to the Reviewers, which, from a difpofition truly Chriftian, we fhall, therefore, quote in his favour : Ye fage Reviewers, who in council fit, Are hung with wretches' limbs, and ftain'd with gore; Ye wife and skilful Veterans who are fure To know my style, tho' I ne'er wrote before: By intuition wondrous, at first fight, Can tell that black is black, and white is white; Or if you please to fhew your learned knack By rules, prove black is white, and white is black. Here the Satirift grows a little dall; but he foon refumes his usual spirit: Ah Thwackums! may I hope your birchen rage Will fpare the breech of inexperienc'd age? Or may I hope if 'tis my luckless fate, The critic fword that you'll with mercy draw, And cut my head off at a fingle blow? This is the firft Author we ever met with, who had the grace to own himself a blockhead. By the following couplet he has both owned it, and proved it in the fame breath: As well it may be faid, becaufe my head Is none of th' wifeft, all men's elfe are lead. F 2 Art. Art. 4. The Complaint. An Appeal of Authors to the Court of Apollo. In Two Epiftles to Fidelio. 4to. Is. Willon and Fell. Thou write Epiftles, and be d▬▬▬▬▬▬▬n'd! Write Epigrams for Cutlers: None will be with thy nonfenfe fhamm'd, In the next world expect dry blows: And Phoebus beat thy brains out. TOM BROWN. Art. 5. The Ceftus of Venus; or the Art of Charming. A Poem. 4to. I S. Cabe. The Maker of thefe rhymes has, like a genuine Bungler, undertaken to teach an art he does not understand. However, the man feems to mean well, and he has treated the three under-mentioned Ladies in the manner they deserve : Mifs Affectation, Prettiness and Pride, In ftudied grace may hang the head afide. But had they hanged the Poet too, he had never been guilty of writing the following couplet: Oh, learn, ye Fair, to fing; your foft-ton'd voice E'en Nature form'd in mufic to rejoice. What a Conjurer! E'en Nature, fays he, who, to be fure, fcarce was ever known to form any thing, e'en the form'd them. By and by the Ladies fingers receive an invitation from a fet of ftrings; the ftrings invite Your finely-tapering fingers' preffure light. Prefently the faid Ladies' fingers play at fee-faw with our fouls, and make 'em go up and down, up and down like a pair of fmith's bellows : Rais'd on the rifing notes, our fouls aspire, 1 And now fubfiding into love, retire On dying ftrains. But Joy, like a bluftering bully, breaks the peace, by giving poor Care an ugly flap between the fhoulders; and all this out of mere wantonnefs, without any reasonable provocation: Wak'd by the fprightly air, In jocund mood, Joy flaps the back of Care. This fagacious Gentleman tells us, that Sculpture is a mischievous animal without a tail : Sculpture, cunning ape, Defpairs each various attitude to trace. Author as he is of the art of charming, he reprefents the Ladies dancing naked, for, fays he, they appear in the fame manner to the raptured youth, as Venus did to Paris: So So to the Trojan's eyes, divinely bleft, They are likewife much obliged to him for his defcription of their fenfibility: To each fine feeling all alive and warm! There, Ladies, there's your art of charming! Art. 6. Filial Piety. A Poem. Folio. 6d. Flexney. A mock-heroic, not altogether deftitute of humour, as will appear from the following paffage : Thus oft when Boreas blows, Thro' London's chinks, hail, fleet, or fnow; I've feen With back scarce fhelter'd by three dozen threads, Whom, had the Fates in form of Halfpence come, The gracious Saint that mendicants adore; Dullness is the parent to whom this droll Writer addreffes his Filial Piety. Art. 7. The Voice of Britain. Folio. 6d. Wilfon and Fell. Not the voice of Britain, but of one of the long-ear'd milky mothers of Moorfields, braying about the late royal marriage. Art. 8. Folly, a Satire on the Times.. Written by a Fool, &c. 4ta. 2s. Pridden. The contents of this pamphlet are agreeable to the title-page. Art. 9. Liberty and Intereft. A burlesque Poem on the prefent Times. 4to. Is. Fletcher, &c. We read the following couplet, concerning this Gentleman's Muse, with great fatisfaction: Her books fhe tore, and burnt her pen, And vow'd she'd never write again. POETICAL-PROS E. Klop Art. 10. The Meffiah; attempted from the German of Mr. ftock. To which is prefixed his Introduction on Divine Poetry. Small 8vo. 2 Vols. 6s. Dodfley, &c. The late Mrs. Collyer tranflated part of this work a little before her death, and it is now published by her husband, who tranflated the re mainder. Those who approve of what is elegantly fimple, whether in fentiment or compofition, who like profe when it is profe, and veife when it is verfe, will by no means relish thofe performances that are a medley of both; and for us, we could as foon read a folio of German Divinity as one of thefe German poems, ferved up in this hathed condition. |