ESSAY VI. On COLLINS'S ORIENTAL ECLOGUES Y thofe, with whom the bulk of Ban an author's performance is the criterion for estimating his merit, Collins, will be deemed a minor poet; there are however volumes of verfes of no mean character, which contain less genuine poetry, than the few pages he produced. The Oriental Eclogues were always till lately poffeffed of confiderable reputation, but our celebrated Biographer * having hinted that Collins, once in converfa DR. JOHNSON. tion tion with a friend, happened to term them his Irish Eclogues, those who form opinions not from their own reafon, or their own feelings, but from the hints of others, have caught the hint, and circulated it. That Collins ever fuppofed his Eclogues deftitute of merit, there is no reason to believe; but it is very probable, when his judgment was improved by experienee, he might discover, and be hurt by their faults, among which may poffibly be found fome few inftances of inconfiftence or abfurdity. The Oriental Eclogues, nevertheless, however they may be depreciated, have all the requifites of a good poem, defcription, incident, fentiment, and moral; they have fimplicity of thought, and melody of language. The firft is intitled Selim, or The Shepherd's Moral. It introduces a Perfian poet poet on the bank of the Tigris, expatiating to a female audience, on the praise of virtue. The Author in this piece is not a cold teacher of morality; there is an ardour in his composition, which induces one to think him not intirely uninterested in the leffon he is giving. Perhaps in the character of his Selim, he was obliquely advifing some lady, whose person had attracted his affections, but whofe conduct could not merit his esteem. This is mere conjecture, and may appear fanciful; nevertheless, the late ingenious Dr. Langhorne feems rather mistaken, when he obferves, that Collins was one of the few poets who have failed to Delphi, without touching at Cythera. Our Poet poffeffed a mind that could not be infenfible to the fair; and his compofitions discover much of the tender, though nothing of the licentious. ! V. 199. See the tall obelisks from Memphis old, One ftone enormous each, or Thebes convey'd ; Like Albion's fpires they rush into the skies. Blank verfe has been accufed, and perhaps too justly, of obfcurity; and much of this obfcurity arifes from inattention to a proper arrangement. Where the natural order of the words would be equally ftrong, as in the prefent instance, tranfpofition should not be wantonly indulged: From Memphis old Or Thebes convey'd, one stone enormous each.. The fight of the Temple of Concord, where the fenate met on occafion of Cataline's confpiracy, naturally produced recollection of that circumftance, and afforded a fine picture. The vehement orator pouring perfuafion, could not have addreffed his audience with more fpirited fpirited interrogations, and animated prosopopoieas than the following: V. 202. And there the temple, where the fummon'd ftate, In deep of night convers'd: ev'n yet methinks The vehement orator in rent attire Perfuafion pours, Ambition finks her creft, And lo the villain, like a troubled fea That toffes up her mire! ever difguis'd The neck of Virtue? Lo the wretch abafh'd Political Liberty is fo ineftimable a bleffing, that the applause of it must always please; but still that applause will please more or lefs, as it is more or less naturally introduced, properly conducted, and elegantly expreffed. Our author's long digreffion on the fubject in this place, feems not among the happiest of his efforts. His tranfition from Rome to Britain is not the most easy, and his introduction of Cecil, Raleigh, WalfingI 4 ham, |