and confounded with one another, that our Apoftle himself is fometimes at a lofs to diftinguish the hand; and to determine, with certainty, who had the largest share in the WORK, GOD or the DEVIL; infomuch that a Manichean might have greatly availed himself of this untoward circumftance. Mr. J. Welley had been grieved, and the Spirit of God had been grieved likewife, at the fcandal given by fome of his own flock who " blafphemed the "work, and imputed it either to "Nature or the force of Imagina"tion and Animal fpirits, or even to the delusion of the Devil *."

"Many (fays he) were "deeply convinced; but none "were delivered from that painful conviction. The Children came to the BIRTH, but there was not ftrength to BRING FORTH, I fear we have grieved the Spirit of the jealous God by queftioning his "work f." Yet thefe pangs of the NEW BIRTH becoming, on certain occafions, more violent, and more general than ordinary, and even found to be taking and infectious, the Apostle himself was ftaggered, and feemed ready to recant. Thefe fymptoms I can no more. impute to any natural caufe than to the Spirit of God. I make no doubt it was SATAN tearing them as they were coming to "Chrift. And hence proceeded "thofe grievous cries, whereby he "might defign both to difcredit the * work of God, and to affright "fearful people from hearing that word whereby their Souls might "be faved ." But fince thefe Symptoms were univerfal and in

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feparable from the new birth, I rather think, and I will venture to fay, as it is only raifing the Catachrefis one step higher, that the Devil was here only in the office of Man-Midwife to the new birth. And Mr. Wefley himself, on fecond thoughts, feems not much averfe to this conceit, as appears from the following relation." I vifited (fays he) a "" poor old woman a mile or two "from the Town. Her trials had "been uncommon; inexpreffible

agonies of mind joined with all "forts of bodily pain, not (it seem"ed) from any natural caufe, but "the direct operation of Satan: "Her joys were now as uncom

mon; fhe had little time to fleep, "having for feveral months last paft feen, as it were, the unclouded face of God, and praised him day " and night §."

66

"The exterior affiftances in his Miniftry were no lefs fignal than the interior. (P.103.)-Many were "feated

66

on a large Wall adjoining, which "being built of loofe ftones, in the "middle of the Sermon all fell down

little more extended, but is ftill far fhort of the compafs of the fubject; and contains only difcuffions on fome of the beauties of diction and fentiment. So far as the author goes, his work has great merit, and is by no means inferior to the beauties of painting, which has been fo well received by the public. In this work we fee the fame critical difcernment and elegance of taste; the fame fmooth, ornamented, pleafing stile. The author has the fame fault alfo in this as in his for mer work; that of writing dialogue without even an attempt at diverfity of character, and with very little of the dramatic fpirit. For a fpecimen of his firft dialogue take the following:

"The fole aim of verfification is harmony. To understand this properly, we must divide it into two kinds. The first confifts in a general flow of verfe, moft pleafing to the ear, but independent on the fenfe: the fecond, in bringing the found or meafure of the verfe to correfpond with, and accompany the idea. The former may be called a verbal harmony: the latter a fentimental. If we confider the flow of verfe merely as mufic, it will then be allowed, that variety is no lefs neceffary than fweetnefs; and that a continued repetition of the fame movements, must be as tirefome in poetry, as it would be in mufic. On examin

*

ing Mr. Pope's verses, we shall find, that in eighteen out of twenty, the pauses reft on the fourth and last, or the fifth and last syllables: and that, almost without exception, the period is divided into two equal lines, and, as it were, link'd‍ by the rhyme into a couplet. For example

All are but parts of one stupendous whole,

Whole body nature is, || and God the foul;

That chang'd thro' all, || and yet in all the fame,

Great in the Earth, || as in the Ætherial frame;

Warms in the fun, || refreshes in the breeze,

Glows in the ftars, || and blossoms in the trees;

Lives thro' all life, || extends thro' all extent,

Spread undivided, fpent.

operates un

Essay on Man, Every ear muft feel the ill effect of the monotony in these lines; the cause of it is obvious; this verse confifts of ten fyllables, or five feet: when the paufe falls on the fourth fyllable, we shall find, that we pronounce the fix laft in the fame time that we do the four firft; fo that the couplet is not only divided into two equal lines, but each line, with respect to time, is divided into two equal parts

χορού.

Hageporsa.

As,

Afp. This is the very echo of the couplet measure.

Eug. Nothing could be more to my purpose; it confirms all that I have advanced; and proves further, that the monotony of the couplet does not proceed, as has been imagined, from the repetition of the rhymes, but from a famenefs in the movement of the verfe. No doubt, the use of rhymes was the first cause of confining poetic harmony to fuch narrow limits *. Mr. Addifon, accustomed to the fecure monotony of the couplet, had neither the genius to bear him thro', nor courage to attempt the unbounded variety of the Miltonic meafures. Birds of a weak flight move always in a line; but, the Eagle, wonderful in his foarings, fhews in his very floops the power of his wing. A poet, of a fuperior fpirit, mult have refources in the variety of his numbers. The flight of Satan, in Paradife Loft, is not to be pent up in a couplet.

Then from pole to pole He views in breadth; and without longer paufe,

Down right into the world's first region throws

His flight precipitant; and winds with ease

Through the pure marble air his oblique way, Amongst innumerable stars.

Hor. In comparing, as you have done, the gradations in poetic harmony to the flight of birds, by the foarings and ftoops of the Eagle, I prefume, you mean fomething equivalent to thofe enforcements and lowering of founds,

which give fuch a pleafant variety, and have fo powerful an effect in mufic.

Eug. Of this we have a fine example in the following paffage : in which you'll obferve, that the Poet fets out with almoft a profaic weakness of verfe; thence rifing gradually, like the fwell of an organ, he foars into the highest dignity of found.

Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whofe guile,

Stir'd up with envy and revenge, deceiv'd

The mother of mankind, what time his pride

Had caft him out from heav'n, with all his hoft

Of rebel Angels, by whose aid afpiring

To fet himself in glory above his peers,

Hetrufted to have equall'd the Moft High,

If he oppos'd; and with ambitious

Dion. Hal, de Struct. Orat.