only in heroics; for in odes they are gracefully placed after verses of any number of fyllables whatsoever.

The fhorter kinds of verfes are chiefly used in operas, odes, and our common fongs; but they have nothing in them worth notice. We meet with them of three, four, five, and fix fyllables; but thofe of four and fix are molt common, of which let the following fpecimen fuffice: The battle near When cowards fear,

The drum and trumpet founds ;

Their courage warms,

They rush to arms,

And brave a thousand wounds.

It is now proper to fay fomething of the elifions or contraclions that are admitted in our poetry, according as the measure requires.

CHAP. IV.

Of the ELISIONS allowed of in ENGLISH POETRY; and fome mifcellaneous Remarks.

ELifion is the cutting off one or more letters, either from the beginning, ending, or middle of a word, whereby two fyllables are contracted into one, and are so pronounced.

In words of three or more fyllables, which are accented on the laft fave two, when the liquid r comes between two vowels, that which precedes the r is frequently cut off; as in temperance, difference, flatterer, victory, amorous, and others; which, though three fyllables, and often used as fuch in verse, may be contracted into two when the meafure requires it; and this contraction is denoted by a little mark called an apoftrophe, the words being written or printed temp'rance, diff'rence, flatt'rer, vi&'ry, am'rous, and pronounced accordingly. An elifion is made of both vowels before the r in lab'ring, endeavʼring, neighb’ring, and fuch like words.

Sometimes a vowel is cut off before the other liquids 1, m, n, when found between two vowels in words accent

ed like the former; as in fab'lous, en’my, marʼner, instead of fabulous, enemy, mariner: but this ought to be avoided, the found being harsh and ungrateful.

Contractions are agreeable enough in fome words of three fyllables, where the letters happens between two vowels, the latter of which is cut off; as in reas'ning, pris'ner, bus'nefs, &c.

The letter o between II and w, in words of three fyllables, fuffers an elifion; as in follower, bellowing, &c.

When the vowel e falls between v and », and the accent lies upon the foregoing fyllable, it is frequently cut off, as in heav'n, fev'n, giv'n, driv'n, &c. The fame vowel is also cut off in the words pow'r, flow'r, and others of the like termination.

The words never, ever, over, may lofe the confonant v, and be thus contracted, ne'er, e'er, d'er.

Moft words ending in ed, which we contract in our common difcourfe, may also be contracted in poetry; as lov'd, threaten'd, exprefs'd, ador'd, abandon'd, &c.

Some words admit of an elifion of their first syllable; as 'mong, mongft, 'tween, 'twixt, 'gainft, 'bove, &c. are used inftead of among, among ft, between, betwixt, againft, above.

Inftead of it is, it was, it were, it will, it would, we fometimes ufe 'tis, 'twas, 'twere, 'twill, 'twould. So like. wife by't, for by it; do't, for do it; was't, for was it, &c. But thefe laft contractions are scarce allowable, especially in heroic poetry.

Am may lofe its vowel after I; as I'm, for I am: and fo may are after we, you, they ; as we're, you're, they're ; for we are, you are, they are: we also fometimes use the contraction, let's, for let us.

The word have suffers an elifion of its two first letters, after I, you, we, they; as I've, you've, we've, they've, for I have, you have, we have, they have. So will and would are often contracted after the perfonal pronouns; as I'll for I will, he'd for he would, &c. or after who, as who'd for avho would, who'll for who will, &c.

The particle to fometimes lofes its o when it comes before a verb that begins with a vowel; as t'avoid, t'increase, t'undo, &c. but this elifion is not fo allowable before nouns, and feldom used by correct writers.

When the particle the comes before a word that begins with a vowel or an not afpirated, it generally lofes its e;

as th' immortal, th' expreffive, th' amazing, th' honeft, &c. and fometimes before an afpirated b when an e follows it; as th' heroic, &c. but elifions of this last kind are not to be commended.

Sometimes the o in who, and they in by, is cut off before words beginning with a vowel; as wh' expose, for who expofe; b' oppreffion, for by oppreffion and other contractions of this kind are to be met with in fome of our poets; but fuch a liberty is by no means to be indulged.

:

The pronoun bis fometimes lofes its firft letters after words ending with a vowel; as to's, by's, for to his, by his; and after feveral words that end with a confonant; as in's, for's, for in his, for his, &c. But this is rather to be obferved than imitated.

These are the elifions and contractions most usually made in our verfification; the reft may be learnt by reading our best modern poets; for the liberties taken by fome of our antient ones are not to be encouraged.

There are a few more particulars relating to this fubject that are worth obferving. In the first place, it may be laid down as a general rule, that whenever one fyllable of a word ends with a vowel, and the next begins with another, thefe two fyllables in verfe are to be confidered as one only, except when either of the fyllables is the feat of the accent. Thus region, valiant, beauteous, mutual, and fuch-like words, are to be reckon'd only as two fyllables in poetry; and fo ambition, familiar, perpetual, presumptuous, Juperior, and other words of the fame nature, though confifting of four fyllables, are to be used in verfe as three.

The words diamond, diadem, violet, and a few others, may be excepted from this rule; which, though accented on the firft vowel, are fometimes used but as two fyllables,

In general the ear is to be confulted; we must confider how words are pronounced in reading profe, and obferve how they are used by the best poets, and we shall seldom fail either with respect to juftnefs of measure or propriety of contractions. It will very much add to the beauty of our verfe to avoid, as much as poffible, a concourfe of clashing vowels; that is, when one word ends with a vowel and the next begins with another, which occafions what is called an hiatus, or gaping, and is very difagree

able to the ear.

Mr. Pope has cenfured this fault, and given us an instance of it in the following line:

Tho' oft the ear the open vowels tire.

For this reafon the e of the particle the is generally cut off (as has been obferved) before words that begin with a vowel.

It is not well to make use of feveral words in a verfe that begin with the fame letter, unless it be to fuit the found to the fubject. And obferve, that though verfes confifting wholly of monofyllables are not always to be condemned, (nay, poffibly may be very good) yet they ought to be feldom ufed, a feries of little low words having generally an ill effect in our poetry. Be careful alfo not to make ufe of expletives, that is, fuch words as contribute nothing to the fenfe, but are brought into the verfe, merely to fill up the measure. These two laft faults Mr. Pope has taken notice of, and exemplified in the following verses:

While expletives their feeble aid do join,

And ten low words oft creep in one dull line.

Take care likewife not to end a verse with an adjective, whofe fubftantive begins the next verfe; and the fame is to be observed with respect to a prepofition, and the words it governs. In short, avoid every thing that tends to destroy that agreeable cadence and harmony which is required in poetry, and of which (after all the rules that can be laid down concerning it) the ear is the most proper judge. Remember, however, that eafy and flowing numbers are not all that is requifite in verfification; for, as the lastmention'd excellent poet obferves,

"Tis not enough no harshness gives offence; The found muft feem an echo to the fenfe.

We now proceed to the beauty of thought in poetry, and to give some farther directions concerning the poetic style.

CHAP.

ectret

CHA P. V.

Of the BEAUTY of THOUGHT in POETRY.

S we have already treated of thoughts and style in the preceding volume, under the article Rhetoric, this chapter and the enfuing may, perhaps, feem like a repetition, and be thought useless; but it is to be confidered, that though thoughts in poetry and profe differ but little, (except in pieces of fiction) a fublime thought being ftill the fame, whether expreffed in profe or verfe, yet as the diction of poetry is very different from that of prose, and as this volume is intended to stand alone, and to be read diftinctly from the other sciences, it will be here necessary to fay fomething on thefe fubjects, which are the foundation of elegance and fublimity.

Thoughts may, not improperly, be called the foundation or body of a poem, or difcourfe; and the ftyle, or diction, the dress with which they are decorated; for the choiceft and most brilliant expreffions will be looked upon as mere empty and contemptible founds, unless they are animated with good fenfe and propriety of thought: but on the contrary, a new and beautiful thought will affect us agreeably, though unadorned, because it strikes the imagination with its novelty, and carries with it fome degree of information, which it has drawn from truth and nature.

Thoughts are the images of things, as words are the images of thoughts, and they are both, like other pictures and images, to be esteemed or defpifed, as the representa tion is just and natural, true or false.

The thoughts we find in the best authors are natural and intelligible; they are neither affected to display wit, nor far-fetched to difcover learning; but are fuch as arife, as it were fpontaneously, out of the fubject treated of, and feem fo infeparable from it, that we cannot conceive how it could have been otherwife exprefs'd with fo much propriety.

Were we inclined to give inftances of false and unnatural thoughts, enough might be found in the works of our modern poets, and not a few even among the ancients, especially in Ovid, Lucan and Seneca.