upon him fays, he has not one in his poems. To concludet, I believe the Hiatus fhould be avoided with I rather wonder he has in this Letter faid nothing of Alliteration, of which his master, Dryden, was so fond, and which he practifed with so much fuccefs; but which has been carried to a ridiculous excefs by fome late writers of note. A curious and learned difcourfe on the Alliterative Metre, without rhyme, (for Alliteration was a favourite figure of rude poets,) is given in the 2d vol. of the entertaining Reliques of Ancient Poetry. To these observations on English Verfification, I defire to add the following from the fenfible and ingenious Mr. Webb: "The fole aim of Versification is harmony. To understand this properly, we muft divide it into two kinds. The first confists of a general flow of verse, most pleasing to the ear, but independent on the fenfe: the fecond, in bringing the found or measure of the verse to correspond 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 lefs neceffary than sweetness; and that a continued repetition of the fame movements must be tiresome in poetry, a it would in mufic. On examining Mr. Pope's verses, we shall find, that in eighteen out of twenty, the paufes reft on the fourth and laft, or the fifth or last fyllables; and that, almost without exception, the period is divided into two equal lines, and, as it were, linked by the rhyme into a couplet. For example, ઃઃ All are but parts of one ftupendous whole, Effay on Man. Every ear muft feel the ill effect of the monotony in these lines; the cause of it is obvious; this verfe confifts of ten fyllables, or five feet; when the paufe falls on the fourth fyllable, we fhall with more care in Poetry than in Oratory; and I would conftantly try to prevent it, unlefs where the cutting 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; as, Warms in the Sun, refreshes in the Breeze, Glows in the Stars, and bloffoms in the Trees: Or elfe, the paufe falls on the fifth fyllable, and then the line is divided with a mechanic exactness. As, Spreads undivided, operates unspent. "Mr. Pope in a letter to Mr. Walsh, speaking of English verse, fays, "There is naturally a Pause at the fourth, fifth, or fixth fyllable. It is upon these the ear refts, and upon the judicious change and management of which depends the variety of verfification." Of this he gives the following examples: At the fifth: Where'er thy navy fpreads her canvass wings, At the fourth: Homage to thee, and peace to all fhe brings. At the fixth: Like tracts of leverets, in morning fnow. "In this place, Mr. Pope takes no notice of the second pause, which always refts on the laft word of each line, and is strongly marked by the rhyme. But, it is on the balance between the two pauses, that the monotony of the verse depends. Now this balance is governed by the equal divifion of the line in point of time. Thus, if you repeat the two first examples given, you will find no difference, as to the time, whether the pause falls on the fourth or fifth fyllable; and this, I think, will extend even to the last example; or, if there should be any difference, it is so trifling, that it will generally escape the ear. But this is not fo in blank verfe; for the lines being made often to run one into the other, the fecond paufe is funk; the balance, from the equal divifion of each line, is removed, and by changing the paufes at pleasure, an open is given into an unlimited variety. "Obferve cutting it off is more prejudicial to the found than the Hiatus itself. I am, etc. A. POPE. "Obferve the effects in the firft lines of Paradise Loft: Of man's first difobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whofe mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe, With lofs of Eden, till one greater Man, Reftore us, and regain the blissful feat, Sing, heavenly muse. "In these, and the lines which immediately follow, the paufes are shifted through all the ten fyllables. "But this variety is not infeparable from the nature of blank verfe. In Addifon's Cato, there is, I think, the very fame monotony which we have condemned in Mr. Pope: Thus, The dawn is overcaft, the morning low'rs, And heavily in clouds brings on the day; Big with the fate of Cato and of Rome. Again, Who knows not this, but what can Cato do Against a world, a base degenerate world, That courts the yoke, and bows the neck to Cæfar? A poor epitome of Roman greatnef›. This is the very echo of the couplet measure.” Remarks on the Beauties of Poetry, p. 40. WARTON. Mr. WALSH died at forty-nine years old, in the year 1708, the year before the Effay on Criticifm was printed, which concludes with his Eulogy. WARBURTON. POPE's obfervations on verfification, as far as they go, are fenfible and judicious; but, in my opinion, he is too confined in his ideas of harmony. He fays, "there is naturally a pause at the fourth, VOL. VII. G fourth, fifth, and fixth fyllables." This is very true, but for the fake of effect, the pause may be often placed on other fyllables, which, when it is judiciously done, though a line so paufed, confidered Separately and apart, might be inharmonious, yet mixed with lines more regularly paufed, it often adds a richness, variety, and harmony, to the paffage. The pause on the fourth, fifth, and fixth fyllables I fhould confider as what are called the common chords in mufic; but a compofition, where only common chords were introduced, would foon tire, however perfect they might be in themfelves. Dryden's lines on "Bending the Bow," may be quoted as an happy example of reprefentative metre: "At the full stretch of both his arms he drew, And almost join'd the horns of the tough yew." In blank verfe, I would mention a ftriking paffage in Dyer's "Fleece :" "The pilot steers Steady; with eye intent upon the steel, | LETTERS TO AND FROM H. CROMWELL, ESQ. From the Year 1708 to 1711. LETTER I. March 18, 1708. I BELIEVE it was with me when I left the Town, as it is with a great many men when they leave the world, whose lofs itself they do not fo much regret, as that of their friends whom they leave behind in it. For I do not know one thing for which I can envy London, but for your continuing there. Yet I 'guess you will expect me to recant this expreffion, when I tell you that Sappho (by which heathenish name you have christened a very orthodox Lady) did not accompany me into the Country. Well, you have • Sappho was Mrs. Thomas, who fold the Letters of Pope to Curl, when she was in diftrefs. The tone of Wycherley's correfpondence was affected wit; Walsh's, criticism; and Cromwell's, gallantry. |