Period, (two Faults he reafonably might be expected to avoid, when the justly admired Ancients were fo ftrongly in his Mind) he has huddled together his undiftinguished Commendations of the Greek and Latin, and fo unjustly given the Preference of the latter to our own copious Language, with that trite prófound air of ridiculous Erudition, as muft unavoidably have thofe Effects upon his different Readers, which Mr. POPE defcribes in his incomparable Essay on Criticism, "Such labour'd nothings in fo grave a Stile, But let the Peace of Dulnefs brood over fuch Lumber, and let us turn our Eyes to a more delightful Object, the revival of the true Spirit of ancient Criticism in the Works of fome illuftrious modern Geniufes, who tread in the Steps of their ador'd Mafters as far as they went, and then penetrate deeper into the Laurel Grove of Science than any of their Predeceffors ever ever ventur'd. The firft I fhall mention is the great Author of Reflections Critiques fur la Peinture et la Poefie; a Work, which, in the Hands of an ordinary Writer, would have been an unentertaining String of dry Reflections upon thofe Arts only, but under the Magic of his masterly Pen, comprehends the moft judicious Obfervations upon every Idea of the human Mind, in each fimple and complicated AppearThe next is the ingenious Author of the Enquiry into the Life and Writings of HOMER, in which he has clearly demonftrated by irrefragable Reasons, drawn from a Conjunction of moral and natural Causes, that such a Poet never could arife fince him in the fpace of two thousand feven hundred Years, for want of that happy Concurrence of Circumftances, without which even this immortal Genius himK 4 ance. felf + Monfr. l'Abbé du Bos. Mr. Bl 1 a Scotch Gentleman, who labours under the misfortune to have a fimilar Name to the Schoolmafter above cited. felf might have been in an inferior Rank of the Muses Train. The latest that has improved our Taste and enriched our Lan guage, is the elegant Writer * of those inftructive Notes, and entertaining Commentary on HORACE's two critical Epiftles, the one to the Pisos, commonly called the Art of Poetry, the other to AUGUSTUS; to the latter of which is fubjoined a Difcourfe on Poetical Imitation, wherein he has nobly defended the Caufe of congenial Fancies in all Ages, against the ill-grounded Clamor of popular Ignorance and Envy, with the deep Spirit of Philofophy, and the warm Zeal of a Lover. We find in the Works of these great Men, a pleafing Power of rendering every Subject interesting to the human Heart, by bringing home to our Breafts Objects feemingly the most remote, and uniting a Train of captivating Circumftances, arifing naturally out of their Plans, which animates all their Writings, Mr. Hd of Emanuel College, Cambridge, Writings, not unlike the amiable Group of Figures in one of POUSSIN's Landscapes, which gives a filent Leffon of Morality unawares to the Beholder, who no more than the Shepherds in the Picture, § imagin'd to find, in that Arcadian Scene, any thing but shady Groves, clear Fountains, verdant Meadows, and other comK 3 mon The Picture here hinted at is defcrib'd by the ingenious ABBE DU Bos above-mention'd, which I will give the Reader in his own Words. After having obferv'd that it was a Landscape in ancient ARCADIA, he continues; "Le tableau dont je parle répréfente le paysage d'une contreé riante. Au milieu l'on voit le monument "d'une jeune fille morte a la fleur de fon age: c'eft ce qu' on connoit par la Statue de cette fille coucheé fur "le tombeau a la maniere des anciens. L'infcription "Sepulchrale n'eft que quartre mots latins: Je vivois cependant in Arcadie, et in Arcadia ego. Mais cette in scription fi courte fait faire les plus ferieufes reflections a deux jeunes garçons et a deux jeunes filles parées de guirlandes de fleurs, et qui paroiffent avoir rencontré ce monument fi trifte en des lieux où l'on devine bien "qu'ils ne cherchoient pas un objet affligeant. Un d' entre eux fait remarquer aux autres cette infcription en "la montrant du doigt, et l'on ne voit plus fur leur vifage, a travers l' affliction qui s'en empare, que les "reftes d'une joye expirante. On s' imagine entendre les "reflections de ces jeunes perfonnes fur la mort qui n'epargne in l' age ni la beauté, et contre laquelle les "plus heureux climats n'ont point d'azile. On fe figure ce qu' elles vont fe dire de touchant lorfqu' elles " feront revenues de la premiere surprise, et l'on l'applique à foi-même et a ceux pour qui l'on s'intereffe. Ref. Crit. Sea, VI. 66 66 mon Affemblages of a rural Prospect.—I am much oblig'd to you for your ingenious Obfervations upon that ancient Sepulchral Infcription I lately fent you; nor would I have you afham'd if hereafter it fhould prove the ingenious Imitation of fome Modern, for you know the great SCALIGER himself was impos'd upon in this manner by MURET, which was acknowledg'd by all the Learned to be a, greater Proof of the Abilities of the latter, than of the want of any critical Acumen in the former. I fhall expect to meet you at the Grand Emporium very foon, therefore fhall add no more than that I am Your, &c. &c. LETTER |