the radical words are uniform, and resemble each other almost exactly; nor are the inflexions numerous, or materially different: whence we may readily understand, that its metres are neither complex nor capable of much variety; but rather simple, grave, temperate; less adapted to fluency than dignity and force: so that possibly they found it necessary to distinguish the extent of the verse by the conclusion of the sentence, lest the lines, by running into each other, should become altogether implicated and confused.

Two observations occur in this place worthy of attention, and arise naturally from what has been said. The first is, that a poem translated literally from the Hebrew into the prose of any other language, whilst

the same forms of the sentences remain, will still retain, even as far as relates to versification, much of its native dignity, and a faint appearance of versification. This is evident in our common version of the Scriptures, where frequently

"The order chang'd, and verse from verse disjoin'd,

"Yet still the poet's scatter'd limbs we find :"

But the case is very different in literal translations from the Greek or Latin". The other remark, which I wished to recommend to your notice, is, that a Hebrew poem, if translated into Greek or Latin verse, and having the conformation of the sentences accommodated to the idiom of a foreign language, will appear confused and mutilated; will scarcely retain a trace of its genuine elegance and peculiar beauty. For, in exhibiting the works of great poets in another language, much depends upon preserving not only the internal meaning, the force and beauty as far as regards the sense, but even the external lineaments, the proper colour and habit, the movement, and, as it

"Nevertheless" (that is, though the sacred poetry be not possessed of metrical syllables, and divided into feet, which is the opinion of this learned man) "we cannot

doubt that it has another species of metrical arrange❝ment, which depends upon the subject.-Is it not evident, that if you translate some of them into another language, they still retain this metrical form, if not perfect, at least in a great degree? which cannot possibly take place in those poems, the metre of which con"sists in the number and quantity of syllables." R.

AZARIAS in Mantiss. Dissert. ad Libr. CoSRI, p. 420.

Author's Note.

were,

were, the gait of the original. Those, therefore, who have endeavoured to express the beauties of the sacred poets in Greek or Latin verse, have unavoidably failed in the attempt to depict them according to their native genius and character; and have exhibited something, whether inferior or not, certainly very unlike them, both in kind and form; whether, on the other hand, they have been able to approach, in some degree, their energy, their majesty and spirit, it is not our present object to consider.

THE

SECOND PART.

OF THE PARABOLIC OR POETICAL STYLE OF

THE HEBREWS.

LECTURE IV.

THE ORIGIN, USE, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PARABOLIC, AND ALSO OF THE SEN

TENTIOUS STYLE.

The poetic style of the Hebrews bears the general title of Parabolic-Its constituent principles are the sententious, the figurative, and the sublime-The source of the Parabolic style, and its original use: among other nations; among the Hebrews-Certain examples of it preserved from the first ages in the writings of Moses. -1. The sententious kind; its nature and effects.

THE subject which next presents itself to our investigation, is the Style of the Hebrew poetry. The meaning of this word I do not wish to be restricted to the diction only of the sacred poets, but rather to include their sentiment, their mode of thinking; whence, as from its genuine source, the peculiar character of their composition

may

may be deduced. It will be proper, however, before we proceed, to remark, that as it is the nature of all poetry, so it is particularly of the Hebrew, to be totally dif ferent from common language; and not only in the choice of words, but in the construction, to affect a peculiar and more exquisite mode of expression. The truth of this remark will appear from what usually happens to a learner of Hebrew. He, for instance, who is a proficient in the historical books, when he comes to the poetical parts, will find himself almost a perfect stranger. The phraseology, however, peculiar to the poets, the bold ellipses, the sudden transitions of the tenses, genders, and persons, and other similar circumstances, I shall leave to the Grammarian or rather I shall leave (since I do not find that the Grammarians acknowledge any distinction between poetical and common language) to be collected from practice and attentive reading. It would be a no less indolent and trifling occupation to post through all those forms of tropes and figures, which the teachers of rhetoric have pompously (not to say uselessly) heaped together; since there is no necessity of applying

to