The Project Gutenberg EBook of Letters Concerning Poetical Translations, by William Benson This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Letters Concerning Poetical Translations And Virgil's and Milton's Arts of Verse, &c. Author: William Benson Release Date: January 18, 2006 [EBook #17548] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LETTERS CONCERNING POETICAL *** Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Carol David, Lesley Halamek and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net LETTERS CONCERNING Poetical Translations, &c. (Price One Shilling.) LETTERS CONCERNING Poetical Translations, AND Virgil's and Milton's ARTS of VERSE, &c. by William Benson LONDON: Printed for J. Roberts, near the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane. Mdccxxxix. LETTER I. SIR, am now going to obey your Commands; but you must let me do it in my own way, that is, write as much, or as little at a time as I may have an Inclination to, and just as things offer themselves. After this manner you may receive in a few Letters, all that I have said to you about poetical Translations, and the resemblance there is between Virgil's and Milton's Versification, and some other Matters of the same nature. [page 1] To begin with the Business of Translation. Whoever sits down to translate a Poet, ought in the first place to consider his Author's peculiar Stile; for without this, tho' the Translation may be very good in all other respects, it will hardly deserve the Name of a Translation. The two great Men amongst the Antients differ from each other as much in this particular as in the Subjects they treat of. The Stile of Homer, who sings the Anger or Rage of Achilles, is rapid. The Stile of Virgil, who celebrates the Piety of Æneas, is majestick. But it may be proper to explain in what this Difference consists. The Stile is rapid, when several Relatives, each at the head of a separate Sentence, are governed by one Antecedent, or several Verbs by one Nominative Case, to the close of the Period. Thus in Homer: "Goddess, sing the pernicious Anger of Achilles, which brought infinite Woes to the Grecians, and sent many valiant Souls of Heroes to Hell, and gave their Bodies to the Dogs, and to the Fowls of the Air." Here you see it is the Anger of Achilles, that does all that is mentioned in three or four Lines. Now if the Translator does not nicely observe Homer's Stile in this Passage, all the Fire of Homer will be lost. For Example: "O Heavenly Goddess, sing the Wrath of the Son of Peleus, the fatal Source of all the Woes of the Grecians, that Wrath which sent the Souls of many Heroes to Pluto's gloomy Empire, while their Bodies lay upon the Shore, and were torn by devouring Dogs, and hungry Vultures." Here you see the Spirit of Homer evaporates; and in what immediately follows, if the Stile of Homer is not nicely attended to, if any great matter is added or left out, Homer will be fought for in vain in the Translation. He always hurries on as fast as possible, as Horace justly observes, semper ad eventum festinat; and that is the reason why he introduces his first Speech without any Connection, by a sudden Transition; and why he so often brings in his τòν δ’ απαμηβόμενος: He has not patience to stay to work his Speeches artfully into the Subject. Here you see what is a rapid Stile. I will now shew you what is quite the contrary, that is, a majestic one. To instance in Virgil: "Arms and the Man I sing; the first who from the Shores of Troy (the Fugitive of Heav'n) came to Italy and the Lavinian Coast." Here you perceive the Subject- matter is retarded by the Inversion of the Phrase, and by that Parenthesis, the Fugitive of Heaven all which occasions Delay; and Delay (as a learned Writer upon a Passage of this nature in Tasso observes) is the Property of Majesty: For which Reason when Virgil represents Dido in her greatest Pomp, it is, —Reginam cunctantem ad limina primi Pœnorum expectant.— For the same Reason he introduces the most solemn and most important Speech in the Æneid, with three Monosyllables, which causes great Delay in the Speaker, and gives great Majesty to the Speech. —O Qui Res Hominumq; Deumq;— These three Syllables occasion three short Pauses. O—Qui—Res—How slow and how stately is this Passage! But it happens that I can set the Beginning of the Æneid in a clear Light for my purpose, by two Translations of that Passage, both by the same Hand; one of which is exactly in the manner of Virgil, the other in the manner of Homer: The two Translations are made by the Reverend Mr. Pitt. He [page 2] [page 3] published the first among some Miscellany Poems several Years since, the latter in his four Books of the Æneid about two Years ago. I. "Arms and the Man I sing; the first who driv'n From Trojan Shores, the Fugitive of Heav'n, Came to th' Italian and Lavinian Coast;— II. "Arms and the Man I sing, the first who bore His Course to Latium from the Trojan Shore.— The first Translation is exact in every respect: You have in it the Suspence and Majesty of Virgil. The second is a good Translation, though not at all like Virgil, but exactly like Homer: There is no Hesitation, but the Verse and the Matter hurry on together as fast as possible. I have now shown you what is a rapid, and what is a majestick Stile. But a few more Lines of the Beginning both of the Iliad and of the Æneid will make it still more plain. Iliad. "The Anger of Achilles, Goddess, sing; Which to the Greeks did endless Sorrows bring; And sent untimely, to the Realms of Night, The Souls of many Chiefs, renown'd in Fight: And gave their Bodies for the Dogs to tear, And every hungry Fowl that wings the Air. And thus accomplish'd was the Will of Jove, Since first Atrides and Achilles strove. What God the fatal Enmity begun? Latonâ's, and great Jove's immortal Son. He through the Camp a dire Contagion spread, The Prince offended, and the People bled: With publick Scorn, Atrides had disgrac'd The Reverend Chryses, Phœbus' chosen Priest. "He to redeem his Daughter, sought the Shore, Where lay the Greeks, and mighty Presents bore: Deckt with the Ensigns of his God, he stands, The Crown, the golden Sceptre in his Hands; To all he su'd, but to the Princes most, Great Atreus's Sons, the Leaders of the Host: Princes! and Grecian Warriors! may the Gods (The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes) Give you to level Priam's haughty Tow'rs, And safely to regain your native Shores. But my dear Daughter to her Sire restore, These Gifts accept, and dread Apollo's Pow'r; The Son of Jove; he bears a mighty Bow, And from afar his Arrows gall the Foe. Æneid. Arms and the Man I sing, the first who driv'n From Trojan Shores, the Fugitive of Heav'n, Came to th' Italian and Lavinian Coast; Much o'er the Earth was He, and Ocean tost, By Heavenly Powers, and Juno's lasting Rage; Much too He bore, long Wars compell'd to wage; E'er He the Town could raise, and of his Gods, In Latium settle the secure Abodes; Whence in a long Descent the Latins come, [page 4] [page 5] The Albine Fathers, and the Tow'rs of Rome. Sept. 6. 1736. I am, Sir, &c. P.S. I Should not part with the Passage in Homer above-mentioned without observing that the Speech of Apollo's Priest is wonderfully Peinturesque, and in Character. We plainly see the Priest holding up his Hands, and pointing with his Crown and Sceptre to Heaven. "Princes! and Grecian Warriors! may the Gods (The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes) It is a Priest that speaks, and his Audience is composed of Soldiers who had liv'd ten Years in a Camp. He does not only put them in mind of the Gods, but likewise of the Place where they dwelt, and at the same time points up to it. Neither is the Conclusion of the Speech less remarkable than the Beginning of it: The Priest of Apollo does not end in an humble supplicant manner like a common Suitor; but he frankly offers his Presents, and threatens the Generals and Princes he addresses himself to, with the Vengeance of his God if they refuse his Request: And he very artfully lets them know that his God is not a Deity of inferior Rank, but the Son of Jove; and that his Arrows reach from a great Distance. The next Line to those last mentioned I cannot omit taking notice of, because it contains, in my Opinion, one of the most beautiful Expressions in all the poetical Language. To give to do a thing. "Princes! and Grecian Warriors! may the Gods (The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes) Give you to level Priam's haughty Tow'rs, And safely to regain your native Shores. Virgil was so sensible of this charming Expression, that he has used it in the three following Passages, and I believe in one or two others in the very first Æneid. "—Tibi Divum paler atque hominum rex Et mulcere dedit fluctus & tollere vento.— "—Tu das epulis accumbere Divûm.— "O regina, novam cui condere Jupiter urbem Justitiaque dedit gentes frænare superbas:— Salvini in his Italian Translation in 1723, dedicated to his late Majesty, is attentive to all the Beauties of the Passage in Homer last mentioned. "—A voi gl' Iddii, Che l'Olimpie magioni abitan, dieno Espugnar ilio e a casa far ritorno." [page 6] [page 7] [page 8] I LETTER II. SIR, Should now go upon the Comparison of Virgil's and Milton's Versification, in which you will meet with that Paradox, as you thought it at first, namely, that the principal Advantage Virgil has over Milton is Virgil's Rhyme. But I beg leave to postpone that matter at present, because I have a mind to make some Remarks upon the second Line in the Translation of the beginning of the Iliad mentioned in my former Letter, in which the auxiliary Verb did (as our Grammarians call it) is made use of. The Line runs thus. "Which to the Greeks did endless Sorrows bring. It is commonly apprehended from a Passage in Mr. Pope' s Essay on Criticism, that all auxiliary Verbs are mere Expletives. "While Expletives their feeble Aid do join, And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line. But this I believe Mr. Pope never intended to advance. Milton has used them in many Places, where he could have avoided it if he had pleased. I will produce one. ————————"Him the most High Wrapt in a balmy Cloud with fiery Steeds Did, as thou saw'st, receive.——— Milton might have said, "Receiv'd, as thou hast seen.——— But he thought the auxiliary Verb added Strength to the Expression, as indeed it does. I own where the auxiliary Verb is brought close to its principal, and that a thin monosyllable, as in the Line just now referred to, the Verse is very rude and disagreeable. But to prove that the auxiliary Verb may be employed properly, I will produce an Instance in rhym'd Verse, as strong as that of Milton just mentioned. "Then did the roaring Waves their Rage compose, When the great Father of the Flood arose. Pit's 1st Æneid. I believe it will not be disputed, but that this Line is as full, as sonorous, and majestick as if the auxiliary Verb had been left out, and the Author had used compos'd instead of did compose. The Expression is certainly more beautiful and more poetical; and the reason of it is, that it occasions suspence, which raises the attention; or in other Words the auxiliary Verb gives notice of something coming, before the principal thing itself appears, which is another Property of Majesty. Mr. Dryden's authority might likewise be added on this occasion; even in his celebrated Lines on Milton it is to be met with. "Greece, Italy, and England did adorn. In his Translation of the Æneid there are many Instances of the same nature, one of which I will mention; [page 8] [page 9] [page 10] "The Queen of Heav'n did thus her fury vent. The Metre of this Line, as the Words are here rang'd, is not bad, as the Ear can judge; but it would have been extremely so, if he had writ it thus, "The Queen of Heaven her Fury thus did vent.* [*His Heart, his Mistress and his Friends did share. Pope, on Voiture.] From whence it appears that the auxiliary Verb is not to be rejected at all times; besides, it is a particular Idiom of the English Language: and has a Majesty in it superior to the Latin or Greek Tongue, and I believe to any other Language whatsoever. Many Instances might be brought to support this Assertion from Great Authorities. I shall produce one from Shakespear. ——————————————This to me In dreadful Secrecy impart they did. The Auxiliary Verb is here very properly made use of; and it would be a great loss to English Poetry, if it were to be wholly laid aside. In Translations from the Greek and Latin, I believe it wou'd sometimes be impossible to do justice to an Author without this Help: I think the Passage in Homer before us, I mean the two first Lines of the Iliad, are an Instance of this kind. They have been translated by many Persons of late, Dryden, Manwaring, Mr. Tickel, and by Mr. Pope twice, and not by any one of 'em, as I apprehend, in the Spirit of Homer. As to Mr. Pope's two Translations, I don't understand why the latter ought to be preferr'd to the former. Mr. Pope's first Translation stood thus. The Wrath of Peleus' Son, the direful Spring Of all the Grecian Woes, O Goddess sing. Mr. Pope had reason to be dissatisfy'd with the O in the second Line, and to reject it; for Homer has nothing of it. But now let us see how the Vacancy is supplied in Mr. Pope's new Translation. Achilles' Wrath, to Greece the direful Spring Of Woes un-number'd, Heav'nly Goddess, sing. Is not Heav'nly as much an Expletive as O, and can either of these Couplets deserve to be plac'd in the Front of the Iliad? I could wish Mr. Pope would return these two Lines once more to the Anvil, and dismiss all Expletives here at least. But enough of Expletives. I shall now say something of Monosyllables, which seem to be absolutely condemn'd in the second Line of the two Verses just mention'd from Mr. Pope's Essay on Criticism. And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line. Mr. Dryden indeed has said in several Places, that the vast Number of Monosyllables in our Language makes it barbarous and rough, and unfit for Poetry. I am apt to think Mr. Pope gave into Mr. Dryden's Sentiment a little too hastily. I own ten low Words too frequently creep on in one dull line, in a Poet's Works, whom Mr. Pope has formerly celebrated with no mean Encomiums. The following Lines afford an Example in this respect. At the beginning of the third Book of the Davideis, this is the Description of Goliah's Sword. "A Sword so great, that it was only fit To take off his great Head, who came with it. [page 11] [page 12] Cowley. Here are ten dull Words most certainly in one dull Line. "To take off his great Head, who came with it. And miserable is the Metre in which they creep on. But hundreds of monosyllable Lines are to be found in Milton that are as sublime, as beautiful, and as harmonious as can possibly be written. Look only into the Morning Hymn in the fifth Book. "Speak ye who best can tell, ye Sons of Light. Again, "Thou Sun! of this great World both Eye and Soul. Again, "And when high Noon hast gain'd, and when thou fall'st. Again, "With the fixt Stars, fixt in their Orb that flies. Again, "Breathe soft or loud; and wave your Tops, ye Pines. Again, "Bear on your Wings and in your Notes his Praise. Can it be said that ten dull Words creep on dully in any one of these Lines? But Examples may likewise be given in rhym'd Verse, of the Harmony of Monosyllables. Harmony consists in mixing rough and smooth, soft and harsh Sounds. What Words can be rougher than such as these, Rides, Rapt, Throws, Storms; or smoother than these, Wheel, Hush, Lull? "Then mounted on his radiant Carr he rides, And wheels along the level of the Tides. Pit's 1st Æneid. How rough is the first Line, how soft the latter! As soft as the Original, which is a Masterpiece. "Rapt by his Steeds he flies in open Day, Throws up the Reins, and skims the watry Way. "Has given to thee great Æolus to raise Storms at thy sov'reign Will, and smooth the Seas. "He spake, and speaking chas'd the Clouds away, Hush'd the loud Billows, and restor'd the Day. "Mean time the Goddess on Ascanius throws, A balmy Slumber and a sweet Repose. Lull'd in her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love, Convey'd him to the soft Idalian Grove. Pit's 1st Æneid. Where can a smoother Line than this be found in our Language? "Lull'd in her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love. And it may be observed that this Line is all Monosyllables. Monosyllables are likewise of great consequence on another account. The [page 13] [page 14] Strength of the English Language is greatly owing to them: For to them it is principally obliged for its Conciseness; and Conciseness is Strength. Now Conciseness is not only to express ourselves in as few Words as we can, but the Excellency of the Language shews itself, if those few Words are composed of few Syllables. And herein upon Examination, the Strength of the English Tongue will be found to lye; and for this reason it may be said to be more concise than the Latin; which will appear if Virgil is turned into English, I mean even English Verse. For Example: "—Ubi tot Simois correpta sub undas Scuta virum, Galeasq; & fortia Corpora volvit. "Where Simois Streams incumber'd with the slain, Roll'd Shields, and Helms, and Heroes to the Main. Pit's 1st Æneid. To discover which of these two Passages is the most concise, it is not sufficient to shew, that there are two whole English Lines, and but one Line and three Parts of another in the Latin. Latin and English Lines cannot be compared together, because in a Latin Line there are six Feet, and in an English Line but five. Again, in Latin Verse there must be in every Line one Foot of three Syllables, often three or four, or even five Feet of three Syllables, and sometimes four or five Syllables in one Foot. Whereas in an English Line, there is hardly ever more than two Syllables in a foot. So that an English Verse cannot be compared with the Latin by the Line, or by the Foot, but only by the Syllables of which the Words are composed, which make the Feet in both the Languages. The Business then is to enquire whether we write or pronounce more Syllables in the Latin or English Verses here quoted: Upon Enquiry it appears that there are twenty nine Syllables in the Latin, and but twenty one in the English; so that the English is almost one third part less than the Latin; which certainly shews the former to be much more concise than the latter, there being nothing left out in the English, but the whole Thought is rather more fully expressed: And this we see is owing to Monosyllables both Verbs and Nouns, Streams, Slain, Shields, Roll'd, Helms, Main. In short the whole Passage is equal to the Original in Majesty and Harmony, and superior in Conciseness. To give another Example or two of the same nature. "Urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere Coloni, Carthago, Italiam contra, Tyberinaque longe Ostia, dives opum, studiisque Asperrima Belli. "Against the Italian Coast, of ancient Fame A City rose, and Carthage was the Name; A Tyrian Colony, from Tyber far, "Rich, rough, and brave, and exercis'd in war. Mr. Pit's Æneid. "—Facti de Nomine Byrsam, Sed vos, qui tandem, quibus aut venistis ab oris, Quove tenetis iter?— "Hence Byrsa nam'd.—But now ye Strangers, say, Who, whence you are, and whither lies your Way? I have chosen here three Passages of three very different kinds, and in all of them the English appears to be much more concise than the Latin; neither is there any thing wanting in the Fulness of the Sense, or in Majesty, or in Harmony of Numbers, any more in the two last Passages than in the former. Another Instance of this kind might be produced out of Virgil's most perfect Work, the Georgick, although it wants the Advantage of being translated by such a Hand as Mr. Pit's. [page 15] [page 16] I "Si vero Viciamq; seres vitemq; Faselum, Nec Pelusiacœ curam aspernabere lentis. "But if the Vetch you sow, or meaner, Nor shall disdain th' Ægyptian Lentil's Care. In the Latin there are thirty Syllables in the two Lines, in the English but twenty one. So that the English is almost one third more concise than the Latin; and at the same time Virgil's Sense fully expressed. I will conclude this Letter with the Opinion of a Foreigner concerning our Monosyllables: A Person not at all prepossessed in favour of our Language. "The English Language, besides the most significant Words borrowed from the Latin, Greek, &c. and often shortned, hath a vast Stock of its own, and being for the most part Monosyllables, no Speech is capable of expressing Thought in Sounds so few as the English does: This is easily observed by the Translations of the English into Foreign Languages. "The Strength and Conciseness that Monosyllables (especially in Verbs) produce, are of wonderful Use in Lyrick Poetry, because they enter into any Foot or Measure of Verses, by different Transpositions; so that I dare venture to assert, there is no Italian or Foreign Song, which English Words will not suit; the Variety of Feet and Metres producing equal Variety of Mode and Movements in Composition. The want of this is what makes the French vocal Musick so confined and uniform; for I cannot recollect above two of their Verbs in use in the infinitive Mood, that are Monosyllables, and not one exact Dactile in all their Polysyllables." Röner's Preface to his Melopeïa Sacra. Sept. 13. 1736. I am, Sir, &c. LETTER III. SIR, N comparing Virgil's and Milton's Versification, I shall begin with Virgil; and shew some of the principal Beauties of his Poetry in this respect: And here I must own myself not a little indebted to La-Cerda, Pontanus and Pierius, but above all to the most excellent Erythræus, who has not only considered every Paragraph, every Line, every Foot, every Word, and every Syllable, but even every Letter in Virgil; and it is not easy to conceive how much may depend on a single Letter, very often the whole Harmony of a Line; and on this Account we have vast Obligations to Pierius; to him we owe this fine Verse, and many others. [page 17] [page 18] "Atq; rotis summas levibus pellabitur undas.——— All the common Editions read perlabitur; which is horrid to the ear. But to go on with the Matter in hand. The principal Excellencies of Virgil's Versification consist of the several following Particulars. 1st, The continual varying of the Pause. 2d, The Inversion of the Phrase. 3d, The adapting of the Sound to the Sense. 4th, The mixing of the singular and plural Numbers. 5th, The giving Majesty and Strength to his Verse with the connecting Particles Que and Et. 6th, The Collocatio Verborum, or artful way of placing Words. 7th, The changing the common Pronunciation of Words. 8th, Verses contrary to the common Measure. 9th, 10th, and 11th, His Alliteratio, Allusio Verborum, and Assonantia Syllabarum. As these three last Articles arise from Observations perfectly new at the time they were written by Erythræus, namely, about 200 Years ago; and as new at this time, having been almost quite lost by I know not what Accident to the World; I must follow my Master, and use his Terms for his Discoveries, except where I differ a little from him. 1st, To begin with the first Article mentioned in this Letter, The Varying of the Pause. This Subject I have met with in several Books, but not fully explained in any one of them to my Capacity; for I must confess I should never have thoroughly apprehended the Varying of the Pause in any Language, if I had not thought of an Expedient to discover what is the common Pause in a Verse that each Language naturally stops at, of which I have any Knowledge. To find out this, I consulted the middling sort of Poets, or the first Practicers in this Art: In this Enquiry I observ'd from Hesiod and Ennius among the Greek and Latin Poets, and afterwards from Ovid with relation to the latter, and which I am now to speak of, that the common Pause or Stop in all Latin Heroick Verse (to say nothing of the Greek, which agrees with it in this Respect) is upon the 1st Syllable of the 3d Foot. For Example, "Ante mare & tellus | & quod tegit omnia, cælum, Unus erat toto | Naturæ vultus in orbe, Quem dixêre Chaos | rudis indigestaque moles; Nec quicquam, nisi pondus, iners; | congestaque eodem Non bene junctarum | discordia semina rerum. Nullus adhuc mundo | præbebat lumina Titan; Nec nova crescendo | reparabat cornua Phœbe, Nec circumfuso | pendebat in aëre tellus——— Here we have eight Lines all paused in the same Place, except one, (the 4th); and in this kind of Measure the Metamorphosis is generally written; from whence I collected the natural Pause in the Latin Language to be as abovementioned: I then consulted the best Poem of the best Latin Poet, which begins with these Lines. "Quid faciat lætas segetes, | quo Sydere Terram Vertere, | Mæcenas, | ulmisque adjungere Vites Conveniat, | quæ cura Boum, | qui cultus habendo [page 19] [page 20] Sit Pecori, | Apibus quanta experientia parcis Hinc canere incipiam |.——— Here I observed that this great Master had artfully avoided the common Pause till he came to the fifth Line; and he takes care to do it as much as possible throughout the whole Work; from whence arises one of the most material Differences in the Versification of Ovid and Virgil; and to produce more Examples would be a needless Labour. In this Place let me take Notice that it is on Account of Varying the Pause that Virgil makes his broken Lines in the Æneid, which suspend all Pauses, and the Ear is relieved by this Means, and attends with fresh Pleasure. Whoever intends to come up to Virgil in Harmony in Heroick Numbers in any long Work, must not omit this Art. 2d, The next thing to be attended to, is, The Inversion of the Phrase. This flings the Stile out of Prose, and occasions that Suspense which is the Life of Poetry. This builds the lofty Rhyme (as Milton expresses it) in such manner as to cause that Majesty in Verse of which I have said so much before, that there is no need of saying any thing more here. 3d. The third thing is, The adapting the Sound to the Sense. Most People know such Instances of this Nature, as Quadrupedante, &c. and Illi inter sese, &c. But few attend to an Infinity of other Examples. How is the Verse drawn out in length, and how does it labour when strong heavy Land is to be ploughed! "—————————————Ergo, age teræ "Pingue solum, primis extemplo a Mensibus Anni "Fortes invortant tauri.———————————— How nimbly does the Verse move when the turning over very light Ground is represented! "———————————Sub ipsum "Arcturum, tenui sāt erit suspendere sulco.——— How slow does the heavy Waggon proceed in this Line! "Tardaque Eleusinæ Matris Volventïa Plaustra.— How does the Boat bound over the Po in these two Hemisticks! "——————————————Levis innatat alnus Missa Pado.——— See Feathers dancing on the Water in this! "———————In aqua colludere plumas.——— No Stem of the Crab-tree is more rough than this Verse. "Inseritur vero ex fœtu nucis arbutus horrida: Water is not more liquid than this. "Speluncisque lacus Clausos, lucosque sonantis.—— S. & L. liquescit Carmen instar aquarum, says Erythræus in his Note on this Line. [page 21] [page 22] How gently flow the Streams in this Verse! "Unde pater Tiberinus, & unde Aniena fluenta.— What a roaring do the Hypanis and Caicus make in the next! "Saxōsumque sōnans Hypanis, Mysusque Caïcus. But now observe how he raises his Song to honour his Favourite Eridanus! "Et gemina auratus taurino cornua vultu Eridanus; quo non alius Per Pinguia culta In mare purpureum vīolentīor īnfluīt amnīs. The former Line strikes the Ear with Mysus and Caïcus; here you have Auratus, Eridanus, and Alius. Then an Alliteration, Per Pinguia, and at last the whole Passage rolls on in a Dactyl Line, and rushes into the Sea with an Assultus of the Vowel i, repeated five times in three Words. "————Violentior influit amnis. The following Line tours into the Skies with the highest Mountain in Italy. "—————————————Gaudetque nivali Vertice se attollens pater Appeninus, ad auras.——— This falls down as low as the deepest Valley. "Saxa per, & scopulos, & depressas convalles. In short there is nothing in Nature that Virgil's Verse does not convey to the Ear, and the Eye; so that this Subject is inexhaustible, and must be left to every one's particular Observation. The learned Morhophius has a Passage relating to this Matter which comes in too properly here to be omitted. "Solent Carminibus suæ esse a Numeris Veneres, & certa quædam Artificia, quæ mirifice ornant versum, quales apud Virgilium, mirum numeri Poetici Observatorem, frequenter occurrunt, e.g. cum versus terminantur Monosyllabis, ut: procumbit humi bos: nascetur ridiculus mus. Vel cum Spondæi multi adhibentur, ut; media agmina circumspexit: Illi inter sese magnâ vi brachia tollunt. Aut cum Dactyli & Spondæi ita miscentur, ut rei naturam exprimant, ut cum de turri ruente ait: "——————————————Convellimus altis Sedibus; impulimusq;, ea lapsa repente ruinam Cum sonitu trahit.——— "Talia infinita apud Virgilium habentur quæ homo in iis non exercitatus contemnat, doctus vero & prudens admiretur. Polyhist. There is also a Remark of the judicious Columna on a celebrated Line in Virgil, which is very much to the present Purpose. Unus Homo Nobis Cunctando Restituit Rem.] Virgilius de eodem loquens Æneid l. 6. integrum hoc carmen sumpsit, ita tamen, ut spondeorum tarditate Fabii moram referret, ———————————tu Maximus ille es, Unus, qui nobis cunctando restituis rem. Enn. Frag. [page 23] [page 24] T Sept. 21, 1736, I am, Sir, &c. P.S. The Passage in the learned Muhlius, which I should have inserted at the beginning of this Letter, I send you in a Postscript. You have seen it before, but it is worth reading more than once. You know it belongs principally to the Article that treats of the varying the Pause. "Neque potest unus idemque semper tenor in carmine usurpari, sed debet is pro varià periodorum Poeticarum ratione distingui. Et ut insurgat decore & intumescat aliquando, iterumque remittat, ubi opus est, consequimur cæsorum ac periodorum sola inæqualitate. Quod pulcerrime observat Virgilius, cujus alia mensura, alia pedum compositio est in narrationibus, descriptionibus, orationibus, & tanta periodorum numerorumque variatio, ut ad eam perfectionem nihil addi possit. Hujus rei quanta negligentia in Statio, Lucano, Claudiano, Silio Italico? Ubi admirabilis illa harmonia, suavitas, gravitas ipsorum pedum æqualiter, inæqualiter temperatorum, per clausulas verborum fractorum, ac intra regiones suas aliter aliterq; interceptorum? Ut de junctura illa literarum nihil addam, cum vocales ac consonantes ipsæque syllabæ ita miscentur, ut rei naturam tam apte jucundeque exprimant, ut ea geri potius quam cani, spectari magis quam audiri videatur. Talia infinita sunt apud Virgilium, quæ captum imperitorum longe excedunt, doctiores vero & prudentiores impense admirantur; quæ nihil tritum, vulgare, hiuclum nihil elumbe ac contortum patiuntur, at nescio quid virile & stupendum plane, ac majus humana voce videntur sonare. Claudianus certe istud fastigium non attingit, & quod in Maroniana dictione, in illa periodorum ac numerorum varietate præclarum putamus, vix est, ut ejus vel levem umbram ostentet. Sic eadem semper oberrat chorda, quod ridiculum existimat magnus iste dicendi magister." LETTER IV. SIR, HE fourth thing to be consider'd is, Virgil's mixing the Singular and Plural Numbers. This has a wonderful Effect, and is very diligently attended to by Virgil; but I believe never once thought of by Ovid, or any other Roman Writer in the Days of Augustus. "Quid faciat lætas Segetes, quo sidere terram Vertere, Mæcenas, ulmisque adjungere vites, Conveniat: quæ cura boum, qui cultus habendo Sit pecori, apibus quanta experientia parcis. [page 25] [page 26] IV. Here you have segetes and terram, and then vites, and after that pecori and apibus. Again, "———Camposque, & flumina late Curva tenent: ut molle siler, lentæque genistæ, Populus, & glauca canentia fronde Salicta. Pars autem posito surgunt de semine: ut altæ Castaneæ; nemorumq; Jovi quæ maxima frondet Esculus, atque habitæ Graiis oracula quercus. Here are Siler and Genistæ, Populus and Salicta, Castaneæ and Esculus, and Quercus. Again, "Arma Virumque cano, Trojæ qui primus ab oris Italiam, fato profugus, Lavinaque venit Litora. Multum ille & terris jactatus & alto, Vi Superum sævæ memorem Junonis ob iram. Multa quoq; & bello passus, dum conderet urbem, Inferretque Deos Latio: genus unde Latinum Albanique patres, atque altæ mœnia Romæ. These two first Words of the Æneid are an Example of what I am taking notice of; and then we have in this Introduction Italiam and Litora Lavina, Terris and Alto, Superum and Junonis, Urbem and Deos, Genus and Patres. But the most beautiful Passage of this Nature is in the Georgics. Here the thing to be done, and the Instrument with which it is to be done, are varied alternately. "Quod nisi & assiduis terram insectabere rastris, Et sonitu terrebis aves, & ruris opaci Falce premes umbras, votisq; vocaveris imbrem. Terram rastris, sonitu aves, falce umbras, votis imbrem. Upon which La Cerda makes this Remark: "Placet Virgilius semper, sed cur placeat sæpe ignoratur. In rebus quatuor recensendis numquam pluralem cum plurali, neque singularem cum singulari, quod minus ad varietatem: sed semper cum singulari pluralem. Unica terra multis rastris insectanda est, unica pluvia multis votis petenda. Contra, multæ aves terrendæ unico sonitu, multæ umbræ unica falce compescendæ." Now in Ovid nothing of this Art is to be found. "Ante mare & tellus, & (quod tegit omnia) cœlum, Unus erat toto naturæ vultus in orbe, Quem dixere chaos: rudis indigestáque moles, Nec quicquam nisi pondus iners. Here are Mare, Tellus, Cœlum, Vultus, Chaos, Moles, and Pondus, without any one word of the Plural Number amongst them. V. The next Particular to be taken notice of, is Virgil's uncommon Use of the Particles Et and Que. "————Multum ille et terris jactatus et alto; Multa quoque et bello passus——— Et premere, et laxas sciret dare jussus habenas. [page 27] [page 28]