the Poet, to fhew the dreadful Perplexity the Sailors were in, violently wrefts the Verfe, in his in Davao, by joining two Prepofitions contrary to their Nature; and at last as beautifully fhews the Rapidity of the Tempeft and the Vehemence of their Perplexity both in the Sound and Senfe of his ' in Davátolo θανάτοιο Qépovтal. Tentavi imitari, fateor; fed vim tantorum Verborum pauci, quos æquus amavit Jupiter, poffunt affequi. I am, SIR, Your's, &c. SIR, LETTER VI. Holt, June 3. YOU may perhaps have thought in my ' former Letters, that I have sometimes dwelt too long on fome particular Sections; I fhall endeavour therefore to make amends in this, and the reft, by lightly paffing over fuch as are lefs remarkable. IN SECTIONS XI. and XII. Longinus treats of what Rhetoricians call Amplifying, and fhews that it is a Virtue in Stile no longer than while join'd with Sublimity: Which two differ, fays he, from each other in this Sublimity confifts in the Loftinefs of Sentiments, Amplification in their Quantity and Number. See CLIMAX and INCREMENTUM in Book I.-Hence he proceeds to fhew E 2 the the Difference between DEMOSTHENES and CICERO, declaring each of 'em to be highly, fublime in their Way. Cicero, fays he (si ἡμῖν ὡς Ἕλλησιν ἐφεῖταί τι γινώσκειν, If we Gre cians may be allow'd to know any thing of Latin Writers) differs in Sublimity from Demofthenes in this. Demofthenes is fublime in the concife clofe Way, but Cicero in the diffusive. Demofthenes's Talent of Sublimity confifts in strong Exaggerations and forcible warm Paffions, where 'tis neceffary on all fides to move the Auditory: But Cicero's Talent lies in an extenfive Amplifying, where 'tis proper to fmooth and mollify; a Stile well adapted and fitted for Descriptions, Addreffes, Narrations, History, Natural Philosophy, and most other Things in the Demonstrative Way. AND in SECTIONS XIII. and XIV. he advises from PLATO all those who would write fublimely, to imitate, as far as lies in 'em, fuch Writers as have excell'd in their Way, and who have confeffedly on all hands been allow'd to be great Men; for Inftance, PLATO in Philofophy, HOMER in Poetry; in Oratory DEMOSTHENES, and THUCYDIDES in Hiftory. Old HESIOD affures us this Emulation is good · ́Ayan 28 Egis de Bgorois. Op. & Dies, ver. 24. When Mortals ftrive t' excel in Virtue's Ways, The glorious Strife deferves immortal Praise. Thus HERODOTUS, STESICHORUS, ANTILOCHUS, and PLATO, have frequently imitated HOMER, as AMMONIUS has - has fhewn. And when you have done your beft, fays LONGINUS, fay thus to yourself— Had Homer feen this, what would he have thought of it? How would this have pafs'd with Plato or Demofthenes, or, if Matter of Hiftory, with Thucydides? -Such an imaginary Tribunal will be enough to make a prudent Writer look about him: and how much less cautious pray, fays he, ought an Author to be, who hopes to have all Posterity for his Judges? HE proceeds, in SECTION XV. to speak wei Parlaoías, of VISION, which he defcribes. to be a Representation of Things fo much to the Life, as to affect a Reader's Fancy as much as if he had feen 'em tranfacted. This in Poetry ufually confifts in raifing Terrour, in Oratory in livelily defcribing a Thing, as tho' it were then done (See the Figure HYPOTYPOSIS in Book I. Both confpire in an emphatical MOVING OF THE PASSIONS. Thus EURIPIDES in his Oreftes, ver. 255. Ω μῆτες, ἱκετεύω σε· μὴ πίσες μοι push not on me O Mother, prithee, push not. For bere,fee here,they're here, they're rushing tow❜rds me! And again in his Iphigenia, ver. 408. Οι μοι, κάνει με· ποῖ φύγω; Woe's me, they'll kill me, whither shall I flee? Where, t Where, tho' the Poet brings not the Furies on the Stage, yet his Representation of 'em seems to ftrike the Fancy as livelily as tho' they had been prefent. But indeed EURIPIDES has a peculiar happy turn in his Management of the Paffions, particularly Madness and Love. ÆSCHYLUS likewife has many bold Flights of this kind. And SOPHOCLES alfo, as in his Representation of dying Oedipus burying himself alive in a prodigious Tempeft, and the Apparition of Achilles on his own Grave to the Greeks just about to depart. Nor is any of 'em loftier than SIMONĪDES. But Instances out of all these, says he, as there'd be no End of producing them, I omit. He concludes in thefe Words, Τοσαύτα πει π ι τας νοήσεις ὑψηλῶν, καὶ ὑπὸ μεγαλοφροσύνης, " * * * * ή μα μήσεως, η φαντασίας. Σπογεννωμένων ἀρκέσει, So much concerning LOFTINESS OF CONCEPTION, which, I have fhewn, is obtain'd either from Magnanimity of Thought, or a Judicious Collection of principal Circumstances, or Amplifying, or Imitation, or lively Reprefentation. t u ANNOTATIONS. THERE are OBS. XIX. EURIPIDES, ris Auctoribus præferunt. EUESCHYLUS, POLIS was an Athenian Coand SOPHOCLES, who flou- mic Poet, of whom we have rifh'd about 460 Years before Nothing left but his Name. Chrift, are well known from their Works. SIMONIDES OBS. XX. u was a celebrated Poet of the Island Ceos, whom Quintilian praifes, Inft. 10. 1. thus, Precipua ejus in commovenda Miferatione Virtus, ut quidam in hac eum Parte omnibus ejufdem Ope a few Words wanting in the Original at **** which Mr. Pearce thinks ought to be fupplied, as in this Verfion. IN IN SECTION XVI. he paffes to his third Fountain of Sublimity, viz. THE PROPER MANAGEMENT OF FIGURES. But, as the Figures that may be made ufe of in Discourse are almoft innumerable, he purposes to treat only of a few of the chief, being fuch as contribute moft towards Sublimity. And here he mentions APOSTROPHE or Addrefs. An Apoftrophe is when an Author in fome Commotion turns himself from his main Subject, and addreffes on all fides, viz. to the Heavens, Earth, Rocks, Forefts, Things fenfible, infenfible, and what not? APOSTROPHE turns off to make Address: She lives! How fhall I, Heav'ns, my Thanks exprefs? LONGINUS mentions here an Oath of DEMOSTHENES as a fublime Apostrophe, Ex ἔστιν ὅπως ἡμάρετε, & μαὶ τὰς ἐν Μαραθώνι προς nindureúσarlas, Ye have not acted wrong; No, I fwear it by thofe mighty Chiefs that fell at Marathon. Where he compliments his Ancestors as Gods in fwearing by 'em. But obferve, fays our Critic, 'tis not every filly Oath that's fo fublime, for this of EUPOLIS is quite flat, Μὰ τὴν Μαραθῶνι τὴν ἐμὴν μάχην, I fwear it by my Marathonian Fight. I DARE fay, SIR, you'll excuse me, if for the future, inftead of LONGINUS's Instances out of the Ancients, I fhould produce Examples from a Modern Author equally Sub lime. |