ftrength to Denham, and of sweetness to Waller.

His excellence of verfification has fome abatements. He uses the expletive do very frequently; and though he used to fee it almost universally ejected, was not more careful to avoid it in his last compofitions than in his first. Praise had given him confidence; and finding the world fatisfied, he fatisfied himself.

His rhymes are fometimes weak words: fo is found to make the rhyme twice in ten lines, and occurs often as a rhyme through his book.

His double rhymes, in heroick verse, have been cenfured by Mrs. Phillips, who was his rival in the tranflation of Corneille's Pompey; and more faults might be found, were not the enquiry below attention.

He fometimes uses the obfolete termination of verbs, as waxeth, affecteth; and fometimes retains the final fyllable of the preterite, as amazed, fuppofed; of which I know not ⚫ whether

whether it is not to the detriment of our language that we have totally rejected them.

Of triplets he is fparing; but he did not wholly forbear them: of an Alexandrine he has given no example.

The general character of his poetry is ele

gance and gaiety. He is never pathetick, and very rarely fublime. He feems neither to have had a mind much elevated by nature, nor amplified by learning. His thoughts are fuch as a liberal conversation and large acquaintance with life would easily supply. They had however then, perhaps, that grace of novelty, which they are now often sup pofed to want by thofe who, having already found them in later books, do not know of enquire who produced them firft. This treatment is unjuft. Let not the original author lofe by his imitators.

. Praise however fhould be due before it is given. The author of Waller's Life afcribes to him the first practice, of what Erythræus and fome late critics call Alliteration, of ufing in the fame verse words beginning

many

"

with the fame letter. But this knack, whatever be its value, was fo frequent among early writers, that Gafcoign, a writer of the fixteenth century, warns the young poet against affecting it; Shakspeare in the MidJummer Night's Dream is fuppofed to ridiculė it; and in another play the fonnet of Holofernes fully difplays it.

He borrows too many of his fentiments and illuftrations from the old Mythology, for which it is vain to plead the example of ancient poets: the deities, which they introduced fo frequently, were confidered as realities, fo far as to be received by the imagination, whatever fober reafon might even then determine. But of these images time has tarnished the fplendor. A fiction, not only detected but despised, can never afford a folid batis to any pofition, though fometimes it may furnish a tranfient allufion, or flight illuftration. No modern monarch can be much exalted by hearing that, as Hercules had had his club, he has his

navy.

But of the praife of Waller, though much may be taken away, much will remain; for it cannot be denied that he added fomething to our elegance of diction, and fomething to our propriety of thought; and to him may be applied what Taffo faid, with equal fpirit. and justice of himself and Guarini, when, having perused the Paftor Fido, he cried out, "If he had not read Aminta, he had not ex"celled it."

AS Waller profeffed himself to have learned the art of verfification from Fairfax, it has been thought proper to fubjoin a specimen of his work, which, after Mr. Hoole's tranflation, will perhaps not be foon reprinted. By knowing the state in which Waller found our poetry, the reader may judge how much he improved it.

Erminiaes fteed (this while) his mistreffe bore Through forrefts thicke among the fhadie treene, Her feeble hand the bridle raines forlore, Halfe in a swoune she was for feare I weene; But her flit courfer spared nere the more,

To beare her through the defart woods unseenę Of her strong foes, that chas'd her through the plaine,

And ftill purfu'd, but ftill purfu'd in vaine.

2.

Like as the wearie hounds at last retire, Windleffe, difpleased, from the fruitleffe chace, When the flie beast Tapifht in bush and brire, No art nor paines can rowfe out of his place: The Chriftian knights fo full of shame and ire Returned backe, with faint and wearie pace!

Yet ftill the fearefull Dame fled, fwift as winde, Nor euer ftaid, nor euer lookt behinde. 3. Through