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lian; perhaps fometimes combined with other tongues. Of him, at laft, may be faid what Jonfon fays of Spenfer, that he wrote no language, but has formed what Butler calls a Babylonifh Dialect, in itfelf harfli and barbarous, but made by exalted genius and extenfive learning the vehicle of fo much inftruction and fo much pleasure, that, like other lovers, we find grace in its deformity.

Whatever be the faults of his diction, he cannot want the praise of copioufness and variety: he was mafter of his language in its full extent; and has felected the melodious words with fuch diligence, that from his book alone the Art of English Poetry might be learned.

After his diction, fomething must be faid of his verfification. The measure, he fays, is the English heroick verfe without rhyme. Of this mode he had many examples among the Italians, and fome in his own country. The Earl of Surrey is faid to have tranflated one of Virgil's books without rhyme; and, befide our tragedies, a few short poems had appeared in blank verse, particularly one tending to reconcile the nation to Raleigh's wild attempt upon Guiana, and probably written by Raleigh himself. These petty performances cannot be fuppofed to have much influenced Milton, who more probably took his hint from Triffino's Italia Liberata; and, finding blank verfe easier than rhyme, was defirous of perfuading himself that it is better.

Rhyme, he fays, and fays truly, is no neceffary adjunct of true poetry. But, perhaps, of poetry, as a mental operation, metre or mufick is no necessary adjunct : it is however by the mufick of metre that poetry

has been difcriminated in all languages; and, in languages melodiously conftructed with a due proportion of long and fhort fyllables, metre is fufficient. But one language cannot communicate its rules to another; where metre is fcanty and imperfect, fome help is neceffary. The mufick of the English heroick lines ftrikes the ear fo faintly, that it is eafily loft, unless all the fyllables of every line co-operate together; this co-operation can be only obtained by the prefervation of every verfe unmingled with another as a diftinct fyftem of founds; and this diftinctness is obtained and preferved by the artifice of rhyme. The variety of pauses, so much boafted by the lovers of blank verfe, changes the meafures of an English poet to the periods of a declaimer; and there are only a few skilful and happy readers of Milton, who enable their audience to perceive where the lines. end or begin. Blank verfe, faid an ingenious critick, feems to be verfe only to the eye.

Poetry may fubfift without rhyme, but English poetry will not often please; nor can rhyme ever be safely spared but where the subject is able to fupport itself. Blank verfe makes fome approach to that which is called the lapidary ftyle; has neither the easinefs of profe, nor the melody of numbers, and therefore tires by long continuance. Of the Italian writers without rhyme, whom Milton alledges as precedents, not one is popular; what reafon could urge in its defence has been confuted by the ear.

But, whatever be the advantages of rhyme, I cannot prevail on myfelf to wifh that Milton had been a rhymer; for I cannot with his work to be other than it is; yet like other heroes, he is to be admired

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rather than imitated. He that thinks himself capable of aftonishing may write blank verfe; but thofe that hope only to please must condefcend to rhyme.

The highest praise of genius is original invention. Milton cannot be faid to have contrived the structure of an epic poem, and therefore owes reverence to that vigour and amplitude of mind to which all generations must be indebted for the art of poetical narration, for the texture of the fable, the variation. of incidents, the interpofition of dialogue, and all the ftratagems that furprize and enchain attention. But, of all the borrowers from Homer, Milton is perhaps the leaft indebted. He was naturally a thinker for himself, confident of his own abilities, and difdainful of help or hindrance: he did not refufe admiffion to the thoughts or images of his predeceffors, but he did not feek them. From his contemporaries he neither courted nor received fupport; there is in his writings nothing by which the pride of other authors might be gratified, or favour gained; no exchange of praife, nor folicitation of fupport. His great works were performed under difcountenance, and in blindness; but difficulties vanished at his touch; he as born for whatever is arduous; and his work is not the greatest of heroick poems, only because it is not the firft.

BUT

BUTLE R.

OF the great author of Hudibras there is a life prefixed to the latter editions of his poem, by an unknown writer, and therefore of difputable authority; and fome account is incidentally given by Wood, who confeffes the uncertainty of his own. narrative; more however than they knew cannot now be learned, and nothing remains but to compare and copy them.

SAMUEL BUTLER was born in the parish of Strenfham in Worcestershire, according to his biographer, in 1612. This account Dr. Nath finds confirmed by the register. He was chriftened Feb. 14.

His father's condition is variously reprefented. Wood mentions him as competently wealthy; but Mr. Longueville, the fon of Butler's principal friend, fays he was an honeft farmer with fome small eftate, who made a fhift to educate his fon at the grammarfchool of Worcester, under Mr. Henry Bright*, from whofe

*Thefe are the words of the author of the fhort account of Butler prefixed to Hudibras, which Dr. Johnson, notwithstanding what he says above, feems to have fuppofed was written by Mr. Longueville,

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whofe care he removed for a fhort time to Cambridge; but, for want of money, was never made a member of any college. Wood leaves us rather doubtful whether he went to Cambridge or Oxford; but at last makes him pafs fix or feven years at Cambridge, without knowing in what hall or college; yet it can hardly be imagined that he lived fo long in either univerfity but as belonging to one house or another; and it is ftill lefs likely that he could have fo long inhabited a place of learning with fo little diftinction as to leave his refidence uncertain. Dr. Nath has difcovered that his father was owner of a house and a little land, worth about eight pounds a year, ftill called Butler's tenement,

Longueville, the father; but the contrary is to be inferred from a fubfequent paffage, wherein the author laments that he had neither fuch an acquaintance nor intereft with Mr. Longueville as to procure from him the golden remains of Butler there men、 tioned. He was probably led into this mistake by a note in the Biog. Brit. p 1077, fignifying, that the fon of this gentleman was living in 1736.

Of this friend and generous patron of Butler, Mr. William Longueville, I find an account, written by a person who was well acquainted with him, to this effect, viz. that he was a conveyancing lawyer, and a bencher of the Inner Temple, and had raised himself from a low beginning to very great eminence in that profeffion; that he was eloquent and learned, of spotlefs integrity; that he fupported an aged father who had ruined his fortunes by extravagance, and by his industry and application re-edified a ruined family; that he fupported Butler, who, but for him, muft literally have starved; and received from him as a recompence the papers called his Remains. Life of the Lord-keeper Guilford, p. 289. Thefe have fince been given to the publick by Mr. Thyer of Manchester; and the originals are now in the hands of the Rev. Dr. Farmer, mafter of Emanuel College, Cambridge. H.

Wood

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