Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

"that

If wit be well defcribed by Pope, as being "which has been often thought, but was never before

fo well expreffed," they certainly never attained, nor ever fought it; for they endeavoured to be finguvlar in their thoughts, and were carelefs of their diction. But Pope's account of wit is undoubtedly erroneous: he depreffes it below its natural dignity, and reduces it from ftrength of thought to happiness of language.

If by a more noble and more adequate conception that be confidered as wit which is at once natural and new, that which, though not obvious, is, upon its first production, acknowledged to be juft; if it be that which he that never found it wonders how he miffed; to wit of this kind the metaphyfical poets have feldom rifen. Their thoughts are often new, but feldom natural; they are not obvious, but neither are they juft; and the reader, far from wondering that he miffed them, wonders more frequently by what perverfeness of induftry they were ever found. But wit, abftracted from its effects upon the hearer,

may be more rigorously and philofophically confidered as a kind of difcordia concors; a combination of diffimilar images, or difcovery of occult refemblances in things apparently unlike. Of wit, thus defined, they have more than enough. The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ranfacked for illuftrations, comparisons, and allufions; their learning inftructs, and their fubtlety surprises; but the reader commonly thinks his mprovement dearly bought, and, though he sometimes admires, is feldom pleased.

From

From this account of their compofitions it will be readily inferred, that they were not fuccefsful in representing or moving the affections. As they were wholly employed on fomething unexpected and furprifing, they had no regard to that uniformity of fentiment which enables us to conceive and to excite the pains and the pleasure of other minds: they never enquired what, on any occafion, they should have faid or done; but wrote rather as beholders than partakers of human nature; as Beings looking upon good and evil, impaffive and at leifure; as Epicurean deities, making remarks on the actions of men, and the viciffitudes of life, without intereft and without emotion. Their courtship was void of fondness, and their lamentation of forrow. Their wifh was only to fay what they hoped had been never faid before.

Nor was the fublime more within their reach than the pathetick; for they never attempted that comprehenfion and expanfe of thought which at once fills the whole mind, and of which the firft effect is fudden aftonishment, and the second rational admiration. Sublimity is produced by aggregation, and littleness by difperfion. Great thoughts are always general, and confift in pofitions not limited by exceptions, and in defcriptions not defcending to minuteness. It is with great propriety that Subtlety, which in its original import means exility of particles, is taken in its metaphorical meaning for nicety of diftinction. Those writers who lay on the watch for novelty could have little hope of greatnefs; for great things cannot have efcaped former obfervation. Their attempts were always analytick; they broke every image into fragments; and could no more repre| c3

fent,

fent, by their flender conceits and laboured particularities, the profpects of nature, or the scenes of life, than he who diffects a fun-beam with a prifm can exhibit the wide effulgence of a fummer noon. !

What they wanted however of the fublime, they endeavoured to fupply by hyperbole; their amplification had no limits; they left not only reafon but fancy behind them; and produced combinations of confufed magnificence, that not only could not be credited, but could not be imagined.

Yet great labour, directed by great abilities, is never wholly loft; if they frequently threw away their wit upon falfe conceits, they likewise sometimes ftruck out unexpected truth: if their conceits were far-fetched they were often worth the carriage. To write on their plan it was at least neceffary to read and think. No man could be born a metaphyfical poet, nor affume the dignity of a writer, by defcriptions copied from defcriptions, by imitations borrowed from imitations, by traditional imagery, and hereditary fimilies, by readiness of rhyme, and volubility of fyllables.

In perusing the works of this race of authors, the mind is exercised either by recollection or inquiry: either fomething already learned is to be retrieved, or fomething new is to be examined. If their greatness feldom elevates, their acutenefs often furprifes; if the imagination is not always gratified, at least the powers of reflexion and comparifon are employed; and in the mafs of materials which ingenious abfurdity has thrown together, genuine wit and useful knowledge may be fometimes found buried perhaps in groffness of expreffion, but ufeful to those who

know

know their value; and fuch as, when they are expanded to perfpicuity, and polished to elegance, may give luftre to works which have more propriety though lefs copioufnefs of fentiment.

This kind of writing, which was, I believe, borrowed from Marino and his followers, had been recommended by the example of Donne, a man of very extenfive and various knowledge; and by Jonfon, whose manner refembled that of Donne more in the ruggedness of his lines than in the caft of his fentiments.

When their reputation was high, they had undoubtedly more imitators than time has left behind. Their immediate fucceffors, of whom any remembrance can be faid to reinain, were Suckling, Waller, Denham, Cowley, Cleiveland, and Milton. Denham and Waller fought another way to fame, by improving the harmony of our numbers. Milton tried the metaphyfic style only in his lines upon Hobfon the Carrier. Cowley adopted it, and excelled his predeceffors, having as much fentiment and more mufick. Suckling neither improved verfification, nor abounded in conceits. The fashionable ftyle remained chiefly with Cowley; Suckling could not reach it, and Milton difdained it.

CRITICAL REMARKS are not eafily understood without examples; and I have therefore collected inftances of the modes of writing by which this fpecies of poets (for poets they were called by themselves and their admirers) was eminently diftinguished.

AS the authors of this race were perhaps more defirous of being admired than understood, they fometimes drew their conceits from receffes of learning not very much frequented by common readers of poetry. Thus Cowley on Knowledge:

The facred tree 'midft the fair orchard

The phoenix Truth did on it rest,

And built his perfum'd neft,

grew;

That right Porphyrian tree which did true logic fhew.
Each leaf did learned notions give,
And th' apples were demonftrative:

So clear their colour and divine,

The very fhade they caft did other lights outfhine.

On Anacreon continuing a lover in his old age:

Love was with thy life entwin'd,
Clofe as heat with file is join'd;

A powerful brand prefcrib'd the date

Of thine, like Meleager's fate.

Th' antiperiftafis of age

More enflam'd thy amorous rage.

In the following verfes we have an allufion to a Rabbinical opinion concerning Manna:

Variety I afk not: give me one

To live perpetually upon.

The perfon Love does to us fit,

Like manna, has the taste of all in it.

Thus Donne fhews his medicinal knowledge in fome encomiaftick verfes :

In every thing there naturally grows

A Balfamum to keep it fresh and new,

If 'twere not injur'd by extrinfique blows;
Your youth and beauty are this balm in you.

But

« AnteriorContinuar »