the Poet, to fhew the dreadful Perplexity the Sailors were in, violently wrefts the Verse, in his ὑπ' ἐκ θανάτοιο, by joining two Prepofitions contrary to their Nature; and at laft as beautifully fhews the Rapidity of the Tempest and the Vehemence of their Perplexity both in the Sound and Senfe of his ὑπ' ἐκ θανάτοιο Cégovτa. Tentavi imitari, fateor ; fed vim tantorum Verborum pauci, quos æquus amavit Jupiter, poffunt affequi. I am, SIR, SIR, You Holt, May 10. OU may perhaps have thought in my former Letters, that I have fometimes 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 shew E 2 the cians may the Difference between DEMOSTHENES and CICERO, declaring each of 'em to be highly fublime in their Way. Cicero, fays he (ei ἡμῖν ὡς Ἕλλησιν ἐφεῖταί τι γινώσκειν, If we Gre be allow'd to know any Thing of Latin Writers) differs in Sublimity from Demofthenes in this. Derofthenes is fublime in the concise clofe Way, but Cicero in the diffufive. Demofthenes's Talent of Sublimity confifts in strong Exaggerations and forcible warmPaffions, where 'tis neceffary on all Sides 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, Hiftory, Natural Philofophy, and moft other Things in the Demonftrative Way. AND in SECTIONS XIII. and XIV. he advifes from PLATO all thofe 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 --- Ayala yàp gis de BeоTolos. Op. & Dies, ver. 24. Thus HERODOTUS, STESICHORUS, you have done your has fhewn. And when 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 History, with Thucydides ?-Such an imaginary Tribunal will be enough to make a prudent Writer look about him and how much less cautious pray, says he, ought an Author to be, who hopes to have all Pofterity for his Judges? HE proceeds, in SECTION XV. to fpeak wegi Dajaoías, of VISION, which he describes to be a Representation of Things so much to the Life, as to affect a Reader's Fancy as much as if he had seen 'em transacted. This in Poetry usually confifts in raifing Terrour, in Oratory in livelily defcribing a Thing, as tho' it were then done: (See the Figure HYPOTYPOSIS in Book 1.) Both confpire in an emphatical MOVING OF THE PASSIONS. Thus EURIPIDES in his Oreftes, ver. 255. Ὦ μῆτερ, ἱκετεύω σε· μὴ ̓πίσειέ μοι O Mother, prithee, push not push not on me — Thofe bloody-looking fnaky-headed Hags. For here, fee here, they're here,they're rushing tow❜rdsme! And again in his Iphigenia, ver. 408.. 0% κλάνει με ποῖ φύγω; Woe's me, they'll kill me, whither shall I flee? Where, Where, tho' the Poet brings not the Furies on the Stage, yet his Reprefentation 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. ESCHYLUS 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 SIMONIDES. But Inftances out of all these, fays he, as there'd be no End of producing them, I omit. He concludes in there Words, Τοσαῦτα περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὰς νοήσεις ὑψηλῶν, καὶ ὑπο μεγαλοφροσύνης, ή μια μήσεως, ἡ φαντασίας ἀπογεννωμένων 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 RepreSentation. t u**** ANNOTATION S. OBS. XIX. EURIPIDES, ris Auctoribus præferunt. EU ESCHYLUS POLIS was an Athenian Comic Poet, of whom we have Nothing left but his Name. "TH and SOPHOCLES, who flou- HERE are few Words wanting in the Original at**** which Mr. Pearce thinks ought to be supplied, as in this Verfion. 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 use of in Discourse are almoft innumerable, he purpofes to treat only of a few of the chief, being fuch as contribute moft towards Sublimity. And here he mentions APOSTROPHE or Addrefs. An Apostrophe 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 Apoftrophe, &x ἔσιν ὅπως ἡμάρετε, ἐ μὰ τὰς ἐν Μαραθώνι προxivduveúσavjas, Ye have not acted wrong; No, κινδυνεύσανας, I fwear it by thofe mighty Chiefs that fell at Marathon. Where he compliments his Ancestors as Gods in swearing by 'em. But obferve, fays our Critic, 'tis not every filly Oath that's fo fublime, for this of EUPOLIS is quite flat, Μὲ τὴν Μαραθῶνι τὴν ἐμὴν μάχην, IDARE fay, SIR, you'll excufe me, if for the future, instead of LONGINUS's Inftances out of the Ancients, I fhould produce Examples from a Modern Author equally Sub lime. |