"various delineations in the poets, of the "HEAVENS, in their viciffitude of times and "feafons; of the EARTH, in its diversity of "mountains, valleys, promontories, &c.; of "the SEA, under its feveral afpects of tur"bulence or ferenity; of the make and "Structure of ANIMALS, &c. it can rarely "be affirmed, that they are copies of one "another, but rather the genuine products "of the fame creating fancy, operating uniformly in them all." 66 Yet, notwithstanding this identity of the fubject-matter in natural defcription, there is room enough for true Genius to fhew itfelf. To omit other confiderations for the prefent, it will more especially appear in the manner of Representation; by which is not meant the language of the poet, but fimply the form under which he chufes to present his imagery to the fancy. The reader will excufe my adding a word on fo curious a fubject, which he will readily apprehend from the following inftance. Descriptions of the morning are very frequent in the poets. But this appearance is known by fo many attending circumstances, that there will be room for a confiderable variety variety in the pictures of it. It may be described by thofe ftains of light, which ftreak and diversify the clouds; by the peculiar colour of the dawn; by its irradiations on the fea or earth; on fome peculiar objects, as trees, bills, rivers, &c. A difference alfo will arife from the fituation, in which we fuppofe ourselves if on the fea fhore, this barbinger of day will feem to break forth from the ocean; if on the land, from the extremity of a large plain, terminated, it may be, by fome remarkable object, as a grove, mountain, &c. There are many other differences, of which the fame. precise number will scarcely offer itself to two poets; or not the fame individual circumstances; or not difpofed in the fame manner. But let the fame identical circumftance, fuppofe the breaking or first appearance of the dawn, be taken by different writers, and we may ftill expect a confiderable diversity in their representation of it. What we may allow to all poets, is, that they will imperfonate the morning. And though this idea of it is metaphorical, and fo belongs to another place, as refpecting the manner of imitation only; yet, when once confidered confidered under this figure, the drawing of it comes as directly within the province of defcription, as the real literal circumftances themselves. Now in defcriptions of the morning under this idea of a person, the very fame attitude, which is made analogous to the circumstance before specified, and is to fuggeft it, will, as I faid, be represented by different writers very differently. Homer, to exprefs the rife or appearance of this perfon, fpeaks of her as fhooting forth from the ocean: —ΑΠ ΩΚΕΑΝΟΙΟ ΡΟΛΩΝ ΩΡΝΥΘ. Virgil, as rifing from the rocks of Ida. Jamque jugis fummae furgebat Lucifer Idae, Shakespeare hath closed a fine description of the morning with the fame image, but expreffed in a very different manner : -Look what freaks Do lace the fevering clouds in yonder eaft: TAINS TOP. VOL. III. G The The reader, no doubt, pronounces on first fight, this defcription to be original. But why? There is no part of it, which may not be traced in other poets. The ftaining of the clouds, and putting out the ftars, are circumftances, that are almost conftantly taken notice of in representations of the morning. And the laft image, which ftrikes moft, is not effentially different from that of Virgil and Homer. It would express the attitude of a perfon impatient, and in act to make his appearance. And this is, plainly, the image fuggefted by the other two. But the difference lies here. Homer's expreffion of this impatience is general, ΩΡΝΥΘ. in PNTO. So is Virgil's, and, as the occafion required, with less energy, surgebat. Shakespeare's is particular: that impatience is set before us, and pictured to the eye the circumftance of ftanding tiptoe; the attitude of a winged meffenger, in act to shoot away on his errand with eagerness and precipitation. Which is a beauty of the same kind with that Ariftotle fo much admired in the POAOAAKTTAOZ of Homer. "This 886 image, fays he, is peculiar and fingularly proper to fet the object before our eyes. "Had * Had the poet faid ΦΟΙΝΙΚΟΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ, "the colour had been fignified too generally, * and fill worfe by ΕΡΥΘΡΟΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ * ΡΟΔΟΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ gives the precife idea, "which was wanting [f]." This, it must be owned, is one of the fureft characteristics of real genius. And if we find it generally in a writer, we may almost venture to esteem him original without further fcruple. For the fhapes and appearances of things are apprehended only in the grofs, by dull minds. They think they fee; but it is as through a mift, where if they catch but a faint glimpse of the form before them, it is well. More one is not to look for from their clouded imaginations. And what they thus imperfectly difcern, it is not poffible for them to delineate very diftinctly. Whereas every object stands forth in bright funshine to the view of the true poet. Every minute mark and lineament of the contemplated form leaves a correfponding trace on his fancy. And having these bright and determinate conceptions of things in his own mind, he finds it [] ARIST. RHET. lib. iii. c. xi. no |