[ ^-o ] 



meaning ; and alfo becaiife, even admitting the three laft fourccs 

 to have no peculiar relation to the fublime, yet if they be 

 capital conftilnents of this as well as other fpecies of writing 

 (which I hope prefently to fhew) they have certainly an effential 

 part in a complete trcatife on the fubjed. 



I SAY then that Dr. Blair has mifconceived, or at Icaft impro- 

 perly exprefled, the great critic's meaning. The fifth fource of 

 the fublime mentioned by Longinus is in thefe words, sj 

 K%i'j>(/.a,Ti -/Ml ^laaiTit <rvv6ea-ic, or compofition with fuitable 

 dignity and elevation. Longinus, indeed, treating of this part 

 of his fubjed, fometimes appears to explain it by the terms 

 ^v0y.og an^ 'a^uMvta, j by which we are to underftand fuch a 

 collocation of the feveral parts, both words and fentences, as may 

 ferve to .give the fublime matter its fulleft effed. And this 

 idea, even if nothing further were intended, is furely very dif- 

 ferent from Dr. Blair's tranflation of the paffage, " mufical ftruc- 

 " ture and arrangement," which in my opinion fuggefts to every 

 reader nothing more than the mcafurcd cadence of elaborate 

 periods and well-tuned fentences. The tranflation indeed is 

 not peculiarly related to the fublime, perhaps lefs than to any 

 other fpecies of good writing ; for the fublime difdains fuch 

 tinfel ornament. But the great critic himfelf meant not fuch 

 an arragement as pleafes the ear, but fupports the thought. 

 And hence we find him befiowing the higheft commendation 

 on this fource, as comprifing and giving completion to every 

 other excellence. He prefuppofes a proper feledion of words 

 proportioned to the thoughts, and then requires that the found 

 may in fome fort be an echo to the fenfe. And has not this 



been 



