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called, by way of diftindlion, poetical (as the Italian) the mecha- 

 nical of poetry is moft eafy, which could not be the cafe if the 

 difficulty of compofition were a pledge and guarantee for its ex- 

 cellence. I fuppofe it is on this principle of attaining excellence, 

 by inducing difficulty, that Mr. Hayley has produced his come- 

 dies in rhyme j and on the fame fyftem it would follow, that 

 tragedies alfo ought to be written in rhyme, as being a more diffi- 

 cult mode of verfification; in ffiort, if by enhancing the diffi- 

 culty of poetical compofition you fiiould lefi~en the number of 

 bad poets, will you not lefl^en the number of good ones ? There 

 is greater merit, certainly, in the attainment of excellence in 

 fomething very difficult ; but in fuch a cafe the number of ex- 

 cellent productions will be fmall in proportion. 



The more I confider the introduiflion of Jlrophe, antijlrophe 

 and epode into the Englifh language, the more am I ftruck with 

 the impropriety of it ; on what principle of reafon are we re- 

 quired to adopt the regulations of compofition, which prevailed 

 in a dead language, of a ftrudure wholly different from our 

 own, and with tire true pronunciation of which we are not 

 fully acquainted? It feems to be very unjufi, to impofe on 

 Englifh poets the fame ftridlnefs, with regard to the ftanza, and 

 ftrudure of the ode, which prevails in Pindar, and ^he chorus 

 of the Creek tragedy. The genius of their language does not 

 furnifii the Englifii writers with the fame inftruments and 

 means of facilitating their compliance with the law. i, Both the 

 Greek and Latin languages have a great advantage in the bold 

 and frequent inverfions of words, which they not only permit, 

 but require ; this muft have affifted the poet amazingly in attain- 

 ing 



