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fondnefs for contemplating the emotions of his own mind, or 

 viewing external and vifible eflFeds of their operations on the 

 charader of others, on the penfive or obfervant turn of the au- 

 thor. Whether the fame ludicrous incident Ihall give occafion to 

 a comedy or to a mock heroic depends on the author's acquaint- 

 ance with the living or the learned world, with men or with 

 books. 



Other matters relative to the nature of the work are in like 

 manner afcertained from the charaderiftic habits and difpofitions 

 of the writer. A profeffed admirer of the ancients will divide his 

 ode into flrophe and antiftrophe : Mr. Harris, from his fondnefs for 

 the Platonic fchool, has given us his philofophy in dialogue, and 

 the gentleman who afterwards tranflated the letters of Cicero and 

 Pliny might naturally be expeded to publifh his efTays in the 

 epiftolary form. A man of extended and difcurfive views will 

 not confine himfclf within the bounds of rhyme, but will 

 compofe his epic or didadic poem in blank verfe. Perhaps an 

 enthufiafm in the general caufe of political liberty, or a liorror 

 of licentioufnefs, with a fondnefs for regulation, are often in the 

 minds of poets and critics connedcd with the principles which de- 

 cide them in the comparifon of blank verfe with rhyme. Whim- 

 fical as this opinion may feem it is confirmed by feveral inftances. 

 Pope always wrote in rhyme, and Dodor Johnfon is its great 

 advocate ; while in all their more important works, Cowper, 

 Thomfon, Milton and Akenfide employed blank verfe. 



When the fubjed has been chofen, and the fpecies and mode 

 of compofition afcertained, the thoughts and fentiments of an 



author 



