I82I.] 



The Enquirer.— No. XXXI. 



27 



•' The growing tow'rs like exhalations rise, 

 And the huge columns heave into the sides.'? 

 Of dulcet symphonies and voices sweet ; 

 Built like a temple, where pilasters round 

 Were set, and Doric pillars overlaid 

 With golden architrave; nor did there want 

 Cornice, or frieze, with bossy sculptures 



graven ; 

 The roof was fretted gold. — Th' ascending 



pile 

 Stood fix'd her stately height : and strait the 



doors 

 Op'ning their brazen folds, discover wide 

 Within her ample spaces, o'er the smooth 

 And level pavement : from the arched roof 

 Pendant by subtle magic, many a row 

 Of starry lamps, and blazing cressets, fed 

 With naphtha and asphaltus, shed a light 

 As from a sky." 



Parad.Lost,\.T\0,30. 



The description of the rock on which 

 the stupendous structure is founded, is 

 also similar to a passage in Paradise 

 Lost ;* and the picture of the Goddess 

 of Famet is closely copied Irom Vir- 

 gil's celehrated personification. J 



In the ' Ode to St. Cecilia's Day,' 

 many images and ideas are taken from 

 Valerius Flaccus, (he fourth Georgic of 

 Virgil, and the poems of Addison 

 and Dryden. In the ' Essay on Criti- 

 cism,' Pope probably received some 

 assistance from Bacon's and Locke's 

 essays, the Characteristics of Shaftes- 

 bury, Waller's Poem on English verse, 

 and Boileau's Art of Poetry. The story 

 relating the interview between Don 

 Quixote and the poet, is from Le Sage's 

 continuation of the history of that re- 

 nowned hero.§ The comparison be- 

 tween the difficulties attending literary 

 pursuits, and (he crossing of the Alps, 

 is copied from Lord Shaftesbury :|| and 

 the following beau(iful lines on the art 

 of painting resemble some verses ad- 

 dressed 1[)y Dryden to Sir G. Kneller 

 on the same subject : 

 " So when the faithful pencil has design'd 

 Some bright idea of the master's mind, 

 When a new world leaps out at his com- 

 mand. 

 And ready nature waits upon his hand ; 

 When the ripe colours soften and unite. 

 And sweetly melt into just shade and light ; 

 When mellowing years their full perfection 



give. 

 And each bold figure just begins to live. 

 The treach'rous colours the fair art betray. 

 And all the bright creation fades away." 



" More cannot be by mortal art express'd, 



• Book iv. 543, 48. 



t Temple of Fame, 258, 69. 



I ^neid iv. 174, 83. 



§ Book iii. chap. 10. 



II The Moralists charact. vol.11, p. 253. 



But venerable age shall add the rest; 

 For Time shall with his ready pencil stand. 

 Retouch your figures with bisrip'iiing hand ; 

 Mellow jour colours, and embrown the tint, 

 Add ev'ry grace which Time alone can grant : 

 To future ages shall your fame convey. 

 And give more beauties tlian he takes away." 

 Many more such instances of resem- 

 blance could be added to the number 

 of those already quoted, were it not 

 that they would transgress (he limits of 

 this essay. The passages now intro- 

 duced are sufficient to establish the 

 truth of the preceding observations, 

 and to shew, from the example before 

 us, how little originality is (o be found 

 in the works of even our most es- 

 teemed authors. 



But whilst I am making these quo- 

 tations from the compositions of Pope, 

 and pursuing these enquiries as to the 

 direct or probable sources from which 

 they were obtained, let i( not be for a 

 moment imagined, as Dr. Warton says, 

 on a similar occasion, that suc'.i obser- 

 vations proceed from any illiberal de- 

 sire to diminish or sully, by the most 

 distant hint of plagiarism, the well- 

 merited reputation of so vahiable a 

 writer as Pope ; a writer to whom Eng- 

 lish poetry and (he Enolish language 

 are so greatly indebted . H is fame stands 

 on too secure a foundation to bo shaken, 

 and his pre-eminence is too universally 

 acknowledged to be disputed, even by 

 the most hostile of iiis enemies. We 

 may say of his imitations, \vhat his 

 great master Dryden has afiinned of 

 another poet, " He invades like a mo- 

 narch, and what Mould be theft in 

 others, is only victory in him." It 

 may indeed most justly be said, that he 

 never drew a picture without heighten- 

 ing (he piece with more masterly 

 strokes and a more artful pencil. And 

 such was his peculiar talent, that 

 he could adapt the thoughts and ex- 

 pressions of other wri(ers to his own 

 purposes without any ap])earance of 

 direct imitation. The passages above- 

 mentioned, therefore, are only cited 

 for the purpose of illustrating the sub- 

 ject now under consideration, and not 

 from a wish to place the character and 

 writings of this admired poet in an un- 

 favourable point of view. Nor can 

 such a design be with justice deemed 

 invidious, since notliing should be 

 neglected which in any way tends to 

 assist us in the altainment of useful 

 knowledge, and to enlarge our ideas 

 on subjects conuec(ed wifli the various 

 branches of science. Besides i( con- 

 tributes (o the benefit and advancement 



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