2i4 THE BEE, OK Feb. 9, 



ed, relate to the young virgins ; and relate to them iu 

 refpefl: of love. 



There are three circumllances laid hold of by the 

 poet, all expreffive of the greatnefs of their grief; their 

 Jighing, th&ir filence as to words, and their love of foli- 

 tude. Inftances of thefe, we iiiall have occafion to re- 

 mark, in particularly examining the poem. When the 

 firft anguiih of grief is abated, we may have fatisfa£liou 

 in th.efociety of our friends, and may have a pleafure 

 in unbofoming our thouglits to them, and in liltening 

 to the confolations they fuggcll. But the grief whicli 

 the bard defcribes, was yet unabated. It refufed to be 

 comforted. It could not be exprelVed by ivordv ; but by 

 fighs and tears. It had no pleafure in the. fociety even 

 of friends ; but fought in folltiide freedom of indulg- 

 ence. 



Tlie bard too heightens this defcription of their for- 

 row, by contrafting it with their former fcenes of mer- 

 riment. This he has done in four inltances ; which we 

 proceed now to examine. 



T. 



I've hear'd a lilting * 

 At the, Sic. 



In this and the following (lanza, the poet gives us 

 the ill inftance, in dcfcribing the milking of the ewes. 

 He begins by mentioning the cheerful fceue wliich he 

 ufed to witnefs in the morning. Joy was in every 

 virgin's face, as Ihe went forth to her work. They ma- 

 nifefted the gaiety of tlieir hearts, by joining in the long ; 

 and every obferver partook of their joy.— But now 



• Lilting and milking are not allowable rhymes according to modern 

 rules. Coiifiderable latitude is indeed RivcH to the rhyming vowels, as 

 grove, Uw,joind, kind, &c. &c. which frequently occur in our heft poets. 

 But the rliyming confonant muft he invariably the fame. There is 3 

 more ftrilcing violation of this rule in the laft (lanza, foreJl,foremtJl, ivac, 

 and uTOflV) are alfo impropier rhymes, the rhyming fyllables being in faA 

 the fsiKie in found. We tind, however, among the old poets, lefs nicety 

 in thefe refpeds. By the way, do not thcfc aiford fome ptcfumption ill 

 favours of the poem's antiijuity .' 



