Poetry. iSl 



yet the style of English poetry was left by him in 

 an irregular, harsh, and incorrect state. He was 

 succeeded by Mr. Pope, whose successful exertions 

 to polish, refine, and regulate the language of our 

 poetry, are well known. If Dryden displayed 

 more vigour of genius, and more sublimity of con- 

 ception than Pope, the latter undoubtedly exhibits 

 a degree of correctness and elegance of diction, 

 and of harmony and sweetness of numbers, which 

 had never been equalled by any preceding poet, 

 and which have never been exceeded since his 

 time. " New sentiments, and new images," says a 

 great critic, " others may produce; but to attempt 

 any further improvement of versification will be 

 dangerous. Art and diligence have now done their 

 best; and what shall be added, will be the effort 

 of tedious toil, and needless curiosity. " A 



English poetry is also indebted to several who 

 have written since Mr. Pope. The names of 

 these, and the nature and amount of the services 

 which they rendered, will be more fully brought 

 to the mind of the intelligent reader in reviewing 

 hereafter the particular works by which they are 

 most honourably known to the public. 



About the beginning of the seventeenth century, 

 there was a race of versifiers in Europe, and es- 

 pecially in Great-Britain, who have been called 

 by the critics metaphysical poets J They were gene- 

 rally men of learning, and many of them endowed 

 with genius; but were either destitute of taste, or 

 possessed only that which was false and perverted. 

 Pedantic, subtle, obscure, and confused, they pre- 

 sented absurd and gross conceits, rather than just 

 images; scholastic refinements, rather than copies 

 of nature; and far-fetched ideas and illustrations^ 



£ Life o/"Pope, by Dr. Johnson. 

 i Life of Cowley, by Johnson. 



