C 55 ] 



work in profe, is a mere farm; it pretends 

 only to be ufeful : though in fuch works, 

 as in mere farms, interefting and amufing 

 parts will often prefent themfelves even to 

 thofe who are not interefled in the general 

 fubjecl;; and the more agreeably fo, as 

 they are not intended. Many didactic 

 poems are Jermoni propiora: they differ 

 from mere profe only by a certain arrange- 

 ment, and a few poetical ornaments ; either 

 the ground-work of the poem itfelf, or 

 the genius of the poet not leading him to 

 higher efFufions. Thefe anfwer very much 

 to an ornamented farm in a country where 

 the foil is good and well cultivated, but 

 where there are no great natural beauties. 

 On the other hand, there are didaclic 

 poems, where the mod firiking imagery 

 is mixed with the inftruclive parts, and fo 

 happily, that the ornaments feem to arife 

 out of the fubjecl, and (ink as naturally 

 e 4, into 



