Vol. IIL] 
‘Turns them to fhape, and gives fo airy nothing 
A local habitation, and a name.” i 
- He dives into the human breaft, developes 
the windings of the heart, pourtrays, in 
all their circumftances, the workings of 
the paffions, gives form and body to the_ 
moft abftraét ideas, and, by the language 
whieh he puts into the mouths of his 
characters, he unlocks the fecrets of their 
mind, A fkilful painter would, perhaps, 
find a fubjeét worthy of his ralents in 
Achilles, prompted by warmth, half un- 
fheathing his {word in the council of the 
chiefs; but in Homer we behold the 
picture, and, moreover, hear rhe torrent 
of indignant language—the heart-cut- 
‘ting words, as the poet ftyles them, with 
which he overwhelms the imperious fon 
of Atreus. But there is another grand 
advantage which the poet poffefles over 
the painter, viz. that the latrer is con- 
fined to the tranfactions that happen in 
a moment of time; while the former 
prefents to our view a long feries of con- 
decutive events. An intercfting picture 
might, no doubt, be drawn, reprefenting 
the fruitlefs pleadings of the Grecian 
chiefs, who were deputed to foften the 
anger of Achilles. But what a {uperior 
-pleafure do we experience in contem- 
plating the origin and progtefs of 
“< Pelides’ wrath.” The various events 
to which,it gives rife, and the numerous 
circumftances of which the poet has 
availed himfelf, to give dignity and con- 
fequence to the hero of his piece. 
Ariftotle’s do€&trine that a fintthed compo-~ 
fition thould have a beginning, a middle, 
and an end, is furely founded on reafon , 
and the mind feels a fuperior degree of 
fatisfaétion when the rife, the circum: 
flances, and the confequences of events, 
are difplayed before it in artful order, 
We have, then, a farther characteriftic 
of poetry, whereby it is not only diftin- 
guifhed, but eminently diftinguithed 
from the other imitative arts, viz. that 
its imitations are produced by words, 
and, confequently, that it has the power 
of reprefenting a confecutive order of 
events—a long fucceflion of pi€tures 
ftriéily connected together, all tending 
to the illuftration of one final object. 
** But the poetic imitation is conducted, 
mot merely by words, but by words 
meéelodioufly arranged. 
“Melody is naturally pleafing to the 
human ear, and itis not furprifing that 
the cultivators of an art whofe province 
At is to delight, fhould be careful in 
‘bringing, as nearly as poffible, to per- 
fe&tion, the melody of their numbers. 
MonTHLY Mac. No. XIX. - 
On the Charatteriftics of Posiry. 
54t 
It is attonithing with what accuracy the 
Greeks and Romans attended to this 
particular ; how minutely the value of 
almoft every fyllable was weighed, how 
ftri€ily their bards were obliged to con- 
form to the eftablifhed ftandard: In 
modern times, and in our own language, 
greater latitude is allowed; yet almoft 
every reader of poetry is aware of the 
charms of melodious compofition. What 
a fenfible difference do we perceive be- 
tween the carelefs couplets of Churchill, 
and the fimply elegant lines of Gold. 
{mith. How much more pleafing to the 
ear are the meafured fentences’ of 
M‘Pherfon, than -a hoft of lines which 
we fometimes find printed in the form of 
verfes. It is propofed, then, as another 
chara€teriftic of poetry, that its imitations 
are effected by words, metrically and 
melodioufly arranged. 
“‘ Looking back on the way which we 
have already meéafured, we find that 
poetry is an imitative art, whofe ener- 
gies are conducted by means of words, 
metrically arranged. We fhould now 
proceed to enquire into its end or 
object ; but the ideas which have been 
already fuggefted, will probably furnith 
fufficient materials for cur evening's cons 
verfation, and I muft beg leave to refumé. 
the fubject on fome future opportunity.’ 
Bays, 
OY! Ga lle 
«« The concurrent voice of ages vives 
teftimony ‘to the harms “of pdetry. 
Though it may appear flrangé to thofé 
who have not turned their attenti¢n’ to 
the matter, yet it is no lefs true, that the 
early efforts of human {peech were high+ 
ly poetical. The philofophical reafons 
for this faét, have by many writers been 
detailed at length ; and it has been juftly 
obferved, that from this circumftance we 
have an eafy ‘interpretation of the my- 
thological tale of Orpheus caufing the 
trees to defcend from the mountains, and 
raifing the walls of eities by the ftrains 
of his lyre. huikae 
‘© We have every reafontofuppofe, that 
the maxims of early wifdom, the firft re- 
cords of hiftory, the offices of religion 
—nay, even the diétates of law, were de- 
livered in the poetic drefs. ee ik 
“‘ But when the progrefs of {ociety had 
of 
.enlarged the faculties of the human 
mind, and the multiplicity of relations 
with which mankind -became familiar, 
led them (if I may be permitted fo to 
ufe the-word) to greater definition of 
ideas, Janguage became, of caurfe, more 
precite,and a more accurate phrafeol gy 
s 4A robbed 
