1803.] 
upon my own mind, ata time when I 
kad never read Burke upon the Sublime. 
—I underftood not the paffage at firft, 
becaufe I did not comprehend its images ; 
T Jearned the propriety of thofe images, 
and enjoyed its fublimity. 
The next quotation that appears in 
fupport of the fame pofition,is what Homer 
has faid of the beauty of Helen by the 
perfons of Priam and the old men of his 
council. | 
Ou veecic, Tewze ear eiukynpeidag Ayares 
Tein P aud: yuvains Gohuy yeevov adyse Base 
ety" 
Aivws aSavaroios Dees sie wore comey 
They cry’d, no wonder fuch celeftial 
F charms, 
For nine long years have fet the world in 
arms : 
What winning graces! what majeftic mien! 
She moves a goddefs, and fhe looks a queen. 
Porg. 
«* Here, (fays Mr. Burke,) is not one 
word faid of the particulars of her beauty ; 
hothing which can in the leaf help us to 
any pfecife idea of her perfon ; but yet 
we aré more touched by this manner of 
mentioning her, than by thofe long and 
laboured defcriptions of Helen, handed 
down by tradition or formed by fancy, 
which are to be met with in authors.” 
This is certainly true; but we are affected 
by this defcription,if fuch it can be called, 
becaufe we muft be fure that a very extra- 
erdinary beauty alone could fet the world 
for nine long years in arms. 
We are left to form our ow conceptions, 
and confequently are not to fuppofe we 
fhould receive from the words a particular 
idea ; yet Homer, by thus avoiding par- 
ticulars, has put it out of the power of 
any mind to conceive a more beautiful 
woman than Helen ; whereas if he had 
defcended to her particular features, the 
imagination might have prefented a form 
fill more engaging. The laft inftance 
we fhall examine is taken from Lucretius, 
the moniter under which he bas reprefented 
Religion,to difplay the magnanimity of his 
philofophical hero in oppofing her. This 
terrible picture, fays he, is thought to be 
‘ defigned with great boldnels and fpirit— 
Humana ante oculos fede cum vita jaceret, 
In terris, opprefla gravi fub Religione, 
Que caput e cei regionibus oftendebat 
Horribili fuper afpeétu mortalibus inftans ; 
Primum Graius homo mortaleis tollere contra 
Ef oculos aufus 
Mankind by fear lay long oppreffed, 
eneath the gloomy impulfe of Religion, 
Whofe head terrific from the fkies were feen 
To frown on men, and fright them with its 
 Rernacii——— Ses he 
Obfervationi upon the E ed of Words upon the Mind. 
$19 
Again our author afks “* What idea do 
‘you derive from fuch a picture? Cer. 
tainly none at all, becaufe the poet has 
not {aid one word which might ferve to 
mark outa fingle limb or feature.’ Is this 
reafon conclufive? Why is it to be de 
nied, becoufe images are obfcure, that they 
are not {till images? And has not Mr. 
Burke himfelf obterved that, to render any 
thing very terrible, ob{curity is neceflary ? 
If I behold a form where there is only 
light enough to make, ‘ darkneis vifible’, 
though I fee it but indiftinétly—theough - 
I cannot determine the exaét form of the 
different parts, I ftill fee the objeét ; and 
by this obfcurity the horror, provided 
the fubjeét be in itfelf terrible, is. aug- 
mented. The true excellence of a poet 
confifis in his obfervation of nature, and 
“his application of ‘thofe obfervations ; 
confequently when he perceives the effeét 
laft mentioned, he will seprefent with ob= 
{curity what is intended to be terrible. 
Such is the preceding defcription by Lu- 
cretius, and fuch is the fublime pi€ture of 
Deathin Milton. Now to me it appears as 
fallacious, to argue, that by thofe fort 
of defcriptions images are not prefented 
to the mind ; as it would be to affirm that 
I could not fee an obje&t becaufe the 
want of fufficient light would not atow 
me to difcern the exact form of the diffe- 
rent parts. 
Longinus has a fe&tion exprefsly upoa 
images : his authority muit have fuch 
confiderable influence, tha a quotation 
from him will need no apology for its 
length : 
One, war meyadnyopias, Rat eywves Ems FETS, 
@ TELIA, KAS at OarvTackat WagacneyvecimwtTa- 
Tae BTe yey Edadomoiag dures Evo: KEyars? 
KaRETAL MEY Yue KoWwS dailariag Gav enonue 
oye yewnting, Cworey Gagirapevy: nda 
Seas TUTwOY “EngdTyKe T UVOELA, GTaY ahEyNSy 
bw evdeciacus wart wabes Grzcreww Soxns, Kas 
im olw.ribxe Tag axeucw. ‘Qo Seregy ssw 
pilogtxn Gaviacia Bareras, nat ETEg 4 Wage 
GHonrats, “He av Acdot ce, wD ETE THD meEY EY 
momres: TEAOS ECW EeTTANTES, TG ev rAsyoss 
Evagytia’ apdorecas Douws Ter emilnress, ve 
culnensynpecyoy. ; 
Q pantEg, ixETEVW CE EN GIITELE fL08 
Tag dimarumec nat Szanorladets xogac * 
AUTaL yas, uTa: GAncin Jearuess ee. 
4at 
O: poor, wlaved re" wor Suyy 5 s 
EviavS’ 6 arointne autos edev epivuac' cde Epar- 
TacOn, pines dew Seacacbar nas Tes axviilaz 
NvVAyLacsy 
** Vifions, which by fome are called images, 
contribute very much, my dear youth, to 
the weight, magnificence, and force of 
compolitions. “dhe name of an image,-is 
generally 
