Firft in his eaft the glorious lamp was feen, His longitude through heav'n's high road; the gray Dawn and the Pleiades before him danc'd, Shedding fweet influence. The fame defect is perceived in the following lines, where the paufe is at the fecond fyllable from the beginning. The race Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears To rapture, till the favage clamour drown'd Both harp and voice; nor could the mufe defend Her fon. So fail not thou, who thee implores. When the paufe is upon the third fyllable, or the feventh, the harmony is better preferved; but as the third and feventh are weak fyllables, the period leaves the ear unfatisfied, and in expectation of the remaining part of the verse. He, with his horrid crew, Lay vanquif'd, rolling in the fiery gulph, Confounded though immortal. But his doom Referv'd him to more wrath; for now the thought Both of loft happiness and lasting pain Torments him. God God, with frequent intercourse, Thither will fend his winged messengers It may be, I think, always remarked, that a paufe which concludes a period, fhould be made upon a strong fyllable, as the fourth and fixth; and those paufes which only fufpend the fenfe, may be placed upon the weaker. Thus the pause in the third line of the following paffage satisfies the ear better than the fourth. Drawn back, redounded (as a flood) on thofe The paufe on the fifth has the fame inconvenience as on the seventh and third, that the fyllable is weak. Beast now with beaft'gan war, and fowl with fowl, The nobleft and most majestic paufes which our verfification admits, are upon the fourth and fixthfyllables, which are both ftrongly founded in a pure pure and regular verfe; and at either of which the verfe is fo divided, as that both members participate of harmony. But now at left the facred influence Of light appears, and, from the walls of heav'n, But far above all others, if I can give any credit to my own ear, is the rest upon the fixth fyllable; which, taking in a complete compafs of found, fuch as is fufficient to constitute one of our lyric measures, makes a full and complete close. paffages which conclude at this ftop, I could never read without fome ftrong emotions of delight or admiration. Before the hills appear'd, or fountain flow'd, Some Or other worlds they feem'd, or happy ifles, He He blew His trumpet, heard in Oreb fince, perhaps When GOD defcended; and perhaps once more To found at general doom. If the poetry of Milton be examined, with regard to the paufes and flow of his verses into each other, it will appear, that he has performed all our language would admit; and the comparison of his numbers with those who have cultivated the fame manner of writing, will fhow, that he excelled as much in the lower as the higher parts of his art; and that his fkill in harmony was not less than his invention or his learning. THE RAMBLER. NUMBER XCI. LONDON, Tuesday, January 29. 1751. Dulcis inexpertis cultura potentis amici, -A Expertus metuit 'HOR. T HE SCIENCES having long feen their votȧries labouring for the benefit of mankind without reward, put up their petitions to Jupiter for a more equitable diftribution of riches and honours. Jupiter was moved with their com VOL. IV. N plaints, |