"master" that curbs the sea, be not more poetical than the sea? "Curb the Adriatic!" What must this strip of sea be to bear being "so curbed?" Its poetical SUBLIMITY must be entirely subdued, by Venice in one corner, and "a wall" in the other! Bring your "walls," my Lord, to "curb" THE PACIFIC! and you would do something! But the mighty Cordelleiras, of NATURE, only can do that.

The "Argo" entering into the Euxine must have been, indeed, a most poetical object; and I can readily feel with the poet, standing on the spot from whence the spectacle might have been first seen, repeating the lines from the Greek tragedian. No ship had been there before! What reflections, fears, and awe, would that thought alone create! But I ask, is the interest, even here, derived from the ship as a work of art? It is in part derived, no doubt, from the idea of the courage, enterprise, and mastery of man over this great element, in part from the beauty added to the scene; but the novelty, the awe, and other complex ideas, excite the highest poetical enthusiasm, which I should partake with your Lordship, but should not think my principles of the sublime of nature in the least affected by this instance. For, abstractedly, the Euxine is a more sublime object than the Argo; and if you admit associations, they must be derived from feelings of NATUre.

4

Having now, I believe, examined all of your arguments, I must add, that it appears to me, and I think it will appear so to every attentive and unprejudiced reader, that the "tall" ship becomes "diminished to a buoy;"-the marble temples sink to dust, or, opposed even to the mountains of America, appear as little as the Pyramids, scarcely seen at the bottom of the engraving called the "scale of mountains ;"-Mrs. UNWIN's needle renders not more service than that of Gammer GURTON, which was found in HODGE's "breeches!" -ANTINOUS' bust becomes fragile as the brazen head of Friar BACON ;-and HOMER's arms, that make such a glittering shew, impose only for a moment, like the coruscations of a fire-work, which seems to add, as it ascends, a thousand stars and glories to the night, and falls down "a bit of burnt stick!"

So my Lord, the airy style, the pleasant stories, the transient pictures, the brilliant imagery, of your publication, are as beautiful as they are baseless; because, on the least touch of argumentative examination, they are reduced to nothing,

"Cum ventum ad veram est sensus, NATURA repugnat."

In fully, and I hope satisfactorily, developing my ideas on the subject of this controversy, I have

thought it necessary to go into more minute detail, to prevent the possibility of future misrepresentation:* having done this, and being convinced that misrepresentation must now be from design, I hope to drop for ever the controversial pen.

The "order" of classing the highest kind of poetry is not mine, and, therefore, not arbitrary; "the order" is that admitted by all who ever thought or wrote on the subject.

Lord BYRON'S code is arbitrary, and not mine. As to the poet being ranked according to his “exe"cution, and not the branch, of his art," I have never considered the branch of the art as constituting a poet independent of the execution. I estimate a poet's character from both.

Though I hope to lay down, after what I have now said, my controversial pen, if a single expression occur in the preceding pages contrary to the fairest mode of argument, it has not been intentional.

The public will decide between us; but one concluding observation must be made. Your Lordship has entertained us with a pleasant story of the "doctor's" HAT, alluding to my " sensitiveness" to criticism; therefore I devote what remains to the chapter of the"

• This has since been done, in my opinion wilfully; for which opinion the reasons will be given.

DOCTOR'S HAT.

"Mr. BOWLES's extreme sensibility reminds me of a circumstance which occurred on board of a frigate in which I was a passenger. The surgeon wore a wig. Upon this ornament he was extremely tenacious. One day a young lieutenant, in the course of a facetious discussion, said, "Suppose now, doctor, I should take off "your hat." "Sir,' replied the doctor, I shall talk no longer with you; you grow scurrilous."—Byron.

Allow me only to say, that for thirty years I never made one reply to any criticism, good, bad, or indifferent; nor should I have done so now, if I had had common fair play. But I must hint, that the "doctor's hat," in my opinion, fits your Lordship better than it does me; for the instant your early poems were sent into the world, and en. countered the rude breath of the critics, you fell foul of critics, poets, statesmen, lords, ladies, and, among the number, none received less indulgence than your present correspondent. You have admitted with what good-humour this criticism on my temper and talents was met, whether it was more than I deserved or not.

* "HIPPOCRATES says, Let us be covered. In what chapter? "the CHAPTER of HATS."-Moliere.

EVERY classical reader will recollect the passage of Apollo descending from the top of Olympus to avenge the cause of his priest. POPE has completely misunderstood, as well as weakened, the image by expansion. In the original, the action of the incensed Deity is brought before us, and the simile is added, without any amplification,

HOMER says, "Apollo descended from the top of "" Olympus," having his bow on his shoulder, and his pharetra of arrows. POPE says, "bent was his bow! Instead of his being represented as descending in his wrath, "like night," POPE says,

"Breathing revenge, a sudden night he spread,
"And gloomy darkness roll'd around his head!”

The last line is from SANDY's translation of the Psalms, "Gloomy darkness roll'd beneath his feet."

The lines of POPE are very fine, undoubtedly; but Í, who am called such a lover of minute particulars, prefer infinitely HOMER's brief and bold imagery.