If the He "it will be little better than an enigma." brew poets be examined by the rules and precepts of this great philosopher and critic, it will readily be allowed, that they have assiduously attended to the sublimity of their compositions by the abundance and splendour of their figures; though it may be doubted whether they might not have been more temperate in the use of them. For in those poems at least, in which something of uncommon grandeur and sublimity is aimed at, there predominates a perpetual, I had almost said a continued use of the metaphor, sometimes dar, ingly introduced, sometimes rushing in with imminent hazard of propriety. A metaphor thus licentiously intruded, is frequently continued to an immoderate extent. The Orientals are attached to this style of composition; and many flights which our ears, too fastidious perhaps in these respects, will scarcely bear, must be allowed to the general freedom and boldness of these writers. But if we examine the sacred poems, and consider at the same time that a great degree of obscurity must result from the total oblivion in which many sources of their imagery must be involved; of which many examples are to be found in the Song of Solomon, as well as in other parts of the sacred writings; we shall, I think, find cause to wonder that in writings of so great antiquity, and in such an unlimited use of figurative expression, there should yet appear so much purity and perspicuity, both in sentiment and language, In order to explore the real cause of this remarkable fact, and to explain more accurately the genius of the parabolic style, I shall premise a few observations concerning the use of the metaphor in the Hebrew poetry; which I trust will be sufficiently clear to those who pe 2 lb. & QUINT. viii. 6. ruse it with attention, and which I think in general are founded in truth. In the first place, the Hebrew poets frequently make use of imagery borrowed from common life, and from objects well known and familiar. On this the perspicuity of figurative language will be found in a great measure to depend: For a principal use of metaphors is to illustrate the subject by a tacit comparison; but if, instead of familiar ideas, we introduce such as are new, and not perfectly understood; if we endeavour to demonstrate what is plain by what is occult, instead of making a subject clearer, we render it more perplexed and difficult. To obviate this inconvenience, we must take care, not only to avoid the violent and too frequent use of metaphors, but also not to introduce such as are obscure and but slightly related. From these causes, and especially from the latter, arises the difficulty of the Latin satirist Persius; and but for the uncommon accuracy of the sacred poets in this respect, we should now be scarcely able to comprehend a single word of their productions. In the next place, the Hebrews not only deduce their metaphors from familiar, or well-known objects, but preserve one constant track and manner in the use and accommodation of them to their subject. The parabolic may indeed be accounted a peculiar style, in which things moral, political and divine, are marked and represented by comparisons implied or expressed and adopted from sensible objects. As in common and plain language, therefore, certain words serve for signs of certain ideas; so, for the most part, in the parabolic style, certain natural images serve to illustrate certain ideas more abstruse and refined. This assertion indeed is not to be understood absolutely without exception; but thus far at least we may affirm, that the sacred poets in illustrating the same subject, make a much more constant use of the same imagery than other poets are accustomed to: and this practice has a surprising effect in preserving perspicuity. I must observe in the last place, that the Hebrews employ more freely and more daringly that imagery in particular, which is borrowed from the most obvious and familiar objects, and the figurative effect of which is established and defined by general and constant use. This, as it renders a composition clear and luminous even where there is the greatest danger of obscurity; so it shelters effectually the sacred poets from the imputation of exuberance, harshness, or bombast. In order to confirm and illustrate by examples what has been briefly set forth in the preceding remarks, I shall proceed to consider a few instances of metaphors derived from natural objects, and such as are most in 3 It is very observable in our own as well as other languages, how much metaphors lose of the figurative sense by repetition; and it is curious to remark how metaphors are in this manner derived from one another. From the resemblance of a narrow bed of metal running in the earth to the situation of a vein in the human body, it has taken that name; and hence I apprehend are derived the expressions, a vein of poetry, a vein of humour, &c. T. ◄ The frequent recurrence for metaphorical expressions to natural objects, and particularly to plants and to trees, is so characteristic of the Hebrew poetry, that it might be almost called the botanical poetry. This circumstance, however, is not at all extraordinary, if we consider that the greater part of that people were occupied with tilling the earth, and keeping their flocks; and further, that the cultivation of poetry, instead of being confined to the learned, was so generally diffused, that every valley reechoed the songs of the shepherds. Hence in the very few remains of the Hebrew writings which are come down to us, I mean the Scriptures, there are upwards of 250 botanical terms, which none use so frequently as the poets: and this circumstance I think gives an air of pastoral elegance to their poetry, which any modern writer will emulate in vain. It is, however, extraordinary, that the stars should be so seldom mentioned in the Hebrew poetry, for the names of not more than three or four use This I shall do in such a manner, that whatever observations occur upon one or two of them, may be applied to many other instances. The images of light and darkness are commonly made use of in all languages to imply or denote prosperity and adversity, agreeably to the common sense and perception which all men have of the objects themselves. But the Hebrews employ those metaphors more frequently, and with less variation than other people; indeed they seldom refrain from them whenever the subject requires, or will even admit of their introduction. These expressions, therefore, may be accounted among those forms of speech, which in the parabolic style are established and defined; since they exhibit the most noted and familiar images, and the application of them occur in the whole Bible. It has been said, that the patriarchal shepherds applied very much to the study of astronomy; but if so, whence is it, that we meet with such frequent allusions to botanical subjects, and so few to the heavenly luminaries? A comet is, however, I think, spoken of in NUMB. xxiv. 17. and in allusion to David, but it is by Balaam, who, residing on the borders of the Euphrates, it is reasonable to suppose was not altogether unacquainted with the Babylonish sciences. M. There appears but little foundation for this last remark of the learned professor. For in reality, so little are the heavenly bodies subjects of poetic allusion, that we find them but seldom introduced into any poetry either ancient or modern. Our annotator seems to forget that poetry is no more than painting in language, and has not respect to names but appearances. The appearance of every star is nearly the same, and consequently they can furnish no great variety of imagery, and that can only relate to their general qualities, their splendour, &c. whereas the nature and visible qualities of plants are infinitely diversified, and therefore admit of a much greater variety of allusion. Indeed a poem, the principal imagery of which consisted of the names of stars, would be a very strange and a very dull production. We cannot, therefore, argue from the silence of the Hebrew poetry, that Moses or the writers of the Scriptures were ignorant of astronomy; neither is it fair to suppose that a nation of shepherds, in the se rene country of the East, were unacquainted with the host of heaven, which, in truth, from these causes, were the objects of adoration, and even of worship, in those parts, as appears from the preface to Mr. Wood's Account of the Ruins of Balbec. T. on this occasion is justified by an acknowledged analogy, and approved by constant and unvarying custom. In the use of images, so conspicuous and so familiar among the Hebrews, a degree of boldness is excusable. The Latins introduce them more sparingly, and therefore are more cautious in the application of them: Restore, great chief, thy country's light! Dispel the dreary shades of night! The most respectable of the Roman Muses have scarcely any thing more elegant, I will add at the same time that they have scarcely any thing bolder on any similar occasion. But the Hebrews, upon a subject more sublime indeed in itself, and illustrating it by an idea which was more habitual to them, more daringly exalt their strains, and give a loose rein to the spirit of poetry. They display, for instance, not the image of the spring, of Aurora, of the dreary night, but the sun and stars as rising with increased splendour in a new creation, or again involved in chaos and primeval darkness. Does the sacred bard promise to his people a renewal of the divine favour, and a recommencement of universal prosperity? In what magnificent colours does he depict it! such indeed as no translation can illustrate, but such as none can obscure : "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, "And the light of the sun shall be sevenfold." 5 HOR. Carm. iv. 5. 6 Hence Milton perhaps adopted his another morning "Ris'n on midnoon, &c. Paradise Lost, V. 308. S. H. 7 ISAI. XXX. 26. These and the following descriptions of the increased splendour of the sun and the stars, are not taken from natural objects, but from fable. The remarkable felicity of the people is compared with that |