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I have rather chosen to take notice of this Stanza, because that Poet and Chaucer have made use of it in many of their Poems, tho' they have not been follow'd in it by any of the Moderns; whose Stanzas of 7 Verses are generally compos'd as follows.

Either the Four first Verses are a Quadran in Alternate
Rhyme, and the Three last rhyme to one another; as,

Now by my Love, the greatest Oath that is,
None loves you half so well as I;

I do not ask your Love for this,

But for Heaven's Sake believe me, or I dye.

No Servant fure but did deserve
His Master should believe that he did Serves
And I'll ask no more Wages the I starve.

Cowl.),

Or the Four first are Two Couplets, and the Three last a Triplet; as,

Indeed I must confess

When Souls mix 'tis a Happiness,
But not compleat till Bodies too combine,

And closely as our Minds together joyn.

But Half of Heav'n the Souls in

'Till by Love in Heav'n at last,
Their Bodies too are plac'd.

Glory taste,

Cowl.

Or, on the contrary, the Three first may rhyme, and the Four last be in Rhymes that follow one another; as,

1

From Hate, Fear, Hope, Anger, and Envy free,
And all the Paffions else that be,
In vain I boast of Liberty :

In vain this State a Freedom call,

Since I have Love; and Love is all,

Sot that I am! who think it fit to brag

That I have no Disease besides the Plague.

}

Cowl.

Or the ist may rhyme to the 2 last, the ad to the 5th, and
the 3d and 4th to one another; as,

In vain thou drowsie God I thee invoke,
For thou who doft from Fumes arise,
Thou who Man's Seul do'st overshade
VVith a thick Cloud by Vapours made,
Canft have no Pow'r to shut his Eyes,
Or Paffage of his Spirits to choak,

VVhose Flame's So pure, that it Sends up no Smoak. Cowl.

Or lastly, the Four first and Two last may be in following
Rhyme, and the 5th a Blank Verse; as,

Thots

1

Thou robb'st my Days of Business and Delights.
of Sleep thou robb'st my Nights.
Ah lovely Thief! what wilt thou do?
What, rob me of Heav'n too!

Thou ev'n my Prayers dost from me steal
And I with wild Idolatry

Begin to God, and end them all in thee,

Cowl.

The Stanzas of 9 and of 11 Syllables are not so frequent as those of 5 and of 7. Spencer has compos'd his Fairy Qucen in Stanzas of 9 Verses, where the ist rhymes to the 3d, the 2d to the 4th sth and 7th, and the 6th to the two last. But this Stanza is very difficult to maintain, and the unlucky Choice of it reduc'd him often to the Necessity of making use of many exploded Words: Nor has he, I think, been follow'd in it by any of the Moderns, whose 6 first Verses of the Stanzas that confift of 9, are generally in Rhymes that follow one another, and the Three last a Triplet; as,

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Beauty, Love's Scene and Masquerade,
So well by well-plac'd Lights, and Distance made;
False Coin! with which th' Impostor cheats us still,
The Stamp and Colour good, but Metal ill:
Which light or base we find, when we
Weigh by Enjoyment, and examine thee.
For the thy Being be but Show,
'Tis chiefly Night which Men to thee allow,
And chuse t'enjoy thee, when thoa least art thoit.

Cowl.

In the following Example the like Rhyme is observ'd, but

the Verses differ in Measure from the Former.

Beneath this gloomy Shade,

By Nature only for my Sorrows made,

I'll spend this Voice in Cries;

In Tears I'll waste these Eyes,

By Love so vainly fed:

So Lust of old the Deluge punished.

Ah wretched Youth! Said I;

Ah wretched Youth! twice did I fadly cry;

Ah wretched Youth! the Fields and Floods reply.

Cowl.

The Stanzas consisting of II Verses are yet less frequent than those of 9, and have nothing particular to be observ'd in them. Take an Example of one of them, where the 6 first are 3 Couplets, the three next a Triplet, the two last a Couplet; and where the 4th, the 7th, and the laft Verses are of to Syllables cach, the others of 8.

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No, to what Purpose should I speak?
No, wretched Heart, Swell till you break:
She cannot love me if she would,

And, to say Truth, 'twere Pity that she should.

No, to the Grave thy Sorrows bear,

As filent as they will be there ;

Since that lov'd Hand this mortal Wound does give,

So handfomly the thing contrive,

That shemay guiltless of it live:

So perish, that her killing thee

May a Chance-Medley, and no Murther be.

SECT. VII.

Cowl.

Of Pindarick Odes, and Poems in Blank Verfe.

HE Stanzas of Pindarick Odes are neither confin'd to a certain Number of Verses, nor the Verses to a certain Number of Syllables, nor the Rhyme to a certain Distance. Some Stanzas contain 50 Verses or more, others not above 10, and fometimes not fo many: Some Verses 14, nay, 16 Syllables, others not above 4: Sometimes the Rhymes follow one another for several Couplets together, sometimes they are remov'd 6 Verses from each other; and all this in the same Stanza. Cowley was the first who introduc'd' this fort of Poetry into our Language: Nor can the Nature of it be better defcrib'd than as he himself has done it, in one of the Stanzas of his Ode upon Liberty, which I will transcribe, not as an Example, for none can properly be given where no Rule can be prescrib'd, but to give an Idea of the Nature of this fort of Poetry.

If Life should a well-order'd Poem be,

In which he only hits the White,

Who joins true Profit with the best Delight;

The more Heroick Strain let others take,

Mine the Pindarick way I'll make:

The Matter shall be grave, the Numbers loose and free;

It shall not keep one settled Pace of Time,

In the same Tune it shall not always chime,

Nor shall each Day just to his Neighbour rhyme.

A thousand Liberties it shall dispence,

And yet shall manage all without Offence,

Or to the Sweetness of the Sound, or Greatness of the Sense.

Nor

Nor shall it never from one Subject start,
Nor feek Transitions to depart;

Nor its set way o'er Stiles and Bridges make,
Nor thro' Lanes a Compass take,
As if it fear'd fome Trespass to commit,
When the wide Air's a Road for it.

So the Imperial Eagle does not stay Till the whole Carcass he devour, That's fall'n into his Pow'r, As if his gen'rous Hunger understood, That he can never want Plenty of Food; He only fucks the tastful Blood, And to fresh Game flies chearfully away, To Kites and meaner Birds he leaves the mangled Prey. This fort of Poetry is employ'd in all Manner of Subjects; in Pleasant, in Grave, in Amorous, in Heroick, in Philosophical, in Moral, and in Divine.

Blank Verse is where the Measure is exacty kept without Rhyme; Shakespear, to avoid the troublesome Constraint of Rhyme, was the first who invented it; our Poets fince him have made use of it in many of their Tragedies and Comedies: But the most celebrated Poem in this kind of Verse is Milton's Paradise Loft; from the 5th Book of which I have taken the following Lines for an Example of Blank Verse.

These are thy glorious Works, Parent of Good!
Almighty! thine this universal Frame,
Thus wondrous fair! thy self how wondrous then !
Speak you, who best can tell, ye Sons of Light,
Angels! for you behold him, and with Songs,
And Choral Symphonies, Day without Night
Circle his Throne rejoycing, you in Heaven.
On Earth! joyn all ye Creatures, to extol
Him first, him last, him midst, and without end.
Fairest of Stars! last in the Train of Night,
If better thou belong not to the Dawn,
Sure Pledge of Day, that crown'st the Smiling Morn
With thy bright Circlet, praise him in thy Sphere,
While Day arises, that Sweet Hour of Prime!
Thou Sun! of this great World both Eye and Soul,
Acknowledge him thy Greater, sound his Praise
In thy eternal Course, both when thou climb'st
And when high Noon haft gain'd, and when thou fall'ft.
Moon ! that now meet'st the Orient Sun, now fly'st
With the fix'd Stars, fix'd in their Orb that flies,
And ye Five other wandring Fires! that move
In Mystick Dance, not without Song, resound

His Praise, who out of Darkness call'd up Light.
Air! and ye Elements! the eldest Birth
Of Nature's Womb, that in Quaternion run
Perpetual Circle multiform, and mix
And nourish all things; let your ceaseless Change
Vary to our great Maker still new Praise.
Ye Mists and Exhalations! that now rise
From Hill or steaming Lake, dusky or grey,
Till the Sun paint your flee fleecy Skirts with Gold,
In Honour to the World's great Author rise;
Whether to deck with Clouds th'uncolour'd Sky,
Or wet the thirsty Earth with falling Show'rs,
Rising or falling, still advance his Praise.
His Praise, ye Winds! that from four Quarters blow,
Breath soft or loud; and wave your Tops, ye Pines !
With ev'ry Plant, in fign of Worship, wave.
Fountains! and ye that warble as you flow
Melodious Murmurs, warbling tune his Praise.
Join Voices all ye living Souls, ye Birds!
That finging, up to Heav'n's high Gate afcend,
Bear on your Wings, and in your Notes his Praise.
Te that in Waters glide! and ye that walk
The Earth! and stately tread, or lowly creep
Witness if I be filent, Ev'n or Morn,
To Hill or Valley, Fountain or fresh Shade,
Made vocal by my Song, and taught his Praise.

Thus I have given a short Account of all the forts of Poems, that are most us'd in our Language. The Acrosticks, Anagrams, &c. deserve not to be mention'd, and we may fay of them what an antient Poet faid long ago.

Stultum eft difficiles habere Nugas,
Et stultus Labor est ineptiarum.

FINIS.

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