*

But Mr. Pope has utterly overlooked this beauty, and fubftituted an idea very different from that which the verb aropsw fuggefts: he renders it,

Slow from his feat arofe the Pylian fage.

Now a more unfortunate word could fcarcely have been joined with arofe, as it deftroys the whole spirit of the piece, and is just the reverse of what both the occafion and the original required.

I DOUBT, Euphronius, you are growing weary will you have patience, however, whilft I mention one obfervation more?

WHEN Menelaus and Paris enter the lifts, Pope fays,

Amidst the dreadful vale the chiefs advance, All pale with rage, and shake the threat'ning lance.

In the original it is,

Ες μεσον Τρώων και Αχαιων εξικων το
Δεινόν δερκομένοι.

Il. iii. 341.

But does not the expreffion with rage

all pale

call up a contrary idea to

δεινον

δεινον δερκόμενοι ? The former feems to fuggeft to one's imagination the ridiculous paffion of a couple of female fcolds, whereas the latter conveys the terrifying image of two indignant heroes, animated with calm and deliberate valor. Farewel.

LETTER XXI.

To CLEORA.

AFTER having read your last letter, I

can no the truth of those falutary effects, which are faid to have been produced by the application of certain written words. I have myself experienced the poffibility of the thing and a few strokes of your pen have abated a pain, which of all others is the moft uneafy, and the most difficult to be relieved; even the pain, my Cleora, of the mind. To fympathize with my fufferings, as Cleora kindly affures me fhe does, is to affuage them; and half the uneafiness of her abfence is removed, when he tells me that the regrets mine.

SINCE

SINCE I thus affuredly find that you can work miracles, I will believe likewife that you have the gift of prophecy; and I can no longer defpair that the time will come, when we shall again meet, fince you have abfolutely pronounced that it will I have ventured, therefore (as you will fee by my laft letter) already to name the day. In the mean time, I amufe myself with doing every thing that looks like a preparation for my journey; e gia apro le braccia per ftringervi affettuosamente al mio fenno.

THE truth is, you are every inftant in my thoughts, and each occurrence that arifes fuggefts you to my remembrance. If I fee a clear fky, I wish it may extend to you; and if I obferve a cloudy one, I am uneafy left my Cleora fhould be exposed to it. I never read an interesting story, or a pertinent remark, that I do not long to communicate it to you, and learn to double my relish by hearing your judicious obfer vations. I cannot take a turn in my garden but every walk calls you into my mind. Ah

Cleora! I never view thofe fcenes of our former converfations, without a figh. Judge

then

1

then how often I figh, when every object that furrounds me brings you fresh to my imagination. You remember the attitude in which the faithful Penelope is drawn in Pope's Odiffey, when fhe goes to fetch. the bow of Ulyffes for the fuitors:

Across her knees fpe laid the well known,bow,
And penfive fat, and tears began to flow.

I find myself in numberless such tender reveries and if I were ever fo much dif posed to banish you from my thoughts, it would be impoffible I should do fo, in a place where every thing that presents itself to me, reminds me that you were once here. I must not expect (I ought not, indeed, for the fake of your repofe to wish) to be thus frequently and thus fondly the fubject of your meditations: but may not hope that you employ a few moments at least of every day, in thinking of him whose whole attention is fixed upon you?

I HAVE fent you the hiftory of the Conqueft of Mexico, in English, which, as it is tranflated by fo good a hand, will be equally pleafing and lefs troublesome, than reading it in the original. I I long to be of

this

this party in your expedition to the new world, as I lately was in your conquests of Italy. How happily could I fit by Cleora's fide, and pursue the Spaniards in their triumphs, as I formerly did the Romans; or make a tranfition from a nation of heroes to a republic of ants! Glorious days indeed! when we paffed whole mornings either with dictators or butterflies; and fometimes fent out a colony of Romans, and fometimes of emmits! Adieu.

LETTER

XXII.

To PALEMON.

ΤΗ

HO' I am not convinced by your arguments, I am charmed by your eloquence, and admire the preacher at the fame time that I condemn the doctrine. But there is no fort of perfons whofe opinions one is more inclined to wish right, than those who are ingeniously in the who have the art to add grace to wrong; error, and can dignify mistakes.

FORGIVE