Still green with bays each ancient Altar stands, Above the reach of facrilegious hands; NOTES. Secure VER. 181. each ancient Altar] "All the inventions and thoughts of the ancients, whether conveyed to us in ftatues, basreliefs, intaglio's, cameo's, or coins, are to be fought after, and carefully studied. The genius that hovers over these venerable reliques, may be called the Father of Modern Art. "From the remains of the works of the antients the modern arts were revived, and it is by their means that they must be restored a fecond time. However it may mortify our vanity, we must be forced to allow them our mafters; and we may venture to prophefy, that when they fhall cease to be studied, arts will no longer flourish, and we shall again relapse into barbarism. "The fire of the artist's own genius operating upon these materials, which have been thus diligently collected, will enable him to make new combinations, perhaps fuperior to what had ever before been in the poffeffion of the art. As in the mixture of the variety of metals, which are faid to have been melted and run together in the burning of Corinth, a new, and till then unknown, metal was produced, equal in value to any of those that had contributed to its compofition. And though a curious refiner may come with his crucibles, analyfe and feparate its various component parts, yet Corinthian brass would still hold its rank amongst the most beautiful and valuable of metals. "We have hitherto confidered the advantages of imitation, as it tends to form the tafte, and as a practice by which a spark of that genius may be caught, which illumines thefe noble works, that ought always to be prefent to our thoughts. "We come now to speak of another kind of imitation; the borrowing a particular thought, an action, attitude, or figure, and tranfplanting it into your own work; this will either come under the charge of plagiarism, or be warrantable, and deserve commendation, according to the address with which it is performed. There is fome difference likewife whether it is upon the ancients or the moderns that these depredations are made. It is generally allowed, that no man need be ashamed of copying the ancients; their works are confidered as a magazine of common property, I Secure from Flames, from Envy's fiercer rage, Destructive War, and all-involving Age. See from each clime the learn'd their incense bring! Hear, in all tongues confenting Pæans ring! In praise so just let ev'ry voice be join'd, And fill the gen'ral chorus of mankind. Hail, Bards triumphant! born in happier days; 186 190 Whofe honours with increase of ages grow, T'admire fuperior fenfe, and doubt their own! NOTES. 195 200 Of property, always open to the Public, whence every man has a right to what materials he pleafes; and if he has the art of ufing them, they are supposed to become, to all intents and purposes, his own property. "The collection which Raffaelle made of the thoughts of the ancients with so much trouble, is a proof of his opinion on this fubject. Such collections may be made with much more ease, by means of an art fcarce known in his time, I mean that of engraving; by which, at an eafy rate, every man may avail himself of the inventions of antiquity." Reynold's Difcourfes. VER, 184. all-involving Age.] In his epiftle to Addison Pope has all-devouring Age," but the epithet here is more original and striking, and admirably fuited to the subject. This fhews a nice discrimination." All-involving" would be as improper in the Effay on Medals, as all-devouring would be in this place. II. Or all the causes which confpire to blind She gives in large recruits of needful Pride; 205 What wants in blood and fpirits, fwell'd with wind: 210 COMMENTARY. If VER. 200. T'admire fuperior fenfe, and doubt their own!] This line concludes the firft divifion of the Poem; in which we fee the subject of the first and second part, and likewife the connexion they have with one another. It ferves likewise to introduce the fecond. WARBURTON. VER. 201. Of all the causes, &c.] Having, in the first part, delivered Rules for perfecting the Art of Criticifm, the fecond is employed in explaining the Impediments to it. The first cause of wrong Judgment is PRIDE. He judiciously begins with this, [from ver 200 to 215.] as on other accounts fo on this, that it is the very thing which gives modern Criticism its character; whofe complexion is abuse and cenfure. NOTES. WARBURTON. VER. 206. She gives in large recruits of needful Pride;] So in the Effay on Man : "And each vacuity of fenfe by Pride." VER. 209. Pride, where Wit fai's, feps into our defence, A very fenfible French writer makes the following remark on this fpecies of Pride: "Un homme qui fçait plufieurs Langues, qui entend les Auteurs Grecs et Latins, qui s'eleve même jusqu'à la If once right reafon drives that cloud away, A little learning is a dang'rous thing; 215 There COMMENTARY. VER. 216. Drink deep, &c.] Nature and Learning are the poleftars of all true Criticifm: But Pride obstructs the view of Nature; and a fmattering of letters makes us infenfible of our ignorance. To avoid this ridiculous fituation, the Poet [from ver. 214 to 233.] advises either to drink deep, or not to drink at all; for the leaft fip at this fountain is enough to make a bad Critic, while even a moderate draught can never make a good one. And yet the labours and difficulties of drinking deep are so great that a young author, "Fir'd with ideas of fair Italy," and ambitious to fnatch a palm from Rome, here engages in an undertaking like that of Hannibal: Finely illuftrated by the fimilitude of an unexperienced traveller penetrating through the Alps. WARBURTON. NOTES. la dignité de SCHOLIASTE; fi cet homme venoit à pefer fon véritable mérite, il trouveroit souvent qu'il se réduit, avoir eu des yeux et de la mémoire; il fe garderoit bien de donner le nom refpectable de science à une erudition fans lumiere. Il y a une grande difference entre s'enrichir des mots ou des chofes, entre alleguer des autorités ou des raifons. Si un homme pouvoit fe furprendre à n'avoir que cette forte de mérite, il en rougiroit plûtôt que d'en être vain.” WARBURTON. VER. 213. your defects to know,] Gray has "Exact my own defects to scan," and the exact knowledge of our defeds, in con. duct as well as in writing, is perhaps equally difficult to attain. Pope's rule in either cafe is a very good one. He followed it himself, There fhallow draughts intoxicate the brain, Mount o'er the vales, and seem to tread the sky, 220 225 Th❜ VARIATIONS. VER. 225. So pleas'd at firft the tow'ring Alps to try, Fill'd with ideas of fair Italy, The Traveller beholds with cheerful eyes The lefs'ning vales, and feems to tread the fkies. NOTES. himself, with regard to his antagonist, Dennis. Some faults in this Effay, which Dennis detected, Pope had the good sense to correct. VER. 213. defects to know,] Akenfide injured his poem by too much correction. Ariofto, as easy and familiar as he seems to be, made many and great alterations in his enchanting poem. Some of Rochefoucault's Maxims were corrected and new written more than thirty times. The Provincial Letters of Pascal, the model of good style in the French language, were fubmitted to the judgment of twelve members of the Port Royal, who made many corrections in them. All that can be faid about correction, is contained in these few incomparable words of Quintlian: "Hujus operis eft, adjicere, detrahere, mutare. Sed facilius in his fimpliciufque judicium, quæ replenda vel dejicienda funt; premere verò tumentia, humilia extollere, luxuriantia aftringere, inordinata dirigere, foluta componere, exultantia coercere, duplicis operæ." Quint. lib. x. c. 3. WARTON. |