"Him the most High "Wrapt in a balmy Cloud with fiery Steeds "Did, as thou faw'ft, receive. Milton might have faid, Receiv'd, as thou haft feen. But he thought the auxiliary Verb added Strength to the Expreffion, as indeed it does. I own where the auxiliary Verb is brought close to its principal, and that a thin monofyllable, as in the Line juft now referred to, the Verse is very rude and disagreeable. But to prove that the auxiliary Verb may be employed properly, I will produce an Inftance in rhym'd Verse, as ftrong as that of Milton just mentioned. "Then did the roaring Waves their Rage compofe, "When the great Father of the Flood arofe, Pit's 1ft Eneid. I believe it will not be difputed, but that this Line is as full, as fonorous, and majestick as if the auxiliary Verb had been left out, and the Author had ufed compos'd instead of did compofe. The Expreffion is certainly more beautiful and more poetical; and the reafon of it is, that it occafions fufpence, which raises the attention; or in other Words, the auxiliary Verb gives notice of fomething coming, before the principal thing itself appears, which is another Property of Majefty. Mr. Dryden's authority might likewise be added on this occafion; even in his celebrated Lines on Milton it is to be met with. "Greece, "Greece, Italy, and England did adorn. In his Tranflation of the Eneid there are many Inftances of the fame nature, one of which I will mention; "The Queen of Heav'n did thus her fury vent. The Metre of this Line, as the Words are here rang'd, is not bad, as the Ear can judge; but it would have been extremely fo, if he had writ it thus, "The Queen of Heaven her Fury thus did vent. * From whence it appears that the auxiliary Verb is not to be rejected at all times; besides, it is a particular Idiom of the English Language: and has a Majesty in it fuperior to the Latin or Greek Tongue, and I believe to any other Language whatfoever. Many Inftances might be brought to support this Affertion from Great Authorities. I fhall produce one from Shakespear. In dreadful Secrecy impart they did. This to me The Auxiliary Verb is here very properly made ufe of; and it would be a great lofs to English Poetry, if it were to be wholly laid afide. In Tranflations from the Greek and Latin, I believe it wou'd fometimes be impoffible to do juftice to an Author without this Help: I think the Paffage in Homer before us, I mean the two firft Lines of the Iliad, are an Inftance of this kind. They have been *His Heart, his Miftrefs and his Friends did fhare. Pope, on laiture. been tranflated by many Perfons of late, Dryden, Manwaring, Mr. Tickel, and by Mr. Pope twice, and not by any one of 'em, as I apprehend, in the Spirit of Homer. As to Mr. Pope's two Tranflations, I don't understand why the latter ought to be preferr❜d to the former. Mr. Pope's firft Tranflation stood thus. The Wrath of Peleus Son, the direful Spring Mr. Pope had reafon to be diffatisfy'd with the O in the fecond Line, and to reject it; for Homer has nothing of it. But now let us see how the Vacancy is fupplied in Mr. Pope's new Translation. Achilles' Wrath, to Greece the direful Spring Is not Heav'nly as much an Expletive as O, and can either of these Couplets deferve to be plac'd in the Front of the Iliad? I could wifh Mr. Pope would return these two Lines once more to the Anvil, and difmifs all Expletives here at leaft. But enough of Expletives. I fhall now fay something of Monofyllables, which feem to be abfolutely condemn'd in the fecond Line of the two Verses juft mention'd from Mr. Pope's Effay on Criticism. And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line. Mr. Dryden indeed has faid in feveral Places, that the vast Number of Monofyllables in our Language makes it barbarous and rough, and unfit for Poetry. I am apt to think Mr. Pope gave into Mr. Dryden's Sentiment a little too haftily. I own ten low Words too frequently creep on in one dull Line, in a Foet's Works, Works, whom Mr. Pope has formerly celebrated with no mean Encomiums. The following Lines afford an Example in this respect. At the beginning of the third Book of the Davideis, this is the Defcription of Goliah's Sword. A Sword fo great, that it was only fit "To take off his great Head, who came with it. Cowley. Here are ten dull Words moft certainly in one dull Line. "To take off his great Head, who came with it. And miserable is the Metre in which they creep on. But hundreds of monofyllable Lines are to be found in Milton that are as fublime, as beautiful, and as harmonious as can poffibly be written. Look only into the Morning Hymn in the fifth Book, Speak ye who beft can tell, ye Sons of Light, Again, "Thou Sun! of this great World both Eye and Again, (Soul, "And when high Noon haft gain'd, and when thou Again, (fall'ft, "With the fixt Stars, fixt in their Orb that flies, Again, "Breathe foft or loud; and wave your Tops, ye Again, (Pines. "Bear on your Wings and in your Notes his (Praise. Can it be faid that ten dull Words creep on dully in any one of these Lines? But Examples may likewife be given in rhym'd Verfe, of the Harmony of Monofyllables. Harmony confifts in mixing rough and fmooth, foft and harsh Sounds. What Words can be rougher than fuch as thefe, Rides, Rapt, Throws, Storms; or fmoother than thefe, Wheel, Hufb, Lull? "Then mounted on his radiant Carr he rides, "And wheels along the level of the Tides. Pit's ift Æneid. How rough is the firft Line, how foft the latter! As foft as the Original, which is a Mafterpiece. 66 Rapt by his Steeds he flies in open Day, "Throws up the Reins, and skims the watry Way. "Has given to thee great Eolus to raise "Storms at thy fov'reign Will, and smooth the Seas. "He fpake, and fpeaking chas'd the Clouds away, "Hufb'd the loud Billows, and reftor'd the Day. "Mean |