that happened under the Reign of Pope Leo, when a Firework, that had been prepared upon the Castle of St. Angelo, begun to play before its Time, being kindled by a Flash of Lightning. The Author hath written his Poem in the fame kind of Style, as that I have already exemplified in Profe. Every Line in it is a Riddle, and the Reader must be forced to confider it twice or thrice, before he will know that the Cynick's Tenement is a Tub, and Bacchus his Caft-coat a HogShead, &c.

'Twas Night, and Heav'n, a Cyclops, all the Day,
An Argus now did countless Eyes difplay;
In ev'ry Window Rome her Joy declares,
All bright, and ftudded with terreftrial Stars.
A blazing Chain of Lights her Roofs entwines,
And round her Neck the mingled Luftre fhines.
The Cynick's rowling Tenement confpires,
With Bacchus his Caft-coat, to feed the Fires.

The Pile, ftill big with undiscover'd Shows,
The Tufcan Pile did laft its Freight difclofe,
Where the proud Tops of Rome's new Etna rife,
Whence Giants fally, and invade the Skies.

Whilft now the Multitude expect the Time,
And their tir'd Eyes the lofty Mountain climb,
A thousand Iron Mouths their Voices try,
And thunder out a dreadful Harmony;
In treble Notes the fmall Artill'ry plays,
The deep-mouth'd Cannon bellows in the Bafs.
The lab'ring Pile now heaves; and having giv'n
Proofs of its Travail, fighs in Flames to Heav'n.

The Clouds invelop'd Heav'n from Human Sight,
Quench'd every Star, and put out every Light;
New Real Thunder grumbles in the Skies,
And in difdainful Murmurs Rome defies;
Nor doth its anfwer'd Challenge Rome decline;
But whilft both Parties in full Confort join,

While

While Heav'n and Earth in Rival Peals refound,
The doubtful Cracks the Hearer's Senfe confound;
Whether the Claps of Thunder-bolts they hear,
Or else the Burft of Cannon wounds their Ear;
Whether Clouds rage'd by struggling Metals rent,
Or ftruggling Clouds in Roman Metals pent.
But O, my Mufe, the whole Adventure tell,
As ev'ry Accident in order fall.

Tall Groves of Trees the Hadrian Tow'r furround,
Fictitious Trees with Paper Garlands crown'd.
Thefe know no Spring, but when their Bodies sprout
In Fire, and shoot their gilded Bloffoms out;
When blazing Leaves appear above their Head,
And into branching Flames their Bodies spread,
Whilft Real Thunder fplits the Firmament,
And Heav'n's whole Roof in one vaft Cleft is rent,
The Three fork'd Tongue amidst the Rupture lolls,
Then drops and on the Airy Turret falls.
The Trees now kindle, and the Garland burns,
And thoufand Thunderbolts for one returns.
Brigades of burning Archers upward fly,

Bright Spears and Shining Spear-men mount on high,
Flash in the Clouds and glitter in the Sky.

A Seven-fold Shield of Spheres doth Heav'n defend,
And back again the blunted Weapons fend;

Unwillingly they fall, and dropping down,

Pour out their Souls, their Sulph'rous Souls, and groan.

With Foy, great Sir, we view'd this pompous Show,
While Heav'n, that fate Spectator ftill 'till now,
Itfelf turn'd Actor, proud to Pleasure you.
And fo 'tis fit, when Leo's Fires appear,
That Heav'n itfelf should turn an Engineer;
That Heav'n itself should all its Wonders show,
And Orbs above confent with Orbs below.

L 3

}

Wednesday,

་

N61%. Wednesday, November 10.

Neque enim concludere verfum

Dixeris effe fatis: neque fiquis fcribat, uti nos,
Sermoni propiora, putes hunc effe Poetam.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

'Y:

Hor.

YOU having in your two laft Spectators given the Town a couple of remarkable Letters in very different Styles; I take this opportunity to offer to you fome Remarks upon the Epiftolary way of writing in Verfe. This is a Species of Poetry by it felf; and has not fo much as been ⚫ hinted at in any of the Arts of Poetry, that have ever fallen into my Hands: Neither has it in any Age, or any Nation, been fo much cultivated, as the other feveral Kinds of Poefie. A Man of Genius may, if he pleafes, write Letters in Verfe upon all manner of Subjects, that are capable of being embellish<ed with Wit and Language, and may render them new and agreeable by giving the proper Turn to ⚫ ther But in fpeaking, at prefent, of Epiftolary Roe< try, would be underfood to mean only fuch Wri" tings in this Kind, as have been in Use amongst the Ancients, and have been copied from them by fome Moderns. These may be reduced into two Claffes: In the one I fhall range Love-Letters, Letters of Friendship, and Letters upon mournful Occafions: In the other I fhall place fuch Epiftles in Verfe, as may properly be called Familiar, Critical, and Moral; to which may be added Letters of Mirth and Humour. Ovid for the firft, and Horace for the latter, are the best Originals we have left.

1

⚫ HE that is ambitious of fucceeding in the Ovidian way, fhould firft examine his Heart well, and feel whe

• whether his Paffions (efpecially thofe of the gentler Kind) play eafie, fince it is not his Wit, but the Delicacy and Tenderness of his Sentiments, that will affect his Readers. His Verfification likewife fhould be foft, and all his Numbers flowing and queru⚫ lous.

THE Qualifications requifite for writing Epiftles, after the Model given us by Horace, are of a quite ⚫ different Nature. He that would excel in this kind must have a good Fund of firong Masculine Senfe: To this there must be joined a thorough Knowledge ⚫ of Mankind, together with an Infight into the Bunefs, and the prevailing Humours of the Age. Our Author must have his Mind well seasoned with the finest Precepts of Morality, and be filled with nice • Reflections upon the bright and the dark fides of human Life: He must be a Master of refined Raillery, and understand the Delicacies, as well as the Abfur⚫dities of Converfation. He muft have a lively Turn of Wit, with an easie and concise manner of Expreffion; Every thing he fays, muft be in a free and difengaged manner. He must be guilty of nothing that betrays the Air of a Reclufe, but appear a Man of the World throughout. His Illuftrations, his Comparifons, and the greatest part of his Images muft be drawn from common Life. Strokes of Satyr ⚫ and Criticism, as well as Panegyrick, judiciouły thrown in (and as it were by the by) give a wonderful Life and Ornament to Compofitions of this kind. But let our Poet, while he writes Epiftles, though never fo, familiar, ftill remember that he writes in Verfe, and muft for that reason have a • more than ordinary care not to fall into Profe, and a vulgar Diction, excepting where the Nature and Humour of the Thing does neceffarily require it. In this Point Horace hath been thought by fome Cri⚫ticks to be sometimes careless, as well as too negligent of his Verfification; of which he feems to have been fenfible himself.

ALL I have to add is, that both these Manners of Writing may be made as entertaining, in their Way, as any other Species of Poetry, if undertaken by Perfons duly qualify'd; and the latter fort may be managed fo as to become in a peculiar manner Inftructive. I am, &c.

I fhall add an Observation or two to the Remarks of my ingenious Correfpondent, and, in the First place, take Notice, that Subjects of the most fublime Nature are often treated in the Epiftolary way with Advantage, as in the famous Epiftle of Horace to Augustus. The Poet furprizes us with his Pomp, and feems rather betrayed into his Subject, than to have aimed at it by defign: He appears like the Vifit of a King Incognito, with a mixture of Familiarity, and Grandeur. In Works of this kind, when the Dignity of the Subject hurries the Poet into Defcriptions and Sentiments, feemingly unpremeditated, by a fort of Inspiration; it is ufual for him to Recollect himself, and fall backgracefully into the natural Stile of a Letter,

I might here mention an Epiftolary Poem, just Published by Mr. Euflen on the King's Acceffion to the Throne: Wherein, amongst many other noble and beautiful Strokes of Poetry, his Reader may fee this Rule very happily observed.

N° 619. Friday, November 12.

dura

Exerce imperia, & ramos compefce fluentes.

Virg.

Have often thought, that if the feveral Letters, which are Written to me under the Character of SPECTATOR, and which I have not made use of, were published in a Volume, they would not be an unentertaining Collection. The Variety of the Sub

jects,