2

anapeftick verfe is made up of two

anapells:

But his courage găn fail,

For no arts could avail.:

3. The third form of the pure English Anapeftick confifts of four anapefts: F

At the clōfe of the day, when thể hãmlës is ftill.

tional fhort fyllable:

This measure, which resembles the French heroick verfe, is common in English fongs and ballads, and

With her mien the enamours the brave,
With her wit the engages the free,
With her modefty pleates the grave;
She is every way pleafing to me.

This is a delightful measure, and much ufed in paftoral fongs. Shenftone's ballad in four parts, from which the example is quoted, is an exquifite fpecimen. So is the Scotch ballad of Tweedfide, and Rowe's Despairing befide a clear Stream; which latt is perhaps the fineft love-fong in the world. And that the fame measure is well fuited to burlefque, appears from the very humourous ballad called The tippling Philofophers; which begins thus, Diogenes furly and proud, &c.-Obferve, that this, like all the other anapeftick forms, often (indeed for the most part) takes an iambus in the first place,

Defpairing befide a clear ftream; and formerly in the firft and third, Grim king of the ghōfts, make haste, And bring hither all your train: But this laft variety is unpleafing to a modern ear.-With an additional fhort fyllable, it is as follows:

Says my uncle, I pray` you discōvēr Why you pine and you whine like a lover: which, ufed alternately with the preceding, makes the measure of the witty ballad of Molly Mog, written by Gay, and often imitated.

mical and ferious. "It admits fhort fyllable at the end,

On the cold cheek of Death fmiles and rofes are blending:

and fometimes alfo between the fecond and third foot,

in the morning when söber, in the evening

when mellow:

which is the longest form of the regular Anapeftick in the English language.

"To one or other of thefe feven Iambick, fix Trochaick, and three Anapeftick, fpecies, every line of English poetry, if we except thofe few that are compofed of dactyls, may be reduced. I have given only the fimpleft form of each. The feveral licences or variations, that thefe fimple forms admit of, might be without difficulty enumerated but I cannot at prefent enter into the niceties of Englifh profody.

"Sidney endeavoured to bring in English hexameters, and has given fpecimens of them in the Arcadia. And Wallis, in his grammar, tranflates a Latin hexameter,

Quid faciam? moriar? et Amyntam perjet Amyntas?

into an English one,

What fhall I do? fhall I die? fhall Amyntas

murder Amyntas?

Mr. Walpole, in his catalogue of Royal

The first is on Fable and Romance, the fecond on the Attachments of Kindred, and the third contains Illuftrations on Sublimity. In the first of these, after fome general remarks on ancient and Oriental profe fable, he proceeds to modern profe fable, which he divides into four claffes. 1. The hiftorical allegory; z. The moral allegory; 3. The poetical and ferious fable; 4. The poetical and comic fable, of which the two laft he comprehends under the general term Romance.

Under each of thefe feveral heads he has claffed a variety of authors, according to the nature of their writings; and has given a critique upon each: For the moft part his obfervations are made with great judgment, and a juft conception of their respective merits, although we cannot in every refpect agree with him. As, for instance, we differ with him when he fays, that in the Arabian Nights Entertainments" there is great luxury of defcription without elegance; and great variety of invention, but nothing that elevates the mind, or touches the heart." This is true

12

of fom of the tales, but of many it certainly is not. We find our felves frequently affected both with tions, in reading the Arabian Nights horror, and with pleasing fenfaEntertainments, by the mere force of fituation and defcription; and we are much mistaken if that collection of fables has not often given rife in its readers to ideas both of a fublime and beautiful nature.

In fpeaking of the rife and progrefs of modern romance, Dr. Beattie takes an opportunity of introducing an account of the character of thofe nations who introduced the feudal government and manners, and of the crufades, and that fpirit of chivalry and knight-errantry which fucceeded, as the natural offspring of the feudal manners and government.

In the Effay on the Attachments of Kindred, Dr. Beattie difcuffes the three questions following, Whether it is according to nature, that the married perfons fhould be only two, one man and one woman: 2. Whether the matrimonial union fhould laft through the whole life: 3. Whether the rearing and educating of children fhould be left to the parents, or provided for by the publick." With regard to the first question, Dr. Beattie founds his reafons against polygamy upon the following principles That it is against the intention of nature, who having given all men propenfities alike that prompt to an union betwixt the fexes, muft have intended that all fhould enjoy the happiness refulting from it-that if polygamy was to prevail, this would be impoffible, because, agreeable to every computation, the males exceed the females:-2dly, That polygamy is inconfiftent with that' affection which married people

ought

ught to bear to one another: 3dly, That it deftroys the peace of families, and therefore ftands in direct oppofition to one of the chief ends of the matrimonial union :4thly, That it is fubverfive of filial and parental affection, must be inconfiftent with the right education of children, and fo counteract another chief end of marriage."

f

In anfwer to the fecond question, Whether the matrimonial union ought to laft through the whole life? Dr. Beattie fays it ought, and this he infers from the following principles, That it tends towards our making a deliberate choice-2dly, That as thofe who are united by friendship have the beft chance of being happy, and as true friendship requires a permanent union, fuch an union is moft likely to be happy:-3dly, That the reverfe of fuch an union would debase thofe ideas of delicacy, wherewith the intercourfe of the fexes ought always to be accompanied :-4thly, That it would be fatal to the education of children, whofe parents might be totally engroffed by other connections."

In examining the third question, Whether the rearing and educating of children fhould be left to the parents, or provided for by the public Dr. Beattie endeavours, and fuccefsfully, to overturn Plato's theory on this fubject. Indeed Plato's fupport of this theory is fo weak and abfurd, fo completely contradicts every feeling and fentiment that nature has implanted in us, that fo far from promifing any political good, it fcarcely leaves a fingle fource from which the beft and greatest of all our actions must flow, or not at all. This Effay gertainly does great honour both to

the author's heart and understanding.

The book concludes with Illuftra tions on Sublimity.-The different fources of the fublime are collected and displayed in a very judicious and critical manner in this treatife, as well thofe which arife from external and fenfible objects, as from poetry.

Poetry," he fays, "he fays," becomes fublime in many ways.When it elevates the mind by fentiments fo happily conceived and expreffed, as to raise our affections above the low purfuits of fenfuality and avarice, and animate us with the love of virtue and honour," As an inftance of this, be gives that fine line in Virgil, where Evander addreffes himself to Eneas

Aude, hofpes, contemnere opes; et to quoque dignum

Finge Deo."

2. Poetry is fublime when it conveys a lively idea of any grand appearance in art or nature.

3.

"When without any great pomp of images or of words it infufes horror by a happy choice of circumftances."--4. When it awakens in the mind any great or good affection, as piety or patriotifm." This divifion feems to be included, in our opinion, under the first head...

5. "When it defcribes in a lively manner the vifible effects of any of thofe paffions that give elevation to the character."

Under each of thefe heads Dr. Beattie has given feveral appofite examples. He concludes by enu merating a variety of those faults in ftyle and expreffion, which are inimical to, and destroy fublimity in writing,

THE