into Statius*, Lucan, Claudian, or Seneca the tragedian; authors, who by their forced conceits, by their violent metaphors, by their swelling epithets, by their want of a juft decorum, have a ftrong tendency to dazzle, and to mislead inexperienced minds, and taftes unformed, from the true relish of poffibility, propriety, fimplicity and nature. Statius had undoubtedly invention, ability and fpirit; but his images are gigantic and outrageous, and his fentiments tortured and hyperbolical. It can hardly, I think, be doubted, but that Juvenal intended a fevere fatire on him, in these well known lines which have been commonly interpreted as a panegyric. Curritur ad vocem jucundam et carmen amiça * Writers of this ftamp are always on the ftretch. They difdain the natural. They are perpetually grasping at the vaft, the wonderful, and the terrible. σε Καν έκαςον αυτών προς αυγάς ανασκοπής, εκ το φοβερά κατ' ολίγον ύπονοσει προς το ευκαταφρόνητον.---Κακοι δε ογκοι, και επι σωμάτων και λογων, οι χαυνοι και αναληθείς, και μηποτε περεις αντες ήμας εις τεναντιον «δεν γαρ φασι, ξηρότερον υδρωπικό.” Longinus, Tepe vfus T. y. Sect. iii. They should read the fenfible difcourfe of S. Wedrenfels, of Baile, De Meteoris Orationis. Promifitque 4 Promifitque diem; tanta dulcedine captos Afficit ille animos, tantaque libidine vulgi In thefe verfes are many expreffions, here marked with italics, which feem to hint obliquely, that Statius was the favourite poet of the vulgar, who were eafily captivated with a wild and inartificial tale, and with an empty magnificence of numbers'; the noify roughness of which, may be particularly alluded to in the expreffion, fregit Jubfellia verfu. One cannot forbear reflecting on the fhort duration of a true taste in poetry, among the Romans. From the time of Lucretius, to that of Statius, was no more than about one hundred and fortyfeven years; and if I might venture to pronounce fo rigorous a fentence, I would fay, that the Romans can boaft of but eight poets who are unexceptionably excellent; namely, TERENCE, LUCRETIUS, CATULLUS, VIRGIL, HORACE, TIBULLUS, PROPERTIUS, PHEDRUS. These only can be called legitimate models of juft thinking and writing. Succeeding authors, as it happens in all countries, refolving to be original and new, and to avoid the imputation of copying, became distorted and unnatural: by endeavouring to open an unbeaten path, they deferted fimplicity and truth; weary of common and obvious beauties, they must needs hunt for remote and artificial decorations. Thus was it that the age of Demetrius Phalerëus fucceeded that of Demofthenes, and the false relish of Tiberius's court, the chafte one of Auguftus. Among the various caufes however that have been affigned, why poetry and the arts have more eminently flourished in fome particular ages and nations, than in others, few have been fatisfactory and adequate. What folid reason can we give why the Romans, who fo happily imitated the Greeks in many respects, and breathed a truly tragic fpirit, could yet never excel in tragedy, though fo fond of theatrical fpectacles? Or why the Greeks, so fruitful in every species of poetry, yet never produced but one great epic poet? While on the the other hand, modern Italy, can fhew two or three illuftrious epic writers, yet has no Sophocles, Euripides, or Menander. And France, without having formed a fingle Epopëa, has carried dramatic poetry to fo high a pitch of perfection in Corneille, Racine, and Moliere. For a confirmation of the foregoing remark on Statius, and for a proof of the ftrength and spirit of POPE's youthful tranflation, I fhall felect the following paffage. He fends a monfter horrible and fell, The peft a virgin's face and bosom wears ; } Guards her black front, and hiffes in her hairs: Oedipus, in Statius, behaves with the fury B. I. ver. 701. of of a bluftering bully; in Sophocles*, with that patient fubmiffion, and pathetic remorfe, which are fuited to his lamentable condition. Art thou a father, unregarding Jove! And fleeps thy thunder in the realms above? OVID is also another writer of a bad tafte, on whom POPE employed fome of his youthful hours; in tranflating the stories of Dryope and Pomona. Were it not for the useful mythological knowledge they contain, the works of Ovid ought not to be fo diligently read. The puerilities, and affectations with which they abound, are too well known to be here infifted on. I ** See his addrefs to the furies in the Edipus Coloneus of Sophocles, beginning at the words, Ω ποτνιαι δεινωπες, at verse 85, down to verse 117. And afterwards, when he becomes more particularly acquainted with the unnatural cruelty of his fons, yet his refentment is more temperate, See verfe 433 down to verfe 472, of the fame most enchanting tragedy. chufe |