XXXIX. Of all the writers of Odes, antient or modern, L E C T. there is none, that, in point of correctnefs, harmony, and happy expreffion, can vie with Horace. He has defcended from the Pindaric rapture to a more moderate degree of elevation; and joins connected thought, and good fenfe, with the highest beauties of Poetry. He does not often afpire beyond that middle region, which I mentioned as belonging to the Ode; and thofe Odes, in which he attempts the fublime, are perhaps not always his beft *. The peculiar character, in which he excels, is grace and elegance; and in this Style of Compofition, no Poet has ever attained to a greater perfection than Horace. No Poet fupports a moral fentiment with more dignity, touches a gay one more happily, or poffeffes the art of trifling more agreeably when he chooses to trifle. His language is fo fortunate, that with a fingle word or epithet, he often conveys a whole description to the fancy. Hence he ever has been, and ever will continue to be, a favourite Author with all perfons of taste. AMONG the Latin Poets of later ages, there have been many imitators of Horace. One of * There is no Ode whatever of Horace's, without great beauties. But though I may be fingular in my opinion, I can. not help thinking that in fome of thofe Odes which have been much admired for fublimity (such as Ode iv. Lib. 4." Qualem "miniftrum fulminis alitem," &c.) there appears fomewhat of a strained and forced effort to be lofty... The genius of this amiable Poet fhews itself, according to my judgment, to greater advantage, in themes of a more temperate kind. XXXIX. LECT. the moft diftinguished is Cafimir, a Polish Poet of the last century, who wrote four books of Odes. In graceful eafe of expreffion, he is far inferior to the Roman. He oftener affects the fublime; and in the attempt, like other Lyric Writers, frequently becomes harfh and unnatural. But, on feveral occafions, he discovers a confiderable degree of original genius, and poetical fire. Buchanan, in fome of his Lyric Compofitions, is very elegant and claffical. AMONG the French, the Odes of Jean Baptifte Rouffeau have been much and juftly celebrated. They poffefs great beauty, both of fentiment and expreffion. They are animated, without being rhapfodical; and are not inferior to any poetical productions in the French language. IN our own Language, we have feveral Lyric Compofitions of confiderable merit. Dryden's Ode on St. Cecilia, is well known. Mr. Gray is diftinguished in fome of his Odes, both for tendernefs and fublimity; and in Dodfley's Mifcellanies, several very beautiful Lyric Poems are to be found. As to profeffed Pindaric Odes, they are, with a few exceptions, fo incoherent, as feldom to be intelligible. Cowley, at all times harfh, is doubly fo in his Pindaric Compofitions. In his Anacreontic Odes, he is much happier. They are fmooth and elegant; and, indeed, the most agreeable, and the moft perfect, in their kind, of all Mr. Cowley's Poems. II LECTURE XL. DIDACTIC POETRY-DESCRIPTIVE POETRY. ECT. XL. HAVING treated of Paftoral and Lyric Poetry, L E C T. I proceed next to Didactic Poetry; under which is included a numerous Clafs of Writings. The ultimate end of all Poetry, indeed of every Compofition, fhould be, to make fome useful impreffion on the mind. This ufeful impreffion is moft commonly made in Poetry, by indirect methods ; as by fable, by narration, by reprefentation of characters; but Didactic Poetry openly profeffes its intention of conveying knowledge and instruction. It differs therefore, in the form only, not in the fcope and fubftance, from a philofophical, a moral, or a critical treatise in Profe. At the fame time, by means of its form, it has feveral advantages over Profe Inftruction. By the charm of Verfification and Numbers, it renders inftruction more agreeable; by the defcriptions, episodes, and other embellishments, which it may interweave, it detains and engages the fancy; it fixes alfo ufeful circumftances XL. LECT. more deeply in the memory. Hence, it is a field, wherein a Poet may gain great honour, may display both much genius, and much knowledge and judgment. Ir may be executed in different manners. The Poet may choose fome inftructive subject, and he may treat it regularly, and in form; or without intending a great or regular work, he may only inveigh against particular vices, or make fome moral obfervations on human life and characters, as is commonly done in Satires and Epiftles. All these come under the denomination of Didactic Poetry. THE higheft fpecies of it, is a regular treatise on fome philofophical, grave, or useful fubject. Of this nature we have feveral, both antient and modern, of great merit and character: fuch as Lucretius's fix Books De Rerum Natura, Vir gil's Georgics, Pope's Effay on Criticifm, Akenfide's Pleasures of the Imagination, Armstrong on Health, Horace's, Vida's, and Boileau's Art of Poetry. In all fuch works, as inftruction is the profeffed object, the fundamental merit confifts in found thought, juft principles, clear and apt illuftrations. The Poet muft inftruct; but he must ftudy, at the fame time, to enliven his inftructions, by the introduction of fuch figures, and fuch circumftances, as may amufe the imagination, may conceal the drynefs of his fubject, and XL. and embellish it with poetical painting. Virgil, LECT. in his Georgics, prefents us here with a perfect model. He has the art of raifing and beautify. ing the moft trivial circumftances in rural life. When he is going to fay, that the labour of the country muft begin in fpring, he expreffes himfelf thus: Vere novo, gelidus canis cum montibus humor INSTEAD of telling his husbandman in plain language, that his crops will fail through bad management, his language is, Heu magnum alterius fruftra spectabis acervum, INSTEAD of ordering him to water his grounds, he presents us with a beautiful landscape: |