LECTURE XXXVIII. LECT. NATURE OF POETRY ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS-VERSIFICATION. I HAVE now finished my obfervations on the XXXVIII. different kinds of Writing in Profe. What remains is, to treat of Poetical Compofition. Before entering on the confideration of any of its particular kinds, I defign this Lecture as an Introduction to the fubject of Poetry in general; wherein I fhall treat of its nature, give an account of its origin, and make fome obfervations on Verfification, or Poetical Numbers OUR first enquiry must be, what is Poetry? and wherein does it differ from Profe? The anfwer to this question is not fo eafy as might at first be imagined; and Critics have differed and difputed much concerning the proper definition of Poetry. Some have made its effence to confift in fiction, and fupport their opinion by the authority of Ariftotle and Plato. But this is certainly too limited a definition; for though fiction 79 XXXVIII. fiction may have a great fhare in many Poetical LECT Compofitions, yet many fubjects of Poetry may not be feigned; as where the Poet defcribes objects which actually exist, or pours forth the real fentiments of his own heart. Others have made the characteristic of Poetry to lie in imitation. But this is altogether loofe; for feveral other arts imitate as well as Poetry; and an imitation of human manners and characters, may be carried on in the humbleft Profe, no less than in the more lofty Poetic ftrain. THE most just and comprehensive definition which, I think, can be given of Poetry, is, "That it is the language of paffion, or of enli"vened imagination, formed, most commonly, "into regular numbers." The Hiftorian, the Orator, the Philofopher, addrefs themselves, for the most part, primarily to the understanding : their direct aim is to inform, to perfuade, or to inftruct. But the primary aim of a Poet is to pleafe, and to move; and, therefore, it is to the Imagination, and the Paffions, that he speaks. He may, and he ought to have it in his view, to inftruct and to reform; but it is indirectly, and by pleafing and moving, that he accomplishes this end. His mind is fuppofed to be animated by fome interefting object which fires his Imagination, or engages his Paffions; and which, of courfe, communicates to his Style a peculiar elevation fuited to his ideas; very different from that mode of expreffion, which is natural to the mind in its calm, ordinary ftate. I have added to my LE C T. definition, that this language of Paffion, or im, XXXVIII. agination, is formed, most commonly, into regular numbers; because, though Verfification be, in general, the exterior diftinction of Poetry, yet there are fome forms of Verfe fo loofe and familiar, as to be hardly diftinguishable from Profe; fuch as the Verfe of Terence's Comedies; and there is alfo a fpecies of Profe, fo measured in its cadence, and fo much raised in its tone, as to approach very near to Poetical Numbers; fuch as the Telemachus of Fenelon ; and the English Translation of Offian. The truth is, Verfe and Profe, on fome occafions, run into one another, like light and fhade. It is hardly poffible to determine the exact limit where Eloquence ends, and Poetry begins; nor is there any occafion for being very precife about the boundaries, as long as the nature of each is understood, Thefe are the minutiae of Criticifm, concerning which frivolous Writers are always difpofed to fquabble; but which deferve not any particular difcuffion. The truth and justness of the definition, which I have given of Poetry, will appear more fully from the account which I am now to give of its origin, and which will tend to throw light on much of what I am afterwards to deliver, concerning its various kinds. THE Greeks, ever fond of attributing to their own nation the invention of all fciences and arts, have afcribed the origin of Poetry to Orpheus, Linus, and Mufæus. There were, perhaps, 15 perhaps, fuch perfons as thefe, who were the first LECT. diftinguished bards in the Grecian Countries. XXXVIII. But long before fuch names were heard of, and among nations where they were never known, Poetry exifted. It is a great error to imagine, that Poetry and Mufic are Arts which belong only to polished nations. They have their foundation in the nature of man, and belong to all nations, and to all ages; though, like other arts founded in nature, they have been more cultivated, and, from a concurrence of favourable circumstances, carried to greater perfection in fome countries, than in others. In order to explore the rife of Poetry, we must have recourfe to the deferts and the wilds; we muft go back to the age of hunters and of fhepherds; to the highest antiquity: and to the fimpleft form of manners among mankind. It was in very IT has been often faid, and the concurring voice of all antiquity affirms, that Poetry is older than Profe. But in what fenfe this feemingly ftrange Paradox holds true, has not always been well understood. There never, certainly, was any period of fociety in which men converfed together in Poetical numbers. humble and feanty Profe, as we lieve, that the first tribes carried on intercourfe among themselves, relating to the wants and neceffities of life. But from the very beginning of Society, there were occafions on which they met together for feafts, facrifices, and public affemblies; and on all fuch occafions, it is well known, VOL. III. G LECT. known, that mufic, fong, and dance, made their XXXVIII. principal entertainment. It is chiefly in Ame rica, that we have had the opportunity of being made acquainted with men in their favage ftate. We learn from the particular and concurring accounts of Travellers, that, among all the nations of that vaft continent, efpecially among the Northern Tribes, with whom we have had most intercourfe, mufic and fong are, at all their meetings, carried on with an incredible degree of enthufiam; that the Chiefs of the Tribe are those who signalize themselves most on fuch occafions; that it is in fongs they celebrate their religious rites; that, by thefe, they lament their public and private calamities, the death of friends, or the lofs of warriors; exprefs their joy on their victories; celebrate the great actions of their nation, and their heroes ; excite each other to perform great exploits in war, or to fuffer death and torments with unfhaken conftancy. HERE then we fee the firft beginnings of Poetic Compofition, in those rude effufions, which the enthufiafm of fancy or paffion fuggefted to untaught men, when roufed by interefting events, and by their meeting together in public affemblies. Two particulars would early diftinguish this language of fong, from that in which they converfed on the common occurrences of life; namely, an unusual arrangement of words, and the employment of bold figures of fpeech. It would invert words, or change them from |