-The reader, no doubt, pronounces on first fight, this defcription to be original. But why? There is no part of it, which may not be traced in other poets. The Staining of the clouds, and putting out the ftars are circumftances, that are almost conftantly taken notice of in reprefentations of the morning. And the laft image, which ftrikes moft, is not effentially different from that of Virgil and Homer. It would exprefs the attitude of a perfon impatient, and in act to make his appearance. And this is, plainly, the image fuggefted by the other two. But the difference lies here. Homer's expreffion of impatience is general, PNTO, So is Virgil's, and, as the occafion required, with lefs energy, SURGEBAT. Shakespear's is particular: that impatience is fet before us, and pictured to the eye the circumftance of standing tiptoe; the attitude of a winged meffenger, in act to fhoot, away on his errand with eagerness and precipitation. Which is a beauty of the fame kind with that Ariftotle fo much admired in the ΡΟΔΟΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ of Homer. This "image, fays he, is peculiar and fingularly proper to fet the object before our eyes. "Had

ΩΡΝΥΘ,

this

* Had the poet faid ΦΟΙΝΙΚΟΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ, "the colour had been fignified too generally, * and fill worfe by ΕΡΥΘΡΟΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ. Η ΡΟΔΟΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ gives the precife idea, " which was wanting [f]."

This, it must be owned, is one of the fureft characteristics of real genius. And if we find it generally in a writer, we may almost venture to esteem him original without further fcruple. For the fhapes and appearances of things are apprehended, only in the grofs, by dull minds. They think they see, but it is as through a mift, where if they catch but a faint glimpse of the form before them, it is well. More one is not to look for from their clouded imaginations. And what they thus imperfectly discern, it is not poffible for them to delineate very diftinctly. Whereas every object stands forth in bright funfhine to the view of the true poet. Every minute mark and lineament of the contemplated form leaves a correfponding trace on his fancy. And having thefe bright and determinate conceptions of things in his own mind, he finds it

ARIST. REST. lib. iii. c. xi.
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no difficulty to convey the liveliest ideas of them to others. This is what we call painting in poetry; by which not only the ge neral natures of things are defcribed, and their more obvious appearances fhadowed forth; but every fingle property marked, and the poet's own image fet in diftinct relief before the view of his reader.

If this glow of imagery, refulting from clear and bright perceptions in the poet, be not a certain character of genius, it will be difficult, I believe, to fay what is: I mean fo far as defcriptive poetry, which we are now confidering, is concerned. The fame general appearances must be copied by all poets; the fame particular circumftances will frequently occur to all. But to give life and colour to the selected circumftance, and imprint it on the imagination with distinctness and vivacity, this is the proper office of true genius. An ordinary writer may, by dint of industry, and a careful study of the best models, fometimes fucceed in this work of painting; that is, having ftolen a ray of celeftial matter, he may now and then direct it fo happily, as to animate and enkindle his own earthly lump;

but

but to fucceed conftantly in this art of defcription, to be able, on all occafions, to exhibit what the Greek Rhetoricians call ΦΑΝΤΑΣΙΑΝ; which is, as Longinus well expreffes it, when. "the poet, from his "own vivid and enthufiaftic conception. "feems to have the object, he describes, "in actual view, and prefents it, almost, "to the eyes of the reader [g]" this can be accomplished by nothing lefs, than the genuine plastic powers of original creation.

2. If from this vast theatre of sensible and extraneous beauty, the poet turn his attention to what paffes within, he immediately discovers a new world, invifible indeed and intellectual; but which is equally capable of being reprefented to the internal fenfe of others. This arifes from that fimilarity of mind, if I may fo fpeak, which, like that of outward form and make, by the wife provifion of nature, runs through the wholefpecies. We are all furnished with the fame original properties and affections, as with the fame stock of perceptions and ideas;

[8] Ὅταν ἃ λέγης, ὑπ ̓ ἐνθεσιασμό καὶ πάθες βλέπειν δου κῆς, καὶ ὑπ' ὄψιν τιθῇς ἀκέεσιν. [ΠΕΡ. ΥΨ, § ΧV. whence

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whence it is, that our intimate consciousness of what we carry about in ourselves, becomes, as it were, the interpreter of the poet's thought; and makes us readily enter into all his defcriptions of the human nature. These descriptions are of two kinds; either 1. fuch as exprefs that tumult and diforder of the mind, which we feel in ourfelves from the disturbance of any natural affection or, 2. that more quiet ftate, which gives birth to calmer fentiments and reflexions. The former divifion takes in all the workings of PASSION. The latter, compre

hends our MANNERS and SENTIMENTS. Both are equally the objects of poetry; and of poetry only, which triumphs without a rival, in this moft fublime and interesting of all the modes of imitation. Painting, we know, can exprefs the material univerfe; and, as will be seen hereafter, can evidence the internal movements of the foul by senfible marks and Symbols; but it is poetry alone, which delineates the mind itself, and opens the receffes of the heart to us.

EFFERT ANIMI MOTUS INTERPRETE LINGUA,

Now