Thus at their fhady lodge arriv'd, both flood, The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n, In this paffage it will be at first observed, that all the lines are not equally harmonious, and upon a nearer examination it will be found that only the fifth and ninth lines are regular, and the reft are more or lefs licentious with refpect to the accent. In fome the accent is equally upon two fyllables together, and in both strong. As Thus at their fhady lodge arriv'd, both flood, Both turn'd, and under open fky ador'd The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n. In others the accent is equally upon two fyllables, both weak. a race To fill the earth, who fhall with us extol In the first pair of fyllables the accent may deviate from the rigour of exactness, without any unpleafing diminution of harmony, as may be obferved in the lines already cited, and more remarkably in this, Thou alfo mad'ft the night, Maker omnipotent! and thou the day. But, excepting in the first pair of fyllables, which may be confidered as arbitrary, a poet who, not having the invention or knowledge of Milton, has more need to allure his audience by musical cadences, fhould feldom fuffer more than one abberration from the rule in any fingle verfe. There are two lines in this paffage more remarkably unharmonious: This delicious place, For us too large; where thy abundance wants Here the third pair of fyllables in the firft, and fourth pair in the second verfe, have their accents retrograde or inverted; the firft fyllable being strong or acute, and the fecond weak. The detriment which the measure fuffers by this inverfion of the accents is fometimes lefs perceptible, when the verfes are carried one into another, but is remarkably ftriking in this place, where the vicious verfe concludes a period, and is yet more offenfive in rhyme, when we regularly attend to the flow of every fingle line. This will appear by reading a couplet in which Cowley, an author not fufficiently ftudious of harmony, has committed the fame fault. his harmlefs life Does with fubftantial bleffedness abound, In these the law of metre is very grofsly violated by mingling combinations of found directly oppofite to each other, as Milton expreffes in his fonnet, by committing fhort and long, and fetting one part of the measure at variance with the reft. The ancients, who had a language more capable of variety than ours, had two kinds of verfe, the Iambick, confifting of fhort and long fyllables alternately, from which our heroick measure is derived, and the Trochaick, confifting in a like alternation of long and fhort. These were confidered as oppofites, and conveyed the contrary images of fpeed and flowness; to confound them, therefore, as in thefe lines, is to deviate from the established practice. But where the fenfes are to judge, authority is not neceffary, the ear is fufficient to detect diffonance, nor fhould I have fought auxiliaries on fuch an occafion against any name but that of Milton. NUMB. 87. TUESDAY, January 15, 1751. Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinofus, amator, prove; HOR. FRANCIS. THAT few things are fo liberally bestowed, or fquandered with fo little effect, as good advice, has been generally obferved; and many fage pofitions have been advanced concerning the reasons of this complaint, and the means of removing it. It is indeed an important and noble enquiry, for little would be wanting to the happiness of life, if every man could conform to the right as foon as he was fhown it. This perverfe neglect of the most falutary precepts, and stubborn refiftance of the most pathetick perfuafion, is usually imputed to him by whom the counsel is received, and we often hear it mentioned as a fign of hopeless depravity, that though good advice was given, it has wrought no reformation. Others, who imagine themfelves to have quicker fagacity and deeper penetration, have found out that the inefficacy of advice is ufually the fault of the counsellor, and rules have been laid down, by which this important duty may be fuccefsfully per VOL. V. H formed: formed: We are directed by what tokens to discover the favourable moment at which the heart is difpofed for the operation of truth and reason, with what address to adminifter, and with what vehicles. to disguise the catharticks of the foul. But, notwithstanding this fpecious expedient, we find the world yet in the fame ftate: advice is still given, but ftill received with difguft; nor has it appeared that the bitterness of the medicine has been yet abated, or its power encreafed, by any methods of preparing it. If we confider the manner in which those who affume the office of directing the conduct of others execute their undertaking, it will not be very wonderful that their labours, however zealous or affectionate, are frequently useless. For what is the advice that is commonly given? A few general maxims, enforced with vehemence and inculcated with importunity, but failing for want of particular reference and immediate application. It is not often that any man can have so much knowledge of another, as is neceffary to make inftruction ufeful. We are fometimes not ourselves confcious of the original motives of our actions, and when we know them, our first care is to hide them from the fight of others, and often from thofe most diligently, whofe fuperiority either of power or understanding may entitle them to infpect our lives; it is therefore very probable that he who endeavours the cure of our intellectual maladies, mistakes their caufe; and that his prefcriptions avail nothing, because he knows not which of the paffions or defires is vitiated. Advice, |