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down without any Plan, and heaps up fplendid Images without any Selection; where the Reader grows dizzy with Praise and Admiration, and yet foon grows weary, he can scarce tell why. Our Poet, on the contrary, gives out his Beauties with a more sparing Hand; he is ftill carrying his Reader forward, and juft gives him Refreshment fufficient to support him to his Journey's End. At the End of his Courfe the Reader regrets that his Way has been fo fhort, he wonders that it gave him fo little Trouble, and fo refolves to go the Journey over again.

His poetical Language is not lefs correct than his Subjects are pleafing. He found it at that Period, in which it was brought to its highest Pitch of Refinement; and ever fince his Time it has been gradually debafing. It is indeed amazing, after what has been done by Dryden, Addifon, and Pope, to improve and harmonize our native Tongue, that their Succeffors fhould have taken fo much Pains to involve it in priftine Barbarity. These mifguided Innovators have not been content with reftoring antiquated Words and Phrafes, but have indulged themselves in the moft licentious Transpofitions, and the harfheft Conftructions, vainly imagining, that the more their Writings are unlike Profe, the more they refemble Poetry. They have adopted a Language of their own, and call upon Mankind for Admiration. All those who do not understand them are filent, and those who make out their Meaning, are willing to praife, to fhew they understand. From thefe Follies and Affectations, the Poems of Parnell are entirely free; he has confidered the Language of Poetry as the Language of Life, and conveys the wasneft Thoughts in the fimpleft Expreffion.

Parnell has written several Poems befides thefe published by Pope, and fome of them have been

made

made public with very little Credit to his Reputation. There are still many more that have not yet seen the Light, in the Poffeffion of Sir John Parnell his Nephew, who from that laudable Zeal which he has for his Uncle's Reputation, will probably be flow in publishing what he may even fufpect will do it Injury. Of thofe in the following Collection, fome are indifferent, and fome moderately good, but the greater Part are excellent. A flight Stricture on the moft ftriking, fhall conclude this Account, which I have already drawn out to a difproportioned Length.

Hefiod, or the Rife of Woman, is a very fine Illuftration of an Hint from Hefiod. It was one of his earliest Productions, and first appeared in a Miscellany, published by Tonfon.

Of the three Songs that follow, two of them were written upon the Lady he afterwards married; they were the genuine Dictates of his Paffion, but are not excellent in their Kind.

The Anacreontic, beginning with, When Spring came on with fresh Delight, is taken from a French Poet whofe Name I forget, and as far as I am able to judge of the French Language, is better than the Original. The Anacreontic that follows, Gay Bacchus, &c. is alfo a Tranflation of a Latin Poem, by Aurelius Augurellus, an Italian Poet, beginning with, Invitat olim Bacchus ad cœnam fuos Comum, Jocum, Cupidinem.

Parnell, when he tranflated it, applied the Characters to fome of his Friends, and as it was written for their Entertainment, it probably gave them more Pleasure than it has given the Public in the Perufal. It feems to have more Spirit than the Original; but it is extraordinary that it was publifhed as an Original and not as a Tranflation. Pope fhould have acknowleged it, as he knew..

The

The Fairy Tale is inconteftably one of the finest Pieces in any Language. The old Dialect is not perfectly well preserved, but that is a very flight Defect where all the reft is fo excellent.

The Pervigelium Veneris, (which, by the bye, does not belong to Catullus) is very well verfified, and in general all Parnell's Translations are excellent. The Battle of the Frogs and Mice, which follows, is done as well as the Subject would admit; but there is a Defect in the Tranflation, which finks it below the Original, and which it was impoffible to remedy. I mean the Names of the Combatants, which in the Greek bear a ridiculous Allufion to their Natures, have no Force to the English Reader. A Bacon Eater was a good Name for a Moufe, and Pternotractas in Greek, was a very good founding Word, that conveyed that Meaning. Puff-cheek would found odioufly as a Name for a Frog, and yet Phyfignathos does admirably well in the Original.

The letter to Mr. Pope is one of the fineft Compliments that ever was paid to any Poet; the Defcription of his Situation at the End of it is very. fine, but far from being true. That Part of it where he deplores his being far from Wit and Learning, as being far from Pope, gave particular Offence to his Friends at Home. Mr. Coote, a Gentleman in his Neighbourhood, who thought that he himself had Wit, was very much displeased with Parnell for cafting his Eyes fo far off for a learned Friend, when he could fo conveniently be fupplied at Home.

The Tranflation of a Part of the Rape of the Lock into monkish Verse, ferves to fhew what a Mafter Parnell was of the Latin; a Copy of Verses made in this Manner, is one of the most difficult Trifles that can poffibly be imagined. I am affured that it was written upon the following Occa- .

fion.

fion. Before the Rape of the Lock was yet completed, Pope was reading it to his Friend Swift, who fat very attentively, while Parnell, who happened to be in the Houfe, went in and out without feeming to take any Notice. However he was very diligently employed in liftening, and was able, from the Strength of his Memory to bring away the whole Defcription of the Toilet pretty exactly. This he verfified in the Manner now publifhed in his Works, and the next Day when Pope was reading his Poem to fome Friends, Parnell infifted that he had ftolen that Part of the Description from an old monkish Manufcript. An old Paper with the Latin Verfes was foon brought forth, and it was not till after fome Time that Pope was delivered from the Confufion which it at firft produced.

The Book-Worm is another unacknowledged Tranflation from a Latin Poem by Beza. It was the Fashion with the Wits of the laft Age, to conceal the Places from whence they took their Hints or their Subjects. A trifling Acknowledgement would have made that lawful Prize, which may now be confidered as Plunder.

The Night Piece on Death, deferve every Praise, and I fhould fuppofe, with very little Amendment, might be made to surpass all thofe Night Pieces and Church-yard Scenes that have fince appeared. But the Poem of Parnell's best known, and on which his beft Reputation is grounded, is the Hermit. Pope, fpeaking of this, in those manufcript Anecdotes already quoted, fays, That the Poem is very good. The Story, continues he, was written originally in Spanish, whence probably Howel had tranflated it into Profe, and inferted it in one of his Letters. Addifon liked the Scheme, and was not difinclined to come into it. However this may be, Dr. Henry More, in his Dialogues, has the very fame Story;

and

and I have been informed by fome, that it is originally of Arabian Invention.

With refpect to the Profe Works of Parnell, I have mentioned them already; his Fame is too well grounded for any Defects in them to fhake it. P will only add, that the Life of Zoilus, was written at the Requeft of his Friends, and defigned as a Satire upon Dennis and Theobald, with whom his Club had long been at variance. I fhall end this Account with a Letter to him from Pope and Gay, in which they endeavour to haften him to finith that Production.

DEAR SIR,

I

London, March 18.

Muft own I have long owed you a Letter, but you must own, you have owed me one a good deal longer. Befides, I have but two People in in the whole Kingdom of Ireland to take care of; the Dean and you: but you have several who complain of your Neglect in England. Mr. Gay complains, Mr. Harcourt complains, Mr. Jarvis complains, Dr. Arbuthnot complains, my Lord complains; I complain. (Take notice of this Figure of Iteration, when you make your next • Sermon). Some fay, you are in deep Difcontent at the new Turn of Affairs; others, that you are so <much in the Archbishop's good Graces, that you⚫ will not correspond with any that have seen the last Miniftry. Some affirm, you have quarrelled with Pope (whofe Friends they obferve daily fall from him on account of his fatirical and comical Difpo'fition); others, that you are infinuating yourself into the Opinion of the ingenious Mr. What-doye-call-him. Some think you are preparing your Sermons for the Prefs, and others that you will transform them into Effays and moral Discourses. VOL. III.

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