have been led to this laft reflection, by obferving, that I foon grow wearied with the reading of what is called Fine writing.

The encroachments of Affectation, in its feveral modes, mark the taste of the age in which they prevail: the prefent is distinguished by a paffion for rounded periods, and a founding elocution. Hence, that redundance of epithets, by which the Diction is unnerved, the force of the principal idea being loft in the futility of its acceffories. Hooker, Hobbs, and the best of our early Claffics, had no conception of wafting Epithets on Subftantives which could do without them.

Can it be, notwithstanding this œconomy of founds, that we should prefer the Cadence in the paffages borrowed from Hooker to the most elaborate modulation of our modern compofers? Whence is this? That which is but melody, in the latter, is, in the former, Harmony; it fprings from the sentiment; it is a part of the Diction-" They faw, "that to live by one Man's will, became "the cause of all Men's mifery." That

Fall

Fall was happy: Mufic does not know an accord more exquifite.

But epithets, we are told, are the colouring of Language; in virtue, I prefume, of their being laid on. Is not this to deal rather hardly by the Verb and Substantive? Be this as it may; colouring is still but a part of Painting, fubordinate to correctness and Simplicity in the Drawing: in any case, Excess is not beauty: and the colours should be chafte which are to imitate Nature.-To return to our founds-In a copious Language, and fuch ours certainly is, the Word is ill chofen that is not adequate to its idea; where it is, to repeat what it implies is the worft of expletives: yet these are the leading notes in our musical periods-" Every

man, that has undertaken to instruct "others, can tell what flow advances he has "been able to make, and how much pa"tience it requires to recall vagrant inat"tention, to stimulate sluggish indifference, "and to rectify abfurd misapprehenfion

* Johnson's Life of Milton.

This tripartite Movement, confidered merely as fuch, is one of the Tricks of compofition: yet it is not ungraceful, when it grows with the fubject, becomes an accord, and is fupported by a refponfive gradation in the idea.

Sometimes we are let down through a fequence of fynonims, dying away, in the fenfe, like the iterations of an echo, in the found-" This practice faves them trouble "in marshalling their words, and arranging "a period: but though it may leave their "meaning intelligible, yet it renders that " meaning much lefs perfpicuous, determined, ❝ and precife, than it might otherwise have "been*."-If a Trio was neceffary, the order should have been inverted.

This mode, with its Variations, is of Italian origin; it was much the delight of Guicciardini, fuch fooleries excepted, a grave Historian, and a fenfible WriterThe experienced Reader would know the author of the following period, though I

*Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric.

had

had not named him.-" Ed è forfe tanto

piu peftifera la fua Tirannide, quanto e

piu pericolofa l'ignoranza, perchè non ha "nè peso, nè mifura, nè legge, che la malignita, che pur fi regge con qualche regola, con qualche freno, con qualche "termine."

To rife in found and fubfide in fenfe, is a species of refinement hardly worth the culti

vation.

To regret the banishment of Simplicity from our fashionable Writings, is, in fact, to lament a decay of Genius. We may apply to their union, what the Poet has expreffed with more tafte than erudition

And, wherefoe'er they went, like Juno's fwans,
Still they went coupled and infeparable.

I can in no way better ferve the cause of Simplicity, the object I have had all along in view, than by recommending to my Reader a little piece of Hooker's, entitled A Remedy against Sorrow and Fear. It is a lovely specimen of affecting and genuine eloquence;

C 2

eloquence; an eloquence, which, Nature berfelf must needs have taught*.

It is a fault which will be readily pardoned in our Author, that he defeats the purpose of his own Remedy, by exciting the Paffions which he profeffes to cure.

*For beauty of style, in every kind, read his fermon on the certainty and perpetuity of Faith in the ElectAfter having read this, you will perhaps doubt with me, whether we have not loft more than we have gained by the precifion and Polish of later times.

ESSAY