diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870-8.txt | 2398 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870-8.zip | bin | 0 -> 45702 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870-h.zip | bin | 0 -> 117507 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870-h/15870-h.htm | 2595 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870-h/images/image003.gif | bin | 0 -> 12715 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870-h/images/image_001.png | bin | 0 -> 18654 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870-h/images/image_002.png | bin | 0 -> 36675 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870.txt | 2398 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 15870.zip | bin | 0 -> 45672 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 |
12 files changed, 7407 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/15870-8.txt b/15870-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..40577d7 --- /dev/null +++ b/15870-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2398 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, and +Preface to The Creation, by Aaron Hill + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, and Preface to The Creation + +Author: Aaron Hill + +Commentator: Gretchen Graf Pahl + +Release Date: May 20, 2005 [EBook #15870] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF GENIUS/PREFACE TO THE CREATION *** + + + + +Produced by David Starner, Sankar Viswanathan and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. + + + + + + + + + Series Four + _Men, Manners and Critics_ + + + No. 2 + + Anonymous, "Of Genius", in _The Occasional Paper_, + Volume III, Number 10 (1719) + + and + + Aaron Hill, Preface to _The Creation_ (1720) + + + With an Introduction by + Gretchen Graf Pahl + + + + The Augustan Reprint Society + March, 1949 + _Price: One Dollar_ + + + + + + _GENERAL EDITORS_ + + + RICHARD C. BOYS, _University of Michigan_ + + EDWARD NILES HOOKER, _University of California, Los Angeles_ + + H.T. SWEDENBERG, JR., _University of California, Los Angeles_ + + + _ASSISTANT EDITOR_ + + W. EARL BRITTON, _University of Michigan_ + + + _ADVISORY EDITORS_ + + EMMETT L. AVERY, _State College of Washington_ + + BENJAMIN BOYCE, _University of Nebraska_ + + LOUIS I. BREDVOLD, _University of Michigan_ + + CLEANTH BROOKS, _Yale University_ + + JAMES L. CLIFFORD, _Columbia University_ + + ARTHUR FRIEDMAN, _University of Chicago_ + + SAMUEL H. MONK, _University of Minnesota_ + + ERNEST MOSSNER, _University of Texas_ + + JAMES SUTHERLAND, _Queen Mary College, London_ + + + + + + Lithoprinted from copy supplied by author + by + Edwards Brothers, Inc. + Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. + + +[Transcriber's Note: Some of the latin footnotes and the errata were +difficult or impossible to read. These are annotated.] + + + + + INTRODUCTION + + +The anonymous essay "Of Genius," which appeared in the +_Occasional Paper_ of 1719, still considers "genius" largely a +matter of aptitude or talent, and applies the term to the +"mechanick" as well as the fine arts. The work is, in fact, +essentially a pamphlet on education. The author's main concern is +training, and study, and conscious endeavor. Naturally enough, +his highest praise--even where poetry is in question--is reserved +for those solid Augustan virtues of "judgment" and "good sense." + +And yet the pamphlet reveals some of the tangled roots from which +the later concept of the "original" or "primitive" genius grew. +For here are two prerequisites of that later, more extravagant +concept. One is the author's positive delight in the infinite +differences of human temperaments and talents--a delight from +which might spring the preference for original or unique works of +art. The other is his conviction that there is something +necessary and foreordained about those differences: a conviction +essential to faith in the artist who is apparently at the mercy +of a genius beyond his own control. The importance of this latter +belief was long ago indicated in Paul Kaufman's "Heralds of +Original Genius." + +While his tone is perhaps more exuberant than that of most of his +immediate contemporaries, there is nothing particularly new in +our author's interest in those aspects of human nature which +render a man different from his fellows. It is true that the main +stress of neoclassical thought had rested on the fundamental +likeness of all men in all ages, and had sought an ideal and +universal norm in morals, conduct, and art. But there had always +been counter currents making for a recognition of the inescapable +differences among various races and individuals. Such deviations +were often merely tolerated, but toward the close of the +seventeenth century more and more voices had praised human +diversity. England, in particular, began to take notice of the +number of "originals" abounding in the land. + +At least as old as the delight in human differences was the +belief in the foreordained nature of at least those differences +resulting in specific vocational aptitudes. This is the +conviction that each man has at birth--innately and inevitably--a +peculiar "bent" for some particular contribution to human +society. Environment is not ignored by the man who wrote "Of +Genius," for he insists that each man's bent may be greatly +developed by favorable circumstances and proper education, and, +conversely, that it may be entirely frustrated by unpropitious +circumstances or wilful neglect. But in no way can a man's inborn +talent for one thing be converted to a talent for anything else. + +In the works of many Augustan writers, too, it is easy to see how +the enthusiasm for individualism, later to become one of the +hallmarks of romanticism, actually sprang from an earlier faith +in a God-directed universe of law and order. There is a kind of +universal law of supply and demand, and the argument is simply +that each link in the human chain, like those in the animate and +inanimate worlds above and below it, is predestined to a specific +function for the better ordering of the whole. Lewis Maidwell, +for instance, still employs the medieval and Renaissance analogy +of the correspondence between the human body and the social +organism (_An Essay upon the Necessity and Excellency of +Education_): + + Upon Consideration we find this Difference of Tempers to + arise from Providence, and the Law of the Creation, and to + be most Evident in al Irrational, and Inanimat Beings ... One + Man is no more design'd for Al Arts, than Al Arts for + One Man. We are born Confaederats, mutually to help One + another, therefor appropriated in the Body Politic, to + this, or that Busyness, as our Members are in the Natural + to perform their separat Offices. + +This same comparison between the body politic and the body human +occurs in the essay of 1719, and even the author's chief analogy +drawn from musical harmony bears with it some of the flavor of an +older system of universal correspondences. His comparison of the +force of genius to the pull of gravity, however, evokes a newer +picture. Yet it is a picture no less orderly and one from which +the preordained function of each individual could be just as +logically derived. And his rhapsodic praise of the infinite +diversity of human temperaments is based on that favorite +comparison with natural scenery and that familiar canon of +neoclassical esthetics: ordered variety within unity, whether it +be in nature or in art. + +The author of the pamphlet of 1719 introduces another refinement +on the idea of an inborn bent or genius. A man is born not only +with a peculiar aptitude for the vocation of writing, but with a +peculiar aptitude for a particular _style_ of writing. Some such +aptitude had presumably resulted in that individuality of style, +that particular "character," which 17th-century Biblical critics +were busily searching out in each of the writers of Scripture. + +Individuality or originality in the form or plan of a work of +art, however, was quite another thing, and praise of it far more +rare. Yet there had always been protests against the imposition +of a universal classical standard, and our author's insistence +that some few geniuses have the right to discard the "Rules of +Art" and all such "Leading-strings" follows a well-worn path of +reasoning. His scientific analogy, drawn from those natural +philosophers who had cast off the yoke of Aristotle and all +"other Mens Light," is one which had appeared at least as early +as 1661 in Robert Boyle's _Considerations Touching the Style of +Holy Scripture_. It had been reiterated by Dryden and several +others who refused to recognize an _ipse dixit_ in letters any +more than in science. + +It must be noted, however, that this rejection of authority for a +few rare individuals in no way constitutes a rejection of reason +or conscious art. The genius has the right to cast off the +fetters only after he has well studied them. Only in one instance +does our author waver toward another conception. This is when he +pauses to echo Rowe's preface to Shakespeare and Addison's famous +_Spectator_ no. 160. Then indeed he boasts that England has had +many "Originals" who, "without the help of Learning, by the meer +Force of natural Ability, have produc'd Works which were the +Delight of their own Times, and have been the Wonder of +Posterity." But when he doubts whether learning would have helped +or "spoiled" them, it is hard to escape the conclusion that he is +still poised on the horns of the typical neoclassical antithesis: +that supposed enmity between reason, which was generally thought +to create the form of the poem, and the emotions and imagination, +which were considered largely responsible for its style. + +Only when the admiration for such emotional and imaginative +qualities should outweigh the desire for symmetrical form; when +"primitive" literature should be preferred to Virgil and Horace; +and when this preference should be joined with a belief in the +diversity and fatality of literary bents--only then could the +concept of original genius burst into full bloom. + +In Aaron Hill's preface to the paraphrase of Genesis, published +in 1720, we find no preoccupation with the fatality of +temperament and style. But we do find a rising discontent with +the emptiness and restraint of much contemporary verse, and a +very real preference for a more meaningful and a more emotional +and imaginative poetry. We find, in fact, a genuine appreciation +for the poetry of the Old Testament--a poetry which Biblical +scholars like Le Clerc were already viewing as the product of +untrained primitives. + +Hill was not alone in his admiration for Biblical style, for the +praise of the "unclassical" poetry of the Bible, which had begun +in the Renaissance, had swelled rather than diminished during the +neoclassical age. By the second decade of the 18th century such +Augustans as Dennis, Gildon, and Pope were crying up its +beauties. Not all agreed, of course, on just what those beauties +were. And still less did they agree on the extent to which +contemporary poetry should imitate them. + +One thing upon which almost all would have agreed, however, was +the adoption of the historical point of view in the approach to +Hebrew poetry. Yet many of Hill's predecessors had stopped short +with the historical justification. Blackmore, for instance, had +condemned as bigots and sectarians all those who denied that the +Hebrew way was as great as the classical. He had pronounced it a +mere accident of fate that modern poetry of Western Europe was +modeled on that of Greece and Rome rather than on that of ancient +Israel. But he had been perfectly willing to accept that +fate--and to remodel the form and style of the book of Job on +what he considered the pattern of the classical epic. + +Hill is as far as most of his contemporaries from appreciating +such a literal translation as the King James Version. On the +other hand, he is one of a small group of critics who were +beginning to see that at least certain aspects of Biblical style +were of universal appeal; that they might be as effective +psychologically for the modern Englishman as for the ancient Jew. +And he sees in this collection of ancient Oriental literature a +corrective for some of the worst tendencies of a degenerate +contemporary poetry. + +Hill's attack upon the current preoccupation with form and +polish, and his contempt for mere smoothness, for the padded +redundancy of Addison and the elaborate rhetoric of Trapp, are +all part of a campaign waged by a small group of critics to make +poetry once again a vehicle of the very highest truth. He +insists, too, that great thought cannot be contained within the +untroubled cadences of the heroic couplet. His own preference led +to the freer, though currently unfashionable, Pindaric, the +irregularity of which seemed justified by Biblical example, for +despite a century and a half of study and speculation the secret +of Biblical verse had not been solved and to most critics even +the Psalms appeared devoid of any pattern. Indeed, Cowley had +declared that in their freedom of structure and abruptness of +transition the odes of Pindar were like nothing so much as the +poetry of Israel. + +In addition, Hill would have the modern poet profit by another +quality of Biblical style: its magic combination of a +"magnificent Plainness" with the "Spirit of Imagery." This is the +Hebrew virtue of concrete suggestiveness, so highly prized by +20th-century critics and so alien to the generalized abstractions +and the explicit clarity of much 18th-century poetry. + +In consonance with those who believed poetry best communicated +truth because it appealed to man's senses and emotions as well as +to his logical faculty, Hill praises those "pictur'd Meanings of +Poetry" which "enflame a Reader's Will, and bind down his +Attention." Yet his analysis of Trapp's metaphorical expansions +of Biblical imagery reveals that Hill does not like detailed +descriptions or long-drawn-out comparisons. Instead, he admires +the Hebrew ability to spring the imagination with a few vividly +concrete details. Prior to Hill one can find, in a few +paraphrasers and critics like Denham and Lamy, signs of an +appreciation of the concrete suggestiveness of the Bible, but +most of the hundreds of paraphrasers had felt it desirable to +expand Biblical images to beautify and clarify them. Hill was +apparently the first to prove the esthetic loss in such a +practice by an analysis of particular paraphrastic expansions. + +Despite his theory, however, Hill's own paraphrase seems almost +as artificial and un-Biblical as those he condemns. He often +forgets the principles he preaches. But even in his preface there +is evident a blind spot that is a mark of his age. His false +ideas of decorum, admiration for Milton, and approval of Dennis's +interpretation of the sublime as the "vast" and the "terrible," +all lead him to condemn the "low" or the familiar. And his own +efforts to "raise" both his language and his comparisons to suit +the "high" Biblical subject, result in personifications, compound +epithets, and a Miltonic vocabulary, by which the very simplicity +he himself found in the Bible is destroyed. + +Another decade was to pass before John Husbands would demonstrate +a clear appreciation for the true simplicity of the Bible and +praise its "penmen" in terms close to those employed to describe +original genius. + + Gretchen Graf Pahl + + Pomona College + + +The essay "Of Genius," from the _Occasional Paper_ (1719), is +reproduced from a copy in the New York Public Library. The +typescript of Aaron Hill's preface is based on a copy in the +Henry E. Huntington Library. Both works are used with +permission. + + + + + + + + + + THE + + OCCASIONAL PAPER. + + VOL. III. NUMB. X. + + OF + + GENIUS. + + + + + + The Cartesian _Categories are contain'd in these two + Verses,_ + + + Mens, mensura, quies, motus, positura, Figura, Sunt, + cum materia, cunctarum Exordia rerum. + + + +_The Spiritual Nature_, Mens, _is at the head of All. It + ought to be look'd on here, as a Transcendent Nature,_ + quæ vagatur per omnes Categorias. + + + Bayle's Diction. _on the Heathen Doctrine of + many_ Genij. See _CAINITES_. + + + + _LONDON_: + + Printed for EM. MATTHEWS at the _Bible_ + in _Pater-Noster-Row_; J. ROBERTS, in + _Warwick-Lane_; J. HARRISON, under the + _Royal Exchange_; and A. DODD, without + _Temple-Bar_. MDCCXIX. + + + + + + + + + + OF + + GENIUS. + + +It is a Matter of common Observation, that there is a vast +Variety in the Bent of Mens Minds. Some have a Taste of one Way +of Living, some of another; some have a Turn for one kind of +Employment, others for what is quite different. Whether this be +from the Constitution of the Mind itself, as some Soils are more +apt to produce some Plants and Herbs than others; or from the +Laws of Union between the Body and Mind, as some Climates are +more kindly to nurse particular Vegetables than others; or from +the immediate Impulse of that Power which governs the World, is +not so easy to determine. + +We ascribe this to a difference of _Genius_ amongst Men. _Genius_ +was a Deity worshipped by the Ancient Idolaters: Sometimes as the +God of _Nature_; sometimes as the God of a particular _City_ or +_Country_, or _Fountain_, or _Wood_, or the like; sometimes as +the Guardian and Director of a _single Person._ + + Exuitur, _Geniumq; meum_ prostratus adorat. + Propert. _l_. 4. _El._ 9 V. 43. + +The Heathens had a Notion, that every Man upon his Birth was +given up to the[A] Conduct of some invisible Being, who was to +form his Mind, and govern and direct his Life. This _Being_ the +_Greeks_ called[B] [Greek: Daimôn or Daimonion]; the _Latins, +Genius_. Some of them suppos'd a[D] Pair of _Genij_ were to +attend every _Man_ from his Birth; one Good, always putting him +on the Practice of Virtue; the other Bad, prompting him to a +vicious Behaviour; and according as their several Suggestions +were most attended to, the Man became either Virtuous or Vicious +in his Inclinations: And from this Influence, which the _Genius_ +was suppos'd to have towards forming the Mind, the Word was by +degrees made to stand for the Inclination itself. Hence[E] +_indulgere Genio_ with the _Latins_ signifies, to give Scope to +Inclination, and more commonly to what is none of the best. On +the other Hand, [F]_Defraudare Genium_, signifies to deny Nature +what it craves. + + [A] _Ferunt Theologi, in lucem editis Hominibus cunctis, Salva + firmitate fatali, bujusmodi quedam, velut actus vectura, numina + Sociari: Admodum tamen paucissimis visa, quos multiplices + auxere virtutes. Idque & Oracula & Autores docuerunt praclari_. + Ammian Marcel Lib. 21. + + [B] [Greek: Hapanti Daimôn andri symparistatai + Euthys genomenô mystagôgos tou biou. Menan] + + [C] Scit Genius Natale comes, qui temperat Astrum, Nature Deus + Humana. Horat. [Transcriber's Note: This footnote is not seen + in the text.] + + [D] _Volunt unicuique Genium appositum Damonem benum & malum, + hoc est rationem qua ad meliora semper boriatur, & libidinem + qua ad pejora, hic est Larva & Genius malus, ille bonus Genius + & Lar._ Serv. in Virgil, Lib. 6. v. 743. + + [E] _Indulge Genio: carpamus dulcia_. Pers. Sat. 5. + + [F] _Suum defraudans Genium._ Terent. Phorm. Act 1. + +But a _Genius_ in common Acceptation amongst _us_, doth not +barely answer to this Sense. The _Pondus Animæ_ is to be taken +into its Meaning, as well as the bare Inclination; as Gravitation +in a Body (to which this bears great Resemblance) doth not barely +imply a determination of its Motion towards a certain Center, but +the _Vis_ or Force with which it is carried forward; and so the +_English_ Word _Genius_, answers to the same _Latin_ Word, and +_Ingenium_ together. [G]_Ingenium_ is the _Vis ingenita_, the +natural Force or Power with which every Being is indued; and +this, together with the particular Inclination of the Mind, +towards any Business, or Study, or Way of Life, is what we mean +by a _Genius_. Both are necessary to make a Man shine in any +Station or Employment. Nothing considerable can be done against +the Grain, or as the _Latins_ express it, _invita Minerva_, in +spite of Power and Inclination, "Forc'd Studies, says[H] +_Seneca_, will never answer: The Labour is in vain where Nature +recoils." Indeed, where the Inclination towards any Thing is +strong, Diligence and Application will in a great Measure supply +the Defect of natural Abilities: But then only is in a finish'd +_Genius_, when with a strong Inclination there is a due +Proportion of Force and Vigour in the Mind to pursue it. + + [G] _Ingenium quasi intus genitum_. + + [H] _Male respondent ingenia coacta; reluctante naturâ irritus + Labor est._ + +There is a vast Variety of these Inclinations among Mankind. Some +there are who have no bent to Business at all; but, if they could +indulge Inclination, would doze out Life in perpetual Sloth and +Inactivity: Others can't be altogether Idle, but incline only to +trifling and useless Employments, or such as are altogether out +of Character. Both these sorts of Men are properly good for +nothing: They just live, and help to[I] consume the Products of +the Earth, but answer no valuable End of Living, out of +Inclination I mean; Providence and good Government have sometimes +made them serviceable against it. + + [I] _Fruges consumere nati_. Horat. + +The better, and in Truth only valuable, Part of Mankind, have a +Turn for one sort of Business or other, but with great variety of +Taste. Some are addicted to deep Thought and Contemplation: Some +to the abstracted Speculations of Metaphysicks; some to the +evident Demonstrations of the Mathematicks; some to the History +of Nature, built upon true Narration, or accurate Observations +and Experiments: Some to the Invention of _Hypotheses_, to solve +the various _Phenomena_. Some affect the study of Languages, +Criticism, Oratory, Poetry, and such like Studies. Some have a +Taste for Musick, some for History and those Sciences which must +help to Accuracy in it: Some have Heads turned for Politicks, and +others for Wars. Some few there are of such quick and strong +Faculties, as to grasp at every thing, and who have made a very +eminent Figure in several Professions at once. We have known in +our Days the same Men learned in the Laws, acute Philosophers, +and deep Divines: We have known others at once eloquent Orators, +brave Soldiers, and finished Statesmen. But these Instances are +rare. + +The more general Inclination among Men is to some Mechanical +Business. Of this there is most general Use for the Purposes of +Human Life, and it needs most Hands to carry it on. The bulk of +Mankind seem turned for some or other of these Employments, and +make them their Choice; and were not such a multiplicity of Hands +engaged in them, great part of the Conveniencies of Human Life +would be wanting. But even the Multitude of these Employments +leaves room for great variety of Inclinations, and for different +_Genij_, to display and exert themselves. + +This is an admirable and wise Provision to answer every End and +Occasion of Mankind, for a sure and harmonious Concurrence of +Mens Actions to all the necessary and useful Affairs of the +World. When in very different Ways, but with equal Pleasure and +Application, they contribute to the Order and Service of the +whole. Mr. _Dryden_ has given an Hint, how we may form a +beautiful and pleasing Idea of this from the Powers of Musick, +that arise from the Variety and artful Composition of Sounds. + + _From Harmony, from Heavenly Harmony, + This Universal Frame began. + From Harmony to Harmony, + Thro' all the Compass of the Notes it ran, + The Diapasm closing full in Man._ + +There seems to be a wonderful Likeness in the natural Make of +Mens Minds to the various Tones and Measures of Sounds; and in +their Inclinations and most pleasing Tastes to the several Styles +and Manners of Musick. Something there is in the Mind, of alike +Composition, that is easily touch'd by the kindred Harmony of +Musick, + + _For Man may justly tuneful Strains admire, + His Soul is Musick, and his Breast a Lyre._ + +We have all the Materials of Musick in the Tones and Measure. For +the infinite Variety Composition admits of, can be nothing else, +but higher or lower Tones, stronger or softer Sounds, with a +slower or swifter Motion. The Artist, by an harmonious Mixture +of these, makes the Musick either strong and martial, brisk and +airy, grave and solemn, or soft and moving. + +There seems to be in Man a Composition of natural Powers and +Capacities, not unlike to these. From hence I would take the +first Original of their distinguishing _Genij_. The Words by +which they are usually explain'd, have a manifest Allusion +hereto. Thus we say of some Men, they have a brisk and airy +_Genius_; of others, they have a strong and active _Genius_, a +quick and lively Spirit, a grave and solemn Temper, and the like. +The different readiness of Apprehension, strength of Judgment, +vivacity of Fancy and Imagination, with a more or less active +Disposition, and the several Mixtures of which these Powers are +capable, are sufficient to explain this. They may shew us how +some have a particular _Genius_ for Wit and Humour, others for +Thought and Speculation. Whence it is, some love a constant and +persevering Application to whatever they undertake; and others +are continually jumping from one Thing to another, without +finishing any thing at all. + +But we do not only consider in Musick these Materials, as I may +call them, of which it is composed; but also the Style and +Manner. This diversifies the _Genius_ of the Composer, and +produces the most sensible and touching Difference. There is in +all Musick the natural difference of Tone and Measure. They are +to be found in the most vulgar Compositions of a Jig or an +Hornpipe. But it is a full Knowledge of the Force and Power of +Sounds, and a judicial Application of them to the several +Intentions of Musick, that forms the Style of a _Purcel_ or +_Corelli_. This is owing to successive Improvements. The Ear is +formed to an elegant Judgment by Degrees. What is harsh and +harmonious is discovered and corrected. By many Advantages, some +at last come to find out what, in the whole Compass of Sounds, is +most soft and touching, most brisk and enlivening, most lofty and +elevating. So that whatever the Artist intends, whether to set an +Air, or compose a _Te Deum_, he does either, with an equal +_Genius_, that is, with equal Propriety and Elegance. Thus long +ago, + + Timotheus _to his breathing flute, and sounding Lyre, + Could swell the Soul to Rage, or kindle soft Desire._ + And, + _Thus_ David'_s Lyre did_ Saul'_s wild Rage controul, + And tune the harsh Disorders of his Soul._ + +This may direct us to another Cause, from whence a _Genius_ +arises: A _Genius_ that is formed and acquired. For the Turn that +Education, Company, Business, the Taste of the Age, and above +all, Principles of vitious or virtuous Manners, give to a Man's +natural Capacities, is what chiefly forms his _Genius_. Thus we +say of some, they have a rude unpolish'd _Genius_; of others, +they have a fine, polite _Genius_. The manner of applying the +natural Powers of the Mind, is what alone may produce the most +different and opposite _Genij_. Libertine Principles, and +Virtuous Morals, may form the Genius of a _Rake_, from the same +natural Capacity, out of which Virtuous Principles might have +form'd an _Hero_. + +There is certainly in our natural Capacities themselves, a +Fitness for some Things, and Unfitness for others. Thus whatever +great Capacities a Man may have, if he is naturally timorous, or +a Coward, he never can have a Warlike _Genius_. If a Man has not +a good Judgment, how great soever his Wit may be, or polite his +Manners, he never will have the _Genius_ of a Statesman. Just as +strong Sounds and brisk Measures can never touch the softer +Passions. Yet as the Art and Skill of the Composer, is required +to the _Genius_ of Musick, so is a Knowledge of the Force and +Power of the natural Capacity, and a judicious Application of it +to the best and most proper Purposes, what forms a _Genius_ for +any Thing. This is the effect of Care, Experience and a right +Improvement of every Advantage that offers. On this Observation +_Horace_ founded his Rules for a Poetical _Genius_. + + _Versate diu quid sere recusent + Quid valeant humeri._ + And, + _Ego nec studium sine divite vena, + Nec rude quid profit video ingenium._ + + _To speak my Thoughts, I hardly know + What witless Art, or artless Wit can do._ + +The same Observation in another kind is elegantly described by +Mr. _Waller_. + + _Great_ Julius _on the Mountains bred, + A Flock perhaps, or Herd had led. + He that the World subdued, had been + But the best Wrestler on the Green. + 'Tis Art and Knowledge that draw forth + The hidden Seeds of Native Worth. + They blow those Sparks, and make 'em rise + Into such Flames as touch the Skies._ + +The High and Martial Spirit of _Casar_ would have inclined and +fitted him, to gain the Prize of Wrestling above any Country +Sport. But it was the Circumstance of his own Birth and Fortune, +the State and Condition of the Commonwealth, and the Concurrence +of many other Advantages, which he improv'd with great Care and +Application, that made him a finish'd _Genius_, both in Arms and +Policy. + +There is yet another Thing of Consequence to a true _Genius_ in +Musick. A Knowledge of the Compass and peculiar Advantages of +each several Instrument. For the same Composition will very +differently touch both the Ear and the Mind, as perform'd by a +Flute, or Trumpet, an Organ, or a Violin. A difference of which, +all discern by the Ear, but which requires a judicious +Observation in the Composer. Mr. _Hughes_ has thus express'd +their different Powers. + + _Let the Trumpet's shrill Voice, + And the Drum's thundering Noise + Rouse every dull Mortal from Sorrow profound. + _And_, + Proceed, sweet Charmer of the Ear, + Proceed, and through the mellow Flute, + The moving Lyre, + And Solitary Lute, + Melting Airs, soft Joys inspire, + Airs for drooping Hope to hear. + _And again, + _Now, let the sprightly Violin + A louder Strain begin: + And now, + Let the deep mouth'd Organ blow, + Swell it high and Sink it low. + Hark! how the Treble and the Base + In wanton Fuges each other chase, + And swift Divisions run their Airy Race. + Thro' all the travers'd Scale they fly, + In winding Labyrinths of Harmony, + By turns They rise and fall, by Turns we live and die._ + +One might not unfitly compare to this difference of Instruments, +the different Make and Constitution of Mens Bodies, with the +Influence they have, and the Impression they make on their Minds, +Passions and Actions. From hence alone they may know much, how to +direct their own proper Capacities, and how they are to suit each +Person they are to use, to the most proper Employment. As Mr. +_Pope_ Speaks of the Instruments of Musick. + + _In a sadly pleasing Strain, + Let the warbling Lute complain. + Let the loud Trumpet sound, + Till the Roofs + all around The shrill Echo's rebound. + While in more lengthen'd Notes and slow, + The deep, majestick, solemn Organs blow._ + +Harmony, in its most restrain'd Sense, is the apt and agreeable +mixture of various Sounds. Such a Composition of them as is +fitted to please the Ear. But every thing in a more extended +Sense is harmonious, where there is a variety of Things dispos'd +and mix'd in such apt and agreeable Manner. Things may indeed be +thrown together in a Crowd, without Order or Art. And then every +thing appears in Confusion, disagreeable and apt to disgust. But +absolute Uniformity will give little more Pleasure than meer +Confusion. To be ever harping on one String, though it be touch'd +by the most Masterly Hand, will give little more Entertainment to +the Ear, than the most confused and discordant variety of Sounds +mingled by the Hand of a meer Bungler. To have the Eye for ever +fix'd on one beautiful Object, would be apt to abate the +Satisfaction, at least in our present State. Variety relieves and +refreshes. It is so in the natural World. Hills and Valleys, +Woods and Pasture, Seas and Shores, not only diversify the +Prospect, but give much more Entertainment to the Eye, that can +successively go from one to the other, than any of them could +singly do. And could we see into all the Conveniencies of things, +how well they are fitted to each other, and the common Purposes +of all, we shou'd find that the Diversity is as usefull as it is +agreeable. + +It is the same also with the World of Mankind. If all had a like +Turn or Cast of Mind, and all were bent upon one Business or way +of Living, it would spoil much of the present Harmony of the +World, and be a manifest Inconvenience to the Publick. Perhaps +one Part of Learning, or Method of Business, would be throughly +cultivated and improved; but how many others must be neglected, +or remain defective? And it would create Jealousy and Uneasiness +among themselves. As Men are forc'd to justle in a Crowd. For +there would not be sufficient Scope for every one to exert and +display himself, nor so much Room for many to excel, when all +must do it in one Way. Variety of Inclination and Capacity is an +admirable Means of common Benefit. It opens a wide Field for +Service to Others, and gives great Advantage to Mens own +Improvement. + +And it is surprising to consider how great this Diversity is. It +is almost as various as that of bodily Features and Complexion. +There is no Instance of any kind of Learning or Business; any +Thing relating to the Necessity or Delight of Life; not the +meanest Office or the hardest Labour, but some or other are found +to answer the different Purposes of each. They are carried +through all the Difficulties in their several Ways, by the meer +Force of a _Genius_: And attempt and achieve that, with an high +relish of Pleasure, which would give the greatest Disgust to +others and utterly discourage them. This stirs up an useful +Emulation, and gives full Scope for every one to show Himself and +appear to advantage. And it is certainly for the Beauty and +Advantage of the Body. As many Hands employed in different Ways +about some noble Building, yet all help either to secure its +Strength, or furnish out all the Convenience, or give a State and +Grandeur to it. + +The Wisdom and Beauty of Providence appear at once in this +Variety and Distinction of Powers and Inclinations among Mankind. +It is a very wise and a necessary Provision for the common Good, +and the Advantage and Pleasure of particular Men. It answers to +all the Ends and Occasions of Mankind. They are in this Way made +helpful to one another, and capable of serving Themselves, and +that without much trouble or fatigue. Business by this Means +becomes a Pleasure. The greatest Labours and Cares are easy and +entertaining to Him who pursues his _Genius_. Inclination still +urges the Man on: Obstacles and Oppositions only sharpen his +Appetite, and put Him upon summoning all his Powers, that He may +exert Himself to the uttermost, and get over his Difficulties. +All the several Arts and Sciences, and all the Improvements made +in them from Time to Time; all the different Offices and +Employments of humane Life, are owing to this variety of Powers +and Inclinations among Men. And is it not obvious to every Eye +how much of the Conveniences and Comforts of humane Life spring +from these Originals? It is a glorious Display and most +convincing Proof of the Interest of Providence in humane Affairs, +and the Wisdom of its Conduct, to fit Things in this Manner to +their proper Uses and Ends. And so to _sort_ Mankind, and suit +their Talents and Inclinations, that all may contribute somewhat +to the Publick Good, and hardly one Member of the whole Body be +lost in the Reckoning, useless to it self, or unserviceable to +the Body. Were it otherwise, what large Tracts of humane Affairs +would lie perfectly waste and uncultivated? Whereas now all the +Parts of humane Learning and Life lie open to Improvement, and +some or other is fitted by Nature, and dispos'd by Inclination, +to help towards it. + +And as Providence gives the Hint, Men should take it, and follow +the Conduct of _Genius_ in the Course of their Studies, and Way +of Employment in the World; and in the Education and Disposal of +their Children. Men too often in this Case consult their own +Humour and Convenience, not the Capacity and Inclination of the +Child: And are governed by some or other external Circumstance, +or lower Consideration; as, what they shall give with them, or to +whom to commit the Care of them, &c. Thus they after contrive +unsuitable Marriages, on the single View of worldly Advantage. +From this Cause proceed fatal Effects, and many young Men of +great Hopes, and good Capacities, miscarry in the after Conduct +of Life, and prove useless or mischievous to the World. They turn +off from a disagreeable Employment, and run into Idleness and +Extravagance. If People better consider'd the peculiar _Genius_ +or proper Talents of their Children, and took their Measures of +Treatment and Disposal thence, we should certainly find +answerable Improvements and lasting good Effects. The several +Kinds of Learning and Business would come to be more advanced, +and the Lives of Men become more useful and significant to the +World. + +I have known a large Family of Children, with so remarkable a +Diversity of _Genius_, as to be a little Epitome of Mankind. Some +studious and thoughtful, and naturally inclin'd to _Books_ and +_Learning_; Others diligent and ambitious, and disposed to +_Business_ and rising in the World. Some bold and enterprizing, +and loved nothing so well as the _Camp_ and the _Field_; or so +daring and unconfined, that nothing would satisfy but _going_ to +_Sea_ and visiting Foreign Parts. Some have been gay and airy, +Others solid and retired. Some curious and Observers of other +Men; Others open and careless. In short, their Capacities have +been as various as their Natural Tempers or Moral Dispositions. + +Now what a Blunder would be committed in the Education of such a +Family, if, with this different Turn of Mind in the Children, +there should be no difference made in the Management of them, or +their Disposal in the World. If all should be put into one Way +of Life, or brought up to one Business. Or if in the Choice of +Employment for Them, their several Biass and Capacity be not +consulted, but the roving _Genius_ mew'd up in a Closet, and +confounded among Books: And the studious and thoughtful _Genius_ +sent to wander about the World, and be perfectly scattered and +dissipated, for want of proper Application and closer +Confinement. Whereas, one such a Family wisely educated, and +dispos'd in the World, would prove an extensive Blessing to +Mankind, and appear with a distinguished Glory; was the proper +_Genius_ of every Child first cultivated, and he then put into a +Way of Life that would suit his Taste. + +_Genius_ is a part of natural Constitution, not acquir'd, but +born with us. Yet it is capable of Cultivation and Improvement. +It has been a common Question, whether a Man be born a Poet or +made one? but both must concur. Nature and Art must contribute +their Shares to compleat the Character. Limbs alone will not make +a Dancer, or a Wrestler. Nor will _Genius_ alone make a good +Poet; nor the meer Strength of natural Abilities make a +considerable Artist of any kind. Good Rules, and these reduc'd to +Practice, are necessary to this End. And Use and Exercise in +this, as well as in all other Cases, are a second Nature. And, +oftentimes, the second Nature makes a prodigious Improvement of +the Force and Vigour of the first. + +It has been long ago determined by the great Masters of Letters, +that good Sense is the chief Qualification of a good Writer. + + _Scribendi certe sapere est & Principium & Fons._ + + Horat. + +Yet the best natural Parts in the World are capable of much +Improvement by a due Cultivation. + + _Doctrina sed vim promovet insitam, + Rectique cultus Pectora roborant._ + + Horat. + +The Spectator's golden Scales, let down from Heaven to discover +the true Weight and Value of Things, expresses this Matter in a +Way which at once shews, a _Genius_, and its Cultivation. "There +is a Saying among the _Scots_, that an Ounce of Mother-Wit, is +worth a Pound of Clergy. I was sensible of the Truth of this +Saying, when I saw the difference between the Weight of natural +Parts and that of Learning. I observ'd that it was an hundred +Times heavier than before, when I put Learning into the same +Scale with it." + +It has been observ'd, of an _English_ Author, that he would be +all _Genius_. He would reap the Fruits of Art, but without the +Study and Pains of it. The _Limæ Labor_ is what he cannot easily +digest. We have as many Instances of Originals, this way, as any +Nation can produce. Men, who without the help of Learning, by the +meer Force of natural Ability, have produced Works which were the +Delight of their own Times, and have been the Wonder of +Posterity. It has been a Question, whether Learning would have +improved or spoiled them. There appears somewhat so nobly Wild +and Extravagant in these great _Genij_, as charms infinitely +more, than all the Turn and Polishing which enters into the +_French Bel Esprit_, or the _Genius_ improved by Reading and +Conversation. + +But tho' this will hold in some very rare Instances, it must be +much for its Advantage in ordinary Cases, that a _Genius_ should +be diligently and carefully cultivated. In order to this, it +should be early watched and observ'd. And this is a matter that +requires deep Insight into Humane Nature. It is not so easy as +many imagine, to pronounce what the proper _Genius_ of a Youth +is. Every one who will be fiddling, has not presently a _Genius_ +for Musick. The Idle Boy draws Birds and Men, when he should be +getting his Lesson or writing his Copy; _This Boy_, says the +Father, _must be a_ Painter; when alas! this is no more the Boy's +_Genius_ than the _Parhelion_ is the true Sun. But those who have +the Care of Children, should take some Pains to know what their +true _Genius_ is. For here the Foundation must be laid for +improving it. If a Mistake be made here, the Man sets out wrong, +and every Step he takes carries him so much farther from Home. + +The true _Genius_ being discovered, it must be supplied with +Matter to work upon, and employ it self. This is Fuel for the +Fire. And the fitting a _Genius_ with proper Materials, is +putting one into the Way of going through the World with Wind and +Tide. The whole Force of the Mind is applied to its proper Use. +And the Man exerts all his Strength, because he follows +Inclination, and gives himself up to the proper Conduct of his +_Genius_. This is the right way to excel. The Man will naturally +rise to his utmost Height, when he is directed to an Employment +that at once fits his Abilities, and agrees with his Taste. + +Care must also be taken, that a _Genius_ be not overstrain'd. Our +Powers are limited. None can carry beyond their certain Weight. +Whilst we follow Inclination, and keep within the Bounds of our +Power, we act with Ease and Pleasure. If we strain beyond our +Power, we crack the Sinews, and after two or three vain Efforts, +our Strength fails, and our Spirits are jaded. It wou'd be of +mighty Advantage towards improving a _Genius_, to make its +Employment, as much as possible, a Delight and Diversion, +especially to young Minds. A Man toils at a Task, and finds his +Spirits flag, and his Force abate, e'er he has gone half thro'; +whereas he can put forth twice the Strength, and complain of no +Fatigue, in following his Pleasures. Of so much Advantage is it +to make Business a Pleasure, if possible, and engage the Mind in +it out of Choice. It naturally reluctates against Constraint, and +is most unwilling to go on when it knows it _must_. But if it be +left to its own Choice, to follow Inclination and pursue its +Pleasure, it goes on without any Rubs, and rids twice the Ground, +without being half so much tired. + +Exercise is also very necessary to improve a _Genius_. It not +only shines the more, by exerting it self, but, like the Limbs of +an Humane Body, gathers Strength by frequent and vigorous Use, +and becomes more pliable and ready for Action. There must indeed +sometimes be a Relaxation. Our Minds will not at present bear to +be continually bent, and in perpetual Exercise. But our Faculties +manifestly grow by using them. The more we exert our selves, if +we do not overstrain our Powers, the greater Readiness and +Ability we acquire for future Action. A _Genius_, in order to be +much improv'd, should be well workt, and kept in close +Application to its proper Pursuit. + +All the Foreign Help must be procured, that can be had, towards +this Improvement. The Instruction and Example of such as excell +in that particular way, to which a Man's Mind is turned, is of +vast Use. A good Master in the Mechanical Arts, and careful +Observation of the nicest and most dextrous Workmen, will help a +_Genius_ of this sort. A good Tutor in the Sciences, and free +Conversation with such as have made great Proficiency in them, +must vastly improve the more liberal _Genius_. Reading, and +careful Reflection on what a Man reads, will still add to its +Force, and carry the Improvement higher. Reading furnishes +Matter, Reflexion digests it, and makes it our own; as the Flesh +and Blood which are made out of the Food we eat. And Prudence and +the Knowledge of the World, must direct us how to employ our +_Genius_, and on all occasions make the best Use of it. What +will the most exalted _Genius_ signify, if the World reaps no +Advantage from it? He who is possess'd of it, may make it turn to +Account to himself, and have much Pleasure and Satisfaction from +it; but it is a very poor Business, if it serves no other +Purpose, than to supply Matter for such private and narrow +Satisfaction. It is certainly the Intention of Providence, that a +good _Genius_ should be a publick Benefit; and to wrap up such a +Talent in a Napkin, and bury it in the Earth, is at once to be +unfaithful to God, and defraud Mankind. + +Those who have such a Trust put into their Hands, should be very +careful that they do not abuse it, nor squander it away. The best +_Genius_ may be spoiled. It suffers by nothing more, than by +neglecting it, and by an Habit of Sloth and Inactivity. By +Disuse, it contracts [J]Rust, or a Stiffness which is not easily +to be worn off. Even the sprightly and penetrating, have, thro' +this neglect, sunk down to the Rank of the dull and stupid. Some +Men have given very promising Specimens in their early Days, that +they could think well themselves; but, whether from a +pusillanimous Modesty, or a lazy Temper at first, I know not; +they have by Degrees contracted such an Habit of Filching and +Plagiary, as to lose their Capacity at length for one Original +Thought. Some Writers indeed, as well as Practitioners in other +Arts, seem only born to copy; but it is Pity those, who have a +Stock of their own, should so entirely lose it by Disuse, as to +be reduc'd to a Necessity, when they must appear in Publick, to +borrow from others. + + [J] Otium ingera rubig. [Transcriber's Note: "rubig" not readable, + may be the word for rust or stiffness.] + +Men should guard against this Mischief with great Care. A +_Genius_ once squandered away by neglect, is not easily to be +recovered. _Tacitus_ assigns a very proper Reason for this. +"[K]Such is the Nature, saith he, of Humane Infirmity, that +Remedies cannot be applied, as quick as Mischiefs may be +suffered; and as the Body must grow up by slow Degrees, but is +presently destroyed; so you may stifle a _Genius_ much more +easily than you can recover it. For you'll soon relish Ease and +Inactivity, and be in Love with Sloth, which was once your +Aversion." This can hardly fail of raining the best Capacity, +especially, if from a neglect of severer Business, Men run into a +Dissolution of Manners, which is the too common Consequence. The +greatest Minds have thus been often wholly enervated, and the +best Parts buried in utter Obscurity. + +[K] Natura infirmitatis humanae, tadiora sunt remedia +quam mala; & ut corpora lente augescunt, cito extinguuntur, +sic ingenia studiaque oppresseris, facilius quam revocaveris; +subit quippe ipsius inertiae dulcedo, et invisa primo desidia +postremo amatur. Tacit. Vit. Agricol. c. 3. + +Though the Rules of Art may be of great Service to improve a +_Genius_, it is very prejudicial, in many Cases, to fetter it +self with these Rules, or confine itself within those Limits +which others have fixed. How little would Science have been +improv'd, if every new _Genius_, that applies himself to any +Branch of it, had made other Mens Light, his _ne plus_ _ultra_, +and resolved to go no farther into it, than the Road had been +beaten before him. No doubt there were Men of as good natural +Abilities in the Ages before the Revival of Learning, as there +have been since. But they were cramped with the Jargon of a wordy +and unintelligible Philosophy, and durst not give themselves the +Liberty to think in Religion, without the Boundaries fixed by the +Church, for fear of Anathemas, and an Inquisition. Till those +Fetters were broken, little Advance was made, for many Ages +together, in any useful or solid Knowledge. In truth, every Man +who makes a new Discovery, goes at first by himself; and as long +as the greatest Minds are Content to go in Leading-strings, they +will be but upon a Level with their Neighbours. + +On the other Hand, Capacities of a lower size must be obliged to +more of Imitation. All their Usefulness will be spoiled by forming +too high Models for themselves. If they will be of Service, they +must be content to keep the beaten Road. Should they attempt to +soar too high, they will only meet with _Icarus_'s Fate. A common +_Genius_ will serve many common Purposes exceeding well, and +render a Man conspicuous enough, tho' there may be no +distinguishing Splendor about him to dazzle the Beholders Eyes. +But if he attempts any Thing beyond his Strength, he is sure to +lose the Lustre which he had, if he does not also weaken his +Capacity, and impair his _Genius_ into the Bargain. So just in +all Cases is the Poet's Advice to Writers. + + _Sumite Materiam vestris qui scribitis aquam + Veribus_. Horat. + _Weigh well your Strength_, _and never undertake + What is above your Power_. + +And this brings to Mind another very common Occasion of ruining +many a good _Genius_; I mean, wrong Application. Nothing will +satisfie Parents, but their Children must apply their Minds to +one of the learned Professions, when, instead of consulting the +Reputation or Interest of their Children, by such a preposterous +Choice, they turn them out to live in an Element no way suited to +their Nature, and expose them to Contempt and Beggary all their +Days; while at the same Time they spoil an Head, admirably turn'd +for Traffick or Mechanicks. And he is left to bring up the Rear +in the learned Profession, or it may be lost in the Crowd, who +would have shined in Trade, and made a prime Figure upon the +Exchange. Many have by this Means _run their Heads against a +Pulpit_, (as a Satyrical _Genius_ once expressed it) _who would +have made admirable Ploughmen_. + +There is a different Taste in Men, as to the learned Professions +themselves, which qualities and disposes them for the one, but +would never make them appear with any Lustre in another. This has +been often made evident in the different Figures, which some, who +lived in Obscurity before, have made upon a lucky Incident that +led them out of the mistaken Track into which they were first +put. Where Providence does not relieve a _Genius_ from this Error +in setting out, the Man must be kept under the Hatches all his +Days. + +There are very different Manners of Writing, and each of them +just and agreeable in their Kind, when Nature is followed, and a +Man endeavours Perfection in that Style and Manner which suits +his own Humour and Abilities. Some please, and indeed excel in a +Mediocrity, [L]who quite lose themselves if they attempt the +Sublime. Some succeed to a wonder in the Account of all Readers +whilst they confine themselves to close Reasoning; who, if they +are so ill advise'd, as to meddle with Wit; only make themselves +the Jest. [M]That is easy and agreeable which is natural; what is +forc'd, will appear distorted and give Disgust. + + [L] _Dum vitat humum, nubes et inania captet_. Horat. + + [M] _Ingenio, sicut in Agro, quanquam alia diu Serantur + atque elaborentur, gratiora tamen quae suâ sponte nascuntur_. + Tacit. de Orator, c. 6. + +It is of fatal Consequence to a good _Genius_ to grasp at too +much. "A certain Magistrate (says _Bruyere_) arriving, by his +Merit, to the first Dignities of the Gown, thought himself +qualified for every Thing. He printed a Treatise of Morality, and +published himself a Coxcomb." Universal _Genij_ and universal +Scholars are generally excellent at nothing. He is certainly the +wisest Man, who endeavours to be perfectly furnished for some +Business, and regards other Matters as no more than his +Amusement. + +A _Genius_ being thus observed, humoured and cultivated, is to be +kept in Heart, and upon proper Occasions to be exerted. Without +this, it may sink and be lost. All Habits are weakened by Disuse. +And Men who are furnished with a _Genius_, for publick +Usefulness, should put themselves forward; I mean, with due +Modesty and Prudence, and not suffer their Talents to be hid, +when a fair Opportunity offers to do Service with them. Indeed it +is too common an Unhappiness for Men to be so placed, as to have +no Opportunity and Advantage for shewing their _Genius_. As +Matters are generally managed in the World, Men are for the most +part staked down to such Business, in such Alliances, or in such +Circumstances, that they have no proper Occasions of exerting +themselves; but instead of that, are continually tugging and +striving with things that are cross and ungrateful to them. And +that must be a strong Mind indeed, that shall break through the +Censures and Opposition of the World, and dare to quit a Station, +for which a Man has been brought up, and in which he has acted +for some Time, that he may get into another Sphere, where he sees +he can act according to the Impulses of his _Genius_. Tho' such +as have had the Courage and Skill to follow those Impulses, till +they have gain'd the Stations which suited their Taste and +Inclination, have seldom fail'd of appearing considerable. But +Multitudes, by this Situation of Affairs, have been forc'd, in a +manner, to stifle a _Genius_, because they could have no fair +Opportunity of exerting it. + +A crazy Constitution, and a Body liable to continual Disorders, +call off the Attention of many a great Mind, from what might +otherwise procure very great Reputation and Regard. Their +_Genius_ no sooner begins a little to exert itself, but the +Spirits flag, and one unhappy Ail or other, enfeebles and +discourages the Mind. + +Lust and Wine mightily obstruct all Attempts that require +Application; and will neither allow a Man duly to furnish his +Mind, nor rightly to use that Furniture he has. An Intrigue or a +Bottle may sometimes give an Opportunity for a Man to shew his +_Genius_, but will utterly spoil all regular and reputable +Exertings of it. He who would put forth his _Genius_ to the +Advantage of Himself or the World, should give into no Pleasures +that will enervate or dissolve his Mind. He must keep it bent for +Business, or he will bring all Business to nothing. + +Conceit and Affectation on one hand, and Peevishness and +Perverseness of Temper on the other, will lay the best _Genius_ +under great Disadvantages, and raise such Dislike and Opposition, +as will bear it down in spite of all its Force and Furniture. A +graceful Mixture of Boldness and Modesty, with a Smoothness and +Benignity of Temper, will much better make a Man's Way into the +World, and procure him the Opportunity of exerting his _Genius_. + +But there is nothing lies as an heavier Weight upon a Man, or +hinders Him more from shewing Himself to Advantage, and employing +his great Abilities for the Service of Others; than the Quarrels +and Contentions of Parties. Many have their Talents imprison'd, +by being of the hated and sinking Side. Their Light is wholly +smother'd and suppress'd, that it may not shine out with a Lustre +on the Party to which they belong, whether it be in Politicks or +Religion. And all Struggles of a _Genius_ are vain, when a Man is +born down at once by Clamour and Power. + +This is very discouraging to a Man who has taken much Pains in +cultivating his _Genius_; and many have, without doubt, been +tempted wholly to neglect themselves, from the Dread of these +Discouragements. I own this Neglect is not to be excused +altogether, though it grieves one that there should be any +Occasion given for it. There is still Room for Men to follow and +improve a _Genius_, and hope by it to benefit Mankind, and +procure Regard to Themselves. And it is hard to say, what Way of +exerting it will turn most to Account. Peculiar Honours are due +to those who appear to Advantage in the _Pulpit_. Numerous +Applauses and Preferments attend those who acquit themselves well +at the _Bar_. There is a great deal of Renown to those who are +eminent in the _Senate_. There are high Advantages to such as +excel in _Counsel_ and on _Embassies_. Immortal Lawrels will +crown such as are brave, expert and victorious in _Arms_. There +are the Blessings of Wealth and Plenty to those who manage well +their _Trades_ and _Merchandize_. The Names of the skilful +_Architect_, the cunning _Artificer_, the fine, exact and well +devising _Painter_, are sometimes enrolled in the Lists of Fame. +The learned, experienced and successful _Physician_, may become +as considerable for Repute and Estate, as one of any other +Profession. _Musick_ also may have its _Masters_, who shall be +had in lasting Esteem. The _Poets_ Performances may be [N]more +durable than Brass, and long lived as Time it Self. Every +_Science_ may have Professors that shall shine in the learned +World. With all the Discouragements that may damp a _Genius_, +there is yet a wide Field for it to exert it self, and Room to +hope it will not be in vain. + + [N] Exegi monumentum aere perennius + Regalique situ pyramidum altius, + Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens + Possit diruere aut innumerabilis + Annorum series et fuga temporum: + + Horat + +I was going to add something of exerting one's _Genius_ as an +_Author_. But I found, it would fill up too much Room in my +Paper, should I enlarge on the several Ways of Mens appearing +considerable. And I was so apprehensive of the Reputation, which +the Divine, the Historian, the Critick, the Philosopher, and +almost all the other Authors, have above us _Essay-Writers_, that +I thought I should but lessen the Regards to my own _Genius_, +should I have set to View the Advantages of Others. It will +sufficiently gratify my Ambition as an Author, if the World will +be so good natured as to think I have handsomely excus'd my self; +that I am tolerably fitted, in the Way in I am, to give +Entertainment to my Readers, and do them some Service. + + * * * * * + + + +FINIS + + * * * * * + +ERRATA [Transcriber's Note: Not readable] + + * * * * * + + + + + THE + + CREATION. + + A + + Pindaric Illustration + OF A + + POEM, + + Originally written by + + MOSES, + + On That SUBJECT. + + WITH A + + PREFACE to Mr. POPE, + + CONCERNING + + The Sublimity of the Ancient HEBREW POETRY, + and a material and obvious Defect in the ENGLISH. + + _LONDON_: + + Printed for T. BICKERTON, at the _Crown_ in _Pater-noster-Row._ + + M. DCC. XX. + + Price One Shilling. + + + + + + + + + _PREFACE to MR. POPE_ + +Sir, + +About two Years ago, upon a slight Misapprehension of some +Expressions of yours, which my Resentment, or perhaps my Pride, +interpreted to the Disadvantage of a Poetical Trifle, I had then +newly publish'd, I suffer'd myself to be unreasonably +transported, so far, as to inscribe you an angry, and +inconsiderate Preface; without previous Examination into the +Justness of my Proceeding. I have lately had the Mortification to +learn from your own Hand that you were entirely guiltless of the +fact charg'd upon you; so that, in attempting to retaliate a +suppos'd Injury, I have done a real Injustice. + +The only Thing which an honest Man ought to be more asham'd of +than his faults, is a Reluctance against confessing them. I have +already acknowledg'd mine to yourself: But no publick Guilt is +well aton'd, by a private Satisfaction; I therefore send you a +Duplicate of my Letter, by way of the World, that all, who +remember my Offence, may also witness my Repentance. + + Sir, + + I am under the greatest Confusion I ever felt in my Life, to + find by your Letter, that I have been guilty of a Crime, which + I can never forgive Myself, were it for no other Reason, than + that You have forgiven it. I might have learnt from your + Writings the Extent of your Soul, and shou'd have concluded it + impossible for the Author of those elevated Sentiments, to sink + beneath them in his Practice. + + You are generously moderate, when you mitigate my Guilt, and + miscall it a Credulity; 'twas a passionate, and most + unjustifiable Levity, and must still have remain'd + unpardonable, whatever Truth might have been found in its + mistaken Occasion. + + What stings me most, in my Reflection on this Folly, is, that + I know not how to atone it; I will endeavour it, however; + being always asham'd, when I have attempted to revenge an + Injury, but never more proud, than when I have begg'd pardon + for an Error. + + If you needed an Inducement to the strengthening your + Forgiveness, you might gather it from these two + Considerations; First, The Crime was almost a Sin against + Conviction; for though not happy enough to know you + personally, your Mind had been my intimate Acquaintance, and + regarded with a kind of partial Tenderness, that made it + little less than Miracle, that I attempted to offend you. A + sudden Warmth, to which, by Nature, I am much too liable, + transported me to a Condition, I shall best describe in + Shakespear's Sense, somewhere or other. + + Blind in th' obscuring Mist of heedless Rage, + I've rashly shot my Arrows o'er a House, + And hurt my Brother.... + + A Second Consideration is, the Occasion you have gather'd to + punish my Injustice, with more than double Sharpness, by your + Manner of receiving it. The Armour of your Mind is temper'd so + divinely, that my mere Human Weapons have not only fail'd to + pierce, but broke to pieces in rebounding. You meet Assaults, + like some expert Arabian, who, declining any Use of his own + Javelin, arrests those which come against him, in the Fierceness + of their Motion, and overcomes his Enemies, by detaining their + own Weapons. 'Tis a noble Triumph you now exercise, by the + Superiority of your Nature; and while I see you looking down upon + the Distance of my Frailty, I am forc'd to own a Glory, which I + envy you; and am quite asham'd of the poor Figure I am making, in + the bottom of the Prospect. I feel, I am sure, Remorse, enough to + satisfy you for the Wrong, but to express it, wou'd, I think, + exceed even your own Power. + + Yours, whose sweet Songs can rival Orpheu's Strain, + And force the wondring Woods to dance again, + Make moving Mountains hear your pow'rful Call, + And headlong Streams hang list'ning in their Fall. + + No Words can be worthy to come after these; I will therefore + hasten to tell you, that I am, and will ever be, with the + greatest Truth and Respect, + + SIR, + + Your Most Humble, + + and Most Obedient Servant, + + A. Hill. + +I have now attempted, as far as I am able, to throw off a Weight, +which my Mind has been uneasy under. I cannot say, in the City +Phrase, that I have balanc'd the Account, but you must admit of +Composition, where full Payment is impossible. I shall be so far +from regretting you the old Benefit of Lex talionis, that I +forgive you heartily, beforehand, for any thing you may hereafter +think fit to say, or do, to my Disadvantage; nay, the Pleasure I +enjoy by reflecting on your good Nature, will degenerate to a +Pain, if one Accident or other, in the Course of your Life, does +not favour me with some Occasion of advancing your Interest. + +Having said thus much to you, in your Quality of a Good Man, I +will proceed to address you, in your other Quality, of a Great +Poet; in which Light I look up to you with extraordinary Comfort, +as to a new Constellation breaking out upon our World, with equal +Heat, and Brightness, and cross-spangling, as it were, the whole +Heaven of Wit with your milky way of Genius. + +You cou'd never have been born at a Time, which more wanted the +Influence of your Example: All the Fire you bring with you, and +the Judgment you are acquiring, in the Course of your Journey, +will be put to their full stress, to support and rebuild the +sinking Honours of Poetry. + +It was a Custom, which prevail'd generally among the Ancients, to +impute Celestial Descent to their Heroes; The Vanity, methinks, +might have been pardonable, and rational, if apply'd to an Art; +since Arts, when they are at once delightful and profitable, as +you will certainly leave Poetry, have one real Mark of Divinity, +they become, in some measure, immortal. And as the oldest, and, I +think, the sublimest Poem in the World, is of Hebrew Original, +and was made immediately after passing the Red-Sea, at a Time, +when the Author had neither Leisure, nor Possibility, to invent a +new Art: It must therefore be undeniable, either that the Hebrews +brought Poetry out of Egypt, or that Moses receiv'd it from God, +by immediate Inspiration. This last, being what a Poet should be +fondest of believing, I wou'd fain suppose it probable, that God, +who was pleas'd to instruct Moses with what Ceremony he wou'd be +worship'd, taught him also a Mode of Thinking, and expressing +Thought, unprophan'd by vulgar Use, and peculiar to that Worship. +God then taught Poetry first to the Hebrews, and the Hebrews to +Mankind in general. + +But, however this may have been, there is, apparently, a divine +Spirit, glowing forcibly in the Hebrew Poetry, a kind of terrible +Simplicity; a magnificent Plainness! which is commonly lost, in +Paraphrase, by our mistaken Endeavours after heightening the +Sentiments, by a figurative Expression; This is very ill Judg'd: +The little Ornaments of Rhetorick might serve, fortunately +enough, to swell out the Leanness of some modern Compositions; +but to shadow over the Lustre of a divine Hebrew Thought, by an +Affectation of enliv'ning it, is to paint upon a Diamond, and +call it an Ornament. + +It is a surprizing Reflection, that these noble Hebrew Poets +shou'd have written with such admirable Vigour three Thousand +Years ago; and that, instead of improving, we should affect to +despise them; as if, to write smoothly, and without the Spirit of +Imagery, were the true Art of Poetry, because the only Art we +practise. It puts me in Mind of the famous Roman Lady, who +suppos'd, that Men had, naturally, stinking Breaths, because she +had been us'd to it, in her Husband. + +The most obvious Defect in our Poetry, and I think the greatest +it is liable to, is, that we study Form, and neglect Matter. We +are often very flowing, and under a full Sail of Words, while we +leave our Sense fast aground, as too weighty to float on +Frothiness; We run on, upon false Scents, like a Spaniel, that +starts away at Random after a Stone, which is kept back in the +Hand, though It seem'd to fly before him. To speak with Freedom +on this Subject, is a Task of more Danger than Honour; for few +Minds have real Greatness enough to consider a Detection of their +Errors, as a Warning to their Conduct, and an Advantage to their +Fame; But no discerning Judgment will consider it as ill Nature, +in one Writer, to mark the Faults of another. A general Practice +of that Kind wou'd be the highest Service to poetry. No Disease +can be cur'd, till its Nature is examin'd; and the first likely +Step towards correcting our Errors, is resolving to learn +impartially, that we have Errors to be corrected. + +I will, therefore, with much Freedom, but no manner of Malice, +remark an Instance or two, from no mean Writers, to prove, that +our Poetry has been degenerating apace into mere Sound, or +Harmony; nor ought This to be consider'd as an invidious Attempt, +since whatever Pains we take, about polishing our Numbers, where +we raise not our Meaning, are as impertinently bestowed, as the +Labour wou'd be, of setting a broken Leg after the Soul has left +the Body. The Gunners have a Custom, when a Ball is too little +for the Bore of their Canon, to wrap Towe about it, till it +fills the Mouth of the Piece; after which, it is discharg'd, with +a Thunder, proportionable to the Size of the Gun; But its +Execution at the Mark, will immediately discover, that the Noise +of the Discharge was a great deal too big for the Diameter of the +Bullet. It is just the same thing with an unsinewy Imagination, +sent abroad in sounding Numbers; The Loftiness of the Expression +will astonish shallow Readers into a temporary Admiration, and +support it, for a while; but the Bounce, however loud, goes no +farther than the Ear; The Heart remains unreach'd by the Languor +of the Sentiment. + +Poetry, the most elevated Exertion of human Wit, is no more than +a weak and contemptible Amusement, wanting Energy of Thought, or +Propriety of Expression. Yet we may run into Error, by an +injudicious Affectation of attaining Perfection, as Men, who are +gazing upward, when they shou'd be looking to their Footsteps, +stumble frequently against Posts, while they have the Sun in +Contemplation. + +In attempting, for Example, to modernize so lofty an Ode as the +104th Psalm, the Choice of Metaphors shou'd, methinks, have been +considered, as one of the most remarkable Difficulties. There +seems to have been a Necessity, that they shou'd be noble, as +well as natural; and yet, if too much rais'd, they wou'd endanger +an Extinction of the Charms, which they were design'd to +illustrate. That powerful Imagination of 'the Sea, climbing over +the Mountains Tops, and rushing back, upon the Plains, at the +Voice of God's Thunder,' ought certainly to have been express'd +with as much Plainness as possible: And, to demonstrate how ill +the contrary Measure has succeeded, one need only observe how it +looks in Mr. Trapp's Metaphorical Refinement. + + "The Ebbing Deluge did its Troops recal, + Drew off its Forces, and disclos'd the Ball, + They, at th' Eternal's Signal march'd away." + +Who does not discern, in this Place, what an Injury is done to +the original Image, by the military Metaphor? Recalling the +'Troops' of a Deluge, 'Drawing off its Forces'; and its 'Marching +away, at a Signal,' carry not only a visible Impropriety of +Thought, but are infinitely below the Majesty of That God, who is +so dreadfully represented thundering his Commands to the Ocean; +They are directly the Reverse of that terrible Confusion, and +overwhelming Uproar of Motion, which the Sea, in the Original, is +suppos'd to fall into. The March of an Army is pleasing, orderly, +slow; The Inundation of a Sea, from the Tops of the Mountains, +frightful, wild and tumultuous; Every Justness and Grace of the +original Conception is destroyed by the Metaphor. + +In the same Psalm, the Hebrew Poet describing God, says, '....He +maketh the Clouds his Chariots, and walketh on the Wings of the +Wind.' Making the 'Clouds his Chariots,' is a strong and lively +Thought; But That of 'walking on the Wings of the Wind,' is a +Sublimity, that frightens, astonishes, and ravishes the Mind of a +Reader, who conceives it, as he shou'd do. The Judgement of the +Poet in this Place, is discernable in three different +Particulars; The Thought is in itself highly noble, and elevated; +To move at all upon the Wind, carries with it an Image of much +Majesty and Terror; But this natural Grandeur he first encreas'd +by the Word 'Wings,' which represents the Motion, as not only on +the Winds, but on the Winds in their utmost Violence, and +Rapidity of Agitation. But then at last, comes that finishing +Sublimity, which attends the Word 'walks'! The Poet is not +satisfied to represent God, as riding on the Winds; nor even as +riding on them in a Tempest; He therefore tells us, that He walks +on their Wings; that so our Idea might be heighten'd to the +utmost, by reflecting on this calm, and easy Motion of the Deity, +upon a Violence, so rapid, so furious, and ungovernable, to our +human Conception. Yet as nothing can be more sublime, so nothing +can be more simple, and plain, than this noble Imagination. But +Mr. Trapp, not contented to express, attempts unhappily to adorn +this inimitable Beauty, in the following Manner. + + "Who, borne in Triumph o'er the Heavenly Plains, + Rides on the Clouds, and holds a Storm in Reins, + Flies on the Wings of the sonorous Wind, &c." + +Here his imperfect, and diminishing Metaphor, of the 'Rains,' has +quite ruin'd the Image; What rational, much less noble Idea, can +any Man conceive of a Wind in a Bridle? The unlucky Word 'Plains' +too, is a downright Contradiction to the Meaning of the Passage. +What wider Difference in Nature, than between driving a Chariot +over a Plain, and moving enthron'd, amidst That rolling, and +terrible Perplexity of Motions, which we figure to our +Imagination, from a 'Chariot of Clouds'? But the mistaken +Embellishment of the Word 'flies,' in the last Verse, is an Error +almost unpardonable; Instead of improving the Conception, it has +made it trifling, and contemptible, and utterly destroy'd the +very Soul of its Energy! 'flies' on the Wind! What an Image is +That, to express the Majesty of God? To 'walk' on the Wind is +astonishing, and horrible; But to 'fly' on the Wind, is the +Employment of a Bat, of an Owl, of a Feather! Mr. Trapp is, I +believe, a Gentleman of so much Candour, and so true a Friend to +the Interest of the Art he professes, that there will be no +Occasion to ask his pardon, for dragging a Criminal Metaphor, or +two, out of the Immunity of his Protection. + +Mr. Philips has lately been told in Print, by one of our best +Criticks, that he has excell'd all the Ancients, in his Pastoral +Writings; He will, therefore, be apt to wonder, that I take the +Liberty to say, in downright Respect to Truth, and the Justice +due to Poetry, that I have not only seen modern pastorals, much +better than His, but that his appear, to me, neither natural, +nor equal. One might extend this Remark to the very Names of his +Shepherds; Lobbin, Hobbinol, and Cuddy are nothing of a Piece, +with Lanquet, Mico, and Argol; nor do his Personages agree +better with themselves, than their Names with one another. Mico, +for Example, at the first Sight we have of him, is a very polite +Speaker, and as metaphorical as Mr. Trapp. + + "This Place may seem for Shepherds Leisure made, + So lovingly these Elms unite their Shade! + Th'ambitious Woodbine! how it climbs, to breathe + Its balmy Sweets around, on all beneath!" + +But, alas! this Fit of Eloquence, like most other Blessings, is +of very short Continuance; It holds him but Just one Speech: In +the beginning of the next, he is as very a Rustick, as Colin +Clout, and has forgot all his Breeding. + + "No Skill of Musick can I, simple Swain, + No fine Device, thine Ear to entertain; + Albeit some deal I pipe, rude though it be, + Sufficient to divert my, Sheep, and Me." + +There is no Transformation In Ovid more sudden, or surprizing; He +has Reason indeed to say, that, when he "pipes some deal," his +'Sheep' are 'diverted' with him. His Readers, I am afraid too, +are as merry as his Sheep; If he was but as skilful in Change of +Time, as he is in Change of Dialect, commend me to him for a +Musician! The pied Piper, who drew all the Rats of a City out, +after his Melody, came not near him for Variety. + +If the late excellent Mr. Addison, whose Verses abound in Graces, +which can never be too much admir'd, shall be, often, found +liable to an Overflow of his Meaning, by this Dropsical +Wordiness, which we so generally give into, it will serve at the +same time, as a Comfort, and a Warning; and incline us to a +severe Examination of our Writings, when we venture out upon a +World, that will, one time or other, be sure to censure us +impartially; In That Gentleman's Works, whoever looks close, will +discover Thorns on every Branch of his Roses; For Example, we all +hear, with Delight, in his celebrated Letter from Italy, that, +there, + + ... The Muse so oft her Harp has strung, + That not a Mountain rears its Head unsung. + +But, he adds, in the very next Line, that every shady Thicket +too, grows renown'd in Verse; now one can never help remembering, +that Thickets are Births, as it were of Yesterday; the mere +Infancy of Woods! and that the oldest Woods in Italy may be +growing on Foundations of ruin'd Cities, which flourish'd in the +Times he there speaks of; whence it must naturally be inferr'd, +that to say, the Italian Thickets grow renown'd in Roman Verse, +though the Mountains really do so, is to make Use of Words, +without Regard to their Meaning; A Lapse of dangerous +Consequence, because, when the Understanding is once shock'd, +this most rapturous Elevation of the Mind (as when cold Water is +thrown suddenly upon boiling) sinks at once to chilling Flatness, +and is considered as mere Gingle and childish Amusement. + +No Man, I believe, has read without Pleasure, his fine and lively +Descriptions of the Nar, Clitumnus, Mincio, and Albula, but the +worst of it is, he winds us so long, in and out, between these +Rivers, that he loses himself in their Maeanders, and brings us, +at last, to a strange Stream indeed, which is 'immortaliz'd in +Song,' and yet 'lost In Oblivion.' + + "I look for Streams, immortaliz'd, in Song, + Which lost, and buried in Oblivion lie." + +The Thought, in this Place, is very lively and just, but quite +obscur'd by the Redundancy and Wantonness of the Expression. Had +he only said 'lost,' and 'buried,' It might have been urg'd, that +the Rivers were dry'd up, and no longer to be found, in their old +Channels. But, let them be lost, as to Existence, as certainly as +he will, they can never be lost in 'Oblivion,' if they are +'immortaliz'd' in Poetry. 'Immortal' is a favourite Word in this +Gentleman's Writings, and leads him, as most Favourites are apt +to do, into very frequent Errors. + +It is naturally unpleasant, to be detain'd too long in the +Maziness of one tedious Thought, express'd many Ways +successively. When we read that the 'Tiber is destitute of +Strength,' what else can we conclude, but that its Stream is a +weak one? But we are oblig'd to hear, also, that it 'derives its +Source from an unthrifty Urn': Well, now, may we go on? No; its +'Urn' is not only 'unthrifty,' but its 'Source' is unfruitful. By +this time, one can scarce help, enquiring, what new Meaning is +convey'd to the Apprehension, by the Multiplication of the +Phrases? And not finding any, we have no Reflection to satisfy +ourselves with, but, that the strongest Flow of Fancy, is most +subject to Whirlpools. + +It is from the same unweigh'd Redundancy, and Misapplication of +Words, that we so often find this excellent Writer falling into +the Anticlimax. As where, for Example, he informs us of Liberty, +that she is a Goddess, + + "Profuse of Bliss, and pregnant with Delight, + Eternal Pleasures, in her Presence reign." + +After 'Profusion of Bliss,' that is to say, the heap'd Enjoyment +of all Blessings to be wish'd for; how does it cool the +Imagination, to read of being 'pregnant with Delight'? Had she +been brought to Bed of 'Delight,' it had been but a poor +Delivery: For what imports 'Delight,' in Comparison with +'Bliss'? And how much less too is pregnant with Delight,' than +'Delight' in Possession! But then again, after both these, what +cou'd the Author hope to teach us, by adding, that 'Pleasure +reigns in her Presence.' Can there be 'Bliss' without 'Delight'? +Was there ever 'Delight' without 'Pleasure'? It shou'd gradually +have ascended thus, Pleasure, Delight, Bliss; But to turn it the +direct contrary Way, Bliss, Delight, Pleasure, is setting a poor +Meaning upon its Head, and the same thing as to say, Mr. Addison +writ incomparably, finely, nay, and tolerably. A Praise, which, I +dare say, he wou'd have given no Body Thanks for. One wou'd think +there were a kind of Fatality in Liberty, since scarce any Body +can meddle either with the Word or the Thing, but they turn all +topsey turvey. + +But I am sliding insensibly into a Theme, that requires rather a +Volume, than a Page or two; I hasten therefore to present you a +Paraphrase on the Six Days Work of the Creator, as described to +us by Moses, in the First Chapter of Genesis, which, you know, +was written, originally, in Verse. It wou'd be difficult, I am +sure, to match the Greatness of that inspired Author's Images, +out of all the noble Writings, which have honour'd Antiquity; and +whose most remarkable Excellencies have been found, in those +Parts of their Works, which they elevated, and made more solemn, +by a Mixture of their Religion. Our Poetry, in so able a Hand as +Yours, might receive heavenly Advantages, from a Practice of like +Nature. But I am of Opinion, that no English Verse, except that, +which we, I think a little improperly, call Pindaric, can allow +the necessary Scope, to so masterless a Subject, as the Creation, +of all others the most copious, and illustrious; and which ought +to be touch'd with most Discretion, and Choice of Circumstances. + +Mr. Milton, Mr. Cowley, Sir Richard Blackmore, and now, lately, +a young Gentleman, of a very lively Genius, have severally tried +their Strength in this celestial Bow; Sir Richard may be said +indeed to have shot farthest, but too often beside the Mark; He +will permit me the Liberty of owning my Opinion, that he is too +minute, and particular, and rather labours to oppress us with +every Image he cou'd raise, than to refresh and enliven us, with +the noblest, and most differing. He is also too unmindful of the +Dignity of his Subject, and diminishes it by mean, and +contemptible Metaphors. Speaking of the Skies, he says they were + + Spun thin, and wove, on Nature's finest Loom. + +Longinus is very angry with Timaeus for saying of Alexander, that +he conquer'd all Asia, in less Time than Isocrates took to write +his Panegyric, "Because, says the Critick, it is a pitiful +Comparison of Alexander the Great with a Schoolmaster." What then +wou'd he have said of Sir Richard's Metaphorical Comparison of +the CREATOR Himself, to a Spinster, and a Weaver? The very Beasts +of Mr. Milton, who kept Moses in his Eye, carry Infinitely more +Majesty, than the Skies of Sir Richard. + + The Grassy Clods now calv'd; and half appear'd + The tawny Lyon, pawing to get free + His hinder Parts; then springs, as broke from Bonds, + And, rampant, shakes aloft, his brinded Main! + The heaving Leopard, rising, like the Mole, + In Heaps the crumbling Earth about him threw! + +These animated Images, or pictured Meanings of Poetry, are the +forcible Inspirers, which enflame a Reader's Will, and bind down +his Attention. They arise from living Words, as Aristotle calls +them; that is, from Words so finely chosen, and so Justly ranged, +that they call up before a Reader the Spirit of their Sense, in +that very Form, and Action, it impressed upon the Writer. But +when the Idea, which a Poet strives to raise, is in itself +magnificent and striking, the Dawb of Metaphor, or any spumy +Colourings of Rhetoric can but deaden, and efface it. + +If Sir Richard had said, concerning the Skies, on any other +Subject but This, of the Creation, that they were 'spun thin, and +wove, on Nature's finest Loom,' the Thought had been so far from +Impropriety, as to have been pleasing, and praise-worthy; But +when the Image he wou'd set before us, is the Maker of Heaven and +Earth, in all the dreadful Majesty of his Omnipotence, producing +at a Word, the noblest Part of the Creation, and 'spreading out +the Heavens as a Curtain'; In this tremendous Exercise of his +Divinity, to compare him to a Weaver, and his Expansion of the +Skies, to the low Mechanism of a 'Loom,' is injudiciously to +diminish an Idea, he pretends to heighten and illustrate. + +I will end with a Word or two concerning the different Measure of +the Verse, in which the following Poem is written; and which is +apt to disgust Readers, not well grounded in Poetry, because it +requires a fuller Degree of Attention than the Couplet, and, as +Mr. Cowley has said of it, + + ... Will no unskilful Touch endure, + But flings Writer and Reader too, that sits not sure. + +I have, in another Place, endeavoured by Arguments to demonstrate +the Preference of this Kind of Verse to any other; I will here +observe only, from my Experience of other Writers, that it wins, +insinuates, and grows insensibly upon the Relish of a Reader, +till the little seeming Harshness, which is supposed to be in it, +softens gradually away, and leaves a vigorous Impression behind +it, of mixed Majesty and Sweetness. + +A Man, who is just beginning to try his Ear in Pindaric, may be +compared to a new Scater; He totters strangely at first, and +staggers backward and forward; Every Stick, or frozen Stone in +his Way, is a Rub that he falls at. But when many repeated Trials +have embolden'd him to strike out, and taught the true Poize of +Motion, he throws forward his Body with a dextrous Velocity, and +becoming ravish'd with the masterly Sweep of his Windings, knows +no Pleasure greater, than to feel himself fly through that +well-measured Maziness, which he first attempted with Perplexity. +But I will detain you no longer, and hasten now to the Poem, +which has given me this pleasing Opportunity of telling you how +much I am, + + Sir, + + Your Most Humble + and Obedient Servant, + + A. HILL + + + + + + + + _THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY_ + + ANNOUNCES ITS + + Publications for the Third Year(1948-1949) + + _At least two_ items will be printed from each of the + _three_ following groups: + +Series IV: Men, Manners, and Critics + + Sir John Falstaff (pseud.), _The Theatre _(1720). + + Aaron Hill, Preface to _The Creation; _and Thomas + Brereton, Preface to _Esther._ + + Ned Ward, Selected Tracts. + +Series V: Drama + + Edward Moore, _The Gamester _(1753). + + Nevil Payne, _Fatal Jealousy _(1673). + + Mrs. Centlivre, _The Busie Body _(1709). + + Charles Macklin, _Man of the World _(1781). + +Series VI: Poetry and Language + + John Oldmixon, _Reflections on Dr. Swift's Letter to + Harley _(1712); and + Arthur Mainwaring, _The British Academy _(1712). + + Pierre Nicole, _De Epigrammate._ + + Andre Dacier, Essay on Lyric Poetry. + + Issues will appear, as usual, in May, July, September, November, + January, and March. In spite of rising costs, membership fees + will be kept at the present annual rate of $2.50 in the United + States and Canada; $2.75 in Great Britain and the continent. + British and continental subscriptions should be sent to B.H. + Blackwell, Broad Street, Oxford, England. American and Canadian + subscriptions may be sent to any one of the General Editors. + + +TO THE, AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY: + +_I enclose the membership fee for_ + + _the third year_ + + _the second and third + year_ + + _the first, second, and + third year_ + +NAME.... + +ADDRESS.... + +NOTE: All income received by the Society is devoted to defraying +cost of printing and mailing. + + + + + + + + _THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY_ + + MAKES AVAILABLE + + Inexpensive Reprints of Rare Materials + + FROM + + ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE + + SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES + +Students, scholars, and bibliographers of literature, history, +and philology will find the publications valuable. _The +Johnsonian News Letter_ has said of them: "Excellent facsimiles, +and cheap in price, these represent the triumph of modern +scientific reproduction. Be sure to become a subscriber; and take +it upon yourself to see that your college library is on the +mailing list." + +The Augustan Reprint Society is a non-profit, scholarly +organization, run without overhead expense. By careful management +it is able to offer at least six publications each year at the +unusually low membership fee of $2.50 per year in the United +States and Canada, and $2.75 in Great Britain and the continent. + +Libraries as well as individuals are eligible for membership. +Since the publications are issued without profit, however, no +discount can be allowed to libraries, agents, or booksellers. + +New members may still obtain a complete run of the first year's +publications for $2.50, the annual membership fee. + +During the first two years the publications are issued in three +series: I. Essays on Wit; II. Essays on Poetry and Language; and +III. Essays on the Stage. + + + + + + + + _PUBLICATIONS FOR THE FIRST YEAR (1946-1947)_ + +MAY, 1946: Series I, No. 1--Richard Blackmore's _Essay upon + Wit _(1716), and Addison's _Freeholder_ No. 45 + (1716). + +JULY, 1946: Series II, No. 1--Samuel Cobb's _Of Poetry_ and + _Discourse on Criticism_ (1707). + +SEPT., 1946: Series III, No. 1--Anon., _Letter to A.H. Esq.; + concerning the Stage_ (1698), and Richard Willis' + _Occasional Paper_ No. IX (1698). + +Nov., 1946: Series I, No. 2--Anon., _Essay on Wit_ (1748), + together with Characters by Flecknoe, and Joseph + Warton's _Adventurer_ Nos. 127 and 133. + +JAN., 1947: Series II, No. 2--Samuel Wesley's _Epistle to a + Friend Concerning Poetry _(1700) and _Essay on + Heroic Poetry_ (1693). + +MARCH, 1947: Series III, No. 2--Anon., _Representation of the + Impiety and Immorality of the Stage_ (1704) and + anon., _Some Thoughts Concerning the Stage_ (1704). + + + + + _PUBLICATIONS FOR THE SECOND YEAR (1947-1948)_ + +MAY, 1947: Series I, No. 3--John Gay's _The Present State of + Wit;_ and a section on Wit from _The English + Theophrastus._ With an Introduction by Donald Bond. + +JULY, 1947: Series II, No. 3--Rapin's _De Carmine Pastorali,_ + translated by Creech. With an Introduction by + J.E. Congleton. + +SEPT., 1947: Series III, No. 3--T. Hanmer's (?) _Some Remarks on + the Tragedy of Hamlet._ With an Introduction by + Clarence D. Thorpe. + +Nov., 1947: Series I, No. 4--Corbyn Morris' _Essay towards Fixing + the True Standards of Wit,_ etc. With an Introduction + by James L. Clifford. + +JAN., 1948: Series II, No. 4--Thomas Purney's _Discourse on the + Pastoral._ With an Introduction by Earl Wasserman. + +MARCH, 1948: Series III, No. 4--Essays on the Stage, selected, + with an Introduction by Joseph Wood Krutch. + + +The list of publications is subject to modification in response to +requests by members. From time to time Bibliographical Notes will be +included in the issues. Each issue contains an Introduction by a +scholar of special competence in the field represented. + +The Augustan Reprints are available only to +members. They will never be offered at "remainder" prices. + + _GENERAL EDITORS_ + + RICHARD C. BOYS, _University of Michigan_ + EDWARD NILES HOOKER, _University of California, Los Angeles_ + H.T. SWEDENBERG, JR., _University of California, Los Angeles_ + + _ADVISORY EDITORS_ + + EMMETT L. AVERT, _State College of Washington_ + + LOUIS I. BREDVOLD, _University of Michigan_ + + BENJAMIN BOYCE, _University of Nebraska_ + + CLEANTH BROOKS, _Louisiana State University_ + + JAMES L. CLIFFORD, _Columbia University_ + + ARTHUR FRIEDMAN, _University of Chicago_ + + SAMUEL H. MONK, _University of Minnesota_ + + JAMES SUTHERLAND. _Queen Mary College, London_ + +Address communications to any of the General Editors. Applications for +membership, together with membership fee, should be sent to + + THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY + + 310 ROYCE HALL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA + + LOS ANGELES 24, CALIFORNIA + or + _Care of_ PROFESSOR RICHARD C. BOYS + + ANGELL HALL, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN + + ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN + + +_Please enroll me as a member of the Augustan Reprint Society._ + +_I enclose $2.50 as the membership fee for the second year + + $5.00 as the membership fee for the first and second + year + +NAME.... +Address.... + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, +and Preface to The Creation, by Aaron Hill + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF GENIUS/PREFACE TO THE CREATION *** + +***** This file should be named 15870-8.txt or 15870-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/8/7/15870/ + +Produced by David Starner, Sankar Viswanathan and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + +*** END: FULL LICENSE *** + diff --git a/15870-8.zip b/15870-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..caf5a7a --- /dev/null +++ b/15870-8.zip diff --git a/15870-h.zip b/15870-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2f0a9aa --- /dev/null +++ b/15870-h.zip diff --git a/15870-h/15870-h.htm b/15870-h/15870-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f9445ce --- /dev/null +++ b/15870-h/15870-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2595 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" +"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Series Four: Men Manners and Critics, No. 2. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p { margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; + } + hr { width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; + } + + table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} + + body{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + + .linenum {position: absolute; top: auto; left: 4%;} /* poetry number */ + .blockquot{margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;} + .pagenum {position: absolute; left: 92%; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;} /* page numbers */ + .sidenote {width: 20%; padding-bottom: .5em; padding-top: .5em; + padding-left: .5em; padding-right: .5em; margin-left: 1em; + float: right; clear: right; margin-top: 1em; + font-size: smaller; background: #eeeeee; border: dashed 1px;} + + .bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} + .bl {border-left: solid 2px;} + .bt {border-top: solid 2px;} + .br {border-right: solid 2px;} + .bbox {border: solid 2px;} + + .center {text-align: center;} + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + .u {text-decoration: underline;} + + .caption {font-weight: bold;} + + .figcenter {margin: auto; text-align: center;} + + .figleft {float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: + 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0; text-align: center;} + + .figright {float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; + margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;} + + .footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + .footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + .footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} + .fnanchor {vertical-align: super; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;} + + .poem {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;} + .poem br {display: none;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem span {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 2em;} + .poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 4em;} + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, and +Preface to The Creation, by Aaron Hill + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, and Preface to The Creation + +Author: Aaron Hill + +Commentator: Gretchen Graf Pahl + +Release Date: May 20, 2005 [EBook #15870] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF GENIUS/PREFACE TO THE CREATION *** + + + + +Produced by David Starner, Sankar Viswanathan and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. + + + + + + +</pre> + +<p class="center"><img src="images/image_001.png" width="400" height="640" alt="Frontpiece" border="1" /></p> + +<p> </p> +<h1 class="center">Series Four</h1> +<p><br /> +</p> +<h1 class="center"><i>Men, Manners and Critics</i></h1> +<br /> + + + +<h1 class="center"><b>No. 2</b></h1> +<p><br /> + +</p> +<p class="center">Anonymous, "Of Genius", in <i>The Occasional Paper,</i><br /> + Volume III, Number 10 (1719)<br /> + + and<br /> + + Aaron Hill, Preface to <i>The Creation</i> (1720)</p><br /> + + + +<p class="center"><b>With an Introduction by</b><br /> + <b>Gretchen Graf Pahl</b><br /> + + + + <b>The Augustan Reprint Society</b><br /> + <b>March, 1949</b><br /> + <i><br /> + Price: One Dollar</i><br /> + + + + +</p> +<p class="center"><i>GENERAL EDITORS</i><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +RICHARD C. BOYS, <i>University of Michigan</i><br /> +<br /> +EDWARD NILES HOOKER, <i>University of California, Los Angeles</i><br /> +<br /> +H.T. SWEDENBERG, JR., <i>University of California, Los Angeles</i><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<i>ASSISTANT EDITOR</i><br /> +<br /> +W. EARL BRITTON, <i>University of Michigan</i><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<i>ADVISORY EDITORS</i><br /> +<br /> +EMMETT L. AVERY, <i>State College of Washington</i><br /> +<br /> +BENJAMIN BOYCE, <i>University of Nebraska</i><br /> +<br /> +LOUIS I. BREDVOLD, <i>University of Michigan</i><br /> +<br /> +CLEANTH BROOKS, <i>Yale University</i><br /> +<br /> +JAMES L. CLIFFORD, <i>Columbia University</i><br /> +<br /> +ARTHUR FRIEDMAN, <i>University of Chicago</i><br /> +<br /> +SAMUEL H. MONK, <i>University of Minnesota</i><br /> +<br /> +ERNEST MOSSNER, <i>University of Texas</i><br /> +<br /> +JAMES SUTHERLAND, <i>Queen Mary College, London</i><br /> +</p> + + + + +<p class="center">Lithoprinted from copy supplied by author<br /> +by<br /> +Edwards Brothers, Inc.<br /> +Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.</p><br /> + + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><b>CONTENTS</b></p> +<p><span style="margin-left: 3em; "><a href="#INTRODUCTION"><b>INTRODUCTION</b></a></span><br /> + <span style="margin-left: 3em; "><a href="#OF_GENIUS"><b>OF GENIUS</b></a></span><br /> + <b><span style="margin-left: 3em; "><a href="#The_Creation">THE CREATION +</a></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em; "><a href="#THE_AUGUSTAN_REPRINT_SOCIETY">THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY</a></span></b> +</p> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><br /> +</p> +<p>[Transcriber's Note: Some of the latin footnotes and the errata were +difficult or impossible to read. These are annotated.] +</p> + +<h2> </h2> +<h2><a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION"></a><b>INTRODUCTION</b></h2> +<p>The anonymous essay "Of Genius," which appeared in the +<i>Occasional Paper</i> of 1719, still considers "genius" largely a +matter of aptitude or talent, and applies the term to the +"mechanick" as well as the fine arts. The work is, in fact, +essentially a pamphlet on education. The author's main concern is +training, and study, and conscious endeavor. Naturally enough, +his highest praise—even where poetry is in question—is reserved +for those solid Augustan virtues of "judgment" and "good sense."</p> + +<p>And yet the pamphlet reveals some of the tangled roots from which +the later concept of the "original" or "primitive" genius grew. +For here are two prerequisites of that later, more extravagant +concept. One is the author's positive delight in the infinite +differences of human temperaments and talents—a delight from +which might spring the preference for original or unique works of +art. The other is his conviction that there is something +necessary and foreordained about those differences: a conviction +essential to faith in the artist who is apparently at the mercy +of a genius beyond his own control. The importance of this latter +belief was long ago indicated in Paul Kaufman's "Heralds of +Original Genius."</p> + +<p>While his tone is perhaps more exuberant than that of most of his +immediate contemporaries, there is nothing particularly new in +our author's interest in those aspects of human nature which +render a man different from his fellows. It is true that the main +stress of neoclassical thought had rested on the fundamental +likeness of all men in all ages, and had sought an ideal and +universal norm in morals, conduct, and art. But there had always +been counter currents making for a recognition of the inescapable +differences among various races and individuals. Such deviations +were often merely tolerated, but toward the close of the +seventeenth century more and more voices had praised human +diversity. England, in particular, began to take notice of the +number of "originals" abounding in the land.</p> + +<p>At least as old as the delight in human differences was the +belief in the foreordained nature of at least those differences +resulting in specific vocational aptitudes. This is the +conviction that each man has at birth—innately and inevitably—a +peculiar "bent" for some particular contribution to human +society. Environment is not ignored by the man who wrote "Of +Genius," for he insists that each man's bent may be greatly +developed by favorable circumstances and proper education, and, +conversely, that it may be entirely frustrated by unpropitious +circumstances or wilful neglect. But in no way can a man's inborn +talent for one thing be converted to a talent for anything else.</p> + +<p>In the works of many Augustan writers, too, it is easy to see how +the enthusiasm for individualism, later to become one of the +hallmarks of romanticism, actually sprang from an earlier faith +in a God-directed universe of law and order. There is a kind of +universal law of supply and demand, and the argument is simply +that each link in the human chain, like those in the animate and +inanimate worlds above and below it, is predestined to a specific +function for the better ordering of the whole. Lewis Maidwell, +for instance, still employs the medieval and Renaissance analogy +of the correspondence between the human body and the social +organism (<i>An Essay upon the Necessity and Excellency of</i> +<i>Education</i>):</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Upon Consideration we find this Difference of Tempers to</span> <br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">arise from Providence, and the Law of the Creation, and </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">to be most Evident in al Irrational, and Inanimat Beings ... One </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Man is no more design'd for Al Arts, than Al Arts</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">for One Man. We are born Confaederats, mutually to help</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">One another, therefor appropriated in the Body Politic,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">to this, or that Busyness, as our Members are in the</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Natural to perform their separat Offices.</span><br /> + +<p>This same comparison between the body politic and the body human +occurs in the essay of 1719, and even the author's chief analogy +drawn from musical harmony bears with it some of the flavor of an +older system of universal correspondences. His comparison of the +force of genius to the pull of gravity, however, evokes a newer +picture. Yet it is a picture no less orderly and one from which +the preordained function of each individual could be just as +logically derived. And his rhapsodic praise of the infinite +diversity of human temperaments is based on that favorite +comparison with natural scenery and that familiar canon of +neoclassical esthetics: ordered variety within unity, whether it +be in nature or in art.</p> + +<p>The author of the pamphlet of 1719 introduces another refinement +on the idea of an inborn bent or genius. A man is born not only +with a peculiar aptitude for the vocation of writing, but with a +peculiar aptitude for a particular <i>style</i> of writing. Some such +aptitude had presumably resulted in that individuality of style, +that particular "character," which 17th-century Biblical critics +were busily searching out in each of the writers of Scripture.</p> + +<p>Individuality or originality in the form or plan of a work of +art, however, was quite another thing, and praise of it far more +rare. Yet there had always been protests against the imposition +of a universal classical standard, and our author's insistence +that some few geniuses have the right to discard the "Rules of +Art" and all such "Leading-strings" follows a well-worn path of +reasoning. His scientific analogy, drawn from those natural +philosophers who had cast off the yoke of Aristotle and all +"other Mens Light," is one which had appeared at least as early +as 1661 in Robert Boyle's <i>Considerations Touching the Style of</i> +<i>Holy Scripture</i>. It had been reiterated by Dryden and several +others who refused to recognize an <i>ipse dixit</i> in letters any +more than in science.</p> + +<p>It must be noted, however, that this rejection of authority for a +few rare individuals in no way constitutes a rejection of reason +or conscious art. The genius has the right to cast off the +fetters only after he has well studied them. Only in one instance +does our author waver toward another conception. This is when he +pauses to echo Rowe's preface to Shakespeare and Addison's famous +<i>Spectator</i> no. 160. Then indeed he boasts that England has had +many "Originals" who, "without the help of Learning, by the meer +Force of natural Ability, have produc'd Works which were the +Delight of their own Times, and have been the Wonder of +Posterity." But when he doubts whether learning would have helped +or "spoiled" them, it is hard to escape the conclusion that he is +still poised on the horns of the typical neoclassical +antithesis: that supposed enmity between reason, which was +generally thought to create the form of the poem, and the +emotions and imagination, which were considered largely +responsible for its style.</p> + +<p>Only when the admiration for such emotional and imaginative +qualities should outweigh the desire for symmetrical form; when +"primitive" literature should be preferred to Virgil and Horace; +and when this preference should be joined with a belief in the +diversity and fatality of literary bents—only then could the +concept of original genius burst into full bloom.</p> + +<p>In Aaron Hill's preface to the paraphrase of Genesis, published +in 1720, we find no preoccupation with the fatality of +temperament and style. But we do find a rising discontent with +the emptiness and restraint of much contemporary verse, and a +very real preference for a more meaningful and a more emotional +and imaginative poetry. We find, in fact, a genuine appreciation +for the poetry of the Old Testament—a poetry which Biblical +scholars like Le Clerc were already viewing as the product of +untrained primitives.</p> + +<p>Hill was not alone in his admiration for Biblical style, for the +praise of the "unclassical" poetry of the Bible, which had begun +in the Renaissance, had swelled rather than diminished during the +neoclassical age. By the second decade of the 18th century such +Augustans as Dennis, Gildon, and Pope were crying up its +beauties. Not all agreed, of course, on just what those beauties +were. And still less did they agree on the extent to which +contemporary poetry should imitate them.</p> + +<p>One thing upon which almost all would have agreed, however, was +the adoption of the historical point of view in the approach to +Hebrew poetry. Yet many of Hill's predecessors had stopped short +with the historical justification. Blackmore, for instance, had +condemned as bigots and sectarians all those who denied that the +Hebrew way was as great as the classical. He had pronounced it a +mere accident of fate that modern poetry of Western Europe was +modeled on that of Greece and Rome rather than on that of ancient +Israel. But he had been perfectly willing to accept that +fate—and to remodel the form and style of the book of Job on +what he considered the pattern of the classical epic.</p> + +<p>Hill is as far as most of his contemporaries from appreciating +such a literal translation as the King James Version. On the +other hand, he is one of a small group of critics who were +beginning to see that at least certain aspects of Biblical style +were of universal appeal; that they might be as effective +psychologically for the modern Englishman as for the ancient Jew. +And he sees in this collection of ancient Oriental literature a +corrective for some of the worst tendencies of a degenerate +contemporary poetry.</p> + +<p>Hill's attack upon the current preoccupation with form and +polish, and his contempt for mere smoothness, for the padded +redundancy of Addison and the elaborate rhetoric of Trapp, are +all part of a campaign waged by a small group of critics to make +poetry once again a vehicle of the very highest truth. He +insists, too, that great thought cannot be contained within the +untroubled cadences of the heroic couplet. His own preference led +to the freer, though currently unfashionable, Pindaric, the +irregularity of which seemed justified by Biblical example, for +despite a century and a half of study and speculation the secret +of Biblical verse had not been solved and to most critics even +the Psalms appeared devoid of any pattern. Indeed, Cowley had +declared that in their freedom of structure and abruptness of +transition the odes of Pindar were like nothing so much as the +poetry of Israel.</p> + +<p>In addition, Hill would have the modern poet profit by another +quality of Biblical style: its magic combination of a +"magnificent Plainness" with the "Spirit of Imagery." This is the +Hebrew virtue of concrete suggestiveness, so highly prized by +20th-century critics and so alien to the generalized abstractions +and the explicit clarity of much 18th-century poetry.</p> + +<p>In consonance with those who believed poetry best communicated +truth because it appealed to man's senses and emotions as well as +to his logical faculty, Hill praises those "pictur'd Meanings of +Poetry" which "enflame a Reader's Will, and bind down his +Attention." Yet his analysis of Trapp's metaphorical expansions +of Biblical imagery reveals that Hill does not like detailed +descriptions or long-drawn-out comparisons. Instead, he admires +the Hebrew ability to spring the imagination with a few vividly +concrete details. Prior to Hill one can find, in a few +paraphrasers and critics like Denham and Lamy, signs of an +appreciation of the concrete suggestiveness of the Bible, but +most of the hundreds of paraphrasers had felt it desirable to +expand Biblical images to beautify and clarify them. Hill was +apparently the first to prove the esthetic loss in such a +practice by an analysis of particular paraphrastic expansions.</p> + +<p>Despite his theory, however, Hill's own paraphrase seems almost +as artificial and un-Biblical as those he condemns. He often +forgets the principles he preaches. But even in his preface there +is evident a blind spot that is a mark of his age. His false +ideas of decorum, admiration for Milton, and approval of Dennis's +interpretation of the sublime as the "vast" and the "terrible," +all lead him to condemn the "low" or the familiar. And his own +efforts to "raise" both his language and his comparisons to suit +the "high" Biblical subject, result in personifications, compound +epithets, and a Miltonic vocabulary, by which the very simplicity +he himself found in the Bible is destroyed.</p> + +<p>Another decade was to pass before John Husbands would demonstrate +a clear appreciation for the true simplicity of the Bible and +praise its "penmen" in terms close to those employed to describe +original genius.</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 31em;">Gretchen Graf Pahl</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 31em;">Pomona College</span><br /> +</p> + +<p>The essay "Of Genius," from the <i>Occasional Paper</i> (1719), is +reproduced from a copy in the New York Public Library. The +typescript of Aaron Hill's preface is based on a copy in the +Henry E. Huntington Library. Both works are used with +permission.</p> + + + + + + + + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><img src="images/image003.gif" width="400" height="850" alt="Frontpiece" border="1" /></p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p class="center"><b>THE</b><b><br /> + <br /> + OCCASIONAL PAPER.</b><br /> + <br /> + VOL. III. NUMB. X.<br /> + <br /> + OF<br /> + <br /> + <b>GENIUS.</b><br /> + + <br /> + <br /> + <span style="margin-left: 2em">The Cartesian <i>Categories are contain'd in these two</i></span><br /> + <span style="margin-left: 1em"><i>Verses,</i></span><br /> + <br /> + <span style="margin-left: 3em;">Mens, mensura, quies, motus, positura, Figura, Sunt,</span><br /> + <span style="margin-left: 3em;">cum materia, cunctarum Exordia rerum.</span><br /> + <br /> + <br /> + <br /> + <i>The Spiritual Nature</i>, Mens, <i>is at the head of All. It</i><br /> + <span style="margin-left: 2.5em;"><i>ought to be look'd on here, as a Transcendent Nature,</i></span><br /> + <span class="center">quæ vagatur per omnes Categorias.<br /> + <br /> + Bayle's Diction. <i>on the Heathen Doctrine of</i><br /> + <i>many</i> Genij. See <i>CAINITES</i>.</span><br /> + <br /> + <br /> + <br /> + <i>LONDON:</i><br /> + <br /> + Printed for EM. MATTHEWS at the <i>Bible</i><br /> + in <i>Pater-Noster-Row</i>; J. ROBERTS, in<br /> + <i>Warwick-Lane</i>; J. HARRISON, under the<br /> + <i>Royal Exchange</i>; and A. DODD, without<br /> + <i>Temple-Bar</i>. MDCCXIX.<br /> +</p> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="OF_GENIUS" id="OF_GENIUS"></a><b>OF GENIUS.</b></h2> + + +<p>It is a Matter of common Observation, that there is a vast +Variety in the Bent of Mens Minds. Some have a Taste of one Way +of Living, some of another; some have a Turn for one kind of +Employment, others for what is quite different. Whether this be +from the Constitution of the Mind itself, as some Soils are more +apt to produce some Plants and Herbs than others; or from the +Laws of Union between the Body and Mind, as some Climates are +more kindly to nurse particular Vegetables than others; or from +the immediate Impulse of that Power which governs the World, is +not so easy to determine.</p> + +<p>We ascribe this to a difference of <i>Genius</i> amongst Men. +<i>Genius</i> was a Deity worshipped by the Ancient Idolaters: +Sometimes as the God of <i>Nature</i>; sometimes as the God of a +particular <i>City</i> or <i>Country</i>, or <i>Fountain</i>, or +<i>Wood</i>, or the like; sometimes as the Guardian and Director +of a <i>single Person.</i></p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Exuitur, <i>Geniumq; meum</i> prostratus adorat.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Propert. <i>l</i>. 4. <i>El.</i> 9 V. 43.</span><br /> +</p> + +<p>The Heathens had a Notion, that every Man upon his Birth was +given up to the<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> Conduct of some invisible Being, who was to +form his Mind, and govern and direct his Life. This <i>Being</i> the +<i>Greeks</i> called<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> Δαιμων or Δαιμονιον the <i>Latins</i>, +<i>Genius</i>. Some of them suppos'd a<a name="FNanchor_D_4" id="FNanchor_D_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_D_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a> Pair of <i>Genij</i> +were to attend every <i>Man</i> from his Birth; one Good, always +putting him on the Practice of Virtue; the other Bad, prompting +him to a vicious Behaviour; and according as their several +Suggestions were most attended to, the Man became either Virtuous +or Vicious in his Inclinations: And from this Influence, which +the <i>Genius</i> was suppos'd to have towards forming the Mind, +the Word was by degrees made to stand for the Inclination itself. +Hence<a name="FNanchor_E_5" id="FNanchor_E_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_E_5" class="fnanchor">[E]</a> <i>indulgere Genio</i> with the <i>Latins</i> signifies, +to give Scope to Inclination, and more commonly to what is none +of the best. On the other Hand, <a name="FNanchor_F_6" id="FNanchor_F_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_F_6" class="fnanchor">[F]</a><i>Defraudare Genium</i>, +signifies to deny Nature what it craves.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> <i>Ferunt Theologi, in lucem editis Hominibus cunctis,</i> +<i>Salva firmitate fatali, bujusmodi quedam, velut actus vectura,</i> +<i>numina Sociari: Admodum tamen paucissimis visa, quos</i> +<i>multiplices auxere virtutes. Idque & Oracula & Autores</i> +<i>docuerunt praclari</i>. Ammian Marcel Lib. 21.</p></div> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> Ἁπαντι Δαιμων ανδρι συμπαρισταται <br /> + Ευθυς γενομενω μυσταγωγος του βιου. Μenan.</p> +</div> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a><span class="label">[C]</span> Scit Genius Natale comes, qui temperat Astrum, +Nature Deus Humana. Horat.</p> +<p>[Transcriber's Note: This footnote is not seen in the text] +</p></div> +<div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_D_4" id="Footnote_D_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_D_4"><span class="label">[D]</span></a> <i>Volunt unicuique Genium appositum Damonem benum &</i> +<i>malum, hoc est <br /> +</i><i>rationem qua ad meliora semper boriatur, &</i> + <i>libidinem qua ad pejora, hic est Larva & Genius malus, ille</i> + <i>bonus Genius & Lar. Serv. in Virgil, Lib. 6. v. 743.</i></p> +</div> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_E_5" id="Footnote_E_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_E_5"><span class="label">[E]</span></a> <i>Indulge Genio: carpamus dulcia</i>. Pers. Sat. 5.</p></div> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_F_6" id="Footnote_F_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_F_6"><span class="label">[F]</span></a> <i>Suum defraudans Genium.</i> Terent. Phorm. Act 1.</p></div> + +<p>But a <i>Genius</i> in common Acceptation amongst <i>us</i>, doth not +barely answer to this Sense. The <i>Pondus Animæ</i> is to be taken +into its Meaning, as well as the bare Inclination; as Gravitation +in a Body (to which this bears great Resemblance) doth not barely +imply a determination of its Motion towards a certain Center, but +the <i>Vis</i> or Force with which it is carried forward; and so the +<i>English</i> Word <i>Genius</i>, answers to the same <i>Latin</i> Word, and +<i>Ingenium</i> together. <a name="FNanchor_G_7" id="FNanchor_G_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_G_7" class="fnanchor">[G]</a><i>Ingenium</i> is the <i>Vis ingenita</i>, the +natural Force or Power with which every Being is indued; and +this, together with the particular Inclination of the Mind, +towards any Business, or Study, or Way of Life, is what we mean +by a <i>Genius</i>. Both are necessary to make a Man shine in any +Station or Employment. Nothing considerable can be done against +the Grain, or as the <i>Latins</i> express it, <i>invita Minerva</i>, in +spite of Power and Inclination, "Forc'd Studies, says<a name="FNanchor_H_8" id="FNanchor_H_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_H_8" class="fnanchor">[H]</a> +<i>Seneca</i>, will never answer: The Labour is in vain where Nature +recoils." Indeed, where the Inclination towards any Thing is +strong, Diligence and Application will in a great Measure supply +the Defect of natural Abilities: But then only is in a finish'd +<i>Genius</i>, when with a strong Inclination there is a due +Proportion of Force and Vigour in the Mind to pursue it.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_G_7" id="Footnote_G_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_G_7"><span class="label">[G]</span></a> <i>Ingenium quasi intus genitum</i>.</p></div> + +<div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_H_8" id="Footnote_H_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_H_8"><span class="label">[H]</span></a> <i>Male respondent ingenia coacta; reluctante</i> +<i>naturâirritus Labor est.</i></p> +</div> + +<p>There is a vast Variety of these Inclinations among Mankind. Some +there are who have no bent to Business at all; but, if they could +indulge Inclination, would doze out Life in perpetual Sloth and +Inactivity: Others can't be altogether Idle, but incline only to +trifling and useless Employments, or such as are altogether out +of Character. Both these sorts of Men are properly good for +nothing: They just live, and help to<a name="FNanchor_I_9" id="FNanchor_I_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_I_9" class="fnanchor">[I]</a> consume the Products of +the Earth, but answer no valuable End of Living, out of +Inclination I mean; Providence and good Government have sometimes +made them serviceable against it.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_I_9" id="Footnote_I_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_I_9"><span class="label">[I]</span></a> <i>Fruges consumere nati</i>. Horat.</p></div> + +<p>The better, and in Truth only valuable, Part of Mankind, have a +Turn for one sort of Business or other, but with great variety of +Taste. Some are addicted to deep Thought and Contemplation: Some +to the abstracted Speculations of Metaphysicks; some to the +evident Demonstrations of the Mathematicks; some to the History +of Nature, built upon true Narration, or accurate Observations +and Experiments: Some to the Invention of <i>Hypotheses</i>, to solve +the various <i>Phenomena</i>. Some affect the study of Languages, +Criticism, Oratory, Poetry, and such like Studies. Some have a +Taste for Musick, some for History and those Sciences which must +help to Accuracy in it: Some have Heads turned for Politicks, and +others for Wars. Some few there are of such quick and strong +Faculties, as to grasp at every thing, and who have made a very +eminent Figure in several Professions at once. We have known in +our Days the same Men learned in the Laws, acute Philosophers, +and deep Divines: We have known others at once eloquent Orators, +brave Soldiers, and finished Statesmen. But these Instances are +rare.</p> + +<p>The more general Inclination among Men is to some Mechanical +Business. Of this there is most general Use for the Purposes of +Human Life, and it needs most Hands to carry it on. The bulk of +Mankind seem turned for some or other of these Employments, and +make them their Choice; and were not such a multiplicity of Hands +engaged in them, great part of the Conveniencies of Human Life +would be wanting. But even the Multitude of these Employments +leaves room for great variety of Inclinations, and for different +<i>Genij</i>, to display and exert themselves.</p> + +<p>This is an admirable and wise Provision to answer every End and +Occasion of Mankind, for a sure and harmonious Concurrence of +Mens Actions to all the necessary and useful Affairs of the +World. When in very different Ways, but with equal Pleasure and +Application, they contribute to the Order and Service of the +whole. Mr. <i>Dryden</i> has given an Hint, how we may form a +beautiful and pleasing Idea of this from the Powers of Musick, +that arise from the Variety and artful Composition of Sounds.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>From Harmony, from Heavenly Harmony, </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>This Universal Frame began. </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>From Harmony to Harmony, </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Thro' all the Compass of the Notes it ran, </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>The Diapasm closing full in Man.</i></span><br /> + + +<p>There seems to be a wonderful Likeness in the natural Make of +Mens Minds to the various Tones and Measures of Sounds; and in +their Inclinations and most pleasing Tastes to the several Styles +and Manners of Musick. Something there is in the Mind, of alike +Composition, that is easily touch'd by the kindred Harmony of +Musick,</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>For Man may justly tuneful Strains admire,</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>His Soul is Musick, and his Breast a Lyre</i>.</span><br /> + + +<p>We have all the Materials of Musick in the Tones and Measure. For +the infinite Variety Composition admits of, can be nothing else, +but higher or lower Tones, stronger or softer Sounds, with a +slower or swifter Motion. The Artist, by an harmonious Mixture +of these, makes the Musick either strong and martial, brisk and +airy, grave and solemn, or soft and moving.</p> + +<p>There seems to be in Man a Composition of natural Powers and +Capacities, not unlike to these. From hence I would take the +first Original of their distinguishing <i>Genij</i>. The Words by +which they are usually explain'd, have a manifest Allusion +hereto. Thus we say of some Men, they have a brisk and airy +<i>Genius</i>; of others, they have a strong and active <i>Genius</i>, a +quick and lively Spirit, a grave and solemn Temper, and the like. +The different readiness of Apprehension, strength of Judgment, +vivacity of Fancy and Imagination, with a more or less active +Disposition, and the several Mixtures of which these Powers are +capable, are sufficient to explain this. They may shew us how +some have a particular <i>Genius</i> for Wit and Humour, others for +Thought and Speculation. Whence it is, some love a constant and +persevering Application to whatever they undertake; and others +are continually jumping from one Thing to another, without +finishing any thing at all.</p> + +<p>But we do not only consider in Musick these Materials, as I may +call them, of which it is composed; but also the Style and +Manner. This diversifies the <i>Genius</i> of the Composer, and +produces the most sensible and touching Difference. There is in +all Musick the natural difference of Tone and Measure. They are +to be found in the most vulgar Compositions of a Jig or an +Hornpipe. But it is a full Knowledge of the Force and Power of +Sounds, and a judicial Application of them to the several +Intentions of Musick, that forms the Style of a <i>Purcel</i> or +<i>Corelli</i>. This is owing to successive Improvements. The Ear is +formed to an elegant Judgment by Degrees. What is harsh and +harmonious is discovered and corrected. By many Advantages, some +at last come to find out what, in the whole Compass of Sounds, is +most soft and touching, most brisk and enlivening, most lofty and +elevating. So that whatever the Artist intends, whether to set an +Air, or compose a <i>Te Deum</i>, he does either, with an equal +<i>Genius</i>, that is, with equal Propriety and Elegance. Thus long +ago,</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Timotheus <i>to his breathing flute, and sounding Lyre</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Could swell the Soul to Rage, or kindle soft Desire</i>.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 15em;">And,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Thus</i> David<i>'s Lyre did</i>Saul'<i>s wild Rage controul,</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i> And tune the harsh Disorders of his Soul</i>.</span><br /> + + +<p>This may direct us to another Cause, from whence a <i>Genius</i> +arises: A <i>Genius</i> that is formed and acquired. For the Turn that +Education, Company, Business, the Taste of the Age, and above +all, Principles of vitious or virtuous Manners, give to a Man's +natural Capacities, is what chiefly forms his <i>Genius</i>. Thus we +say of some, they have a rude unpolish'd <i>Genius</i>; of others, +they have a fine, polite <i>Genius</i>. The manner of applying the +natural Powers of the Mind, is what alone may produce the most +different and opposite <i>Genij</i>. Libertine Principles, and +Virtuous Morals, may form the Genius of a <i>Rake</i>, from the same +natural Capacity, out of which Virtuous Principles might have +form'd an <i>Hero</i>.</p> + +<p>There is certainly in our natural Capacities themselves, a +Fitness for some Things, and Unfitness for others. Thus whatever +great Capacities a Man may have, if he is naturally timorous, or +a Coward, he never can have a Warlike <i>Genius</i>. If a Man has not +a good Judgment, how great soever his Wit may be, or polite his +Manners, he never will have the <i>Genius</i> of a Statesman. Just as +strong Sounds and brisk Measures can never touch the softer +Passions. Yet as the Art and Skill of the Composer, is required +to the <i>Genius</i> of Musick, so is a Knowledge of the Force and +Power of the natural Capacity, and a judicious Application of it +to the best and most proper Purposes, what forms a <i>Genius</i> for +any Thing. This is the effect of Care, Experience and a right +Improvement of every Advantage that offers. On this Observation +<i>Horace</i> founded his Rules for a Poetical <i>Genius</i>.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Versate diu quid sere recusent </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><i>Quid valeant humeri. </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 7em;"><i>And</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Ego nec studium sine divite vena,</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><i>Nec rude quid profit video ingenium.</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>To speak my Thoughts, I hardly know </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>What witless Art, or artless Wit can do.</i></span><br /> + + +<p>The same Observation in another kind is elegantly described by +Mr. <i>Waller</i>.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Great</i> Julius <i>on the Mountains bred, </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>A Flock perhaps, or Herd had led. </i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>He that the World subdued had been</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i> But the best Wrestler on the Green. </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>'Tis Art and Knowledge that draw forth </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>The hidden Seeds of Native Worth. </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>They blow those Sparks, and make 'em rise</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i> Into such Flames as touch the Skies.</i></span><br /> + + +<p>The High and Martial Spirit of <i>Casar</i> would have inclined and +fitted him, to gain the Prize of Wrestling above any Country +Sport. But it was the Circumstance of his own Birth and Fortune, +the State and Condition of the Commonwealth, and the Concurrence +of many other Advantages, which he improv'd with great Care and +Application, that made him a finish'd <i>Genius</i>, both in Arms and +Policy.</p> + +<p>There is yet another Thing of Consequence to a true <i>Genius</i> in +Musick. A Knowledge of the Compass and peculiar Advantages of +each several Instrument. For the same Composition will very +differently touch both the Ear and the Mind, as perform'd by a +Flute, or Trumpet, an Organ, or a Violin. A difference of which, +all discern by the Ear, but which requires a judicious +Observation in the Composer. Mr. <i>Hughes</i> has thus express'd +their different Powers.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Let the Trumpet's shrill Voice</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>And the Drum's thundering Noise</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;"><i>Rouse every dull Mortal from Sorrow profound</i>.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 11em;">And,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Proceed, sweet Charmer of the Ear</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Proceed, and through the mellow Flute</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 7em;"><i>The moving Lyre</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;"><i>And Solitary Lute</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Melting Airs, soft Joys inspire</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Airs for drooping Hope to hear</i>.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">And again,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5em;"><i> Now, let the sprightly Violin</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>A louder Strain begin</i>:</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">And now,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Let the deep mouth'd Organ blow</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Swell it high and Sink it low</i>.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Hark! how the Treble and the Base</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>In wanton Fuges each other chase</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;"><i>And swift Divisions run their Airy Race</i>.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>Thro' all the travers'd Scale they fly</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;"><i>In winding Labyrinths of Harmony</i>,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;"><i>By turns They rise and fall, by Turns we live and die.</i></span><br /> + + +<p>One might not unfitly compare to this difference of Instruments, +the different Make and Constitution of Mens Bodies, with the +Influence they have, and the Impression they make on their Minds, +Passions and Actions. From hence alone they may know much, how to +direct their own proper Capacities, and how they are to suit each +Person they are to use, to the most proper Employment. As Mr. +<i>Pope</i> Speaks of the Instruments of Musick.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>In a sadly pleasing Strain, </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Let the warbling Lute complain.</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Let the loud Trumpet sound,</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Till the Roofs all around</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>The shrill Echo's rebound.</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><i>While in more lengthen'd Notes and slow, </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><i>The deep, majestick, solemn Organs blow</i>.</span><br /> + + +<p>Harmony, in its most restrain'd Sense, is the apt and agreeable +mixture of various Sounds. Such a Composition of them as is +fitted to please the Ear. But every thing in a more extended +Sense is harmonious, where there is a variety of Things dispos'd +and mix'd in such apt and agreeable Manner. Things may indeed be +thrown together in a Crowd, without Order or Art. And then every +thing appears in Confusion, disagreeable and apt to disgust. But +absolute Uniformity will give little more Pleasure than meer +Confusion. To be ever harping on one String, though it be touch'd +by the most Masterly Hand, will give little more Entertainment to +the Ear, than the most confused and discordant variety of Sounds +mingled by the Hand of a meer Bungler. To have the Eye for ever +fix'd on one beautiful Object, would be apt to abate the +Satisfaction, at least in our present State. Variety relieves and +refreshes. It is so in the natural World. Hills and Valleys, +Woods and Pasture, Seas and Shores, not only diversify the +Prospect, but give much more Entertainment to the Eye, that can +successively go from one to the other, than any of them could +singly do. And could we see into all the Conveniencies of things, +how well they are fitted to each other, and the common Purposes +of all, we shou'd find that the Diversity is as usefull as it is +agreeable.</p> + +<p>It is the same also with the World of Mankind. If all had a like +Turn or Cast of Mind, and all were bent upon one Business or way +of Living, it would spoil much of the present Harmony of the +World, and be a manifest Inconvenience to the Publick. Perhaps +one Part of Learning, or Method of Business, would be throughly +cultivated and improved; but how many others must be neglected, +or remain defective? And it would create Jealousy and Uneasiness +among themselves. As Men are forc'd to justle in a Crowd. For +there would not be sufficient Scope for every one to exert and +display himself, nor so much Room for many to excel, when all +must do it in one Way. Variety of Inclination and Capacity is an +admirable Means of common Benefit. It opens a wide Field for +Service to Others, and gives great Advantage to Mens own +Improvement.</p> + +<p>And it is surprising to consider how great this Diversity is. It +is almost as various as that of bodily Features and Complexion. +There is no Instance of any kind of Learning or Business; any +Thing relating to the Necessity or Delight of Life; not the +meanest Office or the hardest Labour, but some or other are found +to answer the different Purposes of each. They are carried +through all the Difficulties in their several Ways, by the meer +Force of a <i>Genius</i>: And attempt and achieve that, with an high +relish of Pleasure, which would give the greatest Disgust to +others and utterly discourage them. This stirs up an useful +Emulation, and gives full Scope for every one to show Himself and +appear to advantage. And it is certainly for the Beauty and +Advantage of the Body. As many Hands employed in different Ways +about some noble Building, yet all help either to secure its +Strength, or furnish out all the Convenience, or give a State and +Grandeur to it.</p> + +<p>The Wisdom and Beauty of Providence appear at once in this +Variety and Distinction of Powers and Inclinations among Mankind. +It is a very wise and a necessary Provision for the common Good, +and the Advantage and Pleasure of particular Men. It answers to +all the Ends and Occasions of Mankind. They are in this Way made +helpful to one another, and capable of serving Themselves, and +that without much trouble or fatigue. Business by this Means +becomes a Pleasure. The greatest Labours and Cares are easy and +entertaining to Him who pursues his <i>Genius</i>. Inclination still +urges the Man on: Obstacles and Oppositions only sharpen his +Appetite, and put Him upon summoning all his Powers, that He may +exert Himself to the uttermost, and get over his Difficulties. +All the several Arts and Sciences, and all the Improvements made +in them from Time to Time; all the different Offices and +Employments of humane Life, are owing to this variety of Powers +and Inclinations among Men. And is it not obvious to every Eye +how much of the Conveniences and Comforts of humane Life spring +from these Originals? It is a glorious Display and most +convincing Proof of the Interest of Providence in humane Affairs, +and the Wisdom of its Conduct, to fit Things in this Manner to +their proper Uses and Ends. And so to <i>sort</i> Mankind, and suit +their Talents and Inclinations, that all may contribute somewhat +to the Publick Good, and hardly one Member of the whole Body be +lost in the Reckoning, useless to it self, or unserviceable to +the Body. Were it otherwise, what large Tracts of humane Affairs +would lie perfectly waste and uncultivated? Whereas now all the +Parts of humane Learning and Life lie open to Improvement, and +some or other is fitted by Nature, and dispos'd by Inclination, +to help towards it.</p> + +<p>And as Providence gives the Hint, Men should take it, and follow +the Conduct of <i>Genius</i> in the Course of their Studies, and Way +of Employment in the World; and in the Education and Disposal of +their Children. Men too often in this Case consult their own +Humour and Convenience, not the Capacity and Inclination of the +Child: And are governed by some or other external Circumstance, +or lower Consideration; as, what they shall give with them, or to +whom to commit the Care of them, &c. Thus they after contrive +unsuitable Marriages, on the single View of worldly Advantage. +From this Cause proceed fatal Effects, and many young Men of +great Hopes, and good Capacities, miscarry in the after Conduct +of Life, and prove useless or mischievous to the World. They turn +off from a disagreeable Employment, and run into Idleness and +Extravagance. If People better consider'd the peculiar <i>Genius</i> +or proper Talents of their Children, and took their Measures of +Treatment and Disposal thence, we should certainly find +answerable Improvements and lasting good Effects. The several +Kinds of Learning and Business would come to be more advanced, +and the Lives of Men become more useful and significant to the +World.</p> + +<p>I have known a large Family of Children, with so remarkable a +Diversity of <i>Genius</i>, as to be a little Epitome of Mankind. Some +studious and thoughtful, and naturally inclin'd to <i>Books</i> and +<i>Learning</i>; Others diligent and ambitious, and disposed to +<i>Business</i> and rising in the World. Some bold and enterprizing, +and loved nothing so well as the <i>Camp</i> and the <i>Field</i>; or so +daring and unconfined, that nothing would satisfy but <i>going</i> to +<i>Sea</i> and visiting Foreign Parts. Some have been gay and airy, +Others solid and retired. Some curious and Observers of other +Men; Others open and careless. In short, their Capacities have +been as various as their Natural Tempers or Moral Dispositions.</p> + +<p>Now what a Blunder would be committed in the Education of such a +Family, if, with this different Turn of Mind in the Children, +there should be no difference made in the Management of them, or +their Disposal in the World. If all should be put into one Way +of Life, or brought up to one Business. Or if in the Choice of +Employment for Them, their several Biass and Capacity be not +consulted, but the roving <i>Genius</i> mew'd up in a Closet, and +confounded among Books: And the studious and thoughtful <i>Genius</i> +sent to wander about the World, and be perfectly scattered and +dissipated, for want of proper Application and closer +Confinement. Whereas, one such a Family wisely educated, and +dispos'd in the World, would prove an extensive Blessing to +Mankind, and appear with a distinguished Glory; was the proper +<i>Genius</i> of every Child first cultivated, and he then put into a +Way of Life that would suit his Taste.</p> + +<p><i>Genius</i> is a part of natural Constitution, not acquir'd, but +born with us. Yet it is capable of Cultivation and Improvement. +It has been a common Question, whether a Man be born a Poet or +made one? but both must concur. Nature and Art must contribute +their Shares to compleat the Character. Limbs alone will not make +a Dancer, or a Wrestler. Nor will <i>Genius</i> alone make a good +Poet; nor the meer Strength of natural Abilities make a +considerable Artist of any kind. Good Rules, and these reduc'd to +Practice, are necessary to this End. And Use and Exercise in +this, as well as in all other Cases, are a second Nature. And, +oftentimes, the second Nature makes a prodigious Improvement of +the Force and Vigour of the first.</p> + +<p>It has been long ago determined by the great Masters of Letters, +that good Sense is the chief Qualification of a good Writer.</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>Scribendi certe sapere est & Principium & Fons.</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 22em;">Horat.</span><br /> +</p> + +<p>Yet the best natural Parts in the World are capable of much +Improvement by a due Cultivation.</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>Doctrina sed vim promovet insitam,</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>Rectique cultus Pectora roborant.</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 22.5em;">Horat.</span><br /> +</p> + +<p>The Spectator's golden Scales, let down from Heaven to discover +the true Weight and Value of Things, expresses this Matter in a +Way which at once shews, a <i>Genius</i>, and its Cultivation. "There +is a Saying among the <i>Scots</i>, that an Ounce of Mother-Wit, is +worth a Pound of Clergy. I was sensible of the Truth of this +Saying, when I saw the difference between the Weight of natural +Parts and that of Learning. I observ'd that it was an hundred +Times heavier than before, when I put Learning into the same +Scale with it."</p> + +<p>It has been observ'd, of an <i>English</i> Author, that he would be +all <i>Genius</i>. He would reap the Fruits of Art, but without the +Study and Pains of it. The <i>Limæ Labor</i> is what he cannot easily +digest. We have as many Instances of Originals, this way, as any +Nation can produce. Men, who without the help of Learning, by the +meer Force of natural Ability, have produced Works which were the +Delight of their own Times, and have been the Wonder of +Posterity. It has been a Question, whether Learning would have +improved or spoiled them. There appears somewhat so nobly Wild +and Extravagant in these great <i>Genij</i>, as charms infinitely +more, than all the Turn and Polishing which enters into the +<i>French Bel Esprit</i>, or the <i>Genius</i> improved by Reading and +Conversation.</p> + +<p>But tho' this will hold in some very rare Instances, it must be +much for its Advantage in ordinary Cases, that a <i>Genius</i> should +be diligently and carefully cultivated. In order to this, it +should be early watched and observ'd. And this is a matter that +requires deep Insight into Humane Nature. It is not so easy as +many imagine, to pronounce what the proper <i>Genius</i> of a Youth +is. Every one who will be fiddling, has not presently a <i>Genius</i> +for Musick. The Idle Boy draws Birds and Men, when he should be +getting his Lesson or writing his Copy; <i>This Boy</i>, says the +Father, <i>must be a</i> Painter; when alas! this is no more the Boy's +<i>Genius</i> than the <i>Parhelion</i> is the true Sun. But those who have +the Care of Children, should take some Pains to know what their +true <i>Genius</i> is. For here the Foundation must be laid for +improving it. If a Mistake be made here, the Man sets out wrong, +and every Step he takes carries him so much farther from Home.</p> + +<p>The true <i>Genius</i> being discovered, it must be supplied with +Matter to work upon, and employ it self. This is Fuel for the +Fire. And the fitting a <i>Genius</i> with proper Materials, is +putting one into the Way of going through the World with Wind and +Tide. The whole Force of the Mind is applied to its proper Use. +And the Man exerts all his Strength, because he follows +Inclination, and gives himself up to the proper Conduct of his +<i>Genius</i>. This is the right way to excel. The Man will naturally +rise to his utmost Height, when he is directed to an Employment +that at once fits his Abilities, and agrees with his Taste.</p> + +<p>Care must also be taken, that a <i>Genius</i> be not overstrain'd. Our +Powers are limited. None can carry beyond their certain Weight. +Whilst we follow Inclination, and keep within the Bounds of our +Power, we act with Ease and Pleasure. If we strain beyond our +Power, we crack the Sinews, and after two or three vain Efforts, +our Strength fails, and our Spirits are jaded. It wou'd be of +mighty Advantage towards improving a <i>Genius</i>, to make its +Employment, as much as possible, a Delight and Diversion, +especially to young Minds. A Man toils at a Task, and finds his +Spirits flag, and his Force abate, e'er he has gone half thro'; +whereas he can put forth twice the Strength, and complain of no +Fatigue, in following his Pleasures. Of so much Advantage is it +to make Business a Pleasure, if possible, and engage the Mind in +it out of Choice. It naturally reluctates against Constraint, and +is most unwilling to go on when it knows it <i>must</i>. But if it be +left to its own Choice, to follow Inclination and pursue its +Pleasure, it goes on without any Rubs, and rids twice the Ground, +without being half so much tired.</p> + +<p>Exercise is also very necessary to improve a <i>Genius</i>. It not +only shines the more, by exerting it self, but, like the Limbs of +an Humane Body, gathers Strength by frequent and vigorous Use, +and becomes more pliable and ready for Action. There must indeed +sometimes be a Relaxation. Our Minds will not at present bear to +be continually bent, and in perpetual Exercise. But our Faculties +manifestly grow by using them. The more we exert our selves, if +we do not overstrain our Powers, the greater Readiness and +Ability we acquire for future Action. A <i>Genius</i>, in order to be +much improv'd, should be well workt, and kept in close +Application to its proper Pursuit.</p> + +<p>All the Foreign Help must be procured, that can be had, towards +this Improvement. The Instruction and Example of such as excell +in that particular way, to which a Man's Mind is turned, is of +vast Use. A good Master in the Mechanical Arts, and careful +Observation of the nicest and most dextrous Workmen, will help a +<i>Genius</i> of this sort. A good Tutor in the Sciences, and free +Conversation with such as have made great Proficiency in them, +must vastly improve the more liberal <i>Genius</i>. Reading, and +careful Reflection on what a Man reads, will still add to its +Force, and carry the Improvement higher. Reading furnishes +Matter, Reflexion digests it, and makes it our own; as the Flesh +and Blood which are made out of the Food we eat. And Prudence and +the Knowledge of the World, must direct us how to employ our +<i>Genius</i>, and on all occasions make the best Use of it. What +will the most exalted <i>Genius</i> signify, if the World reaps no +Advantage from it? He who is possess'd of it, may make it turn to +Account to himself, and have much Pleasure and Satisfaction from +it; but it is a very poor Business, if it serves no other +Purpose, than to supply Matter for such private and narrow +Satisfaction. It is certainly the Intention of Providence, that a +good <i>Genius</i> should be a publick Benefit; and to wrap up such a +Talent in a Napkin, and bury it in the Earth, is at once to be +unfaithful to God, and defraud Mankind.</p> + +<p>Those who have such a Trust put into their Hands, should be very +careful that they do not abuse it, nor squander it away. The best +<i>Genius</i> may be spoiled. It suffers by nothing more, than by +neglecting it, and by an Habit of Sloth and Inactivity. By +Disuse, it contracts <a name="FNanchor_J_10" id="FNanchor_J_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_J_10" class="fnanchor">[J]</a>Rust, or a Stiffness which is not easily +to be worn off. Even the sprightly and penetrating, have, thro' +this neglect, sunk down to the Rank of the dull and stupid. Some +Men have given very promising Specimens in their early Days, that +they could think well themselves; but, whether from a +pusillanimous Modesty, or a lazy Temper at first, I know not; +they have by Degrees contracted such an Habit of Filching and +Plagiary, as to lose their Capacity at length for one Original +Thought. Some Writers indeed, as well as Practitioners in other +Arts, seem only born to copy; but it is Pity those, who have a +Stock of their own, should so entirely lose it by Disuse, as to +be reduc'd to a Necessity, when they must appear in Publick, to +borrow from others.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_J_10" id="Footnote_J_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_J_10"><span class="label">[J]</span></a> Otium ingera rubig. [Transcriber's Note: "rubig" not readable, + may be the word for rust or stiffness.]</p></div> + +<p>Men should guard against this Mischief with great Care. A +<i>Genius</i> once squandered away by neglect, is not easily to be +recovered. <i>Tacitus</i> assigns a very proper Reason for this. +<a name="FNanchor_K_11" id="FNanchor_K_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_K_11" class="fnanchor">[K]</a>"Such is the Nature, saith he, of Humane Infirmity, that +Remedies cannot be applied, as quick as Mischiefs may be +suffered; and as the Body must grow up by slow Degrees, but is +presently destroyed; so you may stifle a <i>Genius</i> much more +easily than you can recover it. For you'll soon relish Ease and +Inactivity, and be in Love with Sloth, which was once your +Aversion." This can hardly fail of raining the best Capacity, +especially, if from a neglect of severer Business, Men run into a +Dissolution of Manners, which is the too common Consequence. The +greatest Minds have thus been often wholly enervated, and the +best Parts buried in utter Obscurity.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_K_11" id="Footnote_K_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_K_11"><span class="label">[K]</span></a> <i>Natura infirmitatis humanae, tadiora sunt remedia quam</i> +<i>mala; & ut corpora lente augescunt, cito extinguuntur, sic ingenia</i> +<i>studiaque oppresseris, facilius quam revocaveris; subit quippe ipsius</i> +<i>inertiae dulcedo, et invisa primo desidia postremo amatur</i>. Tacit. +Vit. Agricol. c. 3.</p></div> + + +<p>Though the Rules of Art may be of great Service to improve a +<i>Genius</i>, it is very prejudicial, in many Cases, to fetter it +self with these Rules, or confine itself within those Limits +which others have fixed. How little would Science have been +improv'd, if every new <i>Genius</i>, that applies himself to any +Branch of it, had made other Mens Light, his <i>ne plus ultra</i>, +and resolved to go no farther into it, than the Road had been +beaten before him. No doubt there were Men of as good natural +Abilities in the Ages before the Revival of Learning, as there +have been since. But they were cramped with the Jargon of a wordy +and unintelligible Philosophy, and durst not give themselves the +Liberty to think in Religion, without the Boundaries fixed by the +Church, for fear of Anathemas, and an Inquisition. Till those +Fetters were broken, little Advance was made, for many Ages +together, in any useful or solid Knowledge. In truth, every Man +who makes a new Discovery, goes at first by himself; and as long +as the greatest Minds are Content to go in Leading-strings, they +will be but upon a Level with their Neighbours.</p> + +<p>On the other Hand, Capacities of a lower size must be obliged to +more of Imitation. All their Usefulness will be spoiled by forming +too high Models for themselves. If they will be of Service, they +must be content to keep the beaten Road. Should they attempt to +soar too high, they will only meet with <i>Icarus</i>'s Fate. A common +<i>Genius</i> will serve many common Purposes exceeding well, and +render a Man conspicuous enough, tho' there may be no +distinguishing Splendor about him to dazzle the Beholders Eyes. +But if he attempts any Thing beyond his Strength, he is sure to +lose the Lustre which he had, if he does not also weaken his +Capacity, and impair his <i>Genius</i> into the Bargain. So just in +all Cases is the Poet's Advice to Writers.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>Sumite Materiam vestris qui scribitis aquam </i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Veribus Horat.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Weigh well your Strength, and never undertake</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i> What is above your Power</i>.</span><br /> + + +<p>And this brings to Mind another very common Occasion of ruining +many a good <i>Genius</i>; I mean, wrong Application. Nothing will +satisfie Parents, but their Children must apply their Minds to +one of the learned Professions, when, instead of consulting the +Reputation or Interest of their Children, by such a preposterous +Choice, they turn them out to live in an Element no way suited to +their Nature, and expose them to Contempt and Beggary all their +Days; while at the same Time they spoil an Head, admirably turn'd +for Traffick or Mechanicks. And he is left to bring up the Rear +in the learned Profession, or it may be lost in the Crowd, who +would have shined in Trade, and made a prime Figure upon the +Exchange. Many have by this Means <i>run their Heads against a</i> +<i>Pulpit</i>, (as a Satyrical <i>Genius</i> once expressed it) +<i>who would have made admirable Ploughmen</i>.</p> + +<p>There is a different Taste in Men, as to the learned Professions +themselves, which qualities and disposes them for the one, but +would never make them appear with any Lustre in another. This has +been often made evident in the different Figures, which some, who +lived in Obscurity before, have made upon a lucky Incident that +led them out of the mistaken Track into which they were first +put. Where Providence does not relieve a <i>Genius</i> from this Error +in setting out, the Man must be kept under the Hatches all his +Days.</p> + +<p>There are very different Manners of Writing, and each of them +just and agreeable in their Kind, when Nature is followed, and a +Man endeavours Perfection in that Style and Manner which suits +his own Humour and Abilities. Some please, and indeed excel in a +Mediocrity, <a name="FNanchor_L_12" id="FNanchor_L_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_L_12" class="fnanchor">[L]</a>who quite lose themselves if they attempt the +Sublime. Some succeed to a wonder in the Account of all Readers +whilst they confine themselves to close Reasoning; who, if they +are so ill advise'd, as to meddle with Wit; only make themselves +the Jest. <a name="FNanchor_M_13" id="FNanchor_M_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_M_13" class="fnanchor">[M]</a>That is easy and agreeable which is natural; what is +forc'd, will appear distorted and give Disgust.</p> + +<div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_L_12" id="Footnote_L_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_L_12"><span class="label">[L]</span></a> <i>Dum vitat humum, nubes et inania captet</i>. Horat.</p> +</div> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_M_13" id="Footnote_M_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_M_13"><span class="label">[M]</span></a> <i>Ingenio, sicut in Agro, quanquam alia diu Serantum</i><br /> +<i>atque elaborentur, gratiora tamen quae suâ sponte nascuntur</i>. Tacit. de +Orator, c. 6.</p></div> + +<p>It is of fatal Consequence to a good <i>Genius</i> to grasp at too +much. "A certain Magistrate (says <i>Bruyere</i>) arriving, by his +Merit, to the first Dignities of the Gown, thought himself +qualified for every Thing. He printed a Treatise of Morality, and +published himself a Coxcomb." Universal <i>Genij</i> and universal +Scholars are generally excellent at nothing. He is certainly the +wisest Man, who endeavours to be perfectly furnished for some +Business, and regards other Matters as no more than his +Amusement.</p> + +<p>A <i>Genius</i> being thus observed, humoured and cultivated, is to be +kept in Heart, and upon proper Occasions to be exerted. Without +this, it may sink and be lost. All Habits are weakened by Disuse. +And Men who are furnished with a <i>Genius</i>, for publick +Usefulness, should put themselves forward; I mean, with due +Modesty and Prudence, and not suffer their Talents to be hid, +when a fair Opportunity offers to do Service with them. Indeed it +is too common an Unhappiness for Men to be so placed, as to have +no Opportunity and Advantage for shewing their <i>Genius</i>. As +Matters are generally managed in the World, Men are for the most +part staked down to such Business, in such Alliances, or in such +Circumstances, that they have no proper Occasions of exerting +themselves; but instead of that, are continually tugging and +striving with things that are cross and ungrateful to them. And +that must be a strong Mind indeed, that shall break through the +Censures and Opposition of the World, and dare to quit a Station, +for which a Man has been brought up, and in which he has acted +for some Time, that he may get into another Sphere, where he sees +he can act according to the Impulses of his <i>Genius</i>. Tho' such +as have had the Courage and Skill to follow those Impulses, till +they have gain'd the Stations which suited their Taste and +Inclination, have seldom fail'd of appearing considerable. But +Multitudes, by this Situation of Affairs, have been forc'd, in a +manner, to stifle a <i>Genius</i>, because they could have no fair +Opportunity of exerting it.</p> + +<p>A crazy Constitution, and a Body liable to continual Disorders, +call off the Attention of many a great Mind, from what might +otherwise procure very great Reputation and Regard. Their +<i>Genius</i> no sooner begins a little to exert itself, but the +Spirits flag, and one unhappy Ail or other, enfeebles and +discourages the Mind.</p> + +<p>Lust and Wine mightily obstruct all Attempts that require +Application; and will neither allow a Man duly to furnish his +Mind, nor rightly to use that Furniture he has. An Intrigue or a +Bottle may sometimes give an Opportunity for a Man to shew his +<i>Genius</i>, but will utterly spoil all regular and reputable +Exertings of it. He who would put forth his <i>Genius</i> to the +Advantage of Himself or the World, should give into no Pleasures +that will enervate or dissolve his Mind. He must keep it bent for +Business, or he will bring all Business to nothing.</p> + +<p>Conceit and Affectation on one hand, and Peevishness and +Perverseness of Temper on the other, will lay the best <i>Genius</i> +under great Disadvantages, and raise such Dislike and Opposition, +as will bear it down in spite of all its Force and Furniture. A +graceful Mixture of Boldness and Modesty, with a Smoothness and +Benignity of Temper, will much better make a Man's Way into the +World, and procure him the Opportunity of exerting his <i>Genius</i>.</p> + +<p>But there is nothing lies as an heavier Weight upon a Man, or +hinders Him more from shewing Himself to Advantage, and employing +his great Abilities for the Service of Others; than the Quarrels +and Contentions of Parties. Many have their Talents imprison'd, +by being of the hated and sinking Side. Their Light is wholly +smother'd and suppress'd, that it may not shine out with a Lustre +on the Party to which they belong, whether it be in Politicks or +Religion. And all Struggles of a <i>Genius</i> are vain, when a Man is +born down at once by Clamour and Power.</p> + +<p>This is very discouraging to a Man who has taken much Pains in +cultivating his <i>Genius</i>; and many have, without doubt, been +tempted wholly to neglect themselves, from the Dread of these +Discouragements. I own this Neglect is not to be excused +altogether, though it grieves one that there should be any +Occasion given for it. There is still Room for Men to follow and +improve a <i>Genius</i>, and hope by it to benefit Mankind, and +procure Regard to Themselves. And it is hard to say, what Way of +exerting it will turn most to Account. Peculiar Honours are due +to those who appear to Advantage in the <i>Pulpit</i>. Numerous +Applauses and Preferments attend those who acquit themselves well +at the <i>Bar</i>. There is a great deal of Renown to those who are +eminent in the <i>Senate</i>. There are high Advantages to such as +excel in <i>Counsel</i> and on <i>Embassies</i>. Immortal Lawrels will +crown such as are brave, expert and victorious in <i>Arms</i>. There +are the Blessings of Wealth and Plenty to those who manage well +their <i>Trades</i> and <i>Merchandize</i>. The Names of the skilful +<i>Architect</i>, the cunning <i>Artificer</i>, the fine, exact and well +devising <i>Painter</i>, are sometimes enrolled in the Lists of Fame. +The learned, experienced and successful <i>Physician</i>, may become +as considerable for Repute and Estate, as one of any other +Profession. <i>Musick</i> also may have its <i>Masters</i>, who shall be +had in lasting Esteem. The <i>Poets</i> Performances may be <a name="FNanchor_N_14" id="FNanchor_N_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_N_14" class="fnanchor">[N]</a>more +durable than Brass, and long lived as Time it Self. Every +<i>Science</i> may have Professors that shall shine in the learned +World. With all the Discouragements that may damp a <i>Genius</i>, +there is yet a wide Field for it to exert it self, and Room to +hope it will not be in vain.</p> + + + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_N_14" id="Footnote_N_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_N_14"><span class="label">[N]</span></a><span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Exegi monumentum aere perennius</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Regalique situ pyramidum altius,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Possit diruere aut innumerabilis</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Annorum series et fuga temporum:</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Horat<br /></span><br /> + +</p> +</div> +<p>I was going to add something of exerting one's <i>Genius</i> as an +<i>Author</i>. But I found, it would fill up too much Room in my +Paper, should I enlarge on the several Ways of Mens appearing +considerable. And I was so apprehensive of the Reputation, which +the Divine, the Historian, the Critick, the Philosopher, and +almost all the other Authors, have above us <i>Essay-Writers</i>, that +I thought I should but lessen the Regards to my own <i>Genius</i>, +should I have set to View the Advantages of Others. It will +sufficiently gratify my Ambition as an Author, if the World will +be so good natured as to think I have handsomely excus'd my self; +that I am tolerably fitted, in the Way in I am, to give +Entertainment to my Readers, and do them some Service.</p> + +<hr style='width: 45%;' /> + + + +<p class="center"><b>FINIS</b></p> + +<hr style='width: 45%;' /> + +<p>ERRATA [Transcriber's Note: Not readable] </p> + +<hr style='width: 45%;' /> + + + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p class="center"><img src="images/image_002.png" alt="Frontpiece" width="300" height="500" border="1" /></p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<h4 class="center">THE<a name="The_Creation" id="The_Creation"></a><br /> +<br /> +<b>CREATION.</b><br /> +<br /> +A<br /> +<br /> +<b>Pindaric Illustration</b><br /> +OF A<br /> +<br /> +<b> POEM,</b><br /> +<br /> +Originally written by<br /> +<br /> +<b>MOSES,</b><br /> +<br /> +On That SUBJECT.<br /> +<br /> +WITH A<br /> +<br /> +<b>PREFACE to Mr. POPE,</b><br /> +<br /> +CONCERNING<br /> +<br /> +The Sublimity of the Ancient HEBREW POETRY,<br /> +and a material and obvious Defect in the ENGLISH.<br /> +<br /> +<i>LONDON:</i><br /> +<br /> +Printed for T. BICKERTON, at the <i>Crown</i> in <i>Pater-noster-Row.</i><br /> +<br /> +M. DCC. XX.<br /> +<br /> +Price One Shilling.<br /> +</h4> + + + + + + + + + + + + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<h2 class="center"><span style="margin-left: 1em"><b><i>PREFACE to MR. POPE</i></b></span><br /> + +</h2> +<p>Sir,</p> + +<p>About two Years ago, upon a slight Misapprehension of +some Expressions of yours, which my Resentment, or perhaps +my Pride, interpreted to the Disadvantage of a Poetical Trifle, +I had then newly publish'd, I suffer'd myself to be unreasonably +transported, so far, as to inscribe you an angry, +and inconsiderate Preface; without previous Examination into +the Justness of my Proceeding. I have lately had the Mortification +to learn from your own Hand that you were entirely +guiltless of the fact charg'd upon you; so that, in attempting +to retaliate a suppos'd Injury, I have done a real Injustice.</p> + +<p>The only Thing which an honest Man ought to be more +asham'd of than his faults, is a Reluctance against confessing +them. I have already acknowledg'd mine to yourself: But +no publick Guilt is well aton'd, by a private Satisfaction; +I therefore send you a Duplicate of my Letter, by way of the +World, that all, who remember my Offence, may also witness +my Repentance.</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Sir,</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">I am under the greatest Confusion I ever felt in</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">my Life, to find by your Letter, that I have been guilty</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">of a Crime, which I can never forgive Myself, were</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">it for no other Reason, than that You have forgiven it.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">I might have learnt from your Writings the Extent of</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">your Soul, and shou'd have concluded it impossible for</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">the Author of those elevated Sentiments, to sink beneath</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">them in his Practice.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">You are generously moderate, when you mitigate my</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Guilt, and miscall it a Credulity; 'twas a passionate,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">and most unjustifiable Levity, and must still have remain'd</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">unpardonable, whatever Truth might have been</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">found in its mistaken Occasion.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">What stings me most, in my Reflection on this Folly,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">is, that I know not how to atone it; I will endeavour it,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">however; being always asham'd, when I have attempted to</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">revenge an Injury, but never more proud, than when I</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">have begg'd pardon for an Error.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">If you needed an Inducement to the strengthening</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">your Forgiveness, you might gather it from these two Considerations;</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">First, The Crime was almost a Sin against</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Conviction; for though not happy enough to know you personally,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">your Mind had been my intimate Acquaintance,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">and regarded with a kind of partial Tenderness, that made</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">it little less than Miracle, that I attempted to offend</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">you. A sudden Warmth, to which, by Nature, I am much too</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">liable, transported me to a Condition, I shall best describe</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">in Shakespear's Sense, somewhere or other.</span><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Blind in th' obscuring Mist of heedless Rage, </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">I've rashly shot my Arrows o'er a House, </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And hurt my Brother....</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">A Second Consideration is, the Occasion you have gather'd to</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">punish my Injustice, with more than double Sharpness, by your</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Manner of receiving it. The Armour of your Mind is temper'd so</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">divinely, that my mere Human Weapons have not only fail'd to</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">pierce, but broke to pieces in rebounding. You meet Assaults,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">like some expert Arabian, who, declining any Use of his own</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Javelin, arrests those which come against him, in the Fierceness</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">of their Motion, and overcomes his Enemies, by detaining their</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">own Weapons. 'Tis a noble Triumph you now exercise, by the</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Superiority of your Nature; and while I see you looking down upon</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">the Distance of my Frailty, I am forc'd to own a Glory, which I</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">envy you; and am quite asham'd of the poor Figure I am making, in</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">the bottom of the Prospect. I feel, I am sure, Remorse, enough to</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">satisfy you for the Wrong, but to express it, wou'd, I think,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">exceed even your own Power.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Yours, whose sweet Songs can rival Orpheu's Strain,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And force the wondring Woods to dance again,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Make moving Mountains hear your pow'rful Call, </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And headlong Streams hang list'ning in their Fall.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">No Words can be worthy to come after these; I will therefore</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">hasten to tell you, that I am, and will ever be, with the</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">greatest Truth and Respect,</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 16em;">SIR,</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 17em;">Your Most Humble,</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 18em;">and Most Obedient Servant,</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 21.5em;">A. Hill.</span><br /> +</p> + +<p>I have now attempted, as far as I am able, to throw off a Weight, +which my Mind has been uneasy under. I cannot say, in the City +Phrase, that I have balanc'd the Account, but you must admit of +Composition, where full Payment is impossible. I shall be so far +from regretting you the old Benefit of Lex talionis, that I +forgive you heartily, beforehand, for any thing you may hereafter +think fit to say, or do, to my Disadvantage; nay, the Pleasure I +enjoy by reflecting on your good Nature, will degenerate to a +Pain, if one Accident or other, in the Course of your Life, does +not favour me with some Occasion of advancing your Interest.</p> + +<p>Having said thus much to you, in your Quality of a Good Man, I +will proceed to address you, in your other Quality, of a Great +Poet; in which Light I look up to you with extraordinary Comfort, +as to a new Constellation breaking out upon our World, with equal +Heat, and Brightness, and cross-spangling, as it were, the whole +Heaven of Wit with your milky way of Genius.</p> + +<p>You cou'd never have been born at a Time, which more wanted the +Influence of your Example: All the Fire you bring with you, and +the Judgment you are acquiring, in the Course of your Journey, +will be put to their full stress, to support and rebuild the +sinking Honours of Poetry.</p> + +<p>It was a Custom, which prevail'd generally among the Ancients, to +impute Celestial Descent to their Heroes; The Vanity, methinks, +might have been pardonable, and rational, if apply'd to an Art; +since Arts, when they are at once delightful and profitable, as +you will certainly leave Poetry, have one real Mark of Divinity, +they become, in some measure, immortal. And as the oldest, and, I +think, the sublimest Poem in the World, is of Hebrew Original, +and was made immediately after passing the Red-Sea, at a Time, +when the Author had neither Leisure, nor Possibility, to invent a +new Art: It must therefore be undeniable, either that the Hebrews +brought Poetry out of Egypt, or that Moses receiv'd it from God, +by immediate Inspiration. This last, being what a Poet should be +fondest of believing, I wou'd fain suppose it probable, that God, +who was pleas'd to instruct Moses with what Ceremony he wou'd be +worship'd, taught him also a Mode of Thinking, and expressing +Thought, unprophan'd by vulgar Use, and peculiar to that Worship. +God then taught Poetry first to the Hebrews, and the Hebrews to +Mankind in general.</p> + +<p>But, however this may have been, there is, apparently, a divine +Spirit, glowing forcibly in the Hebrew Poetry, a kind of terrible +Simplicity; a magnificent Plainness! which is commonly lost, in +Paraphrase, by our mistaken Endeavours after heightening the +Sentiments, by a figurative Expression; This is very ill Judg'd: +The little Ornaments of Rhetorick might serve, fortunately +enough, to swell out the Leanness of some modern Compositions; +but to shadow over the Lustre of a divine Hebrew Thought, by an +Affectation of enliv'ning it, is to paint upon a Diamond, and +call it an Ornament.</p> + +<p>It is a surprizing Reflection, that these noble Hebrew Poets +shou'd have written with such admirable Vigour three Thousand +Years ago; and that, instead of improving, we should affect to +despise them; as if, to write smoothly, and without the Spirit of +Imagery, were the true Art of Poetry, because the only Art we +practise. It puts me in Mind of the famous Roman Lady, who +suppos'd, that Men had, naturally, stinking Breaths, because she +had been us'd to it, in her Husband.</p> + +<p>The most obvious Defect in our Poetry, and I think the greatest +it is liable to, is, that we study Form, and neglect Matter. We +are often very flowing, and under a full Sail of Words, while we +leave our Sense fast aground, as too weighty to float on +Frothiness; We run on, upon false Scents, like a Spaniel, that +starts away at Random after a Stone, which is kept back in the +Hand, though It seem'd to fly before him. To speak with Freedom +on this Subject, is a Task of more Danger than Honour; for few +Minds have real Greatness enough to consider a Detection of their +Errors, as a Warning to their Conduct, and an Advantage to their +Fame; But no discerning Judgment will consider it as ill Nature, +in one Writer, to mark the Faults of another. A general Practice +of that Kind wou'd be the highest Service to poetry. No Disease +can be cur'd, till its Nature is examin'd; and the first likely +Step towards correcting our Errors, is resolving to learn +impartially, that we have Errors to be corrected.</p> + +<p>I will, therefore, with much Freedom, but no manner of Malice, +remark an Instance or two, from no mean Writers, to prove, that +our Poetry has been degenerating apace into mere Sound, or +Harmony; nor ought This to be consider'd as an invidious Attempt, +since whatever Pains we take, about polishing our Numbers, where +we raise not our Meaning, are as impertinently bestowed, as the +Labour wou'd be, of setting a broken Leg after the Soul has left +the Body. The Gunners have a Custom, when a Ball is too little +for the Bore of their Canon, to wrap Towe about it, till it +fills the Mouth of the Piece; after which, it is discharg'd, with +a Thunder, proportionable to the Size of the Gun; But its +Execution at the Mark, will immediately discover, that the Noise +of the Discharge was a great deal too big for the Diameter of the +Bullet. It is just the same thing with an unsinewy Imagination, +sent abroad in sounding Numbers; The Loftiness of the Expression +will astonish shallow Readers into a temporary Admiration, and +support it, for a while; but the Bounce, however loud, goes no +farther than the Ear; The Heart remains unreach'd by the Languor +of the Sentiment.</p> + +<p>Poetry, the most elevated Exertion of human Wit, is no more than +a weak and contemptible Amusement, wanting Energy of Thought, or +Propriety of Expression. Yet we may run into Error, by an +injudicious Affectation of attaining Perfection, as Men, who are +gazing upward, when they shou'd be looking to their Footsteps, +stumble frequently against Posts, while they have the Sun in +Contemplation.</p> + +<p>In attempting, for Example, to modernize so lofty an Ode as the +104th Psalm, the Choice of Metaphors shou'd, methinks, have been +considered, as one of the most remarkable Difficulties. There +seems to have been a Necessity, that they shou'd be noble, as +well as natural; and yet, if too much rais'd, they wou'd endanger +an Extinction of the Charms, which they were design'd to +illustrate. That powerful Imagination of 'the Sea, climbing over +the Mountains Tops, and rushing back, upon the Plains, at the +Voice of God's Thunder,' ought certainly to have been express'd +with as much Plainness as possible: And, to demonstrate how ill +the contrary Measure has succeeded, one need only observe how it +looks in Mr. Trapp's Metaphorical Refinement.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">"The Ebbing Deluge did its Troops recal,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Drew off its Forces, and disclos'd the Ball, </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">They, at th' Eternal's Signal march'd away."</span><br /> + + +<p>Who does not discern, in this Place, what an Injury is done to +the original Image, by the military Metaphor? Recalling the +'Troops' of a Deluge, 'Drawing off its Forces'; and its 'Marching +away, at a Signal,' carry not only a visible Impropriety of +Thought, but are infinitely below the Majesty of That God, who is +so dreadfully represented thundering his Commands to the Ocean; +They are directly the Reverse of that terrible Confusion, and +overwhelming Uproar of Motion, which the Sea, in the Original, is +suppos'd to fall into. The March of an Army is pleasing, orderly, +slow; The Inundation of a Sea, from the Tops of the Mountains, +frightful, wild and tumultuous; Every Justness and Grace of the +original Conception is destroyed by the Metaphor.</p> + +<p>In the same Psalm, the Hebrew Poet describing God, says, ' ... He +maketh the Clouds his Chariots, and walketh on the Wings of the +Wind.' Making the 'Clouds his Chariots,' is a strong and lively +Thought; But That of 'walking on the Wings of the Wind,' is a +Sublimity, that frightens, astonishes, and ravishes the Mind of a +Reader, who conceives it, as he shou'd do. The Judgement of the +Poet in this Place, is discernable in three different +Particulars; The Thought is in itself highly noble, and elevated; +To move at all upon the Wind, carries with it an Image of much +Majesty and Terror; But this natural Grandeur he first encreas'd +by the Word 'Wings,' which represents the Motion, as not only on +the Winds, but on the Winds in their utmost Violence, and +Rapidity of Agitation. But then at last, comes that finishing +Sublimity, which attends the Word 'walks'! The Poet is not +satisfied to represent God, as riding on the Winds; nor even as +riding on them in a Tempest; He therefore tells us, that He walks +on their Wings; that so our Idea might be heighten'd to the +utmost, by reflecting on this calm, and easy Motion of the Deity, +upon a Violence, so rapid, so furious, and ungovernable, to our +human Conception. Yet as nothing can be more sublime, so nothing +can be more simple, and plain, than this noble Imagination. But +Mr. Trapp, not contented to express, attempts unhappily to adorn +this inimitable Beauty, in the following Manner.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">"Who, borne in Triumph o'er the Heavenly Plains,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Rides on the Clouds, and holds a Storm in Reins, </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Flies on the Wings of the sonorous Wind, &c."</span><br /> + + +<p>Here his imperfect, and diminishing Metaphor, of the 'Rains,' has +quite ruin'd the Image; What rational, much less noble Idea, c an +any Man conceive of a Wind in a Bridle? The unlucky Word 'Plains' +too, is a downright Contradiction to the Meaning of the Passage. +What wider Difference in Nature, than between driving a Chariot +over a Plain, and moving enthron'd, amidst That rolling, and +terrible Perplexity of Motions, which we figure to our +Imagination, from a 'Chariot of Clouds'? But the mistaken +Embellishment of the Word 'flies,' in the last Verse, is an Error +almost unpardonable; Instead of improving the Conception, it has +made it trifling, and contemptible, and utterly destroy'd the +very Soul of its Energy! 'flies' on the Wind! What an Image is +That, to express the Majesty of God? To 'walk' on the Wind is +astonishing, and horrible; But to 'fly' on the Wind, is the +Employment of a Bat, of an Owl, of a Feather! Mr. Trapp is, I +believe, a Gentleman of so much Candour, and so true a Friend to +the Interest of the Art he professes, that there will be no +Occasion to ask his pardon, for dragging a Criminal Metaphor, or +two, out of the Immunity of his Protection.</p> + +<p>Mr. Philips has lately been told in Print, by one of our best +Criticks, that he has excell'd all the Ancients, in his Pastoral +Writings; He will, therefore, be apt to wonder, that I take the +Liberty to say, in downright Respect to Truth, and the Justice +due to Poetry, that I have not only seen modern pastorals, much +better than His, but that his appear, to me, neither natural, +nor equal. One might extend this Remark to the very Names of his +Shepherds; Lobbin, Hobbinol, and Cuddy are nothing of a Piece, +with Lanquet, Mico, and Argol; nor do his Personages agree +better with themselves, than their Names with one another. Mico, +for Example, at the first Sight we have of him, is a very polite +Speaker, and as metaphorical as Mr. Trapp.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">"This Place may seem for Shepherds Leisure made,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">So lovingly these Elms unite their Shade!</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Th'ambitious Woodbine! how it climbs, to breathe </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Its balmy Sweets around, on all beneath!"</span><br /> + + +<p>But, alas! this Fit of Eloquence, like most other Blessings, is +of very short Continuance; It holds him but Just one Speech: In +the beginning of the next, he is as very a Rustick, as Colin +Clout, and has forgot all his Breeding.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">"No Skill of Musick can I, simple Swain,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">No fine Device, thine Ear to entertain;</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Albeit some deal I pipe, rude though it be,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Sufficient to divert my Sheep, and Me."</span><br /> + + +<p>There is no Transformation In Ovid more sudden, or surprizing; He +has Reason indeed to say, that, when he "pipes some deal," his +'Sheep' are 'diverted' with him. His Readers, I am afraid too, +are as merry as his Sheep; If he was but as skilful in Change of +Time, as he is in Change of Dialect, commend me to him for a +Musician! The pied Piper, who drew all the Rats of a City out, +after his Melody, came not near him for Variety.</p> + +<p>If the late excellent Mr. Addison, whose Verses abound in Graces, +which can never be too much admir'd, shall be, often, found +liable to an Overflow of his Meaning, by this Dropsical +Wordiness, which we so generally give into, it will serve at the +same time, as a Comfort, and a Warning; and incline us to a +severe Examination of our Writings, when we venture out upon a +World, that will, one time or other, be sure to censure us +impartially; In That Gentleman's Works, whoever looks close, will +discover Thorns on every Branch of his Roses; For Example, we all +hear, with Delight, in his celebrated Letter from Italy, that, +there,</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">... The Muse so oft her Harp has strung, </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">That not a Mountain rears its Head unsung.</span><br /> +</p> + +<p>But, he adds, in the very next Line, that every shady Thicket +too, grows renown'd in Verse; now one can never help remembering, +that Thickets are Births, as it were of Yesterday; the mere +Infancy of Woods! and that the oldest Woods in Italy may be +growing on Foundations of ruin'd Cities, which flourish'd in the +Times he there speaks of; whence it must naturally be inferr'd, +that to say, the Italian Thickets grow renown'd in Roman Verse, +though the Mountains really do so, is to make Use of Words, +without Regard to their Meaning; A Lapse of dangerous +Consequence, because, when the Understanding is once shock'd, +this most rapturous Elevation of the Mind (as when cold Water is +thrown suddenly upon boiling) sinks at once to chilling Flatness, +and is considered as mere Gingle and childish Amusement.</p> + +<p>No Man, I believe, has read without Pleasure, his fine and lively +Descriptions of the Nar, Clitumnus, Mincio, and Albula, but the +worst of it is, he winds us so long, in and out, between these +Rivers, that he loses himself in their Maeanders, and brings us, +at last, to a strange Stream indeed, which is 'immortaliz'd in +Song,' and yet 'lost In Oblivion.'</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">"I look for Streams, immortaliz'd, in Song,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Which lost, and buried in Oblivion lie."</span><br /> + + +<p>The Thought, in this Place, is very lively and just, but quite +obscur'd by the Redundancy and Wantonness of the Expression. Had +he only said 'lost,' and 'buried,' It might have been urg'd, that +the Rivers were dry'd up, and no longer to be found, in their old +Channels. But, let them be lost, as to Existence, as certainly as +he will, they can never be lost in 'Oblivion,' if they are +'immortaliz'd' in Poetry. 'Immortal' is a favourite Word in this +Gentleman's Writings, and leads him, as most Favourites are apt +to do, into very frequent Errors.</p> + +<p>It is naturally unpleasant, to be detain'd too long in the +Maziness of one tedious Thought, express'd many Ways +successively. When we read that the 'Tiber is destitute of +Strength,' what else can we conclude, but that its Stream is a +weak one? But we are oblig'd to hear, also, that it 'derives its +Source from an unthrifty Urn': Well, now, may we go on? No; its +'Urn' is not only 'unthrifty,' but its 'Source' is unfruitful. By +this time, one can scarce help, enquiring, what new Meaning is +convey'd to the Apprehension, by the Multiplication of the +Phrases? And not finding any, we have no Reflection to satisfy +ourselves with, but, that the strongest Flow of Fancy, is most +subject to Whirlpools.</p> + +<p>It is from the same unweigh'd Redundancy, and Misapplication of +Words, that we so often find this excellent Writer falling into +the Anticlimax. As where, for Example, he informs us of Liberty, +that she is a Goddess,</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">"Profuse of Bliss, and pregnant with Delight,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Eternal Pleasures, in her Presence reign."</span><br /> + + +<p>After 'Profusion of Bliss,' that is to say, the heap'd Enjoyment +of all Blessings to be wish'd for; how does it cool the +Imagination, to read of being 'pregnant with Delight'? Had she +been brought to Bed of 'Delight,' it had been but a poor +Delivery: For what imports 'Delight,' in Comparison with +'Bliss'? And how much less too is pregnant with Delight,' than +'Delight' in Possession! But then again, after both these, what +cou'd the Author hope to teach us, by adding, that 'Pleasure +reigns in her Presence.' Can there be 'Bliss' without 'Delight'? +Was there ever 'Delight' without 'Pleasure'? It shou'd gradually +have ascended thus, Pleasure, Delight, Bliss; But to turn it the +direct contrary Way, Bliss, Delight, Pleasure, is setting a poor +Meaning upon its Head, and the same thing as to say, Mr. Addison +writ incomparably, finely, nay, and tolerably. A Praise, which, I +dare say, he wou'd have given no Body Thanks for. One wou'd think +there were a kind of Fatality in Liberty, since scarce any Body +can meddle either with the Word or the Thing, but they turn all +topsey turvey.</p> + +<p>But I am sliding insensibly into a Theme, that requires rather a +Volume, than a Page or two; I hasten therefore to present you a +Paraphrase on the Six Days Work of the Creator, as described to +us by Moses, in the First Chapter of Genesis, which, you know, +was written, originally, in Verse. It wou'd be difficult, I am +sure, to match the Greatness of that inspired Author's Images, +out of all the noble Writings, which have honour'd Antiquity; and +whose most remarkable Excellencies have been found, in those +Parts of their Works, which they elevated, and made more solemn, +by a Mixture of their Religion. Our Poetry, in so able a Hand as +Yours, might receive heavenly Advantages, from a Practice of like +Nature. But I am of Opinion, that no English Verse, except that, +which we, I think a little improperly, call Pindaric, can allow +the necessary Scope, to so masterless a Subject, as the Creation, +of all others the most copious, and illustrious; and which ought +to be touch'd with most Discretion, and Choice of Circumstances.</p> + +<p>Mr. Milton, Mr. Cowley, Sir Richard Blackmore, and now, lately, +a young Gentleman, of a very lively Genius, have severally tried +their Strength in this celestial Bow; Sir Richard may be said +indeed to have shot farthest, but too often beside the Mark; He +will permit me the Liberty of owning my Opinion, that he is too +minute, and particular, and rather labours to oppress us with +every Image he cou'd raise, than to refresh and enliven us, with +the noblest, and most differing. He is also too unmindful of the +Dignity of his Subject, and diminishes it by mean, and +contemptible Metaphors. Speaking of the Skies, he says they were</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Spun thin, and wove, on Nature's finest Loom.</span><br /> + + +<p>Longinus is very angry with Timaeus for saying of Alexander, that +he conquer'd all Asia, in less Time than Isocrates took to write +his Panegyric, "Because, says the Critick, it is a pitiful +Comparison of Alexander the Great with a Schoolmaster." What then +wou'd he have said of Sir Richard's Metaphorical Comparison of +the CREATOR Himself, to a Spinster, and a Weaver? The very Beasts +of Mr. Milton, who kept Moses in his Eye, carry Infinitely more +Majesty, than the Skies of Sir Richard.</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">The Grassy Clods now calv'd; and half appear'd</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">The tawny Lyon, pawing to get free </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">His hinder Parts; then springs, as broke from Bonds,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And, rampant, shakes aloft, his brinded Main! </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">The heaving Leopard, rising, like the Mole,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">In Heaps the crumbling Earth about him threw!</span><br /> + + +<p>These animated Images, or pictured Meanings of Poetry, are the +forcible Inspirers, which enflame a Reader's Will, and bind down +his Attention. They arise from living Words, as Aristotle calls +them; that is, from Words so finely chosen, and so Justly ranged, +that they call up before a Reader the Spirit of their Sense, in +that very Form, and Action, it impressed upon the Writer. But +when the Idea, which a Poet strives to raise, is in itself +magnificent and striking, the Dawb of Metaphor, or any spumy +Colourings of Rhetoric can but deaden, and efface it.</p> + +<p>If Sir Richard had said, concerning the Skies, on any other +Subject but This, of the Creation, that they were 'spun thin, and +wove, on Nature's finest Loom,' the Thought had been so far from +Impropriety, as to have been pleasing, and praise-worthy; But +when the Image he wou'd set before us, is the Maker of Heaven and +Earth, in all the dreadful Majesty of his Omnipotence, producing +at a Word, the noblest Part of the Creation, and 'spreading out +the Heavens as a Curtain'; In this tremendous Exercise of his +Divinity, to compare him to a Weaver, and his Expansion of the +Skies, to the low Mechanism of a 'Loom,' is injudiciously to +diminish an Idea, he pretends to heighten and illustrate.</p> + +<p>I will end with a Word or two concerning the different Measure of +the Verse, in which the following Poem is written; and which is +apt to disgust Readers, not well grounded in Poetry, because it +requires a fuller Degree of Attention than the Couplet, and, as +Mr. Cowley has said of it,</p> + + +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">... Will no unskilful Touch endure, </span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;">But flings Writer and Reader too, that sits not sure.</span><br /> + + +<p>I have, in another Place, endeavoured by Arguments to demonstrate +the Preference of this Kind of Verse to any other; I will here +observe only, from my Experience of other Writers, that it wins, +insinuates, and grows insensibly upon the Relish of a Reader, +till the little seeming Harshness, which is supposed to be in it, +softens gradually away, and leaves a vigorous Impression behind +it, of mixed Majesty and Sweetness.</p> + +<p>A Man, who is just beginning to try his Ear in Pindaric, may be +compared to a new Scater; He totters strangely at first, and +staggers backward and forward; Every Stick, or frozen Stone in +his Way, is a Rub that he falls at. But when many repeated Trials +have embolden'd him to strike out, and taught the true Poize of +Motion, he throws forward his Body with a dextrous Velocity, and +becoming ravish'd with the masterly Sweep of his Windings, knows +no Pleasure greater, than to feel himself fly through that +well-measured Maziness, which he first attempted with Perplexity. +But I will detain you no longer, and hasten now to the Poem, +which has given me this pleasing Opportunity of telling you how +much I am,</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 21em;">Sir,</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 22em;">Your Most Humble</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 23em;">and Obedient Servant,</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 26em;">A. HILL</span><br /> +</p> + + + + + + + + + + + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 9em;"><b><i>THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY</i></b></span><a name="THE_AUGUSTAN_REPRINT_SOCIETY" id="THE_AUGUSTAN_REPRINT_SOCIETY"></a><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 13em;">ANNOUNCES ITS</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;"><b>Publications for the Third Year(1948-1949)</b></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>At least two</i> items will be printed from each of the</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 3em;"><i>three</i> following groups:</span><br /> +<br /> +Series IV: Men, Manners, and Critics<br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Sir John Falstaff (pseud.), <i>The Theatre </i>(1720).</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Aaron Hill, Preface to <i>The Creation;</i> and Thomas</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Brereton, Preface to <i>Esther.</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Ned Ward, Selected Tracts.</span><br /> +<br /> +Series V: Drama<br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Edward Moore, <i>The Gamester</i> (1753).</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Nevil Payne, <i>Fatal Jealousy</i> (1673).</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Mrs. Centlivre, <i>The Busie Body</i> (1709).</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Charles Macklin, <i>Man of the World</i> (1781).</span><br /> +<br /> +Series VI: Poetry and Language<br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">John Oldmixon, <i>Reflections on Dr. Swift's Letter to</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;"><i>Harley</i> (1712); and</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Arthur Mainwaring, <i>The British Academy</i> (1712).</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Pierre Nicole, <i>De Epigrammate.</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">Andre Dacier, Essay on Lyric Poetry.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">Issues will appear, as usual, in May, July, September, November,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">January, and March. In spite of rising costs, membership fees</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">will be kept at the present annual rate of $2.50 in the United</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">States and Canada; $2.75 in Great Britain and the continent.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">British and continental subscriptions should be sent to B. H.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">Blackwell, Broad Street, Oxford, England. American and Canadian</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">subscriptions may be sent to any one of the General Editors.</span><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +TO THE, AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY:<br /> +<br /> +<i>I enclose the membership fee for</i><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 20em;"><i>the third year</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 20em;"><i>the second and third</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 20em;"><i>year</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 20em;"><i>the first, second, and</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 20em;"><i>third year</i></span><br /> +<br /> +NAME....<br /> +<br /> +ADDRESS....<br /> +<br /> +NOTE: All income received by the Society is devoted to defraying<br /> +cost of printing and mailing.<br /> +</p> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span style="margin-left: 9em;"><b><i>THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY</i></b></span><br /> + <br /> + <span style="margin-left: 12.5em;">MAKES AVAILABLE</span><br /> + <br /> + <span style="margin-left: 7em;"><b>Inexpensive Reprints of Rare Materials</b></span><br /> + <br /> + <span style="margin-left: 15.5em;">FROM</span><br /> + <br /> + <span style="margin-left: 10em;">ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE</span><br /> + <br /> + <span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES</span><br /> + <br /> +Students, scholars, and bibliographers of literature, history,<br /> +and philology will find the publications valuable. <i>The</i><br /> +<i>Johnsonian News Letter</i> has said of them: "Excellent facsimiles,<br /> +and cheap in price, these represent the triumph of modern<br /> +scientific reproduction. Be sure to become a subscriber; and take<br /> +it upon yourself to see that your college library is on the<br /> +mailing list."<br /> +<br /> +The Augustan Reprint Society is a non-profit, scholarly<br /> +organization, run without overhead expense. By careful management<br /> +it is able to offer at least six publications each year at the<br /> +unusually low membership fee of $2.50 per year in the United<br /> +States and Canada, and $2.75 in Great Britain and the continent.<br /> +<br /> +Libraries as well as individuals are eligible for membership.<br /> +Since the publications are issued without profit, however, no<br /> +discount can be allowed to libraries, agents, or booksellers.<br /> +<br /> +New members may still obtain a complete run of the first year's<br /> +publications for $2.50, the annual membership fee.<br /> +<br /> +During the first two years the publications are issued in three<br /> +series: I. Essays on Wit; II. Essays on Poetry and Language; and<br /> +III. Essays on the Stage.<br /> +</p> +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 5em;"><b><i>PUBLICATIONS FOR THE FIRST YEAR (1946-1947)</i></b></span><br /> +<br /> +MAY, 1946: Series I, No. 1—Richard Blackmore's <i>Essay upon</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>Wit</i> (1716), and Addison's <i>Freeholder</i> No. 45</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">(1716).</span><br /> +<br /> +JULY, 1946: Series II, No. 1—Samuel Cobb's <i>Of Poetry</i> and<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;"><i>Discourse on Criticism</i> (1707).</span><br /> +<br /> +SEPT., 1946: Series III, No. 1—Anon., <i>Letter to A. H. Esq.;</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>concerning the Stage</i> (1698), and Richard Willis'</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;"><i>Occasional Paper</i> No. IX (1698).</span><br /> +<br /> +Nov., 1946: Series I, No. 2—Anon., <i>Essay on Wit</i> (1748),<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">together with Characters by Flecknoe, and Joseph</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">Warton's <i>Adventurer</i> Nos. 127 and 133.</span><br /> +<br /> +JAN., 1947: Series II, No. 2—Samuel Wesley's <i>Epistle to a</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>Friend Concerning Poetry</i> (1700) and <i>Essay on</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>Heroic Poetry</i> (1693).</span><br /> +<br /> +MARCH, 1947: Series III, No. 2—Anon., <i>Representation of the</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>Impiety and Immorality of the Stage</i> (1704) and</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">anon., <i>Some Thoughts Concerning the Stage</i> (1704).</span><br /> +</p> + + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 5em;"><b><i>PUBLICATIONS FOR THE SECOND YEAR (1947-1948)</i></b></span><br /> +<br /> +MAY, 1947: Series I, No. 3—John Gay's <i>The Present State of</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>Wit;</i> and a section on Wit from <i>The English</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>Theophrastus.</i> With an Introduction by Donald Bond.</span><br /> +<br /> +JULY, 1947: Series II, No. 3—Rapin's <i>De Carmine Pastorali,</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">translated by Creech. With an Introduction by</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">J. E. Congleton.</span><br /> +<br /> +SEPT., 1947: Series III, No. 3—T. Hanmer's (?) <i>Some Remarks on</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>the Tragedy of Hamlet.</i> With an Introduction by</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">Clarence D. Thorpe.</span><br /> +<br /> +Nov., 1947: Series I, No. 4—Corbyn Morris' <i>Essay towards Fixing</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>the True Standards of Wit,</i> etc. With an Introduction</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">by James L. Clifford.</span><br /> +<br /> +JAN., 1948: Series II, No. 4—Thomas Purney's <i>Discourse on the</i><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;"><i>Pastoral.</i> With an Introduction by Earl Wasserman.</span><br /> +<br /> +MARCH, 1948: Series III, No. 4—Essays on the Stage, selected,<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">with an Introduction by Joseph Wood Krutch.</span><br /> +</p> + +<p>The list of publications is subject to modification in response to +requests by members. From time to time Bibliographical Notes will be +included in the issues. Each issue contains an Introduction by a +scholar of special competence in the field represented.</p> + +<p>The Augustan Reprints are available only to +members. They will never be offered at "remainder" prices.</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 12em;"><i>GENERAL EDITORS</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">RICHARD C. BOYS, <i>University of Michigan</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">EDWARD NILES HOOKER, <i>University of California, Los Angeles</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">H. T. SWEDENBERG, JR., <i>University of California, Los Angeles</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 11.5em;"><i>ADVISORY EDITORS</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5em;">EMMETT L. AVERT, <i>State College of Washington</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;">LOUIS I. BREDVOLD, <i>University of Michigan</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;">BENJAMIN BOYCE, <i>University of Nebraska</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;">CLEANTH BROOKS, <i>Louisiana State University</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">JAMES L. CLIFFORD, <i>Columbia University</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">ARTHUR FRIEDMAN, <i>University of Chicago</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">SAMUEL H. MONK, <i>University of Minnesota</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5em;">JAMES SUTHERLAND. <i>Queen Mary College, London</i></span><br /> +<br /> +Address communications to any of the General Editors. Applications for<br /> +membership, together with membership fee, should be sent to<br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 6em;">310 ROYCE HALL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 10em;">LOS ANGELES 24, CALIFORNIA</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 16em;">or</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 7em;"><i>Care of</i> PROFESSOR RICHARD C. BOYS</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">ANGELL HALL, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 11.5em;">ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN</span><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<i>Please enroll me as a member of the Augustan Reprint Society.</i><br /> +<br /> +<i>I enclose $2.50 as the membership fee for the second year</i><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 5em;"><i>$5.00 as the membership fee for the first and second</i></span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 8em;"><i>year</i></span><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +NAME....<br /> +Address....<br /> +</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p> </p> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, +and Preface to The Creation, by Aaron Hill + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF GENIUS/PREFACE TO THE CREATION *** + +***** This file should be named 15870-h.htm or 15870-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/8/7/15870/ + +Produced by David Starner, Sankar Viswanathan and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + +*** END: FULL LICENSE *** + + + +</pre> + +</body> +</html> diff --git a/15870-h/images/image003.gif b/15870-h/images/image003.gif Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a65af08 --- /dev/null +++ b/15870-h/images/image003.gif diff --git a/15870-h/images/image_001.png b/15870-h/images/image_001.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..95945db --- /dev/null +++ b/15870-h/images/image_001.png diff --git a/15870-h/images/image_002.png b/15870-h/images/image_002.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..30d7864 --- /dev/null +++ b/15870-h/images/image_002.png diff --git a/15870.txt b/15870.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8b5a2a9 --- /dev/null +++ b/15870.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2398 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, and +Preface to The Creation, by Aaron Hill + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, and Preface to The Creation + +Author: Aaron Hill + +Commentator: Gretchen Graf Pahl + +Release Date: May 20, 2005 [EBook #15870] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF GENIUS/PREFACE TO THE CREATION *** + + + + +Produced by David Starner, Sankar Viswanathan and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. + + + + + + + + + Series Four + _Men, Manners and Critics_ + + + No. 2 + + Anonymous, "Of Genius", in _The Occasional Paper_, + Volume III, Number 10 (1719) + + and + + Aaron Hill, Preface to _The Creation_ (1720) + + + With an Introduction by + Gretchen Graf Pahl + + + + The Augustan Reprint Society + March, 1949 + _Price: One Dollar_ + + + + + + _GENERAL EDITORS_ + + + RICHARD C. BOYS, _University of Michigan_ + + EDWARD NILES HOOKER, _University of California, Los Angeles_ + + H.T. SWEDENBERG, JR., _University of California, Los Angeles_ + + + _ASSISTANT EDITOR_ + + W. EARL BRITTON, _University of Michigan_ + + + _ADVISORY EDITORS_ + + EMMETT L. AVERY, _State College of Washington_ + + BENJAMIN BOYCE, _University of Nebraska_ + + LOUIS I. BREDVOLD, _University of Michigan_ + + CLEANTH BROOKS, _Yale University_ + + JAMES L. CLIFFORD, _Columbia University_ + + ARTHUR FRIEDMAN, _University of Chicago_ + + SAMUEL H. MONK, _University of Minnesota_ + + ERNEST MOSSNER, _University of Texas_ + + JAMES SUTHERLAND, _Queen Mary College, London_ + + + + + + Lithoprinted from copy supplied by author + by + Edwards Brothers, Inc. + Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. + + +[Transcriber's Note: Some of the latin footnotes and the errata were +difficult or impossible to read. These are annotated.] + + + + + INTRODUCTION + + +The anonymous essay "Of Genius," which appeared in the +_Occasional Paper_ of 1719, still considers "genius" largely a +matter of aptitude or talent, and applies the term to the +"mechanick" as well as the fine arts. The work is, in fact, +essentially a pamphlet on education. The author's main concern is +training, and study, and conscious endeavor. Naturally enough, +his highest praise--even where poetry is in question--is reserved +for those solid Augustan virtues of "judgment" and "good sense." + +And yet the pamphlet reveals some of the tangled roots from which +the later concept of the "original" or "primitive" genius grew. +For here are two prerequisites of that later, more extravagant +concept. One is the author's positive delight in the infinite +differences of human temperaments and talents--a delight from +which might spring the preference for original or unique works of +art. The other is his conviction that there is something +necessary and foreordained about those differences: a conviction +essential to faith in the artist who is apparently at the mercy +of a genius beyond his own control. The importance of this latter +belief was long ago indicated in Paul Kaufman's "Heralds of +Original Genius." + +While his tone is perhaps more exuberant than that of most of his +immediate contemporaries, there is nothing particularly new in +our author's interest in those aspects of human nature which +render a man different from his fellows. It is true that the main +stress of neoclassical thought had rested on the fundamental +likeness of all men in all ages, and had sought an ideal and +universal norm in morals, conduct, and art. But there had always +been counter currents making for a recognition of the inescapable +differences among various races and individuals. Such deviations +were often merely tolerated, but toward the close of the +seventeenth century more and more voices had praised human +diversity. England, in particular, began to take notice of the +number of "originals" abounding in the land. + +At least as old as the delight in human differences was the +belief in the foreordained nature of at least those differences +resulting in specific vocational aptitudes. This is the +conviction that each man has at birth--innately and inevitably--a +peculiar "bent" for some particular contribution to human +society. Environment is not ignored by the man who wrote "Of +Genius," for he insists that each man's bent may be greatly +developed by favorable circumstances and proper education, and, +conversely, that it may be entirely frustrated by unpropitious +circumstances or wilful neglect. But in no way can a man's inborn +talent for one thing be converted to a talent for anything else. + +In the works of many Augustan writers, too, it is easy to see how +the enthusiasm for individualism, later to become one of the +hallmarks of romanticism, actually sprang from an earlier faith +in a God-directed universe of law and order. There is a kind of +universal law of supply and demand, and the argument is simply +that each link in the human chain, like those in the animate and +inanimate worlds above and below it, is predestined to a specific +function for the better ordering of the whole. Lewis Maidwell, +for instance, still employs the medieval and Renaissance analogy +of the correspondence between the human body and the social +organism (_An Essay upon the Necessity and Excellency of +Education_): + + Upon Consideration we find this Difference of Tempers to + arise from Providence, and the Law of the Creation, and to + be most Evident in al Irrational, and Inanimat Beings ... One + Man is no more design'd for Al Arts, than Al Arts for + One Man. We are born Confaederats, mutually to help One + another, therefor appropriated in the Body Politic, to + this, or that Busyness, as our Members are in the Natural + to perform their separat Offices. + +This same comparison between the body politic and the body human +occurs in the essay of 1719, and even the author's chief analogy +drawn from musical harmony bears with it some of the flavor of an +older system of universal correspondences. His comparison of the +force of genius to the pull of gravity, however, evokes a newer +picture. Yet it is a picture no less orderly and one from which +the preordained function of each individual could be just as +logically derived. And his rhapsodic praise of the infinite +diversity of human temperaments is based on that favorite +comparison with natural scenery and that familiar canon of +neoclassical esthetics: ordered variety within unity, whether it +be in nature or in art. + +The author of the pamphlet of 1719 introduces another refinement +on the idea of an inborn bent or genius. A man is born not only +with a peculiar aptitude for the vocation of writing, but with a +peculiar aptitude for a particular _style_ of writing. Some such +aptitude had presumably resulted in that individuality of style, +that particular "character," which 17th-century Biblical critics +were busily searching out in each of the writers of Scripture. + +Individuality or originality in the form or plan of a work of +art, however, was quite another thing, and praise of it far more +rare. Yet there had always been protests against the imposition +of a universal classical standard, and our author's insistence +that some few geniuses have the right to discard the "Rules of +Art" and all such "Leading-strings" follows a well-worn path of +reasoning. His scientific analogy, drawn from those natural +philosophers who had cast off the yoke of Aristotle and all +"other Mens Light," is one which had appeared at least as early +as 1661 in Robert Boyle's _Considerations Touching the Style of +Holy Scripture_. It had been reiterated by Dryden and several +others who refused to recognize an _ipse dixit_ in letters any +more than in science. + +It must be noted, however, that this rejection of authority for a +few rare individuals in no way constitutes a rejection of reason +or conscious art. The genius has the right to cast off the +fetters only after he has well studied them. Only in one instance +does our author waver toward another conception. This is when he +pauses to echo Rowe's preface to Shakespeare and Addison's famous +_Spectator_ no. 160. Then indeed he boasts that England has had +many "Originals" who, "without the help of Learning, by the meer +Force of natural Ability, have produc'd Works which were the +Delight of their own Times, and have been the Wonder of +Posterity." But when he doubts whether learning would have helped +or "spoiled" them, it is hard to escape the conclusion that he is +still poised on the horns of the typical neoclassical antithesis: +that supposed enmity between reason, which was generally thought +to create the form of the poem, and the emotions and imagination, +which were considered largely responsible for its style. + +Only when the admiration for such emotional and imaginative +qualities should outweigh the desire for symmetrical form; when +"primitive" literature should be preferred to Virgil and Horace; +and when this preference should be joined with a belief in the +diversity and fatality of literary bents--only then could the +concept of original genius burst into full bloom. + +In Aaron Hill's preface to the paraphrase of Genesis, published +in 1720, we find no preoccupation with the fatality of +temperament and style. But we do find a rising discontent with +the emptiness and restraint of much contemporary verse, and a +very real preference for a more meaningful and a more emotional +and imaginative poetry. We find, in fact, a genuine appreciation +for the poetry of the Old Testament--a poetry which Biblical +scholars like Le Clerc were already viewing as the product of +untrained primitives. + +Hill was not alone in his admiration for Biblical style, for the +praise of the "unclassical" poetry of the Bible, which had begun +in the Renaissance, had swelled rather than diminished during the +neoclassical age. By the second decade of the 18th century such +Augustans as Dennis, Gildon, and Pope were crying up its +beauties. Not all agreed, of course, on just what those beauties +were. And still less did they agree on the extent to which +contemporary poetry should imitate them. + +One thing upon which almost all would have agreed, however, was +the adoption of the historical point of view in the approach to +Hebrew poetry. Yet many of Hill's predecessors had stopped short +with the historical justification. Blackmore, for instance, had +condemned as bigots and sectarians all those who denied that the +Hebrew way was as great as the classical. He had pronounced it a +mere accident of fate that modern poetry of Western Europe was +modeled on that of Greece and Rome rather than on that of ancient +Israel. But he had been perfectly willing to accept that +fate--and to remodel the form and style of the book of Job on +what he considered the pattern of the classical epic. + +Hill is as far as most of his contemporaries from appreciating +such a literal translation as the King James Version. On the +other hand, he is one of a small group of critics who were +beginning to see that at least certain aspects of Biblical style +were of universal appeal; that they might be as effective +psychologically for the modern Englishman as for the ancient Jew. +And he sees in this collection of ancient Oriental literature a +corrective for some of the worst tendencies of a degenerate +contemporary poetry. + +Hill's attack upon the current preoccupation with form and +polish, and his contempt for mere smoothness, for the padded +redundancy of Addison and the elaborate rhetoric of Trapp, are +all part of a campaign waged by a small group of critics to make +poetry once again a vehicle of the very highest truth. He +insists, too, that great thought cannot be contained within the +untroubled cadences of the heroic couplet. His own preference led +to the freer, though currently unfashionable, Pindaric, the +irregularity of which seemed justified by Biblical example, for +despite a century and a half of study and speculation the secret +of Biblical verse had not been solved and to most critics even +the Psalms appeared devoid of any pattern. Indeed, Cowley had +declared that in their freedom of structure and abruptness of +transition the odes of Pindar were like nothing so much as the +poetry of Israel. + +In addition, Hill would have the modern poet profit by another +quality of Biblical style: its magic combination of a +"magnificent Plainness" with the "Spirit of Imagery." This is the +Hebrew virtue of concrete suggestiveness, so highly prized by +20th-century critics and so alien to the generalized abstractions +and the explicit clarity of much 18th-century poetry. + +In consonance with those who believed poetry best communicated +truth because it appealed to man's senses and emotions as well as +to his logical faculty, Hill praises those "pictur'd Meanings of +Poetry" which "enflame a Reader's Will, and bind down his +Attention." Yet his analysis of Trapp's metaphorical expansions +of Biblical imagery reveals that Hill does not like detailed +descriptions or long-drawn-out comparisons. Instead, he admires +the Hebrew ability to spring the imagination with a few vividly +concrete details. Prior to Hill one can find, in a few +paraphrasers and critics like Denham and Lamy, signs of an +appreciation of the concrete suggestiveness of the Bible, but +most of the hundreds of paraphrasers had felt it desirable to +expand Biblical images to beautify and clarify them. Hill was +apparently the first to prove the esthetic loss in such a +practice by an analysis of particular paraphrastic expansions. + +Despite his theory, however, Hill's own paraphrase seems almost +as artificial and un-Biblical as those he condemns. He often +forgets the principles he preaches. But even in his preface there +is evident a blind spot that is a mark of his age. His false +ideas of decorum, admiration for Milton, and approval of Dennis's +interpretation of the sublime as the "vast" and the "terrible," +all lead him to condemn the "low" or the familiar. And his own +efforts to "raise" both his language and his comparisons to suit +the "high" Biblical subject, result in personifications, compound +epithets, and a Miltonic vocabulary, by which the very simplicity +he himself found in the Bible is destroyed. + +Another decade was to pass before John Husbands would demonstrate +a clear appreciation for the true simplicity of the Bible and +praise its "penmen" in terms close to those employed to describe +original genius. + + Gretchen Graf Pahl + + Pomona College + + +The essay "Of Genius," from the _Occasional Paper_ (1719), is +reproduced from a copy in the New York Public Library. The +typescript of Aaron Hill's preface is based on a copy in the +Henry E. Huntington Library. Both works are used with +permission. + + + + + + + + + + THE + + OCCASIONAL PAPER. + + VOL. III. NUMB. X. + + OF + + GENIUS. + + + + + + The Cartesian _Categories are contain'd in these two + Verses,_ + + + Mens, mensura, quies, motus, positura, Figura, Sunt, + cum materia, cunctarum Exordia rerum. + + + +_The Spiritual Nature_, Mens, _is at the head of All. It + ought to be look'd on here, as a Transcendent Nature,_ + quae vagatur per omnes Categorias. + + + Bayle's Diction. _on the Heathen Doctrine of + many_ Genij. See _CAINITES_. + + + + _LONDON_: + + Printed for EM. MATTHEWS at the _Bible_ + in _Pater-Noster-Row_; J. ROBERTS, in + _Warwick-Lane_; J. HARRISON, under the + _Royal Exchange_; and A. DODD, without + _Temple-Bar_. MDCCXIX. + + + + + + + + + + OF + + GENIUS. + + +It is a Matter of common Observation, that there is a vast +Variety in the Bent of Mens Minds. Some have a Taste of one Way +of Living, some of another; some have a Turn for one kind of +Employment, others for what is quite different. Whether this be +from the Constitution of the Mind itself, as some Soils are more +apt to produce some Plants and Herbs than others; or from the +Laws of Union between the Body and Mind, as some Climates are +more kindly to nurse particular Vegetables than others; or from +the immediate Impulse of that Power which governs the World, is +not so easy to determine. + +We ascribe this to a difference of _Genius_ amongst Men. _Genius_ +was a Deity worshipped by the Ancient Idolaters: Sometimes as the +God of _Nature_; sometimes as the God of a particular _City_ or +_Country_, or _Fountain_, or _Wood_, or the like; sometimes as +the Guardian and Director of a _single Person._ + + Exuitur, _Geniumq; meum_ prostratus adorat. + Propert. _l_. 4. _El._ 9 V. 43. + +The Heathens had a Notion, that every Man upon his Birth was +given up to the[A] Conduct of some invisible Being, who was to +form his Mind, and govern and direct his Life. This _Being_ the +_Greeks_ called[B] [Greek: Daimon or Daimonion]; the _Latins, +Genius_. Some of them suppos'd a[D] Pair of _Genij_ were to +attend every _Man_ from his Birth; one Good, always putting him +on the Practice of Virtue; the other Bad, prompting him to a +vicious Behaviour; and according as their several Suggestions +were most attended to, the Man became either Virtuous or Vicious +in his Inclinations: And from this Influence, which the _Genius_ +was suppos'd to have towards forming the Mind, the Word was by +degrees made to stand for the Inclination itself. Hence[E] +_indulgere Genio_ with the _Latins_ signifies, to give Scope to +Inclination, and more commonly to what is none of the best. On +the other Hand, [F]_Defraudare Genium_, signifies to deny Nature +what it craves. + + [A] _Ferunt Theologi, in lucem editis Hominibus cunctis, Salva + firmitate fatali, bujusmodi quedam, velut actus vectura, numina + Sociari: Admodum tamen paucissimis visa, quos multiplices + auxere virtutes. Idque & Oracula & Autores docuerunt praclari_. + Ammian Marcel Lib. 21. + + [B] [Greek: Hapanti Daimon andri symparistatai + Euthys genomeno mystagogos tou biou. Menan] + + [C] Scit Genius Natale comes, qui temperat Astrum, Nature Deus + Humana. Horat. [Transcriber's Note: This footnote is not seen + in the text.] + + [D] _Volunt unicuique Genium appositum Damonem benum & malum, + hoc est rationem qua ad meliora semper boriatur, & libidinem + qua ad pejora, hic est Larva & Genius malus, ille bonus Genius + & Lar._ Serv. in Virgil, Lib. 6. v. 743. + + [E] _Indulge Genio: carpamus dulcia_. Pers. Sat. 5. + + [F] _Suum defraudans Genium._ Terent. Phorm. Act 1. + +But a _Genius_ in common Acceptation amongst _us_, doth not +barely answer to this Sense. The _Pondus Animae_ is to be taken +into its Meaning, as well as the bare Inclination; as Gravitation +in a Body (to which this bears great Resemblance) doth not barely +imply a determination of its Motion towards a certain Center, but +the _Vis_ or Force with which it is carried forward; and so the +_English_ Word _Genius_, answers to the same _Latin_ Word, and +_Ingenium_ together. [G]_Ingenium_ is the _Vis ingenita_, the +natural Force or Power with which every Being is indued; and +this, together with the particular Inclination of the Mind, +towards any Business, or Study, or Way of Life, is what we mean +by a _Genius_. Both are necessary to make a Man shine in any +Station or Employment. Nothing considerable can be done against +the Grain, or as the _Latins_ express it, _invita Minerva_, in +spite of Power and Inclination, "Forc'd Studies, says[H] +_Seneca_, will never answer: The Labour is in vain where Nature +recoils." Indeed, where the Inclination towards any Thing is +strong, Diligence and Application will in a great Measure supply +the Defect of natural Abilities: But then only is in a finish'd +_Genius_, when with a strong Inclination there is a due +Proportion of Force and Vigour in the Mind to pursue it. + + [G] _Ingenium quasi intus genitum_. + + [H] _Male respondent ingenia coacta; reluctante natura irritus + Labor est._ + +There is a vast Variety of these Inclinations among Mankind. Some +there are who have no bent to Business at all; but, if they could +indulge Inclination, would doze out Life in perpetual Sloth and +Inactivity: Others can't be altogether Idle, but incline only to +trifling and useless Employments, or such as are altogether out +of Character. Both these sorts of Men are properly good for +nothing: They just live, and help to[I] consume the Products of +the Earth, but answer no valuable End of Living, out of +Inclination I mean; Providence and good Government have sometimes +made them serviceable against it. + + [I] _Fruges consumere nati_. Horat. + +The better, and in Truth only valuable, Part of Mankind, have a +Turn for one sort of Business or other, but with great variety of +Taste. Some are addicted to deep Thought and Contemplation: Some +to the abstracted Speculations of Metaphysicks; some to the +evident Demonstrations of the Mathematicks; some to the History +of Nature, built upon true Narration, or accurate Observations +and Experiments: Some to the Invention of _Hypotheses_, to solve +the various _Phenomena_. Some affect the study of Languages, +Criticism, Oratory, Poetry, and such like Studies. Some have a +Taste for Musick, some for History and those Sciences which must +help to Accuracy in it: Some have Heads turned for Politicks, and +others for Wars. Some few there are of such quick and strong +Faculties, as to grasp at every thing, and who have made a very +eminent Figure in several Professions at once. We have known in +our Days the same Men learned in the Laws, acute Philosophers, +and deep Divines: We have known others at once eloquent Orators, +brave Soldiers, and finished Statesmen. But these Instances are +rare. + +The more general Inclination among Men is to some Mechanical +Business. Of this there is most general Use for the Purposes of +Human Life, and it needs most Hands to carry it on. The bulk of +Mankind seem turned for some or other of these Employments, and +make them their Choice; and were not such a multiplicity of Hands +engaged in them, great part of the Conveniencies of Human Life +would be wanting. But even the Multitude of these Employments +leaves room for great variety of Inclinations, and for different +_Genij_, to display and exert themselves. + +This is an admirable and wise Provision to answer every End and +Occasion of Mankind, for a sure and harmonious Concurrence of +Mens Actions to all the necessary and useful Affairs of the +World. When in very different Ways, but with equal Pleasure and +Application, they contribute to the Order and Service of the +whole. Mr. _Dryden_ has given an Hint, how we may form a +beautiful and pleasing Idea of this from the Powers of Musick, +that arise from the Variety and artful Composition of Sounds. + + _From Harmony, from Heavenly Harmony, + This Universal Frame began. + From Harmony to Harmony, + Thro' all the Compass of the Notes it ran, + The Diapasm closing full in Man._ + +There seems to be a wonderful Likeness in the natural Make of +Mens Minds to the various Tones and Measures of Sounds; and in +their Inclinations and most pleasing Tastes to the several Styles +and Manners of Musick. Something there is in the Mind, of alike +Composition, that is easily touch'd by the kindred Harmony of +Musick, + + _For Man may justly tuneful Strains admire, + His Soul is Musick, and his Breast a Lyre._ + +We have all the Materials of Musick in the Tones and Measure. For +the infinite Variety Composition admits of, can be nothing else, +but higher or lower Tones, stronger or softer Sounds, with a +slower or swifter Motion. The Artist, by an harmonious Mixture +of these, makes the Musick either strong and martial, brisk and +airy, grave and solemn, or soft and moving. + +There seems to be in Man a Composition of natural Powers and +Capacities, not unlike to these. From hence I would take the +first Original of their distinguishing _Genij_. The Words by +which they are usually explain'd, have a manifest Allusion +hereto. Thus we say of some Men, they have a brisk and airy +_Genius_; of others, they have a strong and active _Genius_, a +quick and lively Spirit, a grave and solemn Temper, and the like. +The different readiness of Apprehension, strength of Judgment, +vivacity of Fancy and Imagination, with a more or less active +Disposition, and the several Mixtures of which these Powers are +capable, are sufficient to explain this. They may shew us how +some have a particular _Genius_ for Wit and Humour, others for +Thought and Speculation. Whence it is, some love a constant and +persevering Application to whatever they undertake; and others +are continually jumping from one Thing to another, without +finishing any thing at all. + +But we do not only consider in Musick these Materials, as I may +call them, of which it is composed; but also the Style and +Manner. This diversifies the _Genius_ of the Composer, and +produces the most sensible and touching Difference. There is in +all Musick the natural difference of Tone and Measure. They are +to be found in the most vulgar Compositions of a Jig or an +Hornpipe. But it is a full Knowledge of the Force and Power of +Sounds, and a judicial Application of them to the several +Intentions of Musick, that forms the Style of a _Purcel_ or +_Corelli_. This is owing to successive Improvements. The Ear is +formed to an elegant Judgment by Degrees. What is harsh and +harmonious is discovered and corrected. By many Advantages, some +at last come to find out what, in the whole Compass of Sounds, is +most soft and touching, most brisk and enlivening, most lofty and +elevating. So that whatever the Artist intends, whether to set an +Air, or compose a _Te Deum_, he does either, with an equal +_Genius_, that is, with equal Propriety and Elegance. Thus long +ago, + + Timotheus _to his breathing flute, and sounding Lyre, + Could swell the Soul to Rage, or kindle soft Desire._ + And, + _Thus_ David'_s Lyre did_ Saul'_s wild Rage controul, + And tune the harsh Disorders of his Soul._ + +This may direct us to another Cause, from whence a _Genius_ +arises: A _Genius_ that is formed and acquired. For the Turn that +Education, Company, Business, the Taste of the Age, and above +all, Principles of vitious or virtuous Manners, give to a Man's +natural Capacities, is what chiefly forms his _Genius_. Thus we +say of some, they have a rude unpolish'd _Genius_; of others, +they have a fine, polite _Genius_. The manner of applying the +natural Powers of the Mind, is what alone may produce the most +different and opposite _Genij_. Libertine Principles, and +Virtuous Morals, may form the Genius of a _Rake_, from the same +natural Capacity, out of which Virtuous Principles might have +form'd an _Hero_. + +There is certainly in our natural Capacities themselves, a +Fitness for some Things, and Unfitness for others. Thus whatever +great Capacities a Man may have, if he is naturally timorous, or +a Coward, he never can have a Warlike _Genius_. If a Man has not +a good Judgment, how great soever his Wit may be, or polite his +Manners, he never will have the _Genius_ of a Statesman. Just as +strong Sounds and brisk Measures can never touch the softer +Passions. Yet as the Art and Skill of the Composer, is required +to the _Genius_ of Musick, so is a Knowledge of the Force and +Power of the natural Capacity, and a judicious Application of it +to the best and most proper Purposes, what forms a _Genius_ for +any Thing. This is the effect of Care, Experience and a right +Improvement of every Advantage that offers. On this Observation +_Horace_ founded his Rules for a Poetical _Genius_. + + _Versate diu quid sere recusent + Quid valeant humeri._ + And, + _Ego nec studium sine divite vena, + Nec rude quid profit video ingenium._ + + _To speak my Thoughts, I hardly know + What witless Art, or artless Wit can do._ + +The same Observation in another kind is elegantly described by +Mr. _Waller_. + + _Great_ Julius _on the Mountains bred, + A Flock perhaps, or Herd had led. + He that the World subdued, had been + But the best Wrestler on the Green. + 'Tis Art and Knowledge that draw forth + The hidden Seeds of Native Worth. + They blow those Sparks, and make 'em rise + Into such Flames as touch the Skies._ + +The High and Martial Spirit of _Casar_ would have inclined and +fitted him, to gain the Prize of Wrestling above any Country +Sport. But it was the Circumstance of his own Birth and Fortune, +the State and Condition of the Commonwealth, and the Concurrence +of many other Advantages, which he improv'd with great Care and +Application, that made him a finish'd _Genius_, both in Arms and +Policy. + +There is yet another Thing of Consequence to a true _Genius_ in +Musick. A Knowledge of the Compass and peculiar Advantages of +each several Instrument. For the same Composition will very +differently touch both the Ear and the Mind, as perform'd by a +Flute, or Trumpet, an Organ, or a Violin. A difference of which, +all discern by the Ear, but which requires a judicious +Observation in the Composer. Mr. _Hughes_ has thus express'd +their different Powers. + + _Let the Trumpet's shrill Voice, + And the Drum's thundering Noise + Rouse every dull Mortal from Sorrow profound. + _And_, + Proceed, sweet Charmer of the Ear, + Proceed, and through the mellow Flute, + The moving Lyre, + And Solitary Lute, + Melting Airs, soft Joys inspire, + Airs for drooping Hope to hear. + _And again, + _Now, let the sprightly Violin + A louder Strain begin: + And now, + Let the deep mouth'd Organ blow, + Swell it high and Sink it low. + Hark! how the Treble and the Base + In wanton Fuges each other chase, + And swift Divisions run their Airy Race. + Thro' all the travers'd Scale they fly, + In winding Labyrinths of Harmony, + By turns They rise and fall, by Turns we live and die._ + +One might not unfitly compare to this difference of Instruments, +the different Make and Constitution of Mens Bodies, with the +Influence they have, and the Impression they make on their Minds, +Passions and Actions. From hence alone they may know much, how to +direct their own proper Capacities, and how they are to suit each +Person they are to use, to the most proper Employment. As Mr. +_Pope_ Speaks of the Instruments of Musick. + + _In a sadly pleasing Strain, + Let the warbling Lute complain. + Let the loud Trumpet sound, + Till the Roofs + all around The shrill Echo's rebound. + While in more lengthen'd Notes and slow, + The deep, majestick, solemn Organs blow._ + +Harmony, in its most restrain'd Sense, is the apt and agreeable +mixture of various Sounds. Such a Composition of them as is +fitted to please the Ear. But every thing in a more extended +Sense is harmonious, where there is a variety of Things dispos'd +and mix'd in such apt and agreeable Manner. Things may indeed be +thrown together in a Crowd, without Order or Art. And then every +thing appears in Confusion, disagreeable and apt to disgust. But +absolute Uniformity will give little more Pleasure than meer +Confusion. To be ever harping on one String, though it be touch'd +by the most Masterly Hand, will give little more Entertainment to +the Ear, than the most confused and discordant variety of Sounds +mingled by the Hand of a meer Bungler. To have the Eye for ever +fix'd on one beautiful Object, would be apt to abate the +Satisfaction, at least in our present State. Variety relieves and +refreshes. It is so in the natural World. Hills and Valleys, +Woods and Pasture, Seas and Shores, not only diversify the +Prospect, but give much more Entertainment to the Eye, that can +successively go from one to the other, than any of them could +singly do. And could we see into all the Conveniencies of things, +how well they are fitted to each other, and the common Purposes +of all, we shou'd find that the Diversity is as usefull as it is +agreeable. + +It is the same also with the World of Mankind. If all had a like +Turn or Cast of Mind, and all were bent upon one Business or way +of Living, it would spoil much of the present Harmony of the +World, and be a manifest Inconvenience to the Publick. Perhaps +one Part of Learning, or Method of Business, would be throughly +cultivated and improved; but how many others must be neglected, +or remain defective? And it would create Jealousy and Uneasiness +among themselves. As Men are forc'd to justle in a Crowd. For +there would not be sufficient Scope for every one to exert and +display himself, nor so much Room for many to excel, when all +must do it in one Way. Variety of Inclination and Capacity is an +admirable Means of common Benefit. It opens a wide Field for +Service to Others, and gives great Advantage to Mens own +Improvement. + +And it is surprising to consider how great this Diversity is. It +is almost as various as that of bodily Features and Complexion. +There is no Instance of any kind of Learning or Business; any +Thing relating to the Necessity or Delight of Life; not the +meanest Office or the hardest Labour, but some or other are found +to answer the different Purposes of each. They are carried +through all the Difficulties in their several Ways, by the meer +Force of a _Genius_: And attempt and achieve that, with an high +relish of Pleasure, which would give the greatest Disgust to +others and utterly discourage them. This stirs up an useful +Emulation, and gives full Scope for every one to show Himself and +appear to advantage. And it is certainly for the Beauty and +Advantage of the Body. As many Hands employed in different Ways +about some noble Building, yet all help either to secure its +Strength, or furnish out all the Convenience, or give a State and +Grandeur to it. + +The Wisdom and Beauty of Providence appear at once in this +Variety and Distinction of Powers and Inclinations among Mankind. +It is a very wise and a necessary Provision for the common Good, +and the Advantage and Pleasure of particular Men. It answers to +all the Ends and Occasions of Mankind. They are in this Way made +helpful to one another, and capable of serving Themselves, and +that without much trouble or fatigue. Business by this Means +becomes a Pleasure. The greatest Labours and Cares are easy and +entertaining to Him who pursues his _Genius_. Inclination still +urges the Man on: Obstacles and Oppositions only sharpen his +Appetite, and put Him upon summoning all his Powers, that He may +exert Himself to the uttermost, and get over his Difficulties. +All the several Arts and Sciences, and all the Improvements made +in them from Time to Time; all the different Offices and +Employments of humane Life, are owing to this variety of Powers +and Inclinations among Men. And is it not obvious to every Eye +how much of the Conveniences and Comforts of humane Life spring +from these Originals? It is a glorious Display and most +convincing Proof of the Interest of Providence in humane Affairs, +and the Wisdom of its Conduct, to fit Things in this Manner to +their proper Uses and Ends. And so to _sort_ Mankind, and suit +their Talents and Inclinations, that all may contribute somewhat +to the Publick Good, and hardly one Member of the whole Body be +lost in the Reckoning, useless to it self, or unserviceable to +the Body. Were it otherwise, what large Tracts of humane Affairs +would lie perfectly waste and uncultivated? Whereas now all the +Parts of humane Learning and Life lie open to Improvement, and +some or other is fitted by Nature, and dispos'd by Inclination, +to help towards it. + +And as Providence gives the Hint, Men should take it, and follow +the Conduct of _Genius_ in the Course of their Studies, and Way +of Employment in the World; and in the Education and Disposal of +their Children. Men too often in this Case consult their own +Humour and Convenience, not the Capacity and Inclination of the +Child: And are governed by some or other external Circumstance, +or lower Consideration; as, what they shall give with them, or to +whom to commit the Care of them, &c. Thus they after contrive +unsuitable Marriages, on the single View of worldly Advantage. +From this Cause proceed fatal Effects, and many young Men of +great Hopes, and good Capacities, miscarry in the after Conduct +of Life, and prove useless or mischievous to the World. They turn +off from a disagreeable Employment, and run into Idleness and +Extravagance. If People better consider'd the peculiar _Genius_ +or proper Talents of their Children, and took their Measures of +Treatment and Disposal thence, we should certainly find +answerable Improvements and lasting good Effects. The several +Kinds of Learning and Business would come to be more advanced, +and the Lives of Men become more useful and significant to the +World. + +I have known a large Family of Children, with so remarkable a +Diversity of _Genius_, as to be a little Epitome of Mankind. Some +studious and thoughtful, and naturally inclin'd to _Books_ and +_Learning_; Others diligent and ambitious, and disposed to +_Business_ and rising in the World. Some bold and enterprizing, +and loved nothing so well as the _Camp_ and the _Field_; or so +daring and unconfined, that nothing would satisfy but _going_ to +_Sea_ and visiting Foreign Parts. Some have been gay and airy, +Others solid and retired. Some curious and Observers of other +Men; Others open and careless. In short, their Capacities have +been as various as their Natural Tempers or Moral Dispositions. + +Now what a Blunder would be committed in the Education of such a +Family, if, with this different Turn of Mind in the Children, +there should be no difference made in the Management of them, or +their Disposal in the World. If all should be put into one Way +of Life, or brought up to one Business. Or if in the Choice of +Employment for Them, their several Biass and Capacity be not +consulted, but the roving _Genius_ mew'd up in a Closet, and +confounded among Books: And the studious and thoughtful _Genius_ +sent to wander about the World, and be perfectly scattered and +dissipated, for want of proper Application and closer +Confinement. Whereas, one such a Family wisely educated, and +dispos'd in the World, would prove an extensive Blessing to +Mankind, and appear with a distinguished Glory; was the proper +_Genius_ of every Child first cultivated, and he then put into a +Way of Life that would suit his Taste. + +_Genius_ is a part of natural Constitution, not acquir'd, but +born with us. Yet it is capable of Cultivation and Improvement. +It has been a common Question, whether a Man be born a Poet or +made one? but both must concur. Nature and Art must contribute +their Shares to compleat the Character. Limbs alone will not make +a Dancer, or a Wrestler. Nor will _Genius_ alone make a good +Poet; nor the meer Strength of natural Abilities make a +considerable Artist of any kind. Good Rules, and these reduc'd to +Practice, are necessary to this End. And Use and Exercise in +this, as well as in all other Cases, are a second Nature. And, +oftentimes, the second Nature makes a prodigious Improvement of +the Force and Vigour of the first. + +It has been long ago determined by the great Masters of Letters, +that good Sense is the chief Qualification of a good Writer. + + _Scribendi certe sapere est & Principium & Fons._ + + Horat. + +Yet the best natural Parts in the World are capable of much +Improvement by a due Cultivation. + + _Doctrina sed vim promovet insitam, + Rectique cultus Pectora roborant._ + + Horat. + +The Spectator's golden Scales, let down from Heaven to discover +the true Weight and Value of Things, expresses this Matter in a +Way which at once shews, a _Genius_, and its Cultivation. "There +is a Saying among the _Scots_, that an Ounce of Mother-Wit, is +worth a Pound of Clergy. I was sensible of the Truth of this +Saying, when I saw the difference between the Weight of natural +Parts and that of Learning. I observ'd that it was an hundred +Times heavier than before, when I put Learning into the same +Scale with it." + +It has been observ'd, of an _English_ Author, that he would be +all _Genius_. He would reap the Fruits of Art, but without the +Study and Pains of it. The _Limae Labor_ is what he cannot easily +digest. We have as many Instances of Originals, this way, as any +Nation can produce. Men, who without the help of Learning, by the +meer Force of natural Ability, have produced Works which were the +Delight of their own Times, and have been the Wonder of +Posterity. It has been a Question, whether Learning would have +improved or spoiled them. There appears somewhat so nobly Wild +and Extravagant in these great _Genij_, as charms infinitely +more, than all the Turn and Polishing which enters into the +_French Bel Esprit_, or the _Genius_ improved by Reading and +Conversation. + +But tho' this will hold in some very rare Instances, it must be +much for its Advantage in ordinary Cases, that a _Genius_ should +be diligently and carefully cultivated. In order to this, it +should be early watched and observ'd. And this is a matter that +requires deep Insight into Humane Nature. It is not so easy as +many imagine, to pronounce what the proper _Genius_ of a Youth +is. Every one who will be fiddling, has not presently a _Genius_ +for Musick. The Idle Boy draws Birds and Men, when he should be +getting his Lesson or writing his Copy; _This Boy_, says the +Father, _must be a_ Painter; when alas! this is no more the Boy's +_Genius_ than the _Parhelion_ is the true Sun. But those who have +the Care of Children, should take some Pains to know what their +true _Genius_ is. For here the Foundation must be laid for +improving it. If a Mistake be made here, the Man sets out wrong, +and every Step he takes carries him so much farther from Home. + +The true _Genius_ being discovered, it must be supplied with +Matter to work upon, and employ it self. This is Fuel for the +Fire. And the fitting a _Genius_ with proper Materials, is +putting one into the Way of going through the World with Wind and +Tide. The whole Force of the Mind is applied to its proper Use. +And the Man exerts all his Strength, because he follows +Inclination, and gives himself up to the proper Conduct of his +_Genius_. This is the right way to excel. The Man will naturally +rise to his utmost Height, when he is directed to an Employment +that at once fits his Abilities, and agrees with his Taste. + +Care must also be taken, that a _Genius_ be not overstrain'd. Our +Powers are limited. None can carry beyond their certain Weight. +Whilst we follow Inclination, and keep within the Bounds of our +Power, we act with Ease and Pleasure. If we strain beyond our +Power, we crack the Sinews, and after two or three vain Efforts, +our Strength fails, and our Spirits are jaded. It wou'd be of +mighty Advantage towards improving a _Genius_, to make its +Employment, as much as possible, a Delight and Diversion, +especially to young Minds. A Man toils at a Task, and finds his +Spirits flag, and his Force abate, e'er he has gone half thro'; +whereas he can put forth twice the Strength, and complain of no +Fatigue, in following his Pleasures. Of so much Advantage is it +to make Business a Pleasure, if possible, and engage the Mind in +it out of Choice. It naturally reluctates against Constraint, and +is most unwilling to go on when it knows it _must_. But if it be +left to its own Choice, to follow Inclination and pursue its +Pleasure, it goes on without any Rubs, and rids twice the Ground, +without being half so much tired. + +Exercise is also very necessary to improve a _Genius_. It not +only shines the more, by exerting it self, but, like the Limbs of +an Humane Body, gathers Strength by frequent and vigorous Use, +and becomes more pliable and ready for Action. There must indeed +sometimes be a Relaxation. Our Minds will not at present bear to +be continually bent, and in perpetual Exercise. But our Faculties +manifestly grow by using them. The more we exert our selves, if +we do not overstrain our Powers, the greater Readiness and +Ability we acquire for future Action. A _Genius_, in order to be +much improv'd, should be well workt, and kept in close +Application to its proper Pursuit. + +All the Foreign Help must be procured, that can be had, towards +this Improvement. The Instruction and Example of such as excell +in that particular way, to which a Man's Mind is turned, is of +vast Use. A good Master in the Mechanical Arts, and careful +Observation of the nicest and most dextrous Workmen, will help a +_Genius_ of this sort. A good Tutor in the Sciences, and free +Conversation with such as have made great Proficiency in them, +must vastly improve the more liberal _Genius_. Reading, and +careful Reflection on what a Man reads, will still add to its +Force, and carry the Improvement higher. Reading furnishes +Matter, Reflexion digests it, and makes it our own; as the Flesh +and Blood which are made out of the Food we eat. And Prudence and +the Knowledge of the World, must direct us how to employ our +_Genius_, and on all occasions make the best Use of it. What +will the most exalted _Genius_ signify, if the World reaps no +Advantage from it? He who is possess'd of it, may make it turn to +Account to himself, and have much Pleasure and Satisfaction from +it; but it is a very poor Business, if it serves no other +Purpose, than to supply Matter for such private and narrow +Satisfaction. It is certainly the Intention of Providence, that a +good _Genius_ should be a publick Benefit; and to wrap up such a +Talent in a Napkin, and bury it in the Earth, is at once to be +unfaithful to God, and defraud Mankind. + +Those who have such a Trust put into their Hands, should be very +careful that they do not abuse it, nor squander it away. The best +_Genius_ may be spoiled. It suffers by nothing more, than by +neglecting it, and by an Habit of Sloth and Inactivity. By +Disuse, it contracts [J]Rust, or a Stiffness which is not easily +to be worn off. Even the sprightly and penetrating, have, thro' +this neglect, sunk down to the Rank of the dull and stupid. Some +Men have given very promising Specimens in their early Days, that +they could think well themselves; but, whether from a +pusillanimous Modesty, or a lazy Temper at first, I know not; +they have by Degrees contracted such an Habit of Filching and +Plagiary, as to lose their Capacity at length for one Original +Thought. Some Writers indeed, as well as Practitioners in other +Arts, seem only born to copy; but it is Pity those, who have a +Stock of their own, should so entirely lose it by Disuse, as to +be reduc'd to a Necessity, when they must appear in Publick, to +borrow from others. + + [J] Otium ingera rubig. [Transcriber's Note: "rubig" not readable, + may be the word for rust or stiffness.] + +Men should guard against this Mischief with great Care. A +_Genius_ once squandered away by neglect, is not easily to be +recovered. _Tacitus_ assigns a very proper Reason for this. +"[K]Such is the Nature, saith he, of Humane Infirmity, that +Remedies cannot be applied, as quick as Mischiefs may be +suffered; and as the Body must grow up by slow Degrees, but is +presently destroyed; so you may stifle a _Genius_ much more +easily than you can recover it. For you'll soon relish Ease and +Inactivity, and be in Love with Sloth, which was once your +Aversion." This can hardly fail of raining the best Capacity, +especially, if from a neglect of severer Business, Men run into a +Dissolution of Manners, which is the too common Consequence. The +greatest Minds have thus been often wholly enervated, and the +best Parts buried in utter Obscurity. + +[K] Natura infirmitatis humanae, tadiora sunt remedia +quam mala; & ut corpora lente augescunt, cito extinguuntur, +sic ingenia studiaque oppresseris, facilius quam revocaveris; +subit quippe ipsius inertiae dulcedo, et invisa primo desidia +postremo amatur. Tacit. Vit. Agricol. c. 3. + +Though the Rules of Art may be of great Service to improve a +_Genius_, it is very prejudicial, in many Cases, to fetter it +self with these Rules, or confine itself within those Limits +which others have fixed. How little would Science have been +improv'd, if every new _Genius_, that applies himself to any +Branch of it, had made other Mens Light, his _ne plus_ _ultra_, +and resolved to go no farther into it, than the Road had been +beaten before him. No doubt there were Men of as good natural +Abilities in the Ages before the Revival of Learning, as there +have been since. But they were cramped with the Jargon of a wordy +and unintelligible Philosophy, and durst not give themselves the +Liberty to think in Religion, without the Boundaries fixed by the +Church, for fear of Anathemas, and an Inquisition. Till those +Fetters were broken, little Advance was made, for many Ages +together, in any useful or solid Knowledge. In truth, every Man +who makes a new Discovery, goes at first by himself; and as long +as the greatest Minds are Content to go in Leading-strings, they +will be but upon a Level with their Neighbours. + +On the other Hand, Capacities of a lower size must be obliged to +more of Imitation. All their Usefulness will be spoiled by forming +too high Models for themselves. If they will be of Service, they +must be content to keep the beaten Road. Should they attempt to +soar too high, they will only meet with _Icarus_'s Fate. A common +_Genius_ will serve many common Purposes exceeding well, and +render a Man conspicuous enough, tho' there may be no +distinguishing Splendor about him to dazzle the Beholders Eyes. +But if he attempts any Thing beyond his Strength, he is sure to +lose the Lustre which he had, if he does not also weaken his +Capacity, and impair his _Genius_ into the Bargain. So just in +all Cases is the Poet's Advice to Writers. + + _Sumite Materiam vestris qui scribitis aquam + Veribus_. Horat. + _Weigh well your Strength_, _and never undertake + What is above your Power_. + +And this brings to Mind another very common Occasion of ruining +many a good _Genius_; I mean, wrong Application. Nothing will +satisfie Parents, but their Children must apply their Minds to +one of the learned Professions, when, instead of consulting the +Reputation or Interest of their Children, by such a preposterous +Choice, they turn them out to live in an Element no way suited to +their Nature, and expose them to Contempt and Beggary all their +Days; while at the same Time they spoil an Head, admirably turn'd +for Traffick or Mechanicks. And he is left to bring up the Rear +in the learned Profession, or it may be lost in the Crowd, who +would have shined in Trade, and made a prime Figure upon the +Exchange. Many have by this Means _run their Heads against a +Pulpit_, (as a Satyrical _Genius_ once expressed it) _who would +have made admirable Ploughmen_. + +There is a different Taste in Men, as to the learned Professions +themselves, which qualities and disposes them for the one, but +would never make them appear with any Lustre in another. This has +been often made evident in the different Figures, which some, who +lived in Obscurity before, have made upon a lucky Incident that +led them out of the mistaken Track into which they were first +put. Where Providence does not relieve a _Genius_ from this Error +in setting out, the Man must be kept under the Hatches all his +Days. + +There are very different Manners of Writing, and each of them +just and agreeable in their Kind, when Nature is followed, and a +Man endeavours Perfection in that Style and Manner which suits +his own Humour and Abilities. Some please, and indeed excel in a +Mediocrity, [L]who quite lose themselves if they attempt the +Sublime. Some succeed to a wonder in the Account of all Readers +whilst they confine themselves to close Reasoning; who, if they +are so ill advise'd, as to meddle with Wit; only make themselves +the Jest. [M]That is easy and agreeable which is natural; what is +forc'd, will appear distorted and give Disgust. + + [L] _Dum vitat humum, nubes et inania captet_. Horat. + + [M] _Ingenio, sicut in Agro, quanquam alia diu Serantur + atque elaborentur, gratiora tamen quae sua sponte nascuntur_. + Tacit. de Orator, c. 6. + +It is of fatal Consequence to a good _Genius_ to grasp at too +much. "A certain Magistrate (says _Bruyere_) arriving, by his +Merit, to the first Dignities of the Gown, thought himself +qualified for every Thing. He printed a Treatise of Morality, and +published himself a Coxcomb." Universal _Genij_ and universal +Scholars are generally excellent at nothing. He is certainly the +wisest Man, who endeavours to be perfectly furnished for some +Business, and regards other Matters as no more than his +Amusement. + +A _Genius_ being thus observed, humoured and cultivated, is to be +kept in Heart, and upon proper Occasions to be exerted. Without +this, it may sink and be lost. All Habits are weakened by Disuse. +And Men who are furnished with a _Genius_, for publick +Usefulness, should put themselves forward; I mean, with due +Modesty and Prudence, and not suffer their Talents to be hid, +when a fair Opportunity offers to do Service with them. Indeed it +is too common an Unhappiness for Men to be so placed, as to have +no Opportunity and Advantage for shewing their _Genius_. As +Matters are generally managed in the World, Men are for the most +part staked down to such Business, in such Alliances, or in such +Circumstances, that they have no proper Occasions of exerting +themselves; but instead of that, are continually tugging and +striving with things that are cross and ungrateful to them. And +that must be a strong Mind indeed, that shall break through the +Censures and Opposition of the World, and dare to quit a Station, +for which a Man has been brought up, and in which he has acted +for some Time, that he may get into another Sphere, where he sees +he can act according to the Impulses of his _Genius_. Tho' such +as have had the Courage and Skill to follow those Impulses, till +they have gain'd the Stations which suited their Taste and +Inclination, have seldom fail'd of appearing considerable. But +Multitudes, by this Situation of Affairs, have been forc'd, in a +manner, to stifle a _Genius_, because they could have no fair +Opportunity of exerting it. + +A crazy Constitution, and a Body liable to continual Disorders, +call off the Attention of many a great Mind, from what might +otherwise procure very great Reputation and Regard. Their +_Genius_ no sooner begins a little to exert itself, but the +Spirits flag, and one unhappy Ail or other, enfeebles and +discourages the Mind. + +Lust and Wine mightily obstruct all Attempts that require +Application; and will neither allow a Man duly to furnish his +Mind, nor rightly to use that Furniture he has. An Intrigue or a +Bottle may sometimes give an Opportunity for a Man to shew his +_Genius_, but will utterly spoil all regular and reputable +Exertings of it. He who would put forth his _Genius_ to the +Advantage of Himself or the World, should give into no Pleasures +that will enervate or dissolve his Mind. He must keep it bent for +Business, or he will bring all Business to nothing. + +Conceit and Affectation on one hand, and Peevishness and +Perverseness of Temper on the other, will lay the best _Genius_ +under great Disadvantages, and raise such Dislike and Opposition, +as will bear it down in spite of all its Force and Furniture. A +graceful Mixture of Boldness and Modesty, with a Smoothness and +Benignity of Temper, will much better make a Man's Way into the +World, and procure him the Opportunity of exerting his _Genius_. + +But there is nothing lies as an heavier Weight upon a Man, or +hinders Him more from shewing Himself to Advantage, and employing +his great Abilities for the Service of Others; than the Quarrels +and Contentions of Parties. Many have their Talents imprison'd, +by being of the hated and sinking Side. Their Light is wholly +smother'd and suppress'd, that it may not shine out with a Lustre +on the Party to which they belong, whether it be in Politicks or +Religion. And all Struggles of a _Genius_ are vain, when a Man is +born down at once by Clamour and Power. + +This is very discouraging to a Man who has taken much Pains in +cultivating his _Genius_; and many have, without doubt, been +tempted wholly to neglect themselves, from the Dread of these +Discouragements. I own this Neglect is not to be excused +altogether, though it grieves one that there should be any +Occasion given for it. There is still Room for Men to follow and +improve a _Genius_, and hope by it to benefit Mankind, and +procure Regard to Themselves. And it is hard to say, what Way of +exerting it will turn most to Account. Peculiar Honours are due +to those who appear to Advantage in the _Pulpit_. Numerous +Applauses and Preferments attend those who acquit themselves well +at the _Bar_. There is a great deal of Renown to those who are +eminent in the _Senate_. There are high Advantages to such as +excel in _Counsel_ and on _Embassies_. Immortal Lawrels will +crown such as are brave, expert and victorious in _Arms_. There +are the Blessings of Wealth and Plenty to those who manage well +their _Trades_ and _Merchandize_. The Names of the skilful +_Architect_, the cunning _Artificer_, the fine, exact and well +devising _Painter_, are sometimes enrolled in the Lists of Fame. +The learned, experienced and successful _Physician_, may become +as considerable for Repute and Estate, as one of any other +Profession. _Musick_ also may have its _Masters_, who shall be +had in lasting Esteem. The _Poets_ Performances may be [N]more +durable than Brass, and long lived as Time it Self. Every +_Science_ may have Professors that shall shine in the learned +World. With all the Discouragements that may damp a _Genius_, +there is yet a wide Field for it to exert it self, and Room to +hope it will not be in vain. + + [N] Exegi monumentum aere perennius + Regalique situ pyramidum altius, + Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens + Possit diruere aut innumerabilis + Annorum series et fuga temporum: + + Horat + +I was going to add something of exerting one's _Genius_ as an +_Author_. But I found, it would fill up too much Room in my +Paper, should I enlarge on the several Ways of Mens appearing +considerable. And I was so apprehensive of the Reputation, which +the Divine, the Historian, the Critick, the Philosopher, and +almost all the other Authors, have above us _Essay-Writers_, that +I thought I should but lessen the Regards to my own _Genius_, +should I have set to View the Advantages of Others. It will +sufficiently gratify my Ambition as an Author, if the World will +be so good natured as to think I have handsomely excus'd my self; +that I am tolerably fitted, in the Way in I am, to give +Entertainment to my Readers, and do them some Service. + + * * * * * + + + +FINIS + + * * * * * + +ERRATA [Transcriber's Note: Not readable] + + * * * * * + + + + + THE + + CREATION. + + A + + Pindaric Illustration + OF A + + POEM, + + Originally written by + + MOSES, + + On That SUBJECT. + + WITH A + + PREFACE to Mr. POPE, + + CONCERNING + + The Sublimity of the Ancient HEBREW POETRY, + and a material and obvious Defect in the ENGLISH. + + _LONDON_: + + Printed for T. BICKERTON, at the _Crown_ in _Pater-noster-Row._ + + M. DCC. XX. + + Price One Shilling. + + + + + + + + + _PREFACE to MR. POPE_ + +Sir, + +About two Years ago, upon a slight Misapprehension of some +Expressions of yours, which my Resentment, or perhaps my Pride, +interpreted to the Disadvantage of a Poetical Trifle, I had then +newly publish'd, I suffer'd myself to be unreasonably +transported, so far, as to inscribe you an angry, and +inconsiderate Preface; without previous Examination into the +Justness of my Proceeding. I have lately had the Mortification to +learn from your own Hand that you were entirely guiltless of the +fact charg'd upon you; so that, in attempting to retaliate a +suppos'd Injury, I have done a real Injustice. + +The only Thing which an honest Man ought to be more asham'd of +than his faults, is a Reluctance against confessing them. I have +already acknowledg'd mine to yourself: But no publick Guilt is +well aton'd, by a private Satisfaction; I therefore send you a +Duplicate of my Letter, by way of the World, that all, who +remember my Offence, may also witness my Repentance. + + Sir, + + I am under the greatest Confusion I ever felt in my Life, to + find by your Letter, that I have been guilty of a Crime, which + I can never forgive Myself, were it for no other Reason, than + that You have forgiven it. I might have learnt from your + Writings the Extent of your Soul, and shou'd have concluded it + impossible for the Author of those elevated Sentiments, to sink + beneath them in his Practice. + + You are generously moderate, when you mitigate my Guilt, and + miscall it a Credulity; 'twas a passionate, and most + unjustifiable Levity, and must still have remain'd + unpardonable, whatever Truth might have been found in its + mistaken Occasion. + + What stings me most, in my Reflection on this Folly, is, that + I know not how to atone it; I will endeavour it, however; + being always asham'd, when I have attempted to revenge an + Injury, but never more proud, than when I have begg'd pardon + for an Error. + + If you needed an Inducement to the strengthening your + Forgiveness, you might gather it from these two + Considerations; First, The Crime was almost a Sin against + Conviction; for though not happy enough to know you + personally, your Mind had been my intimate Acquaintance, and + regarded with a kind of partial Tenderness, that made it + little less than Miracle, that I attempted to offend you. A + sudden Warmth, to which, by Nature, I am much too liable, + transported me to a Condition, I shall best describe in + Shakespear's Sense, somewhere or other. + + Blind in th' obscuring Mist of heedless Rage, + I've rashly shot my Arrows o'er a House, + And hurt my Brother.... + + A Second Consideration is, the Occasion you have gather'd to + punish my Injustice, with more than double Sharpness, by your + Manner of receiving it. The Armour of your Mind is temper'd so + divinely, that my mere Human Weapons have not only fail'd to + pierce, but broke to pieces in rebounding. You meet Assaults, + like some expert Arabian, who, declining any Use of his own + Javelin, arrests those which come against him, in the Fierceness + of their Motion, and overcomes his Enemies, by detaining their + own Weapons. 'Tis a noble Triumph you now exercise, by the + Superiority of your Nature; and while I see you looking down upon + the Distance of my Frailty, I am forc'd to own a Glory, which I + envy you; and am quite asham'd of the poor Figure I am making, in + the bottom of the Prospect. I feel, I am sure, Remorse, enough to + satisfy you for the Wrong, but to express it, wou'd, I think, + exceed even your own Power. + + Yours, whose sweet Songs can rival Orpheu's Strain, + And force the wondring Woods to dance again, + Make moving Mountains hear your pow'rful Call, + And headlong Streams hang list'ning in their Fall. + + No Words can be worthy to come after these; I will therefore + hasten to tell you, that I am, and will ever be, with the + greatest Truth and Respect, + + SIR, + + Your Most Humble, + + and Most Obedient Servant, + + A. Hill. + +I have now attempted, as far as I am able, to throw off a Weight, +which my Mind has been uneasy under. I cannot say, in the City +Phrase, that I have balanc'd the Account, but you must admit of +Composition, where full Payment is impossible. I shall be so far +from regretting you the old Benefit of Lex talionis, that I +forgive you heartily, beforehand, for any thing you may hereafter +think fit to say, or do, to my Disadvantage; nay, the Pleasure I +enjoy by reflecting on your good Nature, will degenerate to a +Pain, if one Accident or other, in the Course of your Life, does +not favour me with some Occasion of advancing your Interest. + +Having said thus much to you, in your Quality of a Good Man, I +will proceed to address you, in your other Quality, of a Great +Poet; in which Light I look up to you with extraordinary Comfort, +as to a new Constellation breaking out upon our World, with equal +Heat, and Brightness, and cross-spangling, as it were, the whole +Heaven of Wit with your milky way of Genius. + +You cou'd never have been born at a Time, which more wanted the +Influence of your Example: All the Fire you bring with you, and +the Judgment you are acquiring, in the Course of your Journey, +will be put to their full stress, to support and rebuild the +sinking Honours of Poetry. + +It was a Custom, which prevail'd generally among the Ancients, to +impute Celestial Descent to their Heroes; The Vanity, methinks, +might have been pardonable, and rational, if apply'd to an Art; +since Arts, when they are at once delightful and profitable, as +you will certainly leave Poetry, have one real Mark of Divinity, +they become, in some measure, immortal. And as the oldest, and, I +think, the sublimest Poem in the World, is of Hebrew Original, +and was made immediately after passing the Red-Sea, at a Time, +when the Author had neither Leisure, nor Possibility, to invent a +new Art: It must therefore be undeniable, either that the Hebrews +brought Poetry out of Egypt, or that Moses receiv'd it from God, +by immediate Inspiration. This last, being what a Poet should be +fondest of believing, I wou'd fain suppose it probable, that God, +who was pleas'd to instruct Moses with what Ceremony he wou'd be +worship'd, taught him also a Mode of Thinking, and expressing +Thought, unprophan'd by vulgar Use, and peculiar to that Worship. +God then taught Poetry first to the Hebrews, and the Hebrews to +Mankind in general. + +But, however this may have been, there is, apparently, a divine +Spirit, glowing forcibly in the Hebrew Poetry, a kind of terrible +Simplicity; a magnificent Plainness! which is commonly lost, in +Paraphrase, by our mistaken Endeavours after heightening the +Sentiments, by a figurative Expression; This is very ill Judg'd: +The little Ornaments of Rhetorick might serve, fortunately +enough, to swell out the Leanness of some modern Compositions; +but to shadow over the Lustre of a divine Hebrew Thought, by an +Affectation of enliv'ning it, is to paint upon a Diamond, and +call it an Ornament. + +It is a surprizing Reflection, that these noble Hebrew Poets +shou'd have written with such admirable Vigour three Thousand +Years ago; and that, instead of improving, we should affect to +despise them; as if, to write smoothly, and without the Spirit of +Imagery, were the true Art of Poetry, because the only Art we +practise. It puts me in Mind of the famous Roman Lady, who +suppos'd, that Men had, naturally, stinking Breaths, because she +had been us'd to it, in her Husband. + +The most obvious Defect in our Poetry, and I think the greatest +it is liable to, is, that we study Form, and neglect Matter. We +are often very flowing, and under a full Sail of Words, while we +leave our Sense fast aground, as too weighty to float on +Frothiness; We run on, upon false Scents, like a Spaniel, that +starts away at Random after a Stone, which is kept back in the +Hand, though It seem'd to fly before him. To speak with Freedom +on this Subject, is a Task of more Danger than Honour; for few +Minds have real Greatness enough to consider a Detection of their +Errors, as a Warning to their Conduct, and an Advantage to their +Fame; But no discerning Judgment will consider it as ill Nature, +in one Writer, to mark the Faults of another. A general Practice +of that Kind wou'd be the highest Service to poetry. No Disease +can be cur'd, till its Nature is examin'd; and the first likely +Step towards correcting our Errors, is resolving to learn +impartially, that we have Errors to be corrected. + +I will, therefore, with much Freedom, but no manner of Malice, +remark an Instance or two, from no mean Writers, to prove, that +our Poetry has been degenerating apace into mere Sound, or +Harmony; nor ought This to be consider'd as an invidious Attempt, +since whatever Pains we take, about polishing our Numbers, where +we raise not our Meaning, are as impertinently bestowed, as the +Labour wou'd be, of setting a broken Leg after the Soul has left +the Body. The Gunners have a Custom, when a Ball is too little +for the Bore of their Canon, to wrap Towe about it, till it +fills the Mouth of the Piece; after which, it is discharg'd, with +a Thunder, proportionable to the Size of the Gun; But its +Execution at the Mark, will immediately discover, that the Noise +of the Discharge was a great deal too big for the Diameter of the +Bullet. It is just the same thing with an unsinewy Imagination, +sent abroad in sounding Numbers; The Loftiness of the Expression +will astonish shallow Readers into a temporary Admiration, and +support it, for a while; but the Bounce, however loud, goes no +farther than the Ear; The Heart remains unreach'd by the Languor +of the Sentiment. + +Poetry, the most elevated Exertion of human Wit, is no more than +a weak and contemptible Amusement, wanting Energy of Thought, or +Propriety of Expression. Yet we may run into Error, by an +injudicious Affectation of attaining Perfection, as Men, who are +gazing upward, when they shou'd be looking to their Footsteps, +stumble frequently against Posts, while they have the Sun in +Contemplation. + +In attempting, for Example, to modernize so lofty an Ode as the +104th Psalm, the Choice of Metaphors shou'd, methinks, have been +considered, as one of the most remarkable Difficulties. There +seems to have been a Necessity, that they shou'd be noble, as +well as natural; and yet, if too much rais'd, they wou'd endanger +an Extinction of the Charms, which they were design'd to +illustrate. That powerful Imagination of 'the Sea, climbing over +the Mountains Tops, and rushing back, upon the Plains, at the +Voice of God's Thunder,' ought certainly to have been express'd +with as much Plainness as possible: And, to demonstrate how ill +the contrary Measure has succeeded, one need only observe how it +looks in Mr. Trapp's Metaphorical Refinement. + + "The Ebbing Deluge did its Troops recal, + Drew off its Forces, and disclos'd the Ball, + They, at th' Eternal's Signal march'd away." + +Who does not discern, in this Place, what an Injury is done to +the original Image, by the military Metaphor? Recalling the +'Troops' of a Deluge, 'Drawing off its Forces'; and its 'Marching +away, at a Signal,' carry not only a visible Impropriety of +Thought, but are infinitely below the Majesty of That God, who is +so dreadfully represented thundering his Commands to the Ocean; +They are directly the Reverse of that terrible Confusion, and +overwhelming Uproar of Motion, which the Sea, in the Original, is +suppos'd to fall into. The March of an Army is pleasing, orderly, +slow; The Inundation of a Sea, from the Tops of the Mountains, +frightful, wild and tumultuous; Every Justness and Grace of the +original Conception is destroyed by the Metaphor. + +In the same Psalm, the Hebrew Poet describing God, says, '....He +maketh the Clouds his Chariots, and walketh on the Wings of the +Wind.' Making the 'Clouds his Chariots,' is a strong and lively +Thought; But That of 'walking on the Wings of the Wind,' is a +Sublimity, that frightens, astonishes, and ravishes the Mind of a +Reader, who conceives it, as he shou'd do. The Judgement of the +Poet in this Place, is discernable in three different +Particulars; The Thought is in itself highly noble, and elevated; +To move at all upon the Wind, carries with it an Image of much +Majesty and Terror; But this natural Grandeur he first encreas'd +by the Word 'Wings,' which represents the Motion, as not only on +the Winds, but on the Winds in their utmost Violence, and +Rapidity of Agitation. But then at last, comes that finishing +Sublimity, which attends the Word 'walks'! The Poet is not +satisfied to represent God, as riding on the Winds; nor even as +riding on them in a Tempest; He therefore tells us, that He walks +on their Wings; that so our Idea might be heighten'd to the +utmost, by reflecting on this calm, and easy Motion of the Deity, +upon a Violence, so rapid, so furious, and ungovernable, to our +human Conception. Yet as nothing can be more sublime, so nothing +can be more simple, and plain, than this noble Imagination. But +Mr. Trapp, not contented to express, attempts unhappily to adorn +this inimitable Beauty, in the following Manner. + + "Who, borne in Triumph o'er the Heavenly Plains, + Rides on the Clouds, and holds a Storm in Reins, + Flies on the Wings of the sonorous Wind, &c." + +Here his imperfect, and diminishing Metaphor, of the 'Rains,' has +quite ruin'd the Image; What rational, much less noble Idea, can +any Man conceive of a Wind in a Bridle? The unlucky Word 'Plains' +too, is a downright Contradiction to the Meaning of the Passage. +What wider Difference in Nature, than between driving a Chariot +over a Plain, and moving enthron'd, amidst That rolling, and +terrible Perplexity of Motions, which we figure to our +Imagination, from a 'Chariot of Clouds'? But the mistaken +Embellishment of the Word 'flies,' in the last Verse, is an Error +almost unpardonable; Instead of improving the Conception, it has +made it trifling, and contemptible, and utterly destroy'd the +very Soul of its Energy! 'flies' on the Wind! What an Image is +That, to express the Majesty of God? To 'walk' on the Wind is +astonishing, and horrible; But to 'fly' on the Wind, is the +Employment of a Bat, of an Owl, of a Feather! Mr. Trapp is, I +believe, a Gentleman of so much Candour, and so true a Friend to +the Interest of the Art he professes, that there will be no +Occasion to ask his pardon, for dragging a Criminal Metaphor, or +two, out of the Immunity of his Protection. + +Mr. Philips has lately been told in Print, by one of our best +Criticks, that he has excell'd all the Ancients, in his Pastoral +Writings; He will, therefore, be apt to wonder, that I take the +Liberty to say, in downright Respect to Truth, and the Justice +due to Poetry, that I have not only seen modern pastorals, much +better than His, but that his appear, to me, neither natural, +nor equal. One might extend this Remark to the very Names of his +Shepherds; Lobbin, Hobbinol, and Cuddy are nothing of a Piece, +with Lanquet, Mico, and Argol; nor do his Personages agree +better with themselves, than their Names with one another. Mico, +for Example, at the first Sight we have of him, is a very polite +Speaker, and as metaphorical as Mr. Trapp. + + "This Place may seem for Shepherds Leisure made, + So lovingly these Elms unite their Shade! + Th'ambitious Woodbine! how it climbs, to breathe + Its balmy Sweets around, on all beneath!" + +But, alas! this Fit of Eloquence, like most other Blessings, is +of very short Continuance; It holds him but Just one Speech: In +the beginning of the next, he is as very a Rustick, as Colin +Clout, and has forgot all his Breeding. + + "No Skill of Musick can I, simple Swain, + No fine Device, thine Ear to entertain; + Albeit some deal I pipe, rude though it be, + Sufficient to divert my, Sheep, and Me." + +There is no Transformation In Ovid more sudden, or surprizing; He +has Reason indeed to say, that, when he "pipes some deal," his +'Sheep' are 'diverted' with him. His Readers, I am afraid too, +are as merry as his Sheep; If he was but as skilful in Change of +Time, as he is in Change of Dialect, commend me to him for a +Musician! The pied Piper, who drew all the Rats of a City out, +after his Melody, came not near him for Variety. + +If the late excellent Mr. Addison, whose Verses abound in Graces, +which can never be too much admir'd, shall be, often, found +liable to an Overflow of his Meaning, by this Dropsical +Wordiness, which we so generally give into, it will serve at the +same time, as a Comfort, and a Warning; and incline us to a +severe Examination of our Writings, when we venture out upon a +World, that will, one time or other, be sure to censure us +impartially; In That Gentleman's Works, whoever looks close, will +discover Thorns on every Branch of his Roses; For Example, we all +hear, with Delight, in his celebrated Letter from Italy, that, +there, + + ... The Muse so oft her Harp has strung, + That not a Mountain rears its Head unsung. + +But, he adds, in the very next Line, that every shady Thicket +too, grows renown'd in Verse; now one can never help remembering, +that Thickets are Births, as it were of Yesterday; the mere +Infancy of Woods! and that the oldest Woods in Italy may be +growing on Foundations of ruin'd Cities, which flourish'd in the +Times he there speaks of; whence it must naturally be inferr'd, +that to say, the Italian Thickets grow renown'd in Roman Verse, +though the Mountains really do so, is to make Use of Words, +without Regard to their Meaning; A Lapse of dangerous +Consequence, because, when the Understanding is once shock'd, +this most rapturous Elevation of the Mind (as when cold Water is +thrown suddenly upon boiling) sinks at once to chilling Flatness, +and is considered as mere Gingle and childish Amusement. + +No Man, I believe, has read without Pleasure, his fine and lively +Descriptions of the Nar, Clitumnus, Mincio, and Albula, but the +worst of it is, he winds us so long, in and out, between these +Rivers, that he loses himself in their Maeanders, and brings us, +at last, to a strange Stream indeed, which is 'immortaliz'd in +Song,' and yet 'lost In Oblivion.' + + "I look for Streams, immortaliz'd, in Song, + Which lost, and buried in Oblivion lie." + +The Thought, in this Place, is very lively and just, but quite +obscur'd by the Redundancy and Wantonness of the Expression. Had +he only said 'lost,' and 'buried,' It might have been urg'd, that +the Rivers were dry'd up, and no longer to be found, in their old +Channels. But, let them be lost, as to Existence, as certainly as +he will, they can never be lost in 'Oblivion,' if they are +'immortaliz'd' in Poetry. 'Immortal' is a favourite Word in this +Gentleman's Writings, and leads him, as most Favourites are apt +to do, into very frequent Errors. + +It is naturally unpleasant, to be detain'd too long in the +Maziness of one tedious Thought, express'd many Ways +successively. When we read that the 'Tiber is destitute of +Strength,' what else can we conclude, but that its Stream is a +weak one? But we are oblig'd to hear, also, that it 'derives its +Source from an unthrifty Urn': Well, now, may we go on? No; its +'Urn' is not only 'unthrifty,' but its 'Source' is unfruitful. By +this time, one can scarce help, enquiring, what new Meaning is +convey'd to the Apprehension, by the Multiplication of the +Phrases? And not finding any, we have no Reflection to satisfy +ourselves with, but, that the strongest Flow of Fancy, is most +subject to Whirlpools. + +It is from the same unweigh'd Redundancy, and Misapplication of +Words, that we so often find this excellent Writer falling into +the Anticlimax. As where, for Example, he informs us of Liberty, +that she is a Goddess, + + "Profuse of Bliss, and pregnant with Delight, + Eternal Pleasures, in her Presence reign." + +After 'Profusion of Bliss,' that is to say, the heap'd Enjoyment +of all Blessings to be wish'd for; how does it cool the +Imagination, to read of being 'pregnant with Delight'? Had she +been brought to Bed of 'Delight,' it had been but a poor +Delivery: For what imports 'Delight,' in Comparison with +'Bliss'? And how much less too is pregnant with Delight,' than +'Delight' in Possession! But then again, after both these, what +cou'd the Author hope to teach us, by adding, that 'Pleasure +reigns in her Presence.' Can there be 'Bliss' without 'Delight'? +Was there ever 'Delight' without 'Pleasure'? It shou'd gradually +have ascended thus, Pleasure, Delight, Bliss; But to turn it the +direct contrary Way, Bliss, Delight, Pleasure, is setting a poor +Meaning upon its Head, and the same thing as to say, Mr. Addison +writ incomparably, finely, nay, and tolerably. A Praise, which, I +dare say, he wou'd have given no Body Thanks for. One wou'd think +there were a kind of Fatality in Liberty, since scarce any Body +can meddle either with the Word or the Thing, but they turn all +topsey turvey. + +But I am sliding insensibly into a Theme, that requires rather a +Volume, than a Page or two; I hasten therefore to present you a +Paraphrase on the Six Days Work of the Creator, as described to +us by Moses, in the First Chapter of Genesis, which, you know, +was written, originally, in Verse. It wou'd be difficult, I am +sure, to match the Greatness of that inspired Author's Images, +out of all the noble Writings, which have honour'd Antiquity; and +whose most remarkable Excellencies have been found, in those +Parts of their Works, which they elevated, and made more solemn, +by a Mixture of their Religion. Our Poetry, in so able a Hand as +Yours, might receive heavenly Advantages, from a Practice of like +Nature. But I am of Opinion, that no English Verse, except that, +which we, I think a little improperly, call Pindaric, can allow +the necessary Scope, to so masterless a Subject, as the Creation, +of all others the most copious, and illustrious; and which ought +to be touch'd with most Discretion, and Choice of Circumstances. + +Mr. Milton, Mr. Cowley, Sir Richard Blackmore, and now, lately, +a young Gentleman, of a very lively Genius, have severally tried +their Strength in this celestial Bow; Sir Richard may be said +indeed to have shot farthest, but too often beside the Mark; He +will permit me the Liberty of owning my Opinion, that he is too +minute, and particular, and rather labours to oppress us with +every Image he cou'd raise, than to refresh and enliven us, with +the noblest, and most differing. He is also too unmindful of the +Dignity of his Subject, and diminishes it by mean, and +contemptible Metaphors. Speaking of the Skies, he says they were + + Spun thin, and wove, on Nature's finest Loom. + +Longinus is very angry with Timaeus for saying of Alexander, that +he conquer'd all Asia, in less Time than Isocrates took to write +his Panegyric, "Because, says the Critick, it is a pitiful +Comparison of Alexander the Great with a Schoolmaster." What then +wou'd he have said of Sir Richard's Metaphorical Comparison of +the CREATOR Himself, to a Spinster, and a Weaver? The very Beasts +of Mr. Milton, who kept Moses in his Eye, carry Infinitely more +Majesty, than the Skies of Sir Richard. + + The Grassy Clods now calv'd; and half appear'd + The tawny Lyon, pawing to get free + His hinder Parts; then springs, as broke from Bonds, + And, rampant, shakes aloft, his brinded Main! + The heaving Leopard, rising, like the Mole, + In Heaps the crumbling Earth about him threw! + +These animated Images, or pictured Meanings of Poetry, are the +forcible Inspirers, which enflame a Reader's Will, and bind down +his Attention. They arise from living Words, as Aristotle calls +them; that is, from Words so finely chosen, and so Justly ranged, +that they call up before a Reader the Spirit of their Sense, in +that very Form, and Action, it impressed upon the Writer. But +when the Idea, which a Poet strives to raise, is in itself +magnificent and striking, the Dawb of Metaphor, or any spumy +Colourings of Rhetoric can but deaden, and efface it. + +If Sir Richard had said, concerning the Skies, on any other +Subject but This, of the Creation, that they were 'spun thin, and +wove, on Nature's finest Loom,' the Thought had been so far from +Impropriety, as to have been pleasing, and praise-worthy; But +when the Image he wou'd set before us, is the Maker of Heaven and +Earth, in all the dreadful Majesty of his Omnipotence, producing +at a Word, the noblest Part of the Creation, and 'spreading out +the Heavens as a Curtain'; In this tremendous Exercise of his +Divinity, to compare him to a Weaver, and his Expansion of the +Skies, to the low Mechanism of a 'Loom,' is injudiciously to +diminish an Idea, he pretends to heighten and illustrate. + +I will end with a Word or two concerning the different Measure of +the Verse, in which the following Poem is written; and which is +apt to disgust Readers, not well grounded in Poetry, because it +requires a fuller Degree of Attention than the Couplet, and, as +Mr. Cowley has said of it, + + ... Will no unskilful Touch endure, + But flings Writer and Reader too, that sits not sure. + +I have, in another Place, endeavoured by Arguments to demonstrate +the Preference of this Kind of Verse to any other; I will here +observe only, from my Experience of other Writers, that it wins, +insinuates, and grows insensibly upon the Relish of a Reader, +till the little seeming Harshness, which is supposed to be in it, +softens gradually away, and leaves a vigorous Impression behind +it, of mixed Majesty and Sweetness. + +A Man, who is just beginning to try his Ear in Pindaric, may be +compared to a new Scater; He totters strangely at first, and +staggers backward and forward; Every Stick, or frozen Stone in +his Way, is a Rub that he falls at. But when many repeated Trials +have embolden'd him to strike out, and taught the true Poize of +Motion, he throws forward his Body with a dextrous Velocity, and +becoming ravish'd with the masterly Sweep of his Windings, knows +no Pleasure greater, than to feel himself fly through that +well-measured Maziness, which he first attempted with Perplexity. +But I will detain you no longer, and hasten now to the Poem, +which has given me this pleasing Opportunity of telling you how +much I am, + + Sir, + + Your Most Humble + and Obedient Servant, + + A. HILL + + + + + + + + _THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY_ + + ANNOUNCES ITS + + Publications for the Third Year(1948-1949) + + _At least two_ items will be printed from each of the + _three_ following groups: + +Series IV: Men, Manners, and Critics + + Sir John Falstaff (pseud.), _The Theatre _(1720). + + Aaron Hill, Preface to _The Creation; _and Thomas + Brereton, Preface to _Esther._ + + Ned Ward, Selected Tracts. + +Series V: Drama + + Edward Moore, _The Gamester _(1753). + + Nevil Payne, _Fatal Jealousy _(1673). + + Mrs. Centlivre, _The Busie Body _(1709). + + Charles Macklin, _Man of the World _(1781). + +Series VI: Poetry and Language + + John Oldmixon, _Reflections on Dr. Swift's Letter to + Harley _(1712); and + Arthur Mainwaring, _The British Academy _(1712). + + Pierre Nicole, _De Epigrammate._ + + Andre Dacier, Essay on Lyric Poetry. + + Issues will appear, as usual, in May, July, September, November, + January, and March. In spite of rising costs, membership fees + will be kept at the present annual rate of $2.50 in the United + States and Canada; $2.75 in Great Britain and the continent. + British and continental subscriptions should be sent to B.H. + Blackwell, Broad Street, Oxford, England. American and Canadian + subscriptions may be sent to any one of the General Editors. + + +TO THE, AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY: + +_I enclose the membership fee for_ + + _the third year_ + + _the second and third + year_ + + _the first, second, and + third year_ + +NAME.... + +ADDRESS.... + +NOTE: All income received by the Society is devoted to defraying +cost of printing and mailing. + + + + + + + + _THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY_ + + MAKES AVAILABLE + + Inexpensive Reprints of Rare Materials + + FROM + + ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE + + SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES + +Students, scholars, and bibliographers of literature, history, +and philology will find the publications valuable. _The +Johnsonian News Letter_ has said of them: "Excellent facsimiles, +and cheap in price, these represent the triumph of modern +scientific reproduction. Be sure to become a subscriber; and take +it upon yourself to see that your college library is on the +mailing list." + +The Augustan Reprint Society is a non-profit, scholarly +organization, run without overhead expense. By careful management +it is able to offer at least six publications each year at the +unusually low membership fee of $2.50 per year in the United +States and Canada, and $2.75 in Great Britain and the continent. + +Libraries as well as individuals are eligible for membership. +Since the publications are issued without profit, however, no +discount can be allowed to libraries, agents, or booksellers. + +New members may still obtain a complete run of the first year's +publications for $2.50, the annual membership fee. + +During the first two years the publications are issued in three +series: I. Essays on Wit; II. Essays on Poetry and Language; and +III. Essays on the Stage. + + + + + + + + _PUBLICATIONS FOR THE FIRST YEAR (1946-1947)_ + +MAY, 1946: Series I, No. 1--Richard Blackmore's _Essay upon + Wit _(1716), and Addison's _Freeholder_ No. 45 + (1716). + +JULY, 1946: Series II, No. 1--Samuel Cobb's _Of Poetry_ and + _Discourse on Criticism_ (1707). + +SEPT., 1946: Series III, No. 1--Anon., _Letter to A.H. Esq.; + concerning the Stage_ (1698), and Richard Willis' + _Occasional Paper_ No. IX (1698). + +Nov., 1946: Series I, No. 2--Anon., _Essay on Wit_ (1748), + together with Characters by Flecknoe, and Joseph + Warton's _Adventurer_ Nos. 127 and 133. + +JAN., 1947: Series II, No. 2--Samuel Wesley's _Epistle to a + Friend Concerning Poetry _(1700) and _Essay on + Heroic Poetry_ (1693). + +MARCH, 1947: Series III, No. 2--Anon., _Representation of the + Impiety and Immorality of the Stage_ (1704) and + anon., _Some Thoughts Concerning the Stage_ (1704). + + + + + _PUBLICATIONS FOR THE SECOND YEAR (1947-1948)_ + +MAY, 1947: Series I, No. 3--John Gay's _The Present State of + Wit;_ and a section on Wit from _The English + Theophrastus._ With an Introduction by Donald Bond. + +JULY, 1947: Series II, No. 3--Rapin's _De Carmine Pastorali,_ + translated by Creech. With an Introduction by + J.E. Congleton. + +SEPT., 1947: Series III, No. 3--T. Hanmer's (?) _Some Remarks on + the Tragedy of Hamlet._ With an Introduction by + Clarence D. Thorpe. + +Nov., 1947: Series I, No. 4--Corbyn Morris' _Essay towards Fixing + the True Standards of Wit,_ etc. With an Introduction + by James L. Clifford. + +JAN., 1948: Series II, No. 4--Thomas Purney's _Discourse on the + Pastoral._ With an Introduction by Earl Wasserman. + +MARCH, 1948: Series III, No. 4--Essays on the Stage, selected, + with an Introduction by Joseph Wood Krutch. + + +The list of publications is subject to modification in response to +requests by members. From time to time Bibliographical Notes will be +included in the issues. Each issue contains an Introduction by a +scholar of special competence in the field represented. + +The Augustan Reprints are available only to +members. They will never be offered at "remainder" prices. + + _GENERAL EDITORS_ + + RICHARD C. BOYS, _University of Michigan_ + EDWARD NILES HOOKER, _University of California, Los Angeles_ + H.T. SWEDENBERG, JR., _University of California, Los Angeles_ + + _ADVISORY EDITORS_ + + EMMETT L. AVERT, _State College of Washington_ + + LOUIS I. BREDVOLD, _University of Michigan_ + + BENJAMIN BOYCE, _University of Nebraska_ + + CLEANTH BROOKS, _Louisiana State University_ + + JAMES L. CLIFFORD, _Columbia University_ + + ARTHUR FRIEDMAN, _University of Chicago_ + + SAMUEL H. MONK, _University of Minnesota_ + + JAMES SUTHERLAND. _Queen Mary College, London_ + +Address communications to any of the General Editors. Applications for +membership, together with membership fee, should be sent to + + THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY + + 310 ROYCE HALL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA + + LOS ANGELES 24, CALIFORNIA + or + _Care of_ PROFESSOR RICHARD C. BOYS + + ANGELL HALL, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN + + ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN + + +_Please enroll me as a member of the Augustan Reprint Society._ + +_I enclose $2.50 as the membership fee for the second year + + $5.00 as the membership fee for the first and second + year + +NAME.... +Address.... + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of 'Of Genius', in The Occasional Paper, +and Preface to The Creation, by Aaron Hill + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF GENIUS/PREFACE TO THE CREATION *** + +***** This file should be named 15870.txt or 15870.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/8/7/15870/ + +Produced by David Starner, Sankar Viswanathan and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + +*** END: FULL LICENSE *** + diff --git a/15870.zip b/15870.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..604bc18 --- /dev/null +++ b/15870.zip diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..36212e3 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #15870 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15870) |
