An Effay on the Application of Natural Hiftory to Poetry. By 7. Aikin. 12mo. 2s. 6d. fewed. Johnfon If we were not as much in doubt whether that kind of verfification, in which, as the poet expreffes it, "Pure defcription holds the place of fenfe," * deferves the name of poetry, as we are that Natural History deferves the name of Science, we fhould be as ready to admit the importance of the prefent Effay, as we do the ingenuity of it. Before we enter, therefore, into any particular inveftigation of the propriety of the criticisms contained in it; we would caution the reader against drawing a general conclufion from the whole, in favour of fcientific knowledge as an affiftant to poetical genius. The great object of Science is the difcovery of Truth, that of Poetry the difplay of Fiction: and, tho' it may be faid, that poetical fiction ought ever to have the appearance of truth, we are apprehenfive that, if it have nothing more, it will appear little better than plain profe. Admitting, however, the importance of the fubject, and giving defcriptive poetry the fame rank in point of compofition, as landscape hath in painting, we fhall endeavour to give the reader an idea of our Effayift's defign in this little production, contrafted with fome remarks of other writers on the fame fubject. This ingenious and elegant writer sets out with obferving that, "No literary complaint is more frequent and general than that of the infipidity of Modern Poetry. While the votary of fcience is continually gratified with new objects opening to his view, the lover of poetry is wearied and difguffed with a perpetual repetition of the fame images, clad in almoft the fame language. This is ufually attributed to a real deficiency of poetical genius in the prefent age; and fuch caufes are affigned for it as would leave us little room to hope for any favourable change. But this folution, as it is invidious in its applica tion, and difcouraging in its effects, is furely alfo contradictory to that juft relith for the beauties of poetry, that tale for found and manly criticifin, and that improvement in the other elegant arts, which muft be allowed to characterise our own times. The state in which poetry has been tranfmitted to us will probably afford a truer, as well as a more favourable explanation of the fact. It comes to us, worn down, enfeebled, and fettered.. The Epopea, circumfcribed as it perhaps neceffarily is within very narrow limits, fcarcely offers to the most fertile invention a subject at the fame time original and proper. Tragedy, exhausted by the in finite number of its productions, is nearly reduced to the fame condition. * Mr. Pope, perhaps, entertained too mean an opinion of defcriptive poetry; at leaft fo thought, as does Mr. Aikin, the Author of the " Essay on the Writings and Genius" of this Poet. The The artificial construction of the ode almost inevitably throws its compofer into unmeaning imitation. Elegy, converfant with a confined, and almost uniform train of emotions, cannot but frequently become languid and feeble. Satire, indeed, is ftill fufficiently vigorous and prolific; but its offspring is little fuited to please a mind fenfible to the charms of genuine poetry. It would feem, then, that novelty was the prefent requifite, more, perhaps, than genius: it is therefore of importance to enquire what fource is capable of affording it. "That novelty should have been the leaft fought for in that very walk which might be expected to yield it in the greatest abundance, will, doubtles, appear extraordinary. Yet, if it be admitted that the grand and beautiful objects which nature every where profufely throws around us, are the most obvious ftore of new materials to the poet, it must also be confessed that it is the store which of all others he has the moft fparingly touched. A. ingenious critic, Mr. Warton, has remarked that " every painter of rural beauty fince the time of Theocritus (except Thomfon) has copied his images from him, without ever looking abroad into the face of nature themselves." If this be not strictly just, it is at least certain that fupineness and fervile imitation have prevailed to a greater degree in the defcription of nature, than in any other part of poetry. The effect of this has been, that defcriptive poetry has degenerated into a kind of phrafeology, confifting of combinations of words which have been fo long coupled together, that, like the hero and his epithet in Homer, they are become infeparable companions. It is amufing, under fome of the most common heads of defcription, in a poetical dictionary, to obferve the wonderful famenefs of thoughts and expreffions in paffages culled from a dozen different authors. An ordinary verfifier seems no more able to conceive of the morn without rofy fingers and dewy locks, or Spring without flowers and fhowers, loves and groves, than of any of the heathen deities without their usual attributes. Even in poets of a higher order, the hand of a copyist may be traced much oftener than the ftrokes of an obferver. Has a picturefque circumftance been imagined by fome one original genius? Every fucceeding compofer introduces it on a fimilar occafion. He perhaps, improves, amplifies, and in fome refpect varies the idea; and in fo doing may exhibit confiderable tafte and ingenuity; but still he contents himself with an inferior degree of merit, while the materials are all before him for attaining the higheit; and fails of gratifying that natural thirtt after novelty which may be fuppofed peculiarly to incite the reader of poetry." Nothing can be more true than this complaint against the fervile imitation and want of novelty in our modern poets, particularly in the province of defcriptive poetry, the only kind for which the prefent age, with all its poetical refinement, feems to have much tafte. And yet, we conceive, it is to be doubted, whether our Effayift hath hit upon the real cause of the evil, or pointed out the true remedy. If he means to fay, as certain Monthly criticks have faid for him, that it is, Dedication of Warton and Pitt's Virgil. "of "of infinite advantage to the poet to be capable of furveying the feveral fields of nature with an accurate and feientific eye," we are of opinion, he is miftaken. As the greatest master of perfpective is not the greateft landfchape painter, fo is the best philofopher by no means the best poet, even in the province of defcription. The grand and beautiful in reprefentation require fomething more than accuracy of delineation. There have been critics, and good ones too, who have thought precifion and accuracy deftructive of the effect of poetical imagery. But hear our Essayist. "The want of variety and novelty is not, however, the only defect of those poets who have occafionally introduced the defcription of natural objects. It is no lefs common to find their defcriptions faint, obfcure, and ill characterized; the properties of things mistaken, and incongruous parts employed in the compofition of the fame picture. This is owing to a too curfory and general furvey of objects, without exploring their minuter diftinctions and mutual relation; and is only to be rectified by accurate and attentive obfervation, cnducted upon fomewhat of a fcientific plan. As the artist who has not studied the body with anatomical precition, and examined the proportions of every limb, but with refpect to its own feveral parts, and the whole fyftem, cannot produce a juft and harmonious reprefentation of the human frame; fo the defcriptive poet, who does not habituate himself to view the feveral objects of nature minutely, and in comparison with each other, muft ever fail in giving his pictures the congruity and animation of real life. "As these defects conftantly attend every writer of inferior rank, nothing would be eafier than to multiply inftances of them. I fhall, however, confine myfelf to a few, which, that they may carry more weight, fhall be drawn from refpectable fources.. The genius of the eastern poets, bold, ardent, and precipitate, was peculiarly averse to precifion and and accuracy. Hurried away by the warm emotions arifing from an idea forcibly impressed upon their minds, they often feem entirely to lofe fight of the train of thought which the propofed fubject would feem naturally to fuggeft *. Hence their defcriptions, however animated and ttriking in certain points, are feldom full and distinct enough to form accurate reprefentations. I will venture to cite thofe highly zoological paintings in the book of Job in confirmation of this remark. In all of thefe it is found, that Tome one property of the animal, which it indeed poffeffes in an eminent degree, but not exclufively, gives the leading tone to the defcrip tion, and occupies the whole attention of the poet, to the neglect of every minuter, though perhaps more difcriminating circumstance. Thus, the fole quality of the horfe which is dealt upon, is his couragein war. This, indeed is pictured with great force and sublimity; but by images, many of which are equally applicable to any other warlike creature. Even the noble expreffion of "his neck being cloathed See the bishop of Oxford's truly claffical and ingenious Prelections on Sacred Poetry. with thunder," is not fo finely defcriptive, because it is lefs appropriated, than the the "luxuriat toris animofum pectus" of Virgil; and, for the fame reafon, I can scarcely agree with Mr. Warton in preferring the paffage "He fwalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage, neither believeth he that it is the found of the trumpet," to the lines Stare loco nefcit; micat auribus, & tremit artus ; "The indistinctness of most of the other defcriptions in this book may be inferred from the very different opinions entertained by critics concerning the animals which the writer intended. Thus, the behemoth is by fome fupposed to be the elephant, by others the hippopotamus. The reem, abfurdly in our verfion rendered the unicorn, is va riously interpreted the rhinoceros, urus, oryx, and bifon. What is more extraordinary, the leviathan, to which a whole chapter is appropriated, has, with almoft equal plaufibility, been maintained to be the whale and the crocodile-a fish and an amphibious quadruped. It may, indeed, be alledged, that the defign of the poet in this place, which was to inculcate fublime ideas of the Divine Power and Majefty from confiderations of the grandeur of his works, and fentiments of humiliation from the comparison of human strength and courage to thofe of other creatures, did not require, or even admit of minutenefs in zoological defcription. Still, however, fuch want of precifion in the great outlines of his figures must be imputed to the prevalence of a characteristic manner, rather than to the decifion of the judgment. That the want of truth or proportion in the great outlines of a figure is a fault in poetry, as well as in painting, is most certain; but that the indiftinctness of which our Effayift complains, is always fo, we deny. There is a keeping to be obferved in poetical defcription as well as in painting, which frequently requires even ftriking figures to be thrown into shade. Dr. Blair, fpeaking of this want of precifion in the animated and glowing defcriptions of the eastern poets, imputes it to another caufe; "No ftrong imagination, fays he, dwells long on any one particular, or heaps together a mafs of trivial ones. But, by the happy choice of fome one, or of a few that are the more ftriking, it prefents the image the more compleat, fhews us more at one glance, than a feeble imagination is able to do, by turning its objects round and round into variety of lights.' The fame critic obferves alfo that what we have been long accuftomed to call the oriental vein of poetry, because some of the earliest poetical productions have come to us from the eaft, is probably no more oriental than occidental; it is characteristical of an age rather than a country; and belongs, in fome meafure, to all nations at a certain period."-" In the infancy of focie Critical differtation on the poems of Offian. Hhh 2 ties," ties," continues he, "men live scattered and difperfed, in the midst of folitary rural fcenes, where the beauties of nature are their chief entertainment. They meet with many objects, to them new and ftrange; their wonder and furprize are frequently excited; and, by the fudden changes of fortune occurring in their unfettled ftate of life, their paffions are raised to the utmoft. Their paffions have nothing to reftrain them: their imagination hath nothing to check it. They difplay themselves to one another without difguife; and converfe and act in the uncovered fimplicity of nature. As their feelings are ftrong, fo their language, of itself, affumes a poetical turn. Prone to exaggerate, they defcribe every thing in the ftrongest colours; which, of courfe, renders their fpeech pi&urefque and figurative. Figurative language owes its rife chiefly to two caufes; to the want of proper names for objects, and to the influence of imagination and paffion over the form of expreffion. Both thefe caufes concur in the infancy of fociety. Figures are commonly confidered as artificial modes of fpeech, devifed by Orators and Poets, after the world had advanced to a refined ftate. The contrary of this is the truth. Men never have used fo many figures of ftile, as in thofe rude ages, when, befides the power of a warm imagination to fuggeft lively images, the want of proper and precife terms for the ideas they would exprefs, obliged them to have recourfe to circumlocution, metaphor, comparison, and all those subfiituted forms of expreffion, which give a poetical air to language. An American Chief, at this day, harangues at the head of his tribe, in a more bold metaphorical file, than a modern European would adventure to use in an Epic poem. "In the progrefs of fociety, the genius and manners of men undergo a change more favourable to accuracy than to fprightlinefs and fublimity. As the world advances, the understanding gains ground upon the imagination; the understanding is more exercifed; the imagination lefs. Fewer objects occur that are new or furprizing. Men apply themselves to trace the causes of things; they correct and refine one another; they fubdue or diguife their paffions; they form their exterior manners upon one uniform ftandard of politeness and civility. Human nature is pruned according to method and rule. Language advances. from fterility to copioufnefs, and at the fame time, from fervour and enthufiafm, to correctnefs and precifion. Style becomes more chafte; but lefs animated. I he progress of the world in this refpe&t refembies the progrefs of age in man. The powers of imagination are moft vigorous and predominant in youth; thofe of the understanding ripen more flowly, and often |