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with fonte they may ha"e aequired, mufl , io poiot

poetie harmooy, be deemed deCdtive by every impartial

perfoo. Nor is it poflible thal a langulge whieh hardly

admils of poetryWilhoUI rhiole, eao ever be eapable of

produeinga perfeél

p~em

grea! leoglh; and the n.ola

to whieh lheir pom have ever eoofioed lhemfelves, mufl

alw.ys

produce the mol! difagreeable effeél io a poem

where uoreflraioed pomp or pdthos are needf..y quahfi·

cuioos. T he only fpeeies

poetry in whieh the Ita–

liao language cao

cI.im

a fuperior exeellence, is the teo–

der tooe of elegy: aod here it remains uorivallcd and

alone :- the plaintive melody of the fouDds, and fmooth

fiow of the language, feem perfeélly adapted tO exprefs

that foothing melancholy which this fpecies of pomy re–

quires.- On this aeeount, the plaintive flanlas

the

Pa–

¡Ior

F;tI~

GUQrin;

have jualy gained to that poem an

uóiverfal applaufe; although , uolefs

()O

thi. account a–

lone, it is perhaps inferior tOalmoR every other poem of

thekind whieh ever appeared.--We mun obferve with

furprife, that the Itahans. who have fettered eyery other

fpecies of poetry with the feyerefllhaekles

·rhime, haye

io this fpecíes Ihewed an exampleof the mofl unrearaioed

freedom; the happy efÍeéls of which ought to have

laught all Europe the powerful charms attendiog it : yet

with amazemeot we perceive, that fcu ce an attempt

to imime themhas been made by any poet in Europe

except by Milton iohis Lycídas;

dramatic poet, eyen

in Britain, having ever adopted the uorenrained harmony

of numbm to be met with in this and many other

their

bea dramatie compoGtioos.

Of all the languageswhicb fpruog up from the mixture

of lhe Latios with the oOrlhero people

the dearuélioo

of the Romao empire, oooe of them approach fo oear to

the geoius of the Latio as the Spanilh does . For as the

Spaoiards have becn always remarkable for their military

prowefs aod dignity of mind, thei r laoguage is naturally

adapted tO exprefs ideas of that kiod. Sooorous and

folemo, it admil! om ly of as much digoityas the Latin.

For eonyerfation, it is the mon elegant and courteous

language io Europe.- The humaoeand geocr"us order of

chivalry was firfl iovented aod kept its (ooting longen in

tl,:S

oation; aod although it ruo at laa ioto fueh a ridicu–

lous excefs as deferyeJly made it fall ioto univerfal difre–

pute, yet it le(t fueh a (lroog tinélure o( romantie hero–

ifm upoo the mind, of all raoks of people, as made them

jealous o( their glory, aod I!rongly emulous of cuhivating

that heroie politenefs. whichtheyeonGdered as the highell

perfeélion Ihey eould anaio. Every mao diCdained tO

flatter, or tOyield up any poiot of hooour which he pof–

fe(fed : at the fame time, he rigorouOyexaéled from others

all that was his due. TheCe circlImllances have giveo

rife tO a great many terms o( refped, aod courteous eon–

defcenGon, wi.thout meannefs or flattery, which give

their

dialo~ue

a refpeél(ul politenefs and elegance uo–

knowo to any other Europeao laoguage. This is the

reafon why tne_charaélm fa fi oc1y drawn by Ceryao–

tes

in Don Quixote are lIill uoknown tOall but thofe

who underlland Ihe Jaoguage in which he wrote.-No–

thing can be more unlike thegentlemeeknef, aod humane

heroifm of the koight, or the oati,'e fim plicity, warmth

aJl':élion, aod r:fpellful loquacily of the fquire,-Ih.n

the iocOnGnenl follies

01'

theone, or the impenineot for–

wardoefs and diCrefpeélful petulance of the other, as they

are exhibitcd in every Englilh tranOatioo.-Nor is it

polfoble

reprefent

much f.miliaritY, uoited with fuch

becoming coodefcenfioo in the one, aod uofe'gned de(er–

ence in the other, ill any other European I••guage, as

neceffary to paint thefe two admirable eharaélers.

Although this language, from the folemo dignity and

majeltic elegance

its íhuélure, is perhaps better quali–

fi ed thanany other modero one for the fublime nratns of

epicpomy; yet as the poetSof this oation have all along

imitated the Italiaos by a mon fmile fubjeélion to rhime,

they never have produced ooe poem of tltis fort, whicb

in point o( poefy

ílyle

deferv.es

tO be tranfmitted to po–

nerity. And in aoyother fpecies o( poetry but tbis, orthe

higher tragedy, is it not oaturally 6ued to excel. But

althougb tite drama aod other polite braochesof literature

were e¡rly cultivated io this eountry, and made coofide–

rabie progrefs in it, before the thirn of gain debafed

their fouls, or thedefire o( uniferfaldomioioomade them

forfeit that liberty whieh tbey ooce fo much prized;

fioce tltey became eoervated by ao overbeariog pride, aod

lheir miods

eofl.md

by fuperaition; all the polite

artl

have been oegleéled : fo that, whtle otber Europeao Da–

tioo have beeo advanciog io knowledge, and

improvin~

their language, they have remaioed io a !tate of torpid

ioaélivity; aod their laoguage has oot arrived at that per–

feélioo whieh ita nature would admit, or the acute, ge–

oius of the people would bave made us oaturally expett.

It will perbaps,. by fome, be thought ao unpardooable

ioCult, if we do not allow the French the prefereoce of all

modero laoguages io maoy refpeéls. But fo far mun we

paya deference to truth, as to be obliged to raok it

l–

¡nong the pooren languages io Europe.-Every other

Janguage has fome founds whicb can be uttmd clmly by

the voice: even tbe Italiao, ahhougli it waouenergy,

mil

poíl'eíl'es dillioéloefs of articulation. But Ihe Freoch is

almol! incapable of either of thefe beauties; for io tbat

language the :.owels are fo mucb cumiled iD the proouo–

eiation, and the words ruo ioto ooe another iD fuch a

maooer, as of neceflity to produce ao iodillinélnef, which

rendm it iocapable of meafure or harmony. From this

eaufe, it ia in a great meafure incapable of poetic modu–

latioo, aod rhime ha! been obliged to be fubflituted iDitl

aead; fo tltat Ihis pouren of all contrivanees which has

ever yet beco iovented to diainguilh powy from profe,

admitted into all the madero

language~

when igoorance

prevailed over Europe; has nill kept feme footiog io

Ihe greaten parl

tbefe, Tather through a defereote for

eaablilhed cunoms, thao from aoy oeceflity.-Yel as the

French language adOlit! of fo liule poetie modulation,

rhimeis iD fome meafure

nmffirJ

lO it ; and IhereCore they

have adopted, and digoified this peor

devi~tioo

from

profe with the oame

POetry; and, bytheir blind auacb- .

meot tO litis art, have oegleéled to improye fo mucb as

they might have done the fmal! powers for harOlooy that

their

I:lngu~ge

is poíl'dl<dof; and, by beinglongaecuUomed

to this fa lfe taUe, have beCOO1e food of it tOfuch a ridicu–

lous excers, as tohaveall their tragedirs,-nay eveo their

comedies, io rhime. While the roet is obligcd tO ener–

vate his language, aDlJcheck Ihe Bowof comrof¡tion, Cor

Ihe