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his works are, *An Efjay on tranflated Verfe, a tranflation of the Art of Poetry, and fome little poems, and translations.

been difplayed in large volumes, and numerous performances? Who would not, after the perufal of this character, be furprised to find, that all the proofs of this genius, and knowledge, and judg ment, are not fufficient to form a fingie book, or to appear otherwife than in conjunction with the works of fome other writer of the fame petty fize? But thus it is that characters are written, we know fomewhat, and we imagine the reft. The obfervation that his imagination would probably have been more fruitful and sprightly, if bis judgment had been lefs fevere, may be answered, by a remarker fomewhat inclined to cavil, by a contrary fuppofition, that his judg ment would probably have been lefs fevere, if his imagination bad been more fruitful. It is ridiculous to oppofe judgment and imagi nation; for it does not appear that men have neceffarily lefs of one as they have more of the other.

We must allow of Rofcommon, what Fenton has not mentioned, fo diftinctly as he ought, and, what is yet very much to his honour, that he is, perhaps, the only correct writer in verfe before, Addifon; and that if there are not fo many or fo great beauties in his compofition, as in thofe of fome contemporaries, there are at leaft fewer faults. Nor is this his highest praife; for Mr. Pope has celebrated him as the only moral writer of king Charles's reign.

Unhappy Dryden!-in all Charles's days
Rofcommon only boafts unspotted lays.

"It was my lord Rofcommon's Effay on tranflated Verfe, says "Dryden, which made me uneafy, till I tried whether or no I was "capable of following his rules, and of reducing the fpeculation

into practice. For many a fair precept in poetry is like a feem"ing demonstration in mathematics; very specious in the diagram, but failing in the mechanic operation, I think, I have generally obferved his inftructions; I am fure my reafon is fufficiently convinced both of their truth and usefulness; which, in "other words, is to confefs no lefs a vanity than to pretend that I have, at leaft in fome places, made examples to his rules."

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This declaration of Dryden, will, I am afraid, be found little. more than one of thofe curfory civilities, which one author pays to another; for when the fum of lord Rofcommon's precepts is collected, it will not be eafy to difcover, how they can qualify their reader for a better performance of tranflation, than might have been attained by his own reflexions. They are, however, here laid down, and difentangled from the ornaments with which they are embellished, and the digreffions with which they are diverfified. 'Tis true, compofing is the nobler part,

But good tranflation is no easy art,

For tho' materials have long fince been found,
Yet both your fancy, and your hands are bound;
And by improving what was writ before,
Invention labours lefs, but judgment, more.

Each poet with a different talent writes,
One praifes, one inftructs, another bites.
Horace did ne'er afpire to Epic bays,
Nor lofty Maro ftoop to Lyric lays,
Examine how your humour is inclin'd,
And which the ruling paffion of your mind;
Then, feek a poet who your way does bend,
And chufe an author, as you chufe a friend.
United by this fympathetic bond,

You grow familiar, intimate, and fond,

Your thoughts, your words, your files, your fouls agree,
No longer his interpreter, but he.-

Take then a fubject, proper to expound;
But moral, great, and worth a poet's voice,
For men of fense despise a trivial choice:
And fuch applause it must expect to meet,
As wou'd fome painter, bufy in a street,
To copy bulls and bears, and ev'ry sign
That calls the ftaring fots to nafty wine.

Take pains the genuine meaning to explore;
There fweat, there ftrain, tug the laborious oar:
Search ev'ry comment that your care can find,
Some here, fome there, may hit the poet's mind;
Yet, be not blindly guided by the throng;

The multitude is always in the wrong.
E e 2

When

When things appear unnatural or hard,
Confult your author, with himself compar'd.
Who knows what bleffings Phabus may bestow,
And future ages to your labour owe?
Such fecrets are not eafily found out,

But once difcover'd, leave no room for doubt.
Truth ftamps conviction in your ravish'd breaft,
And peace and joy attend the glorious guest.
Yet if the fhadow of a fcruple ftray,
Sure the most beaten is the safest way.-

They who too faithfully on names infift,
Rather create than diffipate the mist;
And grow unjuft by being over nice,
(For fuperftitious virtue turns to vice).
Let Craus' ghoft, and Labienus' tell

How twice in Parthian plains their legions fell;
Since Rome hath been fo jealous of her fame,
That few know Pacorus or Monefes' name.-
'And 'tis much fafer to leave out than add.
Abftrufe and myftick tho'ts you must exprefs
With painful care, but feeming easiness ;
For truth fhines brighteft thro' the plaineft drefs.
Your author always will the beft advise,

Fall when he falls, and when he rifes, rife.

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He that can abftract his mind from the elegance of the poetry, and confine it to the sense of the precepts, will find no other direc tion, than that the author fhould be fuitable to the tranflator's genius; that he fhould be fuch as may deserve a translation; that he who intends to translate him, fhould endeavour to understand him ; that perfpicuity fhould be ftudied, and unufual or uncouth names fparingly inferted, and that the ftile of the original should be co`pied in its elevation and depreffion. These are the rules which are celebrated as fo definite and so important, and for the delivery of which to mankind, fo much honour has been paid. Rofcommon has, indeed, deserved his honours, had they been given with dif cernment, and bestowed not on the rules themselves, but the art with which they are introduced, and the decorations with which they are adorned.

M E

M E EMO IR S

OF THE LATE

Dr. BERKELEY, Bishop of CLOYNE.

EORGE BERKELEY was the fon of a clergyman

GE

in Ireland, of a small living, but at the fame time remarkable for his learning and piety; he therefore gave his fon the best education his circumstances would admit of; and, when fitted for the university, taxed his little fortune, in order to fend him to Trinity college, Dublin.

Here he foon began to be looked upon as the greatest genius, or the greatest dunce, in the whole univerfity; those who were but flightly acquainted with him, took him for a fool; but those who fhared his most intimate friendship, looked upon him as a prodigy of learning and good-nature. Whenever he appeared abroad, which was but feldom, he was furrounded by a crowd of the idle or the facetious, who followed him, not to be improved, but to laugh. Of this he frequently complained, but there was no redrefs; the more he fretted, he became only the more ridiculous. An action of his, however, foon made him more truly ridiculous than before: curiofity leading him one day to fee an execution, he returned home penfive and melancholy, and could not forbear reflecting on, what he had feen. He defired to know what were the pains and fymptoms a malefactor felt upon fuch an occafion, and communicated to his

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chum the cause of his ftrange curiofity; in fhort, he refolved to tuck himfelf up for a trial; at the fame time defiring his companion to take him down at a fignal agreed upon.

The companion, whofe name was Contarine, was to try the fame experiment himself immediately after. Berkeley was accordingly tied up to the ceiling, and the chair taken from under his feet; but foon lofing the ufe of his fenfes, his companion, it feems, waited a little too long for the fignal agreed upon, and our enquirer had like to have been hanged in good earneft; for as foon as he was taken down, he fell, fenfelefs and motionlefs, upon the floor. After fome trouble, however, he was brought to himfelf; and obferving his band, "Blefs my heart, Contarine, fays he, you have quite rumpled my band.” band." When it came to Contarine's turn to go up, he quickly evaded the propofal; the other's danger had quite abated his curiofity.

Still, however, Berkeley proceeded in his ftudies with unabated ardour. A fellowship in that college is attained by fuperior learning only; the candidates are examined in the most public manner, in an amphitheatre erected for that purpose, and great numbers of the nobility and gentry are prefent upon the occafion. This examination he paffed with the utmost applaufe, and was made a fellow, the only reward of learning that kingdom has to beftow.

Metaphyfical ftudies are generally the amufement of the indolent and the inquifitive; his bufinefs as a fellow, allowed him fuficient leifure, and his genius prompted him to fcrutinize into every abftrufe fubject. He foon, therefore,

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