LETTER XI.

TOTALLY Controvert your opinion that our language has arrived at its highest pitch of refinement: fo far from that, I know of no writer before Gray whofe works are of claffic correctnefs, except Milton.

HUME, I remember, tells us very gravely that the language of Pope is too much refined, as the language of fome other writer, whom he names, is too little fo: but he gives Parnell as a ftandard author between the two extremes. This distinction is truly ridiculous, and worthy of a critic of the French fchool, for it has unluckily been discovered that Pope improved the language of almoft every' line of Parnell, fo that he is almost as much the author of Par-nell's poems as Parnell himself.

Br

By refinement here I mean a manner of writing more pure, and of more exquifite figures, than the run of even good composition. Milton's poetry is almost universally fuch, but far lefs equally than that of Gray; who uses not a single word without a due value being ftamped on it. This is claffic refinement, in which not one word, one fyllable, is fuperfluous or improper.

POPE's works are fuperabundant with superfluous and unmeaning verbage; his translations are even replete with tautology, a fault which is to refinement as midnight is to noon day. What is truly furprizing is, that the fourth book of the Dunciad, his laft publication, is more full of redundancy and incorrectnefs than his Paftorals, which are his firft.

BUT of any works which have obtained confiderable applaufe, Thomfon's poem of The Seafons is the most incorrect. Any reader who understands grammar and claffic compofition, is disgusted in every page of that poem by faults, which, tho in themselves minute, yet to a refined eye hide and obfcure every

beauty

beauty however great, as a very small intervening object will intercept the view of the fun. This reafon makes me very much fufpect the fame of the Seafons will not be of long existence; for I know of no work that has inherited long reputation which is deficient in ftyle, as the Seafons undoubtedly are to a moft remarkable degree. The fact is, that the poem on which the future celebrity of Thomson will be founded is, by a ftrange fatality, almoft totally neglected at this day. That is, his Cattle of Indolence: a poem which has higher beauties than the Seasons, without any of the faults which difgrace that work; tho the conclufion even of this is moft abfurd, and unhappy; and could never have occurred to a writer of tafle except in a frightful dream.

By the bye, Mr. Gray has closely imitated a ftanza, or two, of the Caftle of Indolence, in his Elegy; as you will judge from comparing the exquifite defcription of the manner in which the poet is fuppofed to pass his time,

Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn, &c.

with thefe lines of Thomson not lefs exquifite: Of all the gentle tenants of the place

There was a man of special grave remark;
A certain tender gloom o'erfpread his face,
Penfive not fad, in thought involv'd not dark.
As fweet this man could fing as morning lark;
And teach the nobleft morals of the heart;
But thefe his talents were yburied stark:
Of the fine ftores he nothing would impart
Which or boon Nature gave, or nature-painting Art.

To noontide fhades incontinent he ran,

Where purls the brook with fleep inviting found;
Or when Dan Sol to flope his wheels began,
Amid the broom he bafk'd him on the ground,
Where the wild thyme and camomoil are found.
There would he linger till the latest ray
Of light fate trembling on the welkin's bound:
Then homeward thro the twilight fhadows ftray,
Sauntering and flow: fo had he paffed many a day.

WHEN I fpeak of refinement as a perfection of writing, you must obferve I by no means recommend an affected and foolish refinement; fuch as that of the Spanish poets, than which the most grofs want of correctness is more allowable. The refinement I would applaud is fuch as is truly claffic; fuch as we admire in

the fuperior Greek and Roman authors; fuch a refinement as is perfectly compatible with an elegant fimplicity: for you must observe, my friend, that the fimplicity of the ancients is a refined fimplicity. The purity of their language, and that of every good writer, refembles that of wine, which requires labour and time to effect; not that of water, which is common and of no price.