OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

SUBLIM E, &c.

SECTION

I.

HIS firft fection may ferve for an

THIS to

introduction to the whole. Our critic begins his discourse concerning the present work with TERENTIANUS, a youth of great parts, and highly in the esteem of LONGINUS; perhaps a relation, though probably only his pupil. He mentions CECILIUS, who had turned his thoughts to this way of writing before our author's time; describes him as a good writer in general, but not poffeffed of fufficient

B 2

fufficient force and fpirit; his plan and contrivance were valuable, but the groundwork ill executed, and the fuperftructure improperly maintained.

From thence he proceeds to apologise for his hazardous attempt of writing after CECILIUS; with which he concludes the section..

ORIG.—Ουκ εις πείθω της ακροωμένες, αλλ ἐις ἐκσασιν ἄγει τα υπερφυά

To be perfuaded or allured into admiration, far lefs energy is naturally required than to be ftruck at once. The heavens engage us in a calm; but the foul feels ftrong emotions when they are black with tempefts, and refound with thunder: in the former, judgement has its time to refift the influence; in the latter, the imagination is overpowered. We may be fenfibly affected with HOMER'S ACHILLES on the fea fide, weeping his difgrace; but are roused beyond measure at

the

the fame hero in the field of battle, ftrewing the ground with carcafes.

An appeal to the Paffions muft overbalance the immediate efficacy of an appeal to Reason and Reflection.

SECTION II.

ONGINUS in the beginning of this fection endeavors to define the Sublime, and to clear all the mistakes before committed in its deduction. It is then certainly very strange, that fo unaccountable an error should have forced its way, as Baos, where the true reading is Пaos. Is it confiftent, that LONGINUS, in difcuffing the Pathetic, fhould open with the Profound? But the vanity of grammarians, and the madness of copyifts, have introduced most extravagant mistakes.

The correction was firft made by the accurate Dr. TONSTALL. See SMITH'S Long.

ORIG.-Διαπορήλεον ἔι ἔσιν υψῶς ἤ Βαθος τέχνη.

Courage in a man without conduct is like genius in an author naturally elevated, but unrefined by the rules of art. Courage in the former is little more than brutality; fublimity in the latter nothing but bombaft. LONGINUS Confutes the opinion of thofe, who think fublimity comes from mere unaffifted nature; and, to confirm his assertion, exhibits paffages from old tragic poets, who fall into bombaft, where they affect fublimity.

Sufficient proof of the many defects, that may arise from want of judgment, may be deduced from a tragedian of our own, whose genius was really formed for the fublime; his enthufiafm has butchered many a promifing thought. This is fo obvious to every one

who

who has heard of NAT. LEE, that particular examples may be omitted. Inftead of animating, he terrifies his reader: his fuper-tragical defcriptions are fuch as HORACE terms

66

Inopes rerum, nugæque canora.”

Our great master of nature has sometimes overlabored his imagination: an error, which more recent tragedians are little difpofed to indulge; whofe productions (for they are not performances) convey fuch trivial ideas of fublimity, that we may conclude they never heard of that quality in writing. Too goodnatured to alarm a hearer, they mercifully lull him to fleep.

SECTION

ORIG.—Καὶ καμιν, &c.

THE

III.

HESE verses are by fome afcribed to ÆSCHYLUS: they are evidently the product of fome tragic, or rather frantic brain.