Letters Concerning Poetical Translations | Page 9

quæ cura boum, qui cultus
habendo.
Again,
"--Sed viva volare Sideris in numerum.--
And,
"--Asia longe Pulia palus.--
Of the Double initial Alliteratio, this is an Example:
"Totaque thuriferis Panchaia pinguis arenis.
Of the Treble and more frequent initial Alliteratio, this is an Instance:
"Et sola in siccâ secum spatiatur arena.
The Mix'd Alliteratio, and the Assultus are to be found in these two
Lines:
"Illas ducit amor trans Gargara, transque sonantem Ascanium: superant
montes, & flumina tranant.
In these two Lines the Vowel a is repeated fourteen times, and what an
Effect this has upon the Ear, the Reader cannot but perceive.
2. Of the Allusio Verborum, the following are Examples:

"Nec nocturna quidem carpentes pensa puellæ.
Again,
"Hoc metuens; molemque & montes insuper altos.
Again,
"Stat sonipes, ac frena ferox spumantia mandit.
Again,
"Vitavisse vices Danaum.
3. Of the Assonantia Syllabarum or Rhyme, there are in Virgil the
several following Sorts.
1. The plain direct Rhyme, which is of two Kinds, Single or Double.
2. The intermediate or casual plain Rhyme.
3. The scanning conclusive Rhyme. So called, because it would hardly
be perceived by the Generality of Readers, unless they first scann'd the
Verse; but when they have done that in three or four Lines, the Ear will
afterwards make the necessary Distinction without any farther trouble.
I will explain and give Examples of all these several sorts of Rhyme in
their Order.
1. To treat of the plain Single direct Rhyme. The following Verses are
Examples of this sort of Rhyme: But to make them more like our own,
I will divide the Verse into two Parts.
"_Poculaque inventis Acheloia miscuit uvis._
"_Totaque Thuriferis Panchaia pinguis arenis._
"_Et premere, & laxas Sciret dare, jussus habenas._

"_Atque rotis summas Levibus pellabitur undas._
"_O nimium coelo Et pelago confise sereno._
Many more of these Lines might be produced, but these are sufficient.
Of the plain direct Double Rhyme (which is the Sort of Rhyme the
Spectator speaks of No. 60, and which the Monks were in Love with)
the following are Instances.
"Hic labor extremus, longarum hæc meta viarum.
Again,
"_I nunc & verbis Virtutem illude superbis._
Again,
"_Cornua veletarum Obvertimus Antennarum._
2. Of the intermediate plain Rhyme, the following are Examples.
"Imposuit, regemque dedit, qui foedere certo.
And,
"Descendo, ac ducente Deo flammam inter & hostes.
In this Passage Virgil uses Deus in speaking of a Goddess, for no other
Reason imaginable but to enrich his Verse with Rhyme.
3. Of the scanning conclusive Rhyme the following are Instances.
"Sylvestrem tenui musam medi--taris [=a]--ven[=a].
"Nudus in ignota pali--nure j[=a]--cebis [=a]--ren[=a].
From whence it appears that Virgil's Poetry is almost all Rhyme of one
kind or other; and it is evident beyond Dispute that he generally

concludes his strong, sounding, majestick Paragraphs with a full
Rhyme, for which I refer to that fine Line already more than once
mentioned, which sums up the Praises of Italy.
"Totaque thuriferis Panchaia pinguis arenis.
And to the Conclusion of his finest work.
"_Hic vero subitum, ac dictu mirabile monstrum Aspiciunt: liquefacta
boum per viscera toto Stridere apes utero, & ruptis effervere costis,
Immensasque trahi nubes; jamque arbore summa Confluere, & lentis
uvam demittere ramis._
And to this I will add the last Line of the Epilogue to the Georgicks.
"Tytyre te patulæ cecini sub tegmine fagi.
Where the two several Hemisticks or Parts of the Verse Rhyme each to
itself.
I would observe here that both Ovid and Lucan, for want of Judgment,
begin with a full Rhyme; the consequence of which is, that the
Conclusion of the Paragraph is less sonorous than the Beginning, which
must needs have a bad Effect.
"In nova fert animus mutatas discere formas. Ovid.
"Bella per Æmathios plus quam Civilia Campos. Lucan.
But a modern Writer, and a much better Composer of Latin Verses than
either Ovid or Lucan, has with great Judgment taken care to follow
Virgil's Example in this and many other Particulars. I mean Vanerius.
There are a great Number of Lines in his _Prædium Rusticum which
are worthy of Virgil_ himself: I shall entertain you with some of them.
In his Kitchen-Garden, the following Passage is a Description of all the
numerous Family of Colworts, or the Cabbage-kind.
"_Quid dicam quanta jactat se Brassica laude? Sive volubilibus redit in

se frondibus, Orbesque Orbibus agglomerans, capitis sub mole laborat;
Tornato similes Ebori seu candida Flores Ediderit, seu Coniacas imitata
Cupressus, Seque suas plicat in frondes, & acumen in album Desinit, &
tenui venit haud ingloria Mensæ. Sive hieme in media cum cætera
frigore torpent Loeta viret, Boreamque trucem, Caurosque malignos
Despiciens, vacuis ultro Dominatur in hortis._"
In his Description of the Farm-yard, he paints the following several
Sorts of Fowls in this Manner:
"Se pictæ cervicis Anas | & Garulus Anser Tarda mole movent: | habitu