Letters Concerning Poetical Translations | Page 8

Art is to be found.
"Ante mare & tellus, & (quod tegit omnia) coelum, Unus erat toto natur? vultus _in orbe, Quem dixere chaos: rudis indigest��que_ moles, Nec quicquam nisi pondus iners.
Here are Mare, Tellus, Coelum, Vultus, Chaos, Moles, and Pondus, without any one word of the Plural Number amongst them.
V. The next Particular to be taken notice of, is Virgil's uncommon Use of the Particles Et and Que.
"--Multum ille et terris jactatus et alto; Multa quoque et bello passus-- Et premere, et laxas sciret dare jussus habenas.
And more frequently in his most finish'd Piece.
_Quid tibi odorato referam sudantia ligno. Balsamaque, et Baccas_-- Quod nisi et assiduis terram insectabere rastris, Et sonitu terrebis aves, et _ruris opaci Falce premes umbras, votisque vocaveris imbrem. Si vero viciamque seres, vilemque Faselum_.
This Manner of using these connecting Particles, gives Majesty and Strength to the Verse. It gives Majesty, because it occasions Suspense and raises the Attention. For Example:
Si vero Viciamque seres--
Here the que hinders the Sense from being concluded, till you have read the rest of the Line,
--Vilemque Faselum.
But if the Poet had writ (supposing the Verse would have allowed it)
Si vero Viciam seres--
the Reader would have understood him without going any farther; and it is easily perceiv'd the Verse would have been very flat to what it is now. This double Use of the Particles gives Strength to the Verse; because, as the Excellent Erythr?us observes, the copulative Conjunctions are in Language of the same Use as Nerves in the Body, they serve to connect the Parts together; so that these Sorts of Verses which we are speaking of may be very properly called, Nervous Lines.
This Art Virgil most certainly learnt from Homer: for there is nothing more remarkable in Homer's Versification, nothing to which the Majesty of it is more owing, than this very thing, and I wonder none of his Commentators (that I have seen) have taken notice of it. There are four in the 23 first Lines of the Iliad, of this Kind. I will put the Latin for the sake of the generality of Readers.
Atridesque, rex virorum, et _nobilis Achilles. Redempturusque filiam, ferensque infinitum pretium liberationis, Atrid?que, et alii bene ocreati Achivi, Reverendumque esse sacerdotem, et splendidum accipiendum pretium_. Clarke's Translation.
VI. I come now to the Collocatio Verborum, of which there is no occasion to give any more than one Instance:
"Vox quoque per lucos vulgo exaudita silentes Ingens.--
The Reader cannot but perceive that the Manner of placing Ingens has a wonderful Effect; it makes him hear the melancholy Voice _groan through the Grove_.
VII. The changing the common Pronunciation of Words, as thus:
"Fluvi[)o]rum Rex Eridanus.--
And
"Strid[)e]re apes utero & ruptis efferv[)e]re costis.
VIII. Lines contrary to the common Measure, or rather without any Measure at all, viz.
"_Quod fieri ferro, liquidove potest electro, Saxa per & scopulos & depressas convalles._

IX, X, XI. These are the three Articles formerly mentioned, namely, the Alliteratio, the Allusio Verborum, and the _Assonantia Syllabarum_.
1. As to the Alliteratio. This is of several Kinds, it is Initial, Single and Double; sometimes Treble, or more frequent. It is likewise Mix'd, that is, both in the first Letters of the Words, and in the following Syllables. It is sometimes so often repeated, that it may be term'd Assultus, or an Attack upon, or a storming of the Ear.
The following are Examples of the Single Alliteratio.
"Quid faciat l?tas segetes, quo sidere terram Vertere, M?cenas, ulmisque adjungere vites, Conveniat: qu? 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 sicca 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 puell?.
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