Dark clouds his fable chariot de furround,

And the dull feeds ftalk o'er the melancholy round *.

Of Prince Arthur's foldiers drinking.

While rich Burgundian wine, and bright Champaign, Chafe from their minds the terrors of the main t.

(whence we also learn, that Burgundy and Champaign make a man on fhore defpife a ftorm at fea). Of the Almighty encamping his regiments.

He funk a vaft capacious deep,

Where he his liquid regiments does keep.
Thither the waves file off and make their way,
To form the mighty body of the fea;

Where they incamp, and in their station ftand,
Intrench'd in works of rock, and lines of fand ‡.

Of two armies on the point of engaging.

Yon armies are the cards which both must play;
At least come off a faver, if you may

Throw boldly at the fum the Gods have set ;
Thefe on your fide will all their fortunes bet \\.

All perfectly agreeable to the present customs and beft fashions of our metropolis..

But the principal branch of the alamode is the PRURIENT, a ftile greatly advanced and honoured of late by the practice of perfons of the first quality; and, by the encouragement of the ladies, not unfuccessfully introduced even into the drawingroom. Indeed its incredible progress and conquefts may be compared to thofe of the great Sefoftris, and are every where known by the fame marks, the

* Amb, Philips.
Black, Pf. civ. p. 261.

+ Prince Arthur, p. 16.
Lee's Sophon.

K 2

images

images of the genital parts of men and women. It confifts wholly of metaphors drawn from two most fruitful fources or fprings, the very bathos of the human body, that is to fay *** and ***** hiatus magnus lachrymabilis ****. And felling of bargains, and double entendre, and Κιββέρισμος and Ολδειλδισμος, all derived from the faid fources.

4. The FINICAL STILE,

which confifts of the most curious, affected, mincing metaphors, and partakers of the alamode: as the following:

Of a brook dryed by the fun.

Won by the fummer's importuning ray,
Th'eloping stream did from her channel ftray,
And with enticing fun-beams ftole away *.

Of an eafy death.

When watchful death fhall on his harvest look,
And fee thee ripe with age, invite the book;
He'll gently cut thy bending stalk, and thee
Lay kindly in the grave, his granary †.

Of trees in a ftorm.

}

Oaks whofe extended arms the winds defy, [by ‡, The tempeft fees their ftrength, and fighs and passes

Of water fimmering over the fire.

The Sparkling flames raife water to a smile, [wbile ||. Yet the pleas'd liquor pines, and leffens all the

5. LASTLY, I fhall place the CUMBROUS, which moves heavily under a load of metaphors, and draws after it a long train of words: and the BusKIN, or fately, frequently, and with great felicity, mixed with the former. For as the firft is the proper engine to depress what is high, fo is the fecond to raise what is bafe and low to a ridiculous vifibility. When both these can be done at once, then is the bathos in perfection: as when a man is fet with his head downward and his breech upright, his degradation is complete: one end of him is as high as ever, only that end is the wrong one. Will not every true lover of the profound be delighted to behold the most vulgar and low actions of life, ex-alted in the following manner I

Who knocks at the door?

For whom thus rudely pleads my loud-tongu'd gate,. That he may enter ?

See who is there?"

Advance the fringed curtains of thy eyes,
And tell me who comes yonder *.

Shut the door.

The wooden guardian of our privacy
Quick on its axle turn.

Bring my cloaths.

Bring me what Nature, taylor to the bear,
To man himself deny'd: fhe gave me cold,
But would not give me cloaths.

#Temp.

K 3.

Light

Light the fire.

Bring forth fome remnant of Promethean theft,
Quick to expand th' inclement air, congeal'd
By Boreas's rude breath.

Snuff the candle.

Yon luminary amputation needs,
Thus fhall you fave its half-extinguish'd life.

Open the letter.

Wax! render up thy truft*.

Uncork the bottle, and chip the bread.

:

Apply thine engine to the fpungy door
Set Bacchus from his glaffy prifon free,

And trip white Ceres of her nut-brown coat.

THUS

HUS have I, my dear countrymen, with incredible pains and diligence, difcovered the hidden fources of the bathos, or, as I may fay, broke open the abyffes of this great deep. And having now established good and wholefome laws, what remains, but that all true moderns, with their utmost might, do proceed to put the fame in execution? in order whereto, I think I fhall, in the fecond place, highly deferve of my country, by

Theob, Double Faishood.

propofing

propofing such a scheme as may facilitate this great end.

As our number is confeffedly far fuperior to that of the enemy, there feems nothing wanting but unanimity among ourselves. It is therefore humbly offered, that all and every individual of the bathos do enter into a firm affociation, and incorporate into one regular body, whereof every member, even the meaneft, will fomeway contribute to the fupport of the whole; in like manner, as the weakeft reeds, when joined in one bundle, become infrangible. To which end our art ought to be put upon the fame foot with other arts of this age The vaft improvement of modern manufactures arifeth from their being divided into several branchEs, and parcelled out to feveral trades: for instance, in clock-making one artift makes the balance, another the fpring, another the crownwheels, a fourth the cafe, and the principal workman puts all together: to this economy we owe the perfection of our modern watches, and doubtlefs we alfo might that of our modern poetry and rhetoric, were the several parts branched out in the like manner.

Nothing is more evident, than that divers perfons, no other way remarkable, have each a strong difpofition to the formation of fome particular trope or figure. Ariftotle faith, that," the hyper"bole is an ornament fit for young men of qua"lity;" accordingly we find in those gentlemen a wonderful propenfity towards it, which is marvelloufly improved by travelling. Soldiers alfo and feamen are very happy in the fame figure. The periphrafis or circumlocution is the peculiar talent of country farmers; the proverb and apologue of old men at clubs; the elipfis, or fpeech by halfwords, of minifters and politicians; the apofiopefis of courtiers; the litotes, or diminution, of ladies, whisperers, and backbiters; and the anadiplofis of

common