fhock'd by either: For the Cafura fometimes offends the Ear more than the Hiatus itfelf, and our language is naturally overcharged with Confonants: As for example; If in this Verfe, bot The Old have Int'reft ever in their Eye, we fhould fay, to avoid the Hiatus, But th' Cld have Int'reft The Hiatus which has the worft effect, is when one word ends with the fame Vowel that begins the following, and next to this, thofe Vowels whofe founds come neareft to each other are moft to be avoided. O, A, or U, will bear a more full and graceful Sound than E, I, or Y. I know fome people will think thefe Obfervations trivial, and therefore I am glad to corro borate them by fome great Authorities, which I have met with in Tully and Quin tilian. In the fourth Book of Rhetoric to Herennius, are thefe words: Fugiemus crebras Vocalium concurfiones, qua vaftam atque biantem reddunt orationem; ut hoc eft, Bacca anea amaniffima impendebant. And Quintilian 7. 9. cap. 4. Vocalium concurfus cum accidit, biat interfiftit, at quafi laborat oratio. Peffimi longe qua eafdem inter P 2 fe literas committunt, fonabunt Præcipuus tamen erit hiatus earum quæ cavo aut patulo ore efferuntur. Eplenior litera eft, Iangufior. But he goes on to reprove the excefs on the other hand of being too follicitous in this matter, and fays admirably, Nefcio an negligentia in hoc,aut folicitudo fit pejor. So likewife Tully (Orator ad Brut.) Theopompum reprehendunt, quod eas litera's tanto opere fugerit, etfi idem magifter ejus Ifocrates: which laft Author, as Turnebus on Quintilian obferve, has hardly one Hiatus in all his Works. Quintilian tells us that Tully and Demofthenes did not much obferve this Nicety, tho' Tully himself fays in his Orator, Crebra ifta Vocum concurfio, quam magna ex parte vitiofam, fugit Demofthenes. If I am not miftaken, Malherbe of all the Moderns has been the moft fcrupulous in this point; and I think Menage in his Obfervations upon him fays, he has not one in his Poems. To conclude, I believe the Hiatus fhould be avoided with more care in Poetry than in Oratory, and I would conftantly try to prevent it, unless where the cutting it off is more prejudicial to the Sound than the Hiatus itself. I am, &c. dos Mr. Walth died at 49 Years old, in the Year 1708. The Year after, Mr. Pope writ the Effay on Criticifm, which be Year after this Gentleman's Elogie. concludes LE T I Madam, ཐ་ས Send you the book of Rudiments of Drawing, which you were pleas'd to command, and think my felf oblig'd to inform you at the fame time of one of the many excellencies you poffefs without Knowing of 'em. You are but too good a Painter already; and no Picture of Raphael's was ever fo beautiful, as that which you have form'd in a certain heart of my acquaintance. Indeed it was but juft that the pantenol suo 3 finest 198 finest lines in nature shou'd be drawn upon the most durable ground, and none cou'd ever be met with that wou'd fo readily receive, or fo faithfully retain them, as this Heart. I may boldly fay of it that you will not find its fellow in all the Parts of the Body in this book. But I muft complain to you of my hand, which is an arrant traitor to my heart; for having been copying your picture from thence and from Kneller these three days, it has done all posfible injury to the fineft Face that ever was made, and to the livelieft Image that ever was drawn. I have imagination enough in your abfence, to trace fome refemblance of you; but I have been fo long us'd to lofe my judgment at the fight of you, that 'tis paft my power to correct it by the life. Your Picture feems leaft like when plac'd before your eyes, and contrary to all other pictures receives a manifeft difadvantage by being fet in the fairest Light in the world. The Painters are a very vain 'gene ration, and have a long time pretended to rival Nature, but to own the truth to you, fhe made fuch a finish'd piece about three and twenty years ago, (I beg your pardon Madam, I protest I meant but two and twenty) that 'tis in vain for them any longer to contend with her. I know You in deed made one fomething like it, betwixt five five and fix years paft: 'Twas a little girl, done with abundance of spirit and life, and wants nothing but time to be an admirable piece: But not to flatter your work, I don't think 'twill ever come up to what your Father made. However I wou'd not difcourage you; 'tis certain you have a frange happiness, in making fine things of a fudden and at a ftroke, with incredible cafe and pleasure. Madam, I am, Sc. I LETTER ILODOV T is too much a rule in this town, that when a Lady has once done a man a favour, he is to be rude to her ever after. It becomes our Sex to take upon us twice as much as yours allow us: By this method I may write to you most impudently, because you once anfwer'd me modeft ly; and if you fhou'd never do me that honour for the future, I am to think (like a true Coxcomb) that your filence gives confent. Perhaps you wonder why this is addrefs'd to you rather than to Mrs. M with whom I have the right of an old acquaintance, whereas you are a fine |