LETTER V. I SIR, Am now to confider Milton's Verfification under the fame Heads as I have confidered Virgil's, fo far as there is Opportunity of doing it. I. To begin with The Varying of the Pause, which is the Soul of all Verfification in all Languages. Verfe is Mufick, and Mufick is more or lefs pleafing as the Notes are more or lefs varied, that is, raised or funk, prolonged or fhortned. In order to judge of the varying of English Verfification, I firft endeavour'd (as I have already faid, with respect to the Latin) to find out the com mon Pause in English Verfe, that is, where the Voice naturally makes fome fort of Stop when a Verfe is read. To this purpose I look'd into Mr. Cowley's Davideis (for it would be of no use to quote fuch Authors as Quarles and Ogilby, who never had any Reputation for Poetry; but this Gentleman has been stil'd, and is at present recorded in Westminster-Abbey, as Anglorum Pindarus, Maro, Flaccus) and there I foon found the common Pause to be upon the last Syllable of the second Foot. For Example: "I fing the Man | who Judah's Sceptre bore "In that Right-hand, which held the Crook before; "Who from beft Poet, | best of Kings did grow: "The two chief Gifts | Heav'n could on Man beftow. "Much Dangers firft, much Toil did he sustain, "Whilft Saul and Hellcroft his ftrong Fate in vain. "Nor did his Crown | lefs painful Work afford Here we have feven Lines, and all of them, except the third, paus'd in the fame place. Thus I difcovered from Cowley in English what I perceived from Ovid in Latin. I then turned to the Paradife Loft, and there I found Milton even furpaffes Virgil in this particular. Virgil ufes the common Pause at the fifth Line of the Georgicks, but Milton does not use it till he comes to the fixth Line in his Paradife Loft. "Of Man's firft Difobedience and the Fruit "Of that forbidden Tree whofe mortal Taste "Brought Death into the World | and all ourWoe, "With Lofs of Eden 'till one greater Man "Reftore us and regain the blissful Seat, "Sing Heavenly Muse | It would be needlefs to produce more Examples to this purpose; and I believe I may venture to affirm that the Verfe is varied at leaft with as much Skill in the Paradife Loft, as even in the Georgick itself: I am inclinable to think with more, because in this refpect the English Language furpaffes the Latin, by reafon of its Monofyllables, of which I have faid enough for any body at all versed in these Matters, to be able to make out what is here advanc'd. But before I quit this Article, I will obferve that it is to the artful and uncommon varying the the Paufe, that the Harmony is owing in those two celebrated Lines of Sir John Denham. "Tho' deep | yet clear; | tho' gentle | yet not dull. Strong without Rage, without o'erflowing | full. 66 This is one of thofe Myfteries in Verfification which the late Duke of Bucks would not fuffer Mr. Dryden to communicate to the Publick. To the fame Art is owing the Delicacy of two of the finest Lines in all the Latin Tongue. "Te | dulcis conjux | te | folo in littore | fecum, Of the fame Nature are many Lines in Milton, of which this is one: "Him first | Him last | Him midst | and without End. II. I come now to the second Particular: The Inverfion of the Phrafe. Every Page affords Inftances of this Nature. -Him the Almighty Pow'r "Hurl'd headlong flaming from the ethereal Sky. 3. The third thing to be confider'd, is, The adapting the Sound to the Senfe. Who does not hear the Warbling of a Brook, the Ruftling of Wings, the rough Sound of Trumpets and Clarions, and the foft one of Flutes and Recorders in the following Lines? "Fountains, and ye that warble as ye flow "Melodious Murmur warbling, tune his Praife. σε Again, But Chief the fpacious Hall "Thick fwarm'd, both on the Ground and in the "Brush'd with the Hifs of rustling Wings. Again, (Air, "Then ftrait commands, that at the warlike Sound "Of Trumpets loud and Clarions, be uprear'd "His mighty Standard. Again, Nor with less Dread, the loud "Ethereal Trumpet from on High 'gan blow. 66 Again, Thus they Breathing united Force with fixed Thought "Mov'd on in Silence to foft Pipes. Who does not fee Porpoifes and Dolphins tumbling about in the Ocean when he reads this Line? On fmooth the Seal, "And bended Dolphins play: part huge of Bulk, "Wallowing unwieldy, enormous in their Gate, "Tempeft the Ocean. 66 How variously the Rivers run in these Verses? So the watry Throng "Wave rowling after Wave, where way they found, "If fteep, with Torrent rapture, if through plain "Soft Ebbing. How is the Verfe extended where the Whale lies at length upon the Ocean! 66 -There Leviathan Hugest of living Creatures, on the Deep "Stretch'd like a Promontory fleeps. How does the Line labour when the Elephant is working himself through the stiff Clay, whilft the leffer Animals fprout up as it were in an Inftant! 66 Scarce thro' his Mould "Behemoth, biggest born of Earth, upheav'd "His Vaftnefs. And, |