To give more dread to man's moft dreadful hour, At midnight, 'tis prefum'd, this pomp will burst From tenfold darkness. ་ NIGHT THOUGHTS. EVEN in the more confined parts of knowledge, with which it is not requifite for a perfon of liberal education to be intimately acquainted, exploded errors should be avoided, whenever it is thought proper to introduce fuch fubjects. Allufions to chemistry were extremely fashionable in the poetry of the laft century; but fo many falfe opinions were then received into that science, that the fame images would give disgust rather than pleasure to one acquainted with it in its present state of improvement. The fancied revivification of a flower from its afhes, which furnished a topic for the wit of Cowley and D'avenant, D'avenant, could scarcely be employed to advantage by a modern writer. ON the whole, although fictions of fome kind have been justly accounted the very foul of poetry, and cannot be rejected without depriving it of its choiceft ornaments, yet false representations of natural things, the real properties of which are commonly known, and are equally capable of poetical use, cannot ftand the teft of found criticifin. And especially, the trite and hackneyed fables of ancient poets, when copied by modern writers, muft appear as frigid and uninterefting as they are ex-. travagant and unnatural. HITHERTO it has been chiefly attempted to fhew that the accurate and fcientific fcientific ftudy of nature would obviate many of the defects ufually difcoverable in poetical compositions. The more pleafing task fucceeds, of exhibiting to view the beauties which the poet may derive from this fource. And here, I fhall first remark, that every part of natural history does not feem equally capable of affording poetical imagery. The vegetable creation, delightful as it is to the fenfes, and extensive in utility, yields comparatively few materials to the poet, whofe art is principally defective in reprefenting thofe qualities in which it chiefly excels; colour, fcent, and taste. The mineral kingdom is ftill more fteril, and uncommodated to defcription. The animal race, who, in common with their human lord and head, have, almoft univerfally, fomewhat D 1 1 fomewhat of moral and intellectual character; whofe motions, habitations, and pursuits, are so infinitely and curiously varied; and whofe connection with man arifes to a fort of companionship and mutual attachment; feem on these accounts peculiarly adapted to the purpofes of poetry. Separately confidered, they afford matter for pleafing and even fublime fpeculation; in the rural landskip they give animation to the objects around them; and viewed in comparison with human kind, they fuggeft amufing and inftructive leffons. That part of natural history termed zoology has therefore almost folely furnished the fubjects of the enfuing pages. 1 To fhew, by examples drawn from thofe poets who have eminently fucceed ed ed in defcriptions of animal nature, that this fource has actually been productive of beauties of the moft ftriking kind; and to point out from the writers in natural history some new objects which might have improved the poetry of past, or may adorn that of future composers, will be the attempt of the remaining part of this Effay. No writer among the ancients appears to have made a more advantageous ufe of zoological obfervations than Virgil. This great poet, whofe reputation has, perhaps, been injured by his excellencies, fince a nice attention to correctness and harmony is ufually thought incompatible with exalted genius, had, in reality, all that enthusiaftic fondness for the beauties of nature which D 2 |