The Laws of Poetry |
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abfolutely abfurdities againſt almoſt ancients Ariftotle art of poetry beauty becauſe Ben Johnson buſineſs call'd caufe cauſe comedy confequence confideration defign diction Dryden Effay English Ennius Eſſay eſtabliſh'd Euripides excellence expreffion fable facred faid fame fancy fatire faults feems felf fenfe feveral fhall fhort fhould fhow fince firft firſt fome fong foul ftage ftill fubject fublime fuch fufficient genius give greateſt Greece Greek himſelf Homer Horace inftance inftruction itſelf judgment juft juſt laft Latin leaft leaſt leffon lefs likewife Lord mafter manner mention'd moft moſt mufe mufick muft muſt nature neceffary never numbers obferve Ovid Pacuvius paffions perfection perfons Pindar plays pleaſe pleaſure poem poets praiſe precept profe Quintilian reader reafon rhime Romans rules Satire ſeems Sophocles ſpeak ſtage ſtudy tafte taſte thefe themſelves theſe thing thofe thoſe thou thro Tragedy tranflation underſtanding uſe verfe verſes Virgil whofe words write
Popular passages
Page 119 - For they that led us away captive, required of us then a song, and melody in our heaviness : Sing us one of the songs of Sion.
Page 119 - If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ; yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem in my mirth.
Page 212 - This, says my author, is the gift of Jupiter; and, to speak in the same heathen language, we call it the gift of our Apollo : not to be obtained by pains or study, if we are not...
Page 351 - Tis not that I am mortified to all ambition, but I scorn as much to take it from half-witted judges, as I should to raise an estate by cheating of bubbles. Neither do I discommend the lofty style in Tragedy, which is naturally pompous and magnificent ; but nothing is truly sublime that is not just and proper.
Page 260 - OF Man's firft difobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whofe mortal tafte Brought death into the world, and all our woe. With lofs of Eden, till one greater Man Reftore us, and regain the blifsful feat, 5 Sing, heav'nly Mufe, that on the fecret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didft infpire That fhepherd, who firft taught the chofen feed...
Page 249 - FALSTAFF ftands inimitable yet. Another Fault which often may befall, Is when the Wit of fome great Poet fhall So overflow/ that is, be none at all ; That ev'n his Fools fpeak Senfe, as if pofTeft, And each by Infpiration breaks his Jeft. If once the Juftnefs of each part be loft> Well we may laugh, but at the Poet's Coft.
Page 350 - All I can say for those passages, which are, I hope, not many, is, that I knew they were bad enough to please, even when I writ them...
Page 337 - True poets are the guardians of a state, And when they fail portend approaching fate. For that which Rome to conquest did inspire, Was not the Vestal, but the Muses' fire; Heaven joins the blessings: no declining age E'er felt the raptures of poetic rage.
Page 212 - To express the passions which are seated in the heart, by outward signs, is one great precept of the painters, and very difficult to perform. In poetry, the same passions and motions of the mind are to be expressed ; and in this consists the principal difficulty, as well as the excellency of that art. This...
Page 246 - tis drudgery to ftoop fo low, To him you muft your fecret meaning fhow. Expofe no fingle fop, but lay the load More equally, and fpread the folly broad; Mere coxcombs are too obvious; oft we fee A fool derided by as bad as he : . Hawks fly at nobler game ; in this low way, A very owl may prove a bird of prey. Small poets thus will one poor fop devour, But to...