09-20-28 Luß T has been lamented by biographers, and echoed by their readers, that the life of a poet affords but few materials for a narrative; and that the time of his birth and death, with the intermediate dates of his publications, are the chief anecdotes of him which we can communicate to the world. This opinion, like many others, is not controverted, becaufe it hath been long received. It appears, upon a fuperficial view, to have fubftance; but it will vanish upon examination. It must be owned that the poet's journey through life is often difficult to be traced. The fenfibility and ardour of his mind will not fuffer him to travel on in the beaten and uniform track, along which the generality of mankind are fatis fied to proceed. He often quits the common road for the unfrequented haunts of meditation; he is fometimes feduced from his courfe by pleasure, and loft in her flowery labyrinth; and fometimes difgufted with the roughness of the way, he leaves it in dejection, and feeks the cavern of despair. It is with poets, as it is with the rest of mankind; but a few of them, comparatively speaking, are born to affluence. A rich inheritance is, indeed, more apt to lull genius, than to call forth its exer tion. Human nature is not formed to flourish in extremes. Poetical ardour is damped by penury, and diffipated by wealth. Thus the mind of man is equally unfit for glorious atchievements, under the equinoctial fervor, and the polar froft. The thoughts of the inhabitant of Iceland are confined to the provifion of neceffary fuftenance; the pleasures of his life are circumfcribed by the immediate, and blunt fenfations of animal nature. The scene is more varied to the African, but not by intelle&ual activity. His fenfes are quick and fine, but he is too indolent to make them the fource of reflection and imagination. His body and his mind are enfeebled by the perpendicular fun. He reclines upder a fpreading fhade; he inhales the fragrant breath of the zephyr; he is lulled by the murmurs of a neighbouring ftream. His happiness is, love without gallantry, and repofe without contemplation. As the poet then is generally born poor, he has the difficulties of life to combat by his own dexterity and endeavours. He is not protected and recommended by gold, that magical auxiliary, which gives vigour to the body, and alacrity to the mind; which railes us without talents or virtue, to the first departments of a ftate; unlocks to us the cabinets of kings, and authorizes us to determine the fate of nations. Fortune deigns not to fimile upon him when he comes into the world; and nature but il prepares him to defpife, and to defeat her frown. Many caufes confpire to break the fchemes which he forms for his diftant advantage, to difguft him against mankind, and to withdraw him from fociety. He grows impatient of a uniform and laborious progrefs, from the delicacy of his frame; as a tender eye is injured by looking earnestly for any time on one object. Many people are of an open, un guarded guarded temper, by which they are fo ftrongly influenced, that they never learn fufficiently to reftrain it, notwithstanding the repeated experience of the great inconveniences which it occafions. This is almost a conftant characteristick of the poet. Warmly actuated by his prefent ideas, he communicates his moft important defigns, his fympathies, and antipathies, his affections, and refentments, to perfons with whom it is improper to lodge his fecrets, without any regard to confequences; and thus he lofes many confiderable advantages, many fincere and weighty friends, by the treachery of his compa nions. To extenuate this abfurdity in fome degree, it must be observed, that it partly proceeds from his ingenuous and unfufpecting nature. He is above perfidy himself, and therefore he is flow to imagine that it refides in the breaft of another. Indeed he is fo poor a politician in the common tranfactions of life, he hath fo romantick a conftitution, that he is apt to disdain the inferiour morality, to confound prudence with cunning and pufillanimity, and to deem it unworthy the attention of a great mind. He generally attributes to himself at least as great abilities as he poffeffes; he is fenfible that poetical talents are rare, and that they are univerfally admired. Flushed with this confcioufuefs, he haftily concludes that the favour of the Mufes alone will fecure him that love and efteem which may be conciliated, but which can never be feized; and that the world will be fubdued by the power of numbers. He leaves others to make their way by the humble cultivation of candour and affability, who are incapable of advancing by nobler arts. He forgets that it is peculiarly incumbent upon him to acquire thefe modest virtues; for mankind are naturally hurt with the fplendour of fhining talents; and affection is moft willingly given to those who can never excite admiration. Thus he oftener complies with the impulfe of fentiment than with the forms of the world; he is apt to refufe wealth and titles that refpect which we may certainly pay them without meanness, and deviates into haughtiness by avoiding fervility. This behaviour, like his works, is unfortunately actuated by imagination. For whatever confequence the poet may have in his own opinion, he will find his genius a very unequal competitor with power and riches. They have a ftrong and univerfal influence; and they inherit it by long prefcription. The poet can only amufe us for a few hours; but they can protect, and make us happy for life. The poet gives us only flowery, and chimerical amusement; but to them we are indebted for fubftantial conveniences and delights. It is his province to paint; it is theirs to realize. The fenfible reader will not fuppofe that I mean to affix this character, which I think belongs to poets in general, to every difciple of the Mufes. No rules are more exceptionable than those by which we clafs the operations of the mind. Many individuals reprefs the unhappy bent of their constitution, the tendency of their profeffion, and the difpofition of their nation. There are prudent poets, as there are uncorrupted minifters of ftate. But I will venture farther to observe, that the more rapturous and fublime the foul of the poet is, the more evidently will he appropriate this defcription. The more vigorous his genius is, the weaker will be his conduct. Extreme fenfibility is the fource of great poetical talents; and extreme fenfibility can only be checked by the most heroic virtue. I mean not that partial and feminine fenfibility, by |