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LECTURE IV.

LECT.
IV.

THE SUBLIME IN WRITING.

HAY

AVING treated of Grandeur or Sublimity in external objects, the way feems now to be cleared, for treating, with more advantage, of the description of fuch objects; or, of what is called the Sublime in Writing. Though I may appear to enter early on the confideration of this fubject; yet, as the Sublime is a fpecies of Writing which depends lefs than any other on the artificial embellifhments of rhetoric, it may be examined with as much propriety here, as in any fubfequent part of the Lectures.

MANY critical terms have unfortunately been employed, in a fenfe too loose and vague, none more fo, that that of the Sublime. Every one is acquainted with the character of Cæfar's Commentaries, and of the ftyle in which they are written; a ftyle remarkably pure, fimple, and elegant; but the most remote from the

Sublime,

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IV.

Sublime, of any of the claffical authors. Yet LECT. this author has a German critic, Johannes Gulielmus Bergerus, who wrote no longer ago than the year 1720, pitched upon as the perfect model of the Sublime, and has compofed a quarto volume, entitled, De naturali pulchritudine Orationis; the exprefs intention of which is to fhew, that Cæfar's Commentaries contain the most complete exemplification of all Longinus's rules relating to Sublime Writing. This I mention as a strong proof of the confused ideas which have prevailed, concerning this fubject. The true fenfe of Sublime Writing, undoubtedly, is fuch a description of objects, or. exhibition of fentiments, which are in themselves of a Sublime nature, as fhall give us ftrong impreffions of them. But there is another very indefinite, and therefore very improper, fenfe, which has been too often put upon it'; when it is applied to fignify any remarkable and distinguishing excellency of compofition; whether it raife in us the ideas of grandeur, or thofe of gentlenefs, elegance, or any other fort of beauty. In this fenfe Cæfar's Commentaries may, indeed, be termed Sublime, and fo may many Sonnets, Paftorals, and Love Elegies as well as Homer's Iliad. But this evidently confounds the ufe of words; and marks no one fpecies, or character, of composition what

ever.

LECT.
IV.

I AM forry to be obliged to obferve, that the Sublime is too often ufed in this last and improper fenfe, by the celebrated critic Longinus, in his treatife on this fubject. He fets out, indeed, with describing it in its just and proper meaning; as fomething that elevates the mind above itself, and fills it with high conceptions, and a noble pride. But from this view of it he frequently departs; and fubftitutes in the place of it, whatever, in any ftrain of compofition, pleafes highly. Thus, many of the paffages which he produces as inftances of the Sublime, are merely elegant, without having the most diftant relation to proper Sublimity; witnefs Sappho's famous Ode, on which he defcants at confiderable length. He points out five fources of the Sublime. The first is, Boldness or Grandeur in the Thoughts; the fecond is, the Pathetic; the third, the proper application of Figures; the fourth, the ufe of Tropes and beautiful Expreffions; the fifth, Mufical Structure and Arrangement of Words. This is the plan of one who was writing a treatife of rhetoric, or of the beauties of Writing in general; not of the Sublime in particular. For of these five heads, only the two first have any peculiar relation to the Sublime; Boldness and Grandeur in the Thoughts, and, in fome instances, the Pathetic, or ftrong exertions of Paffion : The other three, Tropes, Figures, and Mufi

cal

IV.

cal Arrangement, have no more relation to LECT. the Sublime, than to other kinds of good Writing; perhaps lefs to the Sublime than to any other fpecies whatever; because it requires lefs the affistance of ornament. From this it appears, that clear and precife ideas on this head are not to be expected from that writer. I would not, however, be understood, as if I meant, by this cenfure, to represent his treatife as of finall value. I know no critic, antient or modern, that difcovers a more lively relish of the beauties of fine writing, than Longinus; and he has alfo the merit of being himself an excellent, and, in feveral paffages, a truly Sublime, writer, But, as his work has been generally confidered as a standard on this fubject, it was incumbent on me to give. my opinion concerning the benefit to be derived from it. It deferves to be confulted, not fo much for diftinct inftruction concerning the Sublime, as for excellent general ideas concerning beauty in writing.

I RETURN now to the proper and natural idea of the Sublime in compofition. The foundation of it must always be laid in the nature of the object defcribed. Unless it be fuch an object as, if prefented to our eyes, if exhibited to us in reality, would raise ideas of that elevating, that awful, and magnificent kind, which we call Sublime; the description,

however

JV.

LECT. however finely drawn, is not entitled to come under this clafs. This excludes all objects that are merely beautiful, gay, or elegant. In the next place, the object must not only, in itself, be Sublime, but it must be fet before us in fuch a light as is most proper to give us a clear and full impreffion of it; it must be defcribed with ftrength, with concifenefs, and fimplicity. This depends, principally, upon the lively impreffion which the poet, or orator, has of the object which he exhibits; and upon his being deeply affected, and warmed, by the Sublime idea which he would convey. If his own feeling be languid, he can never infpire us with any ftrong emotion. Inftances, which are extremely neceffary on this fubject, will clearly fhow the importance of all the requifites which I have just now mentioned.

Ir is, generally fpeaking, among the most antient authors, that we are to look for the moft ftriking inftances of the Sublime. I am inclined to think, that the early ages of the world, and the rude unimproved state of fociety, are peculiarly favourable to the strong emotions of Sublimity. The genius of men is then much turned to admiration and astonishment. Meeting with many objects, to them new and strange, their imagination is kept glowing, and their pallions are often raised to

the

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