series of thoughts is eafy and natural, and the conclufion, though a little weakened by the intrufion of Alexander, is elegant and forcible.

It may be remarked, that in this Elegy, and in moft of his encomiaftick poems, he has forgotten or neglected to name his heroes.

In his poem on the death of Hervey, there is much praife, but little paffion, a very juft and ample delineation of fuch virtues as a ftudious privacy admits, and fuch intellectual excellence as a mind not yet called forth to action can difplay. He knew how to diftin

guifh, and how to commend the qualities of his companion; but when he wishes to make us weep, he forgets to

weep

weep himself, and diverts his forrow by imagining how his crown of bays if he had it, would crackle in the fire. It is the odd fate of this thought to be worfe for being true. The bayleaf crackles remarkably as it burns as therefore this property was not af figned it by chance, the mind must be thought fufficiently at cafe that could attend to fuch minutencfs of phyfiology. But the power of Cowley is not to move the affections, but to exercife, the understanding.

The Chronicle is a compofition unrivalled and alone: fuch gaiety of fancy, fuch facility of expreffion, fuch varied fimilitude, fuch a fucceffion of images, and fuch a dance of words, it

is

is vain to expect except from Cowley. His ftrength always appears in his agility; his volatility is not the flutter

of a light but the bound of an elastick mind. His levity never leaves his learning behind it; the moralift, the politician, and the critick, mingle their influence even in this airy frolick of genius. To fuch a performance Suckling could have brought the gaiety, but not the knowledge; Dryden could have fupplied the knowledge, but not the gaiety.

The verfes to Davenant, which are vigorously begun, and happily concluded, contain fome hints of criticifm very justly conceived and happily expreffed. Cowley's critical abilities have

not

not been fufficiently obferved: the few decifions and remarks which his prefaces and his notes on the Davideis fupply, were at that time acceffions to English literature, and fhew fuch skill as raises our wifh for more examples.

The lines from Jerfey are a very curious and pleafing specimen of the familiar defcending to the burlesque.

His two metrical difquifitions for and against Reason, are no mean fpecimens of metaphyfical poetry. The ftanzas against knowledge produce little conviction. In those which are intended to exalt the human faculties, Reason has its proper task affigned it; that of judging, not of things revealed, but of the reality of revelation. In the verses for Reason

is a paffage which Bentley, in the only English verfes which he is known to have written, feems to have copied, though with the inferiority of an imi

tator.

The holy Book like the eighth fphere does fhine

With thousand lights of truth divine, So numberlefs the ftars that to our eye It makes all but one galaxy:

Yet Réafon muft affift too; for in feas So vaft and dangerous as thefe,

Our courfe by stars above we cannot know

Without the compafs too below.

After this fays Bentley :

H

Who