The Works of Dr. Jonathan Swift Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1760 edition. Excerpt: ...their weight, and ease themselves for flight: The woods, with terror wing'd, out-fly the wind, And leave the heavy, panting hills behind. You here see the hills not only trembling, but shaking off woods from their backs, to run the faster: after this you are presented with a foot-race of mountains and woods, where the woods distance the mountains, that, like corpulent pursy sellows, come puffing and panting a vast way behind them. CHAP. IX. Of imitation, and the manner of imitating. THAT the true authors of the prosund are to imitate diligently the examples in their own way is not to be questioned, and that divers have by this means attained to a depth, whereunto their own weight could never have carried them, is evident by sundry instances. Who sees not that De Foe was the Jd, p. 108.-P. 267. poetical poetical son of Withers, Tate of Ogilby, E. Ward of John Taylor, and Eufden of Blackmore? Therefore when we sit down to write, let us bring some great author to our mind, and afc. ourselves th: question; how would Sir Richard have faid this? do I express myself as simply as Ambrose Philips? or flow my numbers with the quiet thoughtlessness of Mr. Welfied? But it may seem somewhat strange to assert, that our proficient should also read the works of those famous poets, who have excelled in the sublime: yet is not this a paradox. As Virgil is faid to have read Ennius, out of his dunghill to draw gold, so may our author read Shake/pear, Milton, and Dryden for the contrary end, to bury their gold in his own dunghill. A true genius, when he finds any thing lofty or shining in them, will have the skill to bring it down, take off the gloss, or quite discharge the colour, by some ingenious circumstance or periphrase, some addition or...