late ingenious preface to his poems, has observed. In short, Virgil and Ovid are the two principal fountains of them in Latin poetry. And the French at this day are so fond of them, that they judge them to be the first beauties: _delicate et bien tourné_, are the highest commendations which they bestow, on somewhat which they think a master-piece. An example of the turn on words, amongst a thousand others, is that in the last book of Ovid's "Metamorphoses:" _Heu! quantum scelus est, in viscera, viscera condi! Congestoque avidum pinguescere corpore corpus; Alteriusque animantem animantis vivere leto._ An example on the turn both of thoughts and words, is to be found in Catullus, in the complaint of Ariadne, when she was left by Theseus; _Tum jam nulla viro juranti fæmina credat; Nulla viri speret sermones esse fideles; Qui, dum aliquid cupiens animus prægestit apisci, Nil metuunt jurare, nihil promittere parcunt: Sed simul ac cupidæ mentis satiata libido est, Dicta nihil metuere, nihil perjuria curant._ An extraordinary turn upon the words, is that in Ovid's "Epistolæ Heroidum," of Sappho to Phaon. _Si, nisi quæ formâ poterit te digna videri, Nulla futura tua est, nulla futura tua est._ Lastly: A turn, which I cannot say is absolutely on words, for the thought turns with them, is in the fourth Georgick of Virgil; where Orpheus is to receive his wife from hell, on express condition not to look on her till she was come on earth: _Cùm subita incautum dementia cepit amantem; Ignoscenda quidem, scirent si ignoscere Manes._ I will not burthen your lordship with more of them; for I write to a master who understands them better than myself. But I may safely conclude them to be great beauties.--I might descend also to the mechanic beauties of heroic verse; but we have yet no English _prosodia_, not so much as a tolerable dictionary, or a grammar; so that our language is in a manner barbarous; and what government will encourage any one, or more, who are capable of refining it, I know not: but nothing under a public expence can go through with it. And I rather fear a declination of the language, than hope an advancement of it in the present age. I am still speaking to you, my lord, though, in all probability, you are already out of hearing. Nothing, which my meanness can produce, is worthy of this long attention. But I am come to the last petition of Abraham; if there be ten righteous lines, in this vast preface, spare it for their sake; and also spare the next city, because it is but a little one.