mpting Goliah. This perhaps, may be the
reason, that in some places, there may be more youthfulness and
redundance of fancy, than his riper judgement would have allowed. But
for the main of it I will affirm, that it is a better instance and
beginning of a divine poem, than ever I yet saw in any language. The
contrivance is perfectly ancient, which is certainly the true form of
an heroic poem, and such as was never yet done by any new devices of
modern wits. The subject was truly divine, even according to God's own
heart. The matters of his invention, all the treasures of knowledge
and histories of the bible. The model of it comprehended all the
learning of the East. The characters lofty and various; the numbers
firm and powerful; the digressions beautiful and proportionable. The
design, to submit mortal wit to heavenly truths. In all, there is an
admirable mixture of human virtues and passions with religious
raptures. The truth is, continues Dr. Sprat, methinks in other matters
his wit exceeded all other men's, but in his moral and divine works it
out-did itself; and no doubt it proceeded from this cause, that in the
lighter kinds of poetry he chiefly represented the humours and
affections of others; but in these he sat to himself, and drew the
figure of his own mind. We have the first book of the Davideis
translated out of English into very elegant Latin by Mr. Cowley
himself." Dr. Sprat says of his Latin poetry, "that he has expressed
to admiration all the numbers of verse and figures of poetry, that are
scattered up and down amongst the ancients; and that there is hardly
to be found in them any good fashion of speech, or colour of measure;
but he has comprehended it, and given instances of it, according as
his several arguments required either a majestic spirit, or
passionate, or pleasant. This he observes, is the more extraordinary,
in that it was never yet performed by any single poet of the ancient
Romans themselves."

The same author has told us, that the occasion of Mr. Cowley's falling
on the pindarique way of writing, was his accidentally meeting with
Pindar's works in a place where he had no other books to direct him.
Having thus considered at leisure the heighth of his invention, and
the majesty of his stile, he tried immediately to imitate it in
English, and he performed it, says the Dr. without the danger that
Horace presaged to the man that should attempt it. Two of our greatest
poets, after allowing Mr.