even in his celebrated Lines on _Milton_ it
is to be met with.

"_Greece_, _Italy_, and _England did_ adorn.

In his Translation of the _AEneid_ there are many Instances of the same
nature, one of which I will mention;

"The Queen of Heav'n _did_ thus her fury vent.

The Metre of this Line, as the Words are here rang'd, is not bad, as
the Ear can judge; but it would have been extremely so, if he had writ
it thus,

"The Queen of Heaven her Fury thus _did_ vent.[A]

[Footnote A:
His Heart, his Mistress and his Friends _did_ share.
_Pope_, on _Voiture_.]

From whence it appears that the auxiliary Verb is not to be rejected
at all times; besides, it is a particular Idiom of the _English_
Language: and has a Majesty in it superior to the _Latin_ or _Greek_
Tongue, and I believe to any other Language whatsoever.

Many Instances might be brought to support this Assertion from Great
Authorities. I shall produce one from _Shakespear_.

--_This to me
In dreadful Secrecy impart they_ did.

The Auxiliary Verb is here very properly made use of; and it would be
a great loss to _English_ Poetry, if it were to be wholly laid aside.
In Translations from the _Greek_ and _Latin_, I believe it wou'd
sometimes be impossible to do justice to an Author without this Help:
I think the Passage in _Homer_ before us, I mean the two first Lines
of the _Iliad_, are an Instance of this kind. They have been
translated by many Persons of late, _Dryden_, _Manwaring_, Mr.
_Tickel_, and by Mr. _Pope_ twice, and not by any one of 'em, as I
apprehend, in the Spirit of _Homer_. As to Mr. _Pope_'s two
Translations, I don't understand why the latter ought to be preferr'd
to the former. Mr. _Pope_'s first Translation stood thus.

The Wrath of _Peleus'_ Son, the direful Spring
Of all the _Grecian_ Woes, _O_ Goddess sing.

Mr. _Pope_ had reason to be dissatisfy'd with the _O_ in the second
Line, and to reject it; for _Homer_ has nothing of it. But now let us
see how the Vacancy is supplied in Mr. _Pope_'s new Translation.

_Achilles'_ Wrath, to _Greece_ the direful Spring
Of Woes un-number'd, _Heav'nly_ Goddess, sing.

Is not _Heav'nly_ as much an Expletive as _O_, and can either of these
Couplets deserve to be plac'd in the Front of the Iliad? I could wish
Mr. _Pope_ would return these two Lines once more to the Anvil, and
dismiss all Expletives here at least. But enough of Ex