rs
to you like barenness and poverty. It seems meagre. You miss too much the
rich and lavish colours of the later time. Your eye is used to
gorgeousness and gaudiness. The severe plainness of the old manner wants
zest for you. But, when you are used to Chaucer, can accept his
expression, and think and feel with him, this hinderance wears off. You
find a strong imagination--a gentle pathos--no lack of accumulation, where
needed--but the crowding is always of effective circumstances or images--a
playfulness, upon occasion, even in serious writing--but the special
characteristic of the style is, that the word is always to the purpose. He
amply possesses his language, and his sparing expression is chosen, and
never inadequate--never indigent. His rule is, that for every phrase there
be matter; and narrative or argument is thus constantly progressive. He
does not appear to be hurried out of himself by the heat of composition.
His good understanding completely goes along with him, and weighs every
word.

Dryden's rendering of Chaucer is a totally distinct operation from his
Englishing of Virgil--Homer--Lucretius--Juvenal--Ovid. And you are
satisfied that it should be so. He could not transfer these poets,
accomplished in art, and using their language in an age of its perfection,
with _too_ close a likeness of themselves. He translates because the
language is unknown to his presumed reader. This is but half his motive
with Chaucer. The language would be more easily got over; but the mind is
of another age, and that is less accessible--more distant from us than the
obsolete dialect. We are contented to have the style of that day
translated into the style of our own. Is this a dereliction of poetical
principle? Hardly. The spirited and splendid verse and language of Dryden
have given us a new poem. Why should our literature have forborne from so
enriching herself? Hear Dryden himself.

"But there are other judges, who think I ought not to have translated
Chaucer into English, out of a quite contrary notion. They suppose
there is a certain veneration due to his old language, and that it is
little less than profanation and sacrilege to alter it. They are
farther of opinion, that somewhat of his good sense will suffer in
this transfusion, and much of the beauty of his thoughts will
infallibly be lost, which appear with more grace in their old habit.
Of this opinion as that excellent person w