es repeated,
inconsequential and slightly connected, must weary both the ear and the
understanding. His imitation of Spenser, which consists principally in
_I ween and I weet_, without exclusion of later modes of speech, makes
his poem neither ancient nor modern. His mention of Mars and Bellona,
and his comparison of Marlborough to the eagle that bears the thunder of
Jupiter, are all puerile and unaffecting; and yet more despicable is the
long tale told by Lewis in his despair, of Brute and Troynovante, and
the teeth of Cadmus, with his similes of the raven and eagle, and wolf
and lion. By the help of such easy fictions, and vulgar topicks, without
acquaintance with life, and without knowledge of art or nature, a poem
of any length, cold and lifeless like this, may be easily written on any
subject.

In his epilogues to Phaedra and to Lucius he is very happily facetious;
but in the prologue before the queen, the pedant has found his way, with
Minerva, Perseus, and Andromeda.

His epigrams and lighter pieces are, like those of others, sometimes
elegant, sometimes trifling, and sometimes dull; amongst the best are
the Chamelion, and the epitaph on John and Joan.

Scarcely any one of our poets has written so much, and translated so
little: the version of Callimachus is sufficiently licentious; the
paraphrase on St. Paul's Exhortation to Charity is eminently beautiful.

Alma is written in professed imitation of Hudibras, and has, at least,
one accidental resemblance: Hudibras wants a plan, because it is left
imperfect; Alma is imperfect, because it seems never to have had a plan.
Prior appears not to have proposed to himself any drift or design, but
to have written the casual dictates of the present moment.

What Horace said when he imitated Lucilius, might be said of Butler by
Prior; his numbers were not smooth or neat. Prior excelled him in
versification; but he was, like Horace, "inventore minor;" he had not
Butler's exuberance of matter and variety of illustration. The spangles
of wit which he could afford, he know how to polish; but he wanted the
bullion of his master. Butler pours out a negligent profusion, certain
of the weight, but careless of the stamp. Prior has comparatively
little, but with that little he makes a fine show. Alma has many
admirers, and was the only piece among Prior's works of which Pope said
that he should wish to be the author.

Solomon is the work to which he entrusted the protection of h