So under fiery Cope together rush'd
Both Battles maine, with ruinous Assault,
And inextinguishable Rage: All Heav'n
Resounded; and had Earth been then, all Earth
Had to her Center shook. What wonder? when
Millions of fierce encountring Angels fought
On either side; the least of whom could wield
These Elements, and arm him with the force
Of all their Regions. How much more of pow'r,
Army 'gainst Army, numberless, to raise
Dreadful Combustion, warring, and disturb,
Tho' not destroy, their happy native Seat:
Had not th' Eternal King Omnipotent
From his strong Hold of Heav'n high over-rul'd
And limited their Might; tho' number'd such
As each divided Legion might have seem'd
A num'rous Host in strength, each armed hand
A Legion——
In Short, a Poem consisting of Rhime is like a Building in which the Stones are all (or far the greatest part of them) hewn with equal Exactness; but are all of a Shape, and not so well jointed: Every one of them, by it self, is better squared, than some in another Building, in which they are of different Figures. But tho' in this latter there shall be a few, which, taken separately, do not look so well: yet some running into others, and all being better adjusted together; it shall not only upon the Whole, but with regard to any considerable Part, by it self, be a stronger, and a more beautiful Fabrick, than the former.
But we are told that Blank Verse is not enough distinguished from Prose. The Answer must be, It is according as it is. That of our English Tragedies, I confess, is not; tho' very proper for the Purpose to which it is apply'd. This indeed is what the French rightly call Prose mesurée, rather than Verse. But much worse is to be said of any Poem, which is only written in the Shape of Metre, but has no more of Verse in it, than of Rhime; no Harmony, or Prosody, no true Metrical Cadence; half the Lines concluding with double Syllables, as Torment, Greatness, and the Participles ending in ing. This deserves not so much as the Name of Prose on Horseback; 'Tis Prose upon Crutches; and of all Prose the vilest. But if Blank Verse be laboured, as it ought to be; it is sufficiently distinguished from Prose. We have no Feet, nor Quantities, like the Ancients; and nothing in our poor Language will ever supply That Defect: Rhime is at least as far from doing it, as the more Advantageous Variety of Cadences in Blank Verse: Which requires so much the more Care, and Art, to work it up into Numbers, and Support it from groveling into Prose.
Which naturally leads us to observe further, that many Imperfections, both in Thought, and Expression, will be overlooked in Rhime, which will not be endured in Blank Verse: So that the same may be said of This, which Horace applies to Comedy;
Creditur——habere
Sudoris minimum; sed habet——tanto
Plus oneris, quanto veniæ minus——
I do not say, Rhime is, all things considered, more easy than the other: That Point cannot be well determined; because it relates to the particular Genius's of particular Persons. For my own part, if I never made one good Verse, I have made many good Rhimes: But supposing Both to be equally easy, I should chuse Blank Verse, for the Reasons already alledged.
After all which, if some Gentlemen are resolved that Blank Verse shall be Prose; they have my free Leave to enjoy their Saying: provided I may have Theirs to think they mean nothing by it; unless they can prove that Rhime is essential to Metre; consequently that the Goths, and Monks were the first Inventers of Verse; and that Homer, and Virgil, as well as Milton, wrote nothing but Prose.
Milton indeed has too many of those looser and weaker Verses; as he has some Lines which are no Verses at all. These for Instance,
Burnt after them to the bottomless Pit:
In the Visions of God; It was a Hill:
are Lines consisting of ten Syllables; but they are no more English Verses, than they are Greek ones. Many irregular and redundant Verses, and more of an ill Sound and Cadence, are to be met with in his Poem; sometimes a considerable Number of them together. Whether This was Negligence in him, or Choice, I know not. Certain it is from the main Tenour of his Verification, than which nothing can be more heroically sonorous, that it was not Want of Ear, Genius, or Judgment. What is the true Cadence of an English Verse, is sufficiently known to the Ears of every one who has a Taste of Poetry. Sometimes it is not only allowable, but beautiful, to run into harsh, and unequal Numbers. Mr. Dryden himself does it; and we may be sure he knew when he did it, as well as we could tell him. In a Work intended for Pleasure, Variety justifies the Breach of almost any Rule, provided it be done but rarely. Among the Ancient Poets, what are many of those Figures (as we call them) both in Prosody, and Syntax, but so many Ways of making false Quantity, and false Grammar, for the sake of Variety? False, I mean, ordinarily speaking; for Variety, and That only, makes it elegant. Milton however has too much irregular Metre: But if his overruling Genius, and Merit might in Him authorize it, or at least excuse it; yet nobis non licet esse tam audacibus: especially when I am translating Virgil, the most exact, and accurate Versificator in the World: A Character, however, which he would not deserve (for the Reason just mentioned) were he not in some Verses irregular, and unaccurate. I am sure I have truly imitated him in That; I wish I may have done so in any thing else.