“Verba togæ sequeris, juncturâ callidus acri.
S. v. 14.
i. e. he took up with words of common and familiar use, but contrived to bring them into his style in such a manner as to give them the force, spirit, and energy of satiric expression.”
2. Again: the context, as I observed, leads us to this meaning. The poet in v. 42. had been giving his opinion of the nature and effect of method, or orderly disposition in the conduct of a fable. The course of his ideas carries him to apply the observation to words; which he immediately does, only interposing v. 46. by way of introduction to it.
On the whole then junctura is a word of large and general import, and the same in expression, as order or disposition, in a subject. The poet would say, “Instead of framing new words, I recommend to you any kind of artful management by which you may be able to give a new air and cast to old ones.”
Having now got at the true meaning of the precept, let us see how well it may be exemplified in the practice of Shakespear.
1. The first example of this artful management, if it were only in complaisance to former commentators, shall be that of compound epithets; of which sort are,
| High-sighted Tyranny | J. C. A. II. S. 2. |
| A barren-spirited fellow | A. IV. S. 1. |
| An arm-gaunt steed | A. C. A. I. S. 6. |
| Flower-soft hands | A. II. S. 3. |
| Lazy-pacing clouds | R. J. A. II. S. 2. |
and a thousand instances more in this poet. But this is a small part of his craft, as may be seen by what follows. For this end is attained,
2. By another form of composition; by compound verbs as well as compound adjectives.
To candy and limn are known words. The poet would express the contrary ideas, and he does it happily, by compounding them with our English negative dis,