most easily compared, are those which best express the musical harmony of his composition; and the pleasing sounds are those, which convey to the mind the greatest exercise without fatigue.

Bold and elated pieces of music only please the most nice critics in that science. By their exquisite taste, they can with ease distinguish, amid sounds which seem to disagree, a relation which entirely escapes ears less refined.

Among all the various proportions, there is none which gives a thought more pleasing to the mind, than that perfect agreement of all the parts of a work with the final end therein proposed. This is

the principal of all beauties; it is this which gains the ascendancy, and superintends, over all the other parts, and they are to be looked upon as perfections or imperfections, according as they agree with this grand and principal design.

Poets imitate the same axiom in the method of their images. They are not only careful to keep all the various characters in a state of subordination to the chief hero, they also endeavour to make all the casualties with which they present us instrumental to one great conclusion.

Doubtless we may comprise in a poem different fictions, and place there, as in a gallery, a succession of numerous representations. Ovid practised this rule;

but several ages before his time, when poetry was yet in its origin, Homer found out that it would be more pleasing to the mind, to collect and introduce into one picture a variety of actors, and make them all promotive of the same action. Upon this idea, he first formed his plan of an epic poem.

A considerable time succeeding the plan of an epic poem, Æschylus formed that of tragedy, by the true representation of an event brought to light in all its circumstances. This celebrious rival of Homer observed, that a dramatic poem would afford to the mind still greater charms, when one principal action united all the scenes, and held them in a manner. joined together in the remembrance.

Likewise, Eschylus added the unity of time and place to that of action.

By the theory of sensation it is certain, that the observing these unities is not a mere arbitrary method; because there is a degree of pleasure connected to whatever enables the idea to form an accurate representation of an object presented to her view.

Yet we must own, that as the pleasures which affect the heart have the ascendancy over those of the imagination; therefore, if the observing these unities was only to make the representation more easy to the conception, then indeed we might sacrifice this advantage, when by doing so we might make the

scenes more interesting by the variety of accidents. But there is another circum

stance which ought to be taken into con sideration.

At thirty, man suspects himself a fool,
Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan;
At fifty, chides his infamous delay;
Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve
In all the magnanimity of thought;

Resolves and re-resolves-then dies the same.

In dramatic poetry, whatever leads to make it less interesting, must be looked upon as an imperfection; on the contrary, whatever helps to heighten the fraud on the idea, is highly agreeable. If an old man performs the character of a youth; if a young man that of age; if the ornaments represent the fields or country,