Capitolo 59
truth; reason puts in its application for a half the extravagance and he
for the other. The only province, therefore for some kind of the intelligence
it is epigram or those small occasional poems that in them really
nature is not void other but a fabric of epigrams. I cannot conclude
this head of the mixed intelligence without possessing that the admirable poet, out
whose I have taken his examples, it had so much true intelligence how much some
author that you/he/she has ever written; and indeed all the other talents of a
extraordinary genius.
You/he/she can be waited him, since I am on this subject that I should take
notice of the definition of the Mr. Dryden of the intelligence that, with all the
deference that is due in the opinion of so great a man, is not this way
properly a definition of the intelligence as of good writing in general. Intelligence, as
he defines him/it, it is "a convenience of words and thoughts suited for the
subject." If this is a true definition of the intelligence, I am proper to think
that Euclids it was the greatest intelligence that never fixed pen to carpet. It is
there was never certainly a greater convenience of words and thoughts
suited for the subject that what that author has manufactured use than in his
Elements. I will only appeal to my reader if this definition
it agrees with some notion that he has some intelligence. If it is a truth, I am
Mr. Not only sure Dryden was a best poet but a greater intelligence that
The Mr. Cowley and Virgil a man more facetious than Ovid or
Martial.
Bouhours that I look above for being the most penetrating of all the
French critics, have taken the pains to show that it is impossible for
some thought to be beautiful which is not alone, and it doesn't have his
foundation in the nature of things; what the base of every intelligence is
truth; and what any thought can be precious of what the good sense is
not the base. Boileau has endeavoured to inculcate the same
notion in a lot of parts of his/her writings, both in prose and verse.
This is that natural way of writing, that beautiful simplicity that