I i t

of men have wished to accomplish in prose. Ifthe essence of poetry must he a lie f throw it tothe dogs, or banish it from your republic, asPlato would have done. He who can reconcilepoetry with truth and wisdom, is the only truenpoet n in its real sense, « the maker « thecreator J> — why must this mean the «liar,” the«feigner, M the «tale teller?” A man may makeand create belter things than these.

I shall not presume to say that Pope is as higha poet as Shakspeare and Milton, though hisenemy, Warton, places him immediately underthem. I would no more say this than I wouldassert in the mosque (once Saint Sophia's), thatSocrates was a greater man than Mahomet. Butif I say that he is very near them, it is no morethan has been asserted of Burns, who is sup-posed

«To rival all but Shakspeare's name below. w

I say nothing against this opinion. But of what« order,” according to the poetical aristocracy,