Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-10-21
FROM THE Nsw.ENGLAaDpAL


T arTeG the he flactils images, that FL
! nc mirror o. the mind, and hold hem fab,
AnI torce them fit, tiIl he has peneii'd'otf
"A faithful likeneis If the form he vizws.
CowPER.
DESCRIPTION is faid, by an able
rhetorican, to bethe tell OF peers pow
ers. If he looks abroad with an eye
which marks diRinttiy what IS minute,
and kindles into phrenzy with what IS
yaH, his page will be impfcHed with cha
ratters of light and life. When deitrlb
ing fcenes merely beautiful, ne ihews bis
Superiority, by his choice of circumstances.
He is always faithful and trne to nature,
hccau!e his inpredionsar are immediate; aad
tho his eye ranges over the fame objects,
which Others have viewed before him, he
never preitnts theEame picture. He gives
;hem intereit and novelty, by grouping
them differently, or by preienting them
under different afpea. Every Object in
nature is aflociatei with great variety
Of circumstances, and by varying the choice
o! thefe, diyerhty and novelty are pro-
duced. Hence the reafon, why the great
matters, when delcribng iimilar fcenes,
are various, yet faithful, original and yet
natural.
Ordinary writers rarely blunder in;c
novelty in their descriptions. They fe-
let epirhets, which were once appropri-
ate and beautiful. but are no longer /
from their TOO frequent ule. They have
all the materials OF the beft writers, bur
make no new combinations. Enamflea
m-ads, bar!Rg Rreams, mslod;oai iong-
iters, &c. sc, &c. have long iince be-
came 8aic ana in6pid. In tie hands of
fGch writers, nature does not look char
mioaIy III rhyme, ttreams Go not twi kle
fvce,ly, nor is there any mulic in the
w2rollpgs OF the DlackblTd.
The beauty Of Description depends very
much upon its parsicuLarity. A tedious
,nlauiencis, which drags one :hro' every
circumttance, is not here. Intended; but
tingle glance will often give more lively
and dittin6t imp.ellion than long Iabored
accuracy. An example will illultrate
this:
Now reigns,
Full orbd, the moon, and with more pleafiag
light,
Chadowy tets off the face of things.----
There never was more accurate or
beautiful defcription of moonlight e.
vening. 1t is brief, but pitturefque.-
The emotions excited are thole Of pleafvr
and wonder. The curtain RITES and diE-
chlcs fccue diverifed ard in she higheh
degree charming. 1t is one Of thole ma
eical touches, which mark the writings
@: the great Engliih poets.
Under an oak, whole boughs were molsd with
And high top bald with dry antiquity.
4 wyetched ragged man, DER grown with hair
lay G.eping on his back; about hi'Re
= green and giIdcd fnake had wreathe@ i.i1t,
Who, with her head, ni:nble in threa.s aPproachd
The opening of his mouth, but fuddcnly
Seeing Orlando, il unlinked iieE,
And with indeated gdes did Zip away
Into buh; under which bufh' ihade
A iorels, with uddcrs all drawn dry,
Lay COUGHING, head on ground, with cat-lke
watch, &c
Here the delcription is minute, bat
lively and impreaive. The images are all
clearly defined and fairly brought into
view. The diainet enumeration of cir
cnnfances heishtens the horror of the
picture and in dramatic writing, is often
introduced with great effect.
Sublime descriptions are aided by OBJ
r.uri,y and indiitindnefs of conception.
Things underlined and unknown, when
le.r 70 the imagination of the reader, are
.aagniied or dreaded in a tenfold proper
yio6. We have an infance OF this IN a
known paiage of the book OF jon:
Is Ihen tpirit paged before my face:
The hair of my Ae(h food up; 1t flood
R;L, but | could not difcern the form
thereof: N isnsge was before mine eyes,
Sc sc,