cvï fubjeâ, as in imagination for his ornaments. His ftyle, lefs copious than loofe, too frequently offers a tirefome repetition of the fame phrafes and turni of expreifion to introduce common thoughts : but the fimplicity and freedom of his verfification are not always void of grace ; we meet now and then with poetical images, and many lines of verfe of a .very happy flow. * Such was the ftate of poetry in that age, and yaînting was nearly the feme. Thefe two arts, which have almoft always been united, feem to •have moatAe an uniform progrefe. Painters, on their -emerging frahvbarbarifin, iefcsing at firft m detail all the fmall objeâs nature prefented to them, painted infeóts, flowers and birds, with fuch brilliant colours, and drew them with fuch exaânefs, that we at this day admjre thttn among the ornaments of ancient manufcripts. When they aitempted to reprefent the human ^figure, they ftudied more to render the outline and the detail of hair as minute as poflible, than to give expreifion ]to the countenance, or motion to the body. Thefe figures, of which vulgar nature furniihed them with the mó* dels, were thrown together, as by accident, without feleâion, or tafte in the compofirion. Poets, as barren as painters, contented themfelves with defcriptions fuited to their talents, and never left off, until the fubjefl: was worn out. They could fcarcely fing any thing but thebeàuty of fpring, the verdure of the country, the enamelled mead*, the chaunt of the birds, the clearnefs of a beautiful fountain,N or a rivulet that murmured. Sometimes, however,