“Princes! and Grecian Warriors! may the Gods (The Pow’rs that dwell in Heav’ns sublime Abodes) Give you to level Priam’s haughty Tow’rs, And safely to regain your native Shores.

Virgil was so sensible of this charming Expression, that he has used it in the three following Passages, and I believe in one or two others in the very first AEneid.

  “—­Tibi Divum paler atque hominum rex
  Et mulcere dedit fluctus & tollere vento.—­

  “—­Tu das epulis accumbere Divum.—­

  “O regina, novam cui condere Jupiter urbem
  Justitiaque dedit gentes fraenare superbas:—­

Salvini in his Italian Translation in 1723, dedicated to his late Majesty, is attentive to all the Beauties of the Passage in Homer last mentioned.

  “—­A voi gl’ Iddii,
  Che l’Olimpie magioni abitan, dieno
  Espugnar ilio e a casa far ritorno.”

LETTER II.

SIR,

I Should now go upon the Comparison of Virgil’s and Milton’s Versification, in which you will meet with that Paradox, as you thought it at first, namely, that the principal Advantage Virgil has over Milton is Virgil’s Rhyme.  But I beg leave to postpone that matter at present, because I have a mind to make some Remarks upon the second Line in the Translation of the beginning of the Iliad mentioned in my former Letter, in which the auxiliary Verb did (as our Grammarians call it) is made use of.  The Line runs thus.

  “Which to the Greeks did endless Sorrows bring.

It is commonly apprehended from a Passage in Mr. Pope’s Essay on Criticism, that all auxiliary Verbs are mere Expletives.

  “While Expletives their feeble Aid do join,
  And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line.

But this I believe Mr. Pope never intended to advance. Milton has used them in many Places, where he could have avoided it if he had pleased.  I will produce one.

  —­“Him the most High
  Wrapt in a balmy Cloud with fiery Steeds
  Did, as thou saw’st, receive.—­

Milton might have said,

  “Receiv’d, as thou hast seen.—­

But he thought the auxiliary Verb added Strength to the Expression, as indeed it does.  I own where the auxiliary Verb is brought close to its principal, and that a thin monosyllable, as in the Line just now referred to, the Verse is very rude and disagreeable.  But to prove that the auxiliary Verb may be employed properly, I will produce an Instance in rhym’d Verse, as strong as that of Milton just mentioned.

  “Then did the roaring Waves their Rage compose,
  When the great Father of the Flood arose.