“So talk’d the spirited sly Snake, and Eve
  Yet more amaz’d.—­

Again,

  “When from the Boughs a savoury Odour blown.

Again,

  “Immediately the Mountains huge appear
  Emergent, and their broad bare Backs upheave
  Into the Clouds.—­

Again,

  “—­Scarce from his Mould
  Behemoth, biggest born of Earth, upheav’d
  His Vastness.—­

Spirited sly Snake.—­Boughs blown.—­Broad bare Backs.—­Behemoth biggest born.

All these Passages are in the same Stile of Sound as Virgil’s—­ Metuens, Molem, Montis.

  “Hoc metuens, molemque & montis insuper altos
  Imposuit.—­

Observe how the molemque & montis labour in the Verse exactly in the same manner as

  Broad, bare Backs, and Behemoth biggest born.

But here let me give you a few more Instances of the Allusio Verborum, or the mixing of Sounds of Words in rhym’d Verse.

  “As o’er th’Aerial Alps sublimely spread
  Some aged Oak uprears his reverend Head.
          
                                              Pit’s AEneid.

A Gentleman justly esteemed for his great Learning and excellent Skill in Criticism, but not of so delicate an Ear as Mr. Pit, would have had him writ, As on th’Aerial Alps.

But then the Verse would have wanted much of its Harmony, because O’er mingles in Sound with A’er which On does not; and the same thing would have happen’d in the next Line, if it had stood thus—­ Some aged Oak uplifts his mighty Head.—­Because uplifts and mighty have no Resemblance in Sound to each other, or to Aged and Head; but as the Line stands,

  “Some aged Oak uprears his Reverend Head,

the Words all melt into one another, and the Musick dies along the Verse from the Beginning to the End.  This is the greatest Delicacy of Poetry, neither are the other Graces wanting in this Verse.  The Pause is properly varied, the first Line is entirely suspended.  There is in it a double Alliteration, Aerial Alps, sublimely spread:  And to conclude all, the Rhyme is as perfect as possible.

Octob. 11. 1736.

I am, SIR, _&c._

* * * * *

P.S.

In looking over this Letter I observe a Passage in Milton, which merits a very particular Consideration, and which I ought to have taken notice of before, when I was speaking of the Collocation of Words; the Passage I mean is, For since I first, &c.  The entire Passage runs thus,