5. The dramatic faculty, of which we have already spoken, seems to consist in acute powers of observation of the varie ties of human character, together with the rarer power of delineating it with such force as to bring the imaginary per son distinctly before the reader. It is the wonderful and unique characteristic of Shakspeare, in whom all individuality, as has often been observed, seems abso lutely lost.
6. The descriptive faculty is of the same kind ; that of bringing the objects of ex ternal nature, or passing scenes of what ever sort, vividly before the reader's fancy. It is obvious that this also is a faculty com mon to poets with many others who are not so : but sustained energy of descrip tion, as in Homer, forms a magnificent groundwork for strictly poetical ornament. In the poetry of modern times, especially in this oonntry, and in Germany, the description of external nature has been made subservient to the purposes of im agination and reflection by writers of high genius ; and this combination pecu liarly characterizes the taste of the age.
7. Lord Jeffrey ranks last the pleasure derived from diction as of a secondary order, which it undoubtedly is, and yet almost essential. The highest poetry, without beauty of style, is rarely or never popular. We have no space to charac terize minutely this poetical quality ; but by way of example, it may suffice to ob serve that Virgil is, perhaps, of all poets, he of whose charm the greatest propor tion is derived from simple beauty and felicity of diction; through a whole range of ill-chosen subjects, always graceful, always equable, and as nearly approach ing to faultlessness as human skill can construct.
8. Lastly, we must not °hilt the pleas i are of ?melody : not essential to poetry, since there may he poetry without verse; not always a merit of the poet's own, since meek depends on the language; and a Greek or Italian poet, cieteris paribus, will ever be preferable to an English or German one on this account alone ; but a grace which heightens the charm of the noblest poetry, and sometimes capti vates the sense even in the nest indiffer ent.
Dr. Charming says, "In an intent:aunt nature, framed for progress and for higher modes of being, there must be creative energies, powers of original and ever growing thought ; and poetry is th t form in which those energies are chiefly mani fested. It is the glorious prerogative of this art that it makes all things new' for the gratification of a divine instinct. It indeed finds its elements in what it actually sees and experiences in the worlds of matter and mind ; but it com bines and blends these into new forms and according to new affinities ; breaks down, if we may so say, the distinctions and bounds of nature ; imparts to material objects life, and sentiment, and emotion, and invests the mind with the powers and splendors of the outward creation ; de scribes the surrounding universe in the colors which the passions throw over it, and depicts the mind in those moments of repose or agitation, of tenderness or sublime emotion, which manifests its thirst for a more powerful and joyful existence.
To a man of a literal and prosaic char acter, the mind may seem lawless in these workings; but it observes higher laws than it transgresses, the laws of the immortal intellect ; it is trying and de veloping its best faculties ; and in the objects which it describes, or in the emo tions which it awakens, anticipates those states of progressive power, splendor, beauty, and happiness, for which it was created. We accordingly believe that poetry, far from injuring society, is one of the great instruments of its refinement and exaltation. It lifts the mind above ordinary life, gives it a respite from de pressing cares, and awakens the conscious ness of its affinity with what is pure and noble. In its legitimate and highest efforts it has the same tendency and aim with Christianity ; that is to spiritu alize our nature. True, poetry has been made the instrument of vice, the pander of bad passions : but, when genius thus stoops, it dims its fires, and parts with much of its power; and, even when poe try is enslaved to licentiousness or mina thropy, she cannot wholly forget her true vocation. Strains of pure feeling, touch es of tenderness, images of innocent hap piness, sympathies with suffering virtue, bursts of scorn or indignation at the hollowness of the world, passages true to our moral nature, often escape in an im moral work. ;tad show us how hard it is for a gifted spirit to divorce itself wholly from what is good. Poetry has n natural alliance with our 'rest affections. It de lights in the beauty and sublimity of the outward creation and of the soul. It indeed portrays with terrible energy the excesses of the passions ; hut they are passions which show a mighty nature, which are NU of power, which command awe, and excite sateen though shuddering sympathy. Its great tendency and pur pose is, to carry the mind above end beyond the beaten, dusty, weary walks of ordinary life ; to lift it into a purer element, and to breathe into it more pro found and generous emotion. It reveals to on the loveliness of nature. brings back the freshness of youthful feeling. revives the relish of simple pleasures, keeps unquenched the enthusiasm which warm ed the spring-time of our being, refines youthful love, strengthens our interest in bunion nuture by vivid delineations of its tenderest and loftiest feelings, spreads our sympathies over all classes of society, knits us by new ties with nail. versal being, and through the brightness of its prophetic visions, helps faith to lay bold on the future life. It is not true that the poet paints a life which aloes not exist. Ile only extracts and concen trates, as it were, life's ethereal essence, arrests and condenses its volatile fra grance, brings together its scattered beau ties, and prolongs its more relined but evanescent jnys ; and in this, he I haw well ; for it is good to feel that lifo is not wholly usurped by cares for subsistence and physienl gratifications, hut admits, in measures which may be indefinitely enlarged, sentiments anal delights worthy of a higher being "