figure of his own mind. We have the first book of the Davideis
translated out of English into very elegant Latin by Mr. Cowley
himself." Dr. Sprat says of his Latin poetry, "that he has expressed
to admiration all the numbers of verse and figures of poetry, that are
scattered up and down amongst the ancients; and that there is hardly
to be found in them any good fashion of speech, or colour of measure;
but he has comprehended it, and given instances of it, according as
his several arguments required either a majestic spirit, or
passionate, or pleasant. This he observes, is the more extraordinary,
in that it was never yet performed by any single poet of the ancient
Romans themselves."

The same author has told us, that the occasion of Mr. Cowley's falling
on the pindarique way of writing, was his accidentally meeting with
Pindar's works in a place where he had no other books to direct him.
Having thus considered at leisure the heighth of his invention, and
the majesty of his stile, he tried immediately to imitate it in
English, and he performed it, says the Dr. without the danger that
Horace presaged to the man that should attempt it. Two of our greatest
poets, after allowing Mr. Cowley to have been a successful imitator of
Pindar, yet find fault with his numbers. Mr. Dryden having told us,
that our author brought Pindaric verse as near perfection as possible
in so short a time, adds, "But if I may be allowed to speak my mind
modestly, and without injury to his sacred ashes, somewhat of the
purity of English, somewhat of more sweetness in the numbers, in a
word, somewhat of a finer turn and more lyrical verse is yet wanting;"
and Mr. Congreve having excepted against the irregularity of the
measure of the English Pindaric odes, yet observes, "that the beauty
of Mr. Cowley's verses are an attonement for the irregularity of his
stanzas; and tho' he did nor imitate Pindar in the strictness of his