of variety, noentertain, than tho' not on that eminent poets: ich we receive or well-difpos'd rticular object, riking by itself, Milton expreffes of poems, that any reputation, ich was after re many pieces n by Dryden, Marvell, and evident, were Autious in their d, among the e perished, and than that they many mifcel·land and Eng10 lefs tedious ark, that thro' UNION: OR SELECT SCOTS and ENGLISH POEM S. Dubiam facientia carmina palmam, EDINBURGH: Printed for ARCHIBALD MONRO & DAVID MURRAY. M.DCC.LIII 280. m. 259. S the mind of man is ever fond of variety, nothing feems better calculated to entertain, than a judicious collection of the smaller (tho' not on that account lefs-labour'd) productions of eminent poets: an entertainment not unlike that which we receive from furveying a finish'd-landschape, or well-difpos'd piece of fhell-work: where each particular object, tho' fingly beautiful, and fufficiently striking by itself, receives an additional charm, thus (as Milton expreffes it) SWEETLY INTERCHANG'D. The firft mifcellaneous collection of poems, that ever appeard in Great-Britain with any reputation, is that publish by Mr Dryden: which was afterwards continued by Tonfon. There are many pieces of the highest merit in this collection by Dryden, Denham, Creech, Drayton, Garth, Marvell, and many others; yet the compilers, it is evident, were not always fufficiently scrupulous and cautious in their choice, as feveral pieces are admitted, among the reft, which would otherwise utterly have perished, and which had no other recommendation than that they ferved to fwell the volume. Since this, many mifcellanies have been published both in Scotland and England: to enumerate which would be no lefs tedious than useless. It will be fufficient to remark, that thro' |
