Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 5.djvu/258

250 index, and carries, like a north-country pedlar, all his substance and furniture upon his back, and with as great variety of trifles. To him let all young students make their compliments for so much time and pains saved in the pursuit of useful knowledge; for whoever shortens a road, is a benefactor to the publick, and to every particular person who has occasion to travel that way.

But to proceed. I have lamented nothing more in my time, than the disuse of some ingenious little plays, in fashion with young folks when I was a boy, and to which the great facility of that age, above ours, in composing, was certainly owing; and, if any thing has brought a damp upon the versification of these times, we have no farther than this to go for the cause of it. Now, could these sports be happily revived, I am of opinion your wisest course would be to apply your thoughts to them, and never fail to make a party when you can, in those profitable diversions. For example, crambo is of extraordinary use to good rhiming, and rhiming is what I have ever accounted the very essential of a good poet: and in that notion I am not singular; for the aforesaid sir P. Sidney has declared, "That the chief life of modern versifying consists in the like sounding of words, which we call rhime;" which is an authority, either without exception, or above any reply. Wherefore, you are ever to try a good poem as you would sound a pipkin; and if it rings well upon the knuckle, be sure there is no flaw in it. Verse without rhime, is a body without a soul (for the "chief life consisteth in the rhime") or a bell without a clapper; which, in strictness, is no bell, as being neither of use nor delight. And the same