“Rapt by his Steeds he flies in open Day,
Throws up the Reins, and skims the watry Way.

“Has given to thee great AEolus to raise
Storms at thy sov’reign Will, and smooth the Seas.

“He spake, and speaking chas’d the Clouds away,
Hush’d the loud Billows, and restor’d the Day.

“Mean time the Goddess on Ascanius throws,
A balmy Slumber and a sweet Repose.
Lull’d in her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love,
Convey’d him to the soft Idalian Grove.

          
                                                                                          Pit’s 1st AEneid.

Where can a smoother Line than this be found in our Language?

“Lull’d in her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love.

And it may be observed that this Line is all Monosyllables.

Monosyllables are likewise of great consequence on another account.  The Strength of the English Language is greatly owing to them:  For to them it is principally obliged for its Conciseness; and Conciseness is Strength.  Now Conciseness is not only to express ourselves in as few Words as we can, but the Excellency of the Language shews itself, if those few Words are composed of few Syllables.  And herein upon Examination, the Strength of the English Tongue will be found to lye; and for this reason it may be said to be more concise than the Latin; which will appear if Virgil is turned into English, I mean even English Verse.  For Example: 

“—­Ubi tot Simois correpta sub undas
Scuta virum, Galeasq; & fortia Corpora volvit.

“Where Simois Streams incumber’d with the slain,
Roll’d Shields, and Helms, and Heroes to the Main.
Pit’s 1st AEneid.

To discover which of these two Passages is the most concise, it is not sufficient to shew, that there are two whole English Lines, and but one Line and three Parts of another in the Latin. Latin and English Lines cannot be compared together, because in a Latin Line there are six Feet, and in an English Line but five.  Again, in Latin Verse there must be in every Line one Foot of three Syllables, often three or four, or even five Feet of three Syllables, and sometimes four or five Syllables in one Foot.  Whereas in an English Line, there is hardly ever more than two Syllables in a foot.  So that an English Verse cannot be compared with the Latin by the Line, or by the Foot, but only by the Syllables of which the Words are composed, which make the Feet in both the Languages.  The Business then is to enquire whether we write or pronounce more Syllables in the Latin or English Verses here quoted:  Upon Enquiry it appears that there are twenty nine Syllables in the Latin, and but twenty one in the English; so that the English