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PREFACE.

I AM inclined to think, that both the writers of I think a good deal may be faid to extenuate books and the readers of them, are generally not a the fault of bad Poets. What we call a Genius, little unreasonable in their expectations. The first is hard to be distinguished, by a man himself, from feem to fancy that the world must approve of a ftrong inclination: and if his genius be ever fo whatever they produce, and the latter to imagine great, he cannot at first discover it any other way, that authors are obliged to plcafe them at any rate. than by giving way to that prevalent propenfity Methinks, as, on the one hand, no fingle man is which renders him the more liable to be mistaken. born with a right of controuling the opinions of The only method he has, is to make the experiment all the reft; fo,, on the other, the world has no by writing, and appealing to the judgment of title to demand, that the whole care and time of others: now, if he happens to write ill (which is any particular perfon fhould be facrificed to its certainly no fin in itself), he is immediately made entertainnient. Therefore, I cannot but believe an object of ridicule. I wish we had the humathat writers and readers are under equal obliga-nity to reflect, that even the worst authors might, tions, for as much fame, or pleasure, as each affords the other.

Every one acknowledges, it would be a wild notion to expect perfection in any work of man and yet one would think the contrary was taken for granted, by the judgment commonly paffed upon poems. A critic fuppofes he has done his part, if he proves a writer to have failed in an expreffion, or erred in any particular point: and can it then be wondered at, if the Poets, in general, feem refolved not to own themselves in any error? For, as long as one fide will make no allowances, the other will be brought to no acknowledgments*.

in their endeavour to please us, deserve something at our hands. We have no cause to quarrel with them but for their obftinacy in perfifting to write; and this too may admit of alleviating circumftances. Their particular friends may be either ignorant or infincere; and the reft of the world in general is too well-bred to fhock them with a truth, which generally their bookfellers are the first that inform them of. This happens not till they have spent too much of their time, to apply to any profeflion which might better fit their talents; and till fuch talents as they have are so far difcredited as to be but of small service to them. For (what is the hardest case imaginable) the reI am afraid this ex'reme zcal on both fides is ill-putation of a man generally depends upon the first placed; Poetry and Criticism being by no means the univerfal concern of the world, but only the affair of idle men who write in their closets, and of idle men who read there.

Yet fure, upon the whole, a bad author deferves better ufage than a bad critic: for a writer's endeavour, for the moft part, is to please his readers, and he fails merely through the misfortune of an ill judgment; but fuch a critic's is to put them out of humour; a defign he could never go upon without both that and an ill temper.

In the former editions it was thus-"For as "long as one fide despises a well-meant endeavour, the "other will not be fatisfied with a moderate approba"tion."-but the Author altered it, as these words nvere rather a confequence from the conclufion be would draw, than the conclufion itself, which be bas now infested. |

fteps he makes in the world; and people will establish their opinion of us. from what we do at that season, when we have least judgment to direct us.

On the other hand, a good poet no fooner communicates his works with the fame defire of information, but it is imagined he is a vain young creature given up to the ambition of fame; when perhaps the poor man is all the while trembling with the fear of being ridiculous. If he is made to hope he may please the world, he falls under very unlucky circumftances: for from the moment he prints, he must expect to hear no more truth, than if he were a prince, or a beauty If he has not very good sense (and indeed there are twenty men of wit for one man of fenfe), his living thus in a courfe of flattery may put him in no fmall danger of becoming a coxcomb: if he

has, he will confequently have so much diffidence as not to reap any great fatisfaction from his praife; fince, if it be given to his face, it can fcarce be diftinguished from flattery, and if in his abfence, it is hard to be certain of it. Were he fare to be commended by the best and most knowing, he is as fure of being envied by the worft and moft ignorant, which are the majority; for it is with a fine genius, as with a fine fashion, all thofe are difpleafed at it who are not able to follow it: and it is to be feared that esteem will feldom do any man so much good, as ill-will does him harm. Then there is a third clafs of people who make the largest part of mankind, those of ordinary or indifferent capacities; and thefe (to a man) will hate or fufpect him: a hundred honeft gentlemen will dread him as a wit, and a hundred innocent women as a fatirift. In a word, whatever be his fate in poetry, it is ten to one but he muft give up all the reasonable aims of life for it. There are indeed fome advantages accruing from a genius to poetry, and they are all I can think of: the agreeable power of felf-amufement when a man is idle or alone; the privilege of being admitted into the best company; and the freedom of faying as many careless things as other people, without being fo feverely remarked upon.

I believe, if any one, early in his life, fhould contemplate the dangerous fate of authors, he would fcarce be of their number on any confideration. The life of a wit is a warfare upon earth; and the present spirit of the learned world is fuch, that to attempt to ferve it (any way) one must have the conftancy of a martyr, and a refolution to fuffer for its fake. I could with people would believe, what I am pretty certain they will not, that I have been much lefs concerned about fame than I durft declare till this occafion, when methinks I fhould find more credit than I could heretofore, fince my writings have had their fate already, and it is too late to think of prepoffeffing the reader in their favour. I would plead it as fome merit in me, that the world has never been prepared for thefe trifles by prefaces, biaffed by recommendations, dazzled with the names of great patrons, wheedled with fine reafons and pretences, or troubled with excufes. I confefs it was want of confideration that made me an author: I writ because it amused me; I corrected because it was as pleasant to me to correct as to write; and I published because I was told I might please fuch as it was a credit to pleafe. To what degree I have done this, I am really ignorant; I had too much fondness for my productions to judge of them at first, and too much judgment to be pleafed with them at laft. But I have reafon to think they can have no reputation which will continue long, or which deferves to do fo; for they have always fallen fhort not only of what I read of others, but even of my own ideas of poetry.

If any one should imagine I am not in earnest, I defire him to reflect that the Ancients (to-fay the leaft of them) bad as much genius as we; and that to take more pains, and employ more time, cannot fail to produce more complete pieces. They con

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ftantly applied themselves not only to that art, but to that fingle branch of an art, to which their talent was moft powerfully bent; and it was the bufinefs of their lives to correct and finish their works for pofterity. If we can pretend to have ufed the fame industry, let us expect the fame immortality: Though, if we took the same care, we should ftill lie under a further misfortune: they writ in languages that became univerfal and everlafting, while ours are extremely limited both in extent and in duration: A mighty foundation for our pride when the utmoft we can hope is but to be read in one ifland, and to be thrown afide at the end of one age.

All that is left us is to recommend our produc-" tions by the imitation of the Ancients; and it will be found true, that, in every age, the highest character for fenfe and learning has been obtained by thofe who have been moft indebted to them. For, to fay truth, whatever is very good fenfe, muft have been common fenfe in all times; and what we call Learning, is but the knowledge of the fenfe of our predeceffors. Therefore they who fay our thoughts are not our own, becaufe they resemble the Ancients, may as well fay our faces are not our own, because they are like our Fathers: And indeed it is very unreafonable, that people fhould expect us to be scholars, and yet be angry to find us fo.

I fairly confefs that I have ferved myself all r could by reading; that I made ufe of the judgment of authors dead and living; that I omitted no means in my power to be informed of my errors, both by my friends and enemies: But the true reafon these pieces are not more correct, is owing to the confideration how fhort a time they and I have to live: One may be ashamed to confume half one's days in bringing fenfe and rhyme together; and what critic can be fo unreasonable, as not to leave a man time enough for any more serious employment, or more agreeable amufement?

The only plea I fhall ufe for the favour of the public, is, that I have as great a refpect for it, as most authors have for themselves; and that I have facrificed much of my own felf-love for its fake, in preventing not only many mean things from feeing the light, but many which I thought tolerable. I would not be like thofe authors, who forgive themfelves fome particular lines for the fake of a whole poem. and vice verfa a whole poem for the fake of fome particular lines. I believe, no one qualification is fo likely to make a good writer, as the power of rejecting his own thoughts, and it must be this (if any thing) that can give me a chance to be one. For what I have published, I can only hope to be pardoned; but for what I have burned,

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deferve to be praifed. On this account the world is under fome obligation to me, and owes me the juftice in return, to look upon no verfes as mine that are not inferted in this collection. And perhaps nothing could make it worth my while to own what are really fo, but to avoid the imputation of fo many dull and immoral things, as partly by malice, and party by ignorance, have been afcribed to me. I mutt further acquit myself of the prefumption of having let my name to ree

commend any mifcellanies, or works of other men; a thing I never thought becoming a perfon who has hardly credit enough to anfwer for his own. In this office of collecting my pieces, I am altogether uncertain, whether to look upon myself as a man building a monument, or burying the dead. If time fhall make it the former, may thefe poems (as long as they laft) remain as a teftimony that their author never made his talents fubfervient to the mean and unworthy ends of party or felf-intereft; the gratification of public prejudices or private paffions; the flattery of the undeferving, or the infult of the unfortunate. If I have written well, let it be confidered that it is what no man can do without good fenfe; a quality that not only renders one capable of being a good writer, but a good man. And if I have made any acquifition in the opinion of any one under the notion of the former, let it be continued to me under no other title than that of the latter.

with my writings, or with this apology for them. I am fenfible how difficult it is to fpeak of one's felf with decency: but when a man muft fpeak of himself, the best way is to speak truth of himself, or, he may depend upon it, others will do it for him. I'll therefore make this Preface a general confeffion of all my thoughts of my own poetry, refolving with the fame freedom to expofe myfelf, as it is in the power of any other to expofe them. In the first place, I thank God and nature, that I was born with a love to poetry; for nothing more conduces to fill up all the intervals of our time, or, if rightly used, to make the whole courfe of life entertaining: "Cantantes licet ufque (mi nus via lædet)." It is a vaft happiness to poffefs the pleasures of the head, the only pleasures in which a man is fufficient to himself, and the only part of him which, to his fatisfaction, he can employ all day long. The Muses are "amicæ omnium horarum;" and, like our gay acquaintance, But if this publication be only a more folemn the best company in the world, as long as one exfuneral of my remains, I defire it to be known pects no real service from them. I confefs there that I die in charity, and in my fenfes; without was a time when I was in love with myfelf, and any murmurs against the juftice of this age, or my first productions were the children of felf-love any mad appeals to pofterity. I declare I fhall upon innocence. I had made an Epic Poem, and think the world in the right, and quietly submit Panegyrics on all the princes in Europe, and to every truth which time fhall difcover to the thought myself the greatest genius that ever prejudice of these writings; not fo much as wish-was. I cannot but regret thofe delightful visions ing fo irrational a thing, as that every body fhould be deceived merely for my credit. However, I defire it may be then confidered, That there are very few things in this collection which were not written under the age of five-and-twenty; fo that my youth may be made (as it never fails to be in executions) a cafe of compaffion: That i was never fo concerned about my works as to vindicate them in print, believing, if any thing was good, it would defend itself, and what was bad could never be defended: That I used no artifice to raise or continue a reputation, depreciated no dead author I was obliged to, bribed no living one with unjust praise, infulted no adversary with ill language; or, when I could not attack a rival's | works, encouraged reports againft his morals. To conclude, if this volume perish, let it ferve as a warning to the critics, not to take too much pains for the future to deftroy fuch things as will die of themselves; and a memento mori to fome of my vain contemporaries the Poets, to teach them that, when real merit is wanting, it avails nothing to have been encouraged by the great, commended by the nent, and favoured by the public in general. Nov. 10. 1716.

of my childhood, which, like the fine colours we fee when our eyes are shut, are vanished for ever. Many trials, and fad experience, have fo undeceived me by degrees, that I am utterly at a loss at what rate to value myself. As for fame, I shall be glad of any I can get, and not repine at any I mifs; and, as for vanity, I have enough to keep me from hanging myself, or even from wishing thofe hanged who would take it away. It was this that made me write. The sense of my faults made me correct; besides, that it was as pleasant to me to correct as to write.

At p. 9. c. 2. 1. 26. In the first place, I own that I have used my beft endeavours to the finishing these pieces: That I made what advantage I could of the judgment of authors dead and living; and that I omitted no means in my power to be informed of my errors by my friends and my enemies: And that I expect no favour on account of my youth, business, want of health, or any such idle excufes. But the true reason they are not yet more correct, is owing to the confideration emi-how fhort a time they, and I, have to live. A man

VARIATIONS in the Author's Manuscript Preface.

AFTER page 9. c. r. 1. 27. it followed thus: For my part, I confefs, had I feen things in this view, at first, the public had never been troubled either

that can expect but fixty years, may be ashamed to employ thirty in measuring fyllables, and bringing fenfe and rhyme together. We spend our youth in purfuit of riches or fame, in hopes to enjoy them when we are old; and when we are old, we find it too late to enjoy any thing. I therefore hope the Wits will pardon me, if I referve fome of my time to fave my foul; and that some wife men will be of my opinion, even if I should think a part of it better spent in the enjoyments of life, than in pleafing the critics.

PASTORALS

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1704.

Rura mihi et rigui placeant in valibus amnes,
Flumina amem, fylvafque, inglorius.

DISCOURSE ON PASTORAL POETRY.*

THERE are not, I believe, a greater number of any fort of verfes than those which are called Paftorals; nor a smaller, than those which are truly fo. It therefore feems neceffary to give fome account of this kind of Poem; and it is my defign to comprise in this fhort paper the fubstance of thofe numerous differtations the Critics have made on the fubject, without omitting any of their rules in my own favour. You will alfo find fome points reconciled, about which they feem to differ; and a few remarks, which, I think, have escaped their observation.

The original of Poetry is afcribed to that Age which fucceeded the creation of the world; and as the keeping of flocks feems to have been the first employment of mankind, the most ancient fort of Poetry was probably Paftoral t. It is natural to imagine, that the leifure of thofe ancient fhepherds admitting and inviting fome diverfion, none was fo proper to that folitary and fedantary life as finging; and that in their fongs they took occafion to celebrate their own felicity. From hence a Poem was invented, and afterwards improved to a perfect image of that happy time; which, by giving us an efteem for the vir tues of a former age, might recommend them to the prefent. And fince the life of shepherds was attended with more tranquillity than any other

• Written at fixteen years of age.
↑ Fontenelle's Difcourse on Paftorals.

rural employment, the poets chofe to introduce their perfons, from whom it received the name of Pastoral.

A pastoral is an imitation of the action of a fhepherd, or one confidered under that character. The form of this imitation is dramatic, or narrative, or mixed of both ; the fable fimple, the manners not too polite nor too ruftic: the thoughts are plain, yet admit a little quickness and paffion, but that short and flowing the expreffion humble, yet as pure as the language will afford; neat, but not florid; easy, and yet lively. In fhort, the fable, manners. thoughts, and expreffions, are full of the greatest fimplicity in na

ture.

The complete character of this poem confifts in fimplicity, brevity, and delicacy; the two firft of which render an eclogue natural, and the laft delightful.

If we could copy nature, it may be useful to take this idea along with us, that paftoral is an image of what they call the Golden Age. So that we are not to defcribe our shepherds as fhepherds at this day really are, but as they may be conceived then to have been, when the best of men followed the employment. To carry this refemblance yet further, it would not be amifs to give these fhepherds fome skill in aftronomy, as

Heinfius in Theor.

Rapin, de Carm, Paft. p. 2.

far as it may be useful to that fort of life. And an air of piety to the gods fhould fhine through the poem, which so visibly appears in all the works of antiquity; and it ought to preserve fome relish of the old way of writing: the connection fhould be loofe, the narrations and defcriptions fhort, and the periods concife: yet it is not fufficient, that the fentences only be brief; the whole eclogue fhould be fo too: for we cannot fuppofe poetry in those days to have been the business of men, but their recreation at vacant hours.

his defcriptions, of which that of the cup in the firft paftoral is a remarkable inftance. in the manners he seems a little defective; for his swains are fometimes abusive and immodest, and perhaps too much inclining to rufticity; for instance, in his fourth and fifth Idyllia. But it is enough that all others learned their excellence from him, and that his dialect alone has a secret charm in it, which no other could ever attain.

Virgil, who copies Theocritus, refines npon his original and in all points, where judgment is principally concerned, he is much fuperior to his But with respect to the prefent age, nothing mafter. Though fome of his fubjects are not more conduces to make these composures natural, paftoral in themselves, but only feem to be fuch; than when fome knowledge in rural affairs is they have a wonderful variety in them, which difcovered + This may be made to appear ra- the Greek was a stranger to. He exceeds him ther done by chance than on defign, and fome-in regularity and brevity, and falls fhort of him times is beft fhewn by inference; left by too much study to feem natural, we deftroy that eafy fimplicity from whence arises the delight: for what is inviting in this fort of poetry proceeds not fo much from the idea of that bufinefs, as the tran-greateft who have moft endeavoured to make quillity of a country life.

We must therefore ufe fome illufion to render a pastoral delightful; and this confifts in expofing the beft fide only of a fhepherd's life, and in concealing its miferies t. Nor is it enough to introduce fhepherds difcourfing together in a natural way; but a regard must be had to the fubject, that it contain fome particular beauty in itself, and that it be different in every eclogue. Befides, in each of them a defigned scene or profpect is to be prefented to our view, which fhould likewife have its variety §. This variety is obtained in a great degree by frequent comparisons, drawn from the most agreeable objects of the country; by interrogations to things inanimate; by beautifui digreffions, but thofe fhort; fometimes by infifting a little on circumftances; and laftly, by elegant turns on the words, which render the numbers extremely sweet and pleafing. As for the numbers themfelves, though they are properly of the heroic meafure, they fhould be the fmootheft, the most easy and flowing iniaginable.

It is by rules like thefe that we ought to judge of pastoral. And fince the inftructions given for any art are to be delivered as that art is in perfection, they must of neceffity be derived from thofe in whom it is acknowledged fo to be. It is therefore from the practice of Theocritus and Virgil (the only undifputed authors of paftoral) that the critics have drawn the foregoing notions concerning it.

Theocritus excells all others in nature and fimplicity, The fubjects of his Idyllia are purely paftoral; but he is not fo exact in his perfons, having introduced reapers || aud fishermen as well as fhepherds. He is apt to be too long in

Rapin, Reflex. fur l'Art Poet. d'Arif. p. 2. Refer. xxvii.

Pref to Virg. Paft. in Dryd. Virg.
Fontenelle's Difc. of Paftorals.
See the forementioned Preface

EPIXTAI. Idyl, X. and AQIDIE, Idyl. xxi.

in nothing but fimplicity and propriety of ftyle; the first of which perhaps was the fault of his age, and the last of his language.

Among the moderns, their fuccefs has been

these ancients their pattern. The most confiderable genius appears in the famous Taffo, and our Spenfer. Taffo in his Aminta has as far excelled all the pastoral writers, as in his Gierufalemme he has outdone the epic poets of his country. But as his piece feems to have been the original of a new fort of poem, the paftoral comedy, in Italy, it cannot fo well be confidered as a copy of the ancients. Spenfer's Calendar, in Mr. Dryden's opinion, is the most complete work of this kind which any nation has produced ever fince the time of Virgilt: not but that he may be thought imperfect in fome few points. His eclogues are fomewhat too long, if we compare them with the ancients. He is fometimes too allegorical, and treats of matters of religion in a paftoral style, as the Mantuan had done before him. He has employed the lyric meafure, which is contrary to the practice of the old poets. His stanza is not ftill the fame, nor always well chofen. This last may be the reafon his expreffion is fometimes not concile enough: for the tetraflic has obliged him to extend his fenfe to the length of four lines, which would have been more closely confined in the couplet.

In the manners, thoughts, and characters, he comes near to Theocritus himself; though, notwithstanding all the care he has taken, he is certainly inferior in his dialect: for the Doric had its beauty and propriety in the time of Theocritus; it was used in part of Greece, and frequent in the mouths of many of the greatest perfons: whereas the old English and country phrases of Spenfer were either entirely obfolete, or spoken only by people of the loweft condition. As there is a difference betwixt fimplicity and rufticity, fo the expreflion of fimple thoughts fhould be plain, but not clownish. The addition he has made of a calendar to his eclogues, is very beautiful;

Rapin, Ref. on Arift. part ii. Reft. xxvi.Pref. to the Ecl. in Dr,den's Virg. + Dedation to Virg. Ecl.

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