MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS

ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΘΟΥΣ:

OR, OF THE ART OF

SINKING IN POETRY.

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR MDCCXXVII.

VOL. VI.

CHAP.

CONTENTS

OF THE

ART OF SINKING IN POETRY.

PAGE

197

I. Introduction

II. That the Bathos, or Profund, is the natural

Taste of Man, and in particular of the

prefent Age

III. The Neceffity of the Bathos, phyfically con-

fidered

IV. That there is an Art of the Bathos or Pro-

fund

V. Of the true Genius for the Profund, and by

what it is conftituted

VI. Of the feveral Kinds of Genius's in the Pro-

fund, and the Marks and Characters of

each

201

203

205

207

214

VII. Of the Profund, when it confifts in the

Thought

VIII. Of the Profund, confifting in the Circum-

ftances, and of Amplification and Peri-

phrafe in general

222

IX. Of Imitation, and the Manner of Imitating 227

X. Of

02

218

CHAP.

X. Of Tropes and Figures; and firft of the

variegating, confounding, and reverfing

Figures

XI. The Figures continued: Of the magnifying

and diminishing Figures

XII. Of Expression, and the feveral Sorts of Style

of the present Age

XIII. A Project for the Advancement of the Ba-

thos

260

XIV. How to make Dedications, Panegyricks, or

Satires, and of the Colours of Honourable

and Difhonourable

PAGE

232

240

248

264

XV. A Receipt to make an Epic Poem

267

XVI. A Project for the Advancement of the Stage 274

MARTINUS

SCRIBLERUS

ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΘΟΥΣ,

CHAP. I.

T hath been long (my dear Countrymen) the subIT ject of my concern and furprize, that whereas numberless Poets, Critics, and Orators have compiled

and

Martinus] The learned Mr. Upton has made an ingenious remark on the title of this piece: " "Tis pleasant enough to confider how the change of a single letter has often led learned Commentators into mistakes; and a П, being accidently altered into a B, in a Greek Rhetorician, gave occafion to one of the best pieces of fatire that was ever written in the English language, viz. ПЕРІ BA☺OYE; a treatise concerning the Art of Sinking in Poetry. The blunder I mean is in the fecond fection of Longinus: EI EETIN ΥΨΟΥΣ ΤΙΣ Η ΒΑΘΟΥΣ ΤΕΧΝΗ, inftead of ΠΑΘΟΥΣ ; a moft ridiculous blunder, which has occafioned as ridiculous criticisms." Obfervations on Shakespeare, p. 256.

M. De Larchet, the tranflator of Herodotus, gave a French translation also of this Life of Scriblerus. It is easy to imagine that the humour has evaporated in a French tranflation.

The blunder relating to the word abs, reminds one of a moft egregious mistake of Rapin the critic, whofe knowledge of Greek has been much queftioned. Relating a ftory of Euphranor the painter, he says, "Apion has related it." Having read the ftory in Euftathius; who says, aπ εypar; which meant, that Euphranor, hearing a description of Jupiter read in Homer, "went away and painted it."