and digested the Art of ancient Poefy, there hath not rifen among us one perfon fo public-fpirited, as to perform the like for the Modern. Although it is universally known, that our every-way induftrious Moderns, both in the Weight of their writings, and in the Velocity of their judgments, do so infinitely excel the faid Ancients.

Nevertheless, too true it is, that while a plain and direct road is paved to their os, or Sublime; no tract has been yet chalked out, to arrive at our Bátos or Profund. The Latins, as they came between the Greeks and Us, make ufe of the word Altitudo, which implies equally height and depth. Wherefore confidering with no small grief, how many promifing Genius's of this age are wandering (as I may fay) in the dark without a guide, I have undertaken this arduous but neceffary tafk, to lead them as it were by the hand, and step by step, the gentle down-hill way to the Bathos; the bottom, the end, the central point, the non plus ultra, of true Modern Poesy!

When I confider (my dear Countrymen) the extent, fertility, and populoufnefs of our Lowlands of Parnaffus, the flourishing state of our Trade, and the plenty of our Manufacture; there are two reflections which administer great occafion of furprize: The one, that all dignities and honours fhould be bestowed upon the exceeding few meagre inhabitants of the Top of the mountain; the other, that our own nation fhould have arrived to that pitch of greatness

it

it now poffeffes, without any regular System of Laws. As to the first, it is with great pleasure I have observed of late the gradual decay of Delicacy and Refinement among mankind, who are become too reasonable to require that we should labour with infinite pains to come up to the taste of these Mountaineers, when they without any may condefcend to ours. But as we now have an unquestionable Majority on our fide, I doubt not but we shall shortly be able to level these Highlanders, and procure a further vent for our own pro duct, which is already so much relished, encouraged, and rewarded, by the Nobility and Gentry of Great Britain.

Therefore to supply our former defect, I purpose to collect the scattered Rules of our Art into regular Institutes, from the example and practice of the deep Genius's of our nation; imitating herein my predeceffors the Master of Alexander, and the Secretary of the renowned Zenobia. And in this my undertaking I am the more animated, as I expect more fuccefs than has attended even those great Critics; fince their Laws (though they might be good) have ever been flackly executed, and their Precepts (however strict) obeyed only by fits, and by a very small number.

At the fame time I intend to do justice upon our neighbours, inhabitants of the upper Parnaffus; who, taking advantage of the rifing ground, are perpetually throwing down rubbish, dirt, and ftones upon us,

never fuffering us to live in peace. These men, while they enjoy the crystal stream of Helicon, envy us our common water, which (thank our stars) though it is somewhat muddy, flows in much greater abundance. Nor is this the greatest injustice that we have to complain of; for though it is evident that we never made the least attempt or inroad into their territories, but lived contented in our native fens; they have often not only committed Petty Larcenies upon our borders, but driven the country, and carried off at once whole Cart-loads of our manufacture; to reclaim some of which stolen goods is part of the design of this Treatife.

For we shall fee in the course of this work, that our greatest Adverfaries have fometimes defcended towards us; and doubtlefs might now and then have arrived at the Bathos itself, had it not been for that mistaken opinion they all entertained, that the Rules of the Ancients were equally neceffary to the Moderns; than which there cannot be a more grievous Error, as will be amply proved in the following difcourse.

.

And indeed when any of these have

gone

fo far, as by the light of their own Genius to attempt new Models, it is wonderful to obferve, how nearly they have approached us in those particular pieces; though in their others they differed toto coelo from us.

CHA P. II.

THAT THE BATHOS, OR PROFUND, IS THE NATURAL

TASTE OF MAN, AND IN PARTICULAR, OF THE PRESENT AGE.

TH

HE Taste of the Bathos is implanted by Nature itself in the foul of man; till, perverted by cuftom or example, he is taught, or rather compelled to relish the Sublime. Accordingly, we fee the unprejudiced Minds of Children delight only in fuch productions, and in fuch images, as our true modern writers fet before them. I have obferved how faft the general Taste is returning to this first Simplicity and Innocence; and if the intent of all Poetry be to divert and instruct, certainly that kind which diverts and inftructs the greatest number, is to be preferred. Let us look round among the Admirers of Poetry, we fhall find those who have a tafte of the Sublime to be very few; but the Profund strikes univerfally, and is adapted to every capacity. 'Tis a fruitlefs undertaking to write for men of a nice and foppish Gufto, whom after all it is almost impoffible to please; and 'tis ftill more chimerical to write for Pofterity, of whofe Tafte we cannot make any Judg. ment, and whose applause we can never enjoy. It must be confeffed our wifer authors have a prefent end,

Et prodeffe volunt et delectare Poetae.

Their true defign is Profit or Gain; in order to acquire which, 'tis neceffary to procure applause by administering pleasure to the reader: From whence it follows demonftrably, that their productions must be fuited to the prefent Taste. And I cannot but congratulate our age on this peculiar felicity, that though we have made indeed great progress in all other branches of Luxury, we are not yet debauched with any high Relish in Poetry, but are in this one Tafte lefs nice than our Ancestors. If an Art is to be estimated by its fuccefs, I appeal to experience whether there have not been, in proportion to their number, as many starving good Poets, as bad ones. Nevertheless, in making gain the principal end of our Art, far be it from me to exclude any great Genius's of Rank or Fortune from diverting themselves this way. They ought to be praised no less than those Princes, who pass their vacant hours in fome ingenious mechanical or manual Art. And to fuch as these, it would be ingratitude not to own, that our Art has been often infinitely indebted.