N. B. 1 teach the Arcana of my Art at reas "fonable rates to Gentlemen of the Universities, "who defire to be qualified for writing Dedica tions; and to young Lovers and Fortune-hun"ters, to be paid at the day of Marriage. I in"ftruct perfons of bright Capacities to flatter "others, and those of the meaneft to flatter them"felves. I was the first Inventor of Pocket Looking"Glaffes. No. 40. Monday, April 27, 1713. Being a Continuation of fome former Papers on the Subject of PASTORALS. Compulerantque greges Corydon et Thyrfis in unum: Ex illo Corydon, Corydon eft tempore nobis. Age Defigned to have troubled the reader with no further difcourfes of Paftoral; but being informed that I am taxed of partiality in not men tioning an Author whofe Eclogues are published in the fame volume with Mr. Philips's, I fhall employ this paper in Obfervations upon him, written in the free Spirit of Criticism, and without any apprehenfion of offending that Gentleman, whofe character it is, that he takes the greatest care of his works before they are published, and has the leaft concern for them afterwards. 2 I have laid it down as the firft rule of Pastoral, that its idea fhould be taken from the manners of the Golden Age, and the Moral formed upon the Reprefentation of Innocence; 'tis therefore plain that any deviations from that defign degrade a Poem from being truly paftoral. In this view it will ap pear, that Virgil can only have two of his Eclogues allowed to be fuch: his firft and ninth must be rejected, because they describe the ravages of armies, and oppreffions of the innocent; Corydon's criminal paffion for Alexis throws out the fecond; the calumny and railing in the third are not proper to that ftate of concord; the eighth reprefents unlawful ways of procuring love by inchantments, and introduces a fhepherd whom an inviting precipice tempts to felf-murder: As to the fourth, fixth, and tenth, they are given up by Heinfius, Salmafius, Rapin, and the criticks in general. They likewife obferve but eleven of all the Idyllia of Theocritus are to be admitted as pastorals: and even out of that number the greater part will be excluded for one or other of the reasons above-mentioned. So that when I remarked in a former paper, that Virgil's eclogues, taken all together, are rather Select Poems than P.ftorals; I might have faid the fame thing with no W b See Rapin de Carm. Par. iii. lefs truth of Theocritus. The Reason of this I take to be yet unobferved by the criticks, viz. They never meant them all for paftorals. Now it is plain Philips hath done this, and in that particular excelled both Theocritus and Virgil. 3. As Simplicity is the diftinguishing characte riftick of Paftoral, Virgil hath been thought guil ty of too courtly a ftyle; his language is perfectly pure, and he often forgets he is among peasants. I have frequently wondered, that fince he was fo converfant in the writings of Ennius, he had not imitated the rufticity of the Doric as well by the help of the old obfolete Roman language, as Philips hath by the antiquated English: For example, might he not have faid quoi inftead of cui; quoijum for cu jum; volt for vult, etc. as well as our modern hath welladay for alas, whileome for of old, make mock for deride, and witless younglings for fimple lambs, etc. by which means he had attained as much of the air of Theocritus, as Philips hath of Spencer? which are im 4. Mr. Pope hath fallen into the fame error with Virgil. His clowns do not converfe in all the fimplicity proper to the country: His names are borrowed from Theocritus and Virgil, proper to the fcene of his paftorals. He introduces Daphnis, Alexis, and Thyrfis on British plains, as Virgil had done before him on the Mantuan: Whereas Philips, who hath the ftricteft regard to propriety, makes choice of names peculiar to the country, and more agreeable to a reader of delicacy; fuch at Hobbinol, Lobbin, Cuddy and Colin Clout.h et ti won 5. So easy as paftoral writing may feem (in the fimplicity we have described it) yet it requires great reading both of the ancients and moderns, to be a mafter of it. Philips hath given us manifeft proofs of his knowledge of books. It must be confeffed his competitor hath imitated some single thoughts of the ancients well enough (if we confider he had not the happiness of an University education) but he hath difperfed them here and there, without that order and method which Mr. Philips obferves, whofe whole third paftoral is an instance how well he hath ftudied the fifth of Virgil, and how judiciously reduced Virgil's thoughts to the ftandard of Paftoral; as his contention of Colin Clout and the Nightingale fhows with what exactnefs he hath imitated line in Strada. every Yo 6. When I remarked it as a principal fault, to introduce fruits and flowers of a foreign growth, in defcriptions where the fcene lies in our own country, I did not defign that obfervation fhould extend alfo to animals, or the fenfitive life; for Mr. Philips hath with great judgment defcribed Wolves in England in his firft paftoral. Nor would I have a poet flavishly confine himself (as Mr. Pope hath done) to one particular Seafon of the year, one certain Time of the day, and one unbroken Scene in each eclogue. "Tis plain Spencer, neglected this pedantry, who in his pastoral of November mentions the mournful Song of the Nightingale, - Sad Philomel ber fong in tears doth freep. And Mr. Philips, by a poetical creation, hath raifed up finer beds of flowers than the moft industrious gardiner; his rofes, endives, lilies, king-cups, and daffidils, blow all in the fame season. 7. But the better to discover the merits of our two contemporary Paftoral writers, I fhall endeavour to draw a parallel of them, by fetting feveral of their particular thoughts in the fame light, whereby it will be obvious how much Philips hath the advantage. With what fimplicity he introduces two shepherds finging alternately? Hobb. Come, Rofaland, O come, for without thee What pleasure can the country have for me? Lanq. Come, Rofalind, O come; bere fhady borers, flowers, Come, Rofalind; here ever let us ftay, And fweetly waste our live-long time away. |