Where the free thought its pleafing grace beftows, And each warm ftroke with living colour glows: 40 Soft without weakness, without labour fair; Wrought up at once with happiness and care!

o'er:

How bleft the man that from the world removes To joys that MORDAUNT, or his POPE approves ; Whofe tafte exact each author can explore, And live the present and past ages Who free from pride, from penitence, or ftrife, Move calmly forward to the verge of life: Such be my days, and fuch my fortunes be, To live by reason, and to write by thee!

Nor deem this verfe, tho' humble, thy difgrace;

All are not born the glory of their race:
Yet all are born t' adore the great man's name,
And trace his footsteps in the paths to fame.
The Muse who now this early homage pays,

45

50

55

First learn'd from thee to animate her lays :
A Muse as yet unhonour'd, but unftain'd,
Who prais'd no vices, no preferment gain'd:
Unbyafs'd, or to cenfure or commend,

59

Who knows no envy, and who grieves no friend; Perhaps too fond to make thofe virtues known,

And fix her fame immortal on thy own.

WALTER HARTE.

f

A

DISCOURSE

Ο Ν

PASTORAL POETRY2.

TH

HERE are not, I believe, a greater number of any fort of verfes than of those which are called Paftorals; nor a smaller than of those which are truly fo. It therefore seems neceffary to give fome account of this kind of Poem, and it is my defign to comprize in this fhort paper the fubftance of those numerous differtations that Critics have made on the fubject, without omitting any of their rules in

a Written at fixteen years of age.

P.

my

Το

This fenfible and judicious discourse, written at fo early an age, is a more extraordinary production, than the pastorals that follow it in which, I hope, it will not be deemed an injurious criticism to say, there is scarcely a single rural image to be found that is new. The ideas of Theocritus, Virgil, and Spencer, are indeed here exhibited in language equally mellifluous and pure; but the descriptions and fentiments are trite and common. this affertion, formerly made, Dr. Johnfon anfwered; "That no invention was intended:" he therefore allows the fact, and the charge. Our author has chiefly drawn his obfervations from Rapin, Fontenelle, and the preface to Dryden's Virgil. A tranflation of Rapin's Difcourfe had been fome years before prefixed to Creech's Tranflation of Theocritus, and is no extraordinary piece of criticifm. And though Hume highly praises the Discourse of Fontenelle, yet Dr. Hurd thinks it only,

rather