A DISCOURSE ON PASTORAL POETRY'. T HERE are not, I believe, a greater num→ ber of any fort of verses 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 short paper the fubftance of thofe numerous differtations the Critics have made on the fubject, without omitting any of their rules in my own favour. You will also find some points reconciled, about which they seem to differ, and a few remarks, which, I think, have escaped their obfervation. The original of Poetry is afcribed to that Age which fucceeded the creation of the world: and a Written at fixteen years of age. E VOL. I. P. as as the keeping of flocks feems to have been the first employment of mankind, the most ancient fort of poetry was probably paftoral. It is natural to imagine, that the leisure of those ancient shepherds admitting and inviting some diverfion, none was fo proper to that solitary and fedentary 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 esteem for the virtues of a former age, might recommend them to the prefent. And fince the life of shepherds was attended with more tranquillity than any other rural employment, the Poets chose to introduce their Perfons, from whom it received the name of Paftoral. A Paftoral, 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 quicknefs and paffion, but that short and flowing: the expreffion humble, yet as pure as the language ་ Fontenelle's Difc. on Paftorals. P. 2 will will afford; neat, but not florid; eafy, and yet lively. In fhort, the fable, manners, thoughts, and expreffions are full of the greatest fimplicity in nature. The complete character of this poem consists in fimplicity, brevity, and delicacy; the two firft of which render an eclogue natural, and the last delightful. If we would 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 fhepherds 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 thefe fhepherds fome skill in aftronomy, as far as it may be useful to that fort of life. And an air of piety to the Gods should shine 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 loose, the narrations and descriptions short, and the periods • Rapin de Carm. Paft. p. 2. e Raping Reflex. fur l'Art xxvii. P P. Poet. d'Arift. p. 2. Ref. |