I

Had fooner return'd you thanks for the favour of your letter, but that I was in hopes of giving you an account at the fame time of my journey to Windfor; but I am now forced to put that quite off, being engaged to go to my corporation of Richmond in Yorkihire. I think you are perfectly in the right in your notions of Paftoral; but I am of opinion, that the redundancy of wit you mention, tho' 'tis what pleases the common people, is not what ever pleases the beft judges. Paftor Fido indeed has had more admirers than Aminta; but I will venture to say, there is a great deal of difference between the admirers of one and the other. Corifca, which is a character generally admir'd by the ordinary judges, is intolerable in a Pastoral; and Bonarelli's fancy of making his fhepherdefs in love with two men equally, is not to be defended, whatever pains he has taken to do it. As for what you ask of the liberty of Borrowing; 'tis very evident the best Latin Poets have extended this very far; and none fo far as Virgil, who is the best of them. As for the Greek Poets, if we cannot trace them fo plainly, 'tis perhaps because we have none before them; 'tis evident that most of them borrowed from Homer, and Homer has been accus'd of burning those that wrote before him, that his thefts might not be difcover'd. The beft of the modern Poets in all languages, are thofe that have the neareft copied the Ancients. Indeed in all the common fubjects of Poetry, the thoughts are so obvious (at least if they are natural) that whoever writes laft, muft write

things

things like what have been faid before: But they may as well applaud the Ancients for the arts of eating and drinking, and accuse the moderns of having ftolen those inventions from them; it being evident in all fuch cafes, that whoever liv'd first, must firft find them out. 'Tis true, indeed, when

Affuitur pannus,

unus et alter

when there are one or two bright thoughts ftolen, and all the rest is quite different from it, a poem makes a very foolish figure: But when 'tis all melted down together, and the Gold of the Ancients fo mix'd with that of the Moderns, that none can diftinguish the one from the other, I can never find fault with it. I cannot however but own to you, that there are others of a different opinion, and that I have fhewn your verses to fome who have made that objection to them. I have fo much company round me while I write this, and such a noise in my ears, that 'tis impoffible I should write any thing but nonsense, so must break off abruptly. I am, Sir,

Your most affectionate,

and most humble Servant.

LETTER V.

From Mr. WALSH.

Sept. 9, 1706.

A

T my return from the North I receiv'd the favour of your letter, which had lain there till then. Having been absent about fix weeks, I read over your Paftorals again, with a great deal of pleafure, and to judge the better read Virgil's Eclogues,

and

and Spenfer's Calendar, at the fame time; and, I affure you, I continue the fame opinion I had always of them. By the little hints you take upon all occafions to improve them, 'tis probable you will make them yet better againft winter; tho' there is a mean to be kept even in that too, and a man may correct his verfes till he takes away the true spirit of them; especially if he fubmits to the correction of fome who pafs for great Critics, by mechanical rules, and never enter into the true defign and Genius of an Author, I have feen fome of thefe, that would hardly allow any one good Ode in Horace, who cry Virgil wants fancy, and that Homer is very incorrect. While they talk at this rate, one would think them above the common rate of mortals: but generally they are great admirers of Ovid and Lucan; and when they write themselves, we find out all the myftery. They fcan their verfes upon their fingers; run after Conceits and glaring thoughts; their poems are all made up of Couplets, of which the first may be lait, or the laft firft, without any fort of prejudice to their works; in which there is no defign, or method, or any thing natural or juft. For you are certainly in the right, that in all writings whatfoever (not poetry only) nature is to be follow'd; and we fhould be jealous of ourselves for being fond of Similies, Conceits, and what they call faying fine Things. When we were in the North,

my Lord Wharton fhew'd me a letter he had receiv'd from a certain great General in Spain *; I told him I would by all means have that General recall'd, and fet to writing here at home, for it was impoffible that a man with fo much Wit as he fhew'd, could be fit to command an Army, or do any other bufinefst. As for what you fay of Expreffion: 'tis

The Earl of Peterborow.

Mr. Walth's Remark will be thought very innocent,

2

indeed

Indeed the fame thing to Wit, as Drefs is to Beauty: I have seen many women over-drefs'd, and several look better in a careless night-gown, with their hair about their ears, than Mademoiselle Spanheim dress'd for a ball. I do not defign to be in London till towards the parliament: then I fhall certainly be there; and hope by that time you will have finish'd your Paftorals as you would have them appear in the world, and particularly the third, of Autumn, which I have not yet feen. Your laft Eclogue being upon the fame fubject as that of mine on Mrs. Tempeft's Death, I fhou'd take it very kindly in you to give it a little turn, as if it were to the Memory of the fame Lady, if they were not written for fome particular Woman whom you would make immortal. You may take occafion to fhew the difference between Poets Miftreffes, and other mens. I only hint this, which you may either do, or let alone, juft as you think fit. I fhall be very much pleas'd to fee you again in Town, and to hear from you in the mean time. I am, with very much efteem,

Your, &c,

A

LETTER VI.

Oct. 22, 1706.

FTER the thoughts I have already sent you on the fubject of English Verfification, you defire my opinion as to fome farther particulars. There are indeed certain Niceties, which, tho' not much obferved even by correct verfifiers, I cannot but think, deferve to be better regarded,

when the reader is informed that it was made on the Earl of Peterborow, juft before the glorious campaigns of Barcelona and Valentia.

P.

1. It

1. It is not enough that nothing offends the ear, but a good poet will adapt the very Sounds, as well as Words, to the things he treats of. So that there is (if one may exprefs it fo) a Style of Sound. As in: defcribing a gliding ftream, the numbers should run eafy and flowing; in defcribing a rough torrent or deluge, fonorous and fwelling, and fo of the reft. This is evident every where in Homer and Virgil, and no where elfe, that I know of, to any obfervable degree. The following examples will make this plain, which. I have taken from Vida. Molle viam tacito lapfu per levia radit. Incedit tardo molimine fubfidendo.

Luctantes ventos, tempeftatefque fonoras.
Immenfo cum præcipitans ruit Oceano Nox.
Telum imbelle fine itu, conjecit.

Tolle moras, cape faxa manu, cape robora, Paftor.
Ferte citi flammas, data tela, repellite peftem.

This, I think, is what very few obferve in practice, and is undoubtedly of wonderful force in imprinting the image on the reader: We have one excellent example of it in our language, Mr. Dryden's Ode on St. Cecilia's day, entitled, Alexander's Feaft.

2. Every nice ear must (I believe) have obferv'd, that in any fmooth English verfe of ten fyllables, there is naturally a Paufe at the fourth, fifth, or fixth fyllable. It is upon these the ear refts, and upon the judicious change and management of which depends the variety of verfification. For example, At the fifth.

Where'er thy navy | Spreads her canvass wings, At the fourth.

Homage to thee and peace to all she brings. At the fixth.

Like tracts of leverets | in morning fnow.

Now