and cafy. The Author feems to have a particular genius for that kind of poetry, and a Judgment that much exceeds the years you told me he was of. He has taken very freely from the ancients, but what he has mixed of his own with theirs, is not inferior to what he has taken from them. Tis no flattery at all to say, that Virgil had written nothing so good at I fhall take it as a favour if you will bring me acquainted with him: and if he will give give himself the trouble any morning to call at my houfe, I fhall be very very glad to read verfes over

6s age*

the

with him, and give him my opinion of the particulars more largely than I can well do in this letter. I am, Sir, &c.

Mr. WALSH to Mr. POPE.

od June 24, 1706.

Receiv'd the favour of your letter, and shall be

I very glad of the continuance of a correfpon

dence by which I am like to be fo great a gainer. I hope, when I have the happiness of feeing you again in London, not only to read over the verses I have now of yours, but more that you have written fince; for I make no doubt but any one who writes fo well, muft write more. Not that I think the most voluminous poets always the belt; I believe

247

Sixteen.

the

the contrary is rather true. I mention'd fomewhat to you in London of a Paftoral Comedy, which I fhould be glad to hear you had thought upon fince. I find Menage in his obfervations upon Taffo's Aminta, reckons up fourfcore paftoral plays in Italian and in looking over my old Italian books, I find a great many paftoral and pifcatory plays, which, I fuppofe, Menage reckons together. I find alfo by Menage, that Taffo is not the first that writ in that kind, he mentioning another before him which he himself had never feen, nor indeed have I. But as the Aminta, Paftor Fido, and Filli di Sciro of Bonarelli are the three beft, fo, I think, there is no difpute but Aminta is the best of the three: not but that the difcourfes in Paftor Fido are more entertaining and copious in feveral people's opinion, tho' not fo proper for pastoral: and the fable of Bonarelli more furprizing. I do not remember many in other languages, that have written in this kind with fuccefs, Racan's Bergeries are much inferior to his lyric poems; and the Spaniards are all too full of conceits. Rapin will have the defign of paftoral plays to be taken from the Cyclops of Euripides. I am fure there is nothing of this kind in English worth mentioning, and therefore you have that field open to yourself. You fee I write to you without any fort of conftraint or method, as things come into my head, and therefore ufe the fame freedom with me, who am, &c.

LETTER III.

To Mr. WALSH.

dagi Windfor Foreft, July 2, 1706.

Cannot omit the firft opportunity of making your my acknowledgments for reviewing thofe papers of mine. You have no lefs right to correct me, than the fame hand that rais'd a tree á tree has to prune it. I am convinced as well as you, that one may correct too much; for in poetry, as in painting, a man may Tay colours one upon another, till they stiffen and deaden the piece. Befides, to beftow heightening on every part is monftrous: fome parts ought to be fower than the reft; and nothing looks more ridicufous than a work, where the thoughts, however different in their own nature, feem all on a level ; 'tis like a meadow newly mown, where weeds, grafs, and flowers, are all laid even, and appear undiftinguifh'd. I believe too that fometimes our first thoughts are the beft, as the firft squeezing of the grapes makes the fineft and richest wine.

I have not attempted any thing of a Paftoral comedy, becaufe, I think, the tafte of our age will not relifh a poem of that fort. People feek for what they call wit, on all fubjects, and in all places; not confidering that nature loves truth fo well, that it hardly ever admits of flourishing: Conceit is to náture what paint is to beauty; it is not only needlefs, but impairs what it would improve. There is a certain majefty in fimplicity, which is far above all

the

the quaintnefs of wit: infomuch that the critics have excluded wit from the loftieft poetry, as well as the lowest, and forbid it to the Epic no less than the Paitoral. Is fhou'd certainly displease all those who are charm'd with Guarini and Bonarelli, and imitate Taffo not only in the fimplicity of his Thoughts, but in that of the Fable too. If furprizing discoveries fhould have place in the ftory of a paftoral comedy, I believe it would be more agreeable to probability to make them the effects of chance than of defign; intrigue not being very confiftent with that innocence, which ought to conftitute a fhepherd's character. There is nothing in all the Aminta (as I remember) but happens by mere accident; unlefs it be the meeting of Aminta with Sylvia at the fountain, which is the contrivance of Daphne; and even that is the moft fimple in the world: the contrary is obfervable in Paftor Fido, where Corifca is fo perfect a miftrefs of intrigue, that the plot could not have been brought to pafs without cher. I am inclined to think the paftoral comedy has another difadvantage, as to the manners: its general defign is to make us in love with the innocence of a rural life, fo that to introduce fhepherds of a vicious character muft in fome measure debafe it; and hence it may come to pafs, that even the virtuous characters will not fhine fo much, for want of being oppos'd to their contraries. Thefe thoughts are purely my own and therefore I have reafon to doubt them: but I hope your judgment will fet me right. E 4

I would

I would beg your opinion too as to another point: it is, how far the liberty of borrowing may extend? I have defended it fometimes by saying, that it seems not fo much the perfection of fenfe, to fay things that had never been faid before, as to exprefs those beft that have been faid ofteneft; and that writers, in the cafe of borrowing from others, are like trees which of themselves would produce only one fort of fruit, but by being grafted upon others may yield variety. A mutual commerce makes poetry flourish but then poets, like merchants, fhould repay with fomething of their own what they take from others; not, like pyrates, make prize of all they meet. I defire you to tell me fincerely, if I have not ftretch'd this licence too far in these Paftorals? I hope to become a critic by your precepts, and a poet by your example. Since I have feen your Eclogues, I cannot be much pleas'd with my own; however you have not taken away all my vanity; fo long as you give me leave to profefs myself Yours, &c.

I'

LETTER IV.

From Mr. WALSH.

July 20, 1706.

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

He fhould rather have faid, the perfection of conception.

Windfor;