exploded by the Universal Reason of Mankind. Homer, Pindar, Sophocles and Euripides, will, as long as they are understood, preserve their Characters of Excellent Poets, tho the Stagyrite with all his Volumes, is now shrunk from his Ostentatious Title of the Philosopher, to that of a good Critic, or Grammarian.

Tho I grant the Græcians this, yet I cannot subscribe to the rest of the Hyperbolical Praises some of our Modern Critics give them. For I confess, I can discover no such Universal Genius in Homer, as they contend for, as that all Arts and Siences may be learn't from him: Virgil seems to me, more generally Learned by far; and Mr. Cowley among our English Poets, may without Partiality, be put up for his Rival in the Glory of Learning. As for the Numbers of Homer, Rapin vastly extols their Variety, and yet confesses that to be the Property of the Greek Language, which makes it the easier Task for Homer to perform, and by consequence, lessens his Merit on that Account. But it cannot be deny'd that Virgil has as much Variety in this as the Roman Language wou'd allow; and as was necessary for the Beauty of his Poem; and they are in his Descriptions especially, so well chosen, that they extremely contribute to the Image of the thing describ'd; as Gemitus dedere Caverna: præruptus aquæ Mons. The sound of the first makes us as it were hear the hollow noise the Spear of Lyacoon made in the Trojan Horse; the other Places in our View such a watry Mountain. Among our English Poets, none can compare with Mr. Dryden for Numbers: His Descriptions are all very perfect in all things; but his Numbers contribute. not a little to the force and life of the Representation, for they carry something in them distinct from the Expression and Thought; as in his Description of Night,

What an Image of a profound Stillness does this following Verse set before us,

The Mountains seem to Nod their drousie Heads!

I have not room nor leisure at this time to make a thorough parallel betwixt the Ancients and the Moderns, and shall only cursorily run over the Heads. I have touch'd the Universality of Genius, and the variety of Numbers (this last being the Prerogative of the Language more than of the Poets.) Judgment I think is apparently the due of the Moderns, who I'm confident wou'd ne'er have been guilty of those Absurdities the Ancients abound with. They seem to have been Masters of but little Reason, when they made their Gods such limited and criminal Beings. Homer often digresses from the Hero, that is the Subject of his Poem, to entertain us with other Objects too remote from Achilles. You may, Sir, easily perceive that I press not so hard as I might on the Ancients; that I omit abundance of Improprieties, and Absurdities, ridiculous even to Childishness, because I wou'd not be thought to rob the Fathers of Poetry of their just Value and Esteem; tho I confess I am of Mr. St. Euremont's Opinion, that no Name can Privilege Nonsense or ill Conduct.

The Enemies of the Moderns will not deal so Civilly with them. They deny them to be Poets because they have not strictly observed the Rules laid down by Aristotle, but by that they discover themselves either ignorant or negligent of the most chief and important end of Poetry, that is, Pleasure. Now, it cannot be deny'd but he is the best Poet who takes the surest means to obtain the end he aims at; in which, regard must be had to the Humour, Custom, and Inclination of the Auditory; but an English Audience will never

be pleas'd with a dry, Jejune and formal Method [that] excludes Variety as the Religious observation of the Rules of Aristotle does. And all those that exclaim against the Liberty some of our English Poets have taken, must grant that a Variety that contributes to the main Design, cannot divide our Concern: And if so, 'tis certainly an Excellence the Moderns have gain'd above the Ancients. This wou'd appear plainer if I had room and time to instance in Particulars. The Plays Mr. Dryden has bless'd the Age with will prove this; which is compar'd (as I hereafter intend) with those of Sophocles and Euripides, either for the Plot, Thought, or Expression, will gain him the Poets Garland from those two Hero's of Old Greece.

The Plagiarism objected to our Poets is common to the Ancients too; for Virgil took from Homer, Theocritus, and ev'n Ennius; and we are assur'd Homer himself built upon some Predecessors: And tho' their thoughts may be something a-kin, yet they alter their Dress, and in all other things we are satisfied with the variety of the outward visible Form, tho' the intrinsic value be the same, as Mr. Congreve's Song has it, Nothing new besides their Faces, e'ry Woman is the same. In all things as well as Women the meer Variety of Appearance, whets our Desire and Curiosity. I am,

III. FROM THE COMPLETE ART OF POETRY.

1718

DIALOGUE II.

OF THE USE AND NECESSITY OF RULES IN POETRY.

I Have shewn you, Crites, in the former Dialogue, what past in our agreeable Company, on our first Meeting; and I am confident, that the Defence of that noble Art, in which you are so great a Master, and by Consequence, of which you are so great a Lover, can by no means be disagreeable to you; nay, I am well assured, that you will give the highest Approbation of what has been said on that Score, since it is founded on Justice and Reason.

I shall now proceed to let you know what pass'd in the second Day's Conversation, to prove a Point which, I am satisfy'd, you do allow to be Truth; and that is, the Use and Necessity of the Rules of Art, in Poetry, without which, all must be governed by unruly Fancy, and Poetry become the Land of Confusion, which is, in Reality, the Kingdom of Beauty, Order, and Harmony.

Laudon being thus enlarg'd from the Tyranny of Business, I could not deny my self the Pleasure of repeating my Visits as often as I could; and the more often I repeated them, the more my Appetite was raised for their Continuance; for I always came away with some Improvement of my Understanding, as well as a full Satisfaction for the Hours I spent in his Company.

A little before Dinner, Laudon was call'd down about Business; and in the mean while, happening to see a

Book lye in the Window, I took it up to pass the Time till his Return; but was not a little surpriz'd to find it to be, Bishe's Art of English Poetry; a very extraordinary Title, thought I, as if the Art of Poetry were not the same in all Languages.

I had not cast my Eye, in a cursory Manner, on many Pages, before Laudon return'd: Pray, Sir, said I, how came you by this worthy Author, who writing on the Art of Poetry, would perswade us, that there is no Art at all in it, and aims chiefly at the Knack of Versifying; and yet, even in that, is full of gross Absurdities, and visible Contradictions?

Why, Sir, reply'd Laudon, you must know, that the fine Mrs. Lamode was to pay my Wife a Visit yesterday, and brought this Book along with her; and I find, on her Departure, she forgot this noble Piece of Criticism, the infallible Director of her Speculations that Way. I would have sent it Home to her, but that she and her Husband, honest Issachar, are to dine with me to Day; for I would not bear the Scandal of having it thought Part of my own Collection.

It is impossible, my Friend, said I, that any one that knows you, should suspect you guilty of that Folly; and to cast an Eye upon a Book of so promising a Title, is justify'd by the Title. I have my self perus'd great Part of this ridiculous Author, and he had almost provok'd me into a Writer, to vindicate the Honour of the Art I admire, from the shameful Ignorance of a little Pretender, had not the Clamours of the Traders in Books deterr'd me, by asserting the Undertaking would be unfair, in not only interfering with the Sale of a Copy already receiv'd, but in all Probability, of transferring it from the Booksellers Shops, to those of the Pastry Cook and Grocer.