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De Re Foe f tea : 
 
 REMARKS 
 
 UPON 
 
 POETRY 
 
 WITH "• 
 
 CHARACTERS 
 
 AND 
 
 C E N S UR E S 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Moft Confiderable Poets, 
 
 WHETHER 
 
 ANCIENT or MODERN. . 
 Extracted out of the Beft and Choiceft Criticks- 
 
 By Sir Thomas Pops Blount. 
 
 LONDON, 
 
 Printed by Ric. Everingham^ for R. Bent ly nt the Pojl-boufc In 
 Rufcl-Jlrect^ inCovent-Gardm. M DC XCIV. 
 
 128747 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Archive 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 Duke University Libraries 
 
 http://www.arGhive.org/details/derepoeticaorremOOblou 
 
:;. '^-' 
 
 Treasure RoofO 
 
 TO THE 
 
 RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 jfohn Earl of Mulgrave, 
 
 Knight of the Mod 
 
 NOBLE ORDER 
 
 OF THE 
 
 GARTER. 
 
 My Lord. ^28747 
 
 WHoever look^s into the Hiftory of the 
 firft Ages of the If or Id, mil fin J, 
 that nothing ever had a more general 
 ejieem among ft Mankind than Poetry. Poets 
 were then dignified with the higheft, and fnofl 
 
 A 2 Magnificent 
 
'the Dedication. 
 
 Magfnfice?it Titles, a% the Civilizcrs of Men, 
 the Preachers of Vertue, and the great Afler- 
 ters of Morality. Hence therefore it was^ that 
 the Grecians J/r/ in a manner Deifie their Poets, 
 fiiling them ^o/^ttc), Makers cr Creators, which 
 imported a fort of Divineihip in 'em : AncI how 
 great a Defere?ice and Veneration the Romans 
 had for \J)o]e of this Profe/fion, may fufficiently be 
 infer/ J, from thofe proud and ncble Structures, 
 their Theatres, ancf Amphitheatres, Built not 
 for the Vfe of their Divines, Orators, or Phi- 
 iofophersj but for their Poets. ^Fis true, my 
 Lord, in procefs of time this Noble Art became 
 much fuUied, and impair d-^ as things mo(i ex- 
 cellent are apteft to degenerate 5 but this is 710 more 
 an Argument againji Poetry, than ^t£t^ and 
 Herefies were againfi Primitive Chriftianity. 
 The Divine Plato then {as jome were pleafed to 
 call him) might very well have fpardthat fever e 
 Cenfure, of BayiiflAng Poets out of his Com- 
 monwealth 5 and the rather, becaufe among notie 
 of their Writings, were there to be fotmd, fuch 
 l.erpd and Obfcene Difcourfes, as in his Phedrus 
 and Convivium 5 So that, upon a fair hearing, 
 even the Philofopher himfelf woiid with mote 
 p^Jiice have defervd the Oudawry. 
 
 M^ 
 
 V 
 
7he Dedication. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 Had I nothing at all of Inclination to this 
 Addrefs, as I hope Tour Lcrdjhip will cafily 
 believe I have a great deal, yet I do not know, 
 whether I ought not to have made it out of 
 meer Policy. 'Tis certain, my Lcrd-^ You arc 
 a very dangerous Reader 3 a Writer there- 
 fore, who has but too much reafon to appre- 
 hend Your Judgment, is bound in prudence 
 to take You off if Poffible. 'Tis not that 
 I look upon a Dedication as a Bribe -^ but 
 I find that fometimes, when we have an 
 idle Prefent made us, which 'tis impoilible 
 to conceal, we are apt to be very favoura- 
 ble, and counterfeit a Value of the thing 
 we perhaps fecretly defpife, rather than 
 own to the World, that any has been fo 
 hardy to make us an Offering of what wc 
 ftiou d think little. 
 
 But however this be. Tour Lordjhip has 
 been before-hand with me, and fo much 
 to my advantage, as to render fuch a 
 Confideration wholly needlefs : Ah*eady 
 You have indulg'd this Piece, and allow- 
 ing it for 7ifeful, have given it the great 
 
 < Charadtci 
 
The Dedication. 
 
 Characfter dcfir'd to fatisfie the Author^ 
 Ambition. For as it is entirely a Colle^H- 
 en, wherein I have nothing to anfwer for, 
 or hope any thiig from, but the Choice 
 and Diftribution of the Matter 3 if I 
 have but made a profitable one, and em- 
 ployed my pains beneficially for the World, 
 'tis all I had to pretend to. After this, 
 7Jiy I ord^ I (hall make You no excufes for 
 the Honour I do my felf in this Dedication -^ 
 And if in it I fecm any thing Vain or 
 Prefuming, I am contented fo to do, pro- 
 vided I may find the Juftice to have it 
 thought at the fime time, that 'tis the 
 good Opinion, not of n/y Je/f, but ot Tour 
 LorJJhipy that has made me fo. 
 
 Some perhaps wtio may not think fo 
 favourably of this Undertaking, as Tour 
 Lordjhip wou'd appear to do, will be apt 
 to fay, I am in an Error all this while, 
 and very fondl\' have miftaken that for 
 Tour Lordjhifs Judgnmit, which was but 
 Your Complement. For both our fakes, my 
 Lord, I am willing to hope it is not foj 
 but if it really is, and 1 am indeed de- 
 ceiv'd in -this Particular, then Tour Lordjhip 
 mull acknowledge, I have taken care how- 
 ever 
 
The Dedication. 
 
 ever to revenge my felf handfomely, and 
 that I could not have punifh'd yau better, 
 than in prefenting You with 'the frijie, 
 which You only jeeni^J to approve. 
 
 Such as It is, my Lore/, 'tis perfcftly de- 
 voted to You. You will find it the eafier 
 perhaps to entertain it fomewhat kindly, 
 as it is intended at leaft to do Service 
 to an Art, which 'tis well known, is Tour 
 Lorc/Jhips Favourite. Nor indeed do I 
 wonder at it. For is it not Natural, and 
 would not any Man be fond of a Game, 
 which he play'd at fo well, as always to 
 come off a Winner ? 
 
 I woud not, nor wou d I be thought 
 to flatter 3 but I think I may fay with- 
 out it, that as no People, perhaps, fince the 
 Old Romans, have carried Poetry fo high in 
 all Points as the Englijh, fo, that thofe 
 who have engagd of the better Rani, 
 have particularly fignaliz'd themfelves. Po- 
 etry which to fome Few has been a very 
 good Wife, has yet in general been a bet- 
 ter Miftrefs 5 Ana the Gentlemen, her Lovers, 
 have found kinder Treatment, than the 
 Traders, her Husbands* Methinks jhe ap- 
 pears with them in better Humour, and 
 
 more 
 
Tte Dedication, 
 
 more cafic^ There's more of Nature in 
 the Bufinefs, and (he feems to grant her 
 Favours with greater WiHingnefs. Indeed 
 the Wit of the Men, is like the Beauty 
 of the Women, of Quality -^ whofc Fea- 
 tures may be the fame as other People's 5 
 but then there's fomcthing of Fine, fome- 
 thing of Free^ fomething of Lively in the 
 Air\ that makes a very agreeable Diftindti- 
 on. In this Dividend of Praife, Tour Lord- 
 ftjip's Stock of Merit entitles You to one 
 of the largeft ihares. I will not drive it 
 further. Among fo many handfomc Mufes^ 
 'twould fcarce be civil to determine the 
 Preeminence. I fay fo many, and 'tis for 
 Tour Lordjhips credit that there arc fo 
 many. One Woud not value much the 
 Reputation of a good Face, where the 
 general Deficiency that Way wou'd make 
 a very Moderate one be admir'd. But in 
 a Nation of Beauty, to be in the firfl Rank 
 of the Fair, is indeed a Glory. 
 
 Thus, my Lord, You have ferv'd in the 
 Poetick Army with Honour 5 But then You 
 have given us Leffons of Difcipline and Con- 
 du£i too. Poetry is doubly obliged to Tour 
 Lordjhip for fome of the be/i Rules, as well 
 
 as 
 
T^he Dedicatim. 
 
 as one of the mo^Jhining Examples, She 
 is indebted yet further ^ She owes You not 
 only what You have done Your felf, but, 
 in part, what has been done by another 
 too. 1 cannot fay You brought her a 7iew 
 Lover^ but You brought an Old one on 
 afrejh. For I take it to be more than 
 probable by the Beginning of tliat Poem^ 
 which I will not repeat, that the Rffay on 
 Tranjlated Verfc was perfedlly orcafion'd by 
 the Bjfay on Poetry. I know not what Tour 
 Lordjhip thinks of this 5 but to be but 
 Juft to my Lord Rofcommon we muft con- 
 clude, That he was too great a SMafter to 
 be provok'dj and fet a Work by any 
 One, who was not a Great One too. 
 
 With fuch good Inclinations and after 
 fuch good Offices done to Poetry^ give me 
 leave, viy Lord, once more to ofter You 
 what is here endeavour'd in its Favour, 
 It has indeed a publick Defign, but it has 
 not that alone. We who make Boois, are 
 like Gentlemen who make Bal/s -^ Which, 
 though intended for the Entertainment of 
 the Town, ufe yet to have a more immedi- 
 ate Relation to fome One of the Fair La^ 
 dies. If therefore what is now exposed to 
 
 a the 
 
T^he Dedication. 
 
 the World, may be of any Rclilh to Tour 
 Lordjl/p, Ms the utmoft Ambition of him 
 who is, 
 
 ( J^;/ Lord) 
 
 Tour Lordjhips 
 Moft Devoted, anc/ Obliged 
 Humble Servant 
 
 Thomas Pope Blount. 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 COncern'mg the Antiquity of Poetry. Page i. 
 
 Poetry commended. 6> 
 
 Poetry encouragd in former Ages ; But difcouragd in 
 
 this. 9' 
 
 That good Humour is ejfentially neceffary to a Poet. 15". 
 That a Poet Jhould keep his Fancy and Wit within due 
 
 Bounds* 1 7. 
 
 That a Poet may write upon the Suhje^ of Love ; hut he 
 
 Mufl avoid Obfcenity. xi. 
 
 That the moji difficult part of a Poet, w, to defer ihe the 
 
 Manners, and the Paflions. xj. 
 
 That a Poet mufl take great care of bis Language and 
 
 Expreflion. 28. 
 
 Concerning the Poetick Licence. 3 r. 
 
 Whether Art or Nature contributes mofi to Poetry. 34. 
 That a Poet fhoud not he addi^ed to Flattery. 36. 
 Concerning the Eglogue, Bucholick, or Pafloral. 38. 
 
 Concerning Satyr. 40. 
 
 Concerning Tragedy. 45. 
 
 Concerning Comedy. 5-4. 
 
 Concerning the Epick, or Heroick Foem, 58. 
 
 Concerning the Elegy. 63. 
 
 Concerning the Pindarique Ode. 65*. 
 
 Concerning Songs, Sonnets, Madrigals, Rondelays, ^c 69. 
 Concerning the Epigram. 71. 
 
 Concerning Burlefque. 74. 
 
 Concerning Lampoons. 79. 
 
 Concerning 
 
Jhe Contents. 
 
 CoHcernwg the Engfiih Poetry j and their Language in 
 
 relation to Poetry. g^^ 
 
 ComGrnifig the Italian a»<^ Spanifh Poetry ; attd their 
 
 Languages in relation to Poetry. a^. 
 
 Concermng the French Poetry; and their Language in 
 
 relation to Poetr}^ o^. 
 
 Concerning Rhyme, and Blank Verfe. loi. 
 
 Concerning Tranflations. io5, 
 
 Concernifig Criticks and Criticifuj?. jij. 
 
 Concerning Opers'x. 12,0. 
 
 CoHcerning Farce. i^y. 
 
 De 
 
I Mil- ■ »^__^i^^_»,^m»^j»,,»:m^^ . ^ ^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ 
 
 MS^MMH* i M j— ,—— »— — ^——i»>—^—. ■■■I l l rm 
 
 De Re Poetica : 
 
 REMARKS 
 
 UPON 
 
 POETRY, 
 
 T- ■ 
 
 Concerning the Antiquity of Voetry. 
 
 ARISTOTLE divides all Poetry, in relation 
 to the Progrefs of it, into Mature without Art ; 
 Art begun ; and Art compleated, 
 Mr. Drj^e» tells us, That Mankind, even the 
 mod Barbarous, have the Seeds of Poetry implanted ki 
 them. 
 
 The firft Specimen of it was certainly ihewn in 
 the Praifes of the Deity^ and Prayers to him ,• And as 
 they are of Natural Obligation^ {o^ fays Dryden^ they 
 are likewife of Divine hflitution. Which Milton ob- 
 ferving, introduces Adam and Eve^ every Morning a- 
 doring God in Hymm and Prayers. The firft Poetry 
 was thus begun, in the Wild Notes of Natural Poe- 
 
 B try, 
 
2 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 try, before the Invention ot feet and Meafures, See 
 J&l^'gD^ Declic. before Juvenal, pag^, 17. 
 
 Rapin obfcrves, That, fince Linus^ Orphev^^ and Eu- 
 molpus were famous for their Poe^ns, be^orf: the Trojan 
 Wars; thofe are certainly m..'laken, who date Poetry 
 from that time ; I rather (^fiyi he) inchneto ti eir Opi- 
 nion, who make it as old as the World it felf ; which 
 Afleriion 2s it ought to be underdoor of Poe.i> in ge- 
 neral, fo efpeciaily of Pailoial, v\ nich, according to 
 Scaliger.^ was the moft Ancient kind of Poetry, and 
 refulting from the moft Ancient way of living. iKap« 
 iie Carmine Paftorali. 
 
 Theophilui Gale remarks, That it is generally afHrm'd 
 
 by the Learned, that PoeHe was the moft Ancient of 
 
 all Artificial Literature, efpecialiy araongfl the Grecians ; 
 
 and we have for it the Teftimony of Straho, lib. i. 
 
 where he undertakes to prove, that Profe is only an i- 
 
 tnitation of Poefie, ^c. Thus alfo Foffius {de Hiflor, 
 
 GriEcis, lib. i. cap. i. pag. 7.) aflerts and proves, That the 
 
 Greek Hijlorians and Fhilofophers were after the Poets. 
 
 So alfo Jjckfon (on the Authority of the Scripture) gives 
 
 it as from unqueftionable Antiquity, that all ether fet 
 
 Speech, whether Hifiorical or Rhetorical, was but the 
 
 Progeny of Poefie, falling in latter times from its 
 
 wonted State. And indeed (faysG^/f) it's evident from 
 
 the Thing it felf, that all the ancient Learning of the 
 
 Grecians^ both Hijlery^ Morality, Thilofophy, and theolo" 
 
 gie, was delivered in Poefie. Hence Orpheus, and o- 
 
 ther Poets were anciently ftil'd AtSbla-n^Aoi, Teachers ; 
 
 becaufe they taught Men Theologie, and Morality^ &c> 
 
 Whence alfo the Ancient Dijccurfes of the Fhilofophers 
 
 were ftiled "^At/^ttc, Songs^ &c. becaufe they dcJiver'd 
 
 :heir Precepts of Philofophy in P^erfe. So Pythagoras, and 
 
 the reft of the Philofophers of his Sed : yea, among 
 
 the 
 
Remarks upon Foetry. 3 
 
 the Laths, Carm'tHa were us'd for Moral Frecepts, 
 d^0Opi)« (0al0's Court of the Gentiles, 
 
 Sir vVilliam Temple fays, Foetry^ he thinks, is gene- 
 rally agreed, to have been the firfl fort of Wriring, 
 that has been us'd in the W-rld, and in feverul Nations 
 to have pieceeded the very [nve;nion or Ufjge of Let' 
 ters. This lafl:, fays he, is certain in America^ \ here 
 the firfl Spaniards met with many Strains of poetry^ 
 and left fevcralof them Tranflated into their Lan[iu3ge ; 
 which feem to have flow'd from a true Poetkk Vein, 
 before any Letters were known in thofe Rcgionr. The 
 fame is probable of the Scythians, the Grecians, and the 
 Germans. Arijlotle fays, the Agathyrji hid thi"^ Laws 
 all in P^erfc; ^nd Tacitus, that the Gertnansh^d kiH Ah^ 
 fidls nor Records but what were fo ; ar.d for the Gre- 
 cian Oracles, delivered in them, we have no certain 
 account when they began, but rather reafon to believe 
 it was before the Introduftion of Letters from Phoenicia 
 among them. Pliny tells it, as a thing known, that 
 Pherecides was the firft who writ Proje in the Greek 
 Tongue, and that he liv'd about the time of Cyrus ; 
 whereas Homer and Hefiod ]iv*d fome hundred cf years 
 before that Age ; and Orphnis^ Linus, Mufceus, fome 
 Hundreds before them : And of the Syhils, leveral were 
 before any of thofe, and in Times as well as Placesy 
 whereof we have no clear Records now remaining. 
 What Solon and Pyrhantras writ, is faid to have been 
 in Verfe, who were fjmething older than Cy^us-, and 
 before them, were Archilahus, Simonidis, Tyrtceus^ 
 Sappho, Srejichortusy and feveral other Poets famous in 
 their lim ;s. Tiie fame thing is reported of Chaldea^ 
 Syria, anc China-, and among ihe 2incWnt iVeJlern Go:hs 
 (our Ancutors) the Runick Poetry fcerr.s to be as eld 
 as their Letters; and their Laws, their Precepts of 
 
 8 2 ^'^om. 
 
4. Remarks upon Voctry. 
 
 Wifdom, as well as their Records, their Religious Ritfs, 
 as well as their Charms and Incantations, to have been 
 all in yerfe» 
 
 Among the Hebrews^ and even in S-icred IVrit, the 
 moft Ancient y is by feme Learned Men efteem'd to be 
 the Book of Job ; and that it was written before the 
 time of Mofes ; and that it was a Tranflation into 
 Hebrew, out of the old ChaUaan or Arabian Lan- 
 guage. Now I think it is out of Controverfie, that 
 the Book of Job was written Originally in k-^erfe, and 
 was a Poem upon the Subject of the Juflice and Pow- 
 er of God, and in Vindication of his Providence. 
 But if we take the Books of Mofes to be the moft an^ 
 cient in the Hebrew Tongue, yet the Song of Mofes 
 may probably have been written before the reft; as 
 rhat of Deborah^ before the Book of Judges^ being 
 Praifes fung to God, upon the Victories or Succefles of 
 the Ifraelites^ related in both. And I never read the 
 laft, fays Sir Will. Temple, without obferving in it, as 
 True and Noble Strains of Poetry and Pi£fure, as in 
 any other Language whatfoever, in fpight of all Dif- 
 advantages from Tranflations into fo different Tongues, 
 and common Profe. If an Opinion of fome Learned 
 Men both Modern and Ancient could be allow'd, that 
 EJdras was the Writer or Compiler of the firft Hi- 
 ftorical Parts of the Old Teftament, though from the 
 fame Divine Infpiration as that of Mofes and the other 
 Prophets, then the Pfalms of David would be the firft 
 Writings we find in Hebrew ; and next to them, the 
 Song of Solomon^ which was written when he was 
 young, and Ecclefiafles when he was old ,• io that from 
 all fides, both Sacred and prophane^ it appears that 
 Poetry was the firft fort of Writing, known and ufed 
 tn the feveral Nations of the World. 
 
 It 
 
Remarks upon Foe try. 5 
 
 It may feem ftrange, I confefs, fays Sir fViff. Temple^ 
 upon the firft Thought, that a fort of Style fo regular 
 and fo difficult, fllould have grown in ufe, before the 
 other fo eafie and fo loofe ; But if we confider, what 
 the fitfl end of Writing was, it will appear probable from 
 Reafon as well as Experience ; For the True and General 
 end, was but the Help of Memory, in preferving that of 
 Words and of A^ions^ which would otherwife have been 
 loft, and foon vanifh away, with the Tranfuory Paflage 
 of Humane Breath and Life, Before the Difcourfes and 
 Difputes ot Philofiphers began to bufie, or amufe the 
 Grcecian Wifs, there was nothing Written in Profe^ but 
 cither Laws, fome ihort Sayings of Wife Men, or fome 
 Riddles, Parables, or Fabler, wherein were couch'd, by 
 the Ancients, many Strains of Natural or Moral Wif- 
 dom and Knowledge ; and befides thefe, fome ihort Me- 
 morials of Perfons, Actions, and of Times. 
 
 Now 'tis obvious enough to conceive, fays Sir Wi/L 
 Temple, how much eafier all fuch Writings ihould be 
 Learnt and Remembred, in f^erfe than in Profe, not on- 
 ly by the Pleafure of Meafures and of Sounds, which- 
 gives a great Impre/Iion to Memory^ but by the Order 
 of Feet which makes a great Facility of tracing one Word 
 after another, by knowing what fort of Foot or Quantity 
 rauft neceflarily have preceeded or followed the Words 
 we retain, and dcfire to make up. 
 
 This made poetry fo necefTary, before Letters were 
 Invented, and fo convenient afterwards; and (hews, 
 that the great Honour and general Requeft, wherein 
 it has always been, his not proceeded only from the 
 Pleafure and Delight, but likewife from the Ufefulnefs 
 and Profic of Poetical Writings. Sir V^i\l. CeUlt^le.'s 
 Ejfay of Poetry, pag. 13, 14, 15*, &c. 
 
 POETRY 
 
6 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 Poetry commended, 
 
 THe Grecians, to fhew the high Veneration they 
 had for their Poets^ call'd 'em Makers or Creators, 
 which denoted a Div'mefloip in 'em: And the Romans, 
 to exprefs the great Honour they had for theirs, flyl'd 
 'em Prophets. Nor (indeed) is it eafie to diftinguilh be- 
 tween the Prophets and Poets of JfracL For what is Je- 
 remy s Lar/ientation, but a kind of Sapphic k Elegy ? And 
 David's Pfalmszxt not on\y Poems-, hui SoKgs^ Snatches, 
 and Raptures o^ z flaming Spirit. 
 
 Mr . Samuel iVoodf or d tdls us, That if we confider Poejie 
 in her firfl Inftitution, e're flie became a common Pro- 
 flitute to Luft, Flattery, Ignorance, and Ambition, we 
 {hall find her alone acknowledged as the Soveraign Prin- 
 cefs of the Civiiiz'd World, and behold her (rom her 
 Throne giving Laws, not only to their Religion and 
 Policy, but alfo to their Manners. Her Court was e- 
 fteem'd the proper and only School of Vertue, to which 
 the greatefl: Princes form'd theirs, and under her Cufto- 
 dy alone was kept feafd that Fountain, whence all the 
 profitable Inftru£lions of Life were to be drawn. Phi- 
 lofophy it felf was a thing of no ufe, and deftiture of 
 Arms, till She fupply'd them; nor durft it appear in 
 the World without the eafie Chain of Ferfe, in token 
 of Submiflion to her, for its Pafs-port. And when af- 
 terward the Porch and Academy by main force brake it 
 ofT, the (Irideft Precepts of the mod Rigid Sed, as to 
 the regulating of Manners, came infinitely fliort of thofe 
 Examples, which Ihe exhibited on her Theatres. The 
 fame may be faid of almofl: all other Arts, that from 
 Her they receive their Birth and Vigour. Neither was 
 
 this 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 7 
 
 this Divine Miftrefs lefs courteoufly receiv'd into the 
 Cannp, where h^rfoft Numbers were with pleafure heard 
 amidft the confufcd noifeof Arms. Hence mighty Ge- 
 nerals had the bed Indrudiion both for their Condu(5l 
 and Valour, and were encouraged by the Records of 
 Antiquity, which fome Poet had faithfully preferved, 
 to do themfelves famous A£ts, worthy the like Praife 
 of Pofterity. ' Such was Poefie of Old, with a Com- 
 mand as abfolute, and unconfin'd, as her Dominions, and 
 always found either ferving at the Altars^ or of Counfel 
 Royal to the greateft Princes. ^atU* JIBOODfOlfD's 
 ?ref to his Paraphrafe upon David's Pfalms. 
 
 Rapin remarks. That the true Value cf Poetry is fo 
 little known, that fcarce ever is made a true Judgment 
 of it. 'Tis the Talent of Wits only, that are above the 
 Common Rank, to efteem of ic according to its Merit: 
 and one cannot confider, how Alexander, Scipio^ Julius 
 Cafar, Auguftus, and all the Great ^len of Antiquity 
 have been afFedted therewith, without conceiving a No- 
 ble Idea of it. Indeed, Poefie^ of all Arts^ is the mod 
 Perfe(5t: for the Perfe£lion of other Arts is limited ; but 
 this of Poefie has no Bounds. IS^p* of Poefie, Part i. 
 Sea. I. 
 
 Sir William Temple fays, that, for his part, he does 
 not wonder, that the famous Dr. Harvey, when he was 
 reading Virgtly fhould fometimes throw him down up- 
 on the Table, and fay, Fie had a Devil; nor that the 
 Learned Meric Cafaulon, fhould find fuch Charming 
 Pleafures and Emotions, as he defcribes, upon the reading 
 fome parts of Lucretius; that fo many ihould cry, and 
 with down-right Tears, at fome Tragedies of Shaken 
 /pear ; and fo many more (hould feel fuch Turns or 
 Curdling of their Blood, upon the reading, or hearing 
 fome excellent Pieces of Poetry : nor that Odavia fell 
 
 into 
 
8 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 into a Swound, at the recital made by Hrgi/ of thofe 
 yerfes in the Sixth of his /Eneids* 
 
 This, fays Sir WiU'tam Temple, is enough to aflert the 
 Powers of poetry, and difcover the Ground of thofe 
 Opinions of Old, which deriv'd it from Divine hjpira- 
 tion, and gave it fo great a (hare, in the fuppoled Ef- 
 feds of Sorcery or Magick. CCtWpU's E£ay of Poetry, 
 pag, II; 13. 
 
 Mr. Edmund Waller, oh the Earl of Rofcommon'j 
 Tranflation of Horace'j Art of Poetry. 
 
 Well founding Verfes are the Charm we ufe, 
 Heroick Thoughts^ and Fertue to infufe -, 
 Things of deep Senfe we may in Profe unfold. 
 But they move more, in lofty t^umhers told ; 
 By the loud Trumpet, which our Courage aids^ 
 
 We learn that Sound, as well as Senfe perfwades. 
 ♦ 
 
 The Lord Rofcommon, in his Eflay on Tranflated 
 Verfe-. 
 
 By fecret Influence of Indulgent Skies, 
 Empire, and Poefie together rife. 
 True Poets are the Guardians of a State, 
 And when They tail, portend approaching Fate. 
 For that which Rome to Conquefl did infpire. 
 Was not the Veftal, hut the Mufes Fire ; 
 Heaven joyns the Bleflings, no Declining Jge 
 ' -E*re felt the Raptures of Poetick Rage. 
 
 Sir Samuel 
 
Remarks upon Voetry^ ^ 
 
 Sir Samuel Tuke^ in his Prologue to the Five Hours 
 Adventure : 
 
 Our Ancient Bards their Morals diddifpence 
 In Numbers, to infmuate the Senfe ,♦ 
 Knowing that HarcTiony affeB:s the Soul, 
 And who our PalTions charm, our Wills controui, 
 
 Mr. John Oldham^xn Imitation of Horace's Art o^' Poetry ,- 
 
 Hence Poets have heen held a Sacred Name, 
 And placdwith Firft Rates in the Lijis of Fame. 
 Verfe wai i the Language of tlk Gods of Old, 
 Jn which their Sacred Oracles were told : 
 In Vcrfe were the firft Rules of Vertue taught^ 
 And Do^rine thence, as no^ from V\i\\nis fought : 
 By Verfe fome have the Love of Pt'mcts gaind y 
 Who oft vouchfafe fo to he entertain d, ^ 
 
 And with a Mu(e their weighty cares unhend. S 
 Then think it no difparagement, dear Sir, y 
 To own your felf a Mewher of that Quire, S 
 Whom Kings efleem^ and Heaven does infpire. ji 
 
 Poetry Encouragd in former Ages ; ht 
 dijcouragd in this. 
 
 The wife BenSirach, among other Charaders of 
 his Heroes, puts in this among the Reft, That they 
 were fuch as found out Mufical Tunes, and recited Verfes 
 in Writing* Ecclef. 44. 5-. 
 
 C Sir 
 
10 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 Sir iVi/Iiam Temple fays The honour and requtfl 
 the Ancient Poetry has liv'd in, may not only be ob- 
 lerv*d from the Univerfal Reception and Ufe in all 
 Nations from China to Peru^ from Scythia to Arabiay 
 but from the Eftetm of the bed and the Greatell 
 Men, as well as the Vulgar. Among the Helreivs^ 
 David and Solomon^ the Wifeft Kings. Job and Jeremiah^ 
 the Holieft Men, were the Bell Foets of their Nation 
 and Language. Among thw Greeks, the Two moft 
 Renowned Sages and Lnw-givers were Lycurgus and 
 Solorty whereof the Laft is known to have Excelled in 
 Poetry, and the Firfl was fo great a Lover of it, that 
 to his Care and Induftry we are faid (by fome Authors) 
 to owe the Colledion and Prefervation of the loofe 
 and fcatter'd Pieces of Homer^ in the order wherein 
 they have fmce appear'd. Alexander is reported neither 
 to have Travel'd nor Slept, without thofe admirable 
 F^fwj always in his Company. PhaLris^ that was In- 
 exorable to all other Enemies, relented at the Charms 
 o\ SteJichorui'sMvik, Among the /?o»7j»/, the Firft and 
 great Scipio, p:ifled the loft hours of his Life in ihe 
 Converfation of Terence^ and \A'as thought to have a 
 part in the Compoh'ion of his Comedies. Ci^far was 
 an Excellent Poet as well as Orator, and composed a 
 Poem in his Voyage trcm Rotrie to Spain ; relieving 
 the Tedious Difficulties of his March, with the Enter- 
 tainments of his Mufe. Ai^gufiuj was not only a Pa- 
 tron, but a Friend and Companion of Viygtl and fJo' 
 race ; and was himfelf, both an Admirer of Poetry, and 
 a Pretender too, as far as his Genius would reach, or 
 his bufie Scene allow. 'Tis true, fays Sir William 
 Temple^ fince fus Age, we have few fuch Examples of 
 great Princes favouring or 3fJc(5iing Poetry^ and as {t^ 
 perhaps of great Poets deferving it. Whether it be, 
 
 that 
 
Remarks upon Poetry, 1 1 
 
 that the fiercenefs of the Gothick Humours, or Noife 
 of their perpetual Wars frighted it away ; or that the 
 unequal mixture of the Modern Languages could not 
 bear it. Certain it is, that the great Heights and Ex- 
 cellency, both of Poetry and Majicky fell with the Ro- 
 man Learning, and En:-pire, and have never fince 
 recover 'd the Admiration and Applaufes that before at- 
 tended them. Centple's £/7tfj ^/Poetry, pag, 60, 6i. 
 
 Mr. Charles Ckeve tells us, that it ftands Record^^d 
 of the Famous Alcieus, that great Pcet and Souldier^ thit 
 he ufed to make his Speeches in f^erfe at the head of 
 his Army ; and, that he thought there was as much 
 Martial Mufick in the Harmonious Cadence of Numbers, 
 as in the louder Noife of Drums and Hautboys. 
 
 He alfo remarks^ That the great Scip'io had Ennius 
 always in his Camp : And a greater than He^ the Ma- 
 ctdonian VTouth, carried a whole knot of the Brothers 
 of the Qu'ilU into Afia with him ; And, in Ihort, that 
 in thofe Times, there was fcarce any Great Man with- 
 out his Focta a Latere, 
 
 But according to Cleeve, In this our Age, Mankind 
 has quite different Thoughts ; For Poets are now rec- 
 koned among that Chjs of Beings, that carry along 
 with them no real Ufe, or Profit; but ferve only tv) 
 fill up the f^ acuities of the Creation, and pleafe purely 
 upon the account of Variety. Nay, fome are of opi- 
 nion, that if Mature ever made any thing in vain, 'twas 
 a Poet, Well, for once (fays Cleeve) let Poets have 
 the Worlhipful Name of Jefters to Mankind ; let us 
 grant for once, That they are but Rifus Plorantis 
 Mundi, as was faid of the Rair.low, the Sport and 
 Caprice of Mature ; Men work'd ofT when fhe was 
 in an excellent merry Vein : Yet hard Fate it 
 is. That while, like Silk'Worr»s^ ihey unravel their 
 
 C z very 
 
12 Remarks upon Voetrj. 
 
 very Bowels for the Pleafure and Luxury of Man- 
 kind ,• they themfelves muft lye Entomb'd in their 
 own Bottoms. €>^diiit^ ClCCtlCs Dedicat. to the 
 Lo r {I ChMxc'mW, before his Poems. 
 
 The truth is, fiys Mr. John Norris, this mod Ex- 
 cellent and Divine Art of Poetry^ has of hte been 
 io cheapncd and depretiated, by the Bungling Perfor- 
 mances of fome, who thought themfelves hfpired^ 
 and whofe Readers too have been more kind to 'em 
 than their Planets^ that Poetry is grown almoft out 
 of Repute^ and mea come ftrongly prejudiced againlt 
 any thing of this Kind, as expedting nothing but 
 Froth and Emptinejs \ and to be a Poet^ goes for lit- 
 tle more than a Country Fiddler, But certainly He 
 had once another Chara^er, and that in as nice and 
 wife an Age as this. If we may believe the great 
 Horace, He was one 
 
 •C«i mens Divinior, afque os 
 
 Magna locuturum- 
 
 He had then his Temples furrounded with a Divine 
 Glory ^ fpoke like the Oracle of the God of Wifdom^ 
 and could defcribe no Hero greater than Himjelf. Po- 
 etry, fays Mr. Norris, was once the Miflrefs of all the 
 Arts in the Circle, that which held the Reins of the 
 World in her hand, and which gave the Firjt^ and (if 
 we may judge by the Effeds) perhaps the Bejl In- 
 flitutesj for the Moralizing and Governing the Paj[Ji' 
 ons of Mankind. 
 
 It may (Tays Norris) appear (Iran^e indeed, that in 
 fuch a Refining Age as this, wherein all things feem ready 
 to receive their laji Titrn and finifhing Stroke^ Poetry 
 Ihouldbe the only thing, that remains unimprov*d. And 
 
 yet 
 
Remarks upon 'Poetry. 13 
 
 yet fo it happens, that which we generally have now a- 
 days, is no more like the thing it was formerly, than Mo- 
 dem Religion is like Primitive Chrifti^mity. Tis with 
 this as with our Mujjck. From Grave, Majeftick, So- 
 lemn Strains, where deep Inflruif^ive Senfe is iw^Qily 
 convey'd in Charming Numbers^ where equal Addrefs 
 is made to the Judgment and Imagination, and where 
 Beauty and Strength go hand in hand, 'cis now for the 
 molt part dwindl'd down to light, frothy fluff^ confifting 
 either of mad Extravagant Rants^ or (light Witticifmsy 
 and little Amoroui Conceits, fit only for a Tavern Enters 
 t:}inment^ and that too among Readers of a Dutch Palate. 
 %^\^' ^^IXi^^ Pref. to his Collection ef Mifcellanies. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Rjmer obfervcs to us, That at the begin- 
 ning of the Rejormationy the Name of Poet was a migh- 
 ty Scare-Crow to the Mumpfimm Doctors every where. 
 The German Divines, and ProfefTors at Cologn, were net- 
 tled and uneafie by this Poet, and the t'other Poet ; 
 Poet Reuclin^ Poet Erafmiu. Every body was reckoned 
 a Poet that was more a Conjurer than themfelves. And 
 belike, the Jefuits are ftill of Opinion, That the Stage- 
 Plays have not done 'em Service. Campane/Ia tells us, 
 that the German <i«^ Gallican Herefie began with Sing. 
 Song^ and is carried on by Comedies and Tragedies. '^j^Ol> 
 i^^tUClf's Snort view of Tragedy, pag, 34. 
 
 Oldham complaining of the little Encouragement Po- 
 ets meet with in this Age: 
 
 Should mighty Sappho in thefe days revive^ 
 
 And hope upon her Stock of Wit to live ; 
 
 She mujt to Crefwell'j trudge to mend her GainSy 
 
 And lett her Tail to hire^ as well as Brains. 
 
 What Poet ever find for Sheriff ? or who 
 
 By Wit and Senfe did ever Lord Mayors grow. 
 
 My. 
 
14 Remarks upon Voctry, 
 
 My own hard Vfage here 1 need not prefsy ") 
 
 Where you have every day before your face, ^ 
 
 Plenty of frefh refemiling Inftances : j 
 
 Great CowltyV Mufe the Jarne ill Treatment lad^ -y 
 Whofe Verfe (hall live for ever to upbraid ^ 
 
 Th' ungrateful World^ that left fuch WoHh unpaid, S 
 Waller himfelf may thank Inheritance 
 For what he elfe had never got by Scnfe. 
 On Butler who can think without jujl Rage^ 
 Ths Glory, and the Scandal of the Age ? 
 Fair flood his hopes ^ whcnfiif he cjme to Town, 
 Met every day with Welcomes of Renown^ 
 Courted^ and lovd by ally with Wonder read^ 
 And Vromifes of Trircely favour fed : 
 But what Reward fcr all had he at lafl^ 
 After a life in dull Expectance pafs'd? 
 The Wretch at Summing up his mif-fpent days^ 
 Found nothing left^ but Poverty and Praife .- 
 Of all his Gains by Verfe he could not fave 
 Enough to p-^r chafe Flannel and a Grave : 
 Reducd to W^nf , he in due time falls fick^ 
 Was fain to die^ and be inter rd on Tick .• 
 And well might Mefs the Feaver that was fent 
 To rid him hence ^ and his worfe Fate prevent. 
 
 Dryden making his Complaint upon the fame Sub- 
 jeft: 
 
 We all by fits and flirts, like drowning Men, 
 But ju{l peep up, and then dop down again. 
 Let thofe who call us Wicked, change their Senfe^ 
 For never Men livd more on Providence. 
 JAot Lottery Cavaliers are half fo poor, 
 Nor broken Citts, nor a Vacation Whore. 
 
 So 
 
Remarks upon ?oetry, 15 
 
 So wretched^ that if Pharaoh couU Druine, y 
 
 He wight have fparcl his Dream cf Seven lean Kine,^ 
 
 And chahgd kis Vifim for the Mufes Nine. 3 
 
 See the MifceUa>iy Poems, pag. 25)3 . 
 
 T\\z fume Author in another place: 
 
 The Fate^ which governs Poets, thought it fit^ 
 Hs Jhoud not raije hn Fortunes hy his Wit, 
 The Clergf thrive, and the litigiotts Baf ; 
 Dull Heroes fatten with the Spoils of War : 
 All Southern Fices^ Heavn he prais*dy are here ; 
 But WitV a Luxury you think too dear. 
 When you to cultivate the Plant are loth^ 
 *Tis a fhrewd Sign 'twas never of your growth : 
 And Wit in Northern Climates will not hlow^ 
 Except^ like Orange-trees, 'tis hous'd from Snow, 
 
 J^t^'Ot Prologue to Aureng-Zehe. 
 
 Ihat good Humour is effentiallji 
 Nece(Jar]i to a Poet. 
 
 ABraham Coivley tells us, There is nothing that re- 
 quires fo much ferenity and cbcarfulnels of Spirit^ 
 as Poetry. The Mind mud not be either overwhelm'd 
 with the Cares of Life ; or overcaft with the Clouds of 
 Melancholly znd. Sorrow; or ihakcn and difturb'd wirh 
 the Storms of Injurious Fortune ; it mud, like the Hal- 
 ey on ^ have fair Weather to breed in. The Soul mud be 
 fiU'd with Dright and delightful Ideas, when it un- 
 dertakes to communicate delight to others j which is 
 
 the 
 
1-S Rmdrks upon Voetry. 
 
 the main end cA Pdefie. One may fee through the Stile 
 of Ovid de Trijl, the humbled and dejeded Condition of 
 Spirit with which he wrote it ; there fcarce remains a- 
 ny footfteps of that Genius, 
 
 Que vn mc Jovis ira, »ec rgftes, Src. 
 
 The Gold of the Country had ftrucken through all 
 his Faculties, and bcnumm'd the very Feet of his f^er- 
 fes. He is himfelf, methinks, like one of the Storie] 
 of his cwM Metamorphofes ; and though there remain fome 
 weak Rejeniblances of Ovid at Rome, it is but as he fays 
 of Niche t ^ 
 
 In vultu color efl fitte [anguine ^ lamina mi^efiis 
 St ant immota getiis -, nihil ejl in Imagine vivum 
 k'iet tamen * 
 
 The truth '^^ for a Man to write well, it is neccfliry to 
 be in good Humour ; neither is Wit Jefs Eclipsed with 
 the unquietnejs o\ Mind, than Beauty with the Indifpo 
 fition cf Body. So that 'tis almoft as hard a thing to 
 be a Poet in defpighr of Fortune, as it is in defpicht of 
 Nature. ^\^l^% COtDler. ^« his Preface, 
 
 Dry den remarks, 1 hat Ovid, going to his Banifh 
 menr, and uriting from on Shipboard to his Friends' 
 excu5'dthe Faults of his Foetry by his Misfortunes • and 
 told them, That good Verjes never flow, but from a 
 ferene and compos'd Spirit, mt, fays Dryden, which is 
 a kind o{ Mercury, with Wrngs faflen'd to his Head and 
 Hctlv, can fly but flowiy in a damp Air. ©tt^h 
 Dcdic. hejore his Panegyrick on the Countefi 'of h^vlm- 
 don. ^" 
 
 Mr. Tho' 
 
Remarks upon Voetrj. 1 7 
 
 Mr. Thomas Flatman^ in the Preface to the third Edi- 
 tion of bis Poemst 'elis us, That he believes the Reader 
 might eafily difcover in his feveral Poems ^ when 'twas 
 Fair Weather^ when Changeable^ and when the Quick- 
 silver fell down to Storm and Tempefl. 
 
 Sir Richard Fanfiaw, in his TraRflation of Pafior 
 Fido\ 
 
 But in this Age (Jnhumatie Age the while ! ) 
 The Art of Poetry is made too vile. 
 Swans mufl have pleafant Mejls, high feedings fair 
 Weather to fing .• and with a load of Care 
 Men cannot climb Parnaflus Cltjf : for he 
 Who is flill wrangling with his Dejiiny 
 And his Malignant Fortune, becomes hoarfe.^ 
 And lofes both his Singing and Dircourfe. 
 
 Adt V. Scene I. 
 
 Ihat a Poet ^ould keep his Fancy, 
 and Wit within due B9unds. 
 
 RApin obferves, That nothing can more contribute 
 to the perfection of Poetrjy than a Judgment pro- 
 portioned to the Wit ; for the greater that the Wit is, 
 and the more Strength and Vigour that the Imagina- 
 tion has to form thofe Idea's that enrich Poe/ie ; the more 
 Wifdom and Difcretion is requifite to moderate that 
 heat, and govern its natural Fury. For Reafon ought 
 to be much ftronger than the Fancy^ to difcern how 
 far the Tranfports may be carried. 'Tis a great Talent 
 to forbear fpeaking all one thinks, and to leave fome- 
 
 D thing 
 
1 8 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 thing for others to employ their Thoughts upon. Tis 
 not ordinarily known how far Matters (hould be 
 carried ; a Man of an accomp/i/h'J Geniiu flops regularly 
 where he ought to ftcp, and retrenches boldly what 
 ought to be omitted. 'lis a great fault not to leave a 
 thing when "'tis we/I', for which Apelles fo much blam'd 
 Protogenes. This Moderation (fays Rapin) is the Cha- 
 rader of a great Wit, the Vulgar underftand it not ; 
 and (whatever is alledg'd to the contrary) never any, 
 fave Homer and ^irgil^ had the difcretion to leave a 
 thing when 'twds weHl, M^p* Refiex, on Ariftot. of Po- 
 efie, t. Parti Se^. xvi. 
 
 Rimer tells us, That Fancy in Poetry, is like Faith in 
 Religion- it makes far Difcoveries, and foars above 
 Reafon, but never cladies, or runs againft it. Fancy 
 leaps, and frisks, and away fhe's gone; whllit Reafon 
 rattles the Chain, and follows after. Reafon mufl con- 
 lent and ratifie whatever by Fancy is attempted in its 
 ab fence ; or elfe 'tis all nuH and void in Law. Howe- 
 ver, in the Contrivance and Oeconomy of a Flay^ Rea- 
 fon is always principally to be confulted. Thofe (fays 
 Rimer) who objedJ: againft Reafon^ are the Fanaticks in 
 poetry, and are never to be fav*d by their Good Works, 
 %iVXtX of the Tragedies of the lad Age, pag, 8. 
 
 No Man (fays Dry den, in his Preface to Trotlus and 
 Crefftda) Ihould pretend to write^ who cannot temper 
 his Fancy with his Judgment : Nothing is more dan- 
 gerous to a raw Horfeman, than a hot-mouth'd Jade 
 without a Curb. 
 
 *Tis not enough to have a fhare of Wit, 
 
 7 here mufi he Judgment too to manage it ; 
 
 For 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 15^ 
 
 For Fartcy'i like a rough, hut ready Horfe, 
 Whofe Mouth is govern d more ly Skill than Force, 
 
 C!^* Cotton he fore Flataian's Foems, 
 
 The Earl of Mulgrave, in that Incomparable Poerti^ 
 his EJfay on Foetry, tells us .• 
 
 As all is DuUnefs, when the Fancy 'j had. 
 
 So, without Judgment, Fancy is hut mad; 
 
 And Judgmsnc has a houndlefi Influence, 
 
 Not only in the Choice of Words or Sence, 
 
 But on the World, on Manners, and on Men j 
 
 Fancy is hut the Feather of the Pen ; 
 
 Reafon is that fuhfi ant ial uftfai Fart, 
 
 Which gains the Head, while t'other wins the Heart. 
 
 Rapin remarks, That there is not a greater hinde- 
 r?nce to the Epick or Heroick Poem, than to have a 
 Wit too 'va[i ; for fuch will make nothing exa^ in thefe 
 kind of Works, whofe chief Perfeftion is the Jufinefi, 
 Thefe Wits that (Irike at ail, are apt to pafs the Bounds : 
 the Swinge of their Geniiu carries them to Irregularity ; 
 nothing they do is exa^, becaufe their Wit is not : All 
 that they fay, and all that they imagine, is always 
 vaft ; they neither have proportion in the Defign^ nor 
 iuftnefs in the Thought, nor exadnefs in the Expreffion, 
 This fault is common to moft of the Modern Poets, e- 
 fpecially to the Spaniards, IKSP* Refief(. on Ariftot. of 
 Poefic, Fart x. Setl. 3. 
 
 Another Fault which often does he fail, p 
 
 Is when the Wit of fome great Poet fhall S» 
 
 $0 Overflow, that jj, he none at all \ J 
 
 D -L tl:at 
 
20 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 Thjt all his Fools [peck Senfe, as if pofleft, 
 Anii each by rnfpiraiion hreaks his Jejl; 
 If once the Juftoefs of each Part he lojl. 
 Well we may hugh, hut at the Poet's cofl. 
 That filly things Men call Sheer-wit, avoifl^ 
 With which our Age Jo naujeoujly is cloyd ; 
 Humour is all. Wit jhould he only hrougfjt 
 To turn agreeably fome proper Thought. 
 
 %VA%X, Eflsy on Voetry, 
 
 Wit is not to adorn^ and guild each part; 
 
 That Jhews r/iore Coft than Art. 
 Jewels at Nofe and Lips hut ill appear ; 
 Rather than all Things Wir, let none he there. 
 
 Several Lights will not he Jeen, 
 
 If there he nothing elfe he t ween. 
 Men douht^ hecaufe they jland fo thick itU Skie, 
 If thofe he Stars, which paint the Gaiaxie. 
 
 aiJ?* COtWle^ of Wit, 
 
 Dryden fays, Though no Man will ever decry Wit^ 
 but he who defpairs of it himfelf ; and who has no o- 
 ther quarrel to it, but that which the Fox had to the 
 Grapes ; yet, as Mr. Cowley (who had a greater Portion 
 of it than any Man I know) tells us in his Chara^er 
 of Wit, Rather than all Wit let there be none ; I think, 
 fays Drydenj there's no folly fo great in any Poet of our 
 Age, as the Superfluity and Wafle of Wit was in fome 
 of our Predecejfcrs: particularly we may fay of Fletcher 
 and of Shakejpear^ what was faid of Ovid, In omni ejus 
 ingenio, facilius quod rejici^ quhm quod adjici potefi, inve* 
 nies. The contrary of which was true in f^irgil, and 
 our Incomparable Johnfon. J^^^D» Pref, to the Mock* 
 Aftrologer. 
 
 That 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 21 
 
 that a Poet may mite upon the Sdjfcl 
 of Love ; ht he miifi avoid Ob- 
 Icenity. 
 
 So it is, fays Ahrahant Cowley^ that Poets are fcarce 
 thought Free-men of their Company^ without pay- 
 ing fome Duties, and Obliging themfelves to be true 
 to Love. Sooner or later they mud all pafs through 
 that Tryal, like fome Mabumetan Monks^ that are bound 
 by their Order, once at lead in their Life, to make 
 a Pilgrimage to Mecca. 
 
 In fur i as ignefnq*, ruunt ; Amor omnibus idem\ 
 
 But wc muft not always make a judgment of their 
 Manners from their Writings of this kind j as the Ro- 
 vnanifis uncharitably do of Beza^ for a few lafcivious 
 Sonnets compos'd by him in his Youth. It is not in this 
 Senfe that Poe^e is faid to be a kind of Paintings it is 
 not the piBure of the Poet, but of things and Persons 
 imagined by him. He may be in his own pra£l:ice and 
 difpofition a Philofofher, oay a Stoick, and yet fpeak 
 fometimes with the Softnefs of an Amorous Sappho, 
 3il)?» COtOlet ^« ^^^ Preface. 
 
 Tet do I not their Sullen Mufe approve^ 
 Who from all modeft Writings banijh Love. 
 )60tleatl's ArtofVotity, pag. 59. 
 
 But though Love be a Subje£t allow'd to Poets, 
 yet any thing that's in the leail Ohfcene^ muft wholly 
 
 be. 
 
22 
 
 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 be avoided. The Mu/es of true PoefSy fays Rijpin, are 
 as c/jafi as Feflals. 
 
 Here, as in all thhgs elfe, is mofi unfit 
 Bare Ribaldry, that poor Pretence to Wit. 
 flPUlgrate's £% en Poetry. 
 
 Immodefl Words admit of no defence \ 
 For Want cf Decency, is want of Senfe. 
 
 ^OfCOmon o» Xranflated Verfe, pag. 8. 
 
 Much lefs can that have any place ^ 
 At which a Virgin hides her face - 
 Such Drofs, the Fire mu/l pur^e away • V/x jufl 
 The Author blufh there^ where the Reader mud, 
 ab?» Cottiers Ode of Wit, 
 
 Olfiene Difcourfe, fays a Modern Author, is now 
 grown a thing fo common, that one would think we 
 were fallen into an Age of Metamorphofis^ and that the 
 Brutes did (not only Poetically, and in fidlion) but re» 
 ally fpsak. For the Talk of Many is fo Beftial^ that 
 it fcems to be but the Conceptions of the more libidi- 
 nous Animals cloath'd in Humane Language. And yet 
 even this mud pafs for Ingenuity, and be counted a- 
 mongthe higheft Strains of Wit, A wretched Debafe- 
 ment of that Sprightful Faculty, thus to be made the 
 Interpreter to a Goat or Bo.ir : for doubtlefs had thofe 
 Creatures but the Organs of Speech, their Fancies lie 
 enough that way to make them as good Company, 
 as thofe who more ftudioufly apply themfelves to this 
 fort of Entertainment. The 8Uti^0? of the tt^j^ol^ 
 ©ttt'^ of !9@^U^ in his Government of the Tongue, 
 pag, 204, 205. 
 
 That 
 
Rf marks upon Voetry. 23 
 
 Ihat the mofi difficult part of a Poet, 
 /V, to defcrik the Manners, and the 
 Paffions. 
 
 RApin tells us. That as the Painter draws Faces by 
 their Features ; fo the Poet reprere>nts the Minds 
 of Men by their Manners : and the mod general Rule 
 for Painting the Manners, is to exhibit every Perfon in 
 his proper Chara^er. A Slave, with bafe Thoughts, 
 and fervile Inclinations. A Prince^ with a liberal Heart, 
 and ^/>of Majefty. ^SouUiery fierce, infolent, furly, 
 and inconftanta An Old Man, covetous, wary, jea- 
 lous. Tis in defcribing the Manners, that Terence tri- 
 umph'd over all the Poets of his time, in Farros Opi- 
 nion, for his Perfons are never found out of their cha- 
 raSiers. He obferves their Manners in all the Niceties 
 and Rigours of Decorum^ which Homer himfelf has not 
 always done, as forae pretend. Longinus cannot en- 
 dure the Woundsy the Adulteries^ the Hatred, and all 
 the other Weaknefles to which he makes the Gods ob- 
 noxious, contrary to their Charaiier. 
 
 The Soveraign Rule for treating of Manners, fays 
 RaptHy is to Copy them after Mature, and above all to 
 ftudy well the Heart of Man, to know how to diftin- 
 guifli all its Motions, Tis this which none are ac- 
 quainted with : the Heart of Man is an Ahyfi, where 
 none can found the Bottom ; it is a Myjiery^ which the 
 moft Quick-fighted cannot pierce into, and in which 
 the moft cunning are miftaken,* at the worft the Poet 
 is obliged to fpeak of Manners according to the com- 
 mon Opinion. Ajax muft be reprefcnted grum, as So^ 
 
 phocles; 
 
24- Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 phocles; Tolyxena and Jphigenla, generous, as Euripides 
 has reprefented them. To conclude, the Manner svr^y:,^ 
 be proportionable to the Age, to the Sex, to the Qua^ 
 lit}/, to the Employment, and to the Fortune of the Per- 
 fons. And, in a word, as nothing tolerable can be 
 perform d m Toetry without this knowledge^ (o with it 
 all becomes admirable. |Sap. Reflex, oh Ariftotle of 
 Poefie, i.F^r/, Se^.xxv. ^ 
 
 The F#m, fays /?^;)i«, give no iefs Grace to Poetry 
 than the Manners; when the P^^/ has found the Art 
 to make them move by their natural Spr^as. duinti 
 liantdls us, without the Paffions a/I u cold and fiat tn the 
 Bijcourfe : for they (fays Rapin) are, as it were, the Soul 
 ^nd Life of It ; but the Secret is, to exprefs them ac- 
 cording to the feveral Eftates, and diffl^rent degrees 
 from their Birth : and in this diftindtion confifis all the 
 Delicacy, wherewith the PaJ/ions are to be handled to 
 give them that Characler, which renders them admira^ 
 tie, by the fecret Motions they imprefs on the Soul, He- 
 cuba in Euripides falls into a Svoound on the Stage the 
 better to exprefs all the Weight o[ her Sorrow,'that 
 could not be reprefented by Words. But AchiUes ap- 
 pears with too much Calmnefs and Tranquility at ^ the 
 Sacrifice of Iphigenia, defign'd for him in Marriage by 
 Agamemnon : his Grief has Expredions too little ^itin^ 
 to the natural Impetuofity of his Heart. Clytemneflra 
 much better preferves her Chara^er-, flie difcovers all 
 the Paffion of a Mother in the lofs of a Daughter fo 
 lovely as was this Vnfortunate Princefs, whom thev 
 were about to Sacrifice, to appeafe the Gods: and 1/ 
 gamcmnon generoufly lays afide the tendernefs of a Fa- 
 ther, to take, as he ought, the Sentiments of a Kina . 
 He negkaed his own Intereft, to provide for the 
 Pubiick To conclude, 'tis this exad: Difiindlion of the 
 ^ different 
 
Remarks upon Voetry^ 25 
 
 different Degrees of Pafton, that is of mod effedt In F<7. 
 etry : for this gives the Draught of Natttre, and is the 
 mod infallible S/>rhg for moving the Soul; but, fays 
 Rapin, it is good to obferve, that the moft ardent and 
 lively Pafions become cold and dead^ if they be not well 
 manag'd, or be not in their place. The Poet muft 
 judge when there muft be a Calm, and when there 
 muft be Trouble ; for nothing is more ridiculous, than 
 Pajfion out of Seafon. But it is not enough to move 
 a Pajfion by a notable Incident^ there muft be Art to 
 condu^ ir, fo far as it (hould go; for by a Pafton that 
 is imperfedt and abortive^ the Soul of the Spe^ator may 
 be fhaken ; but this is not enough, it muft be ravijh'd, 
 ^^p. ibid. Se6t. xxxvi. 
 
 Dryden remarks, That to defcribe the Pajfions natu- 
 rally, and to move them artfully, is one of the great- 
 eft Commendations that can be given to a Poet ; To 
 write pathetically^ fays Longtnus, cannot proceed but from 
 a lofty Genius, A Poet, fays Dryden, muft be born with 
 this Quality ; yet, unlefshe help himfelf by an acquir'd 
 Knowledge of the Pafions ^ what they are in their owa 
 nature, and by what Springs they are to be mov'd, he. 
 will be fubjed either to raife them where they ought 
 not to be rais'd, or not to raife them by the juft De- 
 gree of Nature, or to amplifie them beyond the Natu- 
 ral Bounds, or not to obferve the Crifisy and Turns of 
 them, in their cooling and decay.- All which Errors, 
 fays Dryden, proceed from want of Judgment in the 
 Poet, and from being unskilTd in the Principles of Mo- 
 ral Philofophy. Nothing is more frequent in a Fanciful 
 Writer,than to foil himfelf by not manaj^ing his Strength : 
 therefore, as in a Wreftler^ there u firft requir'd fome 
 meafure of force, a well-knit Body, and adive Limbs, 
 without which all Inftrudion would be vain ; yer, thefe 
 
 E being 
 
26 Remarks upon ?oetty. 
 
 being granted, if he want the Ski// which is necefTary 
 to a Wrefiler^ he fhall make but fmall advantage of his 
 natural Robuftioufnels : So in a Poet, his inborn Ve- 
 hemence and force of Spirit, will only run him out of 
 breath the fooner, if it be not fupported by the help 
 of Art, The roar of Pajfion indeed may pleafe an Au^ 
 ^ience^ three parts of which are ignorant enough, to 
 think all is moving which is Noife, and it may ftretch 
 the Lungs of an Ambitious A^ior^ who will die upon 
 the Spot for a thund'ring Clap j but it will move no o- 
 ther Pajfion than Indignation^ and contempt, from Judi- 
 cious Men. He who would raife the Pajfion of a Ju- 
 dicious Audience^ fays a learned Critick, muft be (ure 
 to take tus Hearers along with him ; if they be in a 
 Calm, 'tis in vain for him to be in a Huff: he mud 
 move them by degrees, and kindle witli 'cm ; other- 
 wife *he will be in danger of fetting his own heap of 
 Stuhh'e on fire, and of burning out by himfelf, with- 
 out warming the Company that ftand about him. 
 U Pref, to Troilus and Creffida. 
 
 Would you your Works for ever fhould remaw^ 
 And, after Ages pajly Is fought again > 
 In all you write, ohjerve with Care and Art 
 To move the Paflions, and incline the Heart, 
 If^ in a Labour d A61, the pleafing Rage 
 Cannot our Hopes and Fears by turns ingage, 
 Nor in our Mind a feeling Pity raife ; 
 In vain with Learned Scenes *jou fill your Plays : 
 lour cold Difcourfe can never move the Mind 
 Of a iS/^rw Critick, naturally unkind^ 
 Who, juftly tird with your Pedantick flight, 
 Cv falls afleepy or cenfures a/I you write. 
 
 the 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 27 
 
 The Secret /;, Attention firfl to gain ; 
 To move our Minds^ and then to entertain : 
 That, from the very ofning of the Scenes, 
 The fird may /hew us what the Author means^ 
 fm tird to fee an A<5lor on the Stage, 
 That knows not whether he's to Laugh, or Rage ; 
 Who, an Intrigue unravelling in vain, 
 Inflead of Pleafing, keeps my Mind in pain .♦ 
 Tde rather much the naufeous Dunce ffwuld fay 
 Downright, my Name is Hedtor in the Play ; 
 Than with a Mafs of Miracles, ill joynd. 
 Confound my Ears, and not infiru^ my Mind. 
 
 ^OileaU's Art 0/ Poetry, pag. 30, 31. 
 
 Would' fl have me weep'i thy felf mufl firfl hegini J 
 Then, Telephus, to pity I incline, S 
 
 And think thy Cafe, and all thy Sufferings mine ; j 
 But if thourt made to a^ thy part amifs, 
 I cant forbear to (leep, or laugh, or hifs ; 
 Let Words exprej^ the Looks which Speakers weari 
 Sad, fit a Mournful, and dejected Air ; 
 The Paflionate mufl huff, and florm, and rave ; 
 The Giy he pie aj ant, and the Serioiis grave. 
 Tor Nature works, and moulds our Frame within^ 
 To take all manner of Imprefilons />. 
 Now makes us hot, and ready to take fire. 
 Now Hope, now Joy, now Sorrow does infpire | 
 And all the fe PaiTions in our face appear^ 
 Of which the Tongue is fole Interpreter .• 
 But he whofe Words ^W Fortunes do not fuit, 
 Bj Pit and Gall'ry loth, is hooted cut. 
 S>Wi^VX in Imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry, jpzg, lO. 
 
 E z That 
 
28 Remarks upon Voctrj. 
 
 that a Poet mujl take great care of his 
 Language and Expreffion. 
 
 THe Exprefion or Language^ fays Rapin^ mufl have 
 five Qualities^ to have all the Pertedlion that Po- 
 etry demands : It muft be apt, clear, niitural, fplefjdid, 
 and nnryieroHS. 
 
 The Language mufl in thc/rft place be apfj and have 
 nothing that is impure or barbarous: for though one 
 may fpeak what is great, mhle^ and admirahk ; all is 
 defpicable. and odious, if the Purity be wanting.- the 
 greateil thoughts in the World have not any Grace^ if 
 the Confhultion be defedive. This Purity of Writing is 
 of late fo ftrongly Eftablifh'd among the French^ that 
 he muft be very hardy, fays Rapin, that will make 
 Ferfe in an Age fo delicate and curious, unlefs he un- 
 der Hand the Tongue perfeftly. 
 
 SecfJtidly^ the Language muft be clear. That it may be 
 Intelligible,- for one of the greateft faults in Difcourfe, 
 is Olfcurity : in this Camoens, whom the Portuguefe call 
 their f^irgil, is cxtreamly blameable; for his f^erfe are 
 fo ohfiure^ that they may pafs for Myjieries .- and the 
 Thoughts of Dante are fo profound, that much Arc is 
 required to dive into them. Poetry demands a more 
 clear Air^ and what is lefs incomprehenfible. 
 
 The third Qualityy is, That it be natural, without af- 
 fe£tation, according to the Rules of Decorum, and good 
 Senfe. Studied Phrafes, a too fiorid Stile, fine Words, 
 Terms flraind and remote, and all extraordinary Expref^ 
 fions, are Infupportable to the true Poefie ; only Simpfi- 
 city pleafes, provided it be fuftain'd with Greatnefs and 
 Majejly: b\xt this Simplicity, hy% Rapin, is not known, 
 
 except 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 2^ 
 
 except by Great Souls, the little Wits underdand nothing 
 of it ,' *tis the Majier-piece of Poe/ie^ and the Cbara^er 
 of Homer and P^irgil. The Ignorant hunt after Wit^ and 
 fine Thoughts, becaufe they are ignorant. 
 
 Fourthly^ The Language rauft be lofty and fplenciid ;, 
 for the common and ordinary Terms are not proper for 
 a Poet 5 he mud ufe Words that pirtake nothing of 
 the Bafe and Vulgar, they muft be l^ohle and Magnify 
 cent ; the Expreffions flrong^ the Colours lively, the 
 Draughts ^<^/</: his Difcourfe muft be fuch as may e- 
 qual the greatnefs of the Idea^ of a Workman, who is 
 the Creator of his Work. 
 
 In the lafl place. The Language muft be Numerous, ta 
 uphold that Greatnefs and Air of M^jtjiy, which reigns 
 throughout in poefie-, and to exprefs afl the force and 
 dignity of the great things it fpeaks : Terms that go 
 off roundly from the Mouth, and that fill the Ears, are 
 fufficient to render all Admirahle, as Poefie requires. 
 But, fays Rapin, this is not enough, that the Expreflions 
 be Stately and Great, there muft likewife be Heat and 
 FeherAence : and above all, there muft Jhine throughout 
 the Difcourfe a certain Grace and Delicacy, which makes 
 the principal Ornament, and moft Univerfal Beauty^ 
 3Bt^P» Refiex, on A r ift. c/ Poefie, i.Part, Se^.XKVil 
 
 Ohferve the Language well in all you write. 
 And fwerve not from it in your loft ie [I flight,. 
 The fmoothefl Verfe, and the exa^iefl Senfe 
 Difpleafs us, //"//7Englifh give offence : 
 A harVrous Phrafe no Reader can approve j 
 l^or Romhafl, l^oife, or Affe^ation love^ 
 In fhort, without pure Language, what you write,. 
 Can never yield us Profit, or Delight, 
 JBOtteai^s Art of Poetryy Englilh'd by Sit Will, Soamel 
 
 Rapin^ 
 
30 Remarks upon VoUrj. 
 
 Rapln does further remark, That there is a particular 
 Rhetorick for Poetry, which the Modern Poets fcarce un- 
 derhand at ail ; this Art confifls in difcerning very 
 precifely what ought to be faid Figuratively^ and what 
 to be fpoken Tfw/'/y • and in knowing well, where Or- 
 nament is rcquir'd, and where not. Tajfo underflood 
 not well this Secret, he is too trim and too polite^ in 
 places, where the Gravity of the Subje£b demanded a 
 more fimple and ferious Stile : As for Example, where 
 Tancred comes near the Tomb of Clorindaj he makes 
 the Unfortunate Lover, who came from Haying his Mi- 
 flr(js, rpeak /'^/w/j, inftead of exprefling his Sorrow wj- 
 turaUy; he commits this fault m many other places. 
 Gtiarini in his P aft or Fido^ and BonareUi in his Phi His, 
 are often guilty of this Vice ; they always think rather 
 10 fpeak things wittily, than naturally : this is the mofl: 
 ordinary Rock to mean Wits, who fuffer their Fancy to 
 flie out after the pleafing Images they find in their 
 way : they rulh into the Defcriptions of Groves, Ri- 
 vers, Fountains, and Temples, which Horace calls Child- 
 ifh, in his Book of Poefie. 'Tis only the Talent of 
 Great Men to know to /peak, and to he filent; to be 
 florid, and to be plain; to be lofty, and to be low, to 
 ufe Figures, and to fpeak Jimpfy ; to mingle FiElion and 
 Ornament, as the Subject requires ; finally, to manage 
 all well in his Subje(^, without pretending to give de^ 
 light, where he fhould only ivflrutl ; utii without ri- 
 fing in great Thoughts, where natural and common Senti- 
 ments are required ; to conclude, a fimple Thougl:t in \is 
 proper place, is more worth than all the mofl: ex- 
 quifite Words, and Wit out of Seajon. ' M^P* Ihid, 
 Sed^. xxxiv. 
 
 Figures 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 Figures cf Speech, which Poets think fo fine. 
 
 Art's needlefs Varnijh to make Nature (htne^ 
 
 Are all hut Paint upon a Beauteous face^ 
 
 And in Defcriptions only claim a Place. 
 
 But to make Rage declaim, and Grief difcourfe^ 
 
 From Lovers in defpair fine things to force, 
 
 Muji needs fucceed, for who can chafe lut pity 
 
 A dying Hero miferahly Witty ? 
 
 But^ ehy the Dialogues^ where Jefl and Mock 
 
 Is held up like a Reft at Shittle-cock 1 
 
 Or elfe like Bells, eternally they chime. 
 
 They (Igh in Simile, and die in Rhime. 
 
 QPttlgt. E£ay on Poetry^ 
 
 'Tis Mr. Drydens Obfervatlon, Thar, as in a Room, 
 contriv'd for State, the height of the Roof (hou'd 
 bear a projwrtion to the Area; io, in the Heighten- 
 ings of Poetry^ the Strength and Vehemence of Fi- 
 gures Ihou'd be fuited to the Occafioa, the Subjedi, 
 and the Perfons. All beyond this (fays Dryden) is 
 monftrous; 'tis out of Nature; 'tis an Excrefcence, 
 and not a living part of Poetry. J^^'^D* in a Dedic. to. 
 the Lord Haughton, before the Spanilh Fryar. 
 
 Concerning the Poetick Licence* 
 
 THe Poetick Licence^ fays Dryden, in his Apology for 
 Heroick Poetry^ h that Birthright, which is de» 
 riv'd to Poets, from their great Forefathers, even from 
 Homer down to Ben, And they who would deny it 
 
 them,, 
 
32 Remarks upon Toetty: 
 
 them, have, in plain terms, the Fox's Quarrel to the 
 Grapes, they cannot reach it. I will, fays Drydeni pJ'e- 
 fume to fay, That the Boldeft Strokes of Poetry^ when 
 they are manag'd Artfully, are thofe which moft de- 
 light the Reader. 
 
 Poets, like Lovers, JJ:oulJ he hold and dare^ 
 They fpoil their Bujwefs with an Over-care : 
 And he who ferviUly creeps after Sence^ 
 Is fafCy hut nere ivill reach an ExcelUnce. 
 
 J^^'ptl^ Prologue to Tyran. Love* 
 
 If no Latitude, fays Drjden^ is to be allow'd a Poet^ 
 you take from him not only his Licence of Quidlthet 
 audendi^ but you tie him up in a (trailer compis than 
 you would a Philofopher. This is indeed AluJ^u colere 
 jtveriores". VTou would have him follow Mature^ but he 
 muft follow her on foot : You have difmounted him 
 from his Pegafiis. JD^'ftlttt's EJfay of Dram. Poefie, 
 pag. 48. 
 
 The truth is, fays Sir William Temple, there is fome- 
 thirg in the Genius of Poetry, too Libertine to be con- 
 fined to many Rules ,• and whoever goes about to fub- 
 jed it to fuch Conftraints, lofesboth its Spirit and Grace, 
 which are ever Native, and never Jearnt, even of the 
 beft Mafters. Tis as if, to mzkt Excellent Honey, you 
 Ihould cut off the Wings of your Bees, confine them 
 to their Hive, or their Stands, and Jay Flowers before 
 them, fuch as you think the fweetcft, and like to yield 
 the hntft Extraction ,• you had as good pull out their 
 Stings, and make arrant Drones ol them. They mud 
 ranf e through Fields^ as well as Gar dens , chule fuch 
 Flowers as they pleafe, and by Proprieties and Scents 
 they only know and diftinguilh .- They mud Work 
 
 i- • up 
 
Remarks upon Foe try, 33 
 
 up their Cells with admirable Art, extra(5t their Honey 
 with infinite Labour, and fever it from the Wax, 
 with fuch Diftindtion and Choice, as belongs ro none 
 but theinfelves to perfornij or to judge. '^CttTplt's 
 Effjy of Poetry, p.ig. 20, 21. 
 
 Mr. Richard ^'ooiey tells us, that Lucan^ whofe bed 
 Charader confifls, in having made fome very happy 
 Bold Strokes^ would have been fpoil'd, had he been 
 checkt every time he offer'd at too lofty Flights. But 
 now we find he has been fuccefsfully Bold, whereas more 
 regularity would have rendered him too fiat and cold: 
 But now feltcirer audet^ is his jufl Encomium. It is 
 therefore (fays Wooley) with PoetSy as 'tis with {ho(Qyou>tg 
 Heroes^ whom an undijcreet Valour more becomes, than 
 an over'circuryifpeti and cautious Trudence* And therefore 
 Sir William Temple remarks, That Rules at beft are ca- 
 pable only to prevent the making of had Ferfes^ but 
 never able to make men good Poets. )KlCl^> H^OOIC^'s 
 Compleat Library^ Novemb- 165? 2. 
 
 The Priviledge that Ancient Poets claim p 
 l^oxv) turnd to Licence hy too jufl a Name, S» 
 Belongs to None hut an Eftabliiht Fame, J 
 
 Which Icorns /<?take it — ^ 
 
 Abfurci Expreflions, Crude, Abortive Thought?, 
 
 All the lewd Legion of Exploded Faults, 
 
 Bafe Fugitives to that Afylum fly, 
 
 And Sacred Laws with Infolcnce defie. 
 
 Not thus our Herof s of the Former Days, 
 
 Deferv'd and Gimi^ their never fading Bays; 
 
 For I mifiake, or far the greatejl Part, 
 
 Of what fome call Negledt, was Study'd Art. 
 
 When Virgil Jeems to Trifle in a Line, 
 
 ^Tis like a Warning-Piece, which gives the Sign 
 
 F To 
 
34 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 To v/ake your Fancy, aMc/ prepare ycur Sight, 
 To reach the nolle Height of (ome unufual Flight. 
 ii^OfCOmOn on Tranjlated Fsrje, pag. ii- 
 
 Whether Art or Nature contrihutes 
 moft to Poetry. 
 
 RAp'iH tells us, This is one of thofe Quenions unre- 
 (olv'd, which might be proper for a Declamation^ 
 ai^d the Decifion is of linall Importance : it luifices, that 
 we know both the one and the other are of that mo- 
 ment, that none can attain to any Soveraign Perfedlion 
 in poetry, if lie be defcdive in either : 5o that both 
 (faith Horace) rruft inutuaiiy aflift each other, and con- 
 fpire to make a Foet accompliili'd. But though Nature 
 be of Utile value, without the helpof.^/-/, yet we may 
 approve of Quintilians Opinion, who believ'd, that Art 
 did lefs contribute to that Perfe6lion, than Nature, 
 And by the Comparifon that Longir.us makes betwixt 
 ApoHonim and Hcmer, Ercjlvjlhenes and Archilochus, 
 Bacchilides and Tindar, Io?i and Scphccles^ the former of 
 all which never tranfgrtilcd againft rh? Rules of Art^ 
 whereas thefe other did; it appear.*, thai the advantage 
 of Wit is always prcferr'd It fore that of Att 3HS{)« 
 Reflex, on Ariflot. of Pot fie, Fart i Sefl. xiii. 
 
 Concerning Poets there has been Contefi^ 
 Whether they re made hy Art or Nature hefl : 
 But if I may prefume in this Affair^ 
 Amongd the Reft my Judgment to declare^ 
 
 No 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 35 
 
 Mo Art without a Genius tvi/I avails 
 
 And Parts without the help of Art will fail ; 
 
 But both Ingredients joyntly mufl unite 
 
 To mjke the happy Ch^ra^er compleat^ 
 
 j^iDl^SUt, in Imitation o{ Horace s Art o^ Poetry , 
 
 One may be an Orator, fsys Rapiny without the na* 
 tural Gift of Ektiuence^ becaufe Art may fupply that 
 defedl ; but no Man can be a ?oet without a Genius : 
 the want of which, no Art or Indultry is capable to 
 repair. This Genim is that Celefial Fire intended by 
 the Fahky which enlarges and heightens the Soul^ and 
 makes it exprefs things with a lofty Air. Happy is 
 he (fays Rapin) to whom Mature has made this Prefent, 
 by this he is raifed above himfelf ,• whereas others are al- 
 ways low and creeping, and never fpeak but what is 
 mean and cominon. He that hath a Genius, appears a 
 Foet on the fmallefl and moft minute Subjej^s, by the 
 turn he gives them, and the noble manner in which 
 he expredes himfelf. ISftp^ Reflex, oh Ariftotle of Po- 
 efie, Pci^'i '• Se^, vi. 
 
 Ra(h Author, 'tis a vain pre fumptmus Crime, 
 
 To undertake the Sacred Art of Rhime; 
 
 If at thy Birth the Stars that rutd thy Sence 
 
 Shone not with a Posiick Influence : 
 
 In thy {ir.nt Genius thou wilt flill he hound^ 
 
 Find Phabus decf, and Pegafus unfomd, 
 
 360(leatt's ArtofFoQtry, pag. i. 
 
 Number, and Rhimc, j«^ /to Harmonious Sound, 
 Which never does the Ear with Harllinefs wound, 
 
 F X Are 
 
3^ Kemnrh upon Voetry. 
 
 Are necedary, yet hut vulgar ArtSy 
 
 Tor all In vain thefe fupe.ificlal parts 
 
 Coniriliite to the Strutture rf the \4l.wle 
 
 Without a Genius too, for that's the Soul ; 
 
 A Spine which infpires the Work throughout^ 
 
 As that cf Nature moves the World about ; 
 
 A Heat which glows in every Word that's writ, 
 
 ^fis fomething of Divine, and more than Wit; 
 
 Jtjelf un/ec»y yet all things by it jhown. 
 
 Defer thing All Men, hut defcriUd by none. 
 
 Where dcfi thou dwell > what Caverns of the Brain 
 
 Can fuch a vafl^ and mighty thifi'i^ contain ? 
 
 SBUlg^V, Effay on Poetry. 
 
 That a Poet Jhould not be addi^ed 
 to Flattery. 
 
 PLutarch tells us, That Philoxenus^ for defpifing feme 
 dull Poetry of Dionyfius., was by him condemn'd 
 to dig in the Quarries: from whence being by the Me- 
 diation of Friends remanded, at his return Dionypus 
 produced fome other of his Verfes^ which as foon as 
 Philoxenus had read, he made no reply, but calling to 
 the Waiters, faid, Let them carry me again to the Quar- 
 ries. Now, if a Heathen Poet could prefer a Corporeal 
 Slavery before a Mental, what name of Reproach is 
 great enough for them, who can (ubmit to both, in 
 purfuit of thofe poor fordid Advantages they project 
 by their Flatteries} 
 
 Rapin fays, Nothing has contributed more to the dif- 
 reputation of Poetry, than thofe vile and unmanly Flat- 
 teries, 
 
Remarks upon Foetry. 37 
 
 urieSf whereby the greateft part cf Poefs have debas'd 
 themfelves. 
 
 But Want at lafl bafe Flatt'ry entertain d. 
 
 And old Parnadiis with this F'ice was flatnd : 
 
 Defire cf Gain dazling the Poets Eyes, 
 
 Their VVorks were fiU'd with fulfome Flatteries. 
 
 Thus needy Wits a vile Revenue madcy 
 
 And Verfe became a Mercinary Trade. 
 
 Debafe not with fo mean a Vice thy Art ; 
 
 Tjf Gold mu^ be the Idol of thy Heart, 
 
 Flyy fly th* unfruitful Heliconian Strand, 
 
 Thofe Streams are not inrich'd with Golden Sand : 
 
 Great Wits, as well as Warriours, only gain 
 
 Laurels and Honours for their Toil and Fain: 
 
 But what ? an Author cannot live on Fame, 
 
 Or pay a Reck*ning with a lofty Name • 
 
 A^ott to whom Fortune is unkind, 
 
 Who when he goes to Bed has hardly dind • 
 
 Takes little Pleafure in Parnaflus Dreams, 
 
 Or relijhes the Heliconian Streams. 
 
 Horace had Eafe and Plenty when he writ, y 
 
 And free from Cares, for Money or for Meat, > 
 
 Did not expe^ his Dinner from his Wit. j 
 
 '7/j true ', but Verfe is cherijh'd by the Great j 
 
 And now none famifh who deferve to eat : 
 
 What can we fear, when Virtue, ArtSy and Senfe, 
 
 Receive the Stars propitious Influence ? 
 
 JSOileaU's Art of Poetry, pag. 63, 6^. 
 
 I pity, from my Soul, Vnhappy Men, 
 Compelled by Want to Proftitute their Pen j 
 
 Who 
 
38 Remarks upon Foctrj. 
 
 Who ryiufi, like Lawyers, either Starve or Plead, 
 And io\\o^\ ri([^ht or ivrofjg^ where Guinnys lead. 
 
 IROfCOmOn's Einy on Tratijlated Ferje, 
 pag. 18. 
 
 Concerning the Fglogue, Bucolick, 
 or Paftoral 
 
 J'^Jliui Scaliger tells us, That the Pajloral was the 
 mod Ancient kind of Poetry, and refulting from 
 tne mo^ Ancient vudiy of Jiving: Singhtg Qhys Scaliger) 
 jlrfl beg^n amoftgH Shepherds as they Jed their Flocks 
 either iy the Impulfe of Nature, or in Imitation cf the 
 Notes of Birdsy or the ivhifpering of trees. %\Xl* ^C^Kg* 
 De Re Pcetici, lib. 1. cap. 4. 
 
 Since the firjl Men were either Shepherds or Plough' 
 men, and Shepherds, as may be gather'd out of Thucy- 
 dides and Farro, were before the others, they were 
 thtfirjl tiut, either invited by their leifure, or (which 
 Lucretius thinks more probable) in imitation of Birdsy 
 began a Tune. 
 
 Through all the Woods they heard the charming Noife 
 Of chirping Birdsy and tryd to f\i?n€ their Fcice, 
 ^W imitate. Thus Birds injlruiled Man, 
 And taught them Songs, before t^^ir hxi began. 
 
 Lucretius alfo, in the fame place, informs us, That 
 Shepherds were fit it taught, by the rufliing of foft 
 Breezes amongfl the Canes, to blow their Recds^ and 
 fo by degrees to put their Songs in tune. 
 
 And 
 
Remarks upon Voetrj. 35^ 
 
 And whilft fojt Evening Gales hlew ore the Plains, 
 And jhook the founding Reeds ^ they taught the Swains ; 
 And thus the Pipe was framdy and tuneful Reed ; 
 And whilft the tender Flocks fecurely feed^ 
 The harmlefs Shepherds tund their Pipes to Love^ 
 And Am^rvUis Jounds in every Grove, 
 
 CtC^Ci^^ Tranflat. of Lucret. lib. v. pag. i8i. 
 
 How Verfe fi?ft began, Tih./Ius \>h\n\y tells us, in 
 
 thofe VeiTes iranflattd by Mr. Creech-, 
 
 Fir ft rveary at his Plough, the la I' ring Hind 
 In certain Feet his ruftick Words did hind : 
 fits dry Reed fir fi he tund at Sacred Fepfts 
 To thank the bounteous Gods^ and chear his Guefls. 
 
 From this Birth, as it were, of Poetry ,^ Verje began 
 to grow up to greater Matters; for from the Common 
 Dilcourfe of Plough-men and Shepherds^ firft Comedy^ 
 that Miftrcfs of a Private Life, next Tragedy^ and then 
 Emk poetry arofe. This Maximus Tyrius confirms in 
 his Twenty firft Diff^rtation^ where he tells us, That 
 Plough-Hen juft coming from their Work, and fcarce 
 cleans'd from the filth ot their Employment, did ufe to 
 flurt out fome fudden and extempore Catches ; and 
 from this Beginning Plays were produc'd, and the Stage 
 erefted. Out to return to the Eghgue or pafloral. 
 
 The Eglogue^ fays Rapin^ is the mofl confiderable of 
 the little Poems ; it is an Image of the Life of Shepherds. 
 Therefore the Matter is low, and nothing Great is in 
 the Genius of it ; its bufmefs is to defcribe the Loves, 
 the Sports^ the Piques^ the Jealouftes^ the Difputes^ the 
 Quarrels^ the Intrigues, the Pajfions, the Adventures^ 
 
 and 
 
40 Remarks upon Voetrj. 
 
 and all the little Affairs of Shepherds. So that its 
 Charafter muft be fimple, the Wit eafie, and the Ex- 
 prefljon common ,• it niuft have nothing that is cxqui- 
 fite, neithtr in the Thoughts, nor in the Words, nor 
 in any jafh'iom of Speech ; in which the Italtans, who 
 have writ in th'n kind of yerfe, have been mifiaken; 
 for they always aim at being witty, and to fay things 
 too finely. The true Charadler ot the Eglcgue, hys 
 Rapin, is Simplicity and Modtfty; its Figures are fweet, 
 the Paflions tender, the Motions eafie ; and though 
 fometimes it may be palfionate, and have little Tran- 
 fports, and little Defpairs, yet it never rifes fo high as 
 to be fierce or vioknt ; its Marrations are fhort, De^ 
 fcriptions little, the Thoughts ingenious, the Manners in- 
 nocent, the Language pure, the Ferje flowing, the Ex- 
 preffions plain, and all the Dijcourje natural ; for this is 
 not a great Talker^ that loves to make a noife. The 
 Models to be propofed to write well in this fort of Po- 
 ejie, are Theocritus and f^irgil. MWf* Reflex, on Ariftc- 
 tle of Poefie, Part x. Se^. xxvii. 
 
 Concerning Satyr. 
 
 IT is the Obfervation of Dr. TiUotfon, His prefent 
 Grace of Canterhtdrj^ that Satyr and Invetlivs are 
 ifte eafieft kind of Wit. Almoft any degree of it, fays 
 hi will ferve to ahufe and find fault. For Wit is a 
 keen Inftrument, and every one can cur and gaih with 
 it J but to carve a beautiful Image, and to polifh ir, 
 requires great Art and Dexterity. To praije any thing 
 weiJ, is an argument of much more Wit, than to a- 
 
 hufe. 
 
Remarks upon Voetry, 41 
 
 lufe, A little Wit, and a great deal of ill Nature, will 
 furnilli a Man for Sat>ir j but the greateft Inftance of 
 Wit is to commend well. And perhaps, fays Tillotfon, 
 the Ee^ Things are the hardefl to be duly commended. 
 For though there be a great deal of Matter to work 
 upon, yet there is great Judgment required to make 
 choice. And where the Subjed is great and excellenr, 
 it is hard not to fink below the dignity of it. %il* 
 iOtft I. f^ol, Serm. pag, 113. 
 
 Such is the mode of thefe Cenforious daysy 
 The Art is loft of knowing hoiv to Praife ; 
 Poets are envious now, and Fools alone 
 Admire at Wit, hecaufe themfslves have none, 
 Tet^ what foe re is hy vain Criticks thought, 
 Praifing is harder much, than finding tault; 
 In homely Pieces evn the Dutch excell^ 
 Italians only can draw Beauty well. 
 
 Earl of S©algr* on Hohbs, fee the Poeticum 
 Ex amen ^ pc<g. 99. 
 
 Dr. B^row tells us, It is not any Argument of confi- 
 derable Ability in him that haps to pleafe this way: a 
 {lender faculty will ferve the turn. The fharpaefs 
 Cometh not from Wit i'o much as from Choler, which 
 furnillies the loweft Ijivention with a kind of pungent 
 Exprefiion, and giveth an , Edge to every fpightful 
 Word : So that any dull Wretch does feem to fcold E- 
 loquently and Ingenioufly. Commonly (fiys Barrow) 
 they who feem to excel this way, are miferably flit in 
 other difcourfe, and moft dully ferious: they have a 
 particular unaprnefs to Defcribe any Good thing, or com- 
 mend any worthy Perfon ; being deftitutc o\ right /- 
 deaSf and proper terms anfwerable to fuch purpofes.- 
 
 G their 
 
42 Remarks upon Toetry, 
 
 their Reprefentation? of that kind are abfurd and un- 
 handfome; thcW B logics (to ufe their own way of fjpcak- 
 ing) are in efle(5t Satyrs, and they can hardly more a- 
 l?u[e a Msn, than by attempring to commend him j like 
 thole in the Prophet, who were Wife to do i/I, hut to 
 do well had no KKoivledge. J^^l^^Ottl's xd Serrn. agahiji 
 Evil-fpeaking, pag. ji^diic. 
 
 Dry den fays, There has been a long Difpute amongfl 
 the Modern Critkh, whether the Romans derived their 
 Satyr (rom the Grecians, or firfl invented it themfelves. 
 JulJus Scaligcr, and HeinfiuSy are of the firji Opinion ; 
 CafauhcK, RigaltiuSy Dacier, and the Pubhflier of the 
 Dauphin s fuvenaly maintain the /df/fr. li ((^ys Dry den) 
 we take Satjr in the gene.al Signification of the Word, 
 as it is us'd in all Modern Languages, for an In^etlive, 
 'tis certain that it is almofl as old as Verfe ; and though 
 HymnSf which are Traifes of Qod^ may be allow'd to 
 have been before ir, yet ihe Defamation of others was 
 not long after it. After God bad curs'd Adam and Eve 
 in Paradife, the Husband and Wife excus'd themfelves, 
 by laying the blame on one another,* and gave a be- 
 ginning to ihofe Conjugal Dialogues in Prcfe, which the 
 Poets have perfected in Ferfe, The third Chapter in Joh 
 is one of ihc firjl Inftances of this Poem in Holy Scripture : 
 unlcTs we will take it higher, from the laner end of 
 the Second I where his Wile advifeshim xocurjehu Maker ^ 
 This Original, I confefs, fays Dryden, is not much 
 to the Honour of Satyr-, but here it was Nature, and 
 that depraijd ; When it became an Art, it bore better 
 Frulr. ®^^IJ» in his Dcdic. before Juvenal, ^ag. i6. 
 
 Rapin remarks, That the Principal End of Satyr, is 
 to inftru6t the People by difcrediting Fice, It may 
 therefore be of great advantage in a Stare, when taught 
 t(5 keep Jwiibin iis bounds. But as Flatterers embroil 
 
 thera- 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 43 
 
 themfelves with the Puhlkky whilft they ftrive too 
 much to pleafe Particulars ; fo (fays Rapin) it happens, 
 that the Writers of Satyr difoblige lornetimes Fartku- 
 lars) whilft they endeivour too much to pleafe the 
 Pul/kk : and as downright Praifes are too grofs ; fo 
 Satyr that takes off the Mask, and reprehends Fice too 
 openly, is not to be allow'd of: But though it be more 
 difficult to Pra/fe, than to /««/ fault, becaufe it is ea- 
 fier to difcover in People what may be turn'd into /?/- 
 elkule, than to underftand their Merit ; 'tis requifite 
 notwithftanding equally to have a I4^it for the ofte, as for 
 the other. For the fame Delicacies of PFi/, that is necefla- 
 ry to him who praifeth, to purge his Frai/es from what is 
 deform d^ is neceflary to him who findeth fault to clear the 
 Satyr from what is hitter in it. And this Delicacy which 
 properly gives the relifli to Satyr, was (fays Rapin) 
 heretofore the Charadler of Horace, for it was only by 
 the way of Jeji and Merriment that he exercis*d his 
 Cenfure. For he knew full well, that the fporting of 
 Wit, hath more effed, than the ftrongeft Reafons, and 
 the moft Sententious Difcourfe, to render Vice rtdicu» 
 lous. In which Juvenal, with all his Serioufnefs, has 
 fo much ado to fucceed. jB^p* Refley] on Ariftofle of 
 Poefie, Part z. Se^, xxviii. 
 
 Lucilius was the Man who bravely loU^ 
 To Roman Vices did this Mirror hold. 
 Protected humble Goodnefs from Reproach, 
 Showed iVarth on foot, and Rafcals in the Coach: 
 Horace his pleafing Wit to this did add. 
 And none uncenfurd could /# Fool cr Mad ; 
 Vnhappy was that Wretch, whofe Name might he 
 Squar d to the Rules of their fl)arp Poetry. 
 
 JBotleatt's Art <?/ Poetry, pag. 14. 
 G 2 When 
 
44 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 When Shakefpear, Johnfon, Fletcher, ruFd the Stage, 
 
 They took fo hold a Freedom with the Age, 
 
 That there was fcarce a Knave, or Fool, tn Town, 
 
 Of any l^ote, hut had his Pidure jhown ; 
 
 And {without douht) though fowe it may offend. 
 
 Nothing helps more thr,n Saiyr, to amend 
 
 Hi Manners, or is trulier Virtue'/ Friend, 
 
 Princes ma) Laws Ordain, Priefts gravely Preach, 
 
 But Poets, mofl fucce fs fully will teach. 
 
 For as a Paffing-Bell, frights from his Meat, 
 
 The greedy Sick- man, that too much woud eat ; 
 
 So when a Vice, ridiculous is made. 
 
 Our Neighbour'/ fhame keeps us from growing Bad. 
 
 Earl of KOCl^ettet in Defence of Satyr, 
 
 Of all the Ways that lV/fe(l Men could find 
 
 To mend the Age, and mortifie Mankind, 
 
 Satyr well writ has mojl fuccefsful provd^ 
 
 And Cures, lecaufe the Remedy is lov*d. 
 
 *Tis hard to write on fuch a SuhjeB more^ 
 
 Without repeating Things [aid oft hefore. 
 
 Some Vulgar Errors onh we remove. 
 
 That fiain a Beauty which fo much we love. 
 
 Of weH-chofe Words fame take not care enough^ 
 
 And think they fijould he as the Suhje^ rough ; 
 
 This great Work muft he more exatlly made, 
 
 And Iharpeft Thoughts in fmootheft Words convey d: 
 
 Some think, if fharp enough^ they ca'itnot fail^ 
 
 As if their only Bufinefs was to rail ; 
 
 But Human Frailty nicely to unfold, 
 
 Diflinguifhes a Satyr from a Scold. 
 
 Rage you mafi hide, and Prejudice lay down^ 
 
 A Satyr's Smile is fliarper than his Frown ; 
 
 So^ 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 45 
 
 SOf while you feetn to flight /ome Rival Touth 
 Malice it [elf way pafi fometir-'cs for Truth. 
 
 ^UlS^* EJfay on Poetry, 
 
 The Author of the Preface to Valentinian obferves, 
 That Satyr^ that mod needful part of our Poetry, has 
 of late been more abus'd, and is grown more dcg':ne- 
 race than any other ; moft commonly, hke a Sword in 
 the hands of a M^d^man, it runs a Tilt at all manner 
 of Perfons, without any fort of diftindlion or reafon ; 
 and fo ill-guided is this furious ^^r^fr, that ihe Thrufls 
 are moft aim'd, where the Enemy is beft arm'd. Wo- 
 mens Reputations (of what Quality or Conduft foe- 
 ver) have been reckon'd as lawful Game as VVatch- 
 mens Heads ; and 'tis thought as glorious a piece of 
 Gallantry by fome of our Modern Sparks, to libel a 
 Woman of Honour, as to kill a Conftable, who is do- 
 ing his duty ; Jufiice is not in their Natures, and all 
 kind of Vfeful Knowledge lies out of the way of their 
 Breeding ; Slander therefore is their Wit, and Drefi is 
 their Learning; Pleafure their Principle, and Interefl 
 their God. 
 
 Concerning Tragedy. 
 
 Rimer tells us, That Authors generally look no 
 higher than thefpis for the Original of Tragedy ; 
 yet Plato reckons it much ancienter. Mnos, fays he, 
 for all his Wifdom, was ovcrfecn in making War upon 
 Athens ; where lived fo many Tragick Poets, that re- 
 prefented him, and fixed on him and his Family a Name 
 
 and 
 
4^ Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 and Character never to be wiped off The Judges of 
 Hell^ Fafiphacj and her Minotattr, are upon record to 
 all Pofterity. 
 
 All agree, fays B/mer, that in the beginning Trage- 
 Jy was purely a Religious Worjhip, and Solemn Service 
 for their Holy-days. Afterwards it came from the Tem- 
 ples to the Theatre, admitted of a Secular allay, and 
 grew to be feme Image of the World, and Humane 
 Life. When it was brought to the utmoft perfedlion 
 by Sophocles, the Chorus continued a neceffiry part of 
 the Tragedy j but that Mufick and the Dancing which 
 came along with the Chorus, were meer Religio^^ were 
 no part of the Tragedy, nor had any thing of Philofophy 
 or Inflru^ion in 'them. 
 
 The Government had the fame care of thefe Reprefen- 
 tations^ as of their Religion^ and as much caution about 
 them. The Laws would not permit a private Perfon 
 to make a Chappel, raife an Altar, or confecrate an I- 
 mage; otherwife all Places would in time be fo cramm'd, 
 from the Devotion of Women and weak Heads, that a 
 Man lliould not let a foot, nor find Elbow-room, for 
 Gods, and Shrines, confecrated Stuff The like Provi- 
 dence had they (fays Rimer) for the Theatre. No Poet 
 under the Age of thirty or forty years was allowed 
 to prefent any Play to be a£l:ed. More of their Publick 
 Money was fpent about the Chorusy and other Charges 
 and Decorations of xhtxx Theatre^ than in all their Wars 
 with the Kings of Perjia. And when brought to their 
 laft Extremity, that no other Bank remain'd for thcn>, 
 wherewith to carry on a War, without M/hich War they 
 could not longer expert to be a People, the delicate turn 
 us'd by Demoflhenes, in flarting the Motion, for apply- 
 ing this Theatre- Money to the War, is obferv*d as a Ma- 
 fter-pleceof Addref^by the Orators. Did I py (quoth 
 
 Uemo' 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 47 
 
 Demofihenes) the Theatre-Money may he applied to the 
 War ? no, by Jove, not J. 
 
 Monaftcries and Church-lands were never with us fo 
 Sacred. * . 
 
 The Romans, fays Rimer, were a rougher fort of 
 People ; and wonderful jealous were they of the Gre* 
 cian Arts, or of any Commerce with a Politer Nati- 
 on. Till N«wj Pompiliust very little had they of ci- 
 ther Religion or Poetry anKmg them. Nor made He ufe 
 of it farther, than for the Hymns and Anthems at the 
 Altars and Sacrifice : Secular Poetry had they none. 
 And indeed at that time it was hardly fafe for Poetry 
 to ftir from San^uary ; for in the World, the rigid Fa- 
 thers had given the Poets an ugly Name, calling them 
 GrajUatores ; which, in Modern Italian^ may be rendred 
 BanJiti. 
 
 It was with much ado, and under an Ufurpation by 
 the Decemvirat, that the Romans {looped to a Cor- 
 refpondence with Greece, for the Commodity of their 
 Laws J which were not till then imported ; and from 
 thence we hear of the Twelve Tables, 
 
 As for the Stage-Plays ; it was a Plague that firfl 
 introduced them. They try, by that ftrange Worlhip, 
 to appeafe their Gods ; and avert the Judgment \o 
 heavy on them. But their firft Secular Plays, fays 
 Rimer, were taught by Livius Andronicus, fome two 
 hundred Years after the Twelve Tables at Rome. He 
 fet up for fome skill in this Dramatick way, Tranjlating 
 from the Greek, 
 
 After all the goodly Commendations and pretty 
 things, by QjAintilian acknowledg'd due to Plautus and 
 Terence, frankly he concludes, In Comadih rr.axime clau' 
 dicamus—'Fix levem confequimur Vmhram\ that the Ro- 
 man is infinitely fiort of the Greek Comedy, hardly comes 
 
4.8 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 up to the (haeiow of it, Horace would fain with fome 
 colour make good the Comparifon betwixt the Romans 
 and the Greeks^ on that Topkh^ to flitter Auguflus^ 
 But f^irgil^ with no difadvantage to his Comphment, 
 gave up the Caufe. 
 
 Excudent alii 
 
 Tu regere imperio populos^ Romane, memento. 
 Hie tilt erunt Artes ■ 
 
 Let them have all the Praifes due to their polite 
 Learning : To govern and to give Laws, he tkefe thy 
 Arts, O Carfar 1 This is thy Glory without a Rival. 
 
 Upon the whole, fays Rimer ; This Dramatick Poetry 
 was like a Forreign Plant amongft the Romans, the Gli- 
 mate not very kindly, and cultivated but indifferently,- 
 fo might put forth Leaves and BlofTomsj without yield- 
 ing any Fruit of much Importance. Athens was the 
 genuine Soil for it, there it took, there it flouriih'd, and 
 ran up to overtop every thing Secular and Sacred. 
 There had this Poetry the Honour, the Pomps, and the 
 Dignity ; their Regalia, and their Pontificalia. But the 
 Romans moftly look'd no deeper than the Show. They 
 took up with the outfide and Portico ^^ their Genius 
 dwelt in their Eye ,• there they fed it, there indulged 
 and pamper'd it immoderately .- So that their Theatres 
 and their Amphitheatres, fays Rimer, will always be re- 
 member'd, though their Tragedy and Comedy be only 
 Shadow ; or Magni Mominis Vmhra, They reckon*d 
 thefe Matters of Wit and Speculation, not fo confiflent 
 with the feverity of an A(9:ive Warlike People.- Some- 
 thing of their old Saturn lay heavy in their heads to 
 the very lai>. %iv^tti Short view of Tragedy, chap, z, 
 
 Rapin 
 
Remarks upon Poetry, 49 
 
 Ra/>/H obferves, That Tragedy of all parts of Voefie^ is 
 that which Ariflotle has moft difculs'dj and where he 
 appears moft exadt. Ar'iftotle allcdges, that Tragedy is 
 a puhlkk Le^urcy without comparifon more hfiru^he 
 than Philofophj ; becaufe it teaches the Mind by the 
 Senfe, and re^ifiss the Padions by the Paffions them- 
 felves, in calming by their emotion the troubles they 
 excite in the Heart. The Philofopher had obftrv'd 
 two important Faults in Man to be regulated, Pride and 
 Hard-Hearted»efi; and he found for both thefe Vices 
 a cure in Tragedy. For it makes Man modert, by re- 
 prefenting the great Maflers of the E^rth humbled -, and 
 it makes him tender and merciful, by Ihewing him on 
 the Theatre the ftrange Accidents of Life, and the un- 
 forefeen Difgraces, to which ihofe of the higheft Qua- 
 lity are fubjedh But becaufe Man is naturally timo- 
 rous, and companionate, he may fall into another Ex- 
 tream, to be either too fearful, or too full of pity ; 
 the too much Fear may fhake the Conflancy of Mind, 
 and the too great Compalfion may enfeeble the Equi- 
 ty. Tis the bufinefs of Tragedy to regulate thefe two 
 Weaknefles ; it prepares and arms him againft Difgraces, 
 by fhewing them fo frequent in the moft confiderable 
 Perfons ; and he Ihall ceafe to fear Ordinary Accidents, 
 when he fees fuch Extraordinary happen to the Highefl 
 part of Mankind. But as the End of Tragedy is t ? ttach 
 Men not to fear too weakly the Common Misforruncs*, 
 and to manage their fear j it ferves alfo to teach them 
 to fpare their Compafifion, for Objects that defei ve ir. 
 For there is an Injuftice in being mov'd at the Afili6ii- 
 ons of thofe who defcrve to be miferable. One may 
 fee without pity Clytemneflra flain by her Son Orefles 
 in ^JchjluSj becaufe ftie had cut the thrortt of Aga^ 
 memnon her Husband j and one cannot fee Tlippolytus 
 
 H die 
 
50 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 die by the Plot of his Step-Mother Phedra in Euripi- 
 des, without G.mpaflion j becaufe he dy*d not but for 
 being Chad and Vertuous. This, fays Rapin, to me 
 feems, in lliorr, theDefign o[ Tragedy^ according to the 
 Syflem of Ariflot/e, which to me appears admirable, 
 but which has not been explain*d as it ought by his 
 Interpreters^ who (probably) did not well enough un- 
 derhand the My (lery, to unfold it as they ought. ^0(p^ 
 Reflex, on Ariftot. of Poefie, Part z. Sefi. xvii. 
 
 Rapin does further remark, That the Faults of A/i?^<fr« 
 Tragedy ^re ordinarily, that either the Suhjecis which are 
 chofen are mean and frivolous ; or the Fahle is not well 
 wrought, and the Contrivance not regular ; Or that 
 they are too much crowded with Epifodes ; Or that the 
 Characters are not preferv'd and fullain'd ,- Or that the 
 Incidents are not well prepared -, Or that the Machins 
 are forced ; Or that, what is admirable fails in the 
 prohahility •, Or the ^rohahility is too plain and flat; 
 Or that the Surprijes are ill manag'd, the Knots ill 
 ty'd, the loofing them not natural ; the Cataftrophes 
 precipitated; the Thoughts without Elevation* the Ex^ 
 prefions without Majelly ; the Figures without Grace* 
 tile Pajfions without colour ; the Difcourfe without Life; 
 the Narrations cold, the IVords low, the Language im- 
 proper ; and all the Beauties falfe. They [peak not e- 
 nough to the heart oi the Audience, which is the only 
 Art of the Theatre, where nothing can be delightful 
 but tliat which moves the Afleflions, and which makes 
 impreflion on the Soul ,• little known is that Rhetorick 
 which can lay open the Pajfions by all the natural de- 
 grees of their Birth, and of their Progrefs : Nor are 
 thofe Morals at all in ufe, which are proper to mingle 
 thofe dijfercnt Interefls, thofe cppofite Glances, thofe 
 claflnng Maxms^ thofe Rcafons that deflroy each other, 
 
 ta 
 
 I 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 5r 
 
 to ground the Incertitudes and Irrefolutions, and to a- 
 nimate the Theatre, For the Theatre being eflentially 
 deftin'd for Action, nothing ought to be idle, but ail 
 in agitation, by the thwarting of Paflions that are 
 founded on the different Interefts that arife ,• or by 
 the Embroilment that follows from the Intrigue. Like- 
 wife (fays Rapin) there ought to appear no Atioty that 
 carries not fome defign in his head, either to crofs the 
 defigns of others, or to fupport his own ; all ought to be 
 in trouble, and no Calm to appear, till the A^ion be ended 
 by the Cataftrophe. Nor, finally, is it well underftood, 
 that it is not the admirable Intrigue, the furprifing and 
 wonderful Events, the extraordinary Incidents that make 
 the Beauty of a Tragedy ; it is the Difcourfes when they are 
 Untural and Pajfionate. Sophocles was not more fuccefs- 
 fui than Euripides on the Theatre at Athens, but by 
 the Difcourfe ; though the Tragedies of Euripides have 
 more of Ai^iion, of Morality, of wonflerful Incidents^ 
 than thofe of Sophocles. It is by thefe Faults, more 
 or lefs great, that Tragedy in thefe days has fo little 
 efre(5l on the Mind ; that we no longer feel thofe a- 
 greeable Trances^ that make the pleature of the Soul ; 
 nor find thofe Sufpenfions, thofe Ravijhments, thofe Sur- 
 prifes, thofe Admiraticns, that the ancient Tragedy 
 caus'd ; becaufe the Modern has nothing of thofe a- 
 flonilhing and terrible Obje^s that affrighted, whilft 
 they pleas d the Spectators, and made thofe great Im- 
 prelTions on the Soul, by the Minifiry of the Tcjfions, 
 In thefe days Men go from the Theatre as little mov'd 
 as when they went in, and carry their fJeart along 
 with them mtoucht^ as they brought it ; So that i*ie plea- 
 fure they receive there, is become as Superficial, as that of 
 Comedy ; and our graved: Tragedies are (to fpcakp^operly) 
 no more but Heightened Comedies. Ihidemy Sect. ;vx/. 
 
 Ha At 
 
52 Remarks upon Voctry. 
 
 At firfl the Tragedy ivas void of Art ; 
 
 A Song I where each Man Dane d, and Sung his Part, 
 
 And of God Bacchus roaring out the Traije 
 
 Sought a good Y[ni^g<£ for their Jolly days: 
 
 Then Wine^ and Joy^ were feen in each Mans Eyes, 
 
 And a fat Goat voxs the lefi Singer'j prize. 
 
 Thefpis was firfl ^ who^ all lefmeard with Lee, 
 
 Began this pleafure for Pofterity : 
 
 And^ with his Carted Adlors, and a Song, 
 
 Amus'd the People as he pafsd along. 
 
 Next^ ^fchylus the diff'ient Perfons placed. 
 
 And with a better Mafque his Players gracd: 
 
 Vpon a Theatre his Ferfe exprefs'd. 
 
 And fhowd his Hero with a Buskin drefsd. 
 
 Then Sophocles, the Genius of his Age, 
 
 Increasd the pomp, and Beauty of the Stage , 
 
 Ingagd the Chorus Song in every part. 
 
 And polifh'd rugged Verfe hy Rules of Art : 
 
 He, In the Greek, did thofe Perfetlions gain^ 
 
 Which the weak Latin never could attain^ 
 
 Our Pious Fathers^ in their Prieft-rid Age^ 
 
 As impious, and prophane, abhorred the Stage : 
 
 A Troop of filiy Pilgrims, as 'tis [aid, 
 
 Foolifhly 2.ealous, fcandaloufly playd 
 
 (Jnfiead of Heroes, and of Lovei Complaints) 
 
 The Angels., Gody the Virgin, and the Saints, 
 
 At lafly right Reafon did his Laws reveal. 
 
 And (how'd the Foil) of their ill-plcicd 2,eaJy 
 
 Silencd thofe Nonconformifts of the Age^ 
 
 And rais'd the lawful Heroes of the Stage : 
 
 Only ty Athenian Mafque was laid afide^ 
 
 And Chorus hy the Mufick was fupplyd. 
 
Remarks upon Voetry, 53 
 
 Ingenious Love, inventive in new Arts, 
 
 Mingled in flays, and quickly tcucljd our Hearts : 
 
 This PaJfioH never could refiflance find, 
 
 But knows the fhortefl Pajfjge to the Mind. 
 
 5BOll0aU's Art of Poetry, pag. 31,33,, 34. 
 
 Rimer fays, The Chorus was the Root and Original^ 
 and is certainly always the moft neceflary Part of Tra- 
 gedy ; that the Spectators thereby are fecured, that their 
 Poet ihali nor juggle, or put upon them in the matter 
 of Place^ and Timcy other than is juft and reafonable 
 for the Reprefentation. And the Poet, fays Rimer^ has 
 this benefit ; the Chorus is a goodly Show, fo that he 
 need not ramble from his Sul jt<a out of his Wics for 
 fome Foreign Toy or Hobby-Horfe, to humour the 
 Multitude. Jriflotle, in his Poetica, tells us of two Sen^ 
 fes that mud be pleas'd, our Sight, and our Ears ; And^ 
 fays Rimer, it is in vain for a Poet (with Bays in the^ 
 Rehearfal) to complain of Injuftice, and the wrong 
 Judgment in his Audience, unleli thefe two Senfes be 
 gratified. ^iV^tX'i Short View of Tragedy^ Chap, i. 
 
 But Dryden feems to be of another Opinion, in rela- 
 tion to the Chorus ; For {fays he) if the Englijh Poets 
 have not 57et brought the Drama to an abfolute perfe- 
 ction, yet at lead we have carried it much farther than 
 thofe ancient Greeks, /Efchylus, Euripides and S-ophocles ; 
 who beginning from a Chorus, cou'd never totally ex- 
 clude it, as we have done, who find it an unprofirable 
 Incumbrance, without any necelFity of entertaining ic 
 amongft us ; and without the pofTibility of Eftablifliing 
 it here, unlefs it were fupported by a Publick Charge.. 
 I^^^Df pedic. before his Examen Poecicum. 
 
 CoU' 
 
54 Remarks upon Voctrj. 
 
 Concerning Comedy. 
 
 MOnfieur Hcdelint Abbot of Auhi^nac, tells us, That 
 as for Comedy, Donatus feems to think it was in- 
 vented by Shepherds and Country People, who us'd to 
 dance about the Altars of Apollo^ Sirnamed Nom'tan^ and 
 fingat the fame timeforae Hymns in honour of him,- But, 
 fays Heielin^ I had rather believe Athenaus, who 
 makes it take its Rife with Tragedy^ and that they 
 were both confecrated to Bacchus, and not to Apollo : 
 Except Donatus would judge of all Theatral Anions 
 by the ApoUinary Games, which indeed were Scenkk^ 
 and celebrated to the Honour of Apollo. In fine, He- 
 delin concludes, That Comedy and Tragedy were born 
 together; and accordingly we find in Clemens Alexan- 
 drinus, that the Invention of Comedy was attributed to 
 one Sifarion of Tearia ; it may be, fays Hedelin, be- 
 caufe he was the fir(i that compos'd the Hymns of Bac 
 chus^ after the Sacrifice of the Goat by harius. And 
 this, fays Hedelin^ may fuffice to appeafe the Quarrels 
 of the Learned upon the Origine of Comedy, fince they 
 are not agreed neither in Times, Places, nor Perfons. 
 iljpttieUtY's Art of the Stage, Bock the ^th, Chap. 2. 
 
 Monfieur Hedelin does farther obferve, That Comedy 
 has not the fame Progrcfs with Tragedy .^ it being long 
 detained in Confufion and Diforder.- Nay, even in A- 
 riflophaneiS time, which was after Sophocles and Euripi- 
 des, it was full of Satyrical Refledions, and Scandalous 
 Slanders. It will (fays Hedelin) be hard for us to mark 
 the degrees of its progrefs, from the lime that it was 
 
 a 
 
Ke marks upon Foetrj. 55 
 
 a Rurai Hymn^ to that of its perfedlion upon the Stage,* 
 becaufe, as Aristotle fays, // being not fo Nolle as Tra- 
 gedy, there has heen lefs cars to r/iake Ohfervat'ions upon 
 it ; and the Magtft rates were a great while before they 
 concern d themfelves in giving the Chorus'j, hut us'd to 
 leavs them to the Difcretion of thofe who made the Co- 
 medy. Neverthelefs, fays Hedelin^ if I may venture 
 to bring to light things buried in fo long an Obfcurity, 
 I think that it begun to have Atlors about the fame 
 time as Tragedy did, that is, under Epicharwus, the Si- 
 ciliany the Contemporary of Thefpis ; and before that 
 time I have not obferv'd any Speakers. And 'tis from 
 this, that the Sicilians do maintain, That Comedy was 
 invented at Syracufa^ becaufe Epicharmus was that Coun- 
 try-man : not that they can pretend that there was no 
 Comedy before him, (for we have yet the Fragments of 
 Alc(ea^ a Comedy two Hundred years before his time) 
 but becaufe He firft introduc'd an Athr with the Cho- 
 rus. We may fay as much of Sannyrion, who was the 
 fr/l that added Masks and Buffoons, according to Athe- 
 nisus ; and the fame of Cratinus, who fettled three 
 AfiorSf and made the whole Compofition regular ; the 
 fame of Ariflophanes, who gave Comedy a further per- 
 fe£lion ; And fo of ail thofe whom Diomedes calls the 
 firfl Comick Poets, though they came a great while af- 
 ter Comedy was invented. |^0t)0lin ibid. 
 
 Comedy, fays Rapin^ is an Image of Common Life ; 
 its end is to ihew on the Stage the faults of Particu- 
 lars, in order to amend the faults of the Tullick^ and 
 to corredt the People through a fear of being rendered 
 Ridiculous, So that which is mod proper to excite 
 Laughter, is that which is mod cfTential to Comedy, 
 That pleafant tum^ that Gayety which can fullain the 
 
 delicacy 
 
$6 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 delicacy of his Chara^er, without falling into CoU^erj 
 nor into Bf^ffconry; that fi^^e RaiJ/ery, which is the Flow' 
 erot Wir is the Talent which Cm.^ demands" 
 but It mufl always be obferv'd, that the /?/i.V«//;;. parr' 
 for the Entertainment on the Thafre, ought to be nn 
 other but the Copy of the Rf^^cu/ouj that is found in 
 Nut,.re. Comecly is as it fliould be, when the Speffator 
 believes himfcif really in the Company of fuch Perfon^ 
 as he has reprefenred, and takes himfelf to be in a Va 
 niily whilft he is at the Theatre; and that he the,] 
 fees nothing but what he fees in the World. For Co J 
 ify lays Raptn^ is worth nothing at al), unlefshe know 
 and can compare the Mafiners that are exhibited en the 
 Stage, with thofe of fuch Perfons, as he has Conver 
 ration withal. Psvas by this, that Afe^,„c/er had fo 
 great Succefs amongft the Grecians; and the Rom,^, 
 thought themlelves in Converfation, whil/t they ft be 
 holding the Comedies of Terence; for they perceived 
 nothing but what they had been accuftomed to find 
 m ordinary Companies. 'Tis the great Art of Comel 
 to keep clofe to Nature, and never Jeave it • to have 
 common Thoughts and Expreflions fitted to the cZl 
 city of all the World : For, fays Rapin, it is mofl cer." 
 tainly true, that the mod grofs flrokes of Nature 
 whatever they be, pleafe always more, than the moft 
 delicate, that are not Natural-, ncverthelefs Bafe and 
 Vulgar Terms are not to be permitted on the Theatre 
 wM^ fupported by fome kind of Wit, The Proverh] 
 and Wife Sayings of the People ou^ht not to be fufflr'd 
 unlefs they have fome pleafant Meaning, and unlefc 
 they are Natural This is the mofi general Principle 
 Q\ Comedy 'hy which, whatever is reprefenttd, cannot 
 fail to pleafe ; but without it, nothing can. 'Tis onlv 
 by adhering to Nature, that the Prohabiltty can be main- 
 
 tain'd. 
 
' Remarks upon Poetry, 57 
 
 tain'd, which is the fole Infallible Guide, that may be 
 follow*d on the Theatre. Without Prolah'tl'tty all is lame 
 and faulty, voithvi all goes well: none can run allray 
 who follow it ; and the moll ordinary faults of Comedy 
 happen from tbence, that the Decencies are not well 
 obferv'd, nor the Incidents enough prepar'd. 'Tis like- 
 wife necelTary to take heed that the Colours emwioy'd 
 to prepare the Incidents^ be not too grofs, to leave to 
 the Spetlator the pleafure of finding out himfelf what 
 they (ignifie. Bat the mofi: ordinary Weaknefs of our 
 Comedies is the Vnravel/ifig-, fcarce ever any, fays Ra- 
 p/ffj.^ccctd well in that, by the difficulty there is in 
 untying happily that Knot which had been tycd. h is 
 cafrc to wind up an Intrigue, 'tis only the work of 
 Fancy ; but the unrave/Iing is the pure and psrfed Work 
 of the Judgment. 'lis this that makes the Succefs dif- 
 ficult, and if one would thereon make a little Rtfltd:i- 
 on, he might find, that the mod Univerfal fault of C<?- 
 medies, is, that the Cataflrophe cf it is not Natural. It 
 remains to examine, whether in Comedy the Images 
 may be drawn greater than the Natural, the more to 
 move the Minds of the Spe£tarors, by more fliining 
 Portradh, and by (Ironger Impreilions ? that is to fay, 
 whether a Poet may make a 'difer, more Covetous ; a 
 Morofe Man, more moroff' and troublefome than the 
 Original? To which i?^/>7' rani wers, ThuPlautus, who 
 iludied to pleafe the Common People, made them Co, 
 but Terence^ who would pleafe the better fort^ confin'd 
 hiinfelf within the Bounds of Mature, and Jbe repre- 
 fented Vices, without making them either better or 
 worfe. jBSipftY Jfiefiex» on Arid, of Poefie, Part z. 
 Seif. XXV. 
 
 Dryden tells us, That he values not a Reputation 
 gain'd from Comedy ; and that he thinks it, in its 
 
 I own 
 
$8 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 own nature inleriour to all lores of Dramatkk writing. 
 He Jays, Low Comedy eipeciaily requires, on the Wri- 
 ters part, much of Converration with the Vulgar^ and 
 much of ill Nature in the Obfervation of their Follies. 
 J^^'^D* ?rtf. to the Mock-AftroJoger. 
 
 tiuc m another place. He tells us how difEcult it is 
 to write Comedy well ; 
 
 Of all Dramatick Writings Comick Wity 
 
 As 'tis the heji ; fo 'tis woji hard to hit. 
 
 For it lies all in level to the Eye^ 
 
 Where all may judge, and each defe^ may fpie. 
 
 Humour is that which every day we meet^ 
 
 And therefore known as every publick Street 5 
 
 In which ^ if ere the Poet go aflray^ 
 
 I0U all can pointy 'twas there he loft his way^ 
 
 But^ whais jo conirion, to make pleafant toOy 
 
 Is more than any Wit can always do. 
 
 For 'tisy like Turks, with Hen and Rice to treat ; 
 
 To make Regalio'x out of Common Meat. 
 
 J^^t'yD, Epilogue to the Wild Gallant. 
 
 P- 
 
 Concerning the Epick, or Heroick 
 
 Voenu 
 
 THe Epick poem, fays Rapin, is that which \s tlie 
 greateft and mod noble in Poefe; it is the great- 
 tft Work that Humane Wit is capable of. All the Nc- 
 blenefs, and all the Elevatior? of the mod perfed Ge- 
 nius , can hardly fuffice to form one fuch as is requifue 
 
 for 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. S9 
 
 for an Herokk ?cet \ the difficulty of finding together 
 Fancy and Jud^menty heat of Imaginaticny and Sobriety 
 of Reafofj, Precipitation of Spirit, and Solidity of Mind, 
 caufes the rarenefs of this Character, and of this happy 
 Temperament which makes a Poet accomphili'd ; it re- 
 quires great Images, and yet a greater Wit to forni 
 them. To conclude. There muft be a Judgment fo fo- 
 lid, a Difcernment fo exquifite, fuch perfedt Knowledge 
 of the Language, in which he writes; fuch obftinate 
 Study, profound Meditation, vaft Capacity, that fcarce 
 whole Ages can produce one Genius fit for an Epick 
 Poem. And, fays Rapin, it is an Enterprife (o bold, that 
 it cannot fall into a Wife Man's Thoughts, but affright 
 him. VTet how many Poets have we feen of lite days, 
 who, without Capacity, and without Study^ have dar'd 
 to undertake thefe fort of Poems ; having no other Foun- 
 dation, but only the heat of their Imagination, and 
 fome brisknefs of Spirit. JR^P* Refteic. on Ariftot. of 
 Poefie, Pari 2. SeU, 1, 
 
 By painful Steps we are at lafl got up 
 
 Parnafliis Hill^ on whofe hright Airy Top 
 
 The Epick Poets fo Divinely (how, 
 
 And with jufl Pride lehold the Refl below, 
 
 Heroick Poems have a jufi pretence 
 
 To he the utmofl reach of Human Sence^ 
 
 A Work of fuch inefitmahle Worthy 
 
 There are but Two the World has yet brought forth. 
 
 Homer and Virgil .• with what awful Sound 
 
 Do thofe meer Words the Ears of Poets wound! 
 
 Jufl as a Changeling feems below the Reft 
 
 Of Men, or rather is a two-leggd Beafl, 
 
 So thfe Gigantick Souls amazd we find 
 
 As mtich above the reft of Human Kind, 
 
 I 2 Nature's 
 
6o Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 Nature*5 whole Strength united ! Endlefs Fame, 
 And Vniverjal Shouts attend their Name. 
 Read Homer of^ce, and jou can read no more, 
 For all things elj'e appear fo dull and poor, 
 Verfe wiil jeem Profe, yet often on him look, 
 And you will hardly Vl^Z^ another Book. 
 
 S©Ulgt:» Elfay on Foetry, 
 
 Sir iVilliam Temple tells us, That no Comporuion re- 
 quires fo many feveral Ingredients, or of more diderent 
 lort5, than the Heroick Poem \ nor that to ^L-ikczX in any 
 Qualities, ihtre are necefTary fo many Gifts of Nature, 
 an4 fo many Improvements of Learning and of Art. 
 For there mufli be an Univerfal Genim, of great Com- 
 pafs as well as great Elevation. There muft be fprite- 
 ly Imagination or Fancy, fertile in a Thoufand Produ- 
 dlions, ranging over infinite Ground, piercing into e- 
 very Corner, and, by the light of that $rue Poetical 
 Fire, difcovering a thoufand little Bodies or Images in 
 the World, and Similitudes among them, unftcn to 
 common Eyes, and which could not be difcover'd, with- 
 out the Rays of that Sun. 
 
 Befides the Heat of Invemionj fays Sir William Tern- 
 f/c, and livelinefs of Wit, there mufl be the coldnefs 
 of good Senfe, and foundnefs of Judgment, to diftin- 
 guilh between things and conceptions, which at firfl 
 light, or upon fiiort glances, feem alike, to choofe a- 
 mong infinite Produdlions of Wit snd Fancy, .which are 
 worth prefer ving and cukivaring, and which, are better 
 ftifled in the Birth, or tlirown away when they are 
 born, as not worth bringing up. Without the Forces 
 of Wtt, all ?oetry is flu and hnguidiing ,♦ and without 
 the Succours ot 'judgment, 'tis wild and extravagant. 
 The true Wonder of Faejk is, That fuch Contraries 
 
 mufl: 
 
Remarks upon Voetry, 6i 
 
 muft meet to c")mpafe if, a Genius both penetrating 
 and folid ; in Expre/iioa both Oelicacy and Farce ; a::d 
 the Frame or Fabrick of a true Po^m^ muft have (ome- 
 thing both fublime and juft, amazing and agreeable. 
 There muft be a great Agitation of Mind to invent, a 
 great Calm to judge and corrtd; there muft be upon 
 the fame Tree, and at the fane T\me, both Flower 
 and Fruit. To work up this Metal into exquifue Fi- 
 gure, there muft be employ'd the Fire, the Flammer^ 
 the Chizel^ and the File. There muft be a general 
 Knowledge both of Nature and of Arti ; and to go the 
 loweft that can be, there are required Gettiud, jHelgwent, 
 and Application ; for without this lafl, all the reft will 
 not ferve turn, and none ever was a great Faet^ that 
 applied himfelf much to gny thing elfe. 
 
 But, fays Sir William Temple, whenlfpeakof Poetry^ 
 I mean not an Ode or an Els^y, a Song or a Satyr, nor 
 by a poet the Compofer of any of The/e, but of a Jujl 
 poem ; And after all I have faid, 'tis no wonder, there 
 (hould be fo few have appeared, in any Parts or any 
 Ages of the World, or thit fuch as have, fliould be fa 
 much admir'd, and have almoft Divinity afcrib'd to 
 them, and to their Works. CCtU))l^'s Eflay of Poe- 
 try, pag.is, i6,i7- 
 
 Dry den fays, It is worth our confideratron, a little 
 to examine how much the Hypenriticks of Englijh Po- 
 etry differ, in their dif-like of fderoick Poetry^ from the 
 Opinion of the Greek and Latin Judges of Antiquity j 
 from the Italians and French who have fucceeded 
 them ; and indeed, from the general tafte and approba- 
 tion of all Ages. Heroick Poetry, fays Dry den, which 
 they contemn, has ever been efteem'd, and ever will 
 be, the greateft: Work of Humane Nature: In that 
 rank has Ariftotle plac'd it,- and Longmm is fo full of 
 
 the 
 
6-2 Remarks upon Toetrj, 
 
 the Uke ExprefHons, That he abundantly confirms the 
 others Teftimony. Horace as plainly delivers his O- 
 pinion, and particularly praifes Homer in thefe Verfes.- 
 
 Trojatii Belli Scriptcrem, waxime lolli, 
 
 Dum tu declamas Ror/ia^ Vrccnefle relent : 
 
 Qui quid jit pukhrum^ quidturpe^ quid utile ^ quid HCn^ 
 
 Flenius ac melius Chryfippo & Crantore dicit. 
 
 And in another place, modeftly excluding himfelf 
 from the Number of Poets, becaufe he only writ Odes 
 and Satyrs, he tells you a Poet is fuch an one, 
 
 -Cut mens Diviftior, atque os 
 
 Magna Sonaturum, 
 
 Quotations, fays Dry^en, are fuperfluous in an Efta- 
 blifh'd Truth ; otherwife I could reckon up amongft 
 the Moderns^ all the Italian Commentators on ^r//?<7f/e's 
 Book of Poetry ; amongft the French^ the greateft in 
 this Age, Boileau and Rapin : the latter of which is a- 
 lone fufficient, were all other Criticks loft, to teach a- 
 new the Rules of Writing. Any Man, fays Dry den, 
 who will ferioufly confider the nature of an Epick Po- 
 em, how it agrees with that o{ Poetry in general, which 
 is to inflruEl, and to delight j what Acflions it defcribes, 
 and what Perfons they are chiefly whom it informs j 
 will find it a Work, which indeed is full of difficulty 
 in the Attempt, but admirable when 'tis well perform^ 
 ^Vi^\ ^pologs for Heroick Poetry. 
 
 COH" 
 
Remarks upon Voetrj. 6^ 
 
 Concerning the Elegy. 
 
 THe Elegy, fays Raping by the quality of its name, 
 is deftin'd to Tears and Complainti : and there- 
 fore ought to be of a ^^/^/^/Charafter.But afterwards it 
 was us'd in fubj£«5ls of Tendernefs, as in Love-Matters^ 
 and the like. The Laths have been more fuccefsful 
 therein (by what appears to us) than the Greeks. For 
 we have but little remaining of Philetas and Tyrt^us^ 
 who were famous in Greece for this kind of Verfe. 
 They who have writ Elegy bed amongft the Latins^ 
 are TihulUs^ Propertius^ and Ovid. ^^p. Reflex, on A- 
 riftot. of Poefie, Part 2. Se^. xxix. 
 
 Soft Elegy, defigrid for Grief, and Tears, 
 Was firlt devis'd to grace fome Mournful Hearfe : 
 Since to a brisker Note 'tis taught to ntove. 
 And cloaths our gayefi Paf/ions, Joy and Love. 
 But, who was fir fl Invent er of the Kind, 
 Criticks have fought, hut never yet could find, 
 
 ^XtA^^Vd/^ in Imitar. of Horaces Art of Poetry, 
 pag. 8. 
 
 The Elegy, that loves a mournful Stile, 
 With unbound hair weeps at a Funeral Pile, 
 It paints the Lover s Torments, and Delights, 
 A Miflrefs Flatters, Threatens, and Invites : 
 But well thefe Raptures if you II make us fee, 
 Tou muft know Love, as well -is Poetry 
 / hate thofe lukewarm Authors, whofe forced Fire, 
 In a cold Stile^ defcribes a hot Defire^ 
 
 That 
 
6'i^ Remarks upon Poettj. 
 
 That figh hy Ruls, and raging in cold bloody 
 Their flt*ggfP^ Muje whip to a» AmoroMS mood : 
 Their feign' d Tranjports appear hut flat and vain j 
 They ahvuys fighj and always hug their Chain ^ 
 Adore their Prifon^ and their Sufferings blefsy 
 Make Senfe and Reafon qujrrel as they pleafe, 
 'Twas not of Old in this affecled Tone 
 That fmcoth Tibullus wade his Amorous moan \ 
 Nor OvicJ, when, i^^fi rutted from ahve. 
 By Nature'; Rules he tauq^ht the Art of Love. 
 JSotleaU's Art t/ Poetry. 
 
 Their greatefl fault who in this kind have writ. 
 
 Is not defeli in iVords, nor want of Wit ; 
 
 But fhould this Muje harmonious Numbers yield^ 
 
 And every Couplet he with Fancy filTd, 
 
 If )et a jufl Coherence he not made 
 
 Between each Thought^ and the whole Model laid 
 
 So right, that every llep may higher ///?, 
 
 Like goodly Mountains ^ till they reach the Skies ; 
 
 Trifles like Juch perhaps of late have pafi. 
 
 And may be lik^d a while^ hut never lafl ; 
 
 'Tis Epigram, V/x Point, *tis what you willy y 
 
 But not an Elegy, nor writ with Skill, C 
 
 iST^ *Panegyrick, «^r ^ f Cooper's- Hill. \ 
 
 ^ iValler'j, f Dinhams. 
 
 fliPttlgt. Eflay on Poary. 
 
 Rapin tells us, That the French diftinguiih not their 
 Elegies from Fleroick ; and that they call indifferently 
 Elegy, what they pleafe ; whereby the diftinftion of 
 the true Charader of this YQxk feems not yet well e- 
 ftablifh'd among them. 
 
 Con' 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 6^ 
 
 Concerning the Pindarique Ode* 
 
 RApifi remirks. That the Oc/e ought to have as 
 much Noblenefs, Elevation, and Tranfport, as the 
 Eglo^e has of Simplicity and Modefty. Tis not only 
 the ^it that heightens it, but hkc^wife the Matter, For 
 its ufe is to fing the Praifes of the Gods^ and to cele- 
 brate the Illuftrious A£tions of Great Mtn\ fo it re- 
 quires, to fuftain aii the Maje(ly of its Charader, an 
 exalted Nature, a great Wit, a daring Fancy, an Ex- 
 prcffion Noble and Sparkling, yet pure and correcSl. 
 All the brisknefs and life which Art has by its Figures, 
 is not fuflicient to heighten Ode io far as its Charadler 
 requires. But the reading alone of Pindar^ fays Rapin, 
 is more capable to infpire this Genius, than all my Re- 
 flexions. I^ftp> Reflex, on Ariftot. Treatife of Poefie, 
 Fart z. Sect. xxx. 
 
 A higher flight, and of a happier Force 
 
 Are Odes, the Mufes mo ft unruly Horfe ; 
 
 That hounds jo fierce, the Rider has no reft. 
 
 But foams at Mouth, and moves like one pofled. 
 
 The Poet here mufi he indeed infpire d^ 
 
 With Fury too^ as voell as Vsincy fired. 
 
 Cowley might hoaft to have performed this Part, 
 
 Had He voith Nature joynd the Rules of Art ; 
 
 But ill Expreflion gives fometimes Allay 
 
 To that rich Fancy, which can nere decay.- 
 
 Tho all appear in Heat and Fary done. 
 
 The Language flill mufl foft and eaffe run. 
 
 Thefe Laws may feem a little too fevere. 
 
 But Judgment yields, and Fancy governs there ; 
 
 K Which, 
 
6 6 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 Whicht though extravagant^ this Mufe allows^ 
 And makes the Work much eafier than it Jhows, 
 flgttlgr* Elfay OH Poetry. 
 
 Dryden obfcrves to us, That the Pindarique Verfc 
 allows more Latitude than any other. Every one, fays 
 he^ knows it was introduc'd into cur Language, in this 
 Age, by the happy Gmius of Mr. Cowley, The feem- 
 ing eafinels of ir, has made it fpread ; but it has not 
 been confider'd enough, to be fo well cultivated It 
 languilLes in aimed every hand but /;«, and fome very 
 few^ whom (fays Dry den ^ to keep the reft in Counte- 
 nance) I do not name. He^ indeed, has brought it as 
 near perfedion as was po/Tible in fo (hort a time. But 
 if, fays Dryden, I may be allow'd to fpeak my Mind 
 modeftly, and without injury to his Sacred Allies, 
 fomewhat of the Purity of En[lifh, fomewbat of more e- 
 qual Thoughts, fomewhat of (weetnefs in the Numlers, in 
 one word, fomewhat oiajfner turn and more Lyrical Verfe 
 is yet wanting. As for the Soul of it, which confifts in the 
 Warmth and Vigor of Fancy, the Mafterly Figures, and 
 the Copioufnefs of Imagination, He has cxcell'd all o- 
 thers in this kind. Yer, fays Dryden^ if the Kind it 
 felf be capable of more Perfedion, though rather in 
 the Ornamental parts of it, than the Ejentiai, what 
 Rules of Morality or refpeft have I broken, in naming 
 the Defe(5ts, that they may hereafter be amended ? iwi- 
 tatioH is a nice point, and there are few Poets who de- 
 ferve to be Models in all they write. Since Pindar was 
 the Prince of Lyrick Poets j let me, fays Dryden, have 
 leave to fay, that in imitating him^ our t^umhers fhou'd 
 for the moft part be Lyrical: for Variety, or rather 
 where the Majefty of the Thought requires it, they 
 may be ftretch'd to the EngU/h Heroick of five Feet, 
 
 and 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 6^ 
 
 and to the French AlexanclriKe of fix. But the E^r 
 mu ft- pre fide, and diredb the Judgment ro the choice of 
 Mumkrs: Without the Nicety of this, the Harmony ot' 
 Pindarique Verfe can never be compleat ; the cadency 
 of one Line muft be a Rule to that of the next ; and 
 the found of the former muft Aide gently into that 
 which follows ; without leaping from one Extream in- 
 to another. It mud be done like the Shadowings of a 
 Figure, which fall by degrees into a darker Colour. 
 I (hall be glad, fays DryJen, if I have fo explaind my 
 felt as to be underftood, but if I have not, quod nequeo 
 dicere ^ fententio tantum muft be my Excufe. There 
 remiins (fays Drydeti) much more to be faid on this 
 Subject ; but to avoid envy, I will be fiient ; What V 
 have faid is the general Opinion of the beft Judges, 
 and in a manner has been forc'd from me, by feeing a 
 noble fort of Foetry fo happily reftor'd by one Man, and 
 fo grofly Copied by almoft all the re[l: A Mufical Ear^ 
 and a great Geniur, if another Mr. Cowley cou*d arife^ 
 in another Age may bring it to perfedion. JD^^D- 
 pref to the -id Fart of Poetical Mifceilanies. 
 
 Mr. N orris fays, That the F'tndarkk is the higheft 
 and mod Magnificent kind of Writing in Verfe, and 
 confequently fit only for great and noble Subjects, 
 fuch as are as houndlefi as its own f^umhers : The nature 
 of which is to be loofe and free, and not to keep one 
 fettled pace, but fometimes like a gentle Stream to glide 
 along peaceably within its own Channel, and fome- 
 times, like an impetuous Torrent, fo rod on extra- 
 vagantly, and carry all before it. ^{^%tt^\ Mifcellan. 
 pag, 8. 
 
 Dr. Sprat fays. That if the Pindar ique Verfe be dif* 
 guftful to any, by reafcn of the Irregularity of its Num- 
 ters, they may obferve, that this very thing makes 
 
 K z that 
 
68 Remarks upofi Voetry. 
 
 that kind o^ Poepe fit for all manner of Subjeds : for 
 the Pleafant^ the Grave, the AmorouSy the Heroickj the 
 Ph'tlofophical, the Moral , and the Divhe, Befides this 
 they will find, that the frequent alceration of the Rhime 
 and Feety affefts the Mind with a more various deh'ghr, 
 while it is foon apt to be tir'd by the fettled pace of 
 any one conftant Meafure. But that for which (fays 
 Dr. Sprat) I think this inequality of Number chiefly to 
 be preferred, is its nearer affinity to Prcfe : from which 
 all other Kinds of EytgUJh Verfe are fo far diftant, that 
 it is very feldom found, that the fame Man excels in 
 both ways. But now this loofe and uncor,find Meafure^ 
 has all the Grace and Harmony of the moft Confind, 
 And withal, it is fo large and free, that the pradlice of 
 it will only exalt^ not corrupt our Profe : which is cer- 
 tainly the mofl ufeful kind of Writing of all others: 
 for ic is the Stile of all Bufmefs and Converfation. 
 ^p^^t /« Cow ley *5 Life. 
 
 Cowley, in his Preface^ tells us. That though the Z/- 
 herty of Pindarique Verfe, may incline a Man to be- 
 lieve it eafie to be composed, yet the Undertaker will 
 find it otherwife. 
 
 Horace^ who propos'd the Odes of Pindar for the 
 Model of thofe he writ in Latin, quitted immediately 
 the Numbers and the tufn of that Author's Verfe, of 
 which he found the Latin Tongue uncapabJe. 
 
 Con- 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 69 
 
 Concerning Songs or Sonnets, Ma- 
 drigals, Rondelays, &c. 
 
 RApin tells U5, That the Character of the [mailer 
 ^erfe^ and of all the little Works of Poetry ^ re- 
 quires that they be Natural, together with a Delicacy ; 
 tor feeing the little SuhjeHs afford no Beauty of them- 
 felves, the Wit of the Poet muft fupply that want out 
 of its own Stock. The Sonnet^ fays Rapin, is of a Cha' 
 ra^er that may receive more of Greatnefs in its Ex- 
 preffion, than the other little Pieces ; but nothing is more 
 Eflential to it, than the happy and natural turn of the 
 Thought that compofes it. Now, fays Rapin, it is pro- 
 per to know what this Delicacy is, that ought to be the 
 Chancer of the Jmaikr f^erfe, or the little Works of 
 Poetry, that fo we may ynderftand all that belongs to 
 them. A Word may be delicate feveral ways j either 
 by a fuhtle Equivocation, which contains a Myftery in 
 the Ambiguity; or by 2. hidden Meaning, which fpeaks 
 all our, whilft it preteods to fay nothing ; or by fome 
 fierce and hold Stroke under Modefl Terms j or by 
 fomething hrisk and pleafant, under a ferious Air ; or, 
 laftly, by {omt fine Thought, under a fimple and home- 
 ly Expreflion. We find, fays Rapin, all thefe forts of 
 Delicacy in fome of the Ancients, as in the Socrates of 
 Plato, in Sappho, in Theocritus, in Anacreon, in Ho- 
 race, in Catullus, in Petronius, and in Martial. Thefe 
 are all great Models of this Chara^er ; of which the 
 French have only in iheir Tongue Marot, Gentleman of 
 the Bed-Chamber to Francis the Firft. He had an ad- 
 mirable Genius for this way of Writing ,• and whoever 
 
 have 
 
7'o Remarks upon Voetrj. 
 
 have been fuccefsful in it fince, have only Copied him. 
 y^oiturey fays Rapin^ had a Gcniui for this Charcder ; if 
 he had not a Uttle corrupted his Wit by the reading of 
 the Spamards and Italiatis. If thcfc Words are offUhd, 
 they lofe their Grace, becaufe they become cold and flat, 
 when they are far-ietch'd, But the mod general fault 
 in thefe little Pieces of Poetry^ is, when one would 
 cram them with too much Wit. This is the ordinary 
 Vice of the Spaniards and Italians^ who labour always 
 to fay things finely. But this (fays R^ipirt) is no very 
 good Character ,• for they ceafe to be Natural, whilft 
 they take care to be Witty, ffiap* Reflex. &'c. Part 
 2//. Sed, xxxii. 
 
 A faultkfi Sot\ntt^ fiKiJFd wsfJy would he 
 Worth tedious Volumes of loofe Poetry. 
 A hundred Scrihlinz^ Authors^ without ground 
 Believe they have this only Phcenix found : 
 When yet th' exaCleft fcarce have two or three 
 Among whole Tomes, from Faults and Cenjure fr^e. 
 The refi^ hut little read^ regarded lefs^ 
 Are fhoveCd to the Paftry from the Prefs. 
 ClofiKg the Senfe within the meafurd time, 
 *Tis hard to fit the Reafon to the Rhime. 
 
 JBoileaU's Art of poetry, EngliHi'd by Sir Will. 
 Soame, 
 
 Firji then of Songs, which now fo much abound. 
 Without his Song »<> Fop is to be found, 
 A moft Offenfive Weapon which he draws 
 On all he meets cgainfi Apollo'x Laws ; 
 Tho nothing Jeems more eafie>^ yet no part 
 Of Poetry requires a nicer Art ; 
 
 For 
 
Kmarks upon Foetry. 71 
 
 For as in rows of richefl Pe<jrl there lies 
 
 Many a BlentiJJp that efcapes cur Eyes, 
 
 The leaft of which Defetis is plainly fhown 
 
 In fome fmall Ring, and brings the f\due //own; 
 
 So Songs Jhould he to jufl Perfe^ion wrought 5 f 
 
 Tet where can we fee one withat a fault ; r* 
 
 Exaii Propriety of V/ords a^id Thought} *^ 
 
 Exprefiion eajie^ and the Fancy highy 
 
 Xet that not feem to creep, nor this to fly ; 
 
 Mo Words tranfpos'd. But in fuch Order a/I, 
 
 As, tho hard wrought, n^^y feem by chance to jail. 
 
 Here, as in all things etfe^ is wofl unfit 
 
 Bare Ribaldry, that poor Pretence to Wit, 
 
 Mot that warm Thoughts of the tranfporting Joy, 
 
 Can fhock the Chaftefl:, or the niceft Cloy ; 
 
 But Obfcene Words, too grofs to move Defire^ 
 
 Like heaps of Fewel do -mt choak the Fire, 
 
 fllPalgn Eflay on Poetry. 
 
 Concerning the Epigram. 
 
 R/4pin remarks, That the Epigram, of all thd Works 
 in Verfe that Antiquity has produc'd, is the lead 
 confiderable, yet this too has its Beauty. This Beauty 
 confifts either in the delicate turn, or in a lucky Word. 
 The Greeks have underftood this fort of Poejie otherwife 
 than the Latins. The Greek Epigram runs upon the 
 turn of a Thought that is natural, but fine and fubtle. 
 The Latin Epigram, by a falfe tafle that fway'd in the 
 beginning of the decay of the pure Latin Stile, endea- 
 vours 
 
72 Remarks upon Foe try. 
 
 vours to furprife the Mind by fome nipping Worti^ which 
 IS call'd a Pcint. CatuUm writ after the former manner, 
 which is of a finer Charadler; for he endeavours to 
 clofe a Natural Thought within a dehcate turn of 
 Words, and within the Simplicity of a very foft Expref^ 
 fion. Martial^ lays Rapin^ was in Tome manner the 
 Author of this other way, that is to fay, to terminate 
 an ordinary thought by fomc Word that is [urprijjng. 
 After all. Men of a good tafle, preferr'd the way o^ Ca- 
 tulliis, before that of Martial \ there being more of 
 true delicacy in that^ than in this. And in thefe latter 
 Ages, fsys Rapin, we have feen a Noble Venetiavy na- 
 med Andreas Naugerim, who had an cxquifite difcern- 
 ment, and who, by a natural Antipathy againft all that 
 which is called Point, which he judg'd to b-. of an ill 
 relifn, Sacrific'd every year in Ceremony a Volume of 
 Martiafs Epigrams to the Manes of Catullus^ in Honour 
 to his Charadler, which he judg'd was to be preferr'd 
 to that of Martial, In concluHon, Rapin tells us, that 
 the Epigram is a fort of- Verfe, in which a Man has lit- 
 tle Succefs; for it is a meer luckj hit, if ir prove well; 
 and an Epigram^ iinlffs it be admirable, is lirtle worth,- 
 and it isforareto make thtm admiralle, that 'tis m ell if a 
 Man can make one in his whole life rime. ^ap» Re- 
 flex, on Ariftot. Treat ife of Poefie, Part z. Sed, xxxi. 
 
 The Epigram, voith little Art compos* d^ 
 h one good Sentence in a Didich closed. 
 Thefe Points, that hy Italians fir (I were prizdy 
 Our Ancient Authors knew not^ or defpis'd. 
 
 ^Oileatt's Art of Poetry^ pag n. 
 
 Sir William Temple fays, There were (indeed) certain 
 Failles in the old Regions of Poetry^ called Epigrams^ 
 
 which 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 73 
 
 which feldom reached above the Stature of Two, or 
 four, or Six Lines, and which being fo fhort, were all 
 turned upon Conceit^ or fome Iharp Hits of Fancy or 
 Wit. The only Ancient of this kind among the Latinsy 
 were the Priapeh, which were little Voluntaries or Ex- 
 temporaries, written upon the ridiculous Wooden Sta- 
 tues of Priapus.^ among the Gardens of Rome. In the 
 decays of the Roman Learning and Wit, as well as Lan- 
 guage ; Martial^ Aufonius^ and others, fell into this 
 Vein, and applied it indifferently to eiH Subjedls which 
 was before Reftrained to one, and dreft it fomething 
 more cleanly than it was Born. This Vein of Conceit^ 
 fays Temple^ feem'd proper for fuch Scraps or SpUnierSy 
 into which Poetry was broken, and was fo eagerly fol- 
 lowed, as almofl to over-run all that was compofed in 
 our feveral Modern Languages ; The Italian, the 
 French, the Spanijh as well as Evglijh, were for a great 
 while full of nothing elfe but Conceit : It was an In- 
 gredient, that gave tafle to Compofuions which had 
 little of themfelves ; 'twas a Sauce that gave Point to 
 Meat that was flat, and ibme Life to Colours that were 
 fading 5 And in fhort, Thofe who could not furnifh 
 Spirit, fupplied it with this Salt, which may prefer ve 
 Things or Bodies that are Dead ; but is for ought I 
 know, of little ufe to the Living, cr neccdary to 
 Meats that have much or pleafing Taftes of their own. 
 However it were, this Vein firft over-flow'd our Mo- 
 dern Poetry, and with fo little diflinfVion, or judgment, 
 that we would have Conceit as well as Rhime in ftvzry 
 two Lines, and run through all our long Scribbles as 
 well as th^ Short, and the whole Body of the Poem, 
 whatevtir it is : This was juft as if a Building (hould 
 be nothing but Ornament, or Cloaths nothing but 
 
 L Trim- 
 
74 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 Trimming ,* as if a Face Ihould be cover'd over with 
 black Patches, or a Gown with Spangles, which is all 
 I (hall fay of it. Cemple's £fjy of Poetry, /)jg. 48, 49. 
 
 Concerning Burlefque. 
 
 Sir William temple obferves to us, That one Vein 
 which has enter'd and helpt to corrupt our Modern 
 Poejie, is that o{ Ridicule^ as if nothing pleas'd but what 
 made one laugh j which yet comes trom two very dif- 
 ferent Af?edions of the Mind ; for as Men have no dif- 
 pofition to laugh at things they are mod pleas'd with, 
 fo they are very little pleas'd with many things they 
 laugh at. But this miftake is very general, and fuch 
 Modern Poets ^ as found no better way of pleaHng, 
 thought they could not fail of it, by Ridiculing. This 
 was encourag'd by finding Converfation run fo much in- 
 to the fame Vein, and the Wits in Vogue to take up with 
 that part of it, which was formerly left ro thofe that 
 were call'd Fcolsy and were ufed in great Families, on- 
 ly to make the Company laugh. What Opinion the 
 Romans had of this Charatfter, appears in thofe Lines of 
 Hot ace : 
 
 ^Ahfentem qui rodit awiicum^ 
 
 Qui non dtfendit alio culpante, Soiutos 
 
 Qui c:Jptat rifus Hominum, famamq; dicacis, 
 
 Fingere qui non vifa potejly Commijfa tacere 
 
 Qui nsquit^ Hie Niger </?, Hunc tu Romane Caveto. 
 
 And 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 75 
 
 And 'cis pity, fays Temple^ the Chara^er of a Wit, in 
 one Age, fliould be fo like that of a Black in another. 
 
 This Vein of Burlefquey or Ridiculing, began fird in 
 Verfe, with an Italian ^otm, called Lj Secchia Rap'tta, 
 was purfued by Scarron in French^ with his ^'';>^// 7y^- 
 i;f/?)', and m Englifh by Sir Jf'/;^ Mince^ Hud'hras, and 
 Cotton^ and with greater height of Burlefque in the 
 Englijh, than I think in any other Language. But 
 (fays Sir William Temple) let the Execution, be what it 
 will, the Defign, the Cuftom, and Example are very 
 pernicions to Poetryy and indeed, to all Virr.ue and good 
 Qualities among Men, which muft be diu jartend, by 
 finding how unjuftly and undiftinguifh'd they fall un- 
 der the lalh of Raillery^ and this Vein of Ridiculing 
 the Good as well as the 111, the Guilty and the Inno- 
 cent together. 'Tis a very poor, though common 
 pretence to Merits to make it appear by the Faults of 
 other Men. A mean Wit or Beauty may pafs in a 
 Room, where the reft of the Company are allowed 
 to have none ; 'tis fomething to fparkle among Di-- 
 monds ; but to fliine among PehhleSy is neither Credit 
 nor Value worth the pretending. Sir WiM^ %tW^\ts 
 EfTay of Poetry, pag, 49, &c. 
 
 The ^«// Burlefque appear d with impudence , 
 And pleas d hy Movelty, in [pit e of Sence. 
 All, except trivial Points , grew out of date ; 
 Parnaflus Jpoke the Cant of Belinsgate .• 
 Boundlefs and Mad, diforder^d Rhime was feen : 
 Vifguisd Apollo changd to Harlequin. 
 This plague, which firfl in Country Towns hegan. 
 Cities and Kingdoms quickly over 'ran ; 
 The dulled Scrihlers fome Admirers found. 
 And the Mock-Tempeft was a while renown d : 
 
 L 2 But 
 
7<? Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 But this low Stuff the Town at lajl defpisd^ 
 And Icornd the Folly that they once had prizd^ 
 DiflhguijVd Dull, from Natural and Plain^ 
 And left the Villages to Fleckno'j Reign, 
 Let not fo mean a Stile your Muje dehafe ; 
 But learn from Butl'r the Buffooning Grace : 
 And let Burlefque /« Ballads he employ d', 
 Tet noifie Bumbaft carefully avoid. 
 
 JSOtleaUs Art ^/Poetry, pag. f, 6, 
 
 Rimer tells us, That among the French^ not many 
 years fince, was obferv'd a mod vicious Appetite, and 
 immoderate Paflion for Burlefque. Which fort of Verfe 
 had been currant in Italy an Hundred years, before 
 e're they pafs'd to this fide the Alps ; but when once 
 they had their turn in France^ fo right to their hu- 
 mour, they over- ran all ; nothing Wife or Sober could 
 Hand in their way. All were poilefs'd with the Spirit 
 of Burlefqucy from Doll in the Dairy, to the Matrons 
 at Court, and Maids of Honour. Nay, fays Rimer, fo 
 far went the Frenzy^ that no Bookfelier would meddle 
 on any terms without Burlefque-, infomuch that Ann. 
 1649, was at Paris Printed a lerious Treatife with this 
 Title, 
 
 La Paffon de noftre Seigneur^ En vers Burlefques. 
 
 ^iVdtts Short view of Tragedy, Chap. i. 
 
 The Burlefque Verfe, confrdingof Eight Syllables or 
 Four Feet, is that which our Excellent Hudihras has 
 chofen. The worth of his Poem, fays Dryden^ is too 
 well known to need my Commendation, and he is a- 
 bove my Cenfure ; His Satyr is of the Varronian kind, 
 
 though 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 77 
 
 though unmix'd with Profe. The choice of his Numbers 
 is fuitable enough to his Deflgn, as be has manag'd ir. 
 But in any other Hand, the fhortnefs of his Verfe, and 
 the quick returns of Rhime, fays Dryden, had debased 
 the Dignity of Stile. And befides, the double Rhime (a 
 necefTary Companion of 5«r/<?/^«^ writing) is not fo pro- 
 per for Manly Satyr ^ for it turns earmfl too much to Jeft^ 
 and gives us a Boyilh kind of Pleafure. It tickles awkardly, 
 with a kind of pain, to. the bed fort of Readers ; we are 
 pleas'd ungratefully,and,if I may fay fo,againit our liking. 
 We thank him not for giving us that unieafonable DcJighr, 
 when we know he cou'd have given us a better, and more 
 folid. He might have left that Task to others, who 
 not being able to put in Thought, can only make us 
 grin v;ith the Excrefcence of a Word of two or three 
 Syllables in the clofe. 'lis indeed, fays Dry rf'fw, below 
 fo gre^t a Mafter to make ufe of fuch a little Inflru- 
 menr. But his good Senfe is perpetually fliining 
 through all he writes ; it aflbrds us not the time of 
 finding Faults : We pafs through the levity of his Rhime, 
 and are immediately carried into fome admirable ufeful 
 Thought. After all, fays Dryden, he has chofen thh 
 kind of Verfe ; and has written the beft in it : And had 
 he taken another, he would always have exceli'd. 
 
 Dryden does here alfo declare, That for his part, he 
 prefers the Verfe of Ten Syllables, which we call the 
 EngltJJj Heroique^ to that of Eight. For, fays he, this 
 fort of Number is more Roomy. The Thought can 
 turn it felf with greater eafe, in a larger compafs. 
 When the Rhime comes too thick upon us, it ftreight- 
 ens the Expreflionj we are thinking of the clofe, when 
 we (hould be employ 'd in adorning the Thought. It 
 makes a Toet giddy with turning in a Space too nar- 
 row for his Imagination. He lofes many Beauties 
 
 without 
 
7S Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 without gaining one Advantage; for, fays Dry^/e^^ a 
 Burlefque Rhint\ I have already concluded to be none ; 
 or if ic were, *iis more e^fily purchas'd in Ten Syllables, 
 than in Eight: lo both Occsfions, fays Drydeft^ 'tis as 
 in a Tennis-Court, where the ftrokes of greater force 
 are given, when we flrike our, and play at length. 
 Tajfone and Boileau have Jefc us the bed Examples of 
 this way, in the Secchia Rapita^ and the Lutrin. And 
 next them, Merlin Coccajm in his Baldus. J^^'ptl* De- 
 die. before the Tranfl.it. of Juvenal, pag. 48, 49. 
 
 The Grace and Beauties of Burlefque do chiefly con- 
 fifl in a difproportion between the Stile in which we 
 fpeakofathing, and its true Idea: This is thediflinguifh- 
 ing Mark of French and Italian Burlefque^ of which 
 there feems to be two forts; as when low and mean 
 Expreffions are us'd to rcprefent the greateft: Events, as 
 in Scarrons Fngil-Trauefty ; or great and lofty Terms 
 to defcribe Common Things, as in Boileau s Lutrin, and 
 Taffones Secchia Rapita. Good Senfe and Manners 
 ought to be prefer v'd, or Burlefque dwindles to Buf- 
 foonry, and the Dialeft of the Mol\ As for the way 
 of defcribing fmall things in pompous terms, though it 
 admits of more Senfe and fine Expreflions, and is alfo 
 for fome time plcafant to the Reader, by the Air of 
 Gravity and ridiculous AfFedlation, with which Trifles 
 are related as m.ighty Matters ; yet, fays my Author^ 
 he foon grows weary with it, as with mod long-wind- 
 ed Poems ; and if any will read over Taffone^ though 
 fome things will cxtreamly delight him, I doubt not, 
 fays the fame Author, but that he will find this true. 
 |&0t« iSiPOttCtljC in the G^tlem. Journ. January, 16^^. 
 
 Con- 
 
Remarks upon Voetry, 7^ 
 
 Concerning Lampoons. 
 
 DRyden remarks, Thai: that fort of Satyr ^ which is 
 known ia England by the nime of L.impoon, is 
 a dangerous fort o^ Weapon, and for the mod part un- 
 lawful. Wc have no Moral right on the Reputation of 
 other Men. Tis taking from them, what we cannot 
 reflore to them. How remote (fays Dryden) are for 
 the mod part thefe Lampooners^ in common juftice, 
 from the choice of fuch Perfons as are the proper Sub- 
 jedl of Satyr 1 And how Httle Wit they brmg, for the 
 Support of their Injuftice ! The weaker Sex is their moft 
 Ordinary Theme: And the Beft and Faircft are fure 
 to be the moft feverely handled. Amongli Mert, thofe 
 who are profperoufly unjuft^ are inti.ukd to a FanC' 
 gyrkk. But affiifted Virtue is infokntly flabb'd with 
 all manner oi Reproaches. No Decency is confider'd, 
 no Fulfomnefs omitted ; no Venom is wanting, as far 
 as Dullnefs can fupply it. For there is a perpetual 
 Dearth of Wit ; a Barrennefs of good Senfe and Enter- 
 tainment. The negled of the Readers, will foon put 
 an end to this fort of Scribhng. There can be no Plea- 
 fantry where there is no Wit: No Impredion can be 
 made, where there is no Truth for the Foundation. 
 J^%^* Dedic. before the Tranflat. 0/ Juvenal, pag. 35, 36. 
 
 Xet thefe are ? earls to your Lampooning Rhimes, 
 7' ahufe your felves more dully than the Times. 
 Scandal, the Glory of the Engliih Nation^ 
 Is worn to RaggSy an 4 fcrihhl'd out of Fapnon. 
 Such harmlefs Thrufis, as //, like Fencers wrfe, 
 They had agreed their PUy before their Prize : 
 
 Faith, 
 
8o Remarks upon Poetfj. 
 
 Faith, they may batig thsir FJarpi upon the WifJows, 
 *Tis juji like children ivhen they box with PiUows. 
 ^^^D* in an Epilogue. See Mifcdlan, Poems, 
 p3g. 294. 
 
 Our Poet hai a different Tajle of Wif, 
 Nor will to common f^ogue himjelj julmit. 
 Let jonne admire the Fops^ whofe Talents Ue 
 In venting dull injipid hiaiphe my ; 
 He fwearsy he cannot with thofe Terms difpence. 
 Nor will he damn'd for the repute of Senle. 
 Wit'j Name was never to Prophanenefs due, 
 For then you fee he could he Witty too: 
 He could Lampoon the St ate ^ and Li he I Kings , 
 But that he's Loyal, and knows he tier things ^ 
 Than fame, who] e guilty Birth from Treafon fprings. 
 He likes r,ot Wit, which cant a Licence claim. 
 To which the Author dares not fet his Nar/ie. 
 Wit fhould hs openy court each Reader s Eye^ 
 Not lurk in fly unprinted Privacy. 
 But Criminal Writers^ like dull Birds of Nighty 
 For Weaknefs, or for Shame ^ avoid the Light; 
 May fuch a Jury for their Audience havCy 
 And from the Bench, not Pit, their Doom receive. 
 May they the Towr for their due Merits fhare, 
 And a jufi Wreath of Hemp, not Laurel wear. 
 %tiii, dtll^am, pag. 1 12. the 3^ Edition.. 
 
 I love fharp Satyr, from Ohfcenenefs free ; 
 
 Not Impudence^ that Preaches Modejiy ,- 
 
 Our Englifh, who in Malice never fail, 
 
 Hence^ in Lampoons and Lihels^ learnt to Bail ; 
 
 Pleafant Detradirion, that hy Singing goes 
 
 From Mouth to Mouth, and as it Marches grows J 
 
 Our 
 
Remarks upon 'Poetry. 8 1 
 
 Our freedom in our Poetry we fee, 
 That Child of Joy, heji^ot ly Liberty. 
 
 Sir VS^iWi ^Oame, in his Tranflat. of Boikaus 
 Art of Foetry^ pag, 25', 16. 
 
 Concerning the Englifh Poetry^ and 
 their Language in relation to Po- 
 etry. 
 
 MR. Rimer can by no means allow of the reafon, 
 which Sir Philip Sidney gives, why Poets are 
 lefs efteem'd in England^ than in the other famous Na- 
 tions, to be voant of Merit : Nor is he of their Opinion, 
 who fay, that IVit and H^ine are not of the growth of our 
 Country .Valour they allow us ,• but what we gain by our 
 Armsy we lofe by the Weaknefs of our J^eads : Our good 
 A/e, and Englijh Beefy they fay, may make us Souldi- 
 ers^ but are no very good Friends to Speculation. But, 
 fays Rimer^ were it proper here to handle this Argu- 
 ment, and to make Comparifons with our Neighbours, 
 it might eafily, by our Poetry, be evinc'd, that our 
 Wit was never inferiour to theirs; though, perhaps, 
 our Honejly made us worfe Politicians. Wit and Valour 
 have always gone together, and Poetry has been the 
 Companion of Camps, The Heroe and Poet were in- 
 fpir'd with the fame Enthu/iafniy aited with the fame 
 heat, and Both were crown'd with the fame Laurel. 
 Had our Tongue, fays Rimer, been as generally known, 
 and thofe who felt our blows, underftood our Lan- 
 
 M guage ; 
 
82 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 guage; they would confefs, that our Poets had iikewife 
 done their part, and that our Pefts had been as fuccefs- 
 ful as our Swords. And certainly, if Sir fhiiip Sid- 
 fiey had feen the Poets^ who fuccecded him, he would 
 not have judg'd the Eftglifi Ms deferving than their 
 Neighbours. %iXV(Zt m the Pref. to his Tranflat. of 
 Rapin. 
 
 A^ove our i^sighlours our Conceptions are. 
 But fault lefi Writing is th' EffeSl of Care. 
 Our Lines reform* d, and not composed in hafle .; 
 Tolifht like Marlle^ vooud like Marble lafi. 
 But as the prefent, [o the laft Age writ ; 
 In both we find like J^egligence and Wit, 
 Were we but lefi indulgent to our Faults, 
 And Patience had to cultivate our Thoughts ', 
 Our Mufe would flourijh^ and a Nobler Rage 
 Would honour this, than did the Grecian Stage. 
 ,CDm. H^alleV'i Prologue to the Maids Tra- 
 gedji. 
 
 Rimer fays, That he prefumes Rapin did not under- 
 Hand our Language well enough, to pafs a Judgment 
 on the Englijh Poets : only in general he confeiles, that 
 we have a Genius for Tragedy above all other People ; 
 One reafon he gives, we cannot allow of, viz. The dif- 
 pofiticn of our Nation^ which, he faith, is delighted with 
 cruel things. 'Tis ordinary, fays Rimer^ to judge of 
 Peoples Manners and Inclinations, by their publick Df- 
 verfions ; and therefore Travellers, who fee fome of 
 our Tragedies, may indeed conclude us the cruelleft 
 minded People in Chriflendom. 
 
 In another place Rapin fays of us, That we are Men 
 hi an Ifland^ divided from the refl of the Worlds and 
 
 that 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 83 
 
 that voe love Blood in our Sports » And, perhaps, fays 
 Rimer^ it may be true, that on our Stage are more Mur* 
 ders, than on all the Theatres in Europe. And they 
 who have not time to learn our Language, or be ac- 
 quainted with our Converfation, may there in* three 
 hours time behold fo much Bloodfhed, as may affright 
 them from the inhofpitahle Shore, as from the Cyclops 
 Den. Let our Tragedy- Makers then confider this, and 
 examine whether it be the Difpofition of the People, 
 or their own Caprice^ that brings this Cenfure on the 
 bed natur'd Nation under the Sun. )SiiVMXs Pref. te 
 the Tranflat. of Rapin. 
 
 Dryden tells us, He cannot grant, that the French 
 
 Dramatick Writers excel the Englifh, Our Authors, 
 
 fays he, as far furpafs them in Genius, as our Souldiers 
 
 excel theirs in Courage .- 'Tis true, in Condud they 
 
 furpafs us either way .- Yet that proceeds not fo much 
 
 from their greater Knowledge, as from the difl^rence of 
 
 Tafls in the two Nations. They content themfelves 
 
 with a thin Defign, without Epifodes, and managed by 
 
 few Perfons. Our Audience will not be pleas'd, but 
 
 with variety of Accidents, an Underplot, and many 
 
 Actors. They follow the Ancients too fervilely, in the 
 
 Mechanick Rules, and we afTume too much Licence to 
 
 our felves, in keeping them only in view, at too great 
 
 a diftance. But, fays Dryden, if our Audience had 
 
 their Tails, our Poets could more eafily comply with 
 
 them, than the French Writers cou'd come up to the 
 
 Sublimity of our Thoughts, or to the difficult variety 
 
 of our Defigns. J^^'pD* in his Ded ic. before the Exa- 
 
 men Pceticura. 
 
 But who did ever in French Authors fee 
 The Comprehenfive Engliih Energy ? 
 
 M z The 
 
84. Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 the ive'ighty Bullion of one Sterling Line, 
 
 Drawn to French Wire, would through whole Pages y^/W. 
 
 / /peak tny private^ hut impartial S^nfe, 
 
 With Freedom^ and {J hope) without Offence: 
 
 Fov Tie Recant^ when France can /hew r/ie Wir> 
 
 As [Irong as ours, and ai fuccinftly writ. 
 
 KOlCOmtnOn^s Eflay on Tranjlated Verfe. 
 
 Sir William Temple remarks, That among the many 
 Decays of Poetry, there is yet one fort, that Teems to 
 have fucceeded much better with our Moderns, than 
 any of the red, which is Drantatickj or that of the 
 Stage : In this the Italian, the Spanifh^ and the French, 
 have all had their different Merit, and received their 
 juft Applaufes. Yet I am deceiv'd, fays Temple, if our 
 E»gli(h has not in fome kind excell'd both the Modern 
 and the Ancient ; which has been by force of a Vein 
 Natural perhaps to our Countrey, and which with uf, 
 is called Humour ; a Word peculiar to our Language, 
 and hard to be exprefs'd in any other ; nor is it (that 
 I know of) found in any Forreign Writers, unlefs it be 
 MoUere, and yet his has too much of the Farce, to pafs 
 for the fame with ours. Shakefpear was the firfl that 0- 
 pen d this J^tin upon our Stage, which has run fo freely 
 and fo pleafantly ever fmce, that, fays Temple, I have 
 often wonder'd, to find it appear fo little upon any o- 
 ther ; being a Subjed fo proper for them, fince Hu- 
 mour is but a Pi(5lure of particular Life, as Comedy is of 
 general; and though it reprefents Difpofitions and Cu- 
 ftoms kfs Common, yet they are not lefs Natural than 
 thofe thit are more frequent among Men; for if Hw 
 tnour it felf be forc'd, it lofes all the Grace j which has 
 been indeed the fault of fome of our Poets moft cele- 
 brated in this Kind. 
 
 It 
 
Remarks upon Foetry. 8^J 
 
 Ic may feem a Defed (fays Temple) \n the Ancient 
 Stage, that the Chara^en introduc'd were fa few, and 
 ihofe fo common, as a Covetous old Man^ an Amo- 
 rous young Man, a Witty Wench, a Crafty Slave, a 
 Bragging Souldier .• The Spedlators met nothing upon 
 the Stage, but what they met in the Streets, and at e- 
 very Turn. All the Variety is drawn only from dif-, 
 ferent and uncommon Events ; whereas if the Chara- 
 Siers are fo too, the Diverfity and the Pleafure mufl: 
 needs be the more. But as of mod general Cuftoms 
 in a Country, there is ufually fome Ground, from the 
 Nature of the People or the Clymat, fo there may be 
 amongft us, for this f^em of our Stage, and a greater 
 Variety of Humour in the Figure, becaufe there is a 
 greater Variety in the Life. This may proceed (fays 
 Temple') from the Native Plenty of our Soil, the une- 
 qualnefs of our Clymat, as well as the eafe of our Go- 
 vernment, and the Liberty of Profefling Opinions and 
 Fadions, which perhaps our Neighbours may have a- 
 bout them, but are forced to difguife, and thereby they 
 may come in time to be extinguifh'd. Plenty begets 
 Wantonnefs and Pride, Wantonnefs is apt to Invent^ 
 and Pride fcorns to Imitate ; Liberty begets Stomach 
 or Heart, and Stomach will not be conftrained. Thus 
 we come to have more Originals^ and more that appear 
 what they are, we have more Humour, becaufe every 
 Man follows his own, and takes a Pleafure, perhaps a 
 Pride, to ihew it. On the contrary, where the People 
 are generally Poor, and forced to hard Labour, their 
 Actions and Lives are all of a piece ; where they ferve 
 hard Matters, they muft follow his Examples as well 
 as Commands, and are forced upon Imitation in fmall 
 Matters, as well as Obedience in great; So that fome 
 Nations look as if they were caft all by one Mould, 
 
 or 
 
^6 ' Remarks upon Voetrj. 
 
 or cut out all by one Pattern, (at leaft the Common 
 People in one, and the Gentlemen in another).- They 
 feem all of. a fort in their Habits, their Cuftoms, and 
 even their Talk and Converfation, as well as in the 
 Application and Purfuit of their Anions and their 
 Lives. 
 
 Befides all this, there is another fort of Variety a- 
 mongft us, which arifes from our Clymat^ and the Dif- 
 pofitions it naturally produces. We are not only more 
 unlike one another, than any Nation I know, fays 
 Sir William Temple^ but we are more unlike our felves 
 too, at feveral times, and owe to our very Air fome 
 ill Qualities, as well as many good: We may allow 
 fome Diftempers incident to our Clymat, fmce fo much 
 Health, Vigour, and length of L'fe have been generally 
 afcribed to it ; for among the Greek and Roman Authors 
 themfelves, we fhall find the Britahs cbferv'd, to live 
 the longeft, and the /^gytians the ihorteft, of any Na- 
 tions that were known in thofe Ages. Befides, I think, 
 fays Temple, none will difpute the Native Courage of 
 our Men, and Beauty of our Women, which may be 
 elfewhere as great in Particulars^ but no where fo in 
 General ; they may be (what is faid of Difeafes) as ^4- 
 cute in ether places, but with us they are Epidemical, 
 For my own part, fays Sir William Temple, I have con- 
 verfed much with Men of other Nations, and fuch as 
 have been both in great Employments and Efteem, and 
 I can fay very impartially, that I have not obferv'd a- 
 mong any, lo much true Genius as among the Englijb; 
 no where more Sharpncfs of Wit, more Plcsfantnefs of 
 Humour^ more Range of Fancy, more Penetration of 
 Thought or Depth of Reflexion among the better Sort: 
 No where more Goodnefs of Nature and of Meaning, 
 nor more Plainnefs of Senfe and of Life, than among 
 
 the 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 8^7 
 
 the conarnon fort of Country People, nor more blunt 
 Courage and Honefty, than among our Sea- Men. But 
 with all this, our Country muft be confeft, to be what 
 a great Foreign Phyfician cah'd it, The Region of Spketi^ 
 which may arifc a good deal from the great Uncertain- 
 ty, and many fuddain Changes of our Weather in all 
 Seafons of the Year: And how much thefe af?e(5]: the 
 Heads and Hearts, efpeciaJly of the fined Tempers, is 
 hard to be believ'd by Men, whofe Thoughts are not 
 turned to fuch Speculations. This (fays Temple) makes 
 us unequal in our Humours^ inconftant in cur Paflions, 
 uncertain in our Ends, and even in our Dedres. But 
 what t^^di foever fuch a Compofition may have upon 
 our Lives or our Government, it mufl: needs have a 
 good one upon our Stage, and has given admirable 
 Play to our Comical Wits. So that, in my Opinion, 
 fay? Temple^ there is no yein of that fort, either An- 
 cient or Modern^ which excels or equals the Humour 
 of our Plays. Sir W\\\^ Cetltple^s Ejfay of Poetry, 
 
 P^g' 55. 54» ^^* ^ ... 
 
 That the Engitjh Drama is of late very much im- 
 proved, appears by thefe following Lines ; 
 
 At fir ft the Mufick of our Stage was rude, 
 Wh'tlfi in the Cock- Pit ajid Black- Friers it flood : 
 And this miglot pleafe enough in former Rei(i/fs, 
 A thrifty f thin, and hafhful Audience ; 
 When BulTy* d'Ambois and his Puftian took^ 
 And Men were ravifFd with Queen Gordobuc, 
 But fince our Monarch, ^ kind Heaven fent. 
 Brought hack the Arts with him from Banifhment, 
 And hy his gentle Influence gave increafe 
 To all the harmlefs Luxuries of Peace : 
 
 Favour'^, 
 
88 Remarks upon Poetry, 
 
 Favour'^ hy htm, our Stage" has fiourilh'ei too. 
 
 And every day in outward Splendor grew : 
 
 In Mufick, Song, and Dance of every kind^ 
 
 And all the Grace of AUion 'tis rejind; 
 
 And fince that Opera'j at length came itty -^ 
 
 Our Players have fo well improvd the Scene > 
 
 With Gallantry of Hahit, and Machine^ S 
 
 As makes our Theatre in Glory vie 
 
 With the bejl Ages of Antiquity: 
 
 And mighty Rofcius, were he living now, « 
 
 Would envy hoth our Stage, and Adiog too. 
 
 ^lt)l^am;> in Imitar. of Horaces Art of Poetry, 
 pag. 18,19. 
 
 They who have hefi fucceeded on the Stage, 
 Have jlill conform d their Genius to their Age, 
 Thus Johnfon did Mechanick Humour fhow, 
 When Men were dull^ and Converfation low. 
 Then, Qom^dy was f^ultlefs, hut 'twas courje : 
 Cobb'j Tankard was a Jejl, and Otter'j Horfe^ 
 And as their Comedy, their Love was mean .- 
 Except J by chance , in fome one labour' d Scene, 
 Which mufi atone for an ill- writ ten Play. 
 They rofe ; but at their height could Jeldom flay. 
 Fame then was cheap, and the firfi Comer fped ; 
 And they have kept it fince ^ by being dead. 
 But were they now to write when Criticks' weigh 
 Each Line, and ev'ry Word, throughout a Play, 
 t^one cf'em, no not Johnfon, in his height 
 Could pafs, without allowing Grains for weight. 
 Think it not envy that thefe Truths are told^ 
 Our Poet'j not malicious, though he*s bold. 
 'Tis not to brand 'em, that their Faults are jhown^ 
 But^ by their Errors, to excufe his own*' 
 
Remarks upon Voetry.. 89 
 
 If Love and Honour now are higher raiid^ 
 'Tis not the Poet, hut the Age is prais'd. 
 WitV nou>. arrivd to a more high degree ; 
 Our native hanguage more refind and free. 
 Our Lidies and our Men now fpsak tuore Wit 
 In Converfation, than thofe Poets vorit. 
 
 ©^^t>* Epilog^ue to the 2d Part of Granada. 
 
 Dryden tells us. That Johnfon^ Fletcher, and Shake- 
 fpear^ are honour'd, and almofl ador'd by \\s, as they 
 deferve; Neither do I know {fays he') any fo prefump- 
 tuous of themfelvfi as to contend with them; Yet 
 give me leave to fay thus much, without Injury to 
 their Allies, that not only we ihail never equal them^ 
 but they could never equal themfelves^ were they to 
 rife and write again. We acknowledge them our Fa- 
 thers in Wit, fays Dryden^ but they have ruin'd their 
 Eftates themielves before they came to their Childrens 
 Hands. There is fcarce an Humour, a Charader, or 
 any kind of Plot, which they have not us'd. All 
 comes fuUied or waded to us .- and were tbey to enter- 
 tain this Age, they could not now make fo plenteous 
 Treatments out of fuch decay 'd Fortunes. This there- 
 fore will be a good Argument to us, either not to 
 write at all, or to attempt fome other way. There \s 
 no Bays (fays Dryden) to be exped:ed in their Walks ; 
 Tentanda via efl qua me quoque poffum tollere humo. 
 
 This way of Writing in f^erfe^ fays Dryden^ they 
 have only left free to us \ our Age is arriv'd to a per- 
 feftion in it, which they never knew ; and which (if 
 we may guefs by what of theirs we have {^tn. in 
 Verfe 5 as the Faithful Shepherdefs^ and Sad Shepherd:) 
 *tis probable they never could have reach'd. For the 
 Genim of every Age is different ; and though ours cx- 
 
 N ceJ 
 
JO Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 ccl in thiSy I deny noc, fays Dryden, but that to imi- 
 tate Nature m that Perfe(^ion which ihey did in Trofe, 
 is a greater Commendation, than to write in Verfe ex- 
 adlly. ®^^tl» ^/jy <?/ Dram. Poefie, pag, 45, 46. 
 
 Rir/\er lays, He tears what Quinttlian pronounced 
 concerning the Roman Comedy, may as juftly be faid of 
 Englijh Tragedy : In Tragadta maxime claudicamus^ v'tH 
 ievem confequimur Vmhram : In Tragedy we come fhort 
 extreamly. We have hardly any Shadow of ir. ^U 
 ttttts Short view of Tragedy, pag. 85-. 
 
 Dr. Burnet, the prefent Bifhop of Saluhury, remarks. 
 That the Englifh Language has ^PTought it fclf out, 
 both of the tulfome Pedantry, under which it labour'd 
 long ago, and the trifling way of dark and unintelligi- 
 ble Wit, that came after that^ and out of the courfe 
 Extravagance of Canting that fucceeded this : But as 
 one Extream commonly produces another, (o we were 
 beginning to fly into a Sublime pitch, of a ftrong but 
 falfe Rhetorick, which had much corrupted, not only 
 the Stage, but even the Pulpit ; two places, that though 
 they ought not to be named together, much lefs to re- 
 femble one another ; yet (fays Burnet) it cannot be 
 denied, but the Rule and Meafure of Speech is generally 
 taken from them; but that florid Strain is almofl quite 
 worn out, and is become now as ridiculous as it was 
 once admired. So that without either the Expence or 
 Labour that the French have undergone, our Language 
 has, like a rich Wine, wrought out its Tartar, and is 
 infenfibly brought to a Purity that could not have been 
 compafled without much Labour ,• had it not been for 
 the great advantage we have of a Trince [Charles th^ id.] 
 who is fo great a Judge, that his Tingle approbation or 
 diflike, fays Bumct, has simoft as great an Authority 
 over our Language, as his Prerogative gives him over 
 
 our 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 51 
 
 our Coh. We are mw fo much refin'd, that how de- 
 fedtivc foever our Imaginations or Rcafonings may- 
 be, yet our Language, fays Burttet, has fewer faults, 
 and is more natural and proper, than it was ever at a- 
 ny time before. When one compares the bed Writers 
 of the lafi /4ge, with thofe that excel in this^ the diffe- 
 rence is very difcernable .* even the great Sir Fran-^ 
 CIS Bacon, that was the firft that writ our Lan- 
 guage correctly, as he is ftiil our bed Author, yet: 
 in feme places has Figures fo ftrong, that they could 
 not pafs now before a fevere Judge. I will not (fays 
 Burnet) provoke the prefent Mafters of the Stage, by 
 preferring the Authors of the laft Age to them : for 
 though they all acknowledge that they come far Ihort 
 of Ben. JohnfoUf Beaumont, and Fktcker, yet I believe 
 they are better pleas'd to fay this themfehes, than to 
 have it obferv'd by others. Their Language is now cer- 
 tainly properer, and more natural than it was former- 
 ly, chiefly fince the Correftion that was given by the 
 kehearfal, writ by the late Duke of Buckingham ; And 
 it is to be hoped, fays Burnet^ that the EJfay on poetry ^ 
 [writ by the Earl of Mu/graveJ which may be well 
 matched with the beft Pieces of its kind that even Augu- 
 ftuj's Age produced.will have a more powerful Operation, 
 if clear Senfe, joyned with home but gentle Reproofs, 
 can work more on our Writers, than that unmerciful 
 ezpofing them has done, ^tlh* TSUttitts Pref. to hu 
 Tranflat. of Sir Tho. More's Utopia. 
 
 I am forry, fays Dryden, that (fpcaking fo No- 
 ble a Language as we do) we have not a more certain 
 Meafure of it, as they have in France^ where they have 
 an Academy ere£led for that purpofe, and indow'd with 
 large Priviledges by the prefent King. I wifli, fays 
 Dryden, we might at length leave to borrow words from 
 
 N X other 
 
$2 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 ther Nations, which is now a Wantonnefi in us, not a 
 NeceJJity ; but fo long as fome affeft to fpeak them ; 
 there will not want others, who will have the bold- 
 nefs to write them. J^J^'pDt Dedic. te the E. of Orrery 
 before the Rival- Ladies. 
 
 It would raortifie an Englifh Man, to confider, that 
 from the time of Boccace^ and of Petr^.rch^ the Italian 
 Language has varied very little ; And that the EMgUfI/ 
 oi Chaucer their Contemporary, is not to be under- 
 llood without the help of an old Ditl'ton:iry. But their 
 Goth and Vandal had the Fortune to be grafted on a 
 Roman Stock: Ours has the difadvantage to be founded 
 on the Dutch. We are full of Monofyllahles^ and thofe 
 clog'd with Confonants, snd our Fronunciattcn \s effemi' 
 nate. All which are Enemies to a founding IL^^g^fT^e .• 
 'lis true, that to fupply our Poverty, we have traffick'J 
 with our Neighbour Nations ; by which means we abound 
 as much in Words, as Amfierdam does in Religions ,* 
 but to order them, and make them ufeful after their 
 admiflion is the difficulty. A greater Progrefs has been 
 made in this, fince his Majefty's Return, than perhaps 
 fince the Conquefi to his. time. But the better part of 
 the Work remains unfinilh'd : And that which has 
 been done already, fmce it has only been in the Pra- 
 £tice of fome lev/ Writers, muft be digefled into Rules 
 and Method ; before it can be profitable to the General. 
 J^^t^D. Dedic. if^j4i'eJiv£.f;4^Sjinderiand hfire-Troilus and 
 Creliida. ' 
 
 Our Language is both Copious, Significant, and Ma- 
 jeftical ; and might be reduc'd into a more harmonious 
 Sound. But for want of Publick Encouragement, in 
 this Iron Jge^ We are fo far from making any Progrefs 
 in the improvement of our Tongue, that in few years, 
 
 we 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. ^3 
 
 we fhail fpeak and write as Barbaroufly as our Neigh- 
 bours. ©jt'pD. Dedic.r^ the Lord RadciifTe, hefore Exa- 
 men Poecicum. 
 
 Rapin lays, That the Engfifh Langujge h proper for 
 great Exprelfions. Reflex, on Ariftot. Part z. SelL 23. 
 
 Concerning the Italian and Spanifh 
 Poetry j and their Languages in 
 relation to Poetry. 
 
 Rimer tells us, That in the beginning of the lad 
 Century, when People began to open their Eyes, 
 and look farther into the Matters of Rehgion and good 
 Literature, Italy had much the dart and advantage of 
 the reft of Europe ; thither were Arijlotle's Works firft 
 brought a-fhore ,• and there were they Tranflated, 
 Conn'd, and Commented by the chiefeft Wits amongft 
 them. And above all, his Poetka engag'd their utmoft 
 care and application. 
 
 So many Comments had they made, and fo many 
 Critical Oofervations, before, on this fide the A/pSy any 
 thing in that way was underftood, that they began 
 to lay it down for a truth. That the Tramontans had 
 no Gufto. OltramoHtani^ fays one of them, nan fono 
 Zelanti delle hmne Regole de Greet, & de Latini. ihey 
 make no Conscience of breaking^ the good Laws of the Greeks 
 4;^y Latins. 
 
 Others undertook to put in Pradice, and write by 
 hh Principles and Diredlion. Eihlena (afterwards a 
 
 Cardinal) 
 
94 Remarks upon Toetry. 
 
 Cardinal) firft try*d his Talent on a Comedy; and was 
 followed by ArhflOf PiccolomHi, Machicvei^ and many 
 othtrs, who took Plautm and Tertftce for their Pat- 
 terns. 
 
 Trifftno^ RujcaUi^ C'tnthio^ Tajfo^ with many more, 
 wrote Tragedies in Blank Ver(e, with the Chorus ; and 
 every thing to the bed of their power, after the Athe* 
 nian Models. 
 
 But Itaiy^ fays Rmer^ had no Fund for the vaft 
 Charge of Dramatkk Reprefentations ; they had no 
 llnnding Revenue for the Theatre ; and however Mag- 
 nificent Tome Prince might be on an extraordinary Wed- 
 ding, or great Occafion ; there was nothing conftant, 
 nor could it, in fuch Circumflances, be expefted, that 
 the Drama there (hould turn to account, or rife to any 
 tolerable Reputation. Therefore the ordinary Bufinefs 
 of the Stage was left amongft a Company of Strolers, 
 who wandred up and down, a6ting Farce, or turning 
 into Farce t whatever they adled. Caftehetro tells us. 
 That even at Rome^ in his time, ChrifFs Paffion was fo 
 s<3;ed by them, as to fet all the Audience a laughing. 
 ISittlci's Short view of Tragedy, Chap, v. 
 
 From Spain little obfervable can be expeded in rela- 
 tion to Dramatick Poetry ; fmce CampatieSa had afliir'd 
 them, That it is The tJurfe of Herefie. 
 
 So Father Guzman informs us, That his Catholick Ma- 
 jefty, Philip 11. towards the end of his Life, (when his 
 Wifdom w^as en fu pmto^ on the point of Perfedlion) 
 did quite banifh it the Country. 
 
 We are alfo told by another Jefuite^ how Religioufly 
 the truly Catholick, Phil. IV. in the Year 16^6. packt it 
 away, as the Common Plague, from out the Kingdoms 
 of Spain, by his Royal Edid. 
 
 So 
 
Remarks upon ?oetry. 95 
 
 So we fee this Nurfe of Herefie^ this Head of the 
 Pangi Hydra, is like to have no footing within the 
 CatboUck Majefties Dominions. The Inquifition and the 
 Mufes mud not ki their Horfes together. ^ix^tXp A 
 hidem, 
 
 Rapin informs us, That the Italian and Spanifh Poets^ 
 have fcarce ever yet fubjeded their Wit to Rules of 
 Art. Into what Enormities hath Petrarch run in his 
 Africa ; Ariofto in his Orlando Fariofo ; Cavalier Marino 
 in his Adorns^ and all the other Italians^ who were ig- 
 norant of Ariflotles Rules ; and followed no other 
 Guides but their own Genius^ and Capricious Fancy : 
 Truth is, fays Rapin^ the Wits of Italy were fo pre- 
 poflefs'd in favour of the Romantic k Poetry of Pulciy Boy- 
 ardoy and Arioflo, that they regarded no other Rules, 
 than what the heat of their Genius infpir'd. iSap. Re- 
 flex, on Ariftot. of Poefie, Part 2. Se^. 17. and ir. 
 
 Rapin in another place, fpeaking of the Italian and 
 Spanifh Poets, fays, 'Tis too great Honour to call them 
 FoetSy they being for the moft part but Rimeflers. iE9p« 
 Ihid. SelL 23. 
 
 Rimer fays, That the Italian Language is fitted for 
 Burlefque, and better becomes the Mouth of PetroUn 
 and Arloquin in their Farces, than any Heroick Chara- 
 £ter. The perpetual Termination in Voivels is Child- 
 ifh, and themfelves confefs, rather fweet than grave. 
 
 The Diffy Halle Rhimes, fays Rimer, force the Itali- 
 ans ^Ti^ Spaniards on the Stanza in IJeroicks; which 
 befides many other difad vantages, renders the Language 
 unfit for Tragedy, '^iVXtXs Pref before his Tranfl^t. 
 of Rapin. 
 
 Dry den tells us, That 'tis almoft needlefs to fpeak 
 any thing of that Noble Language, the Italian : All, 
 fays he, who are converfant in the Italian, cannot but 
 
 obferve 
 
<j^ Remarks upon Foetrj. 
 
 obferve, That it is the fofteft, the fwectefl-, the mod 
 harmonious, not only of any Modern Tongue, but e- 
 ven beyond any of the Learned. It feems indeed to 
 have been, invented for the fake of Poetry and /kfufid ; 
 the bowels are fo abounding in all Words, cfpccialJy 
 in the Terminations of them, that excepting fome few 
 Mofiofylhlles, the whole Language ends in them. Then 
 the Pronunciation is fo Manly, and fo fonorous, that 
 their very [peaking has more of Mufick in it, than Dutch 
 Poetry^ and Sof^g. It has withal dcriv'd (o much Copi- 
 oufnefs and Eloquence from the Greek and Latin ^ \n the 
 Compofition of Words, and the Formation of them, 
 that (if after all we muft call it Barharonri) 'tis the 
 moft Beautiful and moft Learned of any Barharifm in 
 Modern Tongues. And we may, at leafl, as juftly 
 praife it, as Pyrrhu^ did ihe Roman Difcipline' and 
 Martial Order, That ii was of Barlarians, (for fo the 
 Greeks call'd all other Nations,) but had nothing in it 
 of Barbarity. This Language has in a manner been re- 
 fin'd and purify 'd from the Gotbick, ever fince the time 
 of Dante ; which is above four Hundred years ago • and 
 the French^ who now call a longing Eye to their 
 Country, are not lefs ambitious to pofTefs their Ele- 
 gance in Poetry and Mufuk ; in both which they la- 
 bour at ImpofTibilities. J^^'^Oi Pref, to Albion and Al- 
 banius. 
 
 Con- 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 57 
 
 Concerning the French Poetry ^ and 
 their Language in relation to Poe- 
 try. 
 
 FRancis the Firft, by whofe encouragement Letters 
 had begun to flourilh in France^ and poetry more 
 particularly by the means of Clement Maroty (who then 
 tranflated the Pfalmst and fent abroad his BaUdes^ 
 which Campanelld reckons to have uflier'd in the He- 
 refie) this King Francis, fays Rimer, was much delight- 
 ed, for wane of better, with a Company of Strolersy 
 who wandred up and down, ading Farce, or turning 
 into Farce, whatever they Ad:ed. At the latter end of 
 his Reign we find a Cau[e of the Strolers notably pleaded 
 and debated amongft their Lawyers and the King's 
 Counfel-^ — King Francis liv'd about five or fix ifears 
 after. And then were the Comedians both French and 
 Italians, all pack'd ofii and baniihed the Kingdom. 
 
 In 1^97. Peter tAriveu publilhed Comedies written, 
 as he tells us, in imitation of the Ancient Greeks, Latins, 
 and Modern Italians. 
 
 And the End he propos'd was according to Horace^ 
 
 Quelque profit, & Contentement enfemhie. 
 
 After him Alexander Hardy attempted Tragedy, whofe 
 Works were publilh'd Ann, 1625. Not long after fuc- 
 ceeded the famous Corneille, who began to write for 
 the Stage, after Hardy ^ Model. 
 
 O And 
 
9 8 Remarks upon ?oetry. 
 
 And now, fays Rimer, it the French Theatre did not 
 rife to equal the Glory of the Roryians, and Ancient 
 Greeks, it was not for want of Encouragement from 
 the Government. Cardinal Richelieu^ who had the 
 power in his hand, did heartily and generouHy perform 
 his parr. He founded the Academy Royal, and more 
 efpecially provided for the Theatre. Yet with this 
 Caution, never to rcprefent Aucunes Aclions Malhoneftes, 
 ny d'ufer d'aucunes paroles lafcives^ ny a double ententMy 
 qui pujjfent hlejjer thonncflete pnhliqite. And we find the 
 Posts Itand corrected, and do penance, if they chance 
 to offend againft this Declaration. 
 
 Rimer fays, That in points of Decency the French 
 are certainly very delicate, and commendable. The 
 noble Encouragement they met withal, and their flngu- 
 Jar application have carried them very far in the im- 
 provement of the Drama. Nor were the Audience to 
 be taxed for the hafty applaufc, they have often given 
 to Plays of no great Merit. It has been fo in all Na- 
 tions, fays Rimer. As, in Pi^ures^ A Man who had 
 never (i^en fuch a thing before, wou'd find his amufe- 
 ment, and be in admiration at every Sign-poji, or Sara- 
 cens Headihii he travels by. The firfl Plays oiComeille 
 were better, that is, more regular, than any before 
 him 5 the Audience had never feen the like. They now 
 fee the difference betwixt his firft EfTays, and the Plays 
 compofed in his riper Years. 
 
 After all, fays Rimer, it is obferv'd, how much that 
 wild gcofe-chafe of Romance runs flill in their head j 
 fome Scenes of Love mufl every where be ihuffled in, 
 tho' never fo unfeafonable. The Grecians were for Love 
 and Mufick as mad as any Monfieur of 'em all,- yet their 
 Mufick kept within Bounds ; attempted no Metamor- 
 phofis to turn the Drama to an Opera, Nor did their 
 
 Lovs 
 
<£♦ 
 
 Remarks upon Voetry. $9 
 
 Love come whining on the Stage, to Effeminate the 
 Majefty of their Tragedy. It was not any Jove for 
 Brifeis that made Achillss io wroth; it was the affront, 
 in taking his booty from him, in the face of the Confe- 
 derate Army. This, his Stomach cou'd not digeft. 
 
 ■ nee gravem 
 FeletdiB Stoma chum cede re nefcii. Horat. 
 
 One, with the Genius of Miguel Cervante, might, 
 doubilefs, find matter for as good a Satyr, from the 
 French Gallantry^ fays Rl/^er, as He had done from 
 the Spavifh Chivalry. JRflUtV's Ihor t view of Tragedy^ 
 ehapt. V. 
 
 Dryden obferves to us. That the Excellency of French 
 Foe try does confifl: in the nicety of Manners : Their F/e- 
 roes are the mod civil People breathing ; but their good 
 Breeding feldom extends to a word ot Senfe: All their 
 Wit is in their Ceremony : They want the Genius which 
 animates our Stage ; and therefore 'tis but nece/Iary 
 when they cannot pieafe, that they (hould take care 
 not to cffend. But, as the Civileft Man in the Com- 
 pany is commonly the dulled, fo thefe Authors, while 
 they are afraid to make you laugh or cry, out of 
 pure good manners, make you fleep. They are fo 
 careful not to txafperate a Cfitique^ that they never 
 leave him any Work ,• (o bufie with the Broom, and 
 make io clean a riddance, that there is little left either 
 for Cenjure or for Fraife: For no part of a Foem is 
 worth our difcommendirg, where the whole isinfipid; 
 as when we have once taded of pall'd Wine, we day 
 not to examine it Ghfs by Glafs. But while they 
 affed to (lime in trifles, they are often carelefs in 
 
 O 1 Edentials. 
 
1 00 Remarks upon Foetry. 
 
 E/Tentials. J^^^D* Pref. to All for Love; or, T/je WorU 
 well lofl. 
 
 The prefent French Poets are generally accus'd, That 
 whcrefoever they lay the Scene, or in whatfoever Age, 
 the manners of their Heroes are wholly French: Ra^ 
 cins Bajazfty is bred at CoMjlantinople ; but his Civilities 
 are convey'd to him by fome fecret paflage, from /^fr- 
 failles into the Seragl/o, J^^-^D* Pref. to Troilus an^f 
 Creflida. 
 
 Bapin tells us, That Judgement is not the Ordinary 
 Talent of the French ; 'tis generally in the Contrivance 
 of their Dcfign, that their Poets are defedive ,• and no- 
 thing is more rare among them, than a Defign that is 
 great, juft, and well conceiv'd. They pretend to be 
 more happy in the Talents of H^it and Fancy. ^$p» 
 part I. jetL 19. on Arift. Treat, of Poe{\c, 
 
 We may ((ays B.apin) flatter our felves with our l^Vtt, 
 and (he Genius of our Nation ; but our Soul is not e- 
 nough exalted to frame great Ideas; we are bufied 
 with petty Sulje^Si find by that means it is, that we 
 prove fo cold in the great; and that in our Works fcarce 
 appears any Shadow of that Suhlime Poeficy of which the 
 Ancient Poets have left fuch excellent Models, and a- 
 bove all Homer and l^irgil; for great Poetry mufl be a- 
 nimated and (uflain'd by great Thoughts, and great Sen^ 
 timents ; but thefe we ordinarily want, fa;,'s Rapin ; ei- 
 ther becaufe our Wit is too much limited, or becaufe we 
 rake not care to exercife it on important Matters. I^^p. 
 Hid. fed. 16. 
 
 The Genius of our Nation, fays Rapin, is not ftrong 
 enough, to fuflain an Adion on the Theatre by mov- 
 ing only Terror and Pity. Thefe are Machins that will 
 not play as they ought, but by great Thoughts, and nohle 
 Expreffions, of which we are not indeed altogether fo 
 
 capable, 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. loi 
 
 capable, as thQ Greeks. Perhaps, fays Rap'in^ our Na- 
 tion, which is naturally Galianr, has been oblig'd, by 
 the necefli.y of our Charader, to frame for our {t\sts 
 a new Syftem of Tragedy^ to fuit with our Humour. 
 i^0^p. on Arid. Treatife cf Poefie, part 2. fe^. xx. 
 
 ^ir fV/i/iam Temple takes Dorice, That to fupply the 
 Defedls of the Modern Poetry, much Application has 
 been made to the fmoothnefs of Language or Stile \ 
 which has at the beft, but the Beauty of Colouring in 
 a Pidiure, and can never make a good one, without 
 Spirit and Strength. The Academy fet up by Cardinal 
 Richelteut to amufe the Wits of that Age and Country, 
 and divert them from rakeing into his Politicks and 
 Miniftry, brought this in Vogue ; and the French Wits 
 have for thislalt Age, been in a manner wholly turn'd 
 to the Refinement of their Language, and indeed with 
 fuch fuccefs, that it can hardly be excelfd, and runs c- 
 qually through their f^erfe and their Profe. Sir WiM' 
 Cemple's Fjfay of Poetry, pag. 51, ^3. 
 
 Dryden fays, 'tis true indeed, the French have re- 
 form'd their Tongue, and brought both their Profe and 
 Poetry to a Standard ; the fweecncfs, as well as the 
 Purity is much improv'd, by throwing of? the unnccef- 
 fary Confonants, which made their SpeUing tedious, and 
 their Pronunciation harfh : Bijt after all, as nothing can 
 be improv'd beyond its own Species., or farther than its 
 Original Nature will allow ; as an ill Voice, tho' never 
 fo throughly inftrufted in the Rules of Mufick, can ne- 
 ver be brought to Sing Harmonioufly, nor many an 
 Honed Critick ever arrive to be a good Poet ; fo neither 
 can the natural l-Jarfhnefs of the French^ or their perpe- 
 tual ill Accent, be ever refin'd into perfed Harmony 
 like the Italian. ®^^D, Pref to Albion and Alba- 
 nius. 
 
 The 
 
102 Kemarky Upon Poetry. 
 
 The French Laffguage, fays Rimer, wants flrength and 
 Sinews, is too feeble for the Weight and Majefty of 
 Tragedy. We fee their Conjonants fpread on Paper, but 
 they flick in the Hedge ; they pafs not their teeth ia 
 their Pronunciation. 
 
 The French, fays Rimer^ are not only fetter'd with 
 Ryme^ but their Ferfe is the long Alexandrine, of 
 Twelve Syllables ; with a flop, or paufe always in the 
 middle: Their own befl Authors are fenfible of this 
 halt in their Verfcy and complain of that Cefure and 
 perpetual Monotomy as they call it. aStmet^s Jhort 
 view of Tragedy, chapt. v. 
 
 Concerning Rhyme, and Blank 
 Verfe. 
 
 DRyden tells us, The advantages which Rhyfne has 
 over Blank Ferfe, 2iX^ fo many, that it were lofl 
 time to name them: Sir Fhilip Sidney, in his Deftrnce 
 of Poefie, gives us one, which, in my opinion, fays 
 Dryden^ is not the leaft confiderable ; I mean, the help 
 it brings to Memory; which Rhyme fo knits up by the 
 a/Bnity of Sounds,- that by remembring the lafl Words 
 in one Line, we often call to mind both the Vcrfes. 
 Then in the quicknefs of Reparties (which in Difcour- 
 five Scenes fall very often) it has fo particular a Grace 
 and is fo aptly fuited to them, that the fudden fmarjt- 
 nefs of the Anfwer, and the fweetnefs of the Rhyme, 
 fet off the Ceauty of each other. But that benefit 
 
 which 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 103 
 
 which f confider moft in ir, fays Dryden^ becaufe I have 
 not feldom found ic, is, that it bounds and circum- 
 fcribes the Fancy, For im:igination in a Poet is a Fa- 
 culty O wild and lawlefs, that, hke an high-ranging 
 Spaniel^ it mull have C/<7gj tied to iti left it out-run 
 the J-udiYYient. The great eafinefs of Blank P'erfe, ren- 
 ders the Poet too luxuriant ; he \s tempted to fay mmy 
 things which might better be omitted, or at leaft ihut 
 irp in fewer Words.- But when the difficulty of Artful 
 Rhyming is inrerpos'd, where the Poet commonly con- 
 fines his Senfe to his Couplet, and muft contrive that 
 Senfe into fuch Words, that the Rhyme ftiall naturally 
 follow them, not they the Rhyme ; the Fancy then gives 
 leifure to the Judgment to come in; which feeing fo 
 heavy a Tax impos'd, is ready to cutoff'all unnecefTiry 
 Expences. This lad Confideration has already anfwer'd 
 an Objection which fome have made; that Rhyme is 
 only an Embroidery of Senfe, to make that which is 
 ordinary in it felf, pafs for Excellent, with iefs Exami- 
 nation. But certainly, that which moft regulates the 
 Fancy^ and gives the Judgment its bufieft Employment, 
 is like to bring forth the richeft and cleareft Thoughts. 
 The Poet examines that moft which he produceth with 
 the greateft leifure, and which he knows muft pafs 
 the levereft Teft of the Audience, becaufe they are 
 apteft to have it ever in their Memory : As the Sto- 
 mach makes the beft Concodlion, when it ftri^Vly em- 
 braces the Nourifliment, and takes account of every lit- 
 tle particle as it partes through, ^p^^ Dedic. to the 
 Earl of Orrery, hefore the Rival- Ladies. 
 
 Shjkefpear (who with fome Errors not to be avoider^ 
 in that Age, had, undoubtedly, a larger Soul of Poefie 
 than ever any of our Nation) was the firft, who, to 
 fhun the pains of continual Rhyming, invented that kind 
 
 of 
 
104 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 of Writing, which we call Blank Verfe, but th&^reficb 
 more properly, Pro/e Mefure^ ; into which the EngliJJ? 
 Tongue io naturally (lides, that in Writing Profe 'tis 
 hardly to be avoided. And therefore, I admire, fays 
 DrydsH, that fome Men fliould perpetually ftumble in 
 a way fo eafie. ©^'pD- /^^^. 
 
 Whether Heroick f^erfe ought to be admitted into 
 ferious Plays, is not now to be diiputed : 'lis already 
 in pofTtffionof the Stage: And I dare confidently affirm, 
 fays Dry den, that very few Tragedies t in this Age, fhall 
 be receiv'd without it. All the Arguments which are 
 form'd againft ir, can amount to no more than this, 
 that it is not (o near Convesfation as Projc, and there- 
 fore not (o natural. But it is very clear (fays Dryden) 
 to all who underfland Poetry^ that ferious Plays ought 
 not to imitate Cor^^erfaticn too nea/Jy. If nothmg 
 were to be raib*d above that level, the foundation of 
 Poetry would be deftroy'd. And, if you once admit 
 of a Latitude, that Thoughts miy be exalted, and that 
 Images and A£lions may be rai;>'d above the Life, and 
 defcrib'd in Meafure without Rhyme^ that le:ids you (fays 
 Dryden) infenfibly from your own Principles to mine: 
 You are already {o far onward of your way, that you 
 have forfaken the Imitation of ordinary Converfc. You 
 are gone beyond it ; and, to continue where you are, 
 is to lodge in the open field, betwixt two Inns. You 
 have loft that which you call Natural, and have not 
 acquir'd the Jaft perfedion of Art. But it was only 
 Cujiome which cozen'd us fo long : We thought, be- 
 caufe Shakefpear and Fletcher went no farther, that there 
 the Pillars of Poetry were to be ere(n:ed. That, bccaufe 
 they excellently defcrib'd Paflion without Rhyme^ there- 
 fore Rhyme was not capable of defcribing it. But time 
 has now convinc'd moft Men of that Error. 'Tis indeed 
 
 fo 
 
Remarks upon Foetrj. 105 
 
 (o difficult to write yerfe, that the Adverfaries of it 
 have a good Plea againft many who undertake that 
 Task, without being fornn'd by Art or Nature for ir. 
 Yet, even they (fays Dry den) who have written word 
 in ir, would have written worfe mthout it. They have 
 couzen'd many with their Sound, who never took the 
 pains to examine their Senfe, In fine, they have fuc- 
 ceeded : Though 'tis true, they have more difhcnour'd 
 Rhyme by their good fuccefs, than they could have done 
 by their ill. But I am willing, fays Dryden, to let fall 
 this Argument: Tis free for every Man to write, or 
 not to write, in yerfe, as he judges it to be, or not to 
 be his Talent ; or as he imagines the Audience will re- 
 ceive it. ^%'^'^^EJfay <?/Heroick Plays 5 hefore Almanzor 
 4 W Alma hide. 
 
 Mr. Milton labour'd all he could, to free us from 
 the trouhlefome Bondage of Rhyming'^ as he calls it; and 
 by his Incomparable Poems of Paradife Lofl and Pa- 
 radife Regain d^ has given us a mod perfect Example of 
 Elank^Verfe. 
 
 How the Noble, and Ingenious Lord Rofcommon^ 
 Aood affected to Rhyme, appears by thefe following 
 Lines .• 
 
 Of many faults Rhyme is (perhaps^ the Caufe^ 
 Too (iri^l to Rhyme we flight more ufeful Laws. 
 For That, in Greece or Rome, was never known. 
 Till ly Barbarian Delugei orejlown^ 
 Subdu'd, undone, They did at laft Obey, 
 And change their own for their Invaders way. 
 I grant that from fome Moflie, Idol Oak 
 In Double Rhymes our Thor and Woden /poke -, 
 
 P And 
 
I oG Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 Afid hy Succ^jjion of unlearned Times ^ 
 As Bards Ipegan, fo Munks rufjg on th; Chhnes. 
 But now that Phsebus and thi Sacred Nine, 
 With all their Beards on our llefl Ijl.inds Jhine^ 
 Why jhould not We their Ancient Rires reflore^ 
 And be^ u:h:it Rome or Athens were L.fore ? 
 aSOfCOm^ Ef^J OH Tranflatcd Verfc. 
 
 Concerning Tranflations 
 
 MR. Jartjes Howel remarks, Tiiat every Mans Ge- 
 nius is not cut out for a Translators there being a 
 kind of fervility therein,- For {fays he) it mud netds 
 be fomevvhat tedious to one that hath any Fre^-born 
 Thoughts within him, and genuine Conceptions of his 
 ovi'n, to enchain himfeU to a Ferhal Servitude, and the 
 ienfe of another. Moreover, 'tranflations are but as 
 turn'coated Things at beft \ lays Howel, efpecially a- 
 mong Languages that have advantages one of another, 
 as the Italian hath of the EngliJJ^^ which may be faid 
 to d\^cT one from the other as Silk does from Cloth, 
 the common wear of both Countries where they are 
 rpoken : And as Cloth is the more fubflantial, {o the 
 Englifh ToKgue by reafon 'i'is fo knotted with Confonants, 
 is the (Ironger, and the more finewy of the two; But 
 Silk is more fmooth and flik, and fo is the Italian 
 Tongue compar'd to the E^^gHfi. Or clfe, fays ITowel, 
 Tranflations are like the wrong fide of a Turky Carper, 
 which ufcs to be full of Thrums and Knots, and no- 
 thing 
 
Ke marks upn Voetrj. 107 
 
 thing fo even as the right fide. Or, to conclude, 7>j«- 
 flations are like Wines taken ofT the Lees, and pour'd 
 into Oiher VefT^Is, that mud needs lofe fomewhat of 
 their firft ftrength and brisknefs, which in the pouring, 
 or pafTige rather evaporates into air. 
 
 Moreover touching Tranfl^itions^ fays Howel^ It is to 
 be obferv'd, That every Language hath certain Idiomes^ 
 Proverbs and peculiar Exprcdions of its own; which are 
 not rendible in any other but Paraphrajlically ; there- 
 fore he overad:j the Office of an Interpreter, who doth 
 enflive himftlf too ftridlly to Words or Phrafes; I 
 have heard (fays Howel) of an Excefs among Limners^ 
 call'd too midch to the Life, which happens when one 
 aims at likemfs more than skill; So in Verfion of Lan^ 
 guages one may be fo over pundual in Words, that he 
 may mar the matter ; The greatefl fidelity that can be 
 expelled in a TranJIator^ is to keep (lill a foot, and 
 entire, the true genuine Senfe of the Author, with the 
 main Defign he drives at. I^OVO^l'') Fawil. Lett. Vol. 3. 
 Lett. 21. 
 
 Dr. Burnet, the prefent Bifliop of Salishury, obferves, 
 That there is no way of Writing fo proper, for the 
 refining and poliHiing a Language, as the Tranjlating of 
 Books into ir, if he that undertakes ir, has a compe- 
 tent skill of the one Tongue, and is si Mafter of the 0- 
 ther. When a Man writes his own Thoughts, the heat 
 of his Fancy, and the quicknefs of his Mind, carry him 
 fo much afrer the Notions themfelves, that for the 
 mofl part he is too warm to judge of the aptnefs of 
 Words, and the juftncfs of Figures ; fo that he either 
 negleds thefe too much, or overdoes them: But when 
 a Msn Tranflates, he has none of thefe Heats about 
 him.- And therefore the French took no ill Method, 
 when they intended to reform and beautifis their Lan-^ 
 
 P 2 .5^^^^? 
 
I o8 Remarks upon Toe try. 
 
 gi^jge, in fetting their bed Writers on Work to 7Vj«- 
 Jljte the Greek and Latin Authors into it. There is fo 
 Jitile praife got by Tranflations, that a Man cannot be 
 engagtd to it out of Vanity, for it his pail for a fign 
 ot a IIjw Mind, that can ainufe it felf with fo mean 
 an Entertainmenr. But we begin to grow wifer, fays 
 Burnet, and tho' ordinary Tranjlaton mud fucceed ill 
 in the edsem of the World, yet foms have appear'd of 
 late that will, \ hope, bring that way of Writing in 
 Credit. 23U1?net's Fref. to his Tranflat. of Sir Tho. 
 More's Utopia. 
 
 '//i true, Compofing is the Nohler Partt 
 But good Tranfluion is no eafie Art : 
 For tho Materials have longfince heen found, 
 Tet both your fancy, and your Hands are bound; 
 And hj Improving what was writ Before,- 
 Invention labours lefs, but Judgment, more. 
 KOfCOm's Effay OH Tranflated Verfe. 
 
 Dryden tells us. That a Tranfator is to make his Au- 
 thor appear as charming as po.'fibly he can, provided he 
 maintains his Chara^er, and makes him not unlike 
 himfelf. Tranflation, fays Dryden, is a kind of Draw- 
 ing after the Life ; where every one will acknowledge 
 there is a double fort of Likenefs^ a good one and a 
 bad. Tis one thing to draw the Out-lines true, the 
 Features like, the Proportions cxa£t, the Colouring it 
 felf perhaps tolerable; and another t\iin^^ to make all 
 thefe graceful, by the pofture, the fhadowings, and 
 chiefly by the Spirit which animates the whole. I can- 
 not, fays Dryden^ without fome indignation, look on 
 an ill Copy of an Excellent Original. Much lefs can I 
 
 behold 
 
Remarks upon Voetiy. lo^ 
 
 behold wltli patience f^irgi/^ Homer ^ and fome others, 
 whofe Beauties (fays Dryden) I have been endeavour- 
 ing all my Lile to imitate, fo abus'd, as I may fay to 
 their faces by a botching Interpreter. What Bnglijh 
 Readers unacquainted with Greik or Latin will believe 
 Me or any other Man, when we commend thofe Au- 
 thors, and confefs vve derive all that is pardonable in us 
 from their Fountains, if they take thofe to be the 
 fame Poets^ whom our Oglchys have Tranjlated ^ But I 
 dare alTure them, fays Dryden^ that a good ?oet is no 
 more like himfelf, in a dull Tranflation, than his Car- 
 cifs would be to his living Body. There are many who 
 underfland Greek and Latw^ and yet are ignorant of 
 their Mother Tongue. The proprieties and delicacies 
 of the Engltfh are known to itw ; 'tis impoffible even 
 for a good Wit, to underfland and practice them with- 
 out the help of a liberal Education, long Reading, and 
 digefting of thofe fevv good Authors we have amongft 
 us. the Knowledge of Men and Manners, the freedom 
 of Habitudes, and Converfation with the beft Compa- 
 ny of both Sexes j and in Ihort, without wearing off 
 the rufl which he contrafted, while he was laying ia 
 a Stock of Learning Thus difficult it is to underfland 
 the purity of Englijh^ and critically to difcern not only 
 good Writers from bad, and a proper ftile from a Cor- 
 rupt, but alfo to diflinguiih that which is pure in a 
 good Author, from that which is Vicious and Corrupt 
 in him. And for want ol all thefe Requifites, or the 
 greatefl part of them, mofl of our Ingenious young 
 Men, fays Dryde», take fome cry'd up Englifh Poet 
 for their Model, adore him, and imitate him as they 
 think, without knowing wherein he is defective, where 
 he is Boyifh and trifling, wherein either his Thoughts 
 
 are 
 
1 1 o Remarks upon Poetrj. 
 
 are improper to his Subject, or his ExprelTions unwor- 
 thy of his Thoughts, or the Turn ci both is unhar- 
 monious. Thus it appears ncctfTary, that a Man fhou'd 
 be a nice Critick in his Mother Tongue, before he 
 attennpts to Tranjl^te a foreign Language. Neither is it 
 fufficicnt thit he be able to judge of Wo^ds and Stile,- 
 but he mufl: be a Mafter of them too: He rjiuft per- 
 fedlly under (land his Authors Tongue, and abfolu:cIy 
 command his own : So that to be a thorow Tranflator^ 
 he muft be a thorow ?oet. Neither is ic enough to give 
 his Authors Senfe, in good Ey.glijh^ in Pcefical Expre- 
 lTions, and in Mufical Numbers: For, tho* all thcfe are 
 exceeding difficult to perform, there yet remains sn 
 harder Task; and 'tis a fecret of which few TraKjlators 
 have fufficiently thought. I have already hinted a 
 Word or two concerning it ; that is, the niainraining 
 the CharatUr of an Author, which diftinguilbcs him 
 from all others, and mak<:s him appear that Individual 
 Poet whom you wou'd Inierprer. For example not 
 only the Thoughts, but the Style 2nd Verfificaticn of 
 Virgd and Ov'td^ are very different: Yet I fee, fays 
 Dryden, even in our beft Voets, who have TranJIated 
 fome parts of them, that they have confounded their 
 feveral Talents ; and by endeavouring only at the 
 fweetnefs and harmony of Nufnhers^ have made them 
 both io much alike, that if I did not know the Ori- 
 ginals, I fhou'd never be able to judge by the Ccpies^ 
 which was Virgil^ and which was Ovid. It was ob- 
 jected againft a late noble Painter, that he ^x^vj many 
 Graceful Pidlures, but few of them were like. And 
 this happened to him, becaufe he always fludied him- 
 felf more than ihofe who fate to him. Fn fuch Tratt- 
 Jlators, fays Vryden^ I can eafily diftinguilh the hand 
 
 which 
 
Remarks upon Foeiiy. 1 1 1 
 
 which perform'd the Wo k, . but 1 cannot didinguiOi 
 tbeir Poet from another, Suppoi'e two Authors are e- 
 qually/ujff/', yet there is a great diHindion to be made 
 in Sweetnejs, as in that of Sugar^ and that of Honey, 
 J^^'PD- Pref. to the 2d. Part of Poetic. Mifccll. 
 
 A Trafiflutor fhould not go (0 clofe, as to tread on 
 the heels of his Authory and To hurt him by his too 
 near approach. A noble Anther wou'd not be perfu'd 
 too clofe by a Tranjlitor, We lofe his Spirit^ when 
 we think to take his Body. The gr offer Part remains 
 with us, but the Soul is flown away, in fome Noble 
 Exprefllion or fome delicate turn of Words, or Thought. 
 JD^^D. Dcdiclefore the Tranflat. <?/ Juvenal, pjg. ^i, 
 
 bir John Denham fays, There are fo few Tranflations 
 which deferve praife, that he fcarce ever faw any which 
 deferv'd pardon ,• thofe who travel in that kind, being 
 for the moQ part fo unhappy, as to rob others, with- 
 out enriching themftlves, pulling down the fame of 
 good Authors, without raifing their own : Neither 
 hath any Author been more hardly dealt withal, than 
 Virgil', and the reaf.n is Evident; for, what is more 
 exceilenr, is moft inimitable, and if even the Wor(i 
 Authors are yet made worfe by their Tranflaiors, 
 how impofTible is it, not to do great injury to the 
 Befl ? 
 
 I conceive ir, fays Denham, a vulgar Error in Tran^ 
 flat/Kg PoetSt to affecSt being F/rlas hterprcs ; let that 
 care be with them who deal in Matters cf Fafi, or 
 Matters of Faith : But whofoever aims at it in Poe- 
 try, as he attempts what is not rtquir'd, fo he fiiall 
 never perform what he attempts ; for it is not his 
 bufinefs alons to Tranflat e Lunguage into Language, but 
 Poefle into Poe/te; and Poe^s is of fo fubtile a Spirit, 
 
 that. 
 
1 1 2 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 that in pouring out of one Lanfiuage into another, it 
 will all evaporate ; and if a new Spirit be not added 
 in the transtufion, there will remain nothing but a 
 Caput Ajortuum, there being certain Graces and Hap- 
 pinedes peculiar to every Language^ which gives Life 
 and Energy to the Words 5 And whofoever offers at 
 Verbal Tranflatious^ iliall have the Misfortune of that 
 young Traveller^ who loft his own Larguage abroad, 
 and brought home no other inftead of it : For the 
 Grace of the Latin will be lofl by being turned in:o 
 Rnglifh Words; and the Grace of the Engiijh, by being 
 turn'd into the Latin Phrafe. And as Speech is the Ap- 
 parel of cur Thoughts, fo are there certain Garbes and 
 Modes of Speakings which vary with the Times; the 
 faihion of *our Cloaths being not more fnbject to alee- 
 ration, than that of our Speech; And this I think Taci- 
 tus means, by that which he calls, Serrytonem te>rporis 
 iflius aurtlm accommodatum; the delight of Change beirg 
 as due to the curiofity of the Ear^ as of the Eye. J^ttt" 
 j^^lfl's Vrej. to The Drftru^ioti of Troy. 
 
 Dr. Sprat the prefent Bifliop of Rochejler, tells u?, 
 That this way of leaving VerbATranflations, and chiefily 
 regarding the Senfe and Genius of the Author ^ was fcarce 
 heard of in England before this prefent Age. He fays, 
 that if Mr. Cowley was not the abfoluce Inventor of it; 
 yet he is fare, hs did c:inceive it, and difcourfc of it, 
 and pra<5tice it as foon as any Man. ^))l?at's Account 
 of the Life of Mr. Abrchani Cowley. 
 
 Concerning 
 
Remarks upon Voetrj, 113 
 
 Concerning Criticks and Criticifms. 
 
 Rimer teils us. That as the Artiji would not take 
 pains to polidi a DiantouJ, if none befides himfcif 
 were quick-fighted enough to difcern the fliw ; fo Poets 
 would grow negligent, if the Critkks had not a ftri(ft 
 eye over their Miscarriages. Yet (fays Rimer) ix. often 
 happens, that this eye is fo diftorted by envy or /// 
 nature, that it fees nothing aright. Some Criticks are 
 like Wafps^ that rather annoy the Bees, than terrific 
 the Drones. 
 
 For this fort of Learning, our Neighbour Nations 
 have got far the (lart of us ; in the laft Century, Italy 
 fwarm'd with Criticks^ where, amongft many of lefs 
 note, Caftehetro oppofed all Comers ; and the famous 
 Academy La Crufca was always impeaching fome or 
 other of the beft Authors. Spain, in thofe days, bred 
 great Wits, but I think (fays Rimer,) was never fo 
 crowded, that they needed to fall our, and quarrel a- 
 mongll themfelves. But from Italy, France took the 
 Cudgels ; and tho' fome light ftrokes paflcd in the days 
 of Marot, Baif, &c. yet they fell not to it in earneft, 
 nor was any noble Conteft amongft them, till the 
 Royal Academy was founded, and Cardinal Richelieu 
 encourag'd and rallied all the fcatter'd Wits under his 
 Banner. Then Malherh reformed their ancient licentious 
 poetry ; and Corneille's Cid rais'd many Fa<Si:ions a- 
 mongft them. At this time with us many great Wits 
 flourifli'd, but Ben Johnfoy?, I think, fays Rimer, had 
 all the Critical Learning to himfelf ; and till of hit, 
 Years England was as free from Criticks, as it is now 
 
 Q_ ' from 
 
1 1 4 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 from H^ohes, that a hirmlefs well-meaning Book might 
 pafs without any danger. But now this priviledge, 
 whatever extraordinary Talent it requires, is ufurped 
 by the mod ignorant : And they who are lead ac- 
 quainted with the Game, are aptefl to bark at every 
 thing that comes in their way. lEftTltt's Pref. to 
 Rapm's Reflex, oh AriftotieV Treatife of Poefie. 
 
 The Anonyr^ous Tranjlator of St. Ekvremont\ mixc 
 Effays, '\^ his Preface, fpeaking of Epick Poems, ob- 
 firves, That the Dutch and Germam (as tho' frozen up) 
 have produced little in this kind ; yet (Jays he) we muft 
 confeis that Grotiusy Heinfius^ Scaliger, and Fojfius were 
 Learned Critkks. Some of the Engl'tjh have indeed 
 raised their Pens, and foar'd as high as any of the Ita- 
 lians ^ or French ; yet Crtttcifm came but very lately 
 in faihion amongft us 5 without doubt Ben, Johnfon had 
 a large ftpck of Critical Learning ; Spencer had ftudied 
 Homer, and Virgil, and Tajfo^ yet he was mif-led, and 
 debauch'd by Arioflo, as Mr. Rimer judicioufly ob- 
 ferves ; Davenant gives feme flroaks of great Learning 
 and Judgment, yet he is for unbeaten Tracks, new 
 Ways, and undifcovei'd Seas,- Cowley was a great Mi- 
 ller of the AncicntSf and had the true Genius and Cha- 
 radler of a Poet-, yet this nicety and boldnefs of Cri- 
 ticifm was a flranger all this time to our Climate ; Mr. 
 Rimer, and Mr. Dryden have begun to launch out into 
 it, and indetd they have been very fortunate Adven- 
 turers. The Earls of Rofcommon and Mulgrave, and Mr. 
 Waller have given fome fine touches ; Mr. Dryden s 
 Criticks are generally quaint and folid, his Prefaces 
 (fays this Tranjlatof) do as off en corre<3: and improve 
 my Judgment, as his Fnfes do charm my Fancy ; be 
 is every u here Sweet, Elegant, and Sublime,* the Poet 
 and Critick were feldom both fo Confpicuous and 
 
 Illuftrious 
 
Remarks upon Foetry, 1 1 5 
 
 Illuftrious in one Man as in him^ except Raph. Mr. 
 
 Riwer in his incomparable Preface to Raph, and in his 
 Refltxions upon fome late Tragedies^ hath given fufficient 
 Proofs, that he hath ftudied and underllands Ariflotle 
 and Horace^ Homer and f^irgil, befides the IVits of all 
 Countries and Ages,- fo that we may juftly number him 
 in the firft Rank of Critkks, as having a mod accom- 
 pliih'd Idea of Poetry^ and the Stage, 
 
 Dryden remarks, That we are fallen into an Age of 
 Illiterate, Cenforious, and Detrading People, who thus 
 qualified fet up for Critkks. 
 
 In the firft place, fays Drjdeft, I muft take leive to 
 tell them, that they wholly miftake the nature of Cri- 
 ticifm, who think its bufinefs is principally to find fault. 
 Criticifm^ as 'twas firft inftituted by Arifiotle^ was 
 meant a Standard of judging well. The chicfeft part 
 of which, is, to obferve thofe Excellencies, which lliould 
 delight a Reafondle Reader, If the Defign, the Con- 
 duct, the Thoughts, and the Expredions of a Foem^ 
 be generally Tuch as proceed from a true Genius of Poe- 
 try ; the Critick ought to pafs his Judgment in favour 
 of the Author. 'Tis malicious and unmanly to fnarle 
 at the little lapfes of a Pen, from which Firgil himfelf 
 ftands not exempted. Horace acknowledges that honeft 
 Homer nods fometimes; He is not equally awake in 
 every Line: But he leaves it alfo as a ftanding Meafure 
 for our Judgments, 
 
 iSTgff, uli plura nitettt in Carmine^ paucis 
 Offendi Maculis, quas aut incuria fudit 
 Attt humana parum cavit Natura» 
 
 And Longinus, who was undoubtedly, after Ariftotky 
 the greateft Critkk among the Greeks^ in his twenty 
 
 Q^x feventh 
 
1 1 6 Remarks upon Poetry. 
 
 feventh Chapter ^rre^ J^ws, has (fays Dry (/en) judicloufly 
 preferr'd the Sublime Genius that jotnetimes errs, to the 
 midlin^ Of indifferent one which makes fevj faults, hat 
 feUom or never rifes to an Excellence. He compares the 
 firft to a Man ot large Pone(fions, who has not Icifure 
 to confider of every flight Expence, will not debafe 
 himfelf to the management of every Trifle : Particular 
 Sums are not laid our, cr fpar'd to the greatefl advan- 
 tage in his Oeconcmy: But are fometimes fuffer'd to 
 run to wafie, while he is only careful of the Main. 
 On the ether fide ^ he likens the Mediocrity of Wit.^ to 
 one of a mean fortune, who manages his Store with ex- 
 tream frugality, or rather parfimony : But who with 
 fear of running into profufenefs, never arrives to the 
 Magnificence of Living. This kiad of Genius^ fays Dry- 
 den, writes indeed corre(5lly, A wary Man he is in 
 Grammar ,• very nice as to Solacifm or Barharifrrty judges 
 to a hair of little decencies, knows better than any 
 Man, what is not to be written ; and never hazards 
 himfelf fo far as to fall : But plods on deliberately ; and 
 as a grave Man ought, is Aire to put his Staff before 
 him; in ihorr, he fets his heart upon it; and with 
 wonderful care makes his Cufinefs fure : That is, in plain 
 Englifi?, neither to be blam'd, nor prais'd. I could, fays 
 LoHginus, find out fome BlemiQies in Homer : And am 
 perhaps, as naturally inclin'd to be difgufled at a fault 
 as another Man : Bur, after all, to fpeak impartially, 
 his failings are fuch, as are only Marks of Humane 
 Frailty : They are little Miftakes, or rather Negligen- 
 cies, which have efcap'd his Pen in the fervour of his 
 Writing ; the Sublimity of his Spirit carries it with me 
 again ft his CarelefTnefs : And tho* Apollonim^s Argo- 
 nautes^ and Theocritus's Eidu/Iia, are more free from 
 Errors, there is not any Man of fo falfe a Judgment, 
 
 who 
 
Remarks upon Poetry. 117 
 
 who would chufe rather to have been ApolUnius or Theo- 
 critus, than Homer. J^^^D* Apology for Heroick Poetry; 
 hefore The State of Innocence. 
 
 Ill Writers, fays Dryden^ are ufually the iharpeft Cen- 
 Jors : For they (as the belt Poet^ and the beft Patron 
 faid,) when in the full perfedion of decay, turn Fine- 
 gar, and come again in Play. Thus the Corruption of 
 a Poet, is the Generation of a Critick: I mean, fays 
 Dryden^ of a Critick in the general acceptation of this 
 Age.- For formerly they were quite another Species of 
 Men. They were Defendors of Poets^ and Commenta- 
 tors on their Works; To Illuftrateobfcure Beauties ; to 
 place y^wf pafliges in a better Light, to redeem Others 
 from Malicious Interpretations: To help out an Au- 
 thor's Modelly, who is not oftentatious of his Wif; 
 and in Ihorr, to fhield him from the ill Nature of thofe 
 Fellows, who were then cali'd Zoili^ and Momi, and 
 now take upon themfelves the Venerable Name of Cen- 
 firs. But neither Xoihs, nor he who endeavour'd to 
 defame Firgil, were ever Adopted into the Name of 
 Criticks by the Ancients : What their Reputation was 
 then, We know ; and their Succefjors in this Age deferve 
 no better. Are our Auxiliary Forces, fays Dryden^ 
 turn'd our Enemies ? Are they, who, at bell, are but 
 Wits of the Second Order, and whofe only Credit a- 
 mongft Reiders, is what they obtain'd by being fub- 
 fervient to the Fame of Writers, are thefe become Re- 
 bels of Slaves, and Ufurpers of Subjeds ; Or, to fpeak in 
 the mod Honourable Terms of them, are they ([fays 
 Dryden) from our Second?, become Principals jgiinft 
 us > Does the Ivy undermine the Oak, which fupports 
 its weaknefs .•» What labour wou'd it coft them to put 
 in a letter Line, than the ^orfi of thofe, which they 
 expunge in a True Poet ^ Petronius^ the greattft Wic 
 
 perhaps 
 
1 1 8 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 perhaps of all the Romans, yet when his Envy prevail'd 
 upon his Judgraenr, to fall on Luaw^ he fell himfelf 
 in his Attempt ; He perform'd vvorfe in his EfTay of 
 the Civil War^ than the Author of the Tharfalia : And 
 avoiding fjis Errors, has made greater of his own. 
 Julius Scaiiger, wou'd needs turn down Horner^ and 
 Abdicate him, after the poiTeirion of Three Thoufand 
 Years; Has he fucceeded in his Attempt? He has in* 
 deed lliown us fome of thofe Imperfcillions in him, 
 which are incident to Humane Kind : But who had noc 
 rather be that Homer than this Scaliger} You fee the 
 fame Hjpercritick, when he endeavours to mend the 
 beginning of CUudia^i^ (a faulty Poet, and living in a 
 Barbarous Age;) yet how (hort he comes of him, and 
 fubflitutes luch Verfes of his own, as defervc the /v- 
 rnla. What a Cenfure has he made of Lucan, that he 
 rather feems to Bark, than Sing ? Wou*d any but a 
 Dog, have made fo fnarlmg a Comparilon ? One wcu'd 
 have thought, he had Learn'd Latin, as late as they 
 tell us he did Greek: Yet he came ofi^ with a pace 
 tui% by your good leave, Lucan; he call'd him not by 
 thole outrageous Names, of Foo/f Boohy^ and Block- 
 head: He had fome what more of good Manners, than 
 his Succejfors^ as he had much more Knowledge. ?^^^b# 
 Dedic. to the Lord RadciifTe, lejore The Examen Poeti- 
 cum. 
 
 They who write ill^ and thsy who ne^re durfl write , 
 Turn Criticks, out of meer Revenge and Spight : 
 A Play-Houfe gives *em Fame ; and up there flarts^ 
 From a mean Ftjth rate Wit^ a Man of Parts. 
 Our Author fears thofe Criticks as his Fate : 
 And thofe he fears, hy confequence^ mufl Hate. 
 
 For 
 
Remarks upon Toe try. i j 5 
 
 Fcr they the Traffick of all Wit^ invade ; 
 As Scriv'ners draw away the Bankers Trade. 
 
 J^^^D* Prol. to the 2^. Part of the Con^uejl of 
 Granada, 
 
 Each puny Cenfor, who his skill to hoafl^ 
 
 Is cheaply iVitty on the Poet'j Coft. 
 
 No Criticks Ferdi^^ fhould, of right ^ ft and goody 
 
 They are excepted all as Men of Blood .• 
 
 And the fame Law fhall fhield them from their Fury, 
 
 Which has excluded Butchers from a Jury. 
 
 Toud all he Wits 
 
 But Writings tedious^ and that way may fail \ 
 The mofi Compendious Method is to rail. 
 
 J^^'pD. Prol. to Secret Love : Or, The Maiden 
 QMcen, 
 
 Half- Wits are Fleas ; fo little and fo light ; 
 We fear ce coud hww they live, but that they bite. 
 JD^'Ptlt Prol. to All for Love. 
 
 Concerning 
 
120 Remarks upon Vonrj. 
 Concerning Opera'j. 
 
 AN 0/>era is a Poetical Tale, or Fidion, rcprefenied 
 by P^ocal and Inftrumental Mufick, adorii*d with 
 Scenes, Machines, and Dancing. The fuppos'd Perfons 
 of this Mufical Dramay are generally fupernatural, as 
 GodSf and Goddejfts^ and Hsroes^ which at ieaft are de- 
 fcended from them, and are in due time, to be a- 
 doptcd into their N amber. The Subjedl meiefore be- 
 ing extended beyond the Limits of Humane Nature, 
 admits of that fort of MarvcJlcus and Surprizing 
 Condu^l, which is rejected in other Fl^^s. Humane 
 ImpofTibiiities are to be receiv'd, as they are in 
 faith ; becaufe where Go^s are introduc'd, a Supreme 
 Power is to be underftood, and Second Caufes are out 
 of doors : Yet Propriety is to be obferv'd even here. 
 The Gods are ail to manage their peculiar Provinces j 
 and what was attributed by the Heathens to one Power, 
 ought not to be perform'd by any other, Phxlus 
 muft foretel, Mercury mud charm with his Caduceus^ 
 and Juno muft reconcile the Qaarrcis of the Marriage- 
 Bed. To conclude, They muft all a£t according to 
 their diftindl and peculiar Characters. If the Per- 
 fons repreiented were to fpeak upon the Stage, it 
 Wou'd fellow of necedity, That the Exprcffions fhould 
 be Lofty, Figurative, and Majeftical: But the Nature 
 of an Opera denies the frequent ufe of thofe Poetical 
 Ornaments; For Vocal Mufick, tho' it often admits 
 a loftinefs of Sound; yet always exacts an harmo- 
 
 nious 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 121 
 
 nious Sweetnefs : Or, to diftinguifti yet more juftly. 
 The Recitative Part of the Opera requires a more 
 Mafculine Beauty of ExprefTion and Sound : The (9- 
 ther, which ( for want of a proper Engii/h word ) I 
 mufl: call The Songijh Part^ muft abound in the foft- 
 nefs and variety of Numbers ; its principal Intention, 
 being to pleafe the Hearings rather than to gratifie 
 the Underftaading. 
 
 It appears indeed prepofterous at firft Sight, That 
 Rhime, on any Ccnfideraiion, fhould take place of 
 Reafon. Bur, in order to refolve the Probleme, this 
 fundamental Propofition muft be fetled. That the firft 
 Inventors of any Art or Science, provided they have 
 brought it to perfe6lion, are, in reafon, to give Laws 
 to it; and according to their Model, all after-Un- 
 dertakers are to build. Thus in Epkk Poetry^ no Man 
 ought to difpute the Authority of Homer, who gave 
 the firft Being to that Mafter-piece of Art, and en- 
 dued it with that Form of Perfection in all its Parts, 
 that nothing was wanting to its Excellency. FirgH 
 therefore, and ihofe very few who have fucceeded him, 
 endeavour'd not to introduce or innovate any thing 
 in a Deflgn already perfedled, but imitated the Plan 
 of the Inventor ; and are only fo far true Heroic k 
 Poets, as they have built on the Foundations of Ho- 
 mer, Thxss Pindar, the Author of thofe 0^/d'y, (which 
 are fo admirably reftor'd by Mr. Cowley in our Lan- 
 guage,) ought for ever to be the Standard of them; 
 and we are bound according to the pradice cf Ho- 
 race and Mr. Cowley, tc» Copy him. Now, to apply 
 this Axiom to our prefent putpofe, whofoever under- 
 takes the Writing of an Opera, (which is a Moc^ern 
 
 R Invention, 
 
122 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 Invention, though built, indeed, on the Foundations 
 of Ethrikk Worihip,) is oblig'd to imitate the Defign 
 of the Italians^ who have not only invented, but 
 brought to perfeftion, this fort of Dramatick Mu- 
 fical Entertainment. I have not been able, fays Dry- 
 dea^ by any fearch, to get any Light either of the 
 time, when it began, or of the firft Author : But I 
 have probable Reafons, which induce me to believe^ 
 that fonie Italians^ having curioufly obferv'd the Gal. 
 lantries of the Spanijh Moors at their Zamhra'Sy Of 
 Royal Feafts, where Mufick, Songs^ and DjKchg were 
 in perfcd:ion ; together with their Machines^ which 
 are ufual at their Sortiias, or running at the ^'ng, 
 and other Solemnities, may po/Iibly have refin'd up- 
 on thofe Morefyue Divertifements, and produced this 
 delightful Entertainment, by leaving out the Warlike 
 Part of the Caroufels, and forming a Poetical Defign 
 for the ufe of the Machines^ the Songs^ and Dances. 
 But however it began, (for this is only Conjedlural,) 
 we know, fays Drydett, that for fome Centuries, the 
 Knowledge of Mujick has flourifli'd principally in /- 
 taly, the Mother of Learning and of Arts ,• that Poe' 
 try and Paittt'iKg have been there reftor'd, and fo cul- 
 tivated by Italian Mailers, that all Europe has been 
 enrich'd out of their Treafury ; and the other Parts 
 of it, in relation to thofe delightful Arts, are ftill as 
 much Provincial to Italy, as they were in the time 
 of the Roman Empire. Their firft Operas feem to 
 have been intended for the Celebration of the Mat' 
 riages of their Princes, or for the Magnificence of 
 fome general time of Joy. Accordingly the Expences 
 of them were from the Purfe of the Sovereign , or of 
 
 the 
 
Remarks upon Voetrp 123 
 
 the Repuhlkk^ as they are ftill pradlis'd at Venkcy 
 Rome, and other Places at their Carnivals. Savoy and 
 Florence have often us'd them in their Courts, at 
 the Weddirigs of their Dukes : And at Turin particu- 
 larly, was perform'd the Paflor F'tdo^ written by the 
 famous Quarim^ which is a Pajloral Opera made to 
 Solemnize the Marriage of a Duke o[ Savoy, The 
 Prologue of it has given the Defign to all the Fremb ; 
 which is a Complement to the Sovereign Power by fome 
 God or Goddejjes ; (o that it looks no lefs, than a 
 kind of Emhafie from Heaven to Earth, I fa id in 
 the Beginning of this Difcourfe, fays Dryden, that 
 the Perlons reprefented in Operas, are generally Gods, 
 Goddejfesy and Heroes defcended from them, who 
 are fuppos'd to be their peculiar Care ; which hin- 
 ders not, but that meaner Perfons may fometimes 
 gracefully be introduc'd, efpecially if they have re- 
 lation to thofe firft Times, which Poets call the Gol- 
 den Age .• Wherein by reafon of their Innocence, thofe 
 happy Mortals were fuppos'd to have had a more 
 familiar Intercourfe with Superiour Beings 5 and there- 
 fore Shepherds might reafonably be admitted, as of 
 all Callings, the moft innocent, the mod happy, and 
 who, by reafon of the fpare Time they had, in their 
 almoft idle Employment, had moft leifure to make 
 Verfes, and to he in Love j without fomewhat of which 
 
 Fajfion^ no Opera can poHTibly fubfift. 
 
 Thought and Elevation of Fancy, fays Dryden, are 
 not of the nature of this fort of Writing : The ne- 
 ceffity of double Rhimes^ and ordering ok the fVords 
 and t^umhers for the fweetnefs of the Foice, are the 
 main Hinges on which an Opera muft move* ?^?^D» 
 Pref to Albion and Albanius. 
 
 R 2 Drjden, 
 
1 24- Remarks upon Foe try. 
 
 Dry Jen y In the Pofi-fcript to the aforefaid Pre- 
 face, Tiys, Thit poflibly the Italians went not {o 
 far as Spain , for the Invention of their Operas. 
 They might have it in their own Country; and that 
 by gathering up the Shipwrecks of the Athenian and 
 Rorman Theaters; which we know were adorn'd with 
 ScensSy Mufick, Dances^ and Machines, efpecially the 
 Grecian. 
 
 The Author of The Gentleman s Journal informs us, 
 That other Nations bellow the Name of Opera on- 
 ly on fuch Pla)^ whereof every Word is Sung. But 
 experience (fays he^ has taught us, That our Eng- 
 li[h Genius will not relifh that perpetual Singing, 
 He tells us, he dares not accufe the Language for 
 being over-charg'd with Confonants, which may take 
 off the beauties of the Recitative Part, though in fe- 
 veral other Countries he has fecn their Operas ftill 
 crowded every time, tho' long, and almoft all Red' 
 tative. ft is true, that their Trio^s^ Chorus's^ lively 
 Songs and Recits with Accompaniments of Inftruments, 
 Symphonies, Machines, and Excellent Dances make the 
 reft: be born with, and the one fets ofl the other .- 
 But our Englijh Gentlemen, when their Ear is fatis- 
 fy'd, are defirous to have their Min^ pleas'd, and 
 Mufick and Dancing induftrioufly intermix'd with Co- 
 medy or Tragedy : I have often obfcrv'd, fays this 
 Author.^ That the Audience is no lefs attentive to 
 fome extraordinary Scenes of Pajfion or Mirth^ than 
 to what they call Beaux Endroits, or the moft; ra- 
 vifhing part of the Muftcal Performance : But h^d thofe 
 Scenes y tho* never fo well wrought up, been Sung^ 
 tlity would have lofl moft of their Beauty. All 
 
 this 
 
Remarks upon Voetrj. 125 
 
 this however doth not lefle'n the power of Muficky, 
 for its Charms command our Attention, when us'd ia 
 their place, and the admirable Conforts we have in 
 Charles-Street and TorhBuilJinis^ are an undeniable 
 proof of it. But this (fays our Author) Ihows that 
 what is unmtural, as are Plays altogether Su»g, will 
 foon make one uneaHe, which Comedy or Tragedy can 
 never do, unlefs they be bad. Thefe Operas or Plays 
 in Mufick have been us'd for above a Century amongfl: 
 the Italians ; moft Cities in Italy have their Opcra*Sy 
 as alfo Sicily and Savoy. But Venice is the place 
 where they are Triumphant. They have there moil 
 Carnivalsy Nine or Ten Operas on feven feveral St3ges, 
 and each houfe driving to out-do the red, the Mu- 
 (jck and Foices are al-^'ays extraordinary. 'Tis al- 
 moft incredible ( fays our Author ") how one fingle 
 Town can furnifh them with Spedators : Yet all 
 thefe Preparations are only for the Carnaval, and 
 laft but two Months, and fome oi the Women that 
 Sing have four hundred Pifiols paid them for that 
 time; they never want Excellent Trelles^ for many 
 are made Eunuchs for thit purpofe, though it is very 
 ridiculous to fee thofe Effeminate Fellows with their 
 MoJIy Chins, play a Hero's or a Lover's part, which 
 they mar by their cold livelefs way of Ailing. They 
 have little or no Machines there; their Decorations 
 and Cloaths are but mean, and their Stages but ill 
 Illuminated, but their Mujick makes amends for the 
 Reft : Vet tho' Strangers cannot but admire it, they 
 find, as Mr. Dryden ingenioufly obfcrves upon ano- 
 ther SubjedV, That it is not pie af ant to he tickled too 
 long^ and wi(h for the Conclufion ufually before the 
 
 Opera 
 
126 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 Opera be half done. tiSeUtleman's Journal, Janu- 
 
 Horace was very angry with thofe empty Shows 
 and Vanity, which the Gentlemen of his time ran like 
 mad after. 
 
 Infanos Oculos^ (^ gaudia Vana. 
 
 But, fays R'mer^ what w»uld he have faid to the 
 French Opera of late fo much in Vogue ? There it is 
 for you to bewitch your Eyesy and to charm your 
 Ears. There is a Cup of Enchantment, there is /W«- 
 fick and Machine ', Circe and Calipfo in Confpiracy a- 
 gainfl; l^ature and good Se^fe. 'Tis a Debauch the 
 mod. infinuating, and the mofl pernicious; none 
 would think an Opera and Civil Rea/on, Ihould be 
 the growth of one and the fame Climate. But (fays 
 Rimer) fliall we wonder at any thing for a Sacrifice 
 to the Graf!t:l Monarch ? fuch Worfhip, fuch Idol. AW 
 Flattery to him is infipid, unlefs it be prodigious : 
 Nothing Reafonable, or within Compafs, can come 
 near the Matter. All mud be monftrous, enormous, 
 and cutragious to Nature, to be like him, or give 
 any Eccho on his Appetite. Were Rabelais alive a- 
 gain, he would look on his Garagantua, as but a 
 Pjgmy. 
 
 The Heroes Race excels the Poets Thought. 
 
 The Academy Royal, fays Rimer^ may pack up their 
 Modes and Methods, (^ penfees ingenieufes ; the Ra- 
 sines and the Corneilles mult all now dance to the 
 
 Tune 
 
Remarks upon Voetry. 127 
 
 Tune of Baptifla. Here is the Opera ; here is Machhe 
 and Bapt'tfia^ farewel Apollo and the Mufes. 
 
 Away with your Opera from the Theatre, fays Ri- 
 rmer ; better had they become the Heathen Temples, 
 or the Coryhantian Prk/is, and (Semviros Gallos) the 
 old Capons of Gaul^ than a People that pretend from 
 CharlemajHy or defcend from the undoubted Loyns of 
 Germain and Morman Conquerors. JKittlCt's Short Vie\x> 
 cf Tragedy, chap. i. pag, 9, lo. 
 
 Concerning Farce. 
 
 ALL other Species of Dramatique Poetry^ have their 
 due Refped: amongft us; but I know not, 
 lays Tate^ by what fate Farce is lookt upon to be 
 fo mean and inconfidcrable. If it were to be judg'd 
 by the Difficulty of the Work, we Ihould foon change 
 our Notion. I know it is generally fuppos'd an eafie 
 Task, but it is fuch an Eafinefs as is well defcrib'd by 
 Horace, 
 
 — Zft fihi Quivis 
 
 Speret Idem^ fudet multumy fruftraq', lahoret^ 
 Aufiis Idem 
 
 Or, as the Words are render'd with advantage by 
 his Incomparable TranJIator^ the Earl of Rofc^mmon, 
 
 That 
 
128 Remarks upon Voetry. 
 
 "that evry One will think to write the famCt 
 And not without much Fains he undeceivd. 
 
 The Reafon (fays Tate) I prefume to be this, (and 
 I am certain the Undertaker will find it true) that 
 Tragedy ^ Comedy, and ? oft or at it felf, fubfifi upon fea- 
 ture : So that whofoever has a Genius ^o Copy Her^ 
 is aflur'd of Succefs, and all the World afFv>rds him 
 Subjed; Whereas the Bufinefs of Farce i^ to exceed 
 feature and Frohaltlity. Buc then there are fo it\sf 
 Improbabilities that will appear Plealant, and fo much 
 nicety requir'd in the management, that the Perf^rm- 
 ance will be found extreamly difficult, U^tl^StTtCl 
 %^it^ Pref to A Duke and No Duke. 
 
 That I admire not any Comedy equally with Tragedy, 
 fays Dryden, is, perhaps, from the fullennefs of my 
 humour ,• but chat I deteft thofe Farces, which are 
 now the moft frequent Entertainments of the Stage, 
 I am fure I have Reafon on my fide. Comedy con/ifts' 
 though of low Perfons, yet of Natural Aliens, and 
 Charafters, I mean fuch Humours, Adventures, and 
 Defigns, as are to be tound and met with in the World. 
 Farce, on the other fide, confifls of forc*d Humours 
 and unnatural Events: Comedy prefents us with the Im- 
 perfcdions of Humane Nature: Farce entertains us 
 with what is monftrous and Chimerical: The one cau- 
 fes laughter in thofe who can judge of Men and Man- 
 ners; by the lively Reprefentation of their ^oWy or 
 corruption ; the other produces the fame Effed in thofe 
 who can judge of neither, and that only by its ex- 
 travagances. The //-y? Works on. the Judgment and 
 
 Fancy ,• 
 
Remarks upon VoHry. 12^ 
 
 Fancy; the latter on the Fancy only: There is more 
 of Satisfadlion in the former kind of laughter, and in 
 the latter more of Scorn. But, how it happens, that 
 an impoflible Adventure fhould caufe our Mirth, I 
 cannot (fays Dryden^ fo eafily imagine. Something 
 there may be in the oddnefs of it, becaufe on the 
 Stage it is the common Efle£t of things unexpected to 
 furprize us into a delight : And that is to be afcrib'd 
 to the ftrange appetite, as I may call it, of the Fan- 
 cy ; which, like that of a Longing Woman ^ often runs 
 out into the moft extravagant defircs; and is better 
 fatisfy'd fometimes with Loam, or with the Rinds of 
 Trees, than with the wholfome nourilhments of Life. 
 In fliort, fays Dryden^ there is the fame difference be- 
 twixt Farce and Comedy^ as betwixt an Empirkk and 
 a true Fhyfician : Both of them may attain their Ends; 
 but what the one performs by hazard^ the other does 
 by ik'tll. And as the Art't(t is often fuccefslefs, while 
 .the Mountebank fucceeds ; fo Farces more commonly 
 take the Teople than Comedies. For to write unnatu- 
 ral things, is the moft probable way of pleafing them, 
 who underftand not t^ature. And a true Poet often 
 mifTes of applaufe, becaufe he cannot debafe himfelf to 
 Write fo ill as to pleafe his Audience. J^Vji^l Pref. to 
 the Mock-Aftrologer. 
 
 The End of the Remarks upm Poetry, 
 
The Authors contain'd in this 
 Volume of Chara^ers and Cen^ 
 ihres, are, as follow. 
 
 JtL 
 
 A. 
 Schylus. Pag. i. 
 
 Anacreon. 
 JpoUoftius Rhodius. 
 Aratus. 
 Ariftophanes. 
 Arifiotle. 
 Aufonim, 
 Arioso. 
 
 a 
 
 5- 
 
 7- 
 
 9- 
 II. 
 
 If 
 
 19. 
 
 2^7- 
 
 BeautHOftt and Fletcher. 21. 
 Boccace. - 25?. 
 
 Buchanan. ^ 2. 
 
 C. 
 
 Callimachus, 
 
 Catullus, 
 
 Chaucer. 
 
 Claudian, 
 
 Cowley. 
 
 a 
 
 ^tTv/^x Aligerus* 
 Davenant. 
 
 ^6. 
 
 38. 
 41. 
 
 4f- 
 
 48. 
 
 5^. 
 
 58. 
 
 Denham, 
 
 Donne. 
 
 Ennius, 
 Euripides. 
 
 E. 
 
 F. 
 
 Flaccus^ Valerius. 
 Fletcher vide Beaumont. 
 Fracaftorius. 
 
 67. 
 
 (^9. 
 7x. 
 
 7f- 
 
 G. 
 
 Gretius. 
 Syraldus. 
 
 Hemfius. 
 Hefiod. 
 Homer. 
 Horace, 
 
 Johnfon. 
 fuvenal. 
 
 H. 
 
 J. 
 
 77' 
 
 80. 
 S3. 
 
 8^. 
 
 88. 
 
 99- 
 
 104. 
 
 113. 
 
 L. Lucan, 
 

 
 The Table. 
 
 
 
 L. 
 
 
 R. : 
 
 \ 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 Rapin. 
 
 \U. 
 
 Lucan. 
 
 
 ii8. 
 
 E, of Roiljefier. Vi . 
 
 ..V88. 
 
 Luciliuu 
 
 
 124. 
 
 
 
 Lucretius. 
 
 
 127. 
 
 S. 
 
 
 
 M. 
 
 
 Sannazarius. 
 Sappho. x\^\{^i< 
 
 191. 
 
 Martial 
 
 
 131. 
 
 Sfneca, 
 
 197. 
 
 Milton, 
 
 
 . 13 f. 
 
 ^hakefpear. 
 
 201. 
 
 
 
 •, ,; , Sidney. 
 
 206. 
 
 
 O. 
 
 Sophocles. 
 
 209. 
 
 
 -' 
 
 
 Spencer, 
 
 213. 
 
 Oldham. 
 
 
 138. 
 
 Statius. -i. 
 
 .\>i.i7-. 
 
 Oppian. 
 
 
 :\ ,v.v:142. 
 
 Suckling. 
 
 'jl\a^b. 
 
 Ovid. 
 
 
 I45', 
 
 T. 
 
 
 
 
 V*\'m V'^"^*!^* ... 
 
 Tafo. 
 
 221. 
 
 
 P. 
 
 \ V 
 
 Terence. 
 
 227. 
 
 
 ■J 
 
 
 Theocritus. . 
 
 X^ 
 
 Terjius. 
 
 
 1^4. 
 
 Tihullus. 
 
 '•'?3r- 
 
 Fetrarcha. 
 
 
 .• 'K^o. 
 
 
 • .. 
 
 Fetronius* 
 
 
 1^4. 
 
 V. 
 
 
 Mrs. Phillips. 
 
 168. 
 
 Vida. 
 
 ^K- 
 
 Fi»dar. 
 
 
 171. 
 
 Virgil 
 
 238. 
 
 Flautus, 
 
 
 174- 
 
 
 »,V\». . . 
 
 fropertius. 
 
 
 179- 
 
 w. 
 
 . ./V'/.i 
 
 Frudcfitius. 
 
 
 183. 
 
 Waller. 
 
 •■■;*# 
 
 0"? 
 
 Charaders 
 
 .V,..'j 
 
[ • 1 
 
 CHARACTERS 
 
 AND 
 
 CENSURES 
 
 /Efchylus. 
 
 IW^SC HTLV S an AthenianTtzgxc Poet, born In 
 /t^ the Village of Eleujis ; Cotemporary with Pm- 
 J. J— ^ ^^f.^ in the Sixty Ninth Olympiad, according 
 to the Old Scholiafl, but as Mr. Stanly in his 
 moft accurate Edition of this Author makes out by dili- 
 gent Computation, and his Colledion out of Mr.Sddens 
 Marmora Arundeliana. in the Sixty Third. The Son o£ 
 Euphorion, and Brother of Cynegyrus and AmimaSy who 
 Signaliz d themfelves in the Battle of Marathon, and the 
 Sea-Fight of Salamis, in which our Poet alfo was prefent. 
 Of Sixty Six Dramas, which he Wrote, (being VlGtot 
 in 13I and Five Satyrs, we have Extant only Seven 
 Tra^edies^ his Prometheus Vinous, his Septem Duces contra. 
 Thehas, Agar.remnon, Perfa, Eumenides, Choephort, Sup- 
 pikes. But though he was r/<?or 13 times, yet itisfaid, 
 he took it fo to heart to be Vanquilht by Sophocles, then 
 a Young man, that he left his Country, and betook 
 himfelf to Hiero King of Sicily, where he made his Tra- 
 gedy ^tna, fo call a fronfi the City of that Name, which 
 
 B Hiero 
 
2 CharaSers and Cenftires, 
 
 Hiero was then Building, fo named from the Mountain: 
 Others fay, it was becauTe he was Vanquifht by Simoni- 
 des in hh ElegiacYttk upon the Slain ^t Marathon. A^* 
 ter he had been Refident at Gela Three Yearsj he dyed of 
 a FracSture of his Skull, caus'd by an Eagles letting fall 
 a Sheil-Fijh out of his Claw upon his Bald-Head, which 
 feems to have been Portended by the Oracle, which being 
 confulted upon the manner of his Death, Anfwer'd, 
 'Ou(pccviov ai flsXoi xaTtcxTO/j/Gt, this happened in the Sixty 
 Ninth Year of his Age, according to Stanley. 
 
 He is mentioned by Horace as the firft that Beautified 
 and Adorn'd the Stage. 
 
 l^ext, -^fchylus the different Perfons placd, 
 And with a better Mafque his Players gracd: 
 Vpon a Theatre his Ferfe exprefsd. 
 And fhowd his Hero with a Buskin drefsd. 
 
 ffiOifeaU's Art of Poetry, pag. 3.3. 
 
 Rimer fays, That at Athens (they tell us) the Tragedies 
 of JEfihyhiSy SophocleSy and Euripides, were EnroU'd 
 with their Laivs^ and made part of their Statute-Book. 
 %iVXi Short f^ieiv of Trsigedy, pag, 158. 
 
 Dryden tells us, That the Poet Efchylus was held in the 
 fame Veneration by the Athenians of After- Ages, as 
 Shake/pear is with us; and Longinus has judg'd in favour 
 of him, that he had a nobfe Boldnefs of ExprcfUon, and 
 that his Imaginations were Lofiy and Heroick: But on 
 the other fide Quintilian affirms, That he was darir-g to 
 Extravagance. 'Tis certain, {ays Dryden, that he affeiSb- 
 ed Pompous Words, and that his Senfe too often was 
 obfcur'd by Figures: But Rotwithftanding thefe Imper- 
 fedions, the Value of his Writings after his Deceafe 
 was fucb, that his Country- men Ordain'd an equal 
 
 Reward 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures. 5 
 
 Reward to thofe Poets, who could alter his Plays^jo be 
 Aded on the Theatre, with thofe whofe Produdions were 
 wholly new, and of their own. 
 
 ^fchylids Writ nothing in Cold Blood, but was al- 
 ways in a Rapture, and in fury with his Audience : The 
 Infpiration was dill upon him, he was ever tearing it 
 upon the Tripos ; or (to run off as madly as he does, 
 from one Similitude to another) he was always at high 
 flood of Pafton, even in the dead Ehh, and lowed Water- 
 Mark of the Scene. J^t^^, Pref. to Troilus W Cref- 
 fida. 
 
 Rapin Remarks,That /^fchylus had fcarceany Principle 
 for Manners, and for the Decencies ; his Fables are too 
 Simple, i\vc Contrivance ^xtiohtd, the Expre^on Obkure 
 and intricate ; One can fcarce Uuderftand any thing of 
 his Tragedy of Agamemnon. But becaufe he believ'd, 
 that the Secret of the Theatre is to fpeak Pompoujly^ he 
 beftow'd all his Art on the Wordsy without any regard 
 toxht Thoughts. Quint ilianhysy That he is Sublime and 
 Lofty to Extravagance : Indeed, fays Rapin, he never 
 Speaks in Cold-Blood, and fays the mod indifferent 
 things in a Tragic Huff; Likewife in the Images that he 
 Draws, the Colours are too glaring, and the Strokes too 
 grofs. He, who Writes his Life, Relates that in one of 
 the Chorus's of his Tragedy of the Eumetiides, he fo 
 horribly frighted the Aud/ence,th^t the Spedacle made the 
 Children Swound, and the Women with Child mifcarry. 
 To Conclude, his Enthujiafm, it feems, never left him, 
 he is fo Exalted, and fo little Natural. ]S^p« Reflex, on 
 Ariftotle'y Book of Poefie, part i. Se^. xxii. 
 
 Borrichius obferves, Ihat JEfchylus was very full of his 
 Metaphors, which indeed deferve our praife, but yet, he 
 fays, they had been much more Commendable, if he 
 had not broke off fo abrubtly in them. 
 
 B X He 
 
4 Chambers and Cenfures, 
 
 He alfo takes notice, That Iiis Epithets are for the 
 mod part hold, and daring, as too mucij favouring of his 
 former ProfelTion, that of a houldier. %t^%X\i% Differ t. 
 de Poetis, pa7- 29. 
 
 The Author of the Journal des Sfavans, fays, That 
 ^fchylus is a Poet fo hard to be Underllood, that even 
 Salmafius, who was an exce'-f nt CW/^ic/^, and whofe chief 
 delight lay in clearing the difficult Places of the moft 
 Ahjirufe Authors, was mightily puzzi'd, and perplext, at 
 the difficulties he met with in j^fchylus : Which gave 
 him occafion, in one of his books, to (ay, That this Poet 
 is more ohfcure than the Scripture if felf. 
 
 The fame Author of they^«r;/^/obferves, Thaty£/r;^- 
 lus, in his Style, flies fo very High, and \xks fuch Lofiry 
 Expredions, that Monfieur le Fevre, in his Abridgment of 
 the Lives of the Greek Poets, affirms this to be the only 
 Reafon of his having the Reputation of a Drunkard: As if 
 his Difcourfe feem'd rather to proceed from the Fumes 
 of Winey than from Solid Reajon. But to Conclude, our 
 Author tells us, there are very Fine and Curious Things 
 to be found in this Poet^ and that among all the Ancient 
 Tra^ick Poets, the Greeks had the greateil Value for hirrt, 
 ^^lOi^ Journ. des S^av. du z. Mars, 166^, 
 
 j^lian^ in his yarious Hiflory^ relates, That /EfchyluSy 
 being accused for fome Impiety in one of his Plays, was 
 Condemn'd to beSton'd. Whereupon his Younger Bro- 
 ther ^w/;;/^j, Ihewing his Arm without a hand, which 
 he had loft at the Battle at SalamiSy did (o far influence 
 the Judges^ that in a grateful Memory of his good Ser- 
 vices, they prefently order'd ^fchjlus to be difmift. 
 CMatl Ilk 5-. cap, xixL. 
 
 Anacre- 
 
^ Char alters and Cen fares. ^ 
 
 Anacreon. 
 
 AMacreoH was born in Teos, a place in the middle of 
 Ionia; He flourifht in the 6i, and 6z Olympiad, 
 as EHfehiaSt and Suidas affirm. He was one of the Nine 
 Lyrkksi And both in his Writings, and whole manner 
 of Life, a merry Greeks wanton and amorous. He was 
 very intimate with Polycrates^ the Tyrant of Samos ; 
 whom he alfo celebrates in his Verfes. Though aged, 
 he fell in love with Bathyllus, 2l young Boy, of whofe 
 hard-heartednefs he complains. He wrote in the lonkk 
 Dialed. 
 
 Several of his Poems are yet extant, mofl: whereof 
 confift of Drunken Catches, Billets doux, ^c. 
 
 Monfieur Bayle fays, That Sappho and Anacreon are 
 fo very much alike in their Humours, and their way 
 of Writing, that it is fomewhat difficult to dtflinguilh 
 the One from the Other. 'Tis pity, fays he, that they 
 were not co-temporaries, for if they had, they ought 
 to^have been Hushand and Wife, that fo the World 
 might have feen the effedt of two fuch Amorous, and 
 Delicate Souls. Nouvejles de la Repuhli(iue des LettreSy 
 Novemb. 1684. 
 
 Julius Scaliger had fo high a value for this Poet, That 
 he tells us, He thought Anacreons Verfes fweeter than 
 the bed Indian Sugar. Lib, i. Cap. 44. Poetices. 
 
 ./Elian, in his Various Hiflory, tells us, That Hippar- 
 chus, Eldeft Son of Fififiratus, and the wifeft of all the 
 Athenians, dii< fo highly efteem Anacreon^ that He 
 fcnt a Gaily of fifty Oars to him, with the mofl obli' 
 ging Letters in the World, to invite him to Athens. 
 Lib. 2>,Cap. a. 
 
 Gerardm 
 
6 Char alters and Cenfares. 
 
 Gerard us Johames Vojftus^ in his hjlitutionum Poetica- 
 rum, lih. 3. p:ig. 78. alTures us, That Afiacreon pafs'd a- 
 mongfl: the Greeks for one of the greateft Mafters, both 
 in the Art of Complaifance, and in the Softnefs of Ex- 
 prejfton. 
 
 Mademoifelle le Fevre, in the Preface to her curious 
 Edition of Anacreon^ fays, That his Beauty, and chiefeft 
 Excellency lay in imitating Nature, and in following 
 Reafon; that he prefented not to the Mind, any Images, 
 but fuch as were Nolle and Natural -, and that he al- 
 ways took great care to avoid the Points, which were 
 introduc'd in the latter times, contrary to the Practice 
 of all the bed Ancient Poets. 
 
 Athenam, that famous Ancient Critkk, in his Dipno- 
 fophifi, remarks, That notwithftanding the Beauty of A- 
 nacreons Verfe, yet every body could not relifh him, for 
 that his odes were no other than Drunken Catches; and 
 that at the fame time he cpmmended Drmikennefs, he 
 would often be fo very Ohfcene, that he was not to be 
 endur'd by the Vertuous part of Mankind. 
 
 He further adds. That Anacreon had one humour very 
 ridiculous, which was, that if by great chance it hap- 
 pen'd, he was fober at the time he Compos d his Verjes, 
 yet, tho* there was no occafion for it, he would be fure 
 to feign himfelf Drunk, 
 
 Rapin tells us, That Anacreons Odes are Flowers, Beau- 
 ties, and perpetual Graces ; and that it is fo familiar 
 to him to write what is Natural, and to the Life; he 
 having an Air fo delicate, fo eafie, and fo graceful; that 
 among all the Ancients there is nothing comparable to 
 the method he took, nor to that kind of Writiug he 
 followed. 5Sap» Reflex, on Ariftotk's Treat, of Poefie, 
 part id. Sell. xxx. 
 
 Anacreon 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures. 7 
 
 Anacreon, in the Eighty Fifth Year of his Age, was 
 choak'd with a Grape-Stone. Which gave occafion to 
 Abraham Cowley^ to exercife his Wit in thefe following 
 Lines : 
 
 Atidwhil/l I io thus difcover 
 
 Th* Ingredients of a happy Lover^ 
 
 T/x my Anacreon, for thy fake^ 
 
 I of the Grape no mention make. 
 
 Till my Anacreon hy Th^Q fell, 
 
 Curfed PJant, / lovd thee well, 
 
 And *twas oft my wanton ufe 
 
 To dip my Arrows in thy juice. 
 
 Curfed Plant, 'tis true, ^ fee, 
 
 The Old report that goes of Thee, ^ 
 
 That with Gyants hhod the Earth 
 
 Stain d and poysned gave Thee hirth. 
 
 And now thou wreak' Jl thy ancient fpight, 
 
 0« Men in whom the Gods delist, 
 
 CotOle^'s Elegy upon Anacreon. 
 
 Apollonius Rhodius. 
 
 HE was Callimachus's Scholar ; although Alexandria 
 was his Countrey, yet he was called Rhodius, af- 
 ter he came from Alexandria to Rhode, and liv'd there 
 a long time in great honour. Some tell us, that he 
 fucceeded Eratoflhenes as Library- Keeper at Alexandria, 
 in the Reign of Ftolomy Evergetes. 
 
 He wrote feveral Pieces, but there are none left, on^ 
 ly his Argonaut ica in four Books. 
 
 Quintilian 
 
'^ Chara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 Quintilian^ in his hflitnt. Oratoriar. lih. X. Cap, i. fays, 
 That ApoUoniuss Argonautica is no contemptible work; 
 and that in his Stile he obferves an exad Mediumy which 
 is neither too IoFt3% nor too mean. 
 
 LongiHus, in his Trcatife rnfi J^^f, is much of the 
 fame opinion with Qutntilian^ for he tells us, That A- 
 pollonm in his Argr,nautka never rifes too high, or falls 
 too low, but that he poifes himfelf very exa(^ly ; But 
 yet, for all this good Quality, he thinks he is infinitely 
 ihort of Homer, take him with all his faults ; inafmuch 
 as the fublime, lofty Style, though fiibje(5t to uneven- 
 nejfesy is to be preferr'd before any other fort. 
 
 Uiius GyraUus, fpeaking of the Argonatttica, fays, It 
 is a work full of variety, and a very laborious piece ; 
 but yet he owns, that in fome places it is rough and 
 unplcafant, but not where he defcribes the Amours of 
 Merlea^ for even there /^/r^// thinks him fo tranfcendent, 
 that he has Copied many things from thence, in(erting 
 them into his own Amours of Dido. (bl^X^Xt^* de Hiji, 
 Voet. Dialog. 3. 
 
 Tanaguy le Fevre, in his Ahridgment of the Lives of 
 the Greek Poets, pag. 147. agrees wich GyraUus in what 
 he fays relating to f^irgil; but he can by no means yield 
 to Longinus's Opinion, who a/firm'd, that never any 
 Man could find fault with the Oeconomy of that Work. 
 f/e laughs alfo at thofe Criticks, v\ ho think, that the 
 Stile is fo very equal, foft and eafie, faying, That he 
 could never be brought to be of their Judgment ; for 
 that, as little as he underflood Greek, he thought he 
 could difcern fome difference of Chara^ers. 
 
 Claudius Ferderius, in his Ceiijio Au^orumy pag. 46. 
 fays, That in the efleem of many Pcrfons, the ftile 
 of Apollonius was look'd upon to be courfe and unpoliih'd, 
 
 and 
 
Characters and Cenfiires. ^ 
 
 and that he himfelf faw it ridicul'd upon that v^ery 
 (core. 
 
 Hence therefore Borrichius in his Dijjertat. de Pcetis, 
 pag. 15. tells us, That Apollonius finding, that the Verfes 
 which he had made in his Youth, were derided and ex- 
 ploded, as not being poliQi'd enough, he afterw ards gave 
 them a new turn^ by which means they were thought 
 fo polite, as to defer ve all Mens Applaufe. 
 
 Rapin^ in the xd. part of his Reflex, on Anflot. Trea- 
 tife of Poefie, SeSl. XP^. remarks, That the Poem of 
 Apollomiis Rhodius, on the Expedition of the ArgonautSy 
 is of a flender Charader, and has nothing of that no- 
 blenefs of exprelTion, which Homer has ; that the Fahle 
 is ill invented, and the Lift of the Argonauts in the firft 
 Book Flat. 
 
 Hi * n 
 
 Aratus 
 
 W AS born at Soli or Soke, a Town of Cilicia) af- 
 terwards call'd Pompeiopolis ; he was Phyfician 
 to Antigonus, King of Macedon ; A moft learned Poet, 
 and one that wrote diverfe things, amongft others a 
 Book of Aflronomy^ called (pctivojj^ivtx.^ in which he ele- 
 gantly defcribes in Heroick Verfe the whole Frame of 
 the Celefiial Sphere, the Image, Figure, Rifing and Set^^ 
 ting of all the Stars therein. He flouriih'd in the time 
 of Ptolomcetis Philadelphus^ in the cxxvi. Olympiad. 
 
 Claudius and Germanicus defar^ were fo delighted with 
 Aratus s (pccivof^evcc, that they, each of Them, Tranflated 
 it into Latin : As did alfo M. ThIUhs Cicero, when he was 
 
 C very 
 
lo Characters and Cenfures. 
 
 very young. And befide thefc, Fe/lns Avienus turn'd it 
 into Elegant Latin Verfe. 
 
 Ovidy fpeaking of this Author, gives us his Characfler 
 in thefe words, alluding to his (pocii'0[j.evcc : 
 
 Cum Sole & Luna femper Aratus erit. 
 
 Viz. That as long as Sun and Moon endured, fo long 
 would the Fame of Aratus continue. 
 
 Cicero, in his fir(l Book De Oratore^ tells us, That the 
 Verfes of Aratus were very fine and Elegant, but that 
 he had little skill in Aftrology. 
 
 Quint ilian, in his Infliflution. Oratoriar. lih. x. cap. i. fays, 
 That the Verfes of Aratus are without Life or Spirit, 
 and that they have not thofe Ornaments, nor that Poe- 
 tical variety, which ufes to affed; the Reader : And yet 
 he tells uSy He was a perfon proper enough for the Work 
 he undertook. 
 
 Gerardus VoJ/ius, in his Book De Scientiis Mathematicis^ 
 affirms, That Aratus was formerly, and is flill, of very 
 great Authority among Aftronomers. 
 
 The Authority of Aratus was efleem'd fo facred a- 
 mong the Ancients, that we find him quoted by St. 
 Paul himfelf, A^is the xvii. Verfe the 28. 
 
 There is not any thing a greater Demonftration of the 
 Credit of this Author, than the vaft Number of his 
 Commentators. 
 
 Macrohius^ in his Saturnal lih. v. cap i. fays. That Vir- 
 gil in his Georgicks borrowed feveral Things from Aratus's 
 
 (pOLlVOfJLil'CC. 
 
 Arijlophanes 
 
Chara^ers and Censures. 1 1 
 
 Ariflophanes. 
 
 \ Rijfophanes was a famous Comick Poet, but of his 
 J^\ Country nothing is certain ; Some fay he was an 
 Athenian, others a Rhodian^ and fome an Egyptian. He 
 was contemporary with Sophocles the Tragick Poet, and 
 alfo with Socrates, whom he makes an Objed; of his Wit 
 in his Comedy cali'd Nuhes ; as he doth Clecn and Micias^ 
 two Magiftrates of Jthens, in his Equites and Georgia^ 
 He flourifli'd from the Eighty fifth to the Ninety jfrfl 
 Olympiad, and wrote, according to Suidas, no lels than 
 fifty four Comedies, whereof we have now but Eleven. 
 \d^, viz. Pluttu, Muhes, Ran£, Equites, Acharnenfes, 
 Vefp(E, AveSf Fax, Ccncionatrifes, Cerealia Fefla celebran- 
 tes, Lyfijlrata. To conclude, He was the chief Writer 
 of the Old Comedy, as Menander of the Heiv. 
 
 In this Author are to be found all the Ornaments of 
 the Attick Dialed, which made St. Chryfoftome fo much 
 admire him, that whenever he went to fleep, he ft ill laid 
 him under his Pillow. 
 
 Let no Man, fays Jofeph Scaliger, in the firft part of 
 Scaligerana, pretend to underftand the Attick Dialed, 
 who has not Ariflophanes at his fingers ends. pag. 13. 
 
 TanaquiUus Faber, in his Ni^/^jupon the fore-mcntion'd 
 place, tells us, how much he is in love with Scaliger for 
 faying this. The truth on't is, fays Faher, I have fpent 
 above fifteen Years to underftand this Author, nor do I 
 think I have caufe to repent it. 
 
 Lilius Gyraldus informs us, That Ariflophanes was re- 
 puted the mod Eloquent of all the Athenians, and that 
 they look'd upon him to be the moft: Considerable of 
 their Beaus EJprits ; That he abounds with fine, cu- 
 
 C z rious 
 
1 2 Characlers and Cenfures. 
 
 rious Sentences; That there is in his lavention a va- 
 riety that is furprifing, but yet agreeable,* and, that he 
 underftood how to give every thing its turn^ which, 
 as Gyraldus tells us, gave him the prclercnce from all the 
 other Ccmkk Poets. 
 
 Mademoifelk le Fevre, in the Preface to her Edition of 
 Arifotaphenrs, remarks, tbar one may find in this Au- 
 thor, (ome Indrudions, that may be of great ufe both 
 to the Politician and the Souldier, For it feems, thefe 
 Comedies of /;/i, did as it uere reprefent to the Athe- 
 nians the whole State of their Affairs. And therefore 
 well might Plato^ writing to Dionyjius the Tyrant^ tell 
 him, That if he had a mind to have an exadi Scheme of 
 the Condition of the Athenians, he need only read the 
 Works of Arifiophanes. 
 
 He aifembl'd his Spedators, fays Mademoifelk le 
 Fevre^ not to fawn upon them and flatter them, or to 
 divert them with Buff^oonry and Fooleries ; but to give 
 *em folid Inftruc^ions, which he knew how to make 
 them rehfh, by leafoning them with a thoufand pleafant 
 Inventions, which no body but bimfelf was able to 
 do. 
 
 Never any Man, fays the fame le Fevre in her faid 
 Preface^ had better skill in difcerning the Ridiculous 
 part, nor a turn more Ingenious to make it appear. His 
 Criticks are natural and eafie; and, which does not of- 
 ten happen, notwithdanding he is fo Copious, he ftill 
 fudains the delicacy of his Character. 
 
 She addsy That the Attick Spirit^ which the Ancients 
 have fo much bragg'd of, appears more in Arifiophanes^ 
 than in any other Author of Antiquity, that She\ino\fjs 
 of; but, that what is moft to be admir'd in him, is, that 
 he IS always fo abfolute a Mafter of the Matter he treats 
 of, that, with all the eafe imaginable, he finds a way 
 
 how 
 
CharaSers and Cen fares. 1 3 
 
 how to make thofe very things, which at fird might 
 appear the mod remote from his Suhje^^ fall in natu- 
 rally ; and, that, even his mort lively, and leafl; expecfted 
 Caprices, feem'd but as the natural Refults of thofe hci- 
 dents he had prepar'd. 
 
 She further te/ls us, That nothing can be more Inge- 
 nious, than the whole Contexture of the Comedy call'd 
 Nnhes ; And that the chief thing therein, which She 
 moft admires at, is, That Ariftophanes has fo well hit 
 the Air and Humour of Socrates in the Ridiculous part; 
 which is done fo naturally, that a Man would really 
 think he heard Socrates himfelf fpeak. She fays, fhe 
 was fo much Charm'd with this Piece, that after (he had 
 Tranflated it, and had read it two hundred times o- 
 ver, ihe did not find her felf in the lead cloy'd, which 
 was more than Ihc could fay of any other Piece be- 
 fides. 
 
 To conclude, Mademoifelle le Fevre fpeaking of the 
 Style of Ariftophanes^ fays, This is as agreeable as his 
 Wit. For befides its purity, force, and fweetnefs, it 
 has a certain Harmony, which founds fo pleafant to the 
 Ear, that the very Reading him is extreamly delightful. 
 At any time, when he has occafion to make ufe of the 
 common ordinary Stile, he does it without ufing any 
 ExprelTion that is bafc and vulgar; and when he has 
 a mind to exprefs himfelf in the lofty Style, in his 
 highefl flight he is never obfcure ; In a word, She tells 
 us, No perfon ever underdood how to make ufe of all 
 the different Sorts of Style^ like Arifiophanes. StKlT* It 
 fflt\>Xts Pref. to her French Tranflat. of the Two Come- 
 dies of Ariftophanes. 
 
 Rimer ttWsviS, That Arifiophanes was a Man of won- 
 derful Zeal for Vertue, and the good of his Countrey ; 
 that he laid about him with an undaunted Refolution, as 
 
 it 
 
1 4. Characlers and Cenfures. 
 
 it were fome Chriftiayi Martyr^ for his Faith and Reh'gion. 
 He plainly ran a Muck at all manner of Vice where 
 ever he faw it, be it in the greateft Philofophers, 
 the greateft PoetSy the Generals, or the Minifters of 
 State. 
 
 The Perfian AmbalTador, who was Lieger there (as 
 formerly the Frfw^ with us) feeing the Town all at his 
 beck; and the Government taking Aim, Turning out, 
 Difgracing, Impeaching, Banifhing, Out-Lawing, and 
 Attainting the great Men, according as he hinted, or held 
 up the Finger; the AmbafTador, not underftanding the 
 Athenian Temper, fays Rimer, was aftonilh'd at the Man. 
 And, for all the Democracy, no lefs bold was he with his 
 Soveraign^ Legijlative People-. Reprefenting them, taking 
 Bribes, felling their Votes, bought off. He tells 'em (as 
 the pradtice amongft them) that the Govenment had no 
 occafion for Men of IV/t or Honefiy. The moft Igno- 
 rant, the moft Impudent, and the greateft Rogue ftood 
 faireft always for a Place, and the beft qualified to be their 
 Chief Minifter. He tells 'em, nothing ihall fright him ; 
 Truth and Honefiy are on his fide; he has the Heart of 
 Hercules, will (peak what is Juft and Generous, tho' 
 Cerberus, and all the Kennel of Hell- Hounds were loo'd 
 upon him. But then ('fays Rimer) his Addrefs was 
 Admirable; He would make the Truth Vifible and 
 Palpable, and every way fenfible to them. The Art and 
 the Application; his ftrange Fetches, his lucky Stars; 
 his odd Inventions, the wild Turns, Returns, and Coun- 
 ter-turns (fays Rimer^ were never match'd, nor are 
 ever to be reach'd again. ]SitU* Short View of Tragedy, 
 chap. x.pag.zZfZ-^. 
 
 Rapin Remarks, That Arijlopkanes is not exa(3; in 
 the Contrivance of his Fables, and that his FiSiions 
 are not very probable; that he Mocks Perfons too 
 
 grofdy, 
 
Chambers and Cenfures, 1 5 
 
 grofely, and too openly. Socrates, whom he Plays 
 upon (o eagerly in his Comedies^ (fays Rap'm) had a 
 more delicate Air of Raillery than he ; but was not 
 \o Ihamelefs. It is true, Ar'ijlophanes Writ during the 
 Diforder and Licentioufncfs of the Old Comedy^ and 
 that he underftood the Humour of the Athenian Peo- 
 ple, who were eafily difgufted with the Merit of ex- 
 traordiary Perfons, whom he fet his Wit to abufe, that 
 he might pleafe that People. After all, fays Rapin^ 
 he often is nootherwife pleafant, than by his BufToonry. 
 That Ragoufl., Composed of Seventy Six Syllables in the 
 laft Scene of his Comedy the Ecclefiafoujai, would not 
 (fays Rapin) go down with us in our Age. His 
 Language is often obfcure, blunder'd, low, trivial; and 
 his frequent jingling upon Words, hisContradicfllons of 
 oppofite Terms each to other ; the Hotchpotch of his 
 Stile, of Tragick and Comick, of Serious and BufFoon, 
 of Grave and Familiar, is unfeemly ; and his M'/tticifms 
 often, when well Exarain'd, prove falfe. iB^Pt Refles, 
 /?» Ariftot. Treatifeof Poefie, par. z. fe^, xxvi. 
 
 Arifiotle, 
 
 TH E Famous Philofopher of Stagira; who, befides 
 the many other Works he Wrote, is faid, ac- 
 cording to Diogenei Laertius, to have Written as many 
 Poemsy as contain Forty Five Thoufand, Three Hundred, 
 and Thirty Verfes. But had he never Composed any 
 poem, yet certainly that moft Incomparable Piece of His, 
 concerning the Art of Poetry^ which by all the World is 
 
 counted 
 
i6 ChartiBers and Cenfures, 
 
 counted the beft Model for Poets to follow, may well 
 allow him to be Rank'd amongft the mod Confiderable 
 Poets. 
 
 He Died, according to Cahicius, in the Sixty Third 
 Year of his Age, Three Hundred and Ninteen Years 
 before Chr/fi. 
 
 I find there are fome Critkks, and among others Pe- 
 trus Vitlorius., in his Comment upon Arijlotle's Art of 
 Poetry, who think, that this Piece of Ariflotles was 
 never finifh'd, nor pcrfedled \ and, in all probability, 
 the ground of this Opinion, was, becaufe they did not 
 find, that Ariflotle had writ any thing concerning O- 
 medy, as a late Anonymous Author has obferv'd in hi« , 
 Bihliograph. curiof. Hijlor. Ph'dolog. 6>ic. pag. ^i^. But the 
 Learned Gerardus Johannes Foffms, in his De Natura Artis 
 Poetici;B, cap. v. pag. x8. is of the contrary Opinion, v/z. 
 That Ariftfltle had finilh'd, and given the lad (Irokes to 
 this moll Excellent Work; And this, fays Vojfius., may 
 eafily be prov'd by that curious Method., and admirable 
 coMcatenatioHy which he hath obferv'd from firft to 
 laft. 
 
 Lilius Gyraldus tells us. That Ariflotle was not only 
 the Mafier and Patriarch of Philofophy^ Logick, and Rhe^ 
 torick^ but alio, that he uas greatly skill'd in Poetry, 
 both in refpecS; of the Art, and the Compofiug of 
 Verfes. 
 
 Rimer fays, That Ariflotle was the very firft that An- 
 tiquity honour'd with the Name of Critick, 
 
 It is indeed fufpecfled, that he dealt not always fairly 
 with the Philofophers, mif-reciting fometimes, and mifin- 
 terprcting their Opinions. But (fays Rimer^ I find him 
 not tax'd of that injuftice to the Poets, in whofe favour 
 he is fo Ingenious, that to the difadvantage of his own 
 Profefiion, he declarcs> That Tragedy more conduces to 
 
 ■the 
 
Characlers and Cen fares. 17 
 
 fhe Inflru^hn of Mankindy than even Philofo^hy it felf. 
 And hower Arifiotle may be cry'd down in the Schools ^ 
 and vilified by Tome Modern Philofophers ,• yetfmceMen 
 have had a tafte for good Senfe^ and could difcern. the 
 Beauties of corredl Writing, be is prefcrr'd in the p&Utefi 
 Courts of Europe, and by the Poer^ held in great' Ve- 
 neration. Not that thefe can fervilely yield to his 
 Authority, who, of all Men Lvinr, r.{E(5t Liberty. 
 The truth is, C^^J^ Rimer) what Arifiotle Writes on 
 this Sijhje(3:, are not the Dilates of his cwn Magtfte' 
 riallVilly or dry Dedudlions of his MetapJjyfiek^ i But 
 t)\^ Poets were his Mafters, and what was their Pracftice, 
 he reduced to Principles. Nar would the Modern Po^ 
 ets, Wkidly refign to this Prad:icc of the Ancients, were 
 not the Reafons convincing and clear as any Demon- 
 ftration in Mathematicks. Tis only needful that we 
 underfland them, for our Confent to the Truth of 
 them, ^fttt* Pref. to his Tranflat. of Rapin'j Reflex, on 
 Ariftor. of Poefie. 
 
 Rapin tells us, That Arifiotle* s Treatife of Poejie, 
 to ipeak properly, is nothing elfe, but Nature put 
 in Method, and good Senfe reduc'd to Principles. 
 There is no arriving at Perfection but by thefe 
 Rules, and they certainly go aftray that take a 
 different Courfe. What faults have not mod of the 
 Italian, Spanijh^ and other Poets fallen into, through 
 their Ignorance of thefe Principles? And if a Poem, 
 (fays Rapin') made by thefe Rules, fails of Succefs, 
 the fault lies not in the Art^ but in the Artifl; all 
 who have Writ of this Art, have follow'd no other 
 Idea, but that of Arifiotle. IKftp. Advertifm. kfore his 
 Reflex, on Arid. 
 
 D The 
 
i8 Chara^ers and Cenfiires. 
 
 The Learned Anommous Gernur Author, in his 
 Bihirgraph. Cur'rf. Hiflor. Fbilohg, &c. fag 45. calls 
 Ari(}otle\ \x\ of roetry a Golden i:r;ic,mcnr, containing 
 moft Admirable Remarks, rel.iiiig to the Rui^s of 
 true Grammar, and the fcundelt Maxims of Rhetorkk. 
 He adds, That the little which is left concerning 
 Tragedy is Incomparable, and that one can hardly 
 find among the Ancients any thing that is of a better 
 tafte. 
 
 But notwithdanding the general Vogue, that this 
 Treatife of Arijlotle has had in the World, yet that 
 great Critkk Julius Scaliger^ in the Epifllc to his Son 
 Sylviuj, before his Poctica, has different Sentiments, for 
 he calls it a Lam.e and Imperfect: Work; and that if it 
 were not for Refpcdl to that Fhilofopher, he tells us, he 
 could fay a great deal more, but the Learned Ge- 
 tardus Johannes P^ojjins , in the Preface to his Infli- 
 tuticnes Foctica, falls upon Scaliger for this Opinion, 
 faying, That he con by no mtans think this Treatife 
 of Anftotie fo defpifable a Woik; Thar, for bis part, 
 he did not know any thing Writ by the Ancients 
 upon this Subjvdt, that did come up to it; And 
 that fuch Modern iVriters as have Treated of the 
 Art of Poetry, have flill got more or iefs Reputation, 
 in proportion to their O^/erving or not Obferving that 
 Excellent Model, given by Ariflotle* 
 
 Ikcitis 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures, 19 
 
 Decim Magnus Aufomus, 
 
 WAS Born at Bourele^ux \n France* He was 
 Praceptor to Gratian the Emperour, by whom 
 he was made Coftfil, in the Year 379. Bellarmin^ Gyral- 
 eius^2ind feme others, fuppofe him to have been a Chrijii' 
 aft, bat Gerard f^ej/ius pofitively affirms, that he was a 
 Heathen. 
 
 He Writ fevcral Things in Ferfe, and fome in 
 Profe. 
 
 Johannes Ludovicus Fives, in his Third Book De Tra- 
 dendis Difciplinis^ tells us, That Aufonius is every where 
 lo full of Wit and Smartnefs, that he never fu.fTers his 
 Header to fall afleep 
 
 Johannes Brodatds, Ith. i, Mifcellan. cap. vi. fays, That 
 he does not think Aufonius s btile {o impolite, as thofe 
 do, who, by way of Reproach, call him Ferreum Scripto- 
 rem, a Writer as hard as Iron. 
 
 Erafmtts in Diak^o Ciceroniano, pag. 149 allows, That 
 Aufonius had both Wit and Learning ; but th^t his Style 
 was every whit as loole and eflxminate, as \{\sLife\ and 
 that he was fo far from having the leaft favour of Ci* 
 reros Style, that one might as well call a German a 
 French-MdiDy as call Aufonius Ciceronian. 
 
 Olaus BorrichiuSf in his Differ tat Acad, de Poetis.pag.y^. 
 aifirms, That all the Works of Aufonius were elaborate, 
 choice, and ingenious; but that he could not alv^ays 
 free himfelf from the Dreg'; of the Age he liv'd 
 in. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger, in his Notes upon Virgil, tells us, 
 That Aufonius was the mod Learned oin!! the Poets 
 
 D X from 
 
20 CharaBers and Cenfures. 
 
 from Domitian down to that time, and that it is v^ry 
 well worth any Man's while to read him. 
 
 Caf^ar Bartlm, 'm his- Third Book Ad'verfar, tap. vii. 
 fays, IrKat \\& M-ilI Bear Aufimus Witncfs, that vvhat- 
 foever is to be found in him, ought to bz look'd upon as 
 true and good Latim; for that he never fet down any 
 thing, but he hsd fome example from the Ancients for 
 Ms Authority. 
 
 He alfo tells us, That Aufimus w as too Learned for the 
 Age he liv'd in, and that the Authors which he took mofl 
 delight in Reading, were loi\. 
 
 Jttlm Scaltger^ in his Sixth Book De Poetka, cap. v. 
 observes to us, That Aufiyiius was one of a great, and an 
 aciWe Wit; but that his Stile is fomewhat harlh ; That 
 he is not ail of a Piece ,• That he has Writ on feveral Sub- 
 jedls, but not alwyas with the fame fuccefs; and that 
 therefore we are not iQ Jurlge of him, from what he hath 
 done, but from what he could have done. He wifhes, That 
 Aufinm had never Writ any of his Epigrams ; fmce, in 
 his opiriion, there is not one of them that is finiili'd and 
 polilh'd as it oug!it to be; nay, he fays, fir/ie are Im- 
 pertinent, cold, and frivolous,- for that, whenever he 
 Tranflated from the Greeks he never minded to carry the 
 Original Beauty into the Latin: Others ^rt fo filthy and 
 abominable, that they rather defer ve the Flame, than 
 the Sponge 
 
 He adds^ that this Author was very carelcfs and 
 negligent, and therefore it is, that we find many of his 
 iamhicks^ which though at the beginning feem pure and 
 el&borate, yet in the conclufion they prove foculent, 
 and full of dregs. 
 
 As for his other Poemsy hys Sca/iger, viz. KxsGryphus 
 dc Nmnero Ternario, and his Eclogues^ they are indeed 
 
 very 
 
Char alters and C en fares. 2 1 
 
 very good, and mud be allow'd to be U'rit by one who 
 had a great skill in Poetry. 
 
 But the moft celebrated Piece of Aufonius^in the Opinion 
 of Scalfger, is his Poem upon the Mofel/e; This, faith he, 
 was io elaborate a Work, that had Aufoiius writ nothing 
 elfe, this would have been fufficient to have got him the 
 Characft.r of ^ Great Poet ; there being in it a great deal 
 of Art, Method, Fine \ arguage, Genius, Candor, and 
 Sharpnefs. 3!Ul» ^CftUS* li^- vi. Poetkes, cap. v. 
 
 Lilius Gyraldas fays, That tho' Aufonm was a Chriflian^ 
 yet in his Writings he was often foObfcene and Lalcivi- 
 ous, that he did not deferve to be reckon d among the 
 Chrijlians. 
 
 ^e fays. There's a great deal of Learning in the 
 Gryphus^ and alfo abundance of curious Variety ; but that 
 he does not find there is much either of Judgment^ or of 
 Elegancy in it. 
 
 Francis Beaumont and John 
 Fletcher, 
 
 MR. BeattmonPs Parentage, Birth, Country, Educa- 
 cation, and Death, are wholly unknown to 
 Me; And as to Mr. Fletcher, all I know of him is, 
 That he was Son to the Eminent Dr. Richard Fletcher ^ 
 who was created Bijhop of Brijlol by Queen Elizabeth^ 
 Ann. I5'59. and by her preferred to London^ I5'93- ^^ 
 dyed in London of the Plague^ Anno, i6i^. being Nine 
 and Forty Years of Age, and was buried in St. Mary- 
 Overies Church in Sottthwark. 
 
 There 
 
2 2 Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 There are Two and Fifty Plays written by thefe wor- 
 thy Authors ; all which nre now extant in one Volume. 
 Printed in Fol. Lctid. 1679. 
 
 WinJlaMley tells U5, That Beaumont and Fletcher joyn- 
 ed together, made one of the happy Triumvirate (the 
 other two being Johnfon and Shake/pear') of the chief 
 Dramatick Poets of our Nation, in the laft foregoing 
 Age ; among whom there might be faid to be a Symme- 
 try of Perfeiiion, while eacbexcell'd in his peculiar way : 
 Ben.Jonfon in his elaborate Pains and Knowledge of Au- 
 thors; Shakefpear in his pure Vein of Wit, and natural 
 Pcetfck Height ; Fletcher in a Courtly Elegance, and 
 Genteel Familiarity of Style, and withal a Wit and In- 
 vention io over-flowing, that the Luxuriant Branches 
 thereof were frequently thought convenient to be lopt 
 off by Beaumont; which Two jr»yncd together, like 
 Cajlor and Pollux (mod happy when in Conjundiion} 
 raifed the EiQ^HP^ to equal the Athenian and Roman 
 Theaters. HBtnttattte^, of the moft famous Engltjh 
 Poets. 
 
 Dryden fays, That Beaumont and Fletcher had, with the 
 advantage of Shakefpear s AVit, which was their prece- 
 dent^ great Natural Gifts, improv'u by Study. Beau- 
 mont efpecially being fo accurate a Judge of Flays, that 
 Ben. Johnfon^ while heliv'd, fubmitted all his Writings to 
 his Cenfure, and, *tis thought, us'd his judgment in 
 Corredling, if not contriving all his Plots. What value 
 he had for him, appears by the Verfes he writ to him; 
 and therefore (fiys Dryden^ I need fpeak no farther of 
 t. Tne firft Pliy that brought Fletcher and him in e- 
 Heem, was thtir Philajler ; for before that, they had 
 written two or three very un uccejsfully : As the iike 
 ,is reported of Ben. Johnfon, before he writ Every Man in 
 his Humour. Their Plots were generally more regular 
 
 than 
 
Charade'' s and Cenfures. 23 
 
 than ShAefpears, efpccially thofe which were made be- 
 fore B?j:VMi';/r's death; and they unicrftood and imitated 
 the Converfition of Gentlemen much better ; whofe wild 
 Debaucheries, and quicknefs of Wit in /?d'/>jr/^fa, no Poet 
 before them could paint as they have done. Humour, 
 which Ben fohnfon deriv'd from particular Perfons, they 
 made it not their burmefs to dcfcribe: They reprefented 
 all the PaJJions very lively, but above all, Love. I am 
 apt to believe, lays DryfJe»^ the Englifli Language in 
 ihem arriv'd to its higheft perf^(ftion ; what worJs 
 have fmce been taken in, are rather fuperflucus than or- 
 namental. Their Plays are now the mod pleafant and 
 frequent Entertainments of the Stage ; two of theirs be- 
 ing a(3:ed through the Year for one o^ Sh^kefpea/s or 
 Johytfons : The reafon is, fays Dry den ^ becaufe there is 
 a certain gajetie in their Comedies, and fathos in their 
 more ferious Plays, which fuits generally with all Mens 
 Humours. Shakefpears Language is likcwife a little ob- 
 folete, and Ben. Johnfons Wit comes ihort of theirs. 
 J^V'^D* Bjir^y of Dramatic k Poefie, pag. 34. 
 
 Tis one of the Excellencies of Shakefpear,yh2it the Man- 
 ners cf hi^ Perfons are generally apparent; and you lee 
 their bent and Inclinations Fletcher comes far fhort 
 of him in this, as indeed he does almoft in every thing, 
 fays Dryden : There are but glimmerings of Manners in 
 mod of h\s Comedies y which run upon Adventures ; And 
 in his Tragedies, Rollo, Otto, the King and No Ki>ig, Me- 
 lantiuSt and many others of his bed, are but p!<Slures 
 ihown you in the twi light ; you know not whether 
 they refembie Vice or Virtue, and they are eithtrgood,- 
 bad, or indifferent, as the prefent Scene requires ir. 
 But of all PoetSy this Commendation is to be given to 
 Ben, Johnjottj that the Manners even of the moll: incon- 
 
 fiderable 
 
24- Cbara^ers and Cenfares. 
 
 fidcrable Perfons in his Plays are every where apparent. 
 ?^t^D» Fref> to Troiliu and Crefida. 
 
 The CharadJiers of Fletcher are poor and narrow, in 
 Comparifon of Shake/pears ; I remenfiber not one (fays 
 Dryden) which is not borrowed from him ; unlefs you 
 will except thnt flrangc mixture of a Man in \\\tKing 
 and ^0 King: So that in this part Slukefpear is general- 
 ly worth our Imitation ; and to imitate Fletcher is but 
 to Copy after him who was a Copyer. JDt^^b. z^/^- 
 
 The Excellency of Shakefpear was in the more manly, 
 Paflions ; Fletchers in the lofter : Shakefpear writ better 
 betwixt Man and Man,- Fletcher, betwixt Man and 
 Woman : Confcquently, the One defcrib'd Friend/hip 
 better ; the other Love .• Yet Shakefpear taught Flet-^ 
 cher to write Love ; and Ji^liet^ and Defdemona, are O-' 
 riginals, Tis true, fays Dryden^ the Scholar had the' 
 Softer Soul ; but the Mafter had the Kinder, Friend- 
 fhip is both a Vertue^ and a Faffton edentially ; Love is 
 a Paffion only in its Nature, and is not a Virtue but by 
 Accident: Good nature makes /r/>Wy7;/^ j but Efft'tru^ 
 nacy Love. Shakefpear had an Univerfal Mind, which 
 comprehended all Characfters and PafTions ; Fletcher a 
 more confin'd, and limited : For though he treated Love 
 in perfediion, yet Honour, Ambition, Revenge, and 
 generally all the ftronger Paffions, he either touch'd not, 
 or not Maderly. To conclude all,- He was a Limb of 
 Shakefpear, ®t^D« ?ref. to Troilus and Crefida, 
 
 Fletcher, to thee, we do not only owe 
 All thefe good Plays, hut thofe of others too •. 
 Thy W'tt repeated y does fopport the Stage, 
 Credits the lafb, and entertains this Age ; 
 Mo Worthies formd ly any Mufe hut thine ^ 
 Could purchafe Rohes, to make themfehes fo fine. 
 
 What 
 
Chambers and Cenfiires. 2 5 
 
 Pf^hat hrave Commander is net proud to fee 
 
 Thy hrave Melantius in his GaUantry ? 
 
 Our greateft Ladies love to fee their Scorn 
 
 Gat-done hy thine, in what themfelves have mm ; 
 
 TU impatient Widow ere the tear he done^ 
 
 Sees thy Afpafia weeping in her Gown, 
 
 J never yet the Tragick ft rain ejfayd. 
 
 Deter rd hy that inimitable Maid • 
 
 And when I venture at the Comick (iile. 
 
 Thy Scornful Lady feems to mock my toil. 
 
 Thus has thy Mufe, at once^ improvd and marrd 
 
 Our fport in Plays, hy rendring it too hard; 
 
 So when a fort of lufly Shepherds throw 
 
 The Bar hy Turns ^ and none the reft out-goe 
 
 So far, hut that the heft are meafuring cafts. 
 
 Their emulation^ and their paftime lafts ; 
 
 But if fome hrawny feoman of the Guard 
 
 Step in, and tofs the Axle-tree a yard. 
 
 Or more, beyond the fartheft Mark, the reft 
 
 Defpairing ftandy their Sport is at the heft, 
 
 €\m, itaaUer. 
 
 How I do love thee Beaumont, and thy Mufe^ 
 That unto Me dofl fuch Religion ufe / 
 How I do fear my felf that am not worth 
 The leafl indulgent Thought thy Pen drops forth I 
 At once thou mak'ft me happy, and unmak'ft ; 
 And giving largely to Me, more thou takft. 
 What Fate is mine, that fo it felf bereaves ? 
 What Art is thine, that fo thy Friend deceives ^ 
 When even there where moft thou prai/eft Me, 
 For Writing better, Tmufl envy Thee. 
 
 £ 
 
26 Chara^ers and Cenfares. 
 
 I need not raife 
 
 Trophies to Thee from other Mens :Iifpraife ; 
 Nor is thy Fame on Icjfer Ruines huilt. 
 Nor needs thy jujler Title the foul guilt 
 Of EalUrn Kings, ivho to fecure their Reigny 
 Mufl have their Brothers^ Sons^ and Kindred flain. 
 Then was Wits Empire at the Fatal height^ 
 When labouring and finking with its weighty 
 From thence a Thoufand lefler Poets fprung^ 
 Like pett; Princes from the fall of Rome. 
 When Johnlbn, Shakefpear, ancl thy felf did fit^ 
 
 And fwayd in the Triumvirate of Wit ^ 
 
 Tet what from Johnfon^j 0//, and Sweat did flow. 
 
 Or what more eafie Nature did he flow 
 
 On Shakefpear'j gentle Mufe, in Thee fuS grown 
 
 Their Graces both appear^ yet fo, that none 
 
 Can fay here Nature ends, and Art begins, 
 
 But mixt like th' Elements, and born like Twins ; 
 
 So interweavd^ fo like, fo much the fame, 
 
 None, this meer Nature, that meer Art can name : 
 
 'Twas this the hnci^ixts meant ; Nature and Skill 
 
 Are the two tops of their Parnaflus /////. 
 
 gi» j^enl^am on ^(f letcl^et's works. 
 
 He that hath fuch AcutenefS) and fuch Wity 
 As would ask Ten good Heads to husband it ; 
 He that can Write fo well, that no Man dare 
 Refufe it for the befi-, let him beware : 
 
 Beaumont is dead! by whofe fole Death appears^ 
 Wits a Difeafe confumes Men in few Tears. 
 %Xi% €0t6et; D. D. on Mr. Francis Beaumont. 
 (Then newly Dead.) 
 
 Ludovico 
 
Characlers and Cenfures. 27 
 
 Ludovico Ariofto^ 
 
 BOrn in Ferrara, One of the two mod Celebrated 
 Heroick Poets of Italy ; and thereupon Competi- 
 tor with Torquato Tajfo the other. He died the i^th of 
 July, 1533- In J^he fifty ninth Year of his Age. He 
 wrote Tome Lath Poems, which are inferted in the firft 
 Tome of the Delicice Italorum Poet arum. They are there 
 mixt, and confounded with the Works cf feveral other 
 poets of no great Note .• But his Italian Poems had a 
 better fate, for they being more valu'd and ef:eem'd, 
 were Printed by themfelves. The chief of his Italian 
 Poems arc, i. His Satyrs^ which, at their firft coming 
 into the World, had a Vogue, but in this Age they are 
 not much valu'd. 2. His Comedies, whereof the moil 
 famous are // l^egromante. La Caffhria, Gli Suppojitiy La 
 Lena, and La Scolafica. But that which molt contri- 
 buted to Arioftos Fame, was his Heroick Poem of Or- 
 lando Puriofo, wherein he takes his Argument from the 
 Expedition of the Emperour Charles the Great againCl 
 the Saracens \T\ Spain; This Poem coft Ariofto twenty 
 Years Labour ; though, as the Story goes. Cardinal d'Ejl, 
 to whom it was Dedicated, had fo mean an Opinion of 
 it, that he cry'd out to Ariofto, Dove, Diavolo, Mejfer 
 Ludovico, avete pigliate tante Coglionerie, Whence, the 
 Devil, Mafter Lewis, haft thou taken all theje Fooleries ? 
 
 Padus Joviiis, in his Elogies of Learned Men, fays. 
 That of ail the Comedies of Ariofto, the Suppofiti ought 
 to be preferred j fcarce inferiour to thofe of Plautus^ for 
 Invention, and its various Beauties and Graces. 
 
 E X Joh^ 
 
28 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 Job. Ant. Bumaldus, others ife call'd Ov'uliu^ Mont at- 
 lanus, in his Bihliotheca Bonoiiienfis, tells us, That all the 
 Comedies of Ariojfo vj^xg writ with exquifite Art; and 
 that his Epick Poem o'i Orlando Furiofo was fo Univerfally 
 efteem'd of, that it had been Tranflated into moll: of the 
 Languages of Europe, 
 
 Rapin^ in the firft part of his Reflexions on Ariflotles 
 Book of Poejie^ feH. ^. remarks, That Ariofio has too 
 much Flame. And Se^ion xi, he takes notice, into 
 what Enormities Petrarch hath run in his Africa ; Ariofto 
 in his Orlando Furiofo -^ Cavalier Marino in his Adoni^^ 
 and aU the other Italians Wj\iO were ignorant of Arifta- 
 tie's Rules,- and follow'd no other Guides but their 
 own Genius and Capricious Fancy : The truth is, fays 
 Rapin^ the Wits of Italy were fo prepoflefs'd in favour of 
 the Romantick Poetry of Pulci^ Boyardo and Ariofto, that 
 they regarded no other Rules, than what the Heat of 
 their Genius infpir*d. 
 
 The fame Author in the Second part of thofe Reflect- 
 ens. Sell. 8. obferves, That Ariofto s Epifodes are too Af- 
 fedied, never prohalle^ never prtpard^ and often with- 
 out any dependance on his Subject-, as that of King A- 
 gramante and Marfifa ; but thefe things are not to be 
 expected from a Poem, where the Heroes are Paladins : 
 And where predominates an Air of Chimerical and 
 Romantick Knight-Errantry^ rather than any Heroick 
 Spirit. 
 
 But, ro conclude, Rapin, SeX. 1 6 tells us, That Ari- 
 ofio had fomewhat more of an Epick Poem than the 
 reft of the Italians, becaufe he had read Homer and Fir' 
 gil ; He is pure. Great, Sublime, admirable in the Ex- 
 preffion ; His Defcriptions are Mafter-pieces ; but he has 
 no judgment at all ^ his Wit (fays Rapin') is like the fruit- 
 ful Ground, that together produces Flowers and Thiftles ; 
 
 He 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 29 
 
 Hefpeaks well, but thinks ill, and tho' all the Pieces of 
 his jfoem are pretty, yet the whole Work together is no» 
 thing worth, for an Epkk Poem : He had not then feen 
 the Rules of Ariflotle, as Taffo did afterwards, who is 
 better than Ariofto, fays Rapifiy whatever the Academy 
 of Florence fay to the Contrary. 
 
 Dryden^ in his Dedication to the Earl of Dorfet before 
 the Tra^Jlation of Juvenal, pag. 7. fays, That Ariojio, 
 an Epkk Poet,- neither Defignd Juftly, nor Obferv'd 
 any Unity of Acftion, or Compafs of Time, or Mo- 
 deration in the Vaftnefs of his Draught; His Style, 
 fays Dryden, is Luxurious, without Majefty, or decency; 
 And his Adventures, without the Compafs of Mature znd 
 Poffihility. 
 
 Sir fT//^. Temple,ix\ his Ejfay of Poetry, ^df^. 46. Remarks, 
 That, Ariofto and Tajfo enter'd boldly upon the Scene 
 of Herotck Foems^ but having not VVings for fo High 
 Flights, began to learn of the Old ones, fell upon 
 their Imitations, and chiefly of Virgil, as far as the 
 Force of their Genius, or Difadvantage of New Langua- 
 ges and Cuftoms would allow. 
 
 John Boccacey 
 
 A Mod generally known and extolled Florentine Wri- 
 ter, and worthily Rank'd among the Poets, not 
 only for his Bucolicks, but feveral other Writings of a 
 Poetical Nature, as his Genealogia di Dei, his Huomini 
 JfUuflri, his Decameron, his Hovels, 6cc. befides which 
 he Wrote feveral other Things both I/iflorical and 
 Geographical. He 
 
30 Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 He was Born at CertaUum^ a Town belonging to 
 the Dutchey of Florence^ in the Year 13 14. He dyed in 
 the Year 1375. or, according to /^cj^.vj, 1376. 
 
 Johames Trithemiiu^ in his De Scriptorihus Eccleji' 
 afticis, iays, That Boccace, in Secular Learning, far 
 Exceeded all of that Age, and t/:^at he .was not alto- 
 gether unskill'd in Matters of Divinity. 
 
 He further fays, That he was both a Poet, a 
 Thilofopher, and an Excfllent Aftronomer ; and that 
 he was a Man of a quick, ready Wit, and a good 
 Orator. 
 
 ?' Janus Jacclus BotjfarduSt in his Icones Virorum lU 
 luflrhm^ tells us, That Boccace has Written feveral 
 Pieces; all which do iufficiently Hiew both the 
 great Learning, and the indefatigable pains of the 
 Author. 
 
 Gerardus Johannes Voftus^ I'th. iii. De Hiftorids La- 
 this, cap. I. fpeaking of Boccace s Gene alexia Deort^m, 
 fays, That Very Book got him a great Reputation, 
 both for Learning and Induftry, 
 
 But the Learned Konights^ in his Bihliotheca, tells 
 us. That fome think, this was none of his own, and 
 that he only tranfcrib'd it. 
 
 /faac Bullartj in his Acadewie des Sciences^ fays, 
 That the mod confiderable of zWBoccace's Works was 
 his Decameron, which had been receiv'd with the Uni- 
 verfal Applaufe of all Italy; and that it was fo well 
 approv'd of in Foreign Parts, that it was Tranflated 
 nto almoft all Languages; and that the more it was 
 /upprefs'd, and cenfur'd, by realon of fome fevere 'Re- 
 Hedions upon the Monks, the more it was defir'd, and 
 fought after. 
 
 Li/ks 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 3 1 
 
 Lilius Gyraldus Remarks, That Feirarch and Boccace 
 had a Poetical Genius^ but that they did not fhew 
 either Judgment or Accuracy in their Poems, which 
 unhappineis he chiefly afcnb'd to the Age they liv'd 
 in. 
 
 Erafmus in Ciceroniano, pag. 15-5'. fays, That Blofidus 
 and Boccace were inferiour to Petrarch^ both as to the 
 force and energy of Stile, and alfo the Purity and Pro- 
 priety of the Latin Tongue. 
 
 Ludovicus Vivesy lib. 3. De Tradendn DifcipliniSy 
 tells us, That Bvccace was ?etrarch\ Scholar, and 
 that he was in no refped^ to be compared with his 
 Mafter. 
 
 But in another Place he Remarks, That Boccace\ 
 Genealogia Deornm, was a Work much beyond the 
 Age he \W6 in; though he own'd, he was fometimes 
 very Dull and Tedious in his Mythological Expofiti* 
 ons. 
 
 Salvati, in his Preface to the Italian Grammar of 
 the Port-Royal, pag. 6. obferves, That Boccace was 
 much the more Correct, and Natural in his Profe, 
 than in his Ferfe. 
 
 And Paulus Jovius tells us. It was the common 
 faying in his time, That as Petrarch had but iU 
 luck in Profe, fo Boccace was Unfortunate in Verfe. 
 
 Rapin Obferves to us. That Boccace Wrote with 
 great Purity in his own Tongue; but that he was 
 too trivial and familier, to deferve the Name of an 
 Heroick Poet. ]S^p* Refle^c. on Ariftot. Treat, of Poefie, 
 parti.. Se^. i5. 
 
 He alfo in another place Remarks, That Boccaces 
 Wit is jull, but not Copious. IRap* Ibid, part i. 
 Se^.i, 
 
 And 
 
32 Chara^ers and Cenfares. 
 
 And, to conclude, He accufes him of great Va- 
 nity, in making htmfelf the conflant Subject: of his 
 Difcourfe. 
 
 Boccaces Decads, or t^ovelsy are Prohibited by the 
 Church of Rome, being inferted in the Index Expurgato* 
 r'iur. Printed in O^Jx;<?, 1681. ^t Rome. 
 
 George Buchanan^ 
 
 AN Excellent Latin Poet, Born in a Village, in the 
 Province of Lennox^ in Scotland^ Anno Dom. I ^06. 
 about the beginning of February. He died at £- 
 d'tnhurgh^ in the Year 1581. the z'^th. day of Decent' 
 her. 
 
 Buchanan, a Man born, as he himfelf hath Written 
 in a Poem, Nee Calo, nee Soloy nee Seculo erudito, that 
 is, neither in a Climate, nor Country, nor Age of any 
 Learning; yet, fays Camhden, happily arriving himfelf 
 at the Top and Perfediion of Poetical skill, fo as He 
 may defervedly be reckon'd Prince of the Poets of this Age. 
 CamWen's Annals, 1581. 
 
 Thuanus, in his mod incomparable Hifloryy tells us, 
 That Buchanan had not his Fellow in the Age he 
 Liv'd, cither in refpedl of his natural Wit, or of 
 the excellent Talent he had in Writing; which even 
 his Works, which in fpite of envy or Malice will furvive 
 as long as the World endures, do fufficiently demonftrate 
 Cl^U^U* Ad Annum, 1581. 
 
 Turnehus, in his Adverfar. lib. i. cap, i. fays, he believes, 
 there is no Man in France, w^o has had any thing of 
 
 Educatior 
 
CharaBers and Ce;? fares. 33 
 
 Education, or Breeding, but is acquainted with George 
 Buchanan^ who is not only an Excellent Poet, but one 
 \jiA\i ib tluougii'y ikill'd in all forts of Learning. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger ^ in Scaligeram i. pofuively affirms. 
 Tiiat Buchanan, for Latin VQik, excels ali the Poets in 
 Europe. 
 
 Father f^avajfr tlie Jefu/t, in his Remarq anonym, fur 
 les Keflex, touchant la Poetique^ par. 66. tells us, That of 
 ali the Potts who have writ in Latin^ he knew no Man 
 who was more a Mafter of his own Ideas, nor who 
 could wicli more eafe command his Style, and his Ex- 
 preiTions, than BMchanan. 
 
 Dr. Burnet, in his Hift. of the Reform, takes notice. 
 That among Tho^e who were at this time (i5'4i) in 
 hazard, George Buchanan was one. The Clergy were re- 
 folv'd to be reveng'd on him, for the Iharpnefs of the 
 Poems he hid written againll them : And the King had 
 fo abioluuiy left all Men to their Mercy, that he had 
 died with the refl, if he hid not made his elcape out 
 of Prifon : Then he went beyond Sea, and liv'd twenty 
 Years in that Exile, and was fbrc'd to teach a School 
 mod part of the time; yet the greatnels of his Mind, 
 hys^Burnet, was not opprefs*d wich that mean Employ- 
 ment. In his Writings there appears, not only all the 
 Beauty and Graces of the Latin Tongue, but a Vigor of 
 Mind and Quicknefs of Thought, far beyond Bemho, 
 or the other Italians^ who at that time affedted to re- 
 vive the purity of the Roman Style. It was but a fe?ble 
 imitation of TuUy in them; bur his vStyle is fo natural 
 and nervous, and his Reflexions on Things are fo folid, 
 (befidcs his Immortal Poems, in which he {hews how 
 well he could imitate all the Roman Poers, in their feve- 
 ral ways of Writing, that he who compares them, will 
 be oiten tempted to prefer the Ccpy to the Original,) that 
 
 F he 
 
34- Cbaraclers and Cenfiires. 
 
 he is juftly reckon'd the Greateft and Beft of our Mo* 
 dern Authors. JDWHtt's Hifl. of the Reform. Book 3^, 
 pag. T,ii. 
 
 Borrichius tells us, That the Poems of George Bucha- 
 nan^ the Scotchman^ have through their great variety of 
 Matter, the beauty of their Style, the luftre of their 
 Figures, and an unaffedled obfervance of a Decorum, 
 gain'd him the love and praife of almofl all Learned 
 Men. It was a high CharacSter, that Jofeph Scaliger 
 gave of Buchanan, in that Diftich of his : 
 
 Imperii fuerat Roman i Scotia Jinis, 
 Romani eioquii Scotia finis ertt. 
 
 With how much Devotion, but yet how neatly, does 
 he play upon David's Harp? How florid are his Elegies? 
 How full of gravity arc thofe Tragedies of his, Jephte, 
 and Baptifta > How fplendid are his five Books De Sphara 
 Mundi> How elegant is he in his Ly ricks, Mifcellanies^ 
 and Epigrams ? And to conclude, How iharp and Saty- 
 rical are h's Francifiamts & Fratres} )80^HCl^« Differtat. 
 Acadenu de Foetis,pag. 15-0. 
 
 Beza, in a LQtttr to Buchanan, fays, It was incredible, 
 the pleafure he took in reading his Paraphrafe upon Da- 
 vid's F/alms, 
 
 The Learned Dr. Duport, in the Preface to his Afeta- 
 phrafis Pfalmorum^ tells us. That Buchanan tranfcended 
 all that ever writ upon this Subject. 
 
 Monfieur Teiffier^ in his Elogies of the Learned Men 
 >vhich Thuanus mentions, fays, That the Paraphrafe of 
 the PJalms was Buchanans chief Mafter-piece* and that 
 which added much to the credit of this Work, was, that 
 he compos'd it at the very time his Mind was over- 
 
 whelm'd 
 
Characters and Cenftires. 35 
 
 whelm'd with Grief, to wit, while he was a Prifoner 
 in a Monaftery in PortugaL 
 
 Grotius, in his Epift. V. ad Gdlos, fpeaking of the 
 Tragedies of Buchayjany fays, That he has not fumciently 
 kept up the gravity of the Buskh; bur, in other re- 
 fpedls, that he is a very great Man. 
 
 Rapin remarks. That among the Modern Poets that 
 have writ in Latin of late days, thofe who could at- 
 tain to the i^umlers and Cadence of Virgil, in the turn of 
 their Verfe, have had moft Reputation ; And becaufe 
 that Buchanan, who otherwife had PVit, Fancy, and a 
 pure Style, perceiv'd not this Grace, or negleded it, he 
 has loft much of his Value and Credit : Perhaps nothing 
 was wanting to make him an Accomplilh'd Poet, but 
 this perfection, which moft certainly is not Chimerical: 
 And whoever lliail refledi a little on the power of the 
 Dorian, Lydian, and Phrygian Airs, ^htxtoi Ariftotle 
 fpeaks in his Problems, and Athenaus in his Banquets, Jje 
 mud acknowledge, what Vertue there is in J^umher and 
 Harmony. )E0^p» Reflex, on Arifl. Treatife of Poefie, 
 1. part, SeSl. 37. 
 
 The fame Author tells us, That Buchanan has a Cha* 
 radier compos'd of many Charad^ers ; his Wit is eafie, 
 delicate, natural, but not great or lofty. M^Jf^ ibid, 
 part xd. Se^i, xvi. 
 
 The Jephthe, and Baptifta of Buchanan, contain little 
 confiderable, except the purity of Style, in which thefe 
 Tragedies are written. Ibtd. Se^. 23. 
 
 Buchanan^ fays Rapin, has Odes comparable to thofe 
 of Antiquity ; but he hath great Vnevenneffes by the mix- 
 ture of his CharaHer, which is not Vniform enough. /- 
 Bid. Se^. XXX. 
 
 Buchanan is noted by the Church of Rome, as Hareticm 
 pimos ClaJfiSf a Heretick of the firft Form. 
 
 F 2» Callimachus* 
 
36 CharaBns and Cenfures. 
 
 CallimachtiSy 
 
 AN Excellent Greek Post of Cyrene, in great favour 
 and elleem w ith Ftolomceus Philadelphus, and of 
 his Son EuergeteSj in honour of uhofe Qaeen he wrote 
 his FiiStion, call'd Coma Berenices. He alio wrote Hymns^ 
 Elegies, and Epigrams, whereof many of his Hyntns and 
 Epigrams^ as aifo fhveral Fragments of his other Works, 
 are yet extant, and not manv Years fmce publilhed by 
 the Learned Madenwifelle le Fevre, with Notes and Re- 
 marks full of folid Learning. 
 
 This Poet was one of the mofl; Learned Men in his 
 Age, according to the Opinion of TaMaquillus le Fevre^ 
 and iome other Criticks : And, it may be, we cannot 
 eafily find an Author, who has writ a grtater Number 
 oPPoems J though chey were generally but fmall Pieces; 
 for the averfion he had to long and tedious Works, made 
 him often fay. That a great Book was a great Evil. But 
 herein he did by no means pkale the Criticks of that Age, 
 who commonly thought (but with little reafon,) That 
 Poets, Ukc the Sea, ihould never be c/ry, and that to 
 Ahound'wzs the bell: Qii.ility of a Writer. 
 
 Mademoifelle le Fevre, in the Preface to her Edition of 
 Callimachus^ fays, That in all the Writings of the Anci- 
 ent Greeks, there never was any thing more Elegant, 
 nor more polite, than the Works of Callimachus. 
 
 And of the fame Opinion was her Father, TanaquiiluSt 
 in his Ahrege des Vies des Poetes Grecs, pag. 14], 144. 
 who tells us, That the way ■ lat Callimachus took in 
 Compofing his Verfes, was both pure and Mafculine ; 
 
 that 
 
CharaUers and Cenfures. - 3 7 
 
 that Cattdlus and Propertm did often imitate him, nay, 
 and that fometimes they dole from bim. 
 
 In thefe laft Ages, there have been fome Critkh, 
 who would by no mtans allow, that Callnnachus ever 
 had any great Genius for Voetry ; and amongft ofejiers, 
 we find Ger. Job. ^ofius of this mind, in his De Arte 
 foetkh,. pag. %y, and alfo pag. 67, It is v'ery probable, 
 they might ground this their Opinion upon that Diftich 
 of Ovid : 
 
 ^ Battiades^^/o fewper cantahitur Or he, ^ callimachus 
 Quamvis ingenio mn valet ^ Arte valet. 
 
 So that upon the faith of Ovid, they have given it 
 for granted. That this Poet does rather abound with 
 Art and Lahour, than with Wit or Spirit. But Daniel 
 Heinfm, in his Preface before Hefiod, Printed 1603. 
 explaining this place of Ovid, tells us, That when this 
 Author feerns to accufe Callimachus, for not having had 
 a Genius ,• \i\s meaning is not, that he wanted [nvention. 
 Subtlety, Addrefc, or Wit ,• .but only, that He is not 
 Natural enough, that he \s too elaborate, and has too 
 much of affedtation, as if he thought it more honour 
 to be a good Gramarian, than to be a true Poet. And 
 hence (without doubt) it waj. That Candidm Hefychitis, 
 a late Author with that fi(5titious Name, in his Book 
 Entituled Gode/Ius utrum Poeta, cap. %.pag. 75-. faith, That 
 Cdlmadmsr finding that the Wind did nortavour him, 
 nevi:r durft v, nture into the open Sea, but always kept 
 near the Shore, that fo he might the more eaniyVet in- 
 to Barlour-, that is to fay. He wanting a Poetical Ge^ 
 nius, ana tnat Enthufujm which elevates Poets, he never 
 card to undertake a Work of too great a length. 
 
 Not 
 
38 Characlers and C en fares. 
 
 Not only Quintilian, in his hjlitut. Orator'iar. lib. x. 
 ca^. I. but alfo Fhilippus Beroaldus, in his Comment upon 
 Propertius,2iS hkewifc Gcr. Job. Voffius^ in his Inflitut. Foe- 
 tic, lib. 3. pag. 51. do feverally conclude, and agree, 
 That Callimachus pafs'd among the Greeks for their bed, 
 and chiefeft Writer of Elegies. 
 
 Though Calliwachuswas generally efteem'd a very good 
 Grammarian, yet fofeph Sca/iger, in Scaligerana z.pag. 187. 
 fays, That he affeded the mod obfcure, Antique, and im- 
 proper Words, in many of his Poems. 
 
 Joannes Jonfius, in his De Script or thus Hiflorice Thilo- 
 fophicce, lib. 11, cap. v. affirms, That Callimachus was a 
 mod Excellent Critick-^ and that we cannot fufficiently 
 deplore the lofs of thofe many Pieces he Wrote^ in re- 
 lation to that fort of Learning. 
 
 Cairn Valerius Catullus, 
 
 A Writer of Epigrams. He was Born at Verona about 
 the end of the Second Year of the 173. Olympiad^ 
 Eighty Six Years before Chrifi. He died in the Thirtieth 
 Year of his Age, and in the Fourth Year of the 180. 
 Olympiad y the very Year that Cicero returned from his 
 Exile. 
 
 Fetrus Crinitus^ in his De Poetis LatiniSy tells us, That 
 Catullus had fo grcata reputation for Learning, that even 
 by the general confent of the Learned, the Epithet of 
 Do^!4s was affixed to his Name. Ovid thought, that, for 
 Majefty and loftinefs of Verfe, Catullus was no way in- 
 feriour to Virgil \iimk\L And 'tis certain, fays Crinitus, 
 
 that 
 
Cbara^ers and C en fares. 39 
 
 that notwithftanding both the Plinys have condemn'd 
 Catullus s Verfe, as harfti and unpleafant, yet be has gene- 
 rally been accounted a mod Elegant Poet, and has had 
 feveral who have copy'd after him. 
 
 Petrus V't^orms, lih. iz. cap. xv. yariarum Le^muw, 
 fays. That 'tis impoflible any thing can be more Witty, 
 more Learned, or more Pleafant, than Catullus ; not to 
 meddle with the purity of his Stile, wherein he Tran- 
 fcends almoft all others. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger. in Scaligerana i. remarks, that Catullus 
 was too Critical, and tooftridian obfcrverof xh^ Roman 
 Elegancies. 
 
 Turnehus, lib. iz, Adverfar. cap. i. ftiles Catullus 
 The Sweeteft, and moft Polite, of all the Poets. 
 
 Paulus Manutius^ in his Third Book, and Fourteenth 
 Epift. to Muretus, gives Catullus the preference before 
 TibulluSy or PropertiuSf in the Elegancy of Stile, and in 
 curious, neat Sentences. 
 
 W calls Catullus J a Learned, Eloquent, and Witty, 
 but withall an Obfcene Poet. 
 
 Martial had fo high an Opinion of CatulluSf that we 
 find he compares him even to Firgil: 
 
 Ta>ttum magna fuo delet Verona Catullo, 
 Quantum parvafuo^'asil\X2LWx^^\o. 
 l99^Yt« lih, 14. Epigr. 195-. 
 
 BorrichiuSy in his Dijfert. Acad, De Poetis, pag. 49.' 
 fays, That C4f«//«x was much in C/^^r(?*s favour, and that 
 he was a very fweet Poet; and if at any time he ap- 
 pears hard or rough, efpecially in his Epicks, yet he 
 has made fufficiently amends by his wonderful pleafant 
 Wit, and by his pure Elegancy in the Roman Lan- 
 guage. 
 
 He 
 
40 Characters and Cenfures, 
 
 HezMoadds^ that 'tis pity his Wh was not better em- 
 ployed. 
 
 Cafpar Barthm^ /ih.'^^. cap. 7. Adverfar. tells us, Tiiat 
 Catidlus's Contemporaries, g3\ ehi.ii the Title of Learned^ 
 for no other realon, but only becaufe, he was the firft 
 thai knew hew to Ti^nflau- into Latht Verfe, whatfoever 
 was moft Ci-uUtifuI and Delicate in the Gresk Poets-, 
 which, before him, was thought impolilble to be done. 
 Jid/us Scalfger,\a his De Poeit/cajj.^6 ^ k) StT[\2it hene're 
 could find in any i^uthor, nor fo/his heart can he iiTiigir.e 
 the reafon, why the Amkp.ts gave Catullus the Title of 
 Learned', fince He does not fee there is any thing in 
 his Books, but what is common and ordinary. He 
 fiySf his Stile his generally very hard n.nd unpolilh'd ; 
 though indeed, fometimes it flows like Water, and has 
 no flrength; that he is often fo very immodfil, that it 
 puts him out of Countenance ^ and, th.it fometimes he 
 is fo very languid and faint, that he cannot but pity 
 himj and, to Conclude, that he is often under fuch dif- 
 ficulty, and conilraint, that he is mightily troubled and 
 concern'd for him. 
 
 Rapi^ remarks. That Catullus in his Elegies has too 
 much Softnefs^ and a Negligence too affetled. 
 
 The Beauty o^ an Epigram^ f^Lys Rapin, confids either 
 in the delicate turn^ or in a lucky word. The Greeks have 
 underltood this fort of Poejie otherwife than the Latins. 
 The Greek Epigram runs upon the turn of a Thought that 
 is Natural, but fine and fubtle. The Latin Epigram^ by 
 afalfe /^/?ethat fway'd in the beginning of the decay of 
 the Latin Tongue, endeavours to furprize the Mind by 
 iome nipping Word, which is call'd a Point. Catullus Writ 
 after the former manner, which is of ^Jiner Chara(Sler ; 
 for he endeavours to clofe a natural Thought within a 
 
 delicate 
 
Characters and Cenpires. 4.1 
 
 delicate turn of Words, and within the fimplicity of a 
 very foft ExprelTion. 
 
 Martial was in fome manner the Author of this 
 ether way, that is to fay, to terminate an ordina- 
 ry Thought by fome Word that is furprizing. After 
 all. Men of a good Tafte, fays Rapin^ preferred the 
 way of Catullus, before that of Martlul; th?re be- 
 ing more of true delicacy in that, than in this. And 
 in thefe latter Ages, we have feen a Noble Verietian, 
 named Andreas Maugerius, who had an exquifire dif- 
 cernment, and who, by a natural Antipathy againfl all 
 that which is called Pointy which he judged to be 
 of an ill reliili, facrific'd every Year, in Ceremony, 
 a Volume of Martial's Epigrams y to the Manes of 
 Catullus, in Honour to his Charradler, which he judg'd 
 was to be preferred to that of Martial. '^di^iXts 
 Reflexions on Ariftotle'j Treatife cf Poefie, part 2. SeX, 
 29, and 31. 
 
 Gerardm Johannes Vojfim obfervcs, That the rough- 
 nefs, or unevenels Jn Catullus s Verfe, fo much taken 
 notice of by the bed Criticks, proceeds chiefly from 
 his too frequent ufe of the Figures, EXhlipfis, and 
 Synalcepha, Lih. 3. Inftitutionum Poeticarum^ pag. 56. 
 
 Geoffry Chaucer. 
 
 THree feveral Places contend for the Birth of this 
 Famous Poet. Firfi, Berkfhire, from the words 
 ot Lelandf that he was born in Barocenfi Provincia j and 
 Mr. Cambden affirms, that Dunington-Caflle, nigh unto 
 
 G Neivlury 
 
42 Chara^ers and Censures. 
 
 t^eivhury, was Anciently his Inheritance. Secondly, Ox- 
 ford/hire^ where, John Pits is pofitive, that his Father 
 (who was a Knight) Hv'd, and that he was born at 
 Woodjlcck. Thirdly^ The Author of his Life, Printed 
 i6oi. Suppofes him to be born at Londoyt, But though 
 the place of his Birth is not certainly known, yet this 
 is agreed upon by all hands, that he was counted the 
 chief of the En£lijh Poets, not only of his time, but 
 continued to be io efleem'd till this Age; and as much 
 as we dcfpife his old faihion'd Phrafe, and Obfolete 
 Words, He was one of the firll Refiners of the En^lifl? 
 Language. 
 
 Of how great efteem he was in the Age wherein he 
 flourifli'd, viz. the Reigns of Henry the iV. Henry the 
 V. and part of Henry the VI. appears, befides his being 
 Knighted, and made Poet Lauriate by the Honour he 
 had to be ally'd by Marriage to the great E^rl of Lan- 
 cajhr, 'John of Gaunt. 
 
 We have feveral of his Works yet extant, but his 
 Squires Tale, and fome other of his Pieces are not to be 
 found. 
 
 John Pits, in his De Illtiflrihus Anglia Scriptorihus, fays,. 
 That Chaucer fo illuflrated the Englijh Poetry, that 
 he may juftly be efleem'd our En^lifh Homer. 
 
 //frlikewife tells us, that he was an Excellent Rhetori- 
 cian, a skillful Mathematician, an acute Philofopher, and 
 no contemptible Divine. 
 
 Winflanley, in the Lives of the Englijh Poets, compares 
 Chaucer for the fweetnefs of his Poetry, to Stefichorus ; 
 And Q faith he ) as Cethegus was call'd Suadce Medulla, 
 fo may Chaucer be rightly call'd the Pith and Sinews of 
 Eloquence, and the very life it kXi of all Mirth and 
 pleafant Writing^. Befides, one gift he had above other 
 Authors, fays Winftanley, and that is, by the Excellencies 
 
 of 
 
Cbara^ers and C en fares.. 43 
 
 of his Defcriptions, topoflefshis Readers with a ftronger 
 Imagination of feeing that done before their Eyes 
 which they Read, than any other that ever Writ in any 
 
 Tongue. 
 
 But above all. He tells us, Chaucer's Canterhury-Tales, 
 is mod valu'd and eftcem'd of. 
 
 The Learned and Ingenious Mr. Roger Afcham calls 
 Chaucer^ 'XhtEngHJh Homer \ adding alfo, That he values 
 his Authority equal to that of Sophocles or Euriftdes in 
 Greek. 
 
 Sir Vhillp Sidney, in his Defence of Poefic, gives him 
 this Charader; Chaucer undoubtedly did excellently in his 
 Troilus and Crefcid, of whom truly I know not whether to 
 marvel more^ either that He inthatmifty time could fee fo 
 clearly y or We in this clear Age walk fo ftumhlingly after 
 him. 
 
 This agrees with the following Verfes, made by Sir 
 John Denham: 
 
 Old Chaucer y like the Morning Star , 
 To us difcovers Day from far; 
 His light thofe Mifts and Clouds diffolvd^ 
 Which our dafk l^ at ion long involvd ; 
 But he defending to the Shiides, 
 Dark»efs again the Age invades. 
 
 %. ®eni&am* Ue 3d. Edit, i6^.pag. 89. 
 
 Sir Henry Savil^ in his Preface to Bradwardins Book 
 againft Pelagius, fays, that Chaucer was the chief of our 
 Englifh Poets, andthat he hada fharp Tudgmcnt/urd 3 p;ca- 
 fanc Wit; and that he was alfo well skilled both lii Phi- 
 lofophy and Divinity. 
 
 Sir Richard Baker, in the Reigii A Edward the Thirds 
 (i'iks Sir 6eoffryChJucer,xhQ Homer 01 oui I^ation,* lidding, 
 
 G X That 
 
44 Chara^ers and Cetifures. 
 
 That he found as fweet a Mufe in the Groves of Pf^ooJ' 
 ftock^ as the Ancients did upon the Banks of Helicon. 
 
 Camlden alfo,in his Britannia^ tells us,That it is the only 
 thing the Town of Wood/lock hath to brag of, That ihe gave 
 Birth to Geoffrey Chancer, our Enzfijh Homer ; of whom, in 
 his Opinion, may truly be faid, that which an Italian 
 Poet once apply 'd to Homer: 
 
 Hie iUe eft^ cnjus de gurgite Sacro 
 
 Comhihit ar cantos vatnm omKis turbn furores- 
 
 Dr. S^rat, in his Hifiory o\ the Roy jI Society, pag, 42,. 
 fays, Thst till the time of King He»ryx\\i Eighth, there 
 Was fcarce any man regarded i'hQ B^jglifb Language , but 
 Chaucer*, and that nothi:ig was Written i;i if, vAudi one 
 would be willing to read twice, bui: ifome of his I-'octry ; 
 But that then it began to i^sifeitfelf a little, and to found 
 tolerably well. 
 
 Tho' Ferflegan commends Chaucer^ as an excellent Poet 
 for his time J yet he whoHy diflers from ^aok, who are of 
 opinion, that/'f did fo mightily refine ihtEngliJh language. 
 Indeed, he rather condemns Chaucer for adulterating the 
 Englifh Tongae, by the mixture of fo many French and Latin 
 Words. 
 
 This our Voet, lies buried in Weftminfter Abby, with 
 the following Infcription; 
 
 Qui fuit Anglorum vates ter maximus olim, 
 Galfridus Chaucer, conditurhk Tumulo, 
 Annum fi queer as Domini^ fi tempora Mortis, 
 Ecce not a fuhfunt, ([Uie tibi cun^a not ant ^ 
 15 Odtobris 1400. 
 yErumnarum requies Mors. 
 <15<C0l^ll^ JBTiS^^ttl bos fecit Mufarum nomine fumpt us. 
 
 Clatidim 
 
Charailers and Cenfures. 45 
 
 Claudius Claudianus^ 
 
 BOrn at Alexandria in Egypt ; he flouriih'd in the 
 time of Theodofius the Great, and his Children, 
 ChriJlJan Fmperours, tho' he himfelf continued an Ob- 
 ftin^te Heathen ; however, for his eminency in Latin 
 Poetry (whereof his Froferpind^ Rape, and feveral other 
 Fotms > ec extant, are a Ttftimon) ,) he had his Statue 
 erected by Area Jius and Honorius. And in that InTcrip- 
 tion. which was fet upon his Statue, he is called Fnegio- 
 riofiffi^tis Foetarum. 
 
 Fetrus Cfhitus. lib. v. De Foe f is Latinis, cap. 85. fays, 
 That Claudian wr.s of an Excellent Genius, very much 
 adaprcd to Poetry; that he is very happy in his Flights, 
 and takes fuch a wonderful delight in the variety of /*"/- 
 gures and Se}7te>:ces, that he feems by I^ature to have been 
 defign'd lor a Poet. 
 
 Joanyies Ludovicus P^ives, in his Comment upon St. 
 Aufiins Fifth IJook De Civitate Dei, cap. 25'. tells us, 
 That Claudian was born to-Foetrj ; that he was both E- 
 legant, and Witty, and of a true Poetical Genius^ but 
 inclining to Superftition ; and that, as for his Poem De 
 Chr'ijlo^ he verily believes, he wrote it only to pleafe Ho- 
 »oriuSy (o great a Sycophant was Claudian. 
 
 'Julius Cafar Scahger, lih. 6. cap. 5". De re Foetica, fays, 
 That Claudian was a very great Poet ; and that though 
 he did not treat of the noblell fort of Subjedb, yet 
 what was wanting that way, he would be fure to fup- 
 p!y with his Wit. He adds. That he was a Poet of a 
 right happy Vein, that he had a folid judgment, that 
 his Stfle was pure, eafie, and natural, and that he 
 
 had 
 
^6 Chara^Urs and Cenfares. 
 
 had a great deal of fmartnefs, without the lead affecta- 
 tion. 
 
 Liiius Gregorius Gyraldui tells us, That he did not 
 much diflike Clau^ians V^erfes, the' there were fome 
 who did, upon the account of their having no variety; 
 but always falling into the fame Cadence. Bur, fays 
 Gyraldus, if there be any that approve of his Verfcs, 
 Jet them do lo, with all my heart; yet he is fure, 
 Claudian flags in the Invention; for tho' at his firft fet- 
 ting out, he feems to be full of Fire, and very brisk, 
 yet all of a fudden he (lops, like a Man out of breath, 
 and his Conclufion is never anfwearable to his Begin- 
 ning. However, as Pifo faid, Claud'ta'4 is a quick, rea- 
 dy Poet, and there is in him a great deal of Mufick and 
 Sweetnefs: But yet the truth of it is, he is not fit to 
 be Copy 'd after ; Though, zs Gyraldus obfcrves, there 
 are Flowers in him, which if a Wife Man have the ga- 
 thering, would be of wonderful advantage. 
 
 George Buchanan^ in iiis Dialogue, De Jure Regni apud 
 Scotos, fliles Claud/an, a Poet of an Excellent Wit, and 
 of very great Learning. 
 
 Euflatius Sivjrfius, lih. \ AnahUorum^ cap. xiii. fays, 
 That Claudian was a Pcet uorthy of tlie highefl Com- 
 mendation ; and that tho* his Wit and Eloquence hap- 
 pened to be in a Vicious Age; yet, fince Auguftuss Reign, 
 no Man went beyond him, either in purity of Style, or 
 loftinefs of Exprcflion^ 
 
 But Honor at us Faher, lih. 3. Euphyandri, cap. z. tells us, 
 Though his Style be natural, (ofr, and fweet, yet that 
 his Latin is not fo v^ery pure, as fomc would pcrfwade 
 us. 
 
 Bor rich/us, in his V/Jfertat. Acad. De Foetis, pag. 7^. 
 obfcrves to us, That even at this day Claudians Verfes 
 are read with great Veneration, in refped; o{ his pro- 
 found 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfares, 47 
 
 found Wit ; that his Style is chaft, grave, and fublime; 
 and yet, which is a thing to be admir'd, eafie and natu- 
 ral, interwoven mih Moral and Political Inftrudiions ; 
 but, to fpeak the truth, his Style is now and then a 
 little too haughty, and he is too full of the Sallies of 
 Touth, which yet in f^irgil no Man ever had juft reafon 
 to find fault with. 
 
 Rapifi remarks, That ClanJian hath Wir and Fancy ; 
 but no tarte for that delicacy of the M^trilers, and that 
 turn of the Verfe, which the Skilful admire in f^irgil ;. 
 that he falls perpetually into the fame Cadence; and, for 
 that caufe, one can hardly read him without being wea- 
 ried ; And that he has no Elevation in any kind, 
 ^^P* Reflex, on Arifl, Treatife of Poefif^ part id. 
 
 fi^. XV. 
 
 The fame Author tells us, That the Common Under- 
 takers, in Fanegyricks, who have nor force to /orw hand- 
 fomely a Defign, loofe the Reins to their Fancy ; and 
 after they have pii'd a heap of grofs and deform'd Prai- 
 fes^ without Order or Connexion, one upon another, 
 ThiSy forfooth, muft be call'd a Panegyrick. 'Tis thus, 
 fays Rapin^ that Claud'ian has Prats d the Emperour Ho- 
 noriuSi. and the Confuls, Prohinus^ Olyorius, Stilicon) and 
 the other Illuftrious Perfons of his time. Throughout 
 all his Panegyricks reigns an Air of Touthfukefs ^ fays 
 Rapin, that has nothing of what is Solid^ though there 
 appears fome Wit. IR^p. ihid fetl. xiv. 
 
 'jojeph Scaliger^ in Scaligerana pofter. pag. 51. calls Claw 
 dian a mod Elegant Poet ; adding^ That he has a great 
 many fine things in his Panegyrick u^on the fourth 0«- 
 fulfl:>ip of Honor ius, 
 
 'Joannes CufpinianuSy in Commentario, ad annum Vr* 
 lis MCLlI.lays, Thdit Claud/an writ a mod Elegant Pa- 
 negyrick upon this fourth Conjuljhip of Honorius ; which, 
 
4.8 Chambers and Cenfares. 
 
 fays he^ if a Man reads carefully, it may fave him the 
 reading the feveral Hiftories of thofe times; for that 
 one may there find all the remarkable Occurrences, that 
 had then happen'd : To conclude, hefays. That Claudian 
 was a Man of Vniverfal Learning. 
 
 Abraham Cowley^ 
 
 WAs born in Fleetftreet^ near to the end of Chan- 
 eery-Lane^ in the ParKh of St. Dunjian in the 
 Weft, London, Anno 1618. His Father, who was a Gro^ 
 cer^ dying before the Son was born, the Mother, by 
 her Endeavours and Friends, got him into We(lmin(ier 
 School, as a King's Scholar; where, in the Year 1633, 
 then going into the Sxteenth Year of his Age, he Com- 
 posed a book, called Poetical Blojfoms ; whereby the 
 great pregnancy ol his Parts was di^cover'd : Soon after 
 having obrain'J the Greek and Roman Langudg^^s, he was 
 remov'd to Tr'mity-Colledge in Cambridge, wiicre moft of 
 his Works were writ, or at leift defign'd. 
 
 Dr. Sprat fays, That of the feveral Works publiHied 
 by Mr. Cowley^ it is hard to give one general Cha- 
 ra£ier, becaufe of the difference of their Subjects ; and 
 the various forms and diliant times of their Writing. 
 Yet, fays he, this is true of them all, Thar, in all the 
 feveral Ihapes of his Style^ there is flill very mvich of 
 the Hkcnefs and i'-nprelTion of the fame Mind : The fame 
 unaffedlcd Modcf^y, and natural (reedom, and eafis vi- 
 gour, and chearful pjflion.';, and innocent mirth, which 
 appear'd in all his Manners. We have many things 
 
 that 
 
k 
 
 Characters and Cenfares. 4.9 
 
 thst he writ in two very un/ike Conditions, in the Z/fti' 
 lerftty and the Court. But in his Poetry^ as well as his 
 life, he mingled with Excellent Skill what was good in. 
 both States. In his Life he joyn'd the innocence and 
 fincerity of the Scholar, with the humanity and good 
 behaviour of the Courtier. In his Poems he united die 
 Solidity and Art of the One, with the Gentility and 
 Gracefulnefs of the Other. 
 
 If any (hall think, that he was not wonderfully curi- 
 ous in the choice and elegance of all his Words : 1 will 
 affirm, fays Sprat, with more truth on the other fide, 
 That he had no manner of affectation in them : He 
 took them as he found them made to his hands ; he nei- 
 ther went before, nor came after the ufe of the Age. 
 He forfook the Converfation, but never the Language, 
 of the City and Court. He underflood exceeding well, 
 all the variety and power of Poetical Numhers ; and 
 pradis'd all forts with great happinefs. If his Verfes 
 in fome places feem not as foft and flowing as fome 
 would have them, it was his choice not his fault. He 
 knew that in diverting Mens Minds, there fhould be 
 the fame variety obfcrv'd, as in the profpec^s of their 
 Eyes : Where a Rock, a Precipice, or a riling Wave, is 
 often more delightful than a fmooth, even Ground, or 
 a Calm Sea. Where the Matter required it, he was as 
 gentle as any Man. But where higher Vertues were 
 chiefly to be regarded, an exa^ Nunjerofty was not then 
 his main Care. This (fays Sprat) may ferve to anfwer 
 thofe who upbraid fome of his Pieces with roughnefst 
 and with mox^ ContraBion than they are willing to al- 
 low. But thefe Admirers of Gentlemfs without Sinews^ 
 fhould know that different Arguments mufl have diffe- 
 rent Colours of Speech : That there is a kind of vari- 
 ety of Sexes in Poetry^ as well as in Mankind; That as 
 t<iG-: H the 
 
50 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 the peculiar Excellence of the Feminine Kind, is fmooth' 
 nefs and haMty ; So Strength is the chief Praife of the 
 Mafculine. 
 
 He had a perfed; Maftery in both the Languages in 
 which he writ : But each of them kept a juft didance 
 from the other; neither did his Latin make his Englijh 
 too old, nor his Englijh make his Latin too Modern. 
 He exccll'd both in Profe and f^erfe; and loth together 
 have that pcrfecStion, which is commended by fome of 
 the Ancients, above all others, that they are very ob- 
 vious to the Conception, but moft difficult in the imi* 
 tation. 
 
 His Fancy flow'd with great fpeed, and therefore it 
 was very fortunate to him, that his Judgment was equal 
 to manage it. He never runs his Reader, nor his Ar- 
 gument, out of breath. He perfecSbly pradlifes the hard- 
 eft Secret of good Writing, to know when he has done 
 enough. //(? always leaves off in fuch a manner, that 
 it appears it was in his power to have faid much more. 
 In the particular Exprelfions there is flill much to be 
 applauded, but more in the Difpofition, and order of 
 the whole. From thence there fprings a new Comeli- 
 nefs, befidcs the feature of each part. His Invention is 
 powerful, and large as can be defir'd. But it leems all 
 to arifc out of the Nature of the Subjedt^ and to be 
 juft fitted for the thing of which he fpeaks. If e- 
 ver he goes far for it, he difTcmbles his pains admirably 
 well. 
 
 The Variety of Arguments that he has manag'd, is (o 
 large, that there is fcarce any particular of all the Pafi- 
 ens of Men, or Works of Nature^ and Providence, which 
 he has pafs'd by undefcrib'd. Yet (fays Sprat) he ft ill 
 obfervesthe Rules of Decency, with fo much care, that 
 whether he infiames his Reader with the fofter . A flexi- 
 ons, 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenftires. 51 
 
 ons, or delights him with inofFenfive Raillery, or teaches 
 the familiar Manners of Life, or adorns the Difcove- 
 ries of Piiilofophy, or infpircs him with the Heroick 
 Charaders of Charity and Religion ; To all thefe Mat- 
 ters, that are (o wide afunder, jays Sprat, he ftill pro- 
 portions a due Figure of Speech, and a proper Meafure 
 of Wit. This indeed is mod remarkable, that a Man 
 who was fo conftant and fix'd in the Moral Ideas of his 
 Mind, ihould yet be fo changeable in his htelletlual, 
 and in hoth\.o the higheft degree of Excellence. 
 
 In his Latin Foems^ fays Dr. Sprat ^ he has exprefs'd 
 to admiration, all the I^umhers of Verfes, and Figures 
 of Poefie, that are fcatter'd up and down among the 
 Ancients. Thefe is hardly to be found in them all, any 
 good faihion of Speech, or colour of Meafure, but he 
 has comprehended it, and given inftances of it, accord- 
 ing as his feveral Arguments required either a Majejlick 
 Spirit, or a Paffionate^ or a Pleafant. This is the more 
 extraordinary, in that it was never yet perform'd by 
 any Single Poet of the Ancient Romans themfelves. they 
 had the Language natural to them, and fo might eafily 
 have moulded it into what Form or Humour they 
 pleas'd : Yet it was their conftant Cullome, to confine 
 all their Thoughts and pradiice to one or two ways of 
 Writing, as defpairing ever to compafs all together. 
 This is evident in thole that excell'd in Odes and Songs, 
 in the Comical^ Tragical^ Epical^ Elegiacal^ or Satyncal 
 way. And this perhaps occafidn'd the firfl: diftiflc^ion 
 and Number of the Mufes. For they thought the Task 
 too hard for any one of them, though they fancied them 
 to be Goddejfes. And therefore they divided it amongfl: 
 them all, and only recommended to each of them, the 
 care of a diftant Charadler of Poetry and Mujick. 
 ^ptat*s Account of the Life of Mr. Abraham Cowley. 
 
 H X The 
 
52 CbaraSers and Cenfures. 
 
 The Charadter that Sir John Denham gave of Ahra- 
 ham Cowley^ you may take in thefe his following 
 Vcrfes : 
 
 OU Mother W'tt^ and Nature gave 
 
 Shakefpear and Fletcher all they have', 
 
 In Spencer, and in Johnfon, Art 
 
 Of Jl"wer Nature got the Start ; 
 
 But both in him /o equal are, 
 
 None knows which hears the happtfl fljare; 
 -'' To \\\m no Author was unknown^ 
 
 Tet what he wrote was all his own • 
 
 He melted not the ancient Gold, 
 
 Nor with Ben. Johnfon did make hold 
 
 To plunder all the Roman Stores 
 
 Of poets J and of Orators : 
 
 Horace his Wit, and Virgil'^ State 
 
 He did not fleal, hut emulate ; 
 
 And ^hen he would like them appear. 
 
 Their Garb, hut not their Cloaths, did wear, 
 
 J^Ul^atW's Votms, pag. 90, 91. of the 3^ 
 Edition. 
 
 Rimer tells us, That a more happy Genius for Heroick 
 Toefie appears in Cowley^ than either in Spencer^ or Da- 
 venant. He underftood the purity^ the perfpicuity, the 
 majefly of Stile, and the Vertue of Numhers. He could 
 difcern what was beautiful and pleafant in Nature, and 
 could exprefs his Thoughts without the leafl difficulty 
 or conftraint. He underftood how to difpofe of the 
 Matters, and to manage his Digrefiions. In ihort, he 
 underftood Homer and Virgil, and as prudently made 
 his advantage of them. Yet as it may be lamented, 
 that he carried not on the Work fo far as he deiign'd, 
 
 fo 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 53 
 
 fo it might be wifh'd that he had Hv'd to Revife what 
 he did leave us.- I think, fays Rimer, the Troubles of 
 David is neither Title nor Matter proper for an Heroick 
 Poem ; feeing it is rather the Anions, than hi^ Siifferings^ 
 that make an Heroe : Nor can it be defended by Ho- 
 mersOdyJfeiSf fince Vlyjfess Sufferings conclude wiih one 
 great and perfeH Adlion. 
 
 But notwithdanding this Cenfure of Mr. Rimer, he 
 afterwards tells us, That in Cowley s Darideis (^r.^gment 
 and imperfedi as it is} there lliines fomeihingof a riicre 
 fine, more free, more new, and more noble Air, than 
 appears in the Hierufalem of Tajfo, which, for all his 
 Care, is fcarce perfectly purg'd from Pedantry. 
 
 And after all, fays Rimer, in the Lyrick way Cowley 
 far exceeds Tajfo^ and all the refl of the Italians. See 
 KitUet's Pref. to his Trar<jlat. of Rapin. 
 
 Samuel iVoodford^ m the Preface to his Paraphrafe up- 
 on the Pfahns, remarks, That in Cowley s Davideis there 
 is to be found, as much as could be expected for the 
 firft fitting, whatever is requifite to make an Heroick 
 Poem beautiful : Sound Judgment, happy Invention, 
 graceful Difpofition, unafre(9:ed Facility, ilrid: Obfer- 
 vance of Decencies, and all fet off with that Majefty 
 and Svveetnefs of Verfe, that it is to be lamented he 
 had not an Opportunity before his Death, to finilh it 
 according to his own Model, and the Provifion he had 
 laid up to that purpofe. And truly (fays Woodford) all 
 his Divine Poems, have I know not what greatnefs of 
 Spirit, which you Ihail feldom meet wixh ellewhere, 
 and in which generally he has as much out-done him- 
 felf, as in the refi equal'd the moft happy of our Modern 
 Poets. 
 
 The occafion of Mr. Cowley s falling on the Pindari^ue 
 way of Writing, was (as Dr. Sprat informs us,) his 
 
 accidental 
 
54- Characters and Cenfures. 
 
 accidental meeting with Pinclar's Works, in a place 
 where he had no other Books to diredi him : Having 
 then confider'd at leifure the height of his Invention, 
 and the Majtfly of his Style, he try'd immediately to 
 imitate it in Engltjh. And he pcrform'd it, hysSprat^ 
 without the danger that Horace prefag'd to the Man who 
 fliould dare to attempt it. 
 
 How well Cowley lucceeded in imitating the great 
 Pindar, according to the opinion of Mr. Flatman, appears 
 by his Pindar ique Ode on Samuel Woodford's Verfion of 
 the Pfalms : 
 
 Bold man^ that dares attempt Pindariqu'«^u>, 
 Since the great Pindar'^ greatefl Son 
 From the w^grateful Age isgon; 
 Cowley has lid th' ungrateful Age Adieu / 
 Apollo'j rare Columbus, He 
 Found out new Worlds cf Poetry; 
 He, like an Eagle, foard aloft^ 
 
 Tofeize his nolle prey ; 
 Tet as a Dc ve'j, his Soul was foft^ 
 Quiet as Night, hut hrigl.t as Day : 
 To Heaven in a fiery Chariot He 
 Afcended hy Seraphick Pretry ; 
 Tet which of us dull Mortals fince can find 
 Any Infpiring Mantle, that He left behind'* 
 
 Dryden tells U5, That Mr. Cowley, indeed, has brought 
 Pindarique Verfe as near Perfection as was pofTible, in fo 
 ihorta time. Bnt (Jays he') if I may be allowed to fpeak 
 my mind modcflly, and without injury to his Sacred 
 Alhes, fomewhat of the purity of Englifh^ fomewhatof 
 more equal Thoughts, fomewhat of fweetnefs in the 
 
 Numbers y 
 
CharaUers and Cenfures. 55 
 
 IfurnherSf in one word, Tomewhat of a finer turn and 
 more Lyrical Verfe is yet wanting. As for the Soul of 
 it, which confifts in the Warmth and Vigour of Fancy, 
 the Mafterly Figures, and the Copioufnefs of Imaginati- 
 on, he has exceli'd all others in this kind. Yet, if the 
 Kind it felf be capable of more Perfedion, tho' rather 
 in the Ornamental parts of it, than the EJfential, what 
 Rules of Morality or Refped: (fays Dry^en) have I bro- 
 ken, in naming theDefcd:s, that they may hereafter be 
 amended ? Imitation is a nice Point, and there are few 
 Poets who deferve to be Models in all they Write. ® J^D« 
 Fref, to the id. Part of Poetical Mifcellanies. ^ 
 
 The Earl of Mu/grave, fpeakingof the Nature of Pin- 
 dari^ue Odes^ tells us : 
 
 The Poet htxtmufl he indeed Infpird 
 W^///;Fury too, aswe/Ias^2in<zyfird. 
 Cowley might loafl to have perform d this party 
 Had he with N^imc joynd the Rules of Art; 
 But iWExprtffion gives fometimes Allay 
 To that rich Fancy, ivhich can nere decay. 
 aPUlg* EfTay on Poetry, 
 
 This Great Man, Ahraham Cowley^ lies buried in Wefi- 
 minjler Abby, near two of our mod Eminent Englijh 
 Poets, Chaucer and Spencer, with this Infcription : 
 
 ABRAHAMUS COWLEIUS, 
 
 Anglorum Pindarus, Flaccus, Maro, 
 
 Delicia, Decus, Dejiderium JEvi futy ' 
 
 JHlcjuxta Jitus efi. 
 Aurea dum voiitant late tua Script a per Or hem 
 Et Famh (eternum vivis Divine Poeta, 
 
56 Characlers and Cenfures. 
 
 /Jic pJaciJh uceas requie^ cuftodiat Vr>fam 
 Cana fides vigil entq\ pcrcnri Lampade Mufa; 
 Sit face f ifle Locus ^ nee quis temerarius aufit 
 Sacrilega turhare wanu yeneralk Buftum. 
 Jnta^i matteanty tnayieant per fecufa Dulcis 
 Couleii CiftereSf fervent q; immobile Saxum. 
 
 Sic vovetf 
 Vctumque fuum apud Pofleros facratum ejfevoluit^ 
 Qj/i viro Incomparabili pofuit Sepulchralemarmor : 
 GEORGIU^ DUX BUCKLNGHAMIi£. 
 
 Escejftt eVitti Amo ^Etatis ^^. & honorifica pompu 
 elatus ex /Edtbus Buckinghamianis, viris lllufiri- 
 bus omnium Ordinum .exfequias celehrantibuSy 
 
 Sepultut eji Die 3° Menfs Augufti, Anno Dom. 1667I 
 
 Dantes Aligerm. 
 
 AMoft Renowned Florentine, and the firfl: of Italian 
 poets of any Fame or Note. He was born in the 
 Year 1x65. He dyed at Ravanna in the Year 1311. 
 That which mod proclaims his Fame to the World, is his 
 Triple Poem, Entituled, Paradife^ Purgatory, and Hell; 
 befides which he has Wrote feveral Things in Profe. In 
 his Opufcuhim de Monarchia he held, That the Civil Govern- 
 ment had no dependancc upon the Church ; for which 
 reafon, after his Death, he was Condemn'd asan //fr^- 
 tick, and the faid Book was Prohibited by the Church of 
 Rome. 
 
 Gisbertus 
 
Characlers and C en fares. 57 
 
 Gishrtus Foetiui, in the Second Book, the Fir ft Sedli- 
 on, and the Ninth Chapter of his Bihliotheca, fays, That 
 thofe Italian Poems of Petrarcha and Aligerus, which 
 do now and then touch upon Ecdefiajlkal Matters, are 
 preferr'd by D/'i'/»^j before any of the Works of tlie other 
 Toets, 
 
 OleariuSy in his Ahacus PatroUgicus, calls Aligerus ^ a 
 Man of very great Credit and Authority, who by his 
 Learning had got the Love and Efteem of all men ; 
 and that he was fo great an Ajferter of Truth, that 
 he often laid open i\\t frauds of the Church of Rome. 
 
 Johannes Villani, both his Countrey-Man and Contem- 
 porary, in the Ninth Book of his Florentine Hiftory^ af- 
 firms. That Aligerus exceeded all that went before him, 
 either in Verfe or in Vrofe, both for Noblenefs of Fancy, 
 and a Majeftick Style. 
 
 Boccace^ in his De Cafthus virorum T/Iujlrium^ calls Dantes 
 Aligerus, an excellent Poet. 
 
 Ccelius Rbodiginus, Ith, 15-. cap. 20. Letlionum Antiquarum, 
 fliles him a Poet not contemptible. 
 
 Platina, in the Life of Boniface VIU. fays, That Dj»/fi 
 Alrlegerius was a Man of very great Learning, and an ex- 
 cellent Italian Poet. 
 
 Lilius GyraUus, remarks, That in Aligerus, one might 
 find both Learning and great Knowledge, and that he was 
 particularly skill'd in the Parijj an Divinity ; but thatheis 
 fometimes too fliarp and biting. He farther tells us, 
 That many think him too negligent in point of Order 
 and Method, and alfo as to his Style; but that one 
 Joannes Stephanus, a JFi'ermite, a Perfon of great Learn- 
 ing, and one who from his Childhood had a mighty 
 afFedion for Aligerus, was wont to refute thofe per- 
 fons, by giving a full Anfwer to their Objedions. 
 
 I Rap. 
 
 m 
 
$8 Ch drapers and C en fares. 
 
 Rap'in tells us, That Dantes Jliz^erus wants fire, and 
 that he has not heat enough. |^^p« Reflex, on Arift» 
 Treatife of Poefje, part i.feU. z. 
 
 He alfo obferves to us, That his Thoughts are fo Tro- 
 founds that much Art is required to dive into them. Ihtd. 
 fe^. xxvii. 
 
 And, to conclude, be fays, That his Triple Poem of 
 ParadifSy Purgatory, and Hell, (which the Italians of 
 thofe days, call'd a Comedy, but pafles for an Epick Poem 
 in the Opinion of Caftelvetro') is of a fad and woful con- 
 trivance; and that fpeaking generally, ^'j^/^ has a ft rain 
 too Profound, to deferve the name of an Heroick poet, 
 ^ap» Ihid. part %, fe^,\s\. 
 
 Sir William Davenant^ 
 
 T 7f ? A S born in the City of Oxford, in theParifh of 
 Y V ^^' l^^ftins, commonly call'd Carfax^ near the 
 end ot February in the Year 1605'. He was Poet iLrf«- 
 reat to King Charles the firft, and King Charles the Se- 
 cond. He dyed on the Seventh day of Aprllyi66S. Aged 
 6}. and was buried amongft the Poets in Weftminfler 
 Abb), near to his old Antagonift, and Rival for the 
 Bays, Mr. Thomas May : 'Twas obferv'd, that at his Fu- 
 neral his Coffin wanted the Ornament of his Laureats* 
 Crown, which by the Law of Heraldry juftly appertain'd 
 to him: But this omilTion {(^y s Gerard Langhaine^ is fuf- 
 ficiently recompenc'd by an Eternal Fame, which will al- 
 ways accompany his Memory; //<? having been the firft 
 Introducer of all that is Splendid in our EngUfli Operas^ 
 
 and 
 
CbaraSers and Cenfures. 59 
 
 and 'tis by his means and induftry, that our Stage at pre- 
 fent Rivals the Italian Theatre. 
 
 His Works were all Printed together in a Large Folio, 
 London 167 y and Dedicated by his Widow to his Royal 
 Highness, the late King Jjmes. 
 
 Drydeny in his Preface to the Tempefiy fays, That in 
 the Time he Writ with Sir William D^avenant, he had 
 the opportunity to obferve fomewhat more nearly of him, 
 than he had formerly done, when he had only a bare ac- 
 quaintance with him ; That he found him then of fo quick 
 a Fancy, that nothing was propos'd to him, on which 
 he could not fuddenly produce a Thought cxtreamly 
 pleafant and lurprizing; and that thofe firft Thoughts of 
 his, contrary to the old Latin Proverb, were not alivays 
 the lead happy, and that as his Fancy was quick, fo like- 
 wife were the Produd;s of it remote and new ; that he 
 borrow'd not of any other ; and that his Imitations were 
 fuch, as could not eafily enter into any other Man; that 
 his Corred:ions were fober ?nd judicious; and that he 
 Correded hii own Writings much more feverely, than 
 thofe of another Man, bellowing twice the Labour and 
 time in Poliihing, \Jvb'u-A\ he us'd in Invention. 
 
 Antonius a iVood^ in his Athene Oxonienffs^ page z^z. 
 calls D'avenant, The faeet Swan of Ifis. He fays, That 
 though he wanted much of Univerfity Learning (his G^f- 
 nius beint; always oppofite to Logick^) yet he made as 
 high and noble blights in the Poetical Faculty, as Fancy 
 could advance, without it. 
 
 rVinfianiey, in his Lives of the Englifi Poets, tells us, 
 That Sir WiHiam D'avenant may be accounted one of the 
 Chiefeftof ApoSo's Sons, for the great fluency of his Wit 
 and Fancy ; cfpecially his Gond/iert, the Crown of all 
 his other Writings. 
 
 1 z Mr. 
 
6o Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 Mr. HohhSf in his Preface to D*avena>tt's Gond'thert^ is of 
 the Opinion, That it is the bed of Herokk Poems, either 
 Ancient or Modern. 
 
 How high an Opinion alfo Mr. Coivley had of this 
 iVorkj appears by thefe following Lines of hij: 
 
 Methinks Heroick Pocfie till now 
 Like Jome FaMta(}ick Fairy- Land did/how^ 
 Gods, Devils, Nymphs, Witches, and Gyants Race, 
 And all kut Mm, /;^ Man's chief Work ^;?^ Place. 
 Thou like fume worthy Knight uj/V/; Sacred Arms 
 Dofl drive the Monfters thence ^ and end the Charms 
 Inftead of thofe dofl Men and Manners plant^ 
 The thinjs which that Rich Soil dtd chiefly Want. 
 Tet even thy Mortals do their Gods excel, 
 Tauzht hy thy Mufe to Fight and Love fo well. 
 By fatal Hands whilfl prefent Empires /j//, 
 Thine from the Grave pafl Monarchies recall. 
 So much more thanks from Humane Kind does merit 
 The Poet's Fury, than ilje Zealot's Spirit. 
 And from the Grave thou makfl this Empire rife. 
 Not like feme dreadful Ghoft t affright our Eyes, 
 But with more Luflre and Triumphant State, 
 Than when it Crown' d at proud Verona fate. 
 
 3bjt« Cottll0^> u^on D'avenant's Gondihert', 
 
 Dryden fays, That, as for Heroick Plays, the firfl light 
 we had of them on the Englifly Theatre, was from the late 
 Sir Wdliam D'avenant : It being forbidden him in the Re- 
 bellious times to A(5t Tragedies and Comedies, becaufe 
 they contain'd fome matter of Scandal to thofe good Peo- 
 pIe,who could more eafily DifpofTcfs their Lawful Sovera/gn, 
 than endure a Wantcn Jeft; he was forc'd to turn liis 
 Thoughts another way^ and to introduce the Examples 
 
 of 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 6i 
 
 of Moral Fertue, writ in Verfe, and perform'd in Reci- 
 tative Mufick. 
 
 The Original of this Mufick, and of the Scenes which 
 adorn'd his Work, he had from the Italian Operas : But 
 he heightened his Charaders (as I may probably ima- 
 gine, lays Dry den) from the Example of Corneille^ and 
 fome French Poets. In this Condition did this part of 
 Poetry remain at his Majefties Return. When growing 
 bolder, as being now own'd by a Publick Authority, 
 D'avenant reviewed his Siege of Rhode s^ and caus'd it to 
 be Aded as a juft Drama. But as few Men have the 
 happinefs to hegin and finifi any new Prcjcd:, fo neither 
 did he live to make his Defign perfect : There wanted 
 the fullnefs of a Plot, and the variety of Characters to 
 form it as it ought : And perhaps, fays Dryden, fome- 
 vvhat might have been added to the beauty of the Stile. 
 All which he would have perform'd with more exail:- 
 nefs, had he pleas'd to have given us another Work of 
 the fame Nature. For my k\^ (fays Dry Jen) and o- 
 thers who come after him, we are bound, with ail Ve- 
 neration to his Memory, to acknowledge what advan- 
 tage we receiv'd from that excellent Ground- Work 
 which he laid: And fince it is an eafie thing to add to 
 what already is invented, we ought all of us, fays Dry- 
 den, without envy to him, or partiality to our felves, 
 to yield him the precedence in it. J^t^'gD* EfTay of 
 Heroick Plays. 
 
 Rimer^ in the Preface to his Tranflation of Rapins Re- 
 flexions, ^c. tells us, That D^avenant's Wit is wtll 
 known ; and that in the Preface to his Gandihert^ ap- 
 pear fome Strokes of an Extraordinary Judgment : That 
 he is for Vnheaten Tracks.^ and l^ew Ways of Thinkings 
 but that certainly in his untryd Seas he is no great D//- 
 ccverer. 
 
 One 
 
62 CharaBers and Cenfures. 
 
 One defign of the Epkk Poets before him, was to 
 adorn their own Country, there finding their Heroes 
 and patterns of P^ertue ; whofe Example (as they thought) 
 would have grcateft influence and power over Pofte- 
 rity ; but this Poet, fays Rimer, (leers a different Courfe, 
 his Heroes are all Forreigners : He cultivates a Coun- 
 try, that is nothing akin to him, 'tis Lombardy that 
 reaps the honour of all. 
 
 Other Poets chofe fome A^ion or Heroe fo illuftrious, 
 that the Name of the Poem prepared the Reader, and 
 made way for its reception : But in this Poem, fays 
 Rimer, none can divine, what Great A^ion he intended 
 to celebrate ; nor is the Reader obi ig'd to know whe- 
 ther the Heroe be Turk or Chriflian. Nor do the firft 
 Lines give any light or Profped: into his Dejign. Me- 
 thinks, fays Rimer^ though his Religion could not di- 
 fpence with an Invocation, he needed not have fcrupl'd 
 at the Proportion : Yet he rather chufes to enter in 
 at the top of an Houfe, becaufe the Mortals of Mean 
 and Satisfied Minds go in at the Door. And I believe, 
 fays Rimer, the Reader is not well pleas'd to find his 
 Poem begin with the praifes of Arihert, when the Title 
 had promised a Gondihert. But before he falls on any 
 other bufinefs, he prefents the Reader with a Defcrip- 
 tion of each particular Heroe, not trufting their Anions 
 to fpeak for them ; as former Foets had done. Their 
 practice was fine and artificial, his (he tells us) is a 
 New way. Many of his Chara^ers have but little of 
 the Heroick in them; Dalga is a Jilt, proper only for 
 Comedy; Birtha for a Pa/lcral; and A fir agon, in the 
 manner here defcrib'd, yields no very great Ornament 
 to an Heroick Poem; nor are his -Battles lefs liable to 
 Cenfure, than thofe of Homer. 
 
 He 
 
Chambers and Cenftires. $ 3 
 
 He dares not, as other Heroick Poets , heighten the 
 A(5tion, by making Heaven and Hell interefs'd, for 
 fear of offending againft Prohalility^ and yet he tells 
 of 
 
 Threadi hy patient Parcse Jlowly [pun. 
 
 And for being dead, his Phrafe is, 
 
 " Heaven called him, where peacefully he rules a Star. 
 
 And the Emerald he gives to Birtha, has a ftronger 
 tan^ of the Old Woman, and is a greater improhahilityy 
 than all the Enchantments in Taffo. A juft Medium 
 (fays Rimer^ reconciles the far theft Extreams, and one 
 preparation may give credit to the moft unlikely Fi(9:ion. 
 In Marino, Adonis is prefcnted with a Diamond- Ring^ 
 where, indeed, the Stone is much-what of the fame 
 Nature ; but this Prefent is made by f^emis : And from 
 a Godde/s could not be expe(fted a Gift of Ordinary 
 Virtue. 
 
 Although a Poet is oblig'd to know all Arts and 
 Sciences, yet he ought difcreetly to mannage this Know- 
 ledge. He muft have Judgment to feled: what is noble 
 or beautiful, and proper for his occafion. He muft by 
 a particular Chymiflry extradl the Eflence of Things, 
 without foiling his Wit with the grofs and trumpery. 
 But fomc Poets labour to appear skilful with that 
 wretched af!ediation, they dote on the very terms and 
 jargon: Expofing themfelves rather to be laught at by 
 the Apprentices, than to be admir'd by Fhilofophers : 
 But whether D^avenant be one of tbofe^ I leave others to 
 examine. 
 
 The 
 
6 4- Chambers and Cetifures. 
 
 The fort of f^erfe he makes choice of, in his GW/- 
 iert^ might, as Rimer fuppofes, contribute much to the 
 Vitiating of his Stile ; for thereby he obliges himfelf 
 to f\retch every Period to the end of four Lines: Thus 
 the Senfe is broken perpetually U'ith Parenthefes, the 
 Words jumbl'd in confufion, and a darknefs fpread over 
 all ; lo that the Senfe is either not difcern'd, or found' 
 not fufficient for one juft Ferfe^ which is fprinki'd on 
 the whole Tetraflick. 
 
 In the Italian and Spamfh, where all the Rhymes are 
 (iijiyllahley and the percuflion Wronger, this kind of 
 Ferje may be necefTary ; and yet to temper that grave 
 March, they repeat the fame Ryhme over again, and 
 then they clofe the Stanza with a Couplet, further "to 
 Ivveeten the Severity. But in French and Englijl)^ where 
 we Rhime generally with only one Syllable, the Stanza 
 is not allow'd, much lefs the alternate Rhyme in long 
 Verfe; for the found of the Monofyllable Rhyme is ei- 
 ther loft e're we come to its Correlpondent, or we are 
 in pain by the fo long expectation and fufpence. This 
 alternate Rhyme, and the downright Morality throughout 
 whole Cantos together, fays Rimer, ^\qw D'avenant bet- 
 ter acquainted with the Quatrains of Pyhrach, which 
 he fpeaks of, than with any true Models of Epick 
 Poefie. 
 
 After all, fays Rimer, D'avenant is faid to have a 
 particular Talent for the Manners ; his Thoughts are 
 great, and there appears lomething roughly Nolle 
 throughout this Fragment : which, had he been pleas'd 
 to finifh it, would, doubt lefs, not have been left fo o- 
 pen to the Attack of Criticks. MivXtts Pref. to his 
 Tranjlat, of Rapitis Reflex, on Artfiotles Treatifc of 
 Poefie, 
 
 To 
 
Characters and Cenfurcs. (^5 
 
 To conclude, as Sir William D'avenant was a Wit him- 
 felf, and would often play upon others ; fo he fome- 
 times had it returned upon him, as appears by thefe fol- 
 lowing Verfes of Sir John Suckling, 
 
 Will. D*avenant ajhamd of a foolijh M'tfchance] 
 
 That he had got lately Travelling iff to France, 
 Modejlly hoped the HandfQtunejs ofs Mufe^ 
 Might any ofDormity alout him excufe. 
 
 And 
 Surely the Company would have leen content^ 
 Jf they could have found any Prefident ; 
 But in all their Records^ either in Verfe or Profe, 
 There was not one Laureat without a Nofe. 
 
 Sir John Denham. 
 
 HE was the only Son of Sir 'John Denham of Little 
 Horfely in Ejfex, but born at Dub in in Ireland. 
 His Father being at the time of his Birth a Jut'ge of 
 that Kingdom, and Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, 
 But before the foggy Air of that Climate could influ- 
 ence, or any way vitiate his Mind, he was brought 
 from thence, his Father being preferred to be one of 
 the Barons of the Exchequer in England. At Sixteen 
 Years of Age, Anno 1631. he was taken from School, 
 and fent to the Univerficy of Oxford^ where he became 
 a Member of trinity Colledge. In this Socic-ty he fpent 
 fome Years ; but afterwards returning to London^ he 
 
 K follow'd 
 
6 6 Chambers and Ce?i fares. 
 
 follow'd the Study of the Civil Law. But the Civif 
 War breaking out, he zealouHy efpoufing the Intereft 
 of the Royal Farty^ was fore d to go beyond Sea ; and 
 at his Majedies departure from St. Germains to Jerfey, 
 he was pleas'd, without any follicitation, to confer upon 
 Sir JohHy the OfUcG, of Surveyor General of all his Maje- 
 Aics Royal BuilJin^s ; and at his Coronation created him 
 Knight of the Bath. 
 
 He dyed on the Tenth of March, 1668. at his Houfe 
 near White Hall^ and was buried the x]^ following at 
 Weftw'injier^ amongft thofe famous Poets, Chancer, Spen- 
 cer .^ and Cowley. 
 
 Winfianley, in the Lives of the Englifh Poets, fays, 
 That Sir John Denham was a Gentlemin, who, to his o- 
 ther Honours, had this added. That he was one of the 
 chief of the Delphick QjiirCy and for his Writings wor- 
 thy to be Crown'd with a Wreath of Stars. The Ex- 
 cellency of his Poetry may be feen in his Coopers Hilly 
 which ((ays Winjlanley') whofoever iliall deny, can be 
 accounted no Friends to the Mufes : His Tragedy of the 
 Sophy^ is equal to any of the Chiefeft Authors, which, 
 with his other Works bound together in one Volume, 
 "will make his Name famous to all Pofterity. 
 
 Vryden, in his Epijl. Dedic. to Rival Ladies^ tells us, 
 That Sir John Denham^ Coopers Htll^ is a Poem, which 
 for the Majefly of the Style, is, and ever wU be, the 
 exa6b Standard of good VVriting. 
 
 Gerard Langhaine, in his Account of the Englijh 
 Dramatic k Poets, calls Sir John Denham ^ a Poet of the* 
 Firfl Form, whofe Virtue and Memory will ever be 
 as dear to all Lovers of Poetry, as his Perfon was 
 to Majefty it felf; viz. King Charles the Firft and 
 Seconds 
 
 His 
 
Chancers and Cenfuns. 61 
 
 His Verfes on Sir Richard Fanjhm'^ Trinflation of 
 // Faftor Ftdo, and his Preface to the Deftrdhon of 
 Troy^ Ihew fufficiently his Judgment, and his Tran^ 
 Jlations themfelves his Genius, for Performances of 
 that Nature: And admitting it true, that few f^er^ 
 fioHS deferve Praife; yet, fays Langhaine^ Hh are to 
 be excepted from the General Rule. His Elegy on 
 Mr. Cowley^ will make his Name famous to Pofterity : 
 And there wants nothing to eternife his Name, but 
 a Pen equal to /;//, (if any fuch were to be found) to 
 perform the hke friendly Office to his Manes. 
 
 Antonm a Wood, in his Athence OxonienfeSy pag. 502! 
 informs us. That in the latter end of the Year 1641. 
 Sir John Denham publifh'd the Tragedy cail'd the So- 
 phy, which took extreamly much, and was admir'J by 
 all Ingenious Men, particularly by Edm. Waller of 
 Beaconsfieldy who then faid of the Author, That he 
 broke out like the Irilh Kehellion, Jhreefcore Thottfand 
 ftrong., when no hody was aware^ or in the leafi fuf* 
 pe^ed it. 
 
 John Donne, 
 
 WAS born in London, in the Year 1^73^ About 
 the Seventeenth Year of his Age he was ad- 
 mitted into Lincolnes'Im, whither he betook himfelf 
 from the Univerfity of Oxford; but inilead of poring 
 upon tedious Reports, Judgments, and Statute-Books, 
 he accomplilli'd himfelf with the Politer kind of Learn- 
 ing, moderately enjoy 'd the Pleafures of the Town, 
 
 K a and 
 
68 CharaBers and Cenftires. 
 
 and frequented good Company, to which the fharpnefs 
 of his Wit, and gaiety ot Fancy, rcndred him not a 
 little grateful ; in which ftate of Life, he compos'd 
 his more brisk and youthful Poems, which are ra- 
 ther commended for the Height of Fancy, and acute- 
 nefs of Conceit, than for the fmoothnefs of the Verfc. 
 At lad, by King James's Command, or rather earneft 
 pcrfwafion, fetting himfelf to the Study of Divinity, 
 and entering into Holy Orders, he was firfl: made 
 Preacher of Lmcolrtts-Inn^ and afterwards advanc*d to 
 be Dean of Pauls: And as of an eminent Poet he be- 
 came a much more eminent Preacher, fo he rather 
 improv'd than relinquilht his Poetical Fancy; only con- 
 verting it from Humane and Wordly, to Divine and 
 Heavenly Subje(3;s. He died the la ft of March^ 
 
 Jfaac Walton, In the Life of John Donne ^ pag. <;z, 
 fays, That the Recreations of his Youth were Poetry^ 
 in which he was fo happy, as if Nature and all her 
 Varieties had been made only to exercife his lliarp Wit, 
 and high Fancy : And in thofe Pieces, which were 
 facetiouHy Compos'd, and carelcfly fcatter'd (moft of 
 them being written before the Twentieth Year of his 
 Age) it may appear by his choice Metaphors^ that both 
 Nature and all the Arts joyned to affift him with their 
 utmoft Skill. 
 
 The Puhlijher of Mr. Wallers rcl Part of his Poems^ 
 in the Preface, tells us, That we are beholden to Mr. 
 Waller for the new-turn of Ferfe, which he brought in, 
 and the improvement he made in our Numlers. Before 
 his time, Men Rhym'd indeed, and that was all j as 
 for the harmony of Meafure, and that dance of Words, 
 w Inch good Ears are fo much pleas'd with, they knew 
 Qothing of it. their Poetry then was made up almoft 
 
 entirely 
 
CharaHers and C en fares. 69 
 
 entirely of Monofyilahles ; which, when they come to- 
 gether in any Clufler, are certainly the mod harlli, 
 untunable Things in the World. If any Man (fays my 
 Author) doubts of this, let him read ten Lines in Donne^ 
 and he'il be quickly convinc'd. 
 
 Dryden remarks, That Donne has great Variety, Mul- 
 tiplicity, and Choice of Thoughts ; bur he affccSts the 
 Metaphyjicksy not cniy in his Satires, but in his Amorous 
 f^erfeS) where Nature only ihould reign ; and perplexes 
 the Minds of the Fair Sex with nice Speculations of 
 Philofophy, when he iliou'd engage their Hearts, and 
 entertain them with the Softnrjfes of Love. J^^'^D Dedk. 
 before Juvenal^ pag. 3. 
 
 Would not Donne's Satires^ which abound with fo 
 much Wit, appear more Charming, if he had taken 
 care of his Words ^ and of his Numhers} But he followed 
 Horace fo very clofe, that of neceffity he muft fall 
 with him : And, fays Dryden^ I may fafely fay it of 
 this prefent Age, That if we are not fo great VVits as 
 Donne, yet, certainly, we are better Foets. ©^-^IJ, 
 ibid. pag. ^6. 
 
 Quintus Enniiis, 
 
 THE Anclenteft of the Latin foets that we hear of, 
 except Livius Andronicus^ and Cn, Navius. lie 
 was born at Rudia^ a City of Calahria in Spain^ in the 
 Second Year of the 135//^ Olympiad. 237 Years before 
 Chrift. He was brought to Rome firft by Cato Ceiiforius^ 
 for his Learning. He died of the Got4t^ which he got 
 
 by 
 
8 5 CharaBers and Cenfures. 
 
 by his Immoderate drinking of IVhe, when he was 
 above Seventy Years of Age. 
 
 iJe wrote befides his Antials in Verfe, Satyrs, Come' 
 dies^ and Tragedies -^ of all which we have nothing now 
 remaining, but only fome few Fragments. 
 
 This Author was Co entirely belov'd of Scipio Afrkanus 
 (whom he accompanied in the Wars, and Wrote a Poem 
 in Hexameter Verfe, of the Second Punkk War) that 
 he caufed the Image of Ennius to be fet on his Sepul- 
 chre. 
 
 Ckero, in his Oratkn for L. Murcena, cap. xiv. calls En* 
 fj/nSf an Ingenious Poet, and a very good Author. 
 
 Horace, in the Firft Ep/fl, of his Second Book, Verfe 
 f o. fays, That Emius had both Wifdom and Courage, 
 and that he was a Second Homer* 
 
 What Opinion Lucretius had of Ennius, appears in his 
 firft Book, verfe I ly, ^c. 
 
 Ennius ut nofter cecinit, qui primus am.aeno 
 Df tulit tx Helkone perenni fronde Coronam ; 
 Per gentts It alas omnium quiE clara clueret. 
 Etfi pra^tcrea tamcn t(k Acherujja lempla 
 Emm xt(-Tms exponit verfibus edens. 
 
 As our Farrid Ennius ^^^j, uponwhofe Brow -> 
 The^rji and fre/hefl Crowns of L:i.urd grow, > 
 That ever Learned Italy could pow; j 
 
 Tho he /« lajiing Numbers doth exprefs 
 • Jhe Stately Acherufian Palaces. 
 
 EngliOied by CI^O. CteeCl^. 
 
 Notwithftanding it is reported of Firgil, that being 
 one day found reading of Em'ius, and fome body asking 
 
 • . him 
 
CharaUers and Censures, 8 7 
 
 him what he had been doing, his anfwer was, Se aurum 
 in Sterquilinio coUigere^ That, He had been gat her big Gold 
 out of a Dunxjydl: Vet Macmhius, lib. 6. Saturnal. cap. i. 
 afT?jrcs us, That yirgil v\as fo great an admirer of Ennhis^ 
 that he had ftole many things out of him; fome indances 
 whereof Macrcb'iiu dees there give us. 
 
 Paulus Meruh, in the beginning of his Comment 
 upon the Fragments of Enniius Annals, fays, That En- 
 ttius was really the Father of all that Elegance^ and P^- 
 litenefs^ which afterwards appear'd amongft the £<?///< 
 poets. 
 
 Lilius GyraldiiS, in his Fourth Dialogue De Foetis Anti- 
 quis, informs us, That Enniushzd a fharp Wit, and that he 
 was very quick and ready with his Pen; that his Sentences 
 were fmart, the' his Words and Phrafe were pkin and 
 without Art, forafmuch as he would always keep to the 
 common Dialed:. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger^ in Scaligerana i. pag.-/^ tells us, That 
 Ennius the Ancient Poet, was one of a High and Lofty 
 Genius; and that he had fo great a value for him, 
 that for his part he could be contented with the lofs 
 of Lucan, Statius, Silius Italicus, and the reft of thofe 
 Sparks^ provided we could have Ennius Entire and Com- 
 plcat. 
 
 Adrianus Turnebus^ in the Thirteenth Book of his 
 Adverfaria, cap 6. fays, Thdit Ennius's Verfes hjvefome- 
 what in them of the fame Nature with W/ne^ which 
 we generally count the better, andthe pltafanttr, for be- 
 ing Old. 
 
 And in another Place in his Adverfaria, he tells U9^ 
 That r;hf Verfes of Ennius contain both Profic and Plea- 
 fure; and thathx^ Style (the' one would not think it} is 
 Polite. 
 
 Rapin: 
 
7 2 Charackrs and Cevfures. 
 
 /?4///irennirks, Thii Eunius had not in his days difco- 
 vcr'd the Grace and Harmony^ which is in the Numhers, 
 whereof appears no footftep in his Verfe. ISSpf Reflex, 
 OH Arid, treatife of Poefie, pan i.fe^. 37. 
 
 Euripides, 
 
 A Learned Tragical Poet^ born at Salamis, the very 
 day that Xerxes s great Army was Routed by the 
 Athenians^ in the firft Year of the 75//; Olympiad, about 
 480 Years before Chrifi. He was in great iav^our with 
 Archelaii$ King of Macedon. He Wrote in all 7 f Plays- For 
 his great Chaftity,and avoiding the Companyof Women^'Q 
 was call'd M/o-^^'ur/i?, Wcman'hater ; altho' he was Twice 
 Married : Concerning his death there are divers Relati- 
 ons; fome think he was worried by Archelauss Dogs,- 
 that were fet upon him by the malice of the ?oet 
 Arula:us^ that envi'd him and Cratena; Others, that 
 he was pulled in Pieces by Women. He died in the 75/^ 
 Year of his Age, and was buried at PeUa. 
 
 Of his 75* Plays, there are now remaining but 19. 
 Cicero, in a Letter to Tyro, lib. 16. Familiar. Epiji. tells 
 him, That he had a very great value for Euripides, and 
 that every Verfe of this Author bore a mighty Credit 
 with him. ^ 
 
 Rimer, in his Short Fiew of Tragedy, pag. 158. fays. 
 That at Athens (they tell us) the Tragedies oi ^fchy- 
 lus, Sopl.ocles, znd Eftripides, were enroll'd with their 
 Laws, and made part of their Statute-Book, 
 
 Dryden, 
 
Characters and Censures. 73 
 
 Dry den t in his Bijay of Dramatkk Toefie^ pag, lo. tells 
 us. That while the Tragedies of Euripides^ Sophocles, 
 and (SfA/^c^ are in our hands, he can never fee one of 
 thofe Flays which are novo Written, but it increafes his 
 Admiration of the Ancients; and yet he muft acknow- 
 ledge further, that to admire them as we ought, we 
 (hould underftand them beeter than we do. Doubtlefs 
 many things appear flat to us, the Wit of which de- 
 pended on (oms Cujiom or Story, which never came to 
 our Knowledge, or perhaps on fome Criticifme in their 
 Language, which (fays Dryden) being fo long dead, and 
 only remaining in their Books, 'tis not pofiible they (hould 
 make us underftand perfe6tly. 
 
 Borrichius, in his Differtat. Acad, de PoetiSy pag. 30. 
 obferves to us, That Euripides for Eloquence, and Pru- 
 dence, was equal to, if not beyond Sophocles. Euripi- 
 des took more care in the placing of his Words, and 
 ordering of his Sentences, than ever Sophocles did ; and 
 yet Arijiotle thought him not exa(^ enough in the con- 
 trivance of his Fables. Sophocles ^ by his Stile, feems to 
 be rather a Man for Bujinefs, than for Words ; whereas 
 the Stile of Euripides favours more of the Scholar and 
 the Orator : And therefore if we are for the lofty, and 
 fublime Tragedy, Sophocles carries it ; but if for fine 
 Language, then Euripides has it. 
 
 Borrichius alfo informs us, That Euripides is often 
 blam'd by the Learned, for his not obferving Poetical 
 Prohahility, which is a thing that Arijiotle recommends 
 fo highly to all Poets ; which (indeed) is moft agreea- 
 ble to that prudent advice of Horace in his De Arte 
 Poetich : 
 
 Aut Famam fequere, aut fihi convenientia finge, 
 
 L Rapin 
 
74 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 Raph remarks, That the Tragedies of Euripides have 
 more of A^ion^ of Morality^ and of wonderful hculents, 
 than thofe of Sophocles. 
 
 He alfo obferves, That Euripides is not exad^ in the 
 Contrivance of his Fables ; his Charailers want variety, 
 he falls often into the fame Thoughts, on the fame ad- 
 ventures ; that he does not Religioiifly enough obferve 
 Decencies', and by a too great afledlation to be Moral 
 and Se/itCHtiouSf he is not (o ardent and palTionate as he 
 ought to be ; for this reafon (fays Rapin) he goes not 
 to the Heart, fo much as Sophocles ; there are precipita- 
 tions in the preparation of his Incidents, as in the Stip^ 
 pliant s, where The feus Levies an Army, Marches from 
 Athens to Thebes, and returns on the fame day. The 
 Difcoveries of his Plots are not at all Natural, thefe are 
 perpetual Machins ; Diana makes the difcovery in the 
 Tragedy of Hippolitus; Minerva that of the Iphigenia in 
 Taurica ; Thetis that of Andromache ; Cajlor and Rollus^ 
 that of Helena, and that of Eledra ; and fo of others. 
 3^ap» Reflex, on Arifiotle's Treatife of Poefle, part x. 
 feth xxi, and xxii. 
 
 Rimer tells us, That Euripides has been blam*d for 
 
 making his Chara^ers more wicked than they ought to 
 
 be in Tragedy : That he was not taxed by Ariftophanes 
 
 and Ariflotle only, but by Sophocles, and the general 
 
 Senfe of Athens was againft him. They faid, in thofe 
 
 days, that Comedy (whofe Province was Humour and 
 
 ridiculous matter only) was to reprefent Things ivorfs 
 
 than the truth: Hiflory to defcribe the truth., but Tra^' 
 
 gedy was to invent Things better than the truth. Like 
 
 good Painters they muft defign their Images like the 
 
 Lifei hut yet better and more beautiful than the 
 
 Life. The Malefa^or of Tragedy, fays Rimer, mufl be 
 
 a better fort of MalefaUor than thofe that live in the 
 
 prefent 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 75 
 
 prefent Age. For an obdurate, impudent, and impe- 
 nitent MakfaSior can neither move CompaJJion nor Ten- 
 rour ; nor be of any imaginable ufe in Tragedy, ^U 
 tnCt's Tragedies of the laji Age confiderd^ &c. fag. 36. 
 
 Cuius Valerius Flaccus^ 
 
 BOrn at &etia, now call'd i'jzz^, a City in Campania 
 di Roma, in Italy, but Iiv*d mod part of his time 
 at Padua. He writ eight Books of Argonaut icks, being 
 a Poem of the Expedition of Jafon, for the Golden- Pleece^ 
 which he dedicated to the Emperour Domitian ; which 
 Poem being extant, he is (aid to have written in imita- 
 tion of Appollonius Rhodius. 
 
 Quintilian was very much concerned, that Valerius 
 Flaccus being fnatch*d away by an untimely death, could 
 not finith his Argonauticks ; which, as he complains, was 
 a great lofs to the Learned. 
 
 Julius Scal/ger, in his Sixth Book De Poet ica^ cap, '6: 
 pag. 639. ufes the very lame Argument to excufe the 
 harih Style of this Author, viz. becaufe he died before 
 he had time to revew his Argonaut ick s ; but withal he 
 tells us. That he was a Man of Wit, of a happy Fancy, 
 of a folid Judgment, and of extraordinary diligence and 
 application ; and that his Verfes have a pieafant and 
 harmonious found : Though at the fame time he owrs, 
 that this Poem, has none of thofe other Graces and 
 Beauties requifite to Poetry. But in conclurion, he 
 fays. That Flaccus was above the pitch of an ordinary 
 Poet. 
 
 L % Cafpar 
 
7^ CharaUers and Cenfures. 
 
 Cafpar Barth'tus, in the firft Book, and feventcenth 
 Chapt. of his Adverfaria^ tells us, That Valerius Flaccus 
 is really a more confiderable Peer, than generally he 
 is a!Io\\'d to be ; and that they arc either Pedants, or 
 your half learned Men, who neglecSt to read him, through 
 an Opinion, that his Stile is harih and difagreeable ; 
 whereas, fays Barthius^ I take him to be a Poet of a 
 Noble, and an elevated Air. 
 
 He further ohfervesy in thr- Twenty Si-xth Book, Chap; 
 3. how very unjufl: even fome of the Learned are to- 
 Valerius Flaccus^ in the not owning his Foetical Genius, 
 his Learning, his Gravity, and his Judgment. And he 
 alfo makes this further Remarque, that Valerius Flaccus 
 appears m.ore confiderable when he Marches alone, and 
 without a guide, than when he treads in the footfteps 
 of AppoUoniiis Rbodius. 
 
 Borrichius, in his Differ t. Acad, de Postis, pa^. 61. fays 
 There mud be acknowledged in Valerius Flaccus, al- 
 though he was not come to his Perfection, a true Foe 
 tkal Genius ; that he had very often high, and Noble 
 Flights, that his Judgment was Solid, and his Style flo- 
 rid enough, though fometimes it had unevennefTes, and 
 feem'd a little rugged, which undoubtedly he would 
 have foften'd, and mended, had he Jiv'd fome time 
 longer. 
 
 Rapin obfcrves to U5, That Valerius Flaccus in his Ar^ 
 gonauticks was both cold and flat, through his affedling 
 a loftinefs of Expreflion, and not having a Genius for it. 
 i^^p* Refiex. on Ariftotles Treatife of Poejie, part i. 
 Je^. XXX. 
 
 He alfo tells us, That the Poem of Valerius FlaccuSy 
 on the Argonauts, is extreamly mean ; the Fahle, the 
 Contrivance, the Condutl, all there are of a very low 
 Chara(ilcr. 3^^p« ihid: part i. fe^, xv. 
 
 'Joannes 
 
Chara^ers and Cen fares. 77 
 
 Joannes Ludovicus Vives^ in his third Book De Tra- 
 dendis Djfciplinis, pag. 5-4 1. fays, He does not fee to 
 what purpqfe one Hiould read either Valerhis Flaccus^ or 
 Appollonius Rhodius, as if a Man could not fpend his 
 time better ; and yet he fays^ he does not fo much dif- 
 like either their Ferfe or their Stile^ as the meannefs of 
 the SdjeH. 
 
 Hieronymus Fracaftoriiis^ 
 
 WA S horn at Verona^ but dyed at Tadm of an 
 Apoplexy, on the Sixth day of Augu(l, *f53' 
 being above Seventy Years of Age. 
 
 BoiJJardus^ in his Icones rirorum lUuflrium, ftiles Fra- 
 caflorius a Perfon of the greateft Learning ; as being a 
 Piiyfician, a Poet, an Aftronomer, and the moil Learn- 
 ed Philofopher of that Age : In which feveral Sciences, 
 according to Boijj^ardusy he got fo great a Reputation, 
 that he very well defer v*d to be counted equal to any 
 of the Ancients. 
 
 He further faith, That Fracafforiuss Poems, are fo 
 much efteem*d of among all the Men of Learning, that 
 they ^re compar'd even with Firgils ; and that in re* 
 fpedl of their Elegance, fmartneis of Exprelfion, and 
 purity of Style, they are fo highly cxtoU'd, that by 
 many Fracajlorius is calTd, The Divine f'oet. 
 
 Thuanusy in his Hiftory of the Year, i$'yy fays,' 
 That Fracajlorius had (befides his exacfl Knowledge of 
 Philofophy, and the Mathematicks^ and efpecially Aflro^ 
 nomyy which he had mod Learnedly illuftrated,) an ex- 
 
 quifite 
 
73 Characters and Cenfures. 
 
 quifite Judgment, and an admirable Wit : By which 
 means he had both found out, and cxplaind many 
 things either ahogether unknown to, or elfe not well 
 underftood by the Ancients ; That he never made any 
 other gain by his Pra(^ice of Phyfick, than his own 
 Glory and Reputation ; and that be had fo much im- 
 proved the Art of Poetry^ that even by the Confeffion 
 of his Rivals he was little inferiour to ^/r^// himfelf : 
 And this made Jacohiis Sanrnzarius (who was not over- 
 apt to commend other Mens Learning,) upon the fight 
 of Fracaftorhiss Poem of Syphilis^ to cry out. That not 
 only Joames Jovia^us Pontanus^ but that He himfelf was 
 overcome in his Poem, which was fo accurate, that, 
 as Tbuanus tells U5, it had coft him no lefs than twenty 
 Years Study and Labour. 
 
 Julius Scaliger, in his Sixth Book De Poetica, pag. 817. 
 fpeakingof Fracaflorias's Poems, fays, They are fo perfe(3", 
 that they rather defcrve his Admiration, than his Cenfure. 
 J^e alfo ftyles Fracafiorias, the very beft Poet next Virgil; 
 adding at the lame time, that the Syphilis was a Divine 
 Poem. 
 
 To conclude, for a Teflimony of the great efteem 
 Julius Scaliger had of this Extraordinary Perfon, he 
 Wrote a Poem in his Praife, Entituled Aro! Fracafto- 
 reap. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger, in Scaligera^a r. obfcrves. That Fra' 
 cajiorius fliew'd himfelf an Excellent Poet in his Syphi- 
 Its. 
 
 GerarJus Johannes yoffius^m his de Mathernaticis.pag.-^y^. 
 reckons Fracaflorius among the chief Ornaments of that 
 Age; He alfo tells us, that his Fellow Citizens, after his 
 Death, ere£ied his Statue at Verona in Marble, as they 
 had formerly done to Catulks and Pliny. 
 
 Mr. *^ 
 
CharaHers and Cenfures. 79 
 
 Mr. Tate in the Life of Fracaflor'ms^ before his Tran- 
 flation of 5>'/>/^///j, fays, That /v-jc^/?or/«j was defcended 
 from the Fracafiorian Family of great Antiquity in Verona^ 
 and that /i^feem*d notonly to Rival the Fame of Catullus 
 and Fl'iny^ wiiohad long befcre made that City Renown'd, 
 but to have very far exceeded all his Contemporaries, for 
 Learning and Poetry. 
 
 He further ohfirves, That Fracaflorius was never Cen- 
 forious of other Mens performances, but always glad of 
 an occafion to commend ; for which he was defervedly 
 celebrated by Johannes Baptifla in a Noble Epigram. In 
 his leifure, fays Tate, he diverted himfelf with Reading 
 Hiftory, at which time Poly l>iuSy or Plutarch, were never 
 out of his hands. To conclude, the Age in which he 
 liv'd (fays Tate') faw nothing equal to his Learning, but 
 •his Honefty. 
 
 Borrkhms, in his Dijjert. Acad. De Poet is, pag. 98. 
 highly commends thofe two Poems of Pracajlorius, his 
 Syphilis, and his AIcok ; He fays, they fhew him to be 
 both a man of Learning, and of Prudence; but at the 
 fame time he obferves, this Poet was not always ex- 
 adl in Numl^ers, and Cadence, and that he rather chofe 
 to Inflru^, than to delist the Reader. 
 
 Rapin obferves to us, That Fracaflorius, who with fo 
 good Succefs Writ his Syphilis, the mod excellent Poem 
 in Latin Vcrfe that thefe latter Ages have produced in 
 Italy, and which is Writ in imitation of f^irgifs Georgicks, 
 was not fo happy in his Epick Poem of Jffeph, Viceroy of 
 Egypt, a Fragment whereof is Extant ; for this Poem, 
 fays Rapitt, is of a poor Genius, and a low Chara^er. 
 jK6ip» Reflex, on Arifl. Treatife of Poefie, part i. fe^. 
 xiv. 
 
 The fame Author does alfo remark. That Fracaflorius 
 has only Copied Hrgil's Phrafes, without exprefling his 
 
 Spirit ; 
 
8o CharaSers and Cen fares. 
 
 spirit; that he has (indeed) fome touches of that noble 
 Air, but not many; that whenever he ftrains to come up 
 to yirgilf he prefently f^/Is and returns again to his own 
 Genius; and that amidft the vain Efforts of a Servile 
 Imitation, there continually efcapes from him fome 
 Strokes of his own natural Spirit. Kap» ihid. fe^, xxxii* 
 
 Hugo Grotim, 
 
 T If 7 A S born at Delph in HoUand, the Tenth day 
 W ^^ April, 1583. He dyed at /?^7?(7<r^, a City of 
 the Lower-Saxony^ the Eighteenth day of Augufl^ Old 
 Stile, 1645-. 
 
 Edward Phillips^ in his Theatrum Foetarum^ fays, That 
 Grotius's Equal in Fame for Wit and Learning, Chriften- 
 dom of late Ag^s hath rarely produc'd ; that he was 
 particularly of lb happy a Genius in Poetry^ that had his 
 Annals y his Book De Veritate Ghrijiiana Religionis, his De 
 Satisfa^ione Chrifti, and other his extolled Works in Profe^ 
 never come to Light, his Extant and Univerfally approved 
 Latin Poems, had been fliliicient to gain him an everlaft- 
 ing Name. 
 
 Hofman, in his Lexicoyi^ calls Grotius, The Phcenix of 
 the Age » 
 
 Salmafius^ in his Exercitationsupon 5<7//;;zAf, ftileshim, 
 One that was exquifitely Learned in all forts of Learn- 
 ing- 
 
 Selden, in the firlt Book, chap. 26. of his Mare Claw 
 
 fum, fays, Thu Hugo GrotiuS) was a Man of great Learn- 
 ing, 
 
Characlers and Cenfures. 8r 
 
 ing, and extraordinary Knowledge in things both Divhe', 
 and Humane. 
 
 Gerardas Johannes VoJ/lus^ in his De Poetis LathiiSy pag 
 82;. calls Grotius, the great Ornament, or rather the 
 Miracle of the Age. Than whom, as he tells us, in his 
 De Htflorich Latinis, pag. yiy the Sun does not fhine 
 upon, nor is there living upon the Face of the Earth, any 
 Creature of greater Learning. 
 
 TJaac Cafauhoity in his Epifi. 738. to Daniel He hji us ^ 
 Dated in Jpril 161}. tells him, he could not fufficiently 
 proclaim his own happinefs, in the enjoying fometimes 
 the Company of that great Man, Hugo Grotms. A Per- 
 fon highly to beadmir'd! The excellency of whofe Di- 
 vine Wit, no man could be able throughly to comprehend, 
 unlefs he obferves both his Countenance, and his way of 
 fpeaking. He fays. There was Honefty in his very 
 Looks ; and his Difcourfe did fufficiently (hew his Exqui- 
 fite Learning, and his great Sincerity. And that you 
 may not Qjays Cafaulon) think that I am the only one 
 who Admires him ; all Men of either Learning or Piety, 
 who are acquainted with him, have alfo the very fame 
 Opinion of him. 
 
 David Blondel, in his Second Book, chap. 3. of the 
 Syhils, having occafion to mention Grotius, he there gives 
 him this Chara^er, that he was a Man of extraordinary 
 Endowments, whether we confider the Tranfcendency of 
 his Wit, the Univerfality of his Knowledge, which can- 
 not be too highly efteem'd, and the Diverfity of his Writ- 
 ings. 
 
 Monfieur de Balzac, in his Fifth Book, Letter the 25. 
 to Chappelain, thus remarks of Grotius, That befideshis 
 folid Learning, his forcible way of Reafoning, and his 
 florid Style, there is obfervable a certain Air of Honefly 
 in all the Works of this Great Man; and that thisi^ 
 
 M more. 
 
8 2 Chara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 more, than any one dare fay either of Scaliger oxSalma^ 
 fius. 
 
 Claud'tm Sarravius, in his Preface to Grotiuss Bp'ijiles, 
 makes this Obfervation, That though Grotins in all 
 his other Works,* appear'd to be a great Man,- yet 
 in his E^pijlles and Poems, he was Incomparabie and Di- 
 vine. 
 
 Borrkhius, in his D/Jfertat. Acat^. de Poetis, pa^. 142^ 
 fays, That never any thing was more Learned, than 
 the Works of Hugo Grotius in Divine Matters. What 
 ( fays he ^ can be finer, or more Mafculine than his £- 
 pick poem concerning the Kiftory of Jonas > Or was 
 there ever any thing Writ in a more Chafl and Purer 
 Style, than the Elegies he Compofed upon the Subjedt 
 of Sufanna} And he further tells us, That nothing can 
 be Graver, or more Majedick than his Two Tragedies^. 
 Chrjflus PatienSy and his Sophompaneas, ah hough they 
 have fallen under the Cenfure of fome Cntkks : And 
 that as for his Epigrams^ and his Sylvce^ they likewife 
 deferve their Commendation, and Praife ; though it mud 
 be allow'd, there is not the fame Wit and Smartneji in 
 all of them; but that fome are much better than o- 
 thers, 
 
 Rapin tells u% Tliat Grotius has Writ nobly enough 
 in Latin Ferfe ; but that the great Learning where- 
 with he was fraught, hindcr'd him from thinking, 
 things in that Delicate manner, which m2^its^.\\t Beauty 
 1^0^p«. Reflex, on Arid. Treat ife of Poefie, part z. feii-^ 
 xvi. 
 
 He^\{o remarks, That Grotius in his Tragedy of Jofeph, 
 has a Contrivance too fimple, the Incidents are cold, the 
 Narrations tedious, the PalTions forc'd, and the (5^)-/^ con- 
 ftrain'd. JSaj)* thid.fea. 13. 
 
 Grotius's 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 83 
 
 Grottuss Poems, Colleded, and Publiili'd by his Bro- 
 ther William Grotius^ are Prohibited by the Church of 
 Rome. 
 
 Lilim Gregorim Gyraldus, 
 
 AN Italian, born in Ferrara^ the \^th. of J me, in 
 the Year 1478. He Dyed of the Gout, in the 
 Month of Fehrmry, in the Year i5'5'i. 
 
 He was Author of feveral Foemt ; befides what he 
 Wrote in ?rofe, as his Hillory of the Heathen Gods, and 
 his Large Volume concerning both the Ancient Grt^/f and 
 Latin Poets, as alfoof the ?oets^\\Q liv'd in his time, and 
 many other things, which have given him an Honoura- 
 ble Memory. 
 
 Hofman, in his Lexicon, fays, That GyraUus did very 
 well deferve to be call'd the/^^rr^of that Age, inafmuch 
 as he was one of an Invincible Memory, an excellent 
 Wit, and very famous for all forts of Learning. 
 
 Ifaac Cafauhon, in his Notes upon the Eighth Book 
 of Diogenes Laertius, ililes GyraUiUy a Man of Solid 
 Learning, and one who Wrote with great accuracy. 
 
 Thuanus, in his Hiftory of the Y'^ear 15^2. affirms, 
 That Gyraldiu was very well skill'd both in the Greek and 
 Latin, as alfo in the Politer fort of Learning, and parti- 
 cularly in Antiquity, which he had Illuftrated by feveral 
 of his Pieces. But in conclufion he fays, That though 
 GyraUus deferv'd a letter Fate, yet all his Life time he 
 ftruggi'd with ficknefs and Misfortunes. 
 
 M z Le aider 
 
84 Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 Leander Alhertus, in his Defcription oi Italy, fays, That 
 QyraUiu had fo happy a Memory, that whatever he once 
 read, he never forgot. 
 
 Moreriy in his Grand Di^io/iaire, aflures us, That in the 
 Opinion of all Men, Gyraldiu was accounted one of the 
 grcatcft Wits, that Italy had produc'd in thefe latter Ages; 
 and that he had made fo wonderful a Progrefs in all the 
 Sciences, that there was not any of them, but he was 
 Mafter of. 
 
 Gerardus Johannes Voffius, lih. I. Idololatr. cap. 29. ob- 
 ferves to us, That Gyraldus had a Judgment equal to 
 his Learning. And in his De Htflor. Latin, pag. y^6. 
 he tells us. That Gyraldus^ was Man of much greater 
 Learning, and Diligence, than ever Fetrus Crinitus 
 was. 
 
 The fame Author^ in his De Poetis Latinis, pag. 8i. 
 fpeaking of Gjralduss Hiftory concerning the toets, 
 calls it a Work not only of great Wit and Judgment, 
 but alfo of vaft Learning and Induftry.- He fays, There 
 is indeed here and there a Foet, whofe Hiftory might 
 have been more accurately Written ; but take it through- 
 out, it is a Work of fo much Perfedion, that even the 
 moft Learned may well be difcourag'd, from ever hop- 
 ing for better fuccefs in fo vaft an Undertaking. 
 
 Borrichius^ in his De Pcetis, pag. 99. fays, That as Gy- 
 raldus hath ihew'd a great deal of Learning and Judg- 
 ment in his Hiftory concerning the Ancient Greek and 
 Latin Poeis, fo has he \^rit of the Poets of his Time, 
 with all the Truth and Freedom imaginable. 
 
 But Jofeph Scaliger, in his Confut. Fab. Bourdon. &-c. is 
 of another Opinion, for he there telis us, That nothing 
 in Nature is fo filly and ridiculous, as Gyraldus's Cen- 
 fure on the Focts ,- tho' at the fame time he is pleas'd 
 
 to 
 
Chambers and Cenfurcs. ^ 85 
 
 to fay, That he was a Man of much Reading, and great 
 Knowledge. 
 
 The Works of this Author are inferted in the Index 
 Expurgatarm, Printed at Madrid^ Anno 1667. 
 
 Daniel Heinjius, 
 
 WAS born at Gaunt in Flanders, in the Month of 
 May, i)*8o. He was Hiftory ProfefTor, and Li- 
 brary-Keeper at the Univerfity of Leyden. He died the 
 x/yth of February, 1655". 
 
 He was no lefs eminent for his Excellent Style in 
 Greek and Latin Verfe, of which fufficient Teftimonies 
 are extant, than for his fevcral Learned Works which 
 he wrote in Profe* 
 
 Gabriel Maudaus, in his 5-9 /^ Epifi. to Joannes Beve^ 
 roviciuSy dated the third Kal.o^ Sept, i6$7. fays, That 
 he had fo great a Veneration for Dan. Heinjius^ that he 
 thought his very Name to be almoft Divine. 
 
 Jacobus Crucius, in an Epifi. to Dan. Colonius, dated 
 the xxth of Febr. i6ii. gives this Character of Dan. 
 Heinfiusj That Nature had taken as much Care in the 
 adorning and beautifying this Excellent Perfon, as ever 
 Zeuxis had done, to fet forth his Fenus ; or Phydias did, 
 to adorn the Statue of Minerva. 
 
 Johannes Polyander, Rector of the Univerfity of Ley- 
 deny in a Letter to Joann. BeveroviciuSy dated at Ley- 
 den, July the 14//;, 1635'. calls Dan. HeinJiuSy the great 
 Ornament of his Age, a Perfon of admirable Elo- 
 quence, of the deeped Learning, and one whom God 
 
 had 
 
8^ Chara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 had adorn'd with great skill in the Eajlern and WeflerK 
 Languages. 
 
 Cafpar Barth'ius^ in the ly^th Book of his Adverfiria^ 
 chap. 13. fays, That Dan. Heinfius had not his Fellow 
 for Wit, Learning, and Eloquence ; that he was the 
 chief Writer of the Age; in many things Superiour to 
 moft of the Ancients, but in few was he their Inferior; 
 that his Greek and Latin Poems, as alfo his great Learn- 
 ing and Eloquence, the Ages to come would both love 
 and reverence ; that the Graces and Beauties of his Style 
 deferv'd the higheft Enconniums, and cor.ld not be'e- 
 nough extoU'd; and to conclude, that fince the Crea- 
 tion, there had fcarce appear'd any thing that was to 
 be compar'd to him. 
 
 Ifaac Cafauhon, in hh Epijl. 318. dated from Paris'^ 
 Jan. 1604, tells Dan. Heinfius^ that he was a meer A- 
 fteropoouSy sl true Amhodexter^ one who was equally 
 skillful in Prcfe and in yerfe. He fays, when he reads 
 his Greek Verfes, he fancies himfelf to be reading Homer^ 
 not Heinfius ; and when he reads his Latin Verfes, then 
 he can't but think he is reading eirher Ovid or Pro- 
 pertius. 
 
 Antoniiis Thyfiuf, in the Funeral Oration of Daniel 
 Heinfius^ fays, That no One in that Age was more 
 confiderable for Latin Verfe, and that he had not his 
 Match for Greek Verfe, unlefs it were Jofeph Scaliger. 
 
 He further tells us. That nothing ever was more 
 Divine^ than his Greek Epigrams.^ wherein he defcrib'd 
 the A(5tions, Sentiments, and Opinions of the Ancient 
 Philofophcrs ,• that his Pandora was a moft Elegant 
 Piece ; and, in a word, that never fincc the Ancient Greek 
 PoetSy there has been any thing of greater Perfedlion, 
 nor nearer approaching their Charadrcr, than what Hein' 
 fins has done in their Language. And as for his Ele* 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfiires, 87 
 
 gies^ he fays. They are to the higheft degree full of 
 pajfion and Hnrmonyi and that he has repreftnted in 
 them, all the Wit and Beauty of Ovid. Sec 1^0ttU(tYlS 
 U^tttCtl Tom. 1. De Fbilojophis, pag. i8o, »8i. 
 
 Daniel Georgius Morhofius, in his Polyhiflor.^ pag. 61, 
 tells us, That he was wont often to read, with a great 
 deal of Plea lure, the Vcrfes writ by thofe two Great 
 Men, Hugo Grotius, and Dan. Heinjius, in their younger 
 Years ; which though (fays hej were very fhort of 
 what they afterwards perform'd ; yet it was very pretty 
 to obferve that curious Biojfom^ which not long after 
 produc'd fuch Excellent Fruit. 
 
 BorrichiuSy in his De Poetis, pag. 1 43. fays, That Da- 
 met Heinfius did v^ery well deferve to be reckon'd among 
 the moft confiderable PoetSf he having oblig'd the 
 Learned with feveral of his poems, of various Kinds; 
 wherein was to be found nothing either mean, dry, or 
 barren ; but every thing pure, folid, and exacS. 
 
 He likewife tells us, that at the fame time Heinfius 
 gave fo high a Charadler of Thuanus and Scaliger in £- 
 pick Verfe, he himfelf deferv'd no lefs ; and that he who 
 has wrote with fo much Life and Courage concerning 
 the Contempt of Death, mufl: himfelf needs be immortal. 
 How choice (fajs he} is the Stile in his Hipponatie ? 
 and yet how (harp is it every where ? What happy bold 
 ftrokes are there in his Herodes hfanticida? And was 
 there ever greater Elegancy than in his Elegies > 
 
 Bapin remarks, That Dan. Heinfius has writ nobly 
 enough in Latin Verfe ; but that the great Learning 
 wherewith he (as well as Grotius} was fraught," hinder'd 
 him from thinking Things in that delicate manner, which 
 makes the Beauty of Verle. JS^JJ* Reflex, on Arijlot. &c. 
 fart z. fe^, xvi. 
 
 He 
 
88 Characlers and Cen fares. 
 
 He further chferves^ That Heinfius in his Tragedy 
 of Herod, is tedious in his Narrations, that his Po/iohs 
 are forcd, and the St/Ie conftrain'd. JSfl^p. /^/^. feif. 
 xxiii. 
 
 PaulusColomefius, in his Opufcula^ pag. ii8. fays, That 
 r'^T^^^j told him, That one might eafily know the Stile 
 of Daniel Heinfius, by his fo often ufing the Prottoun, 
 Qitiy Qua, Quod. Which (fays Colomefius) with a great 
 deal of Plealure I have obferv'd to be very true. 
 
 Hefiod. 
 
 AN Ancient Greel Poet, firnamed Afcraus, from 
 Afcra, a Town in Baotia, the place not of his 
 birtli, (as hath been generally fuppos'd,) but of his 
 Education, according to Herodotus, Straho, Stephams 
 and Valerius Prolus; for he was born at Cuma in Aeoli-a; 
 the Son of Dius and Pycimede ,- He is affirmed by Phi- 
 loft rat us, P^elleius Pater cuius, and ^J/. Varro (contrary to 
 the Opinion of Porphyrius and Solinus ; the Firft of 
 whom fets him ico. the other 130. years after) to be 
 Contemporary with Homer : which Opinion is con- 
 firm'd by an Epigram of Dion, and the Difcourfe in the 
 Fifth Book of Plutarch's Sympofiaca, which makes out 
 that Homer and Hefiod conttnd^di at the Exequies of 
 Oelycus the Theffalian, and Amphidamas of Chakis. 
 
 His feveral Works are reckon'd up in all Fourteen, 
 as well Extant as not Extant, in a Catalogue, which 
 is inferted in Daniel Heinfius^ Edition of this Peer. 
 
 VeUeius 
 
Chdraclers and Cenfiires. 85^ 
 
 Felleius Paterculus, lib.i. ftiles Hejjody a Perfon of a 
 mod curious Fancy, one that was famous and remark- 
 able for the fwcetnefs of his Veife; and who coveted 
 nothing fo much, as his own Eafe and Quiet. 
 
 Daniel fleinfius^ in the Preface to his bditicn of this 
 Poet, ^nm 1603. remarks, Tliat among all the Poets, 
 he fcarce knew any, but Homer and Hefiod^ who un- 
 derflood how to reprefent Mature in her true Native 
 drefs ; which (Jayi he) is infinitely to be preferr'd be- 
 fore all thofe Artful ways that were us'd in After- 
 Times. He further proceeds to tell us, That which to 
 him feem'd the moft wonderful, was, that Nature had 
 both begun and perfetled at the fame time her Work in 
 thefe two Perfons, whom for that very reafon he makes 
 no fcruple to call Divine ; adding, that Nature had, in 
 both thefe Authors, exhibited to us, a full and perfecl 
 Idea of all Human Vertue, 
 
 BorrichiuSy in his De Poetis, pag, 10. tells us. That 
 Hefiod\ Poem, call'd "EpT/o, ^ 'Ufxepcc^ was writ with fo 
 much Prudence, and Learning, that, even at this day, 
 the reading it may be of great uie to all fuch as apply 
 themfelves to Moral Philofophy, to Policy, to Oeconomy, 
 to Marine Affairs, and to Huslandry. And as for his 
 ©soy or let, or ih€^Generation of the Gods, Borrichius oh- 
 (erves, that w^e may learn much more by that Piece, 
 than the Title feems to import ; fmce fuch as are curi- 
 ous in finding out the Nature of Things, difcovcr un- 
 der the Covert of thefe Fables, Natural Truths and 
 wholefome Maxims, drawn from the deepeft Philofophy ; 
 which very Obfervation was formerly made, even by 
 Plutarchi in his Treatife De Legend is Poetis. 
 
 Tanneguy le Fevre, in his Abridgment of the Lives of 
 the Greek Poets, fays, That Hefiod in his Poem, Eri- 
 tituled, "EpT^- % 'B[/.€pxif did much after the manner of 
 
 N our 
 
50 Characters and Cen fares. 
 
 our Almafiack'WriterSt who do fometimes fet down the 
 Fortunate^ and the Vnfortunate Days ,• and that this Work, 
 in the main, is not much to be valued. 
 
 Ludovicus Vives, in his third Book De Tradendis Di- 
 Jciplinis^ fpeaking of Hefiod's <Beoyovi<t^ fays, It is of 
 great ufe for underflanding of the FoetSy but in other 
 refpei^s, it is e'en good for nothing. 
 
 Diony(ius Halicaniaffieus^ in his Ek linguce Grxca Au^o- 
 rihus, obferves, That Hefiod's Stile is both fweet and 
 uniform ; and that he chiefly affeded the Middle Stile, 
 which is neither too mean, nor too lofty. 
 
 And Quintilian^ lib. lo. cap. i. tells us, That never a- 
 ny Man exccll'd Hejiodin that fort of Stile. 
 
 The Anoyiymous German Author, in his Bihliographia 
 Curiofa^ remarks, That Hefiod is feldom relifh'd but by 
 Men of Learning ; and that young People efpecially 
 take no pleafure in reading him, bccaufe the Subjed: 
 he treats of, is in no wife agreeable to 'cm. 
 
 Claudius FerderinSj in his Cenjio Au^orum, feems to 
 give another Reafon of this Difguft, which is, his too 
 frequent repetition of the fame Epithets, which (^as he 
 (ihferves) is very tedious, and unpleafant to the Reader. 
 
 Clemens AlexandrinuSy lih. vi. Stromatum, takes notice 
 of feveral Verfes, ftollcn Verhatim by Hefiod out of 
 Mufaus the Poet. 
 
 Thecphilus Gale, in his third Book, chap. i.fe^. vii. of 
 his Court of the Gentiles, aflures us. That Hefiod receiv'd 
 fome of his Choicefl Traditions from the Sacred Oracles, 
 if not immediately, yet Originally, as will appear pro- 
 bable to any that Ihall take the pains to draw up the 
 Farallel, 
 
 Horner^ 
 
Characlers a,n{{ Cenfures. 91 
 
 Horner^ 
 
 TH E moft Renowned of the Greek Hcrokk Pcets ; 
 his true Name was Melefigenes, from tiic River 
 Meles-, near to which he was born ; but he was after- 
 wards call'd HomeruSf from his Elindnefs ; not that he 
 was born blind, but fell blind by an Accident, while 
 he refided at Smyrna^ in the Dialect of which Country, 
 at that time, blind People were ftiled 'Ofx-n^i, He 
 flourilh'd under Diogtietus, King of the Athemans, 301 
 Years after the Deftrudlion of Troy, and 23 Yciirs 
 before Iphitus and Lycurgus inftituted the Olympian 
 Games. 
 
 He wrote fundry Poerrts, fcatter'd here and therein 
 the Countries where he travell'd ; which may beareafon 
 not improbable, why fo many Countries fhould chal- 
 lenge him to be theirs, they having the firft Copies 
 of his Works, which in fucceeding times were gathered 
 together to make up compleat Poems, and were call'd 
 from thence Rhapfodia, Vcf\o3^xi : Two of thefe Poems 
 are obferv'd to comprehend the two Parts of Man .• 
 The Iliaclsy defcribing the Strength and Vigour of 
 the BoJy ; and the Odyjfes^ the Subtlety and Policy of 
 the Mind. 
 
 There were no lefs than Seven Cities that contended 
 about Homers Birth, according to that Diflich of San- 
 nazarius : 
 
 Smyrna, Rhodus, Colophon, Sakmin, Chius, Argos, Athome 
 Cedite jam ; Calum patria Mseonidx eft. 
 
 N X Alexander 
 
52 . Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 Akxafider the Great had fo high a value for Homers 
 Iliads, that (as Plutarch tcHs usj he laid it every night 
 under his Beds head, calling it, The hjlitution of Mar' 
 pal D'lfciplifie. 
 
 Alcibiades^ the Athe»ia», coming into a School, com- 
 manded them to bring him Homers Book ; when they 
 anfwer'd they had him not, he (Iruck the Mailer, and 
 went away, counting it an unworthy thing for a Schcol- 
 M after to be without Homer. 
 
 ALliati, in the Second Book of his P'arious Hifiorj^ 
 chap. 30. fays, That Flato was at firft very much ad- 
 d idled to Poetry^ and had wrote Herokk Verfes; which 
 after^'ards he burnt, perceiving them to be far inferior 
 to Homers. 
 
 In the Twelfth Book, chap. 48. He tells us, That the 
 Indians were wont to fing the Verfes of Homer Tran- 
 flated into their own Language ,• and not only they^ but 
 the Perfian Kings alfo, if (fays /Elian) we may believe 
 thofe who relate it. 
 
 And in his Thirteenth Book, chap, zi, he relates. 
 That Ptolemaus Philopator having built a Temple to 
 Homer, erc<3"cd a fair Image of him, and placed about 
 the Image thofe Cities which contended for Homer. 
 And He further ii^forms us. That Galatcn the Painter 
 had drawn Homer Vomiting., and the refl: of the Poets 
 gathering it up; flgnifying, That what they had, was 
 all deriv'd from Him. 
 
 Plutarch in Iiis Difcourfe of Garrulity^ or Talkative' 
 nefs^ fays. That of all the Commendations that were 
 ever given to a Poet, this is the trueft, That only Ho- 
 mer avoided being irkfome to his Readers, as one that 
 was always new, and ftili flourilhing, as it were in the 
 Prime of Poetick Beauty, 
 
 MacrobiuSf 
 
CharaUers and Censures. 93 
 
 Macrohius^ in the Fifth Book of his Saturnalia, cap.y 
 tells us. There are Three things equally impoflible ; to 
 take either from 7A(/>/V^r, \{\s Thunderbolt ; or from Hercu- 
 lesy his Chh; or from Horner^ the Honour that's due to 
 every Individual Verfe of His. 
 
 Tanneguy le Fevre, in his Ahridgement o^ iht Lives of the 
 Greek Pcets^ remarks, That Homerhzd (o great a Vogue 
 among the Ancients, that they thought they had at any 
 time a fufEcient Proof of a thing, if they could but produce 
 the leaft paflageout of Homer, for confirming an Opini- 
 on, or revolving any Doubts. 
 
 Dionyjius Lamhinut^ in his Notes upon Horace de Arte 
 Postica^ fays, That herein Homer is chiefly tobeadmir'd, 
 that among all the feveral Occurrences of Human Life^ 
 there is not one, but what he hath mod aptly znd proper- 
 ly, nay he had aim oft faid Divinely exprciled. 
 
 Velleim Faterculus, lib. i. cap f. defcribes Homer to be 
 the greateft Wit that ever was, beyond all Compare ; and 
 who, in refpedl of the Noblenefs of his Works, and the 
 Luftre of his Verfe, was the only one who deferv'd the 
 Name of a Poet. 
 
 He likewife O^ri^^jjThat as there had been none before 
 him that he could Imitate, fo there was never any, fince 
 his time, who was able to imitate him ; and that (except 
 Homer and Archilochiis) therecannotbe an Inflance given 
 of any one Perfon, who both begun and perfe^ed the fame 
 Thing. 
 
 Dionyfiiu Halicarnajfaus Commends Homer chiefly for 
 the Contrivance of his Defign, xht great nefs and Majefly of 
 his Exprejfton, and the faeet and paffionate motions of Iiis 
 Sentiments. 
 
 Quintilian, lib. X. cap. i. was of the Opinion, That in 
 great Matters never any one us'd a more lofty, and 
 Majeftick Style, nor in little things exprefs'd himfelf 
 
 more 
 
$4- CbaraSers and Cenfares, 
 
 more properly, than Homer; that his Style was eafie, 
 and yet concife; that at the fame time he was both 
 grave ^ and agreeable; that he was as much to be ad- 
 mir*d for his Ccpioufnefs, as his Brevity; and, to con- 
 clude, that he was as excellent an Orator^ as he was a 
 poet. 
 
 Rapin tells us. That Homer , who had a Genias accom- 
 ^\\m 6 ^QT Poetry, had the Vafteft, Sublimed, Profoundeft, 
 and moll Univerfal Wit that ever was-, 'twas by his 
 Poems that all the Worthies of Antiquity w^ere form'd : 
 from hence the Lawmakers took the Firft Plat-form of the 
 Laws they gave to Mankind ; The Founders of Alonar- 
 chies and Commonwealths from hence took the Model of 
 their Polities. Hence the Philofophers found the firft 
 Principles of Morality which they have taught the Peo- 
 ple. Hence Phyficians have Studied Difeafes, and their 
 Cures; Aftronomers have Learn'd the Knowledge of 
 Heaven, and Geometricians of the Earth. Hence Kings 
 and Princes have Learn'd the Art to Govern, and Cap- 
 tains to Form a Battel, to Encamp an Army, to Befiege 
 Towns, to Fight and to gain V<c9;ories. From//;/j great 
 Original, Socrates, Plato, Arijiotle, came to be Philofo- 
 phers. Sophocles and Euripides took the haughty Air of 
 the Theatre, and Ideas of Tragedy : Zeuxis^ Ape lies, Po- 
 lygnctui, became fuch excellent Painters; and Alexander 
 the Great fo valiant. In fine, fays Rapin, Homer has 
 been (if I may fo fay) the firft Founder of all Arts and 
 Sciences, and the Pattern of the Wife Men in all Ages. 
 And as he has been in fome manner the Author cf Pa- 
 ganifm, the Religion whereof he eftablfh'd by his Poems y 
 one may fay. That never Prophet had fo many Followers 
 as He. ISap. Refl^ex, &c. part, i. fe^. 4. 
 
 Sir 
 
QharaBers and Ceiifures. 5 5 
 
 Sir iV/lIm Temple fays, That Homer was without di- 
 fpute, the mod Vniverfal Genius that has been known in 
 the World, and Virgil the mofl Accomplijhid, To the 
 /r/?muftbeaIiow'd, the moft fertile Invention, therlcheft 
 Vein, themoft general Knowledge, and the mod lively 
 ExprcfTionsj To the lafl^ the Nobleft Idea's, the julleft 
 Inftitution, the wifeft Condud, and the choicefl Elocuti- 
 on. To fpeak in the Painters Terms, fays Temple^ We find 
 in the Works of Homer ^*x\\^ mod Spirit, Force, and Life; 
 In thofe of Virgil, the bed Defign, the trued Proporti- 
 ons, and the greated Grace ; The Colouring in hoth feems 
 equal, and indeed, in both is admirable. Homer had more 
 Fire and Rapture, /^/r^// more Light and Su'ectnefs; or 
 at lead the Poetical Fire was more raging in Oks, but 
 clearer in the Other ; Which makes the firit more amaz- 
 ing, and the Latter more agreeable. The Oare was richer 
 in onei but in t other more refined, and better allay 'd, to 
 makeup excellent Work. Upon the whole, fays Temple, 
 I think it mud be confcflcd, that Homer ^'zs of the two, 
 and, perhaps, of all others, the Vadcd, the Sublimed, 
 and the mod Wonderful Genius ; and that he has been 
 generally fo edeem'd, there cannot be a greater Tedimo- 
 ny given, than what has been by fome obferv'd, that not 
 only the greated Madcrs have found, in his Works, the 
 bed and trued Principles of all their Sciences or Arts ; 
 but that the nobled Nations have derived from them the 
 Original of their feveral Races, though it be hardly yet 
 agreed, whether his Story be true, or FidtiOn. In fhort, 
 (nys Temple, Thefe Two Immortal /'d^f/j, mud be allowed 
 to have fo much Excelled in their kinds, as to have ex- 
 ceeded all Comparifon, to have even extlnguifh'd Emu- 
 lation, and in a manner confined true poetry, not only 
 to their Two Languages, but to their very Perfons. 
 And I am apt to believe, (fays Temple) fo much of tbc 
 
 true 
 
^6 Cbaraclers and Cenfures. 
 
 true 6cmm of Poetry in General, and of its Elevation in 
 thefe two Partictlars, that I know not, whether of all the 
 Niml>ers of Mankind, that live within the compafs of a 
 Thoufand Years; for one Man that is born Capable of 
 making fuch a Poet as Homer or y'trgd^ there may not 
 be a Thoufand born Capable of making as great Generals 
 of Armies, or Minifters of State, as any the moft Re- 
 nowned in Story. CtlUplt's Ef^ay of Poetry, pg. 
 i8, 19, 10. 
 
 Jufl ^j^ Changeling y^fwj helovo the refl 
 
 Of Men, or rather is a Two-leggd Bcafl ; 
 
 So thefe * Gigantick Souls amazdwe find '*' ^^J^^ 
 
 As much above the reft of Humane Kind. virgil. 
 
 Nature^ whole flrength united/ Endlefs Fame^ 
 
 And Vniverfal Shouts attend their Name. 
 
 Read Homer once^ and you can read no more^ 
 
 For all things elfe appear fo dull and poor ^ 
 
 Verfe will J e em Prole ; yet often on him looky 
 
 And you will hardly need another Book. 
 
 fl©Ulgr» ElTiy on Poetry. 
 
 'Tisfaid, that Homer, Matchlefs in his Art^ 
 Sto'e Venus Girdle, to ingage the Heart : 
 His Works indeed Faft Treafures do mifold. 
 And whatfje^ re he touches, turns to Gold: 
 All in his hands new beauty does acquire; 
 He always pleafes, and can never fire. 
 A happy warmth he every where may boaft; 
 Nor is he in too long Digreffions loll : 
 His Ferfes without Rule a Method find^ 
 And of themfelves appear in Order joynd': 
 All without trouble anfwers his intent; 
 Each Syllable ts tending to tlj Event, 
 
 Let 
 
Characlers and Cenfares. 5/7 
 
 Let his Example your incleavours raife : 
 To Love his Writings, is a kind of Praife. 
 
 )6oilC0iU's Art of Poetryy Englilhed by Sir 
 William Soame. 
 
 Monfieur Bayle, in his firft Tome of Mouvelles c/e la 
 RepuUiqae desLettres^ 1684. pag.%7. quotes the Learn- 
 ed Ifaac Cajauhon, as Author of this Sentence, Qui Ho- 
 merum Contemnunt^ vix illis optari quidquam pejus pot eft, 
 qaam ut fatuitate {uafruantur^ That Whoever they are that 
 defpife Homer, there cannot he a greater Curfe mjUd them^ 
 than to he aha*idoned to their own Folly. 
 
 The Criticksy in the Journal des ScavanSy Tome 1 2. 
 pag. 319, 320- tell us, That either thofe, who in 
 this Age find fo many Faults in the Works of Homcr^ 
 mull be Men of a very ill Tafte,|or eifethat the Anci- 
 ents were much miftaken, when efteeming him the 
 Prince of Poets, they Ereded Statues, Built Temples, 
 Raised Altars, Offered Sacrifice, and alfo caus'd Medals to 
 be Coin'd, in Honour of him ; nay, and that even among 
 the Chriflians there was a fort of Hereticks^ call'd the 
 CarpocratianSy who us'd to Adore, and Offer Incenie at 
 his Shrine. 
 
 Julius Scaliger, in his Fifth Book De Poetica^ chap, 2. 
 admiring the extraordinary great Wit of Homer, Jays, 
 There appears fo much Art in all that he has Writ, 
 that he feems rather to have been the Firfl Inventer^ 
 than the Improver of it; and therefore, without any 
 abfurdity it may be faid, T'lat it is rather the Idea of 
 t^ature, than Art., that appears in Homer. 
 
 But afterwards he filK very iWerelyupon Homer, fay- 
 ing, That his Narrations were tedious ; his Thoughts and 
 Notions were too Effeminate, and Vulgar; and that they 
 had fo little of Senfe, or Force in them, that they would 
 
 O fcarce 
 
5/8 CharaSers and C en fares. 
 
 Tcarce alfedt his Scullion, and, to conclude, he faysy 
 That Homers Epithets are generally cold, flat, childiili, 
 and unfeafonable. 
 
 Borrichius, in his D/ffert. Acad. De Poetis, pag. 9. ob- 
 ferves, There are Two Faults, which the more knowing 
 fort of Men ufe to find in Homer; The one^ that he was 
 not judicious enough in the choice of his Epitkts, as 
 alfo that he was too full of his Digrejfions^ and infipid 
 Dialogues \ The other, that he did often Invent and De- 
 vife filthy and abominable flories concerning the Gods: 
 The jirfl of thefe Crimes, fays Borrichius^ might well 
 enough be excufed, becaufe Voetry was then in its Infancy^, 
 and not grown yet to perfecStion; but the fecond Crime 
 gave great offence, even to the more confiderate fort of 
 Heathens. And therefore, hence it was, That Jerom 
 the Philofopher in Diogenes Laertius, relates, that Pitha- 
 goras^ when he was in Hell, faw the Soul of Hejiod 
 faften'd to a Brafs-Pillar, and makeing a moll hideous 
 noife ; but at the fame time Homers Soul was hanging 
 upon a Tree, encompafs'd about with dreadful Ser- 
 pents ; and all this, becaufe they had both of them Writ 
 (uch Lewd, Scandalous Things, concerning the Divide 
 Nature. 
 
 Theophilus Gale, in his Third Book, chap, i.fe^.vu of 
 The Court of the Ge>itiles, remarks, That Homer had many 
 of his Fitiionsirom fo me real Scripture Tradition^ which 
 he gather'd up whilft he was in Egypt-, Which (fays 
 Gale) we may fafely conjedrure, even from his Style, and 
 the Affinity of many of his Expreflions with the Scrip* 
 ture Language. 
 
 Afid to the fame effedl, fays Sir tValter Raleigh, in his 
 Firft Book, the Sixth Chapter, and the Seventh Sedli- 
 00, it cannot be doubted {fays he') but that Homer, 
 
 had 
 
CbaraSers and Cenfures. 99 
 
 had read over all the Books of Mofes^ as by Places 
 ftollen thence, almoft Word for Word, may appear. 
 
 And for the more full Evidence hereof, fee Duport*s 
 Gnomologia, or Parallel betwixt Homer and the Scrip- 
 ture. 
 
 Clemens AlexandrinuSy lih. vi. Stromatum^ affirms, That 
 Homer has taken feveral Verfes Word for Word out of 
 Orpheia de extMo Baccho. 
 
 Johannes Lomeierm, in his Treatife De Bihliothecis, 
 cap. iv. makes mention of a Library in the Temple of 
 t^ulcany at Memphis f a City in Egypt; Where, as l^au- 
 -rates told the Story, Homer happening to find fome 
 Jooksof a certain Woman, called Phantafia, and among 
 others the Iliads and Odyffes, which Jhe had Wrote, and 
 plac'd in that Temple ; He very fairly took the Confi- 
 dence to Publilh them for his own. But the faid Lomsierus 
 at the fame time alTures us. That this Story is utterly 
 falfe. 
 
 Quintus Horatius Flaccus^ 
 
 AMoft llluH rious Latin Lyrick Poet, Born at f^enufium, 
 a City in Italy; not for the Nobility of his Birth, 
 for he is reported the Son but of a mean perfon, fome 
 fay a Salter; but for that Delicacy of Wir, Purity of 
 Style, and Weight of Judgment, both in his Lyricks, 
 and other Writings, which gain'd him the efteem of the 
 Ncbleft of Favourites, Mecanas, and,by his means, of the 
 greateft Prince upon Earth, Anguftm; by whom he 
 
 O 2 was 
 
loo CbaraSers and Cenfures. 
 
 was advanc'd to a confiderable Eftate, whereof he made 
 Augujlus his Heir. He dyed at Rome in the 5-7. Year of 
 his /\ge, being the Third Vear of the i(^z. Olympiad^ fix 
 Years before Chriji. 
 
 Jcfeph Sca/iger, in Scaligerana i. relates. That the 
 Emperour /^ugujiusgiwt this Ch^xzCt^it o^ Horace, That 
 he was a very Correal Author. 
 
 Mtcolaus He'infiuSy in his Comment upon Ovid., fays, 
 That the Ancients gave Horace the particular Epithet 
 of Numerofus .^ from his being fo very exad: and accut 
 rate in Numbers, as his Ly ricks do fufficiently teflifie. 
 
 Quint ilian^ lib. x. cap. 1. obferves, That Horace is the 
 Chief at noting the Manners of Men ; that among all 
 the Latin Lyrick Poets, there is fcarce any but Horace 
 who is worth the Reading; for that he hath now and 
 then his Flights and Elevation ; his Stile is both grace- 
 ful and agreeable ; his Figures and Expreffions are hold^ 
 but at the fame time happy. 
 
 Monfieur Blondel, in his Particular Treatife, wherein 
 he draws the Parallel betwixt Horace and Pindar, re- 
 marks, Tha? Horace was not inferior to Pindar, either 
 in refpeft of the Copioufnefs and Sublimity of his In- 
 ventions, or the noblenefs and boldnefs of his Expreffi- 
 ons ; but that Horace vias more correct and pure in his 
 Style, than Pindar. 
 
 He further tells us, That Horace has a more Univer- 
 fai Genius, and a more General Knowledge than Pindar; 
 as alfo that he h more of a piece, that he has more of 
 Sweetnefs, and is more agreeable ; and, in general, that 
 he has fewer faults than Pindar. j j-.-iWi 
 
 And, to conclude, he ajfures us, There is not to be 
 found among the Ancients, any thing which is more 
 proper, for the imprinting on our Minds umq Sentiments 
 of Moral Honejly, than the Works of Horace, 
 
 The 
 
Chambers and Cenfares. i o r 
 
 The German Critkks of Lipfick^ in the A^a Erudi- 
 torum, Jun. 1684. pag, z6z. obferve to us, That among 
 the Three Principal Satyr ijls of the Ancients^ viz Juve- 
 naly Perjiids, and Horace^ this laft obferv/d the Medium 
 between the Extreams of the other Two ; thit is to 
 fay, between the Inve^ives cf Juvenal, which by their 
 extent look Hke a fort of Declamation ; and the obfcure, 
 and too much conftrain'd Brevity of Perfins. And To 
 they conclude. That Horace did as well deferve the 
 chief place among the Satyrijis^ as amorgft the Latin 
 Lyrick Poets. 
 
 BorrichiuSy in his D/Jfertat. Acad. De Poetis^ Pag. ^o. 
 faysj That tho Horace himfelf was not a Man of Cha- 
 flity, yet that his Style was chad and pure; that in the 
 Lyricks none of the Latin Poets ever excell'd him, but 
 that in his Heroick Poem?, as he abounded with wife 
 Precepts and Admonitions^ fo he often faifd in t^umhers 
 and Cadence. But upon the whole matter, Borrichius 
 is of the Opinion, That Horace very juftly deferves to 
 be reckoned among the beft Latin Authors. 
 
 Julius Scaliger^ in his Hyper critic, pag. 867. remarks, 
 That Horace is the moft exadt, and Elaborate of all 
 the Greek and Latin Posts ; that his Lyricks have both 
 an Harmonious and Majeftick found : Which excellent 
 qualities if they are not to be found in his other Works, 
 one may plainly fee, he had no mind to make ufe of 
 them ; and that therefore it can be no prejudice to his 
 Repuration, fincc it was rather the efTed: of his Judg- 
 ment., than his inability, that he did not ufe them. 
 
 He likewife tells us, pag. 879. That Horace's Odes 
 are fo full of fancy and beauty, fo much purity in 
 the ftyle, (o great a Variety and fuch new Turns in the 
 Figures, that they are not only Proof again/l the Cen- 
 fure of Criticksy but alfo above the higlieft Encomjum's ; 
 
 and 
 
1 02 CharaBers and Cen fares, 
 
 .md that they are no lefs to be admir'd for their fub- 
 lime Style, than for that fweetnefs and fimplicity, which 
 is inherent in them. 
 
 Rapin tells us, That Horace in his Odes found the 
 Art to joyn alt the force and high Flights of Pindar^ 
 to all the fweetnefs and delicacy of Anacreon, to make 
 bimfelf a new Character, by uniting the perfections of 
 the other Two. For befides that he had a Wit natu- 
 rally pleafant, it was alfo great, folid, and fublime ; 
 he had noblenefs in his Conceits, and delicacy in his 
 Thoughts and Sentiments : The parts of his Odes that 
 he was willing to finifh, are always Mafter'pieces\ but 
 (fays Rap'in) it requires a very clear apprehenfion to 
 difcern all his Wit ; for there are many Secret Graces^ 
 and hidden Beauties in his Verfe, that very few can 
 difcovcr ; He alfo is the only Latin Author who writ 
 well in that Verfe amongfl the Ancients ; and none 
 could ever follow him, his Genius went To high. i^{)« 
 Reflex, on Arifiotle\ Treat, of Poefie^ part i.feil. 30. 
 
 Dry den fays. That if we take Horace in parts, he 
 is chiefly to be confider'd in his Three diffc-rent Talents^ 
 as he was a Cr/t/ck, a Satyri^^ and a Writer of Odes^ 
 His Morals are uniform, and run through a!l of them ,- 
 For let his Dutch Commentators fay what they will, his 
 Philofophy was Epicurean ; and he made ufe of Gods 
 and Pr evidence f only to ferve a turn in Poetry. But 
 (fays Dryden) fince neither his Criticifms^ (which are 
 the moft inftrudJ'ive of any that are written in this 
 Art,) nor his Satyrs^ (which are incomparably beyond 
 Juvenatsy if to laugh and rally, is to be preferr'd to 
 railing and declaiming,^ are no part of my prefent un- 
 dertaking, I confine my felf wholly to his Odes : Thefe 
 are alfo of fcveral forts; fome of them are Panegyrical^ 
 others Moral^ the reft Jovial, or (if I may fo call them) 
 
 Bacchanalian, 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures. i o 3 
 
 Bacchanalian. As difficult as Horace makes It, and as 
 indeed it is, to imitate Pindar, yet in his moH: elevated 
 flights, and in the fudden changes of his Subject, with 
 almoft imperceptible Connexions, that Thehan Poet is 
 his Mafter. But Horace, fays Dryckn^ is of the more 
 bounded Fancy, and confines himfelf f]ri(5l!y to one fort 
 of Verfe, or Stanza in every Ock\ That which will 
 diftinguifh his Style from all other Poets, is the Ele- 
 gance of his Words^ and the Numeroujnefs of his P^erfe; 
 there is nothing (o delicately turnd in all the Roman 
 Language. There appears (fays Dryderi) in every part 
 of his Dillion^ or (to fpeak EngUJh) in all his Expreffi- 
 ons, a kind o[ noble and bold Purity. His Words are 
 chofen with as much exacStnefs as f^irgih ; but there 
 feems to be a greater Spirit in them. There is a fecret 
 Happinefs attends his Choice, which in Petronius is 
 cali'd Curiofa. Felicitas, and which I fuppofe (fays Dry- 
 den) he had from the Peliciter audere of Horace himfelf. 
 But the mod diftinguilhing part of all his Chara<3:er, 
 feems to be his Brisknefs, his Jolity, and his good Hu- 
 mour." And thofe (fays Dryden) I have chiefly endea- 
 voured to Copy ; his other Excellencies, I confefs, are 
 above my Imitation. 3^^^D# Pref. to Sylvce : Or, the 
 ^d Part of Poetical Mifcellanies. 
 
 A late Anonymous German Author in his Bihliograph. 
 Curiof, Hiftor. Philologic. pag. 46. remarks, That Horaces 
 Book, De Arte Poetica^ which really is no more than 
 an Epijile to the Two Pifos, is an Excellent Piece of 
 Criticijin, as well as his other Ep/flles and Satyrs ; but 
 yet, that it is not a Work (o well finilh'd, and perfc(5t 
 ed, as one might reafonably have exped:cd from the 
 hand of fo great a Mafter. 
 
 Gerardus Johannes Vojfius, in his De Arte Poetic a, cap. 
 i^.fefl, I. fays That the Oecommy which Horace hatli 
 
 obferv*d 
 
 I 
 
1 04. Characlers and Cenfures. 
 
 obferv'd in his De Arte Poetka is not very regular, nor 
 exa(^; that z.\\ that he minded, was to heap together 
 a great many Rules and Preceptf, without regarding 
 their Order, or Method. 
 
 Rapift, in the Advertifemetit before his Reflexions on 
 Arijiotle's Treatife of Poejje, obkrves to us, that H(h 
 race's Piece De Arte Poetic^, is no more than an 'In- 
 terpretation of Arjfiotle's Treatife of Foefie ; and that 
 Horace was the firft who propos'J this^r^ ^^ Model to 
 the Romans. 
 
 And in another place Rapin tells us, That Horace, 
 who was the firft Interpreter of Arijiotlc, in his Book 
 De Arte Poetka^ has obferv'd as little Method as Art- 
 flotle did ; bccaufe (pcrhapO it was writ in an Epiflle, 
 whofe Charad:er nught to be free, and \^ ithout con- 
 ftraint. 3Rap» Reflex &cc. part i.fe^.xvn. 
 
 Benjamin Johnfon. 
 
 TH'is Renowned Poet was born in the City of IVeft- 
 m'lnftery his Mother living in Hart s- Horn- Lane, 
 near Charing Crofsy where (he Married a Bricklayer for 
 her Second Husband. But tho' he fprang fron:i mean 
 Parents, yet his admirable Parts have made him more 
 famous, than thofe of a more confpicuoiis Extra(ftion. 
 Nor do I think it any diminution to hi<n. That he was 
 Son-in-Law to a Bricklayer , and work'd at that Trade; 
 fmce if we take a furvey of the Records of Antiquity, 
 we iliall find the greatefi Poets of the tneaneft Birth, and 
 njoft liable to the Inconveniencies of Life. Wltnefs 
 
 Homer, 
 
Characiers and Cenfiires. 105 
 
 Horner^ who begg'd from door to door • Euripides^ 
 traded in Herbs with his Mother ; Plautus was fore d to 
 ferve a Baker ; Nasvlus was a Captain's Man ; Terence 
 was a Slave to the generous Lucan ; Virgil^ was the Son 
 of a Basket-Maker : And yet thefe thought the obfcu- 
 rity of their ExtracStion no diminution to their Worth; 
 Nor will any Man of Senfe rcfled: on Ben. Johnfcn on 
 this account, if he ferioufly call to mind that faying of 
 Juvenal in his Eighth Satyr: 
 
 Nohilitas fola efi^ at que unka Virtm. 
 
 He was firft bred at a Private School, in St. Martins 
 Church, then plac'd at Weftminfler, under the famous 
 Mr. Camhden^ (to whom in gratitude he dedicated his 
 fourteenth Bpiirarri) afterwards . he was fent to St. Johns 
 Colledge in Cambridge ; from thence he remov'd to Ox- 
 ford, and was enter'd of Chrift-Church Colledge ; where 
 in the Year 1619. (as Mr. Wood fays : he took his Ma- 
 iler of Arts Degree : Tho' Dr. Fuller fays, He conti- 
 nued there but few Weeks, for want of Maintenance, 
 being fain to return to the Trade of his Father-in-Law; 
 where he aflided in the New Building of Lincolne's Inn^ 
 with a Trowel in his Hand, and a Book in his Pocket. 
 But this Englijh Maro^ was not long before he found a 
 Mcecenas and a Farus, to free him from fo flavifh an 
 Employment, and furnifli him with Means to enjoy ^his 
 Mtife at liberty, in private. 'Twas then that he writ 
 his Excellent Plays, and grew into Reputation with the 
 moft Eminent of our Nobility, and Gentry. 'Twas then, 
 that Carthwright, Randolph, and others of both Vniver- 
 Jjties, fought his Adoption; and gloried more in his 
 Friendlhip, and the Title of his Sons, than in their own 
 well-deferv'd Characters. Neither did he Ms love, or 
 
 P was 
 
1 06 CharaSers and Cen fares. 
 
 was lefs belov'd by the Famous Poets of his Time, 
 Shakefpear, Beaumont, and Fletcher. 
 
 He was generally eftecm'd a Man of a very free 
 Temper, and wiihal B'unt, and fomewhat haughty to 
 thofe, that were either Rivals in Fame, or Enemies to 
 his Writings, (witnefs his Poetafter, wherein he falls 
 upon Decker, and his anfwer to Dr. Gill, who writ a- 
 gainft his Magnetkk Lady^ otherwife of a good focia- 
 ble Humour, when amongft his Sons and Friends in the 
 Apollo. 
 
 He has writ Fifty Plays in all, whereof Fifteen are 
 Comedies^ Three are Tragedies^ the reft are Mafques and 
 Entertainments : And befides thefe, (for he is not whol- 
 ly Dramatickj^ there are his Vnderwoods^ Epigrams^ - 
 
 Windanley, in The Lives of the moft Famous Englifh 
 Poets, fays, That Ben. John/on was paramount in the 
 Dramatick part of Poetry, and taught the Stage an exadt 
 conformity to the Laws of Comedians, being accounted 
 the moft Learned, Judicious, and Corre<5t of all the 
 EngUpj Poets ; and the more to be admir'd for being fo, 
 for that neither the height of Natural Parts, for he was 
 no Shake/pear ; nor the Coft of extraordinary Education,' 
 but his own proper Induftry, and Application to Books, 
 advanced him to this perfecftion. 
 
 JVe likewife tells us, That Johnfons Plays were above 
 the Vulgar Capacity, and took not fo well at thc\firfl 
 Strode, as at the rehound, when beheld the fecond time; 
 yea, that they will endure Reading, and that with due 
 Commendation, fo long as either Ingenuity or Learn- 
 ing are faihionable .in our Nation. And altho^ all his 
 Plays may endure the Teft, yet in Three of his Come- 
 dies, namely, The Fox, Akhymift, and^ Silent Woman, 
 he may be compar'd, in the Jadgment of Learned Men, 
 
 for 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfiires. 107 
 
 for Decorum^ Language, and Humour, as well with the 
 Chief of the Ancient Greek and Latin Comedians, as the 
 Prime of Modern Italians, who have been judg'd the 
 bed of Europe for a happy Vein in Comedies ,• Nor is his 
 Bartholomew' Fair much (liort of them. As for his other 
 Comedies, Staple of News, Devih an Afs, and the reft, 
 if they be not (fays Winftanley) fo fprightfnl and vigo- 
 rous as his firft Pieces, all that are Old, will, and all 
 that defire to be Old, jlwuld excufe him therein ; and 
 therefore let the Name of Ben. Johnfon Ihield them a- 
 gainft whoever Oiall think fit to be fcvere in Cenfure a- 
 gainft them. The truth is, fays Winflanley, his Trage- 
 dies, Sejanus, and Cat aline feem to have in them more 
 of an Artificial and Inflate, than of a Pathetical and 
 natuf-ally Tragick Height ; yet do they far excel any of 
 the Bnglijh ones, that were writ before him ; fo that 
 He may be truly faid, to be the firfi Reformer of the 
 Englifb Stage. 
 
 In the reft of his Poetry, (for he is not wholly Drama- 
 tick^ as his Vnderwoods^ Epigrams, 6>CC. He is C^ays this 
 Author) fometimes bold and ftrenuous, fometimes Ma- 
 gifterial, fometimes lepid and full enough of Conceir, 
 and fometimes a Man as other Men are. 
 
 Dryden tells us, That if we look upon Johnfon while 
 he was himfelf, (for his laft Plays were but his Dota- 
 ges,) he thinks him the moft Learned and Judicious 
 Writer which any Theatre ever had. He was a moft 
 fevere Judge of himfelf as well as others. One cannot 
 fay he wanted Wit, but rather that he was frugal of 
 it. In his Works you find little to retrench or alter. 
 Wit and Language, and Humour alfo in fome meafure 
 we had before him ; but fomething of Art was want- 
 ing to the Drama till he came. He manag'd his 
 Strength to more advantage than any who preceedcd 
 
 P 2. him. 
 
1 oB Characters and Ccnfures. 
 
 him. You fcldom find him making love in any of his 
 Scenes, or endeavouring to move the PafTions; his Gf* 
 fj'ius was too fullcn and Saturnine to do ic gracefully, 
 efpecialiy when he knew he came after thoic who had 
 perform'd both to fuch an height. Humour was his 
 proper Sphere, and in that he delighted moll to repre- 
 ient Mecbankk People. He was deeply Converfant in 
 the AtidentSy both Greek and Latin^ and he borrow'd 
 boldly from them : There is fcarce a Feet or Hijlorian 
 among the Roman Authors of thofe times whom he has 
 not Tranfljtcd in Sejanus and Catiline. But he has done 
 his Robberies To openly, that one may fee he fears not 
 to be taxed by any Law. He invades Authors like a 
 Monarch, and what would be Theft in other Poets, 
 is only Vidory in him. With the Spoils of thefe Wri- 
 ters he fo reprefents Old Rome to us, in its Rites, Cere- 
 monies and Cuftoms, that if one of their Poets had 
 written either of his tragedies^ we had feen lefs of it 
 than in him. If there was any fault .in his Language, 
 'twas that he weav'd it too clofely and laborioufly, in 
 his Comedies efpecialiy : Perhaps too, he did a little too 
 much Romanize our Tongue, leaving the Words which 
 he Tranflited almod as much Latin as he found them ; 
 Wherein tho' he learnedly followed their Language, he 
 did not enough comply with the Idiom of Ours. If 
 (fays Drydeti) I would compare him with Shakefpear, I 
 muft acknowledge him the more corrcd Poet, but 
 Shake/pear the greater Wir. Shake/pear was the /lomer, 
 or Father of our Dramatick Poets ,• Johrifon was the 
 Virgilj the pattern of Elaborate Writing; I admire him, 
 fays Drjden, but I love Shakefpear. To conclude, as he 
 has ^iven us^the mofl Corred: Plays, fo in the precepts 
 which he has laid down in his Difcoveries, We have as 
 many and profitable Rules for perfecting the Stage, as 
 
 any 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 109 
 
 any wherewith the French can furnifh us. J^jt^D* Ef- 
 Jay of Dramatick Poejie, pag. 34, 35-. 
 
 ■Dry den, in his Pofljcript to Granada, calls 5(?« Johifon^ 
 The moji Judicious of Poets and Inimitable iVriter^ yet, he 
 fays, his Excellency lay in the low Characters of Vice, and 
 Folly. When at any time (fays he) Ben. ainVd at Wit 
 in" the {lri<3:cr Senfe, that is iharpnefs of Conceit, he 
 was fore a to borrow from the Ancient s^ (as to my know- 
 ledge he did very much from PLiutus:) Or When he 
 trufled himfelf alone, often fell into meanncfs of Ex- 
 prelTion. Nay, he was not free from the lou eft and moH: 
 groveling kind of ^It, which we call Clenches: Of 
 which every Man in his Humour is infinitely full, and 
 which is worfe, the Wittiefl Perfons in the Drama 
 fpcak them. 
 
 Dry den, in another place, allows, That Ben. Jchnfon' 
 is to be admir'd for many. Excellencies ; and can be tax'd 
 with fewer failings, than any Engli[h Poet. I know, 
 fays Dryden, I have been accus'd as an Enemy of his Writ- 
 ings; but without any other Reafon^ than that I do not 
 admire him blindly, and without looking into his Imper- 
 fec3:ions. For why fliould he only be exempted from thofe 
 frailties, from which //<?wf rand ^';r^// are not free ? Or, 
 why ihould there be any Ipfe dixit in our Poetry^ any 
 more than there is in our Philofophy. I admire and ap- 
 plaud him (fays Dryden) where 1 ought: Thofe who do 
 more, do but value themfelvesin their admiration of him ; 
 and by teUing you they extol Ben. Johnfonsw^iy^ would in- 
 finuate to you, that they can pradife ir. For my part, 
 fays Dryden^ I declare that I want Judgment to imitate 
 him: And ihould think it a great impudence in myfelf to 
 attempt it. To make Men appear pleafantly ridiculous on 
 the Stage, was, as I have faid, his Talent: And in this 
 heneed'jd riot the Acumen of Wit^ but that of Judpnent^ 
 
 For 
 
1 1 o Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 For the Charadcrs and Reprefentationsof Folly are only 
 ihecfTeds of" Obfervation,- and Obfervation is an eftl'd! 
 of Judgment. Some Ingenious Men, for whom (^fays 
 Dryden) I have a particular efteem, have thought I have 
 much injur'd Be>t.JohMfvtit \\ hen I have not allow 'd his Wit 
 to be extraorclinary ; But they confound the Notion of 
 w hat is Vl^itty^ with what hple^ifant. That Ben Jobnfons 
 Plays were pleafant, he mud want reafon who denies: 
 But that pleafantnefs (fays Dryden) was not properly 
 Wit^ or the iharpnefsof Conceit; but the natural imita- 
 tion of Folly : Which I confefs to be excellent in itsKind, 
 but not to be of that kind which they pretend. Yet if 
 we will believe Qu'intilianym his Chapter Z^)^ Movendo R'tfu, 
 he gives his Opinion of Both in thefe following Words, 
 St u It a reprehencfere faciUimum eft ; nam per fe junt ridicula * 
 ^ a deriin non procul ahejl rifus .• Sed rem Vrhanarnfacit ali- 
 qua ex mhis adje^io. J^V'^D* Fref. to the Mock-Aflro- 
 loger. 
 
 Shad'^elly in his Dedication before the Fertuofo, fays. 
 That Johyfon was incomparably the beft Dramatick Poet 
 that ever was, or, he believes, ever will be; and that he 
 had rather be Author of one Scene in his b^iiComedies^ 
 than of any Play this Age has produc'd. 
 
 Notwithflanding the general Vogue of Ben. John/on, 
 yet we findc a moft fevere Satyr againfl his Magnetick 
 Lady, Writ by Dr. 6///, Mafter of Pauls School, or at 
 leaft his Son : Part of which I /hall take the pains to Tran- 
 fcribe : 
 
 But to adv'tfe thee Ben, in this (IriB Age, 
 A Brick-hill 5 letter for thee than a Stage. 
 Thou better know ft a Ground fill for to lay^ 
 , Than lay the Flot^ or Ground- work of a Play^ 
 
 And 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures, 1 1 i 
 
 And better can ft direB to Cap a Chimttey^ 
 than to converfe with Clio, or Polyhimny. 
 Fall then to work in thy Old A^e again ^ 
 Take up thy Trug and Trowel, gentle Ben, 
 Let Plays alone ; or if thou needs will Write^ 
 And thruft thy^cth\Q Mufe i fit o the Light; 
 Let Lowen ceafe, and Tzy lor /corn to touch 
 The loathed Stage, for thou haft made it fuch. 
 
 Ben. Johnfons Anfwer to the faid Verfes. 
 
 Shall the profperity of a Pardon ftill 
 
 Secure thy railing Rhymes, Infamous Gill, 
 
 At Libelling ? Shall no Star-Chamber Peers, 
 
 Til lory, nor iVhip^ nor want of Ears, 
 
 All which thou haft incur rd defervedly : 
 
 Nor degradation from the Miniftry, 
 
 To he the Denis of thy Father's School, 
 
 Keep in thy bawling Wit, thou bawling Fool, 
 
 Thinking to ftir me, thou haft loft thy end^ 
 
 Til Laugh at thee poor wretched Tike^ go fend 
 
 Thy Blot ant Mufe abroad, and teach it rather 
 
 A Tune to drown the Ballads of thy Father : 
 
 For thou haft nought to cure his Fame, 
 
 But Tune and Noife the Eccho of his Shame. 
 
 A Rogue by Statute, cenfurd tobe Whipt, 
 
 Cropt, branded, ftipt, neckftockt; go, you are ftript. 
 
 The haughty Humour of Johnfhn was blam'd, and 
 Carpt at by feveral, but by none more Ingenioufly, than 
 by Sir John Suckling, who arraigned him at the Sefions of 
 Poets in this manner: 
 
 The 
 
1 1 2 Chara^ers and Cen fares. 
 
 Tb'Jirfl that hroke filence was ^ood Old Ben, 
 
 Vrepard before with Canary Wine ,• 
 
 And he told them plahly that he defervdthe Bays, 
 
 For his were called Works, where others were hut Plays j 
 
 And, 
 Bid them rememher how he had p»rgd the Stage 
 Of Errors that hallajled many an Age : 
 And hehopd they didnot think^ the Silent Woman, 
 The Fox, and the /iich> anil, out done hy no Man, 
 
 Apollo Hopt him therCy and hid him not go on^ 
 'Twas Merit, heftid, and not Prefumption 
 Mufi carry t', at which Ben. tarnd about. 
 And in great choller offer d to go out : 
 
 But, 
 Thofe that were there y thought it not fit 
 To difcontent fo Ancient a Wit ; 
 And therefore Apollo caltd him hack agen. 
 And made him mine Hoft of his own New- Inn. 
 
 Ben. John/on died Anno Dom. 1637. in the Sixty Third 
 Year 0} his Age, and was buried in Si. Peters Church 
 in Weflminfier, on the Weft-fide near the Belfry, hav- 
 ing only a plain Stone over his Grave, with this Infer ip' 
 tion, 
 
 Rare BEN, fQHNSON. 
 
 Dems 
 
Characiers and Cenfiires. 1 1 3 
 
 Decius Junius Juvenahs, 
 
 A Mod Elegant Latin Satyrifl, (as appears by his 
 Sxteen Satyrs^ which are Extant,) born at Aqui' 
 mm in the Kingdom of Maples ; He flourilh'd in the 
 time of the Emperour Domitian-y who for Refledting 
 upon Parts, a Comedian and Favourite, was in the 
 Eightieth Year of his Age fent Captain of a Company 
 into Egypt, whence he is call'd by Siclonius Apolllnaris^ I- 
 rati Hiflrioyiis Exul. 
 
 Ammianus Mar eel Urns, I'lh. i8. Hiflor. fays, That itl 
 his time Juvenal was fo much in Vogue, that even 
 Ibme wiio did deteft Learning, did notwithftanding in 
 their moft profound retirednefs, diligently employ them- 
 felves in Reading his Works. 
 
 To omit Suidas^ and fome others of the Ancients^ 
 which mention him, Torphyrio the Commentator on 
 Horace^ confefles that Horace had excell'd, had not Ju- 
 venal writ. 
 
 Lipfius^Cent. ir. Mifcell. Epifl. 61. reckons Juvenal Z' 
 mongft the moft uftful fort ot Writers. 
 
 And again, lih. iv. Epifflolic. Qu^Jlion. Ep'ifl. 1 5-. Lipfi- 
 us tells us, That never any Satyrifl excell'd Juvenal '\x\ 
 correcting the ill Manners of Men. 
 
 Conrad us Ritterjhufius, lih, i. LeEl. Sacr. cap. x. fays. 
 That Juvenal is fo full of his Divine, Grave Sentences, 
 that he may very properly be call'd, The Prophet of the 
 Latin Poets. 
 
 Jofep/j Scaliger, m his Scaligerana i. pag. 95-. a (lures 
 us, That Juvenal is an Excellent Poet, and that he has 
 a great many fine Things ; that his Satyrs are truly 
 
 ^ Tragical; 
 
1 1 4, Chara^ers and Ce?i fares. 
 
 Tragical; but I cannot but wonder, (ays Scaliger, why 
 he fhould fay, that he wrote in the Style of LucHius, 
 fince never any thing was more unlike either that^ or 
 Horaces Style. 
 
 Farnahy, in the Epifile Dedicatory to the Prince of 
 Wales, before his Tranflation of Juvenal^ fays, That 
 many preferred Juvenal's Satyrs before all the Morals of 
 Ariflotle, nay, and that they thought them equal to 
 thojfe of Seneca, and Epi^etus. 
 
 He likewife informs us, There are feveral Criticksy 
 who give the precedence to Juvenal before Horace ; e- 
 fteeming the latter but as a flight, fuperficial Satyrifi, 
 who only laught from the teeth outwards; whereas 
 Juvenal bit to the very bone, and did not often fuf- 
 fer his Prey to efcape without ftrangling, and being put 
 to Death. 
 
 Sir Robert Stapleton, in the Preface to his Tranflation 
 of Juvenal^ remarks, That this Author is commended 
 by Learned Men for the beft Satyrifl ; whence he is fly- 
 led. That Cenfor Morum Liherrimus. He is alfo a rare 
 Poet^ ss is teftified by his f^erfey flowing like a River, 
 when the Wind breaths gently, fmooth near the Banks, 
 f^rong in the Current. He was a true Philofopher^ 
 who with inimiteble fwectnefs of Language, and Ma- 
 jefly of Sentences, fets before our Eyes (fays Stapleton) 
 the lovelinefs of Vertue, and the deformity of Vice. 
 
 Julius Scaltger, lib. 6. De Poetica, calls Horace a Scof- 
 fer, his Speech Vulgar, his Verfe negligent, only his 
 Latin pure. But Juvenal, fays he, ardet, inftat, apsrte 
 jugulat ; his Purity is Roman, his Compofure happy, his 
 Verfe better, his Sentences fliarper, his Phrafe more o- 
 pen, and his Satyr m.ore accurate. Horace, fays he, 
 did not more exceed Lucilius, than Juvenal Horace ; 
 whether we nefped the variety of Arguments, the 
 
 dexterity 
 
Cbaraciers and Cenfures. 115 
 
 dexterity of Handling, the plenty of Invention, the fre- 
 quency of Sentences, the fharpnefs of Reprehenfion, as 
 alfo his Raillery, and good Manners, pag. Z^^^ and 
 
 Barten f/olyday^ in the Pref. to his Tranflation of Ju- 
 venal^ obferves, That in the fame Arguments Juvenal 
 never came fhort of Horace, but often out-went him ; 
 that Juvenal's Eighth Satyr of True i^olility^ is far more 
 excellent, than, of the lame Argument, Horace's Sixth. 
 Compare, fays he, JuvenaVs Tenth with Horaces Firft, 
 of The Defires of Men, (let Julius Scaliger fpcak the Clofe 
 in his own Words,) Satie tile till Juvenal is Poet a vide- 
 litur, hie Horatius jejume cujufpiam Thefeos tenuis tCH' 
 tator ; furely thou wilt acknowledge 5f«'z;f«^/ to be a Poct^ 
 but Horace to be fome poor Theme- Maker. Lipfins rea- 
 dily approves of this Opinion, faying of Scaliger, Illcy 
 me judice, inter mult a certi ^ elegant is judicii, nihil ve- 
 rius protulit ; preferring Juvenal before Horace^ for his 
 Ardor, his Loftinefs, and his Freedom. And for my own 
 part, fays Holyday, tho' I willingly admire the happincfs 
 of Horace in his Ly ricks ^ yet 1 cannot but think he 
 t'ery much untun'd himfelf in his fall from the Ode to 
 the Satyr. Befides, Juvenal's Change of the Ancient 
 Satyr, was, methinks, not only a Change, but a Per- 
 fe^ion. For, fays Holyday, what is the End of Satyr, 
 but to Reform > Whereas a perpetual Grin does rather An- 
 ger than Mend. Wherefore the Old Satyr and the Mew, 
 and fo Horace and Juvenal, may feem to dif!er as the 
 Jefter and the Orator, the Face of an Ape and of a Man^ 
 or as the Fiddle and Thunder. 
 
 Juvenal, fays Dryden, is of a more Vigorous and 
 Mafculine Wit, than Horace ; he gives me as much plea- 
 fure as 1 can bear : He fully fatisfies my Expedatton, 
 he treats his Subjcd: home : His Spleen is rais'd, and he 
 
 Q^L raifes 
 
ii6 Chara^ers and Cenfiires. 
 
 raifes mine : I have the Pleafure of Concernment in all 
 he fays ; He drives his Reader along with him ,• and 
 when he is (fays Dry den) at the end of his way, I wil- 
 lingly ftop with him : If he went another Stage, it 
 wou'd be too far, it would make a Journey of a Pro- 
 grefs, and turn Delight into Fatigue. When he gives 
 over, 'tis a fign the Subjedt is exhaufted ; and the Wit 
 of Man can carry it no farther. If a Fault can be juft- 
 ly found in him, 'tis (fays Dryden) that he is fometimes 
 too luxuriant, too redundant; fays more than he needs, 
 but never more than pleafes. Add to this, that his 
 Thoughts are as jufl as thofe of Horace^ and much more 
 Elevated. His Expreflions are Sonorous, and more No- 
 ble ; his Verfe more Numerous, and his Words are fui- 
 table to his Thoughts; fublime and lofty. All thefe 
 contribute to the Pleafure of the Reader, and the grea- 
 ter the Soul of him who Reads, his Tranfports are the 
 greater. Horace^ fays Dryden^ is always on the Amlle, 
 Juvenal on the Gallop : But his way is perpetually on 
 Carpet-Ground. He goes with more Impetuofity than 
 Horace ; but as fecurely ; and the fwiftnefs adds a more 
 
 lively agitation to the Spirits The Sauce of Juvenal 
 
 is more poignant to create in us an Appetite of Read- 
 ing him. The Meat of Horace is more nourifhing ; but 
 the Cookery of Juvenal more exquiflte; fo that, grant- 
 ing Horace to be the more general Philofopher ; we can- 
 not deny, that Juvenal was the greater Poet, I mean in 
 Satyr. His Thoughts, fays Dryden, are Iharper, his In- 
 dignation againft Vice is more vehement ; his Spirit has 
 more of the^Commonwealth Genius ; he treats Tyranny, 
 and all the Vices attending it, as they defcrve, with 
 the utmoft rigour : And confequently, a Noble Soul is 
 better pleas'd with a zealous Vindicator of Roma» liber- 
 ty; 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures. 117 
 
 ty ,♦ than with a Temporizing Poet, a well Manner'd 
 Court Slave, and a Man who is often afraid of laughing 
 in the right place .- Who is ever decent, becaufe he is 
 naturally lervile. After all, fays Dryden^ Horace had 
 the difadvantage of the Times in which he liv'd ; they 
 were better for the Man^ but worfe for the Satyrifl. 
 'Tis generally faid, that thofe Enormous Vices, which 
 were pra(3:is'd under the Reign of Domitian, were un- 
 known in the time of Apigujius Ccefar. That therefore 
 Juvenal had a larger Field, than Horace. ©^'^15. De- 
 dk. before the Jranjlat. of Juvenal, p.ig. 37, 38, 39. 
 
 Rap/ft obferves, That the Delicacy which properly 
 gives the relifli to Satyr, was heretofore the Characfler 
 Of Horace, for thiit J" v/as only by the way of Jejl and 
 Merriment that he exv^rcis'd his Cenfure. For he knew 
 full well, that the fporting of Wit, hath more t^cOi 
 than the (Irongell Reafons, and the molt fententious 
 Difcourfe, to render f^ke ridiculous. In which Juvemly 
 fays Rapin, with all his ferioufncfs, has fo much ado to 
 fucceed. For indeed that violent manner of Declama- 
 tion, which throughout he makes ufe of, has, mod 
 commonly, as Rapia remarks, but very little EfFedl, he 
 fcarce perlwades ac all ; btcaule he is always in cl.wler, 
 and never fpeaks in Ccld Blood. 'Tis true, fays Rapin^ 
 he has fome Common Places of Morality, that may ferve 
 to dazzle the weaker fort of Apprehenfions : But with 
 all his ftrong Expreflions, energetick Terms, and great 
 Flaihes of Eloquence, he makes little imprefTion ; be- 
 caufe he has nothing that is delicate, or that is natural. 
 It is not a true Zeal, as Rapin obferves, that makes Ju- 
 uenal talk againft the mifdemeanors of that Age, 'tis 
 meerly a Spirit of Vanity and Oftentation. JS$p» Re- 
 fiex. 6cc. part z. fe^. i8. 
 
 Luhin-s 
 
11 8 CharaSfrs and Cenfures, 
 
 Luhns Comments upon Juzenal and Perfiust Printed 
 Hanova, 1603. are Infertcd in the hdex Expurgatorius, 
 Publifliedat Madrid^ Anno Dom. i66y. 
 
 Marcus Annaus Luc anus ^ 
 
 A Famous Voet^ born at Corduha, a City in SpJtn, in 
 the 37//^. or, as others hy, the 39//;. Yrar of 
 Cbrift. He was the Son of Marcus Anna^us Mella, of 
 Corduha^ a i?<?w^« Knight; and Nephew to Lucius Anna- 
 ns Seneca, the Philofopher. He was X2ikQnin\\v:PiJonian 
 Confpiracy, and put to Death by iV<?r^, in i\\tz6tb. Vear 
 of his Age. 
 
 He Wrote the Hijiory of the Civil Wars between Cafar 
 ^nd Pompey, in Hexameter Verfe; the Poem is Entituled 
 Pharfa/ia, wherein he is faid, to have been a/lifted by 
 his Wife PoILi Argent aria. 
 
 There have been but few more expos'd to the Cenfure 
 of Criticks, than this our Author. Some making him to 
 bean Excellent F^fi^,- Others an indifferent Hijiorian; 
 Some a furious Orator; and Others a Philofopher^ a Ma- 
 thematician, and a Divine. 
 
 Quintilian^ lib. x. cap. i. obferves, That Lucan has a 
 great deal of Heat and Fire; and that he is very remarka- 
 ble for his Sentences; hux, fays he, to fpeak my mind 
 freely, he is rather to be number'd amongft Orators than 
 Poets. 
 
 Servius, in his Comment upon J^irgil's Firft Book of 
 h\s /^neidSf Verfe i8i. isalfo of the Opinion, thn Lucan 
 
 did 
 
Characters and Ce?ifures, 1 1 9 
 
 did not deferve to be reckon'd among the Poets^ becaufe 
 he feems to have Writ rather a Hiflory than a ?oem. 
 
 And Johannes Samherknfis^ lih. z. Policratici^ cap. xix. 
 calls Lucan a mod learned Foet ; if, fays he^ it be proper 
 to call him a Poet^ who, by his truly Relating Matters 
 of Fad:, appears to be more of the Hiftorian. 
 
 But we find Martial took Lacan to be not only a Poet, 
 but a very good one too; according to that Epigram of 
 his, lih. i^.Epig. 194. 
 
 S(4fit Quidam, qui ms dicunt non ejje Poetam : 
 Sedquimevendit^ Bibliopola, putat. 
 
 An^ Julius Scaliger^ lih. i. Poet ices y cap, ii. fays, It is 
 beyond all difpule, that £«(rd[« was a ^W ; and that the 
 Grammarians dohxiiiin^?, (as they commonly do) when 
 they objed:, and fay. That he wrote not a Poem but a 
 Hifory. 
 
 Nicolaus Clemangius, Epift. v. tells us. That Lucan 
 gave an excellent Defcription of the Ci'villVars; and 
 that he was very well skili'd both in Aftronomy and Philoz 
 fophy. 
 
 Philippus Ruhenicus, lih, 2. Ele^orum, cap. 5-. fays, He 
 Loves Lucan for having fo great a Soul ; who, though 
 he liv'd in times of Slavery and Tyranny, yet fcorn'd 
 to ihe\^ any thing that was either Mean, or Ser- 
 vile. 
 
 Cafper Barthius, lih. 53. Adverfar. cap. 6. informs us, 
 T^h^x. Lucan is a Poet o^ a gresLt Genius y of extraordinary 
 Learning, and of a true //^ro/V^ Charader; who, from 
 the very time he liv'd, has always been efleem'd a mofl 
 Confiderable Author, efpecially among Fhilofophers, by 
 Reafon of his gravity, his force, his acutenels, and his 
 weighty Sentences, which (hine, and are trafparent 
 
 through 
 
1 20 Chara^ers and Cen fares. 
 
 through the whole Work ; (o that he has fcarce ever had 
 his equal in that Kind. 
 
 But notwithftanding ^^r/^/«j has given this highCha- 
 radier of Lucan, yet in another place, viz- lih.6o. Ativerf, 
 cap.v. hefhewsus, That his good Qualities have been 
 ballanc'd by his great imperfedions : Thus, he fays, Lucan 
 was a mortal Enemy to Ctefar^ and his Family ; and that 
 under pretence of ("peaking for Lllerty^ he had no other 
 defign, than toeftablifh the Paflion and Ambition of fome 
 few particular Perfons of his Time, who had a mind to 
 get the Government folely into their own hands; or, fince 
 they could not bear any longer with their Lawful Prince, 
 were rather difpofed to fubmit themfelves to any other 
 whatfoever, than to Cafar; who, by overthrowing 
 the Commonwealth, had taken away 'all their Liher- 
 i'/es, only to invefl himfelf with an Abfolute, Defpotick 
 Power. 
 
 He alfo further declares, That Lucan was a rafli, gid- 
 dy-headed Young Fellow, and that he Writ without any 
 thing of Judgement ; that he knew not how to manage 
 the Charcidcrs of thole, whomhe reprefented; but that 
 he generally gave them his own vain, idle, and furious 
 Character. 
 
 But this great Freedom us'd by Lucan, and which Bar- 
 th'tas takes to be the cKiCt of his want of Judgement, the 
 Learned Daniel Heinfius^ in his Book De laude Afini, pag. 
 86,87. interprets quite otherwife, for he fuppofes, and 
 believes, it proceeded from a true Roman Spirit, and that 
 it had no other caufe, but his own Noble and Generous 
 Temper. 
 
 Monfieur Go^cau, in his Ecc/ejjaflkal H'lftory^ an^ to- 
 wards the end of the F'lrjl Century, fays, That Lucan 
 had without doubt a great G^wiAf, and a high and lofty 
 Spirit, as particularly appears in his Defcriptions', but 
 
 that 
 
Characlers and Cenfiires. 121 
 
 that he had the ordinary Vice of Young Men, which \sl 
 not to know how to govern himfelf. 
 
 He alfo adds, That as fome have too great an efteem 
 for him, (o Others blame him more than he deferves; for 
 that as he has his Vices, fo it cannot be deny'd, but he has 
 hisVertues too. 
 
 JhUiu Scaliger, li^, 6. De Poetica, pag. 844. remarks,* 
 That there are fome, who have the confidence to compare 
 Lucan with Hrgil; but thefe, fays he, infteadof Magni- 
 fying Lucan, do but expofe themielves. 
 
 We confefs, fays Scaliger^ Thzi Lucan was one of a vaft 
 Genius i but at the fame time we muft acknowledge 
 that he would often go beyond the bounds of Poetry; 
 that he had an ungovernable Temper, and would now 
 and then faily out mod extravagantly; and to conclude, 
 that he had too much heat and fire in him, wanting 
 that admirai?le and Divine Temper, which none ever 
 had but Firgil only. And therefore, fays Scaliger^ 
 though I may be thought to ufe too great a freedom, 
 Lucan rather feems to Bark than Sing, in my Opini- 
 on. 
 
 And in another place of the fame Book, viz. pag. 717.' 
 Scaliger obferves. That Lucan was too much embarafs'd, 
 and confus'd in his Thoughts, and that he was often 
 funning from one Extream to another. 
 
 Lilius GyraUus^ in his fourth Dialogue, De Poetis An- 
 tiquiSy affirms the very fame thing of Luca% that M, 
 Tuliius did of the Corduhan Poets of his time, who, as 
 he thought, had fomewhat in them, that was extreamly 
 odd and uncouth. And therefore, as Gyraldus obferves. 
 One \jery ingenioufly compared Lucan^ to a Horfe that 
 was not broke, which would ever and anon be running 
 in the mid ft of fome Meadow, or Field, leaping, and 
 
 R kicking 
 
122 Chara^ers and Cenfiires. 
 
 kicking up his heels, but without any manner of Order, 
 or Art. 
 
 Others, fays GyraUus, compar'd him to a Brisk, 
 Active Souldier, who would fling his dart with a vaft 
 deal of flrength, though at the fame time, he ne'er 
 confider'd to take any aim. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger^ in his firft Book,- Epifl. 3, fays. That 
 if one looks narrowly into Lucan, he will find him to 
 be a Man of no skill in Aflronomy ; and that he was a 
 light, trifling, vain-glorious young Man. 
 
 Borrkhius, in his Dijertat, Acad.de Poetis, pag, 5-8. re- 
 marks. That Lucans Pharfalia, is of a Mafculine Style, 
 too much fet out with Sentences, and Political Inflrudi- 
 ons, but that now and then it was fomewhat rough 
 and uneven ; nay, and fometimes haughty, and affed:- 
 ed. Borrkhius can by no means approve of Scai/gers 
 Cenfure, viz. That Lucan feems rather to Bark than Sing; 
 but is of Opinion, That had he not been cut offfofoon, 
 he would moft certainly have polilh'd this new Work of 
 his. 
 
 Petronius (fays Rapin^ in his Advertifement before his 
 Reflexions on Poefie) is difgufted with the Stile of Seneca 
 and Lucan^ which to him feem'd afTeded, and contrary 
 to the Principles of Ariflotle. 'Tis at them he levels 
 with thofe glances, that flip from him againfl: the Poe^ 
 tafters, and falfe Declamators. 
 
 Philippus BrietiuSy in his Second Book, De Poetis La- 
 tinisy tells us, That Lucan afledled to fpeak nothing, 
 but what was very great, and extraordinary ; and hence 
 it is, that his Style is fo very lofty, irregular, and ob- 
 fcure. ^ 
 
 He alfo advifes Mafters not to fuffer their Scholars to 
 read Lucan ; for that, in his Opinion, never any Poet 
 had fo dangeroufly corrupted Poetry, 
 
 Rapln 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 123 
 
 Rapln fays, That Lucan often in his Pharfalh grows 
 flat for want of Wit. JSap- Reflex, on Arifi. of jP^i?/^, 
 ^^r^ I. feii. 2,. 
 
 //^ alfo obferves, That the Bftfodes of Lucan^ who 
 makes long Scholaftick Diflertations, and Difputes meerly 
 Speculative, on things that fdli in his way, Ihew much 
 of Conflraint and afFedation. Ihid. part i. fe^. 8. 
 
 And, to conclude, he tells us, That Lucan is great 
 and fublime, but as little Judgment. Ihid. fe^, 1 5-. 
 
 Dryden remarks, That Lucan follow'd too much the 
 truth of Hiftory ; crowded Sentences together ; was too 
 full of Points ; and too often of!er'd at fomewhat which 
 had more of the Sting of an Epigram, than of the dig- 
 nity and ftate of an Heroick Poem. Cucan, fays Drydert, 
 us'd not much the help of his Heathen Deities : There 
 was neither the Miniftery of the Gods, nor the preci- 
 pitation of the Soul, Dor the fury of a Prophet, in his 
 Pharfalia : He treats you more like a Philofophert than 
 a Poet : and inftrucSs you in t^erfe, with what he had 
 been taught by his Uncle Seneca in Profe. In one Word, 
 fays Dryden, he walks foberly a foot, when he might 
 fly : Yet Lucan is not always this Religious Hiftorian. 
 The Oracle of Appius, and the Witchcraft of Eri^ho 
 will fomewhat atone for him, who was, indeed, bound 
 up by an illchofen and known Argument, to follow 
 Truth with great Exadnefs. J^J^B* E(]ay of Heroick 
 Plays. 
 
 Dryden, alfo in his Apology for Heroick Poetry, obferves, 
 That Lucan and Statius were Men of an unbounded Ima- 
 gination, but that they often wanted the Poize of Judg- 
 ment. 
 
 And in his Dedication before Juvenal, he fays. That 
 Lucan is wanting both in Deflgn and Suhje^, and is be- 
 fides too full of Heat, and Aftedtation, pag. viii. 
 
 R X Cam 
 
1 24 CharaSers and Cenfares. 
 
 Caius LuciliuSy 
 
 A Roman Poet, of the Equeflrian Order, the firft that 
 writ Satyrs in Latin, the great Uncle of Pompey^ 
 born at Aurunca, a Town in Italy. He waj? a Souldier 
 under Scifto Jfrica^us, when he befieg'd Numantia in 
 ;5/>j/« ; He died at Haples, in the Forty Sixth Year of his 
 Age. 
 
 That Luc/Ims was the firfl: who writ Satyr amongft 
 the Romans, appears by thefe following Verfes of Boi*^ 
 leat^y in his Art of Foetry, thus render'd into Englijh ; 
 
 Lucilius was the Man who, Iravely hold^ 
 To Roman Vices did this Mirror hold, 
 Prote^ed bumble Goodnefs from reproach, 
 Showd Worth on Foot and Rafcals in the Coach-: 
 Horace his pleafing Wit to this did add, 
 And none uncenfurd could he Fool, or Mad ; 
 Vnhappy ivas that Wretch, whofi name might he 
 Squar d to the Rules of their Sharp Poetry. 
 
 }&0(IC6Uil of Satyr, in his Art of Poetry, 
 
 Horace, lih. i. Satyr iv. fays. That LuciVtus defign'd 
 to in:iitate the Ancient Greek Comedians, who refleSed 
 apofl Perfons nakedly, without any Art or Difguife 5 
 and that among others he had followed Eupolis., Crati" 
 ms, and Ariftophanes, not making any other alteration, 
 than changing the Feet, and Meafure of their Verfe. 
 He adds, that Lucilius is very pleafant and agreeable, 
 and one of a very good Tafte ; but that his Verfe was 
 7ough, and wanted the tile. He alfo teUs m, that Lu- 
 cilius 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures. 12s 
 
 ctUus would commonly make two Hundred Vcrfes in an 
 hours time, {landing all the while upon one Leg, which 
 was a thing very extraordinary ; but that his Verfes 
 had neither force, nor purity. To conclude, he fays, 
 that Luc'tlius was a Man full of Words, and that he could 
 not endure to take much pains. 
 
 But notwithftanding this Charadler of Horace, we fee 
 Qumtiliaid, Itkx. cap. i. tells us, That Lucilius was the 
 firft amongft the Romans, who had got any Reputation 
 for writing Satyr ; and that he was arriv'd to fo great 
 Credit, and fuch a Fame, That there are Many, who 
 prefer liirn before aH other Poets in general. But, fays 
 Quint'dian, I differ as much from Them, as I do from 
 Horacet who compares Luc'tlius to a River, which car- 
 ries with it a great deal of Filth and Mud, but yet has 
 fomewhat that is good in it. For fays Quint'tl'tan, there 
 is in Lucilius Wonderful Learning, great Freedom, and 
 abundance of Wit. 
 
 Tully calls Lucilius^ The chief of the Latin Satyrijlsi 
 a Learned Man, and a very Ingenious Perfon, of a 
 Sharp Wit, one of an Excellent Life himfelf, and a Sting- 
 ing Accufer of the Villanies of Others. 
 
 Juvenal, in his firft Satyr obferves. That Lucilius us'd 
 to write with fo much fharpnefs and freedom^ that all 
 the lewd, diflblute Perfons of thofe Times, were afraid 
 of him : Which Drytlen has thus tranflated into Englijh 
 Ycrfe : 
 
 But ivheft Lucilius hraHJiJhes his ?en^ 
 
 And flafljes in the face of Guilty Men, 
 
 A cold Siveat /lands in drops on evry part ; 
 
 And Rage fucceeds to Tears, Revenge to Smart. 
 
 AmImSi 
 
126 Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 Aulas Geiliusy lib. i8. cap, v. Medium Atticarunty fays, 
 That Luci/ius was incomparably well skill'd in the Latin 
 Tongue. 
 
 TurneluSy in the nineteenth Book of his Adverfarla^ 
 cap. vi. remarks. That LucHius in his Satyrs ^ did fome- 
 times fall into the lamhick. 
 
 And in the i8//; Book, cap. ix. Turnehus obferves to 
 us, That though Lucilms Verfes are not to be compar'd 
 to thofe of other Poets ; yet they have fomewhat in 
 them, which is both pleafant and entertaining. 
 
 Lilius GyraUus tells us, There were fome who blam'd 
 LucHius y for mixing Greek with his Latin^ juft as Pytho' 
 leon Rhodius did in his Epigrams^ who, for that reafon, 
 was laught at by Horace. But, fays Gyraldus, I am 
 fure Catullus (and I could name others) did the fame 
 thing. 
 
 Gerardus Johannes VojftuSy lih. V. Inftitutionum Oratori- 
 arum, pag. 315. fays. That of all the Latin Poets, Lu- 
 cilius was obferv'd to have made the greateft ufe of 
 the Figure TmeftSy according to that Viflich of Aufo^ 
 wius : 
 
 Refciffo difces componere nemine Verfum : 
 Lucilii vat is fie imitator eris, 
 
 aafon. Epift. 5r. 
 
 Vryden remarks, That tho' Horace feenv to have 
 made LucHius the firft Author of Satyr in Verfe, a- 
 mongft the Romans ; He is only thus to be underftood, 
 That LucHius had given a more graceful turn to the 
 Satyr of Ennius and Pacuvius ; not that Le invented a 
 new Satyr of his own. — And, as Dry den obferves, the 
 Roman Language was grown more refin'd, and by con- 
 
 fequence 
 
CharaUers and Censures. 1 2 7 
 
 fequence more capable of receiving the Grecian Beau- 
 ties in Lucilms Time ,• and therefore well might He 
 write better than either Emius or Facuvius, ^%i^9 
 Dedk. before Jwvenal, pag. 25', 26. 
 
 7/V//J Lucretius Carus, 
 
 BOth a Ltf//« Poet, and a Philofopher j He was 
 born in the Second Year of the lyi. Olymphd, 
 93 Years before C/^r//?. According to £?^^/«j, he kilTd 
 himfelf in the Forty Fourth Year of his Age, his Mi' 
 flrefs having given him a Love-Potion^ which made 
 him run mad : Though Others tell us, he died in his 
 Twenty Sixth Year, and believe his madnefs, proceed- 
 ed from the Cares and Melancholy that oppreft him 
 after the Banidiment of his beloved Memmius. 
 
 The only Remains this great Wit hath left us, are his. 
 Six Books, De Rerum Matura; being an exa(9: Syflem of 
 the Epicurean Philofophy. Eufehius affirms, That Lu- 
 cretius wrote thefe Books in his Lucid Intervals^ when 
 the Strength of Nature had thrown off all the difturb- 
 ing Particles, and his Mind (as 'tis obfcrv'd of Mad 
 Men} was Sprightly and Vigorous : Then in a Poetical 
 Rapture he could fly with his Epicurus beyond the flam- 
 ing limits of this World, frame and dillblve Seas and 
 Heavens in an inftant, and by fome unufual Sallys, be 
 the flrongeft Argument of his own Opinion; for it Teems 
 impoflible, (ays Creech, that fome things which he deli- 
 vers, Ihould proceed from Reafin and Judgment^ or any 
 Cauie but Chance, and unthinking Fortune, 
 
 Ovid 
 
\ 28 Chambers and Cen fares. 
 
 Ovidt fpeaking of Lucretius, gives him a very high 
 CharacJJer, prefaging that his Verfcs would continue as 
 long as the World endur'd : 
 
 Carmina SHhlimis tunc funt peritura Lucreti, 
 Es'tt'to Terras cum Aahit una dies. 
 
 ^\A^.Amor. lib. i. Eleg.i^, 
 
 Although Cicero, in his Second Book, Epifl. x. to his 
 Brother QsintM^ Confirms his Brothers Opinion, That 
 the Poem of Lucretius was not much fet forth, or adorn'd 
 with Wit; yet at the fame time he owns, that Lucretius 
 has therein Ihew'd a great deal of Art. 
 
 Julius Scaligery in his Comment upon Ariflotles Hijio* 
 rla Animalium^ cap. 10. calls Lucretius, a Divine Perfon, 
 and an Incomparable Poet, 
 
 Jofeph Scalrger, in Scaligerana\. pag. 104. fays, That 
 Lucretius is a good Book; that there is not a better Au- 
 thor in the Latin Tongue ; and that Virgil has taken many 
 things from him. 
 
 Gafpar Scioppius, in his De Arte Critica, pag. 93. de- 
 clares, he is of Lamhinus's Opinion, That never any 
 Man fpoke Latin to a greater Perfedtion,- and that nei- 
 ther Tully, nor defar. Wrote with a purer Style than Lu- 
 cretius. 
 
 Aulus Gellius, lih. i. cap.zi. No&. Attic, ftyles Lucretius^ 
 a Poet that exceil'd both in Wit and Eloquence. 
 
 Vojfius, in his De Arte GrammaticHy pag, y^j. calls X«- 
 cretiiis. The befl of all the Latin Authors. 
 
 Monfieur Bayle, in the Mouvelles de la Repuhlique des 
 LettreSy Juillet 1685-. pag 812. fays. There appears io 
 much Eloquence in the Verfe of Lucretius^ that had he 
 liv'd in the time of Auguflus, he might very well have 
 difputed the Point with Virgil. But, as he obferves. 
 
 Thirty 
 
Cbaraclers and Cenfures. 129 
 
 Thirty or Forty Years makes a mighty difference be- 
 tween two Authors. And yet for all that, there are fome 
 Criticksy who have plac'd Lucretius above all other Latin 
 Authors. But this,fays Bayle, is too much ; 'tis enough to 
 put him in the Lift of good Authors. 
 
 Evelyn, in the Preface to his Tranflation of the Firft 
 Book of Lucretiusy obferves to us, That in this Work of 
 Lucretius^ Nature her felf fits Triumphant, wanting 
 none of her juft Equipage and Attendance; whileft our 
 Carus hath ered:ed this everlaftiflg Arch to her Memory, 
 fo full of Ornament and exqufite\¥erkman{hip, as nothing 
 of this kind hath ever either approaph'd, or exceeded it. 
 
 Where the matter he takes in hand is capable of Form 
 and Luftre, he makes it (fays Evelyn) even to out-fhine 
 the Sun it felf in fplendor; And as he fpares nocoft to deck 
 and fet it forth ; fo never had Man a more Rich and Luxu- 
 rious Fancy, more Keen and Sagacious Inftruments to 
 fquare the moft.ftubborn and rude of Materials^ into that 
 fpiring foftnefs you will every where find them difpos'd, 
 in this his Stupendious and well-built Theatre of Na^ 
 ture, 
 
 Drj^^w remarks. That if Lucretius wzs not of the beft 
 Age of Roman Poetry, he was at leaft of that which pre- 
 ceded it ; and he himfelf refin'd it to that degree of per- 
 fe<^ion, both in the Language and the Thoughts, that he 
 left an eafie Task to Firgil; who as he fucceeded him in 
 time, fo he Copy'd his Excellencies : For the Method 
 of the Georgicks is plainly derived from him. Lucretius 
 had chofen a Subject naturally crabbed ; he therefore 
 adorn'd it with Poetical Defcriptions, and Precepts of 
 Morality, in the beginning and ending of his Books. 
 Which you fee Firgil has imitated with great fuccefs, in 
 thofe Four Books, which (fays Dryelen) in my Opinion, 
 are more perfed: in their Kind, than even his Divine 
 
 S jSfteids. 
 
1 30 CharaUers and Cenfures. 
 
 Mne'ids. The thm of hisVerfe he has like wife followed,. 
 in thofe Places which Lucretius has mod Labour'd, and 
 fomc of his very Lines he has Tranfplanted into his own 
 Works, without much variation. If I am not miftaken 
 (fays Dryden) the diftinguilhing Character of Lucretius^ 
 (I mean of his Soul and Genius) is a certain kind of 
 noble Pride, and pofitive AfJortion of his Opinions. 
 He is every where confident of his own Reafon, and 
 alTaming an abfolute Command not only over his vulgar 
 Reader, but even his Patron Memmhis. For he is always 
 bidding him attend, as if he had the Rod over him; and 
 ufmg a Magifterial Authority, while he inftruds him. 
 From his time to ours, fays Dryden^ I know none fo 
 like him, as our Poet and Philofopher of Malmshury* 
 This is that perpetual D'dUtorjhip which is exercis'd by 
 Lucretius-, who though often in the wrong, yet feems 
 to deal lona fide with his Reader^ and tells him nothing, 
 but what he thinks; in which plain fincerity, I believe 
 he differs from om Holh, who (fays Dryden^ could not 
 but be convinc'd, or at lead doubt of fome Eterml Truths 
 which he has oppos'd. But for Lucretius, he feems to 
 difdain all manner of Replies, and is fo confident of his 
 Caufc, that he is before hand with his Antagoftifls ; urg- 
 ing for them, what ever he imagined they could fay j and 
 leaving them, as he fuppofes, without an Objecfiion for 
 the future. All this too, with fo much fcorn and indig- 
 nation, as if he were aflur'd of the Triumph, before he 
 enter'd into the Lifls, From this Sublime and daring 
 Genius of his, it mud (fays Dryden) of neceflity come to 
 pafs, that his thoughts mofl be Ma feu line, full of Argu- 
 mentation, and that fufficiently warm. From the fame 
 fiery Temper proceeds the Loftinefs of his Expreflions, 
 and the perpetual Torrent of his Verfe, where the Bar- 
 
 rennefs 
 
Characlers and Cenjares. 131 
 
 rennefs of his Subjed does not too much conftrain the 
 quicknefs of his Fancy. For there is no doubt to be 
 made, (^fiys Dry den) but that he cou d have been every 
 whtre zs Poetical, as he is in his Defer iptionsy and in the 
 Moral p3iTt of his Phi/ofopby^ if he had not aim*d more 
 to Inflru^i in his Syftem of Nature, than to Delight, But he 
 was bent upon making Memmius a Materia 'iil, and teach- 
 ing him to defie an Invifihle Power : In (hort, fays Dry- 
 den, he was fo much an Atheift, that he forgot fometimes 
 to be a Poet. ®^^D» Pref to the Sylvce: Or, 7 be Second 
 Part of Poetical Mifcellanies. 
 
 Vyt. Thomas Burnet, in the Second Book of his Theory o{ 
 tht Earth, chap.K. is of Opinion, Thtit Lf^cretias \V2^san 
 Epicurean, more from his Inclination, and the bent of 
 his Spirit, than from Reafon, or any Force of Argu- 
 ment. For though his Suppofitions be very precarious, 
 and his Reafonings all a long very flight, he will many 
 times ftrut and triumph, as if he had wrefted the Thun" 
 der out of foves Right- Hand,* and a Mathematician 
 Qfays Burnet^ is not more confident of his Demonftration, 
 than he feems to be of the Truth of his ihallow Philofo- 
 
 Ph- 
 
 Mar cm Valerius Martialis, 
 
 BOrn at Bilk in Spain, in the Reign of Claudius the 
 Emperour. When he was Twciity Years of Age 
 he came to Rome under Nero, and there continued 
 Thirty Five Years, in the good eHieem of Titus, but 
 
 S z efpecially 
 
1 3 2 CharaSers and Cenfiires. 
 
 efpeclally of Domitian^ by whom he was advanced to the 
 Trihfi^te and Equeftrian Dignity: But upon Domitians 
 Death, he declined in his Intereft; and therefore in 7r4- 
 jans time, he return'd into his own Country ,• and there, 
 after he had finifh'd his TweHth Book of Epigrams, in 
 the Seventy Fifth Year of his Age he died, being reduc'd 
 to very great poverty. The other Two Books, viz. the 
 Thirteenth and Fourteenth, are called, Xenia^ and Jpopho- 
 reta, and by many thought to have been Writ by fome 
 other Hand. 
 
 fofeph Scaliger, in Scaligerana i. fays, the truefl Cha- 
 raider that can be given of Martiafs Epigrams, is what 
 Martial himfelf has given, lib. i. Epigr. 17. 
 
 Sunt bona, funt qucedam MeMocria, funt mala plura, 
 
 Pliny the Younger, in the 21. Epiflle of his Third 
 Book, tells PrifcuSj That Martial had a great deal of Wit 
 and Smartnefs; and that there was difTus'd throughout 
 his whole Work abundance of SaltandGaul; but yet, that 
 he fomtimes {how'd great Candour. 
 
 Adrianui Turnehus^ lib. 13. cap. 19. Adverfar. fays. 
 Martial was a Plcafant, Witty Toet-^ that he can by no 
 means be of their Opinion, who look upon him as an 
 idle Buffoon ; and that his Epigrams, let thefe men fay 
 what they pleafc, are Writ with a great deal of Elegance. 
 'Julius Scaliger, in his Third Book De Poetica, cap. ii6. 
 tells us, That the peculiar Properties of an Epigram^ are 
 Brevity and Smartnefs; this lafl: quality, asScaliger obferves, 
 Catullus did not always arrive zx ; but the moft acute 
 Martial never fail'd- 
 
 And in the Sixth Book, pag 838. Scaliger remarks. 
 That many of Martial's Epigrams are Divine, and that 
 the Style is both pure and cxa(5t, and very proper for 
 
 that 
 
CharaSers and Ce?ifures. 1 3 3 
 
 that great veriety of Matter,- that his Verfes are eafie 
 and natural, and, in a Word, that they are very good. 
 As for his other Epigrams that are obfcene, {fiys Scaliger) 
 I am To far from paffing any Judgment on them, that in- 
 deed I have not fo much as read them. 
 
 What think'ft thou, Janus Lernatius ? fays Lipfius, 
 was not Scaliger^ who thought Martial's Verfes fmooth, 
 eajie and natural^ and many of his Epigrams to be Divine^ 
 more in the right ; than he who calls him an idle Buffoon ? 
 Which undecent Expreflion {fays Lipfius^ 1 am forry fo 
 great a Man (hould apply fo ill. 'Tis true indeed. Martial 
 is nothing compar'd to Catullus^ I know it well enough ; 
 but then this I know too, (^fays Lipjius) that though 
 Ibme of Catullus s Epigrams are not common and ordina- 
 ry, yet all are not extraordinary. There are indeed ma- 
 ny Lewd and Obfcene things in Martial \ and take my 
 Word for'r, {fays Lipfms) in that little Book of Catullus 
 there are every whit as immodeft Expreflions, but not 
 (b many. To conclude, {^fays Li^fius^ he mufl be very 
 ignorant, who knows not, that this was the fault of the 
 Age. Id/tpC* lih. I . Epiflolicarum Quceflionum^ Epifl. v. 
 
 ErafmuSf in Dialogo Ciceroniano^ pag, 147. remarks, 
 That Martialhad much of OviJ*s Style, which was eafie 
 and natural J nay, that he had fomewhat of the Air of 
 Cicero : But he tells us, he does not mean in his Epi/lles, 
 which he Writ before fome of his Books ; which, as Eraf 
 mus obferves, God knows have little of Cicero in them. 
 
 Morhofius, in his De Patavinitate Livian^, pag. 160. 
 tells us. That though Martial be charg'd by fome ill-na- 
 tur'd Cr///f^j, for ufing fometimes the Spaaijh- Dialed; yet 
 this ought not to deprive him of the juft honour that's 
 due to him, for his great Elegancy in the Latin Tongue. 
 
 But notwithftanding our Author has had fuch con- 
 fiderable Advocates ^ that appear'd for him,- yet this has 
 
 not 
 
Y^4 Characlers and Cenfures. 
 
 not frighten'd fome from attacking him in the mofl: op- 
 probrious Manner .- Thus, 
 
 Muretus fays, That Martial compar'd to Catullus ^ \s 
 an idle fawcy Fellow, ameer Droll. 
 
 Lilius GyraUus fays , That his Epigrams never pleas'd 
 any but a company of AfTes. 
 
 And Raphael Volaterranus tells us. That Martiah Epi- 
 grams are not fit to be read ; for that they contain neither 
 Elegancy^ nor Morality. 
 
 VojfiuSy lih. 3. Inftitutionum Foeticarum^ pag. 107. ob- 
 ferves to us, That Martial was one of thofe Authors, 
 who at the fame time he reprov'd Vice, taught it ^ and 
 though he deferv'd high Commendation for the greateft 
 part of his Epigrams ; yet by thofe few that were Ohfceney 
 he had done infinitely more mifchief, than by the Others 
 he had done gojod. 
 
 RapiH remarks. That Men cf a good Tafte, preferr'd 
 the way of Catullus^ before that of Martial; there being 
 more of iruc (delicacy in that, than in this. And in thefe 
 latter Ages, (fays Rapin) we have feen a Noble Venetian^ 
 named Andreas Naugerius, who had an exquifitc difcern- 
 ment,and who by a natural antipathy againft all that which 
 is call'd Voint, or the nipping Word in the Epigram, which 
 he judg'd to be of an ill relifh. Sacrificed every Year in 
 Ceremony a Volume of Martiafs Epigrams to the Manes 
 of CatulluSy in honour to ^ix Character, which he judg'd 
 was to be preferr'd to that of Martial. 
 
 John 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures. i^^ 
 
 John Milton, 
 
 WAS one whofe Natural Parts did defervedly 
 give him a place amongfk the Principal of our 
 Englijh Poets. He was Author (not to mention his other 
 Works, both in Latin and Englijh, by which his Fame 
 is rufficientiy known to all the Learned of Europe) of 
 Two Heroick Poems, and a Tragedy ; namely, Taradife 
 Loft ; Faradife Regain d ; and Samfon Agoniftes ; in which 
 he is generally thought to have very tnuch reviv'd the 
 Majefty, and true Decorum of Heroick Poefie and Tra- 
 gedy. 
 
 Dry den tells us, That in Epique Poetry, the Englijh 
 have only to boaft of Spencer and Milton ; neither of 
 whom wanted either Genius or Learning., to have been 
 perfec!^ Poets ; and yet both of them are liable to many 
 Cenfures. — As for Milton, fays Dryden, whom we all 
 admire with fo much Juftice, his SuhjeSl is not that of 
 an Heroick Poem ; properly fo call'd : His Defign is the 
 lefing of our Happinels ; his Event is not profperous, 
 like that of all other Epique Works : His Heavenly Ma- 
 chines are many, and his Humane Perfons are but two. 
 But I will not (fays Dryden) take Mr. Rimers Work out 
 of his Hands : He has promis'd the World a Critique 
 on that Author ; wherein, tho' he will not allow his 
 Poem for Heroick^ I hope he will grant us, that his 
 Thoughts are elevated, his Words founding, and that 
 no Man has fo happily Copy'd the Manner of Homer; 
 or fo Copioufly tranflated his GrecifmSt and the Latin 
 Elegancies of f^irgil 'Tis true, fays Dryden, he runs 
 into a flat of Thought, fometimes for a Hundred Lines 
 
 together. 
 
I ^6 Ch drapers and Cenfures. 
 
 together, but 'tis when he is got into a Track of Scrip- 
 ture : His Antiquated Words were his Choice, not his 
 Ncceflity; for therein he imitated Spencer, as Spencer 
 did Chaucer. And tho', perhaps, the love of their Ma- 
 ftersj may have tranlported both too far, in the frequent 
 ufe of them ; yet in my Opinion, fays Dryden^ Ohfo/ete 
 words may then be laudably reviv'd, when cither they are 
 more Sounding, or more Significant than thofe in practice : 
 And when their Obfcurity is taken away, by joyning 
 other Words to them which clear the Senfe ,• according 
 to the Rule of Horace, for theadmiflion of New Words. 
 But in both Cafes, fays Dryden, a Moderation is to be 
 obferv'd, in the ufe of them : For unnecefTary Coynage, 
 as well as unneceflary Revival, runs into Affectation ,• a 
 fault to be avoided on either hand. Neither (fays 
 Dryden) will I juftifie Milton, for his Blank Verfe, tho' 
 I may excufe him, by the Example of Hannibal Care, 
 and other Italians, who have us'd it : For whatever 
 Caufes he alledges for the abolifliing of Rhyme, his own 
 particular Reafon is plainly this, that Rhyme was not 
 ;[;/; Talent; he had neither the Eafe of doing it, nor 
 the Graces of it ; which is manifefl in his 'juvenilia, or 
 Verfes written in his Youth : Where his Rhyme is always 
 conftrain'd and forc'd, and comes hardly from him at 
 an Age when the Soul is moft pliant ; and the Paffion 
 of love, makes almofl every Man a Rhymer^ though not 
 a Poet. ?^Jt'pl>» Dedic, before the Tranjlat, of fuvenal, 
 pag. 8, 9. 
 
 I confulted (fays Dryden) a greater Genius than 
 Cowley^ (without offence to the Manes of that Noble 
 Author) f mean Milton, for the Beautiful Turns of 
 Words and Thoughts. But as he endeavours every where 
 to exprefs Homer, whofe Age had not arriv'd to that 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 137 
 
 finenefs^ I found in him (fays Dryden) a true Sublimity, 
 lofty Tiioughts, which were cloath'd with admirable 
 Grecifms^ and Ancient fVordsy whicli he hrd been dig- 
 ging from the Mines of Chaucer, and of Spencer, and 
 which, with all their Ruflkity, had fomewhat of Fene- 
 ralle in them : Bur> (ays Dryden, I found not there whac 
 I look'd for, viz. any Elegant Turns, cither on tlie Word, 
 or on the Thought. J^Jt^B* Ihid.pag. 5-0. 
 
 The Authors of the Athenian Mercury, in Anfvver to 
 the 3<^ Qiieftion of Fol. 5. l^umh. 14. -zz/z Whether Mil- 
 ton <J«</ Waller w^r^ wf /^^ bed Enghjh Poets ? and which 
 the better of the two? do reply in thefe Words: 
 
 We fliall anfwer this double Quefiion together : They 
 were both Excellent in their Kind, and exceeded each 
 ether, and all befides. Milton was the fullefl and lofti- 
 eft; Waller the neatefl and moft correll Poet we ever 
 had. But yet we think Milton wrote too little in Verfe^ 
 and too much in ?rofe, to carry the Name of Befl from 
 all Others; and Mr. Waller, tho' a full and noble Writer, 
 
 yet comes not up in our Judgments to that Mens 
 
 divinior at que os — Magna Sonaturum, as Horace calls it, 
 which Milton has, and wherein we think he was never 
 equall'd. — His Defcription of the Pandemonium, his Bat- 
 tels of the Angels, his Creation of the World, his Di- 
 greflion of Light, in his Paradife Loft, are all Inimita- 
 ble Pieces ; And even that antique Style which he ufes, 
 feems to become the SubjecSt, like the ftrange DreHes 
 wherein we reprefent the old Heroes. The Defcription 
 of Samfons Death, the artificial and delicate preparation 
 of the Incidents and If ar rations, the Turn of the whole, 
 and more than all, the terrible Satyr on Woman, in his 
 Difcourfe with Dalilah, are undoubtedly of a piece with 
 his other Writings ; and to fay nothing of his Paradife 
 Regain d, whereof he had only finirti'd the moft barren 
 
 T parr. 
 
1 38 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 part, in his Juvenile Poems ; Thofe on Mirth and Me* 
 lamlMly ; an Eleiy on his Friend that was drown'd ; 
 and efpecially a Fragment of the Paffton, are incompa- 
 rable .* However, we think him not fo general a Poet, 
 as fome we have formerly had, and others ftill fur* 
 viving. 
 
 John Oldham^ 
 
 THE Son of a Non-Conformift MInifter, was born 
 at Shipton in Gloceflerjhire, on the ^th. of Au- 
 
 guft, 1653. ^ ^^^ ^^ ^^' J^d^f*^^*^ ^'^^^ in Oxford. 
 He died of the fmall Pox, on the 9//;. of Vecemh, 
 1683. 
 
 Winftanley calls Mr. y<7/^« Oldham^ The Delight of the 
 yWi!//?j, and Glory of thefe lall Times ; a Man utterly 
 unknown to me, fays the fame Author^ but by his 
 Works ; which none can read but with Wonder and 
 Admiration ; fo pithy his Strains, fo fententious his 
 Expreffions, fo Elegant his Oratory, fo fwimming his 
 Language, fo fmooth his Lines ; in Tranflating out*doing, 
 the Originaly and in Invention matchlefs. 
 
 Dryden^ To the Memory of Mr. Oldham, 
 
 Farewell^ too little and too lately known. 
 Whom I began to think and call my own ; 
 For fure our Souls were near allyd ; and thine 
 Caji in the fame Foetid Mould with Mine. 
 
 One 
 
Characters and Cenfures. 1 3^ 
 
 One Common Mote oh either Lyre did firike. 
 
 And Knaves and Fools were both ahhorr^d alike : 
 
 To the fame Goal did both our Studies drive. 
 
 The laft fet out, the fconeft did arrive. 
 
 Thus Nifus fell upon the Slippery place, 
 
 While his young Friend performed and won the Race. 
 
 early ripe ! to thy abundant Store 
 
 What could advancing Age have added more ? 
 
 It might (what Mature never gives the young) 
 
 F/ave taught the Mumhers of thy Native Tongue. 
 
 But Satyr needs not tbofe^ and Wit will fhine 
 
 Through the harfh Cadence of a rugged Line. 
 
 A noble Error ^ and but feldom made^ 
 
 When poets are by too much force betray d. 
 
 Thy generous Fruits , tho gather d e' re their prime ^ p 
 
 Still {hewd a Quicknefs ; and maturing time > 
 
 But mellows what we write to the duU Sweets of Rime. J 
 
 Once more y Flail and Farewell ; Farewell thou youngs 
 
 But ah too fhort^ Marcellus of our Tongue ; 
 
 Thy Brows with Ivy, and with Laurels bound ; 
 
 But Fate and Gloomy Might encompafs thee around. 
 
 Durfey in Memory of John Oldham : 
 
 Obfcure and Cloudy did the day appear^ 
 
 As FFeaven defied to blot it from the Tear : 
 
 The Elements all feem'd to difagree^ 
 
 At leajly 1 m fure, they were at ft rife in me .* 
 
 Fojfeft with Spleen^ which Melancholy bnd ; 
 
 When Rumor tc'd me^ that my Friend was dead. 
 
 That Oldham, honour d for his early Worthy 
 
 Was crept ^ like a fweet Blojfom, from the Earth, 
 
 t 2 Where 
 
1 40 Characters and Cenfures. 
 
 Where late he grew, delighting every Bye 
 
 In his rare Garden of Philojophy. 
 
 The fatal fomd new Sorrows dirl infufe. 
 
 And all my Griefs were doubled at the News : 
 
 For we with mutual Arms of Friendjhip flrove, 
 
 Friendfhip the true and folid part of Love ; 
 
 And he Jo many Graces had in jlore^ 
 
 That Fame or Beauty could not hind me more. 
 
 His Wit in his Immortal Verfe appear s^ 
 
 Many his Vertues were^ tho few his Tears ; 
 
 Which were fo fpent, as if hy Heaven contrivd 
 
 To lafh the f^ices of the longer livd. 
 
 Mone was more skilful^ none more learn d than hey 
 
 A poet in its facred Quality : 
 
 Infpird above, and could command each PaJfioHt 
 
 Had all the Wit without the Affe^lation. 
 
 A calm of Nature fli/l poffefi his Soul, 
 
 No canker d Envy did his Breafl controul : 
 
 Modefl as P^irjins that have never known 
 
 The jilting Breeding of the naufeous Town ; 
 
 And eajie as his Numbers that fublime 
 
 Pfis lofty Strains, and heautifie his Rhime, 
 
 Till the Time's Ignomy infpird his Pen, 
 
 And rouzd the droivfie Satyr from his Den ; 
 
 Then fl'Attering Fops were his Averfion fiill. 
 
 And felt the Power of his Satyrick Quill. 
 
 The Spark whnfe Noife proclaims his empty Pate, 
 
 That ftruts along the Mall with antick Gate ; 
 
 And all the Phyjjis and the Chloris Fools 
 
 Were damnd hy hii Inve^live Mufe in Shoals. 
 
 Who on the Age lcok\l with impartial Eyes, 
 
 And airnA not at the Per for, hut the Vice. 
 
 To all true Wit he was a conflant Friend^ 
 
 And as he well could Judge, cculd well Commend. 
 
 The 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures, 1 4 1 
 
 The Mighty Homer he with care perasd^ 
 
 And that great Genius to the World hfusd; 
 
 Immortal Virgil, and Lucretius too. 
 
 And all the Seeds dth' Soul his Reafon kneiv : 
 
 Like Ovid, could the Ladies Hearts ajjail^ 
 
 With Horace fing^ and lafh with Juvenal. 
 
 Vnskill d in nought that did with Learning dwell, 
 
 But Pride to know he underftood it well. 
 
 Adisu thou mcdejl Type of perjeEl Man; 
 
 Ahf had not thy Perfections that hegan 
 
 In Life's hright Morning heen eclipsd fo foon, 
 
 We all had bask'd and wanton d in thy Noon ; 
 
 But Fate grew envious of thy growing Fame., 
 
 And knowing Heavn, from whence thy Genius came., 
 
 Afftgnd thee hy immutable Decree 
 
 A glorious Crown of Immortality, 
 
 Snatched thee from all thy Mourning Friends below ^ 
 
 Jufi as the Bays were planting on thy Brow. 
 
 Thus Worldly Merit has the Worlds Regard ; 
 
 But Poets in the next have their Reward : 
 
 And Heaven in Oldham'j Fortune feerrid to fhow, 
 
 No Recommence was good enough below : 
 
 So to prevent the Worlds ingrateful Crimes^ 
 
 Enriched his Mind^ and bid him die betimes. 
 
 This moft celebrated Poet died in the Houfe of his 
 Noble Patron, the Earl of Kingfione^ at Holme Pierpont, 
 in the year, 1683. and was buried in the Church there. 
 Soon after was a Monument put over his Grave, with 
 this Infcripticn thereon. 
 
 M. S. J oh. Oldham Poetce, quo nemo facro furore pie* 
 nior, nemo rebus Sublimior, aut Ferbis felicius andax ; cu- 
 JHS famam omni avo propria fat is confecrabunt C arm in a. 
 
 Querrr 
 
14.2 Chara^ers and Cen fares. 
 
 {^ttem inter primos Honor atijfimi Gulitlmi Comith de 
 Kingftone Patroni Sui Amplexus Variolis correptum^ heu 
 mm'ts immatura Mon rapuit^ & in Cocleftem tranftulit 
 Chorum. Sat us apud Shipton in Agro Gloceftrenfi, /« 
 Aula Sri. Edmundi Graduatus. Ohijt die Decemhris none, 
 Anno Dom, 1683. /Etatis ^o. 
 
 Oppian^ 
 
 ACicilian, a famous Poet, who liv'd in the time of 
 the Emperours, Severus and Caraca//a ; He wrote 
 a Poem of Fifiiftg, call'd Halicutica ; and another of 
 Huntings cali'd Cynegetica ; and a third of Fowling. 
 
 He dedicated his two Poems of Fijhing and Huntings 
 both yet extant, to the Emperour Caracalla^ of whom 
 he receiv'd for every \^i{q, a Piece of Gold ,• which 
 was the occafion of their being call'd Golden Verfes. 
 
 He dy'd of the Plague about the latter end of Cara- 
 caBds Reign, in the Thirtieth Year of his -Age. 
 
 Julius Scaliger, had a moft particular efteem for this 
 Author ,• he tells us, in his Poetica.^ pag- 66^^ and 758. 
 That Oppian is a mod Excellent Poet; that he is agree- 
 able and eafie ; his Style natural, and yet fublime, elo* 
 quent and harmonious. So that, he has not only fur- 
 pafs'd Oratius and Nemefianus, who have writ of the 
 fame Subjc<9: ; but he feems to have the very Air of 
 Firgily whom he endeavour'd particularly to imitate; 
 and indeed, fays Scaliger^ \ always thought, he gave us 
 the true, lively Image of that Divine Poet. 
 
 Borrichiui, 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 143 
 
 Sonkhius, in his De Poetis, pag, i6. obrerves, That 
 the Style of Oppian is Copious and Beautiful, abound- 
 ing with Excellent Sentences, fometimes a little ob- 
 fcure, but always Learned ,• And that his Prefaces are 
 fo very elaborate, and of that Aji^tick form, that they 
 may well enough pafs for fo many Harangues, and Pane- 
 gyrick Orations. 
 
 Le S'leur Crajfo, in his account of the Greek Poets, 
 Writ in Italian, fays, That the particular excellency 
 of Oppian lies in his Thoughts, and Comparifons ; and, 
 that he had done one very difficult thing, which was, 
 his obferving an Uniformity in all parts, and yet that 
 he could both preferve the Elegancy of his Style, and at 
 the fame time fo throughly profecute the Subjedi he had in 
 hand. 
 
 Tanaquilius Faher, in his Firft Book of Epiflks, Epifl. 
 63. fpeaking of 0/>/>/<7«, calls him, That admirable, and 
 never to be enough commended Poet. 
 
 Ifaac Cafauhon^ in an Epifile to Cunradus RitterjJjuJjus, 
 Dated in September , i>*97. fays, Never any ManLov'd 
 Oppian better than he did. 
 
 Cunradns Ritterjhufius, in his Preface before Oppians 
 Works, tells us, That Oppian was a very good Man, 
 and an Excellent Poet; agreeable to all, ofTenfive to 
 none ; that his Death was much lamented by all good 
 Men, whether they were his Fellow- Citizens, (who 
 both built him a Monument, and ereded his Statue) 
 or fuch Foreigners as had ever heard of his Fame. 
 
 He likewife adds, that Oppians Poems were very 
 choice and extraordinary, and came behind none of 
 . the Greek Poets; nay, that they were to be preferr'd 
 before the greateft part of them ; fo that in his Opi- 
 nion, every Verfe was Richly worth a Piece of Gold. 
 
 Nor 
 
1 44 Chara^ers and Cenftires. 
 
 Nor am I {fys Kitterp:ufius) fngular herein ^ for T dare 
 be hold to fay, tharall the Mcnof Learning and Prudence 
 are of the fame Judgment. 
 
 Dr. Browm^ in his Firft Book, and Eighth Chapter of 
 Vulgar Errors, remarks, That Oppian in his Poems of 
 Hunting and Fifhing, hath but fparingly infertcd the 
 Vulgar Conceptions thereof. So that abating the an- 
 nual Mutation of Sexes in the H'lana^ the fingle Sex 
 of the Rhinoceros^ the Antipathy between two Drums 
 of a Lamh and a Wolfes Skin, the informity of Cuhs^ 
 the Venation of Centaures, the Copulation of the Mura- 
 fia and the ^//)^r, with fome few others, 0/'/>/4« may 
 Qfays Brmn) be Read with great delight and profit. It 
 is not without fome Wonder his Elegant Lines are fo 
 neglected ; for furely hereby (^fays Brown^ we reje(5l one 
 of the befl: Epick Poets, 
 
 Rapin, in his Reflexions upon Ariflotles Treatife of 
 Poefiey part z. fe^. xv. lays, that Oppian is dry. 
 
 Claudius Vcrderius^ in his CenfurQ of Ancient Au- 
 thors, obferves to us, That 0/>/)/<j« did commonly miftake 
 one Fifh for another. 
 
 Arnoldus de Boot ^ lib 3. cap. 11. Animadverf. Sacr. in 
 Vetus Teflamentum, remarks, That Oppian in his Defcrip- 
 tion of a H^ellhred Horfe, has taken feverai Things out of 
 the Thirty Ninth Chapter of Joh. 
 
 Publius 
 
Characters and Cenfures. 145 
 
 Publim Ovidius Nafo, 
 
 A Famous Poet, born at Sulmo^ which is Nineteen 
 Miles diftant from Romcy in the Second Year of 
 the 184. Olympiad, One and Forty Years before Chrift. 
 He was once in great Favour with Auguftas ,* but either for 
 fome freedom us'd with his Daughter Julia, or for his 
 Lafcivious Verfes, he Banifh'd him to Pontus^ at Fifty 
 Years of Age; where, after Eight Y^ears and fome 
 Months, he died. 
 
 Many of his Writings are extant, but to our great 
 grief fome are quite loft, as his Ualieutica, his Medea, 
 and the Six laft Books of his Fafli. 
 
 Borrichius, in his D^ Poetis^ pag. 51. tells us, That 
 Ovidhzd. fpent his Youth in the Study of the Laiv^ but 
 afterwards finding his Genius more inclined io Amours znd 
 Poetry, he went to Rome, and there, by reafon of the 
 fweetnefs of his Temper, thenoblenefs of his Extra(5tion, 
 and the beauty of his Poetry, he foon grew into Fame 
 and Reputation. And indeed, hys Borr/chius, never was 
 there a Poet more eafie and more natural, or of greater 
 quicknefs and readinefs than Ovid. 
 
 Erafmus, in his Dialogus CiceroniaMUS, pag. 147. calls 
 Ovid, The Cicero among the Poets. 
 Jofeph Scaligerixn Scaligeram z. is of theopinion,That no 
 Man ever did, orcan imitate, that eafinefs of Style which 
 was in Ovid. 
 
 But Foffius, in his De Poetis Latinis, pag. 30. tells 
 us, That though indeed generally Ovid is very esdc 
 and Natural in his Style, yet fometimes, by his 
 Tranfpofim of Words^ he feems to be quite othcrwife. 
 
 V As 
 
1^6 Chara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 As when at the very beginning of his De Arte Amandi^ 
 he fays, 
 
 Siquis in hoc art em populo mn mvit Atyiandi, 
 
 Whereas ifays Fofftus) it might better have been cx- 
 prefs'd thus : 
 
 Siquis in hoc populo legem Kon novit Amandi, 
 
 Daniel Heinfius^ in his Ds Tragadite Conflitutione, cap. i y, 
 fays, That Ovid Tranfcends all other Authors cither in 
 making things thit arc falfe ktrnprohahle; or things that 
 are ohfcure, perfpicuous ; and in curioufly adorning both the 
 one ^nd xh^ other; or elie in relating things //j/^/y, and 
 itakedlyy as they are. 
 
 He further ohferves. That Ovid is every where full of 
 Moral Inflru^ions ; even when he is frolickfome and wan- 
 ton : That no body knew better how to exprefs himfelf, 
 nor how to level his Thoughts to the meaneft Capacity 
 with more advantage. 
 
 fofeph Scaliger, in Prolegomenis Maniliams, remarks, 
 Ihat it was a falfe, and an undeferved Charad^er that 
 fome had affix'd to Ovid, viz. That he never knew when to 
 give over. 
 
 Ohertus Gifamus, in his Apolog. pro Poet. Lat. pag. 484. 
 tells us, That Ovid was fo exquifitely skill'd intheZ,j//» 
 Tongue, that, according to the opinion of all Learned 
 Men, if the Roman Language were utterly loft, and no- 
 thing left but the Works of Ovid, they alone would be 
 (ufficient to retrieve it again. 
 
 Quintilian., lih. x.cap. i. informs us, ThatOv/Vin his He- 
 roicks is frolickfome and wanton, and that he has too good 
 
 an 
 
Characters and Cenfares. 147 
 
 an Opinion of himfelf ; but yet in fome refpeds, he de- 
 ierves to be commended. 
 
 Sensca^ in the Third Book of his t^afural Qjiejlions, 
 cap zy, calls Ovid the moft Ingenious of ^\\i\\Q Poets: 
 but, as he obferves, 'twas a thouland pities, he fpent his 
 excellent Talent uponfuch Childidi, trifling Subjects, as 
 fome of his were. 
 
 Dryden, in his Pref. to the Sylvse, or the Second Part of 
 Poetical Mifceilanies, remarks. That Ovid with all his 
 iweernefs, has but little variety of Numbers and Sound; 
 that he his always as it were upon the Hand-Gallops and 
 his Verfe runs upon Carpet Ground, He avoids all Syna- 
 laphas, or cutting off one Fowel when it comes before 
 another, in the following Word: So that minding only 
 Smooihnefs, he wants both Variety and Majefty. 
 
 Dryden for all this, in his Dedication before Examen 
 Poeticum, or tht Third Part of Mifcellany Poems , tells us, 
 ThatOW is certainly more palatable to the Reader, than 
 any ot the Roman Wits, though fome of them are more 
 Lofty, fome more inftruc^ive, and others more Corred". 
 He had Learning enough, fays Dryden, to make him c- 
 qual to the Beft. But as his Verfe came eafily, he want- 
 ed the toyl of Application to amend it. He is often 
 Luxuriant, both in his Fancy and ExprelTions ,♦ and not 
 always T'Jatural. If Wit be Pkafantry, fays Dryden^ 
 he has it to excefs : But if it be Propriety, Lucretius^ 
 Horace^ and above all f'/r^i/, are bis Superi-jurs. 
 
 Tanaquillus Faher, in his Firft Book of Epiftles, Epifl. 
 37. fays, That Ovid is full of Wit in every part of him, 
 which no Man, who wanted not Wit himfelf, did ever 
 deny; and chat all Men <iQ hkewife agree, , iiis Learning 
 is every where Confpicuous : But I know nci fays Faher^ 
 whether Ovid did any where Ihew more Wit and Learn- 
 ing, than in his Second Book De Trijlihus. Nor is 
 
 V 2 this 
 
1 48 Chambers and Cen fares. 
 
 this (fays my Author^ much to be Wondered at j fince he 
 was to plead his own caufc before Augujlus^ ^ Prince oi 
 Lear Mi fig, and who was alfo a Poet. 
 
 And in the fame Book, Epift, 71. //<? tells us, he does 
 not know in all the Lath Tongue, any thing of greater 
 Wit and Elegancy, ever Writ by any Poety thin Ovid's 
 Eighth Elegy of the Second Book Pont icorum; everything 
 in it fo neat, (o fine, (o full of variety, io Pathetick, 
 and fo very Elegant. 
 
 What a high opinion OWhadof the £/d'^/Vjof hisown 
 Compofing, plainly appears by thofe two arrogant Verfes 
 of his, in the Remedh Amoris^ verf. 395-, 596. 
 
 Tantum fi nohii Elegi delere fatentur ; 
 Quant HmV\r^\\\o noh'tle dehet Epos. 
 
 He thought the World was as much beholden to him 
 for the Elegy^ as ever it was to Vtrgil for the Epick. 
 But had this come from fome other hand, it would 
 certainly have carried greater Modefty, if not Autho- 
 rity. 
 
 Rap'tn^ in his Keflex, on Ariftotle of Poefie, part z fe5l. 
 29. fays, That they who have Writ Elegy beft amongft the 
 LatinSy are Tihullus, Propert'tuSy and Ovid. Tihullus is 
 elegant and polite ; Propertius noh\t and high; but Ovid 
 is to be preferr'd to both; becaufe /^^ is more Natural, 
 more moving, and more paffionate ; and thereby he has 
 better exprerfed the Charadler of Elegj than the o- 
 thers. 
 
 But notwithftanding this, the fame Aathor tells us, 
 in his Comparing of Homer and yirgily cap. xi. That 
 many of thofe Examples and Comparifons, which Ovid 
 makes ufe of in his De TriJlihuSj and his other Ele- 
 giesy are meerly Superfluous, and do plainly fhew, 
 
 that 
 
Chambers and Ce?ifures. 1 49 
 
 that Ovid was not arriv'd to a full Maturity of Judg- 
 ment. 
 
 Julius Scaliger, Fn the Sixth Book of his Poetica, pag. 
 85-^. remarks, That Ovid's De trijiihus and De Ponto 
 (both which Titles he finds fault with) are lefs elabo- 
 rate than his other Pieces, and efpecially than his E- 
 piflks. 
 
 Abraham Cowley, in his Preface^ obferves, that one may 
 fee through the Style of Ovid De Triflihus, the humbled 
 and dtjed:ed condition of Spirit with wtiich he Wrote 
 it ; there fcarce remain any footfteps of that Genius^ Quem 
 nee Jovis ira^ nee ignes^ &c. The Cold of the Country 
 Cfays C(?iv/ey) had Itrucken through all his Faculties, and 
 henurnVd the very Feet of his Ferfes, He is himfelf^ 
 methinks, like one of the Stories of his own Met amor- 
 pbofis ; and though there remain fome weak Refemhlances 
 of OWat Rome, it is but as he fays of Niohd, 
 
 In vultu color eflfine Sanguine^ Lumina majiis 
 St ant immota gem's ; nihil eft in Imagine vivum 
 Flet tamen ' 
 
 J^ttD. Metamorph. Lib. 6. 
 
 How highly Ovid efteem'd, and valued the Fifteen 
 Books of his Metamorphofis, he himfelf gives us to under- 
 ftand, by thofe Two Verfes, towards the End of the 
 faid Work: 
 
 Jaw que Opus esegt : quod nee Jovis ira^ nee igneSy 
 Mec poterit ferrum^ nee edax aholere vetuftas. 
 
 Tetrus Crinitus, in his De Poet, Lat. fays, That OviJ, 
 in his Met amor phojiiy copied after one Parthenius of 
 Chiosy a Poet, who had writ in Greek an excellent Poem 
 
 upon 
 
I $0 Char afters and C en fares. 
 
 upon the fame Subjed. — He further fays, This Work 
 of Ovirl's was (o highly clleem'd of by the Grecian Wits, 
 that they tranflated it into their own Language ; and 
 that it was full of p/cat Variety of Learning ; although 
 the Author, as he himfelf attefls, had not put his fi- 
 niihing hand to it And Crinitus aflures us, it was pub- 
 lidi'J by fome of his friends, in his abfence, and with- 
 out his Knowledge. 
 
 Voffius alfo, in his De Jmitatione PoeticUy cap. 6. pag. 
 x6. informs us, That OviJ himfelf did not think his 
 Metamorphofis correct: enough ; which was the ground 
 of his Comv'aint in the firli and third Book De Tr'tfti- 
 his. And therefore, when he was to be banifh'd, he 
 had fully refolv'd to have burnt it,- as he had done by 
 fome others of his Books, according to his own Relation 
 in the Te>ith Elegy of the fourth Beck, De Trifiihus. 
 But it was then too late; for his Friends had by that 
 time got Copies of it. 
 
 Rapin obfcrvt;s to us, in his Reflex, on Anflotle's 
 Treatife of Roejh, part i. fe^. xv, That Ovid has Wit, 
 Arty and Defign in his Metamorphofis \ but withal he 
 has Touthfulnefs that could hardly be pardon'd, but for 
 the Vivacity of his Wit, and a certain Happinefs of 
 Faficy. 
 
 He alio teHs us, in his Comparifon of Homer and 
 Virgtl^ chap. x. That Ovid both in his Metamorphofis ^ and 
 his Epi[hliB Heroidumy as alfo Velleius Paterculus^ were 
 the firft Authors who brought into fafhion the ufe of 
 extraordinary and' forprizing Epithets ; whereas that Age 
 had (before) in a particular manner afFefted a plainnefs 
 of Speech, and an unaffected fort of Dialed: Bur, 
 fays Rapin, Thefe Authors had Judgment enough how 
 to put off thefe falfe Diamonds. 
 
 Borrichiusi 
 
CharaS^rs and Cenfures. 151 
 
 Borrkh'tHS^ in his De Poet is ^ pag, 51. remarks, That 
 Ovld\ Style in his Metamorphofis, is not fo lofty as in 
 fome other Pieces of his ; but at the fame time he owns, 
 there is beauty and exadinefs enough in it. He further 
 ohferves, that the fifteen Books of the Metamorphofist 
 are in this refped: highly to be admir'd, in2.^much as they 
 do, in that wonderful Order, and s.s it were with a 
 certain Chain and concatenation, prtfent to us almoft 
 all the Fables of the Ancients^ from the beginning of 
 the World, to that very time. 
 
 And to the fame ef?e<a, Foffius, lih. 3. Inflitut. Poetic, 
 pag. 19, ^o. tells us. That Ovid had fhew'd fuch prodi- 
 gious Art and Skill in the clofe Connexion of thefe 
 fables, that he is (indeed) worthy of the highefl ad- 
 miration. 
 
 And we find, the very fame thing is affirm'd by Gu- 
 lielmns Cant ems, lih. i. l^ovarum Leiiionum, cap. xx. 
 where he informs us, that he was fo Charm'd with the 
 Excellent Order, that Ovid had obferv'd in the Link- 
 ing and Chaining thefe Falles one to the Other ; that 
 he could not forbear reducing the whole Work into an 
 Epitome ; that fo, as in a Picture, he might with one 
 view ftc, and admire, the feveral parts of this mod In- 
 comparable Poem. 
 
 Petrus Crinitus fays. That Ovid composed Six Books 
 of his Pafti, which he fent to Germanicus the Son of 
 PrufuSf the other Six, by reafon of his fudden Death^ 
 or, as many think, his unhappy Banifhment, he could 
 not go through with. 
 
 This, fays Crinitus, is a very Learned Piece, and 
 contains abundance of Choice Learning. 
 
 fulius Scaliger, lik 6. Poetices, pag. 855. takes notice, 
 That the Style of Ovid in his Fafli, is eafie, foft, and 
 natural ,• and that it is a Work which abounds with a 
 
 great 
 
1 52 CbaraSers and Cenfures. 
 
 great deal of Ancient Learning ; and although the Sub- 
 jedi is not always equally tradlable, nor capable of be- 
 ing adorn'd ; nor has he often Scope enough for his 
 Wit J yet (fays Scaliger) in many places of this Poem, 
 he goes beyond hinalelf in politenefs and purity of 
 Style. 
 
 Mr. John Seldert was of the Opinion, that Ovid was 
 not only a fine Poet^ but (as a Man may fay) a great 
 Canon-Lawyer^ as appears in his Fajii^ where we have 
 more of the Feflivals of the Old Remans^ than any 
 where t\k: 'Tis pity, fays Selden^ the reft are loft. 
 ^tlDCtl'*^ fable-Talk, f>ag.^\, 
 
 Rap'tYi^ in his Con-iparifon of Homer and Virgil, 
 chap. xi. prefers the Fafti of Ovid before any of his o- 
 ther Works. 
 
 Here^ fays Eapin, we find both the Prudence and the 
 Temper of his Elder Years; whereas every where elfe 
 he (hews himfeif a young Man. 
 
 Le Sieur Hofleau, in his Cenfure of Bocks and Authors, 
 conceives, that Ovid\ Epijiles are beyond any Man's 
 power to imitate; And that they do far exceed either 
 his Met amor phofisy or his Fajli. 
 
 Crinitus tells us, That Ovid in his Epijiles^ us'd Very 
 great Elegancy ; and that they were compos'd with 
 wonderful Art ahd Skill. 
 
 Scaliger^ lib. 6, Poet ices, pag. 8^5. fays, The Epiflles 
 are the moft polite of all the Works of Ovid; that the 
 Thoughts are admirable, his Elegancy natural and 
 eafie; and, in a Word, that they have a true Poetical 
 Air. 
 
 Rapin^ in his Comparifon of Homer and Virgil^ chap- 
 xi. mentioning Ovid's Epijlola Heroidum^ he calls them, 
 The Flower of the Roman Wit. Which yet he owns, 
 
 fall 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 1 53* 
 
 fall very much fhort, of that maturity of Judgment 
 which is the chief Perfedion of P^irgil. 
 
 The Writers pi th^ Augufl Hiftory report, That the 
 Emperour j^lius f^crus^ was fo much in love with that 
 little Piece of Ovid, De Arte Amandi, that he would of- 
 ten read him in his Bed ,- and when he went to fleep, 
 he would ufe to put him under his Pillow. 
 
 Henricus Cornelius Agrippa, in his De l^anitate Scietf 
 tlarumy cap. 6^- obferves, That there have been many 
 both Greek and Latin Poets, who have difcover'd their 
 Wanton Amours, as CaOimachuSy Philetes, Anacreon, Or- 
 phiBUSy Alceon, Pindar, Sappho, TihuUus, CatuUus, Pro- 
 pertius, Vtrgtl, Juvenal, Martial, Cornelius GaUus, and 
 many others, more like Pandars than PoetS', though all 
 of them were out-done by Ovid in his Heroick Epiftles^ 
 dedicated to Corinna, which were alfo out-done by him- 
 felf in his De Arte Amandi ; which, fays Agrippa^ he 
 might better have Entituled, The Art of Whoring and 
 Pimping : The Learning whereof, becaufe it had Cor- 
 rupted Youth with unchaft Documents, therefore ^fays 
 Agrippa) was the Author defervedly banifh'd by the Em- 
 perour O^avianus Augufius, to the fartheft parts of the 
 t^orth. 
 
 It were to be wifh'd, fays Voftus, lih. ii. Inftitutionum 
 ToeticaruM, pag. 73. That Ovid's Medea were Extant. 
 For £0 great was the Wit of that Man, that fcarce any 
 thing Humane, is comparable to him ; if he has any 
 fault, it is, that, as great Rivers do, he fometimes over- 
 flows. Which admit it be a fault, he fufficiently makes 
 amends for it, by his many Excellent Qualities. 
 
 X Aulus 
 
1 54 Chara^ers and Cenfares. 
 
 Aulus Perjius FlaccuSy 
 
 WA S born at Volaterra^ a (iify in Hetruria^ 
 now call'd tufcany^ in Italy. He died in the 
 i^th. Year of his Age, and m ^he 6z Year of 
 
 chrift. '[''' \^ V' :'''•■* 
 
 He wrote Six Satyrs ^ on which (a^ He himfeff tells 
 us) he beflow'd a great deal of labour and pains. And 
 yet, fays Crinitus^ there arc not thofc wanting, who 
 do affirm, that this Work is imperfedl, and was never 
 finiih'd by Perfius. When thefe Satyrs were firfl Pub- 
 lifh'd, Crinitus fays, it is not to be imagined how highly 
 they were efleem'd among the Learned. He Copied 
 after the Poet Lucilms, who was very fliarp in his /«- 
 t'efiives againfl the Vices of the Romans. 
 
 Quint iliafj, I'th. lo. cap. i. fays. That Terfius deferv'd 
 a great deal of true Glory, even by this one Book. 
 
 Martial tells us, That Perjius got more Credit by 
 this one little Book, than others did by their many large 
 Volumes : 
 
 S<Bpius in lihro memoratur Perfius uno^ 
 Quam levis in toth Marfus Amazonide. 
 
 J9©artml. uk 4. Bftir. 28. 
 
 Lilius Gyraldus remarks. That tho' the Satyrs of Pef' 
 fius are very obfcure, and for the mod part full of 
 Things that are abftrufe; yet for all that, he ought to 
 be numbered among the Good Authors. 
 
 Perfius 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures. 155 
 
 Perftus ohfcure^ hut full of Senfe and W'tt\ 
 Affiled Brevity in all he Writ, 
 
 )&OileaU*s Art of Poetry. 
 
 VoffiHi I'lh, 6. hflitutionum Oratoriarum^ pag. 454, fays, 
 That Perfius the Satyrifl, ought to be pardon'd for 
 his often uiing fuch bold and high-flown Metaphors. 
 Since not only the Soul, but likewife the Exprefton 
 of that Mohle Touth, aim'd at nothing but what was 
 Great and Lofty. 
 
 Cardinal Bonay in his Motitia Au^orum^ tells us. 
 That Perjius was an acute Satyrifl^ but obfcurc ; affe- 
 (diinga high topping Style ; and that his frequent and ex« 
 travagant Metaphors^^id often caufe him to be fo Obfcure. 
 Though, as Bona obferves, the Obfcurity of Perfius^ did 
 oftentimes proceed from our being ignorant of feve- 
 ral of thofe Cuftomes, which he alludes to, and which 
 in his time even the Meaneft of the People underflood ; 
 which fince we are now ignoratit of, we do therefore 
 (forfooth) conclude them to be Mjfleries. 
 
 The truth on't is, fays Francis Tavajfor, the Jefuite, in 
 his De Ludicra D/^ionet pag. 239, ^c. I cannot but 
 Wonder, what great and mighty Matters Quintilian and 
 Martial {oMT\d in the Six Satyrs of Perftus^ which we fo 
 long after have not been able to find out, nay, not fo 
 much as to guefs at. And yet certainly, there is nothing 
 in him, but what may well appear Greater to us in thefc 
 daySy than ever pofTibly they cou'd to the Ancients ; be- 
 caufe they were acquainted with many of the Cuftoms 
 thatwher£ in^v^jtimej and therefore they efteem'd them 
 (as well they might) to be Things not at all extraordinary; 
 whereas the very fame Things, by a diftance of many 
 Ages, lecm to us as mighty Myfterics: So that h?? are 
 
 ^v 2 apt 
 
1^6 CharaBers and Censures. 
 
 Apt to callthofe Things by the name of Deep and Profound 
 learmyig, which in thife times the .Seru/w/j and Trades' 
 Mdn, nay even the ver^ Mob :nemfelvcs, pcrfe-.^ly under- 
 ftood Hence therefore f^4Jva[lor Concludes. There is no- 
 thing inl erfiiis^ that deferves our higheO cummendati n, 
 much lefs our Admiration. For, fiys he^ to fpeak the 
 truth, that which to me feems mo'it remarkable in this 
 Author^ is his Ohfcurity ; which, in all probability, uas 
 the firft ground of his being reputed fo Profound'y Learn- 
 ed. His Verfes, ("ays Favajfor, feem juft like the Oracles 
 of Old, which (land in need of fome body to Interpret 
 them : Now, if Perfius became thus Olfcure, before he 
 was aware i it was certainly a great fault ; but if he did 
 it for the nonce, there is no reafon why fo many (hould 
 admire his Writings, which they underftand not; Or, 
 why they (hould commend a Writer, who had no mind 
 to be underftood. — For my part, fays Favaffor, I give 
 to Perfius the deference that is due to him : I allow him 
 \i\s jefis, his dry hohhs^ his Wtt^ and his Sarcafrris : Dor will 
 I take from him his Latin^ which as it is not the very 
 beft, fo I mud own, it is none of the Worft. 
 
 'Julius Scaligeti lib. 6. Poetices, pag. 838. remarks. That 
 Terfius had a crabbed, unpleafant fort of Style; And, 
 in plain terms, he calls him, a filly, Trifling Author, 
 a perfect Bragadochio^ and one who valued himfelf much 
 upon the account of his Learning, which was hot and 
 feaverifh ,* and, in conclufion, Scaliger thought him by 
 no means fit to come into Competition with Juvenal or 
 Horace. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger^ in Scaligerana i. and 1. calls Perfius » 
 a forry Poet, and a mofl wretched Author ; who mind- 
 ed nothing fo much as to render himfelf Ohfcure ; iot 
 which reafon he was called, The blind Poet. And yet 
 {"or all this Chara(3:er, Scaliier owns, they might by 
 
 way 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 1 57 
 
 way of Comment write excellent Things upon him. As 
 Favajjor obferves Cafauhon did, whoTe Comment upon 
 P^rfiiUy as he telh us, was much more to be valu'd, than 
 the Text it felf. 
 
 Rapin, in the Second part of his Reflex, on Ariflotle 
 of Poejie^ fe^. 18. obferves, That Perjius, who to the 
 gravity and vehemence of Juvenal had joyn'd Ohfcti' 
 rity (caus'd by the af!edation he had to appear Learned) 
 has no better fuccefs, in making an ImprcfTinn; be- 
 caufe he yields no dtlight : Not but that he has (fays ^4- 
 pin) fome touches of an hidden delicacy ; but thefi Strokes 
 are always wrap*d up in fo much profound Learning, 
 that there needs a Comment to unfold them ; He fpeaks 
 not but with Sadnefs, what by Horace is faid with the 
 greateft Mirth imaginable, whom fometimes he wou'd 
 imitate. His morofenefs, fays Rapin, fcarce ever leaves 
 him ; he fpeaks not of the leafl Things but in a heat ; 
 and he never Sports, but after the moft fcrious manner 
 in the World. 
 
 Vo^iuSy lih. III. Inftitut. Poetic, pag. 41. will have ir. 
 That Perjius either did not underftand the Rules of 
 Satyr^ or at leaft that he ne're minded, or obferv'd 
 them ; becaufe he only attack'd fome few Particular 
 Perfons^ inftead of reproving Vice in General : And whea 
 he had a mind to take notice of, or touch upon the 
 Faults, or Actions of fuch Particular Perfons, he com- 
 monly makes ufe of fome general Name ; fuch as 7///- 
 ttf, or Ifavius ; which does not give us light enough 
 to know, either the Fa^, or the Per/on. And there- 
 fore, fays Foffius, this Poem of Perjius does fcarce de- 
 ferve the Name of a Satyre ; becaufe he rcfiedfs upoa 
 no body by Name. 
 
 Dryd'sm 
 
158 Chard^ers and Ca[ares. 
 
 Dryden remarks, That as for the Verfe of Perjius, nei- 
 ther Cafauhon himfelf, nor any for him, can defend ei- 
 ther his Mumhers^ or iht Purity of his Latin. Cafauhon 
 gives this point for lofl; and pretends not to jiiOifie 
 eirher the Meafures, or the Words of Ferfius : He is e- 
 vidently beneath Harace and Juvnal^ in both. 
 
 Then, as his Verfe is fcabrous and hobJing, and his 
 Words not every where well chofen, the purity of La- 
 tin being more corrupted, than in the time of Juve- 
 nal, and confequcnrly of Horace^ who writ when the 
 Language was in the height of its perfection ; fo his 
 Didlion is hard ; his Figures are generally tooAbold and 
 daring,- and his Tropes, particularly his Metaphors, in- 
 fufterably ftrain'd. 
 
 In the third place, notwithflanding all the diligence 
 of Cafauhon^ Stelluti, and a Scotch Gentleman (whom, 
 fays Dryileriy 1 have heard extreamly commended for 
 his Illuftratioyis cf him :) yet he is ftill ohfcure: Whe- 
 ther he affeded not to be underftood, but with diffi- 
 culty ; Or, whether the fear of his fafety under Mero^ 
 compell'd him to this Darknefs in fome places ; Or, that 
 it was occafion'd by his clofe way of Thinking, and 
 the brevity of his Style, and crowding of his Figures; 
 Or, laftly, whether after fo long a time, many of his 
 Words have been corrupted, and many Cufloms, and 
 Stories relating to them, lofl to us ; whether fome of 
 thefc Reafons, or all, concurr'd to render him fo Clou- 
 dy ; we may be bold to affirm, {fays Dryden) that the 
 bed of Commentators can but guefs at his meaning, in 
 many paflages: And none can be certain that he has di- 
 vin'd rightly. 
 
 After all, {fays Dry den) Ferjius was a Young Man, 
 like his Friend and Contemporary Lucan: Ooth of them 
 Men of extraordinary Parts, and great acquir'd Know- 
 ledge, 
 
CharaBers and Cenfures. 1 59 
 
 Iedge,confidering their Youth. But neither of them had 
 arriv'd to that Maturity of Judgment, which Is necefla- 
 ry to the Accomplifliing of a Form'd Poet. And this con- 
 fideration, as on the one hand it lays fome frnperfedti- 
 onsto their charge, foon the other fide 'tis a candid ex- 
 cufe forthofe Failings, which are incident to Youth and 
 inexperience ; and we have more reafon to wonder, how 
 they, who dy'd before the Thirtieth Year of their Age, 
 could Write fo well, and think fo ftrongly ; than toaccufe 
 them of thofe Faults, from which Humane Mature^ and 
 more efpecially in Touth^ can never poflibly be exempt- 
 ed. 
 
 But {fays Dryden] to confider Perjius yet more clofely : 
 He rather infulted over Fice and Folly^xh^n expofed them, 
 like Juvenal and Horace. And as Chaft, and Modcft as 
 Perfius isefleem'd, it cannot be deny 'd, but that in fome 
 places he is broad and fulfome, as the latter Verfes of 
 the Fourth Satire, and of the Sixth, fufficientl/ Wit- 
 nefs. And 'tis to be believ'd, that he who Commits 
 the fame Crime often, and without Neceffity, cannot 
 but do it with fooie kind of Pkafure. . V\ ^ 
 
 But to conhe to a Conclafion, fays Dryden^ Perfius \s 
 manifeftly below Horace ; becaufe he borrows mod of 
 his greateft Beauties from him : And Cafauhon is fo far 
 from denying thisj that he has written a Treatrfe pur- 
 pofely concerning it ; wherein he fliews a multitude of 
 his Tranflations from Horace^ and his Imitations ot {'{im, 
 for the Credit of his Author ,• which he calls Imitatio 
 Horatiana. J^^fft. Dedic. before the Tranjlat, of Juve- 
 nal^ pjg. xxx. 
 
 Dryden tcWs us, That the Philofophy \n which Perfius 
 was educated, and which he profefies through his whole 
 Book, is the Sto'tck. And herein it is, fays Dryden, that 
 Perfius has excell'd both Juvenal and Horace. He flicks 
 
 ro 
 
j^o CbaraSers and Cenfures. 
 
 to his own Fhihfophy. He fhifts not fides, like Horace, 
 who is fometimcs an Epicunsan, fometimes a Stoick^ 
 fometimes an Eclectkk ; as his prefent Humour leads 
 him : Nor declaims like fuveftal ag^iwd Vices, more like 
 an Orator, than a Fhilofopher. Perfius is every where 
 the fame : True to the Dogmas of his Mafter : what he 
 has learnt, he teaches Vehemently ; and what he teaches, 
 that he Pradices himfelf. There is (fays Dry den) a Spi- 
 rit of Sincerity in all he fays : You may eafily difcern 
 that he is in Earnefl:, and is perfwaded of that truth 
 which he inculcates. In this, fays Dryden, I am of O- 
 pinion, that he excels Horace^ who is commonly in jealV, 
 and laughs while he inftruc^s: And is rqual to Juvenal, 
 who was as honed and ferious as Perfius, and more he 
 cou'd not be. J^^f d* i^id. pag, xxxiii. 
 
 Fr ami feus Petrarcha, 
 
 A Florentine Poet, Renowned both for Latin and /- 
 talian Poefie. He was born at Arezzo, a City of 
 Tujcany, on the xxth.d^y oi July, '304* He was Arch* 
 Deacon of Parma ; and afterwards Canon of the Cat'hedral 
 Church at Padua. He died fuddenly of an Apoplexy, 
 on the xwth. of July 1374. 
 
 He wrote many things in Ferfe as well as in Profe. 
 
 Philtppus Lalheus, in his De Scriptorilus Ecclefiaflicis, 
 
 fays, that Petrarcha was the moft Confiderable Man in 
 
 that Age, for Wit, Eloquence, and Politenefs in the 
 
 l.attn and Italian Languages, as alfo for skill in the /- 
 
 talian 
 
Characters and Censures, i6i 
 
 talian and Latin Poefie ; and that He was the Firfl:, 
 who rais'd Learning out of that Gothkk darknefs, after 
 it had lain buried for many Ages. 
 
 Laurent'tus Pignorius, in his Symhola Epiflolka, Epift. 
 III. calls Petrarch a Man of very great Learning, 
 and, confidering the time he liv'd in, of a moft Ele- 
 gant Style. 
 
 Sixtus Senenfis, in the fourth Book of his Bihliotheca 
 SanUa, tells us, That Petrarch was Univerfally Learned ; 
 that he was the firft Rcftorer of the Latin Tongue, which 
 had been quite extindt for feveral Centuries; that He 
 was the Firjl^ and beyond all difpute the Befl, who 
 wrote Italian Poetry ; And that amongft the Latin Po- 
 ets he had fo good a Character, that in the Capitol at 
 Romet by an Univerfal Approbation, he was chofe Po' 
 et Laareat. 
 
 Lilius GyraUiu remarks, That tho' Petrarch and Boc 
 cace (^who were of the fame Form for Poetry) did not 
 (hew much of Judgment and Accuracy in their Poems ; 
 which indeed is chiefly to be afcrib'd to the unhappi- 
 nefs of the Age they liv'd in ; yet, fays GyraUus, they 
 both feem to have very much of a Poetical Genius. 
 
 John Boccace, in the Preface to his Genealogia Deorum, 
 fays, That if any Man living be fit to undertake fo 
 great a Work, it is that mofl excellent Perlbn, Francis 
 Petrarch: A Man of a Divine Wit and a never- failing 
 Memory, as alfo of admirable Eloquence; who is moft 
 intimately acquainted with the Hiltories of all Nations ; 
 and is incomparably well skill'd in explaining the Failes 
 of the Ancients ; And, in a word, exadlly knowing in 
 all the feveral Parts of Philofophy. 
 
 Jacohus PhilippHs TomaJinuSy in his Account of Pe- 
 trarchy calls him, the Darling of the Mufcs, an Honour 
 to the Ancients, the Delight of Learning, and one 
 
 Y who 
 
i62 chambers and Ce?ifures. 
 
 who defervcs a perpetual Memory. This our Poet^ 
 
 fays 7owafi»uSj had acquir'd (o great a fame and repu- 
 tation by his Works, that vaft Numbers of Learned 
 Men flock'd to him, juft as Bees do to Flowers, to fuck 
 the //o»y. And, indeed, what could be fweeter, or fi- 
 ner than I he difcourfe of this our Author y who was fo 
 well skill'd in Latin and Greeks though more elegant 
 in the Italian. Petrarch^ fays Tomafin^ has two ways of 
 attrad:ing and moving his Reader, either by inculcating 
 the Vertues, or elfe by Rhetorick and foftnefs of Ex- 
 preflion. Fn Trofe.^ his Stile is Mafculine and Nervous; 
 and in Verfe^ fays Tomafin, he is full, pure, elaborate, 
 and yet fuited to every Man's Genius. To conclude, hs 
 has in all parts wonderful Plcafantnefs, and great Varie- 
 ty ; his Sentences are beautiful, and his Words manly. 
 COtn^GlY^ in Petrarcha redivivo. Cap. i. and Cap, 8. 
 
 Paulus f'ergeriusy who writ the Life of Francis Pe- 
 trarch^ fays, He was a Man of great Knowledge and 
 Learning t, and that there was fcarce any fort of Lear- 
 ning, fit for a Gentleman, wherein he had not made 
 
 fome confiderable Progrefs. Of all the Works that 
 
 Petrarch had wrote, Vergerim puts the highefl Value 
 upon his Africa \ this Book, he tells us, is full of Hiftory, 
 abounds with excellent Rules and Inflrudtions, and 
 contains a great many Poetical Fidions. He further ob- 
 ferves, that Petrarch does therein appear to be well 
 skill'd both in the Knowledge of Antiquity, and of /^j- 
 ture^ and that there is a great deal of Oratory in it .• 
 In (liort, he tells us, That a Toung Man might glory in be- 
 ing the Author of fuch a Work, and that an Old Man 
 need not be aiham'd of it. Though, at the fame time, 
 he takes notice of his Half Verfes^ and his Profodia 
 faults : as alfo fome Confiderable Omiffions in the Hi- 
 flory of the Second fmick War. 
 
 Rapin 
 
Chambers and C en fares. i6^ 
 
 Rap'm has a different opinion concerning the Africa of 
 Petrarch ; into what Enormities, fays he, has Fetrarcb. 
 run in his Africa^ through his Ignorance of Arijiotles 
 Rules ; and by his following no other Guide, but his 
 own Genius, and Capricious Fancy. JS^ip. Refle><. on 
 Arid. ^c. Part i. Sed\i. 
 
 Vofftiu in his De Poeth Lat'tnts, ftiles Petrarch^ one of 
 a Divine Wit, and Wonderful Learning. 
 
 Joannes Mattha;us Tofcanm, in his Account of Italy^ 
 Cap,y. tells us. That Italy never brought forth one that 
 was equal to Petrarchy nay, nor any wife comparable 
 to him. 
 
 Erafmus in Ciceroniano, pag. 155". calls Petrarch, one 
 of a quick and ready Wit, a Man'of great Knowedge, 
 and no indifferent Orator. But as Erafmus obferves, 
 his Latin is not fo pure as one could wilh, his Style 
 having a Tang of the preceeding Barbarous Age. 
 
 Paulus Manutiiu, in his Comment upon the firft Book, 
 and third Epiftle of Cicero to his Brother Quinttu, re- 
 marks, that Petrarch was the mofl Elegant of all the /- 
 talian Poets, but that he was no very good Latin 
 Poet. 
 
 Joannes Gohellinus, in the Second Book of his Comtnen- 
 tariesy concerning Pope Pius 11. fays, whom could we 
 compare to Francifcus Petrarcha^ if his Latin Works 
 were as good as his Italian ? 
 
 Y % Titus 
 
1^4 CharaBers and Cenfures. 
 
 Titm Petronim Arbiter. 
 
 A Roman Knight, and an Elegant Writer in the time 
 of Nero^ to whom he was Mafler of the Revels. 
 His Satyrkon mixt of Profe and Ferfe together, with 
 feveral Fragments, is yet extant, though very much 
 maimed and defc(5tive in many Places. At the taking 
 of Alha Graca in the Year 1688. from the Turks, there 
 was found the Satyrkon of Fetronius, faid to be Perft(5l 
 and Complear, and afterwards pubhlh'd by one Francis 
 No^otius, a French Gentleman, who is very pofitive in the 
 averting it to be Compleat and Perfcdl ; but the truth 
 of this IS much queftion'd, by many of the moft Learned. 
 St. Euremont obferves in his M'tfcellaneous Ejfaysy That 
 in every part of Fetronius there appears an admirable 
 pure Stile, as alfo great delicacy of Thoughts -, but that 
 vj\\\c\\he fays^ is mod furprifing to him, is to obferve 
 with what eafe, and how ingenioufly he gives us all forts 
 of Chara^ers. Of all the Ancient Authors Terence is 
 generally laid to be the beft, for hitting the Humours, 
 and Tempers of men : But, fays St. Euremont, There 
 is this Objcd:ion to him, That he has not extent c- 
 nough; And his whole 7l//^«/ goes no further, than to 
 g!v? a true, and natural reprefentation of a Servant, an 
 d Man^ a Covetous Father, a Debauch' d Son, or a Slave. 
 Thii is the ntmoft of what Terence can do. You are 
 not to txpetSt from him any thing of Gallantry, or of 
 PafTion, or of the Thoughts, or Difcourfe of a Gentle' 
 man But (now) Fetronius had fuch an Univerfal Wit, 
 that heunderflood the Genius of every Profeilion, and 
 could tu'n himfelf to as many Humours and Tempers, 
 as he had a Mind to. As for inftance, if at any time 
 
 he 
 
Chambers and Cenfares. i6s 
 
 he introduces one who is to Declaim, he wou'd be fure 
 to hit the Air and Style fo exa(^iy, that one would 
 think he had us'd to Declaim all his Life. Never did 
 any thing exprefs more naturally, the Diforder of a 
 Debauch'd life, than the Quarrels of Eucolpion and A- 
 cyltos upon the Subjecfi of Giton. — In a word, fays St. 
 Euremont, There is no Nature, no Temper, no Profef- 
 fion, which Petronius doth not admirably purfue the 
 Genius of He is a Poet, he is an Orator, he is a 
 Philofopher, or any thing elfe, as he fees fit. 
 
 Mr. Richard Wooley, in the Second Fol. of his Conh- 
 pleat Lihrary, Jan. i69z, pag. loi. fays, that Petronius 
 has the Character, as he was a Gentleman, and a Ro- 
 wan Knight, to have written in the moft Gentleman-\'\kQ 
 Stile almoft of any of that Nation, and with a free, 
 flowing, and unafFeded Eloquence, and with a Purity 
 of Language that none in former times exceeded, nor 
 in all things equall'd ; nor in after-ages ever came 
 nigh ; not only the Roman Eloquence, but even the whole 
 Body of that Language degenerating foon after into 
 downright Barharifm, 
 
 The fame Author pag, 14^. acquaints us, That he hears 
 from Holland, that fome Critical Remarks are made by 
 fome fliarp fcented and fmart Wits there, that feem to 
 intimate that the late found Supplements of the Satyri' 
 con of Petronius, fmell too ftrong of a French Author^ 
 to be the Genuirre Products of Petronius ; though they 
 confefs, they are fo artfully compoled, if Fillitious, 
 that they will puzzle all the Critichs in the World to 
 be pofuive in their Decificns about them. We Ihall 
 only (^fays iVooIey) mention Two of the Padag^-s c,ir- 
 ped at, with the Exceptions made againft them. Pirji 
 they doubt whether in Petroniuss time, the Terms 
 Agens and Patiens were ufed in an Olfcene Seme, as in 
 
 one 
 
i66 CharaHers and Censures. 
 
 one of thofe Supplements : And. Secondly^ in that ex- 
 prefllon found in pag. 13. Adeo Sordidus erat Lycur' 
 gtts^ uty Invitis opihus immey^fis, etiam quiC funt vitcs ne- 
 cejfaria, dtnegaret. They inchne to believe there is a 
 GaUk'tfm^ as much Qiieftioning whether the Latins e- 
 verus'dfuch a form of Speech, as to fay, That a Cove- 
 tous Man, infpite of his great Riches, grudges himfeJf 
 Necejfaries. 
 
 LipJtuSy lih. I. Le6lionnm Ainiquarumy cap. 8. fays, that 
 Petronius was a neat and an Elegant Writer ; and, were it 
 not that his Latin is fometimes too good for his Wanton 
 Subjedls, in all other refpe6ts he deferves to be Com- 
 mended. 
 
 Tht fame Author, lih. in. Epiftolicarum Qtusftiomm, 
 Epi[i. z. tells Petrus Pjthaus, There is not among all 
 the PoetSy a more Beautiful or more agreeable Piece, 
 than Petroniids's Satyricon. But at the fame time he takes 
 notice, of the danger there is in reading fo olfiene an 
 Author ; though as for himfelf, he brags, he was one 
 of thofe, upon whom fuch fort of Ohfcene Difcourfes 
 made no more an Imprellion, than a Boat upon the 
 Sea. 
 
 Gafpar Barthius, lih. ^o. Adverfar cap. 9. pag. 2357. re- 
 marks, that were it not for the Oljcenity of Petronins, 
 there never had wrote an Author of greater Beauty, or 
 of greater Elegancy. 
 
 Petrus Daniel HuetiuSy in his De Origtne Fahularum 
 Romanenfium^ pag, yS^yj. calls Petronius, the moft Ele- 
 gant and Polite Writer of the Age he liv'd in ; whofe 
 Satyr was full of Wit and Beauty. He alfo ftiles him, 
 a very great Critick ; and one of an exquifite tafte in 
 Learning ; but as Huetius cbfervcs, his Stile fell fome- 
 what fhort of the Delicacy of his Judgment : For here- 
 in he feem'd to be too afiecled, and too Elaborate, his 
 
 Style 
 
CbaraSers and Cenfures. 161 
 
 Style degenerating from that Natural and Fetjerable 
 Simplicity, which belonged to the happy Age of Au- 
 gujlus. 
 
 Drjden, in his EJfay of Heroick Plays^ tells us, That 
 Petronius Arl>iter, was the mod Elegant, and one of 
 the moft judicious Authors of the Latin Tongue; who 
 had given many Admirable Rules for the Stru(3:ure, and 
 Beauties of an Epick Poem. 
 
 Ue further ehfervei to us, in his DeMc. before Exa- 
 men Poeticumj or. The Third Part of Mifcellany Poems, 
 that Petronius was the greateft Wit perhaps of all the 
 Romans, yet when his Envy prevaifd upon his Judg- 
 ment, to fall on Lucan, he fell himfelf in his Attempt : 
 He perform'd worfe in his Effay of the Civil War, 
 than the Author of the Pharfalia : And, avoiding his 
 Errors, fays Dryden, has made greater of his Own. 
 
 Rapin, in the Advertifement to his Reflexions of Ari- 
 flotle of Poefie, obferves, That Petronius (who no Man 
 of Modefly dares name, unlefs on the account of thofe 
 Directions he gave for Writing) amongft the Ordures 
 of his Satyre, gives certain Precepts for Poetry that are 
 admirable. Petronius was difgufted at the Stile of Se- 
 neca and Lucan, which to him feem'd affeded, and 
 contrary to the Principles of Ariflotle. 'Tis at them he 
 levels with thofe Glances, that flip from him againft 
 the PoetajlerSf and Falfe Declamators, Nothing more 
 judicious was writ in thofe Days, yet (fays Raping him- 
 felf had not that eafie and natural way, which he re- 
 quires fo much in Others. He gives the bed Rules in 
 the World againft Afleci^ation, which he never obferved 
 himfelf For he commends even to the Simplicity of 
 Style, whereas his own is not always Natural. To fay 
 the Truth, fays Rapin, what is good on this Subjed, 
 
 (viz. 
 
1 68 Chambers and C en fares. 
 
 (.viz. his Precepts for Poetry )is all taken from Ariflot/e ;who 
 is the only Source whence gooJ Senfe is to be drawn, when 
 one goes abou t to Write. 
 
 Mrs. Katherine Philips, 
 
 APerfon of that admirable Merit, and Reputation 
 that her Memory will be Honour'd of all Men, 
 tnat are Favourers of Poetry One, who not only has 
 equall'd all that is reported of the Poetejfes of Antiquity^ 
 the Leshian Sappho^ and the Roman Sulpitia, but whofe 
 Merit hasjuftly found her Admirers, amongft the great- 
 eft Poets of our Age. This Incomparable Perfon, to the 
 Regret of all, who were acquainted with her great 
 Worth and FamiC, died of the Small-Pox on the i^th' 
 of June, 1664. being but One and Thirty Years of 
 Age, having not left any of her Scy, her Equal in 
 Poetry. 
 
 All her feveral Poem^, together with her Tranjlatioyis 
 of Mortfieur Corneille\ Tragedies of Pompey and fjo^ 
 race fSind {qvqt^I othtr TratfJlatioKS out of frefich, are Prin- 
 ted in one Volume Fol. London, 1678. 
 
 The Puhltjher of Mrs. Philips s Works fays, We might 
 well have call'd her The Englijh Sappho, fhe of all the 
 Female Poets of former Ages, being for her Verfes and 
 her Vertues both, the mofl highly to be valued ; but 
 She has call'd her felf Orinda, a Name that dcferves to 
 be added to the Number of the Mufes, and to live with 
 Honour as long as They. Were our Language as gene- 
 rally 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfares. 169 
 
 rally known to the World as the Greek and Latin were 
 Anciently, or as the French is now, her Ferfes could not 
 be confin'd within the narrow limits of our Ijl^nds^ but 
 would fpred Themfelves as far as the Continent has In- 
 habitants, or as the Seas have any Shore. 
 
 What Opinion Alraham Cowley had of Mrs. Katherine 
 ThilipSy appears by thefe following Verfes : 
 
 Of Female Poets, who had l^ames of Old^ 
 
 Nothing is fhewn^ hut only told. 
 And ail we hear of them, perhaps may he 
 Male-Flat try only, and Male-Voetrie. 
 Few minutes did their Beauties Lightning wafif o 
 The Thunder of their Voice did longer lafl, > 
 
 But that too foon was paft. J 
 
 The certain proofs of our Orinda*i Wit 
 In her own lafling Characters are Writ, 
 And they will long my Praife of them furvive. 
 
 Though long perhaps that too may live. 
 The Trade of Glory managd hy the Pen, 
 Though great it he, and every where is found. 
 Does hring in hut f mall profit to us Men, 
 '77j hy the numher of the Sharers drown d; 
 Orinda on the Female Coafs of Fame^ 
 Ingroffes all the Goods of a Poctick Name, 
 
 She does no Partner with her fee ; p 
 
 Does all the hufinefs there alone, which we > 
 Are forcd to carry on hy a whole Company, j 
 
 COtolCf 's Third Stanza on the Death of 
 Mrs. Philips. 
 
 The Earl of Orrery was alfo a high Admirer of the 
 Famous Orinda^ and particularly commends her Tran'- 
 
 Z Jlation 
 
1 70 ChuraUers and Cenfurts. 
 
 flat ion of Cernerf/es Pompey^ irt thefe following Verfes, 
 being part of a Copy Addreft 10 the Authreju 
 
 Tou Englifh Corneille'j Pompey withfuch Flame, 
 
 That you hvth raife our Wonkier and his Fame i 
 
 If he could Read it, he like us would call 
 
 The Copy greater than the Original : 
 
 Tou cannot mend what is already done^ 
 
 TJnlefs you ilfimfl-} what you have hegm : 
 
 TVho your TtiTi'il'Atlor) fees, cannot hut fay ^ 
 
 That 'tis Orinda'j Work, and hut his Piay. 
 
 The French to Learn our Language now will feeky 
 
 To hear their Greateft- Wit more nohly [peak ; 
 
 Rome too would grant, were our Tongue toh^x known, 
 
 Cxfor fpeaks better int, than in his own. 
 
 And allthofe Wreaths «»r^ c/rc/VPompey's Brow, 
 
 Exalt his Fame, kfs than your Verfe s nou?. 
 
 Mrs. Thilipss Horace Commended. 
 
 This Martial Story, which through France did come. 
 And there was wrought in great CorneilleV Loom; 
 Orinda*j Matchlefs Mufe to Brittain brought. 
 And Forreign l^erfe, our Englifh Accents taught; 
 So Soft, that to our fhame we under (land 
 They could not fa/l but from ahzdy's Hand. 
 Thus while a Woman Horace did Tranflate, 
 HorzcG ^ id rife above a Kom'in Fau. 
 
 Part of tht Prologue. 
 
 Several others, as the Earl of Rofcommon, Mr. Flat- 
 mm, and my much efteemed Friend, James Terrell Efq; 
 
 have 
 
CharaBers and Cenfures. 171 
 
 have alfo employ'd their Pens in praifeof the Excelleat 
 Orinda. 
 
 m^u^m." pvimit ■•■in «M«nmpaiMW 
 
 PindaruSy 
 
 AThehan Poet^ chief of the Ly ricks. He was Con- 
 temporary with JEfchylus^ and began to Flouriih 
 about the Seventy Sixth Olympiad. The Dialed he 
 us'd, was the Dorick^ with a fmall mixture of the Ma- 
 lick. 
 
 His Odes are yet extant; befides which he is faid to 
 have Written Tragedies^ Hymm, PceanSy Dithjramhy JS- 
 pickst Epigrams^ and other Poems, in all feventeen Di^ 
 flina: Works. 
 
 He died about the 66. or, as fome fay, the 80. Year of 
 his Age, in the ^6. Olympiad. 
 
 Pindar was fo highly efteem'd by Alexander^ that at 
 the Qverthrow of Ihehesy he caufed his Houfe and Family 
 only to be preferv'd. 
 
 Diogenes Laertius CqIIs us, that Arcefilam^ the Philo- 
 fopher, was wont to fay of Pindar^ That he fill'd the 
 Mouth with a noble Sound, and afforded a plentiful Vari- 
 ety of Names and Wprds. 
 
 Horace^ llh. iv. Odarum, Od. %. fays, That no Man 
 could imitate, or come up to Pitidar; and that whoe- 
 ver fhould attempt it, would certainly find himfelf as 
 much difappointed, as the bold Icarus in the Fahle, 
 who undertaking to flie with Wings, whofe Feathers 
 werefaften'd together with Wax, fell into the Sea, and 
 was drown'd. 
 
 Zz He 
 
172 Chambers and Cen fares. 
 
 He further aM, th^Lt Pindar^ in refped: of his Pro- 
 found Eloquence, may very properly be refembl'd to a 
 Torrent^ or a Stream, that runs down with great violence 
 from the top of a high Hill, and which the Rains have 
 caus'd to fwcll, and to over- flow its Banks; and that one 
 may as eafily put a flop to the rapid Current of fuch a 
 Stream^ as to Circumfcribe, or Limit FinJa/s impetuous 
 Style. To conclude, Horace is of the Opinion, That 
 whatfoever this Divine Poet does, he ftill deferves NIfur 
 Laurels; that is to fay, whether he fills his Lawlefs 
 Dytheramhicks with new Words, and that he does not tye 
 bimfelf to any Rule either in his Numbers^ or Cadences, 
 or, that he fings the Praifes of the Gods, of Kings, or of 
 Heroes. 
 
 Quintilian, Ith. x cap. i. fays, That of all the Nine Lirick 
 ToetSy Pindar was beyond all difpute the mod confidera- 
 ble, take him either for his Vaft Genius, for the beauty of 
 his Sentences and his Figures, for the abundance of his 
 Thoughts, and the agreeable variety of his ExprelTions; 
 and that in refpe<5t of his great Eloquence, which Flows. 
 like a Torrent, Horace might very well think it was im- 
 poflible for any Man ever to imitate him. 
 
 Rapin, in his Reflexions on Arijiotles Book of Poefie^ 
 part 2. fet}. xxx. remarks, That Pindar is Great in his 
 Defigns, Vaft in his Thoughts, bold in his Imaginations, 
 Happy in his Expreflions, and Eloquent in his Difcourfe : 
 But (as Rapin obferves) his great Vivacity hurries him 
 fometimes paft his Judgement, he gives himfelf too much 
 Swing ; his Panegyricks are perpetual Digreflions, where, 
 rambling from his Subjed", he carries the Reader from 
 Fable to Fable, from Allufion to Allufion, and from 
 one Chimera to another; for he has the moft unbrid- 
 led and irregular Fancy in the iVorld. But this Irregularity, 
 fays Rapin^ is one part of the Charader of the Ode, 
 
 the 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures, 1 7 3 
 
 the Nature and Genius of it requiring Tranfport. Pindar 
 likewife is the only Perfop amongft the Greeks^ that got 
 any Reputation by this fort of Writing, for Httle is remain- 
 ing of the other Lyrkks. 
 
 Tanneguy le Fcvre^ in \\\s Ahridgemcnt g{ the Lives o^ 
 the Greek Poets, tells uf, that the Figures which Pindar 
 ufes, are ncbleand great; but, that they have fometimes 
 the Air of the Dithyramlick, that is to fay, they are bold 
 and raih, which is by no means agreeable to fuch as love a 
 Corre^ Style. He adds^ that Pindar is a grave and ferious 
 Author ; but that he loves a little too much that which 
 they call Sentences; that he very often lofes his Subjedl, 
 byReafon of his long Digreflions; and that after he has 
 been upon the Ramble, he returns all of a fudden, when 
 one leaft expe<3:s him ,- and at his Re-entry, he never ufes 
 any thing of Ceremony, that is to fay, he takes no man- 
 ner of care, to make any Connexion betwixt his firft 
 Thoughts, and that which is to follow. 
 
 Fofiiis, in his De Arte Poetic^, pay 2-4. fays. That 
 Pindar us'd to brag, that feature was the only Guide he 
 followed in Poetry j whereas others made ufe of Art^ 
 the Rules whereof he ne*er minded, nor regarded : In 
 which refped-, he was wont to compare himfelf to the 
 Eagle^ and other Poets to Ravens, 
 
 The fame Author, lih. z. Jnjiitutionum Poeticarum, pag, 
 75. obferves, That Pindar took too much delight in 
 Metaphors, and Lofty ExprefTions ; but this fault, fays 
 yojfius, he ought to be pardon'd, fince he thought it 
 more glorious, to get now and then a fall, than to be 
 always groveling upon the Ground. 
 
 The Lord Bacon, in his Advancement of Learnings lih, 
 8. cap. I. takes notice, That to Pindar it is peculiar, 
 fuddenly to (Irike, as it were, with a Divine Scepter, 
 the Minds of Men by rare fhort Sentences. 
 
 And 
 
i,Y4. Characters and Cenfures. 
 
 And in his Hiilory of Life and Death, he calls Ptn* 
 i/ar, a Poet of a high Fancie, fingular in his Conceits, 
 and a great adorer of the Gods. 
 
 6a/par Barthius calls Pindar an Ingenious Author, 
 and one who had an indifferent good (lock of Learning. 
 lih. ^9. Adverfar. cap. xiii. 
 
 And Vojfius, in his De Hijl. Lat. pag, 8x9. declares, 
 that he well enough approves of this Charader given by 
 the Learned Barthius concerning Pindar. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger, in Scaligerana z. remarks, That there 
 is in Pindar, a great many Words not to be found a- 
 ny where elfe ; but, that he fought not for them, but 
 took them as they were then us'd, and as they natural- 
 ly ofFer*d themfelves; whereas Nicander and Calltmachus 
 made it their bufinefs, to hunt afier the mofl obfcure, 
 and improper Words, to make ufe of. 
 
 Marcus Accius Plautus. 
 
 A Comical Poet, born at Sarjina^ a City in Ttaly^ who 
 having fpent all on Players Apparef, was fain for 
 his living to ferve a Baker in turning a Hand-Mil/. At 
 leifure hours he made his Plays. He died the firft 
 Year of the 149^/;. Olympiad^ being 1 84 Years before 
 Chrifi. 
 
 Several of his Works are \o% but we have yet re- 
 maining Twenty of his Comedies, 
 
 The 
 
CharaUers and Cen fares. 175 
 
 The Ancient ^ritkks could by no means agree, con- 
 cerning the true Number of Plautus's Comedies ,* fome 
 reckoning them to be 21. Others xj.Others 40. nay/ome 
 advance them to 100. and feme to 130. But theground 
 ancfoccafion of this Difference, is generally thought to 
 proceed from the mixing the Works of other Comical 
 Poets, with thole of this Author, and particularly the 
 Comedies of one P/autius, whofe Name being fo very 
 like that of Plautus^ might very well be the Caufe of 
 fuch a Miftake. 
 
 Aulus GsUiuSi lib. vii. cap. 17. Nb^. Attic, calls Plau,tus, 
 the mod Elegant of all the Latin Authors, and an abfo- 
 lute Mafter of that Language. 
 
 yarro was fo taken with Plautus, that he fays, if 
 the Miifes were to fpeak Latin^ they would certainly ufe 
 his very Stile. 
 
 Ttiffy, in his firft Book De Officiis, highly commends 
 Plautuis Ingenious and Facetious way of Raittery, 
 
 Macrohiusy in the Second Book of his Saturnalia, 
 cap, I. tells us, That the two moll Eloquent Perfons 
 of all the AncientSy were Plautus, and Tully ; and that 
 thefe two excell'd all others in an Elegant way of 
 Raillery. 
 
 Cardinal Bona, in his l^otitia Auilorum, calls Plautus, 
 The Tenth Mtdfi ; The exacSt Rule of the Roman Lan- 
 guage ; and the Father of Eloquence. 
 
 Ludovicus Fives, in his Comment upon St. Augufline's 
 De Civitate Dei, lib. z. cap. 9. fays, That no Poet had 
 a greater Vogue than Plautns, not only in his own life 
 time, but in the Age following. 
 
 And Tanaquillus Faler, in his Second Book, Epijl, 31. 
 fliles Plautus, The very Fountain of pure Latin. 
 
 LipfiuSy 
 
J q6 CbaraBers and Cenfiires. 
 
 Lip/ius, In the Fifth Book of his Eftjlolicis Quefiio- 
 neSj Ep'ifi. 26. remarks, That among the Comical Poets 
 none was to be preferr'd before Plautus ; for in him we 
 meet with not only purity of Stile, and Excellent Lan- 
 guage; but he alfo nfforJb us a great deal of Wit, 
 Raillery, and pretty Conceits, befides that Attick Ele- 
 gancy, which one may look for long enough in the reft 
 of the Roman AuthorSy and never find. 
 
 Jacohus Crucius, in his third Book of Epiflles, Epifl. 
 ad Franc ifc, Leeuvium, tells us, That never any thing was 
 more pure, more eleganr, and, in a Word, better skill'd 
 in the Latin Tongue^ than Plautus. So that if the Mu' 
 fes would have fpoke Latin^ they would (undoubtedly) 
 have us'd his Style ; all the Flower and Elegancy of the 
 Roman Language being Comprehended in him. And, 
 he further lays. That as he mud be a Man of Parts, 
 who rightly underftands the Elegancies of Plautus ; 
 fo none but a thick fcutd Block-head will pretend to 
 find fault with Plautus^ who writes the beft Latin 
 of any of the Roman Authors, But yet, fays Crucius^ 
 there is one thing you mud be advertifed of. Have 
 a care, when you read Plautus and Terence, of propo- 
 fing to your felf to follow them in every thing. For 
 they do fometimes make ufe of Old^ Ohfolete Words, 
 which if you carry but one foot from the Theater^ they*!! 
 not keep, but (link immediately. 
 
 rpj/ius, in the Fourth Book of his hfiitut. Orator, 
 pag. 29. obferves to us, That in Plantm*s time, thofe 
 Archaifms, or Old Antique Words, which we meet with 
 in this Poety were in no wife unbecomeing an Orator, 
 For this was then the mode, or way of Speaking. But 
 in Ciceros Age, the falhion was quite altered, and thefe 
 Oldy Antique Words, were wholly laid afide. 
 
 Rapin^ 
 
Characters and Cenfures. 177 
 
 Rap'm, in his Reflex, on Arijlotles Book of Poefie^ 
 part 2. fe^. xxvi. fays, That Tlautus is ingenious in his 
 DcTigns, happy in his Imaginations, fruitful in his In- 
 vention ; Yer, that there are feme Infipid Jctls, that 
 efcape from him in the tafle of Horace -^ and his good 
 fayings that make the People laugh, make fometimes the 
 honefter fort to pity him : 'Tis true, obferves Rapin, 
 he fays the beft things in the World ; and yet very of- 
 ten he fays the moft wretched ; this a Man is fubjedl 
 to, when he endeavours to be too witty; he will make 
 laughter by extravagant Expreflions, and Hyperboles^ 
 when he cannot be fuccefsful to make it by Things^ 
 Plautus is not altogether fo regular in the Contrivance of 
 his Pieces, nor in the Dijirilut'ton of the Adls; but he is 
 more fimple in his Suhje^s ; For the Fahles of Terence 
 are ordinarily Compounded^ as is feen in the Andria, 
 which contains two Loves. This is what was objected 
 to Terence^ that he made one Latin Comedy of two 
 Greeks the more to animate his Theatre. But then 
 the Flots are more naturally mravelfd^ than thofe of 
 Plautus ; as thofe of Plautus are more natural than thoib 
 of Arijlophanes, 
 
 Erajmus, in the z8/^. Book of his Epijlles, Epifl lO. 
 is of the Opinion, that there is more exaft Judgment in 
 one Comedy of Terence^ than in the fever al Comedies of 
 Tlautus, put them all together. 
 
 FoJJitts, in the Second Bock of his Inftitutiones Poe^ 
 tic^t remarks, That Plautus has furpafs'd Terence, not 
 only in the variety of his Subjc(?ls, bur alfo in his vari- 
 ous Phrafes. But yet he is of the Opinion of thofe, 
 who think that m^x\y of PLutus's Jefts are flat and in- 
 fipid; and that in his Railleries he is often cold and 
 languid, nay fometimes obfcene and ridiculous. And 
 FoJJiiis further tells us, that Plautus dcferv'd not {o 
 
 A a much 
 
178 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 much Commendation as Terence^ in that his aim and 
 defign was, to pleafe the People in general, without any 
 manner of diftindbion; whereas all that Terence defir'd, 
 was, to gain the Approbation of Some Few, who were 
 moft coniiderable both for Wit and Honefty. Fojfius 
 alfo obferves, That Piautus is neither fo prudent, nor 
 To exadl as Terence, in that he introduces moff. than 
 four Perfons at once upon the Stage, all (peaking at the 
 fame time ; which is a thing never done by Terence. In 
 a word, Hautus (fays Vojftus) has committed a great 
 many faults upon all occafions, but particularly when 
 he is to reprefent either the Charadiers of Perfons, or 
 the feveral Motions of different PafTions. 
 
 Julius Scaliger^ in his Third Book De Poetica^pag. 437. 
 fays, That the liberty which Piautus took ought to be 
 noted: For he vcntur'd at any thing, provided he could 
 but move and affedl his Auditory^ either by making 
 them laugh, or by introducing fome t^ew Things or 
 Coining fome l^evo Word. 
 
 Hence therefore Calm Rhodiginus, in the i-^tk Book 
 of his Letliones Antiqua, cap.z-^. calls Piautus , a Second 
 Africa, for that he does very often produce fome* 
 what that is t^ew, and alfo abounds with great Mon- 
 flrojities. 
 
 Julius Scaliger^ alfo in his Sixth Book De Poetica^ pag. 
 766. feems to be much diflatisfied with the the Titles of 
 feveral of Piautus s Comedies ,• as for in fiance, the /?«- 
 denSy he fays, fhould rather have been cali'd Tempeflas; 
 the Trinummus, which Word is but once us'd in all the 
 whole Comedy, might more properly have been Enti- 
 tukd ^Th?/aur us ; and the Truculentus, (which founds great, 
 and rather raifes the Expe(ftation, than anfwers it,) 
 Ihould with more reafon have bore the Title of Bu- 
 fiicus. 
 
 Sextus 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures. 179 
 
 Sextus Aurelius Propertius, 
 
 AN Elegiac Poet, born at Mevjnia^ a Town in Vm^ 
 hria, under the Reign of Auguflus. 
 
 His four Books of Ele^ies^ which is all that remains 
 of him, are commonly publiOi'd with the Poems of Co.- 
 tullus and TiluUus- His Miflrefs, whom he makes the 
 Subjed of his Wit, was one Hojila, whom he calls Cyn- 
 thia. 
 
 He was in great favour with Cornelius GaOns^ and 
 Meccenas. He died after f^irgil^ and before Horace. 
 
 BorrichiuSy in his Dijfertat. Acad. De Poetis, pag. ^z, 
 fays. That Propertius, as himfelf confefles, copy'd after 
 PhiletaSy MimnermuSy znd CailimachuSy Greek Poets ; and, 
 as Borrichius obferves, he was very happy in the imita- 
 ting fuch noble Originals; though in one refpec^ Ws 
 ferfe was fomewhat defedive, 'viz, in- making his Pen- 
 tameter generally end with a word of many SyUahUs, See 
 even his very firft Dijlich: 
 
 Cynthia prima fuis miferum me cepit ocellis 
 ContaBum nullis ante cupidmibus. 
 
 Lilius Gyraldui tells us, That Propertius left four 
 Books of Elegies y which are both Polite, and Learned. 
 Hofman^ in his Lexicon^ calls Propertius^ The chief (by 
 far) of all the Elegiac Poets. 
 
 And Quintilian, lih. x. cap. i. at the fame time he fo 
 high! > commends Tihuttus^ faith, There were yet Thofc 
 wh ^ jive Propertim the Preference. 
 
 A a r RfflandHg 
 
1 80 Chara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 RolandHS Marefius, in his Second Book, Bpijl, 6. fays 
 The' ir may be thought a piece of Confidence in him 
 to contradift that judicious Critkk, Quintilian, who 
 feems to prefer TihuUus ; yet, for my part, fays he^ I 
 own I am one of Thofe, who give the preference to 
 properties. For although Tihuilus be wonderfully PleafantT 
 and Elegant, and much more corred: in the Latin 
 Tongue, than the other^ (\a ho often imitates the Greek 
 Poets,) and is aifo more curious and exacSt in his Verfe^ 
 yet Propertius fcems to furpafs him in Learning, and alfo 
 in Swectnefs of Teniptr, fo very obliging and good IVa- 
 tur'd is he : But, as Marefius obferves, though Fropertim 
 was of fuch a fwect, calm Temper, yet lometimcs he 
 exprefles his PafTnns, with as much Heat and Vehemen- 
 cy, as the hotted Lover of them ail. 
 
 Turnehus, in the Eleventh Book of his Adverfaria^ 
 cap. 15. obferves to us. That the Verfes of Propertius 
 are fo pleafant and delightful, that one would almod 
 thinkj the Mufes themfeives didated them to the Poet. 
 Only, fays Tumehus^ \ could wiih, he had employ 'd his 
 moft curious, fine Fancy, upon fome other Subjed;, 
 than that of Love\ that io, he might be read by Touth 
 with greater fafety, than now he can. 
 
 Cafpar Barthius, in the Ninth Book of his Adverfaria^ 
 cap. X. remarks, That amongfl all the Ancients there is 
 not any Writer, that has a (weeter fort of Learning, 
 nor (as he exprefles it) a more Learned fort of fweet- 
 nefs, than Propertius 1, which Author, fays Barthius, the 
 better you are acquaint&d with, the more you will \o\q 
 bim : For even thofe things, which at firit fight may 
 feem the molt obfcure, will, after you have once fearch'd 
 into them, by a certain natural beauty, appear to be the 
 moft delightful and agreeable. 
 
 The 
 
CbaraSers and Ce?ifura, r8i 
 
 The y^w^ Author J Ith. ^z. cap. 9. calls Frop'ertius, a 
 mod Ingenious, a mod /ccurate, and a moll Learned 
 Writer ; and one u ho was incomparably we!l skill'd 
 in, as well as a true Lover of, the Greek Elegant 
 cies 
 
 Lipfins, in the Second Book of his Antiquce Le^iones^ 
 cap. X. tells us, That He who loverh not Fropertius, can 
 never be a Favourite of the Mufes. For fo great a 
 Sweetnefs is there in his f^cr/eSy that, as the Comical Poet 
 obferves, N// niji mulfa loquitur^ Every word in them 
 feems to he mist with tloney. And fo full of Learning 
 are they, that we are apt to think, fays Lipfias, They 
 were di(5ated even bv Apo/lo himfelf. 
 
 Rapin, in his Reflex, on Arijiotle*s liook of Poejie, 
 part id. fe^. 19. fays, That they who have writ Elegy 
 befl amongft the Latins ^ are Tihullus.^ Propertius^ and 
 Ovid> Tihallus, fays Rapin, is Elegant and polite ; Pro- 
 pertius noble and high ,* but Ovid is to be preferred to 
 both ; becaufe he is more natural, more moving, and 
 more pafTionate ; and thereby he has better exprefs'd the 
 Charadier of Eiegy^ than the others. 
 
 Julius Scaliger, in his Sixth Book De Poetich, pag. 854. 
 takes notice, That Fropertius has an eafie, natural Air ; 
 and that he has very well exprefs'd the Charader of B- 
 legy; that in his Opinion, Fropertius is more Polite and 
 Elegant, than the Criticks generally allow him to be j 
 tho' he mud own, he did affect Things out of the Com- 
 mon Road. 
 
 He further ohferves^ That Fropertius was fomewhat 
 particular in the mixing Fahles (upon every occafion) 
 with his Verfe, (he looking upon Fahle to be the very 
 Soul of Poetry^ tho' he did therein follow the fame 
 Co»ofel, which the famous Corinna once gave to Pin- 
 dar. And in this refpec^ is it, fays Fojjius in the third 
 
 Book 
 
1 82 Chambers and Cevfures. 
 
 Book of his hjlhutiones Poetka^ pag. 3 c. that Fropertius 
 had the advaniage of 7ihuUu5\ becaufe nothing adds 
 more to the lufter of an Elegy, than Htfiorkal Stories 
 and Fables. 
 
 LipJiuSy in the third Book of his Farioi Le^iotteSy 
 cap. vii. remarks, That there is a great deal of abftrufe 
 Learning in Propertius, and, that befides the Elegancy 
 and Acutenefs of his Sentences^ there are many things 
 even in his very Words ^ which defer ve both our notice, 
 and our praife. One thing indeed is very new, and I 
 cannot tell, fays Lipfius^ whether the like can be found 
 in any other Author, and that is, his peculiar way of 
 ufing the Simple Verhs inftead of the Compounds^ and 
 out of a ftrange Opinion of the Elegancy^ giving the 
 Simple Verhs the very fame Signification, that the Com- 
 pound Verhs ought to have ; which he does often do. 
 But to make the thing yet plainer, fays Lipfius, I will 
 give you an example, or two. Thus you fhall find in 
 this Poet, the Verb Se^ari us'd for hfedari; as alfo 
 Tejiari for Deteftari ; which is contrary to all other Au- 
 thors. And many other Inftances of the like nature 
 may be found in thts Author ; which whoever is igno- 
 rant of, fays Lipfius, may happen often to be plung'd 
 in reading Fropertius. 
 
 Aurelius 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures. 183 
 
 Aurelius Prudentius Cle- 
 mens^ 
 
 AChrtfiian Poet^ Born at Saragofa a City in Spam, in 
 the Year 348. He was at Firfl by his Profeflion 
 an Advocate, or Lawyer; but afterwards he was advanc'd 
 by the Emperour Honor'tus to very confiderable Prefer- 
 ment. When he was Fifty Seven Years of Age, he re- 
 tir'd, and applied himfelf Chiefly to the Writing Divhe 
 Pdems. There is no certain Account of his Death, tho' 
 fome pretend to fay it was in the Year4i2. 
 
 He Wrote in Lat'm Verfe Pfychomachiay De Martyr um 
 Coronis, and fome other Works which are yet Extant. 
 
 Petrus Crimtus, in his De Poetis Lathis, fays, That 
 Prudentius's Poems were Writ in feveral forts of Verfe : 
 Whereby it plainly appears, that, confidering the time 
 he Liv'd in, he was the moft to be valud of all the 
 Chriliian Poets, not only for his Learned Figurative 
 Expreflions, but alfo for his Grave, and Weighty Sen- 
 tences. 
 
 Sidonius Apollinaris, no Contemptible Author, (^fays 
 CrmtuSi makes no Scruple to joyn Prudentius to Ho- 
 race. 
 
 BeOarmitty in his De Scriptorilus Ecclefiaflicis, fays, 
 That Prudentius Wrote Fncomparable \^x\q. 
 
 Cardinal Bona, in his. Motitia A^orum, calls Prudenti- 
 us, The moft fweet Chrijiian Pindar^ and in Allufion to 
 his Name, The moft Prudent Chriflian Poet. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger, in Scaligerana i . calls Prudentius^ a 
 good Poet, 
 
 And 
 
1 84. CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 And in Scaligerana i. pa^, ^i. he Stiles him, an Ele- 
 gant Poet. 
 
 Cafpar BarthiuSy in the Eighth Book of his Adverfarra^ 
 -ap. II. fays, That never any Man Wrote more Divine- 
 y of Matters relating to the Cbrifiians^ than Pru(^eH' 
 his. 
 
 t^ojfws al(b, in his De Hijlorkis Lathis, tells us, That 
 Trudent'ms has done great Service to the Chrifl'tan Hi- 
 fiory^ by what he has writ concerning the Sufferings of 
 feveral Martyrs : 'Tis true, fays Foffius, he wrote in 
 yerfe-, but for all that, fuch as handle this Subject in 
 frofe^ are wont to fetch the true Matter of Fadt from 
 this our Poet. 
 
 Lilms GyraUus aflures us, That Trudent'ms was a 
 Perfon of very great Learning, but of no Eloquence ; 
 which, as Gyraldus thinks, he altogether negled:ed ; fince 
 the only thing he minded, was, the advancement of 
 True, Chriftlan Piety. 
 
 Cafpar Barth'ms^ in his 27//;. Book of the Adverfaria, 
 cap. V. fays, That Prudent'tus contains a Treafure of Cu- 
 rious, delicate Things, and that w'e ought not to pafs 
 him by, as a Common Ordinary Poet. 
 
 And the fame Author^ lib. zi. cap. 4. informs us. 
 That the true reafon, why Prudentius is lefs Elegant in 
 fome places than in others, was his imitating Holy Writ^ 
 and that then he did voluntarily alter his Style : Bur, 
 that befides this, he was often lorc'd to tranfcribe the 
 Writings of the Monks.^ who generally wrote in a bar- 
 barous Style ; and this was that, which chiefly occa- 
 fion'd the breaking his Stile, and caus'd him to write c- 
 therwife, than elfe he would. 
 
 Hofman, in his Lexicon, tells us, That Prudentius, 
 when he was 57 Years of i^ge, began to write \x\ Ferfe 
 
 concerning 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenftires. 185 
 
 concerning Ecdefiaftical Matters^ which he perform'd 
 both Learnedly and Elegantly, unlefs it were, that fome- 
 times, in Forreign wor^s, and efpecially in the Greeky he 
 minded not the Quantity of Syllables, when yet the 
 Greek InfcnpttonSy or Titles of his Books, do plainly 
 (hew, that He underftood Greek well enough. 
 
 BorrichiuSy in his Dijfert. Acad. De Poetis, pag. yz. af- 
 firms, That PruJentiiUy for Eloquence, Piety, and 
 Learning, tranfcended ihtGefuus of the Age; and that 
 his VerfeSy bating their falfe Quantities, are for the raofl: 
 part fmooth, lofty, and Majeftick. 
 
 Gafpar Sci^ppius, in his Confultationes, pag. 43. fays. 
 That Frudentius is (indeed) a tolerable Poet, but fome- 
 times he is led away with the Cuftom of the Age ; and 
 at other times he runs too much upon old, Antique 
 Words, and imitates Lucretius too much. 
 
 Ellies du Pin, in the Third Tome of his l^ew Billl' 
 otheque of Ecdefiaftical Authors, remarks, That Fru- 
 dentius is no very good Poet; that his Expreflions 
 are often Barbarous, and very different from that pure 
 Style, which was us'd in the Age of Auguftus. His 
 Thoughts, or Notions, fays du Pin, are Excellent, and 
 altogether becoming a good Chriftian. There are 
 fome places Elegantly written, and pleafant enough to 
 be read. 
 
 B b Renatus 
 
iS6 Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 Renatus Rapin, 
 
 ATefuIte, born at tours m France^ i6^i- A Critical 
 Judge of the poets, as appears by his Reflexions 
 on Ariftotle's Treatife of Poetry^ and a Poet alfo himfelf of 
 no Obfcure Fame by his Latin Poem of Horticulture 
 or Gardening, which hath been mod ingenioufly Tran- 
 llated into EngUJh^ by my Kinfman, John Evelin, the 
 younger. 
 
 Drjden, in his Apology for Heroick Poetry, fays, That 
 Rapin, were all other Criticks loft, is alone fufficient to 
 teach anew the Rules of Writing. 
 
 Oldham, in the Advert iferrient before his Imitation of 
 Horace's Art of Poetry^ tells us That Rcipin is one of 
 the beft Criticks, which thefe latter Ages have pro- 
 duced. 
 
 Rimer, in his Preface to Rapins Reflexions on Arijlotle 
 of Poefie, informs us, That Rapin is as well known 
 amongft the Criticks^ as Ariflotle to the Philofophers : 
 Never Man gave his Judgment fo generally, and never 
 was Judgment (fays Rimer^ more free and impartial. 
 He might be thought an Enemy to the Spaniards, were 
 he not as iharp on the Italians ; and he might be fuf- 
 pedled to envy the Italians, were he not as fevere on 
 his own Country- Me». 
 
 Certainly, fays /Honfieur Baillet, in the Jugemens des 
 Si^avans, That Man mufl: be altogether void of Com- 
 nion Senfe, and alfo of that light which diftinguifhes 
 a Man from a Bea(l, who can in the leaft queftion, 
 whether Rapin was a great Poet, after he has once 
 fcen his Eglogues, his four Books of Gardening, bis 
 
 two 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfares. 187 
 
 two Books of Herokk Poems, his Elegies ^ and his 
 Odes. 
 
 Borrichius, pag. 117. tells us. That all the Eglogues of 
 Rapin^ both Sacred and Frofane^ were writ with exqui- 
 (ite Judgment. 
 
 Monfteur de la Roque^ in the Journd des S^avans, Tome 
 X. pag, 124. remarks, That although the Eglogues were 
 not elleem'd the moll confiderable of Rap'tns Poems ^ yet 
 one might dilccrn in them a certain Air of that fecret 
 and conceal d loftinefsy which f^irgil has difpers'd in his 
 Eglogues. 
 
 The fame ZP^ la Roque, pag. 116. obferves, That Ra- 
 pin in his Elegies chofe rather to take the Character of 
 OW, than that of TihuUus or Propertius ; becaufe He 
 is much more jufl in his Defigns, and in his Relating 
 Matters he is fuller of Circumftances ; although the 0- 
 ther Two have written with greater Elegancy, and with 
 an Air that is more harmonious, and more agreeable to 
 rerfe. 
 
 And as for his Ode?, De la Roque tells us, That Rapin 
 has mixt to fome of his Heroick Subje£bs others that are 
 foft and tender, that fo he might follow hotb the Cha- 
 racers of that Kind, which are the Delicate and the 
 Sublime. 
 
 And De la Roque, pag. 114, iz%. of the fame Journal, 
 informs us, That Rapin in his Poem of Gardenings has 
 exceird himfelf. All the World, fays he, owns, never 
 any Man came fo near Virgil, and that Rapin was the 
 only Perfon, who could make us any amends, for what 
 we might have exp.'ded, of this Kind, from the famous 
 yirgil. Nay, De la Poque tel's us exprcfly, that Rapin 
 has the very Spirit of Firgilm his Jdea^^ in his Expref- 
 fions^ in his Figures^ and particularly in his Tranfitions, 
 
 B b 2 juft 
 
1 8 8 Chara^ers and C en fares. 
 
 juft as f^irgil had imitated the Tranjitions of Lucretius, ta 
 exprefs himfelf by. 
 
 S^illo dHedoHv'tUe, in the 'journal del S^avam^ Fehr. 9. 
 
 1665'. is alfo a great Admirer of Rapins Poem of 
 
 Gardening, He tells us, that this Holy Father, Rapin, 
 
 has fo ingenious a way of mixing Fahle to the mod 
 
 curious Refearches of Thilofophy \ and that he has 
 
 handled this Subje(5t of Gardenings in {o pleafant and 
 
 agreeable a manner, that we have not now much 
 
 reafon to be concern'd, that Virgtl had left his Work. 
 
 of the Georgicks imperfedt in this particular, fince 
 
 we fee Rapin hath fo happily fupplyM this Defect:. 
 
 The German Criticks at Lipfick^ in the A^a EruJito- 
 rum^ Decemh, 1684. pag. 560 calls Rapin^ a Perlbn of 
 moft Exquifite Learning, and one that was wonderfully 
 expert in reading Ancient Authors. 
 
 Monfieur de Segrais^ in the Preface to his Tran: 
 Jlation of Virgil, lays, That Rapin is not only a good 
 Judge of Poetry^ but alfo an Excellent Poet too. 
 
 The Earl of Rochefler. 
 
 JObnWilmot Earl of Rochefter^ Vifcount Athlone\n IrC" 
 land, and Biron ot Adderhury in Oxfordjhire, was 
 Born at Dichley near Woodflock in the faid County, April 
 — 1648. He Died in i\\^ Rangers Lodge in Woodftock-Park, 
 on the 26r^.of July, 1680. 
 
 Dr. Burnet, in his Account of the Life and Death of 
 this Noble Lord, pag. 7, 8. fays, He had a ftrange Viva- 
 city 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures, 1 8 9 
 
 city of Thought, and Vigour of Exprefljon : His Wit 
 had a Subtility and Sublimity both, that were fcarce imi- 
 table. His Style was Clear artd Strong : When he ufed 
 Figures, they were very Lively, and yet far enough out 
 of the Common Road: He had made himfelf Mafterof 
 the Ancient and Modern Wit, and of the Modern French^ 
 and Italian^ as well as ihtEngliJh. Helov'd to Talk and 
 Write of Speculative Matters, and did it with fo fine a 
 Thread, that even thofe who hated the Subjeds that his 
 Fancy ran upon, yet could not but be charm'd with his 
 way of Treating of them. Boileau among the French^ and 
 Cowley among the Eftgl/ffj Wits, were thofc he admired 
 moft. Sometimes other mens thoughts mixt with his 
 Compofures, but that flow'd rather from the Impreffi- 
 ons they made on him when he Read them, by which 
 they came to return upon him as his own Thoughts ; than 
 that he fervilely copied from any. For few Men ever 
 had a bolder flight of Fancy, more fleadily govern 'd by 
 Judgment, than he had ; no wonder, fays Burnet, a 
 Young Man fomade, and foimprov'd, was very accept- 
 able in a Court. 
 
 He laid out his Wit (pag. 14.) very freely in Lilels and 
 Satyrs, in which he had a peculiar Talent of mixing his 
 Wit with his Malice, and fitting both with fuch .^pt 
 words, that Men were tempted to be pleas'd with titcm : 
 From thence his Compofures czme to beeafily known, for 
 few had fuch a way of tempering thefe together as he 
 had ; fo that when any thing extraordinary that way came 
 out, as a Child is Father'd fometimes by its Refembiance, 
 fo was it laid at his door, as its Parent and Author. 
 
 The Anonymous Writer of the Preface before Falentrnh 
 an, telJ^ us, That what moft of all deferves admiratum 
 in my Lord Rochejler, was his Poetry, which alone is Sub- 
 jed enough for perpetual Panegyrkk, But the Charader 
 
 of 
 
i$o CharaBers and Cenfures. 
 
 of it i^ (o generally known ; it has fo Eminently difiingulfti'd 
 it felf from that of other men, by a Thoufand irrcfidi- 
 ble Beauties; every Body is (o well acquainted with it, 
 by the ef^d: it has had upon them, that to trace and 
 fingle out the fcveral Graces, may feem a Task as Super- 
 fluous, as to defcribe to a Lover the Lrnes snd Features of 
 his Mifirefs's Face. 'Tis fufficient to obfcrvc, that his Po^ 
 etry like himfelf^ was all Original, and has a Stamp fo par- 
 ticular, fo unlike any thing that has been Writ before, 
 that as it difdain'd all Servile Imitation, and Copying 
 from others, fo neither is it capable ( in the Opinion of 
 this Author^ of being Copy 'd, any more than the man- 
 ner of his Difcourfe could be Copy'd ; the Excellencies 
 are too many and too Maflerly: On the other fide, the 
 Faults are few, and thofe inconfiderable; their Eyes muft 
 be better than Ordinary, who can fee the Minute Spots, 
 with which fo Bright a Jewel is ftain'd, or rather fet off^ 
 forthofeit has, areof the kind, which, /Horace (a,ys, can 
 never Offend. 
 
 Qj4as aut incur ia fuJit ; 
 
 Aut humana parum cavit Matura. 
 
 Such little Negligences as Humanity cannot be exempt 
 from, and fuch as perhaps were neceffary to make his Lines 
 run Natural and Eafie; for as nothing is more difagreea- 
 ble either in Verfe or Profe than a flovenly loofnefs of 
 Style; foon the other hand too nice a CorrecS^nefs will 
 be apt to deaden the Life, and make the Piece too Stiffs 
 between thefenwo ^x^rf^wj, is the juft Character of my 
 Lord Roche fiers Poetry to be found. 
 
 Anthony iVood, in the fecond Volume of Athena Osoni' 
 enfes, pag. 489. fays, That Andrew Marvell, who was a 
 good Judge of Wir, did ufe to fay, Thar Kochefter was 
 
 the 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfares. i^i 
 
 the only Man in England, that had the true Vein of Satyr. 
 He was (fays Wood) a Perfon of moft rare Parts, and his 
 Natural Talent was Excellent, muc'i improv'd by Learn- 
 ing and Induftry, being throughly acquainted with all 
 the Clajftck Authors both Greek and Latin ; a thing very 
 rare (if not peculiar to him) among thofeof his Qaality. 
 He knew alfo how to ufe them, not as other Toets have 
 done, to Tranfcribe and Steal from, but iSther to better 
 and improve them by his Natural Fancy. 
 
 But notwithftanding the many Excellencies of this J^o- 
 hle Poet^ yet that which was no fmall Blemiih to Tome of 
 his Poems J was his /mmodefi and Ohfcene Expreffions ; fince 
 there is no fort of Drefs docs(o ill become true Poetry, as 
 that of Ohfcenity, 
 
 Here, as in all things elfe^ is mofl unfit. 
 Bare Ribaldry, that poor pretence to iVit; 
 Such Naufeous Songs hy a late Author made^ 
 Call tf« unwilling Cenfure on his Shade. 
 Not that warm Thoughts of the Tranfporting Joy^ 
 Can Shock the Chaftefl, or the Niceft Cloy ; 
 But Obfcene Words, too grofs to move defire, > 
 iLi-^<? Heaps of Fewcl do hut choak the Fire. 
 On other T beams He well deferves our Praife, 
 But palls that Appetite he meant to raife. 
 
 fflPlllgr, Effiy on F^f/rv. 
 
 Jacobins 
 
1^2 CharaBers SLud Cenfures. 
 
 Jacobus Sannazarius, other- 
 wife calld Adius Sincerus^ 
 
 BOrn at Naples, Anno Dom. 1458. A 7^<7^/ of very great 
 Fame and Reputation tor Latin V^^rfe, gain'd by his 
 l^otm De Partu ^IrginiSf his P\(c3.tory Eclogue s. Epigrams j 
 Sec. He died in the Year 1530. 
 
 Jcfeph Sca/iger^ in Scaligerana i. calls Samazarita, a 
 poet of great Elegancy, one ot an Excelient Inventi- 
 on, and who (as he teili \3') is very well worth our 
 Reading. 
 
 Boi(jarcfuSf in his Icones Virorum llluftrium^ fays, 
 That Sannazarius was, in rtlpc<ft of his great Elegan- 
 cy and Learning, to be compar'd with any of the An- 
 cients. 
 
 Luclovicus de la Cerda^ in his Comment upon the 734//;. 
 Verfe of the 7//;. Book of Firgits /Eneids, is of Opini- 
 on, That Sannazarius did not only lurpalsall the Poets of 
 his time, buc aJio, that he contributed more to the Glory 
 and Reputation of the City of Naples, \hzn^vtx Statius 
 Papinius did formerly. 
 
 BorricJjius, in his D/ffertationes Academics; de Pcetis, 
 pag. 105. tells us. That Sannazarius, of Naples, carried 
 the Latin Poefie to a great height ; and that in refptca 
 of noblenefs of fancy, as alfo tor imitating the Belt of 
 the Ancients, for Poetical Fidlions, and for Acutenefs, 
 there have been fcarce Any fince his time, who have 
 gone beyond him. He fays, thai Sannazarius lies buried 
 at Paufilypum (about three Miles from Naples^ clofe by 
 P^irgilj it being but reafonable, that as they were Men 
 
 of 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 19^ 
 
 of equal Skill, and uho af!ed^ed the very fame fort of 
 Learning, fo even in their Graves they fliould not be at 
 any great diftance, one from the other. 
 
 He further remarks. That never any thing was more 
 Corre^ than Samazartuss Verfe, as appears by that molt 
 Excellent Eftck Poem of his, De Partu V'lr'^inu^ com- 
 pris'd in three 13ooks. In a word, fays Bornchm^ there 
 is nothing that Sanmzarim has writ, but what very well 
 deferves to be read, and that with \\v grcattft Atten- 
 tion, by all who (ludy and afFcd: Poetry ; fo incompa- 
 rably well does he write upon any Subjtdl ; To con- 
 clude, his Eclogues are polite ; his Elegies are eafie and 
 run well ; and his Epiyrams are Ingenious, and without 
 any force, or conOraint. 
 
 Erafmm, in Ciceroniano, pag. 105'. favs, That Acrius 
 S'tncerus was wondtriuijy happy in his Poem De Partu 
 V'trginn for which he receiv'd prodigious Applaule from 
 the Roman Theatre-^ and that even two Pops, viz Leon. 
 and clement jtb had (each of fhemj writ him a Letter 
 of Complements, to congratulate him thereupon. 
 
 In this refp cSl, fays Erafmus^ is Accins Sincerus t^^be 
 preferr'd before his Predeceffv PontanuSt for tliar he did 
 not think much, to fpend fome part of hio time in 
 treating upon Sacre J Matters, which Su--^jt(5Mie handl'd 
 neither carelefl^', nor unpleasantly. But yet, fiyi Eraf- 
 ryiuSy in my Opinion, he wouM have deferv'd more 
 Commendation, had he Ihew'd a little more Devotion, 
 upon fo Sacred, and fo Divine a Subj (5t. 
 
 Erafmus, in the fame place, pag. 206. remarks. That 
 this Poem De Partu f^irginis haj loft much of it's Beau- 
 ty, (which otherwife it might have had) by a too fre- 
 quent ufe of Synalaphas. And, in Conclufi^n, hj adds^ 
 That the whole Poem in general^ was fitter \ox a loung 
 Man, who had a mind to try wliat he could do in 
 
 C C Poetry : 
 
1 54. Cbara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 poetry 'y than for a grave, ferious, and Religious Pcrfon, 
 who really intended any Service to the Publick; And 
 therefore Erafmus fays, in this refpedJ:, he prefers that 
 one Hymn of Prudent ins De Mat alt Jefa, before thofe 
 three little Books of Accius Sincerus. 
 
 Rapin^ in his Reflexions on Ariflotles Treatife of Poc 
 fie, part i. fe^. 32. obferves to us, That SanvazariMS 
 has Icme touches of the noble Air of f'^irgily but not ma- 
 ny ; that he has only copv'd Virgil's PhrafeSy without 
 exprefling his Spirit; and that whenever he ftrains him- 
 le!f, to come up to Virgil^ he foon falls and returns a- 
 gain to his own Genius ; and, in a Word, amidft the 
 vain Efforts of a Servile imitation, there continually e- 
 fcape trom him fome Strokes of his own Natural Spi- 
 rit. 
 
 The fame Author^ part 2. fe&. xvi. of thofe Reflexi- 
 ons, tells us, That Sannazarius, who was famous among 
 the Italian Poets for his Poem De Partu Firginis^ had a 
 good Genius for writing in Latin; for the purity of his 
 Style is admirable ; but the Contrivance of his Fahle 
 has no delicatsnefs, nor is his Manner any wife proporti- 
 onable to the dignity of his Subjed". 
 
 And in his Thirteenth Se^ion of this Second Part of 
 his Reflexions, he takes notice, That Sannazarius, in his 
 Poem De Partu Firginis, has judiciouHy mingl'd the 
 Fables of Paganifmy with the Myfleries of Chriflian Relt- 
 giotj, 
 
 Paulus Joviujy in his Elogies of Learned Men, fays. 
 That SaK,nazarim*s Poem, De Partu FirginJs, took him 
 up no lefs than Twenty Tears time the Ccmpofing ; and 
 that at hft he was mightily difappointed, fince his 
 Pifcatory Eclogues^ which he made in his Youth, quite 
 cclips'd the glory of thii and all his other Works 
 too. 
 
 Liltm 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures. 1^5 
 
 LHiiu Gyraldus, notwithftanding he highly commends 
 SamazariuSi for his Diligence, his Exadtnefs, his Solid 
 Judgment, and his great skill in Poetry j yet he can- 
 not but blame him, for having fpent fo much of his 
 time, upon this one Poem, De Partu Virgtws ; which 
 by his fo often filing and altering, inftead of making 
 it better, he ( really ) made it worfe, as Gyraldus 
 thought. 
 
 Sappho^ 
 
 AN Excellent Poetefs^ born in the Ifle of Leshos ; 
 She was call'd The Ninth Lyrick, and The Tenth 
 Mufe. She wrote Epigrams^ Elegies, Jamhicks, Mono- 
 diesy and nine Books of Lyrick Verles ; and was the 
 Inventrefs of that kind of Verfe, which from her is 
 call'd the Sapphick ; fhe attain'd to no fmall Applaufe 
 in her Contention, firft with Stefichorus^ and then with 
 Alc(jeus. According to Calvifius, Sappho flouriih'd in the 
 time of NahonaJJar^ in the Year oi the World, 3341. 
 about fix Hundred and feven Years before Chrift. She 
 wrote in the j^olick Dialedl. 
 
 Some tell us, there were Two of this Name, who 
 liv'd in the fame Country, and at the fame time, and 
 both of them Poeteffes. But Ovid^ Statius, and others 
 of the Latin Poets, acknowledge but one Sappho; in me- 
 mory of whom the Rontons ere<3:ed a moil Noble Statue 
 of Porphiry ; And the Citizens of Mitylene^ the Chief 
 City of the Ifland Leshos, had fo great an honour for 
 
 Cq z her 
 
1 ^S CharaUers and Ceii fares. 
 
 her Memory, that they caus*d her Image to be Stam^t 
 upon their Coin. 
 
 Fofjus, in the third Book of his Irtflituthnes Voetka^ 
 pag. 78, and 97. fays, That none of the Greek Poets 
 exceird Sapphi for fwcetnefs of Verfe; and that She 
 made Anhilochus the Modil of her Style; but at the 
 iame time, (he took g;reat care, to foften, and fwceten 
 that (liarp Style of his. 
 
 Rap'in, in his Reflex, on AriJfotle\ Treatife of Poefie, 
 part z. fed. 30. tells us, It may be avow'd by that vA'hich 
 IS left us ot the Fragments of Sapphn, that Demetrius 
 and Lo»gims have great reafon to boaft fo highly in 
 their Works, of the admirable Genius of this Woman \ 
 tor there are found fome Strokes of Delicacy the moft 
 /«f, and the moft paffionate in the World. 
 
 The Authors of the Athenian Mercury^ Vol, v. Mumh. 
 ly Quefl 8. remark. That the Fragment confift/ng but 
 of a !cw Lines, which we have of Sappho s, carries fome- 
 thing in it fo Soft^ Lujhious and Charming^ even in the 
 found of the Words, that Catullus himfelf, who has en- 
 deavoured fomewhat like 'em in Latin., comes infinitely 
 ihort of 'em ; And fo have all the Reft, who have writ 
 their own Thoughts on that Subject. 
 
 Monfieur Bayle^ in his t^ouvelles de la Repuhlique des 
 Lettres^ Novemh. 1684. pag 396. fays, Never were two 
 Perlons in this World fo much of a Temper, as Sappho 
 and Anacreon; and both of them the moft Amorous 
 Creatures in Nature. Tis a Thoufand pities, fays Bajle^ 
 that they did not live at the fame time, as Mademoife//e 
 de Scudery (very much to the advantage of her Ro- 
 mance') fuppofes they did: If they had, (fays Bayle,) 
 rhey ought to have been Husband and Wife, that {o 
 the World might have feen, what would have been the 
 
Chara^lers and Ce?tfures. 1 9 7 
 
 Effed^, of Two fuch loving Tempers, and fuch Delicate 
 Souls. 
 
 fie alfo ohjerves, that They are fb mucii alike in their 
 way of Writing, that it is lomewhat difficult to diilin- 
 guiih the One from the Other. 
 
 Hofman^ in his / ex'tcon tells us, Sonn.e Authors are 
 of Opinion, that the Elegy which Ov'td made under 
 the name o^ Sappho, and which is infinitely beyond his 
 •nher Elegies, was all, or at leaft the mod IJeautiful 
 Part of it, flo!e frcm the Poems of the Elegant Sap- 
 pho. 
 
 Lucius Annam Seneca^ 
 
 BOrn at Corchha in Spam, both Philofopher and Poet^ 
 and Uncle to Lucan. He died ^mo Pomini, 65. or, 
 as others fay, 68. 
 
 There are ten Latin Tragedies^ which generally go 
 under his Name, Diz. Hercules Furens ; Thyefies ; Thehais ; 
 HippolytHS ; Oedipus ; Troades ; Medea ; Agamemnon ; 
 Hercules Oetceus ; and O^avia. 
 
 Monfieur Baillet tells us, That of all the Ten Latin 
 Tragedies^ which are Collided, and Publi(h*d in a body, 
 under the Name of Seneca^ it is generally agreed, that 
 the bed of them were writ by this famous Philofopher, 
 Heros Tutor, and that He was (really) the Author of 
 the Medea, the l~Jippolytus^ and the Troades. The Reji^ 
 fays Baillet, have their Excellencies, and are to be 
 valued ; although it is not yet well known, by whom 
 they were writ. But no body, fays he, denies, but 
 
 the 
 
J^S Characters and Cenfures. 
 
 the meaneft, and that which fccms the moft unworthy 
 the Name of ScMeca^ is the 0^lav!a; to which others 
 joyn the Thehajs^ which is the Work of a Dechimcr, 
 who did not undcrftand what belong'd to Tragedy. 
 
 yojjiuj^ in his De Poetis^ places Seneca among the 
 Peets; tho' at the (ame time he tells us, He did not 
 look upon him to be the Author of all thofe feveral 
 TragedieSy which we commonly fee afcrib'd to him. 
 But yet, fays Vofftus^ There is no doubt to be made, 
 but fome of them were really his. 
 
 To the fame Effed fays Borrkhius, pag. 56. Tho' the 
 Learned are not agreed, that all the leveral Jraiedies^ 
 which come out under the Name of Seneca, may juftly 
 be attributed to him ; yet they are generally inclin'd to 
 think, that the far greateft part of thofe Tragedies were 
 writ by him. 
 
 The fame Borrkhius alfo tells us, That Seneca writ in 
 a pure Tragical Strain, fhewing a decent Gravity ; and 
 that he was no ways inferior to any of the Greeh, ei- 
 ther for a Majeftick Stile, or for an exquifite way of 
 exprefling himfelf. 
 
 Lipfius could by no means believe, That Seneca ever 
 wrote the Troades ; he had fo mean an Opinion of this 
 Tragedy, that he gave it for granted, it was writ either 
 by fome little, paltry Poet, or elfe by fome ignorant 
 Pedant. 
 
 But 'jofeph Scaliger was much ofFepded at this fevere 
 Cenfure of Upfm^ from whom f]e entirely differ'd, 
 calling this Tragedy, A Divine TVork, and to be pre- 
 ferr'd before any of the other Nine,a\[ which he believes 
 were writ by Seneca. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger alfo, in Scaliger ana i. fays, That 
 Seneca the Poet is a good Author ; but, that we are not 
 
 to 
 
Characlers and Cenfures. i^^ 
 
 to expe(5t from him that exadtnefs, which the Rules of 
 the Old Tragedy required. 
 
 Julius Scaliger, in his Sixth Book De Poetica, pag. 839. 
 tells us, That for a lofty Majeflick fort of Verfe, 6V- 
 neca came not behind the bed of the Greek Poets-, nay, 
 that he excell'd Euripides in Politenefs and Beauty. It 
 mud be own'd, fays Scaliger, that Invention (indeed) is 
 the peculiar property of the Greeks; but Seneca s is not 
 beholden to them, for that lofty Air, that harmonious 
 found, that fmart Wit, and that brisknefs of Fancyt 
 which every where abounds in him. But yet, he adds^ 
 that, whenever Seneca has a mind to imitate Sophocles^ 
 he is very unfortunate, and has no luck at it. 
 
 Rapin^ in the firft part cf his Reflexions on Ariflotk\ 
 Treatife of Poefie, fe^. 25-. remarks, That Seneca knows 
 nothing of the Manners. He fays. He is a fine Speaker, 
 who is eternally uttering pretty Sayings, but is in no 
 wife Natural in what he fpeaks, and whatever Perfons 
 he makes to fpeak, they always have the Meen of 
 Atlors. 
 
 The fame Author, in the Second part of thefe /?<?- 
 flexions, fe^- ^i* obferves, That Senecd% Verfe are pom- 
 pous, his Thoughts lofty, becaufe he would dazzle; 
 but the Contrivance of his Fables are of no great Cha- 
 racter. This Author (fays Rapin) pleafes himfelf too 
 much in giving his own Ideas, inftead of real Objedls; 
 and he reprefents not always very regularly, what is to 
 be reprefentcd. 
 
 St. Euremonty in his Mifcellaneous EJfays, fays, He does 
 much more efteem the Perfl)n of Seneca, than the Works 
 of Seneca, I have a great refpecU", flays he, for the 
 Tutor of l^erOi the Gallant of Agrippina, and for that 
 Ambitious Man who pretended to the Errrpire: Of the 
 Philojopher^ and Writer, I make but little account, and 
 
 am 
 
200 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 am afTcdled neither with his Stile, nor his Thoughts. 
 His Latin has nothing of refemblance to that of Augu- 
 Jfus's time ; it is neither eafie, nor natural ; all made up 
 of points, all fanciful and conceited ; more of the heat 
 of Africa^ or Spain in them, than the Beauty of Greece 
 or ItJy. Yon fee th^'re abrupt things^ that have indeed 
 the Air and Shape of iientenccs; but which have nei- 
 ther their Sohdit}', nor their good Sence : Which wlitt 
 and fpur on the FaHC\\ without gaining the JudgweMt. 
 His forced Difcourfe (lays St. Euremont^ Communicates 
 to Mc a fort of Conftraint ; and the Scul, inflead of 
 finding there its Satisfaction and Repofe, meets with 
 Trouble and AfH.dion. 
 
 l^ero, tho' one of the moH: Wicked Princes of the 
 World, was yet very Ingenious, and bad near him a 
 fort of Vn^er-MaflerSi extreamly curious, who us*d Se- 
 neca as a Perlcwt^ and turn'd him into ridicule. \ am 
 not, fays St. Euremonti of the Opinion of BerviHd^ who 
 imagin'd that the falfe Eumclpus of Fetronius \Aas the true 
 Seneca. U fo be Fetronius would have given him an 
 injurious Charad^er, it had been under the Perfon of a 
 Pee/antick Phihfopher., rather than an impertinent Poet. 
 Befidcs, 'tis as it were impolTible to find any Agreement 
 therein. 
 
 Seneca was the Richefl: Man in the Empire, and al- 
 ways commended Poverty. Eumolpus^ 2l Poet very 
 low in the World, and in the de(pair of his Fortune, he 
 complain'd of the Ingratitude of the Age, and found no 
 other Comfort than that hon^e Mentis foror efl Panpertas. 
 If Senfca had Vices, he conceal'd them u ith Care under 
 the appearance of Wildom : Eumolpus v\ as fo vain as to 
 ihcw his., and us'd his Pleafures with much liberty. 
 
 I don't apprehend then (^ta)s St. Euremont^ upon what 
 Eerville could ground his Corjtdure. But I am deceived, 
 
 Ja)s 
 
2i 
 
 Chambers and Ccnfures, 
 
 fays hCy if all that Petronm lays of the Style of his 
 time, ©r the Corruption of Eloquence and Poetry, if 
 the ControverfiiZ fententiis vihrantihus- fttlce, which of- 
 fended him fo much, if the Vanus fententiarum StrefituSy 
 wherewith he was aflonifh'd, doth not belong to Se.neca^ 
 if the ptr Amlages & Deorum Mlnifieria^ &c. did not re- 
 late to the Pharfalia of Lucani If the EnCv^miums, which 
 he gives to Cicero, ^irgtl, and Horace^ were not defign'd 
 in Contempt of the TJnde^ and Nephew. Be it as it will, 
 to return to what appears to Me (fays St. Euremont) 
 concerning Seneca, \ never read his Writings, without 
 being of quite contrary Sentiments to thofe which he 
 would infpire his Readers with. If he attempts to per- 
 fwade Poverty, I long for his Riches; his Vertue frightens 
 me, and the leaft difpos'd to Vice would abandon him- 
 felf to Pleafures, by the defer iption he gives of them. 
 In a Word, he fpeaks fo much of Death, and leaves me 
 fuch Melancholy Jdea\ that I do my utmofl Endea- 
 vours not to improve by his Ledure. The fined Things 
 in his Works, are the Examples and Citations he mingles 
 therein. As he liv'd in a curious Court, and knew a 
 thoufand fine Things that occjrr'd in All Ages, lie pro- 
 duces fome that are very agk-eeable ; Ibmetimes of the 
 Greeks y fometimes of C#;?/ar, Augulis, and Mecanas ; 
 for after all, his Parts and Knowlv^idge were infinite ; But 
 his Style, fays St. Euremont, has nothing that af!e(^s 
 me ; his Opinions arc too levere : And 'tis ridiculous 
 that one who liv'd in abundance, and wis fo careful of 
 himfelf, (hould encourage nothing but Poverty and 
 Death, 
 
 D d WiUkm 
 
202 Chambers and Cenfures, 
 
 William Shakefpear, 
 
 ON E of the mofl Eminent Poets of his Time ; He 
 was Born at Stratford upon Avon in Warwick[hire, 
 and flourifh'd in the Reigns of Queen Elizabeth, and 
 King James theFirfl. He died on the 23^ of April 1616- 
 in the 53^^. Year of his Age. 
 
 He has Writ about Forty Six Plays, all which except 
 Three, are Bound in one Volume in Folio^ Printed at Lon* 
 don, 1685". 
 
 Gerard Langhaine^ in his Account of the Engl i/h Drama- 
 tick Poets, fays, That Shakefpear s Natural Genius to Poe- 
 try was fo Excellent, that like thok Diamonds, which are 
 found in Cornwall, Nature had little, or no occafion for 
 the A/TiQance of Art to polifh it. The truth is, 'Tisa* 
 greed on by mod, that his Learning was not extraordina- 
 ry ; And I am apt to believe, (^fays Langlaine^ that his 
 skill in the French and Italian Tongues, exceeded his 
 knowledg in the Roman Language. Few Perfons that are 
 acquainted with Dramatick Poetry, but are convinced of 
 the Excellency of his Compofirions, in all Kinds of it. 
 Langhaine tells us, for his part he efteems Shakefpear s 
 Plays beyond any that have ever been Publi(h'd in our 
 Language: And though he extreamly admins J ohnfon, 
 and Fletcher; yet (fays he") I mud ftill aver, that when 
 in Competition with Shakefpear, I mufl apply to them, 
 what Juftus Lipfius Writ in his Letter to Andneas Schottm, 
 conctrnivg Terence znd Plai4tus, when Compared j Teren- 
 tium ama, admiror, fed Plautum magis, 
 
 Edward Phillips, in his Theatrum Poetarum, calls Shake* 
 fpear, The Glory of the Englijh Stage; whofe Nativity 
 
 at 
 
Characters and Cenfures. 203 
 
 at Stratford upon Avon, is the higheft Honour that Town 
 can boalt of; from an A^or of Tragedies arid Comedies^ 
 he became a /?/d^f r ; and fuch a Maker, fays Phillips y that 
 though (ome others may perhaps pretend to amoreexad: 
 Decorum and Oeconomie^ efpecially in Tragedy, never any 
 exprcfl a more Lofty and Tragick height j never any re- 
 prefcnted N^i/'^ri? more purely tc theZ.//^; And where the 
 Polilhments of Art are mod wanting, as probably his 
 Learning was not extraordinary, he plcafes with a certain 
 fVild znd Hative Elegance. 
 
 Dryden itWs us:, in\\\'i Ejfay o{ Dramatick Poefie, pag 33, 
 34. That Shakefpear was the Man who of all Modern^ and 
 perhaps Ancient Poets, had the largell and mofl: Compre- 
 henfive Soul. All the Images of Mature were ftill prefent 
 to him, Qfays Dryden) and he drew them not lahoriouf- 
 ly, but luckily; when he defcribes any thing, you more 
 than fee it, you feel it too. Thofe who accufe him to 
 have wanted Learning, give him the greater Commenda- 
 tion: He ^zs Naturally Learned; he needed not the 
 •Spectacles of Books to Read Nature ; he look'd inwards^ 
 and found her there. I cannot Qjays Dry den) fay, he is 
 every where alike ; were he fo, I fhould do him injury 
 to compare him with the greatefl: of Mankind. He is 
 many times flat, infipid; his Ow/r^ Wit degenerating into 
 Clenches; his ferious fwelling into ^^/w^^. But he is al- 
 ways great, when fome great Occadon is prefented to him : 
 No Man can fay he ever had a fit Subject for his Wir, 
 and did not then raife himfelf as high above the reft of 
 Poets, 
 
 Quantum lentafolent inter vihurna Cuprefji. 
 
 The confideration of this (as Dry den obferves) made 
 Mr. Hales of Eaton ^ fay. That there was no Subjed of 
 
 D d z which 
 
2 04 CharaBers and Cenfures. 
 
 which any Poet ever Writ, but he would produce it better 
 done in Shakefpear ; and however others are now generally 
 preferr'd before him, yet the Age wherein heliv'd, which 
 had Contemporaries with him, Fletcher and Johnfort^ ne- 
 ver equal'd them to him in their cftcem : And in the lad 
 Rings Court, when Bens Reputation was at highed, 
 &ir John Suck ihg, and with him the greater part ot' the 
 Courtiers, fet our Shakefpear far above him. 
 
 Drydent in his Preface toTroilus and Crejftda, remarks, 
 That the Englijh Tongue in general is fo much refin'd fince 
 Shakefpear s time, that many of his Words, and more of 
 his Phrafes, are fcarce intelfigible. And of thofe which 
 wedounderftand, fomeareungrammaticai, others courfe; 
 and his whole Style (fays Dryden) is To pefter'd with 
 Figurative Exprejftons, that it is as affe^ed as it is obfcure. 
 *ris true, that in his latter Plays he had worn off fome- 
 what of the Ruft. 
 
 'Tis one of the Excellencies of Shakefpear, fays Drydetiy 
 in the faid Preface^ that the Manners of his Perfons are 
 generally apparent ; and you fee their bent and [nclinati- 
 ons. Fletcher comes far (hort of him in this, as indeed he 
 does almoft in every thing ; There are but glimmerings of 
 Manners in moft of his Comedies, which run upon Ad- 
 ventures : And in his Tragedies, Rollo, Otto, the King and 
 Ni? King, Melantitis, and many others of his beft, are 
 but Picftures ihowB you in the Twi'light ; you know 
 not whether they refemble f^ice, or yertue; and they 
 are either Good, Bad, or Indifferent, as the prefent 
 Scene requires it. But of all Poets (fays Dryden^ 
 this Commendation is to be given to Ben. Johnfon, that 
 the Manners even of the moft inconfiderable Perfons in 
 his Plays are every where apparent. 
 
 The 
 
Ch'araHers and C en fares. 205 
 
 The Chara^ersoC Fletcher ^re poor and narrow, (^fays 
 Dryden) in Comparifon of Shake/pears; I remember not 
 one which isnotborrow'd from him; unlefs (fays Dryden) 
 you will except that ftrange mixture of a fvlan, in the 
 /Ciyig and No King : So that in this part Shake/pear is gene- 
 rally worth our Imitation,* and to imitate Fletcher (fays 
 Dry den) is but to Copy after him who was a Copyer. 
 J^)5D» Ihid. 
 
 It Shakefpear were ftript of all the Bomhafl in his 
 PaffioHSy and drefs'd in the mod Vulgar Words, we ihould 
 dill find the Beauties of his thoughts remaining ; if his 
 Embroideries were burnt down, there would ftiil be 
 Silver at the bottom of the Melting-Pot. ^^'^DtH* 
 Ihid, 
 
 Tate, who alter'd Shakefpear s Richard i\\^ Second, tells 
 us, There are fome Mafier Touches in this Play, that will 
 vyc with the bed Roman Poett, 
 
 All this together yet is hut a part 
 Of Dialogue, that great and powerful Art ^ 
 tfow almojl lofi^ which the 0/d Grechns knew, "p 
 From Whence the Romans fainter Copies dreWy S 
 Scarce comprehended fince hut hy a Few. J 
 
 Plato and Lucian are thehefi Remains 
 Of all the Wonders which this Art contains ; 
 Tet to ourfehes wejujlice mufi allow, 
 Shakefpear and Fletcher are the Wonders now: 
 Confider them, and Read them ore and ore. 
 Go fee them flay d, then Read them as heforty 
 For tho in many things they grojly Fail, 
 Over our Paffionsjlilltheyfo prevail. 
 That our own Grief hy theirs is rock' d ajleep. 
 The Dull are fore d to feel, the Wife to weep. 
 i!&Vil%t,EGky on Poetry. 
 
 How 
 
2o6 CharaSers and Cenfiires. 
 
 How defedive Shakefpear has been in his Plots^ Rimer 
 has at large difcover'd in his Critidfms. 
 
 Sir Phi Zip Sidney, 
 
 SON to Sir Henry Sidney, thrice Lord Deputy of 
 Ireland y and Sifters Son to Rohert Earl of Leicefiert 
 was Born at Fenfhurft in the County of Kent^ in the Year 
 1 5" 5 4. Bred at Chrift-Church in Oxford. He was a Gentle- 
 man of great Accomphfliments, and of a Sweet Nature. 
 His Parts fo endear'd him to Queen Elizaheth, that ihe 
 fenthim upon an Embafly-to the Emperour of Germany Vi 
 Vienna, which he difcharg'd to his Honour, and her Ap- 
 probation : Yea, his fame was io renown'd throughout 
 all Chrifiendom, that (as it is commonly reported) he was 
 in Eledlion for the Kingdom of Poland-^ though the Au- 
 thor of his Life, Printed before his Arcadia^ doth dcubt of 
 the Truth of it. He was at laft made Governor of Flujh' 
 ing. But moft unfortunately, in the very prime of his 
 Years, he was wounded with a Shot, in a fmall Skirmifli 
 before Zntphen, on the zzd. of Septemher, 1586. of 
 which he Died, on the 16th. of OHoher following. 
 
 He Wrote a Famous Piece, call'd his Arcadia', as alfo 
 A Defence of Poefie ; and a Book Intituled Aflrophel and 
 Stella, with divers Songs and Sonnets in praife of his 
 Lady, whom he Celebrated under that Bright Name. 
 He alfo Tranflated part of that Excellent Treatife of Phi- 
 lip Morney du Plefis, of the Truth of the Chriflian Reli- 
 gion, 
 
 Dr. 
 
Characters and Cen fares. 207 
 
 br. FuUer^ in his Worthies of England^ fays. That 
 Sir Thilip Sidney was To Eflential to the Englijh Court, 
 that it feem'd maini'd without his Company, being a 
 Compleat Mafter of Matter and Language^ as his Arcadia 
 doth evidence. 
 
 Camhden, in his Hiflory of Queen Elizahethy calls 
 Sir /'/;////' Sidney, A Perfon of great Virtue, Excellent 
 Wit, mod exquifite Learning, and one of a Sweet Tem- 
 per. 
 
 The fame Author^ in his Britannia^ fays, That God 
 therefore fent Sir Philip Sidney into the World, even to 
 ihew unto our Age a Sample of Ancient Firtues. 
 
 Grotius, in his Annals of the Netherlands, fays, That 
 the Battel at Ztdtphen prov'd fortunate enough to the 
 Englijhy had it not been fullied by the Death of Sir 
 Philip Sidney, a Young Gentleman, Born with the 
 greateft Advantages that could be; and who had honoured 
 the Nobility of his Birth, by the true Splendor of all 
 Beautifying Learning. 
 
 Lipfius Dedicated to Sir Thilip Sidney his Dialogue 
 Ve ReSla Pronunciatione Latime Linguae, and hath this 
 PafTage in his Epiftle, Britannia tuae clarum fidus^ 
 cui certatim lucem affundunt Virtus, Mufa, Gratia, For- 
 tuna. 
 
 Speed, in his Chronicle, calls Sir Philip Sidney, That 
 Worthy Gentleman, in whom were Compleat all Virtues 
 and Valours, that could refide in Man. 
 
 Dr. Heylin, in his Defcription of Greece, fays. That 
 Sir Philip Sidneys Arcadia, befides its Excellent Language, 
 rare Contrivances, and Deled^able Stories, hath in it all 
 the Strains of Poefte, Comprehendeth the whole Art of 
 Speaking ; and to them who can difcern and will obfcrve, 
 affordeth notable Rules for Demeanour, both private and 
 
 publick. 
 
 Sir 
 
2o8 Chara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 Sir William Temple ^ in his Effay of Poetry^ pag. 33. & 
 
 obfervcs. That the true Spirit or Vein of Ancient Poetry^ 1 
 
 under the Name of Romance, feems to fhine mod in oir 1 
 
 Philip Sidney, whom, he fays, he cfteems both the great- 1 
 
 eft Poet, and the Nobleft Genius of any that have left 
 Wricings behind them, and Publifli'dinours, or any other 
 Modern Language ,• A Perfon Born Capable not only of 
 Forming the greateft Idea's, but of Leaving the Nobleft 
 Examples, if" the length of his Life had been equal to the 
 Excellence of his Wit, and his Vertues. 
 
 Edward Leigh, in his Treat ife of Learning and Learned 
 Men, tells us, that the fame thing may be faid of Sir 
 Philip Sidney, as Auflen faid of Homer, That he is very 
 Sweet and Delightful even in his Vanities. Yet he was 
 not fofond of his Arcadia, as the Bifhop Heliodorus o^ his 
 Amoroiu ^ook; for he defir'd when he Died (having 
 firft Confulted a Minifter about it) to have had it fup- 
 prefs'd. 
 
 Nat. Lee, in his Epiflle Dedicatory to Philip Earl of 
 Pembroke, before Cafar Borgia, fays, That he Challenges 
 all the Men of Fame to fhow an Equal to the Immortal 
 Sidney, one who was fo moft Extravagantly Great, that he 
 refus'd to be a King, He was at once a Cafarsind 2l f^irgil, 
 the Leading Souldier, and the Formoft Poet. • 
 
 'Tis generally reported, that Sir Phillip Sidney, in the 
 extream Agony of his Wounds, earneftly defir'd an In- 
 timate Friend of his, to Burn his Arcadia; but what 
 Anfwer his Friend made, is uncertain : However this 
 gave occafion for the enfuing Epigram : 
 
 Jpfe tuam moriens (^Jed Conjuge tefle) juhehas 
 
 Arcadia m fcevis ignilus ejfe Cihum : 
 Si meruit mortem, quia Flammam accendit Amoris^ 
 
 Mergi, non Uri dehuit ijle Liher, 
 
 In 
 
CharaUers and Cenfures. 20^ 
 
 Inlihrum quacunq; caiat Sentential Nu/l^ 
 Dehuit Ingenium morteperire tuum. 
 
 Sophocles, 
 
 ATragick Poetf Born at Athens the Second Year of 
 the Seventy Firft Olympiad. He Died in the 
 95"^/;. Year of his Age, Six Years after Euripides. He 
 was called The New Syren, The Flower of PoetSy and the 
 Bee, from the fweetnefs of his Speech. He is faid to 
 have Written no, or as others tell us, 1x3 Tragedies, of 
 which Seven only are Extant, viz. Ajax Flagellifer, £- 
 le^ra, Oedipus Tyrannus, Antigone, TrachiniiCy Philo^etes^ 
 and Oedipui Coloneus. He is faid to have been Filler Four 
 and Twenty times- And as Falerius Maximus informs 
 us, the laft time he came off Fi^or, he fo little expe(^ed 
 it, that he died with the very Joy; but Luciantdls us, he 
 was choak'd with a Grape-Stone. He added much to the 
 perfe^f ing Tragedy, in which he was far more r xadt, than 
 either The/pis or Efchjlus, that went before him. He en- 
 creas'd the Number of the Choriu from Twelve to Fifteen. 
 Hence therefore Boileau gives him this following Cha- 
 rader; 
 
 Then Sophocles, the Genius of his Age^ 
 Increased the Pomp, and Beauty of the Stage, 
 Ingagd the Chorus Song in every part, 
 And Polijh'd rugged Ferfe by Rules of Art : 
 
 E e He^ 
 
210 Chara^ers and Cevfures. 
 
 He^ in ihe'Grttk, efiJthofe P erf eB ions ^a'm, 
 IVhich the weak Latin neveF could attain. 
 ffiOdeaU's Art of Poetry. 
 
 Cicero^ in Catotie Majore, relates, That Siphodes^ who 
 liv'd to a very great i^ge, did to the very lad continue 
 his Writing Tragedies; which was theoccafion of his Sons 
 making their Complaint toi\[Q Judges againflhim; fetting 
 forth, that the good O.'d Man, their Father, did lo 
 wholly apply himfelf to this fort of Study, that he ne're 
 minded the concerns of his Family; And therefore they 
 Petition'd, that they would pleafe to ailign to him, as be- 
 ing nofi Compos Mentis^ a Guardian to look after the Eftate. 
 But afToon as the Old Gentleman heard this, he Immedi- 
 ately produc'd his Oedipus Coloneus^ (which he had Writ but 
 a little before) reciting it to ih^ fudges, and then ask'd 
 them, whether they thought, a Man who had loft his 
 Senfes, could ever be the Author of the fame? Whereup- 
 on the Judges prefently difmift the Caufe, and fent away the 
 Sons with a Flea in their Ears. 
 
 Tu/Iy^ in his Second Book De Divinatione, calls Sopho' 
 cles, A O'lv'ine Poet, 
 
 How great an efteem f^irgil had for this Author ^ appears 
 by his EglogueS. verfe the lOth. 
 
 Sola Sophocleo tua Carmina digtta Cothurno. 
 
 Whereby Virgil does in a particular manner diftinguifh 
 SophccUs from all the other Tragick Poets. 
 
 Rimer, \u his Short Fiew of Tragedy, pag. i^S. remarks. 
 That at Athens (as it is reported) the Tragedies of /€./- 
 chylusy Sophocles, and Euripides, were EnroJl'd with their 
 Lawsy and made part of their Statute' BooL 
 
 LottginiUy 
 
Cbara^ers and Cenfures. sir 
 
 LonginuSi in his Book ^rne). u+^S obferves, That Sopho* 
 ties had an excellent faculty, in giving the true and natu" 
 ral Defcription of things. 
 
 Qutnt'tl'tan^ I'th. lO. cap.i, tells us, Xhnx. Sophocki had 
 wonderful skill in moving the Paflions; and that \\\^ parti' 
 cular Tafeyjt lay, in exciting Compafllon. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger, m Scaligerana i. c^Ws Sophocles '^n Pi6m\' 
 rable Author; hefays^ he is the moft confiderable of all 
 the Greek Poets ,• and, for the mod parr, beyond J^irgtl 
 too. He ftiles the PhjMetes, a Divine Tragedy ; and feems 
 as it were aftonilli'd, that Sophocles could fpeak fo many 
 fine things upon fuch a Barren Subj^dl. And he alfo cries 
 up his Oedipits tyranmis^ as a mod Beautiful Piece. To 
 Conclude, he tells us, Whoever has Read Sophocles well, 
 is no fmall Trofic'tent in the Greek Tongue \ and that it is a 
 Thoufand pities, we have loft fo many of his moft Excel- 
 lent Tragedies. 
 
 Voffius^ in the Second Book of his Inflitutiones Poetica, 
 pag.y^. tells us. That the Style of Sophocles is not only 
 Sublime, Lofty, and Magnificent, but alfo Pure and Cor- 
 rect. 
 
 The y^w^ ^^r^t?/-, in the fame Book, pag^]. fays, That 
 Sophocles tranfcends Euripides in High, LVlajeftick Expref- 
 fions,* but, that Euripides excels him'm neatnefsand com- 
 padtnefs of Style. 
 
 Borrichius, in his Dijfert. Acad. De Poetis, pag. 30. ob- 
 ferves. That Sophocles, by his Style, feems to be rather a 
 Man iot hiijinefs, than ^or words; whereas the Style of Eu" 
 ripides, favours more of the Scholar^ and the Orator, 
 
 Rapin, in the Second Part of his Reflex, on Arijl. of Poe^ 
 fie^ fetl. xxii. takes notice, Th^i Sophocles is too elaborate 
 in his Difcourfe; that his Art is not hid enough in fome of 
 his Pieces, it lies too open, and too near the light ; that 
 he fometimes becomes Obfcure, by his too great afeda- 
 
 E e i tioH 
 
2 1 2 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 tion to be Sublime ; and the Noblenefs of his Expreflion, 
 is injurious to the perfpicuity; His Flots^ hysRapin, arc 
 not all fo happily ««rd;T/^//W, as that of the Oedipus. The 
 D/fcovery in the Ajax anlwers not to the Intrigue; the Au- 
 thor ought not to have ended a Spedlacle of that Terror and 
 Pity, with a dull and frivolous Conteft about the Sepulture 
 of jjax, who then had Slain himfelf. And in the /amc 
 Piece, fays Rapin, that Machin of Minerva is too violent, 
 whocaftsan tnchantn^ent over the Eyes of Ajax^ tofave 
 VlyjfeSy whom ^y<?x would have kill'd, if he had known 
 him. Oedipus, fays Rapin, ought not to have been igno- 
 rant of the JjfaJiMat o( the King of Thehes', the ignorance 
 he is in of the Murder, which makes all the Beauty of the 
 Intreague, is not prolahle. 
 
 Dry den, in the Preface to Im Oedipus, fays, That Oedi- 
 pus was the mofl Celebrated Piece of all Antiquity; that 
 Sophocles, not only the grcateft Wit, but one of the great- 
 erf Men in Athens, made it for the Stage at the Publick 
 Cod, and that it had the Reputation of being his Mafier* 
 piece, not only amongft the Seven of his which are ftill 
 remaining, but of the greater Number which are Perifh'd. 
 Arifiotle has more than once admir'd it in his Book of 
 Poetry. 
 
 Jacohus Thomajius, in his De Plagio Literario, tells us. 
 That Sophocles v\'as fo great a Plagiary^ that Philoflratus of 
 Alexandria Wrote a Piece on purpofe, to fhew from what 
 Authors he had dole. 
 
 Edmund 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 2 1 3 
 
 Edmund Spencer^ 
 
 A Famous Englijh Poet, born in the City of London^ 
 and brought up in Temhroke-Hall m Camhricl<{e\ 
 He flourifh'd in the Reign of Qiiecn Elizaheth. His 
 great Friend was Sir Thilip Sidney^ by whofe means he 
 was preferr'd to be Secretary to his Brother Sir Henry 
 Sidney, who was fent Deputy into Ireland, where he is 
 faid to have written his Fairy-Queen ; but upon the re- 
 turn of Sir Henry, his Employment ceafing, he alfo re- 
 turn'd into England, and having loft his great Friend 
 Sir Philip, fell into Poverty ; whereupon he addreft: 
 himfelf to Queen EUzuheth, prefenting her with a Poem, 
 with which Ihe was fo well pleas'd, that he had order'd 
 him 500 /. for his fupport, which neverthelefs was a- 
 bridg'd to One Hundred Pounds by the Lord Treafurer 
 Cecil, who hearing of it, and owing him a grudge for 
 fome Refle(2:ions in Mother Huhhard's Tale, cry'd out to 
 the Queen, What all this for a Song? This he is faid to 
 have taken fo much to Heart, that he contracted a deep 
 Melancholy, which foon after brought his life to a Pe- 
 riod, Anno Dom. 1598. 
 
 Edward Phillips, in his Theatrum Poet arum, fays, 
 That Spencer was the firft of our En^lifh Poets that 
 brought Heroick Poefie to any perfe(9:ion j his Fairy- 
 Queen being for great Invention and Poetick Heighth, 
 judg'd little fnfericur, if not Equal to the Chief of the 
 Ancient Greeks and Latins, or Modern Italians; But the 
 firft Poem that brought him into Efteem, was his hhep- 
 herds Kalendar, This Piece was highly admir'd by Sir 
 Philip Sidney. 
 
 Camhden, 
 
214- Characiers and Cenfures. 
 
 Camht^eti^ in his Hiflory of Queen Elizabeth, fays. That 
 Edmund Spencer was a Londoner by Birth, and a Scholar 
 alio of the Univerfity of Cambridge, born under lo fa- 
 vour-able an Afpe(9: of the /I/^/d-j, that be furpafs'd all 
 the Englijh Poets of former Times, not excepting Chau- 
 cer himfelf, his Fellow-Citizen. But by a Fate which 
 ftill follows Poets, he always wreflfed with Poverty. 
 
 Dr. Fuller, in his Worthies of England, affirms, That 
 Edmund Spencer was an Excellent Linguid, Antiquary, 
 Philofopher, and Mathematician ; yec fo poor (as be- 
 ing a Poet^ that he was thought Famem non Fama 
 fcrihere. 
 
 Sir William Temple, in his Ejfay of Poetry, _pag. 46, 
 47. remarks, That the Religion o'i the Gentiles, had been 
 woven into the Contexture of ail the ^Indent Poetry, 
 wiih a very agreeable Mixture ; which made the Moderns 
 afled:, to give that of Chriflianity a place alfo in their 
 Poems. But tiie true Religion, was not found to become 
 Fitlion fo well, as a Falfe had done, and all their At- 
 tempts of this Kind, feem'd rather to debafe Religion^ 
 than to heighten Poetry. Spencer^ fays Temple, endea- 
 voured to fupply this with Morality, and to make In- 
 [iruciion, inftead of Story, the Subjed: of an Epick Poem. 
 His Execution was Excellent, and his Flights of Fancy 
 very Noble and High, but his Defign was poor, and 
 his Moral lay fo bare, that it lofl the EfTedl; 'tis true, 
 fays Temple, the Pill was Gilded, but fo thin, that the 
 Colour and the Tafte were too eafily difcover'd. 
 
 Rimer, in the Preface to his Tranflation of Rapins Re- 
 flexions on Ariflotle of Poefie, tells us, That in his 
 Judgment, Spencer may be reckoned the firft of our He- 
 roick Poets ; He had a large Spirit, a fharp Judgment, 
 and a Genius for Heroick Poefie, perhaps above any that 
 ever writ fince Urgil, But our Misfortune h, hys Ri- 
 
 mer^ 
 
Characters and Cenfures. 12 1 5 
 
 mer, he wanted a true IJea ,• and lofl bimfdr, by fol- 
 lowing an unfaithful Guide. Though befides FJomer and 
 V'trgil he had read Tajfo, yet he rather fufTer'd himfelf 
 to be milled by Ariofto; with whom blindly ra.nbling 
 on marvellous Adventures, he makes no Confcience of 
 Trohalility. Ail is Fanciful and Chimerical, without 
 any Uniformity, or without any foundation in Truth; 
 in a Word, his Poem ( fays Rimer ) is pcrfcd Fairy' 
 Land. 
 
 Dryden^ in his Dedication to the Earl of Dorfet before 
 the Tranflation of Juvenal, pag. viii. fays, That the Eng- 
 lijh have only to boaft of Spencer and Milton, in Heroick 
 Foetry; who neither of them wanted either Genius^ or 
 Learning, to have been perfed: Poets ; and yet both of 
 them are liable to many Cenfures. For there is no Vni- 
 formity in the Defign of Spencer : He aims at the Ac- 
 compliihment of no one Action : He raifes up a Hero 
 for every one of his Adventures; and endows each of 
 them with fome particular Moral Vertue^ which renders 
 them all equal, without Subordination or Preference. 
 Every one is mod valiant in his own legend^ only 
 (fays Drydcn) we muO; do him that jufticc, to obferve, 
 that Magnanimity^ which is the Character of Prince ^r- 
 //;«r, fhines throughout the whole Poem ; and Succours 
 the reft, when they are in diftrefs. The Original of 
 every Knight, was then living in the Court of Queen 
 Elizabeth: And he attributed to each of them that Vir- 
 tue, which he thought was moft confpicuous in them : 
 An Ingenious piece of flattery, tho' it turn'd not much 
 to his Account. Had he liv'd to finiQi his Poem, in the 
 fix remaining Legends, it had certainly been more of a 
 piece; but cou'd not have been pcrfe<^, becaufe the 
 Model was not true. But Prince Arthur^ or his chief 
 Patron, Sir Philip Sidney, whom he intended to make 
 
 happy, 
 
2 1 6 Chara^ers and Cenfiires. 
 
 happy, by the Marriage of his Gloriana^ dying before 
 him, depriv'd the Poet, both of Means and Spirit, to 
 accomplifh his Defign : For the reft, his OhfoUte Lan- 
 guage^ and the ill Choice of his Stanza^ are faults but of 
 the Second Magnitude: For notwithftanding the jfr/? 
 he is ftill Intelligible, at leaft, after a little pradiice; 
 And for the /j/?, he is the more to be admir'd ; that 
 labouring under fuch a difficulty, his Verfes are (b Nu- 
 merous, fo Various, and (o Harmonious, that only 
 firgtl, whom he has profeflly imitated, has furpafs'd 
 him, among the Romans ; And only Mr. Waller among 
 the Engl'tjh, fays Dry den. 
 
 The Expence of his Funeral and Monument was de- 
 fray 'd at the fole charge of Rohert, firft of that Name, 
 Earl of Ejf X. He lies buried mlVeJlminfter'Ahhejy near 
 Chaucer^ with this Epitaph: 
 
 Edmundus Spencer, J ond'menfis^ Anglkorum Foetarum 
 no/lri feculi futt Princeps^ qmd ejus Poemata, favett' 
 tihus Mufis^ & vi^uro genio confcripta comprohant. 
 Ohiit mmatura morte. Anno Salutis^ 1598. C^ prope 
 Galfredum Chaucerum conditur^ qui foelicijjime Poe- 
 fin Anglicis Uteris primus illuftravit. In quern hac 
 Scripta funt Epitaphia. 
 
 Hk prope Chaucerum fit us eft Spenferius, illi 
 Proximus Ingenio, proximus ut Tumulo. 
 
 Hk prope Chauceruii* openfere poet a poet am 
 Conderis^ ^ verfu / quam tumulo pro prior, 
 
 Anglic a te vivo vixit, plaufitque Poefis ; 
 Nunc moritura timet y te moriente, mori. 
 
 Publius 
 
CbaraSers and Cenfares. 2 1 7 
 
 Publim Papimm StatiuSy 
 
 At^eopolitan, uho flouriiht under Domitian, though 
 by fome confounded with Statius Sm cuius the grer.t 
 Rheiorician of Jholoufe, in the time of Nero. 
 
 There arc of his Writings extant, his Thehaisy his A- 
 chlUetSy and his Sylva. 
 
 Voffiiis, in his Dtf F^^^/^w Latinis, obferves, That it is 
 very remarkable, that Martial, who was a great admirer 
 of Stella the Poet, fhouid never make any mention of 
 Statius, who was fo intimate with Stella^ that he De- 
 dicated to him the firft Book of his Sylva. But Voffius 
 fuppofes, tliis might proceed from Envy and Emula- 
 tion in Martial -y who could not brook it, that Papinius 
 (hould be fo much in Domitians favour, on the account 
 of his having fo good a Knack in making Ex-tempore- 
 Verfes ; wherein, as VoJJius tells us, he far excell'd 
 Martial 
 
 Julius Scaliger, in his Sixth Book De Poetica, pag. 843, 
 844. calls Statius a moft polite, and a mod ingenious 
 Poet. HefaySy there are none either of the Ancient or 
 Modern Poets, that did tread fo near to the heels of 
 Firgil; and that he had come nearer him, if he had 
 not afftdied to follow him too clofe. For being in his 
 own nature high and lofty, whenever he endeavour'd 
 to excel, and exert himfelf, he prefently fell into Ex- 
 prefTions, that were too haughty and fwelling. But be- 
 yond all difpute, unlefs it be that Fhenix of the Age, 
 Hrgil, there are none elfc of the fJeroick Poets, lays 
 Scaliger, whether Greek or Lati», that can be compar'd 
 
 F f to 
 
21 8 Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 to this our Author ; whofe Verfes are to be preferr'd be- 
 fore thofe of Homer. 
 
 Stephanus ClaveriuSy in his Notes upon Claudian^ Hiles 
 him. The Noble and Generous Statins^ and one of an 
 admirable quick Wit. 
 
 Ifaac CafauhoHy in his Comment upon Snetonm of 
 Vcmitian^ calls Statius, An Excellent Poet. 
 
 TurKcluSy in the Twenty Sixth Book of his Adver- 
 faria^ cap. 23. fays, That Pap'm'ms was a very good 
 Poet. 
 
 /ktich. de Marofles, in the Preface to his French Tran- 
 flation of Statius, complains, That the Works of this 
 Author, are not io much valued as they ought to be ; 
 fincc, as he declares, unlefs it be Virgil, he knows none 
 that furpafles him. 
 
 Hugo GrotiuSj in a Letter to Gromv/us, dated at Fj- 
 ris, Decemh. x. 16^7. fays, He always had a great e- 
 ftecm for Fapimust whom he reckon'd not much inferi- 
 our to V'lrgd for all forts of Learning ; nay, even in 
 Poetry, fays Grotius, take him in fome refpcd:s, ("if the 
 Cr tricks will pardon me for faying fo} he is not much 
 behind him, if any thing at all. 
 
 Jujtus Lipjius, in the firlf Century of Epijiles^ Epift. 13. 
 calls FapintuSf A fublime and lofty Poet ; who, whate- 
 ver others may think, was, in his Opinion, neither 
 haughty, nor affedied in his Style. 
 
 Borrich/uSy ele Poetis, pag- 6z. tells us, That Statius, 
 the Favourite of Domitian, had wrote feveral things, 
 in a learned and lofty Style j but, that many of them 
 were lod, and among others, that famous Tragedy of 
 his, the Agave y which by reafon of his Poverty he was 
 fain to fell to Paris, that he might Publilh it as his own. 
 We have now extant his Sjh^y in five Books ,• his The- 
 
 hais^ 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures. 219 
 
 his, in Twelve Books ,• and his Achi/leis^ in two. In 
 all which feveral Pieces, fays Borrkhius, his Style gene- 
 rally appears to be florid, Choice, and Magnificent ; yet 
 in his Syh^j the Style is purer, and more natural ; ia 
 his Tbebais^ fuller of Art j and in his AchiMs, it is 
 more uneven. Hence therefore, fome of the Critkks 
 declare, That it is with Statius among the Poets, as it 
 was with Alexander the Great among the Heroes , viz. 
 that his great rirtues were mix'd with great ^kes ; And 
 that fometimes his Verfe runs in a truly lofty, m^jeftick 
 Strain ; and fometimes he mounts above the Clouds ia 
 a high, bombaftick Style; and then again, Icarus like, 
 he falls from the greateft heighth, down to the very 
 ground. And therefore Famianus StraJa very properly 
 fuppofes Statius, to be feated upon the very highefl part 
 of Parnajfuss Hill, and in fo much danger, that he feems 
 to be like a Man, who is jull ready to fall. 
 
 Rapin, in the firft part of his Reflex, on AriflotIe*s 
 Book of Poefley fe^. i8. fays, That thofe who place the 
 Effeftce of Poetry in big and pompous words, as Statius 
 among the Latins, and Du Bartas among the French, 
 are much miftaken in their account, when they afpire to 
 the Glory of Poetry by fuch feeble means. 
 
 The fame Author, feft. 30. remarks, That Statius, by 
 an Affedration of great Words, and fwelling Expreffions, 
 fills the Earsj without ever touching the Heart. 
 
 He further o^ferves, in the Second part of thofe Re- 
 flexions, fi^. XV. That Statius is as fantaftical in his 
 Ideas, as in his Expteftons ; and that his Two Poems, 
 the Tkehais and Achiileis> have nothing in them regu- 
 lar, all is vafl and difproportionahle. 
 
 Dryden, in his Apology for Heroick Poetry^ obferves 
 to us, That Lucan and Statius were Men of an un- 
 
 F f a bounded 
 
220 Cbara&ers arid Cenfures. 
 
 bounded Imagination, but who often wanted the Poize 
 of Judgment. 
 
 The fatyie Author^ in his Dedication to the Earl of 
 Dorfet before the Tranjlat. of Juvenal, pag. vii. calls Sta 
 tius, The beft Verfificator next to f^irgil ; but yet he 
 fays, He knew not how to De^gn after him, tho' he 
 had the MoJel in his Eye. 
 
 Sir John Suckling, 
 
 WA S born at VVitham in the County of Middle- 
 Jex, in the Year 1613. and which was Extra- 
 ordinary, in the beginning of the Eleventh Month, ac- 
 cording to his Mother's Reckoning. Nor was his Life 
 kfs remarkable, than his Birth : For he had fo pregnant 
 a Genius, that he fpoke Latin at Five Years Old, and 
 writ it at Nine Years of Age. His incomparable Parts 
 made him much taken notice of in the Reign of King 
 Charles the Firfl, to whom he was Comptroller. His 
 Skill in Languages, ^nd Mufick, was remarkable; but a- 
 bove all his Foetry, fays Langhaine, took with all the 
 People, whofe Souls were polilh'd by the Charms of 
 the Miifes. 
 
 This Ingenious Gentleman died of a Feaver, being 
 about 29 Years of Age. 
 
 Befides his Poems, he wrote three Plays, the Gohlins^ 
 a Tragicomedy j Brennoralt, a Tragedy ; and Aglaura^ a 
 Tragi- Comedy, 
 
 Winflanley^ 
 
CharaUers and Cenfures. 221 
 
 l^injlanky fays, That Sir John Suckling, in liis time, 
 the Delight of the Court, and Darling of the Mufes, 
 was one lb fill'd with Fhcehean Fire, as for Excellency of 
 Wit, was worthy to be Crown'd with a Wreath of 
 Stars; though fome Attribute the (Irength of his Lines 
 to favour more of the Grape than the Lamp. Indeed 
 he made Foetry his Recreation, not his Study ,• and did 
 not fo much feek Fame, as it was put upon him. In 
 my mind, fays Winftanley, he gives the bed Cha- 
 rader of himfelf* in thofe Verfes of his in the Seftons 
 of the Poets : 
 
 Suckling next was called, hut did not appear^ 
 But ftraight one whifperd Apollo iHh' ear. 
 That of all Men living he card not fort^ 
 He lovd not the Mules y^ well as his Spoft. 
 
 And prized hlack Ejes^ or a lucky hit 
 At Bowles, ahove all the Trophies of Wit. 
 But Apollo was angry ^ and puhlickly faid, 
 'Twere fit that a Fine were Jet upons head. 
 
 Phillips^ in his Theatrum Poetarum, calls Sir John 
 Suckling, A Witty and Elegant Courtier j whofe Works, 
 Entituled Fragmenta Aurea, have a pretty touch of a 
 Gentile Spirit, and feem to favour more of the Grape^ 
 than the Lamp, and dill keep up their Reputation e- 
 qual with any Writ fo Jong ago. 
 
 Lloyd, in his Memoirs, pag. 159. gives this Chara(9:er 
 of Sir John Suckling, That He had the flrange happi- 
 nefs to make whaifoever he did, become him. His 
 Poems being clean, fprightly, and Natural ; his Dif- 
 courfes, Full and Convincing ; his Plays^ Well-humour'd 
 
 and 
 
222 Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 and Taking ; his Letters, Fragrant and Sparkling ; on- 
 iy his Thoughts were not fo loofe as his Expreftorty 
 witnefs his Excellent DifcourKi to my Lord of Dorfet 
 about Religion. 
 
 Torquato Tajfo, 
 
 TH E Chief of Italian Herokk Poets, the Son of 
 Bernardo Tajfo^ and Portia de Ruheis ; He was 
 born at Sorrento, an Ancient City of Italy^ about 18 
 Miles from J^aples^ on the tenth o^ April, 1544. He died 
 at Rome on the twenty feventh of March, 1595". 
 
 His chief Poems are, Gierufalemme Liherata ; Gieru* 
 falemme Con^uijlata ; RinaUo ; Torifmondo^ a. Tragedy ; 
 le Sette Giornate dd Mondo creato \ and Amintas, a Pa- 
 floral. 
 
 BaiUet^ in the Jugemens des Sfavans, tells us, That 
 about the latter End of the laft Century, and the be- 
 ginning of this, it was with great heat difputed a- 
 mong the Italians^ u hich was to have the Preference, 
 Tajfo or Ariofto ; but Qfays be) now, this Controverfie is 
 at an End ; And, in Ipight of the Academy La Crufca^ 
 and of fome others v^ho are lefs Confiderable, TaJfo 
 does at this day carry it not only from Ariojio, but like- 
 wife from all the Reft of the Italian Poets ; And, fays 
 Baitlet, this great Reputation tajfo acquir'd not by favour^ 
 but by merit. 
 
 Thuanus, in his Hiftory of the Year i5'95, calls Taffb, 
 A Man of an Admirable, and Prodigious Wit,- who, as 
 
 1 Thuanus 
 
Characiers and Cenfures. 225 
 
 ThuaHus fays, from his Youth was troubled with a fort 
 of Frenzy, that was incurable; butyer, \n\\\s lucid Inter- 
 vals, he Wrote a great many things both in Profe and 
 Verfe, with fo much Judgment, Elegancy, and Politenefs 
 of Style, that the Compaflion Men had for his Misfor- 
 tune, was at lad turn'd into wonder and aflonifhment: 
 For whereas other Men, who have this diftemper, are 
 generally diforder'd in their Intelk^uah, one way or o- 
 ther ; it had a quite contrary effed: upon him; for here- 
 by his Wit was render'd more Pure and Volatile; his Fan- 
 cy and Imagination became more quick and ready; fo 
 that he could with greater eafe, make ufe of his Inventive 
 Faculty; and he alfomanag'd his Subject with the greater 
 judgment, and cxadnefs: And, to conclude, x\i\^ Frenzy^ 
 of his furnifh'd him with Nobler Thoughts and Ideas^ 
 as alio with more Mafculine and Choice Expreffions. 
 But what was dill more Wonderful and Surprizing, was, 
 that tajfo^ immediately after he came out of one of thefe 
 Fits^ would Compofe his Verfes with the greateft Se- 
 datenefs of Mind, that could be; and to fuch a degree 
 of excellence, that fcarce any Man, of the greateft 
 Parts, though he had never fo much Leifure, could 
 have tranfcended; fo that inftead of taking Taffo for 
 one who had loft his Senfes, we might rather (fays 
 Thmnui) have lookt on him, as a Man Divinely In- 
 fpird. 
 
 Anthony Theiffier^ in his Additions of the Elogies made 
 by Thuartiu, fays, That Tajfo at i8 Years of Age, Com- 
 pos'd that Excellent Poem of his, the Rinaldo, the firft 
 Fruit of his Admirable Genius, and which gain'dhimthe 
 efteemof all fuch, as had any delicacy of Tafte for things 
 of this Nature. Indeed, what Longtnm faid of the Odyj- 
 fes. That it was the Work of an Old Man, but, that this 
 
 Old 
 
2 24 Chara^ers and Cenfures. 
 
 Old Man was Homer; The fame may we fay with the 
 famous M. Menage^ That Rinaldo is the Work of a 
 Young Man, but, that this Young Man was Torquato 
 Tap. 
 
 TeiJJier alfo informs us, That Tajfo was but ^^ Years 
 Old, when he begun his Gierufalemme Liherata^ that In- 
 comparable Poem, the mofl accomplifli'd Piece that has 
 been fince the Age of Auguflusy in the opinion of the 
 moft Judicious Criticks, and elpccially of M. de Balzac^ 
 who affirm'd, with a great deal of Eloquence and Reafon, 
 That as V'trgil is the caufe of Taffos not having the firfi: 
 Placeamongthe Epic Foets, (o TaJfo is the caufe that^/r- 
 gil is not the only Epic Poet. But yet, fays Teijfter^ as there 
 is nothing in this World abfolutely Perfed, fo there are 
 fome things in this Poem, as his Defcription of the Palace 
 of Armida, and fome other Particular things, which he 
 mingles with his Narrations, that have fomewhat both 
 ChildiQi and Impertinent in them, which feems by no 
 means agreeable to the Gravity of an Epic Poem, where 
 every thing ought to be Great and Majeltick. And Teif- 
 fier further oblerves. That TaJfo in this Poem, does not 
 always keep up the Dignity of his Charad:er, in Difcour- 
 fes of PafTion and Gallantry ; and many other Defedis 
 Teijfter takes notice of. But it feems, TaJfo himfelf was 
 (ufficicntly (enfible of the fcvcral Imperfections of this 
 Poem, which caus'd him to Write another upon the fame 
 Subject, which he call'd Gierufalemme Cofiquijiata. 
 
 TeiJJier fays, There are fome, who look upon his Amin- 
 tau to be his chief Mailer-Piece ; nay, and they tell us. 
 That TaJfo himfelf was of that Opinion, and that he va- 
 lu'd this Comedj above all his other Pieces of Poetry, as 
 he thought his Tragedy^ Intituled Torifmoftdo, to be the 
 worft. But however it be, fays Teijper, this is certain, 
 
 that 
 
Cbaraclers and Cenfares. 225 
 
 that the Amintai hath been imitated by the bed of the 
 Italian Poets, and efpecially by the Chevalier Guarini^ 
 and by the Count Guidahaldo Eonacelli^ and that Tajior 
 Fido and the Filli di Sciro^ are but Copies of that ex- 
 cellent Piece. And for this reafon, Boccalin in his Par- 
 »aj[fuskign'd, That the Italian Poets having broke open 
 Tajfo's private Desk, where he kept his choiceft Com- 
 pofitions, ftolc away his Amintas, which they divided 
 amongft themfelves; and that it might notbedifcover'd, 
 they fled to the Palace of Imitation^ as to a Secure SanflH- 
 ary. 
 
 Rapiffy in the fir ft part of his Reflexions on Arijlotle 
 of Poefiey fe^. 19. remarks. That the mod perfed De- 
 fign ot all Modern Poems, is that of Tafo, nothing more 
 Compleat has appear'd in Italy, though great faults are 
 intheCondudi of it. And in the Second Party fe^, xiii. 
 he enumerates feveral of the Faults ; as his mixing in his 
 Poem the light Charader with the ferious, and ail the force 
 and Majefty of Heroick^ with the Softnefs and Delicacy 
 of the Eglogue and Lyrick Poefie, For the Shepherds ad- 
 ventures with Herminia in the Seventh Canto, and the 
 Letters of her Lovers Mame, which fhe Carv'd on the 
 Bark of Bays and Beeches ; the Moan fhe made to the Trees 
 2ind Rocks; the Purling Streams, theEmhroiderd Meadows ; 
 the Singing of Birds, in which the Poet himfelf took fo 
 much pleafure ; the E^: chanted fVood in the Thirteenth Can- 
 to; the Songs of Armida in the Fourteenth to infpire Ri- 
 naldo with Love, the Carejfes this Sorcerefs made him, 
 the Defcription of her Palace, where nothing is breath'd 
 but Sottnefsand Effeminacy, and thofe other affecfted De- 
 fcriptions, have nothing of that Grdi;^ and Majeftick Cha* 
 ra^er, which is prober ^or Heroick Ferfe. 
 
 g Dryden^ 
 
226 Cbaraciers and C en fares. 
 
 Dryclert, in his Dedication to the Earl of Dorfet before 
 the Tranflation of Jitveyial^ obferves, That Tajfh , whofe 
 Vefign was Regular, and who cbferv'd the Rules of Vni- 
 ty in Time and Place, more clofely than Firgil^ yet was 
 not fo happy in his Atlion; he confefTes himfelf to have 
 been too Lyrical, that is, to have Written beneath the 
 Dignity of Heroick Verfe, in his Epifodes of Sopbronja, 
 Ermiftia, and Armida ; his Story is not fo pleafing as Ario- 
 fto's; he is too flatulent fometimes, andfometimestoodryj 
 many times unequal, and almoft always forc'd; and bc- 
 fides, is full of G)nceits, Points of Epigram and Witti- 
 cifms; all which are not only below the Dignity of JVe- 
 roickVtrk, but contrary to its Nature, fays Dry den. 
 
 The fame Author, in the Freface to his Mock- Aft rolo- 
 ger^ tells us, That Tajfo, the mod Excellent of Modern 
 Poets^ and whom he reverences next to yirgil, has taken 
 both from Homer many admirable things which are left 
 untouch'd by P^irgil, and from P^irgil himfelf where Ho' 
 mer cou'd not furnifh him. 
 
 Sir William Temple^ in his E[fay of Poetry, pag. 4^. 
 fays, That Arioflo and Tajfo, enter'd boldly upon the 
 Scene of Heroick Poems ; but having not Wings for fo 
 high Flights, began to learn of the Old Ones, fell upon 
 their Imitations, and Chiefly of Virgil, as far as the Force 
 ©f their Genius, or Difadvantage ot New Languages and 
 Cudoms would allow. 
 
 Fuhlius 
 
C tampers and Cenfures. 2S^ 
 
 Publius Terentius, 
 
 A Comical Poet, ^orn it Carthage ; who at Rome ferv- 
 ing Terentius Lucanus, by his means got acquain- 
 tance v^'ith Caius Lalius, and Scipio Africanus ; by whom 
 (it was fuppos'd) he was aflifted in writing his Plays. 
 
 Nor do ralgius and Memmius (lick to affirm, That 
 fome Comedies which go under the Name of Terence were 
 entirely Scipio s. He was alfo a great Imitator of Menan- 
 der, whom he owns to have followed in many of his Co* 
 medies almoft Word for Word. 
 
 There are extant, Six of Terences Comedies. 
 
 Daniel Heinfius^ in his Divert at to before Terence, fays, 
 That the pleafantnefs, as alfo the Elegancy, Judgment, 
 and Beauty, which is to be found \t\ this Author, is admi- 
 rable, and hardly to be exprefs*d. Of the Graces and 
 Beauty of which Author, as "jofeph Scaliger once faid, not 
 one Scholar of a Hundred is a Competent Judge. 
 
 Erafmus^ in the x%th. Book of his Epiftles, Epifl. lo. 
 tells us, There is no Author, from whom we can better 
 Learn the pure Roman Style, than from Terence; and that 
 there is more exadi Judgment in one Comedy of Terence, 
 than in the feveral Comedies of F/autus, put *em all toge- 
 ther. 
 
 Jacohus Crucius, in the Third Book of his Epiftles, in 
 an Epifl. to Francis Leeuvius, informs us, Thar fofeph 
 Scaliger, when he was an Old Man, and after he had run 
 through almoft all the Arts^tnd Sciences, was fo great an 
 Admirer of Terence, that he feldom had him out of his 
 Hand ; And that he was never cloy*d with Reading this 
 Incomparable Author. 
 
 G g X Julius 
 
2 28 Cbaraclers and Cenfures. 
 
 Julius Sciiliger, in his Sixth Book De PoeticA^ pag. y66. 
 remarks, That Terence did fo much affdi I'unty of 
 Style^ that he at any time had rather ihew a Rough- 
 nefs in his Temper^ than in his ExpreJfiOMS ; And that as 
 Tlautus was tor accommodating WV^/ to Things ; (o Te- 
 rence chofe rather to fuit Things to IVor^s. 
 
 Jcfeph ScaHger^ in Scaligerana i. calls Plautus and 
 Terence, the befl: and choicell: of all the £<j//>/ Authors; 
 afad fays thit their Style is to be us'd before any o- 
 ther. 
 
 FoffiuSy in the Fourth Book of his fnflitutiones Orato- 
 ria^ pag. 25-. immediately after Cicero^ g^ives the next 
 Place to Ciefar and Terence^ for a true, proper Roman 
 Style. 
 
 Borrichius, in his De Poetis, pag ^4. u ifhcs, tliat 7V- 
 reftce had employ 'd his Talent upon fome better Subject", e- 
 very thing in him being fo neat, fo proper, and fo pure ; 
 he is modeft even in his Metaphors^ nor are his Jefts idle, 
 or abufive. 
 
 Lipfius^ in the Second Book of his Epiftolica Qjiajli- 
 ones, EpiJL 18. obferves, That Plautus is often fo oh- 
 fcene in his Jefts, and fo Loofe and Immoral, that he 
 is fcarce fit for a Sober Man to Read; But, that Terence 
 is every where fo Modeii, fo Chafte, and fo Bafhfu), 
 that even a yejial need not be afraid of his Com- 
 pany. 
 
 FoJfiuSy in the Second Book of his hftitutiones Poetica, 
 pag. i2f. tells us, /'/^jw^w deferv'd not fo much Commen- 
 dation as Terence; in that his Aim and Defign was, to 
 pleafe the People in General^ without making any di- 
 Hindlion; whereas all that Terence defir'd, was, to 
 gain the Approbation of Some Few, who were Men of 
 the bed Reputation. 
 
 Monfieur 
 
Chambers and Cenfurcs. 229 
 
 Monfieur Hedelin^ Abbot of Auhignac^ in his 3^. Book 
 of The Art of the Stage, chap. z. remarks *1 hat Te- 
 rence is plealanter to read than Flautus^ bccaiife he is 
 more Elegant ; but Plauttu took better with the Ro' 
 waMSj becaufe he is fuller of Action. Terence has many 
 ferious Moral Sayings, which is not the proper Work 
 of Comedy, where the Spediators Defign is to lau^. 
 But PlautuSy fays Hedelin, is full of Intrigues, from which 
 many Jefts, and Ingenious Railleries are created, and 
 that's the Thing we wiili for in Comedy. 
 
 Rapin, in the zd. part of his Reflexions on Arifiotlc 
 of Voefie^ fe^. 26 obferves, That Terence's Plots are 
 more naturally unraveU d, than thofe of Plautus ; as 
 thofe of Plauttis are more natural than thofe of Ari- 
 ftophanes. And though Ctefar call Terence a Diminitive 
 Menander, becaufe he only had the S^cetnefs and 
 the Smoothnefs, but had not the force and vigor, yet 
 ffays Rapin) he has writ in a manner fo natural, and 
 lo judicious, that of a Copy^ as he was, he is become 
 an Original'^ for never Man had fo clear an infight into 
 l^ature. 
 
 St. Euremont^ in his MifceUaneous Effays^ in his Judg- 
 ment upon Seneca, takes notice, that Terence is gene- 
 rally faid, to be the bed of all the Ancient Authors, for 
 hitting the Humours and Tempers of Men ; Bur, fays 
 St. EnremoMt, there is this Obje<9;ion to him, That he 
 has not Extent enough ; and his whole Talent goes no 
 further, than to give a true, and natural Reprefentation 
 of a Servant, an Old Man^ a Covetous Father^ a Dehauclfd 
 Son, or a Slave. This is the utmoft of what Terence 
 can do. You are not to expedl from him, any thing 
 of Gallantry y or Pajfion^ or of the Thoughts, or Difcourfe 
 of a Gentleman, 
 
 QttiMtilian 
 
230 Characivrs and Qenfures. 
 
 Qf4M!m fays, Thut Terencis Writings were the mod 
 Elegant of the Kind j bur, that they would yet have 
 been more beautiful, if the f^erfi had been the lawhkk 
 of Six Feet. Hut fomc of the Modern Critkks hive ta- 
 ken great offence at this Exception of Quintilian ; and 
 among the reft, Boeclerm fays, that Georg. Fahrkim 
 had reafon to confute Qu'mtiliaH in this particular. 
 
 Theocritus^ 
 
 ASkilian Poet, of Syracufe ; he flourifh'd in the iij^/. 
 Olympiad, in the time of Ftolemaus Philadelphus, 
 He was put to Death by the Command of fJiero the 
 Tyrant, for having made fome Reflexions on him. 
 
 He wrote Bucolicks in the Dorick Dialed", which Fir- 
 gtl in his Bucolicks imitates. 
 
 Although Theocritus was not the firft Inventer of the 
 Bucolick Verfe, yet he is allow'd to be the firft that 
 brought it to perfedion. Hence therefore it is, that either 
 his Name, or that of his Country, is fometimes apply*d, 
 by way of Epithet, to this kind of Verfe, as it appears 
 by the Example of P^irgil : 
 
 Prima Syracufio dignata efl ludere Verfu 
 
 Ifoftra, nee eruhuit fylvas hahitare Thaleia. Virg. Eclog. 6. 
 
 Quintilian^ in his Tenth Book, chap. i. fays, That 
 Theocritm is admirable in his Kind ,• bur, that his Mufe 
 is downiih, and is afraid of the Court and City, 
 
 Daniel 
 
Characiei's and Cenfures. 23 r 
 
 Daniel He'infiuSt in his Edition o^ Theocrittu, calls him 
 the chief of BucoUck Writers, an Author whofc Graces 
 and Beauty no one fufficiently comprehends. 
 
 Borrichiusi in his De Poetis, pag. ix. affirms, That 
 TheocritHiS Style, to fuch as throughly undcrddnd it, 
 feems to be natural, eafie, and fweet, and in its Kind 
 admirable; that f^ir^il lik'd it fo well, that in his Buco- 
 licks he proposed it tor his imitation ; bur, that he did 
 not always arrive at the extraordinary fweetnefs of Theo- 
 critus. 
 
 Rapin, in the rd. part of his Reflexions on Ariflotle of 
 Poefie^ fe^. 17. ^ays, That the Models to be propos'd to 
 write well in the Eglogue or BucoUck, are Theocritus and 
 Virgil. He fays, Theocritus is more fweet, more natu- 
 ral, and more delicate, by the Character of the Greek 
 Tongue. Virgil is more judicious, more exad, more re- 
 gular, and more mod.eft, by the Character of his own 
 Wit., and by the Genius of the Latin Tongue. Theocri' 
 tus has more of all the Graces that make the ordinary 
 Beauty of Poetry ; Virgil has more of good Senfe, more 
 vigor, more noblenefs, more modefty. After all, fays 
 Rapin, Theocritus is the Original^ Virgil is only the Copy, 
 Though fome things he hath Copyed fo happily, that they 
 equal the Original in many places. 
 
 Drydeuy in his Preface to Sylva\ or the Second Part 
 of Poetical Mifcellanies, obferves, That that which di- 
 ftinguifhes Theocritus from all other Poets^ both Greek 
 and Latin^ and which raifes him even above Vtrgil in 
 his Eclogues^ is the inimitable tendernefs of his Pajfions ; 
 and the natural ExprefTion of them in Words fo becom- 
 ing of a Pajloral. A Simplicity (liines through all he 
 writes: He (hows his Art and Learning by difguifing. 
 both. His Shepherds never rife above their Country 
 Education in their Complaints of Love : There is the 
 
 fams 
 
2 32 Chambers and Cenfures. 
 
 fame difference betwixt f/im and f^/rgil^ as there is be- 
 twixt r^Z/o's Aminta, and the Pafior Fido of Gmnm. 
 Virgil\ Shepherds are too well read in the Philofophy 
 of Epicurus^ and of Plato ; and Guarints feecn to have 
 been bred in Courts. But Theocritus and Z^/^, have ta- 
 ken f/'^/rj from Cottages and Plains. It v/as faid of 7j/^ 
 y3, in relation to his Similitudes, Mai efce del Bofco :. 
 That he never departed from the Woods^ that is, all his 
 Ccmparifons were taken from the Country: The fame, 
 Dryden obferves, may be faid of our Theocritus; he is 
 fotter than Ovid, he touches the Faffions more delicately ; 
 and performs all this out of his own Foyid, without div- 
 ing into the Arts ard Sciences for a fupply. Even his 
 Vorick Dialedl has an incomparable Sweetnefs in its Clovon- 
 iflmefs., like a fair Shephsrdefs in her Countrey Rvjfet^ 
 talking in a Torkjhire Tone. This (fa) s Dryden) was 
 impofiible for Firgil to imitate ; becaufe the feverity of 
 the Roman Language denied him that advantage. Spencer 
 has endeavour'd it in his Shepherds Calendar ; but nei- 
 ther vvill it fucceed in Englijhy for which reafon, Dryden 
 fays, he forbore to attempt it. 
 
 Tanneguy le Fevre, in his Ahridgment of the Lives of 
 th^Greek Poets, remarks, That the Dorick Dialedi which 
 Theocritus ufes, is much Tweeter than the Language of 
 the firrt Doncks, He fays, whoever will but examine 
 the Charader of this Poet, will find him very eafie and 
 natural : And, that this Author has the fame advantage 
 over f^irgil in Bucolicks, as the Greek Language has over 
 the Latin in that rcfped. 
 
 A^ita 
 
Cbaraclers and Cenfures. 233 
 Albius Ti bull us. 
 
 A Roman Knight, Born in the fame Year with OvU, 
 being in the Second Year of the 184//^ Olympiad. 
 He flourifli'd about 18 Years before C/;r//?. He was very- 
 intimate with Horace and Ovid. What Eftate he had, 
 he confum'd, being one of an Amorous Complexion. 
 
 He was Famous for his Elegies ; Four Books where- 
 of he Compos'd, which were commonly Printed with 
 Catullus. 
 
 Petrus CrinituSy in his De Poetis Latinis, fays, That 
 Tilullus went beyond all the Latin Poets for exprefTing 
 the Paflions; as alfo for Elegance, andfweetnefsof Tem- 
 per. 
 
 Quintilian, in his Tenth Book, cap. 1. thought Tthal- 
 las, for Elegy, to be the mod pure and Elegant of all 
 the Poets : though, as he tells us, fome prefer'd Propertl- 
 us before him. 
 
 Rolandus Marefius, in his Second Book of EpiflleSy 
 Epifl. 6. tells us, That^ though it may be thought a Piece 
 of Confidence \'^ him, to contradict fo great a Critick^.^ 
 Quintilian^ who feems to prefer Tihullus; yer, for my 
 parr, fa^s Marefius, Town, lam one of thofe, who give 
 the preference to Propertius. For although Tihullus be 
 wonderfully Pleafant and Elegant, and much more Cor- 
 redl in the Latin Tongue than the other (who often imitates 
 the Greek Poets) and is alfo more curious and exad^ in his 
 Verfe ; yet Propertius feems to furpsfs him in Learning, 
 and in fweetnefs of Temper. Bur, as Marefius ob- 
 ferves, though Propertius was of fuch an Excellent Se- 
 date Temper ,• yet he does fometimes exprefs his Pafions 
 
 H h with 
 
234 Characters and C en fares. 
 
 with as much Heat and Vehcmcncy, as the hotted Lovef 
 of 'tm trll. 
 
 Lipfius, in the Firft Book of his Tar/iS Le^iones^ cap. 
 2t. Ailes TihuUiis a Poet exceeding Elegant, in whofe 
 Writings the Latin To»gue appears according to its true 
 and native Elegance. He fays. There arc fome Epigrams 
 concerning the Amours of Sulpitia and Cerinthm^ Com- 
 pofed by Tihullm, \\ hich are indeed very Fine and Beauti- 
 ful!. 
 
 Rapiri, in the Second Part of his Reflexions^ fe^. 25;. 
 remarks. That they who have Vhii Elegy bell: amongft 
 X\\t Latins^ ^x^tihullus^ Propertius, znd Qvid. He fays, 
 Tihulhis is Elegant and Polite; Propertim Noble and 
 High; and Ovid is to be Prefer'd to both; becaufe he is 
 moie Natural, more Moving, and more Paffionate ; and 
 thereby he has better exprels'd the Character of Elegy 
 than the others. 
 
 The fame Author^ fe^. xiv. obferves to us, That Ti- 
 luUus, otherwife fo exad: and polite in his Elegies, falls 
 Diort in his Panegyrick of Meffala; fo hard is it to praife 
 well. 
 
 Julius Scaliger, in his Sixth Book De Poetica^ pag. 863. 
 fays, That Tibullus is almoft every where Uniform, and 
 of a Piece; that he is Conrillent with himfelf, and 
 luftains his Chirader; that he generally gives one and 
 the fame Turn to things ; but yet fays Scaliier, he is the 
 mod Polite of ail that ever Writ Ele/ies. Hs adds. That 
 his fo often u fin g the Infinitive Moods cf the Prceterperfe^ 
 Te^fe, of Five Syllahles, fuch as Contimijfe, Difcuhuiffe^ 
 Increputjfe, Pertimuijfe^ and many others, is a thing very 
 unplealant, and difagreeable. 
 
 Tht fame Author does further remark. That the Epi- 
 grants^ at the end of the Fourth Book, are both hard, 
 Language, and unpleafant j And, that his Poem, where- 
 in 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 2^^ 
 
 in he praifes Mejfala, is fo loofe, and carelefs, and To 
 deftirute either of Vigor, or Harmony, that 'tis Natu- 
 ral to believe, 'twas Publifh'd before it was finiih'd, and 
 that he had not leifure to Review it. 
 
 Marcus Hieronymus Vida. 
 
 AN Excellent £<j^/» Poet, Born at Cremona; at laft 
 Promoted to the Bifhoprick of Alha, 
 
 His Works confift chiefly of thefe following Poems, 
 his Chrijliasy or Poem of the Life and Death of Chrif^, 
 in Six Books; his three Books De Arte Poetka; his Two 
 Books of the Care and Management of SilklVorms^ his 
 Defcription of the Game at Chejfe^ in one Book; be- 
 fides Hymns^ Odes, Bucolkks, Eglogues, &c. 
 
 He Died the zjtk Day of September 15615. and in the 
 59/^/;. Year of his Age. 
 
 BoiJfardiiSy m his Icoh^s yircrum Illuftrhm, fays, That 
 ' Vida was fuch an excellent Poet, that in every body's 
 Opinion, he came very near to Firpl ; a fuflicient In- 
 ftance whereof, hys Bo tjfard, is that Famous, and never 
 enough to be admir'd Piece, his Chriflias : a Poem, 
 which (douttlefsl for Matter, Compofuion, and Style, 
 ought juftly to be prefcr'd, to all that was ever Writ, by 
 the beft Poets of this i^ge. 
 
 LiliusGyralduSy in his Dialogue of the Posts^ tells us, 
 That no Man in that Age, carry'd Poetry to fo great a 
 height as f^ida did ; withouf any help from the Greeks^ 
 following none but Firgtl. He was, fays GyralduSy a 
 
 H h z Man 
 
23^ CharaSers and C ensures. 
 
 Man of a large Soul, and had a true Poetical Genius ; but 
 his chief Knack lay, in a wonderful, happy way of Difpo- 
 fing, and Illuftrating his feveral Subjects. 
 
 Julius Scaliier, in his Sixth Book De Poetica, pa^. 801, 
 oblervcs, That Fida had got a great Reputation by his 
 Three Books De Arte Pcetica ; and that his Honour is 
 the greater, in that he has handled this Subj::d, with 
 much more Art and Method than ever FJorace did. 
 
 Bur for all Scaliger has given (b high a Charad^er of 
 Fiddb Poem De Arte Poetica-, yet, he is far from owning 
 it to be an Accomplifli'd Piece. For in a Letter to his 
 Son Sylvius, Printed before his Seven Books De Poetica, 
 agrees with him, x\\2itVida\s a Man of good Sen fe, and 
 that he has given very good Rules and Inftrudions ; but 
 yet he fays, they are more proper for rec9:ifying the Er- 
 rors of PoetSt and to make them fee their faults, than to 
 Learn them the Art of Poetry, and to form their Spirit 
 and Imagination ; fo that, in a Word, they are not 
 (o proper to make a Poet, as to form one that is already 
 fo. 
 
 He furtlier adds, That Fida has (indeed) very well 
 re-eflabli(h'd that Order 2ind Methods which is fo neceflary 
 in the Art o{ Poetry, which Arifiotle had neglecfted, and 
 Horace had perverted and rpoil'd; bur, that he hai hand- 
 led his Matter rather as a Poet, than like a Mafler-, and, 
 that it looks, as if it were rather intended for thsTheater, 
 than defign'd for the School. 
 
 Julius Saliqer, in the fame Book, pag. 806. remarks, 
 That of all thefeveral Works, that ever ^ida Wrote, there 
 were none, thatcotributed more to his Reputation, than 
 his Two Books concerning Silk- Worms. This Poem, fays 
 Scaliger, is the King of Fidas Works. It is much more 
 Correct and Elaborate than his other Poems, and does 
 really contain more of the Art of Poetry. 
 
 That 
 
Chara^ers and Cenfures. 237 
 
 Thar, fays Scaliger, which dcferves to be put in the 
 Second Place, in the Opinion of the Critkks^ is his Po- 
 em of the Game at Chejfe. The Invention, fays Scaliger, 
 is pretty enough, although it would better have become 
 a Young Man, than a perfon of his Gravity. He gives 
 to every thing fo fine a Turn^ that that alone might be 
 fufficient to convince us, that he had an admirable Ge- 
 nius J and the Style of it does very much refemble that of 
 J^irgil, 
 
 Borricbius, in his De PoetiSy pag. 107. fays, That 
 Vida in his two Poems concerning Silk-Worms^ and his 
 Defcription of the Game at Chejfe^ is very exac^ in his 
 Stile; that he is regular and juit in the Difpofition, and 
 Ordonance of his Fahle ,• equal and well proportioned in 
 the Diftribution of his Parts; that he is full of force and 
 vigor ; that he hath a noble Air^ even in the moft mi- 
 nute Matters ; And, to conclude, that he is every where 
 Florid and Elegant. 
 
 Rafin^ in the Second Part of his Reflexions on Arijlo- 
 ties Book of Poefie^ feX^ x. informs us, That He, a- 
 mong the Moderns^ who has the befl: Genius to fuftain all 
 the Noblenefs of Narration in Heroick Verfe, is Jerom 
 Vida, Bifliop of Alha, in his Poem on the Death of Jefus 
 Chrijl; And were it not (fays Rapin) that fometimes he 
 fell into low ExprelTions, and Harfhnefles, like thofe of 
 Lucretius^ his Style had been Incomparable. 
 
 But the fame Author y fetl. \6- tells us, that ^/^^ had 
 a good Genius for Writing in Latin \ that the Purity 
 of his Style is Admirable; bur, the Contrivance of 
 his Fahle has no Delicatenefs ; his Manner holds no fort 
 of Proportion to the Dignity of his Matter^ or Suh 
 jeX. 
 
 As for the fJymnSy Odes, Eglogues, and the other little 
 Pieces Compos'd by Fida^ we are informed by Borrichius, 
 
 that 
 
238 CharaBers and Cenfures. 
 
 that they are much inferiour to his Three Larger Poems. 
 Nay, JuUhs ScaHger lays plainly, They are Childilh 
 and Trivial ,• And, that whenever he had a Mind to imi- 
 tate Catullus^ indead of reaching the Natural Graces and 
 Beauties o( that excellent ¥oet^ he rendered himfelf migh- 
 ty ridiculous. 
 
 But, if any one thinks this Cenfure of Scaliger too 
 fcvere; let him then be fatisfi'd with Rapins Remark, 
 who tells us, that Fida, in thefe little Pieces, has a 
 Fancy too limited; and his /rf'fjfeemsconftrain'd, whilft 
 he is too fcrupuloufly implo)'d about the purity of his 
 Latin. 
 
 Publitts Vtrgilius Maro. 
 
 TH E Prince of the Latin Heroick Poets ; He was 
 the Son of Maro^ a mean Perfon, Ibme fay a Pot- 
 ter, Born in the Third Year of the 177. Olympiad , on 
 the Fifteenth of O^oher, about (yj Years before Chrifl^ 
 at Ancles^ a Village not far from Mantua ; whence he is 
 flird the Mantuan Swan. He died at Brundufmm^ a City 
 oi Calabria, in Italy, on the 22^. of September, the Se- 
 cond Year of the i^o. Olympiad, in the One and Fiftieth 
 Year of his Age. 
 
 He Wrote Ten Eglogues or Biicolicks\ Four Books of 
 Georgicks ; and Twelve Books of /Eneids, 
 
 Julius Scaliger, in his Sixth Book De Poetica, pag. ^6^. 
 fays, That /^//-^i/ not only cxctlls a\[ f/umane Wit,- but 
 hasrais'd himfelf to a kind of equality with Nature it fdf. 
 
 And 
 
Characlers and Cenfiires. 239 
 
 And In another place he tells us, That /^/rg// ought to 
 be the Pattern, Rule, Beginning and End of all Poetical 
 Imitation. 
 
 MAcrohius, in thefirft Hook of his Saturnalia^ cap. 14. 
 obferves to us, That it is the peculiar Glory of yirgil^ 
 that as none by praifing can add to him,- (o none by dif- 
 praifing-, can detr2(5t from him. 
 
 'Tis reported of Cicero^ that happening in his Old Age, 
 to light upon fomevvhat that /^/>gi/ had Wrote, who v/as 
 then very Young ; He, by way of Prophefy cryM our, 
 Ma<in(e Spes altera Rcmce. 
 
 Lil'ius GyraUus tells us, That Firgil was (o much re- 
 fpedled by the Seriate and Pcop'e of Rome^ that at any 
 time when they h^ard any of his Verfes in the Thea- 
 tre, every body prefently flood up; and if by chance 
 Virgil was prefent, Cornelius Tacitus fays, They gave 
 him the fame refped:, as they did to C<e[ar himfelf. 
 
 Budaus, in his Third Book De Affe, remarks. That 
 Firgifs Verfes might very well be call'd Golden Verfes ; 
 becaufe he recciv'd of Ocljvia, five Pieces of Gold, for 
 Twenty Verfes. 
 
 Donatiiis, in iheLifeof Virgil^ informs us, Th^i Vir- 
 gil us'd conftantly every Morning, to Write down a great 
 many Verfes; and in the Afternoon, when he was cooler, 
 and in better temper, he would then CorxcGt and Amend 
 them; And, thst many times of a Hundred Verfes, 
 there would not be above half a Dozen left uncorrecited ; 
 and therefore he would commonly fay, that fjis Works 
 were at firfl Mouflrous and Mifl^apen^ hut like the Bear^ at 
 laft he lickt them into Jh ape. 
 
 Rapin^ in the Second Part of his Reflexions on Arifto- 
 tles Book of Poefie, fed. xv. fays, as for the Latin Poets, 
 never any poflefs'd all the Graces of Poefe in(o eminent 
 a degree, as Virgil; he has an admirable tafie [or what 
 
240 CharaSers and Cenfures. 
 
 is Natural, an exquidte Judgment for the Contrivance, 
 an incomparable delicacy tor the Numbers and Har- 
 mony of Verfification, The Defign of his Poem, well 
 confider'd in all the Circumftances, is (fays Raftn) the 
 moft judicious, and the bed devis'd that ever was, or ever 
 will be. 
 
 Dryden, in his Preface fo Syhx: Or, The Second Part 
 of Poetical Mifcellaniesy calls Virgil, a fuccind: and grave 
 Mijeflick Writer,- One who weigh'd not only every 
 Thought,but every Word and Syllable. Who was flill aim- 
 ing to crowd his Sence into as narrow a compa fs as pofli- 
 bly he cou'd; for which reafon he is fo very Figurative, 
 fays Dryden, that he requires, (Imayalmoflfay) z-Gram- 
 mer apart to Conflrue him. His Verfe is every where 
 founding the very thing in your Ears, whofc Senfe it 
 bears : Yet the Numhers are perpemally Varied^ to in- 
 creafe the Delight of the Reader ; fo that the fame founds 
 are never repeated twice together. But though he is 
 Smooth where Smoothnefs is requir'd, yet he is fo far 
 from afre(5ling ir, that he feems rather to difdain ir. For 
 he frequently makes ufe of Synalaphas^ and concludes 
 his Sence in the Middle of his Verfe. He is every where 
 above Conceipts oi Epigrammatick Wit, and grofs Hyper^ 
 holes: He maintains Majefty in ihemidft of Plainefs ; He 
 (hines, but glares not; and is Stately without Ambition, 
 which is the vice of Lucan, \ 
 
 The fame Author in his Dedication to the Earl of Dor- 
 fstf before the Tranflation of Juvenal^ pag. 6. obferves t^ 
 us, That K/>^// has confin'd his pr£?r^.f within the compafs 
 of Eighteen Thoufand Lines, and has not treated many 
 Subjeds ; yet he ever had, and ever will have the Repu- 
 tation of the beft Poet. Martial fays of him, that he 
 cou'd have exceli'd Farias in Tragedy^ and Horace in 
 Lyrick Poetry ; but out of deference to his Friends he at- 
 tempted neither. Sir 
 
Chambers and Cenfures. 24,1 
 
 Sir William Temple ^ in his Effay of Poetry, ^ag. iS- 
 remarks, That Homer was without Difpute the mod 
 Univerfal Genius that has been known in the World, and 
 yirgil the moft Accomplifh'd. To the //-/?, mud be al» 
 low'd, the mod fertile Invention, the riched Vein, the 
 mod general Knowledg, and the mod lively Exprcflions,- 
 Tothe/<^7?, thenoblcd Idea's, the juded Inditution, the 
 wifed Conduct:, and the Choiced Elocution. But, fays 
 Tempky to fpeak in the Painters Terms, we find in the 
 Works of Homer, the mod Spirit, Force, and Life; in 
 thofe of yirgil, the bed Defign, the trued Proportions, 
 and the greated Grace; The Colouring in Both feems 
 equal, and indeed, in Both is admirable. Homer hath 
 more Fire and Rapture, Virgil more Light and S wectnefs ; 
 or at lead the Poetical Fire was more raging in One^ but 
 clearer in the Other ; which makes th^Jirft more amazing, 
 and the latter more agreeable. The Oare was richer in 
 One^ but in t' other^ more refin'd, and better allay 'd, to 
 make up excellent Work, upon the whole, fays Temple, 
 I think it mud be confefs'd. That Homer was of the Two, 
 and, perhaps, of all others, the Vaded, the Sublimed, 
 and the mod Wonderful Genius-, and that he has been 
 generally fo edeem'd,there cannot be a greater Tedimony 
 given, than what has been by fome obferv'd. That not 
 only the greated Maders, have found in his Works, the 
 bed and trued Principles of all their Sciences or Arts; 
 but that the nobled Nations, have derived from them, 
 the Original of their feveral Races, though it be hardly 
 yet agreed, whether his Story be True, or Fidion. In 
 Ihort, fays Temple, thefe Two Immortal Poets, mud be 
 allow'd to have fo much excelled m their Kinds, as to 
 have exceeded all Comparifon, to have even extinguifhed 
 Emulation, and in a manner confined true Poetry, not 
 
 I i only 
 
24-2 Characters and Cenfures. 
 
 only to tlitir Two Languages, but to their very Perfons. 
 And I am apt to believe, lays Temple^ To much of the 
 true Gzmus of Poetry in general, and of its tievation 
 in thefe Two Particulars, that I know nor, whether cf 
 all tlie Numbers of Mankind, that live within the Com- 
 pafs of a Thoufand Years ; for one Man that is l3orn capa- 
 ble of making (uch a Poet z^ Homer or Virgtl, there may 
 not be a Thoufand born capable of making as great Gf- 
 nerals of Armies, or Minifters of State^ as any the mofl- 
 Renowned in Story. 
 
 Jofeph Scaliger, in Seal iger ana i. fays, That F/rgU's 
 Georgkks are admirable, but he has taken feverai things 
 from Ariflotle. His Mneids are not fo Corre^ as the Geor- 
 gicksy for he intended to have Wrote Four and Twenty 
 Books, as well as Homer. This the Ancients tell us, was 
 the Reafon, that Firgil at his Death Commanded they 
 ihould be Burnt. Scaliger alfo informs us. That the 
 Verfe Ergo ihit in Ignes, was foifted in fince Firgih time, 
 and that it is not of any Ancient Date. 
 
 firgih Mneids were fo much efteem'd of by Auguflus 
 Cosfar, that 2ihtt Firgih Death, who had left in charge 
 withjfome Friends to have that Poem burnt, he commit- 
 ted it to the cuftody and ftridl care of Lucius Fariui, and 
 Plotius Tucca^ with Command, that nothing fhouJd be 
 alter 'd. Which, fays PHhj, lih. 7. t^at, Hijl. cap. 30. 
 gave much a greater Credit and Reputation to the 
 faid Poem^ than if the Author himfelf had approv'd 
 of it. 
 
 Edmund 
 
CbaraSers and Cenfures. 24.3 
 
 Edmund Waller, 
 
 A Gentleman not many Years Deceas'd : Wliofc Name 
 will ever be dear to all Lovers of Poetry. His 
 Compofitions are Univerfaily applauded ; and they are 
 thought fit to ferve as a Standard, for all Succeeding 
 Poems, He w:is a Friend to the Ingenious Fletcher; 
 as appears by his Verfes, Printed at the beginning of 
 t\\oiQPlays\ and was fo far a lover of Dramatkk Poetry, 
 that he Tranflated part of a Play, in which the Earl 
 of Dorfet and Mid^/Iefex, was concern'd ; viz. Pompey 
 the Great, a Tragedy, Aded by the Servants of his 
 Ro}'al Highnefs ih^Duke of Tork; Printed ^to. Londotty 
 1664. 
 
 Befides this Play^ he has a Volume of Poems Extant, 
 which have been feveral times Reprinted ; the Fourth 
 Edition was Printed, Octavo, Lond. 1 68i. There is newly 
 Publilh'd a Second Part, containing his Alteration of The 
 Maid's Tra<^edy-> and whatfoeverof ;(;« was left unprinted, 
 Publiflit, ^vo.Lond. 1690. 
 
 Waller, a Name that carries every thing in it, thatV 
 either Great or Graceful in Poetry, He was indeed 
 the Parent of Englijh Verfe, and the Firfl that fhew'd 
 us our Tongue had Beauty and Numbers in it. Our 
 Language owes more to him, than the French does to 
 Cardinal Richlien, and the whole Academy. The Tongue 
 came into his hands, like a Rough Diamond \ he Poliih'd 
 it fiift, and to that degree, that all Artifi> fince him 
 have admired the Workmanfhip, without pretending to 
 mend it. Sucklin and Carev.y, wrote fome few thmgs 
 
 I i z fmoothlv 
 
244 Characlers and C en fares. 
 
 fmoothly enough, but as all they did in this kind vvaS 
 not very Confidcrable, To 't\^as a little later than the 
 carlicri Pieces of Mr. V/aller. He undoubtedly (lands 
 firfl in the Lid: of Refiners, and for ought I know, lafl 
 too,- for I quedion whether in Charles the Second's 
 Reign, Englffi) did not come to its full Perfedtion ; and 
 whether it has not had its Auyjiflian Age^ as well as the 
 Latin. It feems to be already mixt with Foreign 
 Languages, as far as its purity will bear; and, as 
 Chym'ijls fay of their Menftruums, to be quite fated with 
 the Infufion. But Poflerity will bed judge of this. In 
 the mean time, 'tis a furprizing Reflexion, that between 
 what Spencer wrote lad, and Waller firft, there fhould 
 not be much above Twenty Years diflance; and yet the 
 One\ Language, like the Money of that Time, is as cur- 
 rant now as ever J whileft the Others Words ai;e like Old 
 Coyns, one mufl: goto an Antiquary to underfland their 
 true Meaning and Value. Such advances may a great 
 Genius make, when it undertakes any thing in earnefV. 
 Some Painters will hit the chief Lines, and Mafter 
 Strokes of a Face fo truly, that through all the differences 
 of Age, the Picflure ihail (till bear a Refemblance. This 
 Art was Mr. Wallers; he fought out, in this flowing 
 Tongue of OurSy what parts would laft, and be of (land- 
 ing ufe and Ornament ; and this he did fo fuccefsfully,that 
 his Language is now as frefh, as it was at firfl fetting out. 
 Were we to judge barely by the Wordings we could not 
 know what was Wrote at Twenty^ and what at Fourfcore. 
 He complains indeed of a Tyde of Words that comes in 
 upon the Englifh Poet, o'reflows whate're he Builds : but 
 this was lefs his Cafe than any Mans, that ever Wrote ; 
 and the mifchief on'tis, this very complaint will lafl:long 
 enough to confute it felf. For though Bnglijh be moddring 
 
 Stone^ 
 
Characlers and Cenfures. 245 
 
 Stone^ as he tells us there ; yet he has certainly pickt the 
 bed out of a bad Quarry. 
 
 We are no lefs beholding to him for the New Turn 
 of T^erfe^ which he brought in, and the Improvement 
 he made in Our Mumhers. Before bis Time, Men Rhyrrid 
 indeed, and that was all : As for the Harmony of Mea- 
 fure, and that Dance of Word?, which good Ears are 
 fo much pleas'd with. They knew nothing of it. Their 
 poetry then was made up almoft entirely of Momjilla' 
 lies; which, when they come together in any Clufter, 
 are certainly the mod harfli untunable things in the 
 World. If any Man doubts of this, let him Read Ten 
 Lines in Donne, and he'll be quickly convinc'd. Be- 
 fides, their Verfes ran all into one another, and hung 
 together, throughout a whole Copy, like the hooka 
 Atoms, that Compofe a Body in Des Cartes. There 
 was no diftindion of Parts, no regular Stops, nothing 
 for the Ear to reft upon.' — But as foon as the Copy 
 began, down it went, like a Larum, Inceflantly ; and 
 the Reader was fure to be out of Breath, before he got 
 to the end of it. So that really Verfe in thofe days 
 was but down-right Profe, tagged with Rhymes. Mr. 
 Waller remov'd all thcfe Faults, brought in more Foly- 
 fyllahleSy and fmoother Meafures; bound up his Thoughts 
 better, and in a Cadence more agreeable to the Na- 
 ture of the Verfe he wrote in: So that where-ever 
 the Natural Stops of that were, he contriv'd the lit- 
 tle breakings of his Senfe fo, as to fall in with 'em. 
 And for that reafon, fince the ftrefs of Our Verfe 
 lyes commonly upon the laft Syllable, you'll hardly 
 ever find him ufmg a Word of no Force there, f 
 would fay, if I were not afraid the Reader would 
 think me too nice, that he commonly clofes with 
 
 Ferhs, 
 
24^ Characlers and Cenfures. 
 
 Verlst in which we know the Life of Language con- 
 
 Among other Improvements, we may reckon that 
 of his Rhymes'. Wliich are always good, and very often 
 the better tor being t^ew. He had a fine Ear, and knew 
 how quickly that Scnfe was cloy'd by the fame round 
 of Chiming Words frill returning upon ir. 'lis a deci- 
 ded Cafe by the great Mader of Writing. Quce finf 
 ampla & Pulchra, diu placere po(funtj qu^e lepid.t & con- 
 cinna^ (amongft which Rhyme muff, whether it will or no, 
 take its place) c'tto fat'ietate afficiunt aur'ium Senfum fajli- 
 diofifftmum. This Mr. Waller underftood very well, and 
 therefore, to t^ke off the danger of a Surfeit that 
 way, ftrove to p!eaf*fi bv Variety, and new Sounds. 
 Had he carried this Obfervation (among others) as 
 far as it would go, it mud, methinks, have fhewn him 
 the incurable Fault of this jin^Jing kind of Poetry^ and 
 have led his later Judgment to Blank Verfe. But he 
 continued an obftinate Lover of Rhyme to the very laft: 
 'Iwas a M'lflrefs that never appear'd unhandfome in his 
 Eyes, and was Courted by him long after Sachartffa 
 was forfakcn. He had raifed it, and brought it to that 
 Perfediion we now erjoy it in; And the Poet\ Tem- 
 per (whfth has always a little Vanity in it) would 
 not fuffer him ever to flight a thing, he had taken Co 
 much pains to Adorn. See the Anonymous Writer of 
 the Preface, before the Second Part of Mr. Wallers 
 Poems. 
 
 Dryden^ in his Dedication of Tbe Rival- Ladies to 
 the Earl of Orrery^ fays. That the Excellence and 
 Dignity of Rhyme, were never fully known, till Mr. 
 Waller taught it; he firfl: made Writing eafily an Art; 
 fir(i lliew'd us to conclude the Senfe, mofh commonly, 
 
 in 
 
CharaSers and Cenfures. 247 
 
 in Djftkks ; which in the Verfe of thofe befpre him, 
 runs on for fo many Lines together, that the Reader is 
 out of breath to over-take it. 
 
 Rimer ^ in his Short Vieiv of Tragedy, pag. 78 rb- 
 ferves, Jhat though the Reformation of the Italian 
 Language was begun and fijiilh'd well nigh at the 
 lame time by Boccace, Dante, and Petrarch. Our Lan- 
 guage retain'd fomething of the Churl; fomething of 
 the Stiff and Gothijh did flick upon it, till long after 
 Chaucer. 
 
 Chaucer threw in Latin^ French Provencial^ and other 
 Languages, like new Stum to raife a Fermentation ; In 
 Queen Elizaheth\ time it grew Fine^ but came net 
 to an Head and Spirit^ did not Shine and Sparkle, till 
 Mr. Waller fet it a running. And one may Oblerve by 
 his Poem on the l^avy^ Anno 16^2. that not the Lan- 
 guage only, but his Poetry then diftinguifli'd him from 
 all his Contemporaries, both in England and in other 
 Nations: And from all before him upwards to Horace 
 and Firgil. For there^ bcfides the Language Clean and 
 Majellick, the Thoughts New, and Noble ,- the Verfc 
 Sweet, Smooth, Full and Strong; the 7«r« of the Poem 
 is happy to Admiration. 
 
 Waller came lafl, hut was the Firjl whofe Art 
 Juft Weight and Meafure did to Verfe impart ; 
 That of a well'placd Word could teach the force, 
 Andjhewdfor Poetry a bJohler Courfe : 
 His happy Genius did ou^ Tongue Refine., 
 And eafie Words ivithpleafing Mumbers joyn ; 
 HisVerfes to good Method did apply ^ 
 And changd harfh D if cord to foft Harmony. 
 
 All 
 
24-8 CharaHers and Cenfures. 
 
 All own d his Laws -y ivhjch, loni^approvdandtrydy 
 To prefent Authors now may he a Guide. 
 Tread boldly in bis Steps , fee are from Fear, 
 And he^ like him, in your Exprejfions Clear, 
 
 Sir millmyX ^Oatne in his Tranflat. of 
 Boileau J Art of Poetry, pag. <>. 
 
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