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Jerufalem fifty Sons, only becaufe Homer had beftowed the like Number on King Priam; he kills the youngest in the fame manner, and has provided his Hero with a Patroclus, under another Name, only to bring him back to the Wars, when his Friend was kill'd. The French have perform'd nothing in this kind, which is not as below those two Italians, and fubje& to a thousand more Reflections, without examining their St. Lewis, their Pu-celle, or their Alarique: The English have only to beaft of Spencer and Milton, who neither of them wanted either Genius or Learning, to have been perfect Poets; and yet both of them are liable to many Cenfures. For there is no Uniformity in the Defign of Spencer: He aims at the Accomplishment of no one Action: He raises up a Hero for every one of his Adventures; and endows each of them with fome particular Moral Virtue, which renders them all equal, without Subordination or Preference. Every one is most Valiant in his own Legend; only we must do him that Juftice to ob ferve, that Magnanimity, which is the Character of Prince Arthur, fhines throughout the whole Poem; and fuccours 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 Virtue which he thought moft confpicuous in them: An ingenious Piece of Flattery, tho' it turn'd not much to his Account. Had he liv'd to finish his Poem, in the fix remaining Legends, it had certainly been more of a Piece; but cou'd not have been perfect, becaufe the Model was not true. But Prince Arthur, or his chief Patron Sir Philip Sidney, whom he intended to make happy by the Marriage of his Gloriana, dying before him, depriv'd the Poet, both

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of Means and Spirit, to accomplish his Defign: For the reft, his obfolete Language, and the ill Choice of his Stanza, are Faults but of the Second Magnitude: For notwithstanding the firft he is ftill intelligible, at least after a little Practice; and for the laft, he is the more to be admir'd; that labouring under fuch a Difficulty,, his Verses are so numerous, fo various, and fo harmonious, that only Virgil, whom he profeffedly imitated, has surpass'd' him, among the Romans; and only Mr. Waller among the English.

As for Mr. Milton, whom we all admire with fo much Juftice, his Subject is not that of an Heroick Poem, properly fo call'd. His Defign is the lofing. of our Happiness; his Event is not profperous, like that of all other Epique Works: His Heavenly Machines are many, and his Human Perfons are but two. But I will not take Mr. Rhymer's 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 Grecifms, and the Latin Elegancies of Virgil. 'Tis true, he runs into a flat Thought, fometimes for a hundred Lines together, but 'tis when he is got into a Track of Scripture: His antiquated Words were his Choice, not his Neceffity; for therein he imitated Spencer, as Spencer did Chaucer. And tho', perhaps, the love of their Mafters, may have tranfported both too far, in the frequent ufe of them; yet in my Opinion,. obfolete Words may then be laudably reviv'd, when either they are more founding, or more fignificant than thofe in Practice: And when their Obfcurity

is taken away, by joining other Words to them, which clear the Senfe; according to the Rule of Horace, for the Admiffion of new Words. But in both Cafes, a Moderation is to be obferv'd in the ufe of them. For unneceffary Coinage, as well as unneceffary Revival, runs into Affectation; a Fault to be avoided on either hand. Neither will I juftify Milton for his blank Verfe, tho' I may excufe him, by the Example of Hanabal Caro, and other Italians who have us'd it: For whatever Causes he alledges for the abolishing of Rhime (which I have not now the Leisure to examine) his own particular Reason is plainly this, that Rhime was not his Talent; he had neither the Eafe of doing it, nor the Graces of it; which is manifeft in his Juvenilia, or Verfes written in his Youth; where his Rhime is always constrain'd and forc'd, and comes hardly from him at an Age when the Soul is most pliant; and the Paffion of Love makes almost every Man a Rhimer, tho' not a Poet.

By this time, my Lord, I doubt not but that you wonder, why I have run off from my Biafs fo long together, and made fo tedious a Digreffion from Satyr to Heroick Poetry. But if you will not excufe it, by the tatling Quality of Age, which, as Sir William Davenant fays, is always Narrative; yet I hope the Usefulness of what I have to say on this Subject, will qualify the Remotenefs of it; and this is the last time I will commit the Crime of Prefaces, or trouble the World with my No tions of any thing that relates to Verfe. I have then, as you fee, obferv'd the Failings of many great Wits amongst the Moderns, who have attempted to write an Epique Poem: Belides thefe, or the like Animadverfions of them by other Men, there is yet a farther Reason given, why they can

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not poffibly fucceed, fo well as the Ancients, ever tho' we cou'd allow them not to be inferiour, either in Genius or Learning, or the Tongue in which they write; or all thofe other wonderful Qualifications which are neceffary to the forming of a true accomplish'd Heroick Poet. The Fault is laid on our Religion: They fay that Chriftianity is not capable of thofe Embellishments which are afforded in the Belief of thofe Ancient Heathens.

And 'tis true, that in the fevere Notions of our Faith, the Fortitude of a Christian confifts in Patience and Suffering for the Love of GOD, whatever Hardships can befal in the World; not in any great Attempts, or in performance of thofe Enterprifes which the Poets call Heroique; and which are commonly the Effects of Intereft, Oftentation, Pride, and Worldly Honour. That Humility and Refignation are our prime Virtues; and that these include no Action, but that of the Soul: When as, on the contrary, an Heroique Poem requires, to its neceffary Defign, and as its laft Perfection, fome great Action of War, the Accomplishment of fome extraordinary Undertaking; which requires the Strength and Vigour of the Body, the Duty of a Soldier, the Capacity and Prudence of a General; and, in fhort, as much, or more of the Active Virtue, than the Suffering. But to this, the Anfwer is very obvious. GOD has plac'd us in our feveral Stations; the Virtues of a private Chriftian are Patience, Obedience, Submiffion, and the like; but thofe of a Magiftrate, or General, or a King, are Prudence, Counfel, active Fortitude, coercive Pow. er, awful Command, and the Exercife of Magnanimity, as well as Juftice. So that this Objection hilders not, but that an Epique Poem, or the Heroique Action of fome Great Commander, enterpriz'd

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terpriz❜d for the Common Good, and Honour of the Christian Caufe, and executed happily, may be as well written now, as it was of old by the Heathens; provided the Poet be endu'd with the fame Talents; and the Language, tho' not of equal Dignity, yet as near approaching to it, as our Modern Barbarism will allow, which is all that can be expected from our own or any other now extant, tho' more refin'd; and therefore we are to rest contented with that only Inferiority, which is not poffibly to be remedy'd."

I wish I cou'd as easily remove that other Difficulty which yet remains. 'Tis objected by a great French Critique as well as an admirable Poet, yet living, and whom I have mentioned with that Honour which his Merit exa&s from me, I mean Boileau, That the Machines of our Chriftian Religion in Heroique Poetry, are much more feeble to fupport that Weight than those of Heathenifm. Their Do&rine, grounded as it was on ridiculous Fables, was yet the Belief of the two Victorious Monarchies, the Grecian and Roman. Their Gods did not only intereft themfelves in the Event of Wars (which is the Effect of a Superiour Providence) but alfo efpous'd the feveral Parties, in a vifible Corporeal Defcent, manag'd their Intreigues, and fought their Battels fometimes in oppofition to each other: Tho' Virgil (more difcreet than Homer in that laft Particular) has contented himself with the Partiality of his Deities, their Favours, their Counfels or Commands, to thofe whofe Caufe they had efpous'd, without bringing them to the Outragioufnefs of Blows. Now, our Religion (fays he) is depriv'd of the greateft part of those Machines; at least the molt fhining in Epique Poetry. Tho' St. Michael in Ariofto feeks out Difcord,

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