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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 Answer is very obvious. GOD has plac'd us in our several 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, Counsel, active Fortitude, coercive Power, awful Command, and the Exercife of Magnanimity, as well as Juftice. So that this Objection hinders not, but that an Epique Poem, or the Heroique Action of fome Great Commander, enterpriz❜d for the Common Good, and Honour of the Chriftian 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 Barbarifm 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 reft 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 exacts from me, I mean Boileau, That the Machines of our Chriftian Religion in Heroique Poetry, are much more feeble

to support that Weight than thofe of Heathenifm. Their Do&trine, 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 themselves 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 Intriegues, and fought their Battels fometimes in oppofition to each other: Tho' Virgil (more difcreet than Homer in that last Particular) has contented himself with the Partiality of his Deities, their Favours, their Counfels or Commands, to those whose Caufe they had efpous'd, without bringing them to the Outragioufnefs of Blows. Now, our Religion (fays he) is depriv'd of the greatest part of those Machines; at least the moft fhining in Epique Poetry. Tho' St. Michael in Ariofto feeks out Difcord, to fend her among the Pagans, and finds her in a Convent of Friars, where Peace fhould Reign, which indeed is fine Satyr; and Satan in Taffo, excites Solyman to an Attempt by Night on the Chriftian Camp, and brings an Hoft of Devils to his Affistance; yet the Arch-Angel, in the former Example, when Difcord was reftive, and would not be drawn from her belov'd Monaftery with fair Words, has the whip-hand of her, drags her out with many Stripes, fets her, on God's name, about her Bufinefs; and makes her know the dif ference of Strength betwixt a Nuncio of Heaven, and a Minister of Hell: The fame Angel, in the latter Inftance from Taffo (as if God had never another Meffenger belonging to the Court, but was confin'd like Jupiter to Mercury, and June to Iris) when he fees his time, that is, when half of the Chriflians are already kill'd, and all the rest are in a fair way of being routed, ftickles betwixt

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the Remainders of God's Hoft, and the Race of Fiends; pulls the Devils backwards by the Tails, and drives them from their Quarry; or otherwise the whole Bufinefs had mifcarry'd, and Jerufalem remain'd untaken. This, fays Boileau, is a very unequal Match for the poor Devils, who are fure to come by the worst of it in the Combat; for nothing is more eafy, than for an Almighty Power to bring his old Rebels to Reason, when he pleases. Confequently, what Pleafure, what Entertainment can be rais'd from fo pitiful a Machine, where we fee the Succefs of the Battle from the very Beginning of it; unless that, as we are Chriftians, we are glad that we have gotten God on our fide, to maul our Enemies, when we cannot do the work our felves? For if the Poet had given the Faithful more Courage, which had cost him nothing, or at least had made them exceed the Turks in Number, then he might have gain'd the Victory for us Chriftians, without interefting Heaven in the Quarrel; and that with as much Eafe, and as little Credit to the Conqueror, as when a Party of 100 Soldiers defeats another which confifts only of 50.

This, my Lord, I confess, is such an Argument against our Modern Poetry, as cannot be anfwered by thofe Mediums which have been us'd. We cannot hitherto boaft, that our Religion has furnifh'd us with any fuch Machines, as have made the Strength and Beauty of the Ancient Buildings.

But what if I venture to advance an Invention of my own, to fapply the manifeft Defect of our new Writers? I am fufficiently fenfible of my Weakness; and 'tis not very probable that I thou'd fucceed in fuch a Project, whereof I have not had the leaft Hint from any of my Predeceffors, the Poets, or any of their Seconds, and Coadjutors,

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the Critiques. Yet we fee the Art of War is improv'd in-Sieges, and new Inftruments of Death are invented daily: Something new in Philofophy and the Mechanicks is difcover'd almost every Year: And the Science of former Ages is improv'd by the fucceeding. I will not detain you with a long Preamble to that, which better Judges will, perhaps, conclude to be little worth.

'Tis this, in fhort, That Chriftian Poets have not hitherto been acquainted with their own Strength. Ifthey had fearch'd the Old Teftament as they ought, they might there have found the Machines which are proper for their Work; and thofe more certain in their effect, than it may be the New Teftament is, in the Rules fufficient for Salvation. The perufing of one Chapter in the Prophecy of Daniel, and accommodating what there they find, with the Principles of Platonique Philofophy, as it is now Chriftiani'zd, wou'd have the Miniftry of Angels as ftrong an Engine, for the working up Heroique Poetry, in our Religion, as that of the Ancients has been to raise theirs by all the Fables of their Gods, which were only receiv'd for Truths by the moft ignorant and weakest of the People.

'Tis a Doctrine almost univerfally receiv'd by Christians, as well Proteftants as Catholicks, That there are Guardian Angels appointed by God Almighty, as his Vicegerents, for the Protection and Government of Cities, Provinces, Kingdoms, and Monarchies; and thofe as well of Heathens, as of true Believers. All this is fo plainly prov'd from thofe Texts of Daniel, that it admits of no farther Controverfie. The Prince of the Perfians, and that other of the Grecians, are granted to be the Guardians and Prote&ting Minifters of thofe Empires. It cannot be deny'd, that they were oppofite, and refifted one another. St. Michael is mention'd by

his Name, as the Patron of the Jews, and is now taken by the Chriftians, as the Protector General of our Religion. Thele Tutelar Genii, who prefided over the feveral People and Regions com'mitted to their Charge, were watchful over them for good, as far as their Commiffions cou'd poffibly extend. The general Purpofe, and Defign of all, was certainly the Service of their Great CREATOR. But 'tis an undoubted Truth, that for Ends best known to the Almighty Majefty of Heaven, his Providential Defigns for the Benefit of his Creatures, for the Debating and Punishing of fome Nations, and the Exaltation and Temporal Reward of others, were not wholly known to thefe his Minifters; elfe why thofe factious Quarrels, Controverfies, and Battels, amongst themfelves, when they were all united in the fame Defign, the Service and Honour of their Common Mafter? But being inftructed only in the general, and zealous of the main Design; and as Finite Beings, not admitted into the Secrets of Government, the laft Reforts of Providence, or capable of difcovering the final Purposes of GOD, who can work Good out of Evil, as he pleafes; and irrefiftibly fways all manner of Events on Earth, directing them finally for the beft, to his Creation in general, and to the ultimate End of his own Glory n particular: They muft of neceffity be fometimes norant of the Means conducing to thofe Ends, n which alone they can jar and oppose each other. One Angel, as we may fuppofe the Prince of Perfia, is he is call'd, judging, that it would be more for God's Honour and the Benefit of his People, that the Median and Perfi in Monarchy, which deliver'd them from the Babylonifh Captivity, fhou'd ftill be uppermoft: And the Patron of the Grecians, to whom the Will of God might be more particularly

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