reveal'd, contending on the other fide, for the Rife of Alexander and his Succeffors, who were appointed to punish the Backfliding Jews, and thereby to put them in mind of their Offences, that they might repent, and become more Virtuous, and more obfervant of the Law reveal'd. But how far thefe Controverfies and appearing Enmities of those glorious Creatures may be carry'd; how thefe Oppofitions may best be manag'd and by what Means conducted, is not my Butinefs to fhew or determine: These things must be left to the Invention and Judgment of the Poet: If any of fo happy a Genius be now living, or any future Age can produce a Man, who being converfant in the Philofophy of Plato, as it is now accommodated to Chriftian Ufe; for (as Virgilgives us to understand by his Example) he is the only proper Perfon, of all others for an Epique Poem, who to his Natural Endowments, of a large Invention, a ripe Judgment, aad a ftrong Memory, has join'd the Knowledge of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, and particularly Moral Philofophy, the Mathematicks, Geography and Hiftory, and with all thefe Qualifications is born a Poet; knows, and can practise the Variety of Numbers, and is Master of the Language in which he writes; if fuck a Man, I fay, be now arifen, or fhall arife, I am vain enough to think, that I have propos'd a Model to him, by which he may build a Nobler, a more Beautiful, and more Perfect Poem, than any yet extant fince the Ancients

There is another Part of thefe Machines yet wanting; but by what I have faid, it wou'd have been easily fupply'd by a Judicious Writer. He cou'd not have fail'd to add the Oppofition of ill Spirits to the good; they have alfo their Design, ever oppofite to that of Heaven; and this alone has hitherto been the Practice of the Moderns: But

this imperfect System, if I may call it fuch, which I have given, will infinitely advance and carry farther that Hypothefis of the Evil Spirits contending with the Good. For being fo much weaker fince their Fall, than thofe Bleffed Beings, they are yet fuppos'd to have a permitted Power of God, of acting ill, as from their own deprav'd Nature they have always the Will of defigning it. A great Teftimony of which we find in Holy Writ, when God Almighty suffer'd Satan to appear in the Holy Synod of the Angels, (a thing not hitherto drawn into Example by any of the Poets,) and also gave him Power over all things belonging to his Servant Job, excepting only Life.

Now what thefe Wicked Spirits cannot compafs, by the vaft difproportion of their Forces to thofe of the Superior Beings, they may by their Fraud and Cunning carry farther, in a feeming League, Confederacy, or Subferviency to the De figns of fome good Angel, as far as confiits with his Purity, to fuffer fuch an Aid, the End of which may poffibly be difguis'd, and conceal'd from his finite Knowledge. This is indeed to fuppofe a great Errour in fuch a Being: Yet fince a Devil can appear like an Angel of Light; fince Craft and Malice may fometimes blind for a while a more perfect Understanding; and laftly, fince Milton has given us an Example of the like Nature, when Satan appearing like a Cherub to Uriel, the Intelligence of the Sun, circumvented him even in his own Province, and pafs'd only for a Curious Traveller through thofe new-created Regions, that he might obferve therein the Workmanship of God, and praife him in his Works.

I know not why, upon the fame Suppofition, or fome other, a Fiend may not deceive a Creature of more Excellency than himself, but yet a

Crea

Creature; at least by the Connivance, or tacit Permiffion of the Omnifcient Being.

Thus, my Lord, I have, as briefly as I cou'd, given your Lordship, and by you the World, a rude Draught of what I have been long labouring in my Imagination. And what I had intended to have put in practice, (tho' far unable for the Attempt of fuch a Poem) and to have left the Stage, to which my Genius never much inclin'd me, for a Work which wou'd have taken up my Life in the Performance of it. This too, I had intended chiefly for the Honour of my Native Country, to which a Poet is particularly oblig'd: Of two Subje&s, both relating to it, I was doubtful, whether I fhould chufe that of King Arthur conquering the Saxons; which being farther diftant in Time, gives the greater Scope to my Invention: Or that of Edward the Black Prince in fubduing Spain, and restoring it to the Lawful Prince, tho' a great Tyrant, Don Pedro the Cruel: Which for the compals of Time, including only the Expedition of one Year; for the Greatness of the Action, and its anfwerable Event; for the Magnanimity of the English Heroe, oppos'd to the Ingratitude of the Perfon whom he reftor'd; and for the many beautiful Episodes, which I had interwoven with the principal Defign, together with the Characters of the chiefelt English Perfons; wherein, after Virgil and Spencer, I wou'd have taken occafion to reprefent my living Friends and Patrons of the nobleft Families, and alfo fhadow'd the Events of future Ages, in the Succeffion of our Imperial Line: With thefe Helps, and those of the Machines, which I have mention'd; I might perhaps have done as well as fome of my Predeceffors; or at least chalk'd out a way, for others to amend my Errors in a like Defign. But being encourag'd only with fair Words by King Charles 11. my a 3

little

me.

little Salary ill paid, and no prospect of a future Subfiftence, I was then difcourag'd in the Beginning of my Attempt; and now Age has overtaken me; and Want, a more infufferable Evil, through the Change of the Times, has wholly difenabl'd Tho' I must ever acknowledge, to the Honour of your Lordship, and the eternal Memory of your Charity, that fince this Revolution, wherein I have patiently fuffer'd the Ruin of my small For tune, and the lofs of that poor Subfiftence which I had from Two Kings, whom I had ferv'd more faithfully than profitably to my felf; then your Lordfhip was pleas'd, out of no other Motive but your own Noblenefs, without any Defert of mine, or the leaft Sollicitation from me, to make me a moft Bountiful Prefent, which at that time, when I was most in want of it, came most seasonably and unexpectedly to my Relief. That Favour, my Lord, is of it felf fufficient to bind any Grateful Man, to a perpetual Acknowledgment, and to all the future Service, which one of my mean Condition can be ever able to perform. May the Ala mighty God return it for me, both in Bletting you here, and Rewarding you hereafter. I must not prefume to defend the Caufe for which I now (offer, because your Lordship is engag'd against it But the more you are fo, the greater is my Ob ligation to you: For your laying afide all the Confiderations of Factions and Parties, to do an Action of pure difinterefs's Charity. This is one amongst many of your fhining Qualities, which diftinguish you from others of your Rank: But let me add a farther Truth, That without these Ties of Gratitude, and abftracting from them all, I have. a most particular Inclination to Honour you; and, if it were not too bold an Expreffion, to fay, I Love you. 'Tis no Shame to be a Poet, tho' 'tis to be

a bad

a bad one. Auguftus Cæfar of old, and Cardinal Richlieu of late, wou'd willingly have been fuch; and David and Salomon were fuch. You, who' without Flattery, are the best of the prefent Age in England, and wou'd have been fo, had you been born in any other Country, will receive more Honour in future Ages, by that one Excellency,' than by all thofe Honours to which your Birth has intitl'd you, or your Merits have acquir'd you.

Ne, forte, pudori

Sit Tibi Mufa Lyra folers, & Cantor Apollo.

I have formerly faid in this Epistle, that I cou'd diftinguish your Writings from thofe of any others: 'Tis now time to clear my felf from any Imputation of Self-conceit on that Subje&t. I affume notto my felf any particular Lights in this Difcovery; they are fuch only as are obvious to every Man of Senfe and Judment, who loves Poetry, and understands it. Your Thoughts are always fo remote from the common way of Thinking, that they are, as I may fay, of another Species, than the Conceptions of other Poets; yet you go not out of Nature for any of them: Gold is never bred upon the Surface of the Ground; but lies fo hidden, and fo deep, that the Mines of it are feldom found; but the force of Waters cafts it out from the Bowels of Mountains, and expofes it amongst the Sands of Rivers: giving us of her Bounty, what we cou'd not hope for by our Search. This Succefs attends! your Lordship's Thoughts, which wou'd look like Chance, if it were not perpetual, and always of the fame Tenour. If I grant that there is Care in it, 'tis fuch a Care as wou'd be ineffectual and fruitless in other Men. 'Tis the Curiofa felicitas which Petronius afcribes to Horace in his Odes.