fer, as Spenfer imitated Chaucer. And though, perhaps the love of their masters may have transported both too far, in the frequent ufe of them; yet, in my opinion, obfolete words may then be laudably revived, when either they are more founding, or more significant, than those in practice; and, when their obfcurity is taken away, by joining other words to them, which clear the fenfe; according to the rule of Horace, for the admiffion of new words. But in both cafes a moderation is to be observed 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 this blank verse, though I may excuse him, by the example of Hannibal Caro, and other Italians, who have used it: for whatever caufes he alledges for the abolishing of rhyme (which I have not now the lei fure to examine) his own particular reafon is plainly this, that rhyme was not his talent; he had neither the ease of doing it, nor the graces of it; which is manifeft in his Juvenilia, or verfes written in his. youth; where his rhyme is always conftrained and forced, and comes hardly from him, at an age when the foul is moft pliant, and the paffion of love makes almost every man a rhymer, though not a Poet.

By this time, my Lord, I doubt not but that you wonder, why I have run off from my bias fo long together, and made fo tedious a digreffion from Satyr to Heroic Poetry. But, if you will not excufe it, by the tattling quality of age, which, as Sir William Dave

nant

nánt fays, is always narrative; yet I hope the usefulnefs of what I have to say on this subject, will qualify the remoteness of it; and this is the last time I will commit the crime of prefaces, or trouble the world with. my notions of any thing that relates to verse. I have then, as you fee, obferved the failings of many great wits amongst the moderns, who have attempted to write an Epic Poem: befides thefe, or the like animadverfions of them or other men, there is yet a farther reafon given, why they cannot poffibly fucceed fo well as the ancients, even though we could allow them not to be inferior, 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 accomplished Heroic Poet. The fault is laid on our religion: they say, that Christianity is not capable of those embellishments which are afforded in the belief of thofe ancient heathens.

And it is true, that in the fevere notions of our faith, the fortitude of a Chriftian confifts in patience and fuffering, for the love of God, whatever hardships can befal in the world; not in any great attempts, or in performance of those enterprizes which the Poets call Heroic; which are commonly the effects of interest, oftentation, pride, and worldly honours. That humility and refignation are our prime virtues; and that these include no action, but that of the foul whereas, on the contrary, an Heroic Poem requires to its neceffary design, and as its last perfection, fome great action of war, the ac

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complishment of fome extraordinary undertaking, which requires the strength and vigour of the body, the duty of a foldier, the capacity and prudence of a general; and, in fhort, as much, or more, of the active virtue, than the fuffering. But to this, the anfwer is very obvious. God has placed us in our feveral stations; the virtues of a private Christian are patience, obedience, fubmiffion, and the like; but those of a magiftrate, or general, or a king, are prudence, counfel, active fortitude, coërcive power, awful commands, and the exercife of magnanimity, as well as justice. So that this objection hinders not, but that an Epic Poem, or the Heroic action of fome great commander, enterprized for the common good and honour of the Chriftian cause, and executed happily, may be as well written now, as it was of old by the heathens; provided the Poet be endued with the fame talents ; and the language, though 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, though more refined; and therefore we are to reft contented with that only inferiority, which is not poffibly to be remedied.

I wish I could as easily remove that other difficulty which yet remains. It is objected by a great French critic, 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 heroic poetry, are much more feeble to fupport the weight than thofe of

Heathenifm.

Heathenifm. Their doctrine, 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 interest themselves in the event of wars (which is the effect of a fuperior Providence); but also espoused the several parties, in a visible corporeal defcent, managed their intrigues, and fought their battles fometimes in oppofition to each other: though 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 those whofe cause they had espoused, without bringing them to the outrageousness of blows. Now our religion (fays he) is deprived of the greatest part of thofe machines; at least the most fhining in epick poetry. Though St. Michael, in Ariofto, feeks out Difcord, to fend her among the pagans, and finds her in a con-vent of friars, where peace fhould reign, which indeed is fine satire; and Satan, in Taffo, excites Solyman to an attempt by night on the Christian camp, and brings an host of devils to his affiftance; yet the arch-angel, in the former example, when Discord was reftive, and would not be drawn from her beloved monaftery with fair words, has the whip-hand of her, drags her out with many ftripes, sets her, on God's name, about her bufinefs; and makes her know the difference of ftrength betwixt a nuncio of heaven, and a minifter of hell: the fame angel, in the latter instance from Taffo (as if God had never another messenger belonging to the court, but was confined like Jupiter to Mercury, and

Juno

Juno to Iris) when he fees his time, that is, when half of the Chriftians are already killed, and all the reft are in a fair way of being routed, tickles betwixt 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 otherwife the whole bufinefs had mifcarried, and Jerufalem remained 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 easy, than for an Almighty Power to bring his old rebels to reafon, when he pleafes. Confequently, what pleasure, what entertainment, can be raised from fo pitiful a machine, where we fee the fuccefs 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 ourfelves? For if the poet had given the faithful more courage, which had coft him nothing, or at least had made them exceed the Turks in number, then he might have gained 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 one hundred foldiers defeats another, which confifts only of fifty.

This, my Lord, I confefs, is fuch an argument against our modern poetry, as cannot be answered by thofe mediums which have been used. We cannot hitherto boaft, that our religion has furnished us with

any