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 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 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 confists only of 50.

This, my Lord, I confefs, is fuch an Argument against our Modern Poetry, as cannot be answered by thofe Mediums which have been us'd. We cannot hitherto boast, that our Religion has furnish'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 fupply the manifeft Defect of our new Writers? I am fufficiently fenfible of my Weakness; and, 'tis not very probable that I fhou'd fucceed in fuch a Project, whereof I have not had the least Hint from any of my Predeceffors, the Poets, or any of their Seconds, and Coadjutors, 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 hi therto been acquainted with their own Strength. If they

had

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 fuf-ficient 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 Christianiz'd, wou'd have the Ministry 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 most ignorant and weakest of the People.

'Tis a Doctrine almoft univerfally receiv'd by Chriflians, 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 those as well of Heathens, as of true Believers. All this is fo plainly prov'd from those Texts of Daniel, that it admits of no farther Controverfy. The Prince of the Perfians, and that other of the Grecians, are granted to be the Guardians and Protecting Ministers of those 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. Thefe Tutelar Genii, who prefided over the fe veral People and Regions committed to their Charge, were watchful over them for good, as far as their Commiffions cou'd poffibly extend. The general Purpose, 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 Majesty of Heaven, his Providential Designs for the Benefit of his Creatures, for the debafing and punishing of fome Nations,

and

and the Exaltation and Temporal Reward of others, were not wholly known to these his Minifters; else why thofe factious Quarrels, Controverfies, and Battles, amongst themselves, when they were all united in the fame Design, the Service and Honour of their Common Mafter? But being instructed only in the general, and zealous of the main Defign; and as Finite Beings, not admitted into the Secrets of Government, the last Reforts of Providence, or capable of difcovering the final Purposes of GOD, who can work Good out of Evil, as. he pleases; and irresistibly sways 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 in particular: They muft of neceffity be fometimes ignorant of the Means conducing to thofe Ends, in which alone they can jar and oppofe each other. One Angel, as we may fuppofe the Prince of Perfia, as he is call'd, judging, that it would be more for God's Honour, and the Benefit of his People, that the Median and Perfian Monarchy, when deliver'd from the Babylonish Captivity, fhou'd ftill be uppermoft: And the Patron of the Grecians, to whom the Will of God might be more particularly reveal'd, contending on the other fide, for the Rise 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 observient of the Law reveal'd. But how far thefe Controverfies and appearing Enmities of those glorious Creatures may be carry'd; how these Oppofitions may best be manag'd, and by what Means conducted, is not my Bufinefs 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 be ing converfant in the Philofophy of Plate, as it is now

accommo

accommodated to Chriftian Ufe; for (as Virgil gives 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, and a strong 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 Mafter of the Language in which he writes; if fuch a Man, I fay, be now arisen, or shall arise, I am vain enough to think, that I have propos'd á 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 these Machines yet wanting but by what I have faid, it wou'd have been cafily 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 Defign, 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 Hypothesis of the Evil Spirits contending with the Good. For being fo much weaker fince their Fall, than those 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 fuffer'd Satan to appear in the Holy Synod of the Angels, (a thing not hitherto drawn into Example by any of the Poets,) and alfo gave him Power over al things belonging to his Servant Job, excepting only

Life.

Now

Now what these Wicked Spirits cannot compass, 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 Defigns of fome good Angel, as far as confifts 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 Error 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 UnderAanding; and lastly, 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 pass'd only for a Curious Traveller through those 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, ar fome other, a Fiend may not deceive a Creature of more Excellency than himself, but yet a Creature; at leaft by the Connivance, or tacit Permiffion of the Omnifcient Being..

Thus, my Lord, I have, as briefly as I cou'd, given your Lordthip, 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 Subjects, both relating to it, I was doubtful, whether I fhould choofe that of King Arthur conquering the Saxons; which being farther diftant in Time, gives the greater

B

Scope