Chapter I: Part 1

LECTURES
ON
POETRY

Read in the SCHOOLS of
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY
At _OXFORD_,

By JOSEPH TRAPP, _A.M._

Fellow of _Wadham-College_, and Reader of
the POETICAL LECTURES lately founded
in that University, by HENRY BIRKHEAD LL.D.
sometime Fellow of _All-Souls-College_.

Translated from the LATIN,
With additional NOTES.

_LONDON_:

Printed for C. HITCH and C. DAVIS in
_Pater-Noster-Row_.

MDCCXLII.

THE TRANSLATOR'S _Advertisement_.

The following Lectures, being frequently referred to by the Author of them in the Preface and Notes to his Translation of _Virgil_, were thought proper to be communicated to the World in _English_, that both Works might speak the same Language as well as Sentiment, and address themselves to the same Sett of Readers. Whatever Reasons have been given for translating _Virgil_, and writing an _English_ Comment on him, may be urged in behalf of these _English_ Lectures, which as they are an Illustration of Poetry in general, so are they of _Virgil_ in particular.

The Notes to this Edition were chiefly added as it went through the Press: In which though I sometimes differ from my ingenious Author, yet I hope not with greater Freedom than he has taken with others, and will pardon in me. I am well aware how easy it is to let some Mistakes slip in the Heat of Composition: And when these had once pass'd the Press, the Author, I suppose, was not very sollicitous to re-examine minutely the subsequent Editions; satisfied with the Approbation he had received from that learned Body before whom his Lectures were first delivered. An Honour which I shall never wish to see diminish'd by any thing I can say, or any one else: And shall now therefore with much greater Pleasure take this Opportunity of repeating the following Testimony of them from Mr. _Felton_'s _Preface to his Dissertation on Reading the Classics_ p. xxi, _&c._

_What a polite Critic may do, if he pleases, and in how different an Aspect Criticism appears, when formed by Men of Parts and Fire, we may see in the three Volumes of Dr._ Trapp's Prælectiones Poeticæ._A Work that cannot be enough commended, whether we consider the Curiousness of his Observations, the Justness of his Remarks, the Truth and Importance of his Rules, the Aptness and Beauty of his Examples, Force and Elegance of his Style, and the Penetration of his Wit and Judgment: A Piece in such Perfection of Beauty, that he gives the Rules with the same Spirit we find in the Examples; and maketh those Dissertations, which in heavy, formal Hands, would have looked crabbed, dull, and dry, shine in all the Graces, that Life, and Ease, and Vigour can adorn them with. We see how entertaining the severest Criticisms are in a Poet's Hand, and what Life and Spirit he can give to the dryest Part of his Subject, while he prescribes the Rules and fixes the Laws of Poetic Diction, weigheth the Importance of Words, and considers the several Ways of Expression peculiar to the Poets. And if Men of such Learning and such Parts would undertake this Province, I cannot help repeating it, we should see more and more into the Propriety, Strength, and Compass, and all the hidden Beauties of the_ Greek _and_ Latin _Tongues._

THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

I have no Occasion to detain the Reader with a Preface in Praise of Poetry: What I thought proper to say on that Head, he will find comprised in the following _Introductory Oration_. I shall only just in a few Words lay before him the Purport of the following Sheets.

Being elected into the Professorship by that venerable Body the Convocation at _Oxford_, I thought it incumbent on me to discharge my Duty in it according to the best of my Abilities. The better to do so, I endeavour in the following Lectures to keep such a Medium in examining the Sentiments of the several Writers on Poetry that tho' I pay much Deference to their Authority, yet I don't slavishly adhere to their Decrees. For Books are to be consider'd as Helps to Learning, not Fetters to it; and it is just, in these sort of Studies especially, that every Man, after he has weigh'd the Opinion of others should be at Liberty to follow his own.

This Method I take to be the most entertaining and the most useful both to the Writer and the Reader. No one, I am persuaded, will suspect I pursued it for the sake of Ease; since it is much harder to _digest_ than to _transcribe_. And, indeed, what can be a more arduous Task, than to unfold the Nature of Poetry in general, and its different Species; to explain the various Elegances of Style, and its no less various Defects; to explore the secret Turns of the Mind; to weigh the minutest _Momenta_ of Wit; to separate in things of so great Delicacy, Truth from Falshood; to shew by what Springs they delight or ravish their Readers or Hearers?

I thought proper just to say so much of the Difficulty of the present Work, not out of a Desire of gaining Praise, but Pardon; that if I have fallen into any Errors, I may meet with some Favour from the Learned. For to their Judgment I submit myself, and the Fortunes of this Book; always ready to receive more full Instruction, and to retract, not to defend the Mistakes of it.

But arduous and difficult as these Enquiries are, yet not therefore unpleasant; For it is not to be thought that all Discourses which deliver Rules and Precepts are dry and unentertaining; some are no less full of Delight than Advantage. Of which sort is the Subject before us, elegant in its Nature, and agreeable to the Taste of the most Polite; who are never better pleased than when they scrutinise into the Laws of just Writing and true Thought, and have the choicest Examples of each laid before them. The Mind is charmed with tracing out its own Operations; and while on so refined a Subject we read Authors of the same Sentiments with ourselves, we observe with secret Complacence, similar Ideas arise in our Minds; or if we dissent from a good Writer, we are ready to join in his Praise tho' not in his Opinion: For such an one, tho' he misses the Truth, yet deviates with Ingenuity, and is elegant even in his Mistakes.

The Difficulties then we are speaking of, are such that they don't deter the Admirers of Polite Literature, but invite them: Such as are not attended with Uncouthness of Thought or Asperity of Style; but are like the Labours of Lovers, who, to gain the Good-will of the Fair, go through the most arduous Tasks and solicite Dangers.

If the Reader will observe in the following Sheets some Errors slipt, some Defects either in Thought or Expression, he will at worst have no Reason to complain that I have too importunately loaded him. He will rather wonder perhaps, on the other Hand, how I durst pretend to treat of such Variety of Matter in so few Pages: An Accusation, to which I know not how to give a satisfactory Answer, and which I own I have often been ready to draw up against myself. I can only declare that this has been owing either to Chance, or to the Nature of my Subject, or to my own Inabilities, not to Indolence, for I have omitted nothing which after the most mature Deliberation I thought proper to be taken Notice of. In other respects I own I studied _Brevity_ as much as possible, rejecting many things that offer'd, which I judged unentertaining, superfluous, and such as would give the Reader rather Pain than Pleasure; many likewise, which tho' proper Observations in themselves, yet had been abundantly taken Notice of by others; whose Writings I had no Inclination to make so free with, as to purloin.

And this, I hope, will not be imputed to me as an Imperfection: For _Brevity as such_ (to use the Language of the Schoolmen) and considered in its own Nature, is by no means a Fault; but rather an Excellence, if we keep clear of those Faults that often adhere to it. If we do Justice to our Subject and are at the same time perspicuous, we cannot be too concise; especially in those Works where we propose to _delight_ the Reader, as well as _profit_ him.

How far this has been effected in the following Sheets, must be left entirely to his Judgment. I am sure my Endeavour has been not to be wanting to both these Ends, and I might with more _Ease_ to myself have wrote a _larger Book_. To treat of Elegance in an inelegant Manner is a mere Absurdity; and Conciseness is generally an Attendant of Elegance. Nothing I am sure can afford more Pleasure to the Understanding than an accurate Enquiry into the Subjects here treated of: Nothing greater Difficulty to a Writer, who is to act the Critic and Philosopher, rather than the Historian. Even Metaphysics do not more try the Mind than Poetry, when we search into the latent Sources of its Beauties and Allurements. But the Pleasure in the one is much greater than in the other: This has its _Thorns_; but such as grow on the _Rose_, tender and yielding, that heighten at once its _Sweetness_ and its _Beauty_.

One Thing I would desire the Reader to observe; that under each Head of Poetry, I have either wholly omitted every thing that is Historical, or but lightly touch'd upon it: Not became I think by any Means that Part of Learning contemptible; but partly because I find it more suitable to my Nature (such as it is) to search into Things than Facts; and partly because others, whose Erudition I very much reverence, and to whom I always refer my Reader, have already in this Respect, deserv'd well of the Learned. However, in one or two of my Dissertations I could not come at the _Nature_ of the Subject I treated of without enquiring into the _History_ of it: as in those upon the _Origin of Poetry in general_, upon _Epigram_, and _Satire_. But even in them to enter into a long Detail of Circumstances fetch'd from the Writings of the Ancients, wou'd be doing Nothing but what had been done before; which is the Thing I have throughout endeavour'd to avoid. My Aim has been not to be tedious; and for fear I should be so now, I shall add no more; but leave my Book to stand or fall by the Opinion of the Learned.

CONTENTS.

_The Oration, on entering into the Professorship,_
_or First Lecture._
Page 1
LECTURE II, III.
OF THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF POETRY IN GENERAL 13
POETRY _defin'd_ ibid.
Vossius's _Definition rejected_ ibid.
_Prov'd against_ Vossius, _and Mons._ Dacier,
_that_ Poetry _does not imitate_
Actions _only_ 14,15
_That_ Poetry _is an_ Art, _properly so call'd_ 15
_That_ Poetry _consists in_ Imitation
_and_ Illustration 15,16
_A Comparison between_ Poetry _and_ Painting 16,17
_The Meaning and Original of the Word_ Ποιητες 18,19
_Prov'd, against Mons_. Dacier,
_that fictitious Narrations, written in Prose,
are not properly_ Poems 20,21
_That_ Fiction _is not_ essential _to Poetry_ 21
_That_ Poetry _does not differ from_ History
_in the_ Diction _only_ 22
_The Difference between_ Poesy, Poetry, _and a_ Poem ibid.
_A Comparison between_ Poetry _and_ Music 23
_That the End of Poetry is twofold, to instruct,
and to please_ 24
_That_ Instruction _is the principal End of Poetry_ 24,25
_What the secret Sources of Pleasure are,
which all receive from Poetry_ 25,26
_That Poetry took its Rise from_ Love 26,27
_Owes its first Increase and Progress to_ Religion 27
_Who were the first_ Authors _of_ Verses 28
_The_ Rise _of Poetry_ fetch'd _farther back:
Shewn that the_ immediate _Causes of it are
founded in that Love of_ Imitation _and_
Harmony _which is natural to all; and that_
Vossius _has assign'd wrong ones_ 29
_The Reason why Mankind is so much given to_
Imitation _and_ Harmony 30
_That Prose is more_ ancient _than Poetry_ 30,31
_Whether, in Poetry,_ Nature _or_ Industry
_is of greater Force_ 31
_The Meaning of that Saying,_ Poeta nascitur; non fit 32
_Of the_ Inspiration _attributed to Poets_ ibid.
_Explanation of_ poetical Fables _rejected_ 33
_The Difference between Poetry and Oratory_ 34

LECTURE IV, V, VI, VII.
OF THE STYLE OF POETRY.
_What Style is; and in what its Beauty consists_ 37
_The Style of Poetry so_ singular, _that there
are many Expressions_ elegant _in the
Writings of the Poets, which in Prose would be
contrary to the Rules of_ Grammar ibid.
_Examples cited_ 38,39,40,41
_Other Expressions, which tho' not entirely poetical,
yet are much_ more suitable _to Verse,
than Prose_ 42
_A beautiful Poem may, however, consist of those which
are common both to Prose and Metre_ 43
_That it is the Property of Poetry to express the_
whole of a Thing _sometimes by some one Adjunct_ ibid.
_Sometimes by a Kind of_ Paraphrase,
_and little_ Description 44
_To use_ Specials _for_ Generals 45
_That_ Poetry _impresses upon the Mind the
Images of Things stronger than_ Prose 46,47
_That Descriptions are almost peculiar to Poetry_ 47
_That_ figurative _Expressions are more suitable
to poetic Writings than Prose; and why_ 51
_Of the Use and Abuse of_ Metaphors 51,52
_Of Books that teach the_ Elements _of_ Rhetoric 53
One and the same Thing _express'd_ different Ways,
_sometimes well, sometimes ill_ 54
_A Comparison in this Particular, and some others
between_ Virgil _and_ Ovid ibid.
Repetition of the same Words, _to be avoided
as much as conveniently may be_ 60
_Great Regard to be had to the_ Sound _and_
Order of Words 61
_A Mistake in those who think_ Ovid, Claudian,_and
others, excel_ Virgil _in Versification_ 62
_Of Verses that express the Thing they describe by
their_ Sound _and_ Numbers 64,65,66
_Of the Verses in the_ Æneid _that_ break off short 67
_An unwarrantable Liberty in modern Writers to imitate_
Virgil, _in this Particular_ 68
_Or too boldly to violate the_ Laws of Quantity 68,69
_Of the true and elegant Use of_ Epithets 69
_Divided into two Sorts_ ibid.
_Of those that add to their Substantives_ new
_and_ distinct Ideas 69,70
_Of those that_ come nearer _to the_ general
_Nature of their Substantives, and are us'd
for_ Illustration _and_ Explanation,
_tho' they don't convey any_ new Idea
_to it_ 71
_The_ Gradus ad Parnassum, _and other Books of that
Nature, prejudicial to young Tyro's in Poetry_ 73
_Other Kinds of_ Epithets 74
_Of_ superfluous _and_ redundant _Epithets_ 76
_A Mistake of those, on the other Hand, who think
that very_ few Epithets _should be us'd_ 78
_When a Thing is to be_ strongly _express'd,
and with great_ Energy, _by all Means
to_ abstain _from Epithets_ 80
_All_ Adjectives _and_ Participles _not Epithets_ 81
_An Enumeration of different Sorts of Style_ 82
_Of the_ Sublime, _the_ Turgid,
_and the_ Low Style 82-90
_Of the_ Sarcastical _and_ Severe 91
_Of the_ Florid _Style_ 92
Other _Sorts of Style_ ibid.
_The Style to be_ varied; _and not always
preserve one even Tenor_ 93
_Style of_ Comedy _not poetical_ 94
_This Question carried on with Respect to Comedies
writ in the_ English _Tongue_ 95
_And to those in the_ French ibid.
_The_ Connexion _between Beauty of_ Expression,
_and Beauty of_ Thought 96

LECTURE VIII, IX, X, XI.
OF THE BEAUTY OF THOUGHT; OR OF ELEGANCE AND SUBLIMITY 101
_The Difficulty of treating of this Subject_ ibid.
_Definition of_ Wit 102
_The Foundation of true Wit_ ibid.
_The Difference between a Thought_ simply
_consider'd, and an_ ingenious _one_ 102
_The Difference between_ Falshood _and_ Fiction 103
_Specimens of false or spurious_ Wit 104
_Thoughts partly true, partly false_ 105
_The Difference between true and false Wit_ 106
_Some Verses have gain'd Esteem, not from Reason,
or true Merit, but merely from popular Fame_ 107
_The Opinion of the famous_ Boileau, _and a Passage
translated from him_ 108
_That some Thoughts are true, tho' Poetical Fiction
be added to them_ 109
_Care always to be taken, that_ some Truth
_be the Basis of the Thought_ 112
_That fine Thoughts and Words ought not to superabound_ 113
_In the right Disposal of them much Art required_ 113
_Beauty of Thought divided into two Kinds, the_
Elegant _and the_ Sublime 115
_How these differ_ ibid.
_Of a happy Genius_ ibid.
_Of the_ Impetus _or Poetic Fire_ 116
_Of moving the Passions_ 118
_Under this Head the Fourth Book of_
Virgil_'s_ Æneis _considered_ 120
_Of_ Images 125-129
_Of_ Antitheta 129
_Of_ Transitions 132-135
_Of_ Excursions _of another Kind_ 135
_Of_ Comparisons 136
_That_ pretty _Thoughts ill agree with the Passions_ 139
_Of_ Delicate _Thoughts_ 140,141
_Of_ Strong _Thoughts_ 142
_That_ Severity _and_ Gravity
_not inconsistent with Wit_ ibid.
_Of_ Sentences ibid.
_Of_ echoing _Turns_ 143
_Of Thoughts that seem to_ contradict _each other_ 144,145
_Of_ Æquivocations _and_ Playing upon Words 145,146
_Of Sublimity_ 147
_The Substance of that Idea of Sublimity,
which_ Longinus _describes_ ibid.
_A Mistake of those who think that_ Sublimity
_is more especially, if not only, suited
to_ Exultation _and_ Triumph 149
_Examples of Sublimity, exciting_ Terror _and_ Pity ibid.
_A Stricture upon_ Poetic Licence 151

LECTURE XII.
OF EPIGRAM, AND OTHER LIGHTER SPECIES OF POETRY 153
_The History and Origin of_ Epigram ibid.
_No need of dividing Epigrams into so many
distinct sorts as some do_ 154
_Epigrams some_ Satirical ibid.
_Panegyrical_ 155
_Upon the Subject of Love_ ibid.
_Upon any other Subject_ 155,156
Religious _Epigrams_ 156,157
_And_ sublime 157
_The Nature of true_ Epigram _in general_ 158
_Some Poems consisting of a few Verses, in_ Martial
_and others, not Epigrams properly so called_ 158
_Of the_ Lent Verses _made at Oxford, call'd_
Carmina Quadragesimalia 159
_Of_ Elogies, Inscriptions, _and_ Epitaphs ibid.
_Of_ Emblems _or_ Symbols ibid.
_That Epigrams should be_ short 160
_Of the_ Metre _of Epigram_ 161
_Of Hendecasyllables_ ibid.
_Whether the Ancients or the Moderns have deserv'd
greater Praise in this little Kind of Poems_ ibid.
_They are beautiful, and not without their Difficulty_ 161,162

LECTURE XIII.
OF ELEGY
_Few have treated of this Species of Poetry_ 163
_The Nature of it, and the Etymology of the Name_ 164
Melancholy _Subjects first and principally
suited to_ Elegy ibid.
_Afterwards by Analogy others of a very different Kind_ 164,165
Death _and_ Love _the chief Subjects of Elegy_ 165
_Tho' scarce any other sort of Matter repugnant to it_ ibid.
_But Circumstances of Joy with less Propriety
agreeable to it_ ibid.
_Many_ Epistles _are_ Elegies 166
_Of_ Ovid_'s Heroine Epistles; and the Difference
between them and Elegies commonly so called_ ibid.
_What the chief Property of_ Elegies 167,168
_Very few of our modern Poems, which are styled_
Elegies, _deserve our Notice_ 169
_Of the Elegiac_ Metre 169
_Among the Ancients we have scarce any_
Elegiac _Poets but Latin_ 169,170
_Of the Elegiac Writers_, Ovid, Tibullus,
_and_ Propertius 170
Catullus _not so properly reckon'd in the Number_ ibid.
_Of_ Gallus _a Writer of Elegies_ 170,171

LECTURE XIV.
OF PASTORALS
_None of the Ancients have treated
of this Species of Poem_ 172
_The Original of_ Pastoral 172-174
_The peculiar Nature of it_ 174
_No Difference between_ Pastorals _and_
Bucolics _but the Name_ ibid.
Virgil _undeservedly censured, for mixing_
Philosophy _and the_ Sublime _with Pastoral_ ibid.
_His Fourth and Sixth Eclogues true Pastorals_ 175
_As also his Tenth_ 176
Eclogue _and_ Idyllium _according to their
Etymology, include nothing of_ Bucolic
_or_ Pastoral _in their Meaning_ 177
_These Poems, the more_ simple _they are,
the truer_ Pastorals ibid.

_They contain an elegant sort of_ Simplicity 178
_More of the Nature and Turn of this sort of Poem_ 179
_Certain_ vulgar Mistakes
_concerning this_ Poem _noted_ ibid.
_The various_ Subjects _of Pastoral_ 180
_Whence the_ Delight _arises that is peculiar
to this Kind of Poem_ 181,182
_Of Primitive Simplicity, and a Country Life_ ibid.
_A Comparison between the Works of Nature and Art_ ibid.
_Between_ Theocritus _and_ Virgil 183
_Pastoral less suitable to the present Times_ 186

LECTURE XV.
OF DIDACTIC OR PRÆCEPTIVE POETRY
_Very few Writings now remaining upon this Subject_ 187
_That Poetry is the best adapted to give Rules_ ibid.
_Four Kinds of Didactic Poems_ 189
_Of_ those _which relate to_ Morality ibid.
----_to_ Natural Philosophy ibid.
_The Harmony between Poetry and Natural Philosophy_ ibid.
Lucretius _the Prince of Poets in this Kind of Writing_ 190
_What Things commendable in him, and what to be blamed_ 190,191
_A Comparison between him and_ Virgil 192
_That Poetic Fiction and the
Explanation of Nature may be elegantly united_ 192
_That this Kind of Writing may at this Day receive
Improvements from the Advantages of_
Experimental Philosophy 193
_Of Poems which relate to the Business or
Pleasures of Life_ ibid.
_Of_ Virgil_'s Georgics_ ibid.
_A Comparison between_ Hesiod _and_ Virgil 194
_Of the Various Methods of fetching in
Ornaments to the_ Georgics 194-197
_Few Writers in this Way among the Moderns_ 198
_Two mention'd_; Rapin _of Gardens,
and a Countryman of ours_ 199
_Of Country Diversions, Hunting, &c. and of_
Gratius_'s_ Cygnegeticon 199
_Of_ Oppian ibid.
_Of Rules concerning the Art of Poetry_ ibid.
_A Didactic Poem may be writ upon any Subject_ 200
_Some Subjects recommended for it hitherto untouch'd_ 200,201

LECTURE XIII.
OF LYRIC POETRY
_The Original and Antiquity of Odes_ 203
_The Peculiar Nature of them_ ibid.
_Of_ Digressions _and_ Transitions
_in Lyric Poetry_ 204,205
_Notwithstanding this Liberty, it is the most difficult,
as it is the most elegant Kind of Writing_ 206
_Two Kinds of Digressions_ 207
_This more suitable to Music than other Poetry_ 209
_Of the Music of the Antients_ 210
_Of the various_ Subjects _of Odes_ 211
Sublimity _and_ Poetic Rage _more suited to them
than any other Poems_ 212
_Treat of_ serious _and_ moral _Subjects_ 213
_Whence the Pleasure arises that attends Lyric Poetry_ 214,215
_Of_ Pindar 215
_Of_ Anacreon ibid.
_Of_ Horace ibid.
_The Ancients excell the Moderns in this Kind of Poetry_ ibid.
_Of_ Casimire 215
_Of_ Hannes 216
_Of_ modern Pindarics 216,217
_Of_ Songs ibid.

LECTURE XVII, XVIII.
OF SATIRE
_How the Word is spelt: Of the_ History
_and_ Origin _of Satire_ 218
_Difference between the Satyric Poetry of the_
Greeks _and the_ Roman _Satire_ 219
_The Etymology of the Word_ ibid.
Ennius _a Writer of Satires_ 222
Pacuvius ibid.
Lucilius ibid.
Varro 223
_That Satires not only expose Vices, but give
Encomiums of Virtue_ 223
_Prov'd against Mons._ Dacier, _that the Difference
between the_ Satyric Poetry _of the_
Greeks, _and the_ Roman Satire, _is not
so great as he makes it_ 225
_Two Sorts of Satire: The Humourous, like that of_
Horace; _and the Serious, like_ Juvenal_'s_ 227
_This last the more excellent of the two_ ibid.
Vossius _judges wrong of the Nature and
Difference of Satire_ 228
Horace_'s rightly entitled_ Discourses
_rather than_ Satires 232
_All_ Juvenal_'s are properly_ Satires,
_except the last_ ibid.
Horace _is not too_ acrimonious _in his Satires_ 233
_Some Satires are_ Dialogues; _some_ Epistles ibid.
_Some of_ Horace_'s Satires are_ Epistles,
_and some of his Epistles are_ Satires ibid.
_The different Nature of_ Juvenal_'s_ ibid.
Persius _more a_ Philosopher, _than a_ Satirist 235-6
_The Moderns not much inferior to the Ancients in
this Kind of Writing_ 236

LECTURE XIX. _&c._
OF THE DRAMA IN GENERAL
_What_ Poetry _is in the most proper Sense of the Word_ 237
_Applicable to the_ Drama _and_ Epic,
_beyond all other sorts of Writing;
but more especially to the_ Drama 237-8
_The Difference between an_ Epic _and_
Dramatic _Poem_ 238
_In what Respects this is preferable to that;
and so_ vice versa ibid.
Aristotle _and_ Horace _just touch upon other Species
of Poetry, and dwell only upon the_ Drama ibid.
_Many of the latter Times have treated fully of it_ ibid.
_What proposed to be treated of in this Discourse_ 239
_Two Species of the_ Drama; Comedy _and_ Tragedy ibid.
Tragic-Comedy _rejected; and for what Reasons_ 239
_Of a new Species of the_ Drama, _called_ Opera's
_The Ridiculousness of them_ 240
_A Short History of the ancient_ Drama,
_taken from Vossius's_ Institutiones Poeticæ 243
_The_ Apparatus _of the ancient Drama pass'd by_ 244
_The Absurdity of the_ Mask _among the Ancients_ 245
_A Slight Stricture of the_ Soccus _and_ Buskin 246
_The Theatrical Music of the Ancients pass'd by likewise_ ibid.
_A_ Definition _of the_ Drama _in general_ 246
_That the_ Action _ought to be_ one 247
_But that it may rightly sometimes_
seem _to be two Actions,_ &c. ibid.
_That Kind of_ Drama _the best however,
where the Action is_ entirely one ibid.
_The Difference between the_ Fable, _the_ Action,
_and_ Machinery _of the Drama_ 248
_The_ Manners, different Natures, Characters,
Passions, _and_ Diction _in the Drama_ 248
_The Subject Matter of the_ Drama _called the_
Fable, _tho' it is founded on true History_ 250
_Some Poems are rather_ Dramatical _Histories
than Drama's_ ibid.
_Our Countryman_ Shakespear _commended_ ibid.
_Various Foundations of a Drama.
1 - True History.
2 - Some private Action.
3 - A noted common Story.
4 - A fable, or Fiction less known.
5 - The mere Invention of the Poet's Brain_ 250,251
_The last of these the best, and why_ 252
_Three_ Unities _in the Drama; viz. of_
Place, Time, _and_ Action 253
_Of_ Action _before spoke of_ ibid.
_Of_ Time ibid.
_Of_ Place 254
_The Necessity of observing these and other Rules_ 256
_To these_ Unities _a Fourth may be added,
that of_ Characters 256
_Of things partly_ related, _and partly_ acted
_on the Stage; and the great Difference between
the Ancients and the Moderns in this Respect_ 257,259
_Of Persons_ adventitious _or_ superfluous,
_and brought_ only once upon the Stage 259
_The Reason ought to appear why each Person comes
in or goes out_ 260
_Of the Division of the Drama into_ Acts;
_of Acts into_ Scenes 261
_Of_ broken _and_ disjointed _Scenes_ 261
_Of_ Soliloquies 262
_Some Rules of the_ coming in, _and_ going out
_of the_ Number of the Actors, _superfluous_ ibid.
_Of the_ Number _of the_ Actors 263
Vossius _lays down wrong Rules of the Parts of_
Action _to be divided to each Act_ 265
_Of the_ Protasis, Epitasis _and_ Catastrophe ibid.
Vossius _gives to these an improper Division in the Drama_ 266
_The_ Catastrophe _ill defined by_ Scaliger
_or_ Evanthius 268
_The Unfolding of the Plot ought to be_ surprising
_and yet easy_ 268
_The preposterous Artifice of some, who in the very
Title of their Play, discover the_
Catastrophe _of it_ 268,269
_To these three Parts a fourth_
(_viz. the_ Catastasis) _improperly added_ 269
_Of_ Incidents ibid.
_Intire Scenes not to be added for Ornament sake only_ 269,270
Love _the_ usual, _but not the best
Subject for a Drama_ 270
_The_ Chorus _of the Antients_ 271
_Another Place reserv'd for a Comparison between the
ancient and modern Dramatic Writers_ ibid.
_The last Clause of the Definition consider'd,
containing the_ End _of Drama_ 272

LECTURE XXIII, &c.
_The_ Etymology _of the Word_ Comedy 273
_Not very clear, whence this Kind of Poem arose_ 273,274
Three _Species of Comedy; the Old,
the Middle, and the New_ 275
_Of the_ Old _Comedy_ ibid.
_Of the_ Middle, _and the_ New 277,278
_A_ Definition _of Comedy, such as it ought to be_ 279
_Division of Comedy into the_ Moral _and_ Ridiculous ibid.
Scaliger_'s Definition of Comedy_ 280
_Mirth essential to Comedy_ ibid.
_And_ Happiness _in the Conclusion of it_ 281
_Upon these Heads_ Scaliger _and_ Vossius
_inconsistent with themselves_ ibid.
Vossius_'s Definition of Comedy_ ibid.
Persons _and_ Things _of a_ private _Character,
suitable to Comedy; neither of them ought to be_
great, _or_ concerned in the State 282
_Nor yet only such as_ are of low Life ibid.
_Two sorts of Comedy; the_ Sublime, _and the_ Low ibid.
_The_ Virtues, Vices, _and_ Follies _of Mankind,
the Subject of Comedy; but more
especially the_ Follies 283
_Proved against Mons._ Dacier _that the_
Γελοιος, _or What is Ridiculous,
is not the_ only _Subject of Comedy,
tho' it is the_ principal; _and that
Crimes of a more_ heinous Nature
_are not to be exposed in it_ 284
_That not only_ Joy, _but_ all the Passions
_are concerned in Comedy_ 288
_But in a quite different_ Manner _from what
they are represented in Tragedy_ 289
_The Difficulty of writing_ true Ridicule 290
_Whether Comic Writers may be allow'd to draw the
Characters_ beyond _Truth_ 291
_Of the_ Prologue _and_ Epilogue 292
_The_ Chorus, Mimus, _and_ Cantica
_of the Ancients_ ibid.
_That to write Comedy is a_ difficult _Task,
notwithstanding it imitates_ common Life 293
_Of the_ Diction _of Comedy_ 294
_Of_ Aristophanes _and_ Menander; Plautus
_and_ Terence ibid.
_A Comparison between the_ Ancients _and the_ Moderns 296
_Between the_ French _and_ our own _Writers_ 298
_Whether the English Comedies writ in Prose
are properly_ Poems 298
_Of the_ French _Comedies writ in_ Rhyme
_and_ Heroic _Verse_ 298
_Whence the Pleasure that arises from Comedy_ 299
_Why more are delighted with_ Comedy _than_ Tragedy 300

LECTURE XVI, _&c._
OF TRAGEDY
_The_ Etymology _of the Word_ 301
Aristotle_'s Definition proposed and examined_ 302
_And_ Vossius_'s_ 303
_A third offered made up of both_ 304
_The several Parts of the Definition_ ibid.
_Every thing in Tragedy ought to be_ great
_and_ sublime ibid.
_Of the_ Subject _of Tragedy_ ibid.
_Of the_ Morals, _the_ Thought _and_
Diction _of it_ ibid.
_The higher Species of_ Satire _of
Affinity with Tragedy_ 307,308
_The part of Tragedy to_ teach Virtue,
_even the most Heroic, no less than to_ expose Vice 308
_Tragedy form'd for_ Sublimity ibid.
_How reconcileable to Nature that Things so_ elevated
_and composed with so much Art, should be
represented to make Part of_ Common Conversation 308
_What has been said of the_ Magnificence _of this Part
of the Drama not_ equally _applicable to_
all _Tragedies; since there are two Species of it,
the one_ sublime, _the other more_ humble 309
_Another Distinction between Tragedies; and that it is
not_ essential _to them to end_ fortunately 310
_Those, whose_ Catastrophe is unfortunate _the more_
Tragical: _But such as have a_ fortunate
Conclusion _require more_ Art, _and
afford more_ Improvement 314
_Which Characters best adapted to move_ Pity,
_which Terror, and which both_ 315
_What species of Tragedy are of all others
the most Tragical_ 316
_Of_ Dramatic Justice ibid.
_The_ End _of Tragedy_ 317
_How Tragedy_ purges the Passions; _and even by
putting them in Motion_ 319,320
_What the Source of_ Delight _which_ Tragedy
_affords, or of that Pleasure which
flows from_ Melancholy 323,326
_A Comparison between the_ Ancients _and_ Moderns
_Between the_ French _and our Countrymen_ 326

LECTURE XXIX, &c.
OF THE EPIC OR HEROIC POEM
_The_ Dignity _and_ Excellence
_of this Kind of Poem_ 328
_Little remains now to be said of it; several Circumstances
relating to it having fallen in with the
other Matter I have already discoursed of_ 329
_What_ Bossu _has done upon this Subject_ ibid.
Definition _of an_ Epic _or_ Heroic _Poem_ 330
_The_ Parts _of this Definition_ ibid.
_The Method laid down of this Dissertation_ 331
_In what Respects_ Tragedy _and_
Epic _differ and agree_ 331,332
_Of the_ Action, Place, _and_ Time
_of the Epic Poem_ 332,333
_What the_ Action _of the Poem in the_ strictest
_or most proper Sense, and from
whence it_ commences 333
_The Duration of the Action of the_ Iliad, Odyssey,
_and the_ Æneis ibid.
_Proved against_ Bossu _and Mons._ Dacier,
_that an Epic Poem ought not to imitate every Action,
but_ only _the_ great _Actions of_
great Personages 334
_Of the_ Forming a Heroe 336
_The Meaning of_ Aristotle, _who asserts that the
Fable in Epic ought to be_ Dramatical ibid.
_The_ Event _in an Epic Poem ought_ always
_to end fortunately; and for what Reasons_ 336
_Of the_ Marvelous 338
_The Mistake of some, who confound the_ Marvelous
_with the_ Improbable 338-340
_Essential to be founded upon History_ partly true 340
_Of the_ Machines 341
_Of the_ Versification _of Heroic Poems_ ibid.
_A Translation of one Chapter of_ Bossu _explaining
the_ Nature _and_ Origin _of the Epic Poem_ ibid.
_The Difference between the Eloquence of the_ Ancients
_and the_ Moderns ibid.
_What the first Use of_ Fables 342
_Why Poetry, in_ Aristotle_'s Judgment, is more_
grave _and_ Philosophical _than_ History 343-346
_Epic more suited to the_ Manners _and_ Habits
_than the_ Passions 346
_Yet Epic not without_ Passion 347
_Especially_ Joy _and_ Admiration ibid.
_Of the_ Ancients _and_ Moderns 348
_Of_ Homer _and_ Virgil ibid.
_Of_ Historical _Poems_ ibid.
_Of_ Lucan 349
_Of_ Silius Italicus ibid.
_Of_ Statius 350
_Of_ Tasso 351
_Of_ Spencer ibid.
_Of_ Milton ibid.
_Of too servile an Imitation of_ Homer _and_ Virgil ibid.
_Some_ New Subject _must be_ attempted 352
_The Conclusion._ 354

N. B. _The several Passages cited from_ Virgil _are printed
in_ English _from Dr._ Trapp_'s Version. The other
Poetical Translations without a Name, the Editor is
to be accountable for, tho' he wishes he had as good
a Title to the Excellence of two or three of
them as he has to the Imperfections of the rest._

The Notes added to this _English_ Edition are distinguish'd
thus * or thus †; whereas those that were
before in the _Latin_ are referr'd to by Letters a, b, c, etc.

[** Transcriber Note: All footnotes are treated the same,
in numerical order.]

_ERRATA._

_Pag._
3. _l._ 31. _for_ our World _r._ their Orbits.
4. _l._ 3. this House _r._ that House.
19. _l. antep._ _for_ consistent only with _r._
confined only to.
216. _l._ 16. _dele_ Countryman.
248. _l._ 30. _for_ adsunt _r._ adflent.
_And_ _l._ 32. _for_ ipse _r._ ipsi.
317. _l._ 16. _dele_ the

LECTURES
ON
POETRY, &_c_.

The ORATION upon entering into the
PROFESSORSHIP, or First LECTURE.

LECTURE I.

Altho', Gentlemen, I am sensible of the Obligation you have laid upon me, by making Choice of me to fill this Office, esteeming it an Honour to receive Commands, much more Favours from so venerable a Body; yet I must own myself under some Concern, when I consider that I enter into a Province unattempted by others, and wherein I have no Footsteps to guide me. For so it has happen'd, that tho' all other Sciences the World can boast of, have had their Instructors and Professors in this most flourishing University; POETRY alone, neglected, as it were, and overlook'd, has hitherto wanted Schools for her Reception. 'Twas much, indeed, that in the very Seat of the Muses that Art shou'd have found none, which the Muses esteem above all others, and claim as their peculiar Property: With You it has always been its Choice to live, and with You it always has liv'd; but has wanted, however, a fix'd Habitation, and (if I may speak more poetically) has wander'd here among other Sciences, as _Delos_, _Apollo_'s native Place, did among the _Ægean_ Islands, till that excellent Gentleman, whose Munificence I now commemorate, like another _Apollo_, fix'd its Situation, and honour'd it with an Establishment.

But to omit these imaginary Flights, and to represent Things without any Colouring, What Thanks are due to him, who has render'd himself a perpetual _Mæcenas_, not only to Poets, but to Poetry itself; who has bestow'd Honours upon that Art, which adds the greatest to whatever is meritorious; who has prescribed it Laws, and secured to it a Patrimony? But still without a Patrimony it had almost been, if the reverend and worthy Trustees[1] of the Muses Legacy had not to the Patron's Benevolence contributed no small Assistance of their own, and deserved little less Praise by receding from their Due, than the other, by his original Settlement. One of them[2], especially, who, as he is himself no small Part of _our_ University, and of _that_ venerable Assembly, and has an Intercourse with _both_, makes use of it to promote Good-will and Friendship mutually between them. How near had the Poetical Revenues been lost, if they had not been in the Hands of Men therefore the most zealous for Learning and the University, because they were adorned with the _Insignia_ of each? If these good Men reject our Praises, at least let them permit us to return our Thanks. To the Living, then, we gratefully pay the Tribute of Gratitude; to the Deceased, whose Gift they augmented, that of Glory.

He well knew that Poetry did not boast so much of her learned Poverty (noted even to a Proverb) as utterly to reject all Acquisitions. He knew, moreover, that it was no less capable of Rules than other Arts, and no less deserving of them; that it proceeded upon certain Principles, which were founded upon Truth and right Reason; that our Master _Aristotle_, who has accurately treated of the other Sciences, and whose Authority we follow in them all, had bestowed likewise some of his Pains on this, and has left upon no Subject greater Monuments, either of Extent of Genius, or of Care and Application.

They therefore lie under a great Mistake, that think Poetry suited only to the Theatre, and would have it banished from the Schools, as of too unbounded a Nature to submit to the Regulation of Precept. Rage, indeed, is its Property; but a Rage altogether divine; not deviating from Reason, but rendering it more ornamental and sublime. It may be said, likewise, to be a Fire; not like our consuming ones, but like those of the celestial Orbs above, that have not only the Qualities of Heat and Brightness, but maintaining one uniform Course, are carried round our World at once with equal Swiftness and Regularity.

We see, then, it is no Absurdity to have Rules prescribed to this Art. And what could have been thought of, of so delicate and refined a Nature, as the Office of prescribing them? What more worthy of an University to accept, or a Courtier to appoint? A Courtier, I say, for in the City he was an Ornament to the Court; as in the University he was to this House, which has always had the Credit of abounding, and we still have the Comfort of seeing it abound with Gentlemen of the most distinguish'd Wit, Birth, and good Manners. I am sure no Gift could have been more becoming a Friend of the Muses to bestow, and he was not only an Admirer, but an Intimate of them; not only a Lover of their Art, but a skilful Practitioner in it; nor could any one so properly make Poetry his Heir, as a Poet.

He knew, by Experience, that no Pleasure was equal to the reading ancient Poets, except that of imitating them. Happy they, that can partake of both; but the former ought to be the Employment of all, that desire to have any Taste for Letters, or Politeness. Some there are, however, to whom these Studies are disagreeable, and who endeavour to make them so to others: This is not owing to any Fault in Poetry, but in themselves. Formed as they are of coarse Materials, they have naturally a Disposition either slow and frozen, callous and unpolite, or harsh and morose; so, forsooth, whilst they would appear grave, as they are, they maliciously hate, or superciliously contemn these Exercises, as the great Disturbers of their Peace. They condemn what they know nothing of; and despise the Pleasure they want a Capacity to enjoy.

But if at least they pay any Deference to Antiquity (and with these Men nothing uses to be more sacred, looking upon every Thing with the greater Veneration, the more antient it is) they ought on this Account to allow the Art we are speaking of its due Honours. For not to urge that Poetry is coeval with the World itself, and that the Creator may be said in working up and finishing his beautiful Poem of the Universe, to have performed the Part of a Poet, no less than of a Geometrician[3]; it is well known, that those Books have had the greatest Sanction from Time, that have been dictated by God, or writ by Poets. Those, as it is fit, have the Precedence: But these follow at no very great Distance.

Nay, why should we make this Difference between the sacred Writers and Poets, since the sacred Writers were most of them Poets; on both Accounts deservedly called _Vates_ (_a Word expressing either Character_) and acted by no feigned Inspiration? That the Devils then, heretofore, usurping the Title of Gods, gave out their Oracles in Verse, was owing wholly to their imitating, in this, as well as in other Particulars, the true God, that so they might gain Honour and Reverence from their Votaries. If in the Poems of _Job_, and _David_, and the other sacred Authors, we observe the inexpressible Sublimity of their Words and Matter; their elegant, and more than human Descriptions; the happy Boldness of their Metaphors; their spiritual Ardour breathing Heaven, and winging the Souls of their Readers up to it, triumphing, as it were, by a royal Authority, over the narrow Rules of mortal Writers, it is impossible but we must in Transport own, that nothing is wanting in them, that might be expected from the Strength of Poetry heighten'd by the Energy of Inspiration.

If this, then, be the Case, who would not wonder at the Ignorance or Baseness of those, who rashly reproach an Art with Impiety, which has the Honour of being not only pleasing to God, but taught and dictated by him. 'Tis true, Poetry, as well as Religion, has, by Length of Time, been corrupted with Fables; but this is no more to be imputed to the one than the other; and we can only from hence complain, that by the Depravity of Mankind the best of Things are most liable to Corruption.

Nor is it any more owing to the Art itself, that it is sometimes polluted by obscene Writers: To them alone the Infamy redounds: The Chastity of Poetry is violated like a Virgin's, and tho' it seems to be the Instrument of doing an Injury to Virtue, yet Virtue is not more a Sufferer than she is. She acts in her proper Sphere, when, with her native Purity, she discovers the true Attractives of Virtue, nor disguises Vice with false ones; when she inflames the Mind of Man with the Love of Goodness, recounts the Works of the Almighty, and sets forth all his Praises. Undoubtedly, as the divine and sister Sciences, Poetry and Music, owe their Origin to Heaven; they love to be employed about heavenly Things; thither they tend by their native Force, and, like Fire, seek those blessed Abodes from whence they first descended.

Since Poetry, then, is so venerable, both for its Antiquity, and its Religion; they are no less to blame, who look upon it as a trifling Amusement, an Exercise for Boys only, or young Men. The Injustice of this Calumny is plain from hence, that a good Proficient in this kind of Writing must not only excel in Wit, Elegance, and Brightness; but must be endowed with the maturest Judgment, and furnished with all sorts of Literature. He must, in Truth, turn over the Annals of Time, and Monuments of History; he must trace the Situation of Countries, understand the different Manners of Nations; the Actions and Passions of Mankind in general, must explore the inmost Recesses of the Mind, and secret Avenues to them; survey the whole System of the Universe; in short, make himself Master of all Nature. Who cannot but see and admire the Learning of _Homer_ and _Horace_; in _Virgil_ especially, his almost universal Extent of Knowledge in both sorts of Philosophy, in History, Geography, and the chief of all Science, Mathematicks? In _Lucretius_ we see how perfectly Natural Philosophy and Poetry agree; and how properly these Schools of ours are appropriated to both: Nor have the severest Philosophers Reason to complain, that the Company of the one reflects the least Dishonour on the other.

This I am sure they have not, if we duly consider the Nature of this admirable Art; from whence it will appear to contain whatever is great or beautiful in Prose, and besides to be distinguished by its own proper Ornaments; which it abundantly displays, whilst it pleases our Ears, and ravishes our Souls with its Harmony; whilst it strongly imprints in our Minds the Images of the Things it represents; by a becoming Fiction sets off Truth to Advantage, and renders it more amiable; and by a decent Liberty keeps those Laws it seems to violate.

Another Reason of its Contempt, at least of the Abatement of its Esteem, is, that there are such Numbers of Writers, who give Offence to Men of Learning, by affecting the Title of _Poets_. This is a Fact we are very sensible of, and lament: I know not how it is, there's no sort of Learning to which more apply themselves, or fewer attain. Innumerable Pretenders there are, who, in spite of Genius and Nature, are daily troubling the World with their wretched Performances; who write Verse often, that scarce attempt to write any Thing else, and venture upon the most difficult of all Studies, that are unfit for any. This profane Mob of Poetasters are deservedly to be condemned, that arrogate to themselves the Credit of a Title, that no ways belongs to them; and which is due only to those who _are of elevated Genius, and Souls divine_. But so far is this from fixing any true Mark of Infamy on our Art, that it ought to redound to its Credit. For in this its native Excellence appears, that it is a Mistress, to whom all by natural Impulse, as it were, pay their Addresses, tho' there are so few, upon whom she bestows her Favours. Thus Wit, Wisdom, and Religion, have each those amiable Colours, in which all Mankind endeavour to appear.

Nor need we wonder it meets with such Esteem, since it excels all other Sciences, by mixing so agreeably _Pleasure_ with _Advantage_. For it is found experimentally true, that by reading the ancient Poets, but especially by imitating them, the Mind is polish'd, enlivened, and enlarged; is enriched with a Stock of various Erudition, as well sacred as profane; with such Plenty of lofty Ideas, and lively Expressions, as is no small Addition to the Eloquence of even Prose itself. This no one will deny, that pays any Deference to _Cicero_'s Opinion or Authority; who ingenuously tells us he owes no small Assistance to the Poets, runs out largely in their Praises, and seems to give them the first Place among the Learned. "We are told, says he[4], by Men of the greatest Learning, that the Science of all other Things depends upon Precepts and Art; but a Poet on Nature alone; that he is formed by the Force of Genius, and inspired, as it were, with somewhat of Divinity." This Topick he defends, and expatiates upon, with such Warmth, that Oratory seems never to have shone out brighter, or to have been more pleased with its own Force, than when it was employed in the Praise of Poetry.

But farther, it ought by all Means to be encouraged, because it raises the Mind to Virtue and Honour, by delivering down the Examples of great Men to Immortality. It not only celebrates Heroes, but makes them; and by lively Copies produces new Originals. What, in short, is it else, but the utmost Effort of the Mind of Man, that tries all its Nerves, while it infuses into it a Tincture of universal Learning temper'd with the greatest Sweetness. For its Votaries it affects with no small Pleasure, which its infinite Variety abundantly supplies. Oratory, like a River with all its Pomp of Water, confines its Waves within its own Banks; but Poetry, like the Ocean, diffuses itself, by a Variety of Channels, into Rivers, Fountains, and the remotest Springs. What can be more delightful, than to take a Survey of Things, Places, and Persons; what more elegant, than to see them represented in beautiful Pictures? Who is not charm'd with the humorous Turns of Epigram, the Softness of Elegy, the bantering Wit of one sort of Satire, the Anger of the other, the Keenness and Poignancy of both? And yet still more the Ode affects us with its daring Colours, its lofty Conceptions, its Choice of Expression, its agreeable Variety of Numbers, and (what is the distinguishing Character of the Lyrics) that Luxuriancy of Thought, conducted with the severest Judgment, by which it now and then expatiates into new Matter, connects Things it seem'd to separate, and falls by Chance, as it were, into its first Subject. Who is there that does not with Pleasure survey an Epitome of the World in the Dramatic Poets? The Life, Humours, and Customs of Mankind represented in Comedy; in Tragedy the tumultuous Passions of the Great, the Turns of Fortune and wonderful Catastrophes, the Punishment of Villainy and Rewards of Virtue, and sometimes the Misfortunes of good Men? Who, I say, is not affected with Pleasure, whether he laughs or weeps with them? For such is the Force of Poetry, that it makes us pleased with our Tears, and from Sorrow extorts Satisfaction. But far beyond all this, is the Epic Poem, that farthest Extent of the human Soul, the utmost Bounds of Study, and the Pillars, beyond which the Labours of the Mind can never pass. So abundant is it, that, besides its own peculiar Excellence, than which nothing can be greater, it comprehends within its Sphere all other Kinds of Poetry whatever; and is in this Art what the Organ is in Music, which with various Pipes, inflated with the same Breath, charms us not only with its own Harmony, but represents that of every other Instrument.

These are not Beauties only in Theory; we have Authors that have shone in each of these Branches of Poetry: Thus _Martial_ pleases with his tart Facetiousness, _Catullus_ with his sound Wit, tho' his Verse is sometimes a little harsh; _Ovid_, _Tibullus_, and _Propertius_, with their Ease and Fluency in both. The Man that does not admire the Boldness of _Juvenal_'s Spirit, the Richness of his poetic Vein, and his fearless Rage in Satire; may he never love, may he never know the genteel and courtly Turns, the pleasant Sneers, the severe, and yet inviting Precepts of Virtue, the Remarks on common Life made with the greatest Penetration, Judgment, and Wisdom, with which the Satires of _Horace_, and especially his Epistles, are replete. In this kind of Writing, as we prefer him before all others; so in Lyric Poetry he stands not only first, but alone. With Regard to Comedy, if there were nothing remaining but what _Terence_ has left us, _viz._ that Chasteness of Style, that never-failing Fund of Wit and Judgment, that Humour clear of vulgar Jests, those beautiful Images of Mankind and Nature, that exquisite Artifice in working up Plots, and unfolding them; we should ever have Reason to praise the Art and the Poet. If Tragedy has receiv'd but small Ornaments from the _Latin_ Writers, as far as they have come to our Hands; by the _Greeks_ that Loss has been abundantly compensated. Witness the Thunder and Vigour of _Sophocles_, the Grandeur and sententious Gravity of _Euripides_, the Art of both, with which they command the Affections of their Readers, and call forth Pity or Terror at Pleasure.

The Nature and Limits of this Discourse will not allow me even to touch upon the Characters of all the other _Greek_ and _Latin_ Writers that have excell'd in the several Species of Poetry. One, however, it would be unpardonable to omit, who as he is the greatest of all (not _Homer_ himself excepted) may not improperly bring up the Rear of this shining Host, the immortal _Virgil_, I mean, beyond all Praises, in all Respects compleat. Who is not in Love with the plain and unaffected Beauty of his Eclogues, the finish'd and chaste Elegance of his _Georgics_, and in them the entertaining Descriptions with which they abound, with the Variety of their Expressions, the Usefulness of their Precepts in Husbandry, and their noble Excursions, upon every proper Occasion, into Subjects of a sublimer Nature? But the divine _Æneid_ who can turn over without Transport, without being lost, as it were, in a happy Mixture of Joy and Wonder? Who can help being astonish'd at that Fire of Imagination temper'd with so cool a Judgment, such Strength united with so much Beauty? To nothing this Work can with Justice be compar'd, unless to that, whose Duration will have the same Period, the great Machine of the Universe. For where shall we find, in any human Composition, so exact a Harmony between the several Parts, and so much Beauty in each of them; such an infinite Fecundity of Matter, without the least Exuberance of Style, or Crowding of Incidents? It would be an endless Attempt to recount the different Images of Heroes, and other Personages that appear up and down in it, the Variety of Manners, the Conflict of Passions, almost every Object of the Imagination beautifully described, all Nature unfolded, the great Events, the unexpected Revolutions, the Incentives to Virtue; in the several Speeches the most finish'd Eloquence; in the Thoughts and Expressions the sublimest Majesty; in short, the most consummate Art, by which all these Things are brought into one uniform Piece?