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DISCOURSE

ON

PASTORAL POETRY."

THERE "HERE are not, I believe, a greater number of any fort of verses than of those which are called Paftorals; nor a smaller than of those which are truly fo. It therefore feems neceffary to give fome account of this kind of Poem, and it is my defign to comprize in this fhort paper the fubftance of those numerous differtations that Critics have made on the fubject, without omitting any of their rules in

my

POPE.

a Written at fixteen years of age. This fenfible and judicious Difcourfe, written at fo early an age, is a more extraordinary production, than the Paftorals that follow it in which, I hope, it will not be deemed an injurious criticism to say, there is scarcely a fingle rural image to be found that is new. The ideas of Theocritus, Virgil, and Spenfer, are indeed here exhibited in language equally mellifluous and pure; but the descriptions and fentiments are trite and common. To this affertion, formerly made, Dr. Johnfon anfwered; "That no invention was intended:" he therefore allows the fact, and the charge. Our author has chiefly drawn his obfervations from Rapin, Fontenelle, and the preface to Dryden's Virgil. A translation of Rapin's Difcourfe had been fome years before prefixed to Creech's Tranflation of Theocritus, and is no extraordinary piece of criti cifm. And though Hume highly praises the Discourse of Fontenelle, yet Dr. Hurd thinks it only rather more tolerable than

my own favour. You will also find fome points reconciled, about which they féem to differ, and a few remarks, which, I think, have escaped their obfervation.

The original of Poetry is afcribed to that Age which fucceeded the creation of the world: and as the keeping of flocks feems to have been the first employment of mankind, the most ancient fort of poetry was probably paftoral. It is natural to imagine, that the leisure of those ancient fhepherds admitting and inviting fome diverfion, none was fo

his Paftorals I much wonder our Author did not allude to the elegant lines on Paftoral Poetry at the beginning of the second canto of Boileau's Art of Poetry. The beft differtations on this fubject, feem to be thofe in the IId and Vth volumes of the Memoirs of the French Academy, that which is prefixed to Heyne's excellent edition of Virgil's Eclogues, and that which is prefixed to the Oxford edition of Theocritus, in two volumes 4to, 1776; in which the reader will find a particular account of the three diftinct characters and perfonages introduced by Theocritus, namely, the Keepers of Oxen, the Keepers of Sheep, and of Goats; to which diftinction even Virgil did not attend and in which he alfo will find such reasons for preferring the pastorals of Theocritus to thofe of Virgil, as will ferve for a complete confutation of Dr. Johnfon's opinion on this subject.

The truly learned Heyne goes fo far as to say, that if Virgil had written only his Bucolics, vix eum in cenfum principum poetarum venturum fuiffe arbitror. So competent and able a judge as the fweet and pathetic Racine, affured M. de Longepierre, that he thought the fecond Idyllium of Theocritus was one of the most exquifite pieces that antiquity had left us, and that it contained the most striking and forcible descriptions of the paffion of love he had ever seen.

b Fontenelle's Difc. on Paftorals.

• Edition of Theocritus by Th. Warton.

WARTON.

POPE.

proper

proper to that folitary and fedentary life as finging; and that in their fongs they took occafion to celebrate their own felicity. From hence a Poem was invented, and afterwards improved to a perfect image of that happy time; which, by giving us an esteem for the virtues of a former age, might recommend them to the prefent. And fince the life of fhepherds was attended with more tranquillity than any other rural employment, the Poets chofe to introduce their Perfons, from whom it received the name of Paftoral.

A Paftoral is an imitation of the action of a fhepherd, or one confidered under that Character. The form of this imitation is dramatic, or narrative, or mixed of both; the fable fimple, the manners not too polite nor too ruftic: the thoughts are plain, yet admit a little quickness and paffion, but that short and flowing: the expreffion humble, yet as pure as the language will afford; neat, but not florid; eafy, and yet lively. In short, the fable, manners, thoughts, and expreffions are full of the greatest fimplicity in nature.

The complete character of this poem confifts in fimplicity, brevity, and delicacy; the two firft of which render an eclogue natural, and the laft delightful.

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If we would copy Nature, it may be useful to take this Idea along with us, that Paftoral is an image of what they call the golden age *. So that we are not to describe our fhepherds as fhepherds at this day really are, but as they may be conceived then to have been; when the beft of men followed the employment. To To carry this resemblance yet further, it would not be amifs to give thefe fhepherds fome skill in aftronomy, as far as it may be useful to that fort of life. And an air of piety to the Gods fhould fhine through the poem, which fo vifibly appears in all the works of antiquity: and it ought to preserve some relish of the old way of writing; the connection should be loofe, the narrations and descriptions fhort, and the periods concife. Yet it is not sufficient, that the fentences only be brief, the whole Eclogue fhould be fo too. For we cannot fuppofe Poetry in those days to have been the business of men, but their recreation at vacant hours.

But with a respect to the prefent age, nothing more conduces to make thefe compofures natural, than when fome Knowledge in rural affairs is discovered'. This may be made to appear rather done by chance than on defign, and fometimes is beft fhewn by inference; left by too much study to feem natural, we

destroy

* Avoiding, what a fenfible writer calls, les fentimens quinteffencies, les douceurs metaphyfiques. Gefner's Paftorals are exquifite; and abound in new fituations, images, and sentiments. WARTON.

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Rapin, Reflex. sur l'Art Poet. d'Arist, p. 2. Refl. xxvii. POPE. * Pref. to Virg. Paft. in Dryd. Virg. POPF.

destroy that easy fimplicity from whence arises the delight. For what is inviting in this fort of poetry proceeds not fo much from the Idea of that business, as of the tranquillity of a country life.

We must therefore use fome illufion to render a Pastoral delightful; and this confifts in expofing the best fide only of a fhepherd's life, and in concealing its miferies. Nor is it enough to introduce fhepherds difcourfing together in a natural way; but a regard must be had to the subject; that it contain fome particular beauty in itself, and that it be different in every Eclogue. Befides, in each of them a defign'd scene or profpect is to be presented to our view, which should likewise have its variety". This variety is obtained in a great degree by frequent comparisons, drawn from the most agreeable objects of the country; by interrogations to things inanimate; by beautiful digreffions, but those fhort; fometimes by infifting a little on circumstances; and laftly, by elegant turns on the words, which render the numbers extremely fweet and pleafing. As for the numbers themselves, though they are properly of the heroic meafure, they fhould be the fmootheft, the most easy and flowing imaginable.

It is by rules like these that we ought to judge of paftoral. And fince the inftructions given for any art are to be delivered as that art is in perfection,

Fontenelle's Difc. of Paftorals.
See the forementioned Preface.

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