now

in London, not only to read over the verfes I have of yours, but more that you have written fince; for I make no doubt but any one who writes fo well, muft write more. Not that I think the most voluminous poets always the best; I believe the contrary is rather true. I mentioned fomewhat to you in London of a Paftoral Comedy, which I should be glad to hear you had thought upon fince. I find Menage in his obfervations upon Taffo's Aminta, reckons up fourfcore paftoral plays in Italian: And in looking over my old Italian books, I find a great many paftoral and pifcatory plays, which, I fuppofe, Menage reckons together. I find alfo by Menage, that Taffo is not the first that writ in that kind, he mentioning another before him which he himself had never seen, nor indeed have I. But as the Aminta, Paftor Fido*, and Filli di Sciro of Bonarelli are the three best, so, I think, there is no difpute but Aminta is the best of the three Not but that the difcourfes in Pastor Fido are more entertaining and copious in several people's

opinion,

Eclogue of Virgil, in which Tories, Nonjurors, and Jacobites, are vigorously attacked, and ridiculed; and an Imitation of the Juftum & tenacem of Horace, B. 3. Ode 3. in which a speech of King William, from stanza the 4th to the 13th, is given with much energy and force. Some of Addifon's beft verfes are also a translation of this very Ode; and it is remarkable that Oldmixon relates it was be that defired Mr. Addison to give a translation of this Ode; certainly one of his moft fpirited compofitions.

*It is furprising that Walsh should make no mention of that exquifite Paftoral Comedy, The Faithful Shepherdess, of Beaumont and Fletcher; nor of the Comus of Milton, who in truth has borrowed much from Fletcher.

opinion, though not fo proper for pastoral; and the fable of Bonarelli more furprifing. I do not remember many in other languages, that have written in this kind with fuccefs. Racan's Bergeries are much inferior to his lyric poems; and the Spaniards are all too full of conceits. Rapin will have the defign of pastoral plays to be taken from the Cyclops of Euripides. I am fure there is nothing of this kind in English worth mentioning, and therefore you have that field open to yourself. You fee I write to you without any fort of constraint or method, as things come into my head, and therefore use the fame freedom with me, who am, etc.

I

LETTER III.

TO MR. WALSH.

Windfor Foreft, July 2, 1706. CANNOT omit the first opportunity of making you my acknowledgments for reviewing those papers of mine. You have no lefs right to correct me, than the fame hand that raised a tree has to prune it. I am convinced as well as you that one may correct too much; for in poetry as in painting, a man may lay colours one upon another till they ftiffen

Befides, to bestow

ftiffen and deaden the piece. heightening* on every part is monstrous: Some parts ought to be lower than the rest; and nothing looks more ridiculous than a work, where the thoughts, however different in their own nature, feem all on a level: 'Tis like a meadow newly mown, where weeds, grafs, and flowers, are all laid even, and appear undistinguished. I believe too that fometimes our first thoughts are the best, as the first squeezing of the grapes makes the finest and richest wine.

T

I have not attempted any thing of a pastoral comedy, because, I think, the taste of our age will not relish a poem of that fort. People feek for what they call wit, on all fubjects, and in all places; not confidering that nature loves truth fo well, that it hardly ever admits of flourishing: Conceit is to nature what paint is to beauty; it is not only needless, but impairs what it would improve. There is a certain majesty in fimplicity which is far above all the quaintnefs of wit; infomuch that the critics have excluded wit from the loftieft poetry, as well as the lowest, and forbid it to the Epic no less than the Paftoral. I should certainly displease all those who are charmed with Guarini and Bonarelli, and imitate Taffo not only in the fimplicity

*It is impoffible not to stop and admire the good taste and found judgment of our Author, fo well expreffed in such early youth. What has Horace, Vida, or Boileau, faid better on the difficult fubject of correcting, and making every passage uniformly splendid?

*

fimplicity of his Thoughts, but in that of the Fable too. If furprising difcoveries fhould have place in the story of a pastoral comedy, I believe it would be more agreeable to probability to make them the effects of chance than of defign; intrigue not being very confiftent with that innocence, which ought to conftitute a fhepherd's character. There is nothing in all the Aminta (as I remember) but happens by mere accident; unless it be the meeting of Aminta with Sylvia at the fountain, which is the contrivance of Daphne; and even that is the moft fimple in the world: The contrary is obfervable in Paftor Fido, where Corisca is so perfect a mistress of intrigue, that the plot could not have been brought to pass without her. I am inclined to think the pastoral comedy has another disadvantage as to the manners: Its general defign is to make us in love with the innocence of rural life, fo that to introduce fhepherds of a vicious character muft in fome measure debase it: And hence it may come to pass, that even the virtuous characters will not shine so much, for want of being opposed to their contraries. These thoughts are purely my own, and therefore I have reafon to doubt them: but I hope your judgment will fet me right.

I would

* Dr. Blair has obferved, that Bouhours, Fontenelle, Addison, and the last tranflator of Virgil's Eclogues, have injured and misrepresented Tafso as too much abounding in points and conceits, and feem to misunderstand what Sylvia fays on viewing herself in a fountain with a garland of flowers on her head.

I would beg your opinion too as to another point: it is, how far the liberty of borrowing may extend? I have defended it fometimes by faying, that it seems not fo much the perfection of fenfe, to say things that had never been faid before, as to express those best that have been faid ofteneft; and that writers, in the cafe of borrowing from others, are like trees, which of themselves would produce only one fort of fruit, but by being grafted upon others may yield variety. A mutual commerce makes poetry flourish; but then poets, like merchants, fhould repay with fomething of their own what they take from others; not, like pirates, make prize of all they meet. I defire you to tell me fincerely if I have not stretched this licence too far in these pastorals? I hope to become a critic by your precepts, and a poet by your example. Since I have seen your Eclogues, I cannot be much pleased with my own; however, you have not taken away all my vanity, fo long as you give me leave to profefs myself yours, etc.

He fhould rather have faid, the perfection of conception. W.