4

Nature herself took notice of his Death, And, fighing, fwell'd the Sea with fuch a Breath,

That to remoteft Shores the Billows roll'd,

Th'approaching Fate of his great Ruler

told.

WALLER.

'TWAS this Elogium that gave occafion to the reply (taken notice of in Bayle's dictionary,) which Waller made to King Charles the fecond. This King, to whom Waller had a little before (as is ufual with bards and monarchs) prefented a copy of verfes embroider'd with praifes, reproached the poet for not writing with fo much, energy and fire as when he had applauded the Ufurper (meaning Oliver;) Sir, replied Waller to the King, we Poets fucceed better in fiction than in truth. This anfwer was not fo fincere as that which a Dutch ambaffador made, who, when the fame monarch complained that his masters paid lefs regard to him than they had done to Cromwell; Ab Sir! fays the ambaffador, Oliver was quite another Man.-'Tis not my intent to give a commentary on Waller's character, nor on that of any other perfon; for I confider men after their death in no other light than as they were writers, and wholly difregard every thing

elfe.

else. I fhall only observe, that Walter, tho' born in a court, and to an estate of five or fix thousand pounds fterling a year, was never so proud or fo indolent as to lay afide the happy talent with which nature had indulged him. The Earls of Dorfet and Rofcommon, the two Dukes of Buckingham, the Lord Halifax and so many other noblemen, did not think the reputation they obtained of very great poets and illuftrious writers, any way derogatory to their quality. They are more glorious for their works than for their titles. Thefe cultivated the polite arts with as much affiduity, as though they had been their whole dependance. They also have made learning appear venerable in the eyes of the vulgar, who have need to be led in all things by the great, and who, neverthelefs, fashion their manners lefs after those of the nobility (in England I mean) than in any other country in the world.

LET.

I

INTENDED to treat of Mr. Prior, one of the most amiable English Poets, whom you faw Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at Paris in 1712. I alfo defigned to have given you fome idea of the lord Rofcommon's and the lord Dorfet's Mufe; but I find that to do this I fhould be obliged to write a large volume, and that after much pains and trouble you would have but an imperfect idea of all those works. Poetry is a kind of mufic in which a man fhould have fome knowledge, before he pretends to judge of it. When I give you a tranflation of fome paffages from thofe foreign Poets, I only prick down,

and

and that imperfectly, their mufic; but then I cannot exprefs the tafte of their harmony.

THERE is one English Poem especially, which I fhould defpair of ever making you understand, the title whereof is Hudibras. The fubject of it is the civil war in the time of the grand rebellion; and the prin→ ples and practice of the Puritans are there-in ridiculed. 'Tis Don Quixot,'tis our * Satyre Menippée blended together. I never found fo much wit in one fingle book as in that, which at the fame time is the moft difficult to be tranflated. Who wou'd believe that a work which paints in fuch lively and natural colours the feveral foibles and follies of mankind, and where we meet with more fentiments than words, fhould baffle the endeavours of the ableft tranflator? But the reafon of this is, almoft every part of it alludes to particular incidents. The clergy are there made the principal object of ridicule, which is un

*Species of Satyr in Profe and Verfe, written in France in 1594, against the Chiefs of the League at that time. This Satyr which is also call'd Catholicon d'Efpagne, was look'd upon as a Master-piece. Rapin, Le Roi, Pithou, Passerat, and Chrétien, the greatest wits of that age, are the authors of it; and 'twas' entitled Menippée, from Menippus, a cynical Philofo-, pher, who had written Letters filled with fharp, fatyrical expreffions, in imitation of Varro, who compofed Satyrs which he entitled Satyra Menippeæ.

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derstood but by few among the laity. To explain this a commentary would be requifite, and humour when explain'd is no longer humour. Whoever fets up for a commentator of fmart fayings and repartees, is himself a blockhead. This is the reason why the works of the ingenious Dean Swift, who has been call'd the English Rabelais, will never be well understood in France. This gentleman has the honour (in common with Rabelais) of being a priest, and like him laughs at every thing. But in my humble opinion, the title of the English Rabelais, which is given the dean, is highly derogatory to his genius. The former has interfpers'd his unaccountablyfantastic and unintelligible book, with the moft gay ítrokes of humour, but which at the fame time has a greater proportion of impertinence. He has been vaftly lavish of▸ erudition, of smut, and infipid raillery. An agreeable tale of two pages is purchas'd at the expence of whole volumes of nonfenfe. There are but few perfons, and thofe of a grotefque tafte, who pretend to understand, and to efteem this work; for as to the reft of the nation, they laugh at the pleafant and diverting touches which are found in Rabelais, and despise his Book. He is look'd upon as the prince of buffoons. The readers are vex'd to think that a man, who was mafter of fo much wit, fhould