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The Author feems to have à particular genius for that kind of poetry, and a Judgment that much exceeds the years you told me he was of. He has taken very freely from the ancients, but what he has mixt of his own with theirs, is not inferior to what he has taken from them. 'Tis no flattery at all to fay, that Virgil had written nothing fo good at his age *. I fhall take is as a favour if you will bring me acquainted with him; and if he will give himself the trouble any morning to call at my houfe, I fhall be very glad to read the verses over with him, and give him my opinion of the particulars more largely than I can well do in this letter. I am, Sir, &c.

LETTER II.

Mr. Walth to Mr. Pope.

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June 24, 1706.

ry glad of the continuance of a correfpondence by which I am like to be fo great a gainer. I hope when I have the happiness of feeing you again in London, not only to read over the verfes I have now of yours, but more that you have written fince; for I make no doubt but any one who writes fo well, must write more. Not that I think the most voluminous poets always the best, I believe the contrary is rather true. I mention'd fomewhat to you in London of a Paftoral Comedy, which I fhould be glad to hear you had thought upon fince. I find Menage in his obfervations upon Taffo's Aminta, reckons up Sixteen.

four

fourfcore paftoral plays in Italian: and in looking over my old Italian books, I find a great many Paftorals 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 feen, 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 Paftor Fido are more entertaining and copious in feveral peoples opinion, tho' not so proper for paftoral; and the fable of Bonarelli more furprizing. I do not remember many in other languages, that have written in this kind with fuccefs. Racan's Bergeries are much inferior to his lyrick poems; and the Spaniards are all too full of conceits. Rapin will have the design of paftoral 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 felf. You fee I write to you without open to your any fort of constraint or method, as things come into my head, and therefore use the fame freedom with me, who am, &c.

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LETTER III.

To Mr. Walfh.

Windfor-Foreft, July 2, 1706.

Cannot omit the firft opportunity of making you my acknowledgements for reviewing those papers of mine. You have no lefs right to correct me, than

the

the fame hand that rais'd a tree has to prune it. I am convinc'd 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 stiffen and deaden the piece. Befides to beftow heightning on every part is monftrous: fome parts ought to be lower than the reft; 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 undistinguish'd. I believe too that fometimes our first thoughts are the best, as the first squeezing of the grapes makes the fineft and richeft wine.

I have not atttempted any thing of a Paftoral comedy, because I think the tafte 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 needlefs, but impairs what it wou'd improve. There is a certain majefty 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 fhou'd certainly displease all thofe who are charm'd with Guarini and Bonarelli, and imitate Taffo not only in the fimplicity of his Thoughts, but in that of the Fable too. If furprizing difcoveries fhou'd have place in the ftory of a paftoral comedy, I believe it wou'd 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 meer accident; unless it be the meeting of Aminta with Sylvia at the Fountain, which is the contrivance of Daphne, and even that is the most fimple in the world: the contrary is obfervable in Paftor Fido, where Corifca is fo perfect a mistress of intrigue, that the plot cou'd not have been brought to pafs without her. I am inclin'd to think the pafloral comedy has another disadvantage, as to the manners its general defign is to make us in love with the innocence of a rural life, fo that to introduce fhepherds of a vicious character muft in fome meafure debafe it; and hence it may come to pass, that even the virtuous characters will not fhine fo much, for want of being oppos'd 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 wou'd beg your opinion too as to another point: it is how far the liberty of borrowing may extend ? I have defended it fometimes by saying, that it seems not fo much the perfection of fenfe, to say things that had never been faid before, as to express those beft that have been faid ofteneft; and that writers in the cafe of borrowing from others, are like trees which of themselves woud 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, fhou'd repay with fomething of their own what they take from others, not like pyrates, make prize of all they meet. I defire you to tell me fincerely, if I have not ftretch'd this licence too far in these paftorals? I hope to become a critic by your precepts, and a poet by your example. Since I have feen your Eclogues, I cannot be

much

much pleas'd with my own; however you have not taken away all my vanity, fo long as you give me leave to profess my self Yours, &c.

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LETTER IV.

From Mr. Walsh.

July 20, 1706.

Had fooner return'd vou thanks for the favour of

your letter, but that I was in hopes of giving you an account at the fame time of my journey to Windfor; but I am now forc'd to put that quite off, being engag'd to go to my corporation of Richmond in Yorkhire. I think you are perfectly in the right in your notions of Paltoral, but I am of opinion, that the redundancy of Wit you mention, tho' 'tis what pleafes the common people, is not what ever pleases the best judges. Paftor Fido indeed has had more admirers than Aminta; but I will venture to say, there is a great deal of difference between the admirers of one and the other. Corifca, which is a character generally admir'd by the ordinary judges, is intolerable in a Paftoral; and Bonarelli's fancy of making his fhepherdefs in love with two men equally, is not to be defended, whatever pains he has taken to do it. As for what you ask of the Liberty of Borrowing; 'tis very evident the best Latin Poets have extended this very far; and none fo far as Virgil, who is the best of them. As for the Greek Poets, if we cannot trace them fo plainly, 'tis perhaps because we have none before them; 'tis evident that most of them borrowed from Homer, and Homer has been accus'd of burning thofe that wrote before him, that his thefts might not be difcoE

ver'd,

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