waves in gentle fucceffion to the fhore, and enume-. rated the fish sporting in the shallows, he has nothing remaining but what is common to all other poetry, the complaint of a nymph for a drowned lover, or the indignation of a fifher that his oyfters are refused, and Mycon's accepted. Another obstacle to the general reception of this kind of poetry, is the ignorance of maritime pleafures, in which the greater part of mankind must always live. To all the inland inhabitants of every region, the fea is only known as an immenfe diffufion of waters, over which men pass from one country to another, and in which life is frequently loft. They have, therefore, no opportunity of tracing in their own thoughts, the descriptions of winding fhores, and calm bays, nor can look on the poem in which they are mentioned, with other fenfations than on a fea chart, or the metrical geography of Dionyfius. This defect Sannazarius was hindered from perceiving, by writing in a learned language to readers generally acquainted with the works of nature; but if he had made his attempt in any vulgar tongue, he would foon have difcovered how vainly he had endeavoured to make that loved, which was not understood. I am afraid it will not be found eafy to improve the pastorals of antiquity, by any great additions or diverfifications. Our defcriptions may indeed differ from those of Virgil, as an English from an Italian fummer, and, in fome refpects, as modern from ancient life; but as nature is in both countries nearly the fame, and as poetry has to do rather with the the paffions of men, which are uniform, than their customs, which are changeable, the varieties, which time or place can furnish, will be inconfiderable: and I fhall endeavour to fhew, in the next paper, how little the latter ages have contributed to the improvement of the rustick muse. NUMB. 37. TUESDAY, July 24, 1750. Canto que folitus, fi quando armenta vocabat, Such ftrains I fing as once Amphion play'd, VIRG. ELPHINSTON. N writing or judging of pastoral poetry, neither or the authors nor criticks of latter times feem to have paid fufficient regard to the originals left us by antiquity, but have entangled themselves with unneceffary difficulties, by advancing principles, which, having no foundation in the nature of things, are wholly to be rejected from a fpecies of compofition, in which, above all others, mere nature is to be regarded. It is therefore neceffary to enquire after fome more distinct and exact idea of this kind of writing. This may, I think, be eafily found in the paftorals of Virgil, from whose opinion it will not appear very safe to depart, if we confider that every advantage of nature, and of fortune, concurred to complete his pro ductions; ductions; that he was born with great accuracy and feverity of judgment, enlightened with all the learning of one of the brightest ages, and embellished with the elegance of the Roman court; that he employed his powers rather in improving, than inventing, and therefore must have endeavoured to recompenfe the want of novelty by exactnefs; that taking Theocritus for his original, he found pastoral far advanced towards perfection, and that having fo great a rival, he must have proceeded with uncommon caution. If we fearch the writings of Virgil, for the true definition of a paftoral, it will be found a poem in which any action or paffion is reprefented by its effects upon a country life. Whatfoever therefore may, according to the common courfe of things, happen in the country, may afford a fubject for a paftoral poet. In this definition it will immediately occur to thofe who are verfed in the writings of the modern criticks, that there is no mention of the golden age. I cannot indeed easily discover why it is thought neceffary to refer defcriptions of a rural ftate to remote times, nor can I perceive that any writer has confiftently preferved the Arcadian manners and fentiments. The only reafon, that I have read, on which this rule has been founded, is, that, according to the customs of modern life, it is improbable that fhepherds fhould be capable of harmonious numbers, or delicate fentiments; and therefore the reader muft exalt his ideas of the paftoral character, by carrying his thoughts back to the age in which the care of 5 herds herds and flocks was the employment of the wifeft and greatest men. These reasoners feem to have been led into their hypothefis, by confidering paftoral, not in general, as a representation of rural nature, and confequently as exhibiting the ideas and fentiments of thofe, whoever they are, to whom the country affords pleafure or employment, but fimply as a dialogue, or narrative of men actually tending fheep, and bufied in the lowest and most laborious offices; from whence they very readily concluded, fince characters must neceffarily be preserved, that either the fentiments must fink to the level of the fpeakers, or the speakers must be raised to the height of the sentitiments. In confequence of these original errors, a thoufand precepts have been given, which have only contributed to perplex and confound. Some have thought it neceffary that the imaginary manners of the golden age fhould be universally preserved, and have therefore believed, that nothing more could be admitted in pastoral, than lilies and rofes, and rocks and ftreams, among which are heard the gentle whispers of chafte fondness, or the foft complaints of amorous impatience. In paftoral, as in other writings, chastity of fentiment ought doubtlefs to be observed, and purity of manners to be reprefented; not because the poet is confined to the images of the golden age, but because, having the subject in his own choice, he ought always to confult the interest of virtue. Thefe These advocates for the golden age lay down other principles, not very confiftent with their general plan; for they tell us, that, to fupport the character of the fhepherd, it is proper that all refinement should be avoided, and that fome flight instances of ignorance fhould be interfperfed. Thus the fhephered in Virgil is fuppofed to have forgot the name of Anaximander, and in Pope the term Zodiack is too hard for a ruftick apprehenfion. But if we place our fhepherds in their primitive condition, we may give them learning among their other qualifications; and if we fuffer them to allude at all to things of later exiftence, which, perhaps, cannot with any great propriety be allowed, there can be no danger of making them fpeak with too much accuracy, fince they converfed with divinities, and tranfmitted to fucceeding ages the arts of life. Other writers, having the mean and despicable condition of a fhepherd always before them, conceive it neceffary to degrade the language of paftoral by obfolete terms and ruftick words, which they very learnedly call Dorick, without reflecting, that they thus became authors of a mangled dialect, which no human being ever could have spoken, that they may as well refine the speech as the fentiments of their perfonage, and that none of the inconfiftencies which they endeavour to avoid, is greater than that of joining elegance of thought with coarseness of diction. Spenfer begins one of his pastorals with ftudied barbarity; Diggon Davie, I hid her good-day : Dig. Her was her while it was day-light, VOL. IV. R What |