Cur ego, fi nequeo ignoroque, poëta falutor? Verfibus exponi tragicis res comica non vult. - 90 Et tragicus plerumque dolet fermone pedeftri. 95 Telephus aut Peleus, cum pauper er exul uterque, Projicit ampullas et fefquipedalia verba, Si curat cor fpectantis tetigiffe querelâ. Non fatis eft pulchra effe poëmata; dulcia funto, Et quocunque volent, animum auditoris agunto. 100 Ut ridentibus arrident, ita flentibus adflent Humani vultus; If, marking nicer fhades, I mifs my aim, A comick incident loaths tragick ftrains: 130 135 140 And angry Chremes ftorms in fwelling vein : 145 Or elfe, what bofom in his grief takes part, 'Tis not enough that Plays are polish'd, chafte, Or trickt in all the harlotry of taste, 150 They must have passion too; beyond controul Transporting where they please the hearer's foul. With those that smile, our face in fmiles appears ; With those that weep, our cheeks are bath'd in tears: 105 fi vis me flere, dolendum eft Primum ipfi tibi: tunc tua me infortunia lædent. Telephe, vel Peleu, male fi mandata loqueris, Aut dormitabo, aut ridebo: triftia mæftum Vultum verba decent; iratum, plena minarum; Ludentem, lafciva; feverum, feria dictu. Format enim Natura prius nos intus ad omnem Fortunarum habitum; juvat, aut impellit ad iram, Aut ad humum moerore gravi deducit, et angit: 110 Poft effert animi motus interprete linguâ. Si dicentis erunt fortunis abfona dicta, Romani tollent Equites peditefque chachinnum. 115 Intererit multum, Divufne loquatur, an heros; Maturufne fenex, an adhuc florente juventâ Fervidus; an matrona potens, an fedula nutrix; Mercatorne vagus, cultorne virentis agelli; Colchus, To make me grieve, be firft your anguish shown, Peleus, and Telephus! unless your style Anger in menace fpeaks, and words of fire; 155 160 Or brings it to the ground by forrow's heavy strokes ; 165 Then of the joys that charm'd, or woes that wrung, And speak a language foreign to his fate, Romans fhall crack their fides, and all the town 170 Join, horse and foot, to laugh th' impoftor down. Juft Dialogue, to every speaker fit, 175 Colchus, an Affyrius; Thebis nutritus, an Argis. Aut famam fequere, aut fibi convenientia finge, Scriptor. Homæreum fi forte reponis Achillem, 120 Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer, Jura neget fibi nata, nihil non arroget armis. Si quid inexpertum fcenæ committis, et audes 125 Perfonam formare novam; fervetur ad imum Qualis ab incepto procefferit, et fibi conftet. Difficile eft propriè communia dicere: tuque Rectius Iliacum carmen deducis in actus, Quàm fi proferres ignota indictaque primus. 130 Publica materies privati juris erit, fi Unde |