Paftoral; but I am of opinion, that the redundancy of wit you mention, tho' tis what pleases 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 ak of the liberty of Borrowing; 'tis very evident the beft 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 so 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 those that wrote before him, that his thefts might not be discover'd. The best of the modern Poets in all languages, are those that have the nearest copied the Ancients. Indeed in all the common fubjects of Poetry, the thoughts are fo obvious (at least if they are natural) that whoever writes last muft write things like what have been faid before : But they may as well applaud the Ancients for the arts of eating and drinking, and accuse the moderns of having ftolen thofe inventions from them; it being evident in all fuch cafes, that whoever liv'd firft, must first find them out. 'Tis true, indeed, when unus et alter Affuitur pannus, when there are one or two bright thoughts ftolen, and all the rest is quite different from it, a poem makes a very foolish figure: But when 'tis all melted down together, and the Cold of the Ancients fo mix'd with that of the Moderns, that none can distinguish the one from the other, I can never find fault with it. I cannot how, ever but own to you, that there are others of a different opinion, and that I have fhewn your verfes to fome who have made that objection to them. I have fo much company round me while I write this, and fuch a noise in my ears, that 'tis impoffible I should write any thing but nonfenfe, fo must break off abruptly. I am, Sir, Your most affectionate, and most humble Servant. LETTER V. From Mr. WALSH. Sept. 9, 1706. AT my return from the North I received the favour of your letter, which had lain there till then. Having been absent about fix weeks, I read over your Paftorals again, with a great deal of pleafure, and to judge the better read Virgil's Eclogues, and Spenfer's Calendar, at the fame time; and, I affure you, I continue the fame opinion I had always of them. By the little hints you take upon all occafions to improve them, 'tis probable you will make them yet better against winter; tho' there is a mean to be kept even in that too, and a man may correct his verses till he takes away the true fpirit of them; efpecially if he fubmits to the correction of fome who pafs for great Critics, by mechanical rules, and never enter into the true defign and Genius of an author. I have feen, fome of thefe, that would hardly allow any one good Ode in Horace, who cry Virgil wants fancy, and that Homer is very incorrect. While they talk at this rate, one would think them above the common rate of mortals; but generally they are great admirers of Ovid and Lucan; and when they write themselves, we find out all the mystery. They fean their verfes upon their fingers; run after Conceits and glaring thoughts; their poems are all made up of Couplets, of which the firft may be laft, or the last first, without any fort of prejudice to their works; in which there is no defign, or method, or any thing natural or juft. For you are certainly in the right, that in all writings whatfoever (not poetry only) nature is to be followed; and we should be jealous of ourselves for being fond of Similes, Conceits, and what they call faying fine Things. When we were in the North, my Lord Wharton fhew'd me a letter he had receiv'd from a certain great General in Spain * ; I told him I would by all means have that General recall'd, and fet to writing here at home, for it was inpoffible that a man with so much Wit as he fhew'd, could be fit to command an Army, or do any other bufinefs t. As for what you fay of Expreffion; 'tis indeed the fame thing to Wit, as Drefs is to Beauty: I have feen many women over-drefs'd, and feveral look better in a careless night-gown, with their hair about their ears,than Mademoiselle Spanheim dress'd for a ball. I do not defign to be in London till towards the parliament: then I fhall certainly be there; and hope by that time you will have finish'd your Pastorals as you would have them appear in the world, and particularly the third, of Autumn, which I have not yet feen. Your laft Eclogue being upon the fame fubject as that of mine on Mrs. Tempeft's Death, I should take it very kindly in you to give it a little turn, as if it were to The Earl of Peterborow. Mr. Walsh's remark will be thought very innocent, when the reader is informed that it was made on the earl of Peterborow, just before the glorious campaigns of Barcelona and Valentia. the Memory of the fame Lady, if they were not written for fome particular Woman whom you would make immortal. You may take occafion to fhew the difference between Poets Miftreffes, and other mens. I only hint this, which you may either do, or let alone just as you think fit. I fhall be very much pleas'd to see you again in Town, and to hear from you in the mean time. I am, with very much esteem, LETTER VI. Your, etc. O&. 22, 1706. FTER the thoughts I have already fent you on the fubject of English Verfification, you defire my opinion as to fome farther particulars. There are indeed certain Niceties, which, tho' not much obferved even by correct verfifiers, I cannot but think, deserve to be better regarded. 1. It is not enough that nothing offends the ear, but a good Poet will adapt the very Sounds, as well as Words, to the thing he treats of. So that there is (if one may exprefs it fo) a Style of Sound. As in defcribing a gliding stream, the numbers should run eafy and flowing; in describing a rough torrent or deluge, fonorous and fwelling; and fo of the reft. This is evident every where in Homer and Virgil, and no where elfe, that I know of, to any obfervable degree. The following examples will make this plain, which I have taken from Vida, Molle viam tacito lapfu per levia radit. Telum imbelle fine i&tu, conjecit. Tolle moras, cape faxe manu, cape robora, Paftor. This, I think, is what very few obferve in practice, and is undoubtedly of wonderful force in imprinting the image on the reader: We have one excellent example of it in our language, Mr. Dryden's Ode on St. Cæcilia's day, entitled Alexander's Feaft. 2. Every nice ear muft (I believe) have obferv'd, that in any fmooth English verfe of ten fyllables, there is naturally a Paufe at the fourth, fifth, or fixth fyllable. It is upon these the ear refts, and upon the judi cious change and management of which depends the variety of verfification. For example, At the fifth. Where'er thy navy Spreads her canvas wings, At the fourth. Homage to thee and peace to all she brings. At the fixth.. Like tracks of leverets | in morning fnow. Now I fancy, that, to preferve an exact Harmony and Variety, the Paufe at the 4th or 6th should not be continued above three lines together, without the interpofition of another; elfe it will be apt to weary the ear with one continued tone, at leaft it does mine: That at the 4th runs quicker, and carries not quite so dead a weight, fo tires not fo much, tho' it be continued longer. 3. Another nicety is in relation to Expletives, whether words or fyllables, which are made ufe of purely to fupply a vacancy: Do before verbs plural is abfolutely fuch; and it is not improbable but future refiners may explode did and d'ses in the fame manner, which are almoft always ufed for the fake of rhyme. 'The fame caufe has occafioned the promiscuous afe of |