CONCLUSION.

[477]Qui quid sit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non,Plenius, ac melius Chrysippo, & Crantore dicit.Who has what's base, what's decent, just and good,Clearer thanCrantor, orChrysippusshow'd.Creech.

[477]Qui quid sit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non,Plenius, ac melius Chrysippo, & Crantore dicit.

Who has what's base, what's decent, just and good,Clearer thanCrantor, orChrysippusshow'd.Creech.

"The Reason whyPoetsexcelPhilosophersin this Respect is, that every Sort ofPoemis anImitation. Now Imitation is extremely natural, and pleases every Body; and therefore nothing is more likely to engage the Passions, and the Attention, of an Audience. Besides, Imitation is Instruction by Examples, and Examples are the most proper Methods of Persuasion; because they prove that such or such a Thing is feasible. In short, Imitation is so much the Essence of Poetry, that the Art it self, asAristotleinforms us, owes its very Original to it. AndHoracerecommends it very particularly to the Poet, which he is forming:

[478]Respicere exemplar vitæ, morumque, jubeboDoctum imitatorem, & veras hinc ducere voces.Those are the likeliest Copies, which are drawnBy th' Original of Human Life.Roscommon.

[478]Respicere exemplar vitæ, morumque, jubeboDoctum imitatorem, & veras hinc ducere voces.

Those are the likeliest Copies, which are drawnBy th' Original of Human Life.Roscommon.

"But tho' thePoetsbecomemoral Philosophers, they do not cease to beDivines; on the contrary,theMoralitythey treat of, does indispensably oblige them to have a Vein of Theology run thro' all their Works: Because the Knowledge, the Fear, and the Love of God, in a Word, Piety and Religion are the chief, and most solid Foundations or the other Virtues, and of allMorality.

ThePresence of the Deity, and the Superintendence which so august a Cause has over the Action, obliges thePoetto represent thisActionas great, important, and manag'd byKingsandPrinces. HenceHorace:

[479]Res gestæ regumque, ducumque.To write of great Commanders, and of Kings.Roscommon.

[479]Res gestæ regumque, ducumque.

To write of great Commanders, and of Kings.Roscommon.

Upon the same Account he is oblig'd to think and speak in an elevated Way, above the Vulgar, and in a Style that may, in some Measure, keep up the Character of the divine Persons he introduces. To this End serves the poetical and figurative Expression, and the Majesty ofHeroic Verse. AsHoraceagain:

[480]—Cui mens divinior atque osMagna sonaturum, des nominis hujus honorem.No, he alone can claim that Name, that writesWith Fancy high, and bold and daring Flights.Creech.

[480]—Cui mens divinior atque osMagna sonaturum, des nominis hujus honorem.

No, he alone can claim that Name, that writesWith Fancy high, and bold and daring Flights.Creech.

"But all this being divine and marvellous, may quite ruin allProbability, without which an Action is not likely to persuade. Therefore the Poet should take special Care, as to this Point, since his chief Business is to instruct Men, andform them to Virtue.

"To all this thePoetsare oblig'd, by the very Nature of these Things, which they propose for the Subjects of their Poems and Instructions. The Manner of teaching them usefully and methodically, has likewise oblig'd them to add several other Rules.

"Epic Poetry is directed to theMoralsand theHabits, rather than thePassions. These rise on a sudden, and their Heat is soon over; but theHabitsare more calm, and come on, and go off more leisurely: Therefore theEpic Actioncannot be contain'd in one single Day, as theDramatic. It must have a longer, and more just Space allow'd it, than the Action ofTragedy, which is directed to thePassions.

"This Distinction makesTragedyandEpicdiffer very much: The Violence ofTragedyrequires a great deal more lively and brisk Representation than a bareRecital. It is all Action, the Poet never speaks, as he does inEpic, where there are no Actors.

"But if, in this Respect,Epicis inferior toTragedy, yet it is superior both toPhilosophyandHistory; because it is a great deal more active than barePhilosophy, and the Recitals ofHistory: And tho' it does not, likeTragedy, represent the Action to the Eyes of the Spectators, yet it ought, more frequently thanHistory, to break off the Narration, by intermixing the Speeches of the Persons represented. ThisAristotledirects, when he says, thatthe Narration of Epic ought to be dramatic,i.e.active." [I differ from the learned Author in the Meaning of this Passage, and agree withDacier, as I said before: But it is a Matter of no great Moment. The Speeches of the Persons may beincludedin this Rule ofAristotle's; but it seems more applicable to theFable, which is theMatterofthe Poem, than to theForm, which is the Way of representing it. ButBossuadds,]

"Epichas, likewise, itsPassions, which give it no small Advantage overPhilosophyandHistory; but in this it is still inferior toTragedy: For tho' it has a Mixture of all thePassions, yetJoyandAdmirationare the most essential to it. These, indeed, contribute most towards the making us wise Men:AdmirationandCuriosityare the Cause ofSciences; and nothing engages the Mind so forcibly asPleasure; so that these two Passions must never be wanting in a Work invented with a View to teach us what we are indispensably oblig'd to know.

"To conclude: Because Precepts ought to be concise, that they may be more easily understood, and more strongly retain'd in the Memory; and because nothing can be more effectual to this Purpose than the proposing one single Idea, and collecting all Things so well together, that they may be present to the Mind at once; thePoetshave reduc'd all to one single Action, under one and the same Design, and in a Body whose Members and Parts should be homogeneous. Hence arise two ofHorace's Rules: The one,

[481]Quicquid præcipies, esto brevis, ut cito dictaPercipiant animi dociles, teneantque fideles.Let all your Precepts be succinct and clear,That ready Wits may comprehend them soon.Roscom.

[481]Quicquid præcipies, esto brevis, ut cito dictaPercipiant animi dociles, teneantque fideles.

Let all your Precepts be succinct and clear,That ready Wits may comprehend them soon.Roscom.

the other,

[482]Denique sit quod vis simplex duntaxat, & unum."Be what you will, so you be still the same.Roscom.

[482]Denique sit quod vis simplex duntaxat, & unum."

Be what you will, so you be still the same.Roscom.

This isBossu's Account of the Origin and Nature of Epic Poetry.

Thirty-first Lecture.

Under this Head there is very little Room to make any Comparison between the Ancients and the Moderns; for these latter Ages have scarce produc'd any Thing that deserves the Name of an Epic Poem. We know our Countryman, Mr.Dryden's Judgment, about a Poem ofChaucer's, truly beautiful, indeed, and worthy of Praise; namely, that it was not only equal, but even superior to theIliadandÆneid: But we know, likewise, that his Opinion was not always the most accurate, nor form'd upon the severest Rules of Criticism. What was in Hand, was generally most in Esteem; if it was uppermost in his Thoughts, it was so in his Judgment too. I am sure, the Opinion is too monstrous to deserve a serious Refutation. But even among the Ancients themselves, if you exceptHomerandVirgil, you will scarce find one that is truly an Epic Poet. The heroic Laurels are due to them only; nor has the World produc'dtwo more such Heroes, no, nor one. How far a Comparison is to be made between this immortal Pair, and what, in my Opinion, is to be determin'd,with Regard to their different Merits, I have declar'd at large in another Place[483], and given some Reasons for my Sentiments; namely, thatVirgilis much indebted toHomer; but thatHomer's Works are inferior toVirgil's.

The Poems ofLucanandSilius Italicus, are rather historical, than heroic; their Actions arereal, notfictitious;particular, notuniversal: But partake, in some Measure, of the Nature of Epic; as they are Poems of a considerable Length, express'd in Narration, and written in Heroic Verse; each of them have their Heroes; the Thoughts and Language are sublime, or they would have us think so, and there are some Degrees of Fiction interwoven with Truth. They are reducible, therefore, to this Class, and their Authors have a Right to be mention'd in it.Lucan, however liable to Censure in some Things, is, upon the whole, far from being amean Writer, and deserves a very considerable Character. He is sometimes harsh, and over-stoical; sometimes cold, and too nearly allied to Prose; and, again, on the other Hand, he is swelling, bombast, and affects a Way of Expression ridiculously lofty; and yet, in many Things, very elegant and sublime, and full of an heroic Spirit. As toSilius Italicus,Pliny, in one of his Epistles[484], has given the following Character:Scribebat carmina majore cura, quam ingenio. Virgilii natalem, religiosius quam suum, celebrabat; Neapoli maxime, ubi monumentum ejus adire, ut templum, solebat"He wrote Verses with more Pains, than Genius; he observ'dVirgil's Birth-Day more religiously than his own, especially atNaples, where he us'd to frequent his Monument as if it had been a Temple." And since he lov'dVirgilso passionately, that he almost ador'd him, it is strange he should not have come nearer to his Style. The same may be said ofLucan. How much unlike toVirgil's! It is, also, as evident, thatStatiusrather admir'dVirgilthan imitated him. He therefore says very justly,

[485]—Nec tu divinam Æneida tenta.

But what follows is not so well:

Sed longe sequere, & vestigia semper adora.

For this, with an Appearance of Modesty, insinuates, that he follow'dVirgil: But at how great a Distance! with what unequal Steps! How unlike is his Way of Writing, and Thinking! But evenStatiusis not without his Beauties, tho' his Poem is not properly Epic; for the Heroes of hisThebaisare too much upon a Level, no one is superior to the rest; and, besides, there are two Actions, one unfortunate; andthe other happy.Tassois, indeed, truly heroic, and has justly attain'd no small Esteem. But, to pass by other Particulars, he is too full of Magic, Enchantments, Machinery, and aerial Personages. Of the same Fault our CountrymanSpenceris still more remarkably guilty, who treads almost perpetually upon enchanted Ground, and the greatest Part of whose Characters are Fairies, Ghosts, Magicians and Giants. He is all over Allegory, pursues not one Action but several, and such as have so little Relation to each other, that it is difficult to see any Connection. But, in other Respects, this most ingenious Writer was born a Poet, if any one ever was. If we consider his Versification, and especially his Copiousness of Invention, he is justly celebrated, among the Poets of the first Class.

IfMiltondid not write an Heroic Poem, properly so call'd, yet he certainly wrote an excellent one, such as deserves, or rather is above all Commendation. He is no slavish Imitator ofHomerandVirgil, he opens a Way entirely new, and entirely his own: In Fruitfulness of Invention, Sublimity of Genius, in the Weight and Lustre of his Thoughts and Words, and, lastly, in the Perfection of his Judgment, he is, perhaps, equal to either of them, tho' he wrote in a Language much inferior to both theirs, especiallyHomer's; and is particularly much less correct thanVirgil. Let other Moderns imitateMilton, by imitatingHomerandVirgilless: Let them improve and form themselves, as much as possible, by their Genius, their Judgment, and their Way of Writing and Thinking: To do this, is to imitate; but to transcribe their Poems, or, at least, a great Part of them, into their own, is not Copying, but Stealing.

[486]Nec circa vilem, patulumque moraberis orbemNec verbum verbo curabis reddere, fidusInterpres.

Nor think it essential to an Heroic Poem, to describe the Anger of some great General, the Return of a King into his own Country, a Colony transplanted from one Region to another, the Description ofÆolia, and the Winds, the solemn Celebration of Funeral Games, a Descent into Hell, or a Hero furnish'd with celestial Armour: But rather avoid these, and many other Subjects, which are treated of byHomerandVirgil; and for that very Reason, because they are so. Whoever attempts an Heroic Poem, must form a new Plan, and guard against the Stroke ofHorace's Satire:

[487]O imitatores, servum pecus.

Let him strike out with that noble and daring Spirit ofLucretius;

[488]Avia Pieridum peragro loca, nullius anteTrita solo; juvat integros accedere fontes,Atque haurire; juvatque novos decerpere flores,Insignemque meo capiti petere inde coronam,Unde prius nulli velarunt tempora Musæ.I feel, I rising feel poetic Heats,And now inspir'd, trace o'er the Muses Seats,Untrodden yet: 'Tis sweet to visit firstUntouch'd and Virgin Streams, and quench my Thirst.I joy to crop fresh Flow'rs, and get a Crown,For new and rare Inventions of my own.So noble, great, and gen'rous, the Design,}That none of all the mighty tuneful Nine}E'er grac'd a Head with Laurels like to mine.}Creech.

I feel, I rising feel poetic Heats,And now inspir'd, trace o'er the Muses Seats,Untrodden yet: 'Tis sweet to visit firstUntouch'd and Virgin Streams, and quench my Thirst.I joy to crop fresh Flow'rs, and get a Crown,For new and rare Inventions of my own.So noble, great, and gen'rous, the Design,}That none of all the mighty tuneful Nine}E'er grac'd a Head with Laurels like to mine.}Creech.

Besides the Writers I have mention'd, there are many others of an heroical Genius, tho' they never wrote an Heroic Poem. Among theLatius,Claudian, a Writer of the middle Age, is the most eminent; upon whose Beauties and Defects I have already made a few Observations: And among those of our own Country, the late Mr.Dryden; besides others now alive, who, for that Reason, cannot so well be mention'd without Offence.

I have now gone through the several Particulars I propos'd to treat of in the Course of these Lectures: What I have too lightly touch'd upon, or entirely omitted, I leave to my Successors to discuss more fully, who will supply my Defects, and correct my Errors. Nothing now remains, but to return to you, Gentlemen, my heartiest Thanks, and to testify my sincerest Wishes for your Prosperity. I should quit this Office with more Regret, did I not consider, that, at any Time, to have receiv'd Marks of your Favour, will for ever remain to me those of Honour. Nothing is in my Power to return for them, but my most ardent Prayers for the Welfare of this University, that as it daily receives fresh Ornaments in Buildings, so it may make new Acquisitions (if there is Room for any) in Learning and Virtue, and in its Reputation for both; and that you may be as secure from the Attempts, as you are above the Reproaches of your Enemies. And, surely, unless we are much deceiv'd in our Hopes, and our Wishes biass us with too fond Credulity, we may esteem as fresh Omens of our Happiness, those numerous Towers that rise sacred to the Muses, even in the most difficult Times; insomuch, that if we retire from the University but a few Months, we are almost Strangers to it upon our Return, and verify the old Saying, tho' from a very different Reason,Oxonium quærimus in Oxonio, we seek forOxfordwithin her own Walls. It is amazing, then, that Men, who boast of the greatest Zeal for their Country, should hate and despise that which is the distinguishing Ornament of it. It would be blind Partiality in us, if, in other Respects, we pretended to excel the whole Earth. Brave, aswe are, yet so are theFrench, so theGermans. Are we powerful by Sea, and rich in Commerce? theDutchare also: And it would be the Height of Arrogance, to claim to ourselves the Laurels, in Point of Learning and Ingenuity. But that theEnglishUniversities are not to be parallel'd, is the Confession and Admiration of all the World: Even one of them, the less of the Two, I need not say equals, but exceeds all Foreign Ones together. This Glory is our peculiar Property, which yet some endeavour to extinguish, who would be thought strenuous Defenders of their Country. If you ask me the Reason for it, I know of none but what the old Saying inTerencesupplies me with,Mala mens, malus animus, Bad Principles produce bad Designs. To such I wish true Repentance. As to myself, Words are too weak to express the Sentiments of my Heart for that Candour and Affection with which you have honour'd me with your Attendance, have pardon'd my Mistakes, and accepted my weak Endeavours. May theOxfordMuses flourish, for ever flourish, more and more; and may you, the Encouragers and Promoters of them, go on to promote them, and, by your Increase in Poetry, and all other Arts and Sciences, in Virtue and Learning, afford to Poets perpetual Subjects of Praise.

F I N I S.

Addenda & Corrigenda.

Page 15.l.3.Vossius's Definition is short as it makes the Essence of Poetry consist solely in Imitation.Add this Note, The Author ofObservations on Poetry occasioned by the late Poem on Leonidas,p. 71.finds the same Fault withAristotle; who "by this, says he, excludes all descriptive Poetry; and accordingly he (Aristotle) directs the epic poet to introduce his characters, and write in dialogue, as much as possible, for this reason, that when the poet speaks himself, he is not an imitator.Platohas more justly distinguish'd, that some kinds of Poetry consist wholly in imitation, as tragedy and comedy; some in narration only, where the poet speaks in his own person, as odes; whereas some, as the epic, contain a mixture of both." For my Part, I cannot think it any great Violence put upon Words to allow thatDescriptionorNarrationisImitation. It is certainAristotleuses the WordImitationin this Sense,c. 3.και ναρ ιν τοιϛ αυ τοιϛ και αιτα μιμε αθ αι ισιν, οτι μεν απαγρελλο, η ἑτιρον τε γιγιομενσιϛ,A Poet may imitate the same Things either by Narration, or by assuming the Character of some other Person: Andc. 22, 23. he distinguishes περι τηϛ οιτε ορθτειν μιμησιωϛ, and περι τηϛ δραγεαστικηϛ, betweenDramatic Imitation, andNarrative: andc. 2. & 4. he mentions theDithyrambicsandNomi, Hymns in Honour ofBacchusandApollo, and other Odes, as Instances of Poetic Imitation. Now, I need not observe, that if in these Hymns and Odes, Actions, asDaciercontends, wereimitatedby Description or Narration, other Things may likewise. Nay Plato himself has omitteddescriptivePoetry, as well asAristotleif it is not included undernarrative.

But still, if it is, the ingenious Author will not allow it to beImitation, upon the Authority ofPlato.Now as toPlato,Dan. Heinsiuslong since observed, that tho', with Dr.Pemberton, he sometimes speaks ofImitationas aSpeciesof Poetry, yet at other times he agrees withAristotle, in making it theGenus. In short, these two Philosophers are agreed, that All Poetry is Imitation; but Dramatic Imitation, or that which is supported by Dialogue, is more peculiarly so.

Next let us see if Dr.Pemberton's own Account of Poetry will not lead us to thinkDescriptionto beImitation. He observes,p. 75.That it is the peculiar Office of the Poet, in Opposition to the Prose-writer,to exhibit continually sensibleImagesof things. NowImagesare surelyLikenessesorImitations; and whether these are the genuine Images of the Poet's Subject, or adventitious ones fetch'd in to illustrate it, still 'tis all Imagery:Imitationis his distinguishing Character. Again,p. 98. he observes,The language of comedy receives its poetic Air not by departing from the ordinary forms of speech, but by keeping more close to them. So that where we almost lose Sight of Poetry, the Traces of it are preserved by Imitation. Upon the whole 1. we seePlatoandAristotleuse Imitation in a larger Sense than Dr.Pembertonwas aware of; and 2. the Doctor naturally falls into the Sentiments of both, while he opposes one of them.

Vossius, it seems, andDaciergo farther, and suppose thatAristotlemakesPoetry consist in the Imitation ofActionsonly. But the Words,c. 2.as Dr.Trappobserves, very well bear another Sense, ιπειδη μιμενται ον μιμουμενοι πορθονταϛ, &c.Since Imitators, or Poetsimitate Actions, i.e. as well as other things; or possibly thus, joining ποθιτδοιδαϛ to μιμουμενοι,since those that imitate Actions are Imitators,—such Actions, he goes on,must be either good or bad.

As toDacier, I cannot well make him consistent with himself:Aristotle, says he,c. 2. rem. 1.lays it down as an undoubted Principle, thatAllthose that imitate, imitate Actions; and indeed it is so, for there is nothing else but Actions which can be imitated. And yet uponAristotle's saying that Music is Imitation, he observes, thatwhatever employs means to shew and representany Subjectas naturally as may be, whether itDoes Really Existor no, is called Imitation. Does he byActionsabove meanEffects?Aristotle, it must be own'd, instances in Actions as the Objects of Poetic Imitation, being to treat of Epic and Dramatic Poetry particularly. But he ascribes the Rise of Poetry in general to the Desire of Imitation, and the Pleasure we take in comparing the Likeness of Copies with their Originals. And this Faculty surely is exercised not only in viewing the Description of a Man, but of a Mountain; not only in representing the Conflicts of Passion, but

A painted Meadow and a purling Stream.

P. 154. l. 10, 11, r.thus

TartuffeinEnglishfreely I resign;The Excrement is his, the Food was mine.

P. 303. l. 2.add this Note, I make no Doubt, but for ιπαγγελιαϛ the former being never used forNarration, the latter more than once byAristotle, asc. 2. απαγγελιαϛ, andc. 6. ὁτε μεν απαγγελλοντα

P. 333. Note † change [thus]Bossudistinguishes very clearly, and to the same Purpose with Dr.Trapp, between the Narration the Poet himself makes, and that which he represents the Hero to make. In the former View, the Action of theOdysseetakes up Eight Years and six Months, and theÆneidalmost seven Years. But in the latter,Bossureduces theOdysseyto fifty eight Days; and theÆneiseither to a Year and somewhat more, or else to a single Campaign, beginning where Dr.Trappdoes. SeeBossuBook II. ch. xviii. and Book III. c. xii.

Just Published.

Selectæ e profanis Scriptoribus Historiæ, quibus admista sunt varia honeste vivendi Præcepta, ex iisdem Scriptoribus deprompta. Editio altera.

Mons.Rollin, in hisMethod of Studying the Belles Lettres, Vol. I, p. 84, concludes a very advantageous Character of this Work in the following Words:

"I know of no Book, which may be more useful, and at the same time more agreeable to Youth. It contains excellent Principles of Morality, collected with great Order and Judgment, with very affecting Passages of History upon every Article."

Transcriber Notes:1. All footnotes are treated the same. The above reference to symbols and letters no longer applies.2. All footnotes are simply in numerical order.3. The relatively arbitrary use of capitals letters by the author throughout the text, is preserved, as is the original spelling.4. In TOC, corrected secondLECTURE XIIItoLECTURE XVI5. The changes indicated by the followingERRATAhave been made to the text.

Transcriber Notes:

1. All footnotes are treated the same. The above reference to symbols and letters no longer applies.

2. All footnotes are simply in numerical order.

3. The relatively arbitrary use of capitals letters by the author throughout the text, is preserved, as is the original spelling.

4. In TOC, corrected secondLECTURE XIIItoLECTURE XVI

5. The changes indicated by the followingERRATAhave been made to the text.

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