Nocte pluit tota, redeunt spectacula mane;Divisum imperium cum Jove Cæsar habet.The Show'rs brought on the Night, the Shews the Day:ThusJoveandCæsarbear an equal Sway.
Nocte pluit tota, redeunt spectacula mane;Divisum imperium cum Jove Cæsar habet.
The Show'rs brought on the Night, the Shews the Day:ThusJoveandCæsarbear an equal Sway.
And the Inscription by a Modern design'd for the Palace of the late King ofFrance:
Non orbis gentem, non urbem gens habet ullam,Urbsve domum, dominum nec domus ulla, parem.The world no Realm, no Realm a City sees,No City House, no House a Lord like this.
Non orbis gentem, non urbem gens habet ullam,Urbsve domum, dominum nec domus ulla, parem.
The world no Realm, no Realm a City sees,No City House, no House a Lord like this.
In which, tho' there is not that witty Turn which is usually reckon'd essential to Epigram; yet the Climax is so finely work'd up, that it well deserves the great Praises that have been given it. There are other Epigrams of the Love Kind; as the following one in the Anthology ofItalianPoets:
Me lætis Leonilla oculis, me Lydia torvisAspicit; hæc noctem nuntiat, illa diem.Has Cytherea meo stellas præfecit amori;Hæc meus est Vesper, Lucifer illa meus.One with a sleepy, one a smirking Ray,Fuscathe Night foretels,Lucythe Day.Venusordain'd, that each by Turns shou'd move,The Morning, and the Ev'ning Star of Love.
Me lætis Leonilla oculis, me Lydia torvisAspicit; hæc noctem nuntiat, illa diem.Has Cytherea meo stellas præfecit amori;Hæc meus est Vesper, Lucifer illa meus.
One with a sleepy, one a smirking Ray,Fuscathe Night foretels,Lucythe Day.Venusordain'd, that each by Turns shou'd move,The Morning, and the Ev'ning Star of Love.
Here, indeed, we have the trueFormandShapeof an Epigram, it has all theAppearanceof Wit and Elegance; but I fear it offends against right Reason and Nature. Some there are, upon various Circumstances or Events, which are scarce reducible to anyClass. As this ofMartial, upon the CityRavenna, where there is a great Scarcity of Water:
[218]Callidus imposuit nuper mihi caupo Ravennæ;Cum peterem mixtum, vendidit ille merum.By aRavennaVintner once betray'd,So much for Wine and Water mixt I paid.But when I thought the purchas'd Liquor mine,The Rascal fob'd me off with only Wine.Addison.
[218]Callidus imposuit nuper mihi caupo Ravennæ;Cum peterem mixtum, vendidit ille merum.
By aRavennaVintner once betray'd,So much for Wine and Water mixt I paid.But when I thought the purchas'd Liquor mine,The Rascal fob'd me off with only Wine.Addison.
And upon the Boy whose Throat was cut with an Icicle.
[219]Quid non sæva sibi voluit Fortuna licere?Aut ubi mors non est, si jugulatis, aquæ?What various Deaths are we decreed to feel,If Waters poignard like the stubborn Steel?[220]
[219]Quid non sæva sibi voluit Fortuna licere?Aut ubi mors non est, si jugulatis, aquæ?
What various Deaths are we decreed to feel,If Waters poignard like the stubborn Steel?[220]
And thisGreekEpigram:
Χρυσον ανηρ ἑυρων ελιπε βροχον, αυταρ ὁ χρυσον.Ον λιπεν ουχ ἑυρων, ἡψευ ον ἑυρε βροχον.The Noose just tying,Cottafound a Purse,}The Rope serv'dStrephon, who, by Fate's Reverse,}Had lost the Gold,—to one a Blessing, one a Curse.}
Χρυσον ανηρ ἑυρων ελιπε βροχον, αυταρ ὁ χρυσον.Ον λιπεν ουχ ἑυρων, ἡψευ ον ἑυρε βροχον.
The Noose just tying,Cottafound a Purse,}The Rope serv'dStrephon, who, by Fate's Reverse,}Had lost the Gold,—to one a Blessing, one a Curse.}
Here, again, the true Spirit of Epigram seems wanting; we have no Point of Wit, but only a plain Narration of Fact. But still, the Words are so elegantly opposed to each other, and in so short a Compass, that we shall scarce meet with any Thing which exceeds it. While I am speaking of the different Subjects of Epigram, I would observe, that Religion is sometimes one. And as nothing is sosuitable to Poetry as theMarvellous, nothing can afford more Matter for it than theChristianReligion, which so much abounds with Miracles. I shall shew, perhaps, hereafter, how well adapted it is for Poems of the highest Kind, when I come to speak ofsacred Poetry; but how proper a Subject it is for Epigram, is self-evident. For tho' these sort of Verses are often ludicrous, and trifling; yet they sometimes breathe a Spirit of Sublimity, every way becoming them. There are many ofMartialof this Kind. That, for Instance, to the EmperorDomitian, upon his erecting to himself a triumphal Arch, and a Temple to Fortune:
[221]Hic, ubi Fortunæ Reducis fulgentia lateTempla nitent, felix area nuper erat.Hic stetit, Arctoi formosus pulvere belli,Purpureum fundens Cæsar ab ore jubar.Hic lauro redimita comas, & candida cultu,Roma salutavit voce, manuque, ducem.Grande loci meritum testantur & altera dona;Stat sacer, edomitis gentibus, arcus ovans.Hic gemini currus numerant elephanta frequentem;Sufficit immensis aureas ipse jugis.Hæc est digna tuis, Germanice, porta triumphis;Hos aditus urbem Martis habere decet.Here late a happy Plain, where shines the DomeSacred toFortune safe conducting home.Here stopt greatCæsar, in his ruddy Car,With Dust resplendent of the northern War;WhileRomewith White bedeck'd, and Laurels crown'd,With eager Voice and Hand her Genius own'd.Here stands (for such the Merit of the Place)An Arch Triumphant o'er theDacianRace.Two Chariots, drawn by Elephants, proclaimHis double Conquest, and their double Shame.In Gold both Teams he reins with equal Hand,Alone sufficient for the wide Command.Portals like this, greatCæsar, well becomeThe Mistress of the World, and Lord ofRome.
[221]Hic, ubi Fortunæ Reducis fulgentia lateTempla nitent, felix area nuper erat.Hic stetit, Arctoi formosus pulvere belli,Purpureum fundens Cæsar ab ore jubar.Hic lauro redimita comas, & candida cultu,Roma salutavit voce, manuque, ducem.Grande loci meritum testantur & altera dona;Stat sacer, edomitis gentibus, arcus ovans.Hic gemini currus numerant elephanta frequentem;Sufficit immensis aureas ipse jugis.Hæc est digna tuis, Germanice, porta triumphis;Hos aditus urbem Martis habere decet.
Here late a happy Plain, where shines the DomeSacred toFortune safe conducting home.Here stopt greatCæsar, in his ruddy Car,With Dust resplendent of the northern War;WhileRomewith White bedeck'd, and Laurels crown'd,With eager Voice and Hand her Genius own'd.Here stands (for such the Merit of the Place)An Arch Triumphant o'er theDacianRace.Two Chariots, drawn by Elephants, proclaimHis double Conquest, and their double Shame.In Gold both Teams he reins with equal Hand,Alone sufficient for the wide Command.Portals like this, greatCæsar, well becomeThe Mistress of the World, and Lord ofRome.
And in another Place, uponPompeyand his Sons:
[222]Pompeios juvenes Asia atque Europa, sed ipsumTerra tegit Libyes, si tamen ulla tegit:Quid mirum, toto si spargitur orbe? jacereUno nun potuit tanta ruina loco.AsiaandEuropePompey's Sons contain,Himself, if buried, lies inAfric's Plain.Nor wonder, if throughout the Globe are hurl'dThe mighty Ruins which once shook the World.
[222]Pompeios juvenes Asia atque Europa, sed ipsumTerra tegit Libyes, si tamen ulla tegit:Quid mirum, toto si spargitur orbe? jacereUno nun potuit tanta ruina loco.
AsiaandEuropePompey's Sons contain,Himself, if buried, lies inAfric's Plain.Nor wonder, if throughout the Globe are hurl'dThe mighty Ruins which once shook the World.
If it be ask'd in what the Nature of Epigram in general consists; I reply, Acuteness and Facetiousness are its chief Characteristicks. It ought not to be mix'd, but uniform; to tend only to one Point, which is always to be express'd with Strength and Poignancy in the last Verse. This is above all to be regarded: If the last Verse be flat and languid, or faulty in any Respect, it spoils the whole, how beautiful soever the several Parts are.
This, I say, is, in general, the Nature of Epigrams; to which, however, there are, perhaps, some few Exceptions, that are not so remarkable for their Acuteness and Facetiousness, as for their Softness and Delicacy, or some other Elegance. I have given Instances of one or two already; whether they are to be look'd upon as Epigrams, or to be class'd under some other Species of Poetry, I am little sollicitous. It is certain, there are some short beautiful Poems which cannot come within this Denomination; several inMartial, particularly, and many which you, Gentlemen, compose for your Lent Exercisesupon philosophical Subjects; which, as they have already gain'd you great Reputation, so would they farther extend it, if a judicious Collection of them were publish'd[223]. The greatest Part of these are true Epigrams, witty and facetious. Some are Descriptions, Allusions, or poetical Fictions, elegant and beautiful, by whatever Name they are call'd, matters not. No one, I think, could justly object to you, that you affected a barren Subject for Poetry, the better to shew the Strength of your Parts, and Liveliness of your Invention; like a certain Monarch, who industriously chose a Place for his stately Fountains, incapable of having Water brought to it but at a prodigious Expense, only that he might leave a Monument of the Greatness of his Power and Magnificence: For as different as Poetry and Philosophy may seem to be, the one affords abundant Matter for the other, by furnishing the Mind with a Variety of Ideas, and diverting it continually into new Channels.
ElogiumsandInscriptionsare to be reduced to this Head, andEpitaphslikewise; the Elegance of which chiefly consists in an expressive Brevity. They should not have so much as one Epithet, properly so called; nor two Words synonymous. Some of these are true Metre, others are something between Prose and Verse, without any set Measure, but the Words perfectly poetical[224].
These little Compositions are often very beautiful: And I might add to themEmblems, orSymbols; bywhich I mean certain Figures, painted or cut, metaphorically expressing some Action, with an imperfect Sentence at Bottom, which in some measure explains the Sense of the Device, but leaves the Reader to supply the rest. The Painting is call'd the Body of the Emblem, the Sentence at Bottom, the Soul of it. These are Compositions purely poetical, and are often full of Thought and Elegance, I may add, of poetical Action too. A certainFrenchWriter[225](and among theFrenchthis Invention is in most Esteem) has writ a long and accurate Dissertation upon Emblems; wherein he has precisely defin'd their Nature, explain'd their different Species, laid down Rules for their Composition, and for distinguishing the true from the false; and, lastly, has produc'd Variety of Examples of them. I shall lay before you one Instance from him, that you may the better judge both of their Nature and Elegance. To express the Secresy of the King ofFrance's Counsels, as well as the terrible Effects of them to his Enemies, the Sun was represented behind a Cloud, with this half Verse at Bottom:
—Tegiturque, parat dum fulmina.——Conceal'd while he prepares his Bolts.
—Tegiturque, parat dum fulmina.——
Conceal'd while he prepares his Bolts.
This is an Invention which I take to be modern, entirely unknown to the Ancients. And tho' theFrenchAuthor I just mention'd may (according to the Genius of his Nation) attribute, perhaps, more to it than it deserves; yet it certainly deserves its Praise, for Elegance and Ingenuity.
But to return to Epigrams: Whatever you write,be short. Those, perhaps, are the best, which don't exceed eight Lines; for the rest, theycannot be too short. This Rule, however, I don't propose as a general one. Some Epigrams may be beautiful, tho' longer; one of which I have already cited in this Discourse.
As to the Verse; inLatin(for of that Language I here principally speak) Hexameter and Pentameter are the most proper, tho' others are not to be excluded; for Iambics and Hendecasyllables are frequently made use of.
Many of the Hendecasyllable Poems are rather Odes than Epigrams: Some seem to be of a mix'd Nature; and Poetry has nothing more beautiful than both.Catullusis reckon'd the Prince in this Kind of Writing, whom others, both Ancients and Moderns, have very happily imitated, and some, perhaps, excell'd. The Nature of them consists in being lax and free, in chusing light Subjects, especially those of Love; and sometimes serious ones, as Epitaphs, and the like. It is always soft and sweet, full of tender Diminutives, and of Repetitions of the same Verse at proper Distances.
Whether the Ancients or Moderns have deserv'd best of these light Kinds of Poetry, but especially of Epigram, is hard to say. It is certain, the latter have a Turn of Wit which the former were Strangers to; but still I dare not decide the Preference. But leaving that Dispute, we shall all agree in this common Maxim,Inest sua gratia parvis; Little Things have their Beauty; and sometimes not a little Beauty. Tho' they are small in Bulk, yet they are great in Value; and not only Wit and Ingenuity are requir'd in the Composition of them, but true Reason, and solid Judgment:
[226]In tenui labor, at tenuis non gloria.——Slight is the Subject, but not so the Praise.Pope.
[226]In tenui labor, at tenuis non gloria.——
Slight is the Subject, but not so the Praise.Pope.
Sometimes the Pains requir'd in this Kind of Composition is very great; but then they are always repaid by it. To which we may often apply whatVirgilsays of the Bees:
[227]Ingentes animos augusto in pectore versant.Their little Bodies mighty Souls inform.
[227]Ingentes animos augusto in pectore versant.
Their little Bodies mighty Souls inform.
This is a Subject, which, if I am not mistaken, very few have largely treated of.Scaliger, indeed, and some others, have just mention'd it, and made some short Strictures upon it: But no one, that I know of, exceptVossius, of the better Sort of Writers, have writ a professed Dissertation of this Species of Poetry, tho' it is the sweetest, the most engaging, and every way worthy our Consideration. Who the Inventor was,Horaceprofesses himself ignorant:
[228]Quis tamen exiguos elegos emiserit Auctor,Grammatici certant; & adhuc sub judice lis est.But to whose Muse we owe that Sort of Verse,Is undecided by the Men of Skill.Roscom.
[228]Quis tamen exiguos elegos emiserit Auctor,Grammatici certant; & adhuc sub judice lis est.
But to whose Muse we owe that Sort of Verse,Is undecided by the Men of Skill.Roscom.
Nor is this an Enquiry of much Moment. Under the Title of Elegy, is generally and primarily understood a mournful Poem, bewailing the Loss of some Person lately dead; and sometimes has any other melancholy plaintive Circumstance for its Subject.Scaligercalls it a Poem proper forComplaints:
[229]——NeumiserabilesDecantes elegos;
[229]——NeumiserabilesDecantes elegos;
saysHorace, addressing himself toTibullus, the best of Eleglic Writers. This appears clear enough, from the Etymology of the Word; either from ελεος, or (as others more justly) from ι, a Particle of Grief, and λεγειν tospeak;not from εν λεγειν, as some have ill judg'd, because, forsooth, we generally speak in Praise of whose Deaths we lament. It is certain, this Sort of Poem was anciently, and from its first Origin, made use of at Funerals. That, therefore, of one famous Elegiac Poet upon the Death of another, of equal Fame, ofOvid, I mean, onTibullus, deserves, in the most proper Sense, this Title: The Writer himself observes as much, in the following Lines:
[230]Flebilis indignos Elegeia solve capillos;Ah! nimis ex vero nunc tibi nomen erit.In wild Disorder let thy Tresses flow,Thy Name now too much verify'd by Woe!
[230]Flebilis indignos Elegeia solve capillos;Ah! nimis ex vero nunc tibi nomen erit.
In wild Disorder let thy Tresses flow,Thy Name now too much verify'd by Woe!
By which Words, however, he intimates, that some other Poems, besides Funeral ones, went under the Name of Elegies.Horaceis very express:
[231]Versibus impariter junctis querimonia primum,Post etiam inclusa est voti sententia compos.In VerseslongandshortGrief first appear'd,In those they mourn'd past Ills, and future fear'd:But soon these Lines with Mirth and Joy were fill'd,And told when Fortune, or a Mistress smil'd.Creech.
[231]Versibus impariter junctis querimonia primum,Post etiam inclusa est voti sententia compos.
In VerseslongandshortGrief first appear'd,In those they mourn'd past Ills, and future fear'd:But soon these Lines with Mirth and Joy were fill'd,And told when Fortune, or a Mistress smil'd.Creech.
From whence we learn, that Deaths are not the only Subjects of Elegy, but that by Degrees it was employ'd upon other Things that had nothing mournful in them, nay, that turn'd upon Gaiety and Festivity.Ovid's Books of Love, the Poems ofTibullusandPropertius, are entitledElegies; and yet so far are they from being sad, that they are sometimes scarce serious.Ovid, particularly, takes too great a Liberty in this Kind of Poem, and lets his Joy break out to Excess. But if we look back to the Original, both of the Name and Thing, we shall find that Writings of this Sort are styledElegiesonly in an improper Sense of the Word. One and the same Title, therefore, was indiscriminately given to Poems on different Subjects, but which agreed in their Verse, and Manner of Writing.
The chief Subjects to which Elegy owes its Rise, are Death and Love: The Connexion between which, it is not my Business here to examine. The Writings of the Poets, I have above mention'd, chiefly consist of Love; tho' Elegies admit almost of any Matter, especially if it be treated of seriously. The Contempt of Riches, the Pleasures of the Country, are in great measure the Subject of them, in which a little Love is generally interspers'd. Some, but few, inTibullusandPropertius, have nothing of Death or Love; which, however, have been always the chief Subjects of this Kind of Poem. That Elegy, therefore, ought to be esteem'd the most perfect in its Kind, which has somewhat of both at once: Such, for Instance, where the Poet bewails the Death of hisCorinna, hisDelia, orLycoris, or of some Youth or Damsel falling a Martyr to Love. Among the Love Elegies, those are to be placed next, which are full of that melancholy Complaint which Lovers seldom want Matter for. Yet there are some of a very different Temper; but which, as I observ'd before, are improperly rank'd in the Number of Elegies. Some, again, are full of Joy and Triumph: As inOvid,
[232]Ite triumphales circum mea tempora lauri.Triumphant Laurels, round my Temples twine.
[232]Ite triumphales circum mea tempora lauri.
Triumphant Laurels, round my Temples twine.
Others satirical: As that of the same Poet, where, describing an old Woman, he breaks out into these Imprecations against her:
[233]Dii tibi dent nudosque lares, inopemque senectam,Et longas hyemes, perpetuamque sitim.May'st thou with Poverty and Age be curst,The Length of Winter, and the Summer's Thirst.
[233]Dii tibi dent nudosque lares, inopemque senectam,Et longas hyemes, perpetuamque sitim.
May'st thou with Poverty and Age be curst,The Length of Winter, and the Summer's Thirst.
Others are jocose in different Ways, Instances of all which we meet with inOvid.
Many Elegies are writ in the Epistolary Manner, as is obvious, to every one that has but the least Knowledge of the Poets I have now cited. Under this Head, therefore,Ovid'sHeroineEpistles (as they are usually call'd, from their being writ by Ladies of Prowess and Renown) come very properly to be mention'd, since they partake of the Nature of Elegy, not only on account of their Verse, but Sentiment. They are deservedly esteem'd the best Part of that Poet's Works; as his BookDe Tristibus, tho' the truest Elegies, are the worst. Nothing can have a more delicate Turn than some of these Epistles. I have given Instances of this elsewhere; and have no need of repeating them here, or producing new ones. HisHeroineEpistles differ from his Elegiac in this, that the former are fictitious, and personate the Character of some one or other mention'd in fabulous History; the latter are address'd, in the Poet's own Name, to his Friends of either Sex. Setting aside this Circumstance, and that of their Length, there is very little Difference between them. To return, therefore, to Elegy, according to the common Acceptation of the Word; its chiefProperty is to be easy and soft; to flow in one even Current, and captivate the Ear with Melody. It must be free from all Asperity, from every Thing that is harsh, or unpleasant. For, asPropertiussweetly expresses it:
[234]Carmina mansuetus lenia quærit Amor.Soft flow the Lines that gentle Love indites.
[234]Carmina mansuetus lenia quærit Amor.
Soft flow the Lines that gentle Love indites.
And nothing is often more harmonious than Complaints; the Music of Birds is said by the Poets to be expressive of them, as inOvid:
[235]Et latere ex omni dulce queruntur aves.And all aroundThe Birds return a sweetly plaintive Sound.
[235]Et latere ex omni dulce queruntur aves.
And all aroundThe Birds return a sweetly plaintive Sound.
How vocal are Tears, how moving poetic Grief! HearTibullusthus bewailing his Sickness in a foreign Land:
[236]Ibitis Ægæas sine me, Messala, per undas,O! utinam memor es ipse, cohorsque, mei!Me tenet ignotis ægrum Phæacia terris;Abstineas avidas, mors modo nigra, manus.Abstineas, mors atra, precor; non hic mihi mater,Quæ legat in mœstos ossa perusta sinus:Non soror, Assyrios cineri quæ dedat odores,Et fleat effusis ante sepulchra comis.While you,Messala, tempt th'ÆgæanSea,I am prevented to attend your Way.But Oh! I wish you still may condescendTo bear a kind Remembrance of your Friend.Oppress'd with Sickness, wearied out with Pains,Phæaciame in unknown Lands detains,Sick, and a Stranger, in a foreign Land.Black Death, withdraw thy dire capacious Hand;Black Death, keep off, I pray, no Mother hereCan gather up this Dust with pious Care:No Sister here with decent Grief can come}To please my Shade, and, off'ring rich Perfume,}With flowing Hair lament before my Tomb.}Dart.
[236]Ibitis Ægæas sine me, Messala, per undas,O! utinam memor es ipse, cohorsque, mei!Me tenet ignotis ægrum Phæacia terris;Abstineas avidas, mors modo nigra, manus.Abstineas, mors atra, precor; non hic mihi mater,Quæ legat in mœstos ossa perusta sinus:Non soror, Assyrios cineri quæ dedat odores,Et fleat effusis ante sepulchra comis.
While you,Messala, tempt th'ÆgæanSea,I am prevented to attend your Way.But Oh! I wish you still may condescendTo bear a kind Remembrance of your Friend.Oppress'd with Sickness, wearied out with Pains,Phæaciame in unknown Lands detains,Sick, and a Stranger, in a foreign Land.Black Death, withdraw thy dire capacious Hand;Black Death, keep off, I pray, no Mother hereCan gather up this Dust with pious Care:No Sister here with decent Grief can come}To please my Shade, and, off'ring rich Perfume,}With flowing Hair lament before my Tomb.}Dart.
HearOvidthus lamenting the Death of the same Poet, which follow'd from that Sickness. He speaks to Elegy:
[237]Ille tui Vates operis, tua fama, Tibullus,Ardet in extructo corpus inane rogo.Ecce Puer Veneris fert eversamque pharetram,Et fractos arcus, & sine luce facem.Aspice, demissis ut eat miserabilis alis,Pectoraque infesta tundat aperta manu.Thy Poet, and Promulger of thy Fame,Tibullusburns upon the Fun'ral Flame.With Torch extinct, and Quiver downward born,SeeCupid, once sincere! attend his Urn.Now beats his Breast, his tender Hands now wrings,Broken his Shafts, and pendulous his Wings.
[237]Ille tui Vates operis, tua fama, Tibullus,Ardet in extructo corpus inane rogo.Ecce Puer Veneris fert eversamque pharetram,Et fractos arcus, & sine luce facem.Aspice, demissis ut eat miserabilis alis,Pectoraque infesta tundat aperta manu.
Thy Poet, and Promulger of thy Fame,Tibullusburns upon the Fun'ral Flame.With Torch extinct, and Quiver downward born,SeeCupid, once sincere! attend his Urn.Now beats his Breast, his tender Hands now wrings,Broken his Shafts, and pendulous his Wings.
While the one dies thus, while the other so laments his Death, how justly are they both render'd immortal? They that thus write, and thus deserve Elegies, are such as least need them. SomeDescriptionsin Elegy are not less affecting; as of the Elysian Fields, in the same Passage ofTibullus:
[238]Hic choreæ, cantusque vigent; passimque vagantesDulce sonant tenui gutture carmen aves.Fert casiam non culta seges, totosque per agrosFloret odoratis terra benigna rosis.Ac juvenum series, teneris immista puellis,Ludit, & assidue prælia miscet Amor.There Songs perpetual charm the list'ning Ear,}Whilst all the feather'd Wand'rers of the Air,}To join the Sound, their warbling Throats prepare.}Cassia from ev'ry Hedge unbidden breathes,And to the Gales its fragrant Sweets bequeaths;The bounteous Earth its purple Product yields,And od'rous Roses paint the blushing Fields:There Trains of blooming Youths, and tender Maids,Sport on the Green, and wanton in the Shades;While busy Love attends them all the Way,Joins in the Conflict, and provokes the Fray.Dart.
[238]Hic choreæ, cantusque vigent; passimque vagantesDulce sonant tenui gutture carmen aves.Fert casiam non culta seges, totosque per agrosFloret odoratis terra benigna rosis.Ac juvenum series, teneris immista puellis,Ludit, & assidue prælia miscet Amor.
There Songs perpetual charm the list'ning Ear,}Whilst all the feather'd Wand'rers of the Air,}To join the Sound, their warbling Throats prepare.}Cassia from ev'ry Hedge unbidden breathes,And to the Gales its fragrant Sweets bequeaths;The bounteous Earth its purple Product yields,And od'rous Roses paint the blushing Fields:There Trains of blooming Youths, and tender Maids,Sport on the Green, and wanton in the Shades;While busy Love attends them all the Way,Joins in the Conflict, and provokes the Fray.Dart.
With this Kind of Poem, every Thing that is epigrammatical, satirical, or sublime, is inconsistent. Elegy aims not to be witty or facetious, acrimonious or severe, majestic or sublime; but is smooth, humble, and unaffected; nor yet is she abject in her Humility, but becoming, elegant, and attractive.
Among our modern Poems, we have few entitled Elegies; those only that are made on Funeral Occasions: But we have many that may be call'd so, in the larger Sense of the Word, as it was used by the Ancients, and we have above explain'd it: Many very ingenious ones on Love; and others of a melancholy and soft Turn.
Among the Ancients, Hexameters and Pentameters were so peculiar to Elegy, that this Kind of Metre is usually styledElegiac; nor is any more soft, or more harmonious. Instead of it, we, in our own Tongue, use the Heroic.
The Writers in this Way that Antiquity has handed down to us, are all inLatin. Some there were more early among theGreeks, asCallimachus,Philetas, and others; the Fragments only of whose Writings have been sav'd from the Wreck of Time.They that would know which they are, may consult the learnedVossius, and others; it being beside my Purpose to enquire into Facts and History.
Among theLatins,Ovid,Tibullus, andPropertius, bear the first Rank; with whomCatullusis sometimes join'd: But not so properly, his Merit being chiefly in his Hendecasyllables, and some other wanton Verses, and his elegant Poem on the Argonautic Expedition. There is nothing of his Elegiacal, except the Measure of some of his Verses; and they so uneven, that they scarce deserve the Name of Verse; so rough, that they cannot be read without Offence to the Ear, nay, to the very Teeth.Ovidis generally reckon'd, and that deservedly, the first in this Class, no one having equall'd his Numbers, nor exceeded his Diction. I submit it only, for it is a Matter of Doubt, whetherTibullusis not less diffuse, and more correct. There is one Fault inOvid, which is unpardonable, his perpetual and nauseous Repetition ofmei,tui, andsui, in the last Foot of his Pentameters. How much more beautiful would they have been, if this Fault had been avoided, which might have been done with little Care. And yet a sixth Part, at least, are so terminated, than which, nothing can be more lifeless and insignificant.TibullusandPropertiusrarely fall into this Fault, but into another, especially the latter of them, from whichOvidis free; I mean the concluding the Pentameter with Words of three or more Syllables; whereas Harmony requires a Word of no more than two. One Writer in this Way it would be unpardonable to pass over, tho' we have little remaining of him, if he is the same (as it is probable he is not) with him to whomVirgilhas given Immortality by mentioning him in his Works: For immortal, sure, he must needs be, of whom the best of immortal Poets has given this Eulogy:
[239]Pierides, vos hæc facietis maxima Gallo,Gallo, cujus amor tantum mihi crescit in horas, &c.You shall forGallusdignify this Verse,Gallus, for whom my Friendship grows each Hour.
[239]Pierides, vos hæc facietis maxima Gallo,Gallo, cujus amor tantum mihi crescit in horas, &c.
You shall forGallusdignify this Verse,Gallus, for whom my Friendship grows each Hour.
This fromVirgil's Eclogues, which Species of Poetry will be the Subject of our next Discourse.
This, also, is another Species of Poetry, not professedly treated of by any of the Ancients, nay, not so much as mention'd amongst their various Precepts relating to this Art. The laterLatinCritics have bestow'd some Pains upon it; but our modern ones, of the present Age, much more; and (to speak my own Judgment, which I shall always be ready to submit to better) seem to have attributed too much Honour to it, and to have rais'd more Dust, than the Importance of the Subject deserv'd. Not but that I think it a very elegant Kind of Writing, and every Way worthy of Imitation. As it is now incumbent on me to say somewhat of it, agreeably to my present Design, I shall put together what I think most material relating to it, without making any Difference between what I have advanced new, or others have observed before me.
In the first Ages of the World, before Men were united in Cities, and had learnt the studied Arts of Luxury, they lead in the Country plain harmless Lives; and Cottages, rather than Houses, might be said to be their Habitation. Those happy Times abounded with Leisure and Recreation: To feed the Flock, and cultivate the Land, was the only Employ of its peaceable Inhabitants; the former thejoint Care of the Women and the Men. Hence arose abundant Matter for Love and Verse. Nay, when the World was grown older, and Mankind so numerous, that they began to secure themselves in Walls, and to introduce what we call a more civil Life, yet still Shepherds and Husbandmen maintain'd their primitive Honour. Country Affairs, but especially the Care of the Flock, was not only the Labour of the Vulgar, but the Exercise of the Rich and Powerful, nay, of Princes of either Sex. This appears sufficiently, from sacred History, in the Example ofJacob,Rachel,Moses, and the other Patriarchs: From the Testimony of Heathen Writers; as in that ofVirgil,
[240]Nec te pœniteat pecoris, divine Poeta,Et formosus oves ad flumina pavit Adonis.Them, heav'nly Poet, blush not thou to own:Ev'n fairAdonisdid not scorn to tendAlong the River's Side his fleecy Care.
[240]Nec te pœniteat pecoris, divine Poeta,Et formosus oves ad flumina pavit Adonis.
Them, heav'nly Poet, blush not thou to own:Ev'n fairAdonisdid not scorn to tendAlong the River's Side his fleecy Care.
And in another Place, to omit other Instances:
[241]Quem fugis, ah! demens? habitarant Dii quoque silvas,Dardaniusque Paris.Whom fly'st thou, thoughtless? Gods have liv'd in Woods;AndTrojan Paris.
[241]Quem fugis, ah! demens? habitarant Dii quoque silvas,Dardaniusque Paris.
Whom fly'st thou, thoughtless? Gods have liv'd in Woods;AndTrojan Paris.
From what has been said, it is easy to see the Origin ofPastorals. It appears to have been a very ancient Species of Poetry, tho' I can by no means agree withScaliger[242], in thinking it the oldest, which is anHonour I shall hereafter shew to be due to the Lyric Kind, Shepherds, 'tis true, were the first Poets; but Odes and Hymns, not Pastorals, were their original Compositions. However, Pastorals, as I said, are undoubtedly of very great Antiquity; and theSong of Solomonin sacred Writ comes under this Denomination; from whence, 'tis very observable,Theocritushas borrow'd literally many Expressions; making use of the Version of the Seventy-two, with whom he was cotemporary.
The Nature of this Kind of Poem is to be sweet, easy, and flowing, and simple beyond all others: And yet not so humbly simple, (which is a common Mistake) as if it represented only the Characters of poor ignorant Shepherds, and the Thoughts of modern Rustics. The Scene, indeed, of Bucolics (for that is another Name for Pastorals, the former derived from the Herds, as the latter from the Flocks, that are the different Objects of the rural Care) ought always to be laid in the Country. Nor ought it to be diversify'd with any Thing repugnant to such a Situation; nay, Views, and little Descriptions of Lawns and Groves, ought always to be interspers'd in these Poems, whatsoever the Subject of them be. Yet there may be a Mixture of Images of a different Kind, and much elevated above the Apprehension of the Vulgar.Virgil, therefore, is very undeservedly censured by many for having introduced Philosophy, and even somewhat of the Sublime, into his Eclogues: For since, as we observ'd, many of the ancient Shepherds were Persons, I need not say of the better, but even of the first Rank, it is no great Wonder if some of them were Scholars, and Philosophers.'Tis a Mistake to say thatVirgil's fourth and fifth Eclogues are not Pastorals; and that nothing sublime, but every Thing simple and rustic, is compatible with this Kind of Poetry. They are Pastorals, undoubtedly; tho' of a different Kind from the common ones. There is a certain Sublimity, agreeable enough to Pastorals; a Sublimity that arises from Philosophy and Religion, not from the Tumults of War, the Pomps of a Court, or the Refinements of the City. I don't see, therefore, why that divine Eclogue;Sicelides Musæ, &c. (divine I may call it, on many Accounts) should not be allow'd a Place among the Pastorals. The rural Muses are invok'd; the Woods are celebrated; many Things expresly relate to the Country, and nothing repugnant to it. The Subject, indeed, is great; the Words and Thoughts sublime; sublimer, I may say, than the Poet himself was aware of. For it is the Opinion of the most learned Divines, to which I very readily adhere, that he by happy Error celebrates from the Sibylline Oracles the Birth ofChrist, which was then approaching; and it is evident, that many of the Lines describe the Nature of the Messias, and of his Kingdom, in Terms of near Affinity with the sacred Writings[243]. And nothing, surely, could be more proper, than that the Prince of Poets should promulge that joyful News in Pastorals, which was first proclaim'd from Heaven to Shepherds. That Objection drawn from the Invention of War and Ships, both which the Poet touches upon in the following Lines, is of little Moment.
[244]Alter erit tum Tiphys, & altera quæ vehat ArgoDelectos heroas; erunt etiam altera bella,Atque iterum ad Trojam magnus mittetur Achilles.AnotherTiphyso'er the Main shall waftThe chosen Chiefs, anotherArgoguide;New warlike Expeditions shall be form'd,And greatAchillessail again forTroy.
[244]Alter erit tum Tiphys, & altera quæ vehat ArgoDelectos heroas; erunt etiam altera bella,Atque iterum ad Trojam magnus mittetur Achilles.
AnotherTiphyso'er the Main shall waftThe chosen Chiefs, anotherArgoguide;New warlike Expeditions shall be form'd,And greatAchillessail again forTroy.
These are only incidental Ornaments of the Poem, not properly the Subject of it. Now it is impossible that the Argonautic Expedition, so famous throughout the World, should be unknown to Shepherds of Birth and Education. And as little probable is it, that they should be ignorant of theTrojanWar, occasion'd by one of their own Profession. It is repugnant, indeed, to Pastorals, to turn wholly upon warlike Affairs; but it is a very different Thing to bring them in only as Embellishments. This is what may be justly pleaded for all the Eclogues ofVirgil, where Arms are mentioned; excepting only the tenth:
[245]Nunc insanus amor duri me Martis in armisTela inter media, atque adversos detinet hostes.Now frantic Love amidst thick Darts and FoesDetains me in the rigid Toil of Arms.
[245]Nunc insanus amor duri me Martis in armisTela inter media, atque adversos detinet hostes.
Now frantic Love amidst thick Darts and FoesDetains me in the rigid Toil of Arms.
Which, I confess, raises in me some Difficulty; because the Speaker introduc'd is manifestly a Soldier. But it must be observ'd, that he does not at the same Time personate a Shepherd, as is manifest, from his Speech to theArcadians, when he expresses his Envy of their happy Retirement:
[246]Atque utinam è vobis unus, vestrique fuissemAut custos gregis, aut maturæ vinitor uvæ.O had kind Fortune made me one of you,Keeper of Flocks, or Pruner of the Vine.
[246]Atque utinam è vobis unus, vestrique fuissemAut custos gregis, aut maturæ vinitor uvæ.
O had kind Fortune made me one of you,Keeper of Flocks, or Pruner of the Vine.
Had he beenone of them, he would have join'd two contradictory Ideas; for a Shepherd in Arms, whocould have born? But if it be ask'd, Why then is the chief Person in the Pastoral drawn of a very different Character from Pastoral; it is sufficient to answer, ThatVirgilso thought fit; and there is nothing absurd, or unnatural, in such a Conduct. For the State of the Case is no more than this:Gallus, engag'd in Camps, happens to fall in Love, and retires to the Solitude of the Country, to give vent to his Passion. Shepherds, Nymphs,Sylvanus,Pan, and evenApollohimself, lend their kind Endeavours to asswage it. Thus far every Thing is natural, elegant, and truly pastoral. And the whole Poem is of the same Nature, excepting only the two Verses I have now cited. Leave out these, and evenGallus's Complaint is perfectly rural, and all the Thoughts drawn from the Country. In short, so far am I from assenting to those Critics who would exterminate this from the Number of Pastorals, that I would place it the very first of all. The sixth Eclogue ofVirgil, which I just now mention'd, is full of Philosophy and Religion: And that's a sort of Sublime, which, I before observ'd, was very consistent with Pastoral. The fourth I have likewise spoke to. The rest of them are Pastoral, without any Objection; tho' the Etymology of the WordEclogueby no means implies it; which signifies no more thanSelect Poems upon any Subject whatsoever. The WordIdylliumis as little expressive ofPastorals, nor are allTheocritus's such: It is deriv'd fromeidos, Species; and the WordIdylliaimports no more thanPoems of various Sorts.
It must be own'd, however, that the greatest Essential in Pastoral isSimplicity; and that these Lines have much less of the Nature of it,