MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS,

ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΘΟΥ Σ:

OR,

Of the ART of

SINKING in POETRY.

Written in the Year 1727.

CHAP. I.

T hath been long (my dear countrymen) the

my

have com

as numberless poets, critics and orators, piled and digefted the art of ancient poefy, there hath not arifen among us one person so public-fpirited, as to perform the like for the modern. Although it is univerfally known, that our everyway induftrious Moderns, both in the weight of their writings, and in the velocity of their judgements, do so infinitely excel the faid Ancients.

Nevertheless, too true it is, that while a plain. and direct road is paved to theirs, or fublime, no track has been yet chalked out, to arrive at our Bus, or Profound. The Latins, as they came between the Greeks and us, make use of the word altitudo,

altitudo, which implies equally height and depth. Wherefore, confidering with no fmall grief, how many promifing geniufes of this age are wandering (as I may fay) in the dark without a guide, I have undertaken this arduous but neceffary tak, to lead them as it were by the hand, and step by step, the gentle down-hill way to the Bathos; the bottom, the end, the central point, the non plus ultra of true modern poefy!

When I confider (my dear countrymen) the extent, fertility, and populoufnefs of our lowlands of Parnaffus, the flourishing state of our trade, and the plenty of our manufacture, there are two reflections which adminifter great occafion of furprife: the one, that all dignities and honours hould be bestowed upon the exceeding few meagre inhabitants of the top of the mountain; the other, that our own nation fhould have arrived to that pitch of greatness it now poffeffes, without any regular fyftem of laws. As to the first, it is with great pleasure I have obferved of late the gradual decay of delicacy and refinement among mankind, who are become too reasonable to require that we fhould labour with infinite pains to come up to the tafte of these Mountaineers, when they without any may condefcend to ours. But as we have now an unquestionable majority on our fide, I doubt not but we shall shortly be able to level the Highlanders, and procure a farther vent for our own product, which is already fo much relished, encouraged, and rewarded, by the nobility and gentry of Great Britain.

Therefore, to fupply our former defect, I purpofe to collect the fcattered rules of our art into

regular inftitutes, from the example and practice of the deep geniufes of our nation; imitating herein my predeceilors the master of Alexander, and the fecretary of the renowned Zenobia. And in this my undertaking I am the more animated, as I expect more fuccefs than has attended even thofe great critics; fince their laws (though they might be good) have ever been flackly executed, and their precepts (however ftrict) obeyed only by fits, and by a very small number.

At the fame time I intend to do justice upon our neighbours, inhabitants of the upper Parnaffus; who, taking advantage of the rifing ground, are perpetually throwing down rubbish, dirt, and ftones upon us, never fuffering us to live in peace. Thefe men, while they enjoy the crystal stream of Helicon, envy us our common water, which (thank our ftars), though it is fomewhat muddy, flows in much greater abundance. Nor is this the greatest injustice that we have to complain off: For though it is evident that we never made the least attempt or inroad into their territories, but lived contented in our native fens; they have often not only committed petty larcenies upon our borders, but driven the country, and carried off at once whole cartloads of our manufacture; to reclaim fome of which ftolen goods is part of the defign of this Treatise.

For we fhall fee, in the courfe of this work, that our greatest adverfaries have fometimes defcended towards us, and doubtless might now and then have arrived at the Bathos itself, had it not been for that mistaken opinion they all entertained, that the rules of the ancients were equally neceffary to

the

the moderns; than which there cannot be à more grievous error, as will be amply proved in the following difcourse.

gone

And indeed when fo far, of these have any as by the light of their own genius to attempt new models, it is wonderful to obferve, how nearly they have approached us in those particular pieces: though in their others they differed toto calo from us.

CHA P. II.

That the Bathos, or Profound, is the natural tafle of man, and, in particular, of the prefent age.

THE

HE tafte of the Bathos is implanted by nature itself in the foul of man; till, perverted by cuftom or example, he is taught, or rather compelled to relish the fublime. Accordingly we fee the unprejudiced minds of children delight only in fuch productions, and in fuch images, as our true modern writers fet before them. I have observed how fast the general tafte is returning to this first fimplicity and innocence; and if the intent of all poetry be to divert and inftruct, certainly that kind which diverts and inftructs the greatest number, is to be preferred. Let us look round among the admirers of poetry, we fhall find those who have a tafte of the Sublime to be very few; but the Profound trikes univerfally, and is adapted to every capacity. 'Tis a fruitless undertaking to write for men of a nice and foppish gufto, whom, after all, it is almoft impoffible to pleafe; and it is ftill more chimerical to write for pofterity, of whose

E5

whose tafte we cannot make any judgment, and whofe applause we can never enjoy. It must be confeffed our wiser authors have a prefent end,

Et prodeffe volunt et delectare poeta.

Their true defign is profit or gain; in order to acquire which, it is neceffary to procure applause, by adminiftering pleasure to the reader: From whence it follows demonftrably, that their productions must be fuited to the present taste. And I cannot but congratulate our age on this peculiar felicity, that though we have made indeed great progrefs in all other branches of luxury, we are not yet debauched with any high relish in poetry, but are in this one tafte lefs nice than our ancestors. If an art is to be eftimated by its fuccefs, I appeal to experience whether there have not been, in proportion to their number, as many starving good poets as bad ones.

Nevertheless, in making Gain the principal end of our art, far be it from me to exclude any great geniuses of rank or fortune from diverting themfelves this way. They ought to be praised no less than thofe princes, who pafs their vacant hours in fome ingenious mechanical or manual art. And to fuch as thefe, it would be ingratitude not to own, that our art has been often infinitely indebted.

CHAP.