And Longinus, who was undoubtedly, after Ariftotle, the greatest Critick amongst the Greeks, in his twenty feventh Chapter wees, has judiciously preferr'd the fublime Genius that fometimes errs, to the middling or indifferent one which makes few Faults, but feldom or never rifes to any Excellence. He compares the first to a Man of large Poffeffions, who has not leifure to confider of every flight Expence, will not debase himself to the management of every Trifle: Particular Sums are not laid out or fpar'd to the greatest Advantage in his Oeconomy: But are fometimes fuffer'd to run to waste, while he is only careful of the Main. On the other fide, he likens the Mediocrity of Wit, to one of a mean Fortune, who manages his Store with extream Frugality, or rather Parfimony: But who with fear of running into Profufenefs, never arrives to the magnificence of Living. This kind of Genius writes, indeed, correctly. A wary Man he is in Grammar; very nice as to Soloecifm or Barbarism, judges to a Hair of little Decencies, knows better than any Man what is not to be written: And never hazards himself fo far as to fall: But plods on deliberately, and, as a grave Man ought, is fure to put his Staff before him: in fhort, he fets his Heart upon it; and with wonderful Care makes his Bufinefs fure: That is, in plain English, neither to be blam'd, nor prais'dI could, fays my Author, find out fome Blemishes in Homer: And am perhaps, as naturally inclin'd to be disgufted at a Fault as a nother Man: But, after all, to speak impartially, his Failings are fuch, as are only Marks of Human Frailty: They are little Miftakes, or rather Negligences, which have efcap'd his Pen in the fervor of his Writing; the Sublimity of his Spirit carries it with me against his Carelesness; And though Apollonius his Argonautes, and Theocritus his Eidullia, are more free from Errors, there is not any Man of fo falfe a Judgment, who would chufe rather to have been Apollonius or Theocritus, than Homer.

'Tis worth our Confideration, a little to examine how much thefe Hypercriticks of English Poetry, differ from the Opinion

Opinion of the Greek and Latin Judges of Antiquity: From the Italians and French who have fucceeded them; and, indeed, from the general Tafte and Approbation of all Ages. Heroick Poetry, which they contemn, has ever been esteem'd, and ever will be, the greatest Work of human Nature: In that Rank has Ariftotle plac'd it, and Longinus is fo full of the like Expreffions, that he abun dantly confirms the others Testimony. Horace as plainly delivers his Opinion, and particularly Praises Homer in thefe Verses.

Trojani Belli Scriptorem, Maxime Lolli,
Dum tu déclamas Roma, Pranefte relegi:

Qui quid fit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non,
Plenius ac melius Chryfippo & Crantore dicit.

And in another Place modeftly excluding himself from the Number of Poets, because he only writ Odes and Satyrs, he tells you a Poet is such an one,

Quotations are fuperfluous in an establish'd Truth. Otherwife I could reckon up amongst the Moderns, all the Italian Commentators on Ariftotle's Book of Poetry; and amongst the French, the greateft of this Age, Boileau and Rapin: The latter of which is alone fufficient, were all other Criticks loft, to teach anew the Rules of Writing. Any Man who will feriously confider the Nature of an Epick Poem, how it agrees with that Poetry in general, which is to Inftruct and to Delight; what Actions it defcribes, and what Perfons they are chiefly whom it informs, will find it a Work which indeed is full of difficulty in the Attempt, but admirable when 'tis well performed. I write not this with the leaft Intention to undervalue the other Parts of Poetry: For Comedy is both excellently Inftructive, and extreamly Pleafant: Satyr lafhes Vice into Reformation,

and

and Humor reprefents Folly, fo as to render it ridicu lous. Many of our prefent Writers are eminent in both thefe kinds; and particularly the Author of the Plain Dealer, whom I am proud to call my Friend, has oblig'd all honeft and virtuous Men, by one of the moft bold, moft general, and most useful Satyrs which has ever been prefented on the English Theatre. I do not difpute the Preference of Tragedy; let every Man enjoy his Tafte: But 'tis unjuft, that they who have not the least Notion of Heroick Writing, fhould therefore condemn the Pleasure which others receive from it, because they cannot comprehend it. Let them please their Appetites in eating what they like: But let them not force their Difh on all the Table. They who would Combat general Authority with particular Opinion, must first Eftablifh themselves a Reputation of Understanding better than other Men. Are all the Flights of Heroick Poetry, to be concluded Bombaft, Unnatural, and meer Madness, because they are not affected with their Excellencies? 'Tis just as reasonable as to conclude there is no Day, because a blind Man cannot diftinguish of Light and Colours. Ought they not rather, in Modefty, to doubt of their own Judgments, when they think this or that Expreffion in Homer, Virgil, Taffo, or Milton's Paradife, to be too far ftrain'd, than pofitively to conclude, that 'tis all Füftian, and meer Nonfenfe? "Tis true, there are Limits to be fet betwixt the Boldness and Rashness of a Poet; but he muft understand those Limits who pretends to judge, as well as he who undertakes to write: And he who has no liking to the whole, ought in reafon to be excluded from cenfuring of the Parts. He must be a Lawyer before he mounts the Tribunal: And the Judicature of one Court too, does not qualifie a Man to prefide in another. He may be an excellent Pleader in the Chancery, who is not fit to Rule the Common Pleas. But I will prefume for once to tell them, that the boldest Strokes of Poetry, when they are manag'd Artfully, are those which moft Delight the Reader.

Virgil and Horace, the feverest Writers of the fevereft Age, have made frequent ufe of the hardest Metaphors, and of the strongest Hyperboles: And in this cafe the beft Authority is the beft Argument. For generally to to have pleas'd, and through all Ages, must bear the Force of univerfal Tradition. And if you would appeal from thence to right Reason, you will gain no more by it in effect, than firft, to fet up your Reason against thofe Authors; and fecondly, against all those who have admir'd them. You must prove why that ought not to have pleas'd, which has pleas'd the most Learn'd, and the moft Judicious: And to be thought knowing, you muft firft put the Fool upon all Mankind. If you can enter more deeply, than they have done, into the Caufes and Reforts of that which moves Pleasure in a Reader, the Field is open, you may be heard: But thofe Springs of human Nature are not fo easily discover'd by every fuperficial Judge: It requires Philofophy as well as Poetry, to found the Depth of all the Faffions; what they are in themfelves, and how they are to be provok'd: And in this Science the best Poets have excell'd. Ariftotle rais'd the Fabrick of his Poetry, from oblervation of thofe things, in which Euripides, Sophocles, and fchylus pleas'd: He confider'd how they rais'd the Paffions, and thence has drawn Rules for our Imitation. From hence have fprung the Tropes and Figures, for which they wanted a Name, who first practis'd them, and fucceeded in them. Thus I grant you, that the Knowledge of Nature was the Original Rule; and that all Poets ought to Study her; as well as Ariftotle and Horace her Interpreters. But then this alfo undeniably follows, that those things which delight all Ages, must have been an Imitation of Nature; which is all I contend. Therefore is Rhetorick made an Art: Therefore the Names of fo many Tropes and Figures were invented: Because it was obferv'd they had fuch and fuch an Effect upon the Audience. Therefore Catachrefes and Hyperboles have found their Place amongst them; not that they were to be avoided, but to be us'd judiciously, and plac'd in Poe

try

try, as heightnings and fhadows are in Painting, to make the Figure bolder, and cause it to stand off to fight.

Nec retia Cervis

Ulla dolum meditantur; fays Virgil in his Eclogues: And fpeaking of Leander in his Georgicks,

Cacá noite natat ferus freta, quem fuper, ingens
Porta tonat Cæli, & fcopulis illifa reclamant

Equora:

In both of these you fee he fears not to give Voice and Thought to things inanimate.

Will you arraign your Mafter Horace, for his Hardness of Expreffion, when he describes the Death of Cleopatra ? and fays fhe did Afperos tractare ferpentes, ut atrum corpore combiberet venenum? because the Body in that Action, performs what is proper to the Mouth?

As for Hyperboles, I will neither quote Lucan, nor Statius, Men of an unbounded Imagination, but who often wanted the Poyze of Judgment. The Divine Virgil was not liable to that Exception; and yet he defcribes Polyphemus thus:

-Graditurque per aquor

Fam medium; nec dum fluctus latera ardua tingit.

In Imitation of this Place, our admirable Cowley thus paints Goliah,

The Valley, now, this Monster feem'd to fill;

And we, methought, look'd up to him from our Hill.

Where the two Words feem'd, and methought, have mollify'd the Figure: And yet if they had not been there, the fright of the Ifraelites might have excus'd their belief of the Giant's Stature.