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places; not confidering that Nature loves Truth fo well, that it hardly ever admits of flourishing. Conceit is to Nature, what Paint is to Beauty; it is not only needlefs, but impairs what it would improve. There is a certain Majefty in Simplicity, which is far above all the Quaintnefs of Wit; infomuch that the Critics have excluded it from the loftiest Poetry, as well as the loweft; and forbid it to the Epic no less than the Pastoral. I fhould certainly difpleafe all those who are charmed with Guarini and Bonarelli; and imitate Taffo not only in the Simplicity of his Thoughts, but in that of the Fable too. If furprifing difcoveries fhou'd have place in the ftory of a Paftoral Comedy, I believe it wou'd be more agreeable to Probability to make them the effects of Chance than of Defign; Intrigue not being very confiftent with that Innocence, which ought to conftitute a Shepherd's Character. There is nothing in all the Aminta (as I remember) but happens by meer accident; unless it be the meeting of Aminta with Sylvia at the Fountain, which is the contrivance of Daphne; and even that is the most fimple in the world. The contrary is obfervable in Paftor Fido, where Corifca is fo perfect a Mistress of Intrigue, that the Plot cou'd not have been brought to pass without her. I am inclined to think the Paftoral Comedy has another difadvantage as to the Manners. Its general defign is to make us in love with the Innocence of a rural Life, fo that to introduce Shepherds of a vicious Character muft in fome measure debafe it; and hence it may come to pafs, that even the virtuous Characters will not fhine fo much, for want of being opposed to their contraries. ----- Thefe Thoughts are purely my own, and therefore I have reafon to doubt them; but I hope your Judgment will' fet me right.

I wou'd

I wou'd beg your opinion too as to another point: It is how far the liberty of Borrowing may extend? I have defended it fometimes by faying, that it feems not fo much the Perfection of Senfe, to fay things that have never been faid before; as to exprefs thofe beft, that have been faid ofteneft: and that Writers in the cafe of borrowing from others, are like Trees which of themfelves wou'd produce only one fort of Fruit; but by being grafted upon others, may yield variety. A mutual commerce makes Poetry flourish; but then Poets, like Merchants, fhou'd repay with fomething of their own what they take from others; not like Pyrates, make prize of all they meet. I defire you to tell me fincerely, if I have not ftretch'd this Licence too far in these Paftorals? I hope to become a Critic by your Precepts, and a Poet by your Example. Since I have feen your Eclogues, I cannot be much pleas'd with my own; however you have not taken away all my Vanity, fo long as you give me leave to profefs my felf

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Mr. Walsh to Mr. Pope.

July 20, 1706. Had fooner returned you thanks for the favour of your Letter, but that I was in hopes of giving you an account at the fame time of my Journey to Windfor; but I am now forc'd to put that quite off, being engag'd to go to my Corporation of Richmond in Yorkshire. I think you are perfectly in the right in your Notions of Paftoral; but I am of opinion, that the redundancy of Wit you mention, tho' 'tis what pleases the common people, is not whatever pleases the beft judges. Paftor Fido indeed has had more admirers, than Aminta; but I will venture to fay, 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 ordimary judges, is intolerable in a Paftoral; and Bona-. relli's fancy of making his Shepherdefs in love with two men equally, is not to be defended, whatever pains he has taken to do it. As for what you ask of the Liberty of Borrowing; 'tis very evident the best Latin Poets have extended this very far; and none fo far as Virgil, who is the best of them. the Greek Poets, if we cannot trace them fo plainly, tis perhaps because we have none before them; 'tis evident that moft of them borrowed from Homer, and Homer has been accused of burning those that wrote before him, that his Thefts might not be difcover'd. The beft of the modern Poets in all Languages are those, that have the nearest copied the Ancients. Indeed in all the common Subjects of Poetry the Thoughts are fo obvious (at least if they are natural) that whoever writes last must write things like what have been faid before; but they may as well applaud the Ancients for the

As for

Arts

Arts of eating and drinking, and accufe the Mo. derns of having stol'n thofe Inventions from them; it being evident in all fuch cafes, that whoever live first, must first find them out. 'Tis true indeed, when

unus & alter Affuitur pannus ;

when there is one or two bright Thoughts ftol'n, and all the reft is quite different from it, a Poem makes a very foolish figure; but when 'tis all melted down together, and the Gold of the Antients fo mixt with that of the Moderns, that none can diftinguish the one from the other, I can never find fault with it. I cannot however 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 noife in my ears, that 'tis impoffible I fhould write any thing but Nonsense, so must break off abruptly. I am, Sir,

Your most affectionate

and most humble Servant.

Mr. Walsh to Mr. Pope.

Sept. 9, 1706.

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AT my return from the North I receiv'd the favour of your Letter, which had lain there 'till then. Having been abfent about fix weeks, I read over your Paftorals again, with a great deal of pleasure; 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 Verfes till he takes away the true Spirit of them; especially if he fubmits to the correction of fome who pass 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 wou'd 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 Myftery. They fcan their Verfes upon their Fingers; run after Conceits and glaring Thoughts; their Poems are all made up of Couplets, of which the first may be laft, or the laft firft, 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 follow'd; and

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