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Such once were Critics; fuch the happy few, Athens and Rome in better ages knew.

The mighty Stagirite first left the shore,

Spread all his fails, and durft the deeps explore;
He fteer'd fecurely, and discover'd far,
Led by the light of the Mæonian Star.
Poets, a race long unconfin'd, and free,
Still fond and proud of favage liberty,

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Receiv'd his laws; and ftood convinc'd 'twas fit, Who conquer'd Nature, should prefide o'er Wit.

Critic makes but a mean figure, who, when he has found out the excellencies of his author, contents himself in offering them to the world, with only empty exclamations on their beauties. His office is to explain the nature of those beauties, fhew from whence they arife, and what effects they produce; or, in the better and fuller expreffion of the Poet,

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To teach the world with Reafon to admire.

VER. 653. Who conquer'd Nature, fhould prefide o'er Wit.] By this is not meant phyfical Nature, but moral. The force of

Between

VARIATIONS.

647 and 648. I found the following lines, fince

fuppreft by the author:

That bold Columbus of the realms of wit,
Whofe firft difcov'ry's not exceeded yet.

Led by the light of the Mæonian Star,
He fteer'd fecurely, and difcover'd far.

He, when all Nature was fubdu'd before,

Like his great Pupil, figh'd, and long'd for more :

Fancy's wild regions yet unvanquish'd lay,
A. boundless empire, and that own'd no fway.
Poets, etc,

Horace ftill charms with graceful negligence,

nd without method talks us into fenfe,

ill, like a friend, familiarly convey

655

he trueft notions in the easiest way.

e, who fupreme in judgment, as in wit, ight boldly cenfure, as he boldly writ,

659

t judg'd with coolnefs, tho' he fung with fire; is Precepts teach but what his works infpire. ur Critics take a contrary extreme,

hey judge with fury, but they write with flegm: or fuffers Horace more in wrong Translations Wits, than Critics in as wrong Quotations. 665 See Dionyfius Homer's thoughts refine, nd call new beauties forth from ev'ry line! Fancy and art in gay Petronius please, he scholar's learning, with the courtier's ease.

: obfervation confifts in our understanding it in this fenfe. For Poet not only ufes the word Nature for kuman nature, oughout this poem; but also, where, in the beginning of it, lays down the principles of the arts he treats of, he makes e knowledge of human nature the foundation of all Criticifm

Foetry. Nor is the obfervation lefs true than appofite. r, Ariftotle's natural enquiries were fuperficial, and ill made, >' extenfive: But his logical and moral works are incomparable. thefe he has unfolded the human mind, and laid open all the effes of the heart and understanding; and by his Categories, t only conquered Nature, but kept her in tenfold chains: Not Dulness kept the Mufes, in the Dunciad, to filence them; t as Ariftaus held Proteus in Virgil, to deliver Oracles.

VER. 666. See Dionyfius.] Of Halicarnaffus.

In grave Quintilian's copious work, we find 670 The jufteft rules, and cleareft method join'd: Thus ufeful arms in magazines we place, All rang'd in order, and difpos'd with grace, But lefs to please the eye, than arm the hand, Still fit for ufe, and ready at command.

675

Thee, bold Longinus! all the Nine infpire, And bless their Critic with a Poet's fire. An ardent Judge, who zealous in his truft, With warmth gives fentence, yet is always juft; Whofe own example ftrengthens all his laws; 680 And is himself that great Sublime he draws. Thus long fucceeding Critics juftly reign'd, License repress'd, and useful laws ordain'd. Learning and Rome alike in empire grew; And Arts still follow'd where her Eagles flew; 685 From the fame foes, at laft, both felt their doom, And the fame age faw Learning fall, and Rome. With Tyranny, then Superftition join'd, As that the body, this enflav'd the mind; Much was believ'd, but little underflood, And to be dull was conftru'd to be good; A fecond deluge Learning thus o'er-run, And the Monks finifh'd what the Goths begun.

Between

VARIATIONS.

691. and 692. the author omitted these two,
Vain Wits and Critics were no more allow'd,
When none but Saints had licenfe to be proud.

690

At length Erafmus, that great injur'd name, (The glory of the Priesthood, and the fhame!) 695 Stem'd the wild torrent of a barb'rous age,

And drove those holy Vandals off the stage.
But fee! each Mufe, in LEO's golden days,
Starts from her trance, and trims her wither'd
bays,

Rome's ancient Genius, o'er its ruins fpread, 700
Shakes off the duft, and rears his rev'rend head.
Then sculpture and her fifter-arts revive;
Stones leap'd to form, and rocks began to live;
With fweeter notes each rifing Temple rung;
A Raphael painted, and a Vida fung.
Immortal Vida: on whofe honour'd brow
The Poet's bays and Critics ivy grow:
Cremona now fhall ever boaft thy name,
As next in place to Mantua, next in fame!

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But foon by impious arms from Latium chas'd,
Their ancient bounds the banish'd Mufes pafs'd;
Thence Arts o'er all the northern world advance,
But Critic-learning flourish'd moft in France;
The rules a nation, born to ferve, obeys;
And Boileau ftill in right of Horace fways.
But we, brave Britons, foreign laws defpis'd,

And kept unconquer'd and unciviliz'd;
Fierce for the liberties of wit, and bold,
We still defy'd the Romans, as of old.

715

Yet fome there were, among the founder few 720 Of those who lefs prefum'd, and better knew,

VOL. I.

K

Who durft affert the jufter ancient cause,

And here reftor'd Wit's fundamental laws.

Such was the Mufe, whofe rules and practice tell,
"Nature's chief Master-piece is writing well." 725
Such was Roscommon, not more learn'd than good,
With manners gen'rous as his noble blood;

VER. 724. Such was the Muse-] Essay on Poetry by the Duke of Buckingham. Our Poet is not the only one of his time who complimented this Essay, and its noble Author. Mr. Dryden had done it very largely in the Dedication to his tranflation of the Æneid; and Dr. Garth in the first Edition of his Difpenfary fays,

The Tyber now no courtly Gallus fees,

But fmiling Thames enjoys his Normanbys.

Tho' afterwards omitted, when parties were carried so high in the reign of Queen Anne, as to allow no commendation to an oppofite in Politics. The Duke was all his life a steady adherent to the Church of England-Party, yet an Enemy to the extravagant measures of the Court in the reign of Charles II. On which account, after having ftrongly patronized Mr. Dryden, a coolnefs fucceeded between them on that poet's abfolute attachment to the Court, which carried him fome lengths beyond what the Duke could approve of. This nobleman's true character had been very well marked by Mr. Dryden before,

The Mufe's friend,

Himself a Mufe. In Sanadrin's debate

True to his prince, but not a flave of state.

Abf, and Achit.

Our Author was more happy, he was honoured very young with his friendship, and it continued till his death in all the circumftances of a familiar efteem.

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