The Author's Preface.

I have no Occasion to detain the Reader with a Preface in Praise of Poetry: What I thought proper to say on that Head, he will find comprised in the following Introductory Oration. I shall only just in a few Words lay before him the Purport of the following Sheets.

Being elected into the Professorship by that venerable Body the Convocation at Oxford, I thought it incumbent on me to discharge my Duty in it according to the best of my Abilities. The better to do so, I endeavour in the following Lectures to keep such a Medium in examining the Sentiments of the several Writers on Poetry that tho' I pay much Deference to their Authority, yet I don't slavishly adhere to their Decrees. For Books are to be consider'd as Helps to Learning, not Fetters to it; and it is just, in these sort of Studies especially, that every Man, after he has weigh'd the Opinion of others should be at Liberty to follow his own.

This Method I take to be the most entertaining and the most useful both to the Writer and the Reader. No one, I am persuaded, will suspect I pursued it for the sake of Ease; since it is much harder to digest than to transcribe. And, indeed, what can be a more arduous Task, than to unfold the Nature of Poetry in general, and its different Species; to explain the various Elegances of Style, and its no less various Defects; to explore the secret Turns of the Mind; to weigh the minutest Momenta of Wit; to separate in things of so great Delicacy, Truth from Falshood; to shew by what Springs they delight or ravish their Readers or Hearers?

I thought proper just to say so much of the Difficulty of the present Work, not out of a Desire of gaining Praise, but Pardon; that if I have fallen into any Errors, I may meet with some Favour from the Learned. For to their Judgment I submit myself, and the Fortunes of this Book; always ready to receive more full Instruction, and to retract, not to defend the Mistakes of it.

But arduous and difficult as these Enquiries are, yet not therefore unpleasant; For it is not to be thought that all Discourses which deliver Rules and Precepts are dry and unentertaining; some are no less full of Delight than Advantage. Of which sort is the Subject before us, elegant in its Nature, and agreeable to the Taste of the most Polite; who are never better pleased than when they scrutinise into the Laws of just Writing and true Thought, and have the choicest Examples of each laid before them. The Mind is charmed with tracing out its own Operations; and while on so refined a Subject we read Authors of the same Sentiments with ourselves, we observe with secret Complacence, similar Ideas arise in our Minds; or if we dissent from a good Writer, we are ready to join in his Praise tho' not in his Opinion: For such an one, tho' he misses the Truth, yet deviates with Ingenuity, and is elegant even in his Mistakes.

The Difficulties then we are speaking of, are such that they don't deter the Admirers of Polite Literature, but invite them: Such as are not attended with Uncouthness of Thought or Asperity of Style; but are like the Labours of Lovers, who, to gain the Good-will of the Fair, go through the most arduous Tasks and solicite Dangers.

If the Reader will observe in the following Sheets some Errors slipt, some Defects either in Thought or Expression, he will at worst have no Reason to complain that I have too importunately loaded him. He will rather wonder perhaps, on the other Hand, how I durst pretend to treat of such Variety of Matter in so few Pages: An Accusation, to which I know not how to give a satisfactory Answer, and which I own I have often been ready to draw up against myself. I can only declare that this has been owing either to Chance, or to the Nature of my Subject, or to my own Inabilities, not to Indolence, for I have omitted nothing which after the most mature Deliberation I thought proper to be taken Notice of. In other respects I own I studied Brevity as much as possible, rejecting many things that offer'd, which I judged unentertaining, superfluous, and such as would give the Reader rather Pain than Pleasure; many likewise, which tho' proper Observations in themselves, yet had been abundantly taken Notice of by others; whose Writings I had no Inclination to make so free with, as to purloin.

And this, I hope, will not be imputed to me as an Imperfection: For Brevity as such (to use the Language of the Schoolmen) and considered in its own Nature, is by no means a Fault; but rather an Excellence, if we keep clear of those Faults that often adhere to it. If we do Justice to our Subject and are at the same time perspicuous, we cannot be too concise; especially in those Works where we propose to delight the Reader, as well as profit him.

How far this has been effected in the following Sheets, must be left entirely to his Judgment. I am sure my Endeavour has been not to be wanting to both these Ends, and I might with more Ease to myself have wrote a larger Book. To treat of Elegance in an inelegant Manner is a mere Absurdity; and Conciseness is generally an Attendant of Elegance. Nothing I am sure can afford more Pleasure to the Understanding than an accurate Enquiry into the Subjects here treated of: Nothing greater Difficulty to a Writer, who is to act the Critic and Philosopher, rather than the Historian. Even Metaphysics do not more try the Mind than Poetry, when we search into the latent Sources of its Beauties and Allurements. But the Pleasure in the one is much greater than in the other: This has its Thorns; but such as grow on the Rose, tender and yielding, that heighten at once its Sweetness and its Beauty.

One Thing I would desire the Reader to observe; that under each Head of Poetry, I have either wholly omitted every thing that is Historical, or but lightly touch'd upon it: Not became I think by any Means that Part of Learning contemptible; but partly because I find it more suitable to my Nature (such as it is) to search into Things than Facts; and partly because others, whose Erudition I very much reverence, and to whom I always refer my Reader, have already in this Respect, deserv'd well of the Learned. However, in one or two of my Dissertations I could not come at the Nature of the Subject I treated of without enquiring into the History of it: as in those upon the Origin of Poetry in general, upon Epigram, and Satire. But even in them to enter into a long Detail of Circumstances fetch'd from the Writings of the Ancients, wou'd be doing Nothing but what had been done before; which is the Thing I have throughout endeavour'd to avoid. My Aim has been not to be tedious; and for fear I should be so now, I shall add no more; but leave my Book to stand or fall by the Opinion of the Learned.

CONTENTS

The Oration, on entering into the Professorship, or First Lecture. Page 1

LECTURE II, III.

Of the Nature and Origin of Poetry in General 13

Poetry defin'd ibid.

Vossius's Definition rejected ibid.

Prov'd against Vossius, and Mons. Dacier,

that Poetry does not imitate Actions only 14,15

That Poetry is an Art, properly so call'd 15

That Poetry consists in Imitation and Illustration 15,16

A Comparison between Poetry and Painting 16,17

The Meaning and Original of the Word Ποιητες 18,19

Prov'd, against Mons. Dacier, that fictitious Narrations,

written in Prose, are not properly Poems 20,21

That Fiction is not essential to Poetry 21

That Poetry does not differ from History in the Diction only 22

The Difference between Poesy, Poetry, and a Poem ibid.

A Comparison between Poetry and Music 23

That the End of Poetry is twofold, to instruct, and to please 24

That Instruction is the principal End of Poetry 24,25

What the secret Sources of Pleasure are, which all receive from Poetry 25,26

That Poetry took its Rise from Love 26,27

Owes its first Increase and Progress to Religion 27

Who were the first Authors of Verses 28

The Rise of Poetry fetch'd farther back:

Shewn that the immediate Causes of it are

founded in that Love of Imitation and

Harmony which is natural to all; and that

Vossius has assign'd wrong ones 29

The Reason why Mankind is so much given to Imitation and Harmony 30

That Prose is more ancient than Poetry 30,31

Whether, in Poetry, Nature or Industry is of greater Force 31

The Meaning of that Saying, Poeta nascitur; non fit 32

Of the Inspiration attributed to Poets ibid.

Explanation of poetical Fables rejected 33

The Difference between Poetry and Oratory 34

LECTURE IV, V, VI, VII.

Of the Style of Poetry.

What Style is; and in what its Beauty consists 37

The Style of Poetry so singular, that there

are many Expressions elegant in the

Writings of the Poets, which in Prose would be

contrary to the Rules of Grammar ibid.

Examples cited 38,39,40,41

Other Expressions, which tho' not entirely poetical,

yet are much more suitable to Verse, than Prose 42

A beautiful Poem may, however, consist of those which

are common both to Prose and Metre 43

That it is the Property of Poetry to express the

whole of a Thing sometimes by some one Adjunct ibid.

Sometimes by a Kind of Paraphrase, and little Description 44

To use Specials for Generals 45

That Poetry impresses upon the Mind the

Images of Things stronger than Prose 46,47

That Descriptions are almost peculiar to Poetry 47

That figurative Expressions are more suitable

to poetic Writings than Prose; and why 51

Of the Use and Abuse of Metaphors 51,52

Of Books that teach the Elements of Rhetoric 53

One and the same Thing express'd different Ways,

sometimes well, sometimes ill 54

A Comparison in this Particular, and some others

between Virgil and Ovid ibid.

Repetition of the same Words, to be avoided

as much as conveniently may be 60

Great Regard to be had to the Sound and Order of Words 61

A Mistake in those who think Ovid, Claudian,and

others, excel Virgil in Versification 62

Of Verses that express the Thing they describe by

their Sound and Numbers 64,65,66

Of the Verses in the Æneid that break off short 67

An unwarrantable Liberty in modern Writers to imitate

Virgil, in this Particular 68

Or too boldly to violate the Laws of Quantity 68,69

Of the true and elegant Use of Epithets 69

Divided into two Sorts ibid.

Of those that add to their Substantives new

and distinct Ideas 69,70

Of those that come nearer to the general

Nature of their Substantives, and are us'd

for Illustration and Explanation,

tho' they don't convey any new Idea to it 71

The Gradus ad Parnassum, and other Books of that

Nature, prejudicial to young Tyro's in Poetry 73

Other Kinds of Epithets 74

Of superfluous and redundant Epithets 76

A Mistake of those, on the other Hand, who think

that very few Epithets should be us'd 78

When a Thing is to be strongly express'd, and with great

Energy, by all Means to abstain from Epithets 80

All Adjectives and Participles not Epithets 81

An Enumeration of different Sorts of Style 82

Of the Sublime, the Turgid, and the Low Style 82-90

Of the Sarcastical and Severe 91

Of the Florid Style 92

Other Sorts of Style ibid.

The Style to be varied; and not always preserve one even Tenor 93

Style of Comedy not poetical 94

This Question carried on with Respect to Comedies writ in the English Tongue 95

And to those in the French ibid.

The Connexion between Beauty of Expression, and Beauty of Thought 96

LECTURE VIII, IX, X, XI.

Of the Beauty of Thought; or of Elegance And Sublimity 101

The Difficulty of treating of this Subject ibid.

Definition of Wit 102

The Foundation of true Wit ibid.

The Difference between a Thought simply consider'd,

and an ingenious one 102

The Difference between Falshood and Fiction 103

Specimens of false or spurious Wit 104

Thoughts partly true, partly false 105

The Difference between true and false Wit 106

Some Verses have gain'd Esteem, not from Reason,

or true Merit, but merely from popular Fame 107

The Opinion of the famous Boileau, and a Passage translated from him 108

That some Thoughts are true, tho' Poetical Fiction be added to them 109

Care always to be taken, that some Truth be the Basis of the Thought 112

That fine Thoughts and Words ought not to superabound 113

In the right Disposal of them much Art required 113

Beauty of Thought divided into two Kinds, the Elegant and the Sublime 115

How these differ ibid.

Of a happy Genius ibid,

Of the Impetus or Poetic Fire 116

Of moving the Passions 118

Under this Head the Fourth Book of Virgil's Æneis considered 120

Of Images 125-129

Of Antitheta 129

Of Transitions 132-135

Of Excursions of another Kind 135

Of Comparisons 136

That pretty Thoughts ill agree with the Passions 139

Of Delicate Thoughts 140,141

Of Strong Thoughts 142

That Severity and Gravity not inconsistent with Wit ibid.

Of Sentences ibid.

Of echoing Turns 143

Of Thoughts that seem to contradict each other 144,145

Of Æquivocations and Playing upon Words 145,146

Of Sublimity 147

The Substance of that Idea of Sublimity, which Longinus describes ibid.

A Mistake of those who think that Sublimity is more especially,

if not only, suited to Exultation and Triumph 149

Examples of Sublimity, exciting Terror and Pity ibid.

A Stricture upon Poetic Licence 151

LECTURE XII.

Of Epigram, and other lighter Species of Poetry 153

The History and Origin of Epigram ibid.

No need of dividing Epigrams into so many distinct sorts as some do 154

Epigrams some Satirical ibid.

Panegyrical 155

Upon the Subject of Love ibid.

Upon any other Subject 155,156

Religious Epigrams 156,157

And sublime 157

The Nature of true Epigram in general 158

Some Poems consisting of a few Verses, in Martial

and others, not Epigrams properly so called 158

Of the Lent Verses made at Oxford, call'd Carmina Quadragesimalia 159

Of Elogies, Inscriptions, and Epitaphs ibid.

Of Emblems or Symbols ibid.

That Epigrams should be short 160

Of the Metre of Epigram 161

Of Hendecasyllables ibid.

Whether the Ancients or the Moderns have deserv'd

greater Praise in this little Kind of Poems ibid.

They are beautiful, and not without their Difficulty 161,162

LECTURE XIII.

Of Elegy

Few have treated of this Species of Poetry 163

The Nature of it, and the Etymology of the Name 164

Melancholy Subjects first and principally suited to Elegy ibid.

Afterwards by Analogy others of a very different Kind 164,165

Death and Love the chief Subjects of Elegy 165

Tho' scarce any other sort of Matter repugnant to it ibid.

But Circumstances of Joy with less Propriety agreeable to it ibid.

Many Epistles are Elegies 166

Of Ovid's Heroine Epistles;

and the Difference between them and Elegies commonly so called ibid.

What the chief Property of Elegies 167,168

Very few of our modern Poems, which are styled Elegies,

deserve our Notice 169

Of the Elegiac Metre 169

Among the Ancients we have scarce any Elegiac Poets but Latin 169,170

Of the Elegiac Writers, Ovid, Tibullus, and Propertius 170

Catullus not so properly reckon'd in the Number ibid.

Of Gallus a Writer of Elegies 170,171

LECTURE XIV.

Of Pastorals

None of the Ancients have treated of this Species of Poem 172

The Original of Pastoral 172-174

The peculiar Nature of it 174

No Difference between Pastorals and Bucolics but the Name ibid.

Virgil undeservedly censured, for mixing Philosophy

and the Sublime with Pastoral ibid.

His Fourth and Sixth Eclogues true Pastorals 175

As also his Tenth 176

Eclogue and Idyllium according to their Etymology,

include nothing of Bucolic or Pastoral in their Meaning 177

These Poems, the more simple they are, the truer Pastorals ibid.

They contain an elegant sort of Simplicity 178

More of the Nature and Turn of this sort of Poem 179

Certain vulgar Mistakes concerning this Poem noted ibid.

The various Subjects of Pastoral 180

Whence the Delight arises that is peculiar to this Kind of Poem 181,182

Of Primitive Simplicity, and a Country Life ibid.

A Comparison between the Works of Nature and Art ibid.

Between Theocritus and Virgil 183

Pastoral less suitable to the present Times 186

LECTURE XV.

Of Didactic or Præceptive Poetry

Very few Writings now remaining upon this Subject 187

That Poetry is the best adapted to give Rules ibid.

Four Kinds of Didactic Poems 189

Of those which relate to Morality ibid.

——to Natural Philosophy 189

The Harmony between Poetry and Natural Philosophy 189

Lucretius the Prince of Poets in this Kind of Writing 190

What Things commendable in him, and what to be blamed 190,191

A Comparison between him and Virgil 192

That Poetic Fiction and the Explanation of Nature may be elegantly united 192

That this Kind of Writing may at this Day receive Improvements

from the Advantages of Experimental Philosophy 193

Of Poems which relate to the Business or Pleasures of Life ibid.

Of Virgil's Georgics ibid.

A Comparison between Hesiod and Virgil 194

Of the Various Methods of fetching in Ornaments to the Georgics 194-197

Few Writers in this Way among the Moderns 198

Two mention'd; Rapin of Gardens, and a Countryman of ours 199

Of Country Diversions, Hunting, &c. and of Gratius's Cygnegeticon 199

Of Oppian ibid.

Of Rules concerning the Art of Poetry 199

A Didactic Poem may be writ upon any Subject 200

Some Subjects recommended for it hitherto untouch'd 200,201

LECTURE XVI.

Of Lyric Poetry

The Original and Antiquity of Odes 203

The Peculiar Nature of them ibid.

Of Digressions and Transitions in Lyric Poetry 204,205

Notwithstanding this Liberty, it is the most difficult,

as it is the most elegant Kind of Writing 206

Two Kinds of Digressions 207

This more suitable to Music than other Poetry 209

Of the Music of the Antients 210

Of the various Subjects of Odes 211

Sublimity and Poetic Rage more suited to them than any other Poems 212

Treat of serious and moral Subjects 213

Whence the Pleasure arises that attends Lyric Poetry 214,215

Of Pindar 215

Of Anacreon ibid.

Of Horace ibid.

The Ancients excell the Moderns in this Kind of Poetry ibid.

Of Casimire 215

Of Hannes 216

Of modern Pindarics 216,217

Of Songs ibid.

LECTURE XVII, XVIII.

Of Satire

How the Word is spelt: Of the History and Origin of Satire 218

Difference between the Satyric Poetry of the Greeks and the Roman Satire 219

The Etymology of the Word ibid.

Ennius a Writer of Satires 222

Pacuvius ibid.

Lucilius ibid.

Varro 223

That Satires not only expose Vices, but give Encomiums of Virtue 223

Prov'd against Mons. Dacier, that the Difference

between the Satyric Poetry of the Greeks,

and the Roman Satire, is not so great as he makes it. 225

Two Sorts of Satire: The Humourous, like that of Horace; and the Serious, like Juvenal's 227

This last the more excellent of the two ibid.

Vossius judges wrong of the Nature and Difference of Satire 228

Horace's rightly entitled Discourses rather than Satires 232

All Juvenal's are properly Satires, except the last ibid.

Horace is not too acrimonious in his Satires 233

Some Satires are Dialogues; some Epistles ibid.

Some of Horace's Satires are Epistles, and some of his Epistles are Satires ibid.

The different Nature of Juvenal's ibid.

Persius more a Philosopher, than a Satirist 235-6

The Moderns not much inferior to the Ancients in this Kind of Writing 236

LECTURE XIX. &c.

Of the Drama in General

What Poetry is in the most proper Sense of the Word 237

Applicable to the Drama and Epic, beyond all other sorts

of Writing; but more especially to the Drama 237-8

The Difference between an Epic and Dramatic Poem 238

In what Respects this is preferable to that; and so vice versa ibid.

Aristotle and Horace just touch upon other Species

of Poetry, and dwell only upon the Drama ibid.

Many of the latter Times have treated fully of it 238

What proposed to be treated of in this Discourse 239

Two Species of the Drama; Comedy and Tragedy ibid.

Tragic-Comedy rejected; and for what Reasons 239

Of a new Species of the Drama, called Opera's

The Ridiculousness of them 240

A Short History of the ancient Drama,

taken from Vossius's Institutiones Poeticæ 243

The Apparatus of the ancient Drama pass'd by 244

The Absurdity of the Mask among the Ancients 245

A Slight Stricture of the Soccus and Buskin 246

The Theatrical Music of the Ancients pass'd by likewise ibid.

A Definition of the Drama in general 246

That the Action ought to be one 247

But that it may rightly sometimes seem to be two Actions, &c. ibid.

That Kind of Drama the best however, where the Action is entirely one ibid.

The Difference between the Fable, the Action, and Machinery of the Drama 248

The Manners, different Natures, Characters, Passions, and Diction in the Drama 248

The Subject Matter of the Drama called the Fable, tho' it is founded on true History 250

Some Poems are rather Dramatical Histories than Drama's ibid.

Our Countryman Shakespear commended ibid.

Various Foundations of a Drama.

1 - True History.

2 - Some private Action.

3 - A noted common Story.

4 - A fable, or Fiction less known.

5 - The mere Invention of the Poet's Brain 250,251

The last of these the best, and why 252

Three Unities in the Drama; viz. of Place, Time, and Action 253

Of Action before spoke of ibid.

Of Time ibid.

Of Place 254

The Necessity of observing these and other Rules 256

To these Unities a Fourth may be added, that of Characters 256

Of things partly related, and partly acted on the Stage; and the

great Difference between the Ancients and the Moderns in this Respect 257-259

Of Persons adventitious or superfluous, and brought only once upon the Stage 259

The Reason ought to appear why each Person comes in or goes out 260

Of the Division of the Drama into Acts; of Acts into Scenes 261

Of broken and disjointed Scenes 261

Of Soliloquies 262

Some Rules of the coming in, and going out

of the Number of the Actors, superfluous 262

Of the Number of the Actors 263

Vossius lays down wrong Rules of the Parts of Action to be divided to each Act 265

Of the Protasis, Epitasis and Catastrophe ibid.

Vossius gives to these an improper Division in the Drama 266

The Catastrophe ill defined by Scaliger or Evanthius 268

The Unfolding of the Plot ought to be surprising and yet easy 268

The preposterous Artifice of some, who in the very

Title of their Play, discover the Catastrophe of it 268,269

To these three Parts a fourth (viz. the Catastasis) improperly added 269

Of Incidents ibid.

Intire Scenes not to be added for Ornament sake only 269,270

Love the usual, but not the best Subject for a Drama 270

The Chorus of the Antients 271

Another Place reserv'd for a Comparison between the ancient and modern Dramatic Writers ibid.

The last Clause of the Definition consider'd, containing the End of Drama 272

LECTURE XXIII, &c.

Of Comedy

The Etymology of the Word Comedy 273

Not very clear, whence this Kind of Poem arose 273,274

Three Species of Comedy; the Old, the Middle, and the New 275

Of the Old Comedy ibid.

Of the Middle, and the New 277,278

A Definition of Comedy, such as it ought to be 279

Division of Comedy into the Moral and Ridiculous ibid.

Scaliger's Definition of Comedy 280

Mirth essential to Comedy ibid.

And Happiness in the Conclusion of it 281

Upon these Heads Scaliger and Vossius inconsistent with themselves ibid.

Vossius's Definition of Comedy ibid.

Persons and Things of a private Character, suitable to Comedy;

neither of them ought to be great, or concerned in the State 282

Nor yet only such as are of low Life ibid.

Two sorts of Comedy; the Sublime, and the Low ibid.

The Virtues, Vices, and Follies of Mankind,

the Subject of Comedy; but more especially the Follies 283

Proved against Mons. Dacier that the Γελοιος, or What is Ridiculous,

is not the only Subject of Comedy, tho' it is the principal; and that

Crimes of a more heinous Nature are not to be exposed in it 284

That not only Joy, but all the Passions are concerned in Comedy 288

But in a quite different Manner from what they are represented in Tragedy 289

The Difficulty of writing true Ridicule 290

Whether Comic Writers may be allow'd to draw the Characters beyond Truth 291

Of the Prologue and Epilogue 292

The Chorus, Mimus, and Cantica of the Ancients ibid.

That to write Comedy is a difficult Task, notwithstanding it imitates common Life 293

Of the Diction of Comedy 294

Of Aristophanes and Menander; Plautus and Terence ibid.

A Comparison between the Ancients and the Moderns 296

Between the French and our own Writers 298

Whether the English Comedies writ in Prose are properly Poems 298

Of the French Comedies writ in Rhyme and Heroic Verse 298

Whence the Pleasure that arises from Comedy 299

Why more are delighted with Comedy than Tragedy 300

LECTURE XVI, &c.

Of Tragedy

The Etymology of the Word 301

Aristotle's Definition proposed and examined 302

And Vossius's 303

A third offered made up of both 304

The several Parts of the Definition ibid.

Every thing in Tragedy ought to be great and sublime ibid.

Of the Subject of Tragedy ibid.

Of the Morals, the Thought and Diction of it ibid.

The higher Species of Satire of Affinity with Tragedy 307,308

The part of Tragedy to teach Virtue, even the most Heroic, no less than to expose Vice 308

Tragedy form'd for Sublimity ibid.

How reconcileable to Nature that Things so elevated and composed with

so much Art, should be represented to make Part of Common Conversation 308

What has been said of the Magnificence of this Part of the Drama not

equally applicable to all Tragedies; since there are two Species

of it, the one sublime, the other more humble 309

Another Distinction between Tragedies; and that it is not

essential to them to end fortunately 310

Those, whose Catastrophe is unfortunate the more Tragical:

But such as have a fortunate Conclusion require more Art,

and afford more Improvement 314

Which Characters best adapted to move Pity, which Terror, and which both 315

What species of Tragedy are of all others the most Tragical 316

Of Dramatic Justice ibid.

The End of Tragedy 317

How Tragedy purges the Passions; and even by putting them in Motion 319,320

What the Source of Delight which Tragedy

affords, or of that Pleasure which flows from Melancholy 323-326

A Comparison between the Ancients and Moderns

Between the French and our Countrymen 326

LECTURE XXIX, &c.

Of the Epic or Heroic Poem

The Dignity and Excellence of this Kind of Poem 328

Little remains now to be said of it; several Circumstances relating to it

having fallen in with the other Matter I have already discoursed of 329

What Bossu has done upon this Subject 329

Definition of an Epic or Heroic Poem 330

The Parts of this Definition ibid.

The Method laid down of this Dissertation 331

In what Respects Tragedy and Epic differ and agree 331,332

Of the Action, Place, and Time of the Epic Poem 332,333

What the Action of the Poem in the strictest

or most proper Sense, and from whence it commences 333

The Duration of the Action of the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Æneis ibid.

Proved against Bossu and Mons. Dacier,

that an Epic Poem ought not to imitate every Action,

but only the great Actions of great Personages 334

Of the Forming a Heroe 336

The Meaning of Aristotle, who asserts that the Fable in Epic ought to be Dramatical ibid.

The Event in an Epic Poem ought always to end fortunately; and for what Reasons 336

Of the Marvelous 338

The Mistake of some, who confound the Marvelous with the Improbable 338-340

Essential to be founded upon History partly true 340

Of the Machines 341

Of the Versification of Heroic Poems ibid.

A Translation of one Chapter of Bossu explaining the

Nature and Origin of the Epic Poem ibid.

The Difference between the Eloquence of the Ancients and the Moderns ibid.

What the first Use of Fables 342

Why Poetry, in Aristotle's Judgment, is more

grave and Philosophical than History 343-346

Epic more suited to the Manners and Habits than the Passions 346

Yet Epic not without Passion 347

Especially Joy and Admiration ibid.

Of the Ancients and Moderns 348

Of Homer and Virgil ibid.

Of Historical Poems ibid.

Of Lucan 349

Of Silius Italicus ibid.

Of Statius 350

Of Tasso 351

Of Spencer ibid.

Of Milton ibid.

Of too servile an Imitation of Homer and Virgil ibid.

Some New Subject must be attempted 352

The Conclusion. 354

N. B. The several Passages cited from Virgil are printed in English from Dr. Trapp's Version. The other Poetical Translations without a Name, the Editor is to be accountable for, tho' he wishes he had as good a Title to the Excellence of two or three of them as he has to the Imperfections of the rest.

The Notes added to this English Edition are distinguish'd thus * or thus †; whereas those that were before in the Latin are referr'd to by Letters a, b, c, etc.