< Much paler (to thy Shame) thou Lilly grow, And blufh thou Rofe to be exceeded fo:. 66 Thefe Lines are mifreprefented, and the whole Paftoral condemn'd on that. Account in the Guardian; which Number (if I mistake not) was wrote by Mr. Addison. That Paper takes the Liberty to fay, that Tafo introduces a young Shepherdefs speaking to herself, and that it betrays too much Art and Fineness of Thought for her to fay, I do not "wear these Flowers to adorn me, but only to "make them afhamed." Had fhe fpoke them, it would certainly have been abfurd; but Daphne is an old Shepherdefs, in whofe Mouth they are put, and Thyrfis tells her in the fame Scene, that she is able to teach a thousand Girls as much: So that Talo's Fame ftands fair ftill, and the Guardian was either ignorant of the Language Taffo wrote in, or elfe he malicioufly ftrove to fet the unlearned (I mean as to the Italian) against that Prince of the Italian Poets. Guarini in his Paftor Fido, who wrote after Taffo, has made use of Scenes Comick and Tragick, as well as Paftoral, and is full of Plot and Contrivance ; which (though deviating from the Simplicity required, properly speaking, in Paftoral) has pleafed more Readers. The following is the Story of Amintaș and Lucrina, and is the Foundation of the Plot of the Drama: It is Part of the fecond Scene of the firft Act. MIRTILLO, ERGASTO. Ergafto. As yet the Priesthood and the Temple's Care, C 3 Was Was handed down, without Regard to Age, Wretched Amintas! Who from thence was fcorn'd, Mirtillo. Ah me! What high Diftrefs with this great Load All other Grief compar'd, feems light and small. Ergafto. His Heart thus loft, his loud Complaints unheard, And his Sighs fcatter'd by the wanton Wind, With Hands of Innocence, revenge my Wrongs! Rais'd heavenly Pity, mix'd with heavenly Wrath Shot poifon'd Darts, and Arrows fraught with Death: C 4 These Thefe Words pronounc'd, back on himself he turn'd Was Stabs of Steel or those of sharper Grief. Haft thou convinc'd me of thy Truth and Love, And with thy Soul eternally join mine. This faid, the Steel as yet lukewarm and red I Mr. WALSH to Mr. POPE. June 24. 1706. Receiv'd the Favour of your Letter, and fhall be very glad of theContinuance of a Correfpondence by which I am like to be fo great a Gainer. I hope, when I have the Happiness of seeing you again in London, not only to read over the Verses I have now of your's, but more that you have written fince; for I make no doubt but any one who writes fo well, muft write more. Not that I think the most voluminous Poets always the beft, I believe the contrary is rather true. I mention'd fomewhat to you in London of a Paftoral Comedy, which I fhou'd be be glad to hear you had thought upon fince. I find Menage, in his Obfervations, upon Taffo's Aminta, reckons up fourscore Paftoral Plays in Italian: And in looking over my old Italian Books, I find a great many Pastorals, and Pifcatory Plays, which I suppose Menage reckons together. I find alfo by Menage, that Taffo is not the first that writ in that Kind, he mentioning another before him, which he himself had never seen, nor indeed have 1. But as the Aminta, Paftor Fido, and Filli di Sciro of Bonarelli, are the three best, so I think there is no Dispute but Aminta is the beft of the three: Not but that the Difcourfes in Paftor Fido are more entertaining and copious, in feveral Peoples Opinion, tho' not so fit for Paftoral; and the Fable of Bonarelli more furprifing. I do not remember many in other Languages, that have written in this Kind with Success. Racan's Bergeries are much inferior to his Lyric Poems; and the Spaniards are all too full of Conceits. Rapin will have the Defign of Pastoral Plays to be taken from the Cyclops of Euripides. I am fure there is nothing of this Kind in English worth mentioning, and therefore you have that Field open to yourself. You fee I write to you without any Sort of Constraint or Method, as Things come into my Head, and therefore pray ufe the fame Freedom with me, who am, &c. Mr. POPE to Mr. WALSH. my of mine. July 2. 1706. Cannot omit the firft Opportunity of making you Acknowledgments for reviewing those Papers You have no lefs Right to correct me, than the fame Hand that rais'd a Tree has to prune it. I am convinc'd, as well as you, that one may correct |