And this unpolish'd rugged verse I chose ;
As fitteft for difcourfe, and nearest profe:
For while from facred truth I do not fwerve,

Tom Sternhold's, or Tom Shadwell's rhymes will ferve.

A

THE

R T

O F

POETR Y.

ADVERTISEMENT.

HIS tranflation of monfieur Boileau's Art

・TH was dein year 1686,

of Poetry was made in the year

by

Sir William Soame of Suffolk, Baronet; who being very intimately acquainted with Mr. Dryden, defired his revifal of it. I faw the manufcript lie in Mr. Dryden's hands for above fix months, who made very confiderable alterations in it, particularly the beginning of the fourth Canto; and it being his opinion that it would be better to apply the poem to English writers, than keep to the French names, as it was first tranflated, Sir William defired he would take the pains to make that alteration; and accordingly that was entirely done by Mr. Dryden.

The poem was first published in the year 1683; Sir William was after fent ambaffador to Conftan

tinople, in the reign of king James, but died in

the voyage.

J. T.

CANTO I.

ASH author, 'tis a vain prefumptuous crime,

Rare under, the facred art opt tous ce

To undertake the facred art of rhyme;

If at thy birth the ftars that rul'd thy sense
Shone not with a poetic influence;
In thy ftrait genius thou wilt still be bound,
Find Phoebus deaf, and Pegasus unfound.
You then that burn with the defire to try
The dangerous courfe of charming poetry;
Forbear in fruitless verse to lofe
your time,
Or take for genius the defire of rhyme:
Fear the allurements of a fpecious bait,
And well confider your own force and weight.
Nature abounds in wits of every kind,

And for each author can a talent find:

One may in verse describe an amorous flame,
Another sharpen a fhort epigram:

Waller a hero's mighty acts extol,

Spencer fing Rosalind in pastoral :

But authors that themselves too much efteem, Lofe their own genius, and mistake their theme; Thus in times paft Dubartas vainly writ, Allaying facred truth with trifling wit,

Impertinently, and without delight,
Defcrib'd the Ifraelites triumphant flight,
And following Mofes o'er the fandy plain,
Perish'd with Pharaoh in th' Arabian main.

Whate'er you write of pleasant or fublime,
Always let fenfe accompany your rhyme :
Falfely they seem each other to oppofe;

Rhyme must be made with reason's laws to close:
And when to conquer her you bend your force,

The mind will triumph in the noble course ;
To reafon's yoke fhe quickly will incline,
Which, far from hurting, renders her divine :
But if neglected will as easily stray,
And master reason which she should obey.
Love reafon then; and let whate'er you write
Borrow from her its beauty, force, and light.
Moft writers mounted on a refty muse,

Extravagant and fenfelefs objects chufe;
They think they err, if in their verse they fall
On any thought that's plain or natural :
Fly this excefs; and let Italians be
Vain authors of falfe glitt'ring poetry.

All ought to aim at sense; but most in vain
Strive the hard pass and flippery path to gain :
You drown, if to the right or left you stray;
Reason to go has often but one way.