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felf, as it is in the power of any other to expose them. In the first place, I thank God and nature, that I was born with a love to poetry; for nothing more conduces to fill up all the intervals of our time, or, if rightly ufed, to make the whole courfe of life entertaining:

Cantantes licet ufque (minus via lædet)." It is a vast happiness to poffefs the pleasures of the head, the only pleasures in which a man is fufficient to himself, and the only part of him which, to his fatisfaction, he can employ all day long. The Mufes are "amicæ omnium horarum ;" and, like our gay acquaintance, the best company in the world as long as one expects no real fervice from them. I confefs there was a time when I was in love with myself, and my first productions were the children of self-love upon innocence. I had made an Epic Poem, and Panegyrics on all the Princes in Europe, and thought myself the greatest genius that -ever was. I cannot but regret those delightful visions of my childhood, which, like the fine colours we fee when our eyes are shut, are vanished for ever. Many trials, and fad experience, have fo undeceived me by degrees, that I am utterly at a lofs at what rate to value myself. As for fame, I fhall be glad of any I can get, and not repine at any I miss; and as for vanity, I have enough to keep me from hanging myself, or even from wishing thofe hanged who would take it away. It was this that made me write. The fenfe of my faults made me correct; besides that it was as pleasant to me to correct as to write.

At

At p. 8. 1. 24. In the first place, I own that I have used my beft endeavours to the finishing these pieces. That I made what advantage I could of the judgment of authors dead and living; and that I omitted no means in my power to be informed of my errors by my friends and my enemies. And that I expect no favour on account of my youth, bufinefs, want of health, or any fuch idle excufes. But the true reason they are not yet more correct is owing to the confideration how short a time they, and I, have to live. A man that can expect but fixty years, may be ashamed to employ thirty in measuring fyllables, and bringing sense and rhyme together. We spend our youth in pursuit of riches or fame, in hopes to enjoy them when we are old; and when we are old, we find it too late to enjoy any thing. I therefore hope the Wits will pardon me, if I reserve some of my time to save my foul; and that fome wife men will be of my opinion, even if I should think a part of it better spent in the enjoyments of life, than in pleasing the critics.

PAS

PASTORALS,

WITH A

DISCOURSE ON PASTORAL.

Written in the Year MDCCIV.

* Rura mihi et rigui placeant in vallibus amnes, * Flumina amem, sylvasque, inglorius !"

VIRG.

THE Paftorals were written at the age of fixteen, and then passed through the hands of Mr. Walsh, Mr. Wycherley, G. Granville, afterwards Lord Lansdown, Sir William Trumbal, Dr. Garth, Lord Halifax, Lord Somers, Mr. Maynwaring, and others. All thefe gave our Author the greatest encouragement, and particularly Mr. Walsh, whom Mr. Dryden, in his Poftfcript to Virgil, calls the beft Critic of his age. "The Author (fays he) feems to have a particular "genius for this kind of Poetry, and a judgment that "much exceeds his years. He has taken very freely "from the Ancients. But what he has mixed of his 86 own with theirs is no way inferior to what he has "taken from them. It is not flattery at all to fay, that "Virgil had written nothing fo good at his Age. His "Preface is very judicious and learned." Letter to Mr. Wycherley, Apr. 1705. The Lord Lanfdown about the fame time, mentioning the youth of our Poet, fays (in a printed Letter of the Character of Mr. Wycherley), that if he goes on as he has begun in "his Paftoral way, as Virgil first tried his strength, we

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may hope to fee English Poetry vie with the Ro"man," &c. Notwithstanding the early time of their production, the Author esteemed these as the most correct in the verfification, and mufical in the numbers, of all his works. The reafon for his labouring them into fo much foftnefs, was, doubtlefs, that this fort of poetry derives almoft its whole beauty from a natural eafe of thought and fmoothness of verfe; whereas that of most other kinds confifts in the strength and fullness of both. In a letter of his to Mr. Walsh about this time, we find an enumeration of feveral niceties in Verfification, which perhaps have never been strictly obferved in any English poem, except in these Par torals. They were not printed till 1709.

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