and by little and little become common, paftoral might receive, from time to time, fmall augmentations, and exhibit once in a century, a scene fomewhat varied. But pastoral subjects have been often, like others, taken into the hands of thofe that were not qualified to adorn them, men to whom the face of nature was fo little known, that they have drawn it, only, after their own imagination, and changed or distorted her features, that their portraits might appear fomething more than fervile copies from their predeceffors. 4 Not only the images of rural life, but the occafions on which they can be properly produced, are few.and general. The state of a man confined to the employments and pleasures of the country, is fo little diversified, and exposed to so few of thofe accidents which produce perplexities, terrors and furprises, in more complicated tranfactions, that he can be fhewn but feldom in fuch circumstances as attract curiosity. His ambitionis without policy, and his love without intrigue. He has no complaints to make of his rival, but that he is richer than himself; nor any difafters to lament, but a cruel mistrefs, or a bad harvest. The conviction of the neceffity of fome new fource of pleasure induced Sannazarius to remove the fcene from the fields to the fea, to fubftitute fishermen for fhepherds, and (derive his fentiments from the pifcatory life; for which he has been cenfured by fucceeding criticks, because the. fea is an object of terror, and by no means proper to amuse the mind and lay the paffions afleep. Against this objection he might be defended by the established maxim, that the poet-has a right to to felect his images, and is no more obliged to thew the fea in a storm, than the land under an inundation; but may display all the pleasures, and conceal the dangers of the water, as he may lay his fhepherd under a fhady beech, without giving him an ague, or letting a wild beaft loofe upon him. There are, however, two defects in the pifcatóry eclogue, which perhaps cannot be fupplied. The fea, though in hot countries it is confidered by those who live, like Sannazarius, upon the coaft, as a place of pleasure and diverfion, has notwithstanding much less variety than the land, and therefore will be fooner exhausted by a defcriptive writer. When he has once fhewn the fun rifing or fetting upon it, curled its waters with the vernal breeze, rolled the waves in gentle fucceffion to the fhore, and enumerated the fish fporting in the fhallows, he has nothing remaining but what is common to all other poetry, the complaint of a nymph for a drowned lover, or the indignation of a fifher that his oyfters are refufed, and Mycon's accepted. Another obstacle to the general reception of this kind of poetry, is the ignorance of maritime pleasures, in which the greater part of mankind must always live. To all the inland inhabitants of every region, the fea is only known as an immenfe diffufion of waters, over which men pafs from one country to another, and in which life is frequently loft. They have, therefore, no opportunity of tracing, in their own thoughts, the descriptions of winding fhores, and calm bays, nor can look on the poem in which they L 3 are are mentioned, with other fenfations than on a fea chart, or the metrical geography of Dionyfius This defect Sannazarius was hindered from perceiving, by writing in a learned language to readers generally acquainted with the works of nature; but if he had made his attempt in any vulgar tongue, he would foon have difcovered how vainly he had endeavoured to make that loved, which was not understood. I am afraid it will not be found eafy to improve the paftorals of antiquity, by any great additions or diverfifications. Our defcriptions may indeed differ from thofe of Virgil, as an English from an Italian fummer, and, in fome respects, as modern from ancient life; but as nature is in both countries nearly the fame, and as poetry has to do rather with the paffions of men, which are uniform, than their customs, which are changeable, the varieties, which time or place can furnifh, will be inconfiderable: and I fhall endeavour to fhew, in the next paper, how little the latter ages have contributed to the improvement of the ruftick muse. NUMB. 37. TUESDAY, July 24, 1750. Canto que folitus, fi quando armenta vocabat, Such ftrains. I fing as once Amphion play'd, When lift'ning flocks the powerful call obey'd. VIRG ELPHINSTON, In or off of latter times feem to N writing or judging of paftoral poetry, neither have paid fufficient regard to the originals left us by antiquity, but have entangled themfelves with unneceffary difficulties, by advancing principles, which, having no foundation in the nature of things, are wholly to be rejected from a fpecies of compofition, in which, above all others, mere nature is to be regarded. It is therefore neceffary to enquire after fome more diftinct and exact idea of this kind of writeing. This may, I think, be eafily found in the paftorals of Virgil, from whofe opinion it will not appear very safe to depart, if we confider that every advantage of nature, and of fortune, concurred to complete his productions; that he was born with great accuracy and feverity of judg ment, enlightened with all the learning of one of the brightest ages, and embellished with the elegance of the Roman court; that he employed his powers rather in improving, than inventing, and therefore muft have endeavoured to recompenfe the want of novelty by exactness; that taking Theocritus for his original, he found paftoral far 'advanced towards perfection, and that having fo great a rival, he must have proceeded with uncommon caution. If we fearch the writings of Virgil, for the true definition of a paftoral, it will be found a posm in which any action or paffion is reprefented by its effects upon a country life. Whatfoever therefore may, according to the common courfe of things, happen in the country, may afford a fubject for a paftoral poet. In this definition, it will immediately occur to those who are verfed in the writings of the modern criticks, that there is no mention of the golden age. I cannot indeed easily discover why it is thought neceflary to refer descriptions of a rural tate to remote times, nor can I perceive that any writer has confiftently preferved the Arcadian manners and fentiments. The only reason, that I have read, on which this rule has been founded, is, that, according to the customs of modern life, it is improbable that shepherds should be capable of harmonious numbers, or delicate fentiments; and therefore the reader must exalt his ideas of the paftoral character, by carrying his thoughts back to the age in which the care of herds and flocks was the employment of the' wifeft and greatest men. These reafoners feem to have been led into their hypothefis, by confidering paftoral, not in general, as a reprefentation of rural nature, and confequently as exhibiting the ideas and fentiments of thofe, whoever they are, to whom the country affords pleasure or employment, but fimply as a dialogue, or narrative of men actually tending Theep, and bufied in the lowest and most laborious offices; from whence they very readily concluded, fince characters muft neceffarily be preserved, that either the fentiments muft fink to the level of the fpeakers, |