A Full Enquiry Into The Nature Of The Pastoral (1717) Part 11

_Once_ Delia _lay, on easy Moss reclin'd, Her lovely Limbs half bare, and rude the Wind_, &c.

This also is of the same kind of SOFT.

_A Girland deckt in all the Pride of May, Sweet as her Breath, and as her Beauty Gay_, &c.

But Instances were endless. In Opposition to this kind of Soft, I shall quote out of _Spencer_ some Pa.s.sages which have the truest Softness.

For such that Author has, beyond any in the World, tho' perhaps not very often. He begins his last Pastory thus.

_A gentle Shepherd sate besides a Spring, All in the shadow of a bushy Breer_, &c.

And his first he begins thus.

_A Shepherd's Boy (no better do him call)_ &c.

His Pastoral named _Colin Clout's come home_, begins thus.

_The Shepherd-boy (best known by that Name) Who after t.i.tYRUS first sang his Lay, Lays of sweet Love, without Rebuke or Blow, Sate, as his manner was, upon a Day_, &c.

These Lines of _Spencer_ and those of _Philips_, both contain agreeable Images and Thoughts, yet are they as different as _Milton_ and _D'Urfey_.

I shall only make one Observation on this difference. Namely, that in the soft and beautiful Lines of _Philips_, each Word, only signifies a soft and beautiful Idea; As _Breath, Waters, Flow, Gently, Soft_, &c.

but in _Spencer_ the sound also is soft. Had such an Author dress'd this inimitable Thought of _Philips_, the Line would have glided as smooth and easy off the Tongue, as the Waters he mentions, do along the Meadows.

SECT. II.

_That no Language is so fit for Pastoral as the English_.

I have before observed, that this softness is effected, among other things by little Words; yet I cannot help observing here, that our Language is infinitely the finest of any in the World for Pastoral, and it's abounding so much in little Words is one Reason of it. The Pomps and Stateliness of the Latin Lines could not have been made proper for Pastoral, unless entirely alter'd, and 'tis not likely that a Genius daring enough to do that would engage in Pastoral.

The _Romans_ had not a Particle, as we have, before their _Substantives_; As _A_ and _The Tree_. Seldom used a Word before the Verbs; as _He goes_, _They go_. Nor had they our _Doth_ and _Does_; without which no _Englishman_ could form a Pastoral Language. As the sweet Simplicity of that Line, I have just quoted, is occasion'd by nothing else.

_A Shepherd-boy (no better do him call_.)

The _Greek_ Language was greatly more fit for Pastoral than the _Latin_.

Among other Reasons, because the former had so many Particles; and could render their Language uncommon, by their different Dialects, and by their various Methods of changing, and of compounding Words. Which no Language will admit of in an equal degree, besides the _English_. But then the _Greek_ Language is too sonorous for Pastoral. Give me leave to show the inimitable softness and sweetness of the _English_ Tongue, only by instancing in one Word. Which will also show how copious a Language ours is. I know but three Words the _Greeks_ had to express the Word Lad or Swain by: [Greek: Agrikos, Poimruos; and Bokolos]; and how sonorous are they all. We have six; Swain, Boy, Shepherd, Youth, Stripling, Lad; and how inimitably soft is the sound of 'em all.

_Theocritus_ has more Turns of Words or Phrazes than _Spencer_; yet he could in none of 'em come up to _Spencer_'s smoothness and simplicity in his Numbers. As I quoted only the Phrazes of my Country-men In the Chapter on that Head; I will here put down the finest in Theocritus, tho' I cannot say indeed that he has any but in his first Pastoral.

[Greek: Archete boukolikas Moisai philai harchet haoithas. Thursis hod hox Ahitnas, kai Thursidos adea phona. Pa pok had esth, oka Daphnis etaketo, pa poka Numphai;]

The finest of these Lines (and the softest but one that I remember thro'

all his Pieces) is the middle one; it is most incorrigibly translated by _Creech_: tho' I blame him not for it, because of the difficulty of inventing fine Phrazes, much more of translating those of other Men, into Rhime; for which Reason _Creech_ has not attempted to give us any of _Theocritus_'s Turns of Words.

CHAP. IV.

_That there may be several sorts of Pastorals_.

To conclude this Essay, as there are Tempers and Genius's of all sorts, so perhaps it may not be amiss to allow Writings of all sorts too. I think every Person's Aim should be to be subserving as much as possible, to the Delight and Amus.e.m.e.nt of his Fellow-Creatures. And if any can take pleasure in what is really not pleasant, 'tis pity, methinks, to rob 'em of it. Yet if there is in nature a Method which pursued will be still more delightful, the Critick is to be observed who points out the Way thereto.

If any of my Countrymen therefore can take delight from reading the Pastorals of _Theocritus_ and _Virgil_, or any of those who have imitated those two Ancients, I shall be ready to allow that there may be several sorts of Pastorals. 'Tis certain that _Milton_ and _Homer_, (thro' the Scene of the Former lying about the Sphere of Men) are as different as _East_ from _West_, yet both excellent. Tragedy has as different sorts as Epick-Poetry; Nor are _Julius Caesar_ and the _Orphan_ of the same Nature. The same difference in Tragedy, is between all those, whose Chief CHARACTER is a Hero, and those that draw a Female, as _Jane Sh.o.r.e_, the Lady _Jane Gray_, _and the like_, are to me entirely different from _Shakespear's_, not respecting the Excellency of 'em. _Shakespear_ having a Genius made for the Sublime, and perhaps Mr.

_Row_ rather for the Soft and Tender; as appears in two Pa.s.sages at the End of _JANE Sh.o.r.e_. Which in my Judgment are not much excell'd by even _Otway_ himself.

Since I have mention'd that Author, I can't help remarking how difficult a thing it is for any Person to know what his own Genius is fittest for; and how great a Chance it is whether ever a Writer comes to know it.

Tho' _Otway_ had so fine a Genius for the TENDER, it never appear'd till a little before he dyed. Thro' all his Plays we cannot trace even the least Glimpse of it, till his two last, _The Orphan_ and _Venice Preserv'd_. But we run the Digression too far.

SECT. 2.

_What Kind of Pastorals would please most Universally; and delight the greatest Number of Readers_.

For my own Part, as I said, I could be delighted with any Kind of Pastoral, if the Writer would but be at the Pains of selecting the most beautiful Images, and tenderest Thoughts. This is the first and princ.i.p.al Matter. Yet this might be perform'd by a moderate Capacity, without a Genius born for Tragedy.

Would a Person but form a delightful Story, invent new and uncommon and pleasing Characters, and furnish his Mind with a small Number of fine Images from the Country, before he sate down to write his Pieces, He would not fail of Success. But if Writers will only put down a parcel of common triffling Thoughts from _Theocritus_ and _Virgil_, nor will so much as aim at any thing themselves, can you blame me Cubbin, if I throw 'em aside. Let 'em have a thousand Faults, I can be pleas'd by 'em, if they have but Beauties with 'em; nor will you ever hear me blame _Shakespear_ for his Irregularity. And Pastoral is delightful to me in it's own Nature, that were these Authors to employ but my Mind in any manner, I should have Patience to peruse 'em.

But if these Authors were unwilling to be at the Pains of forming a pleasant Story themselves, they might go upon little Tales already known, such as, _The Two Children in the Wood_, and a thousand others inimitably pretty and delightful.

And had we a Set of such Pastorals as these, I am satisfied they would take extreamly. More Cubbin, perhaps than yours ever will; because perfect Pastories are directed only to Persons of Reading and Judgment.

But you cannot I suppose satisfie your own Mind, unless you write up to what you judge the Standard of Perfection in every sort of Writing.

_FINIS_.

_Notes on the Text_.

It was impractical to issue Purney's _Enquiry_ in facsimile because of the blurred condition of the photostats. This reprint follows the original text faithfully, with the following exceptions: the long "s" and the double "v" are modernized; small capitals, which appear frequently in the 1717 version, are reduced to lower-case letters; a few very slight typographical errors have been silently corrected. On page 40, line 1, _thoroughly_ reads _throughly_ in the original; and the three lines of Greek on p. 70, somewhat garbled in the original, are given in corrected form.