to its ancient Dignity, and making it, as it was at first design'd by its Founders, the School of Virtue. It is evident from France, that the Evils complain'd of, are local, not general; adventitious from the Place and Management, and not from the Nature of the Poem. For Richelieu, who befides the establishing the Academy Royal, made particular Provifions for the Theatre, excluding from its Representations, not only all immodest Actions, but even any Double Entendre; and we find, That any Breach of this Declaration of Lewis XIII. will not there escape the Cenfure of the very Audience it felf. Good God! Madam, must we be forced to ask? What, are the French Ladies more nicely chaft and virtuous than the English Ladies? What, do the French Ladies as much excel ours in Modesty, as we do them in Beauty? Will they check an accidental Double Entendre, to the Damnation of the incautious Poet; and shall our Ladies throng the Boxes, to hear nothing else? To fee criminal Intrigues express'd with so little Regard to the Modesty of the Ladies of the first Quality in England? But an Instance of this is worthy your Obfervation, and it is of the Theodore of Corneille; where the bare, and distant Conceit of a Lady's being expos'd to Prostitution, was so odious to that nice and ferupulous Audience, that it damnd the Play. Corneille justly observes from hence, That the French Theatres are much more delicate on that Account, than the Ancient Fathers and the Pulpit. However, says he, it is some Satisfaction to me, That I see the better, and more found Part of my Judges impute this ill Saccess to that Imagination of a Proftitution, which they cou'd not endure, tho it was well known that it cou'd not take Effect; and that, to allay the Horror of it, I made use of all the Helps that Art and Experience cou'd furnish me withal. Amidst this Disgrace, I rejoice to see the Purity of our Stage, so chaft, that a History, the fairest Ornament of the fecond Book of St. Ambrofe's Virgins, appears too licentious to pass on our Stage. What might have been said, if, like that great Doctor of the Church, I had shewn the Virgin in that infamous Place, if 1 had defcrib'd the various Agitations of her Mind, when she was in the Place; if I had drawn the Troubles she felt that Instant that she saw her Love Didymus come in to ber? T'is on this Occasion, that this great Saint makes that Eloquence triumph, which converted St. Austin; it is for this Spectacle that he particularly invites the Virgins to open their Eyes. I kept her from the Light, and as much as I cow'd, from the Imagination of my Audience; yet, after all my Industry, the Modesty of our Theatre is such, to dislike that little which the Neceffity of the Subject compell'd me to make known. This, I hope, is a sufficient Answer to all the particular Objections that have been made, either to Poetry in general, or to its most useful Part, the Drama in particular; and if Beaumont and Fletcher (made Poets only by a Party prevailing in King Charles the First's Time, and fince prevailing by an unreafonable Prefeription, and the Force of good Actors, as Mr. Rimer justly observes) have introduced the most infamous Sight of a Bawdy-House, and all its Filthinefs; yet you find the very diftant Idea of fuch a Place, damn'd a most innocent Play of so great a Man as Corneille in France. If St. Austin ask'd God's Pardon for having read Virgil in his Youth, with Pleasure, we do not find St. Paul, a much greater Saint, and an Apostle, repenting his having read Menander, a Comic Greek Poet. If St. Chryfoftem seem hard, in some Expressions, upon the Stage, we yet know, that he was very familiar with Aristophanes himself in his Closet, and form'd his Diction and Stile by him. In short, if the Abuse of a thing be ever admitted as a Reason against the thing it felf, all that is excellent must be thrown afide, fince there has been, and will always be, Abuses of Religion it tself, the most excellent thing that is. Thus Thus, I think the Question is no longer, Whether Poetry be an excellent Art, and worthy Encouragement, which is made out beyond a fair Contradiction; but whether all those Scribblers, who have, in this Age and Nation, as well as others, ufurp'd that glorious Appellation, should be esteem'd, and meet with those Advantages due only to the truly inspird. And that depends alone on the Politeness and Understanding of the People, at least, of that Part which is diftinguish'd by Power and Quality, in whose Hands this Difpenfation is lodged; and which, I fear, is likely to be still erroneous, till fome Great Man arife, a Mecenas, a Richlieu, or a Sir Philip Sidney, whose Judgment and Quality may be able, by their Influence, to filence the Poetafters and Kerfifiers, and diftinguish true Merit, by restoring those Rewards to true Poets, which are now ufurp'd by those forward, paltry Fellows, who make their Court to the Follies and Crimes of great Men, and not to their Unstanding. asic wites, I made an End, finding that Landon had fomething to offer on this Head. Tho what has been faid by my dear Morifina, faid Laudon, and by you, my Friend Gamaliel, may feem sufficient to give a full Answer to all the Objections against Poetry in general, and even of its particular Parts of any Importance; yet, fince the fair Eufebia has not only in the Opening of her Discourse, adress'd her felf to me, but concluded with a folemn Summons to my Senfe, and to my Religion, to quit my Inclinations and Favour to this Art, I think my felf oblig'd to fay something for that Inclination Imust own to it, and the Value and Esteem I cannot but have for it. د I confefs my Obligations to Eufebia for her good Opinion of my Senfe, and of my Understanding, which, how weak foever in themselves, yet there is no Man so modest and indifferent in these Particulars, lars, to be fatisfied with a mean Opinion that others may have of them; and for this Reafon, every Man finds in himself a Satisfaction to have them thought well of by Persons of so good Sense as Eufebia is evidently Mistress of. As for my Religion, indeed, that is what every Man of Probity is allow'd to avow, without any Imputation of Vanity; for every Man has an indispensable Duty to be religious, but no Man is obliged to be witty, or have a just Idea of the finer Arts and Sciences, in order to be admitted into the Number of honest Men; which, whoever is guilty of, either profefss'd, or fecret Irreligion, cannot be. First, As to my Sense, I can never think it in any manner of Danger, by espousing an Art which was so much in Esteem with that State from which all Europe, at least, derives its Politeness and Learning. Nor can I think it unworthy my Understanding, to declare openly for Poetry, when I confider in what Honour and Request true Poetry has been, through all Ages and Nations, from the Origin of Mankind to this Day, from China to Peru, and from Schythia to Ashia, But indeed, what Value and Distinction has it not been in with the best and greatest of Men, as well as with the more inferior Degrees of Mankind. 1. Among the Hebrews, David and Solomon, the best and wifest of Kings, Job and Jeremiah, the holiest Men, were the best Poets of their Nation and Language, which alone is sufficient to fecure my Religion from any injurious Imputation, on the Account of Poetry. Among the Greeks, the two most renowned Sages and Legislators, were Lycurgus and Solon, the last of whom is known to have excelled in Poetry. Alexander the Great never lept without the admirable Poems of Homer; Phalaris, who was inexorable to all other Enemies, relented at the Charms of the Muse of Steficherus. Among the Romans, the first Great Scipio pafs'd the softest Hours of his Life in the Couverfation of Terence; and he, as well as Lelius, is thought thought to have had a Hand in the Comedies of that Poet. Cefar was an excellent Poet, as well as Orator, and his forgiving, or rather overlooking the rough Raillery of Catullus, in one of his Epigrams, was at once an Argument of his Value for the Art, and his Greatness of Mind. Augustus was not only a Patron, but a Friend and Companion of Virgil and Horace, and other Poets of that Age. Nay, he was himself a Pretender to Performance in that Way, as far as his Genius, and his busy Scene of Life would allow. Macenas, to whom perhaps Augustus ow'd so much of his Profperity in establishing the Empire, was both Poet and Patron; and Richlicu, the greatest Statefman fince him, did not only declare openly for it, and dif penfed his Favours in an eminent Degree, on the Sons of Art, but difcovered his Ambition to be one of them himself. This, I hope, will not make me look little, by my Zeal for Poetry, tho' the great Men of our Nation have never yet given a Proof of their Politicks, by a Care of this Mother of all Arts and Sciences. But when we have feen any one of these British Statesmen excel Matenas and Richlieu, in their Administration, we may then have some Excuse to think them more in the right; but till then, give me Leave to entertain meaner Thoughts of their Intellects, and greater, of -the Excellence of Poetry, and fay with a noble Peer, at the Beginning of his Effay on Poetry Of Things, in which Mankind do most excel, 11. : 2 Tho' these Lines are no more than the Introduction to his Grace's following admirable Rules, yet, I can not |