Cur ego, fi nequeo ignoroque, poëta falutor?
Cur nefcire, pudens pravè, quàm difcere malo?

Verfibus exponi tragicis res comica non vult.
Indignatur item privatis ac prope focco
Dignis carminibus narrari cœna Thyestæ.
Singula quæque locum teneant fortita decenter.
Interdum tamen et vocem comoedia tollit;
Iratufque Chremes tumido delitigat ore;

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Et tragicus plerumque dolet fermone pedeftri. 95 Telephus aut Peleus, cum pauper er exul uterque, Projicit ampullas et fefquipedalia verba,

Si curat cor fpectantis tetigiffe querelâ.

Non fatis eft pulchra effe poëmata; dulcia funto, Et quocunque volent, animum auditoris agunto. 100 Ut ridentibus arrident, ita flentibus adflent

Humani vultus;

If, marking nicer fhades, I mifs my aim,
Why am I greeted with a Poet's name?
Or if, thro' ignorance, I can't difcern,
Why, from falfe modefty, forbear to learn?

A comick incident loaths tragick ftrains:
Thy feaft, Thyeftes, lowly verse disdains;
Familiar diction fcorns, as bafe and mean,
Touching too nearly on the comick scene.
Each ftyle allotted to its proper place,
Let each appear with its peculiar grace!
Yet Comedy at times exalts her ftrain,

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And angry Chremes ftorms in fwelling vein :
The tragick hero, plung'd in deep distress,
Sinks with his fate, and makes his language lefs.
Peleus and Telephus, poor, banish'd! each
Drops his foot-half-foot words, and founding
fpeech;

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Or elfe, what bofom in his grief takes part,
Which cracks the ear, but cannot touch the heart!

'Tis not enough that Plays are polish'd, chafte, Or trickt in all the harlotry of taste,

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They must have passion too; beyond controul Transporting where they please the hearer's foul. With those that smile, our face in fmiles appears ; With those that weep, our cheeks are bath'd in tears:

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fi vis me flere, dolendum eft Primum ipfi tibi: tunc tua me infortunia lædent. Telephe, vel Peleu, male fi mandata loqueris, Aut dormitabo, aut ridebo: triftia mæftum Vultum verba decent; iratum, plena minarum; Ludentem, lafciva; feverum, feria dictu. Format enim Natura prius nos intus ad omnem Fortunarum habitum; juvat, aut impellit ad iram, Aut ad humum moerore gravi deducit, et angit: 110 Poft effert animi motus interprete linguâ.

Si dicentis erunt fortunis abfona dicta,

Romani tollent Equites peditefque chachinnum.

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Intererit multum, Divufne loquatur, an heros; Maturufne fenex, an adhuc florente juventâ Fervidus; an matrona potens, an fedula nutrix; Mercatorne vagus, cultorne virentis agelli;

Colchus,

To make me grieve, be firft your anguish shown,
And I fhall feel your forrows like my own.

Peleus, and Telephus! unless your style
Suit with your circumftance, I'll fleep, or fmile.
Features of forrow mournful words require;

Anger in menace fpeaks, and words of fire;
The playful prattle in a frolick vein,
And the fevere affect a ferious ftrain:
For Nature firft, to every varying wind
Of changeful fortune, shapes the pliant mind;
Sooths it with pleasure, or to rage provokes,

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Or brings it to the ground by forrow's heavy strokes ;

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Then of the joys that charm'd, or woes that wrung,
Forces expreffion from the faithful tongue :
But if the actor's words belie his ftate,

And speak a language foreign to his fate,

Romans fhall crack their fides, and all the town 170 Join, horse and foot, to laugh th' impoftor down.

Juft Dialogue, to every speaker fit,
Their feveral rank and character should hit;
Hero, or God; the Sire fedate and grave,
Or the warm Youth to paffion ftill a flave;
Matron, or Nurfe; the Merchant us'd to roam,
Or Farmer ploughing his rich field at home:

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Colchus, an Affyrius; Thebis nutritus, an Argis.

Aut famam fequere, aut fibi convenientia finge, Scriptor. Homæreum fi forte reponis Achillem, 120 Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer,

Jura neget fibi nata, nihil non arroget armis.
Sit Medea ferox invictaque, flebilis Ino,
Perfidus Ixion, Io vaga, triftis Oreftes.

Si quid inexpertum fcenæ committis, et audes 125 Perfonam formare novam; fervetur ad imum Qualis ab incepto procefferit, et fibi conftet.

Difficile eft propriè communia dicere: tuque Rectius Iliacum carmen deducis in actus,

Quàm fi proferres ignota indictaque primus. 130

Publica materies privati juris erit, fi
Non circa vilem patulumque moraberis orbem ;
Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere, fidus
Interpres; nec defilies imitator in arctum,

Unde