generally, and never was Judgment more free and impartial. He might be thought an Enemy to the Spaniards, were he not as fharp on the Italians and he might be fufpected to envy the Italians, were he not as fevere on his Own Countrymen. Thefe Nations make it a Problem, whether a Dutchman or German may be a Wit or no; and our Author finds none worthy of his Cenfure amongst them, except Heinfius and Grotius. Amongst us he gives Buchanan a particular Character: But for fuch as writ in the English Tongue, he has not, I prefume, understood the Language fo well, to pass a Judgment on them; only in general he confeffes, that we have a Genius for Tragedy above all other People; one Reafon he gives we cannot allow of, viz. The Difpofition of our Nation, which, he faith, is delighted with cruel Things. 'Tis ordinary to judge of People's Manners and Inclinations by their publick Diverfions; and Travellers, who fee fome of our Tragedies, may conclude us certainly the cruelleft minded People in Chriftendom.

In another Place this Author fays of us, That we are Men in an Island, divided from the rest of the World, and that we love Blood in our Sports. And perhaps, it may be true, that on our Stage are more Murders than on all the Theatres in Europe. And they who have not time to learn our Language, or be acquainted with our Converfation, may there in three Hours Time behold fo much Blood fhed as may affright them from the inhofpitable Shore, as from the Cyclops Den. Let our Tragedy-makers confider this, and examine whether it be the Disposition of the People, or their own Caprice, that brings this Cenfure on the best-natur'd Nation under the Sun,

His

His other Reafon is our Language, which he fays, is proper for great Expreffions. The Spanifh is big and faftuous, proper only for Rhodomontades, and compar'd with other Langua ges, is like the Kettle-drum to Musick.

The Italian is fittest for Burlesque, and better becomes the Mouth of Petrolin and Arloquin in their Farces, than any heroick Character. The perpetual Termination in Vowels is childish,and themfelves confefs, rather fweet than grave.

The French wants Sinews for great and heroick Subjects, and even in Love-matters, by their own Confeffion, is a very Infant; the Italians Mefnar call it the Kitchin-tanguage, it being fo copious dire & al. and flowing on thöfe Occafions.

Lenga di

The German ftill continues rude and unpo- Mafferitic, lifh'd, not yet filled and civilized by the Commerce and Intermixture with Strangers to that Smoothness and Humanity which the English may boast of.

The diffyllable Rhimes force the Italians and Spaniards on the Stanza in Heroicks; which, befides many other Difadvantages, renders the Language unfit for Tragedy.

The French now only ufe the long Alexandrins, and would make up in Length, what they want in Strength and Subftance; yet are they too faint and languishing, and attain not that numerofity which the Dignity of heroick Verse requires, and which is ordinary in an English Verfe of ten Syllables. But I fhall not here examine the Weight, the Fulnefs, the Vigour, Force, Gravity, and the Fitness of the English for heroick Poefie, above all other Languages; the World Sheringexpecting thefe Matters learnedly and largely bam. difcuffed in a particular Treatife on that Subject. But from our Language I proceed to our Writers, and with the Freedom of this Author,

Bellay.

him to

of Italy.

examine how unhappy the greatest English Poets have been, through their Ignorance or Negligence of thefe fundamental Rules and Laws of Ariftotle. I fhall leave the Author of Pafquier the Romance of the Rofe (whom Sir Richard Baprefers ker makes an Englishman) for the French to the best boast of, hecause he writ in their Language. Nor fhall I fpeak of Chaucer, in whofe Time our Language, I prefume, was not capable of any heroick Character. Nor indeed was the most polite Wit of Europe, in that Age, fufficient for a great Defign. That was the Age of Tales, BalLads, and Roundelays. Petrarch in those Days, attempted the Epick Strain in his Africa; but though most happy in his Sonnets and Madrigals, was far too feeble for a Work of that Weight and Importance.

Spencer, I think, may be reckon'd the first of our beroick Poets; he had a large Spirit, a fharp Judgment, and a Genius for heroick Poefie, perhaps above any that ever writ fince Virgil. But our Misfortune is, he wanted a true Idea; and loft himself, by following an unfaithful Guide. Though befides Homer and Virgil, he had read Taffo, yet he rather fuffer'd himself to be mifled by Ariofto, with whom blindly rambling on marvellous Adventures, he makes no Confcience of Probability. All is fanciful and chimerical, without any Uniformity, without any Foundation in Truth; his Poem is perfect Fairy-land.

They who can love Ariofto, will be ravish'd with Spencer; whilft Men of jufter Thoughts lament, that fuch great Wits have miscarried in their Travels, for want of Direction to fet them in the right Way. But the Truth is, in Spencer's Time, Italy itself was not well fatisfied with Taffo, and few amongst them

would

would then allow that he had excell'd their divine Ariofto. And it was the Vice of thofe Times to affect fuperftitiously the Allegory; and nothing would then be current without a myftical Meaning. We must blame the Italians for debauching great Spencer's Judgment; and they caft him on the unlucky Choice of the Stanza, which in no wife is proper for our Language.

The next for epick Poefie, is Sir William 'D'avenant: His Wit is well known; and in the Preface to his Gondibert, appear fome Strokes of an extraordinary judgment. He is for unbeaten Tracks, and new Ways of Thinking; but certainly in his untry'd Seas he is no great Discoverer.

One Defign of the epick Poet's before him, was to adorn their own Country, there finding their Heroes, and Patterns of Vertue; whofe Et Pater Example (as they thought) would have great- Æneas T eft Influence and Power over Posterity; Avuncubut this Poet steers a different Courfe, his He- Hedor. roes are all Foreigners: He cultivates a Country that is nothing akin to him, 'tis Lombardy that reaps the Honour of all.

to

Other Poets chofe fome Action or Hero fo illuftrious, that the Name of the Poem, prepared the Reader, and made Way for its reception: But in this Poem none can divine what great Action he intended to celebrate nor is the Reader obliged to know, whether the Hero be Turk or Chriftian. Nor do the first Lines give any Light or Profpect into his Defign. Methinks, though his Religion could not difpenfe with an Invocation, he needed not to have fcrupled at the Propofition: Yet he rather chooses to enter in at the Top of an House, because the Morals of mean and fatif

lus excitet

fied Minds go in at the Door. And, I believe, the Reader is not well pleas'd to find his Poem begin with the Praises of Aribert, when the Title had promifed a Gondibert. But before he falls on any other Bufinefs, he prefents the Reader with a Defcription of each particular Hero, not trufting their Actions to fpeak for them, as former Poets had done. Their PraЯice was fine and artificial; his (he tells us) is a new Way. Many of his Characters have but little of the Heroick in them; Dalga is a Jilt, proper only for Comedy; Birtha for a Paftoral and Aftragon, in the Manner here defcribed, yields no very great Ornament to an heroick Poem; nor are his Battles lefs liable to Cenfure, than thofe of Homer.

He dares not, as other heroick Poets, heighten the Action, by making Heaven and Hell interested, for fear of offending against Probability; and yet he tells of

Threads by patient Parce flowly fpun.

And for being dead, his Phrafe is,

• Heav'n call'd him, where peacefully be rules a Star

And the Emerald he gives to Birtha, has a ftronger Tang of the old Woman, and is a greater Improbability than all the Enchantments in Taffo. A juft Medium reconciles the fartheft Extremes, and due Preparation may give Credit to the most unlikely Fiction. In Marino, Adois is prefented with a Diamond Ring, where indeed, the Stone is much-what of the fame Nature: But this Prefent is made by Venus and from a Goddess, could not be expected a Gift of ordinary Vertue.

:

Altho