in Anacreon, in Horace, in Catullus, in Petronius, and in Martial; these are all great Models of this Character; of which the French have only, in their Tongue, Marot, a Gentleman of the Chamber to Francis the First. He had an admirable Genius for this Way of Writing; and whoever have been fuccessful in it fince, have only copied him. Voiture had a Nature for this Character; if he had not a little corrupted his Wit by the Reading of the Spaniards and Italians. If thefe Words are affected, they lofe their Grace, because they become cold and flat, when they are far-fetch'd. But the most general Fault in these little Pieces of Verfe, is, when one would cram them with too much Wit. This is the ordinary Vice of the Spaniards and Italians, who labour always to fay Things finely. This is no very good Character; for they ceafe to be natural, whilft they take care to be witty. This is the Fault of Quevedo, in his Work of the nine Mufes, of Gongora in his Romances, of Preti and Tefti in their little Verfe, of Marino in his Idyllia, of Aquillini in his Madrigals, and of all the other Strangers, who would refine by falfe Idea's of far-fetch'd Ornaments, and by Affe&tations of Wit, which have nothing of the folid Character, and the good Senfe of the Ancients. Every fmall Genius is apt to run into this Vice, of which the late Collections of the French Poefies are full, where the Poets force themselves to be witty, in spite of their Genius; for they either never fay Things as they ought to be faid; or they fay nothing in the great Difcourfes; or they load with Ornaments, Subjects that are not capable to fuffer any; or they difcover all their Art, when it fhould be conceal'd; or they give them felves

R 3

over

over to the Beauty of their Nature, without Method; or finally, they lose themselves in their Idea's, because they have not Strength to execute handfomely what their Fancy dictates to them.

XXXIII.

Were I of a Humour to decide, I might add to these Reflections the Solution of fome Difficulties in the Ufe of French Poesie, that to me feem worthy to be clear'd. The first is concerning the Tranfpofition of Words, which fome Poets feem to affect, in the great Poems, as a Kind of Figure, which they pretend to make ufe of, to give more Force and Noblenefs to their Difcourfe. But Ronfard, in the Preface of his Poem of the Franciad, is not of that Opinion. For he believes not the French Tongue to have a Character proper to bear in its Expreffion, that Sort of Tranfpofitions. In effect, it is too fimple and too plain to wind about the Words, and give them an other Order than that of the natural Senfe, which they ought to have. I refer to thofe who understand good Speaking, better than I do. The fecond Difficulty is, the Ufe of Thou, and Thee, which the Poets employ when they speak to GOD, or to the King. This Ufe to me feems neither founded on Authority nor on Reafon. For, befides that the Authority of the Latin Tongue, on which they build, is a falfe -Foundation; because that Tongue equally ufes Thou and Thee in Profe and in Verfe, for all Sort of Perfons; our Tongue is, of it felf, of a Character fo refpectful, that it cannot be content with those Terms, for Perfons to whom it would give

Ho

Honour. But nothing to me appears more ftrong against this Ufe, than the Manner which the Poets themselves practise. For those who fay Thou and Thee to God, and to great Perfons, never fpeak fo to their Mistresses, because they believe that would want Respect. 'Tis true, that Theophile has faid fo to his, but this was faid no more after the Language became polifh'd; and Voiture never us'd it. This is a Scruple I have, and which I leave to the Criticks to examine. The third Difficulty is the Ufe of Metaphors; for the French Tongue is effentially fo fcrupulous, that it allows nothing but what is modeft, and the least Thing of Boldness offends its Modefty. But this would be too great a Delicacy to forbid Metaphors to Poets, with the fame Rigor as to Orators. There are Metaphors authoriz'd by Use, which Poefie cannot pafs by. It behoves a Poet to use them difcreetly, without shocking the Modesty of our Language. It requires a great Judgment to diftinguish what ought to be faid in proper Terms, and what in Metaphorical. The fame Cenfure may be pafs'd on the Boldness of Compounding and Coining new Words. Du-Bartas has made himself ridiculous, by attempting to imitate Homer and Pindar in the Invention of thefe Kind of Words. The fourth Difficulty is the Conftraint of Rhime: but this can only be a Difficulty to the weaker Sort of Wits, who fuffer themfelves to be master'd by this Servitude, which a great Genius employs, to give the more Force to his Thoughts, and more Greatnefs to his Sentiments. The laft Difficulty, and the moft important of all the Reft, is to know, Whether one may pleafe in Poetry against the Rules? I apply this to the French Poetry partiR 4

cularly,

cularly, though it be common to Poetry in general; because most Part of our French makes a falfe Liberty of this bad Principle. 'Tis only by this, that Moliere would falve the ordinary Irregularity of his Comedies. 'Tis true, that his Rashness has been fuccefsful; and that he has pleas'd in his Pieces against Art. But I pretend that neither he, nor any others shall ever please, but by the Rules: They have fome natural Draughts whereby they are fuccessful, and these Draughts are the Strokes of Art; for Art, as I have faid, is nothing elfe, but good Senfe reduc'd to Method. 'Tis only these Strokes that are taking in irregular Pieces, where what is irregular never pleases, because 'tis never natural.

XXXIV.

Finally, to conclude with a Touch of Morality. Since the Reputation of being modeft, is more worth than that of making Verfes; were I to make any, I wou'd never forfake Honesty nor Modefty. For if nothing renders Men more ridiculous, than the kind Opinion they conceive of themselves, and of their Performances; the Poets are yet more ridiculous than other Men, when their Vanity rifes from the Difficulty of fucceeding well in their Mystery. But if I made Verse better than another, I wou'd not force any Man to find them good; I would not have a greater Opinion of my self, though all the World applauded them; nor fhould the Succefs blind me: Amongst the Praises that were bestow'd on me, I could not perfuade my self to fuffer thofe, where appear'd ought of Favour; and I wou'd impofe filence on them, who in com

mending

mending me, fpoke further than my Confcience. To fave my felf from that Ridiculouf nefs, which fome vain Spirits fall into, who would have Praises and Admirations eternally for every Thing they do; I wou'd employ all my Reafon, and all my Wit, to gain more Docility, and more Submiffion to the Advice my Friends fhould give me; I would borrow their Lights, to fupply the Weakness of mine; and I wou'd liften to all the World, that I might not be ignorant of any of my Faults. In the Praises that I gave to thofe I found worthy, I wou'd be fo Conscientious, that for no Intereft whatsoever, wou'd I fpeak against my Opinion; and there fhou'd never enter into any Thing that went from my Hands, any of thofe mercenary Glances, which fo greatly debafe the Character of a Poet. Lastly, I would rid my felf of all the ridiculous Vanities, to which those who make Verse are ordinarily obnoxious: And by this prudent Conduct I wou'd endeavour to destroy thofe Fripperies, which, by Cuftom, are faid of a Profeffion that might continue honourable, were it only exercis'd by Men of honourable Principles.

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