Samuel Wesley

“ Because no single Hero, or true History, which the Ancients knew was sufficient, without Fable, to furnish Matter for an Epic Poem. History, says Aristotle, treats of particular Things as they really are; Poetry, as they ought to be; and therefore he prefers Poetry as the more grave and more instructive; the Poets being forc'd to follow the same Methods with their Kindred-Art, that of the Painters, and gather a great many Beauties together, out of 'em all, to steal one Venus. ”

“ Each nicer Vertue from the Walls repel, 910 And Heav'n it self regale with the Perfumes of Hell. This from the World our dreaded Foe will drive, As murm'ring Bees are forc'd to leave their Hive; Souls so refin'd such Vapours cannot bear, But seek their native Heav'n and purer Air: When She and all her heav'nly Guards are gone And her bright Heroe absent, all's our own: If any pious Fools should make a stand, To stop our Progress through the conquer'd Land, They soon shall pass for hot-brain'd Visionairs, 920 We'll run 'em down with Ridicule and Farce. Must they reform the World! ”

“ A Tyrant's Fall, a treach'rous Statesman's End Clear the Just Gods, and equal Heav'n defend: Ungrateful Factions here themselves torment, And bring those very Ills they would prevent: Nor think the lost Intrigues of Love too mean To fill the Stage and grace toe Tragic Scene! Who from the World this Salt of Nature takes, 960 Twice Slaves of Kings of Life a Desart makes. The Moral and Pathetick neatly join'd, Are best for Pleasure and for life design'd. ”

“ Thus Virgil, as Bossu observes, designing to render the Roman People pleased and easie under the new Government of Augustus, laid down this Maxim, as the Foundation of his Divine Æneis: "That great and notable Changes of State are not accomplished but by the Order and Will of God: That those who oppose themselves against them are impious, and frequently punished as they deserve; and that Heaven is not wanting to take that Hero always under its particular Protection, whom it chuses for the Execution of such grand Designs." ”

“ My principal Hero was perfect, yet imitable, and that both in active and contemplative Life. He leaves his own Kingdom to save and conquer another, endures the greatest hardships, is reduc'd to the lowest ebb, nay is at last forc'd to suffer Death it self. Yet after all, he emerges from his Misfortunes, conquers all his Enemies, fixes Laws, establishes Religion, Peace, and his own Empire, and is advanced higher than any Conquerer ever was before him. ”

“ A Poet may, I find, easily fall into Poorness of Thought by aiming too much at the Probability and neglecting the Admirable; whereby he loses that agreeableness which is a mixture of both. He ought then to take more care than some have done, not to keep himself too long behind the Scenes, and trust the Narration with another, which, without a great deal of Art and Pains, will take off much of the Life of the Work, as Longinus has already formerly observed. ”

“ Here all the Arts their sacred Mansion chuse, Here dwells the MOTHER of the Heav'n-born Muse: With wond'rous mystic Figures round 'tis wrought Inlaid with FANCY, and anneal'd with Thought: With more than humane Skill depicted here The various Images of Things appear; What Was, or Is, or labours yet to Be 80 Within the Womb of Dark Futurity, May Stowage in this wondrous Storehouse find, Yet leave unnumber'd empty Cells behind: But ah! as fast they come, they fly too fast, Not Life or Happiness are more in haste: Only the First Great Mind himself can stay The Fugitives and at one Glance survey ”

“ For the Subject I dare stand by it, that 'tis fit for a better Heroic Poem than any ever was, or will be made; and that if a good Poem cou'd not be made on't, it must be either from the weakness of the Art itself, or for want of a good Artist. I don't say the Subject with all its Circumstances is the best for Epic, but considered in it self, or with a prudent choice out of the vast Field of Matter which it affords. ”

“ If a Poet lights on any single Hero, whose true Actions and History are as important as any that Fable ever did or can produce, I see no reason why he may not as well make use of him and his Example to form the Manners and enforce any Moral Truth, as seek for one in Fable for that purpose: Nay, he can scarce fail of persuading more strongly, because he has Truth it self ”

“ I cou'd plead for my self what Longinus says on Works of this Nature, wou'd it not look like Arrogance, "That even the greatest Genius may sometimes sink into meanness, when the force of their Spirits is once exhausted: That its very difficult for height of Thought to sustain it self long in an equal Tenour; and that some Faults ought to be excused when there are more Beauties." ”

“ None knows with finer Strokes our Souls to move, And as he please we smile, or weep, or love. When Dryden goes, 'tis he must fill the Chair, With Congreve only Congreve can compare. Yet, tho he natural is as untaught Loves, His Style as smooth as Cytherea's Doves, When e'er unbyass'd Judges read him o'er, He sometimes nodds, as Homer did before: Some Lines his most Admirers scarce would please, 700 Nor B——'s Verse alone could raise Disease. ”

“ Draw the Main Strokes at first, 'twill shew your Skill, Life-Touches you may add whene'er you will. Ev'n Chance will sometimes all our Art excel, The angry Foam we ne'er can hit so well. A sudden Thought, all beautiful and bright, Shoots in and stunns us with amazing Light; Secure the happy Moment e'er 'tis past, Not Time more swift, or Lightning flies so fast. All must be free and easie, or in vain 370 You whip and spur, and the wing'd Courser strain: When foggy Clouds hang bellying in the Skies, Or fleety Boreas through th' Horizon flies ”

“ What moves the Soul, and every secret Cell Where Pity, Love, and all the Passions dwell. The Music of his Verse can Anger raise, Which with a softer Stroak he smooths and lays: Can Emulation, Terror, all excite, Compress the Soul with Grief, or swell with vast Delight. If this you can, your Care you'll well bestow, And some new Milton or a Spencer grow; If not, a Poet ne'er expect to be, 120 Content to Rime, like D——y or like me. ”

“ There is no doubt as to his vast respect for the greatest living poet, but his remarks do not indicate that he ranked Dryden with Virgil, Tasso, or Milton; for he recognized as well as we that the power to embellish and to imitate successfully does not constitute the highest excellence in poetry. In the Epistle to a Friend he affirmed his admiration for Dryden's matchless style, his harmony, his lofty strains, his youthful fire, and even his wit—in the main, qualities of style and expression. ”

“ Thence, as the Priestess from her Cave inspir'd, When to his Cell the rancid God retir'd, Double Entendres their fond Audience blind, Their boasted Oracles abuse Mankind: 400 False Joys around their Hearts in Slumbers play, And the warm tingling Blood steals fast away; The Soul grows dizzy, lost in Senses Night, And melts in pleasing Pain and vain Delight. ”

“ From all which, I must leave it to the Reader, whether I han't sufficiently prov'd what I've undertaken; that Fiction is not necessary to the principal Action of our Heroic Poem; on which I've been something more large, not so much on my own account; for 'tis indifferent to me by what Name any Man calls my Poem, so it answers the great End of Epic, which is Instruction; but because I've heard some Persons have been so conceited as to criticise on our immortal Cowley for this very reason, and deny his Davideis the Honour of being an Heroic Poem, because the Subject thereof is a true History. ”

“ What would these Men have, or why can't they be content to sink single into the bottomless Gulph, without dragging so much Company thither with 'em? Can they grapple Omnipotence, or are they sure they can be too hard for Heaven? Can they Thunder with a Voice like God, and cast abroad the Rage of their Wrath? ”

“ To mingle Falshoods, or dull Legendary Fictions, without either Life or Soul in 'em, with our Saviour's Blessed Gospel, may make 'em, in some Sence, superiour to it: This wou'd indeed incline an Italian to be of the same Faith with his Countryman, that 'twas all Fabula Christi, in the worst Sence of the Word: But certainly expressing the Truth in Parables, and mingling these with the Mysteries of the Gospel, can't be thought to give it an Air of Fiction: nor dare any affirm it does so, without Blasphemy, since our Saviour has so often done it. ”

“ But meanly why do you your Fate deplore, Yet still write on?—Why do a Thousand more, Who for their own or some Forefathers Crime Are doom'd to wear their Days in beating Rhime? But this a Noble Patron will redress, 220 And make you better write, tho you write less: Whate'er a discontented Mind pretends, Distinguish'd Worth can rarely miss of Friends: Do but excel, and he'll at last arise Who from the Dust may lift thee to the Skies ”

“ Another Reason why a whole Life is not ordinarily a proper Subject for Epics, is, because many trivial Accidents must be therein recited; but if a Life can be found in which is nothing but what's diverting and wonderful, tending besides to the perfecting the main Action, and the Order of time revers'd in the whole, the Case would be so much altered, that I think their Rules would not hold.
For the Form of Epic, which comes next in view, 'tis agreed on all Hands to be Recitation or Narration. ”

“ Beauty's Proportion, Air, each lively Grace The Soul diffuses round the Heav'nly Face: 'Tis various, yet 'tis equal, still the same In Alpine Snows, or Ethiopian Flame; While glaring Colours short-liv'd Grace supply, Nor Frost nor Sun they bear, but scorch and die. 50 [Sidenote: Judgment.] Nor these alone, tho much they can, suffice, JUDGMENT must join, or never hope the Prize: Those Headstrong Coursers scowr along the Plains, The Rider's down, if once he lose the Reins: Soon the Mad Mixture will to all give Law, And for the Laurel Wreaths present thee Wreaths of Straw. ”

“ Words alter, like our Garments, every day, 150 Now thrive and bloom, now wither and decay. Let those of greater Genius new invent, Be you with those in Common Use content. A different Style's for Prose and Verse requir'd, Strong figures here, Neat Plainness there desir'd: A different Set of Words to both belong; What shines in Prose, is, flat and mean in Song. The Turn, the Numbers must be vary'd here, And all things in a different Dress appear. This every School Boy lash'd at Eaton knows, } 160 Yet Men of Sense forget when they compose, } And Father DRYDEN's Lines are sometimes Prose. ”

“ Bossu says, The Persons are not at all to be introduced before the Eyes of the Spectators, acting by themselves without the Poet; not that he'd hereby exclude the Poet from introducing the persons telling their own Story, or some one of them that of the principal Hero: for great part of Epic is thus far Dramatic. And thus Virgil manages his second and third Books by way of Recitation, and that by his Hero himself, making him give Dido a long account of the Wars of Troy, and his own Actions, tho' thereby he falls into the Impropriety of commending himself, with a—sum pius Æneas. ”

“ Gondibert methinks wants Life; the Style is rather stiff than Heroic, and has more of Statius than Virgil; one may see every where a great deal of Art, and Pains, and Regularity, even to a fault; nor is a Genius wanting, but it's so unnatural, that an ingenious Person may find much more pleasure in reading a worse Poet. Besides, his Stanza's often cramp the Sence, and injure many a noble Thought and Passion. But Mr. Cowley's Davideis is the Medium between both ”

“ READING will mend your Style and raise it higher, And Matter find to feed th' Immortal Fire: But if you would the Vulgar Herd excel, 180 And justly gain the Palm of Writing well, Wast not your Lamp in scanning Vulgar Lines, Where groveling all, or One in twenty shines ”

“ Part of her direful Threats too true we find, And Heav'n avert the Plagues that yet remain behind! [Sidenote: Tragedy.] The Path which Epic treads the TRAGIC Muse With daring tho unequal Steps pursues, A little Epic shines through every Scene, Tho more of Life appears, and less Machine; More Action, less Narration, more Delight; We see the Gods descend, and Heroes fight. While Oedipus is raving on the Stage, 950 Mild Pity enters and dissolves our Rage; We low'r our haughty Spirits, our Pride and Hate, And learn to fear the sad Reverse of Fate. ”