induftrious Moderns, both in the Weight of their writings, and in the Velocity of their judgments, do fo infinitely excel the faid Ancients.

Nevertheless, too true it is, that while a plain and direct road is paved to their úlos, or Sublime; no tract has been yet chalked out, to arrive at our Bátos or Profound. The Latins, as they came between the Greeks and Us, make use of the word Altitudo, which implies equally height and depth. Wherefore confidering with no fmall grief, how many promifing Genius's of this age are wandering (as I may fay) in the dark without a guide, I have undertaken this arduous but neceffary tafk, to lead them as it were by the hand, and step by step, the gentle down-hill way to the Bathos; the bottom, the end, the central point, the non plus ultra, of true Modern Poely!

When I confider (my dear Countrymen) the extent, fertility, and populoufnefs of our Lowlands of Parnaffus, the flourishing ftate of our Trade, and the plenty of our Manufacture; there are two reflections which adminifter great occafion of surprize: The one, that all dignities and honours fhould be bestowed upon the exceeding few meagre inhabitants of the Top of the mountain; the other, that our own nation fhould have arrived to that pitch of greatnefs it now poffeffes, without any regular Syftem of Laws. As to the first, it is with great pleasure I have obferved of late the gradual decay of Delicacy and Refinement among mankind, who are become too reasonable to require that we fhould labour with infinite pains to come up to the taste of these Mountaineers, when they without any may condefcend to ours. But as we now have an unquestionable Majority on our fide, I doubt not but we fhall

fhortly be able to level thefe Highlanders, and procure a further vent for our own product, which is already fo much relifhed, encouraged, and rewarded, by the Nobility and Gentry of Great Britain.

Therefore to supply our former defect, I purpose to collect the fcattered Rules of our Art into regular Inftitutes, from the example and practice of the deep Genius's of our nation; imitating herein my predeceffors the Master of Alexander, and the Secre tary of the renowned Zenobia. And in this my undertaking I am the more animated, as I expect more fuccefs than has attended even thofe great Critics; fince their Laws (though they might be good) have ever been flackly executed, and their Precepts (however ftrict) obeyed only by fits, and by a very fmall number.

At the fame time I intend to do juftice upon our neighbours, inhabitants of the upper Parnaffus; who, taking advantage of the rifing ground, are perpetually throwing down rubbish, dirt, and ftones upon us, never fuffering us to live in peace. These men, while they enjoy the cryftal ftream of Helicon, envy us our common water, which (thank our flars) though it is fomewhat muddy, flows in much greater abundance. Nor is this the greatest injuftice that we have to complain of; for though it is evident that we never made the leaft attempt or inroad into their territories, but lived contented in our native fens; they have often not only committed Petty Larcenies upon our borders, but driven the country, and carried off at once whole Cart-loads of our manufacture; to reclaim fome of which ftolen goods is part of the defign of this Treatife.

For we fhall fee in the course of this work, that our greatest Adverfaries have fometimes defcended towards us; and doubtlefs might now and then have arrived at the Bathos itself, had it not been for that mistaken opinion they all entertained, that the Rules of the Ancients were equally neceffary to the Moderns; than which there cannot be a more grievous Error, as will be amply proved in the following difcourfe.

And indeed when any of these have gone fo far, as by the light of their own Genius to attempt new Models, it is wonderful to obferve, how nearly they have approached us in those particular pieces; though in their others they differed toto coelo from us.

CHA P. II.

THAT THE BATHOS, OR PROFOUND, IS THE NATURAL TASTE OF MAN, AND IN PARTICULAR, OF THE PRESENT AGE.

THE HE Tafte of the Bathos is implanted by Nature itself in the foul of man; till, perverted by custom or example, he is taught, or rather compelled to relifh the Sublime. Accordingly, we fee the unprejudiced Minds of Children delight only in fuch productions, and in fuch images, as our true modern writers fet before them. I have obferved how fast the general Tafte is returning to this first Simplicity and Innocence; and if the intent of all Poetry be to divert and inftruct, certainly that kind which diverts and inftructs the greatest number, is

to be preferred. Let us look round among the Admirers of Poetry, we fhall find those who have a taste of the Sublime to be very few; but the Profound ftrikes univerfally, and is adapted to every capacity. 'Tis a fruitless undertaking to write for men of a nice and foppifh Gufto, whom after all it is almost impoffible to please; and 'tis ftill more chimerical to write for Pofterity, of whofe Tafte we cannot make any Judgment, and whofe applause we can never enjoy. It must be confeffed our wifer authors have a prefent end,

Et prodeffe volunt et delectare Poetae.

Their true design is Profit or Gain; in order to acquire which, 'tis neceffary to procure applaufe by adminiftering pleafure to the reader: From whence it follows demonftrably, that their productions muft be fuited to the prefent Tafle. And I cannot but congratulate our age on this peculiar felicity, that though we have made indeed great progrefs in all other branches of Luxury, we are not yet debauched with any high Relifh in Poetry, but are in this one Tafte lefs nice than our Ancestors. If an Art is to be estimated by its fuccefs, I appeal to experience. whether there have not been, in proportion to their number, as many ftarving good Poets, as bad ones.

Nevertheless, in making gain the principal end of our Art, far be it from me to exclude any great Genius's of Rank or Fortune from diverting themfelves this way. They ought to be praised no less than those Princes, who pafs their vacant hours in fome ingenious mechanical or manual Art. And to fuch as thefe, it would be ingratitude not to own, that our Art has been often infinitely indebted.

FURTHERMORE, it were great cruelty and injuftice,

if all fuch Authors as cannot write in the other way, were prohibited from writing at all. Against this I draw an argument from what feems to me an undoubted phyfical Maxim, That Poetry is a natural or morbid Secretion from the Brain. As I would not fuddenly stop a Cold in the head, or dry up my neighbour's Iffue, I would as little hinder him from neceffary writing. It may be affirmed with great truth, that there is hardly any human creature past childhood, but at one time or other has had fome Poetical Evacuation, and, no question, was much the better for it in his health: fo true is the faying, Nafcimur Poetae. Therefore is the defire of Writing properly termed Pruritus, the Titillation of the Generative Faculty of the Brain," and the Person is faid to conceive; now fuch as conceive muft bring forth. I have known a man thoughtful, melancholy, and raving for divers days, who forthwith grew wonderfully eafy, lightsome and cheerful, upon a discharge of the peccant humour, in exceeding purulent Metre. Nor can I queftion, but abundance of untimely deaths are occafioned for want of this laudable vent of unruly paffions; yea, perhaps, in poor wretches, (which is very lamentable) for mere