a ferment, and Venus mollify him. Remember on all occafions to make use of volatile Mercury. If you have need of Devils, draw them out of Milton's Paradise, and extract your Spirits from Taffo. The ufe of these Machines is evident; fince no Epic Poem can poffibly fubfift without them, the wisest way is to reserve them for your greatest neceffities: When you cannot extricate your Heró by any human means, or yourself by your own wit, feek relief from Heaven, and the Gods will do your bufiness very readily. This is according to the direct Prescription of Horace in his Art of Poetry, Nec Deus interfit, nifi dignus vindice Nodus inciderit That is to fay, A Poet fhould never call upon the Gods for their Affiftance, but when he is in great Perplexity. FOR THE DESCRIPTIONS. For a Tempest. Take Eurus, Zephyr Aufter, and Boreas, and caft them together in one verfe: add to these of Rain, Lightning, and Thunder (the loudeft you can) quantum fufficit: mix your clouds and billows well together till they foam, and thicken your Description here and there with a Quickfand. Brew your Tempeft well in your head, before- you fet it a blowing. For a Battle. Pick a large quantity of Images and Descriptions from Homer's Iliads, with a fpice or two of Virgil, and if there remain any overplus, you may lay them by for a Skirmish. Seafon it well with Similes, and it will make an excellent Battle. For a Burning Town. If fuch a Defcription be neceffary (because it is certain there is one in Virgil) old i roy is ready burnt to your hands. But if you fear that would be thought borrowed, a Chapter or two of the Theory of the Conflagration, well circumftanced and done into verfe, will be a good Succedaneum. As for Similes and Metaphors, they may be found all over the Creation; the moft ignorant may gather them, but the difficulty is in applying them. For this advife with your Bookfeller 5. 4 An undeserved farcafm on a work full of ftrong imagery, Burnet's Theory. 5 The Difcourse of Voltaire on the Epic Poets of all nations, added to his Heuriade, contains many falfe and rude opinions, particularly fome obje&ions to Paradife Loft. In the Geneva edition of this Poem we are informed of a curious anecdote: When it was printed at London in 1726, in quarto, by subscription, Mr. Dadiky, à Greek, and native of Smyrna, who at that time refided in London, faw by chance the fift leaf as it was printing, where was the following line, 66 Qui força les François à devenir heureux; he immediately paid a vifit to the Author, and faid to him, "I am of the country of Homer; he did not begin his Poems by a ftroke of Wit by an Enigma." The Author immediately corrected the line: hut I beg leave to add, that he did not correct many others of the fame modern kind. Voltaire has dropt a remark in the last edition of his Effay on Epic Poetry, which is not indeed very favourable to the tafle of his countrymen; but is perfectly true and juft, and which he feems to have forgotten in fome of his lare affertions: "It must be owned that it is more difficult for a Frenchman to fucceed in Epic Poetry than for any other perfon; but neither the confiraint of rhyme, nor the dryness of our language, is the cause of this difficulty. Shall I venture to name the caufe? It is because, of all polished nations, ours is the leaft poetic. The works in verfe, which are moft in vogue in France, are pieces for the theatre. Thefe pieces must be written in a flyle that approaches to that of converfation. Delpreaux has treated only did adic fubje&s, which require fimplicity. It is well known that exactnefs and elegance conflitute the chief merit of his verfes, and thofe of Racine; and when Defpreaux attempted a fublime ode, he was no longer Despreaux. Thefe examples bave accuftomed the French to too uniform a march." ९. T may be thought that we should not wholly omit the Drama, which makes fo great and fo lucrative a part of Poetry. But this Province is fo well taken care of, by the prefent Managers of the Theatre, that it is perfectly needless to fuggeft to them any other Methods than they have already practised for the advancement of the Bathos. Here therefore, in the name of all our Brethren, let me return our fincere and humble Thanks to the moft Auguft Mr. Barton Booth, the moft Serene Mr. Robert Wilks, and the most Undaunted Mr. Colley Cibber; of whom let it be known, when the People of this Age shall be Ancestors, and to all the Succeffion of our Succeffors, that to this prefent day they continue to Out-do even their own Out-doings: And when the inevitable Hand of fweeping Time fhall have brufhed off all the Works of To-Day, The chara&er of a Player is in this chapter treated rather too contemptuously. Johnfou fell into the fame cant, and treated bis old friend Garrick unkindly and unjuftly, at a time when he was received into the familiarity of fome of the beft families in this country. Barou, Chameliè, Le Couvreur, Du Menil, Le Kain, were equally refpe&ed in France. But the whole chapter is, in other refpe&s, replete with incomparable and original humour, particularly the third, fifth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh articles of this projed. I have not been able to difcover that Booth, who was a man of excellent charader, or Wilkes, ever gave any fuch particular offence to our author as to deferve the farcafms here throw upon them. } may this Testimony of a Contemporary Critic to their Fame, be extended as far as To-morrow. Yet, if to fo wife an Adminiftration it be poffible any thing can be added, it is that more ample and comprehenfive Scheme which Mr. Dennis and Mr. Gildon (the two greateft Critics and Reformers then living) made publick in the year 1720, in a Project figned with their names, and dated the 2d of February. I cannot better conclude than by presenting the Reader with the Substance of it. 1. It is propofed, that the two Theatres be incorporated into one Company; that the Royal Academy of Mufic be added to them as an Orchestra; and that Mr. Figg with his Prize-fighters, and Violante with the Rope-dancers, be admitted in Partnership. 2. That a fpacious building be erected at the Publick expence, capable of containing at leaft ten Thousand Spectators, which is become abfolutely neceffary by the great addition of Children and Nurfes to the Audience, fince the new Entertainments. That there be a Stage as large as the Athenian, which was near ninety thoufand geometrical paces fquare, and separate divifions for the two Houses of Parliament, my Lords the Judges, the honourable the Directors of the Academy, and the Court of Aldermen, who fhall have their Places frank. 3. If Westminster - Hall be not allotted to this fervice (which by reafon of its proximity to the two chambers of Parliament above-mentioned, feems not altogether improper ;) it is left to the wifdom of the Nation whether Somerfet-Houfe may not be demolished, and a Theatre built upon that Site, which lies convenient to receive Spectators from the County of Surry, who may be wafted thither by watercarriage, esteemed by all Projectors the cheapest whatfoever. To this may be added, that the river Thames may in the readieft manner convey those eminent Perfonages from Courts beyond the feas, who may be drawn either by Curiofity to behold fome of our moft celebrated Pieces, or by Affection to fee their Countrymen, the Harlequins and Eunuchs; of which convenient notice may be given, for two or three months before, in the public Prints. 4. That the Theatre abovefaid be environed with a fair Quadrangle of Buildings, fitted for the accommodation of decayed Critics and Poets; out of whom Six of the moft aged (their age to be computed from the year wherein their firft work was published) fhall be elected to manage the affairs of the fociety, provided nevertheless that the Laureat for the time being may be always one. The Head or Prefident over all (to prevent difputes, but too frequent among the learned) fhall be the most ancient Poet and Critic to be found in the whole Ifland. 5. The Male Players are to be lodged in the garrets of the faid Quadrangle, and to attend the persons of the Poets, dwelling under them, by brushing their apparel, drawing on their fhoes, and the like. The Actreffes are to make their beds, and wash their linen. 6. A large room fhall be fet apart for a Library to confift of all the modern Dramatic Poems, and all the Criticisms extant. In the midft of this room fhall be a round lable for the Council of Six to fit and |