covers what Tones agree with each other in ́Order, to produce that admirable Harmony which affects by our Hearing, our Hearts and all our Faculties. From the Confideration of Nature does the Natural Philofo pher draw his Name; and the Moral Philosopher confiders and difcourfes on the Virtues, Vices, Paflions, and Habits of the Human Mind; follow Nature therein, fays he, and thou canst not err. The Grammarian teaches the Rules of Speech; and the Rhetorician, and Logician, confider what will fooneft move, and per fuade, of all which they give us artificial Rules. Metaphyfician weighs the Nature of Mens Bodies; and whatever is helpful or hurtful to it. Tho' the other Physician confiders fecond orabstract Notions, yet does he build on the Depth of Nature.

Only the Poet, rais'd aloft by the Vigour. of his own Favention, gives us in effect another Nature, in making Things either better than Nature brings them forth, or quite new Forms of fuch as were never in Nature, as the Heroes, Demi-Gods, Cyclops, Chymera's Furies, and the like; in all which notwithftanding he goes Hand in Hand with Nature it felf. Nature never adorn'd the Earth in fo rich and charming a Drefs as feveral of the Poets have done.

But to pass over these inferior Things, and go to 'Man, for whom, as all other Things are, fo in him is her utmost Cunning and Skill employ'd. Has Nafure therefore ever in Reality brought forth fo true a Lover as Theagenes, fo conftant a Friend as Pylades ; fo valiant a Man as Achilles, Hercules, Orlando; fo bright a Prince as Xenophon's Cyrus; or fo excellent a Man in all Moral Virtues as Virgil's Eneas? Let it not here be objected, that as the Works of Nature are real, fo thofe of the Poet, are only Imitation or Fiction: Every Man of Understanding knows, that the Skill of the Artificer ftands in the Idea, or Preconception of the Work, and not in the Work it self. Now that the Poet has that Idea, is most evident from

his

his delivering and conveying it to others in that fame Excellence, in which he had fram'd an Image of it in his Mind; nor is this fetting forth, Delivery, or Conveyance of it to others wholly Ima ginative; but it fo far works fubftantially, not only to make a Cyrus (which had been but a particular Excellence, and what Nature might have done) bur to bestow a Cyrus on the World, who fhou'd make many Cyrus's, if they will truly learn and confider how that Poet, or Maker, made him, Nor let any one think the Gomparison to be prefumptious to put the highest Point of Man's Wit in Ballance with the Efficacy of Nature; but rather to give due Honour to the Maker of our Poet, who having made Man in his own Likenefs, fer him beyond, and over all the Works of that Second Nature, which he fhews in nothing to much as in Poetry, when with the Force of a Divine Breath, he brings forth Things which furpass what he does, which I think is no fmall Argument to the incredulous of that first accurfed Fall of Adam, fince our Wit thus rais'd up by Poetry, makes us know what Perfection is, and yet our Will's affected by that Fall, keep us from reaching up to the Practice of it.

From all this, it feems, that I may infist to have it granted me, that the Grecians had very good Reafon to give the Peet the Name above all other Names in Learning.

But not to dwell on this Praife of Poetry, which is deriv'd only from its Name, a Defcription or Definition of the Art, which no body can deny, will furnish a fufficient Eulogy. Poetry is, therefore, an Art of Imitating, that is to fay, of Reprefenting, Counterfeiting, or Figuring out; to fpeak metaphorically, it is a Speaking Picture, directed to teach, and, at the fame time, to delight. Of this there have been three general Kinds; the chief, both in Antiquity and in Excellence, was that by which the Poets did

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imitate or represent to us the Eternal Excellences of God, as David in his Pfalms; Solomon in his Canticles, -Ecclefiaftes, and Proverbs; Mofes and Deborah in their Hymns, and the Writer of the Book of Job. Of this Kind (tho' in a wrong and mistaken Divinity) were Orpheus, Amphion, Homer in his, Hymns, the Secular Verfes of the Romans, and many others both Greeks and Romans.

The fecond Kind is in Philofophy, either Moral, as Phocylides, Cato, Theognis; or natural, as Lucretius, and Virgil's Georgicks; or Aftronomical, as Manilius and Pontanus; or Hiftorical, as Lucan. But whether thefe may be justly term'd Poets, or not, I fhall leave to the Decifion of the Grammarians, and go to the third, who on all Hands, are confefs'd to be right, or true Poets.

Between these and the fecond, there is the fame Difference, as between the meaner Painters, who onby draw fuch Faces as fit to them, and the more excellent, or Historical Painters, who being only directed by their Genius, give you in Colours what is moft agreeable to the Eye, to view; as the conftant, tho' lamenting Look of Lucretia, when, in her felf, the punish'd the Crime of another; in which he does not draw Lucretia, whom he never faw, but the outward Beauty of fuch a Virtue. For thefe third Sort are the Poets, who imitate to teach and delight, and, in this Imitation, borrow not any thing of what is, has been, or fhall be, but delineate what may, or fhould be. Thefe indeed are Prophets, or Poets, in the original Senfe of the Name, as making only to imitate, and imitating only to inftruct and delight, to move Mens Inclinations to affsume that Goodness to which they are mov'd; which being the nobleft Aim to which any Learning was ever direeted, yet has it not escap'd the Abuse, and railing Afperfions of fome People.

There

These are fubdivided into Heroic, Lyric, Tragic, Co mic, Satyric, Elegiac, Paftoral, and fome others; fome named from the Matter, or Subject; fome from the Sort of Verfe (as, Iambick) fome from the Poet, (a's Alcaic) and the like.

Tho' the Poets have generally drefs'd' their Subjects in fome Sort of Verfe, or other, yet is not Verfe ab folutely effential to Poetry. Xenophon, Flato, Heliodo rus, were Poets, tho' they did not write in Verfe! For tis not the Verfe, but the Framing admirable Images of Virtues, Vices, or whatever elfe affords that delightful Inftruction, which diftinguishes, and gives a Right to the Name of Poet.

The Poets have

chofen Verse indeed, that they might excel all other Arts in the Manner, as well as in the Matter of their Study; weighing each Syllable of each Word by a juft an exact Proportion, to make them bear fome Analogy to the Nature and Dignity of the Subject.

This Refining of the Wit, this Enriching of the Memory, this Enabling of the Judgment, and Enlar ging of the Fancy, which we commonly call Learning, under what Name foever, or to whatever Aim directed, by its final End, is to draw, and exált us to as great a Perfection, as the prefent Degeneracy of our Nature is capable of.

This, according to the various Inclinations of Men, guided every one to the Choice of fome particular Art or Science; as, to Aftronomy, Phyficks, Metaphy ficks, Mathematicks, and the like, Knowledge being the End and Aim of all and each Particular. On a View of all thefe, Broof, the Over-ruler of Opinions, has made it evident, that alkthefe are but what we may call Serving, or Subfervient Sciences; which, as they have a private End in themselves, fo are they all fubjected to the highest End of the chief, I may fay, Miftrefs Knowledge, or Science, the Knowledge of a Mans felf, in regard of his Actions, both in his Domeftick and Political Manners, its End being to do

well, as much or more, than to know well; fo that the Aim of all valuable Learning in this World, being virtuous Actions, thofe Arts which conduce moft to the bringing forth that Fruit, have, beyond Controverfy, the juftest and most rightful Pretence to be the Sovereigns over all the reft. And I doubt not to make it appear, that the Poet's Performance does therefore merit this Preheminence above all other Writings that have yet appeared in the World,

The Moral Philofopher fets out his Plea in this Conteft, by demanding, Whether it be poffible to find any Path more directly tending to Vinue, than the Art he teaches, which inftructs us what Virtue is, and that not only by delivering its very Being, its Canfes and Effects, but alfo by making known, and difcovering its Enemy Vice, which must be destroy'd, and its uneafy Servant Paflion, that must be master'd, difcourfing upon its Generals and Particulars; laftly, by fetting down in a plain and evident Manner, how it extends it felf out of the Limits of Man's little World (of Himself) first to the Government of Fas amilies, and then to the Support of Publick Society.

But then the Hiftorian denies that any Man is com parable to him for teaching Virtue, and virtuous Actions. He tells you, That he is the Witness of Time, the Light of Truth, the Life of Memory, and the Inftructor of Life. Difputative Virtue is, indeed, fays he, taught by the Philofopher, whereas, I teach that which is Active. His Virtue may be excellent in the fecure Commonwealth of Plato, far from Danger; but I fhew her in the honourable Face of the Battles of Morathon, Pharfalia, Poitiers, Agencourt, Blenheim, Ramilly; he teaches Virtue by certain, abftract Confi derations, but I only bid you follow the Footsteps of thofe who went before you.

Between thefe two Candidates for this fupream Ho nour in the Arts, whom can we chufe for Moderator? Unless we fix on the Poet, who, in my Opinion, muft

carry