Unerring NATURE, ftill divinely bright, One clear, unchang'd, and universal light, COMMENTARY. 70 pomp prefides: Nature in the most agreeable manner. 3. Because Nature is the test of Art, as fhe is unerring, conftant, and still the fame. Hence the poet obferves, that as Nature is the fource, the conveys life to Art: As fhe is the end, the conveys force to it, for the force of any thing arifes from its being directed to its end: And, as fhe is the teft, fhe conveys beauty to it, for every thing acquires beauty by its being reduced to its true ftandard. Such is the fenfe of thofe two important lines, Life, force, and beauty must to all impart, At once the fource, and end, and teft of Art. We come next to the neceffity of the Precept. The two great constituent qualities of a Compofition, as such, are Art and Wit: But neither of these attains perfection, 'till the first be hid, and the other judiciously restrained; this only happens when Nature is exactly followed; for then Art never makes a parade, ncr can Wit commit an extravagance. Art, while it adheres to Nature, and has fo large a fund in the refources which Nature fupplies, difpofes every thing with fo much eafe and fimplicity, that we fee nothing but those natural images it works with, while itself stands unobferv'd behind: But when Art leaves Nature, misled either by the bold fallies of Fancy, or the quaint odneffes of Fashion, fhe is then obliged at every step to come forward, in a painful or pompous oftentation, in order to cover, to foften, or to regulate the fhocking difproportion of unnatural images. In the first cafe, the poet compares Art to the Soul within, informing a beauteous Body; but, in the last, it is rather like an outward habit, fitted only to hide the defects of a mis-shapen one. As to Wit, it might perhaps be im 76 In fome fair body thus th' informing foul For wit and judgment often are at strife, 81 Tho' meant each other's aid, like man and wife. 'Tis more to guide, than spur the Muse's steed; Restrain his fury, than provoke his speed; 85 The winged courfer, like a gen'rous horse, Shows moft true mettle when you check his course, Thofe RULES of old difcover'd, not devis'd, Are Nature ftill, but Nature methodiz'd; VARIATIONS. VER. 80. There are whom Heav'n has bleft with ftore of wit, COMMENTARY, gined that this needed only Judgment to govern it: But, as hẹ well obferves, Wit and Judgment often are at ftrife, Tho' meant each other's aid, like Man and Wife. They want therefore fome friendly Mediator or Reconciler, which is Nature: And in attending to her, Judgment will learn where to comply with the charms of Wit, and Wit how to obey the fage directions of Judgment. VER. 88. Thofe Rules of old, etc.] Having thus, in his first recept, to follow Nature, fettled Criticifm on its true bottom; proceeds to shew what affistance may be had from Art. But Nature, like Liberty, is but reftrain'd By the fame Laws which firft herself ordain'd. 90 Hear how learn'd Greece her ufeful rules indites, When to reprefs, and when indulge our flights: COMMENTARY. left this fhould be thought to draw the Critic from the foundation where he had before fixed him, he previoufly observes [from 87 to 92] that these Rules of Art, which he is now about to recommend to his study, were not invented by the mind, but discovered in the book of Nature; and that, therefore, tho' they may feem to restrain Nature by Laws, yet, as they are laws of her own making, the Critic is ftill properly in the very liberty of Nature. Thefe Rules the antient Critics borrowed from the Poets, who received them immediately from Nature, Juft Precepts thus from great Examples giv'n, Thefe drew from them what they deriv'd from Heav'n; and are both therefore to be well studied. VER. 92. Hear how learn'd Greece, etc.] He speaks of the ancient Critics first, and with great judgment, as the previous knowledge of them is neceffary for reading the Poets, with that fruit which the intent here propofed requires. But having, in the previous obfervation, fufficiently explained the nature of ancient Criticism, he enters on the fubject [treated of from 91 to 118] with a fublime defcription of its End; which was to NOTES. VER. 88. Thofe Rules of old, etc.] Cicero has, beft of any one I know, explained what that is which reduces the wild and fcattered parts of human knowledge into arts." Nihil eft quod "ad artem redigi poffit, nifi ille prius, qui illa tenet, quorum "artem inftituere vult, habeat illam fcientiam, ut ex iis rebus, quarum ars nondum fit, artem efficere poffit.-Omnia fere, quæ funt conclufa nunc artibus, difperfa et diffipata quondam "fuerunt, ut in Muficis, etc. Adhibita eft igitur ars quædam "extrinfecus ex alio genere quodam, quod fibi totum PHILOSO"PHI affumunt, quæ rem diffolutam divulfamque conglutinaret, "et ratione quadam conftringeret." De Orat. l. i. c. 41, 2. High on Parnaffus' top her fons fhe fhow'd, And taught the world with Reason to admire. COMMENTARY. 100 illuftrate the beauties of the beft Writers, in order to excite others to an emulation of their excellence. From the rapture which these Ideas infpire, the poet is naturally brought back to reflect on the degeneracy of modern Criticifm: And as the reftoring the Art to its original integrity and fplendor is the great purpose of his poem, he firft takes notice of thofe, who seem not to understand that Nature is exhauftlefs, that new models of good writing may be produced in every age, and confequently new rules may be formed from these models in the fame manner as the old Critics formed theirs, from the writings of the ancient Poets: but men wanting art and ability to form thefe new rules, were content to receive, and file up for use, the old ones of Ariftotle, Quintilian, Longinus, Horace, etc. with the fame vanity and boldnefs that Apothecaries practise with their Doctors bills: And then rafhly applying them to new Originals (cafes which they did not hit) it was no more in their power than their inclination to imitate the candid practice of the Ancients, when The gen'rous Critic fann'd the Poet's fire, NOTES. VER. 98. Just precepts ] "Nec enim artibus editis factum "eft ut argumenta inveniremus, fed dicta funt omnia antequam "præciperentur; mox ea fcriptores obfervata et collecta edi"derunt. Quintil. P. Then Criticism the Muses handmaid prov❜d, To dress her charms, and make her more belov'd: But following wits from that intention stray'd, Who could not win the mistress, woo'd the maid; Against the Poets their own arms they turn'd, Sure to hate moft the men from whom they learn'd. So modern 'Pothecaries, taught the art IIO By Doctor's bills to play the Doctor's part, Write dull receipts how poems may be made, 115 COMMENTARY. For, as Ignorance, when joined with Humility produces stupid admiration, on which account it is fo commonly obferved to be the mother of Devotion and blind homage; fo when joined with Vanity (as it always is in bad Critics) it gives birth to every iniquity of impudent abuse and flander. See an example (for want of a better) in a late worthlefs and now forgotten thing, called the Life of Socrates. Where the head of the Author (as, a man of wit obferved, on reading the book) has juft made a fhift to do the office of a Camera obfcura, and reprefent things in an inverted order; himself above, and Sprat, Rollin, Voltaire, and every other of reputation, below. NOTES. VER. 112. Some on the leaves-Some drily plain.] The first, the Apes of thofe Italian Critics, who at the restoration of letters |