Poetry is not only an Art, but its Rules are known, and it is impoffible to fucceed without them. The certain Confequence of this is, that the Rules, and what pleases, are never contrary to each other, and that you can never obtain the latter, without the former. Secondly, That Poefy being an Art, can never be prejudicial to Mankind: for when any Verfes are fo, they deviate from the Rules, and are no longer Poetry, which was invented, and improv'd for their advantage only. Poefy owes its Rife to Religion: Hymns in the praise of, and Thanksgiving to Heaven for Bleffings receiv'd, was the original Poetry; for Men, naturally inclin❜d to Imitation, employ'd their native Tendence to Mufick and Song, to the Praises of their Gods: And had Man continu'd in his primitive Simplicity, Hymns and Divine Songs, as among the Hebrews, had been all our Poetry. But in the Heathen Syftem, Men foon deviated from this Purity; admitting firft the Praife of Men, and then Satire, or Raillery on one another at their drunken Meetings, at Harvest-home, or the like. Thus Poetry being corrupted foon, scarce retain❜d any Footsteps of Religion, whence it first sprung.

The fucceeding Poets, being the Divines and Philofophers of thofe times, obferving the invincible Bent of the People to these Feafts and Shows, and that it would be a fruitless Labour and Endeavour to reftore their primitive Simplicity; took an admirable and wife care to turn this Inclination of theirs to Pleasure, to their advantage; by making that Pleasure convey Inftruction to them, in fo agreeable a manner.

To pass over the various Changes of Poetry, we must remember that we owe to Homer the Epick Poem; and in that, the Origin of Tragedy, more excellent for the Regulation of the Passions, than the Epopee, which only reach'd to Cuftoms. The Invention of Comedy some attribute to the Corruption and degenerate Luxury of the People, fome to the Margites of Homer; but both these Opinions are easily reconcil'd: for the Opprobria Ruftica, as Horace calls them, the lewd Railleries of the Country-People at their drunken rural Festivals, gave the Ground-work, which the Margites of Homer reduc'd into a more decent Form and Order,

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and gave the Idea, whence after-Poets deriv'd the antient Comedy.

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But hence it is plain, as I have faid, that Poefy is an Art, because we see from its Rife it has propos'd a certain End, and must necessarily have certain Means to be conducted to that End. For where there is a Right and a Wrong, there must be fome Art or Rules to avoid the one, and arrive at the other. But then perhaps it may fill be queftion'd, whether these Rules are fix'd and known, and whether they are thofe prefcrib'd by Aristotle? That they are known, will be plain from what follows; and that they are thofe of Ariftotle, at leaft in the Drama (which I fhall chiefly infift on in this Effay) will be as plain, if we confider, ft, Who gives the Rules: 2dly, When he gave them and 3dly, The Manner in which he gave them. Ariftotle's Character for Knowledge in all the politer Arts, will be of fome Force; for his Genius and Capacity are fufficiently known to the Learned. 2dly, The Age he liv'd in, was in almoft the firft Regulation, if not Rife of Tragedy; learning the Art with Sophocles, and Euripides, who brought it to Perfection, and feeing the effect it had moft polite and knowing People of the World. 3dly, The Manner in which they are deliver'd, is fo evident and conformable to Nature, as that I cannot but be fenfible of their truth. firm this, I confider the effects they have had in all Nations where they were known; for all the Beauties of Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, and the other Greek Poets of any note, are perfectly conformable to them: and these being five hundred years after reviv'd, in the time of Auguftus, at Rome, we find the Beauties of Virgil, and the Latins owing to them. Nay, two thousand Years after they were written, we obferve that by them the best Tragedies of France and Spain, nay, I may fay of England too, are thofe in which they are perfectly follow'd: in which all that pleafes, is according to the Rules; and all that difgufts, or is infipid, wild, or extravagant, contrary to them: for good Senfe and right Reafon are of all Countries. Human Laws indeed which regard the State, alter according to the Circumftances and Interefts of the Men for which they were made: but thefe are

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always the fame, and ever fupport their Vigour, because they are the Law of Nature, which always acts uniformly, revives them continually, and gives them a perpetual Existence.

From hence it follows, that thefe Rules are known, and that they are those deliver'd by Ariftotle, and that they are never oppofite to what pleases; fince they were made to fhew us the Path we ought to tread, that we may arrive at what pleases. Were the Rules and what pleafes oppofite, we could never please but by chance; which is abfurd. As there are certain Rules, therefore, that teach us to please, fo we ought to make it our business to study and learn them, both for the reading and judging part: for thefe Rules are drawn from the Pleasant and the Profitable, and lead us to their Source. The Pleafant and the Profitable are what naturally pleafe; and that, in all Arts, is what we always confult. In this moft perfect and fure Model of Imitation, we find perfect UNITY, and ORDER; for it is it felf the Effect of Order, and the Rule to conduct us to it :while there is only one way to find Order, but many to fall into Confufion.

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• There would be nothing bad (fays Dacier very juftly) in the World, if all that pleas'd were good; for there's nothing fo abfurd, but will have fome Admirers. You may fay indeed, 'that it is not true that what is Good pleafes, because we daily fee Difputes about the Good and the Pleasant; that the fame thing pleases fome, and difpleases others; nay, it pleases and difpleafes the very fame Man at different times. From whence then proceeds this difference? It comes either from an abfolute Ignorance of the Rule, or that the Paffions alter it. Rightly to clear this Truth, I believe, I may lay down this • Maxim, That all fenfible Objects are of two forts; Some may be ¿ judg'd of by the Senfe independently of Reafon (I call Senfe that Impreffion which the animal Spirits make on the Soul) and others can't •be judg'd of, but by Reafon exercis'd in Science. Things fimply agreeable or difagreeable, are of the firft Sort; all the World may judge alike of these. For example, the most Ignorant in Mufick perceives very well when a Player on the Lute itrikes VOL. VII.

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one String for another; because he judges by his Senfe, and his Senfe is the Rule. On fuch occafions we may, therefore, very well fay, That all that pleases, is good; becaufe that which is good does please, or that which is ill never fails to difpleafe: for neither Paffion, nor Ignorance dull the Senfes, but fharpen them. It is not thus in things that fpring from Reafon: Paffion and Ignorance work very ftrongly in them, • and choke the Judgment; and for this caufe we ordinarily judge fo ill, and differently in those things of which Reafon is the Rule, and the Caufe. Why what is bad often pleases, and that which is good does not always do fo, is not the Fault of the Object, but of the Judge: But what is good will infallibly please those who can judge, and that's fufficient. By this we may fee, that a Play, that shall bring thofe things which are to be judg'd by Reafon within the Rules, and alfo that which is to be judg'd by Senfe, fhall never fail to please both the Learned, and the Ignorant. Now this Conformity of Suffra ges is the most fure, or, according to Ariftotle, the only mark of the Good and Pleasant. But thefe Suffrages are not to be ob tain'd but by the obferving of the Rules, and confequently thefe Rules are the only caufe of the Good and the Pleafant; whether they are follow'd methodicaly and with defign, or only by hazard or chance. For 'tis certain, there are many Perfons who are intirely ignorant of thefe Rules, and yet do ⚫ not mifs of Succefs in many things. But this is far from deftroying the Rules, fince it only ferves to fhew their Beauty, ⚫ and proves how far they are conformable to Nature, fince thofe ⚫ often follow them, who know nothing of them.

The latter end of this is perfectly prov'd by our Shakespear, who in all that pleases is exactly conformable to the Rules, tho 'tis evident by his Defects, that he knew nothing of them. I hope this is enough to fatisfy any reasonable Man, not only that as Poefy is an Art, it propofes certain Means to arrive at a certain End; but that thefe Rules are abfolutely neceffary for the judging, and writing juftly. If any one defire to fee this Argument handled more at large, it will be worth his while to read Mon

fieur Dacier's admirable Preface to his Remarks on the Poeticks of Ariftotle; from which, what I have faid on this Head is but an Abridgment.

Since therefore the Neceffity of Rules is thus evident, I think I cannot be more just to the Art, and to thofe Poets who may hereafter arife worthy the Name, than to lay down, in as few Words as poffible, the Rules of the Drama: to which I fhall fubjoin fome relating to the Epigram, under which laft Head most of the Mifcellanies of Shakespear will fall; that by this means the ingenious Reader may diftinguish betwixt his Errors, and Beauties, and fo fix his Praise on a jufter ground, than the blind Caprice of every ignorant Fancy. And if by this he will not appear fo praife-worthy in many things, as he may now be thought, yet his Praise will be greater and more valuable when it is founded on Reason and Truth, and the Judgment of Men of Sense and Understanding.

Before I come to the particular Rules of the Stage, as Ariftotle has laid them down, I shall fet down what an English Nobleman bas given us on this Subject in Verfe; because there are fome Things relating efpecially to the Diction, which Ariftotle has not meddled with; and others, which tho conformable to him, yet being in Verse, fink easier into the Memory, and will lead the Reader better to the. Apprehenfion and retaining the particular Rules in Profe, and perhaps give him a better relifh of them. For when by Pleasure we are first let into the View of Truth, it › has fuch Charms, as to engage our Purfuit after it, thro ways not altogether fo fmooth and delightful. The Verfes I take out of the Effay on Poetry written by the late Duke of Buckingham, at a Time when the Town run away with as strange Monsters as have pleas'd fince; tho thofe were drefs'd a little more gayly, and went by there Chime a little more glibly off. the Tongue.

On then, my Mufe, advent'roufly engage,

To give Inftructions that concern the Stage..

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