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THE

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HE Feeding of cattle, how mean and contemptible foever it may appear to us, is very ancient; and in the moft early ages of the world, was esteemed to be honourable. The firft Man was a Gardener, and a Husbandman: and of his fons we read, that one was a Husbandman, and another a Shepherd *: The fame employment seems to have been chiefly followed by the Patriarchs after the Flood for we find that Abraham, who is called a mighty Prince †, was a feeder of cattle; his great wealth confifting in sheep, oxen, affes, and camels . Ifaac, Efau, Jacob, and the reft of his pofterity continued the fame way of life, applying themselves wholly to the care of their flocks and herds; with which they travelled from place to place, as they found convenience of pafturage. Mofes was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, when he was called by God, and appointed to be the Deliverer

*Gen. iv. 2. + Ibid. xxiii. 6.
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Ibid. xii. 16.

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and Prince of his people *. Hence it has been obferved, that the employment of a fhepherd is a fuitable preparation to the government of a kingdom. This is confirmed, by the history of David, who was taken away from the sheep-folds, as he was following the ewes great with young, to feed the chosen people of God +. Thus God himself is often compared to a fhepherd, in holy writ ; and Homer, one of the moft ancient of the prophane writers, gives the title of fhepherd of the people, to the great king of kings, Agamemnon §.

In the most ancient times, those who applied themselves to Agriculture, naturally became hardy and robuft: their laborious life fitted them for the toils of war; but afforded them no leifure for the mild and quiet enjoyments of peace. Thofe who inhabited the fea-coafts, and difcovered the art of Navigation, applied themfelves rather to piracy than commerce: their most celebrated actions being the ravaging of the neighbouring countries, and stealing the women from each other 4. But thofe who followed the Paftoral life, having no other employment, than the care of their

Exod. iii. 1. lxxvii, lxxx, &c.

dyff. XIV.

Ibid. xxiii,
O.

+ Pfalm lxxix. 71, 72.
§ Ειπεῖν Ατρείδη Αγαμέμνονι ποιμένι λαῶν,
See Herodot, lib. 1.

harmless

harmless flocks and herds, led an innocent and peaceable life, living in tents, and refting themfelves under the fhade of trees or rocks, whilft their cattle fed at large, wherefoever they found the greatest plenty of grafs and water. They lived happy, and free from want: their cattle fupplied them with milk and cheefe for food, and with fkins for cloathing: and ferved them, instead of money, to exchange for any other commodities, that they had a mind to purchase: whence the moft ancient money was ftamped with the figure of a fheep *. This quiet and peaceable life gave them leifure to amufe themselves with Mufick and Poetry: their time being chiefly spent in compofing Hymns in honour of the Deity, and Songs, in which they described their foft paffions and innocent employments. Thus we find, that those two ancient Royal Shepherds, Mofes and David, were Poets: and that Solomon, the fon of the latter, in his celebrated Song, reprefents himself under the character of a thepherd.

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Among the Greeks, the Arcadians were the most famous for having devoted themselves to the Pastoral life. Their country was remote from the sea,

Et quod aes antiquiffimum, quod eft flatum pecore, pecore eft notatum. Varro de re ruft, lib. 2. c. 1.

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mountainous, and almost inacceffible: they had plenty of fheep, and good pafturage; they were much given to finging; and Mufick was the only fcience, which was efteemed by them to be neceffary. Their chief Deity was Pan, who was faid to be the inventor of the fhepherd's pipe; and was fabled to be in love with the Nymph Echo, because there were many echoes in that woody and mountainous country. From thefe poetical compofitions of the Arcadians, or at leaft from the tradition of them, the Bucolical or Paftoral Poetry feems to have taken it's rife. It is called Bucolical, from feuxóns a neatherd; though it relates to the affairs, not only of neatherds, but also of fhepherds and goatherds. In like manner we commonly use the word fhepherd, for Paftor: but Paftor fignifies all the three forts of feeders of cattle: whence Paftoral feems a more proper word to express the species of Poetry, which we now treat of, than the Greek word Bucolick. Our En→ glish word Herdman might with great propriety be used for the Latin word Paftor, inftead of Shepherd. For though we commonly understand Herdman to mean no more than a Neatherd; and though we fay a Herd of oxen, and a Flock of fheep or goats: yet, fince we always compound Herd with the name of any animal, to denote a

feeder

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