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feeder of that species; as Neat-herd fignifies a feeder of Neat cattle or kine; Shepherd a feeder of sheep; and Goatherd a feeder of goats; the word Herdman may well be used to fignify all the feveral Paftores, or feeders of cattle.

Theocritus, of Syracufe, who lived in the reign of Hiero, and was contemporary with Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt, is generally looked upon as the father of Paftoral Poetry. And yet it is no less generally afferted, that his Idyllia cannot be faid to be all Paftorals. The Criticks, who often form to themselves imaginary rules, which the Ancients never dreamed of, will not allow above ten or eleven out of the thirty Idyllia of that Author, to belong to that species of Poetry. Those who would have a Paftoral to be entirely conformable to the manners of the Golden Age, in which nothing is to be found but Piety, Innocence, and Simplicity, will exclude almost all the Idyllia of Theocritus, and Eclogues of Virgil. The dying groans of Daphnis, in the firft Idyllium, will be judged too melancholy for the peace and happiness of that state: the witchcraft made use of in the fecond, is inconfiftent with piety: in the third, the goatherd wickedly talks of killing himself: the railing, and grofs obfce nity in the fifth is contrary to good manners: and

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the tenth is not a Paftoral; because it is a dialogue between two Reapers. Thus, if we adhere ftrictly to the rules laid down by most of our Criticks, we fhall find, that no more than fix, out of the eleven firft Idyllia of Theocritus are to be admitted into the number. The like objections have been, or may be, framed against most of the Eclogues of Virgil. But there are other Criticks, who are fo far from requiring the purer manners of the Golden Age in Paftoral writings; that nothing will please them, but downright rufticity. They tell us, that Herdmen are a rude, unpolifhed ignorant fet of people: that Paftorals are an Imitation. of the action of a Herdman, or of one reprefented under that character: wherefore any deviation from that character is unnatural, and unfit for Paftoral Poetry. But furely, this affertion, that Herdmen are rude, unpolifhed, and ignorant, is too general: for it cannot be affirmed of them univerfally. The Patriarchs, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, must be excepted: and Mofes alfo, who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians + not to mention the Royal Pfalmift, who must have received his education, before he was called from tending his father's fheep. that the Prophet Amos, who was

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*This is Rapin's Definition of a Pastoral.

We find also contemporary

† Acts vii. 22.

with Uzziah and Jeroboam, was one of the herdmen of Tekoa*. We have feen already, that the ancient Arcadians, how rude and ignorant foever they were with regard to other arts, yet were not fo with regard to Mufick and Poetry: and in fome ages and nations, the moft polite people have been Herdmen. It will be readily acknowledged, that Nature ought to be followed, in this as well as in all the other forts of Poetry: but furely, we ought to imitate that part of Nature, which is most agreeable and pleafing. The country affords us many* objects, which delight us, by their beauty: and a man would juftly be thought to have an odd taste, who should turn his eye from these, to gaze on some which are less agreeable. The lowing of the herds, the bleating of the flocks, the wildness of an extenfive common, the folemn fhade of a thick wood, and the fimplicity of the buildings, furnish us with pleafing images: and whilft we are contemplating these beauties, we feldom have much inclination to admire the dif agreeable, though natural, fight and smell of a dunghill, or a hogftye. We may therefore conclude, that though Nature is to be followed; yet we are not to reprefent every thing that is natural, without diftinétion; but to felect fuch images only

Amos i. I. vii. 14.

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as are pleasing, throwing a veil at the fame time over those which would give offence. Thus every Imitation of the action of a Herdman, or of one reprefented under that character, will indeed be a true Paftoral: but at the fame time, if there is not a little judgment ufed, in the choice of the Herdmen we intend to imitate, our Paftorals will be fit. for the reading only of fuch rude clowns, as we have placed before us for an example...

We fhould, I believe, form a much better no tion of Bucolical or Paftoral Poetry, by attending carefully to the design of those great Ancients, Theocritus and Virgil, than by studying all the imaginary rules of the modern Criticks. Theocritus certainly intended to defcribe the manners of the Herdmen of Sicily. His Idyllia are generally either Dialogues between two perfons of that character; or Poems in praife of the celebrated actions of Gods and Heroes, fuch as feem to have been originally fung by the ancient Arcadian shepherds. The first Idyllium is a dialogue between the fhepherd Thyrfis and a Goatherd. Thyrfis is a Sicilian, and at the requeft of his friend, fings the death of Daphnis, who was a Sicilian Herdman. The fecond defcribes the jealoufy of Simaetha, who had been debauched, and then deferted

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* Θύρσις δ ̓ ὦ ξ Αίτνας.

by

by one Delphis. She makes ufe of several incantations, in order to regain his love. In the third, a Goatherd declares his paffion for Amaryllis. The fourth is a dialogue between Battus a goatherd,> and Corydon a neatherd. In the fifth, Comatas a goatherd, and Lacon a fhepherd, after fome very coarse railleries, challenge each other to fing for a wager: one stakes a goat, and the other a lamb; and the goatherd obtains the prize. In the fixth, two neatherds, Damoetas and Daphnis drive their herds together into one place, and fing alternately the paffion of Polyphemus for Galatea. The seventh is the narration of a journey, which Theocritus took, to see the folemnities of Ceres. He meets with Lycidas a goatherd on the road; and the whole difcourfe between them is paftoral. In the eighth is related a contention about finging, be tween the fhepherd Menalcas and the neatherd Daphnis: a goatherd is chofen judge, who decrees the prize to Daphnis. A like contention is related in the ninth, between two herdsmen, Daphnis and Menalcas. Thefe nine are generally allowed by the Criticks to be Paftorals: but the tenth is ufually excluded, being a dialogue between two Reapers. And yet perhaps, if we confider, that a herdman may very naturally describe a converfation between two of his country neighbours, who

entertain

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