AUTUMN: THE THIRD PASTORAL," OR HYLAS and EGON. TO MR. WYCHERLEY.† BENEATH the fhade a spreading Beech displays, This mourn'd a faithless, that an absent Love, Ye Mantuan nymphs, your facred fuccour bring; 5 REMARK S. Thou, a This Pastoral consists of two parts, like the viiith of Virgil : The Scene, a Hill; the Time at Sun-set. POPE. + His intrigues with the Dutchess of Cleveland, his marriage with the Countess of Drogheda, Charles the Second's displeasure on this marriage, his debts and distresses, and other particulars of his life, are well related by Dennis in a Letter to Major Pack, 1720. In Dennis's collection of Letters, published in two volumes, 1721, to which Mr. Pope fubfcribed, Lord Lanfdown has drawn his character, as a Writer, in an elegant manner; chiefly with a view of fhewing the impropriety of an epithet given to him by Lord Rochester, who called him Slow Wycherley; for that, notwithstanding his pointed wit, and forcible expreffion, he compofed with facility and haste. WARTON. Thou, whom the Nine, with Plautus' wit inspire, The art of Terence, and Menander's fire; Whose sense instructs us, and whofe humour charms, Whofe judgment fways us, and whose spirit warms! Oh, skill'd in Nature! fee the hearts of Swains, Their artless paffions, and their tender pains. REMARKS. II Now VER. 7. Thou, whom the Nine,] Mr. Wycherley, a famous author of Comedies; of which the most celebrated were the Plain-Dealer and Country-Wife. He was a writer of infinite spirit, fatire, and wit. The only objection made to him was, that he had too much. However, he was followed in the fame way by Mr. Congreve, tho' with a little more correctness. Surely with much more correctnefs, tafte, and judgment. POPE. WARTON. VER. 8. The art of Terence, and Menander's fire ;] This line alludes to that famous character given of Terence, by Cæfar: "Tu quoque, tu in fummis, ô dimidiate Menander, Poneris, et merito, puri fermonis amator: Lenibus atque utinam fcriptis adjuncta foret vis So that the judicious critic fees he fhould have faid-with Menander's fire. For what the Poet meant, was, that his friend had joined to Terence's art, what Cæfar thought wanting in Terence, namely, the vis comica of Menander. Befides,-and Menander's fire, is making that the Characteristic of Menander which was not. He was distinguished for having art and comic Spirit in conjunction, and Terence having only the first part, is called the half of Menander. WARBURTON. VER. 9. Whofe fenfe inftruds us,] He was always very careful in his encomiums not to fall into ridicule, the deserved fate of weak and prostitute flatterers, and which they rarely escape. For fenfe, he would willingly have faid moral; propriety required it. But this dramatic Poet's moral was remarkably faulty. His plays are all fhamefully profligate both in the Dialogue and WARBURTON. Action. VER. 11. Oh, skill'd] Few writers have lefs nature in them than Wycherley. WARTON. Now fetting Phoebus fhone ferenely bright, And fleecy clouds were streak'd with purple light; 15 Taught rocks to weep, and made the mountains groan. As fome fad turtle his loft love deplores, And with deep murmurs fills the founding fhores; Go, gentle gales, and bear my fighs along! 21 25 30 Die ev'ry flow'r, and perifh all, but fhe. What have I faid? where'er my Delia flies, 35 Let fpring attend, and fudden flow'rs arise; Let REMARKS. V.R. 25.] This rich affemblage of very pleafing paftorak images, is yet excelled by Shenfton's beautiful Paftoral Ballad in four parts WARTON. Line 17, to 30. Go, gentle gales, &c.] Thefe lines are very beautiful, tender, and melodious. Let op'ning roses knotted oaks adorn, Go, gentle gales, and bear my fighs along! REMARKS. 40 Not VER. 43. Not bubbling] The turn of thefe four lines is evidently borrowed from Drummond of Hawthornden, a charming but neglected Poet. He was born 1585, and died 1649. His verfes are as smooth as Waller's, whom he preceded many years, having written a poem to King James, 1617; whereas Waller's first compofition was to Charles I, 1625. His Sonnets are exquifitely beautiful and correct. He was one of our first, and best imitators of the Italian Poets, and Milton had certainly read and admired him, as appears by many paffages that might be quoted for that purpose. The four lines mentioned above follow: To virgins flow'rs, to fun-burnt earth the rain, To mariners fair winds amid the main, Cool fhades to pilgrims, whom hot glances burn, And afterwards again our author borrows in Abelard ; The grief was common, common were the cries. I will just add, that Drayton's Paftorals, and his Nymphidia, do not feem to be attended to fo much as they deferve. WARTON, Quale fopor feffis in gramine, quale per æftum Dulcis aquæ faliente fitim reftinguere rivo." Ecl. v. P. Not show'rs to larks, nor fun-fhine to the bee, Go, gentle gales, and bear my fighs away! 45 50 Ye pow'rs, what pleasing phrenzy fooths my mind! admir'd; Next Ægon fung, while Windfor groves Here, where the mountains, less'ning as they rise, 56 60 VARIATIONS. VER. 48. Originally thus in the MS. With him through Lybia's burning plains I'll go, IMITATIONS. While WARBURTON. VER. 52. "An qui amant, ipfi fibi fomnia fingunt ?" VER. 59 to 64. Here, where the mountains, &c.] The "lab'"in his loofe traces," is from Milton's Comus. ring" ox, What time the labor'd ox In his loose traces from the furrow came. |