< Much paler (to thy Shame) thou Lilly grow,

And blufh thou Rofe to be exceeded fo:.
For heighten'd thus, the gazing Crowd fhall fee
Your Bloom and Colour faint, when feen with me.'

66

Thefe Lines are mifreprefented, and the whole Paftoral condemn'd on that. Account in the Guardian; which Number (if I mistake not) was wrote by Mr. Addison. That Paper takes the Liberty to fay, that Tafo introduces a young Shepherdefs speaking to herself, and that it betrays too much Art and Fineness of Thought for her to fay, I do not "wear these Flowers to adorn me, but only to "make them afhamed." Had fhe fpoke them, it would certainly have been abfurd; but Daphne is an old Shepherdefs, in whofe Mouth they are put, and Thyrfis tells her in the fame Scene, that she is able to teach a thousand Girls as much: So that Talo's Fame ftands fair ftill, and the Guardian was either ignorant of the Language Taffo wrote in, or elfe he malicioufly ftrove to fet the unlearned (I mean as to the Italian) against that Prince of the Italian Poets.

Guarini in his Paftor Fido, who wrote after Taffo, has made use of Scenes Comick and Tragick, as well as Paftoral, and is full of Plot and Contrivance ; which (though deviating from the Simplicity required, properly speaking, in Paftoral) has pleafed more Readers. The following is the Story of Amintaș and Lucrina, and is the Foundation of the Plot of the Drama:

It is Part of the fecond Scene of the firft Act.

MIRTILLO, ERGASTO.

Ergafto. As yet the Priesthood and the Temple's Care,

C 3

Was

Was handed down, without Regard to Age,
Amintas then was Prieft; a noble Shepherd,
Who lov'd Lucrina; fhe, a beauteous Nymph,
Was wond'rous fair, but wond'rous falfe and vain.
With artful Looks, with feign'd perfidious Smiles,
She long abus'd his pure, his generous Love,
And nourish'd in his Breaft too false an Hope,
O Wretch Amintas! When without a Rival.
But when e're long (now judge of Woman's Faith)
A Shepherd bold, uncouth, of meaner Rank,
Who fcarce found Words to fpeak his own Defires,
Had partly told his Tale, and glanc'd the rest,
She met his Eyes, mingling Love's Fire from her's.
So quick her Heart forfook her former Vows,
And flew fo fwift from Truth to her new Love.
Amintas was not jealous of the Wrong;

Wretched Amintas! Who from thence was fcorn'd,
From whom she fled, and stopp'd her faithless Ear;
And perjur'd as she was, abhorr'd his Sight.
Did the abandon'd Shepherd figh and weep;
Did he lament, and fill the Plain with Groans?
If thou haft felt fuccefslefs Love, judge thou.

Mirtillo. Ah me! What high Diftrefs with this great Load

All other Grief compar'd, feems light and small. Ergafto. His Heart thus loft, his loud Complaints unheard,

And his Sighs fcatter'd by the wanton Wind,
He fought the Goddess; has (faid he) my Heart
Been pure to thee, O Cinthia! Power Divine!
If ever I had lighted up thy Flames

With Hands of Innocence, revenge my Wrongs!
Punish the fair Deceiver who betray'd me,
Hear me great Goddefs! Hear me great Diana!
The Supplications of her fav'rite Prieft,
The Plaints the Wailings of his Lovefick Soul

Rais'd heavenly Pity, mix'd with heavenly Wrath
Revenge was what he afk'd, and what she grants:
She took her Bow, dire Inftrument of Rage
And through Arcadia's miferable Plains

Shot poifon'd Darts, and Arrows fraught with Death:
Arrows that wounded every Sex and Age
That without Mercy or Diftinction flew
All Remedies are vain, and who would fly
Runs nearer to his Death, and meets the Blow:
Call the Physician, he but lives to fee
His Art all baffled, and himself the Proof
Falls dead, before the Sick he came to heal.
In Heaven their only Hope of Succour lay,
And from the Oracle, to know Heaven's Will.
From whence this Answer full, distinct, and clear,
But above Measure horrible and grievous.
That powerful Cinthia pour'd her Anger forth
Which thus, and only thus, could be appeas'd.
Th' offending Nymph, contemning Gods and Vows,
Lucrina, or for her fome willing Victim
Muft by Amintas's Hand (he fhe offended)
Bleed, a full Sacrifice for all in one.
She let fall unavailing Tears, fhe fought
Help from her Lover, but no Help was there.
With folemn Steps fhe inftantly was led
A weeping Victim to the facred Altar:
Where at the Feet of the betray'd Amintas
Which oft had trac'd her Footsteps as fhe flew,
Her trembling Knees fhe bow'd; and from his Hand
Shrunk fearful back attending cruel Death.
Dauntless Amintas grafp'd the facred Steel
Revenge and Wrath feem'd kindling in his Looks
Lightning up Flames; then turning to the Nymph
Said, with a Sigh the Meffenger of Death:
Behold Lucrina, what a Love thou'ft follow'd
And what haft left; behold it from this Blow,

C 4

These

Thefe Words pronounc'd, back on himself he turn'd
The fatal Knife, and plung'd it in his Breast.
In one the Lover, Prieft and Victim fell.
Bleeding and dying in Lucrina's Arms.
At fuch a dreadful Spectacle fo ftrange,
The miferable Damfel ftood fufpended,
As yet uncertain if the Pain she felt

Was Stabs of Steel or those of sharper Grief.
Soon as her Senfe and Voice return'd, fhe cried
Mixing her Words with Sighs and Showers of Tears:
Faithful and firm Amintas, now too late

Haft thou convinc'd me of thy Truth and Love,
Thou, who haft dying given me Life, and Death:
Was it a Crime to leave thee? that I'll mend,

And with thy Soul eternally join mine.

This faid, the Steel as yet lukewarm and red
From his late lov'd his wounded Breaft fhe drew
And buried it in her own Heart; fhe fell
And in Aminta's Arms whofe dying Eyes
Had seen her give the Blow funk gently down.
More concerning attempting Paftoral Comedy in
English.

I

Mr. WALSH to Mr. POPE.

June 24. 1706. Receiv'd the Favour of your Letter, and fhall be very glad of theContinuance of a Correfpondence by which I am like to be fo great a Gainer. I hope, when I have the Happiness of seeing you again in London, not only to read over the Verses I have now of your's, but more that you have written fince; for I make no doubt but any one who writes fo well, muft write more. Not that I think the most voluminous Poets always the beft, I believe the contrary is rather true. I mention'd fomewhat to you in London of a Paftoral Comedy, which I fhou'd

be

be glad to hear you had thought upon fince. I find Menage, in his Obfervations, upon Taffo's Aminta, reckons up fourscore Paftoral Plays in Italian: And in looking over my old Italian Books, I find a great many Pastorals, and Pifcatory Plays, which I suppose Menage reckons together. I find alfo by Menage, that Taffo is not the first that writ in that Kind, he mentioning another before him, which he himself had never seen, nor indeed have 1. But as the Aminta, Paftor Fido, and Filli di Sciro of Bonarelli, are the three best, so I think there is no Dispute but Aminta is the beft of the three: Not but that the Difcourfes in Paftor Fido are more entertaining and copious, in feveral Peoples Opinion, tho' not so fit for Paftoral; and the Fable of Bonarelli more furprifing. I do not remember many in other Languages, that have written in this Kind with Success. Racan's Bergeries are much inferior to his Lyric Poems; and the Spaniards are all too full of Conceits. Rapin will have the Defign of Pastoral Plays to be taken from the Cyclops of Euripides. I am fure there is nothing of this Kind in English worth mentioning, and therefore you have that Field open to yourself. You fee I write to you without any Sort of Constraint or Method, as Things come into my Head, and therefore pray ufe the fame Freedom with me, who am, &c.

Mr. POPE to Mr. WALSH.

my of mine.

July 2. 1706. Cannot omit the firft Opportunity of making you Acknowledgments for reviewing those Papers You have no lefs Right to correct me, than the fame Hand that rais'd a Tree has to prune it. I am convinc'd, as well as you, that one may correct