Now I shall explain what sort of _Fable_; _Manners_, _Thought_, _Expression_, which four are necessary to constitute every kind of Poetry, are proper to this sort.
Concerning the Fable which _Aristotle_ calls, *synthesin tôn pragmatôn*, I have but one thing to say: this, as the Philosopher hints, as of all other sorts of Poetry, so of Pastoral is the very Soul. and therfore _Socrates_ in _Plato_ says, that in those Verses which he had made there was nothing wanting but the _Fable_: therefore Pastorals as other kinds of Poetry must have their Fable, if they will be Poetry: Thus in _Virgil's_ _Silenus_ which contains the Stories of allmost the whole Fabulous Age, two Shepherds whom _Silenus_ had often promis'd a Song, and as often deceived, seize upon him being drunk and asleep, and bind him with wreath'd Flowers; _Ægle_ comes in and incourages the timorous youths, and stains his jolly red Face with Blackberries, _Silenus_ laughs at their innocent contrivance, and desires to be unbound, and then with a premeditated Song satisfies the Nymph's and Boys Curiosity; The incomparable Poet sings wonders, the Rocks rejoyce, the Vales eccho, and happy _Eurotas_ as if _Phoebus_ himself sang, hears all, and bids the Laurels that grow upon his Banks listen to, and learn the Song.
{ 31} Happy _Eurotas_ as he flow'd along Heard all, and bad the Laurels learn the Song.
Thus every Eclogue or Idyllium must have its Fable, which must be the groundwork of the whole design, but it must not be perplext with sudden and unlookt for changes, as in _Marinus's_ _Adonis_: for that, tho the _Fable_ be of a Shepherd, yet by reason of the strange Bombast under Plots, and wonderful occurences, cannot be accounted _Pastoral_; for that it might be agreeable to the Person it treats of, it must be plain and simple, such as _Sophocles's_ _Ajax_, in which there is not so much as one change of Fortune. As for the Manners, let that precept, which _Horace_ lays down in his Epistle to the _Pisones_, be principally observed.
Let each be grac't with that which suits him best.
For this, as 'tis a rule relateing to _Poetry_ in general, so it respects this kind also of which we are treating; and against this _Tasso_ in his _Amyntas_, _Bonarellus_ in his _Phyllis_, _Guarinus_ in his _Pastor Fido_, _Marinus_ in his _Idylliums_, and most of the _Italians_ grievously offend, for they make their _Shepherds_ too polite, and elegant, and cloth them with all the neatness of the Town, and Complement of the Court, which tho it may seem very pretty, yet amongst good _Critics_, let _Veratus_ { 32} say what he will in their excuse, it cannot be allowed: For 'tis against _Minturnus's_ Opinion, who in his second Book _de Poetâ_ says thus: _Mean Persons are brought in, those in Comedy indeed more polite, those in Pastorals more unelegant, as suppos'd to lead a rude life in Solitude_; and _Jason Denor_ a Doctor of _Padua_ takes notice of the same as a very absurd Error: _Aristotle_ heretofore for a like fault reprehended the _Megarensians_, who observ'd no _Decorum_ in their _Theater_, but brought in mean persons with a Train fit for a _King_ and cloath'd a Cobler or Tinker in a Purple Robe: In vain doth _Veratus_ in his Dispute against _Jason Denor_, to defend those elaborately exquisite discourses, and notable sublime sentences of his _Pastor Fido_, bring some lofty _Idylliums_ of _Theocritus_, for those are not acknowledged to be Pastoral; _Theocritus_ and _Virgil_ must be consulted in this matter, the former designdly makes his Shepherds discourse in the _Dorick_ i. e. the Rustick Dialect, sometimes scarce true Grammar; & the other studiously affects ignorance in the persons of his Shepherds, as _Servius_ hath observ'd, and is evident in _Melibæus_, who makes _Oaxes_ to be a River in _Crete_ when 'tis in _Mesopotamia_: and both of them take this way that the Manners may the more exactly suit with the Persons they represent, who of themselves are rude and unpolisht: And this proves that they scandalously err, who make their Shepherds appear polite and elegant; nor can I imagine what _Veratus_ { 33} who makes so much ado about the polite manners of the _Arcadian_ Shepherds, would say to _Polybius_ who tells us that _Arcadians_ by reason of the Mountainousness of the Country and hardness of the weather, are very unsociable and austere.