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more rich, the lefs he fpends. All great Minifters, without either private or oeconomical Virtue, are virtuous by their Pofts; liberal and generous upon the Publick Money, provident upon Publick Supplies, just by paying Publick Intereft, couragious and magnanimous by the Fleets and Armies, magnificent upon the Publick Expences, and prudent by Publick Succefs. They have by their Office, a right to a fhare of the Publick Stock of Virtues; befides they are by Prescription immemorial invefted in all the celebrated virtues of their Predeceffors in the fame ftations, especially thofe of their own Ancestors.

As to what are commonly called the Colours of Honourable and Dijkoncurable, they are various in different Countries: In this they are Blue, Green, and Red.

But forafmuch as the duty we owe to the Publick doth often require that we should put fome things in a ftrong light, and throw a fhade over others, I fhall explain the method of turning a vicious Man into a Hero.

The firft and chief rule is the Golden Rule of Transformation, which confifts in converting Vices into their bordering Virtues. A Man who is a Spendthrift, and will not pay a juft Debt, may have his Injustice transformed into Liberality; Cowardice may be metamorphofed into Prudence; Intemperance into good Nature and good Feilow

fhip; Corruption into Patriotifm; and Lewdness into Tenderness and Facility.

The second is the Rule of Contraries: It is certain, the less a Man is endued with any Virtue, the more need he has to have it plentifully bestowed, especially those good qualities of which the world generally believes he hath none at all: For who will thank a Man for giving him that which he bas?

The Reverse of these Precepts will ferve for Satire, wherein we are ever to remark, that whofo loseth his place, or becomes out of favour with the Government, hath forfeited his share in publick Praife and Honour. Therefore the truly publick spirited writer ought in duty to strip him whom the government hath stripped; which is the real poetical Justice of this age. For a full collection of Topicks and Epithets to be used in the Praise and Difpraise of Minifterial and Unministerial Perfons, I refer to our Rhetorical Cabinet; concluding with an earnest exhortation to all my brethren, to obferve the Precepts here laid down, the neglect of which hath coft fome of them their Ears in a Pillory.

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СНА Р. XV.

A Receipt to make an Epic Poem.

A

N Epic Poem, the Critics agree, is the greatest work human nature is capable of. They have already laid down many mechanical rules for compofitions of this fort, but at the fame time they cut off almost all undertakers from the poffibility of ever performing them; for the first qualification they unanimoufly require in a Poet, is a Genius. I fhall here endeavour (for the benefit of my Countrymen) to make it manifeft, that Epic Poems may be made without a Genius, nay without Learning or much Reading. This must neceffarily be of great ufe to all thofe who confefs they never Read, and of whom the world is convinced they never Learn. Moliere observes of making a dinner, that any man can do it with Money, and if a profefied Cook cannot do it without, he has his Art for nothing; the fame may be faid of making a Poem, 'tis cafily brought about by him that has a Genius, but the skill lies in doing it without one. In pursuance of this end, I fhall prefent the reader with a plain and certain Recipe, by which any author in the Bathos may be qualified for this grand performance.

For the FABLE.

Take out of any old Poem, Hiftory-book, Romance, or Legend (for inftance, Geoffry of Monmouth, or Don Belianis of Greece) those parts of story which afford most scope for long Defcriptions: Put these pieces together, and throw all the adventures you fancy into one Tale. Then take a Hero, whom you may chufe for the found of his name, and put him into the midft of thefe adventures: There let him work for twelve books; at the end of which you may take him out, ready prepared to conquer or to marry; it being necef fary that the conclufion of an Epic Peem be for

tunate.

To make an EPISODE.

Take any remaining adventure of your former collection, in which you could no way involve your Hero; or any unfortunate accident that was too good to be thrown away; and it will be of use, applied to any other perfon, who may be loft and evaporate in the courfe of the work, without the leaft damage to the compofition.

For the MORAL and ALLEGORY.

These you may extract out of the Fable afterwards, at your leifure: Be fure you ftrain them fufficiently.

For the MANNERS.

For those of the Hero, take all the best qualities you can find in the most celebrated Heroes of antiquity; if they will not be reduced to a Confiftency, lay them all on a heap upon him. But be fure they are qualities which your Patron would be thought to have; and to prevent any mistake which the world may be subject to, felect from the alphabet thofe capital letters that compose his name, and fet them at the head of a Dedication before your Poem. However, do not absolutely observe the exact quantity of these Virtues, it not being determined whether or no it be neceffary for the Hero of a Poem to be an honeft Man. For the Under-Characters, gather them from Homer and Virgil, and change the names as occafion ferves.

For the MACHINES.

Take of Deities, male and female, as many as you can ufe: Separate them into two equal parts, and keep Jupiter in the middle; Lct Juno put him in a ferment and Venus mollify him. Remember on all occafions to make ufe of volatile Mercury. If you have need of Devils, draw them out of Milton's Paradife, and extract your Spirits from Taffo. The ufe of thefe Machines is evident; fince no Epic Poem can poffibly fubfift without them, the wifeft way is to referve them for your greatest neceflities: When you cannot extricate

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