Naturam fequere imprimis, atque illius æquâ
Judicium ex normâ fingas, quæ nescia flecti:
Illa etenim, fine labe micans, ab origine divâ,
Clarâ, conftanti, luftrantique omnia luce,
Vitamque, fpeciemque, & vires omnibus addat,
Et fons, & finis fimul, atque criterion artis.
Quærit opes ex hoc thefauro ars, & fine pompâ
Præfidet, & nullas turbas facit inter agendum.
Talis vivida vis formofo in corpore mentis,
Lætitiam toti infpirans & robora massæ,
Ordinat & motus, & nervos fuftinet omnes,
Inter opus varium tamen ipfa abfcondita fallit.
Sæpe is, cui magnum ingenium Deus addidit, idem
Indigus eft majoris, ut hoc benè calleat uti ;
Ingenium nam judicio velut uxor habendum eft
Atque viro, cui fas ut pareat, ufque repugnat.
Mufe quadrupedem labor eft inhibere capistro,
Præcipites regere, at non irritare volatus.
Pegafos, inftar cqui generofi, grandior ardet
Cum fentit retinacula, nobiliorque tuetur.

Regula quæque vetus tantum obfervata peritis
Non inventa fuit criticis, debetque profectò
Naturæ afcribi, fed enim quam lima polivit ;
Nullas naturæ divina monarchia leges,
Exceptis folum quas fanxerit ipfa, verctur.

Qualibus,

VOL II.]

N

Hear how learn'd Greece her ufeful rules indites, When to fupprefs, and when indulge our flights! High on Parnaffus' top her fons fhe show'd, And pointed out thofe arduous paths they trod, Held from afar, aloft, th' immortal prize, And urg'd the reft by equal steps to rise.

*

Juft precepts thus from great examples giv❜n,
She drew from them what they deriv'd from heav'n.
The generous critick fann'd the poet's fire,
And taught the world with reafon to admire.
Then Criticism the Mufe's handmaid prov'd,
To drefs her charms, and make her more belov'd:
But following wits from that intention ftray'd:
Who could not win the mistress woo'd the maid:
Against the poets their own arms they turn'd,
Sure to hate most the men from whom they learn'd.
So modern 'pothecaries taught the art,

By doctor's bills to play the doctor's part,
Bold in the practice of mistaken rules,
Prefcribe, apply, and call their mafters fools.
Some on the leaves of ancient authors prey,
Nor time, nor moths e'er fpoil'd fo much as they.
Some dryly plain, without invention's aid,
Write dull receipts how poems fhould be made;

Thefe

Nec enim artibus editis factum eft ut argumenta inveniremus, fed dicta funt omnia antequam preciperentur, mox ca fcriptores obfervata & collecta ediderunt.

QUINTIL

Qualibus, audiftin' refonat celeberrima normis. Græcia, feu doctum premit, indulgetve furorem? lla fuos fiftit Parnaffi in vertice natos, Et, quibus afcendêre docet, falebrosa viarum, Sublimique manu dona immortalia monstrat, Atque æquis reliquos procedere paffibus urget. Sic magnis doctrinâ ex exemplaribus haustâ, Sumit ab hifce, quod hæc duxerunt ab Jove fummo. Ingenuas judex mufarum ventilat ignes, Et fretus ratione docet præcepta placendi. Ars critica officiofa Camoenæ fervit, & ornat Egregias veneres, plurefque irretit amantes. Nunc vero deêti longè diverfa fequentes, Contempti domina, vilem petiêre miniftram; Propriaque in miferos verterunt tela poetas, Difcipulique fuos pro more odêre magistros. Haud aliter fanè noftrates pharmacopole -Ex medicûm crevit quibus ars plagiaria chartis, Audaces errorum adhibent fine mente medelas, Et veræ Hippocratis jactant convicia proli. Hi veterum authorum fcriptis vefcuntur, & ipfos Vermiculos, & tempus edax vicêre vorando. Stultitiâ fimplex ille, & fine divite venà, Carmina quo fiant pacto miserabilè narrat.

Thefe lofe the fenfe their learning to display,
And thofe explain the meaning quite away.

You then whofe judgment the right courfe wou'd steer, Know well each Ancient's proper character,

His fable, fubject, fcope of ev'ry page,

Religion, country, genius of his age:
Without all these at once before your eyes,
Cavil you may, but never criticize.

Be Homer's works your ftudy and delight,
Read them by day and meditate by night.

Thence form your judgment, thence your notions bring,
And trace the Mufes upward to their spring.
Still with itself.compar'd, his text perufe ;
Or let your comment be the Mantuan mufe.

*When first young Maro fung of kings and wars,
Ere warning Phoebus touch'd his trembling ears,
Perhaps he feem'd above the critick's law,
And but from nature's fountains fcorn'd to draw;
But when t'examine every part he came,
Nature and Homer were, he found, the fame;
Convinc'd, amaż'd, he checks the bold defign,
And rules as ftrict his labour'd work confine,
As if the Stagyrite o'erlook'd each line.
Learn hence for ancient rules a just esteem,
To copy nature, is to copy them.

Some

* Cum canerem Reges & Prælia, Cynthius aurem -Vellit.

VIRG. Ecl. 6.

Doctrinam oftentans, mentem alter perdidit omnem, Atque alter nodis vafer implicat enodando.

Tu quicunque cupis judex procedere rectè, Fac veteris cujufque ftylus difcatur ad unguem ; Fabula, materies, quo tendat pagina quævis; Patria, religio quæ fint, queis moribus ævum : Si non intuitu cuncta hæc complecteris uno, Scurra, cavilator-criticus mihi non eris unquam.. Ilias efto tibi ftudium, tibi fola voluptas, Perque diem lege, per noctes meditare ferenas; Hinc tibi judicium, hinc ortum fententia ducat, Mufarumque undàs föntem bibe lætus ad ipfum. Ipfe fuorum operum fit commentator, & author, Mæonidifve lėgas interprete fcripta Marone.

Cum caneret primum parvus Maro bella virofque, Nec monitor Phoebus tremulas jam velleret aures, Legibus immunem criticis fe fortè putabat, Nil nifi naturam archetypam dignatus adire : Sed fimul ac cautè mentem per fingula volvit, Naturam invenit, quacunque invenit Homerum. Victus, & attonitus, malefani definit ausi, Jamque laboratum in numerum vigil omnia cogit, Cultaque Ariftotelis metitur carmina normâ. Hinc veterum difcas præcepta vererier, illos Sectator, fic naturam fectaberis ipfam.