There ar not, I believe, a greater number of any physical body of verses than of those which are called Pastorals; nor a smaller, than of those which are truly so. It is therefore inevitable to give some account of this kind of Poem, and it is my design to comprize in this short paper the substance of those numerous dissertations that Criticks ease up make on the subject, without omitting any of their rules in my own favour. You leave behind withal find some points reconciled, about which they seem to differ, and a some remarks which I think have escaped their observation.
The original of Poetry is ascribed to that age which succeeded the creation of the world: And as the keeping of flocks seems to have been the first employment of mankind, the most ancient sort of meter was probably pastoral. It is natural to imagine, that the leisure of those ancient shepherds requiring some diversion, no(prenominal) was so proper to that solitary life as cantabile; and that in their songs they took occasion to celebrate their own felicity. From hence a Poem was invented, and afterwards improvd to a perfect image of that halcyon time; which by giving us an esteem for the virtues of a former age, might recommend them to the present.
And since the life of shepherds was attended with more than tranquillity than any other rural employment, the Poets chose to introduce their Persons, from whom it sure the name of Pastoral.
A Pastoral is an imitation of the action of a shepherd; the form of this imitation is dramatic, or narrative, or tangled of both; the fable simple, the manners not too polished nor too rustic: The thoughts are plain, yet admit a little quickness and passion, but that short and flowing: The looking at humble, yet as pure as the language will afford; neat, but not florid; easy, and yet lively. In short, the fable, manners, thoughts, and expressions are full of the greatest simplicity in nature.
The screw character of this poem consists in simplicity, brevity, and...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com
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