Z Shakespear (whom you and ev'ry Play-house bill Style the divine, the matchless, what you will) 70 For gain, not glory, wing'd his roving flight, And grew Immortal in his own despight. a Ben, old and poor, as little feem'd to heed * The Life to come, in ev'ry Poet's Creed. But ftill I love the language of his heart. NOTES. 75 above, could not be fo complaifant, was all his life long in a ftate of war with them. This, and not (as is commonly imagined) the ignorance of one, and the fuperior knowledge of the other, was the true caufe of that difference which we find between these two Capital Writers, in the art and construction of their pieces. So that here, we fee, a want of fufficient natural genius accidentally contributed to the refinement of the English stage. Ibid. and ev'ry Playhouse bill] A ridicule on those who talk of Shakespear, because he is in fashion; who, if they dared to do justice, either to their taste or their confcience, would own they liked Durfey better. VER. 74. The life to come, in ev'ry Poet's Creed.] Quo promiffa cadant, et fomnia Pythagorea. The beauty of this arises from a circumstance in Ennius's ftory. But as this could not be imitated, our Poet endeavoured to equal it; and has fucceeded. VER. 77. Pindaric Art,] which has much more merit than his Epic, but very unlike the Character, as well as Numbers, of Pindar, P. d Pene recens: adeo fanctum eft vetus omne poema. Ambigitur quoties, uter utro fit prior; aufert Pacuvius docti famam fenis, Accius alti: Dicitur Afranî toga conveniffe Menandro; Plautus ad exemplar Siculi properare Epicharmi Vincere Caecilius gravitate, Terentius arte. Hos edifcit, et hos arcto ftipata theatro Spectat Roma potens; 'habet hos numeratque poetas Ad noftrum tempus, Livî fcriptoris ab aevo. 8 Interdum vulgus rectum videt: eft ubi peccat. Si h veteres ita miratur laudatque poetas, NOTES. VER. 81. In all debates etc.] The Poet has here put the bald cant of women and boys into extreme fine verfe. This is in ftrict imitation of his Original, where the fame impertinent and gratuitous criticism is admirably ridiculed. VER. 85. Wycherly] The chief ground of this writer's reputation was his famous comedy of the Plain Dealer; which is taken from Moliere's Mifanthrope. But it has fo happen'd that while Moliere's Mifanthrope is but a Plain Dealer, Wycherly's Plain Dealer is a downright Mifanthrope. Whether this was owing to the different genius of the Nations, or to the different judgments of the Poets, is left for the Critics to de termine. Ibid. Shadwell hafty, Wycherly was flow.] Nothing was lefs true than this particular: But the whole paragraph has a mixture of Irony, and must not altogether be taken for Horace's own "Yet furely, furely, these were famous men! "What boy but hears the fayings of old Ben? 80 "In all debates where Critics bear a part, e "Not one but nods, and talks of Johnson's Art, "Of Shakespear's Nature, and of Cowley's Wit; "How Beaumont's judgment check'd what Fletcher "writ; "How Shadwell hafty, Wycherly was flow; 85 But, for the Paffions, Southern fure and Rowe. "These, only thefe, fupport the crouded stage, "From eldest Heywood down to Cibber's age. be; the People's Voice is odd, All this may be; It is, and it is not, the voice of God. Toh Gammer Gurton if it give the bays, And yet deny the Careless Husband praise, NOTES. 90 Judgment, only the common Chat of the pretenders to Criticifm; in fome things right, in others, wrong; as he tells us in his answer, Interdum vulgus rectum videt: eft ubi peccat. P. -hafty Shadwell and flow Wycherly, is a line of Wilmot, Earl of Rochefter; the fenfe of which feems to have been generally mistaken. It gives to each his epithet, not to design the difference of their talents, but the number of their productions. VER. 91. Gammer Gurton] A piece of very low humour, one of the first printed Plays in English, and therefore much valued by fome Antiquaries. P. Ibid. To Gammer Gurton, And yet deny, etc.] i. e. If they give the bays to one play because it is old, and deny it to another as good, because it is new; why then, I fay, the Public acts a very foolish part. Ut nihil anteferat, nihil illis comparet; errat: k Si quaedam nimis antique, fi pleraque * dure Dicere cedit eos, ignave multa fatetur; Et fapit, et mecum facit, et Jove judicat aequo. Non equidem infector, delendaque carmina Livî NOTES. VER. 97. Spencer himself affects the Obfolete,] This is certainly true; he extended, beyond all reason, that precept of Horace, Obfcurata diu populo bonus eruet, atque Proferat in lucem fpeciofa vocabula rerum, etc. VER. 98. And Sydney's verfe halts ill on Roman feet :] Sir Philip Sidney. He attempted to introduce the Roman hexameter and pentameter measure into English verfe. Baif, a french poet in the time of their Hen. II. had attempted the same thing before him, and with the fame fuccefs. VER. 102. And God the Father turns a School-divine.] Ben Johnson ridicules the humour of his age, when the audience chofe to take their knowledge of English history from Shakefpear's plays. The present fashion for Milton makes us as ready to learn our religion from the Paradife loft: tho' it be cer tain, he was as poor and fanciful a Divine, as Shakefpear was a Licentious Hiftorian. This appears from many places of that admirable Poem. As he here degrades the Father by making him follow the School-fyftems; fo, in his Paradife regained, he dif Or fay our Fathers never broke a rule; Why then, I fay, the Public is a fool. But let them that own, greater Faults than we 95 They had, and greater Virtues, I'll agree. Spenfer himself affects the Obfolete, And Sydney's verfe halts ill on Roman feet: Milton's ftrong pinion now not Heav'n can bound, Now Serpent-like, in 'profe he sweeps the ground, In Quibbles, Angel and Archangel join, And God the Father turns a School-divine. m Not that I'd lop the Beauties from his book, Like" flashing Bentley with his defp'rate hook, NOTES. ΙΟΙ honours the Son, by making him Author of the MAHOMETAN Oeconomy of grace. "Victorious deeds "Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while VER. 104. Bentley] This excellent critic, who had the fortune to be extravagantly despised and ridiculed by two of the greatest wits, and as extravagantly feared and flattered by two of the greatest Scholars of his time, will deferve to have that ju→ ftice done him now, which he never met with while alive. |