dy, and was followed by Piccoloncini and several others, who took Plautus and Terence for their Patterns, Triffino, Rufcalli, Cynthio, Taffe, and many others, writ Tragedy in blank Verfe, with the Chorus, to the best of their Power, according to the Athenian Models.

In Francis the Firft's Time, 'tis true Marot and others flourish'd by the Encouragement of that Prince. In the Year 1597, Peter L'Arien published Comedies, written, as he tells us, in Imitation of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the modern Italians. After him, in France, Alexander Hurdy attempted Tragedy, and his Works were published in 1625, and him, not long after, fucceeded the famous Corneille.

Since the Decay of the Roman Empire, this Island has been more fortunate, perhaps, in Poetry, than any of our Neighbours. The Quarulus printed with Plautus, was written by Gildas, who lived in the 5th Century. After him, Thalieffin and Merlin, and others, had they not written in Welsh, might yet have maintain'd a great Efteem among us.

Our Saxon Kings have their Grants in Rime yet on Record. William I. came finging Roland, to fight that decifive Battle which gave him the Crown of England. And indeed, for writing in Latin, the World had not the like of our Roets of that Century. Jofeph of Exeter wrote fo much above the Age, that we had almoft loft him from our Nation, his Poem of the Trojan War pafling a great while in Print, for the Work of Cornelius Nepos.

He brings us down to King Richard I. with whom, and with Baldwin Archbishop of Canterbury, he went to the Holy War. This King Richard, Ceur de Lion, and his Brother Jeffrey, had lived much in their younger. Days, in the Courts of feveral Princes in and about Provence; and by that means, became much delighted with their Language, their Poetry, then called the Gay Science, and their Poets, who began not long after

!.

his

his Time, to be in great Vogue, in moft Parts of Europe.

The Italians own, that the beft Part of their Language and their Poetry is drawn from that of Provence, as indeed is that of the Spanish, and of moft other modern Tongues. It is certain, that Petrarch (the Poet whom the Italians moft boast of to this very Day) would appear very empty, if the Provencial Poets had from him all their own; and indeed all our modern Poetry comes from them."

Never was known that Application both in the Princes and People at that Time, every where, to the Provencial Poetry; fo that one of their Romance Writers would needs have it, that Charlemaign made a Donation of that Province, to be the Poets Patrimony. But I fear the Records of this Donation will be as hard to come by, as thofe of that of Conftantine, for the Patrimony of the Church.

I must take Notice here, that with this Provencial Poetry, fprung that Herefy, as they call'd it, of the Albigenfes, which fo much alarmed the Popish World in thofe Days, and coft fo many Crufades to fupprefs. Raimond, Count of Thouloufe was the Protector of the Albigenfes, and at the fame time, a principal Patron of thefe Poets. And feveral neighbouring Princes were of the Number of thefe Poets, and join'd in a League for the Defence of thatOpinion,against:he Pope. This made the Monks fo angry with thefe Poets, as to accufe, nay, ridicule the Patronage of Richard I. that he gave them. Among whom was Anfelm Tuidet, honourably mentioned by Petrarch. This Anfelm wrote Comedies and Tragedies, which, in his own Country, he could fell for Two or Three Thoufand Livres, Tournois, and fome for more. Another was Fouchet of Marseilles, who, on the Death of King Richard, went Home, and turn'd Monk, and rofe afterwards to be Archbishop of Thoulouse: He is prais d both by Dante and Petrarch, A third was Jeffrey Rudet, mentioned with Honour by

D 5

Pe

Petrarch. There is fomething very Romantic in his Death.

Whilft this Poet was with our Prince Jeffrey, King Richard's Brother, he was told by Pilgrims that came from the Holy Land, fo many fine things of the Countels of Tripoli, that he cou'd ftay no longer from going to fee her; fo he puts on a Pilgrim's Weeds, takes a Voyage to Tripoli, fell fick by the Way, and e'er he could come afhore, was almoft dead. The Countess inform'd of his Errantry, went to the Ship, and took him by the Hand; he open'd his Eyes, and faid, that having feen her, he was fatisfy'd, and fo gave up the Ghoft. The Countefs made a moft fplendid Funeral for him, and erected over him a Tomb of Porphyry, having his Epitaph in Arabian Verfe. After which, The caufed all his Sonnets to be curioufly copy'd over, embellish'd with golden Letters; and being after this, taken with a very great Melancholy, the enter'd into a Monaftery, and profefs'd her felf a Nun.

Savery de Mauleon was another of thefe Provencial Poets mention'd in the English History of thofe Times. To this Number we may likewife add King Richard himself, whofe Works with thofe of the reft already mentioned, were in the Hands of Seignior Redi, who a few Years ago (if he does not ftill) belong'd to the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

In fhort, from the Provencial Poets, Poetry, and not from the Runnes, or Runnic Rimers (as Sir William Temple would have it) reviv'd; but how different it was from that, which dy'd with the old Romans, we have already confidered.

As for its Rife in England, especially in our native Tongue, we have very blind Footsteps to trace it; Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate, were the first who made any tolerable Figure in that Drefs; of whom Chaucer is the only one who may juftly claim the Name of a Poet, After him, English Poetry was totally negleted, those who had any Genius towards that

Art,

Art, writing in Latin. Till in, or about the Reign of Henry VIII. our Verfification was first brought to a tolerable Degree of Harmony, by Sir Thomas Wyat the Elder, and Heary Earl of Surrey. Thefe Gentle men having fpent much of their Youth in Italy, and being, by Inclination, very converfant with the Wri ters of that Nation, began to polish the English Numbers, and may justly therefore be allow'd to be the Reformers of our Metre and Stile. Geraldine, a Florentine Lady, infpir'd the Earl of Surrey, with Love, and with Poetry; fo that we may fay, that the English Verfification, at least, was refin'd by the Italian Beauty.

After him, Sir Philip Sidney fhew'd himself a great Master of our Numbers; and he was foon follow'd by Spencer, and by Shakespear. But tho' there was confiderable Progrefs made in this Particular, in our first Approaches, yet the Smoothnefs of Verfe was loft, or not purfued by many great Writers afterwards, till Mr. Waller had gain'd a univerfa) Ap-plaufe; the Fluency of his Lines pleafing all that read him; and all who pretended to Wit and Poetry reading him, it spread wider and wider, till Mr. Dry→ den brought it to its last and greatest Perfection.

This Smoothness of Verfification is now fo common, that it has fwallow'd up all the more substantial Graces of Poetry; and it is as difficult now to find the meanest Scribbler of the Times, without this Quality, as to meet in them the Genius and Effence of Pefy.

Here I made an End; and when we were just breaking up, as having pafs'd thro' the Bufines of the Day, Laudon addrefs'd himself again to speak in the following Manner..

Tho' my Friend Gamaliel has given you feveral Caufes of the Decay, and almost entire Lofs of Poefy, yet I fancy there remains yet one, which perhaps may come nearer the Fact, than any yet offer'd,

To come at this, it is my humble Opinion, that we must take a fhort View of the first Rife, or Causes › of this divine Art among Men; and this I fhall borrow from Ariftotle, the Father and heft of Criticks.

This Critic, in the 4th Chapter of his Poetics, fuppofes two chief Caufes of this Art originally. There are two principal Caufes, fays he, and both very natural, which feem to have produc'd Poetry. The firft is Imitation, a Quality which is born with Human Kind; for they differ from other Creatures by the great Aptnefs and Defire they have for Imitation; and it is by the Means of this, that they learn the first Ele-7 ments of Sciences, and that all their Imitations give : them a peculiar Pleafure: For it is by Imitation only, that Children learn any thing, as to walk, to fpeak, to write, and the like.

The Pleafure which Imitation gives us, is every Day obvious in our View of Pictures. Some Origials, as terrible Beafts, dead, or dying Men, which we look on with Difguft and Averfion, with Fear and Horror, as they are in Nature, we behold with a great deal of Satisfaction and Pleasure in Paintings; and this Pleasure is the greater, as they bear a greater Refemblance to their Originals. There is nothing indéed fo ugly, or fo horrible, but what looks pleafant in a Picture; but it is not, that every Object is fine in it felf; for what's really ugly, can never be fine: But it is because there is nothing fo agreeable as Imitation. For this Reafon, the Poets of all Ages have chofen for the Subjects of their Defcriptions, the most terrible Objects; and, in this, the Painters have frequently follow'd their Example. Thus Nichomachus drew Medea killing her Children, and Theon painted Oreftes putting his Mother Clytemneftra to Death. Our modern Painters have given us many Pieces of this Kind, of no vulgar Fame. We look on thefe with Delight, but that Delight is in no Manner any Praise, or Approbation of the Actions which they imitate,

but

3