Dictitet Albano Musas in monte locutas. Si, quia Graiorum sunt antiquissima quaeque Scripta vel optima, Romani pensantur eadem Scriptores trutina; non est quod multa loquamur: Nil intra est olea, nil extra est in nuce duri: 31 Venimus ad summum fortunae: pingimus, atque Psallimus, et luctamur Achivis doctius unctis. COMMENTARY His general charge against his countrymen "of their "bigotted attachment to those, dignified by the name " of ancients, in prejudice to the just deserts of the mo"derns," being thus delivered; and the folly of such conduct, with some agreeable exaggeration, exposed;. he sets himself with a happy mixture of irony and argument, as well becomes the genius and character of the epistle, to confute the pretences, and overturn the very foundations, on which it rested. One main support of their folly was taken from an allowed fact, viz. "That the oldest Greek writers were "incontestably superior to the modern ones." From whence they inferred, that it was but according to nature and the course of experience, to give the like preference to the oldest Roman masters. His confutation of this sophism consists of two parts. First, [from v. 28 to 32] He insists on the evident absurdity of the opinion he is confuting. There was no reasoning with persons, capable of such extravagant positions. But, secondly, the pretended fact itself, with regard to the Greek learning, was grossly misunderstood, or perversely applied. For [from v. 32 to 34] it was not true, nor could it be admitted, that the very oldest of Si meliora dies, ut vina, poemata reddit; Scire velim, chartis pretium quotus arroget annus, COMMENTARY. 34 40. the Greek writers were the best, but those only, which were old, in comparison of the mere modern Greeks. The so much applauded models of Grecian antiquity were themselves modern, in respect of the still older and ruder essays of their first writers. It was long discipline and cultivation, the same which had given the Greek artists in the Augustan reign a superiority over the Roman, that by degrees established the good taste, and fixed the authority of the Greek poets; from which point it was natural and even necessary for succeeding, i. e. the modern Greeks to decline. But no consequence lay from hence to the advantage of the Latin poets, in question; who were wholly unfurnished with any previous study of the arts of verse; and whose works could only be compared with the very oldest, that is, the rude forgotten essays of the Greek poetry. So that the fine sense, so closely shut up in this concise couplet, comes out thus: "The modern Greek masters of the fine arts "are confessedly superior to the modern Roman. The "reason is, they have practised them longer, and with પ more diligence. Just so, the modern Roman writers 45 Iste quidem veteres inter ponetur honeste, COMMENTARY. 50 "must needs have the advantage of their old ones: who "had no knowledge of writing, as an art, or, if they “had, took but small care to put it in practice." Further, this plea of antiquity is as uncertain in its application, as it was destitute of all truth and reason in its original foundation. For if age only must bear away the palm, what way is there of determining, which writers are modern, and which ancient? The impossibility of fixing this to the satisfaction of an objector, which is pursued [to v. 50] with much agreeable raillery, makes it evident, that the circumstance of antiquity is absolutely nothing; and that in estimating the merit of writers, the real, intrinsic excellence of their writings themselves is alone to be regarded. Thus far the poet's intent was to combat the general prejudice of the critic, Qui redit in fastos et virtutem aestimat annis. Taking the fact for granted "of his strong prepossession for antiquity, as such" he would discredit, both by raillery and argument, so absurd a conduct. What he gains, by this disposition, is to come to the particulars of his charge with more advantage. For the popular Ut critici dicunt, leviter curare videtur Quo promissa cadant, et somnia Pythagorea. COMMENTARY. 60 contempt of modern composition, sheltering itself under a shew of learned admiration of the ancients, whose age and reputation had made them truly venerable, and whose genuine merits, in the main, could not be disputed, a direct attack upon their fame, at setting out, without any softening, had disgusted the most moderate; whereas this prefatory appeal to common sense, under the cover of general criticism, would even dispose bigotry itself to afford the poet a candid hearing. His accusation then of the public taste comes in, here, very pertinently; and is delivered, with address [from v. 50 to 63] in a particular detail of the judgements passed upon the most celebrated of the old Roman poets, by the generality of the modern critics; where, to win upon their prejudices still further by his generosity and good faith, he scruples not to recount such of their determinations on the merit of ancient writers, as were reasonable and well founded, as well as others, that he deemed less just, and as such intended more immediately to expose. Spectat Roma potens; habet hos numeratque poetas Ut nihil anteferat, nihil illis comparet; errat: Et sapit, et mecum facit, et Jove judicat aequo. COMMENTARY. 65 We see then with what art the poet conducts himself in this attack on the ancients, and how it served his pur pose, by turns, to soften and aggravate the charge. First, " he wanted to lower the reputation of the old poets." This was not to be done by general invective or an affected dissimulation of their just praise. He admits then [from v. 63 to 66] their reasonable pretensions to admiration. 'Tis the degree of it alone, to which he objects. Si veteres ITA miratur laudatque, &c. Secondly, he wanted to draw off their applauses from "the ancient to the modern poets." This required the advantages of those moderns to be distinctly shewn, or, which comes to the same, the comparative deficiencies of the ancients to be pointed out. These were not to be dissembled, and are, as he openly insists [to v. 69] obsolete language, rude and barbarous construction, and slovenly composition, Si quaedam nimis ANTIQUE, si pleraque DURE, |