“Then indeed, to speak sense were an offence.  Any sudden gust of passion, as an ecstasy of love in an unexpected meeting, cannot better be expressed than in a word and a sigh, breaking one another.  Nature is dumb on such occasions; and to make her speak, would be to represent her unlike herself.  But there are a thousand other concernments of lovers as jealousies, complaints, contrivances, and the like; where, not to open their minds at large to each other, were to be wanting to their own love, and to the expectation of the audience:  who watch the Movements of their Minds, as much as the Changes of their Fortunes.  For the Imaging of the first [p. 549], is properly the work of a Poet; the latter, he borrows of the Historian.”

EUGENIUS was proceeding in that part of his discourse, when CRITES interrupted him.

“I see,” said he, “EUGENIUS and I are never likely to have this question decided betwixt us:  for he maintains the Moderns have acquired a new perfection in writing; I only grant, they have altered the mode of it.

“HOMER describes his heroes, [as] men of great appetites; lovers of beef broiled upon the coals, and good fellows:  contrary to the practice of the French romances, whose heroes neither eat, nor drink, nor sleep for love.

“VIRGIL makes AENEAS, a bold avower of his own virtues,

    “Sum pius AENEAS fama super aethera notus;

“which, in the civility of our Poets, is the character of a Fanfaron or Hector.  For with us, the Knight takes occasion to walk out, or sleep, to avoid the vanity of telling his own story; which the trusty Squire is ever to perform for him [p. 535].

“So, in their Love Scenes, of which EUGENIUS spoke last, the Ancients were more hearty; we, the more talkative.  They writ love, as it was then the mode to make it.

“And I will grant thus much to EUGENIUS, that, perhaps, one of their Poets, had he lived in our Age,

    “Si foret hoc nostrum fato delupsus in aevum,

“as HORACE says of LUCILIUS, he had altered many things:  not that they were not natural before; but that he might accommodate himself to the Age he lived in.  Yet, in the meantime, we are not to conclude anything rashly against those great men; but preserve to them, the dignity of Masters:  and give that honour to their memories, quos libitina sacravit; part of which, we expect may be paid to us in future times.”

This moderation of CRITES, as it was pleasing to all the company, so it put an end to that dispute:  which EUGENIUS, who seemed to have the better of the argument, would urge no further.

But LISIDEIUS, after he had acknowledged himself of EUGENIUS his opinion, concerning the Ancients; yet told him, “He had forborne till his discourse was ended, to ask him, Why he preferred the English Plays above those of other nations? and whether we ought not to submit our Stage to the exactness of our next neighbours?”