’Tis observable, that no Tragedy can be well constituted without a mixture of Love; and even Shakespear, (who seem’s to have had so little of the Soft or Tender in his Genius) was obliged to have some recourse to that Passion, in forming his most regular Tragedy; I mean Othello.  Not that an Hero should be soften’d, much less drawn in his most degenerate Hours, when he is in Love.  For, methinks, the French seem a little too fond of introduceing Love, when they draw their greatest Hero’s as amorous Love-Sops, and omit all that is truly Great in their Characters.

Now if Love, with Reason manag’d, appear so well in Tragedy, it must sure be extreamly proper for Pastoral.  In the first we are to be rais’d and heated; in the latter sooth’d and soften’d:  The one has to do with Personages, all gentle and tender; the Subject of the other is Fury and Bravery.  I would therefore have, methinks, a Sprinkling of Love thro’ all my Pastorals; and ’twill give the Writer an Opportunity of showing the Tenderness, and the Simplicity of his Characters in the finest Manner:  Yet must it be so diversify’d and broken, by other Incidents interfering, as not to cloy and nauseate the Reader, with the Repetition of nothing but Love and Love.

The vulgar Notion is, that Wrestling, and such like Incidents are properest for Pastoral; but if a Writer introduces such, he’ll find ’em so few, that ’twill be necessary to touch upon Love besides.

But methinks, I would not show my CHARACTERS in so low and clownish a degree of Life; For if I draw ’em so rough, and Porter-like, in one place, I cannot give ’em Tenderness and Simplicity in another; without breaking in upon the Manners.

So that if I was compell’d to put this Circumstance of Wrestling into a Pastoral, I would have recourse, even there, to Love, to render it Pleasurable to the Mind; as thus:  A tender-hearted Lass should be plac’d Spectator of her Wrestling Lover:  By this means the Poet might make it shine in Poetry; if he described her Behaviour, her soft Concern and joyous Smiles, occasioned by every little Failure, and every Prospect of Success.

But this is a Subject of so great Extent, that I have not time to go thro’ with it.  Take therefore this general Rule for all.  Those Circumstances or Actions in the Fable, which show barely the Delightfulness of the Country, are good.  Those which give us a Sight of also the Sprightliness and Vigour of it, are better; and those which comprehend further, the Simplicity and the Tenderness of the young Lasses, are best.  And from hence a Writer or Reader will be able to make a Judgment of any Circumstance that may occur.

SECT. 4.

That this Variety of Actions does by no means impair the Simplicity of Pastoral.

There is nothing in Pastoral, of which Persons have a wronger Notion than of the word Simplicity.  Because the Poem should be simple, they strip it of all Beauty and Delightfulness; that is, they lay the Simplicity where it should not so much be (in the Fable) and deprive it of all Simplicity, where ’twould be beautiful (in the Sentiments and Diction.)