But this is a Circumstance that would but just bear the touching upon; and Ovid by his two next Lines, has, I think, spoil’d it. In Mr. SEWEL’s Translation they run thus.
Oft on her Mates, oft on her Mother call’s, And from her Lap her fragrant Treasure fall’s; And she (such Innocence in Youth remains) Of that small Loss, among the rest, complains.
If he had stopt with the second Line he had put himself, as ’twere, in the place of a Shepherd, and spoke of the Misfortune as if it came from his Heart, and he was interested for the Beauteous Innocent. But in the two last Lines he takes upon him the Author, is grave and reflecting; but nothing is so Beautiful in these kind of Descriptions, as for a Writer to put himself as ’twere in the Place of the Person he speaks of; and unless a Writer delights to do this, and takes Pleasure in his Characters, and has, as ’twere, a Love and Kindness for ’em, he’ll never excell in Pastoral. And I have been told, Cubbin, by some of your Acquaintance, that they can easily tell what sort of Characters you were fondest of when your wrote your Pastorals; for there is one you never mention but with an unusual Pleasure and Alacrity; and it appear’s from your Description of her that your Heart was on the flutter when you drew it. And if you read it over now, so long after, you’ll observe it. But it has made you excell your self.
SECT. 4.
Cautions for the avoiding some Faults which Theocritus, Ovid, Spencer, Tasso, &c. have fallen into in their Descriptions_.
The generality of our narrative Poets under their general Descriptions, bring in the Descriptions of particular and lesser Things. This is very faulty. I might Instance In OVID, SPENCER, CHAUCER, &c, but there is an Example of this so very flagrant in TASSO, that I can’t forbear mentioning it, as I think ’tis the most monstrous one I ever saw, and these Observations relate alike to Epick Poetry and Pastoral. This Author has occasion in the Thirteenth Book of his Hierusalem to describe a Drought, which he does In Six and Fifty Lines, and then least we might mistake what he’s describing tell’s us in Eight Lines more, how the Soldiers panted and languished thro’ excessive Heat, then in Eight more describes the Horses panting and languishing; then in Eight more gives us a Description of the Dogs, who lay before the Tents also panting and languishing, and so on.
This is what I mean by bringing one Description within another; and ’tis the greatest of Faults. We lose all thoughts of the general Description, and are so engaged in Under-ones, that we have forgot what he at first propos’d to describe.