Father Bouhours in his excellent Treatise of the manner of thinking justly in ingenious Composures, finds fault with Tasso's Sylvia, who seeing the Reflection of her Face in a Fountain, and adorning her self with Flowers, tells them she does not wear them to mend her Beauty, but to lessen them, and disgrace them by being plac'd near her brighter Charms. Our Judicious Critick thinks this Thought too full of Affectation, and not natural enough for a Shepherdess, and none can refuse their assent to this Criticism which is the result of a very delicate Taste: But when that is done, let none give themselves the Trouble of reading Guarini's, Bouarelli's and Marini's Pastoral Poetry with a design to find any thing in them truly Pastoral, for Sylvia's Thought is one of the most unaffected and single things in the World, if compar'd to most of those of which these Authors are full.
And indeed Tasso's Amynta is the best Thing that Italy has produc'd in the Pastoral kind; and has certainly very great Beauties; even the passage of Sylvia, except what we have observ'd in it, is one of the most ingenious and best describ'd Things I ever read, and we ought to own our selves extremely oblig'd to an Italian Author, for not having been more prodigal of Pointed Thoughts.
Monsieur De Segrais, whose Works are the most excellent Pattern we have of Pastoral Poetry, owns himself, that he did not always keep exactly to the Stile which it requires. He says, That he has sometimes been obliged to humour the Genius of this Age, which delights in figures and glittering Things: But this must be said on his behalf, that he only condescended to follow this method after he had sufficiently prov'd that he can when he pleases perfectly hit the true Beauties of Pastoral. After all, none can well tell which is the Taste or Genius of this Age, 'tis not determined either to what is good or bad, but seems wavering sometimes on this and sometimes on that side. So I believe, that, since there is still a hazard to be run what ever side we take, 'twere better to follow the Rules and true Ideas of Things.
Between the usual Clownishness of Theocritus's Shepherds, and the too much Wit of most of our Modern Shepherds, a certain Medium shou'd be kept, but 'tis so far from being easily follow'd in the performance, that 'tis even difficult to denote it. The Shepherds ought to have Wit, and it ought to be fine and genteel too; for they cou'd not please without it, but they ought to have that Wit only in a certain Degree, otherwise they are no more Shepherds: I'll endeavour to determine this Degree, and adventure to give my notion of it.
The Men who have the most Wit, and those who have but an indifferent share of it, do not differ so much in the sense which they have of Things as they do in their manner of expressing it. The Passions, amidst all the Disturbance which they cause, are attendedby
