darus when done at the instigation of Jupiter and Minerva.

Nor that broyl and controverfie amongst the Gods, put to the Arbitration and De cifion of Jupiter and Themis.

Nor can Eschylus be allow'd to vent any thing like that faying,

Whom Jove wou'd destroy he takes away their Senfes.

Nor, if in any fort of Poetry relation is made of the affliction that befel to Niobe, or to the Pelopida, or to the Trojans; or the like: It must not be suggested that this was the work of God: but if it be; then a reason is to be subjoyned, as that God did, indeed, what was good and chaftife 'em, for their good. not fay that punishment is an that God afflicted them. neither be Pious, be Profitable, nor be Confiftent.

juft, and did But he must Affliction, and For that would

Nor must he reprefent God difguifing himself and putting on feveral fhapes to carry on fome Cheat or Imposture, nor to be capable of any Change, Paffion, or Perturbation. Nor fay that the Gods wander from Town to Town in the likeness of Strangers(m). And fuch Lies as are abroad, of Proteus and Thetis. And in fome Tragedies, (m) 'Cdvs. 7.

Juno

Juno turned into a Priest, gathering the be nevolence of the Congregation for the Sons of Inachus, newly restored to life.

Nor is the lying Dream,fent by Jupiter to Agamemnon (n) by any means to be excufed. Nor Efchylus where he brings in Thetis complaining that at her Wedding Apollo in her Epithalamium fung:

;

That long the Son of Thetis was to live
By no difeafe molefted. That the Gods
Took of my Fortunes care and special liking;
And gave me joy, and praises in abundance.
Cou'd my hopes fail, thus founded on Apollo,
His Mouth Divine, Fatidical, and True?
Tet He, the fame, that flatt'red me so fair,
And at my Table fat a willing guest,
He, that thus did and faid, even He has Лlain
(my Child.

And in Homer, when she cries out (0),

Ab wretched Goddess that I was to bear
The best of all the Heroes---

And when Jupiter mourns fo heavily (p):
Ab me! my Son Sarpedon will be flain----
And for the honour of his Son fo dear,
For Rain be drops of blood from Heaven fends.

( n ) Il. a. ( 0 ) I.2. ( p ) Il. x.

D 4

And

And when he laughs at Vulcan limping along with a Cup of Nectar.

And then the Gods laught all at once out-right To fee the lame, and Jooty Vulcan skink (q).

Efchylus had, in Athens, made a great noife with his Tragedy call'd the Furies: after which Ariftophanes, to expose the Tragick Poets wrote a Comedy, which he nam'd the Frogs: There he charges Euripides for having brought upon the Stage, Phædra's, Sthenobaa's, and the like wicked Strumpets. Nay.

What is he not guilty of ?

Has he not fhewn you panders,

And Women bringing forth in Temples ?
And fuch as mix with their own Brothers?
And thofe that fay: Not to live is to live?
Thus has he fill'd the Town

With Scribes, Buffoons, and Monkeys,
That banter, and make Affes of the People,

He again twits him with his,

Τις οίδεν, ει το ζήν μέν ἔσι καθανεν, τὸ πεῖν δὲ δειπνεῖν, καὶ λό καθεύδειν κώδιον

Who

Who can tell but that to live is to dye,
To drink is to think, and to fleep, a woolfack,

This fecond line is added to ridicule the former, and for this fentence he taxes Euripides as teaching Scepticism; And everywhere is playing upon that,

My Tongue did Swear, my Mind was never

Sworn,

As if thereby Euripides opened a door to Equivocation and Perjury,

Thus we fee how well Ariftophanes, and Plato agree with Lactantius; and charge upon Tragedy the fame enormities, Incests, and Cothurnata feelera, and also the odd unlucky fayings that stick in our memory, and will not out of a body's head.

When King Archelaus asked Plato what book he might read to learn the state of Affairs and Government in Athens, Plato bid him only to read Ariftophanes; 'tis likely that we may better truft him for the State of Poetry in his time. And we may be confident he would mince nothing, out of any favour or affection, being a profeffed Enemy to Euripides.

Upon a prefumption then that nothing more can be rais'd to bear against this fort of Poetry; we may proceed to offer fomething in answer to thofe objections. CHAP.

CHAP. IV.

Ariftotle's general Answer evasive. Plato a better Divine. Not better than our Modern. God may ufe ill inftruments. The falfe Dream. The two Barrels. Fables before Homer. He of God fenfibly. Plato, Cant. Metaphore the utmost we are capable of. Fables. Allegory. Celfus to Origen against the Bible. Allegory, a cure for all. Homers Fables from the Bible. The false Dream, from the Story of Achab improv'd by Homer. Averroes of Arabian Poets. Apollo Loxias. Particular fenTexts of Scripture. Juno, Job's Wife. SS. in Vulgar Tongue. Euripides, ill Women. No blame to the art. Pompof the Theatre. What ill names by Jefuits.

tences.

FOR

OR every Cavil, against any thing devised by the Poets, in relation to the Gods, (*) Ariftotle proposes one general answer, That a Critick need not be fo fierce and pofitive to quarrel on that account, where all are in the dark, that nei(*) Poetica.

ther