ther Critick nor Poet know ought of the matter. We may grant that this anfwer is evafive; And may allow that Aristotle might not be fo great a Divine as Plato: yer, doubtless our Modern Divines are a match for Plato: And have the better end of the Staff in this controverfie. Who all hold with Homer and the old Poets that God may to good ends and purposes, make use of evil means, and inftruments.

And thus was Pandarus employ'd by Jove and Pallas to break the Peace. And the lying Dream fent to cheat Agamem

non.

---A Dream be call'd, falfe Dream, faid he,
Go, bye to Agamemnons Tent, and fay,
Diftinctly, as you bidden are by me.
Bid him bring up his Army now to Troy,
For now the time is come, he fhall it take.

Objections of this kind make no difficulty now-adays, with the most Orthodox: nor do the two Barrels in Jove's Cellar, make any ill found: we know with what Heifer they have plowed; and fee the Original of all the Greek Mythology; their Gods, and Heroes.

Not to reprefent their Gods with face, and fingers, with actions, and passions, and

other

other Modifications, after the fashions of men, were to fay nothing. St. Paul that foared as high as any body, and had the gift of Tongues, declares the things above ineffable, Homer knew this; therefore would not banter the World with hard words, and unintelligible gibberish, as Plato and others have fince done; but did accommodate his Speech to our Human Senfes, by Metaphors, Similitudes, Tropes, and Parables; after the manner of Mofes, and the Old Prophets before him. He entertains and fills us to the utmost of our Organs and Capacity. Something he finds for all our Senfes. He brings them to our Eyes, our Ears, our Touch: Nectar he provides for our Taste, and there always exhales an Ambrofial Odour in the Divine Presence. What Plato,or an Angel would fay further, paffes all understanding, would not enter our Organs; could have no relish or proportion to affect us, more than the Mufick of the Spheres. Metaphor must be the Language, when we travel in a Countrey beyond our Senfes.

The wifeft part of the World were always taken with Fables, as the most delightful means to convey Inftruction, and leave the strongest Impreffion on our

Mind. They in the (a) Eaft will not be perfwaded that the Fables, with us, under the name of Æfop, were other than of their Countrey growth: And Lockman they avouch to be the Author of them.

The Old Prophets could devife nothing higher for the future Meffiah, than that every thing he should fay would be a Parable.

As for the Fables which in Humer, or on the Stage give offence: The Antients had a thing call'd an Allegory, which went a great way towards ftopping the mouth of many a pert Obfervator.

We fee the word in the Apostle St. Paul, (b) and the application of it, which St. Origen was glad to find, when Celfus call'd him to account for the Old Teftament; So many odd Tales, Eve with the Serpent, Cain and Abel: the building of Babel, Sodom, with Lot and his Daughters, (c) Parricidia, & Incefta, & Cothurnata fcelera, far beyond any thing fabled in Tragedies of Thyeftes: θυετείων κακῶν ἀνομώτερα. Shall we Chriftians only, fays he, be denied the benefit of this Allegory? May not we be allowed our Mystery, and Tropological meaning?

So we fee what Lactantius objected against Homer, and the Heathen Tragedies, is by

(4) Huet on Romance. (b) Galat, 6.4. (6) Origen agains Celfus, 1.40

th

the Heathens objected against our Bible, and Religion.

But we need not be fo angry on either hand. Find but out the Allegory, and we are all to rights again.

Befides, it is now no fecret, that Homer had most of his Fables from fome Hebrew Tradition or Original. (d) Clement of Alexandria, and Eufebius made the discovery long ago.

So the lying Dream (e) fent by Jupiter to Agamemnon, which Plato was fo much offended at, is a Poetical Improvement from the Story of Achab. What pretty turn and dress he fets it off in, to bend and fashion it into one piece with his Song; and to accommodate it the better to our Ears in a more Philofophical Climate?

Averroes, after his Comment on the Poetica, allows that Ariftotles Rules do not much concern the Arabian Poets; What then, fays he, fhall we conclude that he wrote not Rules for the Arabians? God forbid! Ariftotle wrote Nature; he wrote for all Human kind.

But the Arabian Fancies always are on the gallop They are not to march in rank and file, nor be fubject to our Europaan Discipline. Homer understood their

(d) Strom. Pr. Evang. (e) Il. l. 2. Common. Dia. 2.

Spirit,

Spirit, and could make the best on't: He knew how to manage the fiery Arab, and bring the wildest Afiatick to his hand.

Efchylus is not to be blamed, when he tells of Apollo finging at a Wedding, that much happiness fhould enfue thereupon; and the Child should live long. Apollo before then had the Epithete of Loxias, from his double meaning; to fhew the Nature of Oracles. Be not out of patience, Thetis, thy Child shall live,his memory, his better part. Homer has enfur'd it for Achilles, to the end of the World.

If then the Fables heretofore employed for the Drama, are not fo haftily to be cenfured; no body, I conceive, will stick with us for the particular fayings, as before mention'd to be objected by Ariftophanes, Plato, and Lactantius.

For their good fayings, we have St. Paul citing a whole Verfe out of a Comedy of Menander. St. Clemens of Alexandria brings more proofs for Chriftianity from Menander and other Comedies, than from all the Bible, or any other Topick.

On the other hand, where ill men are represented, we must not take it amiss that they fay ill things. Dolus an Virtus, quis in hofte requirit? When we remember the faying, we remember it the faying of a

Rogue;