not pass them over, without obferving that they contain the best Praife of Poetry.

In all the Benefits of the animal Life, perhaps our Share with the brute Beafts, Birds, Fifa, Reptiles, and Infects, may be well thought a younger Brother's Portion, the Senfes of many of them being manifeftly more strong, as the Smell in fome, the Eyes in others, the Tafte in a third, the Hearing in a fourth, and the Feeling in a fiftt. Difcourfe is common to the most barbarous, and moft polite of People; the Scythians and Athenians; the Gete and the Romans; the Learned and Unlearned. By Writing is the Commerce and Correfpondence of Nations begot, and preferv'd, the Curfe of Babel almost revers'd: For, by Writing, are the feveral Languages of the World obtain'd and understood. From Writing,, arife all the charming Train of Arts and Sciences, which more particularly diftinguith Man from the brute Creation, exalting fome Men fo far above others, as to make them a Sort of Angelick Species of themfelves, and fuperior to the reft of Mankind. For

Man differs more from Man, than Man from Beaft.

If all this be owing to Writing, as most certainly it is, how much more is due to Writing well? It is that which gives Immortality to Mortal Men, and has made States and Kingdoms exift in Hiftory, which for many Ages have been involv'd in that common Ruin tỏ which all fublunary things are subject.

If the Governing of Nations be the most noble Science that Man is capable of, as the incomparable Virgil feems to hint, when he preferrd the Roman Art of Government to all the Sciences of Greece.

Let others better mould the running Mafs
Of Metals, and inform the breathing Brafs,
And foften into Flesh a Marble Face.

Plead

Plead better at the Bar, defcribe the Skies,
And when the Stars defcend, and when arife:
But Rome, 'tis thine alone with awful Sway,
To rule Mankind, and make the World obey.

Dryd. Virg.

If, I fay, the Governing of Nations be the moft noble Science, certainly, Writing well is of the highest Value, fince from thence the Statefman draws his Capacity of weighing prefent Occurrences with paft, and making his Judgment by former Events, on the like Occafions, in his own Time. All the Laws of Religion and Morality owe themselves to Writing. 'Tis true Pythagoras, and the British and Gaulish Druids trufted all to oral Tradition. But befides a thousand obvious Inconveniencies in that extreamly liable to Frauds and Impofitions, we find all their Learning bury'd, or at leaft fo far loft, that we have nothing but blind and uncertain Conjectures to help us to any Part of it, and thofe gathered by thofe Ancients who have endeavoured to recover by Writing, what they loft by oral Tradition.

The Chinese have been look d upon as a polite People, ever fince they have been difcovered; and we find that Writing has always been in fuch Esteem among them, that the King claims the Honour and Reputation of whatever Book is published in his Reign, as the most valuable Jewel of his Crown. The two first Lines are fufficiently proved by what is faid, and I doubt not, but that the two next Lines will foon be as evidently founded on Reason.

If we were to form our Notions and Efteem of Poetry, by the Writings of the Rimefters of the Times, this would feem no common Paradox; because there can be nothing more trifling and mean: But if we look into the Nature of the thing, as well as the Performances of the Ancients, the Knot of the Affertion, will be foon unty'd, and it will appear a plain

and

and evident Truth; for there is nothing above the Moon, nothing great and immortal, or frail and fading, beneath her Orb, which is not the Subject of this Divine Art, and has been handled with Beauty by fome of the Poets. It must be a Poet above the common Rank, to give it an Effeein equal to its Merit. Not only Alexander, Cafar, Scipio, but even the furly and gloomy Marius exprefs'd no common Value for it.

For a Poet to be accomplish'd, he muft have a Temperament of Fire and Fancy, of Strength and Sweetness, of Penetration and Decency; and he muft have a fovereign Eloquence, and a profound Capacity In fhort, the Civilizing of Mankind was one of the publick Benefits of Poetry; the firft Letters, and the first religious Principle being written in Verse.

Such as of old wife Bard's employd, to make
Unpolish'd Men their wild Retreats fonfake;
Law-giving Heroes fam'd for taming Brutes,
And raifing Cities with their charming Lutes:
For modeft Minds with Harmony are caught,
And civil Life was by the Mufes taught.

It was by Homer's Poems, that all the Worthies of Antiquity were form'd; from him the Sovereigns took the first Platform of the Laws they gave; the Founders of Monarchies and Commonwealths took the Models of their Polities; in him the Philofophers found the Principles of the Morality which they have taught the People; from him the Phyficians have ftudied Diseases and their Cures; Aftronomers have learnt the Knowledge of the Heavens, and Geometrecians that of the Earth; Kings and Princes the Art of Governing, and Generals how to form a Battle, and encamp an Army, and to befiege a Town, and gain a Victory.

This Art fhews its Excellency above all others, in this, that all other Arts and Sciences can be learnt,

but

but this is only the Gift of Heaven. 'Tis true, the greatest Genius is to be regulated, and improved by Art; but all the Art in the World cannot make him a Poet whom Nature has not furnished with a Genius. It differs likewife in this from all other Arts, that a Mediocrity is never allow'd in Poetry, nor a fécond Place; nor any Medium between the best and the worst. The Reafon of this feems to be this, that it compaffes its End by Pleasure; but that not being to be found in a Mediocrity, where there is no Fire, no Force, no Tranfport, no divine Enthusiasm, it is not capable of attaining its End.

To rail at this divine Art indeed, would, in the learned be the highest In ratitude, fince the highest Ignorance receiv'd its first Light from Poefy, in whose. agreeable Dawn the Eyes of Reason, by little and little, grew ftronger, and more able to arrive at Knowledge, more robust. Let learned Greece fhew me one Book before Mufeus, Hefiod, and Homer, all Poets; nor were there any Writers before them, but Orpheus, Linus, and other Poets, who are justly therefore ftyli the Fathers of all Learning. Since they were the Perfons, who by the Charms of their Verfes, render'd Knowledge admirable and defirable to the rude, uncultivated Wits of thofe Nadons; it was the Polishing and Civilizing of them that gave Rife to the fabulous Power of Amphion's Lute, and Orpheus's Lyre.

Learning first appeared at Rome under the Poets, Livius Andronicus, and Ennius; and among the Italians, on the Refurrection of Arts, under Dante, Boccace, and Petrarch; and in England, under Gower and Chaucer. In Greece, the first Philofophers were Poets, Thales, Empedocles, and Parmenides, fung their Natural Philofophy in Verfe; Pythagoras, Photides, Morality; Tyrteus, War; Solon, Law, and Political Inftitutions; this wife Law-giver having himself written in Verfe, the Story of the Atlantic fland, which Plate conti

nu'd. Nay, I may with Juftice obferve, that all the Defign, Descriptions of the Perfons, Place of Meeting, and the like, the Foundations of Plato's Dia logues are Poetry. It is farther obfervable, that, in all Nations where Learning is not yet admitted, Poe try is, as among the Turks, who have no other Stu dies but their Divinity and Poetry. We find among the Irish and the Indians, they have their Poets, who fing the Deeds and Praises of their Ancestors, and of their Gods. Whence it feems to me very probable, that if ever Learning come in among them, it will be introduck by Poetry; for till they find a Pleasure in the Exercife of the Mind, great Promises of large Knowledge can have but little Effect on those who do not know the Fruits of Knowledge. As our old Britons had their Bards, fo thro' all the Conquests of Romans, Saxons, Danes, and Normans (fome of whom endeavoured to extirpate all Footsteps of Learning from among them) do the Remains of their Poets laft to this Day,

3

All the Civility and Politeness of Europe, deriving it felf from the Romans and the Greeks: let us confider with what Names, and Titles of Dignity, they have honour'd this Art. The Romans gave the Poets the Name of Prophets, as if they were immediately infpir'd by Heaven. And the Greeks went higher; for the very Word Poet fignifies a Maker or Creator.

But fince, Madam, you have granted, that there are fome Arts allowable to Men of Senfe, and good Men; let us confider the Excellence of Poetry in its Aim and End, in Comparifon of that of other

Arts.

All Arts make Nature their principal Object. Thus Aftronomy applys it felf to the Obfervation of the Stars, and thence fets down the Order; Nature ob ferves in their feveral Pofitions and Revolutions the Geometricians, and Arithmeticians, in their feveral Sorts of Quantities and Numbers: The Mufician difC

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