She wears no colours (sign of grace) All white and black beside : And masculine her stride. So have I seen, in black and white, A stately, worthless animal, That plies the tongue, and wags the tail, 15 20 PHRYNE. HRYNE had talents for mankind, Merchants freight, unloaded here And Agents from each foreign state, Here first their entry made. Her learning and good breeding such, Spaniards or French came to her; Obscure by birth, renown'd by crimes, In di'monds, pearls, and rich brocades, their 5 ΙΟ 15 So have I known those Insects fair Still gain new Titles with new forms; VII. DR. SWIFT. THE HAPPY LIFE OF A COUNTRY PARSON. 20 ARSON, these things in thy possessing Steed a 5 That carries double when there's need; A Chrysostom to smoothe thy band in. He that has these, may pass his life, Toast Church and Queen, explain the News, 15 20 PASTORALS, WITH A DISCOURSE ON PASTORAL. WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1704. "Rura mihi et rigui placeant in vallibus amnes Flumina amem, sylvasque, inglorius ! ”—Virg. A DISCOURSE ON PASTORAL POETRY.1 HERE are not, I believe, a greater number of any sort of verses than of those which are called Pastorals; nor a smaller, than of those which are truly so. It therefore seems necessary to give some account of this kind of poem, and it is my design to comprise in this short paper the substance of those numerous dissertations the critics have made on the subject, without omitting any of their rules in my own favour. You will also find some points reconciled, about which they seem to differ, and a few remarks, which, I think, have escaped their observation. The original of poetry is ascribed to that age which succeeded the creation of the world: and as the keeping of flocks seems to have been the first employment of mankind, the most ancient sort of poetry was probably pastoral. It is natural to imagine, that the leisure of those ancient shepherds admitting and inviting some diversion, none was so proper to that solitary and sedentary life as singing; and that in their 1 Written at sixteen years of age.—P. |