Vices into their bordering Virtues. A Man who is a Spendthrift, and will not pay a juft Debt, may have his Injuftice transformed into Liberality; Cowardice may be metamorphofed into Prudence; Intemperance into good Nature and good Fellowship; Corruption into Patriotism; and Lewdness into Tenderness and Facility.

The fecond is the Rule of Contraries. It is certain, the less a Man is endued with any Virtue, the more need he has to have it plentifully beftowed, especially thofe good qualities of which the world generally believes he hath none at all: For who will thank a Man for giving him that which he has?

The Reverse of these Precepts will ferve for Satire, wherein we are ever to remark, that whofo lofeth his place, or becomes out of favour with the Government, hath forfeited his share in publick Praife and Honour. Therefore the truly publick fpirited writer ought in duty to strip him whom the government hath stripped; which is the real poetical Justice of this age. For a full collection of Topicks and Epithets to be used in the Praife and Difpraise of Ministerial and Unminifterial Perfons, I refer to our Rhetorical Cabinet; concluding with an earneft exhortation to all my brethren, to obferve the Precepts here laid down, the neglect of which hath coft fome of them their Ears in a Pillory.

CHAP. XV.

A Receipt to make an Epic Poem.

N Epic Poem, the Criticks agree, is the

A greatest work human nature is capable of.

They have already laid down many mechanical rules for compofitions of this fort, but at the fame time they cut off almost all undertakers from the poffibility of ever performing them; for the first qualification they unanimously require in a Poet, is a Genius. I fhall here endeavour (for the benefit of my Countrymen) to make it manifeft, that Epic Poems may be made without a Genius, nay without Learning or much Reading. This muft neceffarily be of great ufe to all thofe who confefs they never Read, and of whom the world is convinced they never Learn. Moliere observes of making a dinner, that any man can do it with Money, and if a profeffed Cook cannot do it without, he has his Art for nothing; the fame may be faid of making a Poem, 'tis easily brought about by him that has a Genius, but the fkill lies in doing it without one. In purfuance of this end, I fhall fent the reader with a plain and certain Recipe, by which any author in the Bathos may be qualified for this grand performance.

For the FABLE.

pre

Take out of any old Poem, Hiftory-book, Romance, or Legend (for inftance, Geoffry of Mon

mouth, or Don Belianis of Greece) thofe parts of story which afford most scope for long Defcriptions: Put these pieces together, and throw all the adventures you fancy into one Tale. Then take a Hero, whom you may chufe for the found of his name, and put him into the midst of these adventures: There let him work for twelve books; at the end of which you may take him out, ready prepared to conquer or to marry; it being neceffary that the conclufion of an Epic Poem be fortunate.

To make an EPISODE.

Take any remaining adventure of your former collection, in which you could no way involve your Hero; or any unfortunate accident that was too good to be thrown away; and it will be of use, applied to any other perfon, who may be loft and evaporate in the course of the work, without the leaft damage to the compofition.

For the MORAL and ALLEGORY.

These you may extract out of the Fable afterwards, at your leifure: Be sure you firain them fufficiently.

For the MANNERS.

For those of the Hero, take all the best qualities you can find in the most celebrated Heroes of antiquity; if they will not be reduced to a Confiftency, lay them all on a beap upon him. But VOL. VI.

be fure they are qualities which your Patron would be thought to have; and to prevent any mistake which the world may be fubject to, felect from the alphabet those capital letters that compofe his name, and fet them at the head of a Dedication before your Poem. However, do not abfolutely obferve the exact quantity of these Virtues, it not being determined whether or no it be neceffary for the Hero of a Poem to be an boneft Man. For the Under Characters, gather them from Homer and Virgil, and change the names as occafion ferves.

For the MACHINES.

Take of Deities, male and female, as many as you can use: Separate them into two equal parts, and keep Jupiter in the middle: Let Juno put him in a ferment, and Venus mollify him. Remember on all occafions to make use of volatile Mercury. If you have need of Devils, draw them out of Milton's Paradife, and extract your Spirits from Taffo. The use of these Machines is evident; fince no Epic Poem can poffibly fubfift without them, the wifeft way is to referve them for your greatest neceffities: When you cannot extricate your Hero by any human means, or yourself by your own wit, feek relief from Heaven, and the Gods will do your business very readily. This is according to the direct Prescription of Horace in his Art of Poetry,

Nec Deus interfit, nifi dignus vindice Nodus
Inciderit-

That is to fay, A Peet fould never call upon the Gods for their Affiflance, but when he is in great Perplexity.

For the DESCRIPTIONS.

For a Tempeft. Take Eurus, Zephyr, Aufter, and Boreas, and caft them together in one verfe: add to these of Rain, Lightning and Thunder (the loudest you can) quantum fufficit: mix your Clouds and Billows well together till they foam, and thicken your Description here and there with a Quickfand. Brew your Tempest well in your head, before you set it a blowing.

For a Battle. Pick a large quantity of Images and Descriptions from Homer's Iliads, with a fpice or two of Virgil, and if there remain any overplus, you may lay them by for a Skirmish. Seafon it well with Similes, and it will make an excellent Battle.

For a Burning Town. If fuch a Defcription be neceffary (because it is certain there is one in Virgil) old Troy is ready burnt to your hands. But if you fear that would be thought borrowed, a Chapter or two of the Theory of the Conflagration, well circumstanced and done into verse, will be a good Succedaneum.

As for Similes and Metaphors, they may be found all over the Creation; the most ignorant may gather them, but the difficulty is in applying them. For this advise with your Bookfeller.