Monsieur Bossu's treatise of the epick poem containing many curious reflexions, very useful and necessary for the right understanding and judging of the excellencies of Homer and Virgil / done into English from the French, with a new original preface upon the same subject, by W.J. ; to which are added, An essay upon satyr, by Monsieur D'Acier ; and A treatise upon pastorals, by Monsieur Fontanelle.

CHAP. VII. Of the three other Qualifications of the Manners.

THere is no such difficulty in the other three Qualities of the Manners in Poetry as in the Goodness of them. We have already explained in particular what suitableness they ought to have with the Internal or External Causes, which either raise or discover them in Men. What Resemblance the Poet ought to give them to what History the Fable or common report have publish'd of them; and lastly what that evenness of them is which ought to be ob∣served in each Personage without permitting him to alter his Cha∣racter. We shall satisfie our selves with only making here some general Reflections upon these three Qualities.

The first Reflection we make is this, that sometimes these Quali∣ties happen so opposite in one and the same Person, that if we would do justice to the one, we shall be unjust to the other. An In∣stance

of this may be observed in the Emperour Maurice: His Inclinations would not have been suitable to the dignity of an Emperour, if one should make him covetous, and they would not be like to what we know of him, if one should make him magnificent and liberal. In truth there is a sort of avarice which Kings are ca∣pable of, to wit, the desire of heaping up vast treasures. Such was the passion of Polymnestor King of Thrace which gave Virgil an occasion to say, That this inordinate thirst after Riches, carried Men on to strange extravagancies. † Such was like∣wise the passion of Pygmalion King of Tyre. The question here does not lie con∣cerning this sort of Avarice, but concerning the sordid, base niggardliness which cost so many Roman Souldiers their Lives. They were Prisoners of War with the King of Persia, who required but a very small ransome for them. Maurice re∣fuses to pay it, and by this base, unworthy denial of so small a sum for so weighty a consideration, he cast the conqueror into such a fit of passion, that he ordered all these miserable Souldiers of so wicked a Prince to be butchered immediately.

It may be asked then what a Poet shall do that he may neither offend against the suitableness of an Emperour's Manners, nor against the Resemblance of them to that which is to be found in History about them? In answer to this I say, that a Man will not be perplex'd with these sorts of Personages, if in the composition of his Poem he will but observe the Method I proposed in my first Book. In the first place the Author will make his Fable with universal persons, and without Names, and consequently without so much as thinking of Maurice. And when he has a mind to make the Episodes, and shall look out for particular Names to give to his Personages, if in his platform he meets with a Miser, he will not think it adviseable to give him the title and Dignity, either of a King or an Emperour: And if in the same platform he meets with a liberal and magnificent Person, to be sure he will never chuse the Emperour Maurice to act this part. So that to the question propounded it may be answered, that the Emperour Maurice whether Liberal or Covetous; is not one that can regularly be brought into any Poem.

But he may be made use of therein, if the Fable admits such a thing as the dissembling his avarice without changing it into libera∣lity; according to Mr. Corneille's practice in his Heraclius. Phocas could reap some advantage from this criminal passion of his Enemy, and so render his cruelty against this Prince somewhat less odious, Maurice did indeed know that God made use of this Tyrant to punish the crime, which his avarice put him upon committing: But this I doubt would have been against the suitableness of the

Manners, and the Spectators would have been offended with this Reflection. The Poet has judiciously concealed this vicious Incli∣nation of Maurice without attributing the contrary to him, which would likewise have offended against what was likely.

One cannot then act contrary to the Qualities of the Manners, but we may sometimes omit them, and this is the second Reflection I would make upon the Subject.

When a Man omits the first quality, he necessarily omits all the rest; since that is the only source and foundation of them. If the Manners appear not at all, they will be neither suitable, nor likely, nor even, nor the contrary. This may be done in all the Perso∣nages that are of no note in a Poem, such as are the multitude of persons just mentioned in Battles, and several others. Because if the Poet on one side is obliged to relate no action, nor Incident without Manners, Interest, and Passion, that the Narration may be active and pleasant, and the minds of the Readers may attend there∣to: So likewise ought he not to admit of any more Interested and passionate persons, than what he is precisely obliged to, with∣out augmenting the number of them, that so the Memory may not be over-burdened, nor the attention distracted to no purpose. So in the Aeneid, we see but little of the Manners of Mnestheus, Cloantes, Messapus, Ʋfenzus, and of so many Valiant Com∣manders, and other persons that have considerable Posts in the Poem.

When we make the Manners of a person appear but only once, we may make them suitable to his Dignity, Age, and Sex, &c. We may make them like to what common fame has published of them, but 'tis plain that there can be no equality of them, no more than there can be an inequality: On the contrary, it sometimes happens, that one and the same person is of an even and uneven temper at the same time. Because this Character, which in most Men resembles the Sun, whose equality consists in appearing always the same; in others is like the Moon, whose equality consists in changing her Faces four times a Month: Sometimes this inequality proceeds from Age, as Horace has observed in † Children and Youths. They owe this to the softness and the want of due consistency of their Brains. Objects are very easily im∣pressed upon them, and these Images are as easily wip'd away by the impression of new Objects, or meerly by the motion of the Animal-spirits. But it happens in some persons, that their Brain∣pan is never closed sufficiently. This was the misfortune of Tigel∣tius Augustus's Fidler. It would be ill suiting one's self to his humour, and it would offend against what is likely, only to repre∣sent him always in the same Vein. He was covetous and prodigal:

As proud as a King in his Dress, and clothed as meanly as a Cobler. So active and diligent as to spend whole Nights with∣out a wink of Sleep, and so Lazy as to lie a-bed till the Afternoon for it. Lastly, if we would take Horace's word for't, there could nothing be added to the inequality of this Man's humour. There is another inequality that is more common, but comes on more slowly, and that is the inequality of a Man in the different Ages of his Life. † In his Youth, he never thinks of heaping up wealth, but idly squanders it away. ‡ In his riper Age he gathers it in, and lays it out as honourably. And when he comes to be Old, he seeks for and heaps up Wealth with greediness, and is so far afraid of laying it out, that he had rather live miserably than spend a Farthing upon the ordinary necessaries of Life. This inequality is of little use in Poem. It seldom happens that a Poet represents one and the same person at his fifteenth, and at his sixtieth Year, 'Tis the others that are of more use in Poems. But when a Poet introduces them, he ought to give his hearers timely notice, that this inequality is the express character that he gives to his Per∣sonage.

Terence has something upon this Subject in his Brothers worth taking notice of. His Demea is a testy and rough old Gentleman, one that keeps a strict hand over his Family, and thrifty to the highest degree. This was the constant course of his whole life, and he carried on this cross-grained Humour to the very end of the Play. And then he thinks of being better humour'd, more endea∣ring and obliging and is concern'd for nothing. Here is a strange in∣equality. Yet the Poet makes it very regular. Demea himself gives his Audience notice of it. Never, says he, did Man cast up the business of his Life so exactly; but still Experience, Years, and Custom will bring in some new particulars that he was not a∣ware of; and shew his Ignorance of what he thought he knew, and after tryal make him reject his former Opinions. This is plainly my case at present: For since my glass is almost out, I re∣nounce this rigid Life I have always led. But why so? Because Experience shews me there's nothing like gentleness and good na∣ture: And this truth appears plainly to all that knew me and my Brother. He always spent his time in ease and pleasure; always courteous, complaisant, spoke ill of no Man, but carress'd all; liv'd as he pleased, spent as he thought fit, the World bless'd him, and lov'd him too: But I that rustick, rigid, morose, pinching, brutish, griping fellow must needs Marry; And how have I smarted for't? I had Children too, those were new

troubles: And truly in building up their Fortunes, I have worn out my life and the best of all my days: And now I'm just marching off the Stage, the fruit of all my labour is, to be hated like a Toad. But my Brother enjoys all the pleasure of a father without the drudgery: They love him, and fly me like the Plague. Him they trust with all their secrets, dote upon him, live with him, but me they slight: They both pray for his Life, but long for my Death: Those I have brought up with the greatest labour, he has gained with a little cost, so I take all the pains, and he reaps all the pleasure. Well, well, for once we'll try what can be done, whether we can speak obli∣gingly, and act the Gentleman too; since my Brother urges me to't, I'de willingly have my Children love and respect me too; if Gifts and Compliments will do the feat, I'll not be behind the best of them: But my Estate must go to wrack: What care I for that? Since I have one foot in the Grave al∣ready.

But I enlarge too far upon a thing so well known as this Comedy. Terence carries on the Reflection still farther, and ends it not till he ends his Play, and he is so cautious in it that he leaves his Au∣dience nothing to guess at.

There is another inequality of the Man∣ners, that is occasioned by the change of a Man's Fortune, and which usually causes Men to be of a low and dejected Spirit, when they are in misery and distress, and fierce and proud when they are in power, and think they are Masters of their Fortune. A Poet may range this suitableness, in the Manners of persons, who are of an ordinary Vertue, and who are more inclined to be vain and proud, than truly generous; and by this conduct the Equality will not be alter'd. But if he makes a person generous, then he should alter less by the change of his Fortune. These personages should be as bold in their worst as in their best circumstances; or as modest after a Victory as after the losing of a Battle; according as the Poet orders either fierceness or gentleness to be the commanding character he gives them.

This last Character is that which Virgil bestows upon the Tro∣jans. They appear very humble before Dido when the storm had used them so scurvily, and brought them under the mercy of the Carthaginians. Never imagine, say they, that we are come, hither with a design to do you any harm. Vanquished persons, such as we are, have neither power nor boldness enough to undertake any thing. This would denote a baseness of Spirit, if they appeared such before their Enemies, or if they treated them with scorn and cruelty after they had con∣quered

them. But we see 'tis true Modesty, when we hear the same Language from them after a Victory. Aeneas overcame the Latins in a hot Engagement, their Legates fell at his feet beseech∣ing him to give them leave to burn their Dead; and he was so far from shewing the least Arrogancy, that he even ex∣cuses his being forc'd to conquer them, and declares to them that his desire was only for peace.

Let us now make a Reflection upon the Resemblance the Man∣ners ought to have with what common fame has published of them. This quality has this peculiar to its self that one may observe the rest in all sorts of personages, and one may likewise commit faults against them always. But there are some persons in whom there is nothing to be observed either for, or against the Resemblance. These personages are of two sorts. The one are such as are wholly invented, as are all those of Comedies, and almost all the personages of the Epick Poem and Tragedy, since in both there are but a few Names taken from History or the Fable. The second sort is of such, that are really taken from History, but whose manners are known by few, and of whom common fame has said nothing: For in this case 'tis plain, one cannot give them Inclinations, that are like or contrary to what common fame has said of them; since she has said nothing about them. So likewise Aristotle does not oppose Names taken from History to Names that are invented, but he op∣poses to them names that are well known. The same we may af∣firm of the Manners. Dido of the Aeneid is of this second sort. The Poet having feigned in his Fable such a personage as we per∣ceive this Queen to be, the obscurity of History gave him entire license to make use of a name so little known.

This License is only for such as first make use of these Names: For those who make use of them afterwards, are obliged to keep up the Character that was at first given them, and which comes to be known this way. They can only change some circumstances that are less known, and add other new ones, which shall be com∣patible with what one knows already of it.

Notes

• Quid non mortalia pectora cogis Auri sacra fames? Aen. 3.
• †

  Portantur avari Pygma∣lionis opes pelago. Aen. 1.
• Stultus ut Luna muta∣tur.
• †

  Puer mutatur in Horas. Juvenis amata relinquere pernix.
• Nil aequale homini fuit illi, &c. Hor. Lib. 1. Sat. 3.
• †

  Juvenis utilium tardus provisor: Prodigus aeris.
• ‡

  Aetas virilis quaerit opes, inservit honori.
• Sonex, quaerit & inven∣tis miser abstinet ac timet uti. Hor. Poet.
• Omnibus nobis ut res dant sese, ita magni atque humiles sumus. Terent. Hecyr. Act. 3. Scen. 3.
• Non ea vis animo, nec tanta superbia victis. Aen. 1.
• Nec veni nisi fata locum sedemque dedissent; Nec bellum cum gente gero, &c. Aen. 11.