The Art of Poetry: an Epistle to the Pisos Part 12

Vel qui praetextas, vel qui docuere togatas._

The gown (_Toga_) being the common Roman habit, signisies _Comedy;_ and the inwoven purple _(praetexta)_ being appropriated to the higher orders, refers to Tragedy. _Togatae_ was also used as a general term to denote all plays, which the habits, manners, and arguments were Roman; those, of which the customs and subjects were Graecian, like the Comedies of Terence, were called _Palliatae_.

429.--But you, bright heirs of the Pompilian Blood, Never the verse approve, &c.

Vos, O Pompilius Sanguis, &c.

The English commentary exhibits a very just and correct a.n.a.lysis of this portion of the Epistle, but neither here, nor in any other part of it, observes the earnestness with which the poet, on every new topick, addresses his discourse _the Pisos;_ a practice, that has not pa.s.sed unnoticed by other commentators.

[On this pa.s.sage De Nores writes thus. _Vos O Pompilius Sanguis!] Per apostrophen_ sermonem convert.i.t ad pisones, eos admonens, ut sibi caveant _ab bujusmodi romanorum poetarum errore videtur autem_ eos ad attentionem excitare _dum ait, Vos O! et quae sequntur._

434.--_Because_ DEMOCRITUS, _&c.] Excludit sanos Helicone poetas Democritus._

_De Nores_ has a comment on this pa.s.sage; but the ambiguity of the Latin relative renders it uncertain, how far the Critick applies particularly to _the Pisos_, except by the _Apostrophe_ taken notice of in the last note. His words are these. _Nisi horum_ democriticorum _opinionem horatius hoc in loco refuta.s.set, frustra de poetica facultate_ in hac AD PISONES EPISTOLA _praecepta literis tradidisset, c.u.m arte ipsa repudiata_, ab his _tantummodo insaniae & furori daretur locus._

443.--_Which no vile_ _CUTBERD'S razor'd hands profane. Tonfori_ LYCINO.]

_Lycinus_ was not only, as appears from Horace, an eminent Barber; but said, by some, to have been created a Senator by Augustus, on account of his enmity to Pompey.

466.--ON NATURE'S PATTERN TOO I'LL BID HIM LOOK, AND COPY MANNERS FROM HER LIVING BOOK.]

_Respicere examplar vitae, morumque jubebo_ doctum imitatorem, _& veras hinc ducere voces._

This precept seeming, at first sight, liable to be interpreted as recommending _personal imitations_, De Nores, Dacier, and the Author of the English Commentary, all concur to inculcate the principles of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero, shewing that the truth of representation (_verae voces_) must be derived from an imitation of _general nature_, not from copying _individuals_. Mankind, however, being a mere collection of _individuals_, it is impossible for the Poet, not to found his observations on particular objects; and his chief skill seems to consist in the happy address, with which he is able to _generalize_ his ideas, and to sink the likeness of the individual in the resemblance of universal nature. A great Poet, and a great Painter, have each ill.u.s.trated this doctrine most happily; and with their observations I shall conclude this note.

Chacun peint avec art dans ce nouveau miroir, S'y vit avec plaisir, ou crut ne s'y point voir.

L'Avare des premiers rit du tableau fidele D'un Avare, souvent trace sur son modele; Et mille fois un Fat, finement exprime, Meconnut le portrait, sur lui-meme forme.

BOILEAU, _L'Art Poet_. ch. iii.

"Nothing in the art requires more attention and judgment, or more of that power of discrimination, which may not improperly be called Genius, than the steering between general ideas and individuality; for tho' the body of the whole must certainly be composed by the first, in order to communicate a character of grandeur to the whole, yet a dash of the latter is sometimes necessary to give an interest. An individual model, copied with scrupulous exactness, makes a mean stile like the Dutch; and the neglect of an actual model, and the method of proceeding solely from idea, has a tendency to make the Painter degenerate into a mannerist.

"It is necessary to keep the mind in repair, to replace and refreshen those impressions of nature, which are continually wearing away.

"A circ.u.mstance mentioned in the life of Guido, is well worth the attention of Artists: He was asked from whence he borrowed his idea of beauty, which is acknowledged superior to that of every other Painter; he said he would shew all the models he used, and ordered a common Porter to sit before him, from whom he drew a beautiful countenance; this was intended by Guido as an exaggeration of his conduct; but his intention was to shew that he thought it necessary to have _some model_ of nature before you, however you deviate from it, and correct it from the idea which you have formed in your mind of _perfect beauty_.

"In Painting it is far better to have a _model_ even to _depart_ from, than to have nothing fixed and certain to determine the idea: There is something then to proceed on, something to be corrected; so that even supposing that no part is taken, the model has still been not without use.

"Such habits of intercourse with nature, will at least create that _variety_ which will prevent any one's prognosticating what manner of work is to be produced, on knowing the subject, which is the most disagreeable character an Artist can have."

_Sir Joshua Reynolds's Notes on Fresnoy._

480.--ALBIN'S HOPEFUL.] _Filius ALBINI_

Albinus was said to be a rich Usurer. All that is necessary to explain this pa.s.sage to the English reader, is to observe, that _the Roman Pound consisted of Twelve Ounces._

487.--_Worthy the _Cedar _and the_ Cypress.]

The antients, for the better preservation of their ma.n.u.scripts, rubbed them with the juice of _Cedar,_ and kept them in cases of _Cypress._

496.--Shall Lamia in our sight her sons devour, and give them back alive the self-same hour?]

_Neu pranse Lamiae vivum puerum extrabat alvo._

Alluding most probably to some Drama of the time, exhibiting so monstrous and horrible an incident.

503.--The Sosii] Roman booksellers.

523.--Chaerilus.]

A wretched poet, who celebrated the actions, and was distinguished by the patronage, of Alexander.

527.--If Homer seem to nod, or chance to dream.]

It may not be disagreeable to the reader to see what two poets of our own country have said on this subject.

--foul descriptions are offensive still, either for being _like,_ or being _ill._ For who, without a qualm, hath ever look'd on holy garbage, tho' by Homer cook'd?

Whose railing heroes, and whose wounded G.o.ds, make some suspect he snores, as well as nods.

But I offend--Virgil begins to frown, And Horace looks with indignation down: My blus.h.i.+ng Muse with conscious fear retires, and whom they like, implicitly admires.