can declare the great things of God, but he to whom God fhall reveal them?' This obfervation was worthy a most polite man, and ought to be of authority with all who are fuch, fo far as to examine whether he spoke that as a man of a just talte and judgment, or advanced it merely for the fervice of his doctrine as a clergyman. I am very confident, whoever reads the gofpels, with an heart as much prepared in favour of them as when he fits down to Virgil or Homer, will find no paffage there which is not told with more natural force than any epifode in either of thofe wits, which were the chief of mere mankind. The last thing I read was the 24th chapter of St Luke, which gives an account of the manner in which our bleffed Saviour, after his refurrection, joined with two difciples on the way to Emmaus, as an ordinary traveller, and took the privilege, as fuch, to enquire of them what occafioned a fadnefs he obferved in their countenances, or whether it was from any public caufe? Their wonder, that any man fo near Jerufalem faould be a ftranger to what had paffed there; their acknowledgment to one they met accidentally, that they had believed in this prophet; and that now, the third day after his death, they were in doubt as to their pleafing hope, which oc⚫ cafioned the heaviness he took notice of; are all repre fented in a ftyle which men of letters call the great and noble fimplicity. The attention of the difciples when he expounded the fcriptures concerning himfelf, his offer ing to take his leave of them, their fondness of his ftay, and the manifeftation of the great guest whom they had entertained while he was yet at meat with them, are all incidents which wonderfully pleafe the imagination of a Chriftian reader, and give to him fomething of that touch of mind which the brethren felt, when they faid one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the fcriptures? I am very far from pretending to treat these matters as they deferve; but I hope thofe gentlemen who are qualified for it, and called to it, will forgive me, and confider that I fpeak as a mere fecular man, impartially and as man. confidering the effect which the facred writings will have upon the foul of an intelligent reader and it is fome argument, that a thing is the immediate work of God, when it fo infinitely tranfcends all the labours of When I look upon Raphael's picture of our Sa· of viour appearing to his difciples after his refurrection, I cannot but think the juft difpofition of that piece has in it the force of many volumes on the fubject. The evangelifts are easily diftinguifned from the reft, by a paffionate zeal and love which the painter has thrown in their faces; the huddle group of those who stand most distant, are admirable reprefentations of men abashed with their late unbelief and hardness of heart. And fuch endeavours as this of Raphael, and of all men not called to the altar, are collateral helps not to be defpifed by the minifters of the gofpel. It is with this view that I prefume upon fubjects of this kind; and men may take up this paper, and be catched by an admonition under the difguife of a diverfion. All the arts and fciences ought to be employed in one confederacy against the prevailing torment of vice and impiety and it will be no small step in the progrefs of religion, if it is as evident as it ought to be, that he wants the best taste and best sense a man can have, who is cold to the beauty of holiness. As for my part, when I have happened to attend the corpfe of a friend to his interment, and have seen a graceful man at the entrance of a church-yard, who became the dignity of his function, and assumed an authority which is natural to truth, pronounce, I am the refurrection and the life he that believeth in me, tho' he were dead, yet fhall he live; and whofoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die; I fay, upon such an occafion, the retrofpect upon paft actions between the deceased whom I followed and myself, together with the many little circumftances that ftrike upon the foul, and alternately give grief and confolation, have vanished like a dream: and I have been relieved as by a voice from heaven, when the folemnity has proceeded, and after a long paufe, I again heard the fervant of God utter, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall ftand at the lat ter day upon the earth: and tho' worms destroy this body yet in my flefh fhall I fee God; whom I fhall fee for myfelf, and my eyes fhall behold, and not another. How have I been raised above this world and all its regards, and how well prepared to receive the next fentence which the holy man has spoken: We brought nothing in. to this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord! There are, I know, men of heavy temper without ge nius, who can read thefe expreffions of fcripture with as much indifference as they do the reft of thefe loofe papers. However, I will not defpair but to bring men of wit into a love and admiration of facred writings: and, as old as I am, I promise myself to fee the day, when it fhall be as much the fashion among men of politenefs, to admire a rapture of St Paul, as any fine expreffion in Virgil or Horace; and to fee a well-dreffed young man produce an Evangelift out of his pocket, and be no more out of countenance than if it were a claffic printed by Elzevir. It is a gratitude that ought to be paid to providence by men of distinguished faculties, to praife and adore the author of their being with a fpirit fuitable to those faculties and roufe flower men by their words, actions, and writings, to a participation of their tranfports and thanksgivings. *** N° 22. ***{*}*********<*>* ***** Monday, April 6. Rura mihi & rigui placeant in vallibus amnes, Virg. Georg. 2. v. 485. My next defire is, void of care and ftrife, Dryden. P delightfully, but is likewife more indebted to it Aftoral poetry not only amufes the fancy the most than any other fort whatfoever. It tranfports us into a For kind of fairy-land, where our ears are foothed with the melody of birds, bleating flocks, and purling ftreams; our eyes inchanted with flowery meadows and fpringing greens; we are laid under cool fhades, and entertained with all the sweets and freshnefs of nature. It is a dream, it is a vifion, which we wish may be real, and we believe that it is true. 1 Mrs Cornelia Lizard's head was fo far turned with. thefe imaginations, when we were laft in the country, that the loft her reft by liftening to nightingales; fhe kept a pair of turtles cooing in her chamber and had a tame lamb running after her up and down the house. I ufed all gentle methods to bring her to herself; as hav ing had a design heretofore of turning fhepherd myself, when I read Virgil or Theocritus at Oxford. But as my age and experience have armed me against any temptation to the paftoral life, I can now with the greater fafety confider it; and fhall lay down fuch rules, as thofe of my readers who have the aforesaid design ought to obferve, if they would follow the fteps of the fhepherds and fhepherdeffes of ancient times. In order to form a right judgment of pastoral poetry, it will be neceffary to caft back our eyes on the first ages of the world. For fince that way of life is not now in be ing, we must inquire into the manner of it when it actu ally did exilt. Before mankind was formed into large focieties, or cities were built, and commerce establish ed, the wealth of the world confitted chiefly in flocks and herds. The tending of thefe, we find to have been the employment of the first princes, whose subjects were fheep and oxen, and their dominions the adjoining vales As they lived in great affluence and eafe, we may prefume that they enjoyed fuch pleasures as that condition afforded, free and uninterrupted. Their manner of life gave them vigour of body, and ferenity of mind. The abundance they were poffeffed of, fecured them from avarice, ambition, or envy: they could fcarce have any anxieties or contentions, where every one had more than he could tell what to do with. Love indeed might occafion fome rivalships amongst them; because many lovers fix upon one object, for the lofs of which they will be fatisfied with no compenfation. Otherwise it was a ftate of ease, innocence, and contentment; where plenty be got pleasure, and pleafure begot finging, and finging begot poetry, and poetry begot pleafure again. Thus happy was the first race of men; but rude withal, and uncultivated. For before they could make any confiderable progrefs in arts and sciences, the tranquillity of the rural life was deftroyed by turbulent and ambitious fpirits; who, having built cities, raised armies, and studied policies of state, made vaffals of the defenceless fhepherds, and rendered that which was before eafy and unrestrained, a mean, laborious, miferable condition. Hence, if we confider the paftoral period before learning, we shall find it unpolished; if after, we fhall find it unpleafant. The ufe that I would make of this short review of the country-life, fhall be this. An author that would amufe himfelf by writing paftorals, fhould form in his fancy a rural scene of perfect eafe and tranquillity, where innocence, fimplicity, and joy abound. It is not enough that he writes about the country; he muft give us what is a greeable in that scene, and hide what is wretched. It is indeed commonly affirmed, that truth well painted will certainly please the imagination; but it is fometimes convenient not to di cover the whole truth, but that part which only is delightful. We must fometimes fhow only half an image to the fancy; which if we difplay in a lively manner, the mind is fo dexterously deluded, that it doth not readily perceive that the other half is concealed. Thus, in writing paftorals, let the tranquillity of that life appear full and plain, but hide the meanness of it; reprefent its fimplicity as clear as you please, but cover its mifery. I would not hereby be fo underflood, as if I thought nothing that is irksome or unpleasant should have a place in thefe writings; I only mean, that this state of life in general fhould be fuppofed agreeable. But as there is no condition exempt from anxiety, I will allow fhepherds to be afflicted with fuch misfortunes, as the lofs of a favourite lamb, or a faithless mistress. He may, if you please, pick a thorn out of his foot, or vent his |