may be difcovered in the performance

of his rival.

Of this diftinguished Epilogue the reputed author was the wretched Budgel, whom Addison used to denomi nate the man who calls me coufin; and when he was afked how fuch a filly fellow could write fo well, replied, The Epilogue was quite another thing when Ifaw it first. It was known in Tonfon's family, and told to Garrick, that Addifon was himself the author of it, and that when it had been at firft printed with his name, he came early in the morning, before the copies were diftributed, and ordered it to be given to Budgel, that it might add weight to the foli

*

Spence.

citation

oitation which he was then making for

a place.

Philips was now high in the ranks of literature. His play was applauded;. his tranflations from Sappho had been

published in the Spectator; he was an important and diftinguished affociate of elubs witty and political; and nothing. was wanting to his happiness, but that he fhould be fure of its continuance.

The work which had procured him the first notice from the publick was his Six Paftorals, which, flattering the imagination with Arcadian fcenes, probably found many readers, and might have long paffed as a pleafing amufe

ment, had they not been unhappily too much commended..

The ruftick Poems of Theocritus were fo highly valued by the Greeks and Romans, that they attracted the imitation of Virgil, whofe Eclogues seem to have been confidered as precluding all attempts of the fame kind; for no fhepherds were taught to fing by any fucceeding poet, till Nemefian and Calphurnius ventured their feeble efforts in age of Latin literature.

the lower

At the revival of learning in Italy, it was foon discovered that a dialogue of imaginary fwains might be compofed with little difficulty; because the converfation of fhepherds excludes profound or refined fentiment; and, for images and defcriptions, Satyrs and Fauns, and Najads and Dryads, were always within

call;

call; and woods and meadows, and hills and rivers, supplied variety, which having a natural power to footh the mind, did not quickly cloy it.

Petrarch entertained the learned men of his age with the novelty of modern Pastorals in Latin. Being not ignorant of Greek, and finding nothing in the word Eclogue of rural meaning, he suppofed it to be corrupted by the copiers, and therefore called his own productions Eglogues, by which he meant to exprefs the talk of goatherds, though it will mean only the talk of goats. This new name was adopted by fubfequent writers, and amongst others by our Spenfer.

More than a century afterwards (1498) Mantuan publifhed his Bucolicks with fuch

I

fuch fuccefs, that they were foon dignified by Badius with a comment, and, as Scaliger complained, received into fchools, and taught as claffical; his complaint was vain, and the practice, however injudicious, fpread far and cons tinued long. Mantuan was read, at leaft in fome of the inferior fchools of this kingdom, to the beginning of the fent century. The fpeakers of Man-tuan carried their difquifitions beyond the country, and cenfured the corrup tions of the Church; and from him Spenfer learned to employ his fwains on topicks of controversy.

pre

The Italians foon transferred Paftoral Poetry into their own language: Sannazaro wrote Arcadia in profe and verse;

Taffo