THE | LAST PARTING | OF | HECTOR | AND ANDROMACHE. FROM THE SIXTH BOOK | OF Homer's ILIADS.

Belie his Courage, and forsake the Field ? Early in rugged Arms I took delight ; 110 70 And still have been the foremost in the Enclos'd with planted Elms the Holy Ground. Fight: My sev'n brave Brothers in one fatal Day To Death's dark Mansions took the mourn

[THE DEDICATION TO EXAMEN POETICUM, 1693.]

My Lord,

TO THE

RIGHT HONOURABLE

MY

LORD RADCLIFFE.

These Miscellany Poems, are by many Titles yours. The first they claim from your acceptance of my Premise to present them to you; before some of them were yet in being. The rest are deriv'd from your own Merit, the exactness of your Judgment in Ic Poetry, and the candour of your Nature; easie to forgive some trivial faults, when they come accompanied with countervailing Beauties. But after all, though these are your equitable claims to a Dedication from other Poets, yet I must acknowledge a Bribe in the case, which is your particular liking of my Verses. 'Tis a vanity common to all Writers, to over-value their own Productions; and 'tis better for me to own this failing in my self, than the World to do it for me. For what other Reason have I spent my Life in so unprofitable a Study? Why am I grown Old, in seeking so barren a Reward as Fame! The same Parts and Application, which have made me a Poet, might have rais'd me to any Honours of the Gown, which are often given to Men of as little Learning and less Honesty than my self. No Government has ever been, or ever can be, wherein Time20 servers and Blockheads will not be uppermost. The Persons are only chang'd, but the same juglings in State, the same Hypocrisie in Religion, the same Self-Interest, and Mis-mannagement, will remain for ever. Blood and Mony will be lavish'd in all Ages, only for the Preferment of new Faces, with old Consciences. There is too often a Jaundise in the Eyes of Great Men; they see not those whom they raise in the same Colours with other Men. All whom they affect, look Golden to them; when the Gilding is only in their own distemper'd Sight. These Considerations have given me a kind of Contempt for those who have risen by unworthy ways. I am not asham'd to be Little, when I sce them so Infamously Great. Neither, do I know, why the Name of Poet should be Dishonourable to me, if I am truly one, as I hope I am; for I will never do any thing, that 30 shall dishonour it. The Notions of Morality are known to all Men; None can pretend Ignorance of those Idea's which are In-born in Mankind: and if I see one thing, and practise the contrary, I must be Disingenuous, not to acknowledge a clear Truth, and Base, to Act against the light of my own Conscience. For the Reputation of my Honesty, no Man can question it, who has any of his own: For that of my Poetry, it shall either stand by its own Merit; or fall for want of it. Ill Writers are usually the sharpest Censors; For they (as the best Poet, and the best Patron said), When in the full perfection of decay, turn Vinegar, and come again in Play. Thus the corruption of a Poet is the Generation of a Critick: I mean of a Critick in the general acceptation of this Age; for formerly they were quite another Species of Men. They were Defenders of Poets, and Com40 mentators on their Works: to Illustrate obscure Beauties; to place some passages in a better light; to redeem others from malicious Interpretations: to help out an Author's Modesty, who is not ostentatious of his Wit; and, in short, to shield him from the Ill

DEDICATION TO EXAMEN POETICUM, 1693.

26 Considerations have] Considerations, have 1693.

11 accompanied with] accompanied, with 1693.

37 Poet is Poet, is 1693.

Nature of those Fellows, who were then call'd Zoili and Momi, and now take upon themselves the Venerable Name of Censors. But neither Zoilus, nor he who endeavour'd to defame Virgil, were ever Adopted into the Name of Criticks by the Ancients: what their Reputation was then, we know; and their Successours in this Age deserve no better. Are our Auxiliary Forces turn'd our Enemies? Are they, who, at best, are but Wits of the Second Order, and whose only Credit amongst Readers is what they obtain'd by being subservient to the Fame of Writers; are these become Rebels of Slaves, and Usurpers of Subjects; or to speak in the most Honourable Terms of them, are they from our Seconds, become Principals against us? Does the Ivy undermine the Oke, which supports its weakness? What labour wou'd it cost them to put in a better Line, than the worst of 10 those which they expunge in a True Poct? Petronius, the greatest Wit perhaps of all the Romans, yet when his Envy prevail'd upon his Judgment, to fall on Lucan, he fell himself in his attempt: He perform'd worse in his Essay of the Civil War, than the Authour of the Pharsalia; and avoiding his Errours, has made greater of his own.. Julius Scaliger wou'd needs turn down Homer, and Abdicate him after the possession of Three Thousand Years: Has he succeeded in his Attempt? He has indeed shown us some of those Imperfections in him, which are incident to Humane Kind; But who had not rather be that Homer than this Scaliger? You see the same Hypercritick, when he endeavours to mend the beginning of Claudian (a faulty Poet, and Living in a Barbarous Age), yet how short he comes of him, and substitutes such Verses of his own as deserve the Ferula. What 20 a Censure has he made of Lucan, that he rather seems to Bark than Sing! Wou'd any but a Dog, have made so snarling a Comparison? One wou'd have thought he had Learn'd Latin, as late as they tell us he did Greek. Yet he came off with a pace tud, by your good leave, Lucan; he call'd him not by those outrageous Names, of Fool, Booby, and Blockhead: He had somewhat more of good Manners, than his Successours, as he had much more Knowledge. We have two sorts of those Gentlemen in our Nation: Some of them proceeding with a seeming moderation and pretence of Respect, to the Dramatick Writers of the last Age, only scorn and vilifie the present Poets, to set up their Predecessours. But this is only in appearance; for their real design is nothing less, than to do Honour to any Man, besides themselves. Horace took notice of such men in his age: 30 Non Ingeniis favet ille Sepultis; Nostra sed impugnat; nos nostraque lividus odit. 'Tis not with an ultimate intention to pay Reverence to the Manes of Shakespear, Fletcher, and Ben Johnson, that they commend their Writings, but to throw Dirt on the Writers of this Age: Their Declaration is one thing, and their Practice is another. By a seeming veneration to our Fathers, they wou'd thrust out us their Lawful Issue, and Govern us themselves, under a specious pretence of Reformation. If they could compass their intent, what wou'd Wit and Learning get by such a change? If we are bad Poets, they are worse; and when any of their woful pieces come abroad, the difference is so great betwixt them and good Writers, that there need no Criticisms on our part to decide it. When they describe the Writers of this Age, they draw such monstrous figures of them, 4 as resemble none of us: Our pretended Pictures are so unlike, that it is evident we never sate to them: they are all Grotesque; the products of their wild Imaginations, things out of Nature, so far from being Copy'd from us, that they resemble nothing that ever was, or ever can be. But there is another sort of Insects, more venomous than the former. Those who manifestly aim at the destruction of our Poetical Church and State. Who allow nothing to their Country-Men, either of this or of the former Age. These attack the Living by raking up the Ashes of the Dead; well knowing that if they can subvert their Original Title to the Stage, we who claim under them, must fall of course. Peace be to the Venerable Shades of Shakespear and Ben Johnson: None of the Living will presume to have any competition with them: as they were our Predecessours, so they were our 5

6 Readers is] Readers, is 1693. Well 1693.

30 notice of] notice, of 1693.

47 Dead; well] Dead.