and Prince of his people *. Hence it has been obferved, that the employment of a fhepherd is a fuitable preparation to the government of a kingdom. This is confirmed, by the hiftory of David, who was taken away from the sheep-folds, as he was following the ewes great with young, to feed the chofen people of God †. I Thus God himself is often compared to a fhepherd, in holy writ ; and Homer, one of the most ancient of the prophane writers, gives the title of thepherd of the people, to the great king of kings, Aga memnon §.

eno and Amor ow and did In the most ancient times, thofe who applied themselves to Agriculture, naturally became hardy: and robuft their laborious life fitted them for the toils of war; but afforded them no leisure for the mild and quiet enjoyments of peace. Those who inhabited the fea-coafts, and difcovered the art of Navigation, applied themselves rather to piracy than commerce; their most celebrated actions being the ravaging of the neighbouring countries, and ftealing the women from each other 4. But those who followed the Paftoral life, having no other employment, than the care of their

* Exod. iii. 1. lxxvii, lxxx, &c. dyff, XIV.

bertad hallen + Pfalm lxxix. 71, 72. Ibid. xxiii, § Ειπεῖν Ατρείδη Αγαμέμνονι ποιμένι λαών. Ο See Herodot tibl r

harmless

harmless focks and herds, led an innocent and peaceable life, living in tents, and refting themfelves under the fhade of trees or rocks, whilft their cattle fed at large, wherefoever they found the greatest plenty of grafs and water. They lived happy, and free from want; their cattle fupplied them with milk and cheese for food, and with fkins for cloathing: and ferved them, inftead of money, to exchange for any other commodities, that they had a mind to purchase: whence the most ancient money was ftamped with the figure of a fheep*. This quiet and peaceable life gave them leifure to amuse themselves with Mufick and Poetry: their time being chiefly spent in compofing Hymns in honour of the Deity, and Songs, in which they described their soft paffions and innocent employments. Thus we find, that thofe two ancient Royal Shepherds, Mofes and David were Poets: and that Solomon, the fon of the latter, in his celebrated Song, represents himself under the character of a thepherd.

1

Among the Greeks, the Arcadians were the most famous for having devoted themselves to the Paftoral life. Their country was remote from the sea,

Et quod aes antiquiffimum, quod eft flatum pecore, pecore eft notatum. Varro de re ruft, lib. 2. c. I.

mountainous, and almost inacceffible: they had plenty of sheep, and good pasturage; they were much given to finging; and Mufick was the only fcience, which was esteemed by them to be neceffary. Their chief Deity was Pan, who was faid to be the inventor of the fhepherd's pipe; and was fabled to be in love with the Nymph Echo, because there were many echoes in that woody and mountainous country. From these poetical compofitions of the Arcadians, or at least from the tradition of them, the Bucolical or Paftoral Poetry feems to have taken it's rife. . It is called Bucolical, from founónos a neatherd; though it relates to the affairs, not only of neatherds, but also of fhepherds and goatherds. In like manner we commonly use the word fhepherd, for Paftor: but Paftor fignifies all the three forts of feeders of eattle: whence Paftoral feems a more proper word to exprefs the fpecies of Poetry, which we now treat of, than the Greek word Bucolick. Our English word Herdman might with great propriety. be used for the Latin word Paftor, inftead of Shepherd. For though we commonly understand Herdman to mean no more than a Neatherd; and though we fay a Herd of oxen, and a Flock of fheep or goats: yet, fince we always compound Herd with the name of any animal, to denote a

feeder

feeder of that species; as Neat-herd fignifies a feeder of Neat cattle or kine; Shepherd a feeder of fheep and Goatherd a feeder of goats; the word Herdman may well be used to fignify all the feveral Paftores, or feeders of cattle.

.

Theocritus, of Syracufe, who lived in the reign of Hiero, and was contemporary with Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt, is generally looked upon as the father of Paftoral Poetry. And yet it is no less generally afferted, that his Idyllia cannot be faid to be all Paftorals. The Criticks, who often form to themfelves imaginary rules, which the Ancients never dreamed of, will not allow above, ten or eleven out of the thirty Idyllia of that Author, to belong to that fpecies of Poetry. Those who would have a Pastoral to be entirely conformable to the manners of the Golden Age, in which nothing is to be found but Piety, Innocence, and Simplicity, will exclude almost all the Idyllia of Theocritus, and Eclogues of Virgil. The dying groans of Daphnis, in the first. Idyllium, will be judged too melancholy for the peace and happiness of that state: the witchcraft made ufe of in the fecond, is inconfiftent with piety in the third, the goatherd wickedly talks of killing himself: the railing, and grofs obfcenity in the fifth is contrary to good manners: and

a 4.

1

the

the tenth is not a Paftoral; because it is a dialogue between two Reapers. Thus, if we adhere strictly to the rules laid down by most of our Criticks, we fhall find, that no more than fix, out of the eleven firft Idyllia, of, Theocritus are to be admitted into the number. The like objections have been, or may be, framed against most of the Eclogues of Virgil. But there are other Criticks, who are fo far from requiring the purer manners of the Golden Age in Paftoral writings; that nothing will pleafe them, but downright rufticity. They tell us, t that Herdmen are a rude, unpolished ignorant fet of people: that Paftorals are an Imitation: of the action of a Herdman, or of one reprefented: under that character wherefore any deviation from that character is unnatural, and unfit for Paftoral Poetry. But furely, this affertion, that Herdmen are rude, unpolished, and ignorant, is too general: for it cannot be affirmed of them univerfally, The Patriarchs, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, must be excepted: and Mofes, alfo, who was learned in all the wifdom of the Egyptians † : not to mention the Royal Pfalmift, who must have received his education, before he was called from tending his father's fheep. that the Prophet Amos, who was

*

This is Rapin's Definition of a Paftoral.

We find alfo contemporary