hints, as of all other sorts of Poetry, so of Pastoral is the very
Soul. and therfore _Socrates_ in _Plato_ says, that in those Verses
which he had made there was nothing wanting but the _Fable_: therefore
Pastorals as other kinds of Poetry must have their Fable, if they will
be Poetry: Thus in _Virgil's_ _Silenus_ which contains the Stories of
allmost the whole Fabulous Age, two Shepherds whom _Silenus_ had often
promis'd a Song, and as often deceived, seize upon him being drunk and
asleep, and bind him with wreath'd Flowers; _Ægle_ comes in and
incourages the timorous youths, and stains his jolly red Face with
Blackberries, _Silenus_ laughs at their innocent contrivance, and
desires to be unbound, and then with a premeditated Song satisfies the
Nymph's and Boys Curiosity; The incomparable Poet sings wonders, the
Rocks rejoyce, the Vales eccho, and happy _Eurotas_ as if _Phoebus_
himself sang, hears all, and bids the Laurels that grow upon his Banks
listen to, and learn the Song.

{31} Happy _Eurotas_ as he flow'd along
Heard all, and bad the Laurels learn the Song.

Thus every Eclogue or Idyllium must have its Fable, which must be the
groundwork of the whole design, but it must not be perplext with
sudden and unlookt for changes, as in _Marinus's_ _Adonis_: for that,
tho the _Fable_ be of a Shepherd, yet by reason of the strange Bombast
under Plots, and wonderful occurences, cannot be accounted _Pastoral_;
for that it might be agreeable to the Person it treats of, it must be
plain and simple, such as _Sophocles's_ _Ajax_, in which there is not
so much as one change of Fortune. As for the Manners, let that
precept, which _Horace_ lays down in his Epistle to the _Pisones_, be
principally observed.