they left it in; and so much any Reader may see from the Authors
themselves, without reading a large Volume to find it out.

Mr. _DRYDEN_, in another place, has an Observation which carrys the
Knowledge of Pastoral still farther. Pastorals, says he, must contain an
agreeable Variety after the manner of a Landscape.

But in the _GUARDIANS_, Vol. I. The Reader may see the Nature of
Pastoral more explain'd and enter'd into, in a few Dissertations, than
by all these Authors have deliver'd on the Subject. As these are Books
in every Bodies Hands, I shall not trouble my self to extract the
Summary of 'em. But he will find the Criticism on Phillips and the other
Observations are extreamly Ingenious.




CHAP. I

_Of the Parts of Pastoral; and of the several Sorts of that Poem_.


PASTORAL, in it's Imitation of the Lives of Shepherds, makes use of
FABLE, CHARACTERS, SENTIMENTS and LANGUAGE; and by these four Parts
conjoyntly obtain's it's End; that is, excites our Pity, or our Joy,
or both. For in FABLE I include the MORAL; in SENTIMENTS both IMAGE and
THOUGHT; and in LANGUAGE I comprehend the HARMONY.

These four Parts of PASTORAL would lead us into an easy and natural
enumeration of the several Kinds or Sorts of that Poem: According as