_From the length by Nature prescribed to all Pieces, Epick, Tragick, &c.
is shown, That Pastoral will, at least, admit of the Length of three or
four hundred Lines_.

Thus far of the Necessity of extending a Pastoral to the Length of
three or four hundred Lines, if we would not deprive our selves of the
Opportunities of being as delightful as Poetry will permit. But if any
Commentator, who think's himself oblig'd to defend _Theocritus_ and
_Virgil_ in every particular, should not only not allow this Length to
be preferable, but even condemn it as faulty, it would oblige us to come
more close to the Point, and to take the Question from the bottom. What
is the Length by Nature fix'd for all Pieces? And why mayn't an Epick
be as short as a Tragick Poem? Methink's a Poet should not be content
to take these things on Trust, and tye himself down to Brevity or Length
only because _Theocritus_ wrote short and _Homer_ long Pieces.

I have not Leisure to enter fully into this Question, but would
recommend it to some Person who has, as a Subject that would prove as
Entertaining to the Reader as the Writer. However, I shall speak just
what I have at present in my Mind upon it.

Without considering Tragedy as drawn into Representation, it is plain it
would not endure the Length of Epick Poetry, without being wearious in
the Reading, for these Reasons among others: It's Nature is more heated
and violent than the Epick Poem, and consists of only Dialogue; whereas
the former has the Variety of Dialogue and Narration both. Besides, the
under-actions which work up to the main Action in Heroick Poetry, are
each as great and as different from each other, as the main Actions of
different Tragedies.