neither drawn in the latter Part of the Poem; nor retain'd thro' the
whole, but clouded and broken; but instead thereof some casual and
accidental Humour, which from some Misfortune, or the like, has quite
changed the Natural Temper before the Person appear's on the Stage, or
in the Poem. As in the Distress'd-Mother, the Character that give's name
to the Tragedy, is all along in Tears and Grief for _Hector_; and what
her Temper was before his Death, does not appear, that is, what her
Natural Temper was.

I need not detain you to apply what I have here observ'd to Pastoral in
particular; 'tis enough to affirm, that the Method which appears most
beautiful in Tragedy, will be equally finest in Pastoral Poetry.




CHAP. II.

_What Condition of Life our Shepherds should be supposed in. And whether
the_ Golden-Age, _or the present state of the Country should be drawn_.


There are three different Methods, (as we hinted in the first Chap. of
the first Book) of describing the Country. For it may be drawn, as 'tis
suppos'd to have been in the Golden-Age; or, as 'tis now, but only the
pleasant and delightful Images extracted, and touch'd upon; or,
lastly, we may draw the Country in it's true and genuine Colours, the
Deformities as well as the Beauties having admittance into our Poem.

This last sort run's upon the Labours and fatigues of the Rusticks; and