Barbarizing of the Greek; as that of the Phonician and Hebrew before; and
the Italian, and his own French too, from the Latin afterwards, by the
adulterous mixture of 'tis hard to say how many Languages: So that between
'em, they'd make it impossible for a Christian Poet to write a good Heroic
Poem, or even a Tragedy, on any, but profane Subjects; by taking away all
the Machines, and therein whatever is admirable. No, says Balzac, instead
of those hard Words and proper Names, Appellatives may be chosen, Words
common to all People: As for example, Ill luck instead of the Fates, and
the Foul Fiend for Lucifer; and whether this wou'd not sound extreamly
Heroical, I leave any Man to judge: It being besides certain, that 'tis
singulars and particulars which give an Air of Probability, and the main
Life and Beauty to a Poem, especially of this Nature; without which it
must of necessity sink and languish. However so much of Truth, I must
confess, there is in what he says, that I verily believe Magor-missabib,
or Mahershal-alhashbaz, wou'd scarce yoke decently in one of our
Pentameters, but be near as unquiet and troublesome there, as a Mount
Orgueil it self. Nor can partiality so far blind my Judgment as not to be
my self almost frighted at second hearing of such a thundering Verse, as
Belsamen Ashtaroth Baaltii Ba'al: Which seems as flat Conjuration, as
Zinguebar, Oran, &c. tho' 'tis now too late to amend it. But then there
are other Words or a more soft and treatable Cadence, even in the same
Hebrew Language, especially when mollified by a Latin or Greek form, or
Termination; and such as these one may make use of and let others alone:
though neither is our bolder rougher Tongue so much affrighted at them, as
the French and Latin.

But Boileau pushes the Objection further, and wou'd make it bear against
the Things as well as Words, persuading himself,

Our God and Prophets that he sent,