If I undertake the translation of Virgil, the little
which I can perform will shew at least, that no
man is fit to write after him, in a barbarous
modern tongue. Neither will his machines be of
any service to a Christian poet. We see how
ineffectually they have been tryed by Tasso, and by
Ariosto. It is using them too dully, if we only
make devils of his gods : as if, for example, I would
raise a storm, and make use of j^Eolus, with this
only difference of calling him Prince of the Air ;
what invention of mine would there be in this ? or
who would not see Virgil thorough me ; only the
same trick played over again by a bungling
juggler? Boilean has well ^^bserved, that it is an
easy matter in a Christian poem, for God to bring
the Devil to reason. I think I have given a better
hint for new machines in my preface to Juvenal ;
where I have particularly recommended two sub-
jects, one of King Arthur's conquest of the Saxons,
and the other of the Black Prince in his conquest
of Spain. But the guardian angels of monarchys
and kingdoms are not to be touched by every hand :
a man must be deeply conversant in the Platonic
philosophy, to deal with them; and therefore I
may reasonably expect, that no poet of our age will
presume to handle those machines, for fear of dis-
covering his own ignorance ; or if he should, he



DRYDEN's LETTERS. 117

might perhaps be ingrateful enough not to own
me tor his benefactour.*

After I have confessed thus much of our modern
heroic poetry, I cannot but conclude with Mr.
