So he invocates Arethusa, when Cornelius Gallus Proconsul of Ægypt and his Amours, matters above the common reach of Pastoral, are his Subject.

Why he makes his application to Aretheusa is easy to conjecture, for she was a Nymph of Sicily, and so he might hope that she could inspire him with a Genius fit for Pastorals which first began in that Island, Thus in the seventh and eighth Eclogue, as the matter would bear, he invocates the Nymphs and Muses: And Theocritus does the same,

From whence ’tis evident that in Pastoral, tho it never pretends to any greatness, Invocations may be allow’d: But whatever Subject it chooseth, it must take care to accommodate it to the Genius and Circumstances of a Shepherd. Concerning the Form, or mode of Imitation, I shall not repeat what I have already said, viz. that this is in it self mixt; for Pastoral is either Alternate, or hath but one Person, or is mixt of both: yet ’tis properly and chiefly Alternate. as is evident from that of Theocritus.

In which the Poet shows that alternate singing is proper to a Pastoral: But as for the Fable, ’tis requisite that it should be simple, lest in stead of Pastoral it put on the form of a Comedy, or Tragedy if the Fable be great, or intricate: It must be One; this Aristotle thinks necessary in every Poem, and Horace lays down this general Rule,

For every Poem, that is not One, is imperfect, and this Unity is to be taken from the Action: for if that is One, the Poem will be so too. Such is the Passion of Corydon in Virgil’s second Eclogue, Melibœus’s Expostulation with Tityrus about his Fortune; Theocritus’s Thyrsis, Cyclops, and Amaryllis, of which perhaps in its proper place I may treat more largely. Let the third Rule be concerning the Expression, which cannot be in this kind excellent unless borrow’d from Theocritus’s Idylliums, or Virgil’s Eclogues, let it be chiefly simple, and ingenuous: such is that of Theocritus,

Or that in Virgil’s seventh Eclogue,

than which I cannot imagine more simple, and more ingenuous expressions. To which may be added that out of his Palemon,

Now, That I call an ingenuous Expression which is clear and smooth, that swells with no insolent words, or bold metaphors, but hath something familiar, and as it were obvious in its Composure, and not disguis’d by any study’d and affected dress: All its Ornament must be like the Corn and fruits in the Country, easy to be gotten, and ready at hand, not such as requires Care, Labor, and Cost to be obtain’d: as Hermogenes on Theocritus observes; See how easie and unaffected this sounds,

and most of his expressions, not to say all, are of the same nature: for the ingenuous simplicity both of Thought and Expression is the natural Characteristick of Pastoral. In this Theocritus and Virgil are admirable, and excellent, the others despicable, and to be pittied; for they being enfeebled by the meanes of their subject, either creep, or fall flat. Virgil keeps himself up by his choice and curious words, and tho his matter for the most part (and Pastoral requires it) is mean, yet his expressions never flag, as is evident from these lines in his Alexis:

For since the matter must be low, to avoid being abject, and despicable, you must borrow some light from the Expression; not such as is dazling, but pure, and lambent, such as may shine thro the whole matter, but never flash, and blind. The words of such a Stile we are usually taught in our Nurses armes, but ’tis to be perfected and polished by length of time, frequent use, study, and diligent reading of the most approved Authors: for Pastoral is apt to be slighted for the meaness of its Matter, unless it hath some additional Beauty, be pure, polisht, and so made pleasing, and attractive. Therefore never let any one, that designs to write Pastorals, corrupt himself with foreign manners; for if he hath once vitiated the healthful habit, as I may say, of Expression, which Bucolicks necessarily require, ’tis impossible he should be fit for that task. Yet let him not affect pompous or dazling Expressions, for such belong to Epicks, or Tragedians. Let his words sometimes tast of the Country, not that I mean, of which Volusius’s Annals, upon which Catullus hath made that biting Epigram, are full; for though the Thought ought to be rustick, and such as is suitable to a Shepherd, yet it ought not to be Clownish, as is evident in Corydon, when he makes mention of his Goats.

For what can be more Rustical, than to design those Goats for Alexis, at that very time when he believes Thestylis’s winning importunity will be able to prevail? yet there is nothing Clownish in the words. In short, Bucolicks should deserve that commendation which Tully gives Crassus, of whose Orations he would say, that nothing could be more free from childish painting, and affected finery. So let the Expression in Pastoral be without gawdy trappings, and all those little fineries of Art, which are us’d to set off and varnish a discourse: But let an ingenuous Simplicity. and unaffected pleasing Neatness appear in every part; which yet will be flat, if ’t is drawn out to any length, if not close, short, and broken, as that in Virgil,

And in the same Eclogue,

And in Corydon,

And in Theocritus much of the same nature may be seen; as in his other Pastoral Idylliums, so chiefly in his fifth. Thus Battus in the fourth Idyllium, complaining for the loss of Amaryllis,

And how soft and tender is that in the third Idyllium,

And in this concise, close way of Expression lies the chiefest Grace of Pastorals: for in my opinion there’s nothing in the whole Composition that can delight more than those frequent stops, and breakings off. Yet lest in these too it become dull and sluggish, it must be quickned by frequent lively touches of Concernment: such as that of the Goatherd in the third Idyllium,

Or Daphnis’s despair, which Thyrsis sings in the first Idyllium,

How tender are the lines, and yet what passion they contain! And most of Virgil’s are of this nature, but there are likewise in him some touches of despairing Love, such as is this of Alphesibœus,

Or that of Damon,

Or that of Corydon,

For tho Pastoral doth not admit any violent passions, such as proceed from the greatest extremity, and usually accompany despair; yet because Despairing Love is not attended with those frightful and horrible consequences, but looks more like grief to be pittied, and a pleasing madness, than rage and fury, Eclogue is so far from refusing, that it rather loves, and passionately requires them. Therefore an unfortunate Shepherd may be brought in, complaining of his successless Love to the Moon, Stars, or Rocks, or to the Woods, and purling Streams, mourning the unsupportable anger, the frowns and coyness of his proud Phyllis; singing at his Nymphs door, (which Plutarch reckons among the signs of Passion) or doing any of those fooleries, which are familiar to Lovers. Yet the Passion must not rise too high, as Polyphemus’s, Galateas’s mad Lover, of whom Theocritus divinely thus, as almost of every thing else:

For all violent Perturbations are to be diligently avoided by Bucolicks, whose nature it is to be soft, and easie: For in small matters, and such must all the strifes and contentions of Shepherds be, to make a great deal of adoe, is as unseemly, as to put Hercules’s Vizard and Buskins on an Infant, as Quintilian hath excellently observ’d. For since Eclogue is but weak, it seems not capable of those Commotions which belong to the Theater, and Pulpit; they must be soft, and gentle, and all its Passion must seem to flow only, and not break out: as in Virgil’s Gallus,

To these he may sometimes joyn some short Interrogations made to inanimate Beings, for those spread a strange life and vigor thro the whole Composure. Thus in Daphnis,

Or give the very Trees, and Fountains sense, as in Tityrus,

for by this the Concernment is express’d; and of the like nature is that of Thyrsis, in Virgil’s Melibœus,

And this sort of Expressions is frequent in Theocritus, and Virgil, and in these the delicacy of Pastoral is principally contain’d, as one of the old Interpreters of Theocritus hath observ’d on this line, in the eighth Idyllium,

But let them be so, and so seldom us’d, that nothing appear vehement, and bold, for Boldness and Vehemence destroy the sweetness which peculiarly commends Bucolicks, and in those Composures a constant care to be soft and easie should be chief: For Pastoral bears some resemblance to Terence, of whom Tully, in that Poem which he writes to Libo, gives this Character,

In mixing Passion in Pastorals, that rule of Longinus, in his golden Treatise περὶ ὕψους, must be observ’d, Never use it, but when the matter requires it, and then too very sparingly. Concerning the Numbers, in which Pastoral should be written, this is my opinion; the Heroick Measure, but not so strong and sounding as in Epicks, is to be chosen. Virgil and Theocritus have given us examples; for tho Theocritus hath in one Idyllium mixt other Numbers, yet that can be of no force against all the rest; and Virgil useth no Numbers but Heroick, from whence it may be inferr’d, that those are the fittest. Pastoral may sometimes admit plain, but not long Narrations such as Socrates in Plato requires in a Poet; for he chiefly approves those who use a plain Narration, and commends that above all other which is short, and fitly expresseth the nature of the Thing. Some are of opinion that Bucolicks cannot endure Narrations, especially if they are very long, and imagine there are none in Virgil: but they have not been nice enough in their observations, for there are some, as that in Silenus.

But, because Narrations are so seldom to be found in Theocritus, and Virgil, I think they ought not to be often us’d; yet if the matter will bear it, I believe such as Socrates would have, may very fitly be made use of. The Composure will be more suitable to the Genius of a Shepherd, if now and then there are some short turns and digressions from the purpose: Such is that concerning Pasiphae in Silenus, although tis almost too long; but we may give Virgil a little leave, who takes so little liberty himself. Concerning Descriptions I cannot tell what to lay down, for in this matter our Guides, Virgil, and Theocritus, do not very well agree. For he in his first Idyllium makes such a long immoderate description of his Cup, that Criticks find fault with him, but no such description appears in all Virgil; for how sparing is he in his description of Melibœus’s Beechen Pot, the work of Divine Alcimedon? He doth it in five verses, Theocritus runs out into thirty, which certainly is an argument of a wit that is very much at leisure, and unable to moderate his force. That shortness which Virgil hath prudently made choice of, is in my opinion much better; for a Shepherd, who is naturally incurious, and unobserving, cannot think that tis his duty to be exact in particulars, and describe every thing with an accurate niceness: yet Roncardus hath done it, a man of most correct judgment, and, in imitation of Theocritus, hath, considering the then poverty of our language, admirably and largely describ’d his Cup; and Marinus in his Idylliums hath follow’d the same example. He never keeps within compass in his Descriptions, for which he is deservedly blam’d; let those who would be thought accurate, and men of judgment, follow Virgil’s prudent moderation. Nor can the Others gain any advantage from Moschus’s Europa, in which the description of the Basket is very long, for that Idyllium is not Pastoral; yet I confess, that some descriptions of such trivial things, if not minutely accurate, may, if seldom us’d, be decently allow’d a place in the discourses of Shepherds.

But tho you must be sparing in your Descriptions, yet your Comparisons must be frequent, and the more often you use them, the better and more graceful will be the Composure; especially if taken from such things, as the Shepherds must be familiarly acquainted with: They are frequent in Theocritus but so proper to the Country, that none but a Shepherd dare use them. Thus Menalcas in the eighth Idyllium:

And Damœtas in Virgil’s Palæmon,

And that in the eighth Eclogue,

And such Comparisons are very frequent in him, and very suitable to the Genius of a Shepherd; as likewise often repetitions, and doublings of some words: which, if they are luckily plac’d have an unexpressible quaintness, and make the Numbers extream sweet, and the turns ravishing and delightful. An instance of this we have in Virgil’s Melibœus,

As for the Manners of your Shepherds, they must be such as theirs who liv’d in the Islands of the Happy or Golden Age: They must be candid, simple, and ingenuous; lovers of Goodness, and Justice, affable, and kind; strangers to all fraud, contrivance, and deceit; in their Love modest, and chast, not one suspitious word, no loose expression to be allowed: and in this part Theocritus is faulty, Virgil never; and this difference perhaps is to be ascrib’d to their Ages, the times in which the latter liv’d being more polite, civil, and gentile. And therefore those who make wanton Love- stories the subject of Pastorals, are in my opinion very unadvis’d; for all sort of lewdness or debauchery are directly contrary to the Innocence of the golden Age. There is another thing in which Theocritus is faulty, and that is making his Shepherds too sharp, and abusive to one another; Comatas and Lacon are ready to fight, and the railing between those two is as bitter as Billingsgate: Now certainly such Raillery cannot be suitable to those sedate times of the Happy Age.

As for Sentences, if weighty, and Philosophical, common Sense tells us they are not fit for a Shepherd’s mouth. Here Theocritus cannot be altogether excus’d, but Virgil deserves no reprehension. But Proverbs justly challenge admission into Pastorals, nothing being more common in the mouths of Countrymen than old Sayings.

Thus much seem’d necessary to be premis’d out of RAPIN, for the direction and information of the Reader.

ERRATA.

Transcriber’s Note: The errata listed above appear to belong to the Creech translation of Theocritus, not included in this reprint. A few misprints in the Rapin text were corrected for this e-text. The corrections appear like this.

Rapin's Discourse of Pastorals was first published in Latin, with his eclogues, under the title: Eclogae, cum dissertatione de carmine pastorali. Parisiis, apud S. Cramoisy, 1659.

The English translation by Thomas Creech, prefixed to his translation of the Idylliums of Theocritus, appeared in 1684. A second edition "to which is prefix'd, The Life of Theocritus. By Basil Kennet", was printed at London for E. Curll, at the Dial and Bible against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-street, in 1713, and a third edition, also printed for Curll, appeared in 1721.

Ella M. Hymans

    Curator of Rare Books,
    General Library,
    University of Michigan

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