1)8 ON POETICAL GENIUS. 061.12, 



as to make a ftronger impreflion, fomething that does 

 exift, or has exifted. The great obje£l of all imitation 

 is Nature, either inanimated, fuch as woods, vales, and 

 rivers, or animated, as birds, hearts ; but above all, the 

 actions of mankind. It is not enough merely to cie- 

 fcrlbc, the poet muft imitate. He is not only, for ex- 

 ample, to difplay anger by defcribing the pale face and 

 quivering Hp-, but he muft, byfpeaking the language, dif- 

 play the feeUngs of the angry man. As he chiefly imi- 

 tates human nature he, muft fuppofe himfelf the very 

 charafter he invents. He muft fpeak what every one 

 of theperfons he reprefents would naturally fpeak, and 

 feem to perform atlions fimilar to what the perfon 

 would have done in that fituation. 



The paftoral poet, for inftance, has ro imitate the 

 manners and cuftoms of the country life. If any ob- 

 jecls are introduced that are not connected with the paf- 

 toral life, they are improper. Tlie objefts from which 

 the poet borrows his imagery muft be fuch as are within 

 the fphere of the fliepherd'skno\yledge. If they fuppofe 

 great improvement in the fciences, they are improper, 

 and cannot make a part of a paftoral pcem. The cha- 

 racters too muft be fuch as are fuited to that ftate ; the 

 paffions defcribcd muft be modified fo as to be confift- 

 cnt with the fituation of the fpeaker. To fay they 

 muft be always gentle, is improper ; becaufe fliepherds 

 are often reprefented, and with juftice, as being en- 

 vious and violently incenfed. But it would be impro- 

 per to reprefent them as very ambitious, or carrying 

 their refentmcnt to violent or bloody excefs. The 

 fame thing may be i!l\iftrated in epic, dramatic, and 

 every fpecies of poetical compofition. In all of them 

 the poet muft employ fiftion, but in all of them he 

 mull adhere to probability; and while he invents he muft 

 imitate. He is to excite feelings, and this can only be 

 done by defcribing particular natural objects. 



U. But the poet muft not only invent, — he muft not 

 only have ingenuity and thofe talents which depend on 



