APPENDIX. 155 



more, which for once I will anticipate from the author of this 

 book. Though it muit be an Idea of perfection from which 

 both the Epic Poet and the Hittory Painter draws, yet all 

 perfections are not fuitable to all fubjects, but every one muft 

 be defigned according to that perfect .beauty which is proper 

 to him : An Apollo mult be diftinguifhed from a Jupiter, a 

 Pallas from a Venus ; and fo in Poetry, an ^Eneas from any 

 other Hero, for Piety is his chief perfection. Homer's Achilles 

 is a kind of exception to this rule ; but then he is not a per- 

 fect Hero, nor fo intended by the Poet. All .his Gods had 

 fomewhat of human imperfection, for which he has been 

 taxed by Plato, as an imitator of what was bad. But Virgil 

 obferved his fault and mended it. Yet Achilles was perfect 

 in the ftrength of his body, and the vigor of his mind. Had 

 he been lefs pafTionate or lefs revengeful, the Poet well fore- 

 faw that Hector had been killed, and Troy taken at the firft 

 aflault ; which had deftroyed the beautiful contrivance of his 

 Iliad, and the moral of preventing difcord amongft confederate 

 Princes, which was his principal intention : For the moral 

 (as BofTu obferves) is the fint bufinefs of the Poet, as being 

 the ground- work of his initruction. This being formed, he 

 contrives fuch a defign or fable, as may be moit fuitable to 

 the moral : After this he begins to think of the perfons whom 

 he is to employ in carrying on his defign, and gives them the 

 manners which are moit proper to their feveral characters. 

 The thoughts and words are the laft parts which give beauty 

 and colouring to the piece. When I lay, that the manners of 

 the Hero ought to be good in perfection, I contradict not the 

 Marquis of Normanby's opinion, in that admirable verfe, 

 where, fpeaking of a perfect character, he calls it 



" A faultlefs monfter, which the world ne'er knew :" 

 For that excellent Critic intended only to fpeak of Dramatic 



U 2 characters, 



