Sect. VI.] Pastoral Poetry. 33 



Tespect to this kind of poetic excellence, may be 

 advantageously compared with any former age. 



The pastorals of Pope, though not equal to 

 most of his other works, have yet considerable 

 merit to reconmiend them. The pastorals of 

 Phillips, published about the same time, may be 

 considered as occupying nearly the same rank of 

 excellence. In the works of Gay and Siienstone 

 are also fou.id some specimens of this kind of com- 

 position, which have generally a place assigned 

 them among the pastorals of superior character. 

 The Shepherd's Week of the former, and the Pas- 

 toral Ballad of the latter, are considered among 

 the most meritorious performances of their kind 

 in our language. The Despairing Shepherd of 

 Rowe is also worthy of high praise ; and the va- 

 rious pastoral productions of Collins *, in richness 

 and strength of description, in justness and sim- 

 plicity of sentiment, have rarely been excelled. 

 But inferior to none that have been mentioned is 

 the Gentle Shepherd of Allan Ramsay ■\, a work 

 of great and original genius, in which a happy 

 delineation of character, an affecting exhibition 

 of incidents, and a captivating simplicity and ten- 

 derness, remarkably prevail. 



-But among all the pastoral poetry of the eigh- 

 teenth century, the Idylls of Gesner J unque- 



* William Collins was born at Chichester in 1720, where he 

 died in 1756. 



t Allan Ramsay was born in Scotland in 169(), and served an 

 apprenticeship to a barber in Edinburgh. The Gentle Shepherd is 

 his greatest work. He died in 1703. 



:j: Solomon Gesner was born at Zurich in 1730. He was a 

 bookseller, a member of the senate of Zurich, and excelled in 



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