Page:Monsieur Bossu's Treatise of the epick poem - Le Bossu (1695).djvu/105

 that King Oedipus is the Assassin that ought to be punished; and moreover, that this Prince, who thought himself innocent, was at the same time guilty of Incest and Parricide. But Oedipus, inform'd of this only by Creon, and supposing he was born at Corinth, Son to King Polybus and Queen Meropa, is very confident of his own Innocence, and gives no Credit to the Report Creon made him. He is perswaded 'tis a Falshood invented to out him of the Kingdom, to which Creon was next Heir.

4. But at last he understands that he did kill Laïus, and was his Son, and Jocasta's, whom he had ignorantly married.

5. He punishes himself severely, plucks out his own eyes, goes into Exile, and so restores Health and Quietness to his People.

Word Episode passing from the Theatre to the Epopéa, did not change its Nature: all the Difference Aristotle makes between them is, that the Episodes of Tragedy are shortest, and the Episodes in these great Poems are by much the longest. So slight a Difference should be no hinderance to our speaking of both after the same manner.

This Word, according to Aristotle, is capable of three distinct Meanings. The first arises from that Enumeration of all the parts of Tragedy, which we mention'd. For if there are only four parts, viz. The Prologue, the Chorus, the Episode, and the Epilogue; it follows, that the Episode in Tragedy is whatever does not make up the other three; and that if you substract those three, the Episode necessarily comprehends all that remains. And since in our times they make Tragedies without either Chorus, Prologue, or Epilogue; this Term Episode signifies all the Tragedy which is made now-a-days. So likewise the Epick Episode will be the whole Poem. There is nothing to be substracted thence, but the Proposition and the Invocation, which are instead of the Prologue. In this sense the Epopéa and Tragedy have each of them but one single Episode, or rather, are nothing else but an Episode: and if the Parts and Incidents of which the Poet composes his Work have an ill Connexion together, then the Poem will be Episodical and defective, as we hinted before.