Page:Monsieur Bossu's Treatise of the epick poem - Le Bossu (1695).djvu/75

Book I. Æneas is his chief Personage, Turnus is Æneas's Rival, and in Mezentius one may observe the Cruelty of a Tyrant, who is at Enmity with both Gods and Men.

To conclude: The Arrival of Æneas into Italy, was not invented by the Poet, but handed down by Tradition. Cicero, who wrote before Virgil, speaks thereof in his Speech against Verres upon the account of the City of Segesta. Its Inhabitants gave out that 'twas built by Æneas, when in his Voyage to Italy, he staid for some time on the Coast of Sicily.

IS time now to join Aristotle and Horace to Homer and Virgil, and to see whether the Thoughts and Precepts of our two Masters about the Nature of the Epick Fable agree with the Practice of our two Poets. We will begin with Horace.

As for the Word Fable there is no difficulty in it; he gives it to the Dramatick, he gives it to the Epick Poem, and in plain Terms calls the Iliad a Fable. The business is to know what he means by this Word, and what in his Opinion the Epick Fable is.

If it be granted that this kind of Fable is of the same Nature with those of Æsop, as we just now observed: Then we cannot say that an Epopéa is the Panegyrick of a Hero; of whom is rehearsed some illustrious Action or other; nor that the Epick Fable is only the Disposition of the different Parts of that Action, and of the several Fictions with which 'tis garnished.

Three Things may clear up this difficulty: The first is the Choice and Imposition of the Names, which are given to the Personages of the Fable: The second is the Design which the Poet has of teaching Morality under an Allegory: And the third is the Virtue and Excellency of the chief Personage.

The First is most decisive: For if the Action be feigned, and the Fable prepared before the Poet has so much as thought of the Name he is to give to his chief Personage; without doubt he does