n
Notion, the main Action may be true; which appears even from Aristotle
himself, as quoted by him, 97. [Greek: Kan ara] &c. "An Author is not less
a Poet, because the Incidents he recites have truly happen'd; if so be
that which happen'd had the appearance of Truth, and all that Art demands,
and be really such as it ought to have been feign'd." And this Bossu
himself illustrates admirably well by an ingenious Simile; "A Statuary,"
says he, "first forms his Design, Posture, Altitudes which he intends for
his Image; but if he then lights on any precious Material, Agate, or such
like, where the Figure, the Colours, and Veins will not be accommodated to
all he design'd, he regulates his Design and Imagination according to his
Matter; nor ought we to believe, at the same time, that these singular
lucky Hits condemn the Justness of his Art." From all which, I must leave
it to the Reader, whether I han't sufficiently prov'd what I've
undertaken; that Fiction is not necessary to the principal Action of our
Heroic Poem; on which I've been something more large, not so much on my
own account; for 'tis indifferent to me by what Name any Man calls my
Poem, so it answers the great End of Epic, which is Instruction; but
because I've heard some Persons have been so conceited as to criticise on
our immortal Cowley for this very reason, and deny his Davideis the Honour
of being an Heroic Poem, because the Subject thereof is a true History.

And here I should drop the Discourse of Fable, were there not another sort
of Persons still to deal with, perhaps more importunate than the former:
The first will not like a Piece unless 'tis all Fable, or at least the
Foundation of it: These latter run into the contrary extreme, and seam
unwilling or afraid to admit anything of Fable in a Christian Poem; and as
Balzac in his Critics on Heinsius his Baptista, are frighted, as at some
Magical Charm, if they find but one Word there which was made use of by
the old Heathens; which, says he, (unluckily as things have since
happened) is as preposterous as to see Turks wear Hats, and Frenchmen
Turbants; the Flower-de-lis in the Musselmens Colours, or the Half-Moon on
the Standard of France. He's, however, it must be granted, justly angry
with Tasso, as Mr. Dryden since, for setting his Angels and Devils to
stave and tail at one another; Alecto and Pluto on one side, and Gabriel
and Raphael o' t'other; as well as with Sannazarius, for mingling Proteus
and Da