ture or Imitation of an Heroic Action; and the Qualities of the Action
are, That it ought to be (among others) true, or at least, such as might
pass for true;" Thus he. And hence it follows, according to him and
Aristotle, that the principal Action in Heroic, not only ought to pass for
Truth, but may be really true: For Horace, he does indeed call the Iliads
a Fable; but then he does not oblige his Poet superstitiously to follow
Homer in every thing, owning that he sometimes doats as well as other Men:
Further, this may, and I think does, refer rather to the Dress and Turn of
the Action, than to the Bottom and Ground of his History, which there's at
least as much, if not more reason to believe true than false: And in the
same Sense may we take Petronius and Boileau; nay, if we don't take 'em
thus, I can't tell whether there were ever such a thing as a true Heroic
Poem in the World; not so much as the Fairy-Queen, Gondibert, or Orlando
Furioso; all which have Fable enough in 'em of any reason; but their
principal Actions might be still true, as we are sure was that of the best
Heroic that ever was written; (I need not say I mean Virgil) since few or
no Authors ever deny'd that there was such a Man as AEneas, or even that he
came into Italy, built Cities there, and erected a Kingdom, which Tully
mentions, as a generally receiv'd Tradition in those Parts, and which it
seems he thought not frivolous, but true and solid; otherwise he'd scarce
have given it a place in his Argument for his Client. Of this Opinion too
seems Horace himself, in his Art of Poetry, namely, That there's no
necessity of the principal Action's being feign'd; for his Direction is,
"Aut famam sequere, aut sibi convenientia finge; Either follow Tradition
or Fame, or else feign what's agreeable thereunto." He makes not feigning
essential to Heroic Action, but gives leave to follow Fame, who is not so
great a Lyar, but that she is sometimes in the right. Nay, what if we
should after all have Bossu himself on our side, which I'm mistaken if he
be not; for these are his Expressions, Lib. 1. Cap. 7. Le Fiction, &c.
"The Fiction may be so disguis'd under the Verity of the History, that
those who are ignorant of the Art of the Poet, may believe it not a
Fiction; and to make the Disguisement well, he ought to search into
History for the Names of some Persons, to whom such an Action has probably
or truly happen'd, &c." Hence 'tis evident, that according to Bossu's ow