thence draw your particular
Characters. In every Character still supposing that at the bottom of
it, and to accompany it. But Rules of this Nature, are like Mathematical
Assertions, not easily explain'd, but by Examples. Tho' I think,
_Cubbin_, I need not insist long on this to you; for your Characters are
not much faulty in this particular. If I remember aright; some of your
Characters are these:

Paplet has Simplicity and Tenderness: But her distinguishing Character
is, that she is a May, so young, as to be entirely ignorant of Love; but
extreamly Curious to be let into the Nature of Men and Lovers.

Collikin has Simplicity and Tenderness: But withal a Tincture of
Inconstancy in his Nature.

Soflin, with her Simplicity and Tenderness, is excessive Easy, and
Complying, to a Fault; open and too free-hearted.

Florey has Simplicity; and Tenderness for his Lass; but he is almost out
of Humour with himself for being so soft. He is suppos'd to be brought
up in the lonely Cave with Paplet; and his natural Tamper is wild and
excessive brisk; hating the House, and delighting in Hunting. But you
show, I see, only a Glimpse of his Natural Temper, which breaks out
at times; but he is drawn as tender, being all the Time in Love with
Poppit.

The rest of your Characters have the same Foundation; nor break in, I
think, upon Simplicity and Tenderness.

'Tis true indeed, as to the Difficulty of forming Pastoral Characters,
beyond those of Epick Poetry; That even there, one general Character
should diffuse it self thro' all the rest, and that is Bravery.
(For _Homer_ might, I think, as well have brought in a Baboon, or a
Hedge-hog, for Heroick Characters, as a _Vulcan_ and a _Thirsites_.) But
Bravery will coincide with greatly more Tempers than Pastoral Simplicity
and Tenderness; nor does it lay the Poet under a Restraint comparably so
great.

'Tis farther observable, as to the Difficulty of forming the Pastoral
Characters, that if we wou'd write up to the Perfection of Pastoral,
'tis necessary that whatever habit or temper of Mind distinguishes any
CHARACTER in the first Pastoral, wherever that CHARACTER afterwards
appears, thro' the whole set of Pastorals, it must appear with the
same Temper as before; that is, 'tis not enough to have the Characters
uniform and just thro' one and the same Pastoral, but what is the
Character of any Swain or Lass in the first and second Pastoral,
that must be their Character in all the rest, i