The PREFACE.
times foreign to the Subject: Especially that of Prince Arthur's Speech to King Hoel, which takes up two whole Books. For what relation has this Recital of the Creation of the World; of the Fall of Man; of his Redemption; of the Resurrection; of the last Judgment, and the like with the main Action of the Poem; which is the Restoring Religion and Liberty, to the British Nation, and settling both Church and State on their Ancient Foundations of Truth and Peace? I know it may be said in favour of it, that it was necessary for the Conversion of Hoel, that such an account of things should be given him. But would not a bare Recital of a few Lines, that such a Relation was given him, have been sufficient? And would not such a Conduct have been more Conformable to the Nature of Epick Poesie, which excludes every thing that is foreign to the main purpose?
They who think to salve this by saying, that this Speech is in Imitation of Æneas's Speech to Dido, will be owned by all that have Read and compar'd both, to be egregiously mistaken, and the Author himself has no reason to thank them for making such a ridiculous Comparison. There is no manner of likeness between these two Speeches. The one, namely that of Æneas, is a story of whatever had happen'd to him for six Years together since the taking of Troy, and 'tis from that time the Action of the Poem begins: But the Narration of Prince Arthur is a Relation of things, wherein he had no more Interest than any other ordinary Man and Christian; and were we to reckon the Duration of the Action, from the time whereby the Poet begins this Speech, as all Criticks have done that of the Æneid, it would not be the Action of six or seven Years, but of six times as many Ages. There is no Comparison then to be made between these two Speeches; but that of our EnglishPoet
