duces his cold capon: fo Armarillis (or rather Par thenope, as I take it) in "The Rehearsal," with her wine in her fpear, and her pye in her helmet; and the Cook that flobbers his beard with fack-poffet, in "The Man's the Mafter*;" have, in my opinion, made the most diverting part of the action. These embellishments we have received from our imitation of the ancient Poets. Horace, in his Satires, makes Mæcenas very merry with the recollection of the unusual entertainments and difhes given him by Nafidienus; and with his raillery upon garlick in his Third Epode. The Supper of Petronius, with all its machines and contrivances, gives us the moft lively defcription of Nero's luxury. Juvenal fpends a whole Satire about the price and dreffing of a fingle fifth, with the judgement of the Roman Senate concerning it. Thus, whether serious or jocofe, good eating is made the fubject and ingredient of poetical entertainments.

I think all Poets agree that Episodes are to be interwoven in their Poems with the greatest nicety of art; and so it is the fame thing at a good table: and yet I have seen a very good Episode (give me leave to call it fo) made by fending out the leg of a goofe, or the gizzard of a turkey, to be broiled: though I know that Criticks with a good stomach have been offended that the unity of action should be fo far broken. And yet, as in our Plays, fo at our common tables, many Episodes are allowed, as flicing of cucumbers, dreffing

*A Comedy by Sir William Davenant, acted 1669.

of

of fallads, seasoning the infide of a furloin of beef, breaking lobsters' claws, ftewing wild ducks, toafting of cheefe, legs of larks, and feveral others.

A Poet, who, by proper expreflions and pleafing images, is to lead us into the knowledge of neceffary truth, may delude his audience extremely, and indeed barbaroufly, unleís he has fome knowledge of this "Art of Cookery," and the progrefs of it. Would it not found ridiculous to hear Alexander the Great command his cannon to be mounted, and to throw red-hot bullets out of his mortar-pieces? or to have Statira talk of tapestry-hangings, which, all the Learned know, were many years after her death firft hung up in the Hall of King Attalus? Should Sir John Falftaff complain of having dirtied his fitk flockings, or Anne of 'Boleyn call for her coach; would an audience endure it, when all the world knows that Queen Elizabeth was the first that had her coach, or wore filk Stockings? Neither can a Poet put-hops in an Englishman's drink betore berey came in: nor can he ferve him with a difh of carp before that time: he might as well give King James the First a difh of afparagus upon his first coming to London, which were not brought into England till many years after; or make Owen Tudor prefent Queen Catharine with a fugar-loaf, whereas he might as eafily have given her a diamond as large, feeing the iceing of cakes at Wood-street Corner, and the refining of fugar, was but an invention of two hundred years ftanding, and before that time our Ancestors fweetened and gar«nished all with honey, of which there are fome remains

"Box, and Gallery," it well enough. His Prologue to "Sir Martin Mar-all" is fuch an exquifite Poem, taken from the fame Art, that I could wish it tranflated into Latin, to be prefixed to Dr. Lifter's Work. The whole is as follows:

PROLOGUE.

"Fools, which each man meets in his dish each day, the great regalia of a play;

** Are yet

In which to poets you but just appear,

To prize that higheft which coft them fo dear. "Fops in the town more eafily will pass, "One ftory makes a ftatutable afs:

But fuch in Plays must be much thicker fown, "Like yolks of eggs, a dozen beat to one.

46

Obferving Poets all their walks invade,

"As men watch woodcocks gliding through a glade; And, when they have enough for Comedy,

46

They 'ftow their feveral bodies in a pye.

"The Poet's but the Cook to fafhion it,

For, Gallants, you yourfelves have found the wit.

To bid you welcome, would your bounty wrong: "None welcome thofe who bring their cheer along."

The image (which is the great perfection of a Poet) is fo extremely lively, and well painted, that methinks I fee the whole audience with a difh of buttered eggs in one hand, and a woodcock-pye in the other. I hope I

Some Criticks read it Chair. KING.

may

may be excufed, after so great an example; for I declare I have no defign but to encourage Learning, and am very far from any defigns against it. And therefore I hope the worthy gentleman, who faid that the "Journey to London" ought to be burnt by the common hangman, as a Book, that, if received, would difcourage ingenuity, would be pleafed not to make his bonfire at the upper end of Ludgate-ftreet, for fear of endangering the Bookfellers' fhops and the Cathedral.

I have abundance more to fay upon thefe fubjects; but I am afraid my firft courfe is fo tedious, that you will excufe me both the fecond courfe and the deffert, and call for pipes and a candle. But confider, the Papers come from an old Friend; and fpare them out ef compaflion to,

SIR, &c.

LETTER

VII.

SIR,

To Mr.

AM no great lover of writing more than I am forced to, and therefore have not troubled you with my Letters to congratulate your good fortune in London, or to bemoan our unhappiness in the lofs of you here. The occafion of this is, to defire your affiftance in a matter that I am fallen into by the advice of fome friends; but, unless they help me, it will be impoffible for me to get out of it. I have had the misfortune

to

in Windfor bowls, baron bracks, and large fimnels, fent for prefents from Lichfield.

But now, on the contrary, it would fhew his reading, if the Poet put a ben-turkey upon a table in a Tragedy; and therefore I would advise it in Hamlet, instead of their painted trifles; and I believe it would give more fatisfaction to the actors. For Diodorus Siculus reports, how the fifters of Meleager, or Diomedes, mourning for their brother, were turned into hen-turkeys; from whence proceeds their stateliness of gate, refervedness in converfation, and melancholy in the tone of their voice, and all their actions. But this would be the most improper meat in the world for a Comedy; for melancholy and diftrefs require a different fort of diet, as well as language and I have heard of a fair lady, that was pleased to say," that, if she were upon a strange road, ❝ and driven to great neceflity, she believed fhe might for once be able to fup upon a fack-poffet and a fat "capon."

I am fure Poets, as well as Cooks, are for having all words nicely chofen and properly adapted; and therefore, I believe, they would shew the fame regret that I do, to hear perfons of fome rank and quality fay, "Pray cut up that goofe. Help me to fome of that "chicken, hen, or capon, or half that plover;" not confidering how indifcreetly they talk, before men of art, whofe proper terms are, "Break that Goofe;"

fruft that Chicken;”—“ spoil that Hen;"-fauce that "Capon;"―mince that Plover."-If they are fo much cut in common things, how much more will they be