There are other Methods, I see, Cubbin, you have taken to enervate your Language; too minute and too numerous to recite, but they are easily, I think, observ'd, if a Person peruses the Pastoral Writers with Care.
When our Dialect is thus render'd weak and low, we must then add to it, (in order to render it as pleasant as a Dialect that is not low and mean) Simplicity, Softness and Rusticity. This is perform'd principally by these three things. By Old-Terms; by Turns of Words, and Phrazes; and by Compound Words. Of all which I shall crave leave to treat distinctly. And first of Ancient Terms.
SECT. 2.
Of Old-Words.
When first I look'd into Chaucer. I thought him the most dry insipid Writer I ever saw. And there is indeed nothing very valuable in either his Images or Thoughts; but after a Person is accustom'd to his manner of Writing and his Stile, there is something of Simplicity in his Old Language, inimitably sweet and pleasing. If 'tis thus in Chaucer, in Pastoral such a Language is vastly more delightful. For we expect something very much out of the Way, when we come among Shepherds; and how can the Language of Shepherds be made to differ from that of other Persons, if they use not Old-Words?
'Tis very remarkable that all our greatest Poets whose Works will live to Eternity, have introduced into their Language Old-Words; as Shakespear, Spencer, Milton. Dryden also, whose Genius was much inferiour to those Writers; has used some few. And Ben. Johnson (tho' he lived at the same time with Shakespear, Spencer, &c.) whose Genius was yet meaner than Dryden, has not one Old-Word.
Ancient Terms were doubtless a great disadvantage, especially to Spencer, when his Works appear'd first in the World; but he had a Soul large enough to write rather for Posterity, than present Applause. He took so excessive a delight in the Old Language of his admired Chaucer, that he could not help, in some measure, imitating it.
Our greatest Writers having all given into an Ancient Dialect, would almost encline us of the present Age, to think of making their Language a standing Language; for Queen Elizabeth's Age is to us what Augustus's was to the Latins; we must never hope to have so many noble Genius's adorn any one Age for the future; I might have said, any twenty Ages. Therefore if any English Dialect survives to the World's End, 'twill certainly be theirs; and 'twill be prudence in any After-writer to draw his Language as near to theirs as possible; that if theirs are understood a thousand Years hence, his may too.
But to leave the Consideration of Old-Words in Epick Poetry and Tragedy, let us proceed to Pastoral. There are several Advantages flow from the Use of Old-Words, but I have time to mention but two or three.
There is a Spirit and a Liveliness of Expression to be preserv'd in
Pastoral as well as other Poetry; now I affirm that 'tis impossible
to perform this without Old-Words; unless a Writer make Shepherds talk
Sublimely, and with Passion, as in Tragedies.