Those masters, then but seen, not understood, With generous emulation fired thy blood; For what in nature's dawn the child admired, The youth endeavoured, and the man acquired. If yet thou hast not reached their high degree, 'Tis only wanting to this age, not thee. Thy genius, bounded by the times, like mine, } Drudges on petty draughts, nor dare design } A more exalted work, and more divine. } For what a song, or senseless opera, Is to the living labour of a play; Or what a play to Virgil's work would be, Such is a single piece to history. But we, who life bestow, ourselves must live; Kings cannot reign, unless their subjects give; And they, who pay the taxes, bear the rule: Thus thou, sometimes, art forced to draw a fool;[77] But so his follies in thy posture sink, The senseless idiot seems at last to think. Good heaven! that sots and knaves should be so vain, To wish their vile resemblance may remain, And stand recorded, at their own request, To future days, a libel or a jest! Else should we see your noble pencil trace Our unities of action, time, and place; A whole composed of parts, and those the best, With every various character exprest; Heroes at large, and at a nearer view; Less, and at distance, an ignoble crew; While all the figures in one action join, As tending to complete the main design. More cannot be by mortal art exprest, But venerable age shall add the rest: For time shall with his ready pencil stand, Retouch your figures with his ripening hand, Mellow your colours, and imbrown the teint, Add every grace, which time alone can grant; To future ages shall your fame convey, And give more beauties than he takes away. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 74: The ancients did not understand perspective; accordingly their figures represent those on an Indian paper. It seems long before it was known in England; for so late as 1634, Sir John Harrington thought it necessary to give the following explanation, in the advertisement to his translation of _Orlando Furioso_. "The use of the picture is evident;--that, having read over the book, they may read it as it were again in the very picture; and one thing is to be noted, which every one haply will not observe, namely, the perspective in every figure. For the personages of men, the shapes of horses, and such like, are made large at the bottom, and lesser upward, as if you were to behold all the same in a plain, that which is nearest seems greatest, and the farthest shews smallest, which is the chief art in picture."]